Vikings – Page 251 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Gophers Need to Make ‘Statement’

Posted on August 29, 2012August 29, 2012 by David Shama

The way Troy Stoudermire looks at things it’s time for the Gophers to break away from the past. The assignment starts tomorrow night on the road against UNLV in Minnesota’s 2012 opening game.

“It means a lot to go win this game,” Stoudermire told Sports Headliners. “Winning this game is just one step to what we’re trying to accomplish. We gotta come make a statement.

“Every year we’ve been having a team full of talent but we never could get that done. That’s the way we gotta look at it. But this year we’re gonna get that done.”

No player on Minnesota’s roster has more perspective about the program than Stoudermire, a senior cornerback and record-setting kickoff returner. He was a freshman on the 2008 team and was granted a fifth season of eligibility in 2012 by the NCAA because a broken arm limited him to four games last season.

Minnesota’s season records during the Stoudermire era are 7-6-, 6-7, 3-9 and 3-9. That adds up to 19 wins, 31 losses and the record of the last four years has a lot to do with why the college football world has low expectations again for the Gophers. Stoudermire said nobody outside the program gives the Gophers “a chance” to accomplish much in 2012 “but we gotta make a name for ourselves.”

He has been impressed with his teammates during August practices leading up to tomorrow night’s game when the Gophers are expected to win by a touchdown or more. He said the offense is “really good,” led by senior dual-threat quarterback MarQueis Gray who “can do anything.”

The defense?

“This has been the lowest penalty rated camp that I’ve been at on defense,” Stoudermire said. “…I’ve seen the defense improve way more than any other year I’ve been here. We’ve just been on point. Everyone is making calls. Everyone is in the right spot and doing what they’re supposed to do, and not trying to do a little extra, and that’s all you need to have a really good defense.”

Gophers, Vikings & Other Notes:

UNLV is a struggling program like the Gophers. The Rebels were 2-11 last season, winning games at home against New Mexico (45-10) and Wyoming (42-16). Third-year coach Bobby Hauck is 4-21 at UNLV.

Among NCAA teams last season the Gophers ranked 110^th in total offense, UNLV 117^th. In total defense Minnesota ranked No. 77 with the Rebels at No. 105.

Kickoff for the Minnesota-UNLV game is 10:04 p.m. tomorrow. A daytime high of 102 degrees and overnight low of 79 in Las Vegas is forecast by weather.com. Gophers coach Jerry Kill will “play a lot of kids” and the players were told starting last week to consume plenty of fluids.

Quarterback MarQueis Gray had to leave the opening game at USC last year because of heat-induced arm cramps. That’s something Kill expects Gray to avoid tomorrow night. “We’ll take care of that,” Kill said. “MarQueis sweats a ton so we’ll have to make sure he takes plenty of fluid in.”

Kill plans to redshirt all his freshmen offensive linemen including Isaac Hayes and Jonah Pirsig, the two highly publicized Minnesota natives. He will also redshirt former Lakeville South High School quarterback Mitch Leidner.

That means Philip Nelson, the freshman from Mankato West, along with sophomore Max Shortell will be the backup quarterbacks to Gray for the UNLV game. Kill didn’t say so but he probably hopes to redshirt Nelson too.

Kill brought in outside speakers to address the team during August practices including former Gophers All-American safety Tyrone Carter. Don Banham, former Minneapolis police officer and father of Gophers football player Cole Banham and Gophers women’s basketball star Rachel Banham, also spoke to the team.

The Big Ten Network is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month.

The Vikings need a win tomorrow night in Houston over the Texans to finish the preseason at 2-2. Last Friday night at Mall of America Field the Vikings lost 12-10 to the Chargers and it looked like about 65 percent of the seats were filled.

With new automated parking meters near the stadium, the city was charging a Vikings game night rate of $3 per hour Friday. Unless you pay by credit card, that’s 48 quarters to park for four hours.

Merchandise sold in the stadium concourse Friday night included a Christian Ponder jersey for $115 and a limited edition Adrian Peterson jersey for $155.

Former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, who has been doing TV-radio sideline reporting during the team’s preseason games, told Sports Headliners he will be a game analyst for Conference USA football games on Fox. He will also provide game analysis on two Western Michigan games for ESPNU.

Red McCombs, who sold the Vikings in 2005, has mixed feelings about not having the franchise anymore, according to Chad Ostlund who worked for McCombs and remains a friend. Ostlund said McCombs was “frustrated” about the team’s new stadium efforts when he, McCombs, owned the team.

The Twins, who lost a second consecutive game last night to Seattle at home, haven’t hit a home run in 10 of their last 11 games. They have been out scored 47-19 in their last eight games (seven losses).

Joe Mauer has now caught 833 games for the Twins, surpassing Earl Battey’s franchise record for a catcher of 831.

The St. Thomas football team, recently ranked No. 4 nationally by Lindy’s Sports and No. 7 by USA Today, begins its season on Saturday at UW-Eau Claire. The Division III Tommies are coming off consecutive 10-0 regular seasons.

St. Thomas’ Curtis James, Riley Dombek, Chinni Oji, Harry Pitera and Garrett Maloney, Augsburg’s Adam Carl, Saint John’s Bobby Fischer, Bethel’s Josh Wolfe and Concordia’s Tom Knowlton were selected preseason Division III All-Americans by various sources. Saint John’s kicker Jimmie Mattson was named to the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List for the second consecutive season. The award is annually presented to the nation’s top collegiate kicker, regardless of division.

Schools and other non-profit organizations serving youth located within a 50 mile radius of Target Center can enter a contest to win a $10,000 donation for basketball court renovation. www.timberwolves.com/community

Lindsey Berg, who helped the USA volleyball team to the silver medal in the 2012 Olympics, is among nine women and men who will be inducted into the Gophers Sports Hall of Fame on September 20 at TCF Bank Stadium. Ticket information about the event is available by calling 1-800-U-Gopher.

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Multi-Use Priority Over Retractable Roof

Posted on August 27, 2012August 27, 2012 by David Shama

The new downtown Vikings stadium might have a retractable roof in its eventual design but that amenity won’t come at the expense of baseball and other varied events planned for the facility.

Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority executive director Ted Mondale told Sports Headliners that financing for the $975 million stadium was approved without including specific funding for a retractable roof. The facility was positioned as a “peoples stadium” in political campaigning and the facility must accommodate the same varied events the Metrodome has since 1982.

Those events include amateur baseball with a 100 to 150 games per year, according to Mondale. Other sports and attractions are expected to use the new stadium like the Metrodome, hosting everything from golf shows to Final Fours to rollerblading to a Super Bowl.

Mondale is not saying “no” to a retractable roof but is voicing caution. “There’s no extra public money,” he said. “It would be a nice feature to have.”

A stadium architect will be chosen soon and the facility design will follow. If the stadium is open to the elements because of a retractable roof that changes how the entire stadium is designed “right down to the footings” Mondale said, and also dramatically increases the total project cost, perhaps by close to $200 million.

Mondale expects a decision before year’s end on the retractable roof. But even without a retractable roof, it’s likely the stadium will be creatively designed to bring light and ambience into the building which is scheduled to open in 2016.

Vikings stadium executive Lester Bagley told Sports Headliners the team would like to have some kind of “retractable feature” in the new stadium. But the NFL franchise has made no commitment to increase its $477 million share of the $975 million budget to make sure a retractable roof will be included for what now is planned as a fixed roof facility. While it isn’t likely sufficient money can be found in the budget to have a retractable roof, Bagley is hoping there’s enough funding fort a retractable feature like a “window to the skyline” or doors that open to the stadium plaza.

Bagley said that the Vikings financial commitment to the stadium is the fourth largest by an NFL team in league history, and the $975 million budget is less than the cost of other new stadium projects around the country.

Mondale said the stadium authority and Vikings will look at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as a model. That facility has a retractable roof but he said the stadium roof is open only “three to four times per year.”

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Worth Noting

Posted on August 27, 2012August 27, 2012 by David Shama

Ted Mondale, Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority executive director, will be the speaker on Thursday, March 14 at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon in Bloomington. NBA referee and Minnesota native Ken Mauer Jr. will speak at C.O.R.E.S. on Thursday, September 13. Anyone interested in more information can email Jim Dotseth at dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

The Vikings and Gophers will give local football fans a rare local football TV doubleheader on Thursday night. The Vikings play at Houston in their final preseason game starting at 6 p.m. and KARE 11 will televise. The Gophers open their nonconference season on the road in a 10 p.m. start against UNLV broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Vikings rookie offensive tackle Matt Kalil is relieved to have experience now in preseason games. He told Sports Headliners it was “nerve-racking” prior to the preseason opener against the 49ers but he was comfortable after the first play.

The Vikings offense is similar to what Kalil played in at USC but more sophisticated, he said. The Trojans, Kalil predicted, will probably win the national championship.

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, 29, acknowledged he’s in his prime years after leading the team in tackles last season with 174 and playing in his first Pro Bowl.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier recalled how substandard the secondary performed on last season’s 3-13 team. He said an opposing secondary coach even called to tell him “you guys have to address your secondary.”

“…It’s not a lot of fun, but I think we have addressed some of those issues this offseason and now if we can keep our guys healthy it should help us to answer some questions when we play opposing offenses,” Frazier said.

John Gagliardi is preparing for his 60^th season as Saint John’s head football coach. He needs 16 wins to reach 500 career victories (484-133-11). The Johnnies open their season on Saturday at home against Northwestern College.

Saint John’s will finish fourth in the MIAC, according to a conference coaches poll. St. Thomas is picked to win the title followed by Bethel, St. Olaf, Saint John’s, Concordia, Gustavus Adolphus, Augsburg, Carleton and Hamline.

Former Gophers captain and Roosevelt High School alum Mike Svendsen will be among those inducted into the Minnesota Old Timers Football Association Hall of Fame on September 18 at the Prom Center in Oakdale. Others being induced that evening are Bob Meslow, Tom Turk, Frank Seidel and Dick Walker, according to www.tommiesports.com.

Phil Esten, University of Minnesota Alumni Association president and CEO, will leave his position in October to become executive associate athletic director for advancement at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to his alumni assignment, Esten was associate athletics director for the Gophers.

Based on sales at wnbastore.com, the Lynx’s Maya Moore jersey is the best seller in the WNBA. Teammate Lindsay Whalen’s jersey ranks No. 10 among league players. The Lynx are No. 1 in team merchandise sales.

Pearl Park Field No. 1 in the Washburn High School district has been renamed Harmon Killebrew Field. Improvements to the field have been made including new dugouts and a scoreboard featuring Killebrew’s name and No. 3 uniform number. Funding of $300,000 was provided by the Hennepin Youth Sports Program, and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Washburn has historically fielded some of the state’s better baseball teams.

Wild coach Mike Yeo and college coaches will speak at the first Herb Brooks Foundation Leadership Conference on September 15 at the National Sports Center in Blaine. The conference goal is to share with coaches from all levels of hockey what motivates players.

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