Wild – Page 37 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

‘Old Man’ Cruz Could Make HR History

Posted on March 17, 2021March 17, 2021 by David Shama

No player age 40 or older has ever led the American or National leagues in home runs, according to MLB.com. Minnesota Twins 40-year-old DH Nelson Cruz might change that this season.

Although he didn’t finish first, the amazing Cruz led in American League home runs during part of last year’s shortened season. He finished 2020, after celebrating his 40th birthday in July, with 16 home runs and a .303 average in 185 at bats.

Cruz has hit 311 home runs since 2012, the most in the big leagues, per MLB.com. Four times in his career he has hit 40 or more homers. That includes his 41 home run total in 2019 when he was 39 years old. He led the American League in home runs in 2014 with 40, while playing for the Baltimore Orioles.

Although several much younger players like Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels are surer bets to lead their leagues in home runs in 2021, Cruz does seem to get better with age. Not only does he have 57 home runs in the last two years but over the last five seasons no MLB player tops his 176.

Cruz won the 2020 American League DH Silver Slugger Award in a vote by AL coaches and managers. In 53 games he ranked third in league on-base percentage, fourth in OPS, fifth in slugging percentage, tied for fifth in home runs and was seventh in batting average.

Cruz’s successful approach to training and nutrition are well documented. “He is quite a physical specimen and is obviously in tremendous shape at the age of 40,” Twins president Dave St. Peter said earlier this year.

Being a student of the game is part of Cruz’s success story, too. “His baseball related intellect is elite,” St. Peter said. “He understands the game inside and out.”

Cruz will ease his way into spring training, preparing for the coming season while approaching his 41st birthday July 1. In 20 spring training at bats he is hitting .300 and has a home run, although that one doesn’t count in an unlikely but possible campaign to be the MLB or AL 2021 home run king.

Worth Noting

Maybe Marcus Carr, the Gopher point guard and leading scorer, won’t return to the team next season and will opt for professional basketball, but he’s a long-shot to make an NBA roster. It’s highly unlikely he will be selected in the two rounds of the 2021 NBA Draft and he would have to hope for a free agent invite.

On a list of college basketball’s 50 best players this season, SI.com rates Carr No. 46. Minnesota natives Matthew Hurt, McKinley Wright IV and Jalen Suggs are at 43, 42 and 8.

Rick Pitino has influenced son Richard Pitino’s coaching career for years including now with Richard’s hiring at New Mexico. Lobos AD Eddie Nunez played for a Rick Pitino disciple at Florida, coach Billy Donovan. While in his 20s, Richard was an assistant coach working for dad at Louisville and Donovan in Gainesville.

Rick, who in his first season back in college coaching has Iona in the NCAA Tournament, looks after family. He once said on local radio here that Richard’s boss, Norwood Teague, was one of the best athletic directors in the country.

The Gophers’ basketball coaching vacancy will probably be filled in three weeks, or sooner. Whoever accepts the job likely has his current team in the NCAA Tournament.

Utah State coach Craig Smith, from Stephen, Minnesota and thought for awhile to be a favorite for the Gophers job, is receiving fan approval out west to fill the University of Utah opening.

The other Big Ten men’s basketball opening is Indiana, and look out for the Hoosiers if they convince Brad Stevens to take the job. Stevens, an Indiana native, was sensational at Butler before going to the NBA’s Boston Celtics.

Randy Wittman, 61, probably won’t draw interest from the administration despite being an Indiana native, former Hoosier star and ex-NBA coach including with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That was Lewis Garrison, the former Gopher football player and now an experienced basketball official, working last Saturday’s Big Ten semifinal game between Iowa and Illinois in Indianapolis.

The University of Minnesota lost a thoughtful and practical leader when Michael Hsu wasn’t re-elected to the Board of Regents. The Minnesota State Legislature voted Monday on regents and among the new members are Kodi Verhalen replacing Hsu in the Sixth District.

The Minnesota men’s hockey team, winners last night of the program’s second Big Ten Tournament, head into the NCAA Tournament with the most wins in the country at 23-6.

The Minnesota Wild is 6-2 since veteran forward Zach Parise was benched for one game March 3. An NHL authority said head coach Dean Evason plays no favorites and expects everyone to play hard, even his highest paid players. No player receives the star treatment including rookie forward Kirill Kaprizov who has captivated the fan-base.

Have to wonder if former Gopher and now Northern Michigan coach Grant Potulny won’t be the next men’s hockey coach at St. Thomas. The Tommies figure to soon announce the coach who will lead them into Division I play in the CCHA.

Six players representing four schools have been named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s: forwards Jack Connolly of Minnesota Duluth and Marc Michaelis and Matt Leitner of Minnesota State; defensemen Justin Schultz of Wisconsin and Alec Rauhauser of Bowling Green and goaltender Dryden McKay of Minnesota State. All-decade teams this winter are part of the league’s 70-years celebration.

There is a tradition of great football clinics in Minnesota but perhaps none match the lineup of speakers for the MFCA’s virtual clinic coming up April 8-10 with Tom Allen, Mack Brown, Matt Campbell, Paul Chryst, Dave Doeren, Pat Fitzgerald and P.J. Fleck. Learn more by visiting the Minnesota Football Coaches Association website.

Vikings free agent signings of linebacker Nick Vigil and defensive linemen Dalvin Tomlinson and Stephen Weatherly hints at the franchise using its first round selection in the upcoming draft on an offensive player, perhaps a guard.

The popular WCCO Radio “Sports Huddle” program hasn’t been on the air for a year and apparently there is no plan to bring it back. The show stopped its long run because of COVID-19 concerns for 100-year-old Sid Hartman who died last fall. Hartman’s birthdate was March 15, 1920.

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Twins Kept the Faith in Signing Cruz

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

The Minnesota Twins and free agent Nelson Cruz have agreed to a one-year contract keeping him with the team in 2021. The agreement culminates an off-season of speculation whether the 40-year-old DH would return to an organization he’s made a major impact on during two previous years.

“There has been an ongoing dialogue throughout the offseason,” Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners today while talking about negotiations. “We’ve always been optimistic that he was going to be a Twin.”

After last season both Cruz and the Twins expressed interest in renewing the relationship in 2021. “We take him at his word,” St. Peter said. “He’s told us… repeatedly, both last season and certainly through the off-season, that Minnesota was a very special place for him, and a place he would love to come back to.”

Twins management, though, had to consider the possibility a deal wouldn’t work out. Other personnel for DH were considered but Cruz was the target. “This was Plan A all along for us,” St. Peter said. “There’s certainly other players that potentially could have been acquired via trade, or what have you, but Nelson Cruz brings so much on the field. Maybe even more off the field in terms of the impact he has in our clubhouse, in our dugout, in our player development system and in our community. So he’s a huge asset for the Twins and we’re thrilled to have him as part of our organization.”

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

The mutual respect between the organization and Cruz was pivotal in continuing the relationship. “He’s deserved of that respect,” St. Peter said. “I think Nelson has really appreciated being part of the Twins organization. …I think it’s somewhere he feels very comfortable, he feels very welcome. I think he feels very much a part of the fabric of the Twins organization and to some extent the fabric of the Twin Cities. He’s loved spending his last couple of years in Minnesota.”

Cruz is credited with making a major contribution to that environment in many ways including being a model for other players in taking care of his body. His disciplined approach to training and nutrition are well documented. “He is quite a physical specimen and is obviously in tremendous shape at the age of 40,” St. Peter said.

With experience has come wisdom including knowledge about pitchers and general expertise of his profession. “His baseball related intellect is elite,” St. Peter said. “He understands the game inside and out.”

Cruz was a major contributor at bat last season when the Twins won the AL Central Division. He won the 2020 American League DH Silver Slugger Award in a vote by AL coaches and managers. In 53 games he hit .303 with six doubles, 16 home runs, 33 RBI, 33 runs scored, 25 walks, a .397 on-base percentage, a .595 slugging percentage and a .992 OPS. He ranked third in league on-base percentage, fourth in OPS, fifth in slugging percentage, tied for fifth in home runs and was seventh in batting average.

Last year Cruz was honored with the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the ESPY Awards. He also received MLB’s 2020 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, an honor voted on by his peers for a player they “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.”

Jim Dutcher Talks Gopher Road Woes

The Gophers basketball team is in a road funk, with a 0-5 Big Ten record. All losses have been by double-digit defeats and full of embarrassing performances. Next up is a game Thursday night at Rutgers, winners of three consecutive conference games and with a 6-6 league record, 10-6 overall.

It will be interesting to see what the energy and collective confidence is of the Minnesota players. Are things at the point where the Gophers have taken a hit to their confidence? “Oh, I think it has to,” former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher told Sports Headliners.

Minnesota built a double-digit lead in the first half of last Saturday’s game at Purdue. Early in the second half the Boilermakers took the lead and won 81-62. “Once they got caught by Purdue, the game was over,” Dutcher said.

Dutcher, who coached the Gophers to the 1982 Big Ten title and remains a close observer of college basketball, stresses defense is the key in winning road games. “They’ve just had too many defensive breakdowns on the road, where teams end up having big second halves,” he said.

In addition to improved defense, ask Dutcher how the Gophers can build confidence on the road and he suggests playing inferior road opponents. He isn’t joking and points out that unfortunately for the Gophers their January 20 game scheduled in Lincoln against Nebraska (0-5 in the Big Ten) couldn’t be played because the Cornhuskers were dealing with COVID-19.

Minnesota’s remaining road games are at Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana and Penn State. Maryland is 3-7 in league games but used physical play to dominant Minnesota at Williams Arena last month (63-49 win). Indiana is 4-6 in Big Ten games and defeated Maryland at home and top-10 ranked Iowa on the road. Penn State, 3-7 in conference games, is 5-2 at home.

The Gophers, 4-6 in league games and 11-6 overall, are part of a talented and deep Big Ten. Minnesota has impressive home wins, including over Big Ten title contenders Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State to boost its resume for an NCAA Tournament invitation. More success is a must. “They’re going to need some wins along the way, either now or in the conference tournament, because they’re not a lock to go to the (NCAA) tournament right now,” Dutcher said.

Even Minnesota’s best player and leading scorer, point guard Marcus Carr, is struggling on the road, with one of his most difficult games coming against Purdue. A candidate for All-Big Ten, Carr scored six points, making 2 of 13 field goals and going 0-5 on three-point attempts.

“He certainly looked like he wasn’t a very confident player at Purdue,” Dutcher said. “Got off to a bad start. To his credit he was trying to get everybody else involved, but everybody else wasn’t scoring. …He’s a quality player. He just, like the rest of the team, has not been a confident player on the road.”

Worth Noting

Todd Downing, the former Eden Prairie High School and Minnesota Vikings assistant coach, is the new offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. Downing also played for the Eagles and longtime coach Mike Grant, who texted congratulations. “I just said give it to the big boys,” Grant told Sports Headliners.

Grant anticipates Downing is excited about his promotion from tight ends coach to OC. “I’d be excited, too. It probably pays $1 million a year,” Grant said.

Anonymous hockey authority talking about physical foes and 5-9, 200-pound Minnesota Wild rookie Kirill Kaprizov: “Put him on a milkshake and double cheeseburger diet.”

Capital Club organizer Patrick Klinger is excited about upcoming speakers via Zoom on February 26 and March 11, with Kim Davis and Jason Wright respectively. Davis is Executive Vice president, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs for the NHL. In 2012 she was profiled with First Lady Michelle Obama in Essence magazine’s “28 most influential Black women in America.”

Wright is the NFL’s first Black team president, serving in that role for the Washington Football Team. At age 38 he is the youngest team president in the league and only the fourth former player (four different teams) ever to serve in that position.

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Kirill Kaprizov Gives Wild “Hope”

Posted on January 18, 2021January 18, 2021 by David Shama

It’s only been two games, but what an extraordinary beginning for 23-year-old Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild. An NHL authority told Sports Headliners Kaprizov could be the difference maker the Wild has been searching for and his presence might be vital in a shortened 2021 regular season.

The Wild has struggled with offensive production for years, including in the playoffs. In Minnesota’s opening game last Thursday, the rookie Russian forward scored the game- winning goal against the Kings in Los Angeles. Two nights later he made a dazzling play again, passing to teammate Marcus Johansson for the winning goal as the Kings lost a second straight game in overtime. He is the first player in NHL history to have overtime points in each of his first two career games.

With NHL teams playing 56-game regular season schedules because of the pandemic, instead of the usual 82, early season wins are more important than ever, including on the road. “This is the kind of player that will help them not falling too far behind,” said the authority, preferring to speak anonymously. “He gives everyone hope. It’s somebody that can score every time he is on the ice.”

The Wild remain in California and play the Ducks in Anaheim tonight. Expectations are for the Ducks and other NHL teams to assign aggressive defensive forwards against Kaprizov, trying to push the 5-9, 200-pound newbie around. “They’re just not going to let him free wheel and do whatever he wants,” the source said.

While tough tactics and adjustments are coming, Kaprizov certainly didn’t look frustrated in his first two games. He showed all the attributes (and perhaps more) that were expected during his debut, including darting around the ice with quickness and speed impressing even casual NHL observers. The authority quoted here gushed about Kaprizov’s hands that deftly allow him to control and shoot the puck, and also his vision.

Because of his exceptional vision, Kaprizov was able to secure the puck and pass to Johansson on a play that others cannot make. “Go back and look at that play, it’s amazing,” the source said.

The Wild drafted Kaprizov in 2015 and for years anticipation has built about his arrival in Minnesota. The curious included his new teammates who had to wonder what this gifted young talent would be like as a person. Kevin Gorg, the Fox Sports North analyst, told Sports Headliners that Kaprizov is anything but a prima donna.

“This kid has come in here without any expectations on his part,” Gorg said this morning. “He’s worked his tail off. He has been out there spending extra time before practice, extra time after practice. He’s been breaking down film.

“He’s been working like he’s a guy that might not make it, even though we’ve known…that this kid was going to be a star. He hasn’t had that star attitude. He’s come in with that fourth line grinder attitude. …I think he’s gained an awful lot of respect from his teammates with the work ethic.”

After spending his life in Russia, Kaprizov now finds himself in a new country and during a pandemic. Veteran Ryan Suter has hosted the rookie at his home that includes an outdoor rink. Kaprizov lives alone and uses his limited English to make his way around the Twin Cities, including to Kramarczuk’s, the famous eastern European deli in Minneapolis. “Kramarczuk’s has been his favorite spot to get some cool food,” Gorg said.

Gorg believes Kaprizov is enjoying his early times in America. “If you watch him at the rink he’s always kind of laughing and having fun. I think that’s a big, big part of that comfort level he’s starting to feel coming over from Russia. I think there were a lot of unknowns when he made this move. He doesn’t speak the English great yet—something he’s trying to work on.”

Worth Noting

Gophers center Liam Robbins was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week today after leading No. 23 Minnesota to a 75-57 win against previously unbeaten No. 7 Michigan on Saturday. The Davenport, Iowa native had 22 points and eight rebounds in only 22 minutes. He made a season-high eight field goals and a season high three 3-pointers for the Gophers. He also blocked two shots and limited Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson to five rebounds and a season-low nine points.

The Sportingnews.com draft out this morning has the Vikings selecting Miami defensive lineman Gregory Rousseau with the No. 14 selection of the first round. He had an ACC-best 15.5 sacks last season for the Hurricanes. “He would be a great fit with Mike Zimmer,” writes Vinnie Iyer.

It looks like former Gopher Rashod Bateman could end up fretting about being selected in the first round of April’s NFL Draft. The wide receiver talent is deep with several talents perhaps more likely to go ahead of Bateman including ex-Purdue playmaker Rondale Moore. Sportingnews.com predicts Bateman going to the Jaguars at No. 25 in the first round where his coach would be Urban Meyer and his QB likely Trevor Lawrence (Jags have No. 1 choice and are expected to draft the ex-Clemson QB).

A former NFL executive recently said in this space the Vikings’ Kirk Cousins is a top 10 or 12 quarterback. Jim Carter, the former Gopher fullback and Green Bay linebacker, emailed he differs with that, although he doesn’t claim to be an expert on quarterbacks—“I’m from the Murray Warmath school of erring on the side of big heart and toughness over talent, even quarterbacks!”

Here is Carter’s list of quarterbacks he prefers over Cousins: “(Aaron) Rodgers, (Patrick) Mahomes, (Philip) Rivers, (Josh) Allen, (Tom) Brady, (Lamar) Jackson, (Russell) Wilson, (Drew) Brees, (Deshaun) Watson, (Matt) Ryan, (Kyler) Murray, (Ben) Roethlisberger, and probably (Baker) Mayfield, (Matthew) Stafford, and (Ryan) Fitzpatrick, too.”

Welcome news for Gophers football fans: Ohio State’s great quarterback Justin Fields declared for the NFL Draft today. That means the Buckeyes, expected to be a preseason top five team nationally, will have an inexperienced QB for their opening game next September in Minneapolis against Minnesota.

Juancho Hernangómez, Ricky Rubio and Karl-Anthony Towns will not play for the Timberwolves in today’s game (1:30 p.m. start) in Atlanta against the Hawks. They are ruled out for “health & safety protocols.”

Jay Meyerhoff, Braemar’s head PGA professional, has been named a “Golf Range Association of America Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional.” For the third consecutive year the GRAA has recognized both the Braemar Golf Course Driving Range and Braemar Golf Dome as being among the top 50 ranges in the country.

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