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Physical Teams Take It to Gophers

Posted on January 12, 2017January 12, 2017 by David Shama

The Gophers have surprised their critics this season with 15 wins in their first 18 games but there is a message in the three losses. Minnesota, winners of only two Big Ten games last season and now much improved, has lost those three games to more physical and aggressive top 20 ranked teams.

Michigan State, after last night’s drubbing of the Gophers in East Lansing, has now defeated Minnesota twice. The Gophers other loss was to Florida State, a team with big guards and four front court players 6-9 or taller including 7-1, 304-pound center Michael Ojo and 7-4 (not a typo) center Christ Koumadje.

Few teams, if any, can match the size of Florida State but Michigan State has bruising freshmen Nick Ward (6-8, 250) and Miles Bridges (6-7, 230). And what the Spartans may lack in inches and heft is made up for in aggression.

Last night the Spartans flummoxed the Gophers, shutting down driving lanes and contesting shots. When the Gophers did have decent looks at the basket they couldn’t make enough shots. The Spartans also beat up Minnesota on the boards and made more hustle plays.

“We just could not find a way to get an easy basket,” Gophers coach Richard Pitino said during his postgame interview on 1500 ESPN. “I thought we had a couple decent looks, but you know overall we’re not the toughest team, even from an offensive standpoint of screening, being strong with the ball. …”

It doesn’t help when Minnesota’s most physical player, 6-10, 260-pound junior center Reggie Lynch, is consistently in foul trouble and on the bench. Last night in the 65-47 loss Lynch fouled out for the fourth time in the last five games. He has fouled out of both games against the Spartans.

The Gophers were behind 39-17 at halftime and looked frustrated. Maybe there was a hangover feeling from the overtime loss to the Spartans in Minneapolis on December 27. Minnesota led 39-26 at intermission and was clearly the superior team in execution, if not effort. The Spartans, though, were by far the more assertive players in the second half. Among the telling final stats was MSU scored 12 more points in the lane than the Gophers.

The Gophers, now 3-2 in Big Ten games, face a momentum test Saturday at Penn State. Minnesota needs to stop its losing streak at one against a Nittany Lions team that has been at home all week preparing for Saturday’s game. With an 11 a.m. Minneapolis start time, the Gophers won’t have to wait long to see how things go against a 2-2 PSU group team that defeated MSU last week, 72-63.

Worth Noting

Tom Izzo has been Michigan State’s head coach since the 1995-1996 season. Early on he competed against Minnesota coach Clem Haskins, and he got to know legendary Minneapolis newspaper columnist and radio personality Sid Hartman. When Izzo was in town a couple of weeks ago he was asked about the 96-year-old Hartman, who is recovering from a broken hip.

“I get a kick out of Sid,” Izzo told Sports Headliners. “…He always was good to me. There were wars when Clem was here, when I first started, and Sid always had something to say. He wasn’t afraid to tell you how he felt, but I thought he listened and understood. There are a couple people up here (in Minneapolis) I really appreciate and he’s one of them.

“He’s still an ornery (guy). He still doesn’t belong in heaven yet. That’s why he’s not there, because God is negotiating the terms. But someday he’ll end up there and I just hope it’s not for a few years yet.”

Hartman wrote his first column for 2017 in today’s Star Tribune.

Ryan James, the prep basketball authority from GopherIllustrated.com, has watched both Isaiah Washington and Jamir Harris play. The two high school guards signed National Letters of Intent with the Gophers last fall, and James is impressed with their skills. Washington (from New York City) is among the nation’s elite point guards, while Harris (New Brunswick, New Jersey) is a combo guard.

“Isaiah Washington is a guy you describe as having New York juice,” James told Sports Headliners. “He has so much shake, so much burst with his initial attack. It’s matched by very few. He is one of the best players I saw all summer in transition. He makes the right decision in pushing the ball nine times out of 10, whether it’s a quick pitch, attack and dish, or if he goes at the rim.

“Outstanding pull-up jumper. Streaky shooter at the arc but he can be a good shooter out there. …He’s just an aggressive playmaker, and he has the capability of being a great defender. He just has to do it more consistently.”

James believes Harris could average double figures in points as a Gopher. “The first thing you think of is shooter. …He is really strong, high character guy—like he was looking at Stanford. He was looking at the Ivy League.”

James believes Washington definitely has all-Big Ten potential. He also said Harris could be an all-Big Ten academic selection.

In 13 home games this season the Gophers are averaging 9,091 in 14,625 capacity Williams Arena. In 10 games the Gopher women’s team is averaging 3,065.

Steve Fritz bobblehead (photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas)

St. Thomas will celebrate Steve Fritz Bobblehead Day Saturday during a home basketball doubleheader with Concordia College at Schoenecker Arena. Fritz enrolled as a student at St. Thomas in 1967, and he has worked at the St. Paul school since 1971, including 10 years as an assistant men’s basketball coach, 31 years as head coach and 25 years as athletic director. St. Thomas will sell the bobbleheads for $15 each during the 1 p.m. women’s game and the 3 p.m. men’s game against the Cobbers. Fritz, who is still the AD, will greet fans and sign bobbleheads (also available in the Tommie Shop in the Anderson Student Center as of next Monday).

GopherIllustrated.com publisher Zach Johnson talking about how the ultra optimistic and turbocharged personality of new Gophers coach P.J. Fleck could prompt media cynicism: “…I hope the media doesn’t beat him down—force him to create a shell around the program and around himself, and sort of try to protect himself from that (type of) media. I hope he just continues to be who he is. If he wins, he can make those columnists eat crow.”

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, who may announce his retirement this offseason, turns 34 today.

Vikngs defensive tackle Linval Joseph has been named to the Pro Bowl replacing the injured Aaron Donald of the Rams.

Bruce Boudreau, the Wild’s first-year coach who has directed Minnesota to the second best record in the NHL’s Western Conference, earns $2,760,000, according to Otherleague.com, a website listing compensation for league coaches. He is the first head coach in NHL history to lead three different teams (including the Wild) to win streaks of 11-plus games.

The Wild will play eight of their 12 games in February at Xcel Energy Center. After February 7, the team has only one game away from home during the month.

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Vikings to Face “Lousy” Team Sunday

Posted on December 7, 2016December 7, 2016 by David Shama

Bob Lurtsema makes his opinion clear about Sunday’s Vikings-Jaguars game in Jacksonville. “If you can’t beat a team that lousy, you got problems,” he told Sports Headliners.

The former Vikings defensive lineman is still close to his old team. When he speaks about his favorite franchise, it’s a good idea to listen. He predicted, for example, the 2015 Vikings would finish with a 10-6 record even though they had been 7-9 the season before. The Vikings made Lurtsema look good with an 11-5 record and an NFC North Division title in 2015.

The 6-6 Vikings, who still could qualify for the playoffs, play a Jaguars club that is 2-10. The other three teams remaining on the Vikings schedule are the 6-6 Colts, 6-6 Packers and 3-9 Bears. The Jaguars look like the weakest of the four opponents.

What about the Vikings’ playoff chances if they lose to Jacksonville? “It’s over,” said Lurtsema who thinks Minnesota may make the playoffs as a Wild Card team.

Among reasons the Jaguars are struggling is third-year quarterback Blake Bortles, who has thrown 15 interceptions in 12 starts and has a low passer rating of 76.9. The Jaguars made him the first quarterback and No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft—the same year the Vikings chose Teddy Bridgewater at No. 32 in the first round. “That’s who (Bortles) the Vikings really wanted when they drafted Teddy,” Lurtsema said. “Look how…he is playing.”

Injuries have forced the Vikings to rotate offensive linemen like a game of musical chairs. The result has frequently been fatal with the offense featuring an anemic rushing attack and a quarterback often facing constant pressure by pass rushers. But Lurtsema was encouraged by the line’s performance in last week’s 17-15 loss to the Cowboys.

“The offensive line played much better, believe it or not,” Lurtsema said. “They were sliding, (and) they were making the pickups a little better as far as adjusting to different defensive stunts the Cowboys had. They’ve got to play longer together. I think they’re still a game or two away from playing (even better)—seeing how good they’re actually going to be.”

In the closing seconds last Thursday night Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford threw high on an attempted pass and two-point conversion that if completed would have tied the score 17-17 with the Cowboys and sent the game into overtime. The Cowboys’ Cedric Thorton appeared to hit the Vikings quarterback on the face mask but the officials didn’t throw a flag and penalize the Cowboys for roughing the passer, so instead of replaying the down the game ended.

“The officials affected the game on both sides of the Dallas game,” said Lurtsema referring to multiple calls Thursday night. “Officiating is getting worse by the game. I mean it’s just brutal. When Bradford got hit on the two point conversion, people don’t understand what (a difference) one bad call can make (to a season).”

Worth Noting

Vikings fullback Zach Line told Sports Headliners yesterday that Adrian Peterson looks stronger every week. Line’s opinion is chances are “good” Peterson will play before the season ends next month. Peterson continues to rehab following surgery for a torn meniscus in September.

The Golden Gopher volleyball team is among the favorites to win the 2016 national championship. Minnesota’s potential path to its first title continues Friday night in a NCAA regional match against Missouri at the U Sports Pavilion. Also playing that night in the Minneapolis Regional are North Carolina and UCLA. Friday’s winners advance to the regional title match in the Sports Pavilion Saturday evening. The Minneapolis champion will then join three other regional winners in the national semifinals December 15 in Columbus, with the NCAA title to be decided there on December 17.

Gophers volleyball has become a major story with the media in this town. That development has caught the attention of former Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi who hired Hugh McCutcheon in 2011 hoping the former Olympics coach would build on the success of retiring U coach Mike Hebert.

The Gophers are the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament (Nebraska is No. 1) and Maturi is impressed. “My goodness, the attention that this volleyball team is getting is deserved, but it’s new. We’re selling out the place (the Sports Pavilion).

“We’ve been good before…(although) not No. 2 in the rankings. But we’ve been top 10 which is pretty good.

“I just think what he’s brought (McCutcheon) to the whole program is the awareness of the sport. The success that we’ve had. The energy that he has brought to the building, and now the media has picked it up.

“You’re calling about them and other (media) people have called about them. You’ve got (Patrick) Reusse going to volleyball matches, and (Jim) Souhan going to volleyball matches. I mean when the hell did that ever happen? With all due respect, you know?”

McCutcheon was friends with Hebert who led the Gophers to three Final Fours. McCutcheon, who coached U.S. Olympic men’s and women’s teams to gold and silver medals, met Maturi through Hebert years ago. Maturi had no idea when Hebert wanted to retire but told the USA Volleyball coach he was interested in making him a candidate for the Gophers’ job when an opening occurred.

After the 2010 season Hebert retired. McCutcheon had to finish up his 2012 Olympics commitment with the U.S. women so Laura Bush filled in as interim coach for 2011 and for awhile in 2012 until the new boss could take over.

The Gophers basketball team has been invited consecutive years to play neutral court games at the Sanford Pentagon arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Kelby Krabbenhoft, a committee member with the group selecting teams for games at the arena, indicated before last Saturday’s Minnesota-Vanderbilt game that the Gophers will be invited back, but was noncommittal about 2017.

Krabbenhoft said in addition to Minnesota, teams of future interest include Notre Dame and Creighton. The Gophers have split two close games at the Pentagon, losing to Oklahoma State and defeating Vanderbilt while attracting Minnesota fans to help sell out the 3,250 seat building. “We love Minnesota,” said Krabbenhoft, president/CEO of Sanford Health.

Participating teams receive guaranteed sums ranging from $60,000 to $200,000 to play at the Pentagon, Krabbenhoft said. His son Joe, by the way, was a high school star in Sioux Falls who almost chose the Gophers instead of Wisconsin where he became a starter and now is an assistant coach. Dad said the decision to attend a school came down to a family vote.

University of Minnesota alum T. Denny Sanford celebrated his 81st birthday last Friday night with about 750 friends as singer Harry Connick Jr. entertained at the Pentagon.

Former Gophers coach Jerry Kill has several December book signings scheduled in the metro area including three next Saturday. Kill will be at Lexus of Maplewood from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Barnes & Noble Galleria 1 to 3 p.m.; and Barnes & Noble HarMar Mall, 4 to 6 p.m. He will be signing copies of his new book Chasing Dreams: Living My Life One Yard at a Time.

Minnesota sports fan Steve Erban, who has owned winning racehorses over the years, talking about criticism directed at Gophers football even when the team wins: “…I tell them this: You’ve never owned a race horse. Because when you win, you win. When you win, you take the win and move on to the next race.”

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Maybe Walsh Late Entry for Turkey Award

Posted on November 23, 2016November 23, 2016 by David Shama

Just an outsider looking in, but I can’t help anticipating Patrick Reusse’s announcement tomorrow of his Turkey of the Year. The Star Tribune columnist has made his TOY coronation a Thanksgiving tradition for decades by selecting and writing about a prominent Minnesota sports figure that experienced a dismal 12 months.

Reusse and his “committee” must be feverishly sorting through finalists on Thanksgiving Eve. Here on the prairie there are never any shortages of candidates from the professional teams and University of Minnesota. Perhaps compounding the selection process this year is the late entry of Blair Walsh, the woe-begone placekicker who made a matinee thriller out of extra points and was released by the Vikings last week.

It will also be hard to ignore the Twins who lost a franchise record 103 games last season. I could see the TOY gang arguing over whether to bestow the honor on former general manager Terry Ryan, or take a more inclusive approach by naming the entire baseball department.

Joe Mauer could be in contention too after earning $23 million and hitting just .261, with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. Another likely contender is Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino who lost a school record 16 Big Ten games in 2015-2016.

Reusse’s declaration of his 2016 Turkey winner will be part of a day that includes a rare Thanksgiving game by the Vikings. If the club follows past history, fans won’t have to worry about the final score giving them a bad case of heartburn and upset stomach. The Vikings have won five of six times on turkey day since the franchise began in 1961. All have been road games, with Minnesota 3-0 against the Cowboys and 2-1 versus the Lions.

Tomorrow the Vikings play the Lions in Detroit for the first time since 1995. Although both teams are playing on just three days rest since last Sunday, it’s an honor to have a “place at the table” in Detroit. No franchise in professional sports is more identified with a holiday than the Lions who have been playing on Thanksgiving Day since 1934.

After 69 holiday games, the Lions are 33-34-2 against 24 opponents. One of those Detroit wins came in the 1995 game when defense was out and offense was in. Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell threw for 410 yards and four touchdowns in his team’s 44-38 win. Three Lions receivers had over 100 yards in receptions. Vikings quarterback Warren Moon passed for 384 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Jake Reed had 149 yards in receptions including two touchdowns.

Go ahead and wager the best drumstick in town that kind of offensive show won’t happen tomorrow. The Vikings’ defense is too good, ranking among the best in the NFL giving up 306.9 yards per game and 17.6 points (although controlling the run has been a problem of late). The Lions are yielding 358.2 yards and 22.5 points.

You might want to hold off rolling out the turkey and all the fixings until after 3 p.m. Tomorrow’s 11:30 a.m. game is kind of a big deal. The teams are tied for first place in the NFC North with 6-4 records, and the Vikings intend to have a better day than earlier this month when the Lions won, 22-16, in Minneapolis. Quarterback Matthew Stafford rallied the Lions late and they tied the game as time expired. Then Stafford was clutch in overtime and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate for the winning points.

That game gave indigestion to “Purple People.” Might have even produced a Turkey of the Year candidate, too.

Worth Noting

Vikings defensive end Brian Robison talking about tomorrow’s game with the Lions: “It’s about who wants it more.”

If the Gophers can win Saturday in Madison against the Badgers it will be among the most significant upsets in the rivalry that dates back to 1890. The Badgers are ranked No. 5 in the latest Associated Press poll and are close to earning an invitation next month to the four-team College Football Playoffs.

Wisconsin was 0-2 in Big Ten games in mid-October but has now won five consecutive league games. With an overall 9-2 record and 6-2 in the Big Ten, a win against Minnesota sends the Badgers to the conference title game next month in Indianapolis. A victory by the Badgers also would put the all-time series standings against Minnesota at 59-59-8.

But the Gophers, 8-3 and 5-3, would spoil Wisconsin’s CFP hopes with an upset, and that’s just part of how wild things could end in the West Division by Saturday night. Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin could all finish with 6-3 records. The Badgers, though, would be invited to Indianapolis because they have wins over Iowa and Nebraska, and the Gophers lost to both the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers.

Even with an 8-4 final record, the Gophers figure to earn an invitation to one of their better bowl destinations in the last 10 years. At last Saturday’s Minnesota-Northwestern game at TCF Bank Stadium, press box seat assignments were made for representatives of the Fiesta, Foster Farms and Holiday bowls.

Ryan Burns, the high school football authority from GopherIllustrated.com, told Sports Headliners he predicts Totino-Grace will win by seven points over Eden Prairie in the Class 6A state championship game Friday. Burns wonders whether EP has enough “firepower” to win against Totino. A state title win by Totino would be a third consecutive victory over Eden Prairie including a 17-14 win earlier this year. “That would be a hell of an accomplishment,” Burns said about Eden Prairie, a program that has won four of the last five big school state titles.

Asked about the 10 finalists for the 2016 Mr. Football Award, Burns suggested the likely winner will either be Grand Meadow running back/linebacker Christopher Bain, Crosby-Ironton quarterback/linebacker/kicker Noah Gindorff, or Lakeville North running back Wade Sullivan. Among the 10 candidates, Marshall tackle Blaise Andries is the only one with offers from FBS schools. He is verbally committed to the Gophers.

Gindorff has committed to FCS North Dakota State. Alexandria quarterback Jaran Roste, another Mr. Football candidate, has a preferred walk-on invite from the Gophers, Burns said.

The 2016 Mr. Football Award, sponsored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association and the Vikings, will be presented on December 4 at the Doubletree by Hilton in St. Louis Park. Candidates for the award, which dates back to 2004, must be high school seniors.

The Rochester Quarterbacks Club that began in 1955 is still meeting on Mondays under the leadership of Ed Rauen, a familiar voice in southern Minnesota for decades on KROC Radio. The club meets at a place called Canadian Honker Catering, features speakers from various sports and has had only two presidents, the late Ben Sternberg and Rauen. “It’s the only club in America that doesn’t have an election,” baseball icon Joe Garagiola once said.

Former Gopher Darrell Thompson, the program’s all-time leading career rusher, turns 49 today.

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