Category: Twins

Rookie Blair Walsh kicked a 55-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter yesterday to send the Vikings-Jaguars game into overtime.  Then the Vikings’ placekicker made an overtime 38-yard field goal in his first regular season NFL game to lift Minnesota to a 26-23 win.  But Walsh said in the locker room after the game that neither of those pressure field goals produced the anxiety experienced in the second quarter.

“The most nervous I was all day was my first point after touchdown,” Walsh said.  “I was so anxious to get going in the NFL and start a career.”

What a way to begin a career, making all four of his field goal attempts and both extra points including after the Vikings scored a late second quarter touchdown to cut the Jaguars’ lead to 9-7.  The performance justified not only the decision to draft Walsh in the sixth round earlier this year, but to cut 15-year veteran Ryan Longwell.

Walsh, who said he “tremendously” respected Longwell, missed 14 field goal attempts during his senior season at Georgia after never missing more than eight in one year.  “I think my stats dipped a little bit last year because I was pushing a little too much,” he told Sports Headliners last week.  “I missed early on (in 2011) and I hadn’t missed early on in my career.  I just pushed.  I wanted to be there for my team and help them. One thing led to another and I just never really got back into my rhythm.”

A four-year career at Georgia, playing in college football’s best conference (the SEC), helped develop a philosophy about pressure. “One miss is not going to kill you, and one make is not going to make you,” Walsh said.

Maybe Walsh’s pressure field goals yesterday won’t make him or the Vikings, but yesterday was a step forward for a team that was 3-13 last season.  The smallest Vikings home crowd at the Metrodome since December 21, 1997 offered plenty of boos in the first half, often directing the boos to a faltering quarterback, Christian Ponder.

But by game’s end, many in the announced crowd of 56,607 had acquired some faith in the home team.  Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams told Sports Headliners last Thursday he knew about the doubters.

“We believe in ourselves,” Williams said then. “I don’t think anybody outside this locker room believes in us.  We believe we’ve got the talent to win some games. We just need to put it on display Sunday and start with the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

After the game Williams was asked whether the win will make converts.  “We might a got one or two people over,” he said.  “We (the defense) made a lot of mistakes.  We gotta look at this film and get that stuff corrected.  We didn’t play as well as we’re capable of playing.”

The mistakes included allowing a 39-yard touchdown reception by Cecil Shorts III to put the Jaguars ahead 23-20 during the final minute of the fourth quarter.  Not only did cornerback Chris Cook get beat but there was no help from other Vikings defenders on the play.

But that won’t be remembered as much as this: Vikings 26, Jaguars 23.

Notes:

The Jaguars might have won the game in regulation had their coaching staff decided to go for a touchdown on fourth down from the Vikings one-yard line in the first quarter.  Instead, the Jaguars kicked a field goal, taking three points and not six from a potential touchdown.  An odd decision early in a game that was the NFL opener for both teams.

One hour before kickoff yesterday there were parking spaces on Park Avenue within about a block of the stadium.  A ticket hawker was asking $70 for a $120 seat on the 40-yard line, row 15.

Vikings rookie safety Harrison Smith said last week his parents travelled from Knoxville to watch all his games, home and away, while he was at Notre Dame.  He’s told them they don’t need to do that in the NFL but they planned to be in Minneapolis for the Vikings opener yesterday.  Smith expected “about nine” family members and a friend to come from out of town to watch him play his first regular season NFL game.

Smith welcomes feeling apprehensive before games.  “I like having the butterflies,” he said.  “I like being a little nervous before the games—put me on edge a little bit, get me excited.  At the same time you don’t want to be nervous and shaky, and everything.”

The Gophers played one of their best games in memory against a non-BCS opponent on Saturday, dominating New Hampshire in a 44-7 win at TCF Bank Stadium.  The 2-0 Gophers have won four of their last seven games dating back to 2011.

Quarterback Alex Carder threw five touchdown passes in Western Michigan’s 52-21 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday.  The Broncos (1-1) play Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium next Saturday.

The Aspire Group had sold “about 600 full season tickets” for Gophers football as of early last week, according to Jason LaFrenz.  The Gophers associate athletics director said the Atlanta-based company has 12 sales reps here selling season and group tickets for 12 different University of Minnesota sports including football.  The goal for the school year is $1.2 million in ticket revenues.

Former Gophers center Ralph Sampson III watched his father Ralph Sampson II be inducted with 11 other honorees last week into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.  The older Sampson is a former three-time college basketball player of the year.  Among those also inducted was former Indiana Pacers star Mel Daniels who started his ABA career with the Minnesota Muskies.

Serving on the Hall of Fame’s board of governors is former Gophers golfer and New York Times best selling author Harvey Mackay.  Mannie Jackson, a former executive in Minneapolis with Honeywell, is also on the board.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire tied with the Giants Bruce Bochy for fourth in a Sports Illustrated poll published last week that determined baseball’s most underrated manager, according to a vote by players.

Cole De Vries, 4-4 after beating the Indians on Saturday night, has a 1.54 ERA in his last four starts for the Twins.  He’s won his last three starts.

Twins outfielder Ben Revere has stolen 36 bases, the most on the club since Otis Nixon had 37 steals in 1998.

Much publicized Twins prospect Miguel Sano, playing for Beloit, led the Midwest League in home runs with 28 and RBI with 100.

Canterbury Park concluded its 2012 live racing season with an increase in attendance from last year.  Average attendance for the 62-day meet was 6,595, up from 6,143 in 2011.

Two second-year quarterbacks trying to prove worthy of leading their teams compete on Sunday at Mall of America Field.  The Vikings Christian Ponder and the Jaguars Blaine Gabbert, first round draft choices in 2011, will lead their offenses in the NFL opening game for both teams.

Vikings Nation knows Ponder’s story, a 2011 season in which he started 10 games and at times threw the ball to guys wearing a different color jersey.   Sometimes lacking poise and showing his inexperience in reading defenses, Ponder threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.  His passing rating was 70.1.

Gabbert’s critics “lampooned him for everything from his accuracy to questionable pocket presence,” according to an online story last Saturday in Jacksonville’s Florida Times-Union.  Gabbert started 14 games for the Jags last season, threw 12 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions and had a rating of 65.4.

Not surprisingly in the quarterback-centric NFL, neither the Vikings (3-13) nor Jags (5-11) were winners last season.  Better times in 2012?  Most NFL authorities don’t think so including Sports Illustrated—predicting in its pro football preview issue both franchises will be 4-12, finishing last in their divisions (NFC North and AFC South).

Former Vikings tight end Mike Mularkey, the new Jags coach, has the assignment of helping make Gabbert effective enough to one day remove the 22-year-old’s training wheels.  S.I. describes Gabbert as the NFL’s “most skittish” quarterback last season but reports Mularkey, the ex-Falcons offensive coordinator credited for some of quarterback Matt Ryan’s development in Atlanta, has stressed fundamentals with Gabbert.

That seems like a “duh” but the 2011 off-season NFL labor dispute didn’t allow normal preparation for the season.  Included among the victims were Gabbert and Ponder, two first round draft choices trying to find their way playing the most demanding position in pro football as rookie starters.

Vikings, Gophers & Other Notes:

Sports Illustrated predicts the Bears will win the NFC North with the Packers, Lions and Vikings finishing second, third and fourth.  But the publication picks the Pack to beat the Broncos in the Super Bowl.

Few Vikings observers probably thought that when the club signed McLeod Bethel-Thompson as a free agent last January he would make the team.  The 24-year-old quarterback is on the final roster after previous pro football experience in the NFL (no regular season game action), Arena Football League and United Football League.

The strong-armed, strong-willed California native began his college career at UCLA and finished at Sacramento State.  He’s interested in becoming a teacher and helping inner-city youth.  His grandfather, Wilbur Thompson, was a gold medal winning shot putter for the United States in the 1948 Olympics.  The younger Thompson said his grandfather has been a mentor in his life, reminding him “of the power of the mind on the body.”

The Gophers next three nonconference football opponents are New Hampshire, Western Michigan and Syracuse—all home games at TCF Bank Stadium. New Hampshire defeated Holy Cross 38-17 last week, while Western Michigan lost 24-7 to Illinois and Northwestern beat Syracuse 42-41.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill talking today about FCS member New Hampshire playing in Minneapolis on Saturday:  “This is a bowl game for New Hampshire.  …You’re going to get their best.”

Kill said Gophers freshman running back and receiver KJ Maye “is going to be a special player.”  

Two years ago many Gophers fans were criticizing the choice of Adam Weber as the team’s starting quarterback, lobbying for MarQueis Gray.  Weber ended his college career as a four-year starter in 2010.  He is second only to Drew Brees in career Big Ten total offense.  Gray took over as Minnesota’s starter last season, completing 50.7 percent of his passes while throwing eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions.  In Minnesota’s first game this season an over anxious Gray missed open receivers and sure touchdown passes.

Ron Gardenhire said on his most recent Sunday morning 1500 ESPN show he accepts responsibility for his team that will finish with one of the worst records in baseball. “I haven’t been able to figure this thing out,” he said.  But Gardenhire didn’t talk like he won’t return as manager, and general manager Terry Ryan has been a big admirer of Gardenhire’s managing that started in 2002.

Gardenhire also said on the show he’s seen growing confidence in Chris Parmelee, the first baseman, right fielder and designated hitter that has compiled some frequent flyer miles this season shuttling between AAA Rochester and Minneapolis.  Gardenhire has “big plans” for the 24-year-old left-handed hitter who batted .338 at Rochester with 17 home runs and 49 RBI in 228 at bats.

Local businessman John Dovolis was a good friend of the late Dark Star, the former WCCO Radio talk show host and all-time Minnesota character.  Star, who died from a heart attack last spring, didn’t have a healthy diet.  Dovolis recalled that Star once told him that at his funeral he wanted an open bar and buffet, and “to make sure there was no salad, vegetables or fruit.”

Star’s suburban Minneapolis apartment was filled with sports memorabilia.  “There was barely a pathway to go from the kitchen to the bathroom to the bedroom,” Dovolis said.

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. there will be an estate sale of Star’s memorabilia with part of the proceeds going to the new Gophers baseball stadium.  Items will include a Michael Jordan signed jersey and basketball, Jim Brown and Dick Butkus autographed helmets, signed baseball bats and balls,  model boats and airplanes, slot machines, coin operated games and a lot more.   The sale will be at 212 Second Street Southeast in St. Anthony Main  and conducted by Dennis Hagen Estate Sales.  www.dennishagenestatesales.com.  Dovolis said the sale will be advertised in Thursday’s Star Tribune classifieds.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed today that Edina basketball guard Graham Woodward will make a recruiting visit to Washington State this weekend.

The seventh annual Hockey Day Minnesota, celebrating the sport from the peewees to the pros, will be on Saturday, January 19.  Three outdoor high school games will be played on Lake Pokegama in Grand Rapids: Eagan versus Hibbing (boys); Benilde-St. Margaret’s versus Grand Rapids (boys); Hibbing versus Grand Rapids (girls).  The Gophers will play at home against North Dakota on Hockey Day while the Wild host the Penguins.