The Star Tribune produces one of the best sports sections in the country.  Routinely offering 10 pages or more, the Star Tribune has the space and large staff to cover local events (from the prominent to obscure) better than probably at any time in this market’s newspaper history.  But recent news about the sale of the newspaper and the morbid state of newspapers across the country makes one wonder how much longer readers will enjoy such thorough sports coverage. 

When circulation and ad revenues decline, newspapers cut back on staff and space.   Earlier this week there was news that Pennsylvania’s largest newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, would terminate over 60 news people.  The St. Paul Pioneer Press parted ways with many reporters last fall, including sportswriters, and for years there has been speculation the paper will be replaced by the Star Tribune. 

Gregg Wong, a sportswriter for the Pioneer Press for many years before retiring in 2002, said his former paper doesn’t cover outstate news like it once did and some time ago closed its Minneapolis bureau.  The paper has retrenched and Wong agrees that at some date in the future the Twin Cities market will be a one newspaper town with the Star Tribune in control.  “It’s just the trend of the newspaper business,” Wong said. “There are more and more one market towns.” 

Talk of declining circulation and ad revenues at the Star Tribune makes it easier to understand how the newspaper could have been purchased for $1.2 billion by the McClatchy Company in 1998 and sold to Avista Capital Partners late last year for $530 million.  Still, given the difference in the two purchase prices it was a surprising sale. 

Does Wong think there will be cut backs in sports at the Star Tribune?  “Almost certainly,” he said.  “Advertising dictates the size of the paper.  My guess is the paper will cut jobs.  They have always been over staffed.  You see certain by-lines once per month.  You wonder what (else) they do.” 

It’s no fun to lose your job at a top newspaper like the Star Tribune even with favorable severance packages.  The pay scale for writers at both the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press has long been among the best in the country.  Union policy dictates certain minimum pay levels depending on years of service.  A reporter with six years or more of service with the newspaper will earn a minimum of $1,300.00 per week.   Reporters and columnists can earn considerably more than minimum. 

The absence of younger readers, people in their 20s and 30s, has challenged newspapers for years.  Internet advertising is growing and ad revenue is declining for many newspapers in the United States.   Wong said the Star Tribune made a redesign of its paper to attract a younger audience but he and another source said the change hasn’t been successful. 

If the Star Tribune produces a smaller sports section will it bother him?  “To me it will probably be a loss as a reader,” he said.  “The average reader isn’t like me.  Younger readers get their news from a BlackBerry, Internet, radio and TV.”

A lot of names have drawn mention for the Minnesota football job but one that hasn’t so far is former Gopher player and assistant coach Mo Forte.  He has college and pro coaching experience including with the Denver Broncos as an assistant when they advanced to the 1990 Super Bowl. Forte, who has been an assistant with Michigan State, the Detroit Lions (coached Barry Sanders) and the Broncos, is head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.  His team finished the past season at 8-4, including a school record seven consecutive wins.  A member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Forte’s team won the Western Division championship, another first in school history. 

The Gopher-Texas Tech Insight Bowl game drew a 2.3 TV rating.  It was televised only on the NFL Network in this market and many cable subscribers don’t have access to the network.

Marian Gaborik of the Wild is scheduled to appear and sign autographs at the Cub Foods store at 1801 Market Drive in Stillwater from 5 to 6 p.m. on Sunday.  Also on Sunday, teammate Mark Parrish is scheduled to appear and sign autographs at the Cub Foods store at 1729 Market Boulevard in Hastings from 5 to 6 p.m. 

Each of the Wild’s first four first round draft picks (Gaborik, Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Brent Burns) will be featured on commemorative pucks as part of the First Round Draft Pick Puck Series this season. The first puck featuring Gaborik was given away to fans on Tuesday night. 

Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi coached the late Chris Farley of Saturday Night Live TV fame in football at Madison Edgewood High School in Madison, Wisconsin in 1981. 

John Rash, local media expert, will be a regular contributor on WCCO Radio from 11:45 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, starting on January 15.  The “Rash Report” will cover media, advertising and pop culture.  Rash, an executive with the Campbell Mithun marketing and communications agency in Minneapolis, will be joined on the show by Eleanor Mondale and Jack Rice. 

I can’t find a sports or local angle to this but wondered if you heard that a fourth “Indiana Jones” movie, starring Harrison Ford, will debut in movie theatres in 2008?

I have closely watched University of Minnesota football and Big Ten Conference teams since the 1950s.  I first started writing about the Gophers in the 1960s.  Ask my closest friends and they will tell you I said from day one it was a mistake to hire Glen Mason as Minnesota’s coach. 

Mason had coached for nine seasons at Kansas before coming to Minnesota in 1997.  His record of mediocrity and inconsistency was documented.  Mason’s records in his last four seasons at Kansas were 5-7, 6-5, 10-2 and 4-7.  “He’s just good enough to get you beat,” a Jayhawk fan said in the late 1990s. 

He followed the same pattern at Minnesota.  His 10-3 record in 2003 was followed by two 7-5 seasons and a 6-7 record, and those records included some of the softest non-conference opponents to be found on any Big Ten school’s schedule.  His overall record at Minnesota was 64-57, but he was 16 games below .500 in the Big Ten. 

Mason couldn’t sustain or build upon success at Minnesota.  He beat No. 2 ranked Penn State in 1999 and the Gophers finished the season in fourth place in the conference, their best showing in the Big Ten standings since 1986.  The 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons produced fourth, 10^th  and seventh place finishes.   

He had other potentially program turning games such as a win against Ohio State in Columbus in 2000 and the famous blown opportunity in 2003 when the 6-0 Gophers led Michigan 28-7 in the second half only to lose before a rocking, near capacity Metrodome crowd that wanted badly for the Gophers to make a statement performance.  The next week, instead of a full house, about 38,000 showed up to watch the Gophers tank against Michigan State in a 44-38 loss. 

Not only should Mason never have been hired, he should have been fired after the 2005 season when only one season remained on his contract.  No doubt the Gophers’ embarrassing Insight Bowl game loss to Texas Tech Friday night prompted soul searching by the University administration.  That defeat and resulting public unrest met head on with the Mason 10 year track record and low expectations for the future.  

The Mason buyout will cost the University about $2 million, plus deferred compensation.  Still, the administration is counting on bettering itself financially with fund-raising efforts for the new on-campus stadium and increased revenues from football games by hiring a new coach who will initially excite the public and long term producing winning teams (not only did Mason never have a conference champion, but none of his teams played in a New Year’s Day bowl game).   

On Wednesday the University has scheduled a gathering before the regents to unveil plans for the stadium.  There will be a sweet breeze of relief and renewal blowing through campus.