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Twins Hire of Paul Molitor Makes History

Posted on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014 by David Shama

There’s plenty to note about Paul Molitor being hired as Twins manager including historical ties to the Gophers.

The Twins announced today they will introduce Molitor as their new manager tomorrow. He has agreed to a three-year contract that will run through 2017, and he becomes the first former Gopher to lead the Twins.

Also, for the first time ever there are now five former Gophers leading teams in MLB, the NBA, NFL and NHL. Flip Saunders and Kevin McHale, basketball teammates with the Gophers, are the head coaches for the Timberwolves and Rockets in the NBA. Former Gophers quarterback Marc Trestman is head coach of the NFL’s Bears. Ex-Gophers defenseman Todd Richards, who once coached the Wild, is head coach of the NHL’s Blue Jackets. All five U alums attended the University of Minnesota in the 1970s and 1980s.

Molitor, a former Gophers All-American shortstop, was considered the favorite for the Twins manager job since Ron Gardenhire was let go in late September. Molitor’s hiring will put smiles on the faces of most Twins fans but his presence in the dugout probably won’t sell a lot of tickets unless the club puts an end to its dismal performance on the field.

Molitor is considered one of baseball’s smartest men. He can talk for hours about a single subject like base running. He reportedly can sit in a dugout and predict what pitch will be thrown next. He has been a Twins coach and before that minor league instructor with the Twins while drawing praise from players for his advice.

What Molitor may have had to convince Twins hiring authorities about is his willingness to get after players and motivate them. Will he travel during the offseason to check in with pitcher Ricky Nolasco who was a major disappointment in 2014 after signing a big contract with the Twins? Would he be bold enough to drop Joe Mauer down in the batting order if deserved?

Managers do make a major impact—if they are the right ones like Billy Martin who in 1969 shook up the Twins and made a big difference in performance. Joe Maddon is probably baseball’s best manager of the current era and his name came up during the Twins’ search but he signed on with the Cubs after leaving the Rays. Maddon’s hire would have made a stir here.

Molitor, 58, has never managed before so it’s appropriate to wonder what kind of job he will do. Part of his success will be tied to the staff he assembles. Will former Brewers teammate Robin Yount, a Hall of Famer like Molitor, be on the staff? The names of Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris and Frank Viola have been mentioned as possible pitching coaches.

Molitor has waited a long time for a manager’s job, and making things sweeter is the Edina resident will do it in his hometown. He will pump new life into the Twins organization but in the long run neither he nor the Twins will maximize success without better players. But that’s for another day, not tomorrow.

Worth Noting

Everson Griffen was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October and yesterday he led the Vikings linemen in tackles and came up with a sack for the fifth consecutive game when Minnesota defeated the Redskins at TCF Bank Stadium.

Griffen, who only started one game during the previous four seasons, is having a breakout year. Asked if he wants to see the season end with All-Pro recognition, the Vikings defensive end said, “I am trying, man.”

Griffen added that team wins are most important and success by the Vikings can only support individual awards. He leads all NFC players in sacks with nine and is second in the league to the Chiefs’ Justin Houston who has 12.

By coming up with a sack yesterday, he now has seven in the last five games. He also had five solo tackles in the 29-26 win over the Redskins including an important first half tackle on third and one when he chased down Washington running back Roy Helu, Jr. for a loss.

Griffen had an NFC-best six sacks in a four-game period in October. He was the only player in the conference with at least one sack in four games. He also led all NFC defensive linemen with 20 total tackles (16 solo) in October.

After nine games, Griffen already has more sacks than his previous season-best of eight in 2013. He can be sure All-Pro selectors are noticing.

Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has only been sacked three times in the last two games. In the two games before that Bridgewater was sacked 13 times as the Vikings lost games to the Lions and Bills.

Bridgewater has now helped the offense in three fourth quarter wins including yesterday. “I feel like Teddy is growing up and I feel like the rest of us are growing up,” Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said on KFAN Radio after the game. “We just gotta be more efficient in everything we do.”

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, who made the team’s roster this season after being on the practice squad in 2013, has been speaking to school groups. The former Detroit Lakes High School player’s message is: “Anything is attainable.”

The Vikings have a reorganized wide receiver group that also includes Jarius Wright who in 16 games last season had 434 reception yards. This season in nine games Wright is second on the team with 315. What’s changed? “A lot of it is my confidence and their confidence in me,” he told Sports Headliners.

Did you know the Gophers’ total of six alums on NFL opening day rosters was tied with Indiana for fewest in the Big Ten Conference? The leaders were Ohio State with 33, Wisconsin 32, Michigan 25 and Penn State 25. The six Gophers were Eric Decker, MarQueis Gray, Ra’Shede Hageman, Marcus Sherels, Matt Spaeth and Brock Vereen.

Despite a bye in the schedule last Saturday and extra week of rest, it’s a good guess injured Gophers Alex Keith (defensive end), Ben Lauer (offensive tackle) and Drew Wolitarsky (tight end) will not be ready for Iowa Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Dick Jonckowski starts his 29th season as Gophers basketball public announcer on Thursday night when Minnesota plays UMD in an exhibition game at Williams Arena. Jonckowski, who experienced health problems during the offseason, is one of only two public address announcers in Williams Arena history. Julie Perlt did the PA work for 58 seasons.

UMD lost an exhibition game on Saturday to Notre Dame, 88-71. Brett Ervin, the senior center from Eden Prairie High School, led the Bulldogs with 29 points.

Lindy’s College Basketball magazine predicts the Gophers will finish fourth in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin, Ohio State and Nebraska. Gophers guard Andre Hollins is a second team all-conference pick.

The magazine has former Robbinsdale Cooper guard Rashad Vaughn on its Mountain West Conference first team. Lindy’s also lists the UNLV guard as the league’s “No. 1 signing coup” and top NBA prospect.

Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic has been susceptible to ankle and foot problems during his NBA career. He told Sports Headliners he applies ice for 12 to 15 minutes after each game. His total minutes per game this season are likely to seldom exceed 30, as coach Flip Saunders tries to limit the pounding on the veteran center’s feet and ankles. Through the first three games of the season he is averaging 30.3 minutes.

Former Minneapolis Marshall-University High School basketball coach Ed Prohofsky has been friends with Saunders for many years and is assisting the Wolves this season as a consultant. Prohofsky attends home games but doesn’t travel with the team. He began his coaching career in the military in 1957 and later had a 53-game winning streak at Marshall-U High. When Saunders coached at Golden Valley Lutheran College for the 1980-81 season, Prohofsky was an assistant coach.

The Wild, off to a 7-3 start, knows about home ice advantage. Minnesota, 5-0 at Xcel Energy Center so far, is the only Western Conference team yet to lose at home. The Wild finished 3-0 at home during preseason, 5-1 at Xcel Energy Center during the 2014 playoffs and 26-10-5 during the 2013-14 season. The Wild hosts the Penguins tomorrow night.

Bethel football coach Steve Johnson will speak at the November 13 CORES luncheon at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Bethel, 7-1 overall and 6-0 in the MIAC, is the only undefeated team in the league. Johnson is in his 26th season at Bethel and six times he has been honored as MIAC Coach of the Year. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. Reservations (by November 10) for the lunch and program can be made by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

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Schedule Gives Vikings Shot at 8-8

Posted on October 31, 2014October 31, 2014 by David Shama

The Vikings, with a 3-5 record, are halfway through their 16-game schedule. Bob Lurtsema predicted last summer new coach Mike Zimmer and a reorganized staff would improve last year’s 5-10-1 record to 8-8.

Despite the absence of key offensive starters including quarterback Matt Cassel, running back Adrian Peterson and tight end Kyle Rudolph, the Vikings have done enough to maintain Lurtsema’s confidence about an 8-8 finish. “I am still sticking with 8-8,” said the former Viking who attends practices and remains close to the team.

The Vikings play the Redskins, 3-5, at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday—the first of eight remaining games. The Vikings have two games on the upcoming schedule with the Bears, 3-5, and also will play the Packers, 5-3, Panthers, 3-4-1, Jets, 1-7, Lions, 6-2, and Dolphins, 4-3. Those seven teams have a combined record of 25 wins, 29 losses and one tie.

Those aren’t intimidating numbers, and the Vikings’ opportunity to finish with a record around .500 percent is enhanced by another factor. Five of the remaining eight games will be in Minneapolis.

An 8-8 record is unlikely to earn entry into the playoffs. In 2013 the worst regular season record for an NFL playoff team was the Packers at 8-7-1. The Chargers, 9-7, also qualified. When the Vikings made the playoffs in 2012 as a wildcard entry their record was 10-6.

Lurtsema is conceding the NFC North title and automatic entry into the playoffs to the Packers. “I think too much of (quarterback) Aaron Rodgers. I just think that the Green Bay Packers are almost a machine.”

But that prediction doesn’t lessen Lurtsema’s enthusiasm for Zimmer and the Vikings. Minnesota won last Sunday, defeating the now 1-6 Bucs, and the Vikings have held their three most recent opponents to 15.6 points per game. A loss in the closing seconds to the Bills a week ago Sunday is a game that got away.

“We should be .500 now at the turn,” Lurtsema said. “We should be 4-4. Coach Zimmer has done everything I expected from (him), plus 20 percent. That man has got those players playing hard.”

Peterson is a former NFL MVP. Rudolph won the 2013 Pro Bowl MVP award. But because the NFL is a quarterback driven league, it’s the season ending injury to Cassel—a journeyman QB—that makes Lurtsema talk about what might have been. “If Cassel was in there I think we would have at least one more win. We’d have no trouble going 8-8.”

Worth Noting

Lurtsema likes Cassel’s successor, rookie Teddy Bridgewater. He praises the rookie’s poise and “velocity” on his passes but described a need for improvement. “He’s got to be able to read the field faster. That’s the part—some quarterbacks—never, ever, ever pick up on. They cannot quicken their reads.”

Lurtsema raved about the team’s other 2014 No. 1 draft choice—linebacker Anthony Barr who caused a fumble in overtime last Sunday and scooped up the ball to run for the winning touchdown against the Bucs.

“Anthony Barr is the real deal. He could be Rookie of the Year.” Lurtsema said. “He’s got such great closing speed. The sky’s the limit for that guy. He’s smart, he’s respectful.

“He’s got everything you want. His long arms, his agility, his 40-yard speed, his 10-yard speed, whatever you want to talk about. That kid can play.”

Lurtsema played on the defensive line for not only the Vikings but the Giants and Seahawks, too. Ironically, all three organizations are hosting alumni gatherings this weekend and Lurtsema will travel to New York for the Giants’ homecoming.

A Vikings spokesman e-mailed earlier this week that except for the possibility of visiting teams returning tickets, the home games against the Redskins on Sunday and Packers, November 23, are sold out.

Former Bears coach Mike Ditka likes to say today is a gift because yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery. Ditka was talking about his philosophy on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike Show” on Monday. “I didn’t make it up but I say it a lot,” said Mike Golic who co-costs the show with Mike Greenberg.

Bob Bossons, a Gophers assistant coach and top recruiter from 1958-1966, died earlier this month after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. Bossons was a key contributor to the Gophers 1960 national championship and Rose Bowl teams of 1961 and 1962.

The guess here is Gophers wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky will be out indefinitely after suffering a high ankle sprain against Illinois last Saturday. The Gophers have a bye on the schedule tomorrow but don’t count on him playing against Iowa November 8 at TCF Bank Stadium.

The Timberwolves announced attendance of 18,296 for last night’s regular season home opener. The attendance came close but didn’t sell out (19,500 capacity) and a franchise spokesman told Sports Headliners earlier this week tickets are available for all home games including the much anticipated appearance by LeBron James, Kevin Love and the other Cavs on January 31.

Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview issue of last week predicted the Wolves, who are 1-1 this season, will finish 14th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. An anonymous scout expressed concern in the magazine about point guard Ricky Rubio, now starting his fourth NBA season with the Wolves. “The great players add to their games in the off-season. I haven’t seen any change in Ricky Rubio over the last three years. His poor shooting has kept him from becoming a Tony Parker-like scorer. He’s a phenomenal passer, but it will take those young guys (Rubio’s new teammates) some time to grow accustomed to his creativity.”

An anonymous scout, perhaps the same one, spoke bluntly in the preview issue about former Wolves executive and coach Kevin McHale, now the Rockets head coach who has his team off to a 2-0 start. “They are the easiest team to scout because they have the smallest playbook and are lackadaisically coached. It’s as close to pickup basketball as there is in the NBA.”

The Wolves play the Bulls at Target Center tomorrow night and Sports Illustrated predicts Chicago will play the Spurs for the NBA championship next spring with San Antonio winning the title.

WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson is excited about KTWN-FM agreeing to be the exclusive radio promotional partner for the 2015 Final Five at Xcel Energy Center March 20-21. KTWN is the Twin Cities radio home for Minnesota Twins games.

Former Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi, sportscaster Joe Schmit, author of the book Silent Impact, and Frank White, founder of Respect Sports, will make presentations next Wednesday on leadership at the Minneapolis campus of St. Thomas. The “Leading with Character: What’s Your Direction?” conference will be from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. More details at Synergyexchange.org.

The Gophers wrestling team hasn’t started its schedule but is No. 1 nationally in the InterMat College Dual Meet Rankings. Eight other Big Ten teams are in the rankings: No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Iowa, No. 5 Penn State, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 Illinois, No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 16 Northwestern.

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Frazier Knows Vikes but Will It Matter?

Posted on October 20, 2014October 20, 2014 by David Shama

A year ago Leslie Frazier was the Vikings head coach but on Sunday his job will be to help defeat his old team. In his role as the Bucs defensive coordinator, Frazier will not only lead the plan of how to stop the Vikings but he is qualified to provide information to his fellow Tampa Bay coaches about the personnel he had on the Minnesota roster.

“I am sure this is going to be one he wants to win,” Vikings linebacker Audie Cole told Sports Headliners today. “You want to beat your last team. I am sure he’s going to be thinking about it.”

Frazier’s familiarity with players he coached here could help the Bucs. “It always gives a coach the upper hand” knowing his former players, said Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler who like other players interviewed voiced respect and fondness for Frazier.

It won’t be Frazier’s intent but he could witness an improvement in the Vikings’ offense on Sunday. The Vikings, 2-5, have managed to score just 45 points in their losses, averaging nine points per game. Frazier has seen his unit give up the most points, 204, of any NFL team so far this season.

The Bucs, 1-5, had a bye yesterday. It had to be welcome after a 48-17 loss to the Ravens a week ago Sunday. In that game Tampa Bay was behind 38-0 in the second quarter. The Bucs are giving up an NFL worst 422.8 yards per game and fans have to wonder if the team’s Tampa 2 defensive alignment is passé.

Frazier and Bucs coach Lovie Smith have long been advocates of the defense but things haven’t gone well in their first season together in Tampa Bay. Results aren’t so good in the points production category, either. The Bucs have scored 120 points and that total ties them with the Vikings for lowest in the NFC.

The Vikings, though, have 120 points in seven games, while the Bucs have only played six games. Minnesota has scored just two touchdowns in the last three games, all losses. Playing with “spare parts,” the Vikings’ offense is without five starters who began the season as regulars including quarterback Matt Cassel, running back Adrian Peterson and tight end Kyle Rudolph.

The Vikings’ offense has to be hoping it’s the same old same old on Sunday for the Bucs’ defense. Both teams are almost desperate in need of a win as the midpoint in the NFL schedule approaches. The Vikings will take that win against anyone including their former coach, Frazier. “We’ll talk to him after the game but I gotta get ready for a win against Tampa Bay,” said defensive end Brian Robison. “That’s all I am concerned about.”

Worth Noting

A bronze statue of Bud Grant will be unveiled outside the Winnipeg Blue Bombers stadium this week. Grant coached the Bombers to four Grey Cup championships. He led the Bombers of the CFL before coaching the Vikings to four Super Bowls.

Troubled wide receiver Percy Harvin, who was traded last week by the Seahawks to the Jets, was dealt by the Vikings to Seattle in 2013 for draft choices that turned out to include defensive back Xavier Rhodes and running back Jerick McKinnon, both contributors to this year’s team.

Here’s how Sports Headliners ranks the Big Ten teams at about halfway through the college football season: 1. Michigan State; 2. Ohio State; 3. Nebraska; 4. Wisconsin; 5. Maryland; 6. Minnesota; 7. Iowa; 8. Penn State; 9. Northwestern; 10. Michigan; 11. Rutgers; 12. Purdue; 13. Illinois; 14. Indiana.

A representative of the Florida Citrus Bowl attended the Gophers-Purdue game on Saturday and later congratulated Minnesota coach Jerry Kill on his team’s win. Located in Orlando, Florida, the bowl was formerly known as the Capital One Bowl and is seeking a new corporate sponsor. The Citrus Bowl is played on January 1 of each year. The Gophers, 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, haven’t played in a January 1 bowl game since 1962.

Kill on coaching this team: “I told them all year, if you listen to us (the coaches), you listen to me, good things will happen.”

The Gophers sold about 9,700 student tickets for the Purdue game with about 9,000 of those tickets used, according to an athletic department source. The announced attendance of 51,241 was a TCF Bank Stadium record for a Gophers game.

Former Iowa All-American quarterback Chuck Long, who was in Minneapolis to provide color commentary on the game, was asked if he will lobby Big Ten Network decision makers to work the telecast of the November 8 Gophers-Hawkeyes game on November 8. “They won’t let me do Iowa games,” he said laughing. “I show too much bias.”

The optimistic guess on Gophers running back David Cobb is he will be a midround NFL Draft choice. Cobb, who is fourth among Big Ten rushers with 144.7 yards per game, doesn’t have breakaway speed but he is an extraordinary runner for Minnesota. A senior, the Gophers wish they had redshirted him.

The Gophers Tommy Olson is one of 167 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy given to the best college football scholar-athlete. Others on the list include Division II players Thomas Obarski, Concordia, St. Paul; Charlie Kem, Southwest Minnesota State; and Ryan Gerts, Winona State; and from Division III Josh Treimer, Bethel; Josh Sinnen, Northwestern, St. Paul; and J.T. Ford, Saint John’s.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen was in his second season with the Bulldogs in 2010 when the Gophers were looking to replace head coach Tim Brewster. Mullen, who has Mississippi State No. 1 ranked in the polls, wasn’t interested in the Gophers job, a source told Sports Headliners on Saturday.

The Don Lucia Radio Show will be heard Monday nights from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on 1500 ESPN. The first show of the season is tonight and the Gophers hockey coach is joined by co-hosts Judd Zulgad and Wally Shaver.

Minnesota Wild—the restaurant—is scheduled to open later this month at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The hockey-themed restaurant will seat over 200 customers and will be located beyond the Terminal 2-Humphrey security checkpoint. There will be displays of goalie helmets, jerseys from the Wild and also youth players from around the state of Minnesota, and a mosaic made with hockey pucks in the shape of the State of Hockey logo.

WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson meets tomorrow with representatives from Xcel Energy Center and Visit Saint Paul to discuss ideas to make the league’s March 20-21 Final Five Tournament a hospitality success. The agenda will target ways to benefit fans including through the involvement of bars and restaurants.

George Smilanich, 92 and a former Iron Range coach, served in World War II and was a consultant for the new movie “The Fury” starring Brad Pitt. Smilanich drove a Sherman tank during the war.

Highlights of the Gophers’ baseball schedule for next year include a March 4 exhibition game in Fort Myers against the Twins. The Gophers will also play games at Maryland and Rutgers, the two new programs in the Big Ten Conference which now has 13 teams (Wisconsin doesn’t participate in baseball). Minnesota’s home opener is scheduled for March 24 at Siebert Field. The Big Ten Tournament will be at Target Field May 20-23.

Major League Baseball faces a roll of the dice every year with the World Series and the weather gods but 2014 should not be problematic. When the Royals host games 1 and 2 in Kansas City Tuesday and Wednesday evenings temps will be in the 60s and 70s. Giants games in San Francisco figure to be played in mild weather too.

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