Twins – Page 54 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

20 Years Ago Twins Almost Kaput

Posted on March 15, 2022March 22, 2022 by David Shama

Think Minnesota Twins fans were worried about a 2022 Major League Baseball season happening because of stalled labor negotiations that weren’t resolved until last week?

For sure, but the angst was nowhere near as dramatic as a couple of decades ago.

After the 2001 season MLB owners voted to contract two franchises, the Twins and Montreal Expos. It looked like there would be no 2002 season—or any beyond that—for these clubs. They were struggling financially and other MLB franchises were weary of financial subsidies for bottom feeders Minnesota and Montreal.

Twins owner Carl Pohlad and MLB commissioner Bud Selig were close friends. Conjecture is Pohlad would have received up to $250 million for folding up his franchise. He had purchased the team in 1984 for a reported $34 to $36 million. Pohlad liked making money and contraction looked like a profitable escape route.

Pohlad and his brain trust were frustrated in 2001 after years of failed efforts to earn support for a new ballpark to replace the outdated Metrodome. Opposition to public funding was intense. Phone lines to the state capitol once shut down because of so many calls coming into legislators from stadium opponents.

A source close to the Twins franchise back then remembers the stadium squabble that went on for years. “The organization had been trying for a decade or so to get a new ballpark. It just wasn’t getting any traction,” he told Sports Headliners.

In 1997 Pohlad threatened to sell the team, with the new owner relocating the franchise to North Carolina. To this day the threat is regarded as contrived and a strategy to get the Twins out of the Metrodome and into a new stadium. “…All of the information that came out afterwards, there wasn’t a lot of substance to the threat to move,” the source said.

The Twins won the 1991 World Series and had drawn almost 2.5 million fans in 1992. The club went into decline starting with the 1993 season and played losing baseball through 2000, with the Twins struggling to draw over 1 million fans that year.

Still, the Twins had shown improvement on the field in the first half of 2001 and looked like a team trending upward after finishing 85-77. That improvement was part of the reason those passionate about the team were stunned in the fall of 2001 when contraction was near reality.

“It was really traumatic,” the source said. “First of all, it was our livelihood, but even more so…this was an institution. This was the Minnesota Twins. This wasn’t some corner pizza shop. People over the five-state region followed the Minnesota Twins and grew up with the team. (They) created many special memories. You felt that. You knew what it meant if this were to go away.”

Opponents of MLB contraction included the players’ union and the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission whose leaders filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County asking that the Twins fulfill their Metrodome lease. Judge Harry Crump ruled the Twins had to honor their lease and play the 2002 season in the dome. Selig, Pohlad and others had to backtrack on contraction.

The 2002 Twins won the American League Central Division and saw home attendance total nearly 2 million customers, the best year at the gate since 1993. In 2010 the club moved into outdoor Target Field, funded by Hennepin County and the Twins.

Worth Noting

The men’s basketball Golden Gophers aren’t in the NCAA Tournament, and neither are coach Ben Johnson’s three most recent predecessors. Dan Monson’s Long Beach State team is in the NIT, Tubby Smith is retiring after his High Point Panthers went 14-18 and Richard Pitino also had a losing season, 13-19, at New Mexico.

Colorado State coach Niko Medved, a student manager under Clem Haskins in the 1990s, has his Rams in the tournament with an opening game Thursday against Michigan. Minneapolis native David Roddy, the Mountain West Player of the Year, is the Rams’ best player.

Good guy Dave Wright, a familiar public address voice at Twin Cities hockey and basketball games for decades, started doing P.A. work in high school. This is year 53 for him, with commitments next week to work seven games at the boys’ basketball tournament. “It is still a big thrill,” Wright said via email. “I am always nervous 5-10 minutes before the first game. Once we start, however, the adrenalin starts to flow; you kick into automatic pilot and just do it.”

Timberwolves minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are investing in a new company that will allow fans to wager on athletes like football players based on their on-field performance. Mojo will launch an app that could be out by year’s end, per Front Office Sports.

If Minneapolis media legend Sid Hartman was still alive, he would be 102 today.

The Twin Cities Dunkers, the sports-focused group Hartman helped lead for decades, is moving its meetings from the Minneapolis Club to Interlachen Country Club.

College football players, with 50.6 percent, have earned the most compensation from Name, Image and Likeness since the July 2021 startup, according to Opendorse and Axios Sports. Next in NIL money are women’s basketball players at 18.5 percent, with male counterparts third at 15 percent.

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Ex-Vikes GM: Cousins Needs to Stay

Posted on February 20, 2022February 20, 2022 by David Shama

Count former Vikings general manager Jeff Diamond among those in favor of retaining controversial 33-year-old quarterback Kirk Cousins, the team’s starter since 2018.

Minnesota has missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, and Cousins prompted a storm of criticism by refusing COVID vaccination last year, and his current contract is a huge burden on the payroll, but Diamond says not so fast to the chorus of critics wanting a change in 2022.

Diamond ranks Cousins in the top half of NFL quarterbacks and believes the timing is right to retain him. “I think Cousins needs to stay for one more year because I think the team is not that far away from being a playoff team,” Diamond told Sports Headliners.

The Vikings have significant personnel holes to fill, but they also possess talented players in multiple positions. They lost four games by four points or fewer last season and had other ulcer inducing defeats. Several NFL teams made the playoffs in 2021 who hadn’t qualified the year before, an indication of how fortunes change from one season to the next.

Diamond, who was the NFL Executive of the Year for 1998 when the Vikings went 15-1, made those points in his Sports Headliners interview. He added Cousins isn’t that different from Matthew Stafford, the veteran quarterback who was a key contributor to making the Rams 2022 Super Bowl champions after years of frustration playing with the hapless Lions. “He’s at least good enough to see what Kevin O’Connell can do with him,” Diamond said of Cousins.

O’Connell, the new Vikings head coach, is known as something of a “quarterback whisperer.” He was Cousins’ quarterback coach for the 2017 season in Washington. Since taking over in Minnesota, O’Connell has publicly been upbeat about his quarterback.

O’Connell and new GM Kwesi Odofo-Mensah are tasked with finding a solution to Cousins’ guaranteed contract for $35 million that counts as a $45 million hit to the salary cap as of right now. Diamond is doubtful Cousins, now in the last year of his deal, will accept a new contract paying him less money but is laden with incentives.

What Cousins might agree to is a contract extension of a year or more. Such a deal involves converting a portion of his salary into a signing bonus amortized over the length of the contract. The result can be a significant reduction to the franchise salary cap and help the Vikings add or retain impact players.

Cousins was willing to do a contract extension in 2020 so this is not new ground for him. There are also potential salary restructures with other players on the roster.

Cousins’ willingness to extend his contract now could be impacted by a favorable relationship with O’Connell. Cousins and former head coach Mike Zimmer appeared to have a distant relationship, at times not even meeting on a regular basis.

The culture under Zimmer has been criticized since his firing in January, with linebacker Eric Kendricks referring to a lack of communication and a “fear-based organization.” Zimmer was known for his cantankerous ways and the 36-year-old O’Connell is expected to create a new culture.

O’Connell talked last week at his news conference about consistent communication. “They’ve got to know we care about them from day one,” he said about his players. “I will not hire a coach that will not connect on a one-on-one- basis with their players in their (meeting) rooms.”

Diamond was impressed with O’Connell at the news conference. He liked the first-time NFL head coach’s personality and intelligence. There was no missing O’Connell’s enthusiasm and intent for a collaborative organization.

“I think that he’s going to be…kind of a breath of fresh air to the players, compared to the previous regime,” Diamond said. “I like Zim. … (But) This is a big culture change.”

Worth Noting

At this weekend’s NBA All-Star break the Timberwolves’ record is 31-28, with 23 games remaining on the regular schedule. The Wolves will have to go 14-9 the rest of the way to fulfill my prediction before the season they could have 45 wins. The club has earned that many victories or more just once since the 2003-2004 season.

The Big Ten’s media rights expire in 2023, with major networks expected to show plenty of interest. Front Office Sports speculated a new deal might provide $1.1 billion annually for the Big Ten. Split between the conference’s 14 schools that could mean about $79 million per year for the University of Minnesota Athletic Department.

The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program will host a virtual discussion Friday about the future of college sports and athletes as school employees. There are ongoing legal challenges on the issue and the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the NCAA violated antitrust law by restricting educated-related benefits to athletes. A four person virtual discussion will include former University of Minnesota regent Michael Hsu and Big 12 Conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby. Contact: jon.solomon@aspeninstitute.org

Tongue-in-cheek from Dick Jonckowski who said the Twins are donating a new field in Minneapolis called Miguel Sano Park. It has three swings and a bench, the “Polish Eagle” joked.

The Shakopee-based event speaker and former Gophers basketball public address announcer is recovering from COVID after being hospitalized in January. He hopes to do PA work for state tournament girls and boys basketball games next month.

A 1982 mint condition rookie Hulk Hogan collector card is generating live bids today on Heritage Auctions, including $6,750.

The Minnesota State High School Coaches Association awards ten $1,000 scholarships to children or grandchildren of current or lifetime members of the MSHSCA. Contact: jmarshall@isd192.org

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What to Know about Vikings’ Win

Posted on December 21, 2021 by David Shama

Five things jump out about last night’s Vikings-Bears game:

1. For the Vikings to win their last three games and qualify for the playoffs the offensive line must be better than it was in Chicago. Minnesota had 193 net yards in offense and a lot of that was because the line struggled. The priority before the game was to focus on running and the Vikings did okay with 132 yards on the ground, but had less than 100 passing and quarterback Kirk Cousins was sacked four times. Guard Mason Cole, a recent starter in a line that continues to reshuffle its personnel, was way too vulnerable to inside pressure.

2. Again, the Vikings’ offensive game plan was without much imagination. And the coaches didn’t appear to effectively adjust to the Bears’ double-coverage of wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The exception came when Jefferson was lined up in the backfield and it confused the Bears’ secondary, resulting in a wide open seven yard touchdown throw from Cousins to wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

3. Who could blame punter Jordan Barry if he’s on edge today? The Bears blocked one punt and came close on two others. Punt protection will receive a lot of scrutiny in practice this week and should. In close games special teams can decide the outcome. And the Vikings know all about close outcomes with 13 of their 14 games decided by one possession (eight points or fewer).

4. Defensive end D.J. Wonnum had eight tackles and three sacks in the 17-9 win. Selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, he has a work ethic and it’s beginning to show in impressive fashion. With elite pass rushers Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen out for the remainder of the schedule, Wonnum’s development is an early Christmas present for Vikings head coach and defensive specialist Mike Zimmer.

5. Another gift is the 7-7 Vikings will play the 4-10 hapless Bears in Minneapolis January 9 for the final game of the regular season. The Bears were an undisciplined bunch last night, with five personal fouls and other costly mistakes. The offense’s execution was frequently inept with rookie quarterback Justin Fields looking confused, explosive plays absent and the red zone scheme a flop. No guarantees Chicago can be this bad in January, but for certain the Bears are way less formidable than the other two opponents remaining on the schedule, the Rams and Packers.

Worth Noting

As of yesterday morning Mike Nowakowski from Ticket King said a seat on the 50-yard line at Lambeau Field for the January 2 Packers-Vikings game costs $650. A lower level end zone seat $225.

Nowakowski still has tickets but expects the NHL to announce a sellout for the January 1 Winter Classic at Target Field. He said the Wild’s December 23 Xcel Energy Center home game with the Red Wings was a “hot ticket” and sold out prior to the COVID caused postponement.

Recent success by the Timberwolves and Gopher basketball team is attracting ticket buyers. Nowakowski said there is a “lot of buzz” about the Warriors-Wolves game January 16 at Target Center, and some fans are “fired up” for the Gophers with lower level Williams Arena seats priced at $100 for the January 2 Illinois game.

The Gophers received three votes in the latest AP men’s top 25 poll and remain unranked, but they are prompting national awareness. Xavier, the program Gopher head coach Ben Johnson was at last season, is No. 18. Niko Medved, the former Gopher basketball student manager, is head coach of No. 21 ranked Colorado State.

It was nice to read Blaise Andries’ Tweet yesterday expressing loyalty to his home state. “I chose to stay home at Minnesota because I believed we could change the perception of this team to the state and nation,” the Gophers offensive lineman from Marshall wrote.

The redshirt senior, who in the Tweet declared he is entering the NFL Draft after Minnesota’s December 28 bowl game, has been a major contributor to the Gophers’ 22-10 record the last three seasons including a final AP national ranking of No. 10 in January of 2020.

The Gophers enter their Guaranteed Rate Bowl game against West Virginia in Phoenix ranked No. 4 in the country in total defense behind Wisconsin, Georgia and Oklahoma.

Tony Oliva told Sports Headliners what makes him happy about his recent election to baseball’s Hall of Fame is the reaction of Minnesotans. “Any place I go, the people come to me and say, ‘Tony, congratulations.’ “

The great Twins hitter, now 83, is a longtime Bloomington resident who has been among Minnesota’s most well-liked sports personalities for generations. Former teammate Rod Carew, in his 2020 autobiography One Tough Out, expressed what so many people feel about Oliva when he wrote:

“Tony has never met a stranger. The warmth he exudes could light a cigar from the lush tobacco fields he grew up surrounded by in Cuba. He taught me things like how to knot a tie and where to eat on the road. Any question I had, about baseball or life, he answered. Sometimes he provided advice before I even realized I needed it.”

Oliva grew up on a farm in Cuba and his father made about $10 per week. Oliva’s 16-year-career was before baseball’s big money era. He made $7,000 his rookie season of 1964 and the most he ever earned was $100,000.

But Oliva’s happiness doesn’t seem focused on recognition or money. People are a priority for him including the Twins organization who he considers “family.” Oliva still works for the franchise as a spokesman and ambassador of goodwill. His involvement is priceless.

Merry Christmas to all!

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