David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U RB Target Likes Iowa State

Posted on May 22, 2013May 22, 2013 by David Shama

Washburn High School four-star running back Jeff Jones is still verbally committed to the Gophers but there is no guarantee yet he will play for Minnesota, and Iowa State is a school of interest, too, according to Millers’ coach Giovan Jenkins.

“I would consider it a soft verbal,” Jenkins said about the Gophers. “He (Jones) went to coach Kill and told him he committed too early.”

The Washburn junior first verbally committed to Minnesota coach Jerry Kill last year but since then realized he wants more time to decide on the college he will enroll at next year. Jenkins told Sports Headliners on Saturday that Jeff’s father is “getting out of jail” and wants to be part of the recruiting process, so that is also a factor.

Jenkins believes Iowa State is a “soft” No. 2 behind the Gophers on the list of possible choices. “He likes the staff and proximity (of Ames) to Minneapolis,” Jenkins said.

In addition to Minnesota and Iowa State, Jones has offers from Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse and Wisconsin. Although Wisconsin has a great tradition of running backs, Jenkins believes Jones is likely to choose Minnesota if he decides on a Big Ten school.

Rivals.com labels Jones a four-star prospect and ranks him No. 17 among running backs in the class of 2014. Jenkins said Jones is a “once-in-a lifetime talent.”

The 6-foot, 190 pound prep is the first four-star running back to commit to Kill since he started coaching at Minnesota in 2011.

Jenkins described Jones as “big, strong, (with) excellent vision, great burst, very explosive — kind of a one-stop shop.” But the coach said Jones has to determine how close he will come to fulfilling his potential. If the desire and hard work are present, Jenkins projects Jones as a 220 pound runner in college. “If he works hard, he could be the best at that level, too,” Jenkins said.

Jones has been a starter for Washburn since ninth grade and a major contributor to the Millers’ success. In today’s world of transfers, Jones has been a target of other high schools. “He gets approached every year,” Jenkins said.

Jones lives in the Washburn district and likes playing for the Millers. He heard from former Miller David Gilreath that he regretted leaving Washburn for Robbinsdale Armstrong, according to Jenkins. Gilreath is now in the NFL with the Steelers after a college career at Wisconsin.

“Everything he’s got (Jones), he’s got from Washburn,” Jenkins said. “He is a loyal kid.”

Worth Noting

Washburn coach Giovan Jenkins has two other players he expects will have college offers following summer camps, running back Raymonte Maynard and defensive end Clayton Burton. Maynard could end up at a MAC or WAC school, according to his coach, while he identifies Burton as a “BCS kid.”

Bruce Feldman, writing yesterday for Cbssports.com, put Gophers defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman No. 2 on his annual college football “Freaks” list that recognizes players for their extraordinary athleticism. Feldman wrote that Hageman can do a “360 dunk” and is the Big Ten’s most athletic defensive lineman. “Not only does he have the 36-inch vert, but he also has bench-pressed 465 pounds and clocked an electronically timed 10-yard sprint in 1.57 seconds. For comparison sake, no DT at this year’s NFL Combine jumped higher than 33 inches, and Terron Armstead, the offensive tackle who ran the blazing 4.71 40 at the combine, did a 1.64 in his 10.”

Former Vikings coach Bud Grant turned 86 on Monday. Rick Reilly, writing for Espn.com yesterday, ranked Grant No. 11 on his list of the 20 greatest NFL coaches ever.

The basketball Gophers are looking at Rivals.com four-star center Dominic Woodson who no longer is committed to Baylor for next season. Incoming Gophers freshman guard Daquan McNeil played with Woodson in 2011 at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Vermont.

Quinton Hooker will be presented with the Mr. Basketball trophy on May 29 at an invitation only reception in Brooklyn Park. Mr. Basketball chair Ken Lien will make the presentation. Hooker, a shooting guard, scored 2,147 career points and will attend North Dakota. He is the 39^th recipient of the award recognizing the best boys senior player in the state.

Last night’s NBA Draft Lottery telecast prompted memories from years ago when league commissioner David Stern mistakenly referred to the Minnesota Timberwolves as the “Minnesota North Stars” on national TV.

The Gophers baseball team plays its opening game in the Big Ten Tournament today against Illinois at Target Field, a facility Minnesota used for one game last year and the entire 2011 season. How much of an advantage is that for the Gophers?

“None,” assistant head coach Rob Fornasiere told Sports Headliners. “The tournament is wide open. The league has improved so much the last five years. Teams one through six are so evenly matched.”

The Gophers, the No. 4 seed, have lost six of their last eight games. “We haven’t hit or caught the ball very well (lately),” Fornasiere said. “We’re second in the league in ERA but have struggled on offense all season. We’re second to the bottom in hitting (average) and home runs.”

Fornasiere predicted the Gophers “will play hard” and be in close games during the double elimination tournament. The Gophers’ pitchers in their first two games will be Tom Windle and DJ Snelten. Fornasiere expects Windle will be taken in the first or second round of next month’s MLB amateur draft while Snelten will be among the first nine players selected.

Next year’s Big Ten tournament will be in Omaha before returning to Target Field in 2015.

A respected baseball source who has been involved with and followed major league baseball e-mailed Sports Headliners after reading Monday’s column about the length of MLB games. He asked that his name not be used but wrote the following:

“MLB should demand that umpires enforce the rule of pitchers having to deliver the next pitch within 12 seconds of getting the ball back from the catcher with no runners on base, as it states in the rules. The umpires never enforce this. For example, (Jose) Valverde, the Tigers’ closer, takes about 30 seconds between every pitch, even with nobody on base.

“It’s a joke how umpires break up conferences on the mound: They walk slowly out to the mound, tell them their time is up and then jog back to the plate to make it seem like they are hustling and that will speed up the game — which it doesn’t.

“They also need to cut down on players stepping out of the box after every pitch. Remember (Chuck) Knoblauch stepping out after every pitch and readjusting his batting gloves?”

Expect an announcement soon by the city and Timberwolves regarding a $100 million renovation of Target Center.

Former Wayzata High School tennis player Karl Gregor is the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year. He is an assistant at Tufts.

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Lengthy Twins Games Test Interest

Posted on May 20, 2013May 20, 2013 by David Shama

I am back in a familiar spring habit regarding the Twins who after a laborious day at Target Field yesterday have now lost five consecutive games. The first several games of the season I am locked in for all nine innings but by this time in May my interest borders on apathy.

Here’s the problem: not only are many games too dang long, but the Twins don’t win enough games and hit enough home runs (next to last in AL). Translation: if the action isn’t compelling, then a three to four hour time commitment is often too much for me.

Major League Baseball knows despite the solid popularity of its sport, lengthy games are a concern. Yeah, other entertainment like football and basketball have increased dramatically in game times over the years but baseball is more problematic because it’s a very deliberate endeavor and the season is the longest of any in American sports.

In the 1970s the average MLB game was two hours and 30 minutes, according to a July 27 story last year by Bleacherreport.com. The article said since 2007 the average has not fallen below two hours and 50 minutes. Twins games dating back to May 11 of this year have clocked in at 2:45, 2:55, 2:51, 2:44, 3:26, 3:24, 3:53 and yesterday’s 3:15 which was 6:15 if you count a three hour rain delay.

Now compare that with the game times for the 1965 World Series between the Twins and Dodgers. Four of those seven games were played in less than two hours and 16 minutes. The longest was two hours and 34 minutes.

Patrick Klinger was vice president of marketing for the Twins through last season and was asked about baseball’s slowdown. “Twins games used to start at 8 o’clock on week nights back in the 60s. Even when I was an intern with the Twins back in 1986, games started at 7:35. Now they start at 7. They take so long.”

What happened? Innings breaks are longer to allow more TV commercials to pitch products and services, but the game has changed, too. Years ago starting pitchers often finished the game, working all nine innings. Now baseball has become a parade of pitchers. Managers even change pitchers more than once in the same inning. Add to that meetings at the mound between the pitching coach, pitcher, catcher and infielders.

Pitchers also work at various paces, including slow and slower while hitters can be cautious about looking over the pitches thrown at them. Think about Joe Mauer who seldom swings at the first pitch. Hitters often review five or more pitches before the ball goes into play.

MLB doesn’t want games played at a leisurely pace. Umpires are instructed to do what they can to make sure games are played efficiently. MLB obviously knows games lasting beyond three hours are a time commitment problem for fans including those attending a week night game. And it’s more than a three hour commitment because fans sometimes arrive an hour or so before the game and travel time has to be added in as well.

“What we wanted to do (at Twins games) was to provide the very best entertainment experience possible,” Klinger said. “We wanted people coming back often. If there was a long game (that) kind of slogged along I am not sure that provided the best entertainment experience. Are those people going to be as likely to return?”

Klinger said more likely to bring back the fans is a “good, crisp well played game” lasting about two hours and 30 minutes. He suggested that template is likely to have fans saying, “You know what? That was a lot of fun. Let’s go back next week.”

Klinger wrote in an e-mail that technology at the ballpark has enhanced the entertainment experience and during long games made the trip to the stadium more fun for fans. “Technology…now allows for huge video replay boards and social media opportunities inside the ballpark. In addition, there is much greater attention being paid to pregame ceremonies, between innings entertainment and music. It’s all designed to improve the in-ballpark experience by keeping fans engaged when the action slows.”

Klinger said complaints from fans about the length of games weren’t that numerous when he was with the Twins. “We didn’t get a lot but it was something we were always concerned about because this is a society now that wants instant gratification,” Klinger said. “Baseball is a deliberate game, and people’s attention spans aren’t maybe what they once were. Too many other distractions. We wanted to keep the game moving along. … Keep them (fans) interested and not looking at their cell phones, doing other things.”

Of course it’s not just the fans who attend games that baseball wants to attract. Audience development means attracting new followers and turning casual followers into passionate fans. “If there were ways to move it along, make it a little bit more dynamic, I think we’d pick up some fans,” Klinger said. “Too many people just sit in the stands (not engaged), or they try to watch a game on television and they think that it’s just too deliberate, too slow for them.”

Even Klinger, still a baseball fan after leaving the Twins and starting his own consulting company, knows his baseball focus is sometimes challenged. “I find myself, frankly, sometimes sitting on my sofa flipping channels. It’s so easy now with the remote control in your hands and a hundred stations or more on your television. There’s a break in the action, or if things are just deliberate, it’s so easy to hit a button and you’re watching something else.

“To flip to something else and then maybe flip back. So staying focused for three, three and one-half hours on a game I think is a little bit harder than it used to be. There are just too many options.”

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Kill: Gopher Program Needs More Time

Posted on May 17, 2013May 17, 2013 by David Shama

Jerry Kill was out of state this week celebrating a daughter’s graduation from college, and also his 30^th wedding anniversary, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about the Gophers.

Kill and his staff finished their third spring practice at Minnesota last month. The coaches inherited a dismal program on and off the field. In 2011, Kill’s first season, the record was 3-9, last year it was 6-7. Both seasons the Big Ten record was 2-6.

In the personnel department, the Gophers have lacked difference makers and depth at most positions. That won’t change a lot until Kill and his staff have gone through several recruiting classes. The 2011 class didn’t carry the Kill signature because of the short amount of time he had been at Minnesota. The 2012 and 2013 classes are his responsibility but the impact of those players is in the developmental stages because of inexperience and the need for players to mature physically.

“We have a long way to go in our program — period,” Kill told Sports Headliners. “We have to develop players at Minnesota. We have to recruit. Get…players who are going to play their tails off. Have three or four difference makers on offense and defense.”

Kill expects to have difference makers next fall in defensive tackle Ra’Sheede Hageman, safety Brock Vereen and cornerback Derrick Wells. “Hageman should be a first round (NFL) draft choice,” Kill said.

Offense receives most of the headlines in modern day football but Kill knows his program won’t continue improving without an impactful defense and solid kicking game that can help dictate field position and score points. The Gophers particularly need better punting and in two seasons also haven’t shown the reputation to block kicks that earned Kill’s special teams so much praise when he coached at Northern Illinois.

“Again, we can’t correct everything in one year (one recruiting class),” Kill said. “We haven’t been able to change a lot of things.”

Kill is looking for playmakers among his runners and receivers. Players who can break open a game — and that subject prompts him to mention incoming freshman running back Berkley Edwards, talking about how the prep track star from Michigan can “giddy-up and go.”

The Gophers also need speed and playmaking at wide receiver. Kill is optimistic about the potential of a group he followed in the spring including Devin Crawford-Tufts, Derrick Engel, Isaac Fruechte, Jamel Harbison and KJ Maye. Kill saw more playmaking among receivers in the spring than in the past.

Don’t be surprised if the Gophers’ passing game emphasizes the tight ends, too, a group that Kill is pleased with. “Maxx Williams had a great, great, great spring,” Kill said.

The last spring practice was April 27. Kill has had time to think about the 15 sessions in the spring that will help his team get ready for August practices and the first game against UNLV August 29. “I feel good where we’re at,” he said.

Each practice was graded like a game. “I think we accomplished everything we thought we needed to,” Kill said. “We built some depth (and) got some young players to play.”

Dating back to the start of last season the Gophers have been impacted by injuries including more than a dozen surgeries. Kill is hoping all of the injured will be ready by August 1 including key players like offensive tackle Ed Olson and defensive tackle Roland Johnson.

“We were playing kids not ready to play yet (which) is why so many injuries,” Kill said. “We’ll be bigger and stronger. When you win, you stay healthy.”

Despite having to play three quarterbacks and three centers last year, the Gophers made it to a bowl game for the first time since 2009. That’s an unusual accomplishment in college football.

Fill in the blank if you know what Kill is thinking when he ponders a healthier, stronger, faster, experienced and talented team in the years ahead: _____. Hint: the word begins with “W.”

Worth Noting

The Gophers have Ohio State on their football schedule in 2014 for the first time since 2010. The Big Ten Conference announced 2014 schedules yesterday as part of its news about the West and East football divisions. The Buckeyes will play in Minneapolis along with Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue. Road games are Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Divisional play begins in 2014 with teams playing against the other six teams in their divisions, plus two games each versus schools from the other division.

Former California and NFL running back star Chuck Muncie died this week. He was the younger brother of Bill Munsey, the ex-Gopher who was an outstanding running back and defensive back on the Rose Bowl teams of the 1960s. Both brothers were from Uniontown, Pennsylvania but spelled their last names differently.

Despite a .205 batting average, Twins slugger Josh Willingham has reached base safely in 31 of 33 games. Willingham is hitting .135 in his last 10 games.

Joe Mauer has a 14 game hitting streak, the third longest of his career. It’s his longest since May 5-21 in 2009 (also 14 games). Twins teammate Justin Morneau has hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games and is hitting .368 during that period.

Pedro Florimon is four-for-four in stolen base attempts this season. The Twins have 13 steals in 16 attempts since April 15.

Local author Jim Bruton said his new Bud Grant book, I Did It My Way, will be on sale in September.

Former Vikings running back Dave Osborn said the best NFL runner he ever saw was Bears’ legend Gale Sayers.

No doubt eyes rolled at the Seahawks offices when the NFL Network’s top 100 players program announced Percy Harvin at No. 90. The versatile former Viking is among the league’s most dangerous playmakers and could certainly be ranked higher. The rankings are determined by a vote of NFL players.

Former Minneapolis City Council member Denny Schulstad was an advocate for the Metrodome and he correctly remembers the building helped save the Twins and Vikings for this area while not costing the taxpayers “one penny” because the rent from the teams paid off the bonds sold to build the facility. He wrote in an e-mail to Sports Headliners that while the Metrodome is labeled unattractive it has served the city and area well. His comments included: “It is the only facility in the world to have hosted a World Series (2), a Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four (2), and so many other world class events, from the Special Olympics to Scandinavia Today.”

A total of 29 All-State players are expected to participate in the 40^th annual Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game on June 29 at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud, according to an announcement made earlier this year.

The Saint John’s football team is scheduled to have two scrimmages on Saturday in Saskatchewan against the Regina Thunder, a member of the Canadian Junior Football League.

Did you know that among 1,000 NCAA schools only Division III St. Thomas and Division I Florida State have sent baseball and softball teams to the NCAA regional playoffs the last 10 years?

Canterbury Park opens its live horse racing season tonight, with the first of 69 dates this year — the most since 2006. Purses are on the rise at the Shakopee racetrack. In June last year Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community entered into a cooperative marketing and purse enhancement agreement that will add $75 million to the horsemen purse structure over the 10-year life of the agreement.

The 2013 Canterbury Park promotional calendar will include a Memorial Day performance by “Human Cannonball” David “The Bullet” Smith Jr. He will be shot out of a 34 foot cannon and land in a net. “The Bullet” holds Guinness World Records for both the longest and highest distances a human has been shot out of a cannon — 193 feet, 8.8 inches and 77 ½ feet.

Lea Blackwell Favor, the former Edina High School all-state basketball player, takes over in June as the new executive director for the Fred Wells Tennis & Education Center in the Twin Cities.

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