MIAC – Page 10 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Something for Vikings to ‘Kick About’

Posted on December 3, 2017December 3, 2017 by David Shama

A Sunday notes column kicking off with the 9-2 Vikings who are in Atlanta for a noon game against the 7-4 Falcons.

Vikings’ placekicker Kai Forbath has made just 82 percent of his extra point attempts. That is the lowest conversion rate among NFL kickers with 10 or more attempts.

Forbath has made 23 of 28 extra points, with two attempts blocked. Falcons’ kicker Matt Bryant is a perfect 28 of 28.

Forbath joined the Vikings as a free agent in November of 2016 and made 11 of 14 extra points, or 78.6 percent. He converted 34 of 35 extra points in 2015 playing for the Redskins and Saints even though that year the NFL moved the line of scrimmage for conversions back from the two-yard line to the 15—a rules change that is still in place. (The result in 2015 was dramatic with league kickers missing the most extra points in any season since 1977, according to a January 4, 2016 NFL.com story.)

Forbath has made 24 of 28 field goals, and only four other NFL kickers have converted more. He has been successful on 10 of 12 in the 30 to 39 yard range (the distance for extra points is 33 yards). With nothing but big games ahead for the Vikings in their drive for the playoffs, and a Minneapolis Super Bowl spot, Forbath needs to shake his extra point slump.

D. Orlando Ledbetter, writing on the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s website last Thursday, reported the Vikings’ Case Keenum is the top-ranked NFL quarterback, “according to analytics website Football Outsiders.”

Back in September Vikings defensive lineman Everson Griffen called out Lions offensive tackle Greg Robinson, referring to him as “lazy.” Last week, though, Griffen wouldn’t put that label on anyone on the Falcons’ offensive line that has helped produce 373.4 yards per game, sixth best in the NFL. The Vikings rank fifth at 375.7.

The Vikings are the only team in the NFL with both a top five offense and defense. Minnesota is No. 5 defensively, holding opponents to 290.4 yards per game.

Bob Kronenberg, an area scout for the Falcons, is a former All-American in football and track at St. Cloud State.

The Vikings will honor Dick Jonckowski at their December 17 home game against the Bengals. Jonckowski was a prominent Vikings usher for years at the old Met Stadium and recently retired from public address announcing for Golden Gophers basketball, a position he held for 31 years.

Coach Richard Pitino’s Gophers, 7-1 in nonconference games, play their opening Big Ten game at 5 p.m. tonight in Williams Arena. Minnesota is at Nebraska Tuesday evening as part of a new-look Big Ten schedule that has teams playing two conference games in early December prior to resuming nonconference games for most of the month.

Rutgers, 6-1, has lost only to undefeated Florida State. As of Friday afternoon, Rutgers led the nation in offensive rebounding per game at 16.6 and was second in scoring defense, allowing 51.6 points.

Also as of Friday, Gophers forward Jordan Murphy led the nation with eight double-doubles, one in every game this season. He was second nationally in offensive rebounding per game with 5.5 and third in rebounds at 12.5. His 21.4 points per game ranked 33rd.

Minnesota author Bob Showers has signings this month for his new book The Twins in the Dome. His Twin Cities area schedule includes appearances at Barnes & Noble stores at Maplewood Mall and HarMar Mall next Saturday starting at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively. His new Twins publication was included in last month’s Star Tribune Holiday Book Guide, one of five regional books selected.

A national TV audience will watch two of the country’s elite prep basketball guards Thursday when Apple Valley, led by Tre Jones, plays Minnehaha Academy and Jalen Suggs. The game will be at Apple Valley, starts at 7 p.m. and airs on on ESPN U.

Former Minnesota Mr. Basketball Khalid El-Amin has returned to his alma mater, North High School, as an assistant coach.

It was stunning to see all the prime unoccupied seats at the Gophers home hockey game against the Badgers Friday night. The empty seats make a statement about the apathy toward U hockey despite a No. 7 national ranking and playing border rival Wisconsin, a team ranked No. 14 in the country.

Mary Hardin-Baylor, the team that defeated St. Thomas 24-10 yesterday in a Division III college football quarterfinal playoff game, now has a 100-7 record during the last eight years. The total includes 19 wins and 7 losses in the playoffs. MHB’s record during the last eight years is second best in the nation, while St. Thomas ranks fourth at 92-12 including 17-6 in the postseason.

Bluff Creek Golf Course in Chaska is open to the public this weekend using a shotgun format. The course was also open during mild weather last February.

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Twins Need Dominant Santana in NY

Posted on September 26, 2017September 26, 2017 by David Shama

To most of the baseball world, the Twins look like a “just happy to be here” team going into next Tuesday’s anticipated playoff game against the Yankees in New York. The Twins have lost four of six to the Yankees this season, have an inferior overall record (82-74 versus 87-69), and a roster of key players who are young and inexperienced.

Max Kepler (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

In a one-game playoff young Twins hitters Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario could nervously be chasing pitches they shouldn’t be offering at. Add Miguel Sano, if healthy enough to play, to that list. None of those players have ever been in a Major League postseason game and their inexperience might lead to mistakes in the field and on the bases, too.

It appears all but certain the Twins and Yankees will be the American League’s two wild card entrants. For Minnesota to reverse the disaster of postseason failures against the Yankees in 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2010, the Twins will almost certainly need a special performance from their expected starting pitcher, 34-year-old Ervin Santana.

Santana’s anticipated schedule has him starting Thursday against the Indians, then resting and preparing for the Yankees. His experience and skills give the Twins a chance in their playoff game. A win this Thursday will be his 17th of the season and set a career high. He goes into the game with a career-best 3.36 ERA.

Santana, who is among the American League leaders in wins, is paid to have big seasons like 2017 when he was honored with a place on the AL All-Star roster. He has postseason experience and earns $13.5 million annually, according to Cot’s baseball contracts.

The club’s best paid player, $23 million a year Joe Mauer, is also a veteran presence and has played in nine playoff games. He is hitting over .300 for the first time since 2013 and has committed only two errors at first base.

Royals’ first baseman Eric Hosmer hasthree errors, and has started 37 more games than Mauer. Hosmer is the favorite to win the AL Gold Glove award for first basemen.

Worth Noting

After the Vikings’ 34-17 win over the Bucs Sunday, Profootballfocus.com gave its five highest grades among Minnesota players to quarterback Case Keenum, wide receiver Adam Thielen, offensive tackle Mike Remmers, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and cornerback Trae Waynes. The website said Keenum, substituting for the injured Sam Bradford, “had the game of his life as he torched the Bucs secondary up and down the field.”

Sam Bradford (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

With Bradford sidelined with a knee injury, the 2-1 Vikings only have three offensive starters who were regulars on last season’s team—Diggs, Thielen and tight end Kyle Rudolph. Yet the Vikings rank second in the NFL in total offense at 400.3 yards per game, trailing the Patriots at 440.7.

Marcus Sherels, the former Gopher and Rochester, Minnesota native, turns 30 on Saturday. He has developed an impressive career with the Vikings as a punt returner and reserve cornerback. Sherels, acquired by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2010, holds the team career record for most touchdowns returning punts (five).

The Cowboys were the only NFL team worth $2 billion five years ago but now all but five franchises are at that level and more, according to a September 18 Forbes.com article. Forbes released its annual valuations of the league’s 32 teams including the Cowboys valued at $4.8 billion. The league average is $2.5 billion and the Vikings are valued at $2.4 billion.

Ticket prices range from $35 to $140 for Saturday’s Gophers-Maryland game at TCF Bank Stadium. For the Nebraska game November 11, prices start at $90 and go up to $235, while the range for Wisconsin two weeks later is $80 to $210.

Former Gophers Nick Rallis and Adam Weber are working in the football programs at Wake Forest and UCLA respectively.

Former Minnesota Mr. Football J.D. Spielman, now a redshirt freshman and wide receiver at Nebraska, had his first college touchdown reception last Saturday in a win over Rutgers. Spielman also has a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown this season.

Saint John’s and St. Thomas resume their football rivalry in Collegeville next year on October 13. The Tommies will host the Johnnies October 19, 2019, presumably at O’Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul but don’t be surprised if talks surface regarding another site after Saint John’s and St. Thomas drew a Division III record crowd at Target Field of 37,355 last Saturday.

Will the Johnnies consider hosting the game at a large neutral site stadium like St. Thomas did this year? “I can guarantee we’ll always play at (our) Clemens Stadium,” Saint John’s athletic director Bob Alpers told Sports Headliners.

Alpers is also the Johnnies golf coach and his team was playing in the Twin Cities Classic on Saturday so he missed the historic football game.

The Division III game last Saturday had a larger attendance than 28 FBS games including home crowds for Maryland and top 20 ranked Washington State. A St. Thomas spokesman also said there were “17,000 hits” on the school website’s streaming the game. A typical Tommies game might have 1,000 to 1,500 hits, while the previous all-time high in hits for a St. Thomas football game was 9,000 last year in a playoff game against UW-Oshkosh.

The WNBA Finals involving Glen Taylor’s Lynx will cause him to miss the Timberwolves team flight to China. Taylor told Sports Headliners he and wife Becky will fly to China after the finals that continue tonight with Game Two at Williams Arena against the Sparks and could go through October 4. The Wolves, who Taylor also owns, will play exhibition games in China starting October 5.

Taylor will participate in an NBA meeting while in China. He owns printing and software businesses in the country.

Taylor said the installation of temporary air conditioning at Williams Arena for the finals will cost about $1 million, and because the expenditure wasn’t budgeted for the Lynx franchise might not make a profit this year. “It won’t help, that’s for sure,” said Taylor who approved the expenditure for the benefit of players and fans.

Taylor remains friends with former Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman who is retired and spending time with family. Adelman’s son, David Adelman, who used to work for the Wolves, is an assistant with the Nuggets.

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UST-St. John’s in Novelty Game Saturday

Posted on September 21, 2017March 15, 2023 by David Shama

Don’t expect Saturday’s near sellout crowd at Target Field to create Division I or II football ambitions for academic and athletics leaders at the University of St. Thomas.

Attendance for the Division III Tommies-Saint John’s game could total over 37,000 in the Twins’ home that accommodates a few thousand more fans than that for baseball. Target Field opened in 2010 but this will be the first football game ever played there and whatever the final attendance count the total will set a national record for Division III.

Tommies athletic director Steve Fritz told Sports Headliners his school is “very happy” in the MIAC and playing in Division III, with no intent to become a bigger player in college football despite the record interest in Saturday’s game that has even drawn national media interest. And don’t expect the Tommies to be back in a large Twin Cities stadium in the near future, including two years from now when St. Thomas again hosts Saint John’s in its famous rivalry game that is always a hot ticket in Collegeville or St. Paul.

Fritz is open to considering other options for 2019 but he is thinking his school will play the Saint John’s game at O’Shaughnessy Stadium on the St. Thomas campus. “Right now that’s what our thought is,” he said.

The Twins made the initial contact regarding the 2017 Tommies-Johnnies game at Target Field. The Twins organization is interested in hosting a few annual attractions that can be held during the baseball season when the club is out of town. The Twins are the promoter for Saturday’s game, taking the risk and gaining the reward regarding finances. Fritz said St. Thomas receives a financial guarantee similar to revenues for hosting past games with the Johnnies at O’Shaughnessy Stadium, and could be given extra compensation as part of the school’s deal with the Twins.

Fritz declined to reveal specific figures. As in any MIAC football game, the visiting team receives no share of the gate receipts or other game revenues.

Fritz predicts the crowd will be about evenly divided among St. Thomas and Saint John’s fans. Tickets are for reserved seating and are scaled at different prices up to $35. Student tickets are $10 and buses will run for more than two hours Saturday morning from the St. Thomas campus to Target Field prior to the game’s 1 p.m. kickoff. Contrast ticket prices with a 1989 game that the Tommies hosted against Saint John’s when adult tickets were $3, student tickets $2.

The Tommies and Johnnies always draw attention when they meet in a football rivalry that dates back to 1901, with attendance even totaling 17,327 for the 2015 game in Collegeville. But Saturday’s get together is an opportunity to accommodate many more fans in one of America’s acclaimed baseball parks. A spirited rivalry, plus the novelty of Target Field, has made for an attraction bigger than anyone, including the Twins, expected.

“This is really something,” Fritz said. “The Saint John’s game is always big and always fun and all that…but this kind of thing is hard to imagine.”

Reportedly the all-time single game attendance record for a Division III football game was set last fall when UW-Whitewater hosted UW-Oshkosh. Announced attendance was 17,535.

A St. Thomas spokesman wrote via email that the Target Field game is “on pace to surpass the attendance at 20 of the 40 FBS bowl games held last holiday season, including games that involved South Carolina, South Florida, Indiana, Utah, Baylor, Boise State, North Carolina State, Vanderbilt, Maryland, Boston College, Mississippi State and Colorado State.”

The 3-0 Johnnies, averaging 67.7 points per game, are ranked No. 6 nationally in the AFCA coaches poll. The 2-1 Tommies, who have won six of the last eight games in the rivalry, are ranked No. 11 in that poll. Johnnies fans prefer to remember a stretch between 1993 and 2009 when their team won 16 of 17 games against the Tommies.

Glenn Caruso (photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas)

The Tommies probably can’t lose Saturday’s game and retain much chance to qualify later for the Division III playoffs. Despite that pressure to avoid a second loss this season, and playing before a record crowd, Fritz said his coach, Glenn Caruso, isn’t taking an unusual approach to the game. “He’s as well prepared as anybody I’ve ever seen,” Fritz said.

Emotions will be intense for coaches, players and fans at Saturday’s historic game. Fritz acknowledged a win would mean even a little more than a typical victory over the Johnnies. “…Obviously this one is pretty special,” he said.

After 14 consecutive Tommies-Johnnies games played on artificial turf, the 2017 version will take place on a grass field running parallel to the baseball third base line. Part of the field will be the Twins’ dirt infield. Things could get sloppy if rain forecasts prove correct. AccuWeather.com predicts a 55 percent chance of thunderstorms around 1 p.m.

Precipitation won’t enhance the fan atmosphere on a special small college football afternoon. “I don’t think it ruins everything, but the better the day the better the atmosphere,” Fritz said.

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