MIAC – Page 48 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Class A Likely Again for Miguel Sano

Posted on August 6, 2012August 6, 2012 by David Shama

Twins phenom Miguel Sano is likely to play in Class A baseball again next season – just at a higher level. Twins farm system executive Jim Rantz told Sports Headliners the 19-year-old slugger, now with Beloit in the Midwest League, is probably headed to Fort Myers in the Florida State League.

Sano is the most publicized prospect in the Twins organization. Signed in the Dominican Republic for a reported $3.15 million bonus when he was 16, Sano is featured in the recently released movie Pelotero. He’s been ranked as the Twins top prospect and power hitter by Baseball America.

Sano leads the Midwest League in home runs at 22 and RBI with 84. He’s struggled, though, with his batting average, .254, and fielding at third base.

Rantz said the batting average is predictable because Sano is “very aggressive at the plate and still trying to learn the strike zone.” He is seeing a lot of breaking balls and changeups from pitchers.

“It’s pretty awesome with his home runs and RBI,” Rantz said. “He still has work to do defensively.”

Rantz said Sano’s Beloit teammate Eddie Rosario, among the organization’s better prospects, has made a successful transition this season from the outfield to second base. Rosario was injured in mid-June and was out of the lineup until the end of last month. He’s another promising hitter and has a .310 average, with seven home runs in 259 at bats.

Twins & Other Notes:

Max Kepler, also drafted by the Twins at age 16 three years ago, is maturing playing for Elizabethton, Rantz said. Rantz said the native of Germany has “grown into his body.” Kepler is hitting .275 with seven home runs in 145 at bats.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who was a bust as a rookie last season with the Twins hitting .226, “has made a lot of improvement with the bat” playing for AAA Rochester, Rantz said. Nishioka was playing both second base and shortstop for the Red Wings before being recalled yesterday by the Twins. Instead of media throngs from Japan following Nishioka as they did last year in Minneapolis, Rantz said one or two reporters might have followed him in Rochester.

Rantz watched Twins leading pitcher Scott Diamond in the minor leagues and said he isn’t that surprised to see Diamond’s success in his first full season of major league baseball. “He’s improved on his breaking ball and his command has been very good,” Rantz said.

New Timberwolves forward Andrei Kirilenko, 31, will be one of the franchise’s better defenders ever if healthy. Kirilenko has three times been an all-NBA first or second team defender playing for Utah. At 6-9, with long arms and athleticism, Kirilenko is a potential stopper for a Wolves team that lacks exceptional defenders among its top players. Physical problems have kept Kirilenko from playing full seasons in recent years.

David Kahn, the Wolves president of basketball operations, talked to Sports Headliners about Kirilenko’s potential impact on defense. “I am hopeful it will be really good. We didn’t have anybody who we could really put on some of these wing players, and in our conference especially there are some really big threes. There’s (Kevin) Durant, there’s Rudy Gay. There’s several of those. (Nicolas) Batum in Portland.

“So this allows us to have a really long, athletic guy to match up with them. Not that he can necessarily stop them but I think at least with Andrei’s experience and with his characteristics we can maybe at least slow them down.”

Apple Valley junior point guard Tyus Jones now has a scholarship offer fromNorth Carolina. That gives him offers that include national powerhouses Duke, Kentucky and the Tar Heels. In the last 12 months I haven’t talked to any sources who are convinced Jones will play for the Gophers.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed that Minnesota native Kyle Washington, a high school senior next season, has recent offers from Illinois, North Carolina State and Ohio State.

Brian Bobek, the Ohio State center transfer, hasn’t arrived on campus at Minnesota. He will be eligible in 2013 and have three seasons to play for the Gophers. Minnesota coach Jerry Kill recruited Bobek when Kill was head coach at Northern Illinois. “He’s a kid that grew up in Chicago and wanted to stay in the Midwest,” Kill said.

Bobek is a former Parade, Rivals and Scout high school All-American and his father played linebacker at Iowa.

The Big Ten Network sends a crew to cover all the Big Ten football programs during August. The group will be in Minneapolis on August 11 and BTN’s Gophers coverage will air beginning at 9 a.m. August 12.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf after being asked about his team expectations: “I expect to be division champs. I want to be able to fight for the division as we always do every year, and get better for years to come. That’s always been our goal. That’s been the goal since the first day I came here.”

Bethel’s Erik Smith, Saint John’s Stephen Johnson and St. Thomas’ Michael Valesano are nominees for the 2012 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. Nominees are players who have made a difference for their communities in off-field activities.

Compughterratings.com’s Division III preseason rankings include three MIAC teams in the top 20: Bethel, No. 12; St. Thomas, No. 13 and Saint John’s No. 19. MIAC schools begin nonconference games on September 1 and league games start September 15.

World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins, 62, asked about all the advisors used by many PGA golfers these days including sports psychologists: “…My sports psychologist is the bartender every week. They’re a lot more reliable. You know where they’re going to be.”

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Worth Noting

Posted on July 13, 2012July 13, 2012 by David Shama

Zach Parise was eight years old when the North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993 but he has memories of the NHL franchise that includes his dad, J.P. Parise, among its alums. “We always loved going to the games,” Zach said.

He described meeting North Stars legends Neal Broten and Mike Modano as the “highlight of a lifetime.”

Ryan Suter said he doesn’t set personal goals but the objective before each season is to have his team win the Stanley Cup. “I think that the better your team does, the more success you have personally. My goals, I think, are just trying to be the best leader I can be. Helping young players – obviously contributing on and off the ice as much as I can. …”

Suter, age 27 and with a 13-year contract, talking about playing at 40: “I hope so. I hope I am still healthy. I would love to be able to play. “

If the Minnesota hot weather continues into August when the Gophers begin preparations for their August 30 game in Las Vegas it will be a plus for conditioning. Summer temperatures in Las Vegas can exceed 110 during the day, although the Gophers-UNLV game will be played at night.

Memorials and donations can be made to a donor’s choice of several organizations in memory of former Gophers football player John Williams. For information about those organizations visit his CaringBridge website, https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johnbjwilliams

Discussions between the Gophers and basketball coach Tubby Smith regarding a contract extension have been ongoing since at least spring of last year. At this point it will be no surprise if a deal is reached, or if Smith continues with his present contract that has two years remaining.

The basketball staff’s recruiting prowess will be tested during the next two years because of coveted state prep prospects Tyus Jones, Reid Travis, Rashad Vaughn and Kyle Washington.

NBA referee and Minnesota native Ken Mauer Jr. will be the speaker on Thursday, September 13 at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon in Bloomington. Anyone interested in more information can email Jim Dotseth at dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

The Timberwolves have a minicamp roster of players competing this week to be on the team that plays a five-game schedule starting next Monday in Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League. Players trying out include Luke Sikma, son of Wolves assistant coach Jack Sikma, and Coby Karl, son of Nuggets head coach George Karl.

Five-time All-Star Camilo Pascual, who pitched for both the old Washington Senators and the Twins, will be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame tomorrow night during a pre-game infield ceremony at Target Field prior to Minnesota’s game against Oakland. Pascual might have had the best curve ball ever thrown by a Twins pitcher.

The Kansas City Star reported online Sunday that the biggest economic impact for the city of Kansas City in hosting this week’s MLB All-Star game is media exposure worth $75 million (33 million viewers in 217 countries). Minneapolis may host the 2014 game.

Sports Headliners is told Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church on Prior Avenue in St. Paul will be the site of the Joe Mauer–Maddie Bisanz wedding on Saturday, December 1, and security will be tight.

Internet speculation includes talk various clubs want to acquire former Twins starter Matt Garza, now with the Cubs.

The Vikings, like other NFL teams, have to be concerned about fans who prefer watching games via high-definition television. With a new stadium to fill in 2016 and beyond, look for the Vikings to factor this into marketing decisions including ticket pricing and the game day experience downtown.

Mike Freeman, writing on July 10 for cbssports.com, said 39 Vikings have been arrested by law enforcement officials since 2000, the most in the NFL. The latest was Adrian Peterson’s arrest in Houston several days ago. Freeman also wrote the Vikings have “10 arrests since the start of 2011.”

The St. Thomas football team is ranked No. 4 nationally in the Lindy’s Sports Magazine Division III preseason poll. The Tommies are ranked No. 7 in the USA Today top 10 poll. Last year St. Thomas became the first team in MIAC history to complete back-to-back 10-0 regular seasons and lost to eventual national champion UW-Whitewater in the NCAA Division III semifinals. Saint John’s and Bethel join UST in the Lindy’s Top 25 Poll at No. 14 and No. 15.

Suzy Bogguss, a recent guest on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion radio program, will perform at the third annual Camden’s Concert on Wednesday, July 25 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Camden’s Concert is named after Dave and Linda Mona’s 4½-year-old grandson Camden Mona, and the event raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

A silent auction on July 25 will include footballs signed by Jerry Kill, Percy Harvin and John Carlson, plus an Adrian Peterson autographed jersey. Tickets are available by calling the Hopkins Center for the Arts, 952-979-1111, or via the organization’s website. www.hopkinsartscenter.com/

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Worth Noting

Posted on July 11, 2012July 11, 2012 by David Shama

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill will take quarterback MarQueis Gray, offensive lineman Ed Olson and linebacker Keanon Cooper to Chicago later this month for the Big Ten Football Media Days.

Congratulations to former Gophers wide receiver Sam Richter who is the author of Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling. Richter won the Sales Book of the Year Award from the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals.

Former Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners he favors a new basketball practice facility as a separate project from a new or renovated Williams Arena. Maturi’s position is the Gophers will need a modern practice facility when 84-year-old Williams Arena is torn down or renovated while playing home games at another building such as Target Center.

“I’ve said for five years Williams Arena has to be addressed,” Maturi said.

That assignment now will be for new University of Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague. Maturi hopes to see an elevated floor be part of a new or renovated arena.

The University is spending $90,000 to ensure that the Williams Arena roof will bear the weight of the new scoreboard that will be in place for next season.

The funeral for former Gophers All-American offensive tackle John Williams will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Speak the Word International Church in Golden Valley. A wake will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday at Estes Funeral Chapel in north Minneapolis. John passed away on Sunday in Minneapolis.

Al Nuness just finished his Gophers basketball playing career in the spring of 1969 when coach Bill Fitch asked him to help recruit Corky Taylor, a high school prospect in Detroit. Nuness and others paid tribute to Corky last week at the Plymouth Covenant Church in Plymouth. Corky, 60, died in late June from lung cancer.

Nuness, who described the 6-9 Taylor as a “big teddy bear with a great smile,” told Sports Headliners how he learned more about his friend at the funeral. “He was very private to begin with. He was deeply religious,” Nuness said. “It showed in the way his funeral was handled. It was very moving.”

Former Gophers teammates from Corky’s 1972 Big Ten championship team attending the funeral included Ron Behagen, Jim Brewer and also Clyde Turner who gave a eulogy. Gophers from other eras included Walter Bond, Willie Burton, Nate Tubbs and Trent Tucker.

Nuness acknowledged that Taylor’s name will long be associated with the 1972 Gophers- Ohio State brawl. Taylor was a major participant in the fight between the two teams. “That was totally out of character for Corky what happened,” Nuness said.

The Gophers will host the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four next March 22 and 24 at Ridder Arena. The Gophers are defending national champions. There have been 12 NCAA women’s champions over the years and all the titles have been won by three schools – UMD (five), Wisconsin (four) and Minnesota (three).

The Minnesota Wild Development Camp that started earlier this week at Xcel Energy Center includes free scrimmages open to the public tomorrow night starting at 7 p.m. and on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. Among the prospects participating are Makael Granlund, the talented 20-year-old center from Finland who is likely to make the Wild roster next season. Trying out also is Will Merchant, a senior forward at Eagan High School last season. Record development camp crowds of 5,000 are possible.

Wild owner Craig Leipold said on Monday the organization’s “great” prospects was a factor in the willingness of free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to sign with his franchise. He also said the Wild has sold “almost” 2,000 new season tickets since the signings of Parise and Suter was announced last week.

Leipold indicated a winning Wild team can have a domino effect on the franchise for the building of a new practice facility across from Xcel Energy Center and for helping secure the NHL Winter Classic for the Twin Cities.

How often does a grandfather catch his grandson in an official baseball game? Tink Larson isn’t sure of the answer but he was the catcher for grandson Clint Larson in a town baseball game last month. Playing for the Waseca Braves, 20-year-old Clint was throwing to 70-year-old Tink.

“It just so happened this particular night that we were ahead so it was a good time to have him pitch and me catch since no one feels that there has ever been a grandfather that has caught his grandson,” Tink wrote in an email. “…Most people that age have long been retired and most couldn’t still catch. He (Clint) had two strikeouts and a comebacker to the mound so it was a pretty easy inning.

“When I was 60 I caught my son Mike, who was close to 40, in an amateur state tournament game at Miesville. That was in 2002. I also caught an inning in the state amateur tournament in 2003 at Northfield. …”

Eight MIAC football players have been selected as preseason Division III All-Americans by Beyond Sports Network. St. Thomas offensive lineman Curtis James and Saint John’s defensive back Bobby Fischer are first team picks.

Tommies defensive lineman Riley Dombeck and defensive back Chinni Oji are on the second team while St. Thomas linebacker Harry Pitera and punter Garrett Maloney are third teamers. Also on the third team is Bethel offensive lineman Josh Wolfe and Concordia offensive lineman Tom Knowlton.

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