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Smith Era Helped Rebuild Twins

Posted on August 30, 2017August 30, 2017 by David Shama

A Wednesday notes column leading off with the Twins who could qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

Bill Smith is often criticized for his tenure as general manager from 2007-2011 but it was during that time the Twins signed right fielder Max Kepler, left fielder Eddie Rosario, shortstop Jorge Polanco and third baseman Miguel Sano. Those four represent half of the usual starting lineup in the field, and along with center fielder Byron Buxton form the nucleus of the franchise’s future among position players.

The Twins acquired Kepler, Polanco and Sano as undrafted amateur free agents in 2009, committing millions to sign them. Rosario was acquired as an amateur in the fourth round of the 2010 First Year Player Draft. That’s impressive results from Smith and his staff to find, evaluate and sign these four players who are all from outside the United States.

Max Kepler (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

Kepler, Polanco and Sano are all 24 years old, while Rosario is 25. This season the young group has accounted for 82 percent of the team’s home runs, and 68 percent of the runs batted in.

Smith was fired after the 2011 season when the Twins lost 99 games and won 63. His era, though, had its highlights including a Central Division title in 2010, and key player signings as referenced above.

It will be interesting to see who the Vikings cut from their roster after Thursday night’s final preseason game. A guess is that among the surprise cuts by Saturday’s NFL deadline to downsize the roster to 53 players could be third-year offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings. A starter last season in 14 games at tackle, Clemmings didn’t enter last Sunday’s game with the 49ers until late in the second half. He hasn’t been in the mix this summer among top contenders for playing time in the line.

Another surprise cut might be defensive lineman Datone Jones, who the Vikings signed as a free agent last spring following three seasons with the Packers. He was a No. 1 draft choice by the Packers in 2013 and played mostly as a reserve with Green Bay.

The Vikings could have rookie starters with Dalvin Cook at running back, Pat Elflein at center and Ben Gedeon at linebacker. Cook, Elflein and Gedeon were second, third and fourth round draft choices. Eric Wilson, an undrafted free agent from Cincinnati, has impressed the Vikings in preseason practices and could make the final roster of 53 players.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told NBC TV’s Michele Tafoya during Sunday night’s 49ers exhibition game he has decided who his starting center will be, but didn’t provide a name. Elflein, though, has impressed with his mobility and seems a good fit for the offense’s zone-blocking scheme requiring linemen to move quickly and block linebackers.

Marshall Koehn did the field goal and extra point work in Sunday’s game. He had a 58-yard field goal, was three-for-three on extra points and kicked off. The 25-year-old free agent from Iowa could replace Kai Forbath who joined the Vikings last season after the team cut Blair Walsh. Forbath has been used minimally in preseason and didn’t play against the 49ers.

The Vikings will play their first four regular season games without suspended wide receiver Michael Floyd, the 27-year-old Minnesota native who the team acquired as a free agent during the offseason. Floyd has played in all three preseason games, catching five passes for 46 yards. None of his receptions have been for more than 12 yards.

But later this season Floyd could become the team’s best wide receiver, according to former Viking Ben Leber. He said Floyd could be that good while providing commentary on the Vikings Radio Network during Sunday night’s game. In three of Floyd’s six seasons with the Cardinals he averaged more than 16 yards per reception and might provide the Vikings with the deep threat they need.

The Vikings first team offense has yet to score a touchdown in the preseason—raising concerns about effectiveness this fall—but the defense could repeat its performance of last season when the unit was at times among the best in the NFL. “The defense can be as good as we want to be,” defensive tackle Linval Joseph told Sports Headliners. “We just have to eliminate mistakes, run to the football and make tackles.”

Brian Robison, who is about to start his 11th season with the Vikings, has yet to play in the preseason and it’s looking more like he will give up his starting job to Danielle Hunter. “I think mentally he’s becoming more in tune with the game,” Robison said about Hunter who has only one career regular season start and is beginning his third pro season. “Physically, he’s got all the attributes you would want out of a defensive end. I think sky’s the limit for him. I just think he’s gotta take another step forward and just keep going in the right direction.”

Robison, 34, has been sidelined with a leg injury. Although he has played 10 NFL seasons, Robison told Sports Headliners he sees no decline in his skills.

The regular season starts September 11, with the Vikings playing five of their first seven games in Minneapolis—almost mandating a winning start to the schedule if the team is to qualify for the playoffs. Four of the last seven are on the road.

Matt Birk, the former Vikings center and now an advisor to the NFL, speaks to the CORES lunch group September 15 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. More information is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

P.J. Fleck coaches his first Gophers game Thursday night against Buffalo at TCF Bank Stadium and it will be interesting to watch his energy on the field. Fleck moves at warp speed in practices. “I mean if he turns it up a little bit more for a game…that’s crazy to even think it could go a little bit higher,” Steven Richardson said.

Richardson, a senior tackle, is among the more proven and talented Gophers going into the season. A surprise contributor on the defensive line, though, might be junior redshirt tack Gary Moore who only played in four games and had two tackles last season.

“I’ve seen him grow so much in this past fall camp,” Richardson said about Moore. “I am excited to see what he is going to do.”

The Big Ten Network celebrates its 10th anniversary today. Revenues from the network given to Big Ten Conference athletic departments have benefitted all but particularly lower tier programs in need of financial assistance.

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Sano, Puckett All-Stars in Third Years

Posted on July 12, 2017July 12, 2017 by David Shama

Miguel Sano was one of three Twins on the American League’s roster for last night’s All-Star Game in Miami. Being an All-Star could have prompted longtime Twins fans to make a few comparisons with the late Kirby Puckett.

Sano is 24 years old, the same age Puckett was when he played his first big league season with the Twins in 1984. Sano has already participated in parts of two seasons with the Twins but last night’s All-Star Game was his first.

Puckett initially played in MLB’s summer showcase at age 26. As with Sano, Puckett made the All-Star roster for the first time when he was in his third season with Minnesota. The year was 1986 and Puckett was on his way to a final batting average of .328, with 31 home runs and 96 RBI.

Sano and Puckett, both right-handed hitters with hefty physiques, drew comparisons earlier this season when Sano got to 10 home runs in 32 games, the fastest of any Twins hitter since Puckett pulled that off in 23 games. Those are numbers that can be indicative of a team’s best hitter—its biggest weapon in the batting order.

Puckett was the Twins’ leader for parts of the 1980s and 1990s during a 12-year career when he hit over .300 eight times. He finished his career with a .319 lifetime batting average and 207 home runs. Even more lasting to his legacy are the two World Series titles he helped bring to the Twins.

Sano has emerged as the Twins’ most important offensive player at the age Puckett was just arriving at the Metrodome. His home runs, RBI and slugging percentage are tops on the team. Those totals of 21 and 62, and the .538 percentage, rank sixth, third and ninth in the American League. His batting average is .276.

The Twins, who had a 59-102 record last season, are among baseball’s surprise teams at the All-Star break. The club is 45-43, only 2.5 games behind the first place Indians in the American League’s Central Division. Part of that success is attributable to Sano whose 62 RBI are 21 more than his nearest teammate (Brian Dozier).

Miguel Sano (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

Sano is starting to make his name more prominent nationally, and who knows if the path might lead to Cooperstown where Puckett is enshrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Monday night on national TV Sano reached the finals of the All-Star weekend’s Home Run Derby where he lost to Yankee slugger Aaron Judge.

In last night’s All-Star game Sano drove in the American League’s first run in a 2-1 win over the National League. Minnesota’s other representatives in the game were 34-year-old starter Ervin Santana and bullpen closer Brandon Kintzler, 32.

Santana, with a 10-6 record and 2.99 ERA, might be headed to the best season of his career but at his age he doesn’t have the potential to headline the Twins like Sano. As a reliever, Kintzler won’t assume that role either.

Joe Mauer, 34, has a resume of three AL batting titles and that 2009 league MVP Award, but he has been fading for years. He has missed the .300 batting mark for the past three seasons.

Byron Buxton’s fielding in center field could make even Puckett smile but he’s been hitting around .200 much of the season and the long-term prospect for becoming a threat at bat is up for debate, even though Buxton is only 23 years old. Sano is the team’s alpha dog already and perhaps will be for another 10 years or more.

Even at third base Sano has been a contributor. He has committed an acceptable 12 errors and his fielding percentage of .970 is 60 points better than his career MLB number entering this season.

The 6-4, 262-pound Sano has shown a nimbleness and strong arm in the field while contributing to a surprisingly strong defense that hasn’t received enough credit when discussion occurs about the team’s collective success.

Puckett was extraordinary in the field and seven times in his career reached double digits in stolen bases. Sano will never be the all-around player Puckett was, not even close. Puckett hit for average and power, and seven times he was a Gold Glove winner for his work in center field. He even reached double figures seven times in stolen bases.

Sano seems on track to become one of baseball’s best sluggers, easily surpassing Puckett’s career home run total. Puckett’s best home run years were when he hit 31, 28 and 24. Sano, who already has 64 career homers, is a free swinger who struck out 178 times last season in 431 plate appearances and probably will top that this year. Puckett never struck out more than 99 times in a season.

Sano, like Puckett, not only has the potential to be the club’s offensive leader for years to come but could emerge as a vocal leader like Kirby. What’s that Puckett once said to teammates? “Jump on my back, boys.” Sano, a native of the Dominican Republic, perhaps could say something like that in both Spanish and English to teammates in the future if the Twins have contending teams.

A sad note in any language, though, is that Puckett, who died in 2006, won’t be able to join his former teammates from the 1987 club for a reunion weekend in Minneapolis July 20-22 celebrating 30 years since the Twins were baseball’s world champions. Among those expected are ex-players Keith Atherton, Juan Berenguer, Bert Blyleven, Randy Bush, Sal Butera, Mark Davidson, George Frazier, Gary Gaetti, Dan Gladden, Kent Hrbek, Gene Larkin, Tim Laudner, Steve Lombardozzi, Al Newman, Jeff Reardon, Roy Smalley, Mike Smithson, Les Straker, and Frank Viola. Expected also are manager Tom Kelly, and coaches Tony Oliva, Rick Stelmaszek and Dick Such.

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Jerry Kill Back in State Recruiting

Posted on January 30, 2017January 30, 2017 by David Shama

Former Gophers coach Jerry Kill, now the offensive coordinator at Rutgers, has been recruiting in Minnesota for the Scarlet Knights but so far doesn’t have a commitment as National Signing Day approaches on Wednesday. College football recruiting authority Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners that Kill “called on” Crosby-Ironton tight end Noah Gindorff, and crossed paths with new Gophers coach P.J. Fleck last week at Hopkins High School.

Fleck and Kill are recruiting Hopkins defensive end Boye Mafe. Burns, who is a publisher of the popular Gopherillustrated.com website, said “he’s heard some interesting things about how that went down” when the two coaches were at Hopkins. Burns, who wasn’t at Hopkins when the coaches were there, didn’t provide more details.

It’s no secret Kill is upset about things that have been said and done at the University of Minnesota including the dismissal of Tracy Claeys as Gophers coach a few weeks ago, after leading Minnesota to a 9-4 record including an upset win over Washington State at the Holiday Bowl. Media reports have Kill saying he won’t be coming back to the Gopher campus where he helped resurrect the football program until his health forced him to resign in 2015. Claeys, Kill’s close friend and former defensive coordinator, was made Kill’s successor but lasted only one full season before being fired by new Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle. “He is a very emotional guy,” Burns said about Kill.

Burns believes Kill is “trying to get his foot in the door” on players the Gophers want, probing to see how successful he can be with Minnesota high school players. Few Power Five football programs aggressively recruit the state and Kill may see opportunity here because of that, and also his popularity with the public and relationships with high school coaches.

“He probably will be a little bit effective but…he’s got to land some of these kids that Minnesota (also) wants, for him to justify being out here,” Burns said. “As of today he hasn’t been able to do that.”

Both Kill and Fleck are just getting started in their new roles. Kill was hired by New Jersey-based Rutgers several days before Christmas. Fleck left Western Michigan where he was head coach to take over the Minnesota program in early January.

Known as an elite recruiter, Fleck has reshuffled the 2017 Gopher class that will be announced on Wednesday. While some players who had originally given verbal commitments to Claeys remain, most of the recruits now are student-athletes who Fleck and staff have convinced to become Gophers. Recruiting authorities like Burns have been impressed and they place Minnesota’s 2017 class much higher in national rankings than when Claeys and his staff were in charge.

Burns was asked about 2017 recruits and who he would “bet his life” will be the biggest impact player as a Gopher. “The easy answer is Blaise but I don’t want to take that one. There are a lot of kids that I like in this class. I would say Ken Handy-Holly.”

Blaise Andries, the offensive tackle from Marshall, Minnesota, is one of the prize recruits in Minnesota’s 2017 class but Burns has a high regard for Handy-Holly too, the four-star safety from Alabama. “My hope for him is that he can be a player like (former Gopher) Damarius Travis. A guy that is the leader of a defense, can get everyone lined up.”

Burns thinks Holly could play as a freshman, like Antoine Winfield, Jr. did last year. Winfield played early in the season on special teams, then became an impressive starter at safety for the Gophers.

Worth Noting

The Signing Day Social for Gophers football fans at TCF Bank Stadium Wednesday night is sold out. Over 800 attendees are expected at the Goal Line Club sponsored event where Fleck will talk about his first recruiting class at Minnesota. The social begins at 5 p.m. and KFAN’s Dan Barreiro will broadcast his show from the stadium.

A former Big Ten assistant coach who has followed Minnesota high school basketball for decades didn’t want his name in print but told Sports Headliners Jericho Sims is the best prep player from the state he’s ever seen including Kevin McHale and Tyus Jones. The 6-8 Sims is a senior at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis and the son of former Gopher Charles Sims. Sims has signed to play next fall for Texas and head coach Shaka Smart. The ex-Big Ten coach said Sims will be an immediate force in the Big 12, predicting he will play power forward in college while praising his varied offensive skills and his physique. “He’s built like a marble statue,” the source said.

I was in Williams Arena on October 15, 1971 when first-year Gophers coach Bill Musselman led his first official team practice. The Gophers were at least 15 minutes late taking the floor for practice, and I later learned that Musselman was giving the team a hyper-passionate pep talk about the season ahead including challenging Big Ten title favorite Ohio State. It was 45 years ago last week the famous Minnesota-Ohio State brawl took place at Williams Arena. Few people know Musselman was targeting the Buckeyes months before the game.

The St. Thomas and Bethel men’s basketball teams are tied for first place in the MIAC standings with 10-3 records. They play each other tonight at the Tommies’ Schoenecker Arena. Coach John Tauer’s Tommies are defending MIAC champions.

The Twins, expected to be down in their season tickets total this year, are able to offer more prime seating locations because of the decline. A source with the club told Sports Headliners the total season tickets in 2017 is projected at 11,000 to 12,000 after being about 13,000 last year.

Speedy Byron Buxton, the long-hyped Twins prospect and the big league club’s fastest player, stole only 10 bases last season in 92 games and 298 at bats. The center fielder hit .225, struck out 118 times and walked just 23 times. Buxton, though, has stolen 125 bases in 301 minor league games.

Twins super fan Kirk Detlefsen holds his annual Ticket Draft at Target Field on Wednesday. The event is an opportunity for people Detlefsen knows to share in the season tickets he buys each year. The gathering isn’t open to the public but in advance Detlefsen welcomes inquiries (612-701-7244). Twins authorities Derek Falvey, Dave St. Peter and Dan Gladden will speak to attendees, plus Town Hall Ball Parks of Minnesota author Todd Mueller will personalize complimentary copies of his book.

A sports awards industry source said Theo Epstein’s relationship with Jostens years ago was likely a major factor in the Minneapolis-based company being named the designer for the Cubs 2016 World Series rings. Epstein, the Cubs general manager, was the Red Sox’s baseball boss when Boston won the World Series in 2004 and Jostens produced that team’s rings. Look for Jostens to also make a Cubs World Series fan ring.

Dave Stead, executive director of the Minnesota State High School League, told Sports Headliners his organization projects distributing about $1 million to MSHL schools that participated in state tournaments during the 2016-2017 school year. The distribution amounts are determined by a formula to reimburse schools for expenses. Stead said 12 of the 36 state tournaments sponsored by the MSHL, including the Prep Bowl, are profitable.

Minnesota North Stars caps for $39.99 each are on sale at the Minnesota Wild’s hockey-themed restaurant in Terminal 2 of the MSP airport.

Ross Bernstein, the locally-based author of sports books who is also a motivational speaker for businesses, was in Scotland last month where he found time to visit but not play the famed St. Andrew’s Golf Course.

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