RICHARD PITINO – Page 30 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins Start Just What the ‘Doctor’ Ordered

Posted on May 27, 2015May 27, 2015 by David Shama

With all the international scouting done by the Twins, perhaps the organization has found a voodoo man who is boosting the franchise’s fortunes.

That might be a far-out attempt to explain the club’s surprising performance so far this season. But here’s the point: This team is unexpectedly winning games, so why not throw out the voodoo theory?

The franchise that lost 90-plus games for four consecutive seasons has put a team on the field in 2015 with minimal resemblance to those clubs. Yes, it’s still early in the season but who doesn’t like what we see?

The Twins are 27-18 compared with a 24-25 record a year ago. Minnesota is a competitive 11-12 on the road, and the 16-6 home record is the second best in the American League. After a 1-6 start this season, the Twins are 26-12.

Past Twins teams were often way behind by the middle innings. This year’s model sometimes holds a big lead before the fifth inning. Impressive, too, are the club’s eight comeback wins.

Manager Paul Molitor and his coaching staff don’t have a roster glittering with talent. First baseman Joe Mauer and starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco, two of the club’s best paid players, have been mediocre. The roster includes other recognizable names to baseball fans across the country but also has a number of “Who’s he?” guys.

Molitor and staff have maximized their personnel, showing a will and ability to develop players. They have emphasized fundamentals and instilled confidence in both pitchers and position players. Game after game the Twins are a good bet not to beat themselves while demonstrating efficiency, versatility and adaptability.

The Twins rank 12th among MLB teams in hits but are ninth in runs scored. The team has been efficient in close games including last night’s 2-1 win over the Red Sox. And when Minnesota takes a lead into the ninth inning, closer Glen Perkins has more saves, 17, than anyone in the majors. That’s efficiency, too.

Molitor’s roster has guys who can play multiple positions. Eduardo Escobar is the poster boy for versatility, able to play left field and three infield positions. Trevor Plouffe, the third baseman, can also play first and used to be the team’s shorstop. Eduardo Nunez plays in both the infield and outfield. Catcher Chris Herrmann is able to sub in the outfield. The list doesn’t end there and all that versatility helps Molitor deal with injuries. It also helps the manager with hitting and fielding strategies while creating competition for playing time.

The 2015 team had to adjust even before the season started. Pitcher Ervin Santana, the club’s prize free agent signing during the offseason, was given an 80 game suspension back in March for steroid use. That loss was supposed to wreck the starting pitching but it hasn’t.

Other pitchers, including a previously stumbling Trevor May, have stepped up in Santana’s absence. The starting rotation has been so deep the Twins dispatched left-hander Tommy Milone to the minors where for the last couple of weeks he’s been the International League Pitcher of the Week. His record at Triple A Rochester is 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA.

The starters and relievers have responded to new pitching coach Neil Allen. He has them throwing strikes, mixing up their pitches and working with confidence. Allen was stuck in the minors employed by the Rays organization but the Twins made a smart move when they hired him before this season.

Power hitters Kennys Vargas and Oswaldo Arcia were expected to help the lead offense but they haven’t. The Twins adapted, finding power from Plouffe, second baseman Brian Dozier and 39-year-old outfielder Torii Hunter.

Those guys might hit a home run to win a game, or the club may find another way to make a big play. Molitor’s high baseball IQ is often on display. Opposing clubs can be surprised when the Twins pick the right moment to steal a base, or a relief pitcher summoned from the bullpen makes his first throw to first base trying to pick off a runner.

This Twins team appears different in so many ways from its recent predecessors. It looks just like what the (voodoo) doctor ordered.

Worth Noting

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino completed his recruiting class with an announcement yesterday about Davonte Fitzgerald, a transfer from Texas A&M. A 6-foot-7, 209-pound forward who played two seasons with the Aggies, Fitzgerald will sit out next season and have two years of eligibility starting in 2016. The former Rivals.com three-star prep averaged 12.6 minutes per game in two seasons with the Aggies. He averaged 5.3 points and 1.9 rebounds.

Another member of the seven-man recruiting class who won’t play next season is Edina native Reggie Lynch, a transfer from Illinois State. Feshmen Kevin Dorsey, Ahmad Gilbert, Jarvis Johnson, Dupree McBrayer and Jordan Murphy will be eligible to play in 2015-2016.

Earlier this spring Pitino’s blog on Gophersports.com predicted a top-25 recruiting class. The May 19 Rivals.com ranking of the top 30 classes nationally doesn’t include the Gophers but does have five Big Ten teams with Ohio State No. 6, Illinois No. 17, Michigan State No. 24, Indiana No. 27 and Purdue No. 28.

A Minnesota Wild spokesperson reported via e-mail “we are renewing and adding new season-ticket holders in record numbers.” The NHL club’s TV ratings were over 40 percent higher this season than last. The Wells Fargo Wild Road Tour at the end of June will have three different caravans travelling in Minnesota and Iowa.

John Hughes, the popular and well-connected local magician, told Sports Headliners earlier this spring he plans to play basketball in the National Senior Games here in Minnesota this summer. “The Amazing Hondo’s” birthday was Sunday. He is a 1970 graduate of Cretin-Derham High School.

Looks like there is something else certain in life besides death and taxes. For the eighth year in a row St. Thomas won both the men’s and women’s championships in the MIAC All-Sports Competition. This is the 29th overall All-Sports title for the UST men and 24th for the women.

Duck and Buck Commander of the TV show Duck Dynasty are providing autographed duck calls along with autographed baseballs from Willie, Phil, Si and Jase Robertson to be used as prizes for Northwoods League Fantasy Baseball.

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Dutcher Understands Rick Pitino Role

Posted on May 25, 2015May 25, 2015 by David Shama

Rick Pitino has used the media to defend his son Richard Pitino this year. After the Gophers stumbled to a disappointing 6-12 Big Ten record and no post-season play, the legendary Louisville coach pointed out his son Richard—only in his second year of rebuilding at Minnesota—had no all-conference players to work with. Then earlier this month the elder Pitino disclosed his son seriously considered the Alabama coaching vacancy but wasn’t interested because he hadn’t established himself as head coach of the Gophers.

Rick was “proud” of Richard for demonstrating humility and perspective in making the decision, according to a May 8 Amelia Rayno story in the Star Tribune quoting from Pitino’s interview on “The Jim Rome Show” two days earlier.

Gophers fans have been surprised to find two Pitinos speaking for the Minnesota men’s basketball program. Jim Dutcher offered interpretation and opinion on the subject. Dutcher is a qualified source since he is a former Gophers head coach, follows the program closely and also has a son in major college basketball coaching.

Brian Dutcher has been Steve Fisher’s top assistant at San Diego State for years. The two have built a ho-hum program into one of the best on the West Coast, and as of late the Aztecs have a superior resume to Minnesota’s. Fisher is already past retirement age and Brian has been labeled “head coach in waiting.”

Gophers fans had read the rumors Richard Pitino’s name was on the candidate list for the Alabama job. When Dutcher later read Rick Pitino’s comments about the Alabama situation and why his son decided to remain at Minnesota, his reaction was “here’s daddy just trying to make something good come out of this.”

To Dutcher it’s obvious Pitino is making statements to protect his son. Dutcher believes that’s also what happened back in March when Rick made it clear Minnesota’s talent isn’t what it needs to be and Richard isn’t responsible for inheriting a bare cupboard. “Richard can’t say that but his dad can, so you gotta read through it and say this is what Richard thinks,” Dutcher said.

While it might bother Gophers fans that Rick, 62, is speaking for Richard, 32, Dutcher sees a protective parent at work using his platform as one of college basketball’s most prominent coaches. Dutcher, though, isn’t interested in going public with statements about Brian and his career.

“It’s not a role that I would play in Brian’s thing,” Dutcher said. “I get asked all the time why isn’t he the head coach? I say because it’s Steve’s job, and I don’t take it any further than that.

“Do you want your son to do well? Absolutely. Are you defensive about any criticism he may get? Absolutely. How you handle that. …I guess to each his own. I try not to be critical (the Pitinos). I just see it as a dad trying to be defensive in the defense of his son.”

While some may see Rick Pitino’s actions as meddlesome, Dutcher doesn’t. “That’s what fathers do,” Dutcher said.

It wouldn’t be surprising if there are more supportive comments coming from the older Pitino about his son. “When it’s parents speaking in defense of their children I give them a lot of leeway,” Dutcher said.

Worth Noting

Dutcher picks Maryland to win the Big Ten title next season. He added that Michigan, with injured star Caris LeVert returning for 2015-2016, will be a contender.

At 32, you wonder if conditioning and many years of basketball toil didn’t drive Janel McCarville’s surprise announcement to not play this season for the Lynx. McCarville played four seasons for the Gophers, then in the WNBA including the last two seasons for the Lynx where she was a major contributor as the team’s starting center.

Devan Dubnyk, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, reportedly earned $800,000 during 2014-2015 but perhaps could get a $1.8 million salary next season as part of a new three-year deal with the Wild, a hockey source told Sports Headliners. If the 29-year-old goalie had played a key role in taking the Wild to the Stanley Cup finals this spring he might have commanded $3 million next season.

ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said on the NFL Draft telecast April 30 the tackling of Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes was sometimes a “liability.” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Sports Headliners his first round draft choice has “made some pretty good tackles on (video) tape.”

Vikings fans will have to decide if there are tackling issues with Waynes. “The biggest thing with our corners in this (defensive) scheme is to be able to cover,” Spielman said.

Former Gophers wide receiver Isaac Fruechte only caught 18 passes (one touchdown reception) in Minnesota’s ground-focused offense last season but the Vikings added him to their roster for now. “He just came in and did a good job during our rookie minicamp,” Spielman said. “You could see the size (6-3) and the speed. He caught the ball well. We felt that coming out of that camp that it was worth giving him an opportunity.”

Former Vikings running back Dave Osborn speaks to the “Breakfast with Leroy” group on Saturday, June 13, at the Bloomington Knights of Columbus, 1114 American Blvd West. A breakfast buffet precedes Osborn’s remarks, with more information available by contacting Pat Rickert at 612-861-3981. Group attendees are mostly athletes from the Minneapolis public schools in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, many of whom went on to college and professional careers.

Minnesota native Tom Lehman couldn’t hold an early lead last week in the 76th Senior PGA Championship in French Lick, Indiana. Lehman finished seven over for the tournament while champion Colin Montgomerie was minus eight after final play yesterday. Don Berry, the Edinburgh USA head pro, also played in French Lick but didn’t make the cut.

Both Berry and Lehman are former winners of the annual Tapemark Charity Pro-Am in West St. Paul. This year’s Tapemark for men will be played June 12, 13 and 14 at Southview Country Club. Berry, eight times the tournament champion including last year, is expected to participate again.

Doug Mientkiewicz, manager of the Twins Double A Chattanooga farm team, said on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle program yesterday German native Max Kepler is “night and day” the most improved player on the roster. Kepler, who leads the team in hitting with a .345 average, can play all three outfield positions and first base.

Mientkiewicz also talked about center fielder Byron Buxton’s extraordinary speed, describing him as special when sprinting from third base to home plate.

When asked to identify a player most ready to help the Twins, Mientkiewicz said relief pitcher Zack Jones. He is 3-1 with a 1.72 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 15.2 innings.

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Yeo: Wild Need ‘Game 7’ Effort Now

Posted on May 4, 2015May 4, 2015 by David Shama

Weekend notes and opinions on the Wild, Vikings, Gophers and Twins.

Wild coach Mike Yeo doesn’t understate the importance of tomorrow night’s Game 3 against the Blackhawks at Xcel Energy Center. “We have to treat it like a Game 7 right now,” he said.

A frustrated Yeo made that comment at his news conference last night when the Wild fell behind the Blackhawks 2-0 in their second round Stanley Cup playoffs series. Yeo, talking on KFAN Radio from his Chicago news conference, expressed confidence in winning the series but even a casual fan knows the Wild will be all but ready to make summer vacation plans if the team trails 3-0 in the series after tomorrow night.

The Wild fell behind 2-0 against the Blackhawks the last two years and lost both series. Minnesota will need a much better performance tomorrow night than in Game 2 in Chicago. The Wild made too many mistakes including turnovers with the puck and produced one goal (Matt Dumba) during a 4-1 loss. The Wild weren’t sharp including a lax approach on defense.

“I think we were focused on (getting) the win and not focused on the things we need to do,” Yeo said.

The Wild scored three goals in Game 1 in Chicago as the Blackhawks won 4-3 on Friday night. Last evening the team’s playmakers were even less productive. Will there be lineup changes?

Yeo acknowledged he will review a lot of things today but it didn’t sound like personnel changes are forthcoming. “It wasn’t a personnel thing. It was a between the ears thing tonight.”

The Wild has played in 10 playoff series in franchise history and has a 2-8 record in opening games including five overtime Game 1 losses. The Wild has never won a playoff game in Chicago. The Wild’s 4-3 first game loss to the Blackhawks on Friday night was the first time Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk had lost when his team scored at least three goals. Dubnyk had been 22-0-1.

The Wild will host free pre-game parties for fans prior to home playoff games this week outside Gate 2 at Xcel Energy Center. The pre-game party for Game 3 tomorrow night will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday’s pre-game activities will be from 6 to 8 p.m.

NHL alums and Minnesota natives Dave Christian (Warroad), Ben Hankinson (Edina), Reed Larson (Minneapolis) and Dave Snuggerud (Minnetonka) will sign autographs tomorrow night at the party from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s commitment to defense was reinforced during the 2015 NFL Draft. The team’s first three selections were all defensive players, although the club has multiple personnel needs on offense.

First round draft choice Trae Waynes, along with third-year player Xavier Rhodes, gives the Vikings a potential pair of shutdown corners. When cornerbacks don’t need much support from teammates in pass coverage, the defense turns a weakness into a strength.

“You can do numerous things that allow you to attack offenses,” Zimmer said. “But when you have to help a guy or protect a guy—use some more of your guys than you really would like to—then it makes it more difficult.”

Waynes described Zimmer as a “DB guru.” Zimmer’s NFL experiences include being an assistant coach with the Cowboys where he coached all-time great cornerback Deion Sanders. “He coached up Deion, he coached up some other good corners, as well,” Waynes said. “If he can make me into half the player Deion Sanders is, I think we will be pretty good.”

ESPN analyst Jon Gruden raised a concern about Waynes Thursday night when he said the cornerback’s tackling sometimes is a “liability.” That’s a surprising comment since Waynes played for two defensive taskmasters at Michigan State, head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi.

Waynes attended Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Sports Headliners reader and Gophers football historian Dana Marshall e-mailed that Bradford’s football alums include Melvin Gordon III, a first round selection by the Chargers last week, and Alan “The Horse” Ameche who won the 1954 Heisman Trophy at Wisconsin and also played for the NFL’s Colts. Waynes and Gordon played together at Bradford.

Waynes is projected to receive a $11,567,500 deal from the Vikings, according to a Friday story on NFL compensation for first rounders by Jason Belzer of Forbes.com.

That was Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater announcing the ceremonial “riders up” prior to Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Bridgewater was introduced to the crowd and NBC TV audience as the “former Louisville quarterback”—no mention of the Vikings.

Sports Illustrated’s April 20 NFL Draft issue projected ex-Gopher Maxx Williams as the first tight end being taken in the draft, with the Broncos choosing him at No. 28 in the first round. Reality is he was the first tight end selected but the Ravens chose him at No. 23 in the second round, the 55th overall pick. Although Williams’ pass catching is reminiscent of Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, he was targeted with some concerns on his Nfl.com/draft profile page including the need for additional strength, and “limited feel and instincts as a move blocker.”

Williams is likely to receive guaranteed money from the Ravens but as a second round draft choice he will get a lot less (perhaps a $2 million-plus deal) than the projected $7,746,750 that Forbes.com expects the No. 28 pick selection (guard Laken Tomlinson) to earn. Tomlinson played at Duke and was drafted by the Lions.

The Gophers had four players drafted—the most in one year since 2006. In addition to Williams, linebacker Damien Wilson was selected in the fourth round by the Cowboys, while running back David Cobb and safety Cedric Thompson were fifth round choices of the Titans and Dolphins. The 1950 NFL Draft was the last time Minnesota had four players selected in the first five rounds. Among Big Ten schools, the Gophers and Michigan State with four each had the most players selected during the first five rounds of the 2015 draft.

Congratulations to organizers of the 8th Annual Minnesota Football Honors event held last night at the Hilton Minneapolis. The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame recognized many Minnesotans for their high school, college and professional achievements. Among those honored were former Saint John’s coach John Gagliardi and members of his 1965 NAIA national championship team. Vikings award winners recognized were Teddy Bridgewater, Vikings Children’s Fund Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year; Chad Greenway, Community Man of the Year; Everson Griffen, Defensive Player of the Year; and Andrew Sendejo, Special Teams Player of the Year. The Gophers David Cobb was honored with the Bobby Bell College Impact Player Award. For a list of award winners, including scholar-athletes, visit Minnesotafootballhonors.com.

Whether Florida pursues Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino probably comes down to if the Gators can interest bigger names in their opening, and what athletic director Jeremy Foley thinks of Pitino based on the young coach’s work in Gainesville a few years ago as an assistant to Billy Donovan who has moved on to coach the NBA’s Thunder.

Coming off the departure of five seniors and a 6-12 Big Ten record last season, the Gophers now are an early choice to finish at or near the bottom of the conference standings in 2016. The roster is in transition and lots of names are on Pitino’s recruiting list, but know this for sure: he needs to reverse the trend of Minnesota’s best preps playing elsewhere. That’s code for landing Amir Coffey from Hopkins High School in 2016 and Gary Trent, Jr. from Apple Valley in 2017.

The Twins top prospect, outfielder Byron Buxton, is hitting better now at Double A Chattanooga. His average is at .287 and he is batting .432 in his last 10 games. He has struggled with hitting certain types of pitches this spring but remains likely to one day be the Twins center fielder.

The Twins have won four consecutive games to go one game over .500 with a 13-12 record. The starting pitchers have a record of 4-0 with a 2.91 ERA in their last six starts.

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