Twins – Page 70 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Only Football for Coach Mike Grant Now

Posted on February 17, 2021February 17, 2021 by David Shama

Mike Grant, 63, is more than a month into a new experience at Eden Prairie High School. As of January 1, he is retired as the activities director but continues with his legendary career as head football coach. No complaints, though.

“My days are certainly full.” Grant told Sports Headliners. “Football takes as much time as I want to put towards it.”

With no administrative or teaching responsibilities, football is his only focus at the school he has been coaching at since 1992 and where his Eagles have won 11 state championships. As activities director, Grant was sensitive to other sports and their coaches, and he didn’t want to offend others by being outspoken about the value of football. “Now I can promote it all I want,” he said about the game he loves and learned from his famous dad, Bud Grant.

The EP varsity and junior varsity teams were undefeated last year. The sophomores and freshmen each lost a game. But Grant believes it’s not winning that is the most important reason kids come out to play football at his school and others across the state.

“You can have a great experience in football and win one game because you are with your buddies,” Grant said. “There’s camaraderie in football that is very different than any other sport.”

With all the success Grant has had at Eden Prairie, readers might scoff at his remarks. But before coming to EP he was head coach at Forest Lake where the wins were few and opponents could almost predetermine the final score.

“I have been there,” Grant said. “I look back on that and those were some of my fondest memories with those kids that were playing. I still see those guys. They are men now and they have nothing to say but great things about playing football way back then.”

A lot of youth are specializing in one sport these days. An industry has developed of paid trainers from outside the school systems who work with young athletes with ambitions of earning college scholarships and even professional careers.

Sometimes disillusion sets in long before high school graduation. By focusing on one sport, kids may eventually realize they are missing out on their full potential as high school athletes, or that the advice from others isn’t working for them. Grant has seen some of his better players take a circuitous route to his roster. “Because they come back out (for football) as juniors and seniors after being told that they should focus only on basketball, or only on hockey, or only on whatever. …”

During the last several years the safety perception of football has taken a nosedive with the public because of negative publicity concerning concussions in the NFL and college football. Even though the incidence of concussions in high school football is reportedly less than some other activities, parents have been apprehensive in allowing their sons to participate in the sport.

“I don’t know that we had one concussion last year,” Grant said. “But there was so much hype and media hype about concussions, that a lot of parents pulled their kids from it (football). So football numbers everywhere are down and we’re certainly no different. I always look at it (as) if we’ve got a problem, everybody else has got a bigger problem in terms of numbers.”

Enrollment at Eden Prairie High School has for decades been among the largest in the state. In the EP football system, Grant estimated participation numbers are off by about 30 percent. The trend is more skilled athletes are likely still participating but the marginal players, who Grant said can really benefit from football, may not be.

The varsity Eagles were a senior dominated team last season. “I thought we were the best team in the state last year,” Grant said. Only a few starters return for 2021 but a lot of others on the 2020 roster came off the bench and gained experience. “We’ll be as good as we’ve ever been,” the coach said about the coming season.

Worth Noting

This week will significantly influence whether Richard Pitino’s Golden Gophers basketball team earns an invitation next month to the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota lost at Maryland Sunday, but tries for its first road victory of the season tonight (Wednesday) at Indiana, and then plays No. 5 ranked Illinois in Williams Arena Saturday.

A major positive is the Gophers, 6-8 in the Big Ten and 13-8 overall, have tied a school season record by defeating five top 25 ranked teams. A road win tonight and a home upset of Illinois would bolster Minnesota’s wobbly win-loss record. That’s not likely to happen but if the Gophers could pull to 8-8 in league games by Saturday night, NCAA prospects boldly brighten with two of their three remaining games at home. Northwestern (Feb. 27) and Rutgers (March 6) come to Williams Arena, with Minnesota playing at Penn State March 3.

University officials provided no update at last week’s Board of Regents meetings about borrowing money to cover the system’s anticipated budget shortfall of perhaps $166 million. Details are apparently yet to be finalized including a significant portion of the loan targeted to Gophers athletics whose deficit this fiscal year is speculated to be $40 million or more.

The Timberwolves’ next road game is Sunday in New York where the Knicks feature familiar faces. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, whose demanding style helped the Wolves to a rare playoff appearance before being fired, has the lowly New York franchise earning a better record than the Wolves, 14-15 versus 7-21. This is Thibodeau’s first season with the Knicks and two of his player favorites are former Wolves Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose. New York media speculates whether Thibs will clash and last with controversial Knicks owner James Dolan.

Don’t fret yet but offseason additions by the Chicago White Sox, including former Twins pitchers Liam Hendriks and Lance Lynn, have crystal ballers making the Sox favorites, or co-favorites with the Minnesota Twins, to win the AL Central Division. Hendriks has ERAs under 2.00 the last two seasons as a late inning stopper. Lynn could win 15 games or more for the Sox. Vegasinsider.com lists the Sox as 10-1 World Series favorites, with only the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres more likely to win out in 2021.

Ben Reppenhagen, the Edina native who played high school football at St. Thomas Academy, is a redshirt freshman tight end at TCU and grandson of the late Mike Wright, the 1959 Gophers football captain.

Three Minnesota natives took half of the six spots on the WCHA 1990s All-Decade team announced by the Twin Cities-based league Tuesday. The team includes former Gophers Brian Bonin (forward, White Bear Lake) and Mike Crowley (defenseman, Bloomington) and ex-North Dakota goaltender Karl Goehring (Apple Valley). All-decade teams this winter are part of the league’s 70-years celebration.

Guess who is only four years away from eligibility for Social Security? Michael Jordan is 58 today.

Comments Welcome

Polanco Approved Twins Shortstop Deal

Posted on February 10, 2021February 10, 2021 by David Shama

Acquiring new starting shortstop Andrelton Simmons shakes up the Minnesota Twins infield, moving incumbents Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez to other roles, but both players approved the free agent signing of Simmons before the deal was completed.

Thad Levine, the Twins general manager, told Sports Headliners that manager Rocco Baldelli received buy-in from Polanco and Arraez prior to bringing the Gold Glove winning Simmons to Minnesota. “That’s just the way he manages this team,” Levine said. “He is very transparent. He’s very communicative and he’s very upfront. The response from those guys was resoundingly positive. … I think they both felt they could learn a lot from Andrelton.”

During a nine-year career, Simmons has won four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards as a shortstop (2013 and 2014 with the Atlanta Braves, 2017 and 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels). He has also earned six Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019).

Simmons is the 11th player to win four-or-more Gold Gloves as a shortstop, and is one of only two at the position to win multiple Gold Gloves in both the American and National Leagues (joining Omar Vizquel). Since 2012, he leads all players in defensive runs saved (191).

Dave St. Peter, the Twins president, said improving the club’s defense was an offseason goal and targeting Simmons was part of the plan. “He’s a very special player, elite defender,” St. Peter told Sports Headliners. “Best shortstop in the game by every measure. So the idea of enhancing our defense has always been a target. There were multiple ways we could have done that but Simmons was always a guy that was in that conversation from the start of the offseason.”

On some clubs moving personnel around to make room for a new starter might not be well received, but in two years as Twins manager Baldelli has established a positive culture emphasizing a team approach. The 39-year-old skipper has teammates thinking about what’s best for the club, while knowing he will give everyone on the roster opportunities to contribute.

For Polanco that means after playing nearly 500 games at short for the Twins he is taking Arraez’s spot at second base as the team heads into spring training this month in Fort Myers. It looks like Arraez, after two seasons at second, becomes the club’s No.1 utility player seeing time at various positions. He will help fill the gap in replacing two utility players from last season, Ehire Adrianza and Marwin Gonzalez. Arraez has hit .331 and .324 in his first two seasons with Minnesota while seeing time not only at second but also in the outfield, third base and short.

“I think Rocco’s intent is to give Jorge Polanco every opportunity to play second base,” Levine said. “I think what we’ve seen the last couple years is how he has used (utility) guys…Luis Arraez is going to get ample opportunity to contribute and play. At what position has yet to be determined. I think we’ll be challenging him throughout spring training to enhance his comfort zone plying some other spots so that he can spell a bunch of guys and keep everybody fresh.”

Polanco struggled last season, at least partially because of an injured ankle. In the field his lateral quickness appeared diminished and throughout his MLB career his throws to first base have been inconsistent. His offensive production in 2020, including a .258 average, was off from past performance.

Polanco comes to spring training with two ankle surgeries behind him, with the most recent coming last fall. “I think he was meaningfully limited last year,” Levine said. “He is one of those players who plays through pain and never complains but I do think it really impacted him, especially at the plate last year. Also, with his lateral quickness. So he is in great shape right now and that is terrific news for the Minnesota Twins.”

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

St. Peter said Polanco, who hit .295 with 22 home runs in 2019 and once was rated by Baseball America as the best defensive infielder in the Twins minor league system, was dedicated in his offseason rehab. “He’s all in. He’s committed to putting in the work. We know what he can do offensively. I think a lot of it for him is going to be try to stay healthy. …”

With Simmons coming to the Twins on a one-year deal, the club has added an elite defender to match center fielder Byron Buxton. Buxton has won the club’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times. Last season he had a 1.000 fielding percentage (105 total chances) in 39 games (35 starts) in center field. His 11 defensive runs saved ranked second among major league outfielders and tied for fourth among all players (minimum of 300 innings played).

St. Peter considers catchers Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers “above average defenders.” Garver could be the regular catcher if he can revive his offensive numbers that nosedived in 2020 (hitting .167 after batting .273 with 31 homers in 2019). His reputation has been that of an offensive catcher.

“Oh, we think he is an above average receiver,” Levine said. “He’s done a tremendous job framing pitches. He’s always had the good arm so I think he’s really rounding into being a really solid defender.”

Being fortified with stingy defenders “up the middle” (catcher, short, second and center field) has forever been the gold standard for baseball teams. The Twins think they may have arrived. “We feel we have as strong a unit up the middle as anybody in the American League,” Levine said.

The club has made other offseason moves, re-signing key slugger and DH Nelson Cruz and adding pitching. St. Peter can offer no guarantees or predictions but his optimism about 2021 is evident.

“It’s an exciting time to be a Twins fan because I think you’ve got a club that is going to be amongst the better teams in the American League on paper,” St. Peter said. “And we’ll go to spring training with high hopes to…find a way to advance in the postseason and ultimately compete for a world championship.”

Comments Welcome

Tom Brady Instincts Impress Bud Grant

Posted on February 8, 2021February 8, 2021 by David Shama

Tom Brady, 43, has been the quarterback on seven Super Bowl winning teams including last night when he helped lead the Tampa Bay Bucs to a 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. After the game he was given the Super Bowl MVP Award for the fifth time. “In our lifetime we’re not going to see anybody even close to him record wise,” Bud Grant told Sports Headliners during an interview this morning.

While setting NFL player records Sunday night for most Super Bowls won and Super Bowl MVP awards won, Brady completed 21 of 29 attempts (72.4 percent) for 201 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, a 125.8 passer rating. He also built on his Super Bowl records for the most career completions (277), passing yards (3,039) and passing touchdowns (21).

Grant, the former Minnesota Vikings coach who took four teams to Super Bowls in the 1970s, used to ask scouts about the instincts of players they were evaluating. The scouts spoke about the measurables of players like size and speed but Grant wanted to know more.

“I said, ‘No, instinct is not measured. It is observed.’ All the great players have good instincts. His instincts (Brady’s) are as good as anybody. He doesn’t make many mistakes. Even those jump balls that he throws, they’re pretty darn close to being right on the money. …His instincts tell him who to throw to, where to throw, when to throw.”

Bud Grant (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)

When Grant coached he spoke of durability. One player might sprain an ankle and be sidelined for weeks, while another could be ready for next Sunday. Grant looks at Brady and sees a great quarterback who has been able to avoid injuries.

“One of the main things (about Brady’s success) is he’s durable,” Grant said. “He takes a few hits, not a lot. He gets rid of the ball quick. He’s like (Aaron) Rodgers. Those guys, as soon as the ball is snapped they know where they are going with the ball and they don’t get caught with the ball.”

While Brady generated a lot of attention last night, Grant said it was the Bucs’ defense that won the game. That unit contained Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who Grant compares with Vikings Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton. Mahomes, now, and Tarkenton in the 1970s when he quarterbacked for Grant, are two of the most entertaining escape artists in NFL history. The Bucs sometimes made Mahomes scramble for 20 yards and not have much to show for it. “The best team won, there’s no question about that,” Grant said.

Going into the game he didn’t realize how outstanding a team the Bucs, who came on strong late in the season and during the playoffs, really are. “I don’t watch that much football. I can’t sit there for three hours, or six hours on Sunday, and watch all those games. I’ve got other things to do. But I watch enough football and I enjoy it. …”

The beloved Hall of Fame coach, now 93 and healthy, has a large family of children and grand kids living within about 30 minutes of his Twin Cities residence. The pandemic has sidelined his legendary passion for hunting and fishing. Sometimes his outdoors companion is son Mike Grant, the Eden Prairie football coach. “We haven’t planned anything, only because COVID limits your options,” Mike said.

Worth Noting

Grant sizing up the entertainment value of last night’s big game: “It wasn’t a very good game to watch from a spectator standpoint. There weren’t a lot of big plays. …It’s probably going to be forgotten pretty quick, that game yesterday.”

Bob Hagan, the Vikings vice president of football and media communications, didn’t work the Super Bowl for the first time in 18 years. He has been part of NFL PR staffers from around the league servicing the media in the past, but the pandemic dramatically reduced credentialed media covering the 2021 Super Bowl.

Chiefs linebacker Damien Wilson, and wide receiver Tyler Johnson and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. from the Bucs, were Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys Gophers recruits. Wilson wasn’t even ranked by 247Sports coming out of high school and came to Minnesota from junior college. Johnson and Winfield were 247Sports three-star players as preps.

Dan O’Brien said son Casey O’Brien starts work this week in a support position for RBC Wealth Management in downtown Minneapolis. The inspirational Casey, a former holder on the Gopher football team, earned his degree in finance at Minnesota in December. He completed his course work in 3.5 years while also playing football and fighting cancer (his Twitter page identifies him as a five-time cancer survivor). “He’s nine months cancer free right now,” Dan said.

Dan’s last day as athletic director at St. Thomas Academy will be April 2. He has accepted a position with Hays Financial Group in Minneapolis but will continue coaching football at St. Thomas. The former Gophers coach is grateful for the opportunity to continue in that role. “This fit right into their (Hays) philosophy of giving back to the community,” he said.

Garrison Solliday, the Mr. Football finalist from St. Thomas Academy, has preferred walk-on offers from Duke and Wisconsin, and is likely to play inside or outside linebacker in college. Danny McFadden, the Academy running back, has accepted a preferred walk-on invite to Stanford.

Word is Chet Holmgren, the Minnehaha Academy superstar who could be the No. 1 selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, will consider joining the pay-for-play G League team for elite prospects, but is leaning toward college next fall. Holmgren’s list of potential college programs still includes the Gophers. The programs in contention for the nation’s No. 1 prep prospect are: Georgetown, Gonzaga, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio State.

In yesterday’s 247Sports composite team rankings for 2021 recruiting, Wisconsin at No. 15 in the country led all Big Ten West football programs. The Badgers’ group of 21 recruits features one five-star offensive lineman and two four-star O-line prospects including Riley Mahlman from Lakeville South. Nebraska at No. 20 and Iowa, No. 23, are closest behind the Badgers, with Minnesota next at No. 37.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who because of COVID-19 protocol hasn’t played in a game since January 13, might return tonight in the Timberwolves’ home game with the Dallas Mavericks.

Fan criticism of Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino is intensifying after three consecutive losses and a 0-6 road record. Pitino, now in his eighth season at Minnesota, has coached one team with a winning regular season Big Ten record.

A pessimistic reader asked if Minnesota can earn its way into the NCAA Tournament with a 14-12 regular season record. Highly unlikely. The Gophers, 11-7 right now, would probably need to win two games in the Big Ten Tournament to qualify for “March Madness.”

MLB.com didn’t include Twins minor leaguer Jhoan Duran in its top 100 MLB prospects listing but sees him as the organization’s player most likely to break through. A summary last Thursday said the right hander’s fast ball approaches 100 miles per hour and that Duran throws a “nasty splitter/sinker hybrid” that can get big leaguers out.

The Twins are hoping to play in front of fans this spring for more than the franchise’s direct benefit. Customers at Target Field could help revitalize downtown businesses.

1 comment