Twins – Page 183 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Frazier: Ponder to ‘Bounce Back’

Posted on December 3, 2012December 3, 2012 by David Shama

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier was asked about the confidence of quarterback Christian Ponder on KFAN Radio after yesterday’s 23-14 loss to the Packers. “He’ll bounce back,” Frazier said from the locker room on the post game show. “He’s a tough kid. High character kid.”

Ponder threw two second half interceptions, including one ball picked off in the end zone to end Vikings’ drives. The first interception followed a 48-yard run by Adrian Peterson to the Green Bay 12 yard line to open the third quarter. After a Peterson run to the eight yard line, Ponder’s pass was intercepted by Morgan Burnett in the end zone. A touchdown would have sent the Vikings ahead 21-10.

It was also Burnett who intercepted Ponder on the Green Bay 13 yard line to stop another drive. The play ended the third quarter when the Vikings were trying to overcome a 20-14 Packers’ lead. “I can’t let it get me down,” Ponder said at the post game news conference aired on Vikings.com. “I gotta move forward.”

Ponder’s passes were consistently inaccurate for much of the game. The first interception where Ponder appeared to have a good view of Burnett in the end zone seemed almost inexplicable.

Ponder has struggled in his last two games. He has thrown three interceptions, while completing 34 of 68 passes for two touchdowns. His passing ratings have been 58.2 and 41.9.

Frazier’s confidence in the second-year quarterback is the sort of commitment that coaches are expected to voice about struggling players. Yet if it was difficult for the coach to be positive after the game no one could blame him. Not on a day when the 6-6 Vikings could have made a statement about being serious playoff contenders.

Instead the Packers and Bears look to be best positioned to contend for the NFC North title, with the loser possibly making the playoffs. With yesterday’s win, the Packers are 8-4 and so, too, are the Bears after losing to the Seahawks.

The Vikings had led 14-10 at halftime with the highlight being a career-best 82-yard run by Peterson. For the game he ran for 210 yards, the sixth consecutive time he’s rushed for over 100 yards.

Defensive end Mike Neal had predicted in a Saturday Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel online story that Peterson would break long runs. “He’s a monster,” Neal said.

The Packers, playing without injured starters on offense and defense, exhibited poor tackling and a leaky offensive line but Green Bay had both a passing and running game on Sunday and that was too much balance for the Vikings yesterday despite a solid performance by the defense. The Vikings didn’t have anything near the kind of run-pass balance they had hoped for while preparing in practice last week.

“We want to be able to use our entire offensive game plan,” Vikings center John Sullivan told Sports Headliners last week. “Be able to pass the ball effectively. Be able to run the ball to help set up the pass. If we’re able to do those things we should be successful.”

The Vikings, with four games remaining, will try to make the formula work next Sunday at home against the Bears.

Kill Built MAC Champs & Other Notes

Northern Illinois won the MAC football championship last Friday night with a roster of players Gophers coach Jerry Kill and his assistants recruited. The Huskies, with 18 of 22 starters recruited by Kill, won their second consecutive MAC title defeating Kent State 44-37 in double overtime.

Redshirt junior quarterback Jordan Lynch ran for 160 yards and passed for 212 in the win. Lynch was recruited by Kill in 2009 and at that time was rated a two-star player by Rivals.com. He was voted the MAC’s 2012 MVP and the school is promoting him as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Junior tailback Akeem Daniels, 5-foot-7, ran for 128 yards in the win for the top 25 ranked Huskies. Daniels was part of Kill’s 2010 recruiting class and was also a Rivals two-star recruit.

Kill coached at Northern Illinois for three seasons, leading the Huskies to three bowl games with his best season in 2010, a 10-3 record. His successor, former Badgers assistant coach Dave Doeren, has coached the Huskies to records of 11-3 and 12-1. The Huskies will play in the 2013 Orange Bowl, the first MAC team to earn a BCS bowl game invite.

North Carolina State is hiring Doeren as its new football coach, prompting speculation members of Kill’s staff will be considered for the Huskies’ job. But Doeren earned less than $500,000 and the school likely won’t pay his successor much more than that, perhaps less.

Former Vikings assistant coach Monte Kiffin resigned last week as USC’s defensive coordinator. His reported $1.5 million salary at USC is more than the $1.2 million that Kill is believed to earn with the Gophers.

Kill said the Gophers will start bowl practices on Friday and continue on Saturday and Sunday. The Gophers will play in the December 28 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Houston and have 15 practices to prepare.

Kill said injuries will prevent defensive tackle Roland Johnson and linebacker Brendan Beal from playing in the bowl game.

The Gophers have a history of playing in bowls that don’t pay a lot of money like the Meineke bowl. But former Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said his department never lost money because of cost saving measures like sending the marching band to the game by bus.

Vikings center John Sullivan talking about playing in small town Green Bay including historic Lambeau Field: “It’s got a cool feel. They’ve got a great fan base. Obviously they really care about their team there. It’s got a little bit of a different atmosphere than a normal NFL stadium. Little bit of a college atmosphere to it. It’s definitely a fun place to play.”

The Packers radio network includes 1220 KLBB AM in Stillwater, plus stations in Bismarck, North Dakota; Des Moines, Iowa; Sioux Falls, South Dakota and four stations in Michigan, according to Packers.com.

Joe Mauer, who married Madie Bisanz on Saturday in St. Paul, had his name rumored on the Internet last week speculating the Twins catcher will be traded to the Red Sox (Bleacher Report) and Yankees (Sports World Report). To complete a Mauer trade the Twins would require an extraordinary deal with not only the right players but right salaries to fit team payroll. Would Mauer be intrigued about playing for a storied franchise and a better chance of earning a World Series ring?

The Gophers basketball team was one of six Big Ten teams ranked in the Associated Press top 25 last week. Indiana was ranked No. 1 followed by Michigan No. 3, Ohio State No. 4, Michigan State No. 13, Minnesota No. 21 and Illinois No. 22. Former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher was asked when the Big Ten has appeared this strong. “Never,” he said.

Gophers radio play-by-play announcer Mike Grimm said the Big Ten Conference Tournament could be more difficult to win than the Final Four.

The Gophers hockey team became the first WCHA team to earn 10 points with a win over Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday night. The Mavericks, who beat the Gophers on Friday night, have players from 21 states including five from Minnesota, plus five from Canada and one from the Czech Republic.

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Can Gophers Scare Dukies?

Posted on November 20, 2012November 21, 2012 by David Shama

Will the 4-0 Gophers scare top 10 ranked Duke enough on Thursday to pull off an upset?

At first it might seem a stretch to think the unranked Gophers could defeat the Associated Press No. 5 ranked team in the country, but maybe not. The game will be played on a neutral court, part of the Battle4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. Minnesota, under head coach Tubby Smith, has defeated other nationally revered programs during past nonconference schedules—Louisville in 2008 and North Carolina in 2010.

The blueprint for a Gophers win Thursday is probably forcing Duke (3-0) out of its offense with Minnesota pressuring Blue Devil players in both full and half court situations. The Gophers are capable of playing intimidating defense, trapping dribblers, forcing them away from the basket and blocking shots attempted inside the lane. The defense can create turnovers, potentially leading to dunks and other easy Minnesota baskets.

In two exhibitions and four nonconference games the Gophers have at times shown they know how to execute the blueprint. It’s a plan that works because of the exceptional athleticism, length and jumping ability of Minnesota’s players. The individual parts sometimes add up to an octopus-like whole with Gophers swarming all over the court creating havoc.

And all that physical talent can result in easy baskets for the Gophers when running the offense too. The team’s inside offense with forwards Rodney Williams, Trevor Mbakwe, Joe Coleman and center Elliott Eliason can result in a dunk-a-thon and other easy baskets. Scoring has been made easier this year by the steady outside shooting of guard Austin Hollins (another rangy defensive player) and the playmaking of guard Andre Hollins.

A snapshot of the Gophers’ M.O. in their four nonconference wins so far was their first half performance against Toledo. Minnesota led 48-22 at halftime against the Rockets, a team considered a contender to win the West Division in the Mid-American Conference.

After the game Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk, a Minnesota-Duluth grad, told Sports Headliners how impressed he was with Minnesota including the Gophers’ dominant first half performance: “We probably played scared, tentative in the first half. …”

What frightened the Rockets about the Gophers? “I think their length and I think their athletic ability, and just how fast they are in transition,” Kowalczyk said. “They are a very good basketball team.

“I’ve seen Minnesota play for several years, and this is the best team I think Tubby has had. They’re really good defensively. Their guards can really shoot the ball. …”

Kowalczyk said the Gophers belong in the top 25 rankings and he wouldn’t be surprised if they could play with any team in America. Can they defeat Duke?

“I think they can,” Kowalczyk said. “Certainly can talent wise.”

Austin Hollins, who scored 10 of the Gophers first 15 points against Toledo and was credited by Kowalczyk with shutting down the Rockets’ point guard, said he expects Minnesota to win every game and Duke is no different. He too believes Minnesota’s length and athleticism defines this team. “I would be a little scared going up against us,” Hollins told Sports Headliners.

Beating the Blue Devils will not be a stroll on a Caribbean beach. Duke already has a win over top 10 ranked and defending national champion Kentucky. The Blue Devils rely on experienced upperclassmen including seniors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee, all of whom averaged double figure scoring last season. And then there’s legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski who has won four national championships and last summer led the U.S. Olympic team to the gold medal.

Duke will try to pressure the Gophers into turnovers like Minnesota committed on Sunday night in a 73-57 win over a competitive Richmond team. The Gophers had 11 turnovers in the first 4:44 of the game and the Spiders made 10 steals.

Minnesota’s inconsistency on offense is something Kowalczyk observed. “I think they obviously have to get a little bit more disciplined offensively. Certainly defensively they create a lot of havoc. They can really rebound the ball (at) both ends. They’re so good in transition. If they need any work, it’s probably in their half court execution but this time of year everybody knows your defense should be ahead of your offense at this point in time.”

The Blue Devils have so much resume it’s easy to think the Gophers won’t win but Minnesota is motivated after suffering a run of injuries in recent seasons, having consecutive 6-12 seasons in the Big Ten and not making the NCAA tournament.

“You win a big game like that, you know what you’re capable of, definitely,” Coleman said.

“That’s a good basketball team (Minnesota),” Kowalczyk said. “They will have a very good season at some point here. I’d say fairly soon (they will) get some national respect.”

Play with anybody in the country? “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Kowalczyk said.

Worth Noting

The Gophers-Duke game on Thanksgiving begins at 2:30 p.m. Minneapolis time and will be televised by AXS TV (channel 420 on Comcast). The earlier Battle 4 Atlantis game on Thursday between Missouri and Stanford will also be on AXS TV. Night games between Memphis-VCU and Louisville-Northern Iowa will be on NBC Sports Network.

Gophers coach Tubby Smith talking earlier this month about the willingness of his players to dive for loose balls on the court: “Even our big guys getting on the floor. ….That’s impressive and important that guys are diving for loose balls, saving balls (for) one another. That tells me about the teamwork that we have right now.”

Gophers with size include 6-8 Trevor Mbakwe, 6-7 Rodney Williams and 6-11 Elliott Eliason but the biggest player on the roster is 6-10, 295-pound forward-center Maurice Walker. His minutes have been more limited than the other three as he works his way back from a season of inactivity during 2011-12. Walker told Sports Headliners Smith wants him to lose “seven to 10 pounds.”

Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said Gophers sophomore guard Joe Coleman is “the most underrated player in the Big Ten.” The 6-4 Coleman has become a regular this season, making a difference in Minnesota’s full court pressure, chasing loose balls, driving to the basket and shooting better outside. Coleman is averaging 10 points per game after last season’s 5.8.

After watching the football Gophers lose 38-14 to Nebraska last Saturday, I couldn’t remember a more dismal performance by Minnesota’s pass receivers. Focus, effort and discipline appeared absent on too many plays.

Minnesota (6-5 overall, 2-5 in the Big Ten) should be about a touchdown underdog against Michigan State (5-6, 2-5) on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. The guess here is the Gophers have about a 30 percent chance of winning the game, playing against a much more talented Spartans roster. Four of the MSU losses are by a total of 10 points.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said today 21 of his players are on the injured list. Certain not to play on Saturday is defensive tackle Roland Johnson who tore his ACL at practice last week in a noncontact situation. Because of physical concerns about his players, Kill said practice will focus on developing “fresh legs” for Saturday’s game.

After seeing reserves MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell in the same backfield late in the Nebraska game, the Spartans are probably preparing to face three different Gophers’ quarterbacks on Saturday. Philip Nelson, the No. 1 quarterback since October 20, may start but don’t be surprised to see Gray at quarterback, a senior playing his last game at home.

Expect an announcement on the site for the Gophers’ bowl appearance shortly after the Big Ten championship game on December 1.

Undefeated St. Thomas (11-0) plays Elmhurst College(10-1) in a second round Division III football game starting at noon Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul. Tommies coach Glenn Caruso said Elmhurst is in the playoffs for the first time in school history but playing with a lot of confidence after defeating previously unbeaten Coe.

He said Elmhurst has an experienced team, particularly on defense. The Blue Jays have 5-6, 170 running back Scottie Williams, a 1,928 yards rusher. Caruso said Elmhurst’s running game is focused inside, not on the perimeter. “They run the ball like the Steelers,” Caruso said.

The Tommies coach admires the resolve of his team. Players wear bracelets with the word “family”—an acronym for “forget about me, I love you.”

Caruso, who has had three consecutive undefeated regular seasons, said his Tommies are “winning the war of attrition.” St. Thomas graduated five All-Americans off last season’s team and some observers had lower expectations for the Tommies in 2012 even before injuries hit the team hard. “This is as cohesive a unit (team) as we’ve ever had,” Caruso said.

Caruso said on offense his top six receivers, two leading runners and two starting tackles are all freshmen.

The MIAC’s other football playoff team is Bethel (9-2) and a 24-23 winner over Concordia-Chicago last Saturday. Bethel plays at Wisconsin-Oshkosh (11-0) on Saturday.

Baseball’s winter meetings will be December 3-6 in Nashville. News of a Twins trade that includes a move or two to improve the pitching staff could surface about that time.

The annual TwinsFest will be January 25-27, 2013 at the Metrodome.

Gophers baseball coach John Anderson said players and staff laid 4,000 square feet of sod earlier this month for the new Siebert Field, and tomorrow a final 500 feet or so will be put in place for the on campus facility that will seat 1,500 and cost about $7.2 million. The sod efforts of players and staff will save about $8,000.00.

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Split Opinion: Vikes’ Playoff Chances

Posted on November 4, 2012November 4, 2012 by David Shama

With the NFL now at midseason does it appear the Vikings are a playoff team?

Depends on who you listen to.

Former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton, who now has an NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, thought before the season the NFC North would have three teams contending for the playoffs—the Bears, Lions and Packers. Now he’s replaced the Lions with the Vikings who play at Seattle this afternoon.

“I believe the NFC North will have two playoff teams—three in the hunt and I think two will actually make it,” Dalton told Sports Headliners. “It’s possible that three could make it.”

Dalton predicted the Bears (6-1) and Vikings (5-3) will be the NFC North playoff teams, besting a Packers team (5-3) facing a run of injuries but with a talented roster. “Green Bay has all kinds of possibilities but I like Minnesota right now because I think week in and week out they’re going to be more consistent and that’s a credit to Leslie. And it’s not a discredit to Mike McCarthy (Packers coach).”

Dalton admits he’s a “fan” of Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and likes the coaching staff. “You can see this team learning as a young group, growing,” Dalton said.

But Frazier’s record was 3-13 last season and the Vikings haven’t made the playoffs since 2009. In the “coaches are hired to be fired world of the NFL,” there’s not much job security. That’s why it wasn’t surprising Sports Illustrated included the Vikings on a short list of “teams to watch” regarding coaching changes in the coming months.

The magazine’s November 5 issue featured an NFL midseason report with a lot more than speculation about job security. S.I. forecast who will make the playoffs and did include two teams from the NFC North—but the Vikings didn’t make the cut with the magazine predicting the Bears and Packers will join the Falcons, 49ers, Giants and Seahawks in the NFC playoffs. (The Giants are predicted to defeat the Texans in the Super Bowl.)

In the same issue two Vikings made Peter King’s All-Pro midseason team, 35-year- old cornerback Antoine Winfield and wide receiver Percy Harvin, described as “football’s most dangerous receiver/returning weapon.” King chose Harvin as his Offensive Player of the Year.

U Bowl Fate & More Notes

With three games remaining on the regular schedule, the 5-4 Gophers need one more win to be bowl eligible and the only likely “w” is the Illinois game next Saturday. The 2-7 Illini will have the Gophers at home but Illinois is 0-5 in the Big Ten and the team’s only wins are over Western Michigan and Charleston Southern.

The Gophers’ other two remaining games are against 7-2 Nebraska in Lincoln and 5-5 Michigan State in Minneapolis. After yesterday’s 35-13 loss to Michigan at TCF Bank Stadium, the Gophers were still targeting a bowl game for the first time since 2009.

“We gotta look forward to the next game,” said cornerback Troy Stoudermire. “We gotta help the young guys keep their heads up. Gotta keep motivating Philip (Nelson) because if he goes in the tank, we don’t have a chance to get to a bowl game.”

The Gophers played a strong first quarter against Michigan but were dominated the rest of the game. Nelson, Minnesota’s freshman quarterback, believes the Gophers weren’t “embarrassed.” “At the same time there’s nothing to be happy about,” he said.

“We gotta erase it right now,” said wide receiver MarQueis Gray after the Michigan game. “Just start getting ready for Illinois tomorrow.”

ESPN plans to have Chris Berman interview Mitt Romney and Barack Obama during halftime of Monday night’s Saints-Eagles game, according to various reports.

The Gophers basketball team plays its second and final exhibition game tomorrow night at home against Southwest Baptist. Right now it looks like Minnesota’s starters are forwards Joe Coleman and Rodney Williams, center Elliott Eliason, and guards Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins.

Wild coach Mike Yeo and Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith are among those growing moustaches in November to raise awareness about prostate cancer. Smith is a prostate cancer survivor. Learn about the Wild’s efforts, www.wild.com/movember.

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team scored 41 points more against Winona State last Thursday night than when the two teams met in 2011. In last week’s exhibition between the Division III Tommies and Division II Winona State, St. Thomas won 93-83 in Winona while making 15 three pointers and 28 of 32 free throws. A year ago this month Winona State won 84-52.

Responding to a question via email, Tommies coach John Tauer said his nationally ranked team has high expectations. Tauer wrote: “With 10 of our top 11 back from last season, along with a talented group of newcomers, we have a chance to be very good. …”

Congratulations to Eagan-based author Ross Bernstein on his two new books, World Series Winners: What It Takes to Claim Baseball’s Ultimate Prize; and Wearing the C: Leadership Secrets of Hockey’s Greatest Captains. The baseball book has a foreword by Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, with insights from many other former Twins players. The hockey book includes interviews with a long list of well-known Minnesota names from Matt Cullen to Bobby Smith.

Twins pitcher Glen Perkins will speak at the Oakes Family Benefit next Saturday at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan. Assistant Gophers baseball coach Todd Oakes is doing well in his recovery from leukemia. An auction will include courtside Timberwolves tickets. The event begins at 6 p.m.

The Twins probably can’t afford him, but Tigers free agent pitcher Anibal Sanchez is the kind of innings-eater Minnesota needs. He has pitched near 200 innings each of the last three seasons.

The eighth annual Twins Diamond Awards event will be January 24 at Target Field and will benefit brain, nerve and muscle disorders research at the University of Minnesota. Among the award winners are Most Valuable Twin Josh Willingham, Pitcher of the Year Scott Diamond and Ben Revere, Most Improved Player.

Last week’s NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll had the Gophers wrestling team ranked No. 1 in the country. The Gophers’ season opens on Friday at home against Hofstra. Big Ten teams have won the last seven consecutive national championships.

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