MIAC – Page 13 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Whiffs Pileup for Byron Buxton

Posted on April 14, 2017April 14, 2017 by David Shama

Notes on the Twins, Gophers, MIAC and horse racing:

Byron Buxton, the Twins 23-year-old centerfielder who has failed as a hitter in parts of two previous years with the Twins, is striking out at an alarming rate during the first two weeks of the season.

Buxton has struck out 19 times in 34 plate appearances—an eye-catching 56 percent of his at bats. He has three hits and a batting average of .088.

In 298 at bats last season he struck out almost 40 percent of the time while hitting .225. In 2015 it was 34 percent of his plate appearances, along with an average of .209.

Buxton looks overmatched by big league pitching, frequently not able to make solid contact when his bat does put the ball in play. If he receives enough plate appearances he could threaten Miguel Sano’s team record for striking out the most times in one season, 178. While Sano struck out 40 percent of the time last year, he also hit 25 home runs with 66 RBI as part of his .236 average.

Buxton has never approached that kind of production with the Twins, but his fielding has often been spectacular. He has already made plays this season that have both teammates and fans applauding. He hasn’t been producing runs but he has been saving them.

Buxton is an asset running the bases, too, but his dismal hitting performance will have to improve if manager Paul Molitor is going to start him everyday. It’s understandable that a young hitter like Buxton will struggle early in his career but it’s difficult to remember a player looking as feeble as Buxton who then went on to stardom. Such a future has long been predicted for the Georgia native who the Twins made the second player selected in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Buxton was one of nine players who had at least one hit yesterday when the Twins had their most productive run scoring of the season, winning 11-5 against the Tigers. Buxton had a bunt single in five at bats, including two strikeouts, as the Twins continued their impressive start to the season. Minnesota, 6-3, plays the White Sox at Target Field tonight.

The Gophers spring football game at TCF Bank Stadium starts at noon Saturday, and will be telecast later by the Big Ten Network beginning at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free for the game which is expected to last about two hours. Then, head coach P.J. Fleck and players will sign autographs on the field for 30 minutes.

Former Gophers football star Jim Carter told Sports Headliners that Wake Forest defensive coordinator Jay Sawvell has reached out to Mike Sherels for input. Sawvell was the Gophers defensive coordinator last season when Sherels worked for him as linebackers coach. Sherels dealt with life-threatening health issues in 2016.

The defensive preparation by the Gophers and the upset win over heavily favored Washington State in the Holiday Bowl last December represents one of the great coaching jobs in U history. My opinion is the 17-12 win over the Cougars was the second best Gophers bowl win ever—with only the 1962 Rose Bowl victory against UCLA more impressive.

For the 15th time in 16 years, Saint John’s led Division III football schools in average attendance per game, 7,787. Bethel finished 11th nationally in per game attendance at 4,201. The MIAC, for the sixth consecutive year, led Division III conferences in average, 3,193.

The Gophers basketball team is being mentioned for preseason top 25 rankings and possibly a Big Ten championship in 2018. Minnesota coach Richard Pitino acknowledged that in his April 6 blog on Gophersports.com.

“Expectations will be sky-high going into next season,” he wrote.

Pitino is looking forward to coaching Texas A&M transfer Davonte Fitzgerald who missed last season with the Gophers because of a torn ACL. “When healthy, he shows flashes of being our best player,” Pitino wrote about the 6-8 forward. “There were times last year that he blocked just as many shots as (center) Reggie (Lynch). He’s getting healthy and working hard in his rehab. Will look at him at the 3 and the 4 next season. Great versatility!”

Former Gophers playing pro basketball overseas include Andre Hollins, Braunschweig (Germany); DeAndre Mathieu, Valga (Estonia); Trevor Mbakwe, Zenit (Russia); Carlos Morris, Oliveirense (Portugal); and Maurice Walker, Worcester (Great Britain).

Collegehockeyinc.com reported Wednesday that a record 307 players from NCAA schools—or 32 percent—appeared in NHL games during the 2016-2017 season. The Gophers have 18 alums: Nick Bjugstad, Alex Goligoski, Seth Helgeson, Hudson Fasching, Eric Haula, Eric Johnson, Phil Kessel, Nick Leddy, Paul Martin, Aaron Ness, Kyle Okposo, Kyle Rau, Mike Reilly, Nate Schmidt, Jordan Schroeder, Brady Skjei, Thomas Vanek and Blake Wheeler.

Arizona State’s hockey program appears likely to make a commitment to the WCHA this summer, with league games starting in the 2018-2019 season.

Canterbury Park opens its live horse racing season on May 5 and will also have racing May 6—the same day as the 143rd Kentucky Derby. This will be the first time since 2008 the Shakopee racetrack has offered live racing on Derby Day which annually attracts more wagering dollars than any other day at Canterbury. Combined wagering, including from various simulcast sites and live racing at Canterbury, is expected to exceed $1.5 million this year. Advance wagering at Canterbury for the Kentucky Derby starts May 4.

Comments Welcome

Red Sox ‘Hit It Out of Park’ with Fans

Posted on February 27, 2017February 27, 2017 by David Shama

A notes column following a two-week vacation in the Fort Myers area.

I had a career in entertainment marketing and have been a sports fan as long as I can remember. I’ve attended local and national sports events, and enjoyed world-renowned attractions such as Disney World and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, but I’ve never experienced customer relations like I encountered at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers.

The Red Sox’s spring training ballpark and surrounding player development fields are physically impressive but what makes visiting the complex so extraordinary is how fans are welcomed and catered to. On a Sunday when the Red Sox were practicing on multiple fields, there were smiling workers ready to answer questions, provide directions, talk Red Sox history, and offer transportation on golf carts.

Near the stadium, two staffers invited visitors to try a Virtual Reality experience at no cost. There was a short line to use the gear and see a player’s field-level view at Fenway Park. It was an opportunity to sample a technology that baseball’s 30 teams will be making a priority for future fan experiences.

Parking was free and there was no admission charge to visit the various practice fields. A tour of JetBlue Park costs $7 but my wife and I found a better deal. We struck up a conversation with a staffer who connected us with another worker who provided a free look inside the stadium. JetBlue, with features reminiscent of famed Fenway Park, opened in 2012—the 100th anniversary of the famous Boston stadium. …

The Twins and Red Sox are based in Fort Myers for spring training while the Rays are located nearby in Port Charlotte. For a top price spring training ticket to see those teams, the Rays are a bargain at $29, compared with the Red Sox at $49 and the Twins $45, according to Florida Weekly’s spring training baseball edition. …

The Red Sox are at spring training without retired slugger and DH David Ortiz. In a move that will haunt Minnesota baseball fans forever, the Twins let Ortiz go after the 2002 season. Ortiz had a storybook career with the Red Sox including last year, when at age 40 he hit .315 with 38 home runs and 127 RBIs.

In Red Sox history, Ortiz is second only to Ted Williams in career home runs. He is third in career RBIs behind Carl Yastrzemski and Williams—both former Triple A Minneapolis Millers. Despite spending most of his big league career as a DH, Ortiz will be fast-tracked to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. …

It will be interesting to see if Max Kepler can build on his 2015 rookie numbers with the Twins. The 24-year-old German born Kepler was zinging line drives in batting practice recently after hitting .235 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs last season. His 17 homers were a career-high in five seasons in the minors and majors. …

Dick Bremer, who has been broadcasting Twins games since 1983, turns 61 on Wednesday.

Bremer’s broadcast partner, Bert Blyleven, talks more about his birthday than anyone I know. He will be 65 on April 6. Born in the Netherlands, Blyleven is the pitching coach for that nation’s team in the World Baseball Classic that starts next week. …

U president Eric Kaler was scheduled to be in Naples last weekend on behalf of the University of Minnesota Foundation. …

Vikings executive and U.S. Bank Stadium authority Lester Bagley talks to the C.O.R.E.S. lunch group March 9 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Reservations need to be made by March 6. More information is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotseth@comcast.net. …

Ten of 11 MIAC baseball teams have scheduled games at U.S. Bank Stadium during February and March. After a recent coaches poll, St. Thomas is the choice to win the league title. Saint John’s, where coach Jerry Haugen is in his 40th season, was voted second. …

Bill Barnwell, writing for ESPN.com February 15, suggests Green Bay could soon be the new home of Adrian Peterson (see the January 10 Sports Headliners regarding Peterson with the Packers).

Barnwell wrote the Vikings need to look at a number of offseason moves including what to do with two of their major assets who can become unrestricted free agents after next season, quarterback Sam Bradford and cornerback Xavier Rhodes.

Comments Welcome

U Recruiting Trying to Win West Division

Posted on February 1, 2017February 1, 2017 by David Shama

National Signing Day is today and the Gophers won’t top the football recruiting rankings in the Big Ten West, but in the future they might be on their way to consistently being equal to or ahead of programs like Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa.

New Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck has impressed those who track college football recruiting. The 36-year-old Fleck has a nonstop passion for his job and a head full of ideas including communications with recruits through social media. The January 30 issue of Sports Illustrated even devoted space to Fleck in its article about how “the recruiting game has gone digital, mobile and high concept, and any coach who wants to compete needs a hot designer on his roster.”

Creativity is a frequently used word associated with college football recruiting. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh grabs a headline singing a rap song; Ohio State’s Urban Meyer gets into a bidding war with Texas over a graphic designer; and Nick Saban dazzles Alabama recruits with his massive home that is just a golf cart ride away from a lake.

Whether Fleck can ultimately recruit and coach at an elite level will have everything to do with the Gophers’ football future. He inherits a program and team that has been resurrected but hasn’t reached championship status. Minnesota has won two consecutive bowl games and totaled eight wins or more in three of the last four seasons. Yet the Gophers haven’t been Big Ten champs since 1967, have never won a Big Ten West Division title and hold no wins over Wisconsin since 2003.

Recruiting authority Ryan Burns has been impressed with Fleck since he was hired in early January. National recruiting websites have jumped the Gophers way ahead of where their 2017 class was ranked before Fleck arrived in Minneapolis. Fleck has out-recruited Power Five rivals for players, convincing some to commit to him without visiting the University of Minnesota campus.

Burns, publisher of the GopherIllustrated.com website, thinks Fleck’s recruiting will ultimately lead the Gophers to playing “meaningful games” in November. The GopherIllustrated website includes national team rankings from Scout which as of this morning assigns the seven Big Ten West Division programs the following rankings: Nebraska No. 18; Minnesota No. 33; Illinois No. 34, Iowa No. 41; Northwestern No. 48; Wisconsin No. 53; and Purdue No 77.

“It’s interesting to see them (the Gophers) going after kids with P-Five offers—compared to going against (programs like) Troy and Louisiana-Lafayette,” Burns told Sports Headliners. “He’s (Fleck) trying to make his stamp, and for only being here for three weeks, obviously he’s raised his class. They’re in the 30’s now (in the rankings). They’re firmly above Iowa and Wisconsin. I think that they can sustain that (in future years).

“I think that Nebraska (strong California recruiting base) is probably going to be at the top of the recruiting ranks in the Big Ten West most years but I think there is no reason that they (the Gophers) can’t come in second or third. Especially continue to beat Iowa and Wisconsin because P.J. is very charismatic once he gets in a living room. He knows how to sell. He knows how to get the job done.”

Other recruiting websites don’t have the Gophers ranked as high as Scout. Rivals, for example, has Minnesota No. 53 and trailing No. 38 Iowa and No. 45 Wisconsin. But what’s not debatable is the Gophers have shot up the recruiting charts in the short time Fleck has been head coach, including moving from No. 77 to No. 49 in Rivals’ rankings.

As signed National Letters of Intent reach the Gophers’ football office today, fans of the program can feel optimism about a class expected to include more than 25 scholarship student-athletes. When Burns looks at the incoming talent that Minnesota will officially announce later today, he offers stories that substantiate his optimism about Fleck’s recruiting.

Burns has been following and writing about Gophers recruiting for years and until now he couldn’t recall Minnesota getting a player that Notre Dame was making a run for. That’s what happened last month when Fleck received a verbal commitment from Portland, Oregon cornerback Demetrius Douglas who Burns said Oregon also wanted.

Burns also said the Gophers took a player away from the Hawkeyes in Kansas native and wide receiver Harry Van Dyne. His older brother is going to Iowa as a walk-on and Burns said the Hawkeyes coveted Harry.

Burns mentioned additional high quality players who turned down offers from other major schools including four-star safety Ken Handy-Holly from Alabama, and cornerback Adam Beck from Texas who said no thanks to schools like Colorado and flipped his original commitment to Texas Tech.

Quarterback Tanner Morgan has already enrolled at the U and Burns has high praise for the Kentucky native who reportedly turned down an offer from national power Louisville. “I think Tanner Morgan has the best quarterback tape you’ve seen from a Gopher quarterback signee in at least four or five years,” Burns said.

Burns wouldn’t be that surprised if the Kentucky native starts for Minnesota next fall. “I think if he can get down the offense, he could absolutely play from day one.”

Worth Noting

It’s interesting that in today’s high-tech world, athletes send their signed National Letters of Intent via fax to their colleges of choice. Holding up a signed fax does provide a news photo opportunity.

The Gophers have sold 253 new season tickets since Fleck was hired, according to an email from an athletic department spokesman. who noted no “aggressive ticket push” has been made so far to sell tickets.

The Big Ten Network will have National Signing Day programming from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

A person who should know says it’s likely Apple Valley junior point guard Tre Jones will sign with Duke next fall, following his brother Tyus’ path to playing for legendary Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Richard Pitino’s Gophers have lost five consecutive games and play at Illinois Saturday afternoon. Minnesota is 1-3 at home and 2-3 on the road in Big Ten games. Earlier this season Pitino said: “In this league you better win at home. It’s extremely important.”

Four of the Gophers’ six defeats have been by seven points or fewer including overtime losses to Michigan State by one and Wisconsin by two. On the road Minnesota does have a nine point overtime win against Purdue and four point victory versus Northwestern.

Pitino had a difficult stretch with close losses two years ago when his Gophers lost eight conference games by six points or less. There were NCAA Tournament hopes before the season for that team but Minnesota finished with a 6-12 Big Ten record and didn’t play in the postseason other than the conference tournament.

The Timberwolves, who have won eight of their last 11 games, play the NBA champion Cavs tonight in Cleveland. Web rumors are Knicks basketball boss Phil Jackson is interested in acquiring Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio and Cavs power forward Kevin Love, the former Wolves star who played a key role in last year’s game seven playoff win over the Warriors. The passing skills of Rubio and Love on the Knicks would be great for Jackson’s famous triangle offense.

A record 381 MIAC student-athletes have earned Academic All-Conference recognition for their classroom work last fall. They had a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale. Student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior with at least one year (two semesters) at their institution to be eligible for the recognition. The MIAC saw its record total of honorees rise for the fifth straight year, exceeding by 24 the record of 357 set in 2015.

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