David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

ESPN Analyst: U Not Clearing ‘Hurdle’

Posted on January 28, 2013January 28, 2013 by David Shama

ESPN college basketball analyst Dan Dakich told Sports Headliners the slumping Gophers can’t give up on their season but they need to elevate their play against the Big Ten’s best teams.

“You get to a point when making a move from (being) a good team to an upper echelon team, that you gotta expect to win,” Dakich said. “I think that’s the big hurdle for Minnesota to get over. Minnesota has certainly had its chances.”

In the last two weeks the Gophers have lost four consecutive Big Ten games after starting the conference schedule 3-0. Three defeats have been against some of the league’s best teams: Indiana and Michigan, both 6-1, and 5-2 Wisconsin.

How do the Gophers start winning games against the league’s better teams? Dakich said coach Tubby Smith’s team needs to continue “situation work” in practice. That means tasks such as simulating close games in the last few minutes.

With four losses in the first seven games, Dakich believes the Gophers are now an unlikely contender for the league title. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have an extraordinary season including a high finish in the standings and memorable NCAA tournament performance.

“They have enough ability, and (also) leadership from older guys,” said Dakich, a former Indiana Hoosier and head coach at Bowling Green.

Minnesota plays four of its next five games at home after just finishing a portion of the schedule that had the Gophers on the road for four of five games. Nebraska, 2-6, is at Williams Arena to play the Gophers tomorrow night.

Worth Noting

Jerry Kill told Sports Headliners his staff may now have been together longer than any other group in major college football coaching. Kill has the same core of assistants he hired after taking the Gophers job in late 2010.

Many assistants, including offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, also worked for Kill at Northern Illinois where he was head coach from 2008-2010. Limegrover and Claeys have worked for Kill since the 1990s.

The longevity of Kill’s staff is impressive in the job-fragile world of head and assistant coaches. It’s not uncommon for head coaches to be dismissed within a couple of years. And dissatisfied head coaches—under extreme pressure to win now—routinely shake up their coaching staffs, including coordinators.

There were 30 FBS head coaching changes made in recent months, according to a January 7 listing by ESPN.com. But the loyalty between Kill and his assistants, and their longevity together, is a signature difference for Gophers’ football. The stability sends a message to potential recruits that it’s likely they will play for the same coaches throughout their careers. Players already in the program benefit from the continuity of not having to learn new systems and adjust to different personalities.

Gophers’ basketball coach Tubby Smith’s name has been rumored with the USC opening after the Trojans dismissed Kevin O’Neill earlier this month. Shaka Smart and Flip Saunders are names that keep coming up if the Gophers basketball job were to open. Smart, the VCU coach who worked for Gophers’ athletic director Norwood Teague when Teague was at that school, has a Midwest connection having lived in Wisconsin.

Saunders, the former Gophers guard, lives in suburban Minneapolis and is thought to be interested in coaching again after being with three NBA clubs including the Timberwolves. Although Saunders hasn’t coached collegiately since the 1980s, he would be a popular choice with Gophers’ basketball alums and donors.

Saunders was fired by the Wizards on January 24, 2012 with a 2-15 record. Today the Wizards have won 11 games so far this season, tied with the Bobcats for the fewest wins in the NBA.

College basketball needs to adopt the NBA approach of discouraging fouls called on offensive players when defenders flop. Bo Ryan’s Badgers use flopping theatrics as displayed in the last minute of Saturday’s Minnesota game in Madison when Gophers’ point guard Andre Hollins was called for charging when he made minimal contact with a Wisconsin defender.

At Sports Headliners’ request, prep basketball authority Ken Lien sent his rankings of state boys’ teams listed below.

Class 4A: Park Center, Apple Valley, Hopkins, Osseo, Minnetonka, Lakeville North, Roseville, Eden Prairie.

Class 3A: DeLaSalle, Austin, Delano, Waconia, Grand Rapids, Blake, Holy Angels, Hemantown.

Class 2A: Melrose, Hawley, Byron, St. Peter, Pelican Rapids, Litchfield, St. Cloud Cathedral, Hayfield.

Class 1A: Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Upsala, Southwest Minnesota Christian, Heritage Christian, Maranatha, Rushford-Peterson, West Lutheran, Browerville.

Lien e-mailed that Osseo’s Bridge Tusler, who had been interested in Northern Iowa, has committed to South Dakota State. He helped lead Osseo to the Class 4A state title last March.

Tyus Jones continues to have a bothersome back. The Apple Valley junior point guard is noncommittal about his college choice but it wouldn’t be surprising if a decision comes before next fall.

Word is national football power USC is very interested in DeLaSalle junior quarterback Reid Travis. He is also highly recruited in basketball.

Larry Fitzgerald Sr., the local newspaper and radio personality, is covering his 35^th Super Bowl in New Orleans this week.

Meaningless statistic for 2013 Super Bowl: the 49ers are 5-0 in previous games.

Ravens’ assistant head coach Jerry Rosburg was the secondary coach for the Gophers in 1996 under head coach Jim Wacker.

The Vikings had seven players selected for yesterday’s Pro Bowl including tight end Kyle Rudolph who won the MVP award playing for the victorious NFC team. Rudolph, Matt Kalil, and Blair Walsh are all 23 years old. The other Vikings selected were Jared Allen, 30; Jerome Felton, 26; Chad Greenway, 30; and Adrian Peterson, 27.

TwinsFest, the three day fan festival that ended yesterday, boosts the Twins’ image and showcases the personalities of the players. The roster has a lot of nice guys, from 2012 newcomers Scott Diamond and Josh Willingham to veterans Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.

The Twins go to spring training next month with Morneau in the last year of his contract. At 31 and with a history of injuries, don’t expect to hear much about contract extensions for awhile.

The Twins will keep the advertising revenue on new radio home KTWN, 96.3 FM. The station has the same ownership as the Twins. The hope is that Twins broadcasts will improve KTWN’s minimal ratings, and FM broadcasts will provide a clear sound.

If the Twins are in contention for the AL Central title late in the season, that could drive attendance to near 3 million at Target Field. With a last place division team in 2012, the Twins drew 2,776,354, according to MLB attendance figures from ESPN.com. That was 12^th best among 30 franchises but poor performance on the field is reducing ticket buying interest including for season tickets.

Former reliever Eddie Guardado and ex-public relations director Tom Mee will be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony on June 14 at Target Field.

The MIAC had a record number of fall academic all-conference selections. The 329 total exceeded the 305 in 2009 and 2010.

Comments Welcome

Stumbling Gophers Try Madison Next

Posted on January 25, 2013January 25, 2013 by David Shama

Embarrassing.

There’s not a better word to describe the Gophers’ 55-48 loss to Northwestern on Wednesday night in Evanston. The Wildcats have minimal talent and are playing out the season minus their best player, Drew Crawford. The Gophers have the personnel to dominate the dwarfs of the Big Ten like Northwestern, and to defeat any team in the league.

Northwestern coach Bill Carmody saw his team behind 27-24 at halftime, but he saved a half-court zone trap for the game’s last 20 minutes. The Gophers have faced the same defense for years and often have been ineffective versus the scheme. In Evanston, the Minnesota coaches and players looked baffled again.

Attempting to start the offense, the guards spent precious seconds trying to pass out of double teams. When the Gophers were able to advance toward the basket by dribbling or passing, they found multiple defenders again and couldn’t create scoring opportunities.

More decisive passing and better positioning of players on the floor could have attacked the trap more effectively. Instead Minnesota not only scored just 21 second half points, but also created baskets for Northwestern with turnovers.

The Gophers had 15 turnovers in the game, just about their average of 14.7, highest in the Big Ten. In Madison tomorrow the Gophers will play a Badgers team with the lowest average, 9.1. And while Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan has a team that annually plays virtually mistake free basketball, the Gophers have been talking about eliminating turnovers since last fall.

The Gophers have lost three consecutive games, the first two to top 10 ranked Indiana and Michigan. The dream of chasing a Big Ten championship looks dead seven weeks before the season ends. Minnesota is 3-3 in conference games with likely losses ahead in road games at Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State. The way the Gophers performed against Northwestern—making 33.3 percent of their field goal attempts and 41.2 percent of their free throws—they could lose to a bunch more teams, on the road and at home.

“Unimaginable” was a word Gophers coach Tubby Smith used to describe the three game slide to obscurity. Smith made that comment on his post-game 1500 ESPN radio show on Wednesday night and also expressed frustration that his team wasn’t “mentally tough.”

Last Sunday on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” he said the team (following the Indiana and Michigan losses) “should really be sitting here at 15-1.” Instead the Gophers are now 15-4 overall and will be plummeting in the A.P. national rankings from their No. 12 spot unless they defeat the Badgers.

Minnesota’s inability to beat the league’s best teams—and even the mediocre ones—is consistent with the Smith era. In five-plus seasons his record in regular season conference games is 41-55.

Last October Smith told Sports Headliners he has three potential NBA first round draft choices in guard Andre Hollins, center Trevor Mbakwe and forward Rodney Williams. But the Gophers are stumbling and a disgruntled fan made this prediction about how only one thing may change from Wednesday night to tomorrow:

“Look for a superstitious team to switch from gold uniforms to maroon.”

Worth Noting

TwinsFest at the Metrodome starts today and ends Sunday afternoon with announced attendance likely to be near 30,000.

With high fan interest and a unique venue to host the event, the annual attendance is the largest in MLB for fan festivals. Profits go to the Twins Community Fund, and this year’s contribution is likely to be $275,000 or more. Since the inception of TwinsFest in 1989 the Community Fund has received more than $4.2 million.

While players from other MLB teams are compensated for their time at similar fan festivals, Twins players are not. Expenses such as airfare are paid by the Twins.

More than 60 current and former Twins, including Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, are expected to participate during the three day event. TwinsFest opens today at 4 p.m.

The delay to the start of the Wild’s season was frustrating but the team is likely to make fans happy in the coming months, according to a Sports Headliners hockey source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “They have much more depth than they have ever had,” he said. “This is (also) the most talented team in club history. …I don’t see any major weaknesses.”

The Wild, 2-1, play at Detroit tonight and then in St. Louis on Sunday. The source said if the Wild can start 10-2 or 10-3, the club could then play .500 hockey the remainder of the regular schedule and still qualify for the playoffs “where anything can happen.”

He credited general manager Chuck Fletcher with exceptional work in rebuilding the feeder system and already adding outstanding players like Mikael Granlund. “They’ve done a marvelous job,” he said.

Fans are responding enthusiastically to the team, particularly because of adding star performers Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Last Saturday’s season opener set a TV ratings record for a Wild game on FOX Sports North.

The Wild could sell a lot of season tickets for 2013-2014, although reaching the club’s record high of over 16,000 established several years ago will be a challenge.

St. Thomas men’s basketball coach Johnny Tauer teaches psychology classes so it’s not surprising he can see both aspects of the Tommies’ reputation. The Tommies entered this week ranked No. 1 in the country by D3hoops.com and are 84-9 in their last 93 MIAC games.

Those numbers can command the attention of opponents, even giving the Tommies an edge before the game starts. “Teams can think these guys (the Tommies) are really good,” Tauer said. “The flip side is we get everybody’s best shot.”

Tauer’s recollection is the other team “rushed the court” in celebrations after each of those nine St. Thomas losses. And that includes Monday night’s loss at Concordia, 54-52.

St. Thomas won on Wednesday night, though, defeating St. Mary’s 87-46 while building this season’s record to 17-1 overall and 12-1 in the MIAC. Tomorrow Hamline plays at St. Thomas.

Two years ago the Tommies won the Division III national title when Tauer was an assistant coach. The club featured a senior group, just like the 2013 Tommies. “That team played its best basketball at the end of the year, winning six straight and the national tournament,” Tauer said.

He likes the depth on this year’s team. Asked about a closer to finish out games, the coach said, “We really have eight or nine guys I would be comfortable with taking the shot.”

Gophers’ freshman Adam Wilcox (16-2-4 record) leads the WCHA in wins at 16, winning percentage at .818 and goals against average, 1.72 per game. He’s unbeaten in the last 10 games. The No. 1 ranked Gophers play Minnesota State at home tonight and in Mankato tomorrow night. The two teams split an earlier series this season.

Wild draft choice Erik Haula leads the Gophers in points with 29. Another Wild prospect, Louis Nanne, has 13 goals and 14 assists in 32 games playing for Penticton in Canada.

Golden Valley-based Buffalo Wild Wings has a partnership with the NCAA to be the “Official Hangout of March Madness,” according to a Wednesday email from Cynopsis: Sports.

Happy birthday to KSTP TV’s Darren Doogie Wolfson who was 33 on Sunday.

Comments Welcome

Local Super Bowl Perspective: Birk vs Moss

Posted on January 23, 2013January 23, 2013 by David Shama

In journalism school the professors taught us to be objective about what we wrote. However, they gave us an out regarding objectivity when writing our opinions in editorials and personal columns.

Today I exercise my option.

I am pulling for the Ravens to defeat the 49ers in the Super Bowl a week from Sunday. It boils down to a preference to see Matt Birk on the winning team, not Randy Moss.

The two were Vikings draft choices in 1998. Nobody knew if Birk, a sixth round pick from Harvard via Cretin Derham-Hall, would make the team. But everybody couldn’t wait to see “The Freak,” the team’s No. 1 draft choice, blow by defensive backs and catch long distance touchdown passes.

At Winter Park I learned more about Birk and Moss than I ever could turning on a TV set. Birk was approachable, Moss could be intimidating.

Birk, who developed into an All-Pro and Pro Bowl center for the Vikings, would cruise around the locker room with a smile on his face, willing to talk about subjects ranging from football to his Twin Cities restaurants. The lasting image I have of Moss—the 6-foot-4 All-World wide receiver with cheetah-like speed—is watching him bolt out of the Winter Park locker room so angry I might have guessed his dog died.

“He (Moss) has had some bad PR,” acknowledged Dean Dalton, a Vikings’ assistant coach from 1999-2005. “He comes across unfiltered. He can be a thoughtful (considerate) guy.

“I’ve watched Birkie pretty close this year. He contemplated retiring (after last season) but his competitive spirit compelled him to go back. He’s been one constant on a line with injuries.”

Birk made a reputation here and in Baltimore for community service. He’s a past winner of the Ed Block Courage Award and Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, national honors recognizing inspiration and charity. Moss has reportedly done good deeds too but the resume is filled with negative stuff including his days with the Vikings.

In early 2005, Birk and Moss clashed after a loss to the Redskins with playoff implications for the Vikings. Moss left the field in the closing seconds and headed to the locker room, embarrassing teammates and angering fans. “Enraged, Birk confronted Moss in the locker room,” wrote Kevin Seifert on Monday for his espn.com blog.

The Vikings’ ownership tired of Moss and traded him to the Raiders during the 2005 offseason. He returned to Minnesota for four games in 2010 but apparently his immature behavior helped convince the Vikings to part ways. His most well publicized incident was a rant about food served by a local caterer at Winter Park.

Birk left the Vikings via free agency after the 2008 season. He’s the Ravens’ starting center and at 36 is playing in his first Super Bowl. Moss, who turns 36 on February 13, played on a Patriots team that lost the 2008 Super Bowl to the Giants. He came out of retirement to play for the 49ers this season and has been a modest contributor to the team’s success, catching 33 passes including three for touchdowns.

49ers’ coach Jim Harbaugh wants Moss to return next season, according to an nfl.com story by Dan Hanzus last Friday. Moss, who no longer terrorizes defenses but reportedly has been more civil and even helpful to teammates in San Francisco, has not made his plans known. Birk told Sports Headliners earlier in the year he’s undecided about how much longer he will play. Birk acknowledged he is physically not the player he once was “but I like to think I am a little smarter.”

This much is known about the future for the two former high profile Vikings: Birk or Moss will win a Super Bowl ring, and you know who I am pulling for.

Worth Noting

In addition to Birk and Moss, three other players in the upcoming Super Bowl have Minnesota connections. Ravens’ regular left tackle Bryant McKinnie, the former Viking, has become a late season success on a re-energized line. Ravens’ starting outside linebacker Terrell Suggs was born in Minneapolis and spent part of his childhood in the Twin Cities. Reserve 49ers’ defensive back Tramaine Brock was recruited by former Gophers coach Tim Brewster, and lettered for Minnesota in 2008.

Dalton, who provides NFL analysis for Sirius Satellite Radio, predicts a three point win by the Ravens in the February 3 game. The teams have similar strengths but the 49ers have been struggling with field goals. “I just really like both teams,” he said.

The Vikings need help in the 2013 draft at multiple positions. A record number of 74 college underclassmen have declared for the April 25-27 NFL Draft, according to the January 16 issue of USA Today. The list includes 15 defensive linemen, 13 defensive backs, 12 running backs and 11 wide receivers.

The NFL Scouting Combine for evaluating draft eligible players is February 23-26 in Indianapolis.

The basketball Gophers, losers in their last two games to top 10 ranked Indiana and Michigan, will try tonight for a second win this month against Northwestern in Evanston. The Gophers, who only led 17-14 at halftime in the January 6 game, defeated the Wildcats 69-51 in Minneapolis. Minnesota out-rebounded Northwestern 47-20 in that win. Look for the Wildcats to give the Gophers problems with a half court trapping defense.

According to Big Ten Conference statistics released Monday morning, the Gophers were second in rebounding margin among Big Ten teams at +9.8 per game. The Gophers were first in blocked shots per game at 6.4 and steals at 9.7. Minnesota, though, has the highest turnover average among the conference’s 12 teams, 14.7 per game.

Ross Bernstein, the local author and motivational speaker who c0-wrote Marc Trestman’s biography, told Sports Headliners that Trestman interviewed for the Browns head coaching job before being hired last week to lead the Bears. Trestman’s wife Cindy is from Cleveland so the Browns job would have been a good family fit and expectations for winning are lower than in Chicago. “He would be a hero if he won five games (the first season) in Cleveland,” Bernstein said.

The St. Louis Park native and former coach of Montreal in the CFL has never been a head coach in the NFL, although he was an assistant with the Vikings and other teams. “In my opinion his dream job would have been with the Vikings,” Bernstein said.

But Trestman, of course, is excited to be coaching the Bears, a team with potential to finish ahead of the Vikings in the NFC North next season. “Expectations are high in Chicago,” Bernstein said.

What did he learn about Trestman when the two co-wrote Perseverance: Life Lessons on Leadership and Team Work? “Just how smart the guy is. He is brilliant. He is also a quality human being.”

After Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall tweeted about Trestman’s book, sales increased dramatically and Bernstein said it is now among the top 100 sellers on Amazon.com.

Congratulations to Saint John’s men’s basketball coach Jim Smith who won his 750^th career game on Monday night when the Johnnies defeated Carleton, 73-66. He is the 19^th coach in college basketball history (all divisions) to reach 750 wins.

Condolences to the family of Conrad Smith, my former North Stars marketing colleague and friend for many years. Conrad passed away recently after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He worked for the North Stars, Twins and Timberwolves during his career, and most recently was chief operating officer of the Lynx. Conrad’s warm smile and quick wit made him a delight to be around.

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