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U AD Announcement Coming This Week?

Posted on May 10, 2016May 10, 2016 by David Shama

Sources said yesterday the University of Minnesota is close to announcing the name of its new athletic director.

That announcement may come Thursday or Friday when the University Board of Regents gathers for previously scheduled meetings on the Minneapolis campus. If the new hire isn’t made known Thursday or Friday, then the announcement could be next week.

Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said final candidates for the AD position are being interviewed in town this week. Interviews are being conducted by a five-member group that is a subcommittee of the 16-person committee announced in late March by University president Eric Kaler.

Candidates being interviewed this week have previously been reviewed by the larger committee and Turnkey Search, the firm retained earlier this year by the University to identify and vet candidates. A source who believes the AD announcement could come this week said he expects between two and five names will be forwarded to Kaler. It will be Kaler’s call—not the Regents—as to who will be Minnesota’s next AD.

The final candidates are likely to represent diversity in multiple ways including via gender, ethnicity, education and career background. The group might include African-American Sean Frazier who is the AD at Northern Illinois, and interim Gophers athletic director Beth Goetz. A candidate with a business background like investment celebrity and multi-millionaire Pete Najarian would help present a diverse talent pool to Kaler. Another finalist might be former U Alumni Association head Dr. Phil Esten who is now a leader in the Penn State Athletic Department. He also has extensive sports administrative experience at California, Ohio State and Minnesota.

A source said the final field could include a surprise name or two—candidates who have received minimal or no media attention during the search period that began in late March. Another source said he received many inquiries from potential candidates about the AD job and there was a lot of interest in the position that opened up last summer with the departure of controversial AD Norwood Teague.

It’s not known who comprises the five-person subcommittee; although sources have said Vikings executive Kevin Warren is a participant. Presumably the co-chairs of the 16-member group, Katrice Albert and Perry Leo, are involved, too. Albert is the University’s vice president for equity and diversity. Leo is professor of aerospace engineering and the U faculty athletics representative.

Turnkey has been sorting out candidates for awhile and interviewing began last month. It’s believed many interviews—perhaps all initially—were conducted by telephone. Now with finalists said to be in town, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kaler joined the five-member group and got involved with in-person interviews to further boost confidence in his ultimate decision.

A stumbling block for Kaler and the U could be defining what assurances they will give finalists about the athletic director’s power and line of reporting. Only a weak and compliant candidate will accept the job without promises that he or she can have the resources and authority to be successful.

In big time college athletics there can be variances from school to school regarding who athletic directors report to, and what they can do specific to coaching hires, the recruiting and eligibility of athletes, facilities and fund-raising. Critics continually question the U administration’s commitment to winning in the high profile sports of football, and men’s basketball and hockey.

Kaler has said he wants the new AD to be leading the department by July 1. That timing seems to further support the possibility of someone being hired soon.

Worth Noting

The Twins were swept by the White Sox over the weekend, leaving Minnesota with an American League worst record of 8-23. It was the sixth time this season the Twins have lost every game in a series.

Before the White Sox series Twins president Dave St. Peter talked about the frustration regarding the team with a roster similar to last year’s 83-79 club. “Morale is not high,” he told Sports Headliners. “There’s an intense level of frustration and disappointment but I don’t think anybody inside of our organization views the season as complete. …Almost five months of baseball remaining and there’s an opportunity for us to try and dig our way out of the hole that we are currently in. I still have the belief that we have the talent on this team to do it, and the depth in our minor league system that I think will help us over time. “

Much has been written about the team missing retired outfielder Torri Hunter who was a dynamic leader last season. St. Peter said Hunter has a “unique personality” but expects other players to emerge as leaders. “I don’t think we are where we are because of a leadership void,” St. Peter said.

Adrian Peterson (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)

Adrian Peterson told Peter King in a story posted yesterday on MMQB that the Vikings may “win everything” this year. The 31-year-old Vikings running back, who believes his team may be the NFL’s best, predicted he could play until he is 40. But by the time Peterson is 38 he questions having the same love for the game.

Peterson spoke at length about his hometown of Palestine, Texas that has been hit hard by spring flooding. People have died and homes ruined. Peterson has donated $100,000 to those in need and will work this week with the Salvation Army in Palestine, according to King.

Happy 20th birthday today to Timberwolves guard and Minnesota native Tyus Jones.

Herb Carneal, the deceased Twins broadcaster, would have been 93 today.

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May to Make or Break Twins’ Season?

Posted on May 3, 2016May 3, 2016 by David Shama

After a 7-17 start to the season in April—one of the worst beginnings in club history—the month of May will probably either make or break the Twins in 2016. Minnesota, 8-18 after last night’s win over the Astros in Houston, is 1-1 in May and the Twins’ goal has to be a record like 16-12 or better for the month.

The Twins won 20 of 27 games last May—the second best franchise record ever for Minnesota in that month. The 20-win success followed a 10-12 start to the season. May turned out to be the team’s best month of the year, helping make it possible for the Twins to finish 83-79, and end a streak of four consecutive 90-plus seasons.

Right now, though, this is a different team than in 2015. Last year’s club had veteran leadership and production. Right fielder Torii Hunter, now retired, was an inspirational leader who commanded the locker room. His 81 RBI were second on the team in 2015. He tied third baseman Trevor Plouffe for the second most home runs at 22 each. Plouffe, who led the Twins with 86 RBI, missed much of April but will be reinstated from the 15-day disabled list prior to tonight’s game in Houston.

All-Star closer Glen Perkins pitched just two innings in April and remains unavailable because of injury. Veteran reliever Kevin Jepsen, who has taken over for Perkins, had a 1.61 ERA last season but that has jumped to 3.86 this spring. Starters Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson and Tommy Milone, who were the club’s three winningest pitchers last season, are a combined 1-8 in 2016. Gibson is sidelined with an injury.

Miguel Sano (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

A couple of days ago the Twins had lost more one-run games than any team in baseball. Their 4-7 record in such games certainly had something to do with missing veteran wisdom and production. Sunday, for example, second-year slugger Miguel Sano was thrown out at third base after foolishly trying to make a triple out of a double. A bad idea in any situation, but worse when your club trails by one run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Twins’ make mistakes, sometimes can’t produce a timely hit and often see the bullpen fail late in games. It’s a formula for losing a lot of games and manager Paul Molitor is concerned about the psyche of his players. Last night, though, should have helped as 21-year-old starting pitcher Jose Berrios earned his first major league win ever in a 6-2 win over the Astros.

The Twins have a three-game series against the Astros that ends tomorrow night. Minnesota couldn’t have lobbied the commissioner’s office for a more desirable foe right now than the Astros, who are 8-18 and along with the Twins have the worst record in the American League.

The Twins will compete against nine clubs in May and four have losing records—the Astros, A’s (13-14), Blue Jays (12-15) and Indians (10-12). But the Twins can hardly feel cocky against any opponents after being swept five times by teams so far this season.

During May the Twins will play all of their Central Division rivals. So far this season Minnesota is 2-1 against the Indians but 0-3 versus the Royals, Tigers and White Sox.

If the Twins can achieve a winning record in May it will be impressive because 17 of the team’s games are on the road, with only 11 at home. The Twins’ road record this spring is 2-10.

This month should have the Twins worried. Maybe the players are well advised not to be biting their fingernails but they, Molitor, the coaches and baseball front office need to be working with a sense of urgency. By month’s end the Twins will have completed almost one-third of their 2016 schedule. A May with only a few “w’s” almost certainly means those optimistic preseason predictions about the Twins finishing over .500 again –or even making the playoffs—will look cooked before summer officially arrives.

A disappointment like that will be felt beyond the playing field. The fan base was re-energized by last year’s winning season and a roster of promising young players. The Twins seemed likely to stop a six-year slide at the Target Field box office in 2016. The franchise that opened state-of-the-art Target Field in 2010 and for two consecutive years saw attendance of more than 3 million might struggle to do much better than 2 million this season.

Disappointing customers is never good and the Twins know it. There are a lot of seats that aren’t going to be sold in the weeks ahead if the team doesn’t play much better. TV and radio audiences are in play, too. Just ask the NBA Timberwolves about low TV ratings during their many high-losses, low-wins seasons. Then, too, there are Twins’ revenue streams like advertising and corporate sponsorships that relate to the club having a competitive product.

Years ago the Twins routinely won division titles. Last year boosters celebrated finishing four games over .500. Boy, does that look good now—but first the club has to make the month of May an encore from 2015.

Worth Noting

Former Gopher and Twin Dave Winfield, who played much of his Major League Baseball career with the Padres, will be a celebrity spokesperson for this summer’s MLB All-Star Game in San Diego. Former Padre Trevor Hoffman will also join Winfield in that role helping to promote the game.

Ron Stolski has been coaching high school football for 54 years, including the last 40 at Brainerd. Until last week none of his players had ever been drafted by the NFL. Former Brainerd and North Dakota State offensive tackle Joe Haeg was drafted in the fifth round by the Colts last week.

Haeg, now 6-6, 305, became a weight room disciple at Brainerd. “I call it steel will,” Stolski said. “He was just driven.”

It will be interesting to see how many Minnesota prep basketball players still interest Tubby Smith now that he has left Texas Tech and is the new head coach at Memphis. Among Minnesota prospects in the class of 2017 is power forward Jericho Sims from Jesuit Rey High School in Minneapolis. Sims’ college offers include Tech and Minnesota. Sims is the son of former Gopher basketball player Charles Sims.

CORES will have Pete Najarian as its speaker Thursday, May 12 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Najarian, the former Gopher who has made a national name as an options trader and CNBC personality, is a candidate for the Gophers’ athletic director vacancy. CORES reservations and more information are available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

The Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis program continues to dominate the MIAC. The Gusties won their 28th-straight MIAC regular-season championship Sunday. The Gusties have won 260-straight regular-season conference matches. This season Gustavus is 9-0 in the MIAC and 22-7 overall.

Comments Welcome

Authority Lines Drawn for Wolves Leaders

Posted on April 22, 2016April 22, 2016 by David Shama

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor expects new hires Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden to agree on decisions “95 percent” of the time.

Taylor signed Thibodeau, his new coach and president of basketball operations, and Layden, the franchise’s new general manager, to five-year contracts on Wednesday. Thibodeau has more than 25 years of NBA coaching experience and Layden has been with league teams since 1981 in coaching and front office work. Taylor said the two men like and respect one another, making it possible for them to mostly work in agreement.

But what happens with decisions when Thibodeau and Layden don’t agree?

Taylor told Sports Headliners in an interview yesterday there are defined areas of authority. He wouldn’t identify all of those areas but mentioned free agents and the NBA Draft as examples where Thibodeau and Layden know who has the final word.

Taylor said Layden might want to sign a certain free agent but if the coach doesn’t want him that won’t go further. Thibodeau has the final word on what personnel will comprise his roster. Layden will run the NBA Draft for the Wolves. Taylor also mentioned analytics as another area of authority for Layden who most recently has been assistant general manager for the Spurs.

Glen Taylor (photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves).

Few problems are anticipated by Taylor who by coincidence signed Thibodeau and Layden on the owner’s 75th birthday. “They’re two seasoned guys who are going to work off of each other and (they) know that both of them sometimes may have to comprise a little bit, but they aren’t going to move ahead unless they resolve the issue,” said Taylor who expressed clear confidence they will.

Thibodeau made a reputation for winning games as head coach of the Bulls for five seasons, never missing the playoffs. His .647 winning percentage ranks seventh in NBA history (minimum 200 games).

Known for his attention to detail and demanding ways including on defense, Thibodeau will sometimes use his starters for long stretches. Taylor asked Thibodeau about the reputation that his regulars play too many minutes. The coach suggested the Wolves’ owner talk to guys who have played for him. “The way he said it, he would be confident they aren’t going to be critical of him,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s representatives did speak to players who said Thibodeau worked them hard and was demanding but the owner isn’t worried about his Wolves playing too many minutes. “Not after a long discussion with him on it, I am not concerned about it,” Taylor said.

Thibodeau and Layden spent hours interviewing with Taylor by telephone and in person. The interviews with the two were separate. “I just think that I can trust these two guys now to make the decisions that need to be made,” Taylor said. “I don’t think they’re going to rely on me. …”

Major financial decisions about salaries will be an area where Thibodeau and Layden come to Taylor. The three have talked salary cap but Taylor didn’t elaborate on his willingness to exceed the NBA maximum, indicating various details enter into such decisions and the timing of them. It seems likely, though, if Taylor is convinced extra money will bring the franchise closer to its first ever NBA title he will green-light Thibodeau and Layden.

Taylor said his new hires were his first choice when he looked for staffing to leading his basketball department. “I was very fortunate,” he said.

Worth Noting

The late Flip Saunders, who was Taylor’s coach and president of basketball operations, owned a small percentage of the team. Taylor asked Saunders’ widow, if she wanted to sell but Debbie answered the family wants to keep its ownership.

Watch the first period tonight with extra interest when the Wild, trailing 3-1 in its best of seven playoff series, plays the Stars in Dallas. “See if Dallas comes out swinging (focused), scores a couple of goals and takes the life out of the Wild,” a hockey industry source told Sports Headliners.

The Wild has just eight goals in four games and the team’s lack of offense was problematic during the regular season too. One issue, the source said, is lack of chemistry between the older and younger players. The club also doesn’t have a leader, with no one stepping forward to claim that role, he said.

The Stars can gain much valued playoff rest if they close out the series tonight and wait a few days for their second round games. That’s a real incentive but no more than what the Wild is playing for—a chance to stay alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and force a Game 6 in St. Paul Sunday.

Vikings defensive tackle Shariff Floyd will autograph memorabilia for $15 and $25 tomorrow (Saturday) from 1 to 2 p.m. at Southtown Shopping Center in Bloomington. His appearance is part of the two-day Saturday-Sunday Triple Crown Sports Collectibles Southtown Show. Show hours tomorrow are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Gophers, Twins, Vikings and Saints will all be playing home games the night of September 1. In three Minneapolis stadiums—within at the most six miles of each other—the Gophers have their opening nonconference game, the Twins face Central Division rival Chicago and the Vikings play their first ever preseason game in U.S. Bank Stadium. In St. Paul the Saints will host Winnipeg. More than 130,000 fans likely will be watching the four games.

Scheduling conflicts are routine in this overcrowded sports market. Last week, for example, the Timberwolves had a season-ending game in Target Center while a block away the Twins were playing their second home game of the year.

The Twins have opened on the road six of the last eight years but don’t look for that trend to change much in the future. The club doesn’t want to risk multiple postponements in Minneapolis because of bad weather in late March and during the first few days of April.

The Twins, now 5-11, lost their first nine games of the season, including six straight on the road. After yesterday’s loss to the Brewers in Milwaukee, Minnesota’s road record is 1-7.

While the Twins have struggled to find offensive production from their catchers since moving Joe Mauer to first base in 2014, Wilson Ramos is off to a fast start this spring with the Nationals. Ramos, who the Twins traded to the Nationals in 2010, is hitting .314. Last year he hit only .229 but had 15 home runs and a career high 68 RBI. The Twins figure to see Ramos this weekend during a three-game series at Washington that starts tonight.

The April 18 issue of Sports Illustrated includes former Gopher Eric Decker, Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr., Burnsville native Lindsey Vonn and the Timberwolves Andrew Wiggins on its first ever Fashionable 50 list. Victor Cruz of the New York Giants ranks No. 1 among stylishly dressed athletes. Decker, Fitzgerald, Vonn and Wiggins didn’t make the top 10 listings but are included alphabetically among 40 other “sartorial icons.”

National Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, who twice won the Kentucky Derby, will host a Casino Night Fundraiser Tuesday, April 26 at Canterbury Park to benefit the Leg Up Fund. The fund provides emergency financial assistance to jockeys injured while riding at the Shakopee racetrack.

Casino Night will be from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Canterbury’s Triple Crown Club. Admission is $35 in advance, or $45 at the door, and includes a presentation by McCarron, dinner, soda, and 3,000 in chips. A $100 per-person VIP Meet and Greet event from 6 to 7 p.m. includes appetizers, open bar, and 6,000 in chips. Tickets can be purchased by calling (952) 445-7224.

Canterbury Park Hall of Famer and former WCCO Radio personality Dark Star, who died in 2012, would have been 70 Wednesday.

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