David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Expect MarQueis Gray to Play Saturday

Posted on October 10, 2012October 10, 2012 by David Shama

Unless MarQueis Gray has a setback in recovering from his ankle sprain and knee injury, the opinion here is the senior quarterback will see game action on Saturday when the Gophers play Northwestern at TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill said yesterday he is “cautiously optimistic” Gray will “possibly” be available for spot duty. Kill didn’t elaborate as to when and how much Gray might play. “He’s still running a little bit with a limp,” said Kill.

The coach reported Gray didn’t practice last week but did on Sunday. If Gray is to participate on Saturday, he will need to practice the balance of this week.

He hasn’t played since being injured on September 15 against Western Michigan. The Gophers are 1-1 without him as the starting quarterback. He is one of college football’s better running quarterbacks and Kill’s guarded optimism about Gray playing on Saturday sends a message to Northwestern coaches they need to prepare for two types of Minnesota quarterbacks. Max Shortell is a lumbering runner, inferior to Gray, but a superior passer.

Gray averages 5.2 yards per rush. Shortell averages 2.3. Gray has thrown five touchdown passes and is averaging 132.7 passing yards per game. Shortell’s numbers are six TD passes and 172 yards per game.

How effective will Gray perform Saturday? Physical stamina and also timing on passes will be two major concerns after missing the Syracuse game September 22 and Iowa game September 29, and not practicing during Minnesota’s bye week last week.

The Gophers’ offense is neither as versatile nor effective without Gray. Minnesota has produced just four touchdowns in its last two games.

Gray is one of the Big Ten’s better athletes. He probably will make an NFL team one day as a receiver. Unfortunately for the Gophers he’s been sidelined more so far this season than any starting quarterback in the Big Ten.

Look for his comeback to begin on Saturday, limited as it may be.

Packers Falter, Harvin & Greenway Vikings’ MVPs

No one foresaw a 2-3 start for the Packers, a team considered a Super Bowl favorite back in August. Fans at Mall of America gave their enthusiastic approval on Sunday when the score was announced the unappreciated Colts beat the Packers 30-27 in Indianapolis.

What’s wrong in Packerland? Dean Dalton, the former Vikings assistant coach who hosts a weekly NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, said “there’s a lot of little things wrong” but nothing “glaring.”

For starters, the Packers may well be a distracted, unfocused team. The success of past seasons resulted in a lot of adulation and commercial opportunities for players.

“Every single one of the frontline Packers have some sort of endorsement in Wisconsin,” Dalton said. “Many of the star Packers has national endorsements. They (the endorsements) become a distraction.”

Dalton said the Green Bay offensive line has been inconsistent. Problematic, too, is that in the mission to upgrade the running game and balance the offense, the Packers seem to have moved away from a passing attack that’s been the envy of the NFL. “They haven’t been sticking to the formula” and the Packers lack the explosiveness of past years, Dalton said.

On defense, Dalton sees an improved unit. But consistency is lacking and that was evident when the Packers couldn’t hold a 21-3 halftime lead against the Colts. That speaks of missing a killer instinct, perhaps by both the Green Bay offense and defense.

The 4-1 Vikings have received contributions from many players but few observers will argue that the early season offensive and defensive Most Valuable Players are wide receiver-running back-kickoff returner Percy Harvin and linebacker Chad Greenway.

Harvin has scored touchdowns rushing, receiving, and on a 105-yard kickoff return. The fourth-year speedster, juker and tackle breaker has produced so many raves locally and across the country that Harvin is an early season candidate for league MVP, always a formidable challenge for a non-quarterback.

“I think he’s as complete a player as there is in the NFL,”Dalton said “He means so much to this team.”

Dalton admires Harvin not only for his physical skills, but also for his “excellent” football intelligence. Greenway talked about another aspect of Harvin’s value to the Vikings.

“The way he’s stepped into a leadership role I think is something that has gone unnoticed. He’s quiet but he leads by doing things the right way every day, and the young guys are here to watch that.”

Greenway, now in his seventh season with the Vikings, is probably playing the best football of his career. “He’s truly a complete every down linebacker playing at a Pro Bowl level,” Dalton said.

Greenway revealed early this year his dad has cancer. The crisis impacted Greenway’s perspective on football and has helped him play at a high level.

“(I am) keeping the game simple,” he said. “What I went through this offseason with my dad, I am just going to have fun and play. You never know when things can change.”

Worth Noting

The Gophers have had various lineup changes on offense through five games but only one on defense. Linebacker Lamonte Edwards replaced Aaron Hill for one game.

The athletic department is promoting a special ticket offer for the Northwestern game on Saturday. Tickets for $20 each are available for purchase including via www.mygophersports.com. Saturday’s game is Homecoming at Minnesota.

Dan O’Brien, former football coach and athletic director at Concordia, St. Paul, was inducted into that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame last Friday night. Even though it was a rare bye week for the Gophers, coach Jerry Kill and wife Rebecca took the time to attend the hall of fame event where O’Brien, the Gophers director of football operations, was honored.

It’s been a difficult fall for former Michigan State head football coach John L. Smith, now interim head coach at Arkansas. Considered a preseason possibility for the national title, the Razorbacks are 2-4. Maybe worse, Smith referred to Arkansas as “Alabama” when speaking before a Razorbacks’ booster group last month. See YouTube coverage.

Joe Mauer had back pain during the last few games of the season, according to Jake Mauer, his grandfather. Because of the problem Mauer chose to be a designated hitter and wanted to be in the lineup competing for the American League batting title rather than sitting on the bench.

Mauer finished fourth in the AL batting race, hitting .319. He hit .222 in his last 10 games and had just one hit in the final 10 at bats. Jake said his grandson had trouble hitting the “low ball.”

The back isn’t expected to be a long term problem and Mauer was entertaining at a stag party last weekend near Braham. Jake said about two dozen guests enjoyed archery, trapshooting, bowling and other activities.

Among the guests was Twins pitcher Glen Perkins. Both Perkins and Mauer are supporters of pitching coach Rick Anderson who survived the organization’s dismissal last week of various coaches. “He (Joe) likes Rick and Perkins does, too. They’re glad he stayed,” Jake said.

Joe and fiancée Maddie Bisanz will be married on December 1 in St. Paul. Jake said wedding invitations have yet to be mailed.

“Sports Standouts,” a new 30 minute show, will debut on KSTC next Saturday at 1 p.m. The show offers inspiring stories about regional athletes and coaches. The program co-hosts are former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton and TV personality Libby Floyd.

Mario Lucia, a 2011 Wild draft choice and son of Gophers coach Don Lucia, is a freshman at Notre Dame but not playing because of a broken leg.

Comments Welcome

Ex-Coach: Vikes Put Ego on ‘Shelf’

Posted on October 8, 2012October 8, 2012 by David Shama

Dean Dalton told Sports Headliners the Vikings, who have already won more games than all of last season, are a “team playing for each other.”

Minnesota, 4-1 and tied for first with the Bears in the NFC North, defeated the Titans 30-7 at Mall of America Field yesterday. During consecutive wins over the 49ers, Lions and Titans the Vikings avoided critical errors and giving up big plays, often playing effectively on offense, defense and special teams.

The Vikings are making use of their talent with consistent and steady play. Dalton, the former Vikings assistant coach, credited head coach Leslie Frazier with creating a “culture of success” with his leadership after confronting difficult past challenges including last season’s 3-13 record.

Dalton, who hosts a weekly NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, said the Vikings have come together as a team by leaving “the ego on the shelf.” He also said the Vikings could be a playoff club by season’s end.

Vikings center John Sullivan said after the game that Dalton’s evaluation about “team first” is true. Sullivan added that because Frazier is a former NFL player, the coach relates effectively to the Vikings.

“With a playing background, he really knows what he’s talking about in terms of addressing us from a player’s perspective,” Sullivan said. “I think he’s done an outstanding job. We’re 100 percent behind him.”

Worth Noting

Sullivan, talking about second-year quarterback Christian Ponder, who has thrown only two interceptions this season but six touchdown passes: “We have the utmost confidence in him. He’s our leader. He’s our quarterback. I think we’re going to do big things with him at the helm.”

Vikings receiver-runner Percy Harvin had a remarkable first quarter touchdown run of four yards where he combined speed, cutting ability and power. “I am blessed with a lot of ability. That’s my thing. I just try to get in open space, ever since I was younger. If I can get in open space, I feel like I can make things happen. It was a missed tackle by them.”

Harvin was asked what tacklers say who are almost faked out of their shoes: “A couple of them tell me to slow down, that they can’t catch up. I just look at them and laugh and say that’s my job.”

The Vikings’ only loss was in game No. 2 against the Colts. Vikings defensive end Jared Allen believes the defense is different now. “…Something clicked after that loss to the Colts. We were out of body and out of character for what we do but we’ve gotten back to that. A lot of credit goes to coach (Alan) Williams (defensive coordinator) because he was able to recognize that and listen to some of the vets, take ideas in, and hone in what we do.”

Danielle Kalil, sister of Vikings offensive rookie tackle Matt Kalil, sang the National Anthem before yesterday’s game.

Attendance at yesterday’s game was 57,652. Attendance for the Vikings’ first three regular season home games has yet to reach 60,000 at Mall of America Field (capacity about 64,000).

Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf said it’s likely the team will be playing the 2014 and 2015 seasons at TCF Bank Stadium while the new stadium is being built on the Mall of America Field site.

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, attended yesterday’s game and said the Vikings have expressed interest in hosting the Super Bowl in 2018, 2019 or 2020 but no decision has been made about the site for those years.

Tickets for tonight’s Manny’s Celebrity Waiters Night with Chad Greenway and Friends are sold out. The event benefits the Vikings linebacker’s Lead the Way Foundation, helping “critically and chronically ill” children in the metro area. www.chadgreenway.org

Gophers coach Jerry Kill, speaking on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle yesterday, was noncommittal on quarterback MarQueis Gray’s availability for next Saturday’s game with Northwestern. “Not saying he can’t be,” Kill said about Gray who has not played since September 15 because of an injured left ankle and knee. But Kill cautioned about Gray being ready for Northwestern based on what he saw from his former starting quarterback last week.

Here are Sports Headliners’ second Big Ten power rankings of the season: Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

Don Lucia’s Gophers opened their season with a 7-0 exhibition win over Lethbridge Saturday night at Mariucci Arena. The college hockey season begins in the early days of fall and at Minnesota expectations are for the Gophers to be playing in the spring for another national championship.

Lucia, whose Gophers play Michigan State at home on Friday and Saturday night, has won two national titles at Minnesota. He said expectations have always been high at Minnesota during his era but social media has added to the environment.

The Gophers lost in a semi-finals Frozen Four game to Boston College last spring and anything less than an encore appearance in the finals will be a disappointment to many. The Gophers, returning six of their top seven scorers and all six starting defensemen from last season, are joined by Boston College at the top of the early season national rankings.

Lucia, 54, is starting his 14^th season as Gophers head coach. He had health problems a couple years back but told Sports Headliners he’s fine now. How much longer does he want to coach?

Lucia said a “few more” seasons and quipped he doesn’t plan to be another “Red Berenson,” the 72-year-old Michigan coach now beginning his 29^th season in Ann Arbor.

Wally Shaver starts his 20^th season of broadcasting Gophers hockey on the radio next Friday night, calling the game on 1500 ESPN. His father, legendary former North Stars broadcaster Al Shaver, is retired, living on Vancouver Island in his native Canada and turns 85 on October 25.

Various reports have Apple Valley High School junior point guard Tyus Jones visiting Duke’s Midnight Madness practice on Friday. Meanwhile the Gopher men’s and women’s teams will have their own version of Midnight Madness on Friday at Williams Arena with fans able to watch skills competitions like a dunk contest and team scrimmages. Admission is free and the arena opens at 7 p.m. A trip for two is being given away to watch the Gopher men in their late November basketball tournament in the Bahamas.

Fergus Falls High School football coach Richard Risbrudt now has 201 career wins. In 35 seasons as a head coach Risbrudt’s record is 201-144.

The new release “Trouble with the Curve,” starring Clint Eastwood, is one of the better baseball movies ever made, although not on the level of “Moneyball,” the story of Oakland baseball boss Billy Beane operating on a cheapskate budget running the A’s.

The new movie, “42,” about baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, debuts next April but is already being promoted in theatres and a film trailer is on YouTube.

Comments Welcome

Don’t ‘Anticipate’ Gray for Northwestern

Posted on October 3, 2012October 3, 2012 by David Shama

Reporting on Gophers football, Timberwolves, Vikings, Wild and Twins:

Gophers’ football coach Jerry Kill, talking about the injured MarQueis Gray, said on Monday he doesn’t “anticipate” his senior quarterback playing against Northwestern a week from Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Gray has a high ankle sprain and sprained left knee suffered in the Western Michigan game on September 15. “It’s just taken awhile to heal up,” Kill told Sports Headliners.

Even if Gray can surprise and be ready to play, strategically it’s to the Gophers’ advantage if they can make Northwestern (5-0) prepare for two different quarterback styles. Gray is an improved passer but running is his strength while sophomore Max Shortell, his replacement, is a capable passer and lumbering runner.

OhioState is the Big Ten’s best team. If Gray is healthy and able to play, the Gophers (4-1) are better by the nose of a football than Iowa, the team that defeated Minnesota last Saturday. Here are Sports Headliners’ first Big Ten power rankings of the season: Ohio State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

The Timberwolves opened training camp yesterday without Rick Rubio taking part in drills because of his left knee rehabilitation. Rubio, who was injured on March 9 of last season, “created a belief” the Wolves could beat anybody, according to coach Rick Adelman.

The Wolves, who had a 21-20 record on March 9, won only five of their final 25 games after Rubio’s season ended. Adelman said on Monday he was “shocked” at how the team stumbled without the 21-year-old rookie point guard.

Rubio’s teammates learned not only how good of a playmaker the flashy Spaniard is but also saw his competitiveness and all around skills. Wolves’ reserve point guard J.J. Barea said Rubio is so competitive he wouldn’t even back down from “Michael Jordan.”

Adelman said Rubio’s absence from the lineup was felt defensively. Rubio was among NBA leaders in steals when injured.

No one is predicting exactly when Rubio will be able to fully practice and play in games. He said Monday he’s starting to shoot the basketball but doesn’t jump when he shoots.

Meanwhile, the Wolves have shaken up their roster adding several new players, including veterans and former NBA All-Stars Andrei Kirilenko and Brandon Roy, who have been on winning teams elsewhere. Adelman is looking for a new attitude among the Wolves who he said “didn’t hurt enough” last season after losses.

Forward Kevin Love, back from helping the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal, said some teammates last season had a date circled in the spring but it wasn’t the start of the playoffs. Instead, the anticipated date was the season’s end and vacation.

The Wolves, who finished 26-40 last season and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, are thinking post-season now as they start training camp. They know the assignment will be much easier when Rubio is healthy and playing again.

Vikings’ punter Chris Kluwe communicates with former teammate and placekicker Ryan Longwell via email and text. Kluwe said Longwell remains interested in a pro golf career and wants to become comfortable in front of TV cameras. “He told me it’s completely different when you’re actually playing in front of cameras as opposed to when it’s just you out on the course,” Kluwe said. “I think he’s just trying to get used to that and we’ll see if he goes and tries that for real.”

A hockey source told Sports Headliners the Wild’s Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu and Matt Cullen could decide to play hockey out of the country if the NHL labor dispute isn’t resolved. The source said if the players sign contracts to play elsewhere there will be escape clauses allowing a return to the Wild after the collective bargaining agreement is settled between the NHL and league players.

The NHL regular season schedule was to begin next week but with the players locked out it could be December 1 or later before teams return to the ice. “There’s no super urgency now” to settle the lockout, the source said.

But paychecks for NHL players were to begin next week, and continue every two weeks. Missing those checks after three pay periods will create urgency for a settlement, in the opinion of the source.

He also said the Wild’s AHL affiliate team, the Houston Aeros, may play one or more games at Xcel Energy Center. Such a move could be part of a strategy by the Wild to keep hockey in front of the public. Fantasy camps, hospital visits and other activities might be part of a plan, too.

Mike Trout, who is certain to be the American League Rookie of the Year and is a contender for league MVP, was drafted by the Angels in 2009 after 21 other clubs passed on him including the Twins. Trout’s dad, Jeff, was a Twins minor league player and so, too, was Greg Morhardt, the Angels scout that signed Mike.

Morhardt was more excited about Mike than a lot of other baseball people, according to an article in Sports Illustrated’s August 27 issue. Among the Angels’ decision- makers who approved drafting Trout was scouting director Eddie Bane, the former Twins pitcher.

When the regular season ends today, the Angels center fielder will have completed a year when he established himself as one of baseball’s best players at age 21. His skills in hitting for average and power, fielding his position and base running prompted Sports Illustrated to compare him with Mickey Mantle. Among Trout’s rookie stats are a .324 batting average (second best in theAL), .397 on-base percentage (third in the league), .561 slugging percentage (third) and a MLB leading 49 stolen bases.

The Twins finish their season in Toronto today. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the club made an off-season trade with the Blue Jays, acquiring pitching and sending Canadian native Justin Morneau to Toronto?

The Twins and four other major league clubs provide players to the Peoria team that begins play in the Arizona Fall League on October 9. Seven Twins organization players are expected to participate: pitchers Kyle Gibson, Logan Darnell, Caleb Thielbar, and Michael Tonkin, and position players Evan Bigley, Chris Herrmann and Nate Roberts, according to Twins minor league operations executive Jim Rantz.

Comments Welcome