Twins – Page 110 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

New & Improved Trivia Quiz Here

Posted on June 26, 2018June 26, 2018 by David Shama

Well, this is almost as traditional as fireworks and hot dogs on the Fourth of July. My annual Independence Day Trivia Contest arrives early this year so you have more time to share with friends and family.

Okay, so I exaggerated with my opening paragraph, but I am delivering 18 questions about Minnesota sports to test your trivia IQ. Answer 16 to 18 correctly and you might become a future trivia quiz contributor. With 12 or more correct, don’t hesitate to test the know-it-all at work who thinks he is “Mr. Minnesota Sports.” Nail 8 to 11 correct answers and figure you were (somewhat?) competitive. Less than eight right answers? Start prepping for the 2019 quiz.

In composing the quiz I kept reminding myself earlier quizzes had too many difficult questions. Admonish me if I remain too harsh of a taskmaster. So dive into the 18 questions, with no peeking at the answers below until answering every darn one.

And Happy Fourth of July!

Trivia Quiz Questions

1. Name the deceased former Vikings coach who will have his name added to the franchise’s Ring of Honor later this year.

2. Kirk Cousins signed an $84 million contract with the Vikings earlier this year, but coming out of college what round of the NFL Draft was he selected by the Redskins?

3. During training camp the Vikings will host another NFL team for joint practices. Name the team.

4. Name the Twins pitcher who struck out 12 Rangers in Minnesota’s win over Texas on Sunday.

5. Who did the Twins trade to the White Sox in July of 2012 to acquire infielder Eduardo Escobar?

6. When these three Twins are in the outfield they like to say, “Nothing falls (between them) but raindrops.” Who are they?

7. This Twins relief pitcher wears his cap cockeyed and during an early season game pursued snowflakes with his tongue. Who is he?

8. Name the Golden Gopher baseball player who the U announced last week has signed a contract with the St. Paul Saints.

9. Name the new Minnesota Wild advisor who once was the Minnesota North Stars’ GM?

10. Where was Wild star Zach Parise born?

11. Who did the Wild select with the 24th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and how do you spell his name?

12. Who is the former Golden Gopher basketball player who once made such a spectacular dunk at Williams Arena that ESPN referred to him as the “Jewish Jordan?”

13. This Golden Gophers basketball starter has a sister who was an All-American at Northwestern. Who is he?

14. Who is the Minnesota Lynx guard who also is head women’s basketball coach for the Golden Gophers?

15. The Timberwolves have two players on their roster who played high school basketball in the state of Minnesota. Name them.

16. Where did Timberwolves first round draft choice Josh Okogie play collegiately?

17. Name the Golden Gophers’ junior wide receiver who is a preseason All-Big Ten choice.

18. What’s the name of the Minnesota United’s soon-to-be home stadium?

Trivia Quiz Answers

1. Dennis Green referred to himself as the “Sheriff” and he rounded up more wins than any Vikings head coach in history except for Bud Grant (101 versus 168).

2. Kirk Cousins was drafted in the fourth round by the Redskins in 2012 and no one could have predicted he would one day sign a three-year $84 million deal.

3. The Jaguars will come to Eagan for joint practices with the Vikings August 15 and 16 at the TCO Performance Center.

4. Jose Berrios, looking increasingly like the staff ace, struck out 12 Rangers and gave up two hits in seven innings in Minnesota’s 2-0 win on Sunday.

5. The Twins sent one-time star pitcher Francisco Liriano to the White Sox in a deal that brought infielder Eduardo Escobar and pitcher Pedro Fernandez to Minnesota.

6. Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario are so slick in the field they can (presumably) even run down raindrops.

7. Fernando Rodney is the Twins closer who wears his cap like he put it on in the dark and during a snowy game in Pittsburgh pursued snowflakes.

8. Golden Gopher senior infielder Luke Pettersen, who was an All-Big Ten third team selection at second base, has joined the St. Paul Saints.

9. Jack Ferreira, 74, once directed the personnel decisions for the North Stars and now Wild GM Paul Fenton has made Ferreira an advisor to him.

10. Even if you can’t skate, hope you got this one: Zach Parise was born in Minneapolis.

11. The Wild chose 18-year-old defenseman Filip Johansson, and please note the first name begins with the letter “F” and there are two “S’s” in Johansson.

12. ESPN’s SportsCenter was blown away by Sam Jacobson’s spectacular dunk but incorrectly referred to him as “Jewish.”

13. Golden Gopher forward Amir Coffey’s sister, Nia, was an All-American at Northwestern and their dad, Richard, was a member of the Gopher teams from 1986-1990.

14. WNBA and Lynx veteran Lindsay Whalen, 36, was named Golden Gopher women’s coach earlier this year (another uncontested “layup” question and answer for you).

15. Timberwolves guard Tyus Jones played for Apple Valley in high school, while center Cole Aldrich was a prep at Bloomington Jefferson.

16. Josh Okogie, who the Timberwolves selected with the No. 20 pick in the first round, played collegiately at Georgia Tech.

17. Golden Gophers junior Tyler Johnson is a third-team preseason All-Big Ten pick at wide receiver by Athlon magazine.

18. Allianz Field, located in St. Paul, will host the MLS United starting in 2019.

Comments Welcome

Twins President Remains Upbeat

Posted on June 19, 2018June 19, 2018 by David Shama

A Tuesday notes column including the Twins, Vikings, Gophers and Wild.

The Twins won two of three games against the Central Division leading Indians last weekend after demoting 2017 American League All-Star Miguel Sanó to Single-A Fort Meyers on Thursday. Dispatching the underperforming Sano for hitting and conditioning rehab to Florida doesn’t mean club president Dave St. Peter is down on his club. Sanó has played in 37 games for the Twins this season, hitting .203 (30-for-148) with nine doubles, seven home runs, 27 RBI, 14 walks and 66 strikeouts.

Center fielder Byron Buxton’s performance has been a disappointment, too. Like Sano, he has been injured and his stats are not impressive, either. Buxton has played in just 28 games, hitting .156 with no home runs and four RBI.

Buxton and Sano were counted on before the season to be leaders of the now struggling Twins offense. St. Peter told Sports Headliners this morning that the two young players have “tremendous potential” and he remains optimistic about them. “I can assure you we’re not giving up on them,” he said.

Minnesota’s record is 31-37 and the Twins are 5.5 games back of the Indians who they don’t play again for several weeks. Their last remaining meetings against the Indians come in late July and August—a total of three series.

The Twins need to be at their best for a three-game series against the Red Sox that starts tonight at Target Field. Minnesota has struggled for years against baseball’s better teams. The Red Sox, 49-24, are co-leaders of the competitive East Division and play the Twins for the first time this season, while planning to use three starters who are a combined 22-11.

Chris Sale, 6-4, is scheduled to start tonight, followed by David Price, 8-3, and Rick Porcello, 8-4. The Twins will counter with Jose Berrios, 7-5, Lance Lynn, 4-5, and Kyle Gibson, 2-4.

Minnesota’s starting pitching has been a team strength. “We have more consistent good starting pitching than we’ve seen here in a long, long time,” said St. Peter who is hopeful of the Twins earning their way into the postseason.

The Twins are 3-10 this season against East Division teams. The co-leading Yankees, 47-22, swept a four-game series against Minnesota in New York earlier this year.

The Vikings’ 2018 offense could be exciting, and not only because of new quarterback Kirk Cousins and holdovers like Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. It’s anticipated the schemes and playcalling of new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo will be impressive.

“He’s got a lot of creative things under his belt,” Vikings offensive lineman Nick Easton told Sports Headliners. “He likes to keep a defense on edge, (and) never let them get a beat on what we’re doing. I think it’s going to really pay off for us.”

DeFilippo’s coaching resume includes the 2007 season working for Lane Kiffin when the Bloomington, Minnesota native was head coach of the Oakland Raiders at age 31.

Brandon Zylstra, the 2017 Canadian Football League All-Star wide receiver from Spicer, Minnesota, impressed the Vikings this spring. DeFilippo gave the impression last week that the 6-2, 215- pound 25 year old could make the final roster.

“…He’s a big, strong guy,” DeFilippo said. “People are going to have a hard time getting up in his face and pressing him. He has tremendous hands. He’s smart. He’s one of the guys that can line up anywhere, (and) we could put him at any position. We’re very fortunate he’s on our football team.”

Athlon magazine includes North Dakota State safety Robbie Grimsley, from Hutchinson, Minnesota, on its first-team FCS All-American defense.

Athlonsports.com believes the “Big Ten might have the best collection of head coaches among Power 5 leagues for the 2018 season.” Predictably, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer leads the list. Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck is No. 10 in the 14-team Big Ten and ranked ahead of Maryland’s D.J. Durkin, Rutgers’ Chris Ash, Indiana’s Tom Allen and Illinois’ Lovie Smith (No. 14).

Steven Lassan’s June 12 story for Athlon.com praises Fleck’s recruiting success and he writes the second-year Gopher coach has Minnesota “trending in the right direction.”

Vic Viramontes, the Gopher quarterback who recently transferred back to junior college to become a linebacker, has 19,600 followers on Twitter.

Bobby Bell, who turned 78 on Sunday, is arguably the most legendary former Golden Gophers football player still alive. Bell was a two-time All-American defensive tackle and won the 1962 Outland Trophy. From 1960-1962 he was a major reason why the Gophers had a 22-6-1 record with two Rose Bowl appearances and one Big Ten title. The 6-4, 228-pound Bell was a high school quarterback and so athletic he could have played any of several positions for coach Murray Warmath.

When I was involved with Minnesota North Stars marketing years ago I worked with general manager Jack Ferreria. He was one of the most professional front office people I have ever known. He joined the Wild earlier this month as an assistant general manager.

Ferreria, 74, coached new Wild GM Paul Fenton when he was an amateur player. Fenton later was on the San Jose Sharks roster when Ferreria was the team’s general manager.

Fired Wild GM Chuck Fletcher may keep his Minneapolis suburban residence for awhile. Fletcher’s son will be entering his senior year of high school later this summer.

Minneapolis-based Jostens might produce the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup rings. Jostens has a history of rings with Stanley Cup winners and also produced the rings for the 2018 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Comments Welcome

Kirk Cousins Personality Catches on

Posted on June 14, 2018June 14, 2018 by David Shama

Make a quick Google search about Kirk Cousins and include the word “nerdy.” Then read things like “Kirk Cousins is absolutely, positively every bit the nerd-dork-dweeb that he seems.”

That quote is from Steelernationforums.com last November, but online stories from Sports Illustrated and USA Today have also put the nerd and dork tag on the Vikings’ new quarterback who signed a guaranteed three-year $84 million deal during the offseason to leave the Redskins and come to Minnesota. Realclearlife.com wrote Cousins is nerdy because he and his wife stayed with in-laws to save money in the offseason. He is supposed to be frugal, obsessive and a theater geek.

Cousins’ new teammates, after practicing with him for the first time this spring as part of OTAs, told Sports Headliners their quarterback is personality-plus. “In the locker room he might be a little dorky but out here he is a fiery competitor,” said offensive lineman Nick Easton.

Backup quarterback Kyle Sloter lives in Atlanta during the offseason, the same place where Cousins spent time earlier this year. The two got acquainted in Atlanta and even more now as teammates. Sloter said at the appropriate moment on or off the field Cousins might shout out a movie quote from a film like “Happy Gilmore,” or “Dumb and Dumber.”

“I wouldn’t say that he is a nerd or a dork,” Sloter said. “He talks about ‘Lord of the Rings,’ and ‘Star Wars,’ and those kinds of things. He embraces it. That’s just really his personality. He’s a funny guy. He brings a little comic relief into our quarterback room but he knows when it’s time to be serious and all that good stuff.”

Vikings’ wide receiver Adam Thielen, who likes the personality of his quarterback, said Cousins knows every movie quote. “You couldn’t ask for a better person as a leader than a guy that likes to have fun and loves the game of football,” Thielen said.

Sloter already admires Cousins. “He’s a really genuine guy,” Sloter said. “Everybody loves the leadership that he brings. He’s a real sparkplug kind of guy so it’s been fun for me to really get in there and learn. …”

Former Viking Bob Lurtsema was initially opposed to his old team signing Cousins but he is impressed and open-minded now, describing the 29-year-old quarterback as “a class act.” Lurtsema has listened to Cousins talk and studied his background of being a late developer at Michigan State. That maturation of Cousins indicates attitude and work ethic to Lurtsema.

“This sounds terrible (but) he reminds me so much of myself,” Lurtsema said. “I was a terrible athlete but I gave you what I had cause you never know when you’re going to mature as an athlete. You might mature as a freshman in high school, a sophomore in college. You never know. Everybody is different. But if you keep giving it your best—when opportunity comes along you’re ready for it. …He (Cousins) directed himself (that way).”

Cousins didn’t come to Michigan State or join the Redskins as a star; he was a fourth round draft choice. During his six years with the Redskins he struggled a lot to win games against teams with winning records. Teams he quarterbacked lost more games than they won and he was 0-1 in the playoffs. Cousins, though, was statistically impressive and the Vikings must believe he is not only a talented quarterback but one in his prime years, and now surrounded by much better personnel than he had with the Redskins.

Lurtsema was dubious in February about Cousins and back then questioned the free agent quarterback’s leadership. Whether Cousins is nerdy or not, Lurtsema is rethinking him. “I want to be 100 percent wrong on what I said originally,” Lurtsema said. “I want to be 100 percent right on what I just told you now.”

Worth Noting

No. 2 quarterback Trevor Siemian, like Cousins, is in his first OTAs with the Vikings and getting ready for an initial season in Minnesota. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Siemian is “not an overly outgoing guy, but he takes charge in the huddle.”

Siemian is in his fourth NFL year and Zimmer said the quarterback is adapting to the Vikings’ offensive system. “He’s a guy that, obviously, has had a lot of experience,” Zimmer said. “ I think he’s catching on (to) the system well. It’s a completely different system for him. He’s been throwing the ball good. He’s got good command of the offense so far.”

Condolences to family and friends of Keith Fahnhorst who passed away this week. The St. Cloud native was an outstanding football player for the Golden Gophers and NFL 49ers.

Don’t think that Quinn Carroll, the Edina four-star offensive tackle who has verbally committed to Notre Dame, didn’t notice that the Fighting Irish had two offensive tackles taken among the first 10 selections in the first round of this spring’s NFL Draft.

If a Twins fan had a one hour commute in each direction to attend last Saturday’s Twins-Angels game at Target Field and stayed for the four hour rain delay and near three-hour ballgame, the total investment in time was about nine hours.

The actual game time was two hours and 53 minutes—one of two Twins games last week to be played in under three hours.

Gopher baseball coach John Anderson receives a well-deserved $15,000 bonus for leading his team to the NCAA Super Regional played last week in Corvallis, Oregon.

Comments Welcome