Twins – Page 171 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Bowl Prospects Dim for Golden Gophers?

Posted on September 30, 2013September 30, 2013 by David Shama

What now for the Golden Gophers?

Passionate Gophers fans had a disappointing day on Saturday when Iowa defeated Minnesota 23-7. It was a game many thought was a likely win because Iowa was coming off a 4-8 season and had lost its opening game to Northern Illinois.

Wrong assumption.

It was suggested here last Friday the Hawkeyes have better personnel than the Gophers. Correct analysis.

The Hawkeyes dominated Minnesota starting with the line of scrimmage where Iowa’s superiority in offensive and defensive linemen was evident from the opening minutes of the game. But the Hawkeyes were better in other positions, too, including linebackers, running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers.

The Gophers came into the game 4-0 and need two more wins to be bowl eligible. Iowa was supposed to be win No. 5, with the Hawkeyes projected among the most likely victims on Minnesota’s Big Ten Conference schedule. Now, with seven league games remaining, all Gophers fans can do is cross their fingers the team can find a couple more wins.

Except for the November 2 game at Indiana, the Gophers will send inferior personnel onto the field in the weeks ahead. And the Hoosiers might be Minnesota’s equal in talent, and will have home field advantage. Assuming a victory against the Hoosiers is a mistake.

The Gophers play at Michigan on Saturday where the shaky but undefeated Wolverines are difficult to defeat. Michigan has had two weeks to prepare for the game. Then the Gophers have their own bye before playing in Evanston on October 19 against one of the best Northwestern teams in years.

Nebraska comes to TCF Bank Stadium on October 26 and the Gophers might have a chance for an upset against a Cornhuskers defense that can be clueless. But don’t count on a win and for sure the Gophers face long odds against Wisconsin at home on November 23 and at Michigan State November 30. A declining Penn State program (the Nittany Lions are at TCF Bank Stadium on November 9) might provide the best opportunity for a win among the remaining opponents.

Reality is the Gophers may fail to qualify for a bowl game. The four wins leading up to the Iowa game were nice but came against the softest nonconference schedule in the Big Ten. UNLV, New Mexico State, Western Illinois and San Jose State — a combined 7 wins and 12 losses for four teams without much personnel. Nobody in the Big Ten had it easier than Minnesota.

That’s the kind of schedule Gophers coach Jerry Kill wants. He’s trying to reshape the talent-poor program he was given in 2011. The plan calls for winning all the nonconference games, finding a couple of league wins and going to a lower level bowl. Extra practices have value but just as important is using a bowl game for a sales tool with recruits, part of the patter the program is improving and will be a winner.

The Gophers are better than two years ago. This is not the same program Kill inherited. The talent is superior, the players are bigger and stronger. They play hard but are often overmatched and out-executed.

It takes time to construct a more competitive roster. Kill has only had two recruiting classes that were the work of him and his assistants. Building a football program is an exercise in not only acquiring skilled players but also increasing total numbers on the roster and putting those players through a process of becoming stronger and more experienced.

The Gophers might surprise their disappointed fans and find a couple more wins this season but even the most optimistic scenario won’t have Minnesota doing much better than last year’s 2-6 Big Ten record. Minnesota hasn’t won half of its conference games since 2005 when the Gophers were 4-4.

Put down 2015 as a possibility for climbing to .500 in the Big Ten. Kill knows what he is doing and the Gophers will be better next year, and the year after. For disappointed Gophers fans that might not represent much encouragement but could be reality.

If you want to rant, don’t direct your comments to Kill. Send them to the school administration. Tell them you want the Gophers to have more resources comparable to the better college football programs including improved practice, academic and training table facilities.

And if you want a little encouragement look at undefeated Northern Illinois’ record this season. The program Kill helped build — led by quarterback Jordan Lynch who Kill recruited and developed — is 2-0 against Big Ten teams. The Huskies are the first Mid-American Conference team in history to have two wins against Big Ten teams in one year.

Just ask Iowa and Purdue.

Worth Noting

A source with knowledge about the Twins organization told Sports Headliners he expects the club to announce today Ron Gardenhire won’t return as manager for 2014. The same source said Paul Molitor could be the team’s new hire.

Don’t expect the Twins to name a successor today if an announcement is made regarding Gardenhire leaving the franchise. If interested, the well-liked Gardenhire is almost certain to be offered a position within the organization if he is no longer the manager. You can be sure Gardenhire’s Twins colleagues and bosses feel bad he finished the season two wins short of 1,000 career victories.

The Twins completed their 2013 season yesterday with a loss to the Indians and a final record of 66 wins, 96 losses. The Twins were also 66-96 last year and 63-99 in 2011. The three year cumulative record, 195 wins, 291 losses, is the worst in Twins history dating back to 1961.

What’s next? Well, from 1997-2000, the Twins’ record was 270 wins, 376 losses. Breaking that record is in play unless the club unexpectedly improves its starting pitching — by a lot.

Average home attendance declined by about 4,000 per game. The season per game averages since Target Field opened in 2010 are: 39,798, 39,112, 34,512 and 30,588.

Adding to the frustration for fans is seeing the success of Twins alums with other teams. Among the achievers in 2013 were outfielder Michael Cuddyer who won the National League batting title with a .324 average and pitcher Francisco Liriano who tied for third in the NL with most wins, 16.

Relief pitchers and ex-Twins Joe Nathan and Grant Balfour were top six finishers in AL saves. Slugger David Ortiz hit 30 home runs and drove in 103 runs, while Carlos Gomez hit 24 home runs and stole 40 bases — painful reminders the Twins had less productive players at designated hitter and center field.

Sports Illustrated offers an NHL preview including power rankings in its September 30 issue. The Wild is ranked No. 6 in the 14 team Western Conference. The Penguins are No. 1 in the Eastern Conference with the Blackhawks No. 1 in the West and the magazine’s choice to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

S.I. chose Wild second year defenseman Jonas Brodin as its “Breakout Player” in the Central Division. “Polished beyond his years in the defensive zone, look for the 20-year-old Brodin’s offensive game to blossom this season,” S.I said.

The new Robbinsdale High School Athletic Hall of Fame will induct its first honorees from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, October 18 at Robbinsdale Middle School. The inductees are Dennis Claridge, Don Dale, Verne Gagne, Tom Heinonen, Julian Hook, Len Lilyholm, Tom Loechler, Irv Nerdahl, Larry Peterson, Cindy Sneddon, Randy Sonenfeld and H.W. “Doc” Spurrier.

Robbinsdale High closed in 1982 but the building is still used by the middle school. More information about the hall of fame is available by calling 763-537-3317.

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Mauer Can Send Message for 2014

Posted on September 18, 2013September 18, 2013 by David Shama

The Twins have the wrong kind of “circle it date” coming up: September 30.

That’s the first day after their 2013 schedule ends and a time to look back on another disappointing year. The team will finish with one of the worst records in MLB for a third consecutive season.

The offseason questions (again) will be what to do about all the losing?

There are mostly no easy answers and quick fixes. A talented group of minor league prospects needs more time in the farm system. The big league club’s loudest plea for help is starting pitching but it’s a monster problem demanding a rebuilt staff. The Twins’ standard approach in the past has been not to sign big buck, long term deals with free agent players—including free agent starting pitchers—so it will be interesting if management takes a new approach this winter.

Managers who finish in last place two consecutive seasons and then move up one spot in the standings during a third year are often asked to move on. But the Twins are a different breed of organization with DNA loyalty seldom seen in professional sports. It just might be that when the Twins decision makers gather in October the guy who decides whether Ron Gardenhire returns as manager is Gardenhire.

Another manager might strategize and energize the Twins to more wins but until the talent is upgraded, particularly the starting rotation, even a miracle worker like Joe Maddon of the Rays could only do so much. Changing managers, though, is one way for the organization to say the leadership on the field is part of a new start for the Twins.

The value of that approach could be more of a marketing tool than a baseball resource. Twins fans are restless and at least one ticket holder described the last few weeks of the season as a “death march.” The organization needs to show fans leadership is serious about rebuilding the franchise and winning. Placing Minnesota baseball legend Paul Molitor in the dugout as manager will fire up some of the team’s more passionate fans and ticket holders. At least in the minds of some fans and media, Molitor has been considered for awhile the most attractive replacement for Gardenhire.

There’s another Minnesota baseball legend who can do something to help the franchise at least take small steps toward a better future starting in 2014. Joe Mauer is the face of this team and the best paid employee in the history of a franchise that started operating here in 1961.

Mauer’s $23 million salary would make original Twins owner Calvin Griffith’s head spin. That kind of money could also provoke Calvin to say what he thought and if still alive he might tell Mauer: “Get your butt out to first base next spring.”

Yeah, we all know Joe loves to catch and the position is the “quarterback spot” on a baseball field. But on a team starved for run production, the Twins can no longer place an aging Mauer behind the plate where he’s another foul ball away from a concussion or sprained finger.

Every indication is the Twins will let Mauer, a three-time American League batting champion, continue catching next season. Mauer should reach a decision long before that and hold a news conference announcing his intent to play first base.

At first base Mauer would fill a position left open by the summer departure of Justin Morneau to the Pirates. Playing first base will be much easier on Mauer’s 31-year-old legs than squatting behind the plate. A revitalized and healthier Mauer at first base could be a small but significant improvement for the club.

It’s a change that Mauer should seize—an opportunity for the soft-spoken Minnesotan to increase his leadership role with the team and in the clubhouse. By doing so he sends a message to his teammates that playing first base isn’t his preference but this is a “team first” move.

It’s a move that among all the possibilities for a better Twins future seems the easiest to implement. We’ll see soon whether Mauer catches on.

Worth Noting

Josmil Pinto, the rookie catcher who would be a candidate to take over for Mauer next season if he moves to first base, is hitting .356 with two home runs and seven RBI in 45 at bats with the Twins.

Third baseman Trevor Plouffe, who might already feel the possibility of super prospect Miguel Sano taking his job in a year or two, has hit .324 in his last 10 games.

Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 the Vikings are tied with the Cowboys for the fourth most wins at home, 222. The Vikings, 0-2, play their first home game of the season on Sunday against the Browns, also 0-2.

Outside rookie linebacker Barkevious Mingo of the Browns has been turning heads. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King wrote that Mingo was the “best rookie I saw in camp this year” when the magazine published its September 2 NFL preview.

Writing for Cleveland.com (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Tom Reed said last Sunday that Mingo’s first regular season game left the Ravens “trying to find ways, legal and otherwise, to slow down the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft.” Reed reported Mingo had a sack on his first snap, “deflected a Joe Flacco pass and drew two holding penalties in showcasing his speed and athleticism.”

Minnesota-based prep football authority Zach Johnson knows it’s too early to evaluate the Gophers 2014 recruiting class but he’s impressed with players who have verbally committed so far including Texas offensive lineman Connor Mayes, Washburn running back Jeff Jones and Chicago defensive tackle Steven Richardson.

Johnson said Mayes could have chosen many other college programs including those in Texas. Jones is the only four-star recruit among the six high school players Rivals.com lists as part of the 2014 Minnesota class. “Definitely one that everyone should be excited about if he sticks with that commitment,” Johnson told Sports Headliners about Jones.

Richardson is the only two-star recruit among the six verbal commitments, with four others labeled three-stars. Johnson said Richardson is “a little undersized at 5-11” but he likes the Mount Carmel High School lineman. “One of those guys who will just be a solid plug on the defensive line up the middle,” Johnson said.

The two FBS opponents the Gophers have defeated in nonconference games this season are a combined 1-5. UNLV (1-2) defeated Central Michigan last Saturday after losses to Minnesota and Arizona when the Rebels were outscored by 73 points. New Mexico State (0-3) has lost to Texas, Minnesota and UTEP by a total of 99 points.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill indicated yesterday running backs Donnell Kirkwood and Berkley Edwards have recovered enough to perhaps play in Saturday’s final nonconference game at TCF Bank Stadium against San Jose State. He wouldn’t say whether Philip Nelson (hamstring) or Mitch Leidner will start at quarterback. The guess here is if Nelson isn’t near 100 percent he won’t play unless Leidner is injured or plays ineffectively.

Columnist Phil Taylor writes in last week’s issue of Sports Illustrated that Jason Collins, who announced earlier this year he is gay, has not been offered a contract by a NBA team. Collins, a 34-year-old 7-foot center, has played for seven NBA teams including the Timberwolves. Although Collins is an aging player who will demand a higher salary than some other players, Taylor writes that it’s “impossible to ignore the obvious question” of whether sexual orientation is a reason NBA clubs aren’t interested. Taylor reports that Collins doesn’t think so.

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Coach Who Bled Purple Leads Bears

Posted on September 13, 2013September 13, 2013 by David Shama

Sunday the hometown boy tries to defeat the hometown team.

Minneapolis-born Marc Trestman will coach his Bears against the Vikings on Sunday in Chicago. The game in Soldier Field will be the first time that Trestman as an NFL coach has the opportunity to defeat the franchise he worshipped growing up in St. Louis Park.

Trestman, 57, had five NFL coordinator jobs and won two Canadian Football League championships before an NFL club asked him to be a head coach. The head job he wanted most for much of his life, said his friend Ross Bernstein, was coaching the Vikings.

“He grew up a diehard Vikings fan, sitting for hours watching practice in Mankato and going to Met Stadium with his dad dressed in snowmobile suits to watch games,” said Bernstein. “He would draw up plays after watching the Vikings and go into the backyard and execute the plays with his friends.”

Trestman idolized Vikings coach Bud Grant who he followed as a fan, then later as a Vikings practice squad player and eventually as an assistant on Grant’s staff. “I think his love of the Vikings ran very deep as a kid,” Bernstein said. “He bleeds purple.”

Bernstein wrote Trestman’s 2010 book, Perseverance: Life Lessons on Leadership and Teamwork. The book tells a lot about Trestman’s much travelled career, his successes and failures, and what his makeup is like. Bernstein believes the book helped Trestman secure the Bears job.

“Marc is an introverted guy,” Bernstein said. “He’s not real gregarious. The book allowed the Bears ownership group to get to know him differently.”

Although Trestman’s resume includes college coaching as an assistant, Bernstein is convinced his friend is in the right place in the pros. Before the Gophers hired Glen Mason in 1996, athletic director Mark Dienhart showed interest in Trestman when the two met clandestinely at an airport in California, Bernstein said. There was also interest in Trestman several years ago by the Miami Hurricanes.

“I don’t know if he would have wanted the Gophers job,” Bernstein said. “He is not a great recruiter but he is a great manager of people.”

Trestman is also regarded as a great football mind and tireless worker. The Vikings can expect to see a well prepared team on Sunday. Bernstein knows Trestman will work all night if he thinks it’s necessary and will even have two game plans if circumstances dictate. “He is consumed by football,” Bernstein said. “He waited so long for this moment (NFL head coaching job) and he wants to make the most of it.”

Bernstein describes Trestman as one of the “good guys” in sports, an intellectual, articulate gentleman who has a deserved reputation for a high football IQ, particularly as an offensive sage. In Chicago Trestman is trying to return the Bears to the playoffs and beat out the Vikings, Lions and Packers by winning the NFC North. To do all that he will need more consistency and production from veteran quarterback Jay Cutler. “I think his legacy will forever be linked to Cutler,” Bernstein said. “For better or worse he’s pinning his hopes on getting the most out of Cutler.”

Bernstein thinks Trestman will be rewarded with success and in the process he might even overcome the shadow of Mike Ditka, the legendary 1986 Bears Super Bowl coach. Ditka is the standard by which coaches are measured in Chicago. He was a gutsy leader and Trestman showed fortitude last Sunday in his opening game against the Bengals when he declined a fourth quarter field goal and went for a first down. The reward was an eventual comeback win in Trestman’s NFL head coaching debut.

The former St. Louis Park High School all-state quarterback who played the same position with the Gophers behind Tony Dungy will go for win No. 2 on Sunday. Win or lose expect Trestman to act like a winner. “I am sure he will be incredibly humble and respectful after the game,” Bernstein said.

Worth Noting

Bernstein is a Minnesota-based author and speaker. He makes about 100 corporate talks annually. He spoke two weeks ago to about 500 people with the NHL Red Wings organization. www.rossbernstein.com

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson needs 58 more yards to become the 32^nd player in NFL history to gain 9,000 yards. Wide receiver Jerome Simpson’s 140 yards in receptions last Sunday were the most by a Viking since Randy Moss had a 150 in a 2003 game.

Former Vikings running back Dave Osborn was disappointed with his old team’s performance in Sunday’s opening game loss to the Lions. He is predicting an 8-8 record. “I am not very optimistic after last week,” Osborn said.

He doesn’t think the Vikings regulars played enough minutes in the preseason, noting that former coach Bud Grant frequently used his starters for about two quarters in exhibition games. He said Grant used to say, “You learn to win, or you learn to lose.”

Although it may not be well known, the Gophers placed former walk-ons Jon Christenson (redshirt sophomore center) and Derrick Engel (redshirt senior wide receiver) on scholarships this summer. Both have been starters, but Engel wasn’t part of the first team offense last Saturday in the game at New Mexico State. Engel said he didn’t play well in the first game of the season when he started against UNLV at TCF Bank Stadium.

“I don’t know what it was,” Engel said. “It might have just been nerves, or senior year first game and everything. It was real hot out there and it was hard to catch my breath. You can’t really have any excuses. I just didn’t have a great game.”

Engel said he lost confidence after the UNLV game but gained some back against New Mexico State when he caught two passes including a 48 yarder.

Engel, who started one game last season, is one of several wide receivers in the mix for playing time including redshirt freshman Jamel Harbison who was sidelined most of 2012 and for the first two games this season. “There’s talent in there (among the wide receivers) and we gotta get it figured out over the next three or four weeks,” said Gophers coach Jerry Kill.

Kill, in his third season at Minnesota, is a friend and admirer of Bill Snyder, the Kansas State coach who may have directed the most dramatic turnaround of a college football program in history. Snyder is famous and infamous for loading up his nonconference schedule with easy opponents. “The No. 1 thing in turning around a program is scheduling,” Kill said.

Stubhub.com lists tickets starting at $27 for tomorrow’s Gophers home game against Western Illinois, $15 for the September 21 San Jose State home game and $59 for September 28 when Iowa comes to TCF Bank Stadium.

The Gophers baseball team started fall practice this week. Assistant coach Rob Fornasiere expects the Gophers to contend for a Big Ten championship next year after narrow losses prevented a closer title run in 2013.

Fornasiere predicts the Pirates and Tigers will be in the World Series next month. The winner? He likes the Tigers because in a “short series” Detroit’s dominant starters Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander provide an edge.

Oswaldo Arcia’s 12 home runs are the most by a Twins rookie since 2003 when Bobby Kielty and Dustin Mohr each hit 12. Arcia, in 309 at bats, is hitting .256 with 35 RBI.

Alex Presley, acquired from the Pirates in the Justin Morneau trade last month, is hitting .340 with the Twins including one home run and seven RBI, and has six multi-hit games. Morneau is batting .286 for the Pirates with no home runs or RBI.

In their last two games the Athletics outscored the Twins by 21 runs in Minnesota losses at Target Field.

The Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be September 27 at Mystic Lake Casino. The honorees are Doug Demmings, Gary Holmgren, Jock Malone, Danny Needham, Pat O’Connor, Billy Petrolle, Jack Raleigh, Dan Schommer, and Tony Stecher. www.mnbhof.org

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