Twins – Page 161 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Put Big Playmakers in the Mix

Posted on September 8, 2014September 8, 2014 by David Shama

Analysis and news about the Vikings 24 hours following their surprising and impressive 34-6 win over the Rams yesterday.

An ongoing complaint during last season’s 5-10-1 fiasco was the coaching staff didn’t take advantage of its playmakers. There was no moaning about that in St. Louis Sunday afternoon when the Vikings opened the regular season against the Rams.

The team’s franchise face, Adrian Peterson, was handed the ball on three of the first four plays of the game. After four quarters the All-Pro running back had 21 carries for 75 yards. He also was used as a pass receiver, catching two balls.

But that’s hardly where the story ended. Cordarrelle Patterson had three runs for a 102 yards, setting a rushing record for a Vikings wide receiver. The second-year man-child stunned observers, including the Rams, by lining up as a tailback in the I-formation and running 67 yards for a touchdown. Patterson, who seemed under utilized as a rookie last season, also caught three passes for 26 yards, and was a potential touchdownmaker running back kickoffs.

Veteran wide receiver Greg Jennings, who joined the Vikings as a free agent for the 2013 season, also seemed left out last season. Not so yesterday when he was the team’s leading receiver with six catches for 58 yards and one touchdown.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph, another man-child talent, only had a couple of receptions but one was for a touchdown pass from Matt Cassel. The Vikings veteran quarterback, who the old coaching staff started in only six games in 2013, had a good day completing 17 of 25 passes with no interceptions for a rating of 113.8.

With plenty of contributors, Peterson didn’t mind sharing the glory. “I am all about wins,” he told KFAN Radio after the game.

The Vikings had playmakers on defense too, including safety Harrison Smith who returned an interception 81 yards for the team’s last score. Smith also had a sack after head coach Mike Zimmer placed him near the line of scrimmage.

An observer had the impression that unlike a season ago the Vikings were correctly positioned on defense. Certainly Smith was yesterday and so were others including rookie linebacker Anthony Barr who applied pressure on the quarterback and was second to safety Robert Blanton in solo tackles.

Last year the Vikings seemed predicatable on defense but the team’s alignments yesterday were effective including mostly man-to-man work in the secondary. The Rams, who played the second half with their third team quarterback, weren’t the kind of offensive challenge the Vikings will face in the coming weeks but it was a praise worthy beginning. The Rams were held to 273 yards passing and 72 rushing.

At Zimmer’s news conference this afternoon he was pleased having won his first game as an NFL head coach but he wasn’t dwelling on yesterday. “We’ve got so many things we have to work on,” he said. “Our whole focus is about us getting better.”

Zimmer said because of injuries defensive starters Sharrif Floyd (tackle) and Xavier Rhodes (cornerback) are “day-to-day.”

Worth Noting

Patterson will be a guest on Paul Allen’s KFAN Radio show tomorrow morning, live from the Vikings new stadium preview center downtown. Fans that have passes will be able to attend.

The Vikings’ Scott Studwell, who has taken on a reduced scouting role as a regional college scout, said he will evaluate 200 to 300 players for next year’s NFL Draft compared with about 700 in the past.

The Vikings used a Valpak mailing last week with an insert headlined: “Don’t Get Left Inside.” Single game tickets for 2014 were promoted in the insert and also a pitch that “the only way to guarantee your seat in the new stadium is to become a season ticket member.”

Adam Thielen, the former Minnesota State-Mankato wide receiver who made the Vikings roster after being on the team’s practice squad last year, said the Gophers and then head coach Tim Brewster showed no interest in him coming out of Detroit Lakes High School. Thielen attracted almost no following from colleges while in high school and he recalled at Mankato State he received about $250 in financial assistance his freshman year. “It was real partial,” he said.

Thielen became a starter at wide receiver during his redshirt sophomore season. He was an undrafted free agent by the Vikings in 2013.

A source who spoke anonymously said former Gopher Marion Barber III who was reportedly in a hospital last June for a mental health evaluation is okay now and living in the Dallas area.

Barber’s former teammate Laurence Maroney, also one of the Gophers’ greatest running backs ever, lives in the St. Louis area where he is in the music business, according to the same source.

Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” yesterday that his department no longer owes any money to coaches who have been terminated. He also said $40 million has been secured toward the $190 million goal for improved facilities.

The Big Ten office issued a statement this afternoon announcing the reinstatement of Penn State’s eligibility starting now for the conference’s championship football game and a postseason bowl.

Fans will relive Twins memories when they work through the pages of an impressive new book from Nodin Press in Minneapolis. Twins historian Stew Thornley, franchise curator Clyde Doepner and photographer Jerry Stebbins have collaborated on a 96-page book that includes photos of championship rings, gloves, jerseys, pennants, signed baseballs, ticket stubs and other items—even a photo of organist Ronnie Newman’s bench. There are also photos and descriptions about historic achievements by Twins greats including Harmon Killebrew’s 573rd home run and Kirby Puckett’s Silver Slugger Award. The Minnesota Twins Through Memorabilia is like visiting a museum.

Twins relief pitchers have an 8.13 ERA in their last eight games. The club has lost four consecutive games and plays at Cleveland tomorrow night where the Twins starter will be Trevor May, 1-4 with a 9.38 ERA.

In case you want to wish him a belated happy birthday, former Timberwolves star Kevin Love turned 26 yesterday.

Rochester, Minnesota 16-year-old Ingrid Neel played in her first US Open Junior singles match last week in New York, losing in three sets. She and a partner lost in the second round of junior doubles in New York. Neel made news a few years ago by deciding to play boys’ tennis for Rochester Mayo High School, prompted by her belief girls couldn’t offer enough competition. She trains in Florida, with a pro career possible.

Indian Horse Relay will be at Canterbury Park September Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Twelve teams from various Native American nations compete in high-speed bareback riding, exchanging thoroughbred horses on the run. These non-wagering races feature riders in traditional Native American dress competing in qualifying races before determining a champion on Saturday. Known as America’s first sport dating back about 400 years, IHR remains culturally important to Native Americans today. IHR is co-hosted by Canterbury Park and Mystic Lake.

Comments Welcome

Jerry Kill Not Backing Off New Facility

Posted on August 18, 2014August 18, 2014 by David Shama

I know Jerry Kill well enough to tell you he has a philosophy about priorities. The Gophers football coach says what’s important gets emphasized.

Kill wants a culture at the University of Minnesota where school leaders inside and outside the athletic department make football a priority. If football isn’t going to be important at Minnesota, don’t be surprised if some day the Gophers are looking for a new head coach. Kill, a Kansas native, might end his career at a school where football is emphasized—maybe in Manhattan, Kansas coaching for Kansas State.

A new football practice facility is considered a must-have by the Gophers. Minnesota is at the bottom of the Big Ten Conference in football facilities, with other schools able to dazzle recruits with their amenities. Meanwhile the Gophers get along with an indoor venue that has a roof so low punts hit the ceiling, and after practices players eat at temporary tables set up in a lobby area near their indoor and outdoor fields.

A new facility, perhaps costing $70 million, is part of a $190 million facilities fundraising plan announced last year by the Athletic Department. Campaign officials have been mostly silent regarding fundraising progress and no official announcement of a date to break ground on a football practice facility has come forward from department authorities.

But Kill sent a message on Saturday when Howard Griffith from the Big Ten Network asked him on a Gophers season preview special what’s next for a program that in the last three years has gone from three wins to six to eight? “…There’s no question I am looking forward to the new facility,” Kill answered. “We have to have that. That’s been kind of a deal in recruiting, and so Coach Kill has put a lot of pressure in that situation. That’s going to come through. So all those things help move the program forward.”

But that wasn’t all Kill said on Saturday. BTN writer Tom Dienhart tweeted that “Jerry Kill says ground will be broken on new football complex in Spring 2015.”

The coach knew he was talking to a national audience including potential recruits when he brought up the practice facility to BTN sources. He was also sending a message to school officials about how important the facility is to him.

Kill has earned the respect and trust of many Gophers loyalists since starting here as head coach in 2011. His skills as a football leader, and compassion for people inside and outside the program, have made him popular with school supporters including those with influence and money. There is no question he is the face of the Athletic Department and it wouldn’t be surprising if big money donors have assured him they will help fund the new facility—and soon.

Worth Noting

Derrick Wells, a senior and likely starter at cornerback, is one of several talented defensive backs for the Gophers, a group that makes Kill anticipate his secondary will rank with the best in the Big Ten Conference. The 6-foot, 201-pound Wells was injured last year and played in 10 of 13 games, starting five of them.

“He’s a big corner,” Kill said. “He’s a very, very good player.”

Wells has also played safety during his college career and said he could see spending time at that position in 2014. “I like both, actually,” he said. “I think I like safety a little more than corner.”

Gaelin Elmore, the true freshman from Somerset, Wisconsin, has been moved from tight end to defensive end. Kill said on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle yesterday that Elmore has played the position in high school and the Gophers need depth on the defensive line. He also said the 6-foot-6 Elmore weighs 265 pounds and will probably add 20 pounds. “He is going to play (this season) for us,” Kill said.

TCF Bank Stadium, Target Field and Target Center, located within several miles of one another, had combined announced attendance of 96,843 fans for their games in Minneapolis on Saturday night. The Twins audience watching their win over the Royals was 35,575. The Vikings attendance was 51,763 to see their exhibition win against the Cardinals. The Lynx had 9,505 fans and defeated the Shock. Combined with crowds watching Saints baseball, Minnesota United soccer and horse racing at Canterbury Park, well over 100,000 fans were entertained by sports in the metro area on Saturday night.

Murray’s Restaurant owner and baseball fan Tim Murray saw games last week at the home stadiums for the Astros, Marlins and Reds. With those trips he has now visited each of Major League Baseball’s 30 stadiums.

Here is his top 10: 1. Fenway Park; 2. Wrigley Field; 3. PNC Park; 4. Camden Yards; 5. Dodger Stadium; 6. Coors Field; 7. Target Field; 8. Safeco Field; 9. Kauffman Stadium; 10. Busch Stadium.

Murray made judgments not just on a ballpark’s architecture but on the “whole experience” of attending games. This included ease of entry and exit from the ballpark, food and beverage offerings and service, and restrooms.

Murray said despite not having great sightlines and food, Fenway Park is special. MLB’s oldest stadium has a special charm with its architecture, intimacy, field layout and “quirky Green Monster” wall, he explained.

Murray’s bottom five parks? Tropicana Field is ranked No. 30, then O.com Coliseum, Chase Field, U.S. Cellular Field and Yankee Stadium.

When the Twins play the Royals tonight, Josh Willingham has an opportunity to increase his total career home runs at Target Field. The former Twin has the most home runs ever hit at Target Field, 35. Now with the Royals, he homered yesterday.

Last Saturday was the 60th anniversary of Sports Illustrated’s first issue when Eddie Mathews of the Braves was on the cover. Here is a trivia question: Who is the only Golden Gophers football player ever on the cover?

It was Bobby Cox in 1957. The caption: “Best college quarterback.”

Bidding started earlier this month on Gophersports.com for the Goal Line Club’s online auction to support the football program. More than 70 items are part of the auction including memorabilia, travel and fan experiences. The auction goes until August 24.

Comments Welcome

Mauer Critics Need to Accept Reality

Posted on August 15, 2014August 15, 2014 by David Shama

It’s time for the anti-Joe Mauer crowd to accept reality. Take a large chill pill and look at the truth.

Mauer is grossly overpaid at $23 million per season but don’t expect him to cut his own salary. Who does that?

The Twins gave him one of the richest contracts in baseball history in 2010 when he was fast-tracked for Cooperstown. Raise your hand if you thought it was a bad deal then? Nah. You probably didn’t and I didn’t either.

Back in 2009 Mauer was a superstar and Sports Illustrated cover guy. The thought of baseball’s best catcher—and the 2009 AL MVP—going to the Red Sox or Yankees made Twins fans puke. The Minnesota front office saw a three-time batting champion and hometown hero who needed to be the centerpiece in the new ballpark the club had invested millions of dollars in to build.

Nobody locally wanted to lose the 26-year-old box office magnet, and so Mauer received the most lucrative contract ever for a catcher. He and agent Ron Shapiro had mega leverage in the negotiations, and they capitalized with a $184 million contract that runs through 2018.

Mauer’s best years were before the new contract that was agreed to in 2010 and started in 2011. This season has been a disaster with puny offensive numbers that include a .276 average, three home runs and 30 RBI. The venom directed toward Mauer by critics is based on more than anemic 2014 production and the embarrassing salary. There is also his history of injuries with the latest career setback the strained oblique that caused him to miss games from July 2 until August 10.

Boo-birds rip Mauer for being hurt and out of the lineup so much over the years. It’s true he is hardly an Iron Man. If Mauer played in every remaining Twins game this season—hardly probable—his total for the year will be 122 out of 162 possible games. More likely this will be the third season in the last four that he has played in 120 games or less.

But get over the constant criticism about injures. Mauer is 31 and it’s obvious injuries and being out of the lineup is who he is.

By now we should all be pretty much authorities on Mauer who was moved from catcher to first baseman this season to lengthen his career after suffering a concussion in 2013. He is 6-foot-5 and weighs about 231 pounds—a big man who lacks home run power because his physical strength doesn’t match the physique. Also, he sends minimal balls over the fences because his batting style is to hit a lot of opposite field singles and doubles.

During the last five seasons, including this one, Mauer has 36 home runs—an average of 7.2 per year. During the same period he is averaging 53.4 RBI annually.

Get the point? Mauer isn’t and won’t be a home run man, although with better hitters in front of him in the batting order he could certainly produce more runs batted in. Moan if you will that in big league baseball a first baseman needs to be a power hitter when he makes the big bucks, but our guy is more likely to some day win a fourth batting title than hit 20 home runs. He does have a career .320 batting average and that’s better than some Cooperstown Hall of Famers. To his credit the career average is among the best in baseball since 1950, and often his on-base percentage has been outstanding.

The anti-Mauer crowd can also complain about Joe’s personality and perceived lack of clubhouse leadership. Mauer is soft-spoken and isn’t an assertive personality. You want a Torii Hunter in-your-face player in the clubhouse? Go get someone like that but don’t expect Mauer to be anybody but himself.

Critics who think about trading Mauer should know he isn’t likely to continue his career anywhere but in his home state. The Twins can’t trade Mauer without his approval, and maybe he could be tempted to join a club with realistic World Series ambitions. But this is home, with parents and other family here. This is where Mauer was married to local nurse Maddie Bisanz and the couple is raising their children in Minnesota.

If you wish, dream about the Twins having a season-ending meeting with Mauer where he agrees to train like never before in the offseason and emerge next spring as a home run hitter and clubhouse holler guy who tore up his contract in November so the Twins could use part of his old salary to sign expensive free agents.

I am not fantasizing that dream. But I do expect Mauer to hit better than .300 in a bounce back year in 2015 that could see him share time at first base with Kennys Vargas while the two also split the designated hitter role. Mauer will be 32 next May and maybe his body makes him an old 32 but the guess is he is far from done as a .300 hitter—and on a bad ballclub like the Twins that’s a major asset, and so, too, is having a good guy in the clubhouse who with more time will become a polished fielder at first base.

Part of the fans’ frustration with Mauer is driven by unhappiness with the team’s awful play for more than three seasons since winning the AL Central in 2010. It’s up to the front office to figure out how to finally make the Twins a winner again after four poor seasons. The club’s decision makers need to do that knowing Mauer’s rich salary can’t hold back the assignment and neither can his liabilities.

Mauer’s critics may want to back off him and direct full fire at the franchise’s leadership.

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