David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Big Dip in U Football Season Tickets

Posted on August 13, 2016August 13, 2016 by David Shama

As of yesterday the Gophers had sold 22,706 football season tickets, according to an email from an athletic department spokesman. Those are season tickets that don’t include student sales and the figure represents a major decline in season sales from last year’s final total.

The spokesman also reported that nonstudent season tickets last year totaled 27,885. With less than three weeks to the start of the Gophers season, the athletic department is off about 19 percent from last year’s final sales.

The last few years the public season ticket total is believed to be in the 27,000 to 30,000 range. If the Gophers didn’t sell any more tickets in 2016 they would be down 5,179 tickets from last year at TCF Bank Stadium (with a capacity of over 51,000). The department will expect to boost its total of 22,706 but time is growing tight.

A drop-off of 15 to 20 percent is a significant loss in ticket revenue. The decline has the attention of athletic department leaders who have reportedly cancelled a 2017 price increase. They may have done so not only because of push back from ticket buying customers but also because of media reports earlier this year the Big Ten Conference has negotiated a rich TV deal for its schools. The Gophers’ future TV revenue share reportedly will be over $44 million annually and that would make it easier to hold steady with ticket prices.

A price increase in 2017 was scheduled to be part of a three-year escalation in pricing announced in late 2014. Late this week the athletic department sent emails to ticket holders announcing the freeze in prices, according to a Sports Headliners source. Joe Christensen wrote about the change in pricing in today’s Star Tribune.

Many seats at TCF Bank Stadium have increased in cost by hundreds of dollars because of built-in donation fees attached to ticket prices (also labeled and reported as “scholarship seating fees”). At the time of the 2014 announcement the department explained the necessity for creating more revenues to counterbalance rising costs and to increase the operating budget for Gopher athletics.

However, there is a lot of pushback from unhappy season ticket holders, even though many realize expensive tickets have become common with football programs across the country. One source told Sports Headliners this summer he heard Gophers football season ticket sales for 2016 were off about 20 percent. Another source estimated 10 to 15 percent.

The Gophers were coming off a 8-4 regular season and 5-3 Big Ten record in 2014 when athletic director Norwood Teague announced changes in pricing. Minnesota was headed toward its first New Year’s Day Bowl game since 1962, and Jerry Kill was building his popularity as head coach. By season’s end last year the Gophers had finished 2-6 in the Big Ten and 6-7 overall after a Quick Lane Bowl win against Central Michigan. They also played the last part of the season without Kill who resigned in October because of health concerns.

Without the face of the program in Kill and coming off a disappointing season, it’s not surprising there is a major drop-off in season ticket sales now. The 2016 price increase is no doubt part of the cause. Also, adding to the problem is a home schedule that is less attractive than 2015 when marquee names Michigan, Nebraska, TCU and Wisconsin came to town. The best draws on this fall’s home schedule are Iowa and Northwestern. Next year is better with the main attractions lining up as Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Worth Noting

Best wishes are welcome for Gophers linebackers coach Mike Sherels who has had multiple hospitalizations and surgeries the last couple weeks including Thursday, according to a source. Sherels, 31, has been visited by Gophers players and is likely to remain hospitalized for awhile.

It appears likely Shannon Brooks, the Gophers leading rusher in 2015, will miss the opening game against Oregon State after surgery this week for a broken bone in his foot, according to another source. Speculation is Brooks might be out three to five weeks. Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys is expected to provide details about Brooks early this evening.

After Oregon State September 1, the Gophers play a tune-up game September 10 versus Indiana State and then have a bye before their final nonconference game against Colorado State September 24. A Brooks return for that game might be probable. Brooks, a sophomore, rushed for 709 yards and was a surprise impact player last season.

Redshirt sophomore Rodney Smith, the team’s second leading rusher last season with 670 yards, probably will become the team’s main ball carrier. His backup, junior college transfer Kobe McCrary, seems likely to receive major playing time, too.

McCrary, 6-2, 235 pounds, led the nation’s junior college players in rushing touchdowns last season with 22. Competing at Butler Community College in Kansas, and playing in one of the premier JC leagues in the nation, the Florida native rushed 225 times for 1,190 yards.

Ryan Burns, publisher of Scout’s GopherDigest.com, said McCrary is similar to Brooks in his ability to break or slip tackles. He also told Sports Headliners that while redshirt freshman James Johannesson had an eye-catching spring game for the Gophers and remains a promising player, McCrary “was brought in for a reason.” As Burns knows, Claeys isn’t likely to recruit junior college players with their limited years of eligibility unless they can help the team immediately. McCrary will have two seasons of eligibility at Minnesota.

Burns thought the Gophers had a potential breakthrough freshman in former Marshall High School receiver Drew Hmielewski but he will miss the 2016 season because of shoulder surgery and will be a medical redshirt. “At some time he will probably start practicing this fall,” Claeys said. “I don’t know when.”

Claeys definitely expects Hmielewski to participate in spring practice. Coming out of high school Scout ranked him as the No. 9 wide receiver in the Midwest.

This afternoon’s 4:45 p.m. Gophers practice at TCF Bank Stadium is the last one open to the public.

Comments Welcome

Musical Chairs for Twins Lineup

Posted on August 10, 2016August 10, 2016 by David Shama

The Twins are experimenting with players at different positions as they close the last months of a disappointing season, while looking ahead to 2017 and beyond.

Is this Twins-version of musical chairs a big problem?

Or is it a positive the Twins are developing players who can play multiple positions, while rebuilding a roster for future seasons?

First base exemplifies the sorting out process club officials face in coming seasons. Joe Mauer, the $23 million per season local hero, has two years remaining on his contract and is the regular first baseman. Mauer, 33, switched to first base from catching after the 2013 season and his concussion history won’t allow a return behind the plate.

First base is often the favored position for a good-hit, not-so-skilled player in the field. If that sounds like a fit for second-year slugger Miguel Sano, pat yourself on the back. Sano has faltered defensively this year in both right field and at third base. Mostly a third baseman during his minor league career, Sano could improve in the future but his huge frame (6-4, 262) and potential as a 40 home runs guy per season makes him a natural for first base. He has homered in four of his last five games.

Miguel Sano (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

Sano is only 23—far too young to be mostly a designated hitter. His path the next couple years might be a mix of third base, DH work and test drives at first where he could replace Mauer as the starter in 2019.

Then there is Byung Ho Park. Remember him? The Twins made headlines last offseason by signing the South Korean slugger to a contract through 2019. Besides being a DH, Park’s position in the field is first base. Park has been a flop in his debut big league season and was demoted to Triple-A Rochester earlier this summer. But at 30 years old with a reported $12 million commitment, the Twins aren’t going to give up on him yet.

The Twins have no choice but to be patient with DH/first baseman Park, and the same is true with Kennys Vargas who is also limited to the same roles as Park. Another guy with a classic first base body, Vargas, 6-5, 289, is in his third try with the Twins. He shows slugger potential but isn’t consistent. After a productive stretch following his recall from Rochester, the 26-year-old Vargas is hitting .218 in his last 15 games.

Deciding who plays where in the infield and outfield is a puzzle Twins management must figure out. Brian Dozier, the team’s leading home run hitter and an American League All-Star in 2014, owns second base. Team president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners Trevor Plouffe is considered the regular third baseman when healthy (which he hasn’t been), but trade speculation is persistent about the 30-year-old whose departure from Minneapolis would open more playing time for Sano. The last couple of seasons Eduardo Escobar has had a lot of starts at shortstop, but Eduardo Nunez took his job for the first half of the season and now rookie Jorge Palanco might claim it. Palanco, whose best position might be second base, has also played third with the Twins.

Center fielder Byron Buxton’s inability to hit big league pitching got him demoted again to Rochester. That outfield position has been unsettled for years and the Twins are now trying to fill the spot with left fielder Eddie Rosario. Danny Santana, a converted shortstop who the Twins turned into a centerfielder, has now been playing left field. And, yes, Santana has played in the infield this season.

St. Peter expressed a positive view regarding players at multiple positions. He talked about how the 25-man rosters of major league teams are top-heavy with pitchers, making it important to have versatile position players.

“There’s no question,” St. Peter said. “I think it’s absolutely critical that a manager has players who are versatile, that can play multiple positions. …Give the manager flexibility over the course of a season to deal with injuries, give opportunities for players to get rest (and) to deal with different pitching matchups, and ultimately just to have more options late in the game to pinch-hit, to pinch run, to put in defensive specialists. All those need to come into play.”

It’s certain, though, that if the Twins are to move forward in the standings in future years, they will need established players at various positions in the field—individuals who can excel and play 150 games or more at their spots. Star players like the Twins had years ago with Mauer catching, Justin Morneau at first base, and Torii Hunter and Michael Cuddyer in the outfield.

“There’s a lot of young guys who are looking to establish their footing in the big leagues and to earn that opportunity, that privilege to be penciled in every day at a certain position. We’re just not quite there yet,” St. Peter said.

Perhaps it will all work out for the Twins. The club has played over .500 baseball since July and won nine of its last 13 games.

Worth Noting

The 35-year-old Morneau, signed in June by the White Sox, is hitting .300 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI in 70 at bats.

St. Peter said he has daily conversations with Korn Ferry regarding the team’s search for a head of baseball operations. The firm was retained earlier this summer to assist the Twins in replacing dismissed executive and general manager Terry Ryan.

St. Peter said “the interview process will commence soon, but we’re not there yet.” The organization is still defining what it is looking for in a candidate. The goal is to hire a person by season’s end.

Despite all their winning in recent weeks the Twins still have the worst record (46-67) in the American League. The Twins are the lowest ranked American League team in ESPN’s rankings of the 30 major league clubs. The Twins are No. 27, while the Cubs are No. 1 and have been for the last three weeks.

Talented junior Gophers defensive tackle Steven Richardson could be All-Big Ten after this season. “It’s definitely one of my biggest goals,” he said. “I definitely wanted to get it last year and obviously I fell short due to injury. I felt like if I wasn’t injured, I definitely could have been a contender for it.”

Richardson is short, admitting to 5-10 without his football shoes, but he is exceptionally strong and difficult to block. He missed playing time in 2015 with a reported calf injury. He said this offseason the defensive linemen spent more time than in the past on preemptive training including abdomen workouts to prevent back injuries.

Richardson wasn’t the only defensive lineman injured last season and he expects the collective health of the unit to be better this year. “(Expecting) to have a much more durable D-Line because we were dropping like flies out there (last season),” he said.

Gophers senior quarterback Mitch Leidner did some offseason bonding with his receivers when he took them to the family cabin near Cromwell, Minnesota. “It was a great time, just to get to know people,” said senior receiver Eric Carter.

Comments Welcome

Scottish Great Picks U.S. to Win Ryder Cup

Posted on August 8, 2016August 8, 2016 by David Shama

Scottish-born Colin Montgomerie predicts the United States team will win the Ryder Cup when the famous biennial golf competition with Europe is held September 30-October 2 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska. Montgomerie, in town for last weekend’s 3M Championship in Blaine, is now on the senior tour but is famous as one of Europe’s legendary Ryder Cup players.

Europe has won six of the last seven Cups but Montgomerie told Sports Headliners he expects a supportive and electric crowd at Hazeltine will be among key reasons the United States wins the match play event. He believes the U.S. team will be motivated to end Europe’s domination that includes three consecutive Cup wins.

Montgomerie said other factors favoring U.S. success are the leadership of captain Davis Love III, and the “aura” of having vice captain Tiger Woods being around the American players. The 12-man U.S. roster won’t be finalized for awhile but qualifying point totals show Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and Jimmy Walker will be leading the team.

Montgomerie will be covering the Ryder Cup for both British and American television. A former captain, he played for Europe eight times and was on five winning teams. Undefeated in Ryder Cup singles matches, he is famous for holing the winning putt at the 2004 competition at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan.

Montgomerie makes his feelings known about the Cup on his website with this quote: “If I tell you that I can remember virtually every shot I have hit in a Ryder Cup, it will go some way towards explaining how much this biennial contest means to me.”

After the second round of the 3M Championship on Saturday, the 53-year-old Montgomerie was tied for fourth with Jeff Maggert at 11 under. When the tournament ended Sunday, nine other golfers were ahead of Montgomerie. Joe Durant won $262,500 with his playoff win yesterday against Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Worth Noting

NBC’s Olympic coverage seen locally on KARE 11 had Minneapolis-St. Paul area ratings of over 7 yesterday afternoon, while the Twins-Rays game on Fox Sports North was under 1.

It will be interesting to see who emerges as Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner’s favorite receiver this season. That role last year went to KJ Maye but among the possibilities now is senior wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky. He is the team’s leading returning receiver, having caught 39 passes for 524 yards in 2015.

Off the field Wolitarsky is majoring in English and is an avid writer. He has written several science fiction stories and had a six-part short story published in The Wake, a student-run magazine at the University of Minnesota.

At Saturday’s second practice of training camp, Leidner was impressive with deep passes. He had difficulty with long throws last season while playing on an injured left foot.

Bob Coughlin, father of promising Gophers freshman linebacker Carter Coughlin of Eden Prairie, told Sports Headliners on Saturday his son has no lingering problems from the mild concussion he suffered in a national prep all-star game last January.

Rob and wife Jennie were chaperones at the family’s lake residence when Carter hosted about 19 of his freshmen teammates earlier this year. Rob said players from the south wore socks into the lake, explaining that is what they do back home.

Jennie handled the cooking for the lake getaway. Asked about the sizeable appetites of Carter and teammates, Rob said, “Thank God for Costco.”

There was talk following spring practice that redshirt junior Ryan Santoso, who probably will be the team’s punter, might also handle long field goal attempts this fall. Gophers coach Tracy Claeys said he hadn’t even thought about that after two training camp practices.

“If I had to make a decision today, I’d say no,” Claeys said. “I’d just as soon he punt and live with that. Emmit (Carpenter) has done a good job on the field goals, and we would go (with him). We get closer to around 15 practices, we should have that all fine for sure.”

Santoso concentrated on field goals last season, making 17 of 21. His .810 percentage was second best in the Big Ten. The Gophers, though, need to replace graduated all-conference punter Peter Mortell. Santoso punted in high school in Florida and Carpenter, a redshirt sophomore from Green Bay, has impressed this year in practices, although he has yet to attempt a field goal in a Gopher game.

Recruiting authority and writer Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners the Gophers haven’t offered a scholarship to Chicago-area defensive back Juawan Treadwell but might do so. Treadwell’s older brother Laquon Treadwell, a wide receiver from Ole Miss, was the Vikings No. 1 draft choice earlier this year. Burns said the younger Treadwell was in the green room on NFL Draft night when the Vikings selected his brother—an indication of their relationship.

Last Monday’s column about U.S. Bank Stadium and TCF Bank Stadium prompted emails including from readers who noted the walking distances from the University’s student center (Coffman Memorial Union) to both facilities. One reader wrote that it’s 1.5 miles to U.S. Bank Stadium and 0.7 to TCF Bank Stadium.

Much was written and said about Tony Dungy last weekend when the former Vikings assistant coach and Super Bowl winning Colts head coach was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A detail forgotten about Dungy is that while on scholarship as a Gophers quarterback, he played basketball for one season. During 1973-74 Dungy was a reserve guard, averaging 2.6 points per game while making .485 percent of his field goals and .600 percent of his free throws.

The Vikings will have a 6,000 seat outdoor stadium as part of their new practice and team headquarters in Eagan. Dave Stead, executive director of the Minnesota State High School League, told Sports Headliners the Twin Cities Orthopedics Stadium could be the site of prep football, lacrosse and soccer games. Among details to be determined is how the Vikings would compensate host schools for revenues lost by moving games to Eagan. The stadium is expected to open in 2018.

Apparently no decision yet on whether 40-year-old Kevin Garnett wants—or will be asked—to play another season for the Timberwolves. The process might be slowed by new Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau being at the summer Olympics where he is an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team. Garnett is a strong locker room personality and it’s not known how Thibodeau will view that as he shapes a new culture with his new team.

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