David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Loses WR, More Opt Outs Possible

Posted on October 5, 2020October 5, 2020 by David Shama

Welcome to a Monday notes column on the Gophers, Vikings, Twins and Wild:

Golden Gophers redshirt junior wide receiver Demetrius Douglas announced this afternoon on Twitter he is leaving the team. The tweet said little about future plans, but he expects to graduate from the University of Minnesota in December with a degree in Communications Studies, and he expressed admiration for the Gopher program.

Douglas, expected to play major minutes this fall for the Gophers, caught 14 passes for 157 yards last season and also returned kickoffs and punts. His absence would have been a bigger loss if All-American wide receiver Rashod Bateman hadn’t decided recently to rejoin the team.

Because of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, players at major college programs have been opting out and back in. The Gophers play Michigan in less than weeks for their season opener and the Minnesota roster remains unsettled.

“There will be a time that I tell you who is in, who is out,” Fleck said today during a media press conference. “That’s why the updated roster, I haven’t given that yet. I am still waiting on a few more…of a decision they make. I don’t want to give you names and all of a sudden they opt in tomorrow, but I told you they opted out today, or opted out yesterday, and opted back in. I don’t want that pressure on those student-athletes. …. I want them to do it for all the right reasons, and the reasons that they have with their families.”

Fleck talking about junior linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin, who is expected to play a big role for a defense that will be featuring a number of new starters including him:

“He is one of the most intelligent, if not the most intelligent player we have on our football team.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if news comes this week that Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, who has been inactive through the first four games, will have surgery on the disc herniation in his neck. Apparently rest and presumably meds and physical therapy aren’t allowing Hunter, who missed much of preseason camp, to play again.

Former NFL quarterback great Peyton Manning had multiple surgeries on his neck for a herniated disc and missed an entire season before resuming his career.

The Vikings’ vulnerable cornerbacks face an extraordinary quarterback challenge Sunday night in Seattle. Russell Wilson of the Seahawks has 16 touchdown passes through the first four games of the season. That ties him with Manning (16 touchdown passes in 2013) for the most by a player in his team’s first four games of an NFL season.

Seattle is 4-0 for the first time since 2013. That Seahawks went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

With Midwest pandemic numbers remaining a high concern, don’t expect any change on the policy not allowing fans to attend the next Vikings home game, October 18 against the Falcons. The organization remains hopeful of hosting a limited number of fans later in the season.

Credentialed news media are covering Vikings games at U.S. Bank Stadium’s press box. Dave Mona, with over 40 years in the role, is back as the press box voice providing information to reporters.

That was former Gopher Jack Brewer seen in a commercial for president Donald Trump during Sunday’s Vikings-Houston Texans game.

North Dakota State stars and Minnesota natives Trey Lance (Marshall) and Dillon Radunz (Becker) are expected to be early round NFL Draft choices next year. Lance, an underclassman but eligible for the draft, is a top quarterback prospect and likely first rounder. Radunz, an offensive tackle, projects as an early rounds prospect.

Athlonsports.com points out the Bison, with six draftees since 2014, have the most players among FCS programs chosen in the NFL Draft. In a story Sunday, the website reports there are 11 ex-Bison players on NFL rosters and practice squads.

What grade do you give the 2020 Minnesota Twins? Mine? C.

That evaluation includes the 60-game regular season and the Wild Card series. The Twins were preseason favorites to win the AL Central Division and did so. Without that achievement, the C grade would be lower because the Twins were a complete flop in losing their best of three series to the Houston Astros.

F is the grade Minnesota deserves for losing consecutive games to the Astros, managing a total of seven hits and two runs. The Twins extended their postseason consecutive loss streak to 18 dating back to 2004. Asked about a then 16-game streak before the series started, manager Rocco Baldelli suggested his players might not be aware of the historic futility. Maybe all of them should have been informed of the embarrassment—and they might have played better.

What to do now? Sign to another contract 40-year-old DH Nelson Cruz, who drove in both runs in the Wild Card series and during the season was an AL MVP candidate. After seeing his club stumble in playoff losses last season and this, Cruz might decide he wants to go where he has more support.

The Bomba-hyped Twins need a couple of veteran position players who cannot only be leaders but guys who put the ball in play and get on base instead of focusing on launch angles. It will also be interesting to see what the organization’s evaluation is of the overall hitting philosophy, and support of Rudy Hernandez following his first season as hitting coach.

Third baseman Josh Donaldson and management have to figure out if there are ways to keep him healthier. Signed in the offseason to a free agent $92 million deal, he was a bust after being hurt much of the year and unavailable for the playoffs. On the to-do list also is find a talented starting pitcher talent to replace Jake Odorizzi if he doesn’t re-sign—and settle on a quality closer, maybe Tyler Duffey in the ninth innings. Taylor Rogers and Sergio Romo were too undependable.

In the messaging department, suggest Twins’ bosses deliver this offseason memo: Every job is open. No guarantees.

The Minnesota Wild today announced it has acquired a third-round selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Ryan Donato. Minnesota owns six picks in the draft, including the ninth overall selection. The draft will be held virtually on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the first round beginning at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

The club has re-signed forward Nico Sturm to a two-year, $1.45 million contract. The 25-year-old was a rookie last year and he had two assists in six regular season games. Also re-signed is defenseman Carson Soucy to a three-year, $8.25 million contract that goes through the 2022-23 season. He scored 14 points for the Wild last season.

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Twins’ Playoff Run Can “Mean the World”

Posted on September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 by David Shama

The Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991. The championships captured the attention of Minneapolis-St. Paul and the entire state as Twins-mania was felt everywhere from dramatic moments on the field to Home Hankies to World Series parades to depiction of the 1987 team on Wheaties cereal boxes.

A similar impact could be even more welcome this fall than decades ago when the Twins’ success dominated the state’s focus and culture. Club president Dave St. Peter was with the Twins organization in 1991 and he spoke to Sports Headliners about the significance of a potential 2020 World Series winner in Minnesota.

“It would mean the world,” he said Monday. “It would be tremendously rewarding to see our club back in that position. But I think more important, it would be great for our community.

“I think about our city. I think about our state, and all the strife that we’ve dealt with during COVID, as well as the social unrest that we’ve experienced over the last several months. For major league baseball, specifically Twins baseball, to play a role in bringing people together, that’s a pretty awesome opportunity and something we know would happen in spades if we played in the World Series.”

The Twins won their two World Series titles under the ownership of the late Carl Pohlad. Now other generations of Pohlads, including executive chairman Jim Pohlad, are making decisions and following the club. “At the end of the day, I know Jim’s focus would be more…on how that World Series benefits our community over how it benefits the family,” St. Peter said.

A march to the World Series didn’t start well yesterday, with the Twins managing just four hits in an opening Wild Card 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros. The defeat dictates Minnesota must win today and tomorrow to take the best two out of three series, and move on in the postseason. Otherwise, the goal in spring training and during the season of qualifying for the World Series will go in the dumpster.

“No doubt in my mind, that not only can we get there, but we can win it,” St. Peter said. “We’re talented enough to do that. I think there are a lot of other clubs across the game that believe the same, but in reality there can only be one. Our goal is to go out and take this day-by-day, round by round, and hopefully put ourselves in that position to compete for it.”

The Twins have one of baseball’s deepest pitching staffs. Depth is also apparent among position players with several Twins having experience at multiple spots led by do-it-all Marwin Gonzalez, who on any day might show up at first base, second base, third base or in the outfield. “I think our depth is perhaps our greatest strength,” St. Peter said.

Max Kepler (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

St. Peter likes the mix of veterans and young players on the roster. The Twins built their success of recent seasons on young players up from the farm system like pitcher Jose Berrios, shortstop Jorge Polanco, first baseman Miguel Sano and outfielders Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario. Over time veterans have been added including last offseason with pitchers Kenta Maeda, Tyler Clippard and Rich Hill, and slugging third baseman Josh Donaldson.

“We think those additions can be difference makers for us as we head into the October run of baseball,” St. Peter said.

Appreciated, too, about this year’s Twins team is how they have handled the response to COVID-19. Players and staff have been accountable in their actions to benefit both themselves and others. “…Really, really proud of the way our group has handled that,” St. Peter said.

The Twins are playing their games against the Astros with only a couple hundred spectators in the Target Field stands. Watching are club employees and families of Twins and Astros players. “…Our players are excited to have their families and fellow-employees at the ballpark,” St. Peter said. “Everything that we can do to create a home field advantage we’re looking to try to create.”

MLB hasn’t allowed fans to attend games this season and won’t during the Wild Card games. After those games the next two rounds of the playoffs will be played at neutral sites including Los Angeles and San Diego for American League teams, but again without fans. MLB has announced fans will be allowed to attend World Series games in Arlington, Texas but not offered specifics on numbers.

Worth Noting

Minor league baseball is going through a reorganization and operating a Twins AAA farm club in St. Paul couldn’t be more convenient. St. Peter said in the future it’s “certainly a possibility” a deal could be made to base a Twins minor league team at CHS Field in St. Paul, but a lot of things will need to happen before it could be reality.

St. Peter also said Twins TV viewership hit “historic numbers” last year and he expects data from this season to be similar. TV watching across the country, with a glut of sports going on, is competitive. Front Office Sports reported Monday that for the first three games of the Stanley Cup Finals viewership “was down at least 60 % compared to last season.”

Nelson Cruz, the Twins’ 40-year-old DH, had a .992 OPS during the regular season—fourth best all-time among players age 39-or-older, trailing Barry Bonds (1.422 in 2004), Ted Williams (1.042 in 1958) and David Ortiz (1.021 in 2016).

Twenty-two of the 28 players on the Twins’ roster have playoff game experience. The roster includes four catchers.

Among questions that should come up at the University of Minnesota Board of Regents meeting in October to discuss the elimination of gymnastics, tennis and indoor and outdoor track, is what would happen to any endowed scholarship money in those men’s sports.

Gophers basketball fans are wondering about the possibility of attending home games this upcoming season. A fan reports season ticket renewals have been suspended since August.

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Stars May Align for Twins in Playoffs

Posted on September 28, 2020September 28, 2020 by David Shama

Maybe the Minnesota Twins can start a new kind of momentum this week. The club has lost 16 consecutive postseason games dating back to 2004, but multiple positives are in place as the Twins await the Tuesday start of their best of three opening playoff series against the Houston Astros.

All games will be at Target Field—and talk about being comfy at home, the Twins were a MLB-best 24-7 in Minneapolis. With a season record of 36-24, Minnesota is among the World Series favorites and regarded as a top five MLB team. The Astros, 29-31 this season, have stumbled into the expanded MLB playoff field and been awful on the road, winning nine games and losing 23.

The Astros are defending AL champions but don’t have the same roster as last year. Among the most significant changes is that Kate Upton’s husband, pitching ace Justin Verlander, is unavailable and scheduled for Tommy John surgery. That’s a major loss for the Astros, particularly in a short playoff series.

Despite their “Bomba Squad” reputation, the Twins have transformed their identity a bit from the 2019 MLB home run record team. This year’s edition can brag on its pitching, too. By most metrics the Twins staff is among the best in baseball, including an ERA of 3.54 that ranks No. 4 among MLB’s 30 teams, per Espn.com. The Astros rank No. 13 with an ERA of 4.31.

If Twins starter Kenta Maeda, with bullpen help, can stop the 0-16 streak in the series opener, that will be a confidence booster for both the club and its fans. In his first season with the Twins Maeda has emerged as the staff’s best starter, with an impressive 6-1 record and 2.70 ERA. He has been steady in performance and calm in demeanor. “I think my command was there throughout the season,” Maeda said this afternoon.

The ex-Los Angeles Dodger has 24 games of playoff experience, including appearances in seven World Series games. The majority of postseason outings were in relief but he does have three starts. Overall, the 32-year-old Japanese-born right-hander has a 2-1 playoff record and 3.31 ERA.

Another success story for the pitching-deep Twins is Tyler Duffey. Once an ineffective starter, it took Duffey awhile to emerge as a go-to reliever. Even in 2018 Duffey’s stats out of the bullpen included a 7.20 ERA, but last year with improved throwing velocity it dropped to 2.50. During the second half of the 2019 season he was the fifth most valuable reliever in baseball, per FanGraphs and MLB.com. This year the 29-year-old right-hander has a career-best ERA number of 1.88.

The “Bomba Boys” hit 91 home runs during the 60-game season, sixth best in MLB, per Espn.com. That is 22 better than the Astros, with the two teams having similar batting averages—Minnesota .242 and Houston .240. But the Twins were mediocre this season in scoring runs, ranking No. 18 in the majors and 10 fewer than the Astros produced.

It was frequently home run-or-bust at the plate, with too few hitters reaching base via singles and doubles. But another upbeat omen for the Twins is that slap the ball to all fields Luis Arraez is on a seven-game hitting streak and finished the season batting .321.

The Astros have a lineup of difficult to strike out hitters but Maeda may not be fazed by that. He doesn’t concentrate on strikeouts, just getting batters out. That’s the mentality of a staff ace but Maeda ducked the label today after being asked, even though he deserves the recognition.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Duffey said. “His preparation day-to-day, it seems like he’s always doing something to get ready for his next outing. Watching him pitch it’s weird, he just doesn’t miss.

“It’s pretty incredible and he throws five or six pitches, you can’t really tell. Everything is darting left and right. But guys have had a hard time getting to him all year so I think we can do nothing but to expect that again. ..”

Despite significant injuries throughout the season, the Twins won a second consecutive AL Central Division title. Even entering the playoffs there are uncertainties about the availabilities of center fielder Byron Buxton, third baseman Josh Donaldson and starter Jake Odorizzi. Another good omen for the Twins would be seeing a couple of those players back on the field soon.

Asked about Buxton possibly playing behind him tomorrow, Maeda first mentioned the recent hot hitting by the center fielder. Then he quickly referenced Buxton’s “phenomenal” fielding and suggested Buxton’s presence improves the Twins’ defense “10 times more than other guys.”

Last year the Twins dealt with deafening crowd noise in their three-game playoff at Yankee Stadium. Duffey acknowledged the environment as difficult and likened it to the engine roar of an airplane. This year the Twins are playing at home, even though they will be without the energy of their fans. Still, they have to be happy not playing in Yankee Stadium.

Tuesday’s game is a 1 p.m. start televised by ABC, with Wednesday having a noon start on ESPN2.

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