Twins – Page 74 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

All Options on Table for the Wilfs?

Posted on October 28, 2020October 28, 2020 by David Shama

NFL insiders might be speculating on whether the Minnesota Vikings ownership group is interested in selling the franchise. Zygi Wilf led a group that purchased the club in 2005 for a reported $600 million and earlier this year Forbes valued the franchise at $2.7 billion.

Even adjusted for inflation, the difference in those two figures represents a nifty gain. Other numbers the Wilf family and their partners are looking at today aren’t so rosy. With COVID-19 blocking ticket sales and other in-stadium revenues, this is a fiscal year unlike any other for NFL owners. Just lost ticket revenue at US Bank Stadium is likely north of $750 million for the Vikings this season, and there is no guarantee fans will be admitted for home games in 2021.

There is also disgruntlement from season ticket and single game purchasers. A 1-5 start to the season is a shock for a fan base more accustomed to double digit wins each year. Those fans have quickly found perceived villains in both the front office and on the field (players and coaches).

Ticket buyers may also be struggling with their own financial challenges, leaving them with less discretionary income for now and the foreseeable future. There are customers, too, that dislike the prominence of social justice and politics by NFL ownership, management and players. Regardless of who is right or wrong, the perspective of critics is that they want to watch football without other commentary.

NFL TV viewership is down this fall, consistent with a decline of other televised sports—led by surprising and disappointing numbers from NBA games and historically low World Series ratings. Going forward, if NFL TV viewership doesn’t improve, that will hamper financial negotiations by the league with the networks as both sides contemplate new contracts.

The Wilfs are diversified in their financial holdings but much of their wealth has been made in real estate, including New York and New Jersey. Commercial real estate has its issues with movie theatres and shopping malls closing and more companies allowing employees to work at home rather than occupying office buildings. Residents are moving out of New York City and other locales they consider undesirable. How the Wilfs are impacted is unknown but it’s fair to speculate they are crunching numbers to keep up with developments and anticipate the future.

There is a cost savings direction for their football team with the unloading of pricey stars Stefon Diggs and Yannick Ngakoue. Rumors this week, if true, indicate a possible “fire sale,” with team leaders and impact players Harrison Smith, Kyle Rudolph and Adam Thielen possibly being shopped in advance of the league trade deadline November 3.

The Wilfs love football and have been committed in spending money on salaries, facilities and philanthropy in Minnesota. Their long stated goal is to produce a Super Bowl team for the city and state. But the team’s 1-5 record this fall, and priority in collecting draft choices with the Diggs and Ngakoue trades, more than hints this team is rebuilding and further from a Super Bowl now than in several years.

In these times of health, economic and political challenges for the country, do the Wilfs want to go through an on-the-field rebuild? If they do, will ownership continue to be satisfied with longtime GM Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer, the head coach since 2014? The Wilfs are known for their loyalty to employees and they don’t make knee-jerk moves, but they are also successful business operators.

They know this is a turbulent period both literally and figuratively, including because the club’s passionate fan base is dissatisfied. But it’s also true NFL franchises can turn around pretty quick (see the Tampa Bay Bucs)—with on-field performances able to flip within a couple of seasons. And until 2020, no major American sport has been so consistently profitable for owners as the NFL.

What are the Wilfs thinking? In their view, is the Gjallarhorn half full, or half empty?

Worth Noting

It will be interesting to see what kind of money MLB free agents can negotiate during this offseason. Sportico interviewed MLB commissioner Rob Manfred who said in a story Monday his 30 teams amassed $8.3 billion in debt from financial lenders and lost $2.8 to $3 billion in operational expenses this year. Manfred is cautious about what baseball will look like in 2021.

The COVID-impacted and shortened 2020 season dictated no fans in attendance at stadiums. Franchises like the Twins lost hundreds of millions in missing ticket and other ballpark revenues.

With Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan out long term with an injury, and backups Graham Mertz and Chase Wolf rumored to be sidelined with COVID for three weeks, the Gophers, despite their opening loss to Michigan, could soon be labeled as favorites to win the Big Ten’s West Division. Sleeper pick (favored here) is Nebraska.

Ticket King owner Mike Nowakowski told Sports Headliners yesterday his company has sold a couple dozen tickets for the September 4, 2021 Gopher football opener against Ohio State in Minneapolis. “We’re seeing some action on the game already,” he said.

Ticket King prices range from $125 to $300 for the game that will be Ohio State’s first appearance in Minneapolis since 2014. The Buckeyes could be defending NCAA champions when they come to town.

Nowakowski has sold about three dozen tickets for the April 8 Twins opener at Target Field against the Seattle Mariners. Ticket King pricing ranges from $70 to $800 (Champions Club).

Big Ten men’s hockey teams will each play four nonconference games against Arizona State. The Sun Devils AD is Ray Anderson, former agent to Vikings coach Denny Green and a friend of new Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren who was Chief Operating Officer of the Vikings.

Arizona State is ranked No. 15 in the USCHO.com national preseason poll, with Minnesota No. 14. Top ranked Big Ten schools are No. 9 Penn State and No. 10 Ohio State.

Comments Welcome

U Loses WR, More Opt Outs Possible

Posted on October 5, 2020October 5, 2020 by David Shama

Welcome to a Monday notes column on the Gophers, Vikings, Twins and Wild:

Golden Gophers redshirt junior wide receiver Demetrius Douglas announced this afternoon on Twitter he is leaving the team. The tweet said little about future plans, but he expects to graduate from the University of Minnesota in December with a degree in Communications Studies, and he expressed admiration for the Gopher program.

Douglas, expected to play major minutes this fall for the Gophers, caught 14 passes for 157 yards last season and also returned kickoffs and punts. His absence would have been a bigger loss if All-American wide receiver Rashod Bateman hadn’t decided recently to rejoin the team.

Because of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, players at major college programs have been opting out and back in. The Gophers play Michigan in less than weeks for their season opener and the Minnesota roster remains unsettled.

“There will be a time that I tell you who is in, who is out,” Fleck said today during a media press conference. “That’s why the updated roster, I haven’t given that yet. I am still waiting on a few more…of a decision they make. I don’t want to give you names and all of a sudden they opt in tomorrow, but I told you they opted out today, or opted out yesterday, and opted back in. I don’t want that pressure on those student-athletes. …. I want them to do it for all the right reasons, and the reasons that they have with their families.”

Fleck talking about junior linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin, who is expected to play a big role for a defense that will be featuring a number of new starters including him:

“He is one of the most intelligent, if not the most intelligent player we have on our football team.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if news comes this week that Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, who has been inactive through the first four games, will have surgery on the disc herniation in his neck. Apparently rest and presumably meds and physical therapy aren’t allowing Hunter, who missed much of preseason camp, to play again.

Former NFL quarterback great Peyton Manning had multiple surgeries on his neck for a herniated disc and missed an entire season before resuming his career.

The Vikings’ vulnerable cornerbacks face an extraordinary quarterback challenge Sunday night in Seattle. Russell Wilson of the Seahawks has 16 touchdown passes through the first four games of the season. That ties him with Manning (16 touchdown passes in 2013) for the most by a player in his team’s first four games of an NFL season.

Seattle is 4-0 for the first time since 2013. That Seahawks went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

With Midwest pandemic numbers remaining a high concern, don’t expect any change on the policy not allowing fans to attend the next Vikings home game, October 18 against the Falcons. The organization remains hopeful of hosting a limited number of fans later in the season.

Credentialed news media are covering Vikings games at U.S. Bank Stadium’s press box. Dave Mona, with over 40 years in the role, is back as the press box voice providing information to reporters.

That was former Gopher Jack Brewer seen in a commercial for president Donald Trump during Sunday’s Vikings-Houston Texans game.

North Dakota State stars and Minnesota natives Trey Lance (Marshall) and Dillon Radunz (Becker) are expected to be early round NFL Draft choices next year. Lance, an underclassman but eligible for the draft, is a top quarterback prospect and likely first rounder. Radunz, an offensive tackle, projects as an early rounds prospect.

Athlonsports.com points out the Bison, with six draftees since 2014, have the most players among FCS programs chosen in the NFL Draft. In a story Sunday, the website reports there are 11 ex-Bison players on NFL rosters and practice squads.

What grade do you give the 2020 Minnesota Twins? Mine? C.

That evaluation includes the 60-game regular season and the Wild Card series. The Twins were preseason favorites to win the AL Central Division and did so. Without that achievement, the C grade would be lower because the Twins were a complete flop in losing their best of three series to the Houston Astros.

F is the grade Minnesota deserves for losing consecutive games to the Astros, managing a total of seven hits and two runs. The Twins extended their postseason consecutive loss streak to 18 dating back to 2004. Asked about a then 16-game streak before the series started, manager Rocco Baldelli suggested his players might not be aware of the historic futility. Maybe all of them should have been informed of the embarrassment—and they might have played better.

What to do now? Sign to another contract 40-year-old DH Nelson Cruz, who drove in both runs in the Wild Card series and during the season was an AL MVP candidate. After seeing his club stumble in playoff losses last season and this, Cruz might decide he wants to go where he has more support.

The Bomba-hyped Twins need a couple of veteran position players who cannot only be leaders but guys who put the ball in play and get on base instead of focusing on launch angles. It will also be interesting to see what the organization’s evaluation is of the overall hitting philosophy, and support of Rudy Hernandez following his first season as hitting coach.

Third baseman Josh Donaldson and management have to figure out if there are ways to keep him healthier. Signed in the offseason to a free agent $92 million deal, he was a bust after being hurt much of the year and unavailable for the playoffs. On the to-do list also is find a talented starting pitcher talent to replace Jake Odorizzi if he doesn’t re-sign—and settle on a quality closer, maybe Tyler Duffey in the ninth innings. Taylor Rogers and Sergio Romo were too undependable.

In the messaging department, suggest Twins’ bosses deliver this offseason memo: Every job is open. No guarantees.

The Minnesota Wild today announced it has acquired a third-round selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Ryan Donato. Minnesota owns six picks in the draft, including the ninth overall selection. The draft will be held virtually on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the first round beginning at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

The club has re-signed forward Nico Sturm to a two-year, $1.45 million contract. The 25-year-old was a rookie last year and he had two assists in six regular season games. Also re-signed is defenseman Carson Soucy to a three-year, $8.25 million contract that goes through the 2022-23 season. He scored 14 points for the Wild last season.

Comments Welcome

Twins’ Playoff Run Can “Mean the World”

Posted on September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 by David Shama

The Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991. The championships captured the attention of Minneapolis-St. Paul and the entire state as Twins-mania was felt everywhere from dramatic moments on the field to Home Hankies to World Series parades to depiction of the 1987 team on Wheaties cereal boxes.

A similar impact could be even more welcome this fall than decades ago when the Twins’ success dominated the state’s focus and culture. Club president Dave St. Peter was with the Twins organization in 1991 and he spoke to Sports Headliners about the significance of a potential 2020 World Series winner in Minnesota.

“It would mean the world,” he said Monday. “It would be tremendously rewarding to see our club back in that position. But I think more important, it would be great for our community.

“I think about our city. I think about our state, and all the strife that we’ve dealt with during COVID, as well as the social unrest that we’ve experienced over the last several months. For major league baseball, specifically Twins baseball, to play a role in bringing people together, that’s a pretty awesome opportunity and something we know would happen in spades if we played in the World Series.”

The Twins won their two World Series titles under the ownership of the late Carl Pohlad. Now other generations of Pohlads, including executive chairman Jim Pohlad, are making decisions and following the club. “At the end of the day, I know Jim’s focus would be more…on how that World Series benefits our community over how it benefits the family,” St. Peter said.

A march to the World Series didn’t start well yesterday, with the Twins managing just four hits in an opening Wild Card 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros. The defeat dictates Minnesota must win today and tomorrow to take the best two out of three series, and move on in the postseason. Otherwise, the goal in spring training and during the season of qualifying for the World Series will go in the dumpster.

“No doubt in my mind, that not only can we get there, but we can win it,” St. Peter said. “We’re talented enough to do that. I think there are a lot of other clubs across the game that believe the same, but in reality there can only be one. Our goal is to go out and take this day-by-day, round by round, and hopefully put ourselves in that position to compete for it.”

The Twins have one of baseball’s deepest pitching staffs. Depth is also apparent among position players with several Twins having experience at multiple spots led by do-it-all Marwin Gonzalez, who on any day might show up at first base, second base, third base or in the outfield. “I think our depth is perhaps our greatest strength,” St. Peter said.

Max Kepler (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

St. Peter likes the mix of veterans and young players on the roster. The Twins built their success of recent seasons on young players up from the farm system like pitcher Jose Berrios, shortstop Jorge Polanco, first baseman Miguel Sano and outfielders Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario. Over time veterans have been added including last offseason with pitchers Kenta Maeda, Tyler Clippard and Rich Hill, and slugging third baseman Josh Donaldson.

“We think those additions can be difference makers for us as we head into the October run of baseball,” St. Peter said.

Appreciated, too, about this year’s Twins team is how they have handled the response to COVID-19. Players and staff have been accountable in their actions to benefit both themselves and others. “…Really, really proud of the way our group has handled that,” St. Peter said.

The Twins are playing their games against the Astros with only a couple hundred spectators in the Target Field stands. Watching are club employees and families of Twins and Astros players. “…Our players are excited to have their families and fellow-employees at the ballpark,” St. Peter said. “Everything that we can do to create a home field advantage we’re looking to try to create.”

MLB hasn’t allowed fans to attend games this season and won’t during the Wild Card games. After those games the next two rounds of the playoffs will be played at neutral sites including Los Angeles and San Diego for American League teams, but again without fans. MLB has announced fans will be allowed to attend World Series games in Arlington, Texas but not offered specifics on numbers.

Worth Noting

Minor league baseball is going through a reorganization and operating a Twins AAA farm club in St. Paul couldn’t be more convenient. St. Peter said in the future it’s “certainly a possibility” a deal could be made to base a Twins minor league team at CHS Field in St. Paul, but a lot of things will need to happen before it could be reality.

St. Peter also said Twins TV viewership hit “historic numbers” last year and he expects data from this season to be similar. TV watching across the country, with a glut of sports going on, is competitive. Front Office Sports reported Monday that for the first three games of the Stanley Cup Finals viewership “was down at least 60 % compared to last season.”

Nelson Cruz, the Twins’ 40-year-old DH, had a .992 OPS during the regular season—fourth best all-time among players age 39-or-older, trailing Barry Bonds (1.422 in 2004), Ted Williams (1.042 in 1958) and David Ortiz (1.021 in 2016).

Twenty-two of the 28 players on the Twins’ roster have playoff game experience. The roster includes four catchers.

Among questions that should come up at the University of Minnesota Board of Regents meeting in October to discuss the elimination of gymnastics, tennis and indoor and outdoor track, is what would happen to any endowed scholarship money in those men’s sports.

Gophers basketball fans are wondering about the possibility of attending home games this upcoming season. A fan reports season ticket renewals have been suspended since August.

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