Wild – Page 22 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Grass Field Likely X-Factor for Vikings

Posted on January 6, 2023January 6, 2023 by David Shama

The Soldier Field playing surface will be a focus Sunday in Chicago where the Vikings will try to not only win and improve their playoff seeding against the 3-13 Bears but avoid injuries to key players and ensure their availability in the postseason.

The safety of the natural grass surface was harshly criticized in August by the president of the National Football League Players Association. Then shortly before the season began new sod was installed, switching from Kentucky blue grass to Bermuda grass.

The Vikings are more than aware they’re likely to be playing on a slippery surface Sunday at the multipurpose stadium owned by the Chicago Park District. When players can’t maintain their balance, they’re even more vulnerable to injury in the violent game of football. “Yeah, 100 percent,” said T.J. Hockenson.

With new sod and months of use in varying weather conditions, the Vikings’ tight end anticipates a “pretty bad” playing surface Sunday when he and other starters hope to avoid misfortune. Does he consider the field dangerous?

“You just never know,” Hockenson said. “I think it probably could be dangerous if you look at it that way. You just have to make sure you’ve got your feet under you and you’re ready to go.”

Vikings’ wide receiver Adam Thielen said pregame field conditions can be deceiving, with things changing once the game starts. “I think it’s just going to have to be something (Sunday) where you just have to figure it out on the fly.”

The Vikings played on a natural surface last Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and had difficulty with their footing. “Yeah, for sure,” Hockenson said. “The grass in Lambeau wasn’t very good. It was fine in warmups and then once we got out there (to start the game) it was not good at all. It was just a learning experience for everybody and we’ll be ready to go this week.”

Many Vikings are expected to wear shoes with extra cleats at Soldier Field. A shoe with seven cleats provides extra bite into the grass. Thielen made the switch during the Green Bay game. “…It was perfect and once I put those bad boys on, it felt great.”

Worth Noting

Kevin O’Connell photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

Kevin O’Connell is a rookie head coach as he prepares to lead his Vikings into the playoffs. But lessons learned about a year ago as Rams offensive coordinator, when that team delivered a Super Bowl win, should be helpful.

Minnesota offensive coordinator Wes Phillips also had a valuable experience with the Rams while serving as the team’s passing game coordinator/tight ends coach. Viking quarterbacks coach Chris O’Hara was an offensive assistant with the Rams during their big season.

The 12-4 Vikings are 2-2 in their last four games and have an opportunity to win their first NFC North Division road game of the season on Sunday in Chicago. The January 8 regular season game is the latest in franchise history.

The Bears lead the NFL in rushing yards per game at 181. The Bears were held to 88 yards rushing when Minnesota defeated Chicago 29-22 earlier in the season. The Vikings rank No. 20 in rushing yards given up.

A coaching authority and Sports Headliners reader suggested the 3-4 base defense adopted by the Vikings this season is vulnerable to outside runs because defenders more easily lose containment.

O’Connell, talking recently about his rookie defensive lineman and former Gopher Esezi Otomewo: “His energy and athleticism shows up. He’s flying around out there, has shown to be incredibly coachable for a young player as he gets more and more snaps.”

Ryan Connelly, the Vikings’ practice squad linebacker who played at Eden Prairie High School, will be a free agent later this year. He told Sports Headliners going to the Canadian Football League to play doesn’t interest him. His salary is $317,000 this season, per Overthecap.com.

It just could be the injuries situation for the football Gophers coming out of their bowl win over Syracuse is worse than reported.

Former Gophers football coach Jerry Kill has agreed to a contract that keeps him with New Mexico State through 2027.

Former Twin Nelson Cruz, 42, had eye surgery this offseason and is on the market as a free agent. He hit .294 for the Twins in 2021 but .234 for the Nationals last season.

Probably no Twins interest in Cruz, but the front office is known to sign veteran pitchers. Right hander Zack Greinke, 39, is available after pitching 137 innings last season for the Royals with a 3.68 ERA.

Classy Barry Fritz, the only crew supervisor of off-ice officials the Wild has ever had, will retire after this season. Fritz, who turns 77 in February, has never missed a home game while overseeing statistics and press box responsibilities of the support personnel. He also worked for many years as a Twins official scorer.

Former Wild executive Bill Robertson, now commissioner of the USHL, hired Fritz in 1999. “Mr. Barry Fritz is one of the most organized and detailed people I have ever worked with and always does it with a smile on his face,” Robertson wrote via email. “He has a can-do attitude every day at the rink or ballpark. He was so easy to work with on every level and always looked out for his support crew.”

There’s talk the NCAA may expand “March Madness” from 68 to 90 teams. If so, most of the Big Ten teams will be in the tournament.

Star Tribune columnists Patrick Reusse and Chip Scoggins speak to the Capital Club January 18 starting about 7:30 a.m. at Mendakota Country Club. The two collaborated on the recent book Tales from the Minnesota Sports Beat: A Lifetime on Deadline. More information about the club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com

Boys basketball high school coaching legend and community leader Larry McKenzie speaks to the CORES lunch group January 12 at the Bloomington Event Center. McKenzie coached teams at Henry and North to six state tournament titles in 10 appearances. For reservations contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

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Vikings’ ‘D’ May Revive vs. Inept Colts

Posted on December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 by David Shama

It will be a bad look if the Vikings’ defense struggles again Saturday. The defensive unit and coordinator Ed Donatell will be scrutinized for their performance at U.S. Bank Stadium against a Colts offense that has been mostly inept this season.

The 4-8-1 Colts average just 16.1 points per game, ranking No. 31 among 32 teams. They have the most turnovers in the NFL at 26. Quarterback Matt Ryan has a passer rating of 84 after throwing 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.

The Colts should be a welcome site to Donatell and his unit after their recent five-game nosedive. In that stretch the Vikings have given up 30.4 points per game and an average of 460.6 yards. Worse news is that the 10-3 Vikings are 3-2 in those last five games. Ryan rarely throws for 400 yards but if he does Saturday the Vikings could lose again.

At least among the public there is a lack of confidence in Donatell. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said Donatell will call plays tomorrow. Asked earlier in the week if he would consider changing coaching assignments and play callers on gameday, O’Connell said, “You’re always looking at things that you think might be a possible answer to help the guys play better and be more consistent, but as of right now, no, not something I’m considering.”

The “as of right now” comment draws attention. It raises questions about Donatell, particularly with another defensive veteran on the staff in Mike Pettine, assistant head coach. Last year as a senior defensive assistant he helped the Bears improve to an overall No. 6 ranking in total defense. Before that he had success as the Packers’ defensive coordinator. He has 28 years of high school, college and professional experience.

Donatell and the defense are definitely on the collective hot seat for the Vikings who have scored 312 points this season and given up 313. Maybe facing Ryan can help get things turned around but in the last five games the Vikings have allowed the likes of Mike White (369) and Mac Jones (382) to pass for over 300 yards each.

Worth Noting

Did you know Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins is the only NFL QB with 3,000-plus passing yards and 20-plus touchdown passes in each of the past eight seasons?

Former Vikings wide receiver Nate Burleson will provide analysis on Saturday’s NFL Network game between Minnesota and the Colts. The game will also be seen locally on KSTP.

Nate is the younger brother of Kevin Burleson, the former Gopher basketball guard and ex-Timberwolves assistant coach. Kevin is head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League.

The Vikings-Patriots game and two other NFL games televised on Thanksgiving had an average minute audience of 44.1 million viewers, per NFL Communications.

There’s a lot of deserved hype about Gophers’ basketball recruit Dennis Evans from Riverside, California because of his defensive prowess but he is very raw offensively, a reality that may have given other college programs pause in pursuing the 7-foot-1 center.

This year’s Gophers, 5-6 and 0-2 in Big Ten games, have myriad issues including guard play. Tre Holloman, the freshman point guard at Michigan State from Minneapolis, could have helped. Holloman isn’t starting but has played in all 11 games, totaling 111 minutes and has made just two turnovers.

Second-year coach Ben Johnson’s team is struggling, looking dysfunctional at times and right now Minnesota is a favorite to finish last in the Big Ten for a second consecutive season. The Gophers are No. 244 in the NCAA net rankings of men’s Division I NCAA teams.

At least publicly, it seems like the buzz around the program is looking toward the 2023-2024 season when another hyped recruit, guard Cameron Christie from Rolling Hills, Illinois, shows up—but there are too many things that can happen between now and next fall to forecast a big turnaround for the program.

Sending best wishes to Jimmy Williams, the former Gophers basketball assistant coach and ace recruiter for Bill Musselman and Jim Dutcher, who has advanced Parkinson’s and is living in Tampa.

For a Name, Image and Likeness deal, men’s basketball players from Baylor and Gonzaga were paid by event organizers to promote their neutral site game in Sioux Falls earlier this month. Players received $8,000 each, per a Sports Headliners source.

Not saying it’s certain but don’t be surprised if Karl-Anthony Towns‘ calf injury doesn’t allow a return to Timberwolves game action until February.

It looks like a modest number of Gophers fans will attend the December 29 Pinstripe Bowl in New York City at Yankee Stadium. Reporters will be stationed in the open-air press box. Accuweather.com forecasts a cloudy day with a high of 36 on December 29.

Lou Nanne has been watching Sammy Walker since the now Wild forward was a pre-teenager. He told KFAN’s Dan Barreiro this week that Walker might be the fastest player on the team and he likes the former Gopher’s future but wants to see checking improvement.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said next year’s salary cap may rise by only $1 million per year next year. If so, that could put a player like the Wild’s Matt Dumba, reportedly at about $6 million next year, on the spot regarding his future in Minnesota.

The Gopher wrestling team, with no matches now until January 1 at the Southern Scuffle, is 7-0 and has moved up to No. 9 nationally in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll. The top five ranked teams are Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Arizona State and Michigan.

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Twins Need to Rethink Carlos Correa

Posted on December 10, 2022December 10, 2022 by David Shama

Free agent shortstop Carlos Correa has the baseball world, including Twins fans, on notice about his future. The view here is Minnesota should tank efforts for signing him and target multiple players through free agency and trades that could collectively help them more.

This week it became more evident than ever it’s going to take a bank full of money over something like 10 years to give the Twins a reasonable chance to re-sign their 2022 MVP. Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts are elite shortstops and peers of Correa who is arguably the best at his position in MLB. This week Turner and Bogaerts signed new deals of $300 million and $280 million respectively. Both contracts are for 11 years.

Power agent Scott Boras represents Bogaerts and Correa. Boras will be on task to top not only top Bogaerts’ deal for Correa, but also Turner’s.

It could require north of $325 million for at least a decade to sign Correa. Even if the Twins want to offer such numbers, it’s possible other teams (think Giants, Cubs) may back up a bigger armored truck to Correa’s door.

Another part of persuading Correa to sign a new deal will involve the caliber of players an organization can put around him. That can be existing talent, hot prospects and what the organization’s vision is for winning. The Twins, 78-84 last season, have a spotty record in the playoffs since winning the World Series in 1991. Their track record shows occasional willingness to spend big money (Joe Mauer, Josh Donaldson and Correa in 2022) but they don’t stretch the payroll like the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Texas, Padres, Yankees and other clubs.

Correa is 28 and while it was exciting to have him on the roster last season his impact on winning games wasn’t that of a $35 million player. Even if his production was better, it requires more than a couple of elite players to have a great team. Look at the Angels and their stumbling ways despite having two of the greatest players of this generation in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

The view here is the Twins can be better positioned to win by taking Correa money and spending it on a pitcher who could be a staff ace or close to it. Also, bolstering their bullpen and finding a catcher like free agent Christian Vazquez will be money well spent.

Those moves are more likely to make the Twins a postseason contender in 2023 and beyond. In a team game where it takes many to contribute the Twins don’t need to take on a lengthy obligation for a player who will be in his late 30s when he stops playing. Of interest, too, is Correa had back issues with the Astros prior to joining the Twins.

“These long-term contracts in baseball, they rarely work out for the best,” a source with MLB ties told Sports Headliners. “ …You’re paying guys for what they accomplished, not what they’re going to accomplish. It’s always a little bit risky when you tie up that kind of money in one player. I think you have to be ready to put talent around him.”

If the Twins are without Correa in 2023, they already have 32-year-old shortstop Kyle Farmer for the short-term, while awaiting the take over of top prospect Royce Lewis for potentially a longtime.

Worth Noting

The top seven rudest fans at stadiums in the NFL are in order: Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers, Packers and Bears, per a survey this fall by NJ.Bet. The Vikings rank No. 22 and the Lions, who host Minnesota Sunday, are No. 15. Brief comments on fans for each team include “get too drunk” for the Vikings and Packers, and “heckle too much” for the Bears and Lions. https://nj.bet/news/ranked-rudest-fans-in-the-nfl/

Legendary coach Bud Grant likes the 2022 Vikings team but said a single play going wrong in games could have resulted in a “1-9 record.” Grant made that comment while talking to KFAN’s Dan Barreiro for more than one hour earlier this week.

The former Vikings coach, who will be 96 next May, credits his longevity to family genes and good fortune, including experiences where he could have died. Grant told Barreiro he doesn’t “believe in God.”

Surprisingly, the 10-2 Vikings have been underdogs this week for their game Sunday in Detroit. The Lions, 5-7, want to become the first team since the NFL expanded the playoffs in 1990 to make the postseason after a 1-6 start. They have won four of their last five games.

“The arms race” in college football continues including in the Big Ten with media reports that Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck will now make $6 million after new hires at Nebraska and Wisconsin: Matt Ruhle for $9.25 million with the Cornhuskers and the Badgers paying Luke Fickell $7.5 million for next year.

Lasting memory in the Iowa-Minnesota football rivalry: After this fall’s 13-10 Iowa win at Huntington Bank Stadium controversial Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz stood in front of his school’s fans and simulated rowing a boat, an observer told Sports Headliners.

Rob Gag and Derek Burns, co-founders of Dinkytown Athletes, aren’t taking salaries from their new startup. The collective facilitates Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities and financial compensation for Gopher athletes. Fans, boosters and businesses can benefit athletes through activities such as endorsements and personal appearances. Burns told Sports Headliners paid interns are helping with “business development.” https://dinkytownathletes.com/

Stillwater-based Creative Charters has been taking Gophers football fans to bowl games for years and 2022 is no different. The itinerary for New York City and the December 29 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium has fans departing December 28 and back home for New Year’s Eve December 31. Details on the Creative Charters website. https://creativecharter.com/index.html

Contrary to what has been reported, new Timberwolves and Lynx owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez don’t have to make a December payment to Glen Taylor, a franchise source told Sports Headliners. The two need to execute paperwork this month, with payment required next year as part of their transition to majority ownership.

Don’t be surprised if new Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly makes personnel moves in the coming weeks. Some NBA players, by stipulation in their contracts, can’t be traded until December 15.

Former Gopher men’s gymnastics coach Mike Burns and Michael Hsu, the former University of Minnesota regent with a strong interest in athletics, are applicants for the at-large opening on the 12-member Board of Regents next year. Former Gopher football player William Humphries is an applicant for District 3.

The Wild has recalled Edina native and former Gopher Sammy Walker from Iowa where he led the team in points, goals and power-goals. Walker signed a two-year, entry level contract with the Wild last August.

Old friends: Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, 38, is still friends with 72-year-old Gilles Meloche, the former North Stars goalie who coached Fleury years ago with the Penguins.

The Gopher men’s hockey team earned a 7-1 win at home last night against the Badgers, with three different lines scoring at least one goal. Minnesota had two infractions called in the first period, ending a streak of 218:06 (nearly four games) without a penalty.

Elite skater Mason Moe, a 10th grader on the Eden Prairie boys’ hockey team and grandson of former Gophers athletic director Tom Moe, is a prep forward to follow this winter. He was one of the metro’s top bantam players last winter.

The Gophers announced that four student-athletes earned a GPA of 4.0 this fall: Ava Hill (women’s cross country), Sydney Kretlow (women’s cross country), Elizabeth Overberg (soccer) and Matthew Trickett (football).

Early bird tickets go on sale December 12 for the Minnesota Golf Show February 24-26 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. https://minnesotagolfshow.com/

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