David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikes Need WR, Kill Praises Doctson

Posted on April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 by David Shama

The Vikings might count their blessings on draft night if Josh Doctson is available. “I’d take him in the first round if I wanted a guy that could make plays,” Jerry Kill told Sports Headliners this week.

The former TCU wide receiver could be available when the Vikings use the No. 23 pick in the first round of the April 28 NFL Draft. Speculation is the Vikings will use a selection in the early rounds to improve their wide receivers roster and hopefully acquire someone who becomes a big time playmaker.

When Kill coached the Gophers against TCU, his team had to contend with the 6-2, 202-pound Doctson. He was TCU’s leading receiver in two wins over Minnesota, catching 14 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s a freak of nature, a great player,” Kill said. “Great hands. He catches the deep ball as good as you can get it done. He’s special at going up in getting the ball. He’ll block you. He runs really, really well. Just a very, very good athlete that can make plays.”

Doctson impressed at the NFL Scouting Combine this winter and projects as one of the first wide receivers to be drafted. He might be chosen between No. 16 and No. 26 in the first round, depending on what various NFL teams are looking for to fill roster needs.

While draft authorities believe Doctson could be the Vikings’ first selection, the team needs help in the offensive line too. A probable candidate is former Ohio State tackle Taylor Decker who Kill also faced during his time as Gophers coach.

“Physical, strong, Ohio State lineman,” Kill said. “Well coached. He’s coming from a big time program. Both those guys (Doctson too) are coming from programs that are top 10 in the country. They’re going to have some substance to them about being successful.

“They’re coming from two coaches that—Gary Patterson (TCU) coaches people hard and so does Urban (Meyer, OSU) in a good way. They hardened them, and I think they get those kids ready to play in the NFL.”

The 6-7, 310-pound Decker projects more as a right tackle than a left, where better arm length and athleticism are needed against edge pass rushers, according to his profile on NFL.com/draft. His Web page describes him as a strong run blocker, “tough guy” and a potential team leader. That’s the kind of makeup demanding Vikings coach Mike Zimmer values.

Like any potential draft choice, Decker has weaknesses but an anonymous AFC regional scout said this on Decker’s Web page: “I hope you kill this guy because I would love for him to fall to us. He’s strong and tough. You can beat him up with this or that, but he’ll be a long-time starting right tackle in the league for years.”

Worth Noting

Kill has a busy schedule while living at his lake home in Illinois. He is a consultant for Miami of Ohio coach Chuck Martin and Southern Illinois coach Nick Hill. He is also involved with public speaking and appearances, although the University of Minnesota has yet to schedule him as an independent contractor.

Kill will see many of his friends tonight at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park. Kill helped line up Arkansas coach Bret Bielema as the featured speaker for this evening.

The March 28 issue of Sports Illustrated includes the magazine’s 2016 MLB predictions. The Twins will finish last in the AL Central with a 74-88 record, per S.I. Last season the club was 83-79 and finished second in the division. What’s going on? S.I. quotes a rival scout who said the team is improving but the big problem is the Twins are in a “tough, tough division.”

The magazine has doubts about the club’s starting pitching—the depth and quality. The fifth starter, for example, looks like Ricky Nolasco who had a 6.75 ERA in eight starts last season. “If Ricky Nolasco is in their rotation, then their rotation stinks,” the scout said.

The Twins need an ace and Ervin Santana, who missed part of last season while suspended, looks like the best candidate among the starters. But the ace label may go unclaimed for awhile with hopes Jose Berrios can fulfill his promise. The 21-year-old right hander is starting the season in the minors but looks like a lock to be part of the rotation this summer or next. The Twins need power pitching and Berrios not only has a 2.98 ERA in four minor league seasons but has struck out more batters than innings pitched.

Former North Star Tom Reid believes the surging Wild are better than a year ago on this date. The Wild, with four games remaining in the regular season, have won six of their last seven games and look playoff bound.

Reid, who has been the team’s radio analyst since the franchise’s first season in 2000-2001, has a couple of reasons for believing the 2016 team is better. “Most of these guys have another year of experience with this hockey club,” he told Sports Headliners Wednesday. “The other part is I think their defense is much more mobile for this year with all three sets of defensemen they’ve been using.”

Last year the Wild advanced to the second round of the playoffs before being swept by the Blackhawks. Reid, who played 11 seasons in the NHL, won’t make predictions about the Wild’s playoff fate this year. He said playoff forecasting is unsure for various reasons including whether teams are coping with injuries and how opponents match up against them.

Asked about players—in addition to the team’s big names—who haven’t received enough credit for the Wild’s recent success, Reid mentioned Charlie Coyle, Matt Dumba, Nino Niederreiter, Erik Haula and Mike Reilly. “Those are some of the guys that have really stepped up,” Reid said.

The Wild replaced coach Mike Yeo earlier this year with John Torchetti. Reid has praise for both men.

“You won’t find a guy who works harder than Mike Yeo. He will be back (some day) in the NHL. I think he has learned a lot…what it takes (to coach in the league)…but his voice wasn’t being heard by the players, for whatever reason. Sometimes players…sulk when things aren’t going the way they want them to go. They want to control everything.

“But I think a new voice coming here with Torch (helped). I liked him because he’s kind of like a blue-collar coach. He’s in their (the players) face. He’s right to them when they come off the ice and they’ve made a good play, and also when they make a bad play. He wants them to understand right away that this is not acceptable—here’s what I want you to do.

“He’s one of those guys that will step right in and not be afraid to take charge. He’s shown that by just his benching of some of the players. …I think he’s given our guys a little bit of confidence in themselves too. He uses the word trust all the time. Trusting each other. I think that’s what the team is doing right now.”

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‘Wally the Beer Man’ Keeps Pouring

Posted on March 30, 2016April 1, 2016 by David Shama

“Wally the Beer Man,” 81, has been hawking beer at various Minneapolis and St. Paul venues since 1970, but something is different this winter and spring. When Wally McNeil returns to his Plymouth home from the Xcel Energy Center after selling beer at Minnesota Wild games, Joyce McNeil, his wife for 28 years, isn’t there to greet him.

Joyce passed away on January 25 at age 85 from heart problems. An empty house can’t be very welcoming to Minnesota’s favorite beer vendor. To help deal with sadness Wally has sold beer at almost every Wild game this season.

Wally and Joyce met while employed at Twin City Wholesale Drug. She worked in city desk sales; he was vice president of operations. They were married June 23, 1988.

Joyce wasn’t a passionate sports fan but attended games when Wally was selling beer in the stands. About 16 years ago Joyce and Wally got into horse racing ownership at Canterbury Park. The couple bought race horses with Canterbury owner Curtis Sampson. Over the years the McNeils owned more than a dozen horses but none more successful than Wally’s Choice, whose lifetime earnings at the Shakopee racetrack and elsewhere are the second highest ever for a Minnesota bred.

Wally’s Choice was inducted into the Canterbury Park Hall of Fame last year. Wally attended the ceremony but Joyce’s health kept her away. The Hall of Fame recognition brightened Joyce’s spirits. “She was excited,” Wally said.

During baseball season Wally will again be a celebrity beer seller at Sneaky Pete’s downtown and on special event dates at Canterbury Park he will also be selling beer. What’s his favorite brew?

“A cold one that somebody else pays for,” he answered.

Although he didn’t need the money and still doesn’t, Wally started selling beer at the Minneapolis Auditorium in 1970 for attractions like professional wrestling. He enjoyed being around people at various events. Customers liked him, too—drawn to his deep voice and friendly manner.

For decades part of the fun at a Twins game was buying a beer from Wally. His association with Target Field ended several years ago, though, after he and other beer sellers were targeted in a sting operation involving sales to underage drinkers. A Hennepin County jury found him not guilty, but Wally has chosen not to work anymore at Target Field.

Wally will turn 82 in August but has no plans to stop selling beer. He has no health issues after triple bypass heart surgery in 2009. “My blood pressure is 110 over 66,” he said.

Some Minnesota retirees move to Florida. Others sit in rocking chairs on their porches. Wally, a fit 6-2, 210 pounds, just keeps going as the king of Minnesota beer vendors.

“As long as the good Lord lets me,” he said. “One day at a time.”

Worth Noting

Former Gophers All-American safety Tyrone Carter is working with potential 2016 NFL draft choices including cornerback Rashard Robinson who Carter said is a first round talent but likely to be selected in the third round. Carter operates the Tyrone Carter Elite Training Schools in the Twin Cities and Robinson is from Carter’s prep alma mater, Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Robinson’s playing time at LSU was reduced because of a suspension for violation of team rules. The 6-3, 177-pound player is gifted but Carter said his pupil will not go in the first round because of his off-field “baggage.” Carter, who won the Jim Thorpe Award at Minnesota honoring the nation’s best college defensive back, said Robinson had the skills to also win the award. “He is a talented young kid for his size,” Carter said.

Varmah Sonie, who is from Burnsville and was a senior cornerback for Northern Iowa in 2012, is also receiving instruction from Carter. Sonie hopes to join an NFL team as a free agent. Carter is also working with former Gophers David Cobb (Titans running back) and Ra’Shede Hageman (Falcons defensive tackle).

An announcement soon seems likely that the Vikings will name Adrian Peterson, who led the NFL in rushing last season, as their 2015 MVP. The Vikings will honor team award winners in multiple categories including MVP at the Hilton Minneapolis April 17. That evening the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame hosts its 9th annual Minnesota Football Honors event. See the March 16 Sports Headliners for more about the event that also honors high school scholar-athletes.

Spring football continues this week for the Gophers with two practices open to the public scheduled at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Practice tomorrow (Thursday) begins at 3:45 p.m. and activities Saturday start at 11 a.m. (A Gophers spokesman e-mailed that practice locations can be switched to TCF Bank Stadium. Fans can check for updates on Twitter @GopherFootball.)

The Wild, with five games remaining to make the playoffs, may catch a weary opponent tomorrow night at Xcel Energy Center when playing the Senators. Ottawa plays at Winnipeg tonight before travelling to St. Paul. The Wild have won six consecutive games after last night’s victory over the Blackhawks.

Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. will again honor his mom, the late Carol Fitzgerald, at an April 8 fundraising dinner and celebration at the Minneapolis Event Center (St. Anthony Main). His mom passed away in 2003 and the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund was established to assist charitable causes important to her. Guests at next month’s Carol’s Night will include Fitzgerald and ESPN’s Josina Anderson. VIP ticket guests receive photo opportunities with Fitzgerald, the nine-time Cardinals NFL pro bowler. More information is available by calling 612-770-4575.

Monday’s announcement the Lynx will play a preseason game in Rochester on May 8 prompts speculation the WNBA team might play more exhibitions at the Mayo Civic Center in 2017 and beyond. The Lynx have a multi-year partnership with the Rochester-based Mayo Clinic. The Lynx haven’t played a game in Rochester since 2003 and no doubt will be interested in gauging fan response this spring. The defending WNBA champion team will play the Mystics in a Sunday game beginning at 4 p.m.

Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen joins commentators Dave Benz and Jim Petersen tonight on the Fox Sports North telecast of the Timberwolves-Clippers game from Target Center. Whalen is the Lynx franchise record holder in assists (1,072), and ranks third all-time in the WNBA for career assists (2,033). She is one of six players in WNBA history with 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. The Minnesota native starts her 12th WNBA season this spring, seventh with the Lynx.

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team will be honored for their NCAA Division III national championship prior to the Timberwolves game. Earlier this month the Tommies won their second national title in the past six years.

Bill Robertson, WCHA commissioner, e-mailed his league is represented by 33 current or former players at the women’s International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships that started Monday and continues through April 4 in Kamloops, British Columbia. Annie Pankowski from the Badgers and Lee Stecklein of the Gophers will compete for the United States and are among 11 student-athletes who played during the 2015-2016 college season. Pankowski will be a junior at Wisconsin next season, while Stecklein will be a senior at Minnesota.

Author Patrick Mader’s official book launch is tomorrow (Thursday) for “Minnesota Gold: Conversations with Northland Athletes Competing on the World Stage.” Mader’s book profiles 57 Minnesotans, including past Olympians, and details their lives and accomplishments. His event will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at Braemar Golf Club in Edina, with a program at 7 p.m. Seven of the Minnesota athletes from the book are expected to attend: Trina Radke (swimming), Tami and Toni Jameson (team handball), Jim Mastro (wrestling), Mark Lutz (track), Van Nelson (track), and Janet Gerhauser (pairs figure skating). More at Patrickmader.com.

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All Eyes on Twins’ Byron Buxton

Posted on March 28, 2016March 28, 2016 by David Shama

With a dismal trial run at the plate in 2015, Byron Buxton is on the spot this spring with the Twins.

The club is all but begging him to win the center field job left open by the offseason trade of Aaron Hicks to the Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy. As of yesterday, Buxton was hitting .225 with no home runs and three RBI in spring training. He has struck out 12 times in 40 at bats. That’s similar to his initial big league production last season and not acceptable for a much hyped athlete who the Twins chose with the second overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

The Twins have been struggling for years to fill the position Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter turned into a franchise legacy. Buxton, then 21, arrived in Minneapolis last season with fielding and base running skills to make him a highlights regular on ESPN’s SportsCenter, but at the plate he often looked clueless. He struggled to make contact with the ball in his MLB debut year, frequently fooled by both fast balls and breaking pitches. In 129 at bats he hit .209 and struck out 44 times. He hit two home runs with six RBI.

Despite the disappointment of 2015, expectations remain high for Buxton. MLB.com placed him at No. 2 on its top 100 prospects list for 2016 and other authorities are also all in.

Buxton is even given a No. 47 ranking by Sports Illustrated in its March 7 article about the 50 MLB players with the most trade value (Twins right fielder Miguel Sano ranked No. 25 while the Angels’ Mike Trout topped the list).

SI wrote this about Buxton: “So ummm…mulligan? Buxton’s highly anticipated MLB debut was a bust.” The magazine said he has been “viewed by most as the best prospect in the game” and he could become an AL MVP candidate.

Health problems have slowed Buxton’s progress since the Twins signed him out of Appling County High School in Georgia. More injuries in 2016 will send the wrong signal about his future—and a worse indicator will be troubles at the plate. Yet this offseason Baseball America ranked Buxton the Twins’ best prospect in several categories including best hitter for average.

Buxton, who didn’t have enough at bats to expire his eligibility for American League Rookie of the Year in 2015, has a .301 lifetime minor league average. His stats include an impressive 2013 season when he hit .341 at Cedar Rapids and .326 with Fort Myers.

With his sensational fielding and base running skills, the Twins will drool over a Buxton who starts to approach .300 this year or next—and he better or the doubts about his hitting will be supported by facts.

Twins Notes

Miguel Sano (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

The Twins open the regular season in Baltimore a week from today and Buxton could be one of six new faces in the lineup from a year ago. Others look like shortstop Eduardo Escobar, designated hitter Byung Ho Park, left fielder Eddie Rosario, pitcher Ervin Santana and right fielder Miguel Sano.

The Baltimore game will be one of 150 FOX Sports North will telecast during the regular season. ESPN will televise the Twins game at Oakland May 30 while FS1 will carry Twins games May 14 at Cleveland and June 4 in Minneapolis against the Rays.

The Twins will play their sold out home opener at Target Field on April 11 against the White Sox. Twins legend Rod Carew will throw the ceremonial first pitch. Carew, who suffered a major heart attack and subsequent surgery last year, awaits a possible heart transplant. In January the Twins and the Carew family launched the Heart of 29 campaign designed to assist the American Heart Association’s efforts to raise funds and build awareness of cardiovascular disease.

The Twins have opened their regular season on the road in five of the last seven years. Minnesota has lost seven consecutive opening games.

The Twins had a bad start last year at 1-6 but earned a comeback season under first-year manager Paul Molitor. The team’s 83-79 record was a big improvement over four consecutive previous seasons of 90-plus loss records.

Minnesota finished second in the AL Central Division behind the Royals who were 12-7 in the season series against the Twins. The Royals won the World Series and are the preseason pick by many authorities to win the Central again.

Four passionate baseball fans and Sports Headliners readers offered predictions about the Twins and other teams. Three of the four forecast an 85-77 record while the fourth person, Bill Robertson, e-mailed that Minnesota will win “two to four more games than in 2015.”

Tim Murray has the Twins finishing third in the division behind the Royals and Indians while the others project another second place finish. Joel Shama, the most optimistic crystal baller, wrote the Twins “will snag a wild card.” Everyone predicted the Royals will win the division again.

Here’s how one fan summed up the Twins: “They still lack a true ace of the starting rotation and the bullpen is very shaky. It should be fun watching their hitters do damage to once ‘un-homerable’ Target Field.”

The Cubs and Blue Jays are popular choices by the predictors to play in the World Series. The group split two-two on whether the Cubs or Jays will become baseball’s 2016 champion.

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