Vikings – Page 149 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Ex-coach Likes U Big Ten Title Chances

Posted on July 27, 2017July 27, 2017 by David Shama

A Thursday notes column including summer optimism about Gophers basketball.

Count former Gophers Big Ten championship coach Jim Dutcher among those who expect a memorable 2017-2018 basketball season for Minnesota. “At a minimum they’re an NCAA (Tournament) team, with a great chance to win the league,” Dutcher told Sports Headliners.

Minnesota returns all but one key player (guard Akeem Springs) from last season’s surprise team. The Gophers, who had a 2-16 league record in 2016, won 11 of 18 conference games last winter. Dutcher looks at a roster that includes 2017 All-Big Ten guard Nate Mason, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Reggie Lynch, and Amir Coffey, who was named to the All-Freshman team, and sees an improved win total next year.

“I would think they gotta be in the 12, 13 range in minimum wins, and could even be better than that,” Dutcher said.

National media have the Gophers included in top 25 rankings for next season. Sportingnews.com put Minnesota at No. 10 in a listing in the spring, and that’s not too high for Dutcher who sees the Gophers and Michigan State as the favorites to win the Big Ten championship. The Spartans are a consensus top five team heading into next season.

It might be over 20 years since offseason optimism has been so high about Gophers’ basketball. In the summer of 1996 Minnesota returned all five starters, including all-time great guard Bobby Jackson. Minnesota won the Big Ten title during the 1996-1997 season and advanced to the Final Four—with those achievements and others later erased by the NCAA after an investigation involving academic fraud.

Summer optimism about coach Richard Pitino’s program also extends to recruiting for his class of 2018. Three high profile state of Minnesota high school seniors have committed to Pitino—DeLaSalle’s Gabe Kalscheur, Cretin-Derham Hall’s Daniel Oturu and Orono’s Jarvis Thomas. Dutcher believes landing Coffey, who starred at Hopkins, was a “breakthrough” for the Gophers in state recruiting. Another factor in play is Minnesota’s new basketball practice facility that is expected to open in 2018.

Minnesota’s 2018 class is No. 5 nationally in the composite rankings by 247Sports. That’s one of the highest rankings in program history. Dutcher’s five-player 1978 freshman class was recognized as No. 1 in the nation. The class formed the core of his 1982 conference title team.

Indigo Thompson, the daughter of Gophers all-time leading football rusher Darrell Thompson, is a junior volleyball player at San Diego State. She started her college career at Virginia Commonwealth.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she has talked with her brother Race Thompson about playing basketball at San Diego State. Race, a senior at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School and among the state’s high profile prospects, has verbally committed to Indiana.

Gophers’ offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover was dismissed by head coach Tracy Claeys after the 2015 season but Penn State has turned out to be “Happy Valley” for him. Limegrover is in State College, Pennsylvania preparing for his second season as the Nittany Lions’ offensive line coach where he will have one of the best “o-line” units in the Big Ten. Running back Saquon Barkley, a Heisman Trophy favorite, will make Limegrover and the blockers look good on a Penn State team that could repeat as Big Ten champs.

The Vikings are holding their 52nd and last training camp in Mankato this summer before relocating to their new training facility in Eagan. The absence of the NFL team in Mankato is sure to have an economic impact on the city, with sources as far back as 2010 estimating the annual figure at $5 million.

A July, 2010 Mankato Free Press story reported that in 2009 an estimated additional $5 million in local revenue resulted from Vikings training camp, with more than 50,000 visitors coming to Mankato. Those figures have likely increased in the years since, but multiple media reports this summer have still estimated the economic impact at $5 million.

Fans can attend practices between now and the close of camp on August 9, but players have off days August 1 and 8. The Vikings’ first preseason game is August 10 against the Bills in Buffalo. Fox 9 will televise the game that starts at 6 p.m. Minneapolis time.

Dalvin Cook (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Although much anticipated Dalvin Cook is a rookie, he isn’t that young for a first-year player. Cook, who declared for the NFL Draft after three seasons at Florida State, turns 23 on August 8. The Vikings know he could be their replacement for Adrian Peterson after making him the third overall running back chosen in the draft.

Vikings single game home tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. today via Ticketmaster.com only. Included was the Green Bay game on October 15.

Controversial baseball umpire Joe West, whose confrontations include the Twins, is featured in a seven-page story in the July 24-31 issue of Sports Illustrated. Peter Thamel writes that West once ejected Ron Gardenhire before the Twins manager could open his mouth.

Hale Irwin, who will be in town to compete in the 3M Championship next week, will speak to the Twin Cities Dunkers group next Thursday morning. Irwin is the all-time leader on the Champions Tour in earnings with over $27 million and tournament wins at 45.

Originally known as the Minneapolis Dunkers, the group had its first meeting in October of 1948. The most famous names in Minnesota sports history have spoken to members over the years—plus some national speakers such as Bobby Knight, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Brokaw and Thomas Friedman.

Minneapolis restaurateur Wayne Kostroski, who founded the Taste of the NFL in Minneapolis for the 1992 Super Bowl, was featured in the July 17-23 Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal. Kostroski, who has started similar events for other high profile sports, comes full circle next year with the Minneapolis Super Bowl.

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Twins Buy-Sell Decision Still Too Early

Posted on June 25, 2017June 25, 2017 by David Shama

A Sunday notes column with the Twins leading off:

The Twins are a surprise contender for the American League Central Division title, and this morning were only a half game out of first place. The turnaround from 2016 when Minnesota finished with a 59-103 record doesn’t predict, however, whether the front office will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline July 31.

Club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners on Friday it’s too early to determine what direction the franchise will go with its roster by the end of July, and even in August when MLB teams can still make moves through waiver deals. He made it clear that whatever course the club determines will be decided by Derek Falvey, the chief baseball officer who was hired last fall.

“We’ll try to do what’s best for our club,” St. Peter said. “I have great confidence in Derek Flavey to lead that decision making process. … It’s a little early to get into where we stand in that. Obviously our club has been competitive but it’s also obvious we have a lot of work to do.”

Falvey and others involved with the Twins leadership, including general manager Thad Levine, are taking a long-term view in rebuilding the franchise. While it’s a positive to be playing above .500 with a 38-34 record, the goal is to become a consistent winner that can deliver championships. The Twins have holes on their roster, including at times an alarming lack of quality pitching. The farm system only has a couple of prospects who will make top 100 lists of baseball’s most promising players.

“There are a lot of positives with this (current roster) group of players,” St. Peter commented. “That said, we’ve also seen challenges and we need to find ways to get better. I am optimistic that Derek is going to explore every avenue going forward, and not just in the short-term but probably more importantly over the long-term.”

On July 22 the Twins celebrate the 30th anniversary of their 1987 World Series championship team during a pregame ceremony at Target Field before Minnesota plays the Tigers. That Twins won the first world title by a Minnesota pro sports team since the 1954 Minneapolis Lakers were NBA champs.

The 1965 Twins were in the World Series, the 1981 North Stars reached the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Vikings lost four times in Super Bowls in the 1970s, but St. Peter said Upper Midwest sports fans are “eternally grateful to that group (the ’87 Twins) for actually bringing home a world championship.”

The ’87 team wasn’t a preseason favorite to reach the World Series. Part of the love affair for fans with that team was how they surprised most everyone with their success. “It’s by far, in my opinion, the most popular group-team in Minnesota sports history,” said St. Peter who expects many members of the team to be in Minneapolis for the reunion.

Earlier this year the Twins’ Eduardo Escobar represented the club in a cow milking contest against the Angels’ Blake Parker in Anaheim. St. Peter said a milking contest could be part of his franchise’s plans for next season and help celebrate agriculture.

Asked about potential Twins to participate, St. Peter identified Escobar and Chris Gimenez who he said was known as a “decent milker” while participating in cow milking with other clubs. Years ago the promotion was popular at Met Stadium.

It’s not believed (just kidding) cow milking skills or experience will be factors in determining the Twins’ roster coming out of spring training in 2018.

Longtime Wolves followers might wonder about the reported relationship between Jimmy Butler and coach Fred Hoiberg during the last two seasons in Chicago. Butler, the All-Star small forward traded to the Wolves last week, was apparently critical and challenging of Hoiberg’s coaching. Hoiberg, who played for the Wolves and worked for the organization years ago, is a terrific person and classy guy.

Westgate sports book moved the Wolves from 100-1 to 60-1 to win next year’s NBA title after the Minnesota-Chicago trade, according to a Friday online story by Todd Dewey for the Las Vegas Review–Journal. The Bulls’ odds went from 100-1 to 200-1.

Athlon Sports is celebrating 50 years since its inception and its Big Ten football magazine now on newsstands includes a feature ranking the 50 top college players dating back to 1967. Minneapolis’ Larry Fitzgerald Jr., the wide receiver who played at Pittsburgh, is No. 23. Former Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss, who scored at least one touchdown in each of his college games at Marshall, is No. 22. Running back Herschel Walker, who also played for the Vikings and won the Heisman Trophy while leading Georgia to the national championship, is No. 1 on the list.

Teddy Bridgewater’s rehabilitation of his knee is ongoing but optimism about his chances of playing quarterback again for the Vikings is more certain than several months ago.

Jennifer Hines, tournament director for the 3M Championship, is one of three women in the country directing PGA tournaments. Another director is Hines’ sister, Tracy West, with the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida.

This year’s 3M Championship is July 31-August 6 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. Jack Nicklaus will be among the golf legends expected to play in a special event. Joe Durant won the tournament last year. Admission is free all week.

Creative Charters, the Stillwater-based fan tour company, is offering a package with more than football for the Gophers game on September 9 in Corvallis against Oregon State. The trip includes activities on the Oregon coast with fishing, whale watching, wine tasting and more. Details at Creativecharter.com.

The 29th annual Bruce Smith Golf Classic last Monday at Faribault Golf Club included former Gophers Seth Helgeson, Darrell Thompson and Ben Utecht. The fundraising event benefits Faribault schools and has generated about $225,000 over the years. It honors Bruce Smith, the Faribault native who won the 1941 Heisman Trophy playing for the Gophers.

Kaitlin Langer, who finished her senior season at St. Thomas as the D3Hoops.com Player of the Year, majored in real estate studies and is “affiliated with a RE/MAX office in Rosemount,” according to the latest issue of the University of St. Thomas magazine.

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Fleck Recruiting Earns Rival’s Praise

Posted on June 11, 2017June 11, 2017 by David Shama

When Darrell Hazell was the wide receivers coach at Ohio State more than 10 years ago, P.J. Fleck worked for him as a graduate assistant. They still have a relationship while the two have moved through career coaching stops including Fleck’s hiring this winter as the Gophers new head football coach.

“So I know P.J. very well,” Hazell told Sports Headliners during an interview. “We’ve talked quite a few times. I think he’ll do a great job. He’ll work hard and he’s a great recruiter. He’ll work hard at it.”

Fleck’s recruiting is a major offseason story this winter and spring. At times the Gophers’ 2018 recruiting class flirted around the top 10 composite national rankings by 247Sports. In the latest 247 composite rankings the Gophers are still an impressive No. 20.

Hazell was head coach at Purdue until last fall when he was dismissed during his fourth season. The Boilermakers and Minnesota are two of the teams in the Big Ten’s West Division, so Hazell knows what it takes to compete in the league.

Can Fleck’s recruiting result in enough quality players for the Gophers to soon contend for division titles? Hazell said because he doesn’t know much about the Minnesota program, he can’t predict, but he issued words of caution.

“There’s a lot of people to beat in the Big Ten in recruiting,” Hazell said. “That’s the hard part. But he’ll go after it hard.”

Hazell talked to Sports Headliners at Winter Park last week where he has transitioned from college coaching to the NFL and being the Vikings’wide receivers coach. Hazell, 53, has 30 years of coaching experience including 14 working directly with wide receivers. He’s been a career college coach, with his only taste of the NFL an internship working with wide receivers in Oakland in 1998. As a player, he was an All-American wide receiver at Muskingum College in Ohio.

Was Hazell’s ego bruised going from Big Ten head coach to an NFL assistant?

Darrell Hazell (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

“No, not at all,” he answered. “This is something I had not done (in his coaching career). That was one of the things that I said. I am not going to go back and do something I’ve done.

“Obviously coaching receivers is natural. This was an opportunity for me to do something that was exciting. Something that was new. It’s been a great three or four months.”

When Hazell was out of coaching after losing his job at Purdue, he received calls regarding other opportunities, but he was not in a hurry to decide on his next career move, and it had to be right. He had no idea that opportunity would be the Vikings, an organization where he knew no one and located in a city where he had never worked.

What was going through Hazell’s mind during the dead of winter? “Take it one day at a time, enjoy life,” he said. “I wasn’t worried about anything. Just trying to relax and enjoy the family.

“I got the phone call. I said, Hey, this is a heck of an opportunity if it’s afforded to me. I am going to look into it very closely.

“I am really elated that I did because the players have been phenomenal. Their work ethic is tremendous, and the coaching staff, it meshes so well together. Then you know we’ve got such great leadership here with Rick and Zim.”

The phone call from the Vikings to Hazell initially came on February 13 from general manager Rick Spielman. Ten days later, with the approval of Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer, the Vikings announced their new wide receivers coach, replacing George Stewart who joined the Chargers’ staff.

Understandably the last few months have been a period of evaluation by both Hazell and his wide receivers. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group,” he said. “We’ve got 11 guys in there and they are all eager to be really good. …”

Hazell goes about his work with intensity and the goal of excellence. Although he is no longer responsible for the entire operation of a football program, his past experience helps him understand what Zimmer is doing.

Hazell’s four years leading Purdue and two years before that at Kent State was something he talked about in his interview with the Vikings. “I said I can be a better assistant coach now that I’ve been a head coach, because I see things with a different perspective. …”

Worth Noting

Fleck and athletic director Mark Coyle meet the public at a Minnesota Alumni Association sponsored event from 5:30 to 8 p.m. June 22 in the DQ Club Room at TCF Bank Stadium. Fleck will talk about the upcoming season at the gathering which is open to both alumni association members and nonmembers. More information at 612-624-2323.

Street & Smith’s college football magazine headlined its Mid-American Conference section like this: “What the Fleck? No. P.J. means new hope in the MAC.”

The publication also said: “Engaging, energetic and a flat-out winner, Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck rowed his boat all the way to Minnesota and the league will miss him.”

Individuals with Minnesota connections being considered for 2018 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame include Blake Elliott (Saint John’s); Ross Fortier (MSU Moorhead); Marcus Harris (Wyoming); and Bob Stein (Gophers).

The pecking order of talent in the NBA Finals is a bit muddled including the positioning of former Timberwolves star Kevin Love. Does the Cavs power forward deserve the No. 5 spot, or is Draymond Green from the Warriors a better choice? We might need to call in IBM’s Watson to figure that out, and also how to rank LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Steph Curry.

Frank Deford, the acclaimed sportswriter who died recently, wrote about his career in a 2010 story for Sports Illustrated that included a night in Minneapolis when he was doing a Roller Derby article. Deford said one of the skaters, who was “flamboyantly gay,” made a move on him late night at a bar. Deford, who was straight and married to a former runway model, was more than surprised the next night in Duluth when team members approached him and sang, “Here comes the bride.”

If the Twins don’t draft Hunter Greene tomorrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft and he turns out to be a star either as a pitcher or position player, Minnesota management will hear about it for a long time including the criticism they didn’t want to spend the money to acquire the southern California phenom. The guess here is that soon after 6 p.m. tomorrow night MLB will announce the Twins have chosen Greene.

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