Twins – Page 186 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Spielman Earns Praise for Drafts

Posted on October 15, 2012October 15, 2012 by David Shama

With yesterday’s loss to the Redskins, the Vikings, 4-2, are still off to the club’s second best start since 2006. That team also started the season 4-2 while the 2009 Vikings won their first six games.

Losing 38-26 yesterday to the Redskins and freakishly talented quarterback Robert Griffin III is nothing to sob about. Griffin probably would have challenged most any NFL defense on Sunday. Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder had his plus moments but a fumble and interception led to two Redskins’ scores.

The Vikings have won more games already than all of last season (3-13) and almost anyone who says the team’s impressive 2012 performance was expected isn’t telling the truth. The fast start has come despite shakeups in the roster and lineup.

Since the 2009 season the Vikings have replaced eight offensive starters and seven regulars on defense. General manager Rick Spielman has done an impressive job of rebuilding the team, mostly via the NFL college drafts.

The Vikings have 11 starters from the 2009-2012 drafts. Included in that total are four regulars from the 2011 draft — Ponder, tight end Kyle Rudolph, guard Brandon Fusco and safety Mistral Raymond. The 2009 draft also contributed three starters, including the team’s MVP so far this season in wide receiver Percy Harvin, plus tackle Phil Loadholt and linebacker Erin Henderson.

Even the 2012 draft has three frontline contributors as rookies, tackle Matt Kalil, safety Harrison Smith and placekicker Blair Walsh. Cornerback Chris Cook is the only starter from the 2010 draft, although that draft has important contributors off the bench in running back Toby Gerhart and defensive end Everson Griffen. Other reserve contributors include safety Jamarca Sanford (2009 draft), No. 2 quarterback Joe Webb (2010) and rookie cornerback Josh Robinson.

Longtime pro football authority Paul Wiggin praised Spielman’s work. “I think Rick Spielman is doing a dramatic job, an incredible job,” said Wiggin, former Chiefs head coach and now a Vikings personnel consultant. “I think he will go down in history as a top-notch general manager. I think he leaves no stone unturned.”

Spielman and his staff have tried to acquire players with not only talent but character. Egos seem to be in control and the team plays for one another.

“It’s definitely a group of team first guys, and that’s a testament to our scouting team, and Rick Spielman and the entire organization making sure they bring in the right types of people,” said Vikings center John Sullivan.

Worth Noting

Jim Rantz, the Twins 75-year-old senior director of minor league operations, announced this morning he will retire at year’s end. Rantz has been with the organization since its inception, first as a player and later as an executive. He’s a member of the Twins Hall of Fame.

Vikings punt returner Marcus Sherels lives in the basement of his brother Mike’s Twin Cities home. Mike, the former Gophers linebacker, is a graduate assistant for the Gophers and pursuing a coaching career. “Talking football with him day in and day out,” Marcus said. “He’s been a good big brother.”

Joe Webb, the Vikings No. 2 quarterback, has extra incentive in looking forward to next month’s team bye in the schedule. It will be the first time during his pro career when his birthday comes up during the bye week. Webb turns 26 on Wednesday, November 14 and the Vikings don’t practice that week. “Now I finally get to celebrate (the birthday),” he said.

Webb talking about playing behind Christian Ponder: “I am all for Christian. He’s a great guy to work with.”

Blair Walsh, the Vikings rookie placekicker, said no fake field goal plays have been put in the playbook calling for him to throw the football. He said people “have made fun” of his throwing motion.

The Wisconsin football team the Gophers play in Madison is now 5-2 after consecutive wins the last two Saturdays by scores of 31-14 over Illinois and 38-14 against Purdue. The Badgers were much criticized early in the season when they were 3-2 but the two losses were by a combined six points. Minnesota (4-2) hasn’t won in Madison since 1994 and the Badgers have won eight consecutive games in the series.

Although the Gophers are redshirting most of their 2012 recruiting class, the coaches took the redshirt off two players last Saturday in their loss to Northwestern, running back Rodrick Williams and tight end Lincoln Plsek.

The October 15 issue of Sports Illustrated reports that Big Ten football teams are 5-9 in nonconference games against BCS teams and “the league has slipped in recent years” because of population decline in the Rust Belt and Midwest.

College football lost one of its most colorful characters and dedicated fans when ESPN commentator Beano Cook, 81, died last week.

Luke Winn, writing last week for sportsillustrated.com, lists the Gophers No. 26 in his national rankings of college basketball teams. Big Ten teams ahead of the Gophers are No. 1 Indiana, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 Michigan State and No. 16 Wisconsin.

Gophers coach Tubby Smith will take point guard Andre Hollins and forward Rodney Williams to the Big Ten Media Day in Chicago on October 25. Obviously left at home is senior forward Trevor Mbakwe who although he is one of the nation’s top power forwards has experienced a series of off-court incidents including a recent conviction for a DWI.

The Gophers and Ball State were showing interest last week in Osseo High School 6-9 junior Ian Theisen, according to an email from prep basketball authority Ken Lien. He also wrote that former Hopkins High School guard Siyani Chambers is likely to start as a freshman for Harvard.

Ex-Timberwolves player and front office executive Fred Hoiberg, now head coach at Iowa State, turns 40 today.

Gregg Wong, former Pioneer Press sportswriter, emailed that Rochester native Eric Butorac and Philipp Petzschner defeated the world’s No. 1 tennis doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan 6-4, 3-6 (10-6) in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters tournament last week. The victory was the first ever for Butorac, one of the best doubles players in the world, over the Bryans. On November 17 Butorac will see the Bryans again when he teams with his 2011 partner Jules Rojer in the Minnesota Tennis Challenge at Lifetime Athletic Club in Eden Prairie. More at www.ebmntc.com.

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Expect MarQueis Gray to Play Saturday

Posted on October 10, 2012October 10, 2012 by David Shama

Unless MarQueis Gray has a setback in recovering from his ankle sprain and knee injury, the opinion here is the senior quarterback will see game action on Saturday when the Gophers play Northwestern at TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill said yesterday he is “cautiously optimistic” Gray will “possibly” be available for spot duty. Kill didn’t elaborate as to when and how much Gray might play. “He’s still running a little bit with a limp,” said Kill.

The coach reported Gray didn’t practice last week but did on Sunday. If Gray is to participate on Saturday, he will need to practice the balance of this week.

He hasn’t played since being injured on September 15 against Western Michigan. The Gophers are 1-1 without him as the starting quarterback. He is one of college football’s better running quarterbacks and Kill’s guarded optimism about Gray playing on Saturday sends a message to Northwestern coaches they need to prepare for two types of Minnesota quarterbacks. Max Shortell is a lumbering runner, inferior to Gray, but a superior passer.

Gray averages 5.2 yards per rush. Shortell averages 2.3. Gray has thrown five touchdown passes and is averaging 132.7 passing yards per game. Shortell’s numbers are six TD passes and 172 yards per game.

How effective will Gray perform Saturday? Physical stamina and also timing on passes will be two major concerns after missing the Syracuse game September 22 and Iowa game September 29, and not practicing during Minnesota’s bye week last week.

The Gophers’ offense is neither as versatile nor effective without Gray. Minnesota has produced just four touchdowns in its last two games.

Gray is one of the Big Ten’s better athletes. He probably will make an NFL team one day as a receiver. Unfortunately for the Gophers he’s been sidelined more so far this season than any starting quarterback in the Big Ten.

Look for his comeback to begin on Saturday, limited as it may be.

Packers Falter, Harvin & Greenway Vikings’ MVPs

No one foresaw a 2-3 start for the Packers, a team considered a Super Bowl favorite back in August. Fans at Mall of America gave their enthusiastic approval on Sunday when the score was announced the unappreciated Colts beat the Packers 30-27 in Indianapolis.

What’s wrong in Packerland? Dean Dalton, the former Vikings assistant coach who hosts a weekly NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, said “there’s a lot of little things wrong” but nothing “glaring.”

For starters, the Packers may well be a distracted, unfocused team. The success of past seasons resulted in a lot of adulation and commercial opportunities for players.

“Every single one of the frontline Packers have some sort of endorsement in Wisconsin,” Dalton said. “Many of the star Packers has national endorsements. They (the endorsements) become a distraction.”

Dalton said the Green Bay offensive line has been inconsistent. Problematic, too, is that in the mission to upgrade the running game and balance the offense, the Packers seem to have moved away from a passing attack that’s been the envy of the NFL. “They haven’t been sticking to the formula” and the Packers lack the explosiveness of past years, Dalton said.

On defense, Dalton sees an improved unit. But consistency is lacking and that was evident when the Packers couldn’t hold a 21-3 halftime lead against the Colts. That speaks of missing a killer instinct, perhaps by both the Green Bay offense and defense.

The 4-1 Vikings have received contributions from many players but few observers will argue that the early season offensive and defensive Most Valuable Players are wide receiver-running back-kickoff returner Percy Harvin and linebacker Chad Greenway.

Harvin has scored touchdowns rushing, receiving, and on a 105-yard kickoff return. The fourth-year speedster, juker and tackle breaker has produced so many raves locally and across the country that Harvin is an early season candidate for league MVP, always a formidable challenge for a non-quarterback.

“I think he’s as complete a player as there is in the NFL,”Dalton said “He means so much to this team.”

Dalton admires Harvin not only for his physical skills, but also for his “excellent” football intelligence. Greenway talked about another aspect of Harvin’s value to the Vikings.

“The way he’s stepped into a leadership role I think is something that has gone unnoticed. He’s quiet but he leads by doing things the right way every day, and the young guys are here to watch that.”

Greenway, now in his seventh season with the Vikings, is probably playing the best football of his career. “He’s truly a complete every down linebacker playing at a Pro Bowl level,” Dalton said.

Greenway revealed early this year his dad has cancer. The crisis impacted Greenway’s perspective on football and has helped him play at a high level.

“(I am) keeping the game simple,” he said. “What I went through this offseason with my dad, I am just going to have fun and play. You never know when things can change.”

Worth Noting

The Gophers have had various lineup changes on offense through five games but only one on defense. Linebacker Lamonte Edwards replaced Aaron Hill for one game.

The athletic department is promoting a special ticket offer for the Northwestern game on Saturday. Tickets for $20 each are available for purchase including via www.mygophersports.com. Saturday’s game is Homecoming at Minnesota.

Dan O’Brien, former football coach and athletic director at Concordia, St. Paul, was inducted into that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame last Friday night. Even though it was a rare bye week for the Gophers, coach Jerry Kill and wife Rebecca took the time to attend the hall of fame event where O’Brien, the Gophers director of football operations, was honored.

It’s been a difficult fall for former Michigan State head football coach John L. Smith, now interim head coach at Arkansas. Considered a preseason possibility for the national title, the Razorbacks are 2-4. Maybe worse, Smith referred to Arkansas as “Alabama” when speaking before a Razorbacks’ booster group last month. See YouTube coverage.

Joe Mauer had back pain during the last few games of the season, according to Jake Mauer, his grandfather. Because of the problem Mauer chose to be a designated hitter and wanted to be in the lineup competing for the American League batting title rather than sitting on the bench.

Mauer finished fourth in the AL batting race, hitting .319. He hit .222 in his last 10 games and had just one hit in the final 10 at bats. Jake said his grandson had trouble hitting the “low ball.”

The back isn’t expected to be a long term problem and Mauer was entertaining at a stag party last weekend near Braham. Jake said about two dozen guests enjoyed archery, trapshooting, bowling and other activities.

Among the guests was Twins pitcher Glen Perkins. Both Perkins and Mauer are supporters of pitching coach Rick Anderson who survived the organization’s dismissal last week of various coaches. “He (Joe) likes Rick and Perkins does, too. They’re glad he stayed,” Jake said.

Joe and fiancée Maddie Bisanz will be married on December 1 in St. Paul. Jake said wedding invitations have yet to be mailed.

“Sports Standouts,” a new 30 minute show, will debut on KSTC next Saturday at 1 p.m. The show offers inspiring stories about regional athletes and coaches. The program co-hosts are former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton and TV personality Libby Floyd.

Mario Lucia, a 2011 Wild draft choice and son of Gophers coach Don Lucia, is a freshman at Notre Dame but not playing because of a broken leg.

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Don’t ‘Anticipate’ Gray for Northwestern

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

Reporting on Gophers football, Timberwolves, Vikings, Wild and Twins:

Gophers’ football coach Jerry Kill, talking about the injured MarQueis Gray, said on Monday he doesn’t “anticipate” his senior quarterback playing against Northwestern a week from Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Gray has a high ankle sprain and sprained left knee suffered in the Western Michigan game on September 15. “It’s just taken awhile to heal up,” Kill told Sports Headliners.

Even if Gray can surprise and be ready to play, strategically it’s to the Gophers’ advantage if they can make Northwestern (5-0) prepare for two different quarterback styles. Gray is an improved passer but running is his strength while sophomore Max Shortell, his replacement, is a capable passer and lumbering runner.

OhioState is the Big Ten’s best team. If Gray is healthy and able to play, the Gophers (4-1) are better by the nose of a football than Iowa, the team that defeated Minnesota last Saturday. Here are Sports Headliners’ first Big Ten power rankings of the season: Ohio State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

The Timberwolves opened training camp yesterday without Rick Rubio taking part in drills because of his left knee rehabilitation. Rubio, who was injured on March 9 of last season, “created a belief” the Wolves could beat anybody, according to coach Rick Adelman.

The Wolves, who had a 21-20 record on March 9, won only five of their final 25 games after Rubio’s season ended. Adelman said on Monday he was “shocked” at how the team stumbled without the 21-year-old rookie point guard.

Rubio’s teammates learned not only how good of a playmaker the flashy Spaniard is but also saw his competitiveness and all around skills. Wolves’ reserve point guard J.J. Barea said Rubio is so competitive he wouldn’t even back down from “Michael Jordan.”

Adelman said Rubio’s absence from the lineup was felt defensively. Rubio was among NBA leaders in steals when injured.

No one is predicting exactly when Rubio will be able to fully practice and play in games. He said Monday he’s starting to shoot the basketball but doesn’t jump when he shoots.

Meanwhile, the Wolves have shaken up their roster adding several new players, including veterans and former NBA All-Stars Andrei Kirilenko and Brandon Roy, who have been on winning teams elsewhere. Adelman is looking for a new attitude among the Wolves who he said “didn’t hurt enough” last season after losses.

Forward Kevin Love, back from helping the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal, said some teammates last season had a date circled in the spring but it wasn’t the start of the playoffs. Instead, the anticipated date was the season’s end and vacation.

The Wolves, who finished 26-40 last season and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, are thinking post-season now as they start training camp. They know the assignment will be much easier when Rubio is healthy and playing again.

Vikings’ punter Chris Kluwe communicates with former teammate and placekicker Ryan Longwell via email and text. Kluwe said Longwell remains interested in a pro golf career and wants to become comfortable in front of TV cameras. “He told me it’s completely different when you’re actually playing in front of cameras as opposed to when it’s just you out on the course,” Kluwe said. “I think he’s just trying to get used to that and we’ll see if he goes and tries that for real.”

A hockey source told Sports Headliners the Wild’s Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu and Matt Cullen could decide to play hockey out of the country if the NHL labor dispute isn’t resolved. The source said if the players sign contracts to play elsewhere there will be escape clauses allowing a return to the Wild after the collective bargaining agreement is settled between the NHL and league players.

The NHL regular season schedule was to begin next week but with the players locked out it could be December 1 or later before teams return to the ice. “There’s no super urgency now” to settle the lockout, the source said.

But paychecks for NHL players were to begin next week, and continue every two weeks. Missing those checks after three pay periods will create urgency for a settlement, in the opinion of the source.

He also said the Wild’s AHL affiliate team, the Houston Aeros, may play one or more games at Xcel Energy Center. Such a move could be part of a strategy by the Wild to keep hockey in front of the public. Fantasy camps, hospital visits and other activities might be part of a plan, too.

Mike Trout, who is certain to be the American League Rookie of the Year and is a contender for league MVP, was drafted by the Angels in 2009 after 21 other clubs passed on him including the Twins. Trout’s dad, Jeff, was a Twins minor league player and so, too, was Greg Morhardt, the Angels scout that signed Mike.

Morhardt was more excited about Mike than a lot of other baseball people, according to an article in Sports Illustrated’s August 27 issue. Among the Angels’ decision- makers who approved drafting Trout was scouting director Eddie Bane, the former Twins pitcher.

When the regular season ends today, the Angels center fielder will have completed a year when he established himself as one of baseball’s best players at age 21. His skills in hitting for average and power, fielding his position and base running prompted Sports Illustrated to compare him with Mickey Mantle. Among Trout’s rookie stats are a .324 batting average (second best in theAL), .397 on-base percentage (third in the league), .561 slugging percentage (third) and a MLB leading 49 stolen bases.

The Twins finish their season in Toronto today. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the club made an off-season trade with the Blue Jays, acquiring pitching and sending Canadian native Justin Morneau to Toronto?

The Twins and four other major league clubs provide players to the Peoria team that begins play in the Arizona Fall League on October 9. Seven Twins organization players are expected to participate: pitchers Kyle Gibson, Logan Darnell, Caleb Thielbar, and Michael Tonkin, and position players Evan Bigley, Chris Herrmann and Nate Roberts, according to Twins minor league operations executive Jim Rantz.

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