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U Hopes Fleck Not ‘Music Man’ No. 2

Posted on November 5, 2019November 5, 2019 by David Shama

 

Lou Holtz is the best University of Minnesota football coach since the end of World War II. That statement might shock more than a few Golden Gophers historians who will object and argue such praise belongs to Bernie Bierman or Murray Warmath.

Nope. Give me Holtz, who was dubbed the “Music Man” for his clever and persuasive ways. He coached the Gophers for just two seasons, in 1984 and 1985. That was long enough to see his magic—and I mean that literally.

He was an amateur magician who occasionally performed tricks on TV including on the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. To this day I am convinced that had he stayed at Minnesota, his coaching “bag of tricks” would have turned the Gophers into a Big Ten power and perhaps national champions.

I have never seen a college football coach with the skill set possessed by the wiry little man from East Liverpool, Ohio, who spoke with a lisp. Strategist, taskmaster, motivator, mentor, manager, organizer, recruiter, fundraiser, salesman, marketer and the list goes on. When Lou spoke, the whole state of Minnesota listened.

The CEO of CEOs in the coaching world, Holtz took a mostly deplorable Minnesota roster that was a combined 1-17 in Big Ten games the two seasons before his arrival and turned those players, along with newcomers, into a sound football team. In Holtz’s second year the Gophers came within seven points of upsetting No. 3 ranked Oklahoma and five points of upending No. 9 Ohio State on their way to a 4-4 conference record, an overall record of 7-5 and the program’s first bowl game since 1977.

Bierman won five national titles at Minnesota but they all came before World War II. The Grey Eagle grew older and he wasn’t the same coach after the big war that changed the world. Warmath won Minnesota’s last national title in 1960 and took the Gophers to two Rose Bowls. He was a fine coach and a personal friend but he had his warts including sluggish offenses and never consistently winning over the public.

Holtz was so popular that in less than two years the Vikings were paranoid about losing their place as the No. 1 football attraction in the state. General manager Mike Lynn brought coach Bud Grant out of retirement to counter the Holtz mania that had resulted in crowds of more than 60,000 at the Metrodome and a huge jump in season ticket sales.

But in late 1985 Holtz, a devout Catholic, told us of an enduring childhood memory about how he skipped off to grade school many mornings singing or humming the Notre Dame fight song. Holtz reportedly had a clause in his Minnesota contract that said if the Fighting Irish ever had a coaching opening he could skip off to Notre Dame. And away he went, taking with him a bunch of high school recruits who planned to be Gophers but instead followed the “Music Man” to the hallowed grounds of Notre Dame where a few years later the Irish, not the Gophers, would be national champions.

Having been burned by Holtz, older Gophers fans are biting their collective nails these days about 38-year-old P.J. Fleck moving on after this season to some place else—oh, let’s just say USC, a storied program like Notre Dame that is under achieving and dreams of hiring Urban Meyer but might have to pitch a guy who preaches “Row the Boat.”

P.J. Fleck

Now I am not suggesting that as Gophers head coach Fleck deserves comparisons with Holtz, Bierman and Warmath but what he’s done at Minnesota is impressive. Dating back to last season, Fleck’s Gophers have won 11 of their last 12 games, including returning Paul Bunyan’s Axe to Dinkytown after a 15 year absence. Minnesota is 8-0 for the first time since 1941 and will play a much anticipated game on Saturday at home against Penn State. The Gophers are ranked No. 13 in the nation, while the Nittany Lions are No. 5. The last time Minnesota was ranked in the top 25 and played another ranked team was in October of 2004 when the No. 13 ranked Gophers lost to No. 14 Michigan.

I might have been the first in the media to inquire about Fleck’s commitment to Minnesota, when I brought the subject up last summer during a brief one-on-one interview. Fleck said that when he was considering leaving Western Michigan to come here with his wife Heather and young children, she emphasized the next career stop needed to be a long-term commitment. “She looked at me and says, ‘Listen, when we move there (the next job), we’re going to live there. We’re going to live there a long time…build a lot of roots.’

“It had to be a community that was high in philanthropy,” Fleck continued. “Had to be a community that was willing to serve and give. Had to be bigger than football. We feel the Twin City area and the state of Minnesota is that. … To be able to serve and give and make other people’s lives better. And that’s what Row the Boat is all about. It’s about serving and giving to other people. It’s about never giving up. It’s about providing opportunities for other people who can’t provide it for themselves.”

Fleck, his wife and players on the team have made good on their intentions to give back, getting involved in many ways with the community including children’s causes. Fleck has made it clear he and his wife love living here and that there is unfinished business with the Gophers. Yesterday he told WCCO Radio’s Chad Hartman that “I expect to be here a long time.”

Athletic director Mark Coyle told WCCO Radio’s Dave Lee this morning (Tuesday) that he and the coach are having conversations about a new contract but there is no date yet for an announcement about details. Even if the Gophers fall into a tailspin, Fleck will receive a reward for at least a good season and the renewed interest in the program. He makes about $3.6 million, a mediocre amount compared to his Big Ten peers. A great finish to the season will increase Fleck’s leverage in contract negotiations, and in such a scenario Coyle might need to offer $5 million for next year and a 10-year contract (his present deal goes through 2023).

The U Athletic Department has been cutting budgets of late so where does the money come from if Fleck’s compensation is boosted by $1.5 million? There perhaps are a few scenarios including new school president Joan Gabel approving a loan from central administration that would pay for other department costs and free up money for Fleck. Outside money sources could be another alternative. A person with money and connections told me a few weeks ago he believes if the circumstances are right, funding can come from individuals or private businesses. Coyle might also project new monies from ticket sales, sponsorships and other revenue streams that will increase enough with football’s new popularity to justify big money for Fleck.

Money really needs to go beyond the head coach. Fleck will certainly ask for assurances that his outstanding staff will be rewarded, too. Retaining Fleck but seeing an exodus of top assistants is not a win for Coyle, the program and Gophers fans.

Fleck has to decide if after three years the U and this state is where he wants to be for the foreseeable future. Yeah, there are jobs out there with more resources regarding money, access to top recruits and public support. Those jobs, like at USC, also bring more pressure with high annual expectations including national championships.

Fleck said on WCCO Radio Sunday that Minnesota is a “big time” job. Holtz referred to it as one of the better jobs in the country when he was in Minneapolis. Both Fleck and Holtz are learned optimists. They aren’t going to tell the world about the negatives here including the cold weather and a recruiting base that can’t compare with California, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and other more fertile football states.

If you want to rant, throw in the minimal fan support—although what else to expect in a pro sports town where for decades the Gophers have mostly disappointed? Student attendance? Don’t even get me started.

But let’s be more positive and balanced about a school that in the last several years has increased its commitment to football with new facilities including a stadium, and a practice and training palace. The U is also the only Division I football school in the state and there is high potential to make the Gophers a big deal here with the public like long ago. The caliber of high school football recruits is underrated, with many young players just needing coaches to recognize their potential and the time they need for development. The metro area and state are known for quality of life including the schools, neighborhoods, health care, and entertainment and recreational options. Trust me, most “college football factories” are not located in places that begin to compare with Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota for quality of living.

So in a few weeks it’s up to Coyle to see how far he can go with his resources and how committed Fleck is to stay and keep rowing. Coyle is a sharp operator. I will bet my last buck he’s got a locked desk drawer with the names of top coaches that interest him if Fleck moves on. I am confident, too, he will make an aggressive offer to Fleck. He had the vision to hire Fleck, knowing he was getting a coach with the kind of varied skill-set needed to win at Minnesota including the personality and intelligence to connect with 17-year-old recruits and assemble a quality staff.

Fleck has to decide whether he wants to waltz off to another job humming a new fight song or stay at Minnesota and do the job Holtz never finished—build a legacy as the coach who turned around a program that has struggled and failed for decades, and hasn’t connected with its tradition-rich past since the 1960s.

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Twins Not Focusing on Pitching Ace

Posted on November 3, 2019November 3, 2019 by David Shama

 

Minnesota Twins president Dave St. Peter acknowledged to Sports Headliners in a telephone interview the starting pitching staff is without an ace, but finding a No. 1 stopper isn’t how he and front office decision makers Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are defining offseason plans.

“We don’t think about it that way,” St. Peter said. “We don’t talk about it as a goal to get a staff ace. We talk about upgrading our pitching. There’s all kinds of ways to do that. …We need to find ways to get better and put ourselves in a position to be better in postseason environments. That’s the focus.

“There’s a limited number of, quote on quote, true staff aces so we’re not going to define our offseason success on whether we’re…able to get one of those guys. We think there are pitchers that are going to be available that are going to make us better, or put us in a better position to compete.”

Because of free agency with present Twins starters, last season’s starting staff figures to look dramatically different in 2020. Jose Berrios is the only certain returnee in the starting rotation and at 25 years old he might be ready to assume the label of staff ace next season.

Berrios won 14 games last season for the second time in four big league years. With his 14-8 record he had a career best 3.68 ERA. St. Peter said Berrios needs to be more consistent but the Twins remain bullish on his future.

The Twins could fix their starting pitching with trades, free agent signings and promotion of personnel from within their system. St. Peter said his franchise wants to compete for world championships and he anticipates a busy offseason for Falvey and Levine dialoguing with other clubs about potential trades.

One rumor already out there is the Twins might move fan favorite Eddie Rosario, the 28-year-old left fielder who had career highs of 32 home runs and 109 RBI last season. Regarding the Rosario rumor St. Peter said, “It’s speculation.”

Worth Noting

The Twins and Target Field hosted college football games in 2017 and this year, but for certain there won’t be a game in 2020. St. Peter said there have been discussions about future games but there is no timeline for an announcement. Such a game must come when the football Gophers aren’t in town.

St. Peter said a number of upgrades will be made at the ballpark for next season including an improved Wi-Fi network, renovations to suites, and changes to make the stadium more comfortable for players.

Busy broadcaster: that was Twins radio play-by-play voice Cory Provus doing the Kansas-Kansas State football game for FS-1 on Saturday, and he will be working Big Ten basketball games for BTN this coming season.

Path to the Rose Bowl: If the undefeated Golden Gophers football team can win its last four regular season games, and then play competitively in the Big Ten championship game, Minnesota is all but certain to make its first trip to Pasadena since 1962—assuming Ohio State remains unbeaten and advances to the college football playoffs.

Bobby Bell

Two-time All-American, Outland Trophy winner and Big Ten MVP Bobby Bell, who played on Minnesota’s last Rose Bowl team, will be the celebrity guest at Friday’s Goal Line Club lunch at Jax Café where Gophers running backs coach Kenni Burns will also speak. “I love the way they play,” Bell told Sports Headliners about the 8-0 Gophers. “I just want to be alive when they go back to the Rose Bowl.” More at Goallineclub.org.

University of Minnesota alum Harvey Mackay wrote about overcoming adversity in his syndicated business column last week, and he referenced Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck. Fleck likes to recruit players who have experienced difficulties in their young lives.

Mackay also quoted former Gophers coach Lou Holtz: “Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.”

The Timberwolves did more than improve their record to 4-1 last night in a 131-109 win over the Wizards. The victory ended a run of 20 consecutive games between Minnesota and Washington that alternated wins and losses, the longest such streak in the history of the NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL. The Wolves have now won the last two games versus the Wizards dating back to a March 9, 2019 win at Target Center.

Condolences to friends and family of retired St. Paul Pioneer Press sportswriter Jim Wells who died recently. A celebration of life will be held this afternoon (Sunday) at Canterbury Park where Jim is part of the race track’s Hall of Fame.

Comments Welcome

Studwell: Next Games Telling for Vikings

Posted on October 31, 2019October 31, 2019 by David Shama

 

From 1977-1990 Scott Studwell made himself one of the great linebackers in Minnesota Vikings history and he has twice been named to all-time franchise teams. He spent 20-plus years in the front office evaluating players for the Vikings before retiring a few months ago. He talked to Sports Headliners this week about his old team including the upcoming schedule with Minnesota playing away from home the next two weeks against division leading clubs, the Chiefs and Cowboys.

“It’s not going to make or break the season, but it’s going to show us who we are and where we need to go,” Studwell said. “You know what, I’ve got a lot of faith in them (the Vikings) being able to go in and beat both Kansas City and Dallas on the road—because we’re going to be really hard to beat at home. And we gotta keep pace with Green Bay because they’re playing pretty well, too.”

The 5-3 Chiefs lead the AFC West Division, while the 4-3 Cowboys are in first place in the NFC East. The 6-2 Vikings are in second place in the NFC North behind the 7-1 Green Bay Packers. Minnesota is 4-0 and at home, 2-2 away from friendly U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings have also won four consecutive games.

If there is a word best describing the Vikings so far this season it’s probably balance. The Purple are the only NFL team in the top five in both most yards offensively per game and fewest allowed on defense. Minnesota is third in the league with its 396.5 yards per game offense. The defense, led by the wisdom and schemes of head coach Mike Zimmer, is fourth in the NFL giving up an average of 313.9 yards.

Balance is also the right label for an improved offense that has effectively mixed the pass and run with a new zone blocking scheme directed by a reorganized coaching staff since last season. Studwell likes the work of offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, assistant head coach Gary Kubiak and line coach Rick Dennison.

“The coaching staff that Mike (Zimmer) has assembled has been a very pleasant surprise,” Studwell said. “I think that Kevin has done a great job and with the help of Gary and Rick and all those guys they’ve basically kind of changed up what we were doing offensively. They’re committed to running the football and Dalvin (Cook) is having a hell of a year. …”

The Vikings rank third among the 32 NFL teams in rushing per game at 160.1 yards per game. Cook, the third year running back from Florida State, is avoiding injuries unlike his two previous seasons. He leads league rushers with both 823 yards and nine touchdowns. Studwell has been anticipating what the 5-10, 210-pound Cook could do before he even arrived in Minneapolis.

“We were ecstatic when we got him in the second round,” Studwell said. “For a back his size, he’s got tremendous speed and power. He’s got great balance. He’s got great run after contact balance. He can run away from people, (and) he can run through people. He’s got very good eyes.

“The only drawback maybe with Dalvin is he still has to continue to improve as a receiver. But he’s got better. He’s worked his rear end off doing it. But he’s good in (pass) protection. He understands it. He’s the total package. Knock on wood, he’s had that injury bug but hopefully he’s turned the corner that way too.”

Studwell was an aggressive, physical linebacker during his career that ended with him holding the franchise record for tackles, 1,981. He is all in on the 2019 emphasis to run the football. “I think it brings an air of toughness to the offense and I am sure we’re going to continue to trend that way,” he said.

Kirk Cousins

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown just three interceptions. His quarterback rating of 115.2 is second only to Seattle’s Russell Wilson’s 115.5. Only five other quarterbacks who are regulars have a completion percentage better than his 72.1. His 1,997 passing yards ranks 13th in the league. He was named today as the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his successful October that included 10 touchdown passes and a QB rating of 137.1.

Those are impressive numbers, particularly for someone who didn’t start the season effectively. “He certainly looks a lot more comfortable than he did earlier in the year,” Studwell said. “Now maybe that’s just growing in the scheme and getting more comfortable in what we’re doing offensively. You know I think he is throwing the ball exceptionally well. He’s making good decisions with the football.

“But once again, it’s going to help him as long as we continue to flourish in the running game because it takes a lot of pressure off him so he doesn’t feel like he’s the one that has gotta win the football game week in and week out.”

Going into the season the offense caused a lot of concern among fans but now the unit is a club strength, along with a veteran defense that has earned a lot of praise in recent years. That defense has a challenge Sunday against the Chiefs who rank fourth in league scoring offense at 28.3 points per game. The Vikings are allowing the third-fewest points per game, at 16.5.

Worrywarts fussed back in early September about whether the franchise’s off and on field goal kicking would match the inconsistency of the recent past. Dan Bailey, though, has been productive and is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Redskins October 24. Bailey was 4-for-4 on field goals and 1-for-1 on extra points in that game.

The ninth-year pro is 12-for-14 (85.7%) on field goals in this season and leads the Vikings in scoring with 59 points. He has won two NFC Player of the Week awards under first-year special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf.

The Vikings performance this fall obviously pleases the 65-year-old Studwell, who now follows the team in retirement. He talked to Sports Headliners while splitting wood at his lake home in Wisconsin.

“I miss the people obviously more than I miss the grind, but I don’t really pine for the NFL,” he said. “I don’t pine for football. I don’t miss the road. I don’t miss being gone (from home) 200 nights a year, so it was the right choice.”

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