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Twins Need 2019 Mauer Farewell Season

Posted on October 1, 2018October 1, 2018 by David Shama

Joe Mauer can give the Twins a much needed marketing mission for next season if he decides to continue his career. That is the opinion of a sports industry business analyst that has been close to the Twins organization for years.

The club finished the 2018 season yesterday with an unexpected and disappointing 78-84 record. Mauer, the Twins’ 35-year-old first baseman who is unsure whether he wants to continue his 15-year MLB career, is one of the few players on the roster who sells tickets. The roster is one of the least appealing in franchise memory and Mauer, along with outfielder Eddie Rosario, lead any short list of box office attractions.

Mauer has only hit above .300 once in the last five seasons but the legendary Minnesota-born athlete has won three American League batting titles and the AL MVP Award. The sports industry source didn’t want his name used but he believes there was a period when Mauer may have been the most popular pro athlete in state history.

The source believes the Twins have been contemplating a 2019 marketing campaign built around a Mauer farewell season. “The organization needs to find something to promote,” he said.

The Twins drew under 2 million fans for home games this season. That’s just the second time the franchise hasn’t reached 2 million since moving into Target Field in 2010.

The club qualified for the playoffs a year ago and the Twins were expected to again be a winning team in 2018, but this season nosedived months ago and disappointments were many including awful performances by cornerstone players Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Fan apathy has been apparent for awhile and last Thursday Ticket King sent out emails to potential customers promoting tickets priced at $4 and $6 for weekend Twins games at Target Field.

Fans are frustrated with an organization that has put teams on the field who have produced six losing seasons since 2010, including five clubs that lost more than 90 games. With an uncertain core of players and limited talent, selling tickets during the offseason and next spring will be a challenge. And when an organization loses the confidence and interest of customers, it’s difficult to reverse direction.

During the last several seasons a lot of fans have been critical of Mauer. He’s been resented for not producing more at the plate while collecting on his eight-year $184 million contract that ran through this season. But as the possibility of retirement has become a news story this summer, there’s a sense many fans are circling back to Mauer with affection and appreciation.

Mauer has to decide in the offseason whether he still wants to play baseball. If the desire and commitment are present, speculation is the Twins might offer a $10 million one-year contract. The front office could build a ticket selling plan around the hometown hero if he agreed he wanted to play one more season and receive the applause not only of fans at Target Field but throughout the American League on a farewell tour.

Mauer is viewed by baseball authorities as an iffy candidate to one day be voted into the Hall of Fame. A year ago Mauer hit .305, the only time his batting average has been over .300 in the last five years. This season his batting totals included a .282 average, six home runs and 48 RBI. If Mauer could at least find the level of his 2017 performance next year, it certainly wouldn’t hurt his career hitting totals. Another season would move him further up the rankings for various categories in Twins and MLB history.

It does seem all but certain that if Mauer is to play baseball next season, he will be with the Twins. Asked by KSTP TV’s Joe Schmit last week about playing for another club he said, “I don’t think so.”

There is logic in arguing Mauer will announce his retirement in the coming weeks or months. He was celebrated by fans and teammates yesterday in the final game of the season, a 5-4 win over the White Sox. The former catcher who turned first baseman a few years ago even caught a perhaps symbolic pitch behind the plate during the game.

Mauer has all the money he and future generations of his family will ever need. He also has a history of health issues, and he has a young family who no doubt would love to see him spend summers with them. No, he won’t return for another season just to help the Twins sell tickets, and he will retire if he doesn’t have the will to continue his career.

But that’s a big decision for someone whose life has revolved around pro baseball since he was a teenager. The source who talked with Sports Headliners predicts the public will need to be patient about Mauer’s decision—probably a couple of months. “Joe never does anything quickly,” he said.

Worth Noting

The club’s disappointing record this season wasn’t because of competing in a talented five-team division. USA Today’s MLB power poll last week listed Central Division champion Cleveland No. 6, the Twins 22, the Tigers 26, White Sox 27 and Royals 29.

Outfielder Alex Kirilloff has been named the 2018 Sherry Robertson Award winner as the Twins Minor League Player of the Year and left-handed pitcher Lewis Thorpe has been named the 2018 Jim Rantz Award winner as the club’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Kirilloff, 20, split the season between Single-A Cedar Rapids and Single-A Ft. Myers, combining to hit .348 (178-for-512) with 44 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs and 101 RBI in 130 games. Thorpe, 22, split the season between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Rochester, having a combined record of 8-7 with a 3.54 ERA. He pitched 129.2 innings and had 157 strikeouts, with opponents having a .250 batting average.

Wonder how many Timberwolves season ticket holders are unhappy after the organization increased prices and then franchise player Jimmy Butler announced last month he wants to be traded?

Former Vikings All-Pro defensive end Chris Doleman has glioblastoma, the same cancer that killed Arizona senator John McCain. Doleman, in a wheelchair, attended the September 29 tribute at U.S. Bank Stadium for Denny Green, his former coach.

Green’s widow, Marie, is a former flight attendant who is now operating partner of the Drybar hair shop in southern California, according to her Linkedin page.

It will be a difficult transition for Eric Kendricks if Anthony Barr isn’t with the Vikings next season. The two have been linebacker teammates at UCLA and with the Vikings (since 2015). Kendricks says of his friend, “that’s my boy,” but the Vikings might not have the financial flexibility (or desire) to sign his teammate who is a free agent after next season and was beaten on three touchdown passes Thursday night against the Rams.

Kendricks was asked last week about a future contract for Barr. “Honestly, I can’t make comment on that. I can just make comment on what kind of person he is and what kind of work ethic I see everyday. That’s all I have to judge off of him. I’ve been playing with Anthony for awhile now and (he’s) pushing me to do better, and that’s how it’s been.”

New Vikings kicker Dan Bailey is 30 years old and has been in the NFL since 2011 when he joined the Cowboys. In two games with the Vikings he is perfect on three field goal attempts and two extra points. “…I think I am hitting the ball just as well at this age as I was seven, eight years ago,” he said.

Condolences to family and friends of former Minnesota sportswriter Tony Swan, 78, who died last week. Tony spent much of his career in Michigan where he established a reputation as one of the preeminent automotive and motor sports journalists in the nation.

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Twins to Explore Free Agent Market

Posted on September 12, 2018September 12, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column on baseball, basketball, football, sports wagering and tennis.

Twins president Dave St. Peter said the club will look at the free agent market this offseason, but that won’t be the main path for improving a team that had Central Division title ambitions last spring but is 12 games under .500 with the schedule ending September 30.

St. Peter said in an interview with Sports Headliners this summer that the roster core in the future will be comprised of players with the club now and in the farm system. He expressed confidence in the personnel already under the franchise’s contractual control.

Although the results and impact weren’t significant from the club’s free agent shopping last winter, St. Peter termed the efforts “aggressive.” He also debunked speculation that for whatever reasons free agents aren’t interested in coming to the state and playing for the Twins.

“I don’t think there is anything that detracts free agents from wanting to come to Minnesota,” St. Peter said. “I think that’s a fallacy. I don’t think it’s accurate. We haven’t played significantly in that space (pursuing free agents) so there really isn’t a lot of track record.

“I can assure you this past offseason we spent a lot of time talking to some very prominent free agents and they were all very willing to come to Minnesota. Normally, it comes down to dollars. That’s ultimately the driver.”

A remarkable half century association with St. Thomas ends next spring when Tommies athletics director Steve Fritz retires. Fritz will end an affiliation of 52 consecutive years with the school that began with being a student-athlete in basketball. He has known various roles at St. Thomas including coaching the men’s basketball team to the 2011 Division III national championship.

St. Paul Saints owner Mike Veeck has his team in the finals of the American Association playoffs against the Kansas City T-Bones. This could be the Saints’ first league playoff championship since 2004. The Kansas City, Kansas based T-Bones were originally the Duluth-Superior Dukes.

Veeck told Sports Headliners yesterday morning he was evacuating his home in Charleston, South Carolina and was headed to Florida because of hurricane Florence.

Before Joe Mauer came to the plate last night with the bases loaded, the Target Field public address system played the theme song from the Rocky movie, “Gonna Fly Now.” Mauer responded with a 416-foot home run to center field and later came out of the dugout for a curtain call. After the sixth inning blast, the Twins went on to defeat the Yankees 10-5, ending an eight game losing streak to New York.

The Vikings’ Mike Zimmer after being asked if he ever feels like he has the wind at his back while coaching in the NFL. “No, I always got the wind in my face. …”

When Mark Coyle was the athletic director at Syracuse he was interested in P.J. Fleck. Coyle was looking for a new head football coach in the fall of 2015 and Fleck was among recommended potential candidates. Fleck was coaching at Western Michigan and Coyle told Sports Headliners that people he trusted suggested contacting the young head coach who was gaining national attention.

Coyle said the two had a brief conversation because Fleck let it be known that coaching in the Big Ten was his dream and he didn’t want to pursue the Syracuse opening that ultimately was filled by Dino Babers. Coyle described the talk as a “really good conversation” and appreciated Fleck’s honesty and career ambitions.

The Broncos’ record was 8-5 in 2015 and then 13-1 the next season. That near undefeated 2016 season certainly got Coyle’s attention and on January 6, 2017 the then 36-year-old Fleck was named Minnesota’s head coach.

If there was a negative about the Gophers’ quality win against Fresno State last Saturday night, it was the home attendance at TCF Bank Stadium. The announced attendance of 38,280 was the lowest for a nonconference game in stadium history. It was also the second smallest crowd since the stadium opened in 2009.

Minnesota had an announced crowd of 41,291 for its first game of the season. That was on a Thursday night instead of a Saturday evening like the Fresno State game. The weekend night figured to pull more customers and so, too, did the opponent because Fresno is much better than New Mexico State who the Gophers opened against on August 30.

The Gophers, 2-0 going into Saturday’s home game against Miami of Ohio, have a number of intriguing freshmen and sophomores. Because Blaise Andries plays in the interior offensive line, he is more difficult to observe than many of the other young players but the redshirt freshman guard from Marshall, Minnesoa has caught Fleck’s attention. The coach refers to the 6-5, 315 pound Andries as someone who is “going to be a really great player.”

Part of Andries’ skillset is his intelligence. Fleck said, “He’s going to be an actuary, right. Remember, I didn’t even know what an actuary even was, and he wants to be that.”

Fleck believes Andries could eventually be moved to tackle. That switch would partially be determined by where he is needed as Minnesota also has promising young offensive linemen like true freshmen Curtis Dunlap Jr. and Daniel Faalale.

Former Gophers football player Kim Royston was named athletics director at Southwest High School in Minneapolis earlier this summer. The city school system might be close to naming a replacement for ex-Gopher basketballer Trent Tucker who resigned last winter as AD for all the public high schools in Minneapolis.

Former Gopher football captain Jim Carter is grateful for all the get well wishes this week after being hospitalized and receiving two angiogram procedures. He suffered a heart attack last Saturday with one of his arteries being 90 percent blocked. Now recovering, he texted yesterday that the response from people “has been humbling and somewhat overwhelming!”

Vikings safety Harrison Smith was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week today. In Minnesota’s opening win against the 49ers Sunday he had eight tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery. Smith could become a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Gopher basketball coach Richard Pitino said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” show Sunday he is still waiting word from the NCAA whether Pittsburgh transfer and guard Marcus Carr will be eligible this fall. Carr averaged 10 points and four assists as a freshman last season at Pittsburgh.

Playing tennis added an average of 9.7 years to a person’s life, according to a Danish study reported last week by the Dailymail.com.

Shelley Buck, tribal council president for the Prairie Island Indian Community that owns Treasure Island Resort & Casino, said on a recent segment of TV’s “Behind the Game” that legalized sports betting won’t be as profitable for operators as other forms of gambling already in place. She also said casinos like Treasure Island have the experience and infrastructure to handle sports betting if and when it is approved in Minnesota.

A pro football source predicted to Sports Headliners that the approval of legalized sports betting in Minnesota is only a couple of years off.

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Vikings to ‘Cakewalk’ to 11-5 Record

Posted on September 3, 2018September 3, 2018 by David Shama

Bob Lurtsema is known for his accurate predictions about how many games the Vikings will win and lose each season. And despite what you might think, the enthusiastic ex-Viking has at least once not been optimistic enough about his annual projections.

Lurtsema forecast a 10-6 record last season but the Vikings did even better, going 13-3 and almost earning their way to the Super Bowl. With most of their players returning, it’s no surprise the high-spirited former defensive lineman is “excited for this year.”

The Vikings face a difficult schedule that includes early road games against the Eagles, Packers and Rams—all NFL powers. Still, Lurtsema is optimistic about the club that he remains close to and knowledgeable about. “I think they’ll have a cakewalk at 11-5,” he said.

That’s a forecast Sports Illlustrated likes, too, with the publication’s NFL preview issue predicting Minnesota will share the NFC North Division title with the Packers and then advance to the conference championship game before losing to the Falcons.

Concerns about the 2018 team? S.I., Lurtsema and just about everybody else is on the same page in asking how effective new quarterback Kirk Cousins and the evolving offensive line will be. Lurtsema also wonders about rookie placekicker Daniel Carlson who performed to mixed reviews in the preseason.

There’s no speculating about the defense, though. “Defense wins championships, you know that. Our defense is awful, awful, awful good,” Lurtsema said.

The 2017 Vikings had the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense in both yards and points allowed. That contrasted with one of the league’s worst defenses in 2014 when Mike Zimmer became head coach. Zimmer’s impact on the defense and the entire team has earned the highest respect from Lurtsema who played for Bud Grant, the legendary four-time Vikings Super Bowl coach.

Lurtsema refers to Zimmer as “Bud Grant the second.” Then he added, “Zimmer is a no nonsense guy like Bud and he will not tolerate mental mistakes or less than 100 percent effort on each and every play.”

Worth Noting

The 49ers, the team the Vikings open the regular season schedule against next Sunday, will be much improved, according to Sports Illustrated, with the magazine forecasting a 9-7 record after last season’s 6-10.

Former Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon, now with the 49ers, has a torn ACL and is out for the season.

Patrick Klinger & Company from St. Paul is bringing 49ers legend Joe Montana to the Morrie Miller Athletic Foundation Banquet in Winona next Saturday. The event raises money for Winona area youth athletics. Previous speakers include Mike Ditka, Rod Carew, Bud Grant, Tom Lehman, Paul Molitor, Lou Nanne and Bart Starr.

The Gophers’ Antoine Winfield Jr., who broke several tackles returning a punt 76 yards for a touchdown last Thursday night against New Mexico State, was named the Big Ten’s Co-Special Teams Player of the Week today. Michigan’s Ambry Thomas, who returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score against Notre Dame, was the co-winner with Winfield.

Big Ten football teams lost only one nonconference game on opening weekend but not all was glowing. The conference’s East Division is sometimes referred to as college football’s best division but Michigan lost to Notre Dame on the road, and Penn State and Michigan State struggled to win home games against opponents who were big underdogs.

True freshman walk-on quarterback Zack Annexstad didn’t throw an interception in his first game starting for the Gophers last Thursday night. At IMG Academy in Florida last year he beat out Artur Sitkowski who started Saturday for Rutgers and threw three interceptions in the Scarlet Knights’ easy win over Texas State.

Dick Jonckowski will sign copies of his new book It’s All About Me when he emcees the CORES lunch program September 13 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Gustavus Adolphus football coach Pete Haugen will be the guest speaker at the luncheon. For lunch reservations and other information, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. Reservations must be made by September 10.

Dotseth noted that the University of Minnesota’s regular season opener and the Vikings’ last preseason game ended at the same time on Thursday night, even though the Viking game started an hour later. “When there was 2:04 left in the Viking game, there was 2:10 left in the Gopher game,” he wrote via email.

That was former Viking linebacker Ben Leber providing the TV color commentary on Fox Saturday for the California-North Carolina game .

David Gibbs, the former Gophers defensive coordinator, has the same title at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders lost their opener on Saturday to Ole Miss 47-27.

The Twins’ finished 14-14 in August, the third consecutive month the club was near .500. Minnesota’s record was 14-13 in July, 13-14 in June. The worst month so far was March-April when the Twins were 9-15.

The total handle for Canterbury Park’s popular Minnesota Festival of Champions yesterday was $1,005,728, the highest for the event since 1996 ($ 1,108,678). The Festival races are for Minnesota bred horses only.

A report from the National Sports Center in Blaine said sports events at the NSC generated more than $83 million in visitor economic impact. The report calculated spending from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.

The report quantified economic benefits generated by visitors traveling more than 50 miles and staying overnight, and tracked spending in lodging, transportation, food and beverage, retail, recreation, business services, and venue rental.

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