Timberwolves – Page 39 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Stuck in Long-Term Mediocrity

Posted on December 19, 2021December 20, 2021 by David Shama

The Vikings enter tomorrow night’s game at Chicago with a 6-7 record. That flirtation with a .500 record is indicative of what the club has experienced for 16 seasons dating back to 2005 when the Wilf family purchased the franchise.

During that stretch the Vikings’ regular season record (including this year) is 139 wins, 128 losses and 2 ties. Throw in a 3-6 playoff record and the result is 142-134-2. The last three seasons (including 2021) the regular season totals are 23 wins, 22 losses.

The Vikings have been good enough to keep their fan base engaged, with the more exuberant followers dreaming of a Super Bowl appearance (hasn’t happened since 1977). The team had a season-for-the-ages when Brett Favre dropped into town in 2009. The 2019 season with a 13-3 record and postseason “Minneapolis Miracle” was special, too.

There have been a couple of seasons perhaps worthy of fans pulling paper bags over their collective heads at home games. Included on the short list is a 3-13 disaster in 2011. But there have been a lot of years where the final record was 9-7, 8-8, 7-9, 8-7-1 and Maalox-inducing-2021 (12 of 13 games decided by one possession, eight points or fewer).

Since 2005 the Vikings have won four division titles, with the most recent in 2017. They missed the playoffs last season after going 7-9 during the regular season. Their postseason success is shabby compared with NFC rivals. Twelve of the conference’s 16 teams have played in at least one Super Bowl dating back to 2005. The Vikings, Cowboys, Lions and Washington have not.

The NFL is America’s game and it capture’s public focus like few other things in our culture. Out here on the prairie Minnesotans want to be cool, too, and so it’s a tossup on Sundays whether church activities or the local NFL crew are more important. The Vikings have been competitive enough to play in dramatic games and they also stoke Purple passion with entertaining talents like Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook.

Many Vikings fans have a love-hate relationship with their team. Despite the mediocre on-field results for years, the fans aren’t apathetic about their favorites and that’s good news for the financial bottom line—and the Wilfs who bought the franchise for a reported $600 million. This year in its valuation of NFL franchises, Forbes estimated the worth is $3.35 billion. With inflation run amuck, that number could jump more than in the past when Forbes reports again in 2022.

The up-and-down Vikings get ready for the Bears Monday night and a showdown game that will weigh heavily on making the playoffs. At 6-7, with four games remaining, what’s all but certain is the final record will be around .500.

Surprise? Hardly.

Worth Noting

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck talking on BTN Wednesday about promising defensive linemen recruits Trey Bixby, Anthony Smith and Hayden Schwartz: “Hopefully some of them can play and contribute as a freshman (2022).”

Kristen Hoskins, the electric kick returner and receiver from Alexandria, Minnesota, is another player from the 2022 Gopher recruiting class who drew attention on National Signing Day last Wednesday. He wasn’t highly recruited but 247Sports analyst Allen Trieu sees similarity with former Penn State star KJ Hamler. “I think he (Hoskins) is a steal,” Trieu said on BTN.

There are 21 former Gophers in the College Football Hall of Fame and the next one could be Greg Eslinger. A two-time All-American in 2004 and 2005, he won the Outland Trophy given to college football’s best interior lineman and the Dave Rimington Trophy as college football’s best center.

Eslinger’s college head coach, Glen Mason, recruited the North Dakota native as a fullback but converted Eslinger to center and started him as a true freshman. “He should already be in (the Hall of Fame),” Mason said in an email. “Crime!”

Crime No. 2? It’s an injustice Halsey Hall isn’t a member of the Twins Hall of Fame. Part of the Twins’ original broadcast crew starting in 1961, Hall is the most entertaining on-air personality the club ever had. Not even close!

Minnesota ticket sales are outpacing West Virginia’s for the December 28 Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, per bowl CEO Mike Nealy. There might be 7,500 Gophers fans attending the game played at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ baseball stadium (capacity around 30,000 for football). Neal, who said the median ticket price is about $70, predicted attendance of 25,000 to 30,000 for the game, with up to two million TV viewers watching on ESPN.

The 8-4 Gophers are about a four point favorite against the 6-6 Mountaineers.

Bob Peters photo courtesy of Bemidji State University

Condolences to family, friends and the many admirers of Bob Peters who passed away last week at age 84. The legendary Bemidji State hockey coach, who retired in 2001, won 13 small college national championships and ranks fifth in wins all-time among college hockey coaches, but more importantly he was a great mentor to his players.

Chris Justice knows how Peters impacted his life. Justice had a successful hockey career at Edina High School in the 1980s but initially decided not to attend college. A couple of years later, despite having experienced a car accident severely injuring his right arm, he asked Peters for an opportunity at Bemidji. Justice not only played for the Beavers but went on to become head hockey coach at Bemidji High School and remains a contributor to the sport in his adopted hometown.

The NHL’s Winter Classic series dates back to 2008 but the January 1, 2022 Minneapolis edition at Target Field will be the first one televised nationally in prime time starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. The day prior will offer a lineup of free activities for fans including hockey attractions and musical performances.

That was future new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez in town for Friday night’s impressive win over the Lakers. The New York Post reported recently A-Rod sold his $6.3 million Miami house after his split with Jennifer Lopez.

Too bad retired Star Trib gossip columnist C.J. (Cheryl Johnson) isn’t around to chronicle A-Rod’s adventures.

Twins legend Tony Oliva is the latest guest on the “Behind the Game” program seen on over 25 cable markets and on YouTube. The show is co-hosted by Agile Marketing owner Patrick Klinger and USHL commissioner Bill Robertson.

The Minnesota-Green Bay men’s basketball game scheduled for a 7 p.m. start Wednesday will tip instead at 4 p.m. BTN will televise.

Gopher basketball alum J.B. Bickerstaff, now coaching the NBA Cavs, has his team a surprising seven games over .500 with the help of former Wolves Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.

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Vikings Hit by ‘Halloween Storm 2″

Posted on November 1, 2021November 2, 2021 by David Shama

Oh, my!

An hour or so prior to kickoff last night came the news Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, a potential NFL MVP candidate, wouldn’t play because of his injured calf. Former Viking Matt Birk told Viking Land via KFXN radio: “Looks like Christmas came on Halloween.”

Not so fast, Birkie.

The Cowboys tried to gift the Vikes a win but at the end of the evening it was Minnesota’s generosity that made the loudest impact. Late in the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 13-13, the Cowboys committed three personal fouls on a Viking drive. Minnesota was first and goal on the Dallas four-yard line. America’s team pushed the Vikings backward and Minnesota had to settle for a 24-yard Greg Joseph field goal and a 16-13 lead with 2:51 to play.

The Cowboys responded with their own drive but it looked like they would have to settle for a game tying field goal attempt when Dallas had a third down and 16 yards to go. Coach Mike Zimmer, though, tried to call consecutive timeouts and that’s not allowed, resulting in a five-yard penalty. On third and 11, substitute QB Cooper Rush passed to Ezekiel Elliott who ran to the Minnesota four-yard line and a first down. On the next play Rush—who before Sunday had completed one pass in three attempts since entering the NFL in 2017—passed for the winning touchdown to Dallas WR Amari Cooper.

The game was almost a must-have for the struggling Vikings who are in a tough stretch in the schedule and own a 3-4 record. The expectation was for Minnesota to win a statement game against a quality 5-1 opponent—coming off a bye week, playing at home before a national TV audience, and not having to face Prescott. Instead, it was a “train wreck” for the Purple on a night marking the 30th anniversary of the lethal Halloween snow storm of 1991 that paralyzed the twin towns.

Last night it was the Vikings’ offense that looked “paralyzed.” After an opening first quarter drive of 75 yards and a touchdown, the Vikings never saw the end zone again. The Vikings couldn’t or wouldn’t attack deep with the pass game, as they had in their opening series. They were awful on third downs, converting once in 13 attempts.

Rush threw for 341 net yards and two scores. Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins had 177 net yards passing and a first quarter TD throw to Adam Thielen. Dallas controlled the Vikings’ running game, too, holding Minnesota to 101 net yards.

Zimmer dialed up plenty of blitzes in the first half to confuse the inexperienced Rush. It worked well enough for Minnesota to hold a 10-3 halftime lead but in the second half Rush led Dallas to 17 points.

On the winning drive Rush got things started with a 33-yard pass to Cooper, who made a SportsCenter worthy catch. He beat Vikings cornerback Bashaud Breeland to make the grab. Cornerbacks Cameron Dantzler and Mackensie Alexander also had difficult moments as the Vikings played without their best man at that position, the injured Patrick Peterson.

The offense stalled last night but the defense can’t brag either. There wasn’t much pressure on Rush in the second half. Then, as has happened earlier in the schedule, the defense couldn’t make the game-deciding plays on the Cowboys’ last possession.

The Halloween embarrassment looks haunting for the Vikings who have lost four games by a total of 15 points. Ahead immediately on the schedule are road games against the 5-2 Ravens and 4-3 Chargers, then a November 21 home date with the 7-1 Packers.

After the game Zimmer was asked on KFXN how his team gets better. Zimmer said, “Well we gotta start with me and then we’ll try to get better with the players and the techniques and the fundamentals.”

Worth Noting

Retired Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson, who received his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring during halftime of last night’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium, turns 44 years old today. That’s the same age as GOAT quarterback Tom Brady of the 2021 Super Bowl winning Bucs who was a co-captain with Hutchinson at Michigan.

P.J. Fleck said today tailback Bryce Williams suffered a season-ending injury in Saturday’s game, further depleting running back depth. The coaching staff is sorting through the roster, the coach said, for players who have past running back experience to provide depth behind Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week today after he rushed 19 times for a career-high 110 yards and two touchdowns against Northwestern.

Derik LeCaptain, the Gophers’ redshirt sophomore linebacker pressed into service at running back because of injuries to three other tailbacks, ran for 5,199 yards and 100 touchdowns at Southern Door High School in Wisconsin. He looked impressive making his first college touchdown run last Saturday in Minnesota’s win over Northwestern.

Major League Baseball, with its grueling and long schedule, might be a young man’s game but fact is World Series managers Dusty Baker, 72, and Brian Snitker, 66, guided the Astros and Braves to AL and NL championships. Tony La Russa, 77, came out of retirement to manage the 2021 White Sox to the AL Central title.

The Capital Club hears from Timberwolves coach Chris Finch Wednesday morning at Mendakota Country Club. More information is available from Patrick@aglilemarketingco.com.

Veteran Wolves guard Patrick Beverley is questionable for tonight’s home game against the Magic because of a sore left calf.

A feature story in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated details how Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns dealt with the trauma of losing seven family members to COVID-19 including his mom.

That story is part of the magazine’s basketball preview that predicts the Wolves will finish fourth in the Northwest Division and miss the playoffs. Minnesota natives Chet Holmgren and Paige Bueckers lead talented teams at Gonzaga and Connecticut that are S.I.’s choices for preseason No. 1 in men’s and women’s college basketball.

Big Brother, bigger money: Tyus Jones earns $8,376,286 in salary this season playing with the Grizzlies, while younger bro Tre Jones makes $1,517,981 with the Spurs, per ESPN.com.

Another Apple Valley High alum, Gary Trent Jr., earns $16 million this season, according to ESPN.

Their college mentor, legendary Mike Krzyzweski, is starting his last season as Duke coach, and for the final Blue Devils home game next winter a fan is paying $1 million for four tickets.

Local author Stew Thornley, who has written more than 40 books and is also an official scorer for the Timberwolves and Twins, speaks to the CORES luncheon group November 11 at the Bloomington Event Center. For more information about the luncheon and program, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. Reservations must be made by November 8. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

CORES host Dick Jonckowski emcees the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and Awards banquet November 13 at the Omni Hotel in Eagan.

The Wild sees a familiar face Sunday at home against the Islanders with a homecoming for Minneapolis native Zach Parise who is Minnesota’s third all-time leader in goals and scoring. Parise signed with the Islanders during the summer.

The Twin Cities Dunkers were recently entertained by a panel of Sid Hartman colleagues telling tales about the legendary journalist who passed away a year ago. Patrick Reusse frequented the same Golden Valley grocery store as the usually impatient Sid. One day a store employee informed Reusse she had just waited on his friend. Reusse asked if Sid was nice to her. “No, he told me to hurry up,” she replied.

Circle the date, wrestling fans: Led by Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, Minnesota is at top ranked Iowa on January 7 in a power matchup televised by BTN.

According to InterMat, the Big Ten has 10 teams ranked in the top 25, starting with defending national champion Iowa. The others: No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 Michigan, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 10 Minnesota, No. 13 Northwestern, No. 14 Rutgers, No. 16 Nebraska, No. 21 Illinois and No. 23 Wisconsin.

Among Minnesota golf clubs still open is the new Beatles-themed Montgomery National Golf Club in Le Sueur County.

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U Goal to Lead League in ‘High Fives’

Posted on October 20, 2021October 20, 2021 by David Shama

New University of Minnesota basketball coach Ben Johnson puts his team in front of a Williams Arena crowd for the first time in less than two weeks when the Golden Gophers play an exhibition game against the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul.

The November 1 game will provide first impressions of a roster with two returning players from last season. That total of two comes with an asterisk. Senior redshirt forward Eric Curry, who has struggled through injuries during his college career, is back and available for limited playing time but junior forward Isaiah Ihnen is out for the 2021-2022 season with a knee injury.

This Gopher team is not only new to the fans but also to themselves. The arrival of 13 new players with different backgrounds, skill sets and personalities makes Johnson’s crew among the most transitional in the college basketball world.

This roster is loaded with players who before transferring to Dinkytown were members of mid-major and lower division college programs. The collective talent, judged by past performances, looks modest. As expected, media forecasts have Minnesota finishing last in the Big Ten standings.

For the Gophers to win games, Johnson preaches unselfishness to his players. They have to sacrifice on the court for one another. Do the little things and the most important ones to make the whole better than the parts. Be a unit that plays with a togetherness the opponent can’t match.

“We need to be a team of all teams,” Johnson said. “We need to lead the league in high fives and butt slaps.”

Johnson’s roster has eight seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. That maturity could result in a buy-in all season to what Johnson and his staff are teaching and asking of the players.

The coach knows his team must not only be selfless, but also imposing. “We’ve gotta be the toughest team, especially this year. We don’t have a lot of room for error. Our mental toughness, our physical toughness has got to be on point.”

If the players are to perform the way Johnson intends for them, it will help if they like one another. He said the “chemistry,” including off the court, is there. The players are bonding. “Their personalities all meshed,” he said.

Johnson and his assistants are determined to have both player and team development be core values in their program. They want to see and for fans to witness the improvement of the team and individuals.

Playing together, toughness and improvement are to be bedrocks of the new program. “When fans walk away from Williams Arena, we want them to know what Minnesota basketball is all about,” Johnson said.

Worth Noting

Johnson talking about assistant coach Dave Thorson: “He is going to have a heavy voice in what we do defensively.”

Lindy’s college basketball magazine is among the media predicting a slow start to the new Gopher basketball era. “Ben Johnson’s dream job in his hometown should come with some grace from the fans,” writes Lindsey Willhite.

Lindy’s top 100 prep seniors for the class of 2022 includes at No. 63 Gopher commit Braeden Carrington of Park Center. Other Minnesotans on the list are No. 15 Michigan State commit Tre Holloman from Cretin-Derham Hall and No. 96 Boston College commit Prince Aligbe from Minnehaha Academy.

A tweet yesterday responding to a GopherHole post that Johnson’s team isn’t ranked in the AP preseason top 25: “Also, water is wet.”

The 3-0 Wild has only nine players on its roster who were with the club at the beginning of the 2019 season, including Joel Eriksson Ek who had the winning goal last night in overtime against the Jets. GM Bill Guerin, hired before the 2019 season, has reshaped the team and apparently the culture.

Owner Craig Leipold credited the fans for the energy that helped the Wild to the 6-5 win in front of a raucous crowd. He said that’s “the best marketing” the club could have.

Leipold on whether his team can go undefeated in the 82-game regular season: “I don’t think so.”

The Timberwolves open their season tonight at Target Center against the Rockets and it looks like two overriding elements will determine whether Minnesota can make the playoffs for only the second time since 2004. The Wolves core players have to avoid long stretches without being sidelined. Second, this team must go from being one of the NBA’s worst defensively to at least mediocre.

Set the ceiling for wins at 45.

The public will take a wait-and-see approach. “They’re tackling people to come to games,” a sports executive said Monday.

From the Nobody Asked Department but. …James Franklin will be the next head football coach at USC. Joe Brady will take over at LSU.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins passed for 373 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 112.6 rating in Sunday’s 34-28 overtime win against the Panthers. He now has 20 career games with at least 300 passing yards, three touchdown throws and a passer rating of 110-or-better. That surpasses the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers (19 games) for the most such games by a QB in his first 10 NFL seasons.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen said his superb TD catch at the pylon Sunday was in the same space of the Carolina stadium end zone where he dropped a ball in 2017.

Amani Hooker, the Titans safety from Park Center, returned from the injured list to play in Monday night’s upset win over the Bills. The 2019 fourth round draft choice is considered a potential star in Nashville.

With Billy Beane and Theo Epstein reportedly turning down the opportunity to lead the Mets, have to wonder if Twins boss Derek Falvey will receive an inquiry.

Minnesota youth of the 1960s loved the Twins but many worshipped Mickey Mantle and rooted for him when the great center fielder came to Met Stadium with the Yankees. If still alive, the Mick would be 90 years old today.

Danny Olsen, a Huntington Bank communications leader, is also an assistant boys basketball coach at Eastview High School.

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