Twins – Page 96 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikes GM Downplays Pressure on Him, Zim

Posted on July 21, 2019July 21, 2019 by David Shama

Perhaps longevity creates confidence and calm in the high expectations world of the National Football League. That was the impression Rick Spielman gave when asked about pressure on himself and Mike Zimmer for the 2019 season.

Spielman, the Vikings general manager, has been making personnel decisions for the Minnesota NFL franchise since 2007. Zimmer, the team’s coach since 2014, is now the longest tenured head coach in the NFC North Division. Spielman and Zimmer reportedly have contracts that extend only through 2020 so ownership appears to be scrutinizing its leaders.

Spielman was asked by Sports Headliners if there is more pressure going into this season on him and Zimmer than in the past? “Every year is pressure,” he said. “There is no difference than any other year.”

The Vikings open training camp this week coming off an 8-7-1 record last season and missing the playoffs. The record fit a pattern of the Zimmer era with alternate years of success including off and on participation in the postseason. Zimmer’s 2014 team finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs. His next team was 11-5 and lost its first postseason game. In 2016 the Vikings were 8-8 and again a playoff no-show. They had a memorable 2017 season at 13-3 and advanced to the NFC Championship game before losing to the Eagles.

The results of 2018 left the Vikings collectively and individually disappointed and angry, starting with their all business head coach. The attitude in spring practices was evident to Spielman and most everyone else. “Usually our team and coach Zim responds when there is a chip on his shoulder,” Spielman said.

Perhaps the Vikings can regain the NFC North Division title they lost last season but there is no consensus among pro football authorities they will do so. The prevailing thought is the Vikings, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are bunched so close the NFC North eventual winner will not be a surprise unless it’s the Detroit Lions.

The Vikings have a talented and veteran defense, with players who have been together for several seasons. The offense has two of the best receivers in football in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, and also a new found commitment to run the ball more because $84 million quarterback Kirk Cousins showed last season he can’t carry the team like the NFL’s elite passers.

A July 12 article by Patrick Daugherty on Yahoo sports pointed out that while Cousins had new career highs in completion percentage (70.1) and touchdowns (30), his performance declined in the second half of the season including in the last game of the season against the Bears when the Vikings needed a win to make the playoffs.

“Cousins also got worse as games (during the full season) wore on, with his completion percentage declining each quarter, from 76.1 in the first to 67.3 in the fourth,” Daugherty wrote. “12 of Cousins’ 40 sacks came in the final period, as did four of his 10 picks. With the Vikings’ season on the line in Week 17, Cousins managed all of 132 yards against a Bears team that was basically already locked into the No. 3 seed, giving it little to play for.”

Worth Noting

Billy Beane, the former Twins player whose gift for analytics was depicted in the movie Moneyball, is still with the low-budget A’s where he is an executive vice president and minority owner of the resourceful franchise known for its savvy personnel moves.

The A’s have turned former Twins starter Liam Hendriks into a top closer who consistently throws near 100 miles per hour. The trade-hungry Twins need a right-handed late inning closer to balance impressive lefty Taylor Rogers.

As of Sunday morning Hendriks had pitched 20.2 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to June 6. During that 19 game period he struck out 34 and walked three.

Hendriks saved last night’s 5-4 A’s win in the ninth inning at Target Field. It was Minnesota’s first loss this season after going into the ninth with the lead. The record now is 53-1.

Possible realignment of the Big Ten’s East and West Divisions in football was asked about by media at Big Ten Media Days last week in Chicago. Nothing has been announced by the conference but the East is consistently the stronger division. Moving Michigan to the West would ensure the Golden Gophers and Wolverines played every season for the famous Little Brown Jug.

Not only does realignment seem a possibility but so too does expansion of league members from 14 to 16. That’s another topic Kevin Warren could be dealing with this fall and later. Warren, the Vikings chief operating officer, begins working with outgoing Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany in September and then takes over as commissioner January 1.

Warren is a neighbor of Gophers coach P.J. Fleck in Edina.

Fleck talked about academics in Chicago, saying his players earned the highest GPA in the football program’s history last fall at 3.20.

Fleck on why talented wide receiver Tyler Johnson returned for his senior season rather than turning professional: “He thinks we’re going to be really good.”

A Cleveland.com poll of Big Ten reporters asked them who among the current head football coaches they would hire if they ran a Big Ten athletic department. In the results posted last Thursday Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald was the top choice with 14 of the 33 votes. Nebraska’s Scott Frost was second with nine votes. Purdue’s Jeff Brohm had four votes and finished third in the poll. Fleck didn’t receive a vote.

Another Cleveland.com media poll posted last Thursday forecast that Michigan will win the East and Nebraska the West. The Gophers are the choice to finish sixth in the seven-team division but did receive one first place vote.

Brad Salem, son of former Gophers head coach Joe Salem, is the new offensive coordinator at Michigan State.

Among ideas being considered by the NBA is allowing teams that don’t qualify for the present 16 playoff spots to play their way into the postseason. “We’ve looked at that for a couple of years,” Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners. “I just think that there is always a team or two that’s been injured, and has the worst record but now (they) have a pretty good team, and it gives them a second chance for making up for their lost season.”

X Games returns to U.S. Bank Stadium for a third consecutive year August 1-4. The made for TV and ESPN covered event might draw a total of 25,000 to 30,000 spectators to the stadium over the four days. The X Games will return in 2020 in the final year of the agreement at the stadium.

Minneapolis Golf Club’s course is closed for renovation until June or July of next year. Members can play other private courses including Golden Valley Country Club.

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P.J. Fleck Talks Long-Term Commitment

Posted on July 16, 2019July 16, 2019 by David Shama

P.J. Fleck was one of the most coveted young head football coaches in the country in the fall of 2016 after leading upstart Western Michigan to a 13-0 regular season record, just three years after his Broncos were 1-11 in his first year.

Fleck, then 36, looked like a candidate for the biggest stages in college football including Notre Dame. His nonstop can-do energy and attitude had caught the attention of college football observers throughout the country, including write-ups in the New York Times and Sports Illustrated.

Fleck chose to leave Western Michigan for Minnesota in January of 2017. It was a decision process involving his wife Heather, he told Sports Headliners earlier this month. Regarding her husband’s next career stop, she emphasized it needed to be a long-term commitment.

This is how Fleck recalled a conversation with his wife who together are raising young children: “She looked at me and says, ‘Listen, when we move there (the next job), we’re going to live there. We’re going to live there a long time…build a lot of roots.’

“It had to be a community that was high in philanthropy,” Fleck said. “Had to be a community that was willing to serve and give. Had to be bigger than football. We feel the Twin City area and the state of Minnesota is that. … To be able to serve and give and make other people’s lives better. And that’s what Row the Boat is all about. It’s about serving and giving to other people. It’s about never giving up. It’s about providing opportunities for other people who can’t provide it for themselves.”

Row the Boat, of course, is Fleck’s catchphrase for the philosophy he preaches inside and outside the U football program. It will be heard later this week at Big Ten media days in Chicago when Fleck will be asked if his team can continue the performance of the last four games in 2018. During that stretch Minnesota won three of four while dominating Purdue, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech.

After going 5-7 and 7-6 in Fleck’s first two seasons, even better results will be expected this fall. A first-ever Big Ten West Division championship for Minnesota isn’t out of the question for a team that has almost all its key players returning. A big year will surely put Fleck’s name into the rumor mill for openings around the country.

Such a development will concern Gophers fans. Nobody can predict the future but Fleck, a Midwest native, has always wanted to coach in the Big Ten. He also has a supportive athletic director in Mark Coyle, and a contract at Minnesota that runs through 2023. He has outstanding resources including the new Athletes Village with which to work, and the loyalty of talented young players he has brought to Minneapolis. He also has the memory of those commitment words spoken by his wife.

Worth Noting

BTN will televise comments by the Big Ten football coaches starting at noon Thursday as part of the conference’s two media days in Chicago. Fleck (scheduled at 1 p.m. Thursday) could talk about various aspects of his program and team, including Minnesota’s running backs, a unit he rates among the best in the Big Ten.

While league media know about senior stars Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks, and sophomore Mohamed Ibrahim who led the team in rushing last season, most are not familiar with freshman Cam Wiley. “Probably reminds you a little bit of a Laurence Maroney, probably when he first got here,” Fleck said.

At 6-2, 205 pounds, Wiley is about the same size as Maroney who ranks with the greatest Gophers running backs ever. Wiley didn’t play for his Las Vegas team as a high school junior and had modest stats as a senior, but obviously Fleck is impressed with the potential of his freshman back.

The explosive Maroney was a first team Rivals.com All-American for the Gophers in 2005 and later a first round draft selection of the New England Patriots. In 2018 Ibrahim became the first Gopher freshman to have five rushing games of over 100 yards since Maroney in 2003.

Fleck and the media will likely have some fun bringing up the name of 400-pound sophomore offensive tackle Daniel Faalele. In Minnesota’s spring intra-squad game the creative Fleck put Faalele in the backfield where he ran six yards for a touchdown while bowling over defenders.

Faalele could be college football’s biggest runner in the fall. How will the coach use him? “When people don’t think we will,” Fleck said.

Ibrahim, linebacker Carter Coughlin, wide receiver Tyler Johnson and holder Casey O’Brien are among 43 Big Ten football players representing their schools at Big Ten Media Days. The Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon on Friday will include a speech by O’Brien on behalf of the league’s players. A four-time cancer survivor, O’Brien is a sophomore walk-on at Minnesota and the son of former Gophers assistant coach Dan O’Brien.

Coughlin was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List yesterday. The award has been presented annually to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Coughlin is one of 23 defensive ends on the 80-player list.

Johnson was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List yesterday. The award has been presented to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. The list is comprised of 80 individuals, but features only 12 receivers including Johnson.

FOX Sports North and the Twins recently announced a 41 percent increase in television ratings for the first half of the season. The Twins attracted the third highest viewership of all Major League Baseball teams with a 6.12 average household rating. Among MLB franchises, the Twins have the second highest increase in ratings since last year.

Twins immortal Harmon Killebrew cared for others including those with disabilities. The second annual Harmon’s Heart of Baseball event will be August 10 at Target Field, with the Twins and Cleveland Indians playing as part of a four-game series between the two top Central Division teams. Plans are to give fans 15,000 18” by 24” commemorative Killebrew posters after the August 10 game ends. Those who buy game tickets through HarmonsHeart.org can receive a redemption certificate for a 12” by 18” Killebrew print. Funds raised will support Fergus Falls-based Productive Alternative, a non-profit organization that specializes in helping adults with disabilities find and retain meaningful employment.

Prior to the game Killebrew’s widow, Nita Killebrew, will present the Harmon’s Heart of Baseball Award to a person with a disability that exemplifies spirit and community service.

Minnesota alum Jeff Seeman and St. Cloud State alum Mike Spanier will return for their 18th and 21st seasons respectively as NFL officials.

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Vikings’ Cook Looks Like ‘Mr. Breakout’

Posted on July 14, 2019July 14, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Sunday notes column that leads off with Vikings third-year running back Dalvin Cook.

Do the simplest search of Cook’s name on Google and see the word “breakout” come up on your screen. Anticipation is prevalent that the sometimes injured Cook will be healthy and rank near the top among NFL comeback players in 2019.

The Vikings made it clear during spring practices their new assistant coaches will have the offense prioritizing running the football next season. No one is more important to achieving that goal than Cook who as a rookie in 2017 ran for 354 yards in his first four games before injuring his left knee and missing the rest of the season.

Last season he wasn’t always healthy but managed to play in 11 games, starting 10 and rushing for 615 yards, averaging an impressive 4.8 yards per carry. That is the kind of production the Vikings expected when they selected the former Florida State running back in the early second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

The Vikings will open training camp later this month with high expectations from the explosive runner if he is healthy. He can be one of the NFL’s better rushers and balance an offense that starts with expensive quarterback Kirk Cousins and two of the league’s best receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. “…We expect Dalvin, the way he’s looked and if he can stay healthy, to have a big breakout season this year,” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Sports Headliners.

The Vikings have even changed their blocking scheme to more effectively blend the pass and run. “There’s no doubt about with what we’re doing offensively (emphasis on running), he’s going to get a lot of opportunity in the games,” Spielman said.

Backing up Cook could be rookie Alexander Mattison, a third round draft selection from Boise State who had consecutive 1,000-plus yard seasons for the Broncos. At 5-11, 220-pounds, he is powerfully built, and Spielman is excited about the rookie.

“He’s one of those guys, when you have to run the clock out, he has the ability to get extra yards after contact, keep the chains moving,” Spielman said. “But the thing that I think that surprised me a little bit was how well he caught the ball out of the backfield and how quickly he has picked up pass protection. …”

Tre Jones, the Duke sophomore point guard who played at Apple Valley, is the No. 8 college basketball player in the country for next season, per Andy Katz. The college basketball authority listed his top 25 players Friday on NCAA.com. Michigan State guard Cassius Winston ranked No. 1, while no Golden Gophers made the top 25 or a list of 15 honorable mention players that included Minnesota native McKinley Wright, who will be a junior guard at Colorado in the fall.

It would be an odd development but not unprecedented if New York Mets starter Zack Wheeler switches uniforms to the Twins this week. The Mets open a two-game Interleague series with the Twins on Tuesday and Minnesota is searching for trades to bolster the pitching staff. Wheeler is 6-6 this season, with 130 strikeouts in 119 innings.

Giants starting ace Madison Bumgarner’s name is linked to the Twins and other clubs regarding a possible July trade. The July 15 issue of Sports Illustrated points out the Giants, who already are out of contention to win the NL West Division, also have trade chips in bullpen pitchers with strong resumes—Sam Dyson, Will Smith and Tony Watson.

Sports Illustrated’s Joe Sheehan, writing in the current issue, refers to the surprising Twins “as real” after a pre-All-Star Game Break performance that had them leading the majors in home runs and taking first place in the AL Central. “They simply have more talent than the second-place Indians and will win their first division title in nine years,” Sheehan said.

Any chance 36-year-old Joe Mauer, in his first season of retirement, will contemplate a comeback next year? “No, I am good,” he told Sports Headliners.

What words would the former Twins great want on his tombstone? “Well, that’s a great question. A good person, and obviously I love to compete, and I love to play baseball. Just a good person, a good teammate and a good family man.”

Wild left wing Jason Zucker talking about next season: “I think a 30 goal season is something that I not only look forward to but something I know I can do. So that’s definitely where I am at.”

Zucker had 33 goals during the 2017-18 season, the only time he has scored 30 or more. The 27-year-old has spent his eight year NHL career with the Wild and his name has been rumored in trade talks. Zucker said the positive about that is other teams apparently want him, but he loves being part of this community.

Vikings single game digital tickets go on sale to the general public starting at 10 a.m. Thursday. Preseason ($20 and up) and regular season ($62 or more) tickets are available online only via Ticketmaster.

University of Iowa football single game tickets also go on sale Thursday, with $80 the cost to see the Gopher game in Iowa City on November 16. Among Iowa’s seven home games, that is the highest single game price except for Penn State at $95. (Youth tickets are $25 for all Hawkeye home games.)

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