Twins – Page 179 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Rebuilt Twins Leave Early Impressions

Posted on April 10, 2013April 10, 2013 by David Shama

The Twins are already eight games into the season and while it’s too soon to make judgments that could stick for the whole year, we already have a few impressions:

The team’s 4-4 record includes a sweep of two series and two road wins. Not bad for a club that has four players new to their positions in the big leagues, a rebuilt rotation of starting pitchers and before the season was a coast-to-coast pick to finish last in the AL Central Division.

The pitchers, including those coming out of the bullpen, won’t overwhelm with velocity, but often show a lot of grit. The will to compete must characterize the whole team because the Twins are — at best — an ordinary bunch in the talent category.

Pitching always defines a season and maybe the Twins have cobbled together an okay starting staff once left-hander Scott Diamond rejoins the team. Yes, the work of starter Mike Pelfrey was ugly last night giving up eight hits and six earned runs in two innings leading to a 7-4 loss to the Royals, but that kind of performance hasn’t been the norm.

And the bullpen could be at least adequate, led by eighth inning setup man Jared Burton and closer Glen Perkins (two saves and no hits given up in three innings). Better bullpen efforts and surprises have included Anthony Swarzak’s four innings, three hits and one run work last night.

Defense is priority No. 2 after pitching and the Twins are pretty much rebuilt up the middle with rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks, new full time shortstop Pedro Florimon and second baseman Brian Dozier moving over from shortstop, his position last year. No doubts about Hicks covering ground in center with a strong throwing arm (but pardon his hitting, two hits in 30 at bats). Florimon, who played in 43 games with the Twins last season, has made low throws to first base. He and Dozier are working at their double play efficiency.

Dozier gives the Twins outstanding range at second base. Catcher Joe Mauer has dropped a foul ball pop-up, had a passed ball on Monday and at times had trouble trying to handle pitches thrown in the dirt.

Hicks has to cover for the slow moving Josh Willingham in left field. Converted first bseman Chris Parmelee has been okay so far. Mauer shows off a strong arm throwing from behind the plate, converted shortstop Trevor Plouffe has range at third base, and first baseman Justin Morneau is outstanding coming up with low throws. Sum it all up and the Twins could be average or better defensively.

Willingham, despite his slow-footedness, certainly doesn’t have to apologize for being in the lineup. He hit 35 home runs last season and is one of five Twins who have homered so far. Minnesota has hit six home runs (three last night), ranking 12^th out of 15 AL teams.

Last year the Twins tied with the Royals for a league low 131 home runs. The Twins were 10^th in the AL in runs scored, 1,448. They rank 9^h in runs scored with 33 as of today.

This team won’t dazzle with power because other than Willingham, Morneau and maybe Plouffe, no one else is likely to threaten 25 home runs for the season. The club will have to hustle up runs with singles, doubles and savvy base running (only four stolen bases so far). They will need to show grit to score runs.

There’s that word again.

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NFF to Honor Legendary ’63 Johnnies

Posted on April 3, 2013April 3, 2013 by David Shama

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation will honor the 1963 St. John’s football team with the Murray Warmath Legendary Team award on Sunday, April 28 at the University of St. Thomas. As part of its annual awards event, the chapter will recognize the John Gagliardi coached team that defeated Prairie View A&M to win the NAIA national championship.

Although A&M had 11 players who later generated professional football interest, the homegrown Johnnies won the game, 33-27. Of the 34 players on the Johnnies’ roster, 12 were from a 14-mile radius of Collegeville, Minnesota and 26 were from an 80-mile radius of campus.

The Johnnies, who were 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the MIAC, were a highly productive team that outscored opponents 298-45. The Johnnies’ defense limited other teams to 12.8 yards rushing per game. The offense averaged 37.3 points a game.

Among the other awards at the April 28 event will be recognition of Brainerd High School football coach Ron Stolski who will be given the John Gagliardi Minnesota Football Legacy Award. Stolski is the winningest Class 5A coach in state prep history. He has been coaching in Minnesota high schools since 1962 and took over as Brainerd head coach in 1974.

The awards event is open to the public. For more information visit nffmn.org.

Logan Connors is listed as a sophomore quarterback on the Gophers’ spring football roster but as of Monday had not participated in the team’s first three practices. He is a walk-on from Corvallis, Montana who is on a track scholarship at Minnesota, and awhile ago he asked football coach Jerry Kill to be part of his program.

Connors, who throws the javelin, placed fourth in a meet last month. He was the top junior college javelin prospect in the country last year at Diablo Valley College in California. He was the Montana state high school javelin champion in 2011 and passed for 2,000 yards during his senior year as a quarterback.

Connors’ tweets last month included this: “Man, I hate the Badgers.”

The Gophers have a practice scheduled tomorrow starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Saturday’s practice at TCF Bank Stadium is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Both sessions are open to the public.

Kill was impressed with the physical progress of his team before spring practice started last week. Off-season training has been successful and Kill talked about the work of head strength and conditioning coach Eric Klein. “I think coach Klein said 95 percent of our young people improved in the strength, speed, quickness, vertical jump,” Kill said.

Ra’Shede Hageman, the 6-6, 311-pound defensive lineman who might be an early round NFL draft choice next year following his senior season at Minnesota, was the first player Kill mentioned when he gave examples of weight lifting. “…He benched 465 pounds which is awfully strong. Squatted over 500 pounds…36, 37-inch vertical jump. So he made some great strides in the off-season.”

The Gophers’ baseball team plays its first game ever at the new Siebert Field on Friday starting at 3 p.m. against Ohio State. Coach John Anderson, who hosted dignitaries and the public at a grand opening yesterday, said season tickets are available to watch the Gophers outside in their new ballpark.

Twins’ rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks struck out three times in five at bats in his major league debut Monday against the Tigers. Hicks totaled 112, 110 and 116 strikeouts the last three seasons in the minor leagues. He struck out almost 25 percent of the time during plate appearances last season at Double-A New Britain.

Twins’ reliever Casey Fien, who struck out the three Tigers he faced in the seventh inning on Monday, was originally signed to a contract with Detroit in 2006. Fien, who had a 2.06 ERA in 35 games last season with the Twins, might be one of the team’s more effective bullpen pitchers in his second season with Minnesota.

The Twins play their second game of the season today starting at 3:10 p.m. at Target Field against the Tigers. The high temperature for the day is predicted to be about 50 degrees in Minneapolis, while the forecasted high in Detroit is several degrees cooler.

When is there too much basketball? When a player like Tyus Jones finishes his high school season with a state championship at Target Center on a Saturday night, and reports for AAU tryouts the next day.

It will be interesting to see if the Apple Valley point guard can play during coming months without back problems. Jones is among the most coveted recruits in the country in the class of 2014.

A college athletics administrator who asked to remain anonymous told Sports Headliners the Gophers’ basketball coaching job has multiple pluses including the high school talent in the state. “I think you can win with Minnesota kids,” he said.

Although a new practice facility is needed and will happen, 85-year-old Williams Arena is unique in college basketball. “I really believe Williams Arena is as good at it gets,” the administrator said.

He also described the fan base as “real strong” including the 400,000 University of Minnesota alumni, many who live in the state.

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Flip’s Silence Doesn’t Help Gophers

Posted on April 1, 2013April 1, 2013 by David Shama

Flip Saunders doesn’t want to be the Gophers’ basketball coach but he could still make a major contribution to his alma mater by clearing up the mystery as to why he said no to the University of Minnesota on Saturday.

So far Saunders is saying nothing about walking away from the offer and the result has been a lot of Gopher bashing, starting with athletic director Norwood Teague who is being blamed. But what are the facts?

I know more than I can write today but let’s start with this: Saunders and Teague began negotiating on Friday, and by Saturday afternoon ESPN.com was reporting Saunders had turned down the job. Don’t you think if Saunders really wanted to be the Gophers’ coach he and his agent could have worked on the deal longer than 24 hours?

Come on.

This is the third time Saunders, the former Gophers’ point guard and assistant coach, has been approached by his old school. Athletic director Mark Dienhart was interested in Saunders, then the Timberwolves coach, when Clem Haskins had to be replaced in 1999. Athletic director Joel Maturi had Saunders, then the Pistons coach, on his list in 2007 to possibly replace Dan Monson.

Saunders has many attributes that made him perhaps the best candidate for the Gophers’ job. Enormously popular with the public, Saunders could create a financial jackpot for the Gophers, with impact on season tickets, single game tickets, donations, corporate support and a lot more. After a career as both a college assistant coach and NBA head coach, Saunders has a high basketball IQ and would have improved the Gophers in both practices and games.

But Saunders, 58, may have decided over the weekend that he doesn’t want all of the work involved in rebuilding the Gophers. While the program was a national power when he played in the 1970s, Gophers’ basketball has been in decline for years. Haskins, Monson and Tubby Smith, who was fired last Monday, all have under .500 records in Big Ten games.

Maybe Saunders decided that unlike his close friend Tom Izzo, the Michigan State coach, he doesn’t want to be chasing 17-year-old recruits all over the country. Some guys don’t want to go into every mama’s kitchen and exclaim in front of the family: “This is the best chili I’ve ever eaten!”

After three “courtships” with Saunders, it’s time for Gophers fans to understand this: Dinkytown doesn’t need someone — even a golden boy — to head the program if he doesn’t want the job.

Move on, and have faith in Teague.

Worth Noting

The search now might focus on Marquette coach Buzz Williams whose team ended its NCAA tournament run on Saturday. Included in the Williams resume are recruiting relationships in Chicago.

Teague is under pressure to not only hire the right coach but accomplish it soon, leaving time for recruiting and also not encouraging players on the Gophers’ roster to think about transferring. Although assistant coaches may not be considered, here’s a vote for interviewing former NBA coach and now Arizona State assistant Eric Musselman.

The April 1 issue of Sports Illustrated predicts the Twins will have a record of 60-102 and finish last in the American League Central Division. “I don’t know how they can avoid finishing last,” an anonymous rival scout says in the publication. “The good news is they got some good kids in their trades this off-season.”

The magazine questions the wisdom of asking rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks to make the jump from Double-A to the big leagues so soon. S.I. said most of Hicks’ hits in spring training came off “fringe major leaguers or minor leaguers.” A better strategy, the publication suggested, would be to start Hicks off in the minor leagues, delaying his free agent eligibility while allowing him to gain more experience before being called up later this season.

The Tigers, the Twins’ opening day opponent today at Target Field, are S.I’s choice to win the division. Detroit’s pitcher today, Justin Verlander, will win the Cy Young award, according to the publication.

The Twins’ opening day lineup a year ago was: Denard Span, center field; Jamey Carroll, shortstop; Joe Mauer, catcher; Justin Morneau, DH; Josh Willingham, left field; Ryan Doumit, right field; Danny Valencia, third base; Chris Parmelee, first base; Alexi Casilla, second base; and Carl Pavano, pitcher.

Span, Casilla, Valencia and Pavano are no longer on the roster. Today Carroll is a reserve while Morneau is at first base, Doumit is the DH and Parmelee is in right field.

Canterbury Park, with a live racing season opening May 17, is reporting a record number of applications for stalls. Also, the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association recently announced the number of registered broodmares has increased by 77 percent this year. All broodmares foaling in Minnesota are required to be registered by March 15 of the year they foal.

The cooperative marketing agreement between the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Canterbury Park announced last year is being credited with creating bigger race track purses and more interest in breeding thoroughbreds.

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