David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Thursday Task Next for Vikings

Posted on October 22, 2012October 22, 2012 by David Shama

The Vikings will learn in three days if they can continue the NFL trend this season of the home team winning on Thursday nights. In six previous Thursday night games, only the Giants have won on the road—decisively defeating the Panthers 36-7 in Charlotte.

God didn’t create pro football players to play a game on three days rest but the marketing focused NFL and a passionate American public say “bring it on.” One league game is scheduled for each of 13 Thursday nights, causing the shortest of all off periods for players who also find themselves playing on Sundays and Mondays.

The Vikings (5-2) play the Bucs (2-4) on Thursday night this week at Mall of America Field in a game nationally televised on the NFL Network. The Vikings defeated the Cardinals 21-14 yesterday while the Bucs lost to the Saints, 35-28.

Both the Vikings and Tampa Bay will have the same amount of time to rest and prepare for the game but the Bucs will travel on Wednesday and that’s not like being at home. “It does help not having to travel,” Vikings center John Sullivan said. “Definitely it will afford you more time to rest. You won’t spend the day before the game on a plane, travelling on a bus. …It’s part of home field advantage.”

Players are routinely sore after games (not to mention injuries) and competing after only three days off can be a particular challenge for veterans like Jared Allen, the Vikings 30-year-old defensive end. He’s concerned about the NFL commitment to Thursday night games, a schedule that was expanded in 2012 from eight to 13 games.

”…Heck, I have been in the training room more this year trying to stay healthy than I have in my entire life. So for me it’s a concern just because you know how your body naturally progresses,” he said.

“…It’s just one of those things. You pray to the good Lord you stay healthy, and you try to do extra cold tubs. Do extra things (and) try to get the soreness out. But it’s not like…(one) team is coming off another Thursday (having more rest), so everybody is in the same boat. So you go out and you make it happen.”

Notes from yesterday’s win over the Cardinals:

The Vikings defense had seven sacks, led by defensive ends Brian Robison (three) and Jared Allen (two). Defensive tackle Kevin Williams and cornerback Antoine Winfield had one each.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 153 yards, the 29^th game he’s run for more than 100 yards in his Vikings career. That ties him for the franchise record with Robert Smith who needed eight seasons to reach the total while Peterson is halfway through his sixth year.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier after being asked how his offense had so much success running against the Cardinals: “You know, we may see these guys again, so I will not be divulging that info.”

The Vikings made only two first downs in the second half and no offensive touchdowns. Quarterback Christian Ponder completed eight of 17 passes for 58 yards, throwing one touchdown pass and two interceptions in four quarters. In the last two games Ponder has been intercepted four times and fumbled once.

“I’m trying to do too many things,” Ponder said. “I’m getting out of the pocket and trying to force it to happen. I have to be a lot smarter and make better decisions for sure.”

Yesterday’s attendance of 61,068 was the first time in four regular season home games that the Vikings have drawn more than 60,000 fans.

Former Cretin-Derham Hall receiver Michael Floyd caught one pass for seven yards playing part-time for the Cardinals yesterday. He made available “30-plus tickets” to friends and family to attend the game. Asked to evaluate his rookie season so far, Floyd said: “It’s been all right. It’s just hard taking a loss at home.”

Taylor: Lynx to Make Money

Lynx owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners his WNBA franchise will make a “six- figure profit” this year. Most women’s pro basketball franchises have historically lost money, although the Lynx, who won the league championship last year, did make a profit in 2011, too.

The Lynx won’t repeat as WNBA champions this year. The Fever defeated the Lynx last night to win the WNBA Finals series, three games to one.

Taylor has owned the Lynx since the franchise’s first season in 1999. He couldn’t remember whether he paid a fee to acquire the expansion franchise, or simply agreed to operate the club knowing it was unlikely to be profitable. “I did not pay much, if I did pay anything,” he said last week. “It did require like a million dollars to set it up.”

Taylor said the success of the Lynx has “meant a lot” to him. “It’s made me feel proud and I am glad we stuck with it,” he.

Taylor said his Timberwolves are budgeted to lose money “one year more.” When the budget processes are completed for both the Wolves and Lynx, playoff revenues aren’t included because qualifying for post-season play is uncertain.

The Timberwolves open their regular season on November 2 at home against the Kings. Team president Chris Wright said as of late last week about 5,000 tickets remained for the game. The Wolves have sold approximately 2,000 new season tickets and have a total of 10,000—about 2,000 more than a year ago.

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U Needs Surge in Offense to ‘Bowl’

Posted on October 19, 2012October 19, 2012 by David Shama

With two of the Big Ten Conference’s better teams ineligible for post-season games, and the conference having agreements in place with eight bowl game hosts, the Gophers have ample opportunity during the next several weeks to qualify for their first bowl trip since 2009. Opportunity and reality, however, are not the same.

Ohio State, 7-0 and ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press national poll, isn’t eligible for a bowl game and neither is Penn State, 4-2. That leaves 10 Big Ten teams fighting for eight bowl invitations, and Illinois and Indiana, both 2-5, don’t seem too likely to play in the post-season.

An FBS team will most likely need at least six wins to become bowl eligible, although a 5-7 team would qualify if it has been a division champion and played in a conference bowl game. The 4-2 Gophers have six games to find a couple more wins, with their best chances coming at home on October 27 against Purdue, 3-3, and at Illinois, 2-5, November 17. Minnesota doesn’t play Indiana but also might have a shot at beating offense-challenged Michigan State (4-3) in the Gophers’ last game of the season November 24 (at TCF Bank Stadium).

Minnesota’s chances of winning tomorrow in Madison appear minimal. The Gophers face a fast improving Badgers team, 5-2, and Minnesota hasn’t won at Wisconsin since 1994.

The Gophers’ other remaining games are at home against Michigan (November 3) and at Nebraska(November 17). Those opponents, along with Wisconsin, feature formidable running attacks, the kind of offenses the Gophers figure to have trouble controlling.

In Minnesota’s two conference games (losses to Iowa and Northwestern), the Gophers gave up a total of 390 yards rushing. Second half adjustments lessened the damage, but in the first half of each game the Gophers gave up too many yards.

But it’s not defense that so much gives pause to contemplating Minnesota’s bowl prospects. The Gophers have allowed an average of 19.8 points per game in six games. That’s a respectable sixth best among Big Ten teams and the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Points scored against the Gophers have been inflated by playing an overtime period against UNLV, having an interception run back for a touchdown in the Iowa game; and several times the defense gave up points this season because opponents started drives inside the Minnesota 50 yard line.

We’re not trying to point fingers, but the Minnesota offense needs to improve a lot more than the defense if the Gophers are going to pack suitcases for a bowl trip in December. In their last three games against BCS opponents (Syracuse, Iowa and Northwestern) the Gophers have scored five touchdowns and a total of 43 points, averaging 14.3 points per game.

That won’t work in today’s college game where the rules favor offenses, and point totals even in the 40s and 50s can be required to win games. The Gophers are averaging 24.2 points per game for six games, ranking ninth in the Big Ten.

A suspect unit before the season, the offensive line hasn’t done much to enhance its reputation in six games. The line looked like a project back in August and still does, with performance hindered even more now by inexperience and injuries. There are issues, too, with the quarterback, running back and receiver positions.

Gophers fans prayed last summer that senior quarterback MarQueis Gray wouldn’t be injured during the season. Prayers were answered until the third game of the season when he injured his left knee and ankle in the first half against Western Michigan. Gray missed the Syracuse and Iowa games, and wasn’t fully recovered despite efforts to play against Northwestern when he re-injured his ankle.

The Gophers offense, without its best runner regardless of position, hasn’t been the same without the 6-4, 250-pound Gray. Replacement quarterback Max Shortell has been okay in the passing game but isn’t a running quarterback. Minnesota needs a healthy Gray to make a bowl game push.

The Gophers running backs and receivers lack explosiveness. Minnesota’s longest rushing play of the season is a 75 yard run by Gray. The longest by a running back is 26 yards. Eventually freshman wide receiver Andre McDonald may emerge as a long ball threat but for now the Gophers are much more likely to complete a lot of short passes. The longest reception so far is 53 yards by A. J. Barker.

Before the season started Sports Headliners looked at the Gophers’ offensive limitations and concluded that with a healthy Gray, Minnesota could win five to seven games. On October 19—halfway through a 12 game schedule and assuming Gray plays soon—I see no reason to change that view.

Worth Noting

Prayers are welcome for Lynx executive Conrad Smith who is battling cancer. Conrad is a former colleague with the North Stars, and his career has also included front office positions with the Twins and Timberwolves.

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

No MIAC team has come within two touchdowns of St. Thomas and last Saturday the Tommies defeated preseason nationally ranked Bethel 37-0, but coach Glenn Caruso told Sports Headliners it “would be ridiculously arrogant or ignorant” to think his team has cinched another conference title.

The Tommies, 5-0 in MIAC games, have four league games remaining including tomorrow at Hamline. St. Thomas is the defending MIAC champion and top five ranked nationally among Division III teams. “We don’t focus on rankings. We focus on work,” Caruso said.

St. Thomas is the league’s only undefeated team but Augsburg, Bethel and Concordia all have only one loss. Caruso said the MIAC’s quality of teams is the best he’s seen during his five years at St. Thomas. “Almost every team is better,” he said.

The Tommies, who were 13-1 last season and advanced to the Division III semifinals, lost valuable players via graduation but Caruso said he “couldn’t get out of bed each morning” if he didn’t believe the 2012 team has the potential to be his best ever.

Larry Fitzgerald Sr. emailed news about sons Larry Jr. and Marcus and their involvement in the cause against breast cancer. The Fitzgeralds lost their mother, Carol, to the disease in 2003. Larry Jr., who comes back to his hometown of Minneapolis with the Cardinals to play the Vikings on Sunday, is an NFL spokesman for the league’s October campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer.

The All-Pro wide receiver donates $1,000 for every catch, $5,000 for each touchdown and in “the last two years he has donated over $50,000 to breast cancer research as a result of his play,” according to Larry Sr. Last Sunday Marcus ran in the Susan B. Anthony Race for a Cure marathon in Phoenix, with over $1 million raised. The Fitzgerald family has been active for years promoting the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund in Minneapolis.

The other Twin Cities receiver on the Cardinals is rookie Michael Floyd from St. Paul who has seven receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown. Fitzgerald has 36 receptions for 430 yards and three touchdowns.

Adrian Peterson, who described Larry Fitzgerald Jr. as a great player but even better person, said yesterday at Winter Park that his left ankle is sore “but I don’t think it will become lingering that long.”

Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin leads the NFL in receptions with 49. He has caught a pass in every game he’s played during his Vikings’ career (53) including the playoffs.

Looks like Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman’s opening night lineup on November 2 at home against the Kings will be: forwards Derrick Williams and Andrei Kirilenko, center Nikola Pekovic, and guards Brandon Roy and Luke Ridnour.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is talking with two out of state groups about selling the team. Those individuals would agree to keep the team in Minneapolis, although actually only the NBA Board of Governors can prevent a franchise transfer, Taylor told Sports Headliners.

Taylor had interest from people with probable intent to buy and move the franchise, but he refuses to meet with such potential purchasers.

The 70-year-old billionaire resumed his position as CEO at Taylor Corporation over a year ago and he’s been involved with six business acquisitions this year. His involvement with budgeting for his businesses will prevent him from accompanying the Lynx to Indiana for their WNBA Finals games tonight and Sunday evening.

The first USA Today Coaches Poll released on Wednesday includes five Big Ten basketball teams in the top 25 but didn’t include Minnesota. Big Ten schools ranked are No. 1 Indiana, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Michigan, No. 14 Michigan State and No. 21 Wisconsin.

Edina High School senior basketball guard Graham Woodward has verbally committed to Penn State.

Gophers assistant baseball coach Rob Fornasiere has a detailed spread sheet with batting stats dating back to 1984. The Gophers team batting averages the last two seasons of .257 and .266 are the lowest during the period. Part of the reason, Fornasiere said, is the composition of metal bats has changed over the years and the ball doesn’t come off the bat with the velocity it once did. The change was made for player safety, particularly for pitchers who after delivering the ball are close to home plate and vulnerable to hard hit balls. Overall, for the last 29 years, the Gophers’ team batting average is .312.

Freshman Branden McGarrity set the Carleton men’s soccer school record for most goals in a season earlier this week. He scored two goals in a win over Northwestern College, increasing his career total to 17. He also holds the school record for assists with 38. Carleton 13-1-1 is ranked No. 14 nationally in the latest NSCAA poll.

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U Scheduling Keeps Evolving

Posted on October 17, 2012October 17, 2012 by David Shama

Norwood Teague knows the decision to pursue opponents from non-major conferences for future Gophers football schedules is drawing negative feedback but Minnesota’s athletic director tried to explain the decision yesterday.

The Gophers announced this week they are cancelling future games against North Carolina. Now the Gophers don’t have any opponents from the ACC, Big East, Big 12, SEC or Pac-12 on their nonconference schedules for 2013-2016. Many fans and media see the schedules as unattractive, and lessening the value of tickets while setting the on-field competitive bar too low for the Gophers.

Media questioned the wisdom of a soft schedule at Teague’s news conference yesterday. In addition to perception, getting out of the North Carolina games will reportedly cost the Gophers $800,000, although that cost will presumably be at least partially offset by an additional home game. “We feel strongly that in order to build a program in the Big Ten at this level that your kids (players) gotta have confidence, and you don’t want to take on a BCS opponent in your first two to three years out of conference,” Teague said. “We decided to move on (from North Carolina).

“I appreciate the facts and I appreciate the feedback (from fans). I’ve gotten some pretty hotly contested emails and some phone calls, and I understand that.

“We haven’t exactly won at the highest levels of football in the last 45 years. We’re gonna have to make tough decisions. That’s the way it works.”

Gophers coach Jerry Kill, now in his second season at Minnesota and trying to revive a program that hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 1967, believes in a nonconference schedule built around winnable games. Teague arrived last summer as the Gophers athletic director and Kill’s been lobbying his philosophy for awhile now. The result is the Gophers will be playing home games in the coming years against teams like Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Indiana State, Kent State and South Dakota State.

Kill’s scheduling philosophy is the same as Bill Snyder, the Kansas State coach who years ago inherited perhaps the worst major college football program in the country and made it a national power. For many seasons Snyder scheduled some of the softest “cupcakes” in America, using the approach as part of his formula to build a program.

The “cupcake” philosophy says your program cannot only pile up wins and team confidence, but probably will minimize injuries and provide more playing time to second and third stringers. Valuable starters log fewer minutes and don’t have so many nasty collisions playing against inferior athletes, and replacements build up experience while adding to team depth.

The ultimate goal is to turn the Gophers into one of the more successful programs in the Big Ten. But Gophers followers know Glen Mason had the same scheduling approach as Kill and Snyder. However, things didn’t work out for Mason who was fired in January of 2007. He had a nonconference record of 29-5 and coached Minnesota to eight bowl games, but his Big Ten record was 32-48. During the Mason era from 1997-2006, the Gophers finished fourth three times but otherwise never placed among the top five teams in the conference.

Mason’s successor, Tim Brewster, had a different approach. He talked about playing a couple of major conference teams during the nonconference schedule each year, including one big name school like Texas. Brewster didn’t win enough to stick around but said his approach would help recruiting and sell lots of tickets.

Teague is a smart administrator and he will watch how scheduling develops in all the high profile sports at Minnesota. After the news conference he told Sports Headliners he wants to be supportive of his coaches but there are limits.

“I will manage it (scheduling) when I think we’re out of bounds on going too far one way or the other,” Teague said. “It’s a tough thing for an AD to manage but I will do the best I can.”

Teague is open to considering more challenging nonconference football opponents further into the future. “We’ll keep working at it,” he said. “I‘ve only been here for three months.”

Worth Noting

Kill said yesterday injured quarterback MarQueis Gray’s availability for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin is in doubt. He also said it’s a “question” whether several others will play including receivers Isaac Fruechete, Marcus Jones and Devin Crawford–Tufts, and also offensive tackle Ed Olson and defensive tackle Roland Johnson. Offensive lineman Foster Bush is “out” for the game while Kill hopes safety Derrick Wells can play.

Kill, who had a seizure reoccurrence on Saturday, looked fit yesterday but he won’t be able to drive a car for awhile because of state motor vehicle law. Dan O’Brien, director of football operations, does much of Kill’s driving anyway.

Perhaps the two most famous living Minnesotans who have experienced seizures are Kill and music superstar Prince.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see new Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague soon add a high profile woman to the re-organized athletic department.

The Wild are sending another communication to season ticket holders this week to RSVP for free admission to the November 18 American Hockey League game at Xcel Energy Center between Houston and Rockford. Houston’s roster includes highly anticipated center prospect Mikael Granlund and Minnesotans Jarod Palmer and Chad Rau. Former Gopher Nick Leddy plays for Rockford and has two assists in two regular season games.

Look for the Gophers to provide playing time to junior Michael Shibrowski and freshman Adam Wilcox early in the season, according to comments made by coach Don Lucia on WCCO radio’s “Sports Huddle” on Sunday. The two goalies each started a game last week when Minnesota earned two wins over Michigan State. The Gophers have their first road series this week, playing at Michigan Tech Friday and Saturday.

Mark this date down for perhaps the best prep boys’ basketball game in December: Tuesday, December 18, Hopkins at Apple Valley.

Pitcher Aroldis Chapman and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes have made headlines for the Reds and Athletics after defecting from Cuba but no one should expect the flood gates to open for baseball Cubans to emigrate to the United States. Cuban born former Twins outfielder Tony Oliva said it’s not easy to leave Cuba but he recalled that “back in the 1950s and 60s Cuba was the No. 1 (foreign) place” where major league baseball players came from.

Oliva, who tries to visit Cuba annually and see relatives, predicted one day the extensive baseball talent in the country could make Cuba a top three provider of talent amomg Latin American nations along with the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Oliva played in the minors with Jim Rantz, a former Twins pitcher and longtime farm system executive who announced his retirement on Monday. “He’s so nice it’s unbelievable,” Oliva said. “He’s the same way today he was 50 years ago. Sometimes things change, but he’s the same.”

Former Timberwolves center Darko Milicic is on the Celtics pre-season roster. His uniform number is No. 99. Not a common number but the same as worn by NBA Hall of Famer and former Minneapolis Lakers center George Mikan.

Wolves coach Rick Adelman purchased 500 upper level tickets to give away to fans for tonight’s WNBA Finals game at Target Center between the Lynx and Fever.

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