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Twins GM Levine: Club Not Rebuilding

Posted on August 3, 2021August 3, 2021 by David Shama

Multiple trades last month, including departing headliners Jose Berrios and Nelson Cruz, left Minnesota Twins fans wondering if the club front office is signaling a rebuild for a team that is currently a disappointing 44-62 this season and in last place in the AL Central Division.

General manager Thad Levine told Sports Headliners rebuilding is not the direction of the franchise that this spring was a favorite to win a third consecutive division title. “Our intent is to maintain our competitiveness. We think we’ve been a force in the American League Central the last handful of seasons. We expect to do that moving forward as well.”

Trades last month by Levine and executive VP Derek Falvey focused on prospects, not proven MLB talent. Pitchers dominated the new talent crop, along with highly hyped infielder-outfielder Austin Martin.

“We are not in a rebuild mode,” Levine said. “I think if we had been you would have seen a very different complexion to the trading deadline as we had a number of assets…players that could have drawn a ton of interest in the game. I think if anything, I would clarify it for a little bit more of a retool where we were making adjustments on the fly.

“No one expected the season we just had. But rather than just being muddled and confounded with what transpired and inactive at the deadline, I think we took an opportunity to add to what we feel is already a strong farm system to better position ourselves for 2022 and beyond.

“Painful decisions without question, in terms of departing with a guy like Jose Berrios, in terms of parting with a leader like Nelson Cruz. But I do think there’s an obligation we have to fans, (and) the players to try to build for the future when we’re not winning at the present. So we took advantage of that, but we think the core of this team has a chance to be very competitive in 2022 and beyond.”

Martin had been ranked the Toronto Blue Jays’ second best prospect and 16th overall in baseball, per Mlb.com. He has been assigned to the Wichita Wind Surge, Minnesota’s Double-A affiliate. He was activated today.

As a college player in 2019 at Vanderbilt, Martin hit .392 and helped Vandy to the NCAA championship. When the Twins acquired him last Friday he was batting .281 (55-for-196) with 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 16 RBI, 43 runs scored and 37 walks. He had a .424 on-base percentage and an .807 OPS in 55 games for Double-A New Hampshire. This is his first season of professional baseball.

In college and professional baseball he has shown scouts exceptional knowledge of the strike zone and making contact with the baseball. “Those are fundamental skills that are exceptionally valuable to major league hitters,” Levine said. “We believe the power will come with him. …”

The 6-foot, 185-pound Martin has the athleticism to play multiple positions in the majors, perhaps even shortstop. Levine said Martin is not “preordained” by the Twins to any position yet and the organization will go through an assessment process in the weeks and months ahead. He is listed as an outfielder on the Wind Surge roster. “He actually will have the opportunity to fill a variety of holes when he gets here,” Levine said.

The Twins GM is appreciative of Martin’s versatility in the field but said, “The best position we think he has is being in the batter’s box and hitting good pitching.”

Worth Noting

Right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, another top 100 prospect acquired from the Blue Jays, is pitching for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics and will later join Martin in Wichita. His Olympic teammate, right-handed pitcher Joe Ryan who was acquired in the Cruz deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, will be assigned to Triple-A St. Paul. Right-hander Drew Strotman, also part of the Rays deal, is already on the St. Paul roster.

It was 20 years ago last Sunday that Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer died. He collapsed from exertional heatstroke in training camp on July 31, 2001 and passed away the next day. The Vikings are honoring his memory including partnering with the NFL Foundation and the Korey Stringer Institute to create the Korey and Kelci Stringer Athletic Training Scholarship with an initial $50,000 endowment.

Prominent Minneapolis attorney and former Minnesota Daily sports editor Marshall Tanick wrote in a Minnpost.com article last week about how Stringer’s death changed protocols in the NFL. “It prompted changes in the game, how it is played and monitored, and the team, but not the law,” Tanick wrote in his story that makes reference to lawsuits and legal precedent.

Word is the Vikings are hoping for a crowd of 20,000 at Saturday afternoon’s scrimmage open to fans at U.S. Bank Stadium. An adult ticket is $20, with a $10 cost for those 17 and younger (children under 36 inches admitted free). The practice begins at noon, with activities and promotions available for fans outside the stadium prior to watching the Vikings.

Target attendance is 45,000 for the recently announced U.S. Bank Stadium game September 2, 2023 between FCS powers North Dakota State and Eastern Washington. NDSU has nearly 15,000 alums in the metro area and 26,000 in the state of Minnesota, per a news release. A 2019 game between the Bison and Butler drew a crowd of 34,544 to Target Field.

The football Golden Gophers open their 2023 schedule at home August 31, playing Big Ten opponent Nebraska.

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck didn’t identify the players but said today those who have been sidelined will make their way back to practice in different phases this month. Minnesota opens training camp Wednesday.

Dave Matter, writing yesterday for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, speculated Gophers AD Mark Coyle could be a candidate for the vacancy at Missouri. Matter writes that Missouri may want to hire an existing AD from a Power Five conference and someone with SEC experience. Coyle has been an AD at three schools including Minnesota and he was once deputy athletics director at Kentucky, an SEC member.

Ken Novak Sr. enriched so many lives as a high school basketball coach, his legacy will endure for a long time. The legendary Hopkins High School figure passed away last week. Condolences to his family and many friends.

Patrick Mader, the author of two books on Minnesota Olympians, is promoting a Zoom event next Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. He will present a slide show about the rich history of Minnesota Olympians, and then be joined by former Olympians who will talk about their experiences. More at http://patrickmader.com.

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U Basketball Ticket Sales Minimal

Posted on June 9, 2021June 9, 2021 by David Shama

The University of Minnesota athletic department sold 138 new public season tickets for men’s basketball from March 23 through May 23 of this year. There are 64 new accounts for the 138 total.

The information was emailed to Sports Headliners following a request to the U regarding current and past totals for season tickets. The March 23 date was a day after Ben Johnson was named head coach.

During past weeks the media has consistently provided coverage of the new basketball leadership and the athletic department has been promoting season ticket appeals via mass emails. The department has also worked at publicizing Johnson, his new assistants and new players. But all of this has prompted minimal season ticket commitment, and that shouldn’t surprise those interested in the program.

After Richard Pitino was fired in mid-March, Johnson was the hurried replacement choice of U president Joan Gabel. Johnson, a Minneapolis native and former Gopher guard known for his high character and likeability, arrived in March with no previous head coaching experience. The 40-year-old’s resume includes assistant roles at multiple schools, including two Big Ten jobs (the U and Nebraska) and one stop in the Big East. To most fans in the general public there isn’t enough excitement about the hire to ponder buying tickets, and the verdict on Johnson as a head coach won’t be known for at least a couple of years.

Since Johnson’s arrival there has been a near 100 percent turnover in the roster. Player turnover is always anticipated when coaching regimes change and in these times many college programs see a lot of flux because of the easy-to-use transfer portal. Those players moving on at Minnesota include the only two from last season’s team with ticket buying appeal, guard Marcus Carr and center Liam Robbins.

Most fans are unfamiliar with the present roster of players who have transferred to Minnesota. Early media predictions are for the Gophers to finish toward the bottom of the 14-team Big Ten next year. The 2021 club placed 13th in the standings with a 6-14 record.

The athletic department has a June 10 deadline for renewal of season tickets. In the days and weeks following the U will know whether the trend of recent years in declining sales will continue. The pandemic prevented fans from attending games last season but the three prior years the public season ticket totals were 5,944 (2019-2020), 6,155 and 6,524.

About 15 years ago season tickets totaled over 9,000. Long gone are the days when Gophers basketball was a tough ticket. Sellouts are rare at 14,625 seat Williams Arena. The average attendance of 10,232 for the 2019-2020 season was the lowest since 1970-1971.

In the glory days and winning years of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s home sellouts were common and season tickets were even passed from one family to another. The Gophers back then were leaders in Big Ten attendance and basketball revenues (pricing tickets higher than most other programs). The decline now in season ticket sales is a blow to a cash-strapped, largely self-supporting athletic department that depends on the profit making sports of football, and men’s basketball and men’s hockey, to pay the bills.

The season ticket base that remains is an older demographic that remembers the successful programs of coaches Bill Musselman, Jim Dutcher and Clem Haskins. Those ticket buyers have remained loyal and stayed through the 21st century failed eras of coaches Dan Monson, Tubby Smith and Pitino. Others have given up their tickets, discouraged by the product on the court and preferred seating fees.

Younger ticket buyers are in the minority at Williams Arena, a near 100-year-old facility loved by many but disparaged by others. Buying season tickets requires a commitment of time and money that many Minnesotans aren’t willing to make right now for Gophers basketball.

The proof is in the numbers.

Worth Noting

Filling up Big Ten football stadiums is challenging. Despite a winning program and minimal competition for the sports dollar, Iowa is offering three-game mini-plans starting at $150.

Potential number: It might take a new deal that pays about $23 million in the first season to satisfy Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter.

Among the over 100 campers at P.J. Fleck’s Minneapolis football camp last week was quarterback Kyle McCormick from California. While there are highly recruited high school players at camps like Fleck’s, many preps like McCormick are trying to get noticed.

“He (Kyle) absolutely loves P.J. Fleck and (offensive coordinator) Mike Sanford,” said Kyle’s dad. Lee McCormick, a 1980 graduate of Golden Valley High School, became a fan of Fleck when the Gopher head coach was leading Western Michigan to prominence.

Lee admires Fleck’s energy, values and success, and he told Sports Headliners it would be a “dream” to have Kyle, who has an offer from Yale, play for Minnesota. Kyle, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound pro style passer heading into his senior year, will compete for the starting quarterback job this summer at La Costa Canyon High School in San Diego County.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association is hosting the 57th annual Football Hall of Fame August 13 at the Doubletree, 1500 Park Place Blvd. Inductees are Bill D. Bailey, Starbuck; Karl Deis, Mora; Terry Horan, Concordia College; Mike Plinske, Bethel University; Richard Robinson, Minneapolis North.

Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold talking about three key players his team plans to re-sign before training camp begins: “Kirill Kaprisov, (Kevin) Fiala, (Joel) Eriksson Ek are three players that you go, wow, what exciting players. What potential going forward.”

Two words not often associated with the NHL: Gentlemanly conduct. Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon is a finalist for The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy presented annually to an NHL player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

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Vikes Likely to Revise Hunter Contract

Posted on June 2, 2021June 2, 2021 by David Shama

Danielle Hunter is the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive MVP. His value to the club is comparable to quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Dalvin Cook.

But unlike Cousins and Cook, Hunter’s contract prompts concern about him remaining in Minnesota. The 26-year-old edge rusher is among the NFL’s best at what he does, but his contract doesn’t compare with peers at the position.

Could Hunter be a no-show at mandatory Viking practices this summer? Maybe, but it’s a smart bet the franchise does a redo on the $72 million contract that binds him to Minnesota through 2023. Head coach Mike Zimmer said today he hasn’t heard from Hunter who is absent from this week’s voluntary team activities.

Ownership, led by Zygi and Mark Wilf, have shown a commitment to win and spend money in support of facilities and players. They are passionate fans who want a Super Bowl team and have invested in U.S. Bank Stadium and Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, while improving contracts of players like Cook and wide receiver Adam Thielen.

After missing last season with a neck injury, Hunter must show he is healthy and ready to resume peak performance. In 2018 and 2019 the former third round draft choice had consecutive seasons averaging 14.5 sacks. He established himself as a Pro Bowl quality pass rusher, with the promise of high production for many years.

Hunter’s edge rushing peers include seven players who have deals worth over $100 million. That’s per a July 20, 2020 SI.com story reporting on Joey Bosa’s $135 million new deal that came weeks after a $125 million contract for Myles Garrett. Hunter’s past performance exceeds players earning much more and he is more than a bargain—he’s a steal—with his current earnings.

NFL clubs are pushing their budgets on defensive ends because they can single handedly turn a game—or even a season—with a few crucial plays like sacking the quarterback or causing a fumble. In Hunter the Vikings have a talent who became the youngest player in NFL history to achieve 50 career sacks. He is also outstanding in defending the run.

The Wilfs aren’t likely to let a disgruntled Hunter force his way out of town. A revised and highly compensated new deal appears all but certain this year or next, unless an injury dictates otherwise.

Worth Noting

The current issue of Sports Illustrated offers a feature on Prince’s love of basketball including hosting a party after the 1994 NBA All-Star game in Minneapolis. At Paisley Park the flamboyant entertainer descended from the ceiling. “Something out of a movie,” Alonzo Mourning said in the article.

Target Center opened in 1990 and underwent extensive remodeling a few years ago but it doesn’t compare favorably with many of the “palaces” in the NBA. It could be potential new Minnesota Timberwolves owners will in a few years push for a new building, likely with the threat of relocating to another city.

In the late 1980s the Minnesota North Stars wanted about $11 million from the Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission to upgrade Met Center but it was a failed attempt. The franchise, under new ownership, relocated to Dallas in 1993. Long ago the Lakers left Minneapolis for Los Angeles because of lagging attendance and a facility issue.

Unruly fan behavior in the NBA has been making news of late. Anyone remember when what seemed like every Sunday in the 1960s someone threw a light bulb onto the floor at Boston Garden during national telecasts?

Gophers basketball coach Ben Johnson and staff remain in all-out recruiting mode to finalize next season’s roster that right now will struggle to compete in the Big Ten. Johnson is trying to shape a roster now and in future years with state of Minnesota players.

June and July are prime recruiting months for Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck and staff. Expect multiple verbal commits for the class of 2022 during the next several weeks. Minnesota’s class for next year, with five verbal commits, is currently ranked No. 35 nationally by 247Sports.

The Gophers’ subpar PAT and field goal kicking of last season will be much improved with the transfer of Kent State’s Matthew Trickett. As a sophomore in 2019 at Kent State he was first team All-MAC, and tied for the NCAA lead in field goals with 29. He had two game winning kicks. The Mid-American Conference cancelled its 2020 season due to the pandemic.

Congratulations to former Gopher defensive end Bob Stein who will be inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame December 7 in Las Vegas. Stein made All-American in 1967 and was a key contributor to Minnesota’s last Big Ten championship team. The St. Louis Park native was also an Academic All-American. University of Minnesota alum Mark Sheffert and the late Pat Fallon, the Minneapolis advertising whiz, advocated for Stein’s overdue recognition by the NFF.

With two PGA vice presidents of rules and competition retiring, it will be interesting to see how that could positively impact former Gopher and Viking Mark Dusbabek. The Faribault native has been a PGA rules official since 2006.

The St. Thomas team that rallied to win three games over the Memorial Day weekend and earned its way to the Division III Baseball World Series, plays an opening game against Adrian starting at 1:15 p.m. Friday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Minnesota United, whose regular season schedule started in April and continues into November, has a long break after playing last Saturday with the next match June 19.

The Twin Cities Dunkers, after months of Zoom meetings, resumes in-person breakfasts in July with likely upcoming programs to include Gophers football and the 3M Open.

No update yet on a new contract for Gophers baseball coach John Anderson (see Monday’s Sports Headliners).

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