David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

WCHA and Big Ten Explore Alliance

Posted on January 25, 2016January 27, 2016 by David Shama

WCHA and Big Ten leaders are discussing ideas that could result in more men’s hockey games between the two leagues.

WCHA men’s commissioner Bill Robertson told Sports Headliners he had an exploratory meeting recently with Big Ten deputy commissioner Brad Traviolia. Discussion included some day having a combined tournament with teams from the two leagues, and also a series of regional rivalry games.

“The next step is we’re going to continue these discussions and bring ideas to each other’s executive committees and coaches to help define how we move forward,” Robertson said. “At this point it’s all conceptual but certainly there are ideas we will continue to build on.”

The WCHA is a tradition-rich league that still boasts nationally-ranked teams but the conference lost some prestige when historic power programs Minnesota and Wisconsin opted out to help form a Big Ten hockey league. The WCHA currently has 10 teams including two from the state of Minnesota, Bemidji State and Minnesota State. The six-team Big Ten began in the fall of 2013, and the league has its critics including in Minneapolis-St. Paul where fans miss old rivalries and feel the Gophers should be in a larger, more hockey oriented conference.

Robertson, who has career marketing experiences in the NHL, is an innovator and he believes both the WCHA and Big Ten could benefit in exposure and revenues with alliances that might include something similar to basketball’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge. That annual fall matchup schedules games between teams from the two leagues that have been popular with fans and TV audiences. A Big Ten/WCHA Challenge could include regional rivalry games like Minnesota-Minnesota State and Michigan-Michigan Tech.

Robertson, whose league offices are in Edina, continues to dialogue with Arizona State about that school’s hockey program joining the WCHA. He said more will be known in the spring, and that 2017-2018 will be the earliest the Sun Devils would join the league.

An 11-team league isn’t ideal, though, so a 12th member could eventually be added—perhaps UNLV. Las Vegas is a growing hockey market and a possible location for an NHL expansion franchise.

Worth Noting

Carter Coughlin, the Gophers’ four-star linebacker recruit from Eden Prairie High School, who is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent next month, will have to rest his left shoulder for about 3½ months following surgery last Thursday. Jennie Coughlin, Carter’s mother, told Sports Headliners the shoulder injury dates back to his junior season, and the expectation is he will be healthy when the Gophers start workouts in June. She said Carter is already recovered from the concussion he sustained in a high school all-star game earlier this month.

Richard Pitino’s basketball team is 0-8 in Big Ten games and appears headed toward a low final finish in the conference standings, but the coach will be rewarded with $450,000 this spring. In addition to his normal compensation of more than $1.5 million, Pitino will receive $450,000 on April 30 for a “contract fulfillment incentive.” If he is still the Gophers coach on April 30, 2019, he receives another $450,000.

Ken Lien, the state prep basketball authority who runs the Mr. Basketball program, travels extensively watching high school boys teams. He shared his state rankings with Sports Headliners:

Class 4A. 1. Hopkins; 2. Apple Valley; 3. Osseo; 4. Maple Grove; 5. Champlin Park; 6. Lakeville North; 7. Shakopee; 8. Wayzata; 9. Woodbury; 10. Rochester John Marshall.

Class 3A. 1. Red Wing; 2. DeLaSalle; 3. Delano; 4. Waconia; 5. Orono; 6. Benilde-St. Margaret’s; 7. Marshall; 8. Austin; 9. Minneapolis Patrick Henry; 10. Fergus Falls.

Class 2A. 1. Caledonia; 2. St. Croix Lutheran; 3. Braham; 4. Lake City; 5. Melrose; 6. Albany; 7. Minnehaha Academy; 8. Eden Valley-Watkins; 9. Esko; 10. St. Paul Academy.

Class 1A. 1. Minneapolis North; 2. Spring Grove; 3. Rushford-Peterson; 4. Central Minnesota Christian; 5. Murray County Central; 6. Hillcrest Lutheran; 7. Goodhue; 8. Browerville; 9. North Woods; 10. Battle Lake.

The Twins announced today they have given third baseman Trevor Plouffe a one-year contract for $7,250,000 in 2016. Plouffe, who was originally drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, set single season highs last year in hits (140), RBI (86), runs scored (74), games (152), at-bats (573) and triples (4). Plouffe’s .972 fielding percentage ranked third among major league third basemen last season.

After last weekend’s two-game sweep of the Badgers, coach Don Lucia’s Gophers hockey team is 13-10 overall and 8-2 in Big Ten games. League-leading Minnesota has won five straight and could boost the spirits of often critical fans next weekend in the North Star College Cup at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Gophers play Bemidji State on Saturday while an earlier game matches Minnesota State and St. Cloud State. If Minnesota defeats the Beavers, a cup title game on Sunday against the Minnesota State and St. Cloud State winner could be opportune for the Gophers to earn more national respect. St. Cloud State, ranked No. 3 in the latest USCHO.com national poll, might be the best team in the country. The Gophers are No. 20 in the poll, while Minnesota State is No. 19.

Gophers booster and St. Paul native T. Denny Sanford celebrated his 80th birthday last month in both Sioux Falls, where Tim McGraw entertained, and also in San Diego at a party with Frankie Valli performing.

The Gophers baseball team will play some of its games starting in 2017 in U.S. Bank Stadium, the new downtown covered facility. The Gophers will have their own locker room in the multiuse facility that is expected to host over 200 amateur baseball games in its first 12 months of operation. The longest distance from home plate to the outfield will be 400 feet, while the shortest will be 301 feet. Coach John Anderson and his players toured the stadium last Friday. The Gophers will also continue to play games outdoors at Siebert Field.

With Seahawks safety Earl Thomas unable to play because of an injury, Vikings safety Harrison Smith has been selected for his first Pro Bowl. Since entering the NFL in 2012, Smith is one of two players to have at least 12 interceptions and 5.0 sacks. Reshad Jones from the Dolphins is the other player. The Pro Bowl will be played next Sunday in Hawaii.

New Vikings assistant coach Pat Shurmur will coach the tight ends. The club announced today that former tight ends coach Kevin Stefanski will take over as the running backs coach replacing Kirby Wilson who is joining the Browns. Shurmur, a former head coach with the Browns, was the Eagles tight end coach from 1999-2001.

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway turned 33 earlier this month, and his returning for another season with the team seems questionable. A highlight for him last year was his 22 tackles game against the Raiders, the second best in franchise history.

Greenway was durable during the 2015 season. Ben Goessling, writing for espn.com last Wednesday, said Greenway maxed out on his per game bonus incentive by being on the 46-man roster for all 16 regular season games. Greenway, who agreed during the offseason to take less salary in 2015, earned $500,000 in bonus money, according to Goessling.

Las Vegas sports books positioned the Panthers as four point favorites over the Broncos for Super Bowl 50, according to an online story this morning by Matt Youmans for the Las Vegas Journal-Review.

Friends of the late Steve Wilkinson remembered the one-year anniversary of his death last Thursday. The legendary former Gustavus Adolphus national championship tennis coach touched many lives with the Gusties and his well-known Tennis and Life Camps.

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Fitzgeralds Keep Father-Son Bond

Posted on January 22, 2016January 22, 2016 by David Shama

Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr., the Cardinals slot receiver who is on track for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will know his dad is in the stadium watching him Sunday when his team plays in Charlotte against the Panthers for the NFC Championship.

Larry Sr. will see a game that will send the winner to Super Bowl 50 to play the AFC champion in Santa Clara, California. Dad hasn’t missed a Cardinals game all season, or in the playoffs. The Fitzgeralds are that kind of family.

Growing up in south Minneapolis, Larry Sr. and his late wife Carol emphasized to Larry Jr. and his brother Marcus the importance of family and the right way to behave. No drugs or alcohol. Get your rest and don’t associate with the wrong people. Don’t do anything crazy.

“That’s the way we raised him—to be careful—and to make certain not to run with the crowd and not be a problem,” Larry Sr. told Sports Headliners. “He’s a leader. He’s a winner.”

Larry Sr. grew up in Chicago and played football at Indiana State, and then briefly with the NFL Giants. He knows how violent the game can be. He was hesitant when Carol started Larry Jr. playing football at age 10. “We had some issues in the family about that, but by blessings we got through it,” Larry Sr. said.

Dad could see the passion his namesake had for football. “From that point I could see he wasn’t afraid of football. He wasn’t afraid of contact. That’s the first hurdle right there. Not fear the game.”

Larry Jr. & Larry Sr. (photo courtesy of Lou Lampson)

Larry Sr. still lives in the Minneapolis area and is a veteran sportswriter and sports radio commentator. He will in the press box of Bank of America Stadium on Sunday covering the game. His relationship with former Vikings coach Dennis Green gave Larry Jr. the opportunity to be around pros like Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter. By the time Larry Jr. was starring for Holy Angels Academy pro scouts were telling dad his high school age son could already play in the NFL.

Although Larry Jr. grew up here, he didn’t dream about being a Golden Gopher. Schools like Miami, Oklahoma and Pittsburgh (his eventual college choice) wooed him during the recruiting process. “They were in our house a lot earlier than Minnesota,” Larry Sr. said.

Dad was convinced after his son’s freshman year at Pitt that he had the skills and determination to be a pro. For the last 12 years Larry Jr. has more than proven that including last Saturday night when his long run after a reception set up the winning points against the Packers in an overtime playoff classic. He finished things off with a short run for the winning score.

In seven of Fitzgerald’s seasons he has had over 1,000 yards in receptions including 2015. He had a career high 109 receptions during the last regular season and in December became the 11th player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career catches. Six seasons he has had 90 or more catches. He has been selected for the Pro Bowl eight times.

At age 32, Fitzgerald is one win from his second Super Bowl. The Cardinals lost 27-23 to the Steelers in the 2009 game. “We’ll see if this is the best Cardinals team that he’s played on,” his father said. “We’ll find out pretty soon, I guess.”

The Cardinals’ offense was No. 1 in points per game during the regular season. The defense No. 5 in points allowed. Dad thinks his son plays for the league’s best team. “I think they have a group that can go win it all.”

The Cardinals, 14-3, will play a Panthers group that had an NFL-best 16-1 record. If Larry Jr. wants any advice for Sunday he knows his dad is available. “Never stop being a parent,” Larry Sr. said.

Worth Noting

Fitzgerald is on this week’s regional cover of Sports Illustrated on sale in Arizona and other western states, according to SI.com on Tuesday. Legendary quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are on the cover in most states, including Minnesota, as part of the buildup for the AFC title game between Manning’s Broncos and Brady’s Patriots.

Greg Bedard, writing in the January 18 issue of Sports Illustrated, ranked the Cardinals the best NFC team in the playoffs. S.I. said: “Talent, physicality, aggression, daring play-calling—they’re all qualities you look for in a Super Bowl contender, and no one cam match Arizona’s mix of the above.”

Approximately 87 percent of the work is completed on the construction of U.S. Bank Stadium. All the glass for the huge pivoting doors (95 feet at their peaks) will be installed in the next 30 days. Proposals will be solicited for the artificial turf, expected to cost between $1 million and $2 million.

The Vikings have yet to determine how to best acclimate their players to the facility before the team has its first games in the building next summer. Nothing has been decided regarding practices or even scrimmages.

Jedd Fisch, the former Gophers offensive coordinator under Tim Brewster, joined Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan staff last winter as passing game coordinator. Fisch must have done well because this week he received a two-year contract extension paying him between $650,000 and $750,000 annually, according to a SI.com story on Tuesday.

Former Gophers basketball coach Jim Dutcher has written a letter to M Club Director George Adzick recommending Darryl Mitchell be inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame. Mitchell was captain of the 1982 Big Ten champion Minnesota team Ducher coached. Mitchell was an All-Big Ten selection that season and has become an attorney. “He’s got all the credentials,” Dutcher told Sports Headliners.

Gophers senior Rachel Banham ranked 39th all-time among NCAA women’s career scorers after her 32 point total on Wednesday night in Minnesota’s win over No. 20 ranked Northwestern. She has 2,613 career points. The Gophers, 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten, play in Madison tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. against the Badgers. Wisconsin is 6-11 overall and 2-5 in league games.

The Gophers men’s hockey team, 11-10 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten, plays the Badgers in Madison tonight and Saturday evening. Wisconsin, 4-10-6 and 1-5-2-1, has been struggling but the roster includes pro prospects Luke Kunin and Matt Jurusik. The two freshmen were listed by NHL Central Scouting on Tuesday as top 20 players.

Kunin, who at the beginning of the season was on Central Scouting’s Watch List as a potential first round draft pick, is listed as the 16th best North American skater on Central’s latest rankings. A forward, the Chesterfield, Missouri native leads the team with 9 goals and 18 points.

Jurusik, from La Grange, Illinois, is listed as the 15th best North American goaltending prospect and has a 3.18 GAA this season. He is the only Division I goaltender to make the list. He has one shutout this season, 3-0 against Michigan State.

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Twins Season Ticket Sales on Rise

Posted on January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 by David Shama

The Twins are ahead of a year ago on new season ticket sales and renewals, which could end at 95 percent. “We’re expecting to see growth in our overall season ticket base for the first time…since we moved into the new ballpark,” Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners. “That’s exciting.”

Season tickets in 2015 were roughly half of the 24,000 the club sold in 2010, the franchise’s first year in Target Field. After a comeback year on the field in 2014, St. Peter is talking about a season ticket total of more than 14,000 in 2016.

New at Target Field this spring will be an extension of protective netting to shield fans in lower level seats from wayward baseballs and bats. St. Peter said the dugouts at Target Field are closer to home plate than any ballpark in major league baseball. Netting will extend from the existing home plate area to behind the dugouts.

“The netting decision impacts a relatively small number of fans,” St. Peter said. “I wouldn’t say that’s a widespread concern (of patrons). It’s a very serious concern for some fans but I would not classify that as a big concern for the overall fanbase. I think it will be viewed ultimately as a positive for the overall fanbase.”

Major League Baseball recommended in December that teams lengthen safety netting in their stadiums to protect fans seated near the field from balls and bats. The initiative will be welcomed by some customers but will annoy those who want a clear view of the field without looking through netting. St. Peter said the change at Target Field will impact “several hundred season ticket accounts.” The netting will be a height of about six to seven feet above dugout level and in place for the club’s home opener on April 11.

St. Peter said netting has been part of the ballpark layout for a long time and has been in place for some of the Twins’ most sought-after seating. “Fans have adapted to it,” he added.

The Twins have a reinvigorated fan base that is optimistic about the club’s winning season in 2015, the first in five years. Part of that enthusiasm will be on display at TwinsFest January 29-31 at Target Field. Tickets are still available for the annual event that allows fans to meet present and past Twins players.

Fans will be introduced to South Korean newcomer Byung Ho Park, the 29-year-old DH the club signed in the offseason. Park is working out with his former South Korean team in Arizona where that club has annually held spring training.

Miguel Sano (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

After Twinsfest, Park will go to the Twins’ training complex in Fort Myers where he will be joined by 2015 rookie slugger sensation Miguel Sano who is transitioning from third base to right field. Twins manager Paul Molitor prefers to try Sano in right field rather than left field because that is a more expansive area to defend at Target Field.

Twins legend Rod Carew, still recovering from a near fatal heart attack last year, may attend TwinsFest. “(He is) getting stronger at home,” St. Peter said. “Still hopes to potentially get to TwinsFest. In addition, Rod is very focused on getting to Fort Myers for spring training.”

Torii Hunter, who retired after last season, will attend the team’s fan festival. The Twins hope he will accept a future role with the club. “I am optimistic Torii will be involved with the Twins over the long-term,” St. Peter said.

Michael Cuddyer, recently retired from the Mets, reportedly remains under contract with that club. St. Peter said his organization may one day want to talk with Cuddyer, a former Twin, about a non-playing role. “Longer-term, by all means, we have interest in Michael Cuddyer ultimately being part of our organization.”

Worth Noting

Bret Bielema, who angered Gophers fans when he was head coach at Wisconsin, will be a headline speaker on Friday, April 1 for the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park. Bielema, now at Arkansas, irked Minnesota coach Tim Brewster and Gopher nation by opting for a late game two-point conversion in the Badgers’ lopsided 41-23 win in 2010.

The annual clinic is attended primarily by Minnesota high school football coaches and last year had a record 1,267 registrations. The Gophers are among the clinic organizers and it was ex-Minnesota coach Jerry Kill (who replaced Brewster in 2010) that helped book Bielema awhile ago as a featured speaker. Kill and Bielema are friends.

Jim Dotseth, one of the clinic administrators, has met Bielema and described him as “amenable” and a regular guy. “I think they (clinic attendees) will be excited about having him speak,” Dotseth said. “He’s a pretty successful coach at the Division I level.”

Bielema defeated the Gophers eight times as Wisconsin’s head coach and led the Badgers to three consecutive Big Ten championships and Rose Bowls. He is rebuilding an Arkansas program that closed last season by winning six of its last seven games including a Liberty Bowl victory. (See the YouTube trailer on “Being Bret Bielema.”)

The MFCA Clinic will be March 31-April 2. Other headline speakers will be head coaches Tracy Claeys from Minnesota, P.J. Fleck of Western Michigan and John Stiegelmeier from South Dakota State. More at mnfootballcoaches.com.

Knowledgeable sources still don’t know of a favorite for the Gophers athletic director opening other than interim boss Beth Goetz.

Minnesotans who love to bash the Iowa Hawkeyes might be looking with jealous eyes toward “Baja Minnesota.” The Hawkeye football team won the Big Ten West, played in the Rose Bowl and finished with a 12-2 record. The men’s basketball team is 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1996-1997 season. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 9 nationally in both the A.P. and coaches polls—the highest ranking for the program since November of 2001 when Iowa was No. 7.

Mike Mularkey, the former Vikings tight end named the Tennessee Titans head coach a few days ago, started his coaching career in 1993 as an assistant at Concordia, St. Paul.

It’s a big week for the nationally-ranked MIAC-leading St. Thomas men’s basketball team. Coach John Tauer’s 13-1 Tommies are on a nine game winning streak and play at Carleton on Saturday afternoon—the only team to defeat UST so far. The Tommies’ conference record is 8-1 while Carleton is 7-2, the same record as the St. Olaf team that plays at St. Thomas tonight.

Tyus Jones, two years ago a high school All-American at Apple Valley, hasn’t played in the last eight Timberwolves games, according to stats from ESPN.com. The 2015 first round draft choice was recalled from the NBA Development League on December 22. After coming back to the Wolves, the 19-year-old point guard played in the team’s next seven games. With the Idaho Stampede, Jones averaged 24.7 points and five assists in six games. He is averaging three points and 1.6 assists with the Wolves this season.

Jones’s brother, sophomore point guard Tre Jones from Apple Valley High School, is being recruited hard by Texas Tech and former Gophers coach Tubby Smith.

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