Timberwolves – Page 40 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

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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Zimmer Won’t Be Fired Any Time Soon

Posted on October 18, 2021October 18, 2021 by David Shama

Mike Zimmer has survived his critics so far. With the Vikings headed into a bye week and not playing again until October 31, the embattled head coach won’t be dismissed mid-year.

Fans, many of whom have been frustrated with Zimmer for years, are howling for his termination. Despite a two-game winning streak that has pulled the season record to 3-3, the criticism is intense mostly because Minnesota has missed the playoffs two of the last three years and continues to play conservative offense.

Only a deep run into the postseason, perhaps necessitating a trip to the Super Bowl, will pacify the large number of Zimmer critics. While the Vikings have the potential to be a playoff team, the inconsistency shown so far won’t even be enough to make the playoffs.

Ahead on the schedule are two games against the 5-1 Packers. Other 5-1 teams to contend with are the Cowboys, Ravens and Rams. Minnesota must also play the 4-2 Chargers.

A deeply disgruntled fan-base can hit the Vikings ownership hard, both financially and emotionally. Angry patrons stop buying tickets and boycott other revenue sources of the franchise. When boos fill U.S. Bank Stadium, it sends a message to ownership that customers are very unhappy.

It’s likely that inside the organization expectations were high for this season. Zimmer, now in his eighth season as Minnesota head coach, is expected to deliver a winning season and make the playoffs. It seems probable only that result will save his job.

Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf are fans, too, but they are disciplined in their actions. They have been loyal to employees, including those who have been with the organization even longer than Zimmer. The Wilfs approved the hiring of Zimmer in 2014, know him well and are probably emotionally invested in the 65-year-old head coach. Their position regarding Zimmer’s job status is likely to give him the full season to see what the Vikings can accomplish.

Those who want a coaching change during the season are unlikely to see it.

Worth Noting

After Saturday’s win over Nebraska, Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck is 17-8 in his last 25 games. That’s the best stretch for a Gopher coach since Glen Mason was 17-8 in 2002 and 2003.

The Bowling Green football team is 2-5 this season and has lost three straight games since its stunning upset of the Gophers who were 30 point favorites. Fleck said Saturday the game was probably his worst coaching performance since taking over at Minnesota in 2017.

As bad as the Gophers played, they almost certainly win that game if All-American running back Mo Ibrahim and best wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell are available. Best guess is the season-ending loss of Ibrahim costs Minnesota at least two wins this season.

Fleck met with his boss, athletic director Mark Coyle, after the Bowling Green debacle. The coach said he appreciated Coyle’s advice, “Time to row.”

Nebraska native Scott Frost, the embattled Cornhuskers coach now in his fourth season in Lincoln, was supposed to be the program’s savior. Awhile back his arrival generated plenty of praise including this quote from college football announcer Tim Brando: “…I believe he will be the most successful Division I coach in college football since Nick Saban was hired in Tuscaloosa.”

The Big Ten West Division winner could go to the Rose Bowl, with the East Division champ advancing to the College Football Playoff. Minnesota, at 2-0 in division games, is among the teams in the early running for the West championship.

Two seats were assigned to Rose Bowl representatives at Huntington Bank Stadium for the Nebraska-Minnesota game. Other seat assignments were for scouts of the Vikings, Seahawks and 49ers.

Nashville calling? The Gophers have been to the Music City Bowl three times and are a decent bet to end up there December 30. Last trip to that bowl was 2005.

Condolences to family and friends of Gary Reierson, who recently passed away. He was a standout in baseball and football for the Gophers in the mid-1960s. Gary had a successful career in sales and was president of the Old Timers’ Hot Stove League.

Doesn’t seem likely the Twins will want to re-sign Nelson Cruz despite management’s appreciation of his hitting production and leadership before dealing him last summer to the Rays. As a free agent this offseason he might command a $10 million deal and the budget conscious Twins have sustained serious financial losses the last two seasons.

Money is better spent on starting pitching. On paper right now that unit looks like the stuff of an expansion team.

Maybe new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, whose voice is heard on Fox’s national baseball games, can use his influence to help the Twins land in a future Field of Dreams game. A Twins-Brewers game seems like a natural, with Minneapolis and Milwaukee less than 240 miles from Dyersville, Iowa.

Ticket interest in the Minnesota Wild doesn’t heat up until later in the football season but the St. Paul-based team gets a break with its home game next Sunday because the Vikings have a schedule bye. Look for the Wild to announce a sellout for tomorrow night’s home opener against the Jets.

If the Wild, 2-0 on the season, continue with a hot start there will be credit given to GM Bill Guerin for creating a better culture on the roster by dumping veterans Zach Parise and Ryan Suter during the offseason. Parise, 37 and now with the Islanders, has no goals or assists in two games. Suter, 36, has an assist in two games for the Stars and is expected to have a bigger impact on his team than Parise.

In the “State of Hockey” there are no Minnesota franchises in the United States Hockey League but new commissioner Bill Robertson and other leaders of the top junior league are considering expansion beyond the current 16 teams. Suter owns the Madison Capitols.

Tickets for the general public go on sale Thursday to watch the 2022 Women’s Final Four in Minneapolis. Prices start at $100 for the April 1 and 3 games at Target Center. ncaa.com/wbbtickets.

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