David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins Won’t Panic on Trades

Posted on June 27, 2012June 28, 2012 by David Shama

Opinions and notes on the Twins, Gophers, Timberwolves and Vikings:

Don’t look for the Twins to panic their way into trades before the major league trading deadline on July 31. At 8.5 games out of first place in the Central Division it’s too early to give up on the season and perhaps dump unwelcome payroll.

But it requires a lot of optimism to believe the Twins beleaguered starting pitching can put the club back into the division race. How different the starting rotation would look if the Twins hadn’t given up on successful starters R.A. Dickey, Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza.

Dickey leads the National League in wins with 11. The Mets right-hander saw his 44.2 innings streak of not giving up an earned run end on Sunday against the Yankees. His knuckleball is among the most difficult in baseball to hit.

The Cardinals’ Lohse, like Dickey, has an ERA under 3.00, and wouldn’t the Twins love to have a starter who has walked only 17 batters in 102 innings. Garza has won only three games with the lowly Cubs but he’s an innings eater and still is under 30 years old. The last four seasons Garza has exceeded or been near 200 innings pitched.

The Twins have used 10 different starting pitchers this season. The inability of starters to often pitch more than a few innings has made the bullpen among the busiest in baseball. Relief pitchers including newcomers like Jared Burton have been effective but the Twins don’t have a dominant closer. Don’t look now but former Twins closer Joe Nathan, 37, has a 1.99 ERA in his first season with The Rangers.

Except for a series against the Rangers July 6-8, the Twins face only division rivals between now and the July 9-12 All-Star break. After the White Sox series that ends today, the Twins play the Royals and Tigers. A good result during the next two weeks in the five-team division race would be moving ahead of the fourth place Royals who are 3.5 games in front of the Twins. The Twins are 9-11 so far this season against division rivals.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe was hitting .138 with one home run and two RBIs on May 16. Now he is batting .242 and has a c0-team leading 15 home runs along with 27 RBI.

Plouffe is hitting a home run once in every 12.1 at bats. That’s pretty impressive by historical baseball standards. Mark McGwire, baseball’s all-time leader, homered every 10.6 at bats and Babe Ruth hit a home run every 11.8.

Plouffe’s resurgence seems to mystify just about everyone including him. He could be experiencing a once in a lifetime streak, or perhaps proving he can take his place among the better home run hitters in the American League.

The 26-year-old right handed batting Plouffe, who has power to all fields, never hit more than 15 home runs during a single season in the minor leagues. This is the third year he’s been with the Twins but he’s never had more than 286 at bats in a single season.

Twins outfielder Josh Willingham also has 15 home runs but has 251 plate appearances compared with Plouffe’s 182.

Twins fan Jim Dotseth said pitcher Francisco Liriano has been chewing gum during his last six starts and in that period Liriano has compiled a 2.41 ERA. Liriano’s record is 2-2 in those games including a win over the White Sox on Monday night. Maybe the gum relaxes Liriano, or improves concentration.

Twins rookie Tyler Robertson made his debut last night becoming only the eighth relief pitcher in major league history to strike out the side in order in the first inning pitched, according to Baseball-Reference.

Gophers basketball director of operations Joe Esposito told Sports Headliners yesterday that star senior forward Trevor Mbakwe, who is recovering from a torn right ACL, might be ready for contact and scrimmaging within 30 days. “He looks good,” Esposito said.

Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn doesn’t lack for confidence or willingness to make changes. It was not surprising yesterday to see the Wolves trade their first round pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft for Rockets small forward Chase Budinger. Now starting his fourth season with the Wolves, this is Kahn’s first assignment in the NBA as a basketball boss and he still faces scrutiny about his effectiveness.

Wolves owner Glen Taylor is 71 and has owned the team since 1995. The next 12 months could be a smart time to shop the franchise. The Wolves have two potential super stars in Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, a proven winner in coach Rick Adelman, and Target Center financing is in place for major renovation. Then, too, the NBA’s labor agreement with its players was solidified last year.

How potentially popular is Rubio? With Rubio’s flashy playing style and off-court charisma his popularity ceiling will be limited only by how well he plays and how many games the Wolves win in the next half dozen years. He has the potential to approach the popularity of the late Kirby Puckett, the Twins World Series hero.

Newspaper and radio journalist Larry Fitzgerald Sr. emailed that he was the “only Twin Cities reporter to cover the NBA Finals.”

What would have happened to the Vikings franchise if agreement hadn’t been reached on a new stadium? I believe club owners wouldn’t have moved the team but sources have told Sports Headliners ownership might have sold the franchise to an investor who would have relocated the Vikings.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier was asked recently if his relationship with unhappy wide receiver Percy Harvin is as good as a month ago: “We still have a good relationship. There will always be things you have to work through. I think that will always be the case with players and coaches. There is a line there always but I think we have a good relationship.”

Frazier said Christian Ponder is the team’s No. 1 quarterback and Joe Webb is the backup as training camp and preseason games approach. “We’re going into it with Christian being our starting quarterback,” Frazier said. “If something were to happen to Christian because of injury, we feel like we have a capable backup in Joe but there is no competition as to what Joe has to do to beat out Christian. Christian, it’s his job. …”

Ponder said last week as the team closed its minicamp that he is planning vacation time in Hilton Head, South Carolina and Disney World in Orlando.

Among those being inducted into the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame on July 11 in St. Cloud will be Dave Meisner from Winona State. Known as “Mouse” during his playing days, the 5-8 Meisner left Winona Sate as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,658 points. He was all-conference as a junior and senior. He scored 47 points in one game, still the second best individual game total in school history.

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‘Fair Chance’ for Vikes’ Retractable Roof

Posted on June 25, 2012June 25, 2012 by David Shama

Vikings executive Lester Bagley, who for years has been the franchise’s lead advocate on the new stadium, told Sports Headliners there’s a “fair chance” the new downtown facility will have a retractable roof.

The agreement reached this spring between the NFL club, the state and city of Minneapolis left the issue of a retractable roof undecided. Bagley said before the stadium bill was passed the Vikings tried to negotiate sufficient funding for a retractable roof but instead facility builders will have to see if it’s possible to have that amenity within the $975 million budget.

“We want to have, if possible, a retractable feature,” Bagley said. “Have the walls on the ends open to the downtown, to the plaza, or a roof, or window, or some retractable feature to kind of maximize the gameday fan experience.

“We have a $975 million budget and there’s a lot of things that have to be in the facility. It’s gotta be ready for baseball, soccer and NCAA basketball. So it’s gotta have all these other non-football elements that add to the cost and are going to drive that budget.”

If the stadium has a retractable roof it will most likely open and shut over only a portion of the facility — just the playing field. Bagley expects the issue to be decided in the next six to nine months after a stadium architect is hired and a design plan is finalized.

Whether a fixed roof or retractable roof facility is approved, the new building is expected to be impressive. “We need to build a world-class facility,” Bagley said. “The only anxiety I have left is we want to make sure that when this building opens that the public has the reaction they had when the new (Twins) ballpark opened: What a great facility. We want to make sure that it’s iconic. That it fits this market.”

Bagley also said the Vikings are already “getting in line” with NFL officials regarding a Super Bowl for the stadium. Minneapolis hosted the 1992 game and impressed league representatives with local planning and hospitality.

The Vikings are also considering the future of their training facility and executive offices at Winter Park in Eden Prairie. “It’s an okay facility but it by no means is NFL standard,” Bagley said. “It’s not nearly as nice as the Gophers facility.”

Bagley said the Vikings owners are considering various options including whether to keep their facility at Winter Park.

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Worth Noting

Posted on June 25, 2012June 28, 2012 by David Shama

NBAdraft.net projects the Wolves taking St. John’s freshman forward-guard Moe Harkless with the No. 18 pick in the first round of Thursday night’s NBA Draft. Harkless, 6-8, averaged 15.5 points per game for the Red Storm and was Big East Rookie of the Year.

The website predicts the Wolves will choose 6-4 senior Temple shooting guard Ramone Moore with the No. 58 pick on the second round. Moore was first team All-Atlantic Conference, leading the Owls in scoring at 17.3 points per game and finishing third in the league. Moore is scheduled to work out for the Wolves today at Target Center.

The draft will be televised on by ESPN and the Wolves are expected to make their selection about 8 p.m. Minneapolis time. The draft begins at 6:30 p.m.

Joel Maturi, who retired as Gophers athletic director earlier this month, is an admirer of Twins general manager Terry Ryan. “Terry Ryan is a great person,” Maturi said. “We’ve had a relationship since I’ve been at Minnesota.”

Twins super prospect Miguel Sano is only hitting .239 for Beloit but the third baseman is tied for the Midwest League lead in home runs with 15 and is third in RBI with 51.

Twins pitcher Anthony Swarzak’s belief in Bigfoot is the subject of a feature in the June-July issue of the Twins magazine sold at Target Field.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said on his 1500 ESPN show yesterday he’s used 10 different starters this season. It has been a situation of “desperation” at times because of injuries and ineffective performance.

Gardenhire said Matt Capps’ sore shoulder could result in the closer going on the disabled list and this morning that development was confirmed. He also said the need to have Joe Mauer’s bat in the lineup may result in limiting Mauer’s catching to three or four games per week.

This Saturday the Twins are giving away Minneapolis Millers pennants to the first 20,000 fans in recognition of the former Triple-A franchise that played at Metropolitan Stadium before the Senators relocated here from Washington, D.C. The Twins will wear Millers uniforms while the Kansas City Royals will be in Kansas City Blues uniforms as part of a “turn back the clock” promotion.

Brad Childress, the former Vikings head coach and now the Browns offensive coordinator, will be 56 on Wednesday.

Former Gophers offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar is the offensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. Ex-Gophers defensive coordinators Ted Roof and Everett Withers are coordinators at Penn State and Ohio State.

Passionate Gophers fans are looking forward to watching redshirt freshman defensive end Thieren Cockran, who admirers think could become one of Minnesota’s best pass rushers in years.

Former Gophers football All-American John Williams, who recently had a kidney transplant, reported on his CaringBridge site on Friday that he’s been cleared to go home and is “feeling pretty good.” https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johnbjwilliams

The 39^th annual Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game will be played on Saturday at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud starting at 1 p.m. There will be 78 players from 31 conferences selected by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association. Jeff Schlieff (Spring Lake Park) will coach the North while Bill Ihrke (Plainview-Elgin-Millville) coaches the South.

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