David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Upbeat Outlook for Twins 2018 Season

Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 by David Shama

A Tuesday notes column leading off with the Twins.

Optimism characterizes the outlook for the Twins’ 2018 regular season. Minnesota opens the season in Baltimore Thursday afternoon against the Orioles and Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners earlier this month he is “bullish” about the team.

After last season’s club unexpectedly made the playoffs, the early offseason outlook for 2018 was hopeful for more success, but a series of promising personnel acquisitions, including during spring training, has left observers even more upbeat.

“I think we feel very good about our team,” St. Peter said. “We believe we have closed the gap to some extent with the Cleveland Indians at the top of our division. We certainly look to our club to be not just in the hunt for the division (title) but certainly the Wild Card going deep into the 2018 season.”

St. Peter spoke before Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco was suspended by Major League Baseball for the first 80 games because of a drug violation, but that shouldn’t reduce the optimism by much about the team. Veteran Eduardo Escobar, 29, provides experience at the position and playing a utility role last season produced career highs in home runs with 29 and RBI, 71.

Sports Illustrated’s preview issue has the Twins finishing 86-76 after last season’s 85-77 record. The magazine likes the club but reminds readers the pitching staff needs an ace in the starting rotation. S.I.’s candidate is Jose Berrios and his emergence could mean the Twins “will flirt with 90 wins,” according to the magazine.

For now, though, the publication believes the Twins will fall just short of taking the last wildcard spot in the playoffs. That position will go to the improved Angels with a predicted 89-73 record.

Berrios, 23, was impressive last season, with a 14-8 record and 3.89 ERA. He is scheduled to start Sunday in Baltimore in the finale of the three-game series against the Orioles.

Vegasinsider.com reported last Friday odds are 25/1 Berrios will win the 2018 American League Cy Young award, per the Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook. No other Twins and only nine other pitchers had better odds.

Newly signed Jake Odorizzi will be the Twins’ starting pitcher Thursday. The No. 2 starter for the Rays last season, Odorizzi is making his first MLB Opening Day start. Kyle Gibson starts for Minnesota Saturday in Baltimore, after Friday’s off day.

The Twins are opening on the road for the seventh time in nine seasons dating back to the first season at outdoor Target Field in 2010.

The weather forecast in Baltimore for Thursday is for 70 degrees and cloudy around game time, according to Accuweather.com.

Members of the U.S. gold-medal winning curling team will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Target Field for the Twins’ home opener April 5. Minneapolis rapper Dessa will perform the National Anthem.

The IDS Building, Nicollet Mall, and the Target Corporate Building will be lit in Twins colors the week of April 2. The Lowry Avenue Bridge will be lit April 4 and 5, and the 35W Bridge April 5.

Minnesota’s home opener was announced as sold out on Monday. In eight home openers at Target Field the Twins have averaged 39,096.

Creativity in candidates is likely to be a priority when Gopher athletic director Mark Coyle searches to replace Don Lucia as hockey coach. Just look back at Coyle’s hiring of football coach P.J. Fleck who is skilled at promoting his program externally and internally including through social media, television and community volunteerism.

Gopher hockey fan Kirk Detlefsen bought 14 new season tickets for 2018-2019 last Tuesday after it was announced Minnesota will have a new coach. “I am optimistic ‘Pride on Ice’ will be back,” said the Lakeville resident who purchased four lower bowl season tickets and four club seats in 2017-2018.

Detlefsen, who has bought season tickets for more than 20 years, is renewing his tickets from last year along with buying the 14 new ones. He will gather with friends before next season and do a “ticket draft” to divide up the tickets. He had been doing that in the past too but found interest lacking. “Nobody wanted to go to games anymore,” he said.

Fleck will speak at the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association’s Clinic April 6 at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park. There will also be a panel discussion that evening with former Gopher coach Glen Mason, Vikings executive Kevin Warren, and former Vikings and Ravens center Matt Birk. More at Mnfootballcoaches.com.

It will be interesting to follow the Washington State football program the next couple of seasons. Head coach Mike Leach is known as an offensive master but for years the Cougars have often struggled defensively. Now with former Gopher head football coach Tracy Claeys in Pullman, Leach has one of the best defensive minds in college football as his coordinator.

Eric Musselman, who nearly coached Nevada to the Final Four this year, might have been the Gopher coach had Richard Pitino turned the job down in the spring of 2013. It’s believed that Musselman was athletic director Norwood Teague’s next choice before hiring Pitino. At that time Musselman, who had never been a college head coach, was an assistant at Arizona State.

The Timberwolves (42-33) looked panicky in the closing minutes of last night’s 101-93 loss to the Grizzlies (20-54). The Wolves scored only 11 fourth quarter points in a loss that could contribute to not qualifying for the playoffs.

Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has double-doubles in 62 games this season—the most in the NBA. Last night Towns had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Becky Cantellano, who was the Executive Director for St. Paul Urban Tennis, left that organization this month to become ED at the United States Tennis Association Northern Section which promotes the sport in this region. She had been Director of Tennis Programs and Services at USTA Northern prior to joining St. Paul Urban in 2012.

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Old School, New Start for Jerry Kill

Posted on March 22, 2018March 22, 2018 by David Shama

Beloved former Gopher football coach Jerry Kill started a new job at Southern Illinois a few weeks ago, but he has a new health concern. Kill, 56, talked to Sports Headliners by telephone this week from Carbondale, Illinois where he coached the Salukis to five FCS playoff appearances from 2001-2007.

Kill is about three weeks into his position as a special assistant to the Chancellor at SIU-Carbondale. His responsibilities include speaking on behalf of the school, increasing admissions and raising money from donors. “It’s a lot different (than) coaching football,” Kill said. “It’s a different pace.”

After 36 years of coaching high school and college football, Kill knew this winter he still wanted to work hard and help others but developments during the last six months convinced him and his family that the career path had to reroute from the profession he loves. As offensive coordinator at Rutgers last season, Kill had multiple seizures—more attacks from the Epilepsy that has targeted him for years. His body also took a severe blow after a sideline collision with an Eastern Michigan player during an early season game.

Kill, who resigned his position at Rutgers in December, has been told he is starting to lose short-term memory. He has experienced countless seizures since 2005, including those at Minnesota that contributed to his heartbreaking and unexpected resignation in mid-season of 2015. Those seizures have impacted Kill to the point where he now can’t make the kind of split-second decisions a coach must execute on the field during games.

“I can’t process like I used to,” Kill said. “In this job (at SIU) it’s good, because I got time to process.”

Medical authorities informed Kill and his wife Rebecca that it will be necessary to take future health precautions to give him the best chance of avoiding more short-term memory loss during the next five to 10 years. The information made it easier for Kill to decline recent football offers that would have involved him with recruiting or operations work, but not on the field Saturdays.

Despite his passion for football and developing young men, Kill knows the right decision was to accept the offer from SIU where he twice won national coach of the year awards and has long been familiar with the region and its people. The area has for years been the site of a family home. He and Rebecca have a residence on Lake Egypt, just a short drive from the Carbondale campus.

The house offers both recreation and peace of mind for Kill. He fishes and hunts there, and sometimes just sits back and enjoys the water and forest. “It’s just different,” Kill said about his new lifestyle that has him spending more time at home and not managing a college football program with all its demands.

But the story gets even better because grown daughters Krystal and Tasha live nearby. It’s been a long time since the family was in such close proximity, and now the group includes a three-month-old granddaughter—the first grandchild for him and Rebecca.

“Having those grandchildren, they’ll change your life,” Kill reflected. “No matter how bad things get…I can see her. If I am not close enough to her, I put her on FaceTime.”

Listening to Kill talk about enjoying life is reassuring to all his friends and admirers in Minnesota where he became one of the state’s most respected and popular coaches ever. He turned around a Gopher football program that was in dire shape by every standard when he arrived in Minneapolis in December of 2010. By the time he resigned as coach almost five years later he had led the Gophers to a January 1 bowl game for the first time since 1962. His 2013 and 2014 teams broke a losing streak against Nebraska that went back to 1960. Minnesota also defeated Michigan in 2014 for only the second time this century.

“Brick by Brick” was the program’s slogan and after two seasons Kill and his staff had the Gophers at .500 in Big Ten games. A year later Minnesota was 5-3, the program’s first winning conference record since 2003. He was named the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year.

But there was so much more to the success and the coach’s story. Players who were in freefall academically before Kill arrived improved their GPAs and started graduating. Off the field incidents involving misbehavior by players declined. Kill and Rebecca made a commitment to volunteerism in the community like few coaches ever have, including establishment of a fund to assist the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota.

Before that Kill and Rebecca started a cancer fund in Illinois to assist low income families. “I enjoy helping people,” said Kill who beat kidney cancer years ago. “I have had a lot of people come up and say, ‘Hey, you helped me.’ “

The cancer and epilepsy funds benefit from sales of Kill’s 2016 book Chasing Dreams: Living My Life One Yard at a Time. His autobiography is written to not only generate monies but to inspire readers including those who face adversity such as cancer and epilepsy.

Now Kill is also trying to raise money for Southern Illinois. “We got a lot of work to do because in the state of Illinois there is not a lot of money (for colleges),” he said.

Well, the Salukis have got the right man to raise money. Kill is a legend in Carbondale and has been revered wherever he has been. No matter the obstacles, he will proceed diligently and deliver results.

“Brick by Brick.”

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Question Looms on Don Lucia Return

Posted on March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 by David Shama

Is Don Lucia going to resign, or soon be told to move on as Gophers men’s hockey coach? A University of Minnesota source told Sports Headliners recently he didn’t know if Lucia will be back next season.

Lucia’s future has been the subject of speculation among media and fans all winter. Randy Johnson’s Star Tribune story Sunday said Gopher athletic director Mark Coyle wouldn’t confirm last week whether Lucia will return. A GopherHole.com fan poll earlier this month reported 84 percent favored dismissing the coach, with 16 percent voting to retain him. While talking with several hockey sources in recent weeks, none dismissed the possibility of Lucia’s 19th season being his last.

Minnesota’s record of 19-17-2 (10-12-2 in the Big Ten) wasn’t deserving of an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Two of the last three years the Gophers haven’t qualified for the 16-team tourney that results in four schools qualifying for the Frozen Four in early April and ends with a national champion.

Mark Coyle (photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications)

Coyle and staff members are concerned about fan apathy. Seeing the vast number of empty seats this season at 3M Arena at Mariucci has been startling for a program referred to in the past as “Pride on Ice.” Tickets that either aren’t sold or go unused represent lost revenue to the Athletic Department. Apathy impacts multiple revenue streams including parking, concessions, arena signage and sponsorships.

“There’s concern right now with the lack of interest in Gopher hockey,” former U captain Casey Hankinson told Sports Headliners yesterday. “That’s more troubling to me than whether they make the postseason, or don’t make the postseason. Of course we always want that to be the case, but the old saying ‘Pride on Ice’ doesn’t seem to be there. I think all of us need to figure out how we get that back.”

Lost revenue isn’t something administrators can take casually in the financially challenged Athletic Department. The 25 sports with over 700 male and female student-athletes are highly dependent on just three financially profitable programs—football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey.

The Athletic Department knows the transition of Minnesota from the WCHA to the Big Ten Conference in 2013 was and continues to be unpopular with Gopher fans. Rivalries were impacted and scheduling of games, times, and TV coverage has become less attractive to many fans.

“…Games used to be on TV like clockwork every Friday and Saturday night,” Hankinson said. “Same time, same channel. Easy. Now they (the Gophers) are just too hard to find. There are just too many other things that are on top of people’s minds to go try to find them.”

The Gophers might have the highest priced tickets in college hockey and sometimes aren’t delivering a product justifying the cost. A program accustomed to competing for national championships hasn’t won an NCAA title since 2003. The Gophers’ record this season was two games over .500. A year ago Minnesota finished three games over .500.

It’s a grind being a head college hockey coach and at 59 maybe Lucia will ponder in the days ahead if he has had enough. The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native has been a head coach dating back to his start in 1987 at Alaska-Fairbanks where he stayed for six seasons before moving on to Colorado College in 1993. His first season with the Gophers was 1999-2000. Along the way he’s made a lot of friends and earned a reputation as an outstanding coach and classy person.

Lucia has one season remaining on a contract that officially ends April 30, 2019. That’s not a tenable spot for any coach when he or she deals with recruiting athletes and answering questions about a program’s future. Coyle can dismiss Lucia “without just cause” with 90 days prior written notice, according to the coach’s contract, and the University must pay a $315,000 buyout. It appears no final decision has been made by the University about Lucia who received a contract extension from Coyle in October of 2016.

Lucia is Minnesota’s all-time winningest coach with 457 victories. His 2002 and 2003 teams won consecutive national championships. His teams have won eight regular season conference titles and four postseason championships. He is a four-time conference coach of the year.

This past season ended badly for the Gophers who lost four games on consecutive weekends to Penn State, placing their NCAA Tournament hopes in some jeopardy. Then a couple of days ago the most improbable of developments occurred when six other teams won games that ended Minnesota’s hopes of qualifying for the tournament.

The surprise news about no postseason opportunity added to conversations about the program’s future. Lucia’s future is reportedly discussed even at Northern Michigan where fans are worried about losing Grant Potulny. The former Gopher captain and assistant coach under Lucia led the Wildcats to their most wins since 2006 this winter.

If Coyle decides to make a change it seems likely with the Gophers’ great hockey tradition there will be a push to hire someone with ties to the program like Potulny. Longtime assistant Mike Guentzel, who also is a former Gopher captain, will surely be considered, too, if there is a change. But for now it’s unknown as to who coaches Minnesota hockey next season and beyond.

Whether it is Lucia, or someone else, expectations will rightfully be high. “This should be a top four program nationally,” said a college hockey authority who asked that his name not be used. “It’s the best job in the country to recruit to.”

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