Posted September 22, 2010    

•Jared Allen

•Danny Valencia

•Chad Greenway

•Flip Saunders

•Glenn Caruso

Allen: ‘Gut Check’ Time for Vikings 

The Vikings lost their opening regular season game to the Super Bowl champion Saints in New Orleans.  Then Sunday at home the Vikings lost to a Miami team that before the season was judged average by NFL standards.  The 0-2 start for a Vikings team with a Super Bowl goal in its business plan has upset the players. 

All-Pro Vikings defensive end Jared Allen didn’t hold back earlier this week when he talked to Sports Headliners about the team’s disappointing start.  “It’s early in the season," he said. "There’s 14 games (remaining), but it’s gut check time.  It really is.  You can say what if about the Super Bowl champs.  You lose to them.  You can justify that in some way, but we don’t.  But people will justify it. 

“This one (Miami) is hard because I feel like Miami is a good team.  They do some things, but we were ready for them.  We had a hell of a week of practice. …This is a game at home we gotta win. … 

“So I think everybody kind of needs to take a little look in the mirror and realize we have an opportunity here.  We have a good team, and even when we’re not playing our best we’re still in every ball game.  (When) we’re firing on all cylinders I really think we have a chance to do some great things, and hopefully no one will remember this.” 

Allen said the Vikings’ veteran roster is an asset during difficult times.  On a team with younger players, adversity can cause things to “spiral fast” in the wrong way. 

Allen also said that “to a man” everyone needs to consider what he can do better to team performance.  “It’s plain and simple as that,” he said.  “And when you get everyone working like that, the wins will start coming, and then they will start coming in bunches.” 

The first opportunity comes Sunday at home against the 0-2 Lions, a franchise that has lost 21 straight road games.

 

"I think everybody kind of needs to take a little look in the mirror and realize we have an opportunity here." 
Jared Allen
 

Valencia’s Power Potential Intrigues Oliva 

The Twins’ annual off-season to-do list has included this task in recent years: find a third baseman.  Scratch that assignment for the fall of 2010.  

Rookie Danny Valencia, who turned 26 on Sunday, looks like he will own the third base job for years to come.  He joined the Twins after the season started, playing in his first game on June 3.   Since then he’s done nothing but impress in the field and at bat. 

Valencia has made four errors in 71 games.  His fielding range is big league and although he’s had some throwing errors, Valencia is likely to make his strong arm even more accurate with experience. 

It’s hitting, though, where Valencia has really turned heads.  He has the best average among American League rookies, hitting .337.  At Target Field Valencia is hitting .439.  In home and away games he has five home runs and 35 RBI (including 12 this month). 

Former American League batting champion Tony Oliva said the Twins organization watched Valencia improve in the minors.  The 6-2, 210-pound Valencia hit .300 in the minor leagues and with two different teams in 2007 totaled 17 home runs. 

Oliva told Sports Headliners last week he likes Valencia’s skills including his home run potential.  Since the time that conversation took place Valencia has hit three home runs in his last five games.   

“If you see him hit in batting practice, you can see…he have a lot of power,” Oliva said.  “I think a some day when he get comfortable, he learn more about the pitchers, he probably will able to hit the home runs, too.”  

The power surge maybe coming faster than Oliva expected.

 

Worth Noting  

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway used a karate kick to celebrate a big play on Sunday against Miami.  Asked if it will be a signature move he said, “We’ll see.  I don’t want to talk about that after a loss.” 

Greenway said Sunday’s home game against Detroit is a “must win” and so are the remaining games on the schedule.  

Bernard Berrian fumbled a football on a punt return against Miami.  Although he recovered the ball, Berrian was replaced during the game by Greg Camarillo.   

Former Hutchinson and Nebraska lineman Lyndon Murtha is on the Miami roster but wasn’t activated for last Sunday’s game.  

A Vikings spokesman said coach Brad Childress has talked to his players about media relations following the Jets controversy involving reporter Ines Sainz.   

The Jaguars have signed former Vikings quarterback and Minnesota native Todd Bouman, 38, who hasn’t played in an NFL regular season game since 2005.

Former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton and his family have moved back into their suburban Minneapolis home that was badly damaged by fire last year. 

Gophers coach Tim Brewster said safety Kim Royston, who is still recovering from a broken leg earlier in the year, was expected to be in “full pads” at practice yesterday and is “chomping at the bit” to see game action.  No announcement, though, when Royston will play.  

Flip Saunders was at the Gophers-USC game last Saturday to see twin daughters Rachel and Kim who perform for the Minnesota Dance Team.  Saunders, the Washington Wizards coach and former Gophers player, told Sports Headliners he has occasionally thought about the coaching opening at his alma mater in 2007.  He was then coaching a Detroit Pistons playoff team and the timing wasn’t right to pursue the Gophers job that went to Tubby Smith.  

When Saunders played for Bill Musselman in the 1970s the Gophers performed a pre-game ball handling routine set to music that filled the seats and electrified fans.  Saunders said if he ever coaches collegiately he will use the pre-game show.  

Saunders, who still has a home in this Minneapolis area, said John Wall was in town earlier this summer to spend time together and that the 2010 NBA first overall selection will start for the Wizards. 

Ricky Rubio, the Timberwolves point guard in waiting, has improved his three point shooting percentages in the Euroleague from 16.7 to 35.8, according to http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=LFW. 

The Twins and the Downtown Council are auctioning off five of the “Twins Around Town” statues.  The statues can be viewed online and also bid on by visiting http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100913&content_id=14615584&vkey=pr_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min. The auction ends at 9 p.m. Sunday.  A portion of the auction proceeds benefit the Minnesota Twins Community Fund.  

If a Big Ten Conference hockey league is formed with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State, each team presumably will play 20 conference games, filling in the balance of their schedules with non-league games.  

The Wild become acquainted with the Blues this week in opening preseason games tonight at Xcel Energy Center and Friday in St. Louis.  The Friday night game will be telecast by KSTC-TV. 

Coach Glenn Caruso has his St. Thomas football team off to an impressive start.  The Tommies are 3-0, have outscored opponents 116-24 and are ranked No. 4 nationally in the D3football.com poll.  Saint John’s is No. 18 in the poll. http://www.tommiesports.com/ftbl/news/FBPoll-9-6.html

 

Dean Dalton

  Tubby Smith


 

Glenn Caruso