Twins – Page 30 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Cousins Injury Causes Major Implications for 2024

Posted on November 5, 2023November 7, 2023 by David Shama

The Vikings play the Falcons in Atlanta today without Kirk Cousins and with rookie Jaren Hall taking his place at starting quarterback. It was a stunning development seeing the 35-year-old Cousins tear his right Achilles in Green Bay last week.

Cousins played at a high level into the fourth quarter when he was injured. He had done more than enough to position the Vikings for a third consecutive win and even the season record at 4-4.

Coach Kevin O’Connell and the players knew Cousins was running the offense and passing the football like an All-Pro. Offensive guard Dalton Risner described Cousins as “a spectacular human being and an extraordinary quarterback.”

He told Sports Headliners “losing a guy like that is devastating” but he also expressed optimism. “Kirk is gonna be just fine but we gotta move forward. We gotta play for Kirk and play for this organization.”

This was Cousins’ team and his leadership showed. He even led the team in prayer before every game. Players joined him in reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

Today’s game will be the first of nine where Cousins won’t be able to take the field while he rehabs from surgery. It’s anyone’s guess as to how he will be physically in 2024. Does he return with restrictions as to what his body can do? How soon could he be back on the practice field and game ready? If all goes well, who will he play for and at what level of compensation?

“Yes, with Kirk’s age and injury you don’t know if/when he will be 100 percent,” a football authority wrote via text to Sports Headliners. “Even worse (the) Vikes lost trade value, though (they)won’t have to pay market value to keep him. I think he likes raising family here and is a Midwest guy at heart, so he will stay if Vikes want to keep him.

“You won’t find many quarterbacks as accurate as Kirk (if protected). Troy Aikman bragged on Kirk all Monday night versus Niners (October 23) as he can see the value of Kirk’s skill set. Vikings fans will certainly gain appreciation over the next few weeks when they see the backup quarterbacks perform.

“Kirk makes many big-time throws look easy and fans have gotten used to those ‘easy’ completions. When you break down some of Kirk’s throws, his level of timing and accuracy are as good as it gets in the NFL. …It will be an interesting finish to the season.”

Cousins will be a free agent next year and he’s already thinking about a return to the field. It’s believed the Vikings are his first choice for 2024 and O’Connell is on record as wanting his guy back. O’Connell believes Cousins was having his best season, and he is left wondering what the Vikings might have achieved with a full season and playoffs with No. 8.

“Yeah, you guys (the media) know how I feel about Kirk,” O’Connell said last week. “Kirk knows how I feel about Kirk. I think he was playing as well as anybody in the National Football League. …”

The Vikings ownership and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah were unable to reach a contract extension last offseason with Cousins. Now the GM says all options are open as they were before the injury.

That, of course, is GM speak. The Vikings and Cousins will both evaluate his health next winter. Even if both parties are optimistic about future performance, the Vikings are all but certain to offer less money and perhaps contract length than before the surgery.

In 2023 Cousins is reportedly making $35 million on a one-year deal. He might ask for the same money in 2024 and want a two-year contract. The Vikings could be thinking of the $25 million range for one year. If Cousins had been able to play the entire season, he might have been looking for $38 million or more for a couple of years.

There’s no assurance Cousins will be back with Minnesota. The 49ers might be more likely than ever to land him. Second year QB Brock Purdy has created doubts this season as the 49ers have lost three consecutive games. His lack of accuracy in big moments and inability to rally the 49ers late in games has been a problem for a team otherwise loaded with talent and experience.

A move to the 49ers would be a reunion with head coach Kyle Shanahan who was offensive coordinator for the Redskins during Cousins’ first two seasons in the NFL, 2012 and 2013. Shanahan is a fan of Cousins and in California the veteran QB could be the last piece needed to win a Super Bowl.

The Vikings will sort through quarterbacks this fall including Hall and Josh Dobbs who they acquired in a trade with the Cardinals last week. Maybe they find something they like in them, or they could pursue a first-round QB in the 2024 NFL Draft. Those avenues might work, but if Cousins returns healthy, nobody they acquire will be better than No. 8 was during the last Sunday of October.

“I think Kirk will be back as good as ever,” Risner said. “Strong man of faith. He’s an extraordinary human being. A very hard worker and I can’t wait to see when he comes back. I hope I’m on the same team as Kirk Cousins.”

Worth Noting

With the trade of left guard Ezra Cleveland last week, there is no doubt Risner is the starter at that position. Risner didn’t sign with the Vikings until after the first two games of the season and he reportedly is on a one-year deal.

At first his playing time was limited. “I think that they wanted to give me time to get to know the playbook,” Risner said.

Risner also said that in the strong Vikings’ “culture” he wasn’t just going to be placed immediately in the starting lineup and coaches wanted him to “earn it and respect it.” Risner, a five-year veteran with the Broncos until this year, made his presence known. “So I put my head down when I got my opportunity. I tried to capitalize on it, and I think I did.”

The Vikings know they need to avoid the temptation to try too hard in making up for the absence of Cousins. “We each gotta stay composed and just try not to do too much because that’s when things fall apart,” Danielle Hunter told Sports Headliners.

The 29-year-old outside linebacker leads the NFL in sacks with 10, but he said there is no bonus in his contract to reward him if he is still on top at season’s end. His birthday was October 29 and although he missed major playing time in the past with injuries, he said if players take care of their bodies it’s “limitless” how long they can play.

“I’ve been feeling good,” Hunter said. “The training staff, the head coach, they do a good job of keeping us fresh. Enables us to go out there and play full speed.”

Hunter said his enthusiasm to play football remains high. It was there from the beginning and although there were doubters that just “fueled the fire.”

A sports industry source emailed with the prediction Twins radio play-by-play voice Cory Provus will soon be announced as the replacement for Dick Bremer on TV play-by-play. Provus joined the Twins radio broadcast team in 2012, while Bremer announced last week he was retiring from broadcasting after 40 years doing TV for the club. He is transitioning into a special assistant role in the front office.

Greg Eslinger, the former Gopher center and one of the most honored offensive linemen in Big Ten football history, will learn in January if he has been voted into the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Voting coordinated by the National Football Foundation is completed for candidates like Eslinger who in 2005 received the Outland Trophy (the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman) and the Rimington Trophy (the country’s best center). He was the 2005 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (only Gopher ever honored) and was awarded with the 2006 Big Ten Medal of Honor (the conference’s oldest and most prestigious award).

Alarming: announced attendance of 2,604 for the Gophers’ men’s basketball home exhibition game last Thursday night against Macalester.

Al Schoch, WCCO Radio news anchor/reporter, is one of the Minnesota Wild’s press box announcers. He also does public address work for Augsburg women’s basketball and Cretin-Derham Hall boys’ and girls’ basketball. The Pennsylvania native started doing public address work as a 15-year-old in Stroudsburg.

Word is the Bloomington-based CORES lunch program featuring prominent speakers, mostly from Minnesota sports, may have found new leadership. CORES didn’t have its regular meeting in September and has been seeking new organizers to continue. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators, and sports fans.

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Twins Fans Take the ‘Mic’ on Byron Buxton’s Future

Posted on October 15, 2023October 15, 2023 by David Shama

Byron Buxton has missed so much playing time during his major league career it’s not out of bounds to wonder at age 29 how much longer he might play. The future of the gifted Buxton, who turns 30 in December, is certainly something Twins fans and media will ponder during the offseason.

Buxton and management are on record that he will return in 2024. That’s not surprising given how much emotionally Buxton and the club have invested in each other. His tantalizing skills make a difference in winning or losing games, and possibly even championships.

Buxton heads into the fall and winter with the familiar challenge of how best to prepare his body for another season. In 2023 he once again was unable to play in 100 games, a threshold achieved one time in his nine-year career. After August 1, he appeared in one game as a pinch hitter, popping up in Game 4 of last Wednesday’s American League Division Championship Series.

Buxton also missed the closing weeks of the 2022 season. He had surgery on his right knee last fall, but the knee was problematic again in 2023. A right hamstring injury took him out of the lineup in early August of this year.

The last three years Buxton has played in 61, 92 and 85 games. But there was something different in 2023. He never played in the field, with all his action as a DH and pinch hitter.

A healthy Buxton can carry a team with his bat, fielding and baserunning. But at 30 years old—with a history of injuries, a troublesome knee and perhaps additional physical issues unknown to the public confronting him—how does he launch a recovery plan that will result in at least limited but impactful performance including at the most meaningful times? Well, a lot about that plan isn’t known but one step was taken last Friday when Buxton had more surgery on his right knee.

If Buxton can contribute to the Twins’ success next season that’s welcomed by all. But it’s not like the club doesn’t have other options, even at DH. Does the team look to infielder Royce Lewis to become the regular center fielder, filling Buxton’s old spot? Gifted young hitter Edouard Julien may again find his playing time at second base blocked by veteran Jorge Polanco and instead could be the club’s most used DH.

Then, too, where does Brooks Lee fit? The impressive switch hitter is among early mentions for American League Rookie of the Year in 2024 but where does he play in the field? His experience has been mostly at shortstop and third base, but his athleticism likely would allow him to play the outfield and almost certainly first base.

Alex Kirilloff hasn’t seized the first base job and the Twins might consider a veteran offseason acquisition. Could Buxton play first on any regular basis? It’s another question in the jumbled land of speculation about what’s next for him.

A relatively healthy Buxton will be a contributor to the 26-man roster, but a struggling Buck is again problematic. This last season not only couldn’t he help the team in the field and on the bases, but his .207 average was the lowest for any season in which he had over 100 at bats. In 304 plate appearances he hit 17 home runs and drove in 42 runs but his scarcity of contact with the ball and strikeouts were issues.

The Twins made a seven-year $100 million commitment to the Georgia native in December of 2021. The club didn’t want to lose Buxton to free agency and paid him as much for his potential as his past performance. Presumably, the Twins have an insurance policy on that deal to pay Buxton the balance of his contract if he retires early.

Questions about Buxton’s future is enough to keep the more passionate of Twins’ fans awake at night. Sports Headliners took the “temperature” of some column readers and Twins fans with a mass email last week asking what they thought about Buxton and if he should retire. It was a small sampling sent out to more than 20 contacts, with not everyone responding, but the replies were interesting. Here’s part of what they said via email, with all but one person requesting anonymity. Messages have been edited for brevity, clarity, and style.

A leadoff comment from a Twins fan that is indicative of mixed feelings among fans: “If Buxton is unable to take the field, steal bases or hit over .200, then yes, he SHOULD retire. But if there’s still hope for some level of recovery (then) I’m not ready to pull the plug yet.”

Another fan wants goals established for Buxton in 2024. “One more year. If he can’t play in the outfield next year at least 50% of games, or DH in at least 80% of games, he should retire.”

Here’s someone else writing about urgency for Buxton: “The Twins now have four months to get whatever needs to be done to get him back at full (or close to full) strength. If he cannot do it in that time frame, the team has no choice but to trade or release him. The money does you no good if the guy cannot play.”

Another fan agrees Buxton and the Twins should part ways: “If they can get anything for him in a trade (unlikely), they should take it. If they can’t trade him, they should just let him go. He can’t stay healthy enough to stay on the field, and when he does play, he is of little value, hitting around .200 with an occasional long ball.”

A former journalist expressed empathy about the Buxton situation, describing it as “sad” for the player and fans: “We witnessed his incredible athletic ability only briefly. What a career it could have been! I think the Twins should bring him to spring training next year with the hope that he gets off to a good start. Then trade him to the highest bidder for young prominent pitching and a young/raw center fielder with promising potential. The Buxton experiment is over, and most Twins fans know it, where his constant injuries have become the punchline to a joke!”

A person with career experience in sports and entertainment wrote this: “Since Byron is set to make $15 million a year fully guaranteed through the 2028 season, I think it’s in the Twins’ best interest to keep him on the roster—yet go about their business assuming he won’t be much of a contributor. Anything they get from him should be considered a bonus. Byron’s talent has been betrayed by a body that doesn’t allow him to absorb the grind of a 162-game MLB season.”

Among readers who don’t want to see Buxton give up baseball is one who wrote this: “I don’t think he should retire at this time. Recall that he started last spring very well, but then was injured. He’s not old. I’m not optimistic, but he should certainly hang in there, continue to get medical treatment and try again.”

Twins fan and longtime season ticket buyer Kirk Detlefsen also wants Buxton to play on. “Retire, no way. He is still fast. He is still Gold Glove. Let him play every day (or 75% of the days) in the outfield. Being involved in the game (on the field), I would expect his batting average to go up close to 100 points. If he gets hurt, he gets hurt and he goes on the IL. No worse than if he had been at home watching the games on TV.”

Another column reader stressed that Buxton is entitled to his lucrative contract: “From what I know, he has done everything right and nothing wrong. Players get hurt, some a lot, and Buxton is one of them. That’s the way it goes for all teams, who know (ahead of time) the pros and cons of offering long-term contracts. If the player is doing his best both on the field and with rehab efforts, he is absolutely entitled to whatever the team agreed to pay him and there is no shame in that.”

Sending both an optimistic and cautionary message was an amateur baseball authority who wrote: “I think what makes Byron Buxton special is his ability to excel offensively and defensively. Without both sides of the game, he’s a very expensive player with significantly limited value. If he isn’t healthy enough to be a two-way player, retirement is an option Byron will need to consider. It’s my hope he comes back healthy, is able to play in the outfield, and still has several good years ahead!”

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Carlos Correa ‘Mr. Clutch’ for Twins Just like Kirby Puckett

Posted on October 10, 2023October 13, 2023 by David Shama

Carlos Correa’s clutch performance for the Twins in the postseason prompts memories of the late Kirby Puckett. It was Puckett who made that still famous quote before Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, telling teammates to “jump on his back” because he was going to carry the team.

Correa is more than shouldering his load, too, including driving in three of Minnesota’s six runs Sunday night when the Twins tied their American League Division Series at 1-1 with the Astros. Fittingly, Correa even threw out the last Astros batter of the evening with a spectacular fielding play and throw in the 6-2 win.

In four postseason games this fall Correa is hitting .588, and it’s not just his performance at the plate that has been key for the Twins. His fielding, high baseball IQ and leadership have all been impactful. Before coming to Minnesota, the 29-year-old shortstop experienced six postseason years with the Astros.

Do-Hyoung Park, writing for MLB.com yesterday, offered this timely quote about Correa from manager Rocco Baldelli: “We’ve always heard all of the sayings and things: When the lights come on and the bright lights, there are some guys, they’re giants in the light. He’s one of them. That’s what he is.”

Correa, who joined the Twins in 2022 as a free agent and then re-signed with them last off-season, made history Sunday night with those three RBI. He now has 63 career postseason RBI, tied with David Justice for third best ever among big leaguers.

No doubt the Twins’ $200 million “Mr. October” looks forward to moving up that historical list (Bernie Williams tops at 80, Manny Ramirez second with 78) but the big prize right now is advancing to the World Series. To do that the Twins will need two more wins to close out the Astros and be able to win four games in the American League Championship Series.

That itinerary would put the Twins back in the World Series for the first time since 1991. Minnesota defeated the Braves in seven games, partially because of Puckett’s heroics in Game 6. The five-tool superstar robbed Ron Gant of an extra base hit and had three hits including an 11^th inning walk-off home run for the ages that won the game and tied the series 3-3 in front of a delirious Metrodome crowd.

Puckett was a centerpiece on World Series championship teams in 1991 and 1987. In 24 postseason games he hit .309, with five home runs and 16 RBI. He was also a leader who inspired teammates, just like a guy in the here and now—Carlos Correa.

Worth Noting

Twins Hall of Famers Johan Santana and Joe Mauer will do the ceremonial first pitch honors before this afternoon’s ALDS game at Target Field. Minneapolis-based vocalist Aby Wolf will perform the national anthem.

Today’s Minnesota starting pitcher Sonny Gray, who held the Blue Jays scoreless in last week’s Wild Card series win, faces the Astros for the third time this year. He is 0-0 and has a 2.77 ERA against the Astros, with four walks and 16 strikeouts in two starts.

Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins’ catcher in each of the four postseason games, after splitting assignments during the regular season with Christian Vazquez. Jeffers has excelled defensively and calling games for the 3-1 Twins but has just two hits in 13 at bats.

Knowledgeable and optimistic Twins fans know the World Series starts October 27 and potentially runs through November 4. Home field advantage in the best of seven series, just like in the ALDS and ALDCS, is determined by which two teams had the better regular season record.

Twins radio voice Cory Provus, who calls Big Ten Network football games, will also work BTN men’s basketball during the upcoming season.

By Friday, after the Wild’s home opener against the Panthers Thursday night, it’s anticipated that over a nine-day period about 300,000 fans in the Twin Cities will have attended games of the Twins, Vikings, Wild and football Gophers.

The Wild has only two players on its 21-man opening night roster that weren’t with Minnesota last year: forwards Pat Maroon (Tampa Bay) and Marco Rossi (Iowa). Defenseman Brock Faber is the youngest player on the roster at 21; while goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who turns 39 in November, is the oldest.

Hockey authority Bill Robertson predicts the Wild will finish seventh in the Western Conference and make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. “Healthy (Kirill) Kaprizov and solid goaltending will be big keys for the Wild this year,” the former college hockey commissioner wrote via email. “Former Gopher Brock Faber will take a huge step forward and become an impact player for Minnesota.

“Boston is the best team in the NHL as they have depth from top to bottom and will be ready this year for the Stanley Cup Playoffs! No quick exit this year. Best player in the game is Edmonton’ s Conner McDavid as he is a superstar and can impact a game when he is on the ice. Conner has awesome skills.”

The Wild announced today that Kaprizov has been named an alternate captain.

Jim Harbaugh, who was a candidate for the Vikings head coaching job before Kevin O’Connell was hired in 2022, has the No. 2 college football team in the AP Poll but doesn’t make the top 10 in annual compensation among his peers. His $8.2 million at Michigan ranks No. 12, with Alabama’s Nick Saban No. 1 at $11.4 million and Michigan State’s embattled Mel Tucker No. 5 at about $10 million, per Usatoday.com last week.

Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck ranks No. 26 at $6 million.

The 1-4 Vikings and 3-3 Gophers are struggling but other state teams are excelling including St. Thomas, 3-0 in conference games and leading the Pioneer League, and Saint John’s, No. 8 nationally in the D3football.com rankings and tied with Carleton for the best league record in the MIAC at 3-0 each.

Happy birthdays: NFL legend Brett Favre is 54 today, October 10. Former Gopher athletics director Mark Dienhart turns 70 tomorrow.

Forward Parker Bjorklund from St. Thomas has been voted preseason first team All-Summit by the league coaches. The voting also predicted the Tommies will finish fourth in the standings behind South Dakota State, Oral Roberts and North Dakota State.

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