Tiger Power faces Frisco Magic in World Series
By John Gilbert
Amid the peak of pro, college and high school football, and the rocket-like launch of hockey season, the World Series still commands our attention. The other sports can be our favorites, but when the American and National League baseball champions get together in the World Series, it is always a piece of Americana being played out for all the world to watch.
This year’s Series is more than a little special. It offers a favorite in the Detroit Tigers, and also vindication for a team that underachieved all season before making a spirited run in the final month, to overtake the Chicago White Sox, then beat an inspired Oakland A’s outfit, before sweeping the New York Yankees out into the cold. Then there are the San Francisco Giants, and no matter how much you pull for the American League’s Tigers, you have to appreciate the Cinderella quality of the Giants.
The had to face a strong Cincinnati outfit, and after losing the first two games in San Francisco, it looked pretty hopeless in the 5-game first round. But the plucky Giants became the first National League team to ever lose its first two games at home, then go on the road and rattle off three straight victories. All that earned them was a chance to face the smooth and poised and powerful St. Louis Cardinals, who split the first two in San Francisco, then went home to whip the Giants the next two for a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven.
That’s where the magic started to indicate these Giants were something special. Knowing their foe needed only one more victory in three games to advance to the World Series, the Giants gave it a run. On one play, second baseman Marco Scutero went over for a possible double-play pivot, caught the throw and stepped a couple of feet behind the bag to make his relay. Cardinal left fielder Matt Holliday came in hard in baseball tradition, where the runner is allowed to crash into the pivotman. But Holliday went to extremes, hurtling himself feet-first over the base and making first contact with Scutero who landed in a heap. Somehow, he stayed in the game — those x-rays on his hip could come later — and payback came a few innings later. Bases loaded, 2-1 Giants lead, and Scutero socks a single to left-center that Holliday cut off but misplayed, and all three runs scored. That made it 5-1 and eventually 7-1.
Back in San Fran, the Giants won Game 6, also, setting up a monumental Game 7, opposite the broadcasts of President Obama taking on Mitt Romney in the final debate, and the Bears-Lions game on Monday Night Football. Incredibly the Giants baffled the Cards 8-0, and the appreciative and deserving San Francisco fans ate it up. In the last inning, the mist rolling in off the Pacific turned to rain, and then to a complete downpour. The fans stayed, soaking up more than just their sports thrill of the decade. The umpires tried to let them finish the game, even though baseballs were hard to grip and harder to throw. The Cardinals got a couple runners on, but two were out. They tried to squeegee water off the muddy infield as the batter stepped in. The cameras caught Scutero, out at second base, looking up into the rain, eyes closed, and enjoying every drop that splattered down on his face. The batter hit an extremely high pop fly, straight up into the downpouring rain, just to the right of second base. Scutero waved that he had it, raised his glove, and caught the ball as though it was a sunny afternoon. Game over, 8-0. Series over, Frisco winning 8-0. And as the Giants hopped around like little kids playing in the rain, engulfing Scutero, and then everybody else on the roster, you realized that the final popup was hit by — you guessed it — Matt Holliday.
Payback can be richly rewarding, and in this case, it sends the San Francisco Giants, magic or not, back onto that field to face the rested, ready, and heavily favored Detroit Tigers. No time to underachieve now, but that may not be necessary. The Tigers are loaded, but the Giants, win or lose, have the overload of magic on their side.
BULLDOGS DEFENSE PREVAILS
It was clear from the start of last Saturday’s UMD homecoming football game that things might be a little different. We have grown accustomed to seeing the Bulldog machine spin with near-flawless precision over the last few years, but this time, senior quarterback Chase Vogler tried a first-play handoff to Austin Sikorsky, and both of them botched the play, with Bemidji State’s Connor Quinn recovering on the UMD 23.
Chase Vogler fires a pass to Justin Fowlkes...
...and freshman Fowlkes (17) follows escort to 64-yard TD.
After one incomplete pass, UMD’s defense jolted senior running back Dustin Kroeplin, who fumbled, and Fossam (Buma) Foncham recovered for UMD. It was the start of a huge day for Foncham, a sophomore nose guard who spent the afternoon sacking, tackling, recovering fumbles and intercepting passes for the Bulldogs. That first recovery was pivotal, because Vogler almost immediately fired a perfect pass to freshman Justin Fowlkes, who raced up the left sideline behind and amid a corridor of blockers for a 64-yard touchdown.
Bemidji State had been moving the ball and threatening all its foes, and threatened UMD, too, but the Bulldog defense remained solid all day. Meanwhile, the offense wasn’t exactly decimating the Beavers, but another somewhat unsung hero, senior tight end Ben Helmer, emerged. Leading 8-0, it was third and 4 when Vogler found Helmer for a 9-yard gain to the UMD 32; on third and 3, Vogler again hit Helmer, for 11, to the 50; on fourth and 2 at the Bemidji State 42, coach Bob Nielson gambled and went for it, and, sure enough, Vogler hit Helmer for a 15-yard gain; on second and goal from the 4, it was only fitting that Vogler passed to Helmer in the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
Ben Helmer's fifth catch of the drive was for a TD and 14-0 lead.
“After that, they didn’t need me any more and put me on the shelf,” Helmer said, laughing, after the 30-0 victory that boosted UMD to a 7-1 record for the season as well as in Northern Sun play.
Buma Foncham jolts fumble from Bemidji's Justin Lee.
After the 14-0 start, the Bulldogs still needed some big plays to keep up the scoring in the second quarter. Kenny Chowa intercepted a Lance Rogstad pass and returned it 19 yards to the 30, from where Brian Lucas rushed three times and Vogler one to reach touchdown territory for a 21-0 lead. Later in the second quarter, Justin Lee ran for a 53-yard Bemidji gain before Foncham nailed him, jarring a fumble loose and preventing worse damage, even though the Beavers recovered that fumble. Zach Pulkinen punted, and Aaron Roth ran a field-crossing course on a 40-yard runback, setting up Vogler for a touchdown pass to Zach Zweifel, and it was 28-0.
A couple of punt exchanges later, Chris Blake, a junior corner back who plays far larger than his 5-11, 180-pounds should allow, intercepted another Rongstad pass, although that time, Vogler found himself picked off by Buckley Wright three plays later, and the interception exchange to end the half was like a bookend to the strange start of the first half.
Freshman Justin Fowlkes one of many UMD weapons.
UMD padded its 28-0 lead by recording a safety to open the third quarter, then Vogler tried Helmer one more time, hitting the big tight end on what appeared to be a 55-yard touchdown play. As he ran up the left sideline, however, Helmer covered 42 of the required 55 yards when he was caught from behind by Larry Miller, who punched the ball out of Helmer’s arm, and Connor Quinn recovered for the Beavers. “He came from out of nowhere,” said Helmer, who went back on the shelf because the Bulldogs needed only defensive big plays from there on.
One of those came in the fourth quarter, when Foncham intercepted a Rongstad pass at midfield and in the ensuing pileup, a flurry of officials flags fluttered. UMD gained possession, but only after absorbing a 30-yard walk-off from both a personal foul call on Foncham, who took exception to his post-interception treatment, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Ty Fischer, moving the ball back to UMD’s 25.
Aaron Roth cut all the way across the field on 40-yard punt return...
...Only punter Zach Pulkinen prevented Roth from a punt return TD.
Jon Lynch took over at quarterback after that and handed the ball to freshman Logan Lauters eight times in 11 plays, interrupting the pattern to throw a fourth-and-4 pass for 13 yards to Kris Olson. With first and goal at the 2, and the 30-0 score in place, the Bulldogs let the clock run out.
OTHERWISE…
UMD’s volleyball team beat Winona State 25-17, 25-13, 25-11 in Romano Gym, right after the football game, in what was an important match, because both teams are among Northern Sun leaders. The loss dropped Winona State to 10-4 in conference play, and 18-6 overall, while UMD hits the road this week at 12-2 NSIC and 21-2 overall.
Freshman Monica Turner directs a kill past two Winona block attempts.
Kate Lange pounded a kill through triple-team Winona State blockers.
Kate Lange was dominant for the Bulldogs, with 14 kills, but she had great support from Kalli Lochner and Maddy Siroin, who had 8 kills each, and Monica Turner, who added 7 kills with an assortment of artistic kills rather than simply blasting them through blockers.
The UMD hockey teams had mixed results. The Bulldog men, after opening with a split against Ohio State, won at Notre Dame and looked good, then lost the second game and looked less impressive. They return to AMSOIL Arena this weekend for a huge WCHA opening series against Wisconsin.
The UMD women, who rebounded from a disturbing opening series sweep at the hands of Ohio State by sweeping Wisconsin 2-0, 1-0 at AMSOIL, went to Minnesota State-Mankato and had everything going smoothly in the first game, building a 3-0 lead. But the Mavericks roared back in the third period for three goals to tie the game, and ultimately won in a shootout. That stands as a tie for UMD, fortunately, but less-fortunately, the Bulldogs were stung 1-0 in the rematch. So, as they go to Boston College, UMD’s women have a weird WCHA record of being 2-0 against the highly regarded Badgers, and 0-4 against much-improved Ohio State and MSU-Mankato.
What if Jerry Sandusky had been a priest?
By John Gilbert
The aftermath of the Penn State scandal surrounding assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual molestation of at least 10 young boys over a 15-year period, continues. Sandusky is in prison, for life, we assume. Penn State’s president, vice president, and athletic director are dismissed in disgrace for agreeing to suppress the reporting of Sandusky’s hideous trail of the worst criminal conduct. And coach Joe Paterno was fired, and died, but continues to be disgraced because he promoted covering up the scandal for the sake of the Nittany Lions reputation.
It is absolute overkill how vindictive the American public and sports media have been in trying to heap disgrace and punishment on Penn State’s football program. We can all agree that the law says anyone who knows anything, or suspects anything, about child molestation must report it to authorities or is guilty of violating the law as well, and at Penn State, they blew it.
With that in mind, let’s reread a story on the front page of the Minneapolis Star Tribune recently. It was well-written by Abby Simons, and told the story of Jim Keenan, 45, who claimed he had repressed memories about being sexually abused and molested by a former Catholic priest, Thomas Adamson, in 1980 or 1981, when Adamson was serving at Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville, MN. Adamson was defrocked in 1984.
Keenan filed a lawsuit six years ago against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and the Diocese of Winona, claiming church officials there knew of the sexual abuses and covered it up. The church’s defense was that the six-year statute of limitations had run out, and Ramsey District Judge Gregg Johnson agreed, dismissing the case in 2010 with the ruling that the repressed-memory stance was unreliable. A Minnesota Court of Appeals, however, ruled in favor of Keenan and his attorney, Jeff Anderson, and reversed that ruling a year ago, leading the case on to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that there was no concrete evidence the repressed memory condition was reliable, and overturned the Court of Appeals decision in July of 2012.
In the course of the litigation, the Star Tribune article says, Anderson obtained an archdiocesan list it had compiled showing 33 priests who had been accused of sexual abuse involving minors, and the Diocese of Winona has a similar list of 13 more such abusers. That’s not separate cases, but 46 total priests who have been accused of sexually molesting children.
The Ramsey district judge ruled those lists should be sealed, pending the outcome of the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision on the case. However, when the Minnesota Supreme Court threw out the lawsuit by a 4-2 vote, with the majority saying repressed memory is not scientifically established, the verdict also left permanently sealed the list of those 33 priests in the Twin Cities and 13 more in the Winona Diocese.
How can that be? If it is a law that anyone knowing or suspecting child sexual abuse must report it, how can the Catholic Church and its regional hierarchy justify putting together a list of priests accused of sexual abuse of youngsters, and not have to report it to authorities or make it public? How can they be innocent while knowingly suppressing this information?
Where are the protests demanding dismissals, trials, and prison sentences for the succession of priests, bishops, cardinals, on up to the Pope, who presumably knew of the abuse charges of some or all of the 46 abusers? Where are all those righteous, anti-Penn State columnists and editorialists who rightfully ripped Jerry Sandusky for using his power as a football assistant coach to abuse kids, and why aren’t they reacting similarly to the dozens of cases of child sexual abuse by priests right here in Minnesota? Is it reprehensible for an assistant college football coach to be a pedophile, but it’s apparently tolerated and allowed to be covered up when similar acts are done by priests?
In Rochester, Minnesota, former priest Thomas Adamson, age 79, is living his life in his own manner, because despite being named in multiple lawsuits, he has never faced criminal charges. Maybe he feels lucky to have gotten away from all but his own conscience. We can only wonder what he was thinking about as he watched, listened to, and read the avalanche of venom aimed at Jerry Sandusky during his trial, and Penn State in the aftermath. Maybe he sympathizes with Jerry Sandusky. And maybe he realizes that Sandusky would have been much better off if, instead of being an assistant football coach, he had been a priest.
NCAA crushes Penn State; Olympics start
By John Gilbert
NCAA president Mark Emmert appeared righteous and committed when he stood in front of the television cameras and media throng to announce the punishment that will render Penn State’s proud football team to certain also-ran status.
For not acting more responsibly in reacting to the disclosure that former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky had committed numerous and repeated acts of sexual molestation on dozens of young boys, Emmert announced Penn State would face: A $60-million fine, the loss of 112 football victories from 1998-2011, 20 lost scholarships, and a four-year ban on any post-season play or on Bit Ten revenue from bowl games. Players at Penn State will be allowed to transfer without penalty to any other institution.
For all the righteousness, however, we find out later that Emmert had contacted new Penn State president Rodney A Erickson, and informed him the NCAA would not hit Penn State with the “death penalty” of dropping football for four seasons if the university would accept the punishment he was spelling out. Erickson said Penn State would accept it, so Emmert then — and only then — announced the punishment, which seems to involve limited courage since it already had been agreed to.
During the announcement, Emmert said that the death penalty was not issued, because it would have hurt too many people who had nothing to do with the circumstances. And then he announced the punishment, which, except for the lost victories, only hurts the current and future athletes and coaches who had nothing to do with the circumstances. Huh?
I have been outspoken in defending coach Joe Paterno, who was fired right before the end of the season and died almost immediately of cancer, and possibly a broken heart for the program that meant more than life to him. Paterno had built the Nittany Lions to a pedestal in major college athletics, free of the problems and allegations that haunt most major college football powers, such as Southern Cal, Miami, Florida, and many others.
Yes, Sandusky was one of his assistants, and yes, when Paterno was informed by a younger assistant intern that he had witnessed Sandusky with a young lad in a shower at the football facility, he did hesitate a day, because it was Saturday, before reporting it to athletic director Tim Curley. But he did report it, and Curley, vice president Gary Schultz, and Penn State president Graham B. Spanier were all made aware of it and discussed it. Sandusky was dismissed, but somehow still had privileges around the football facility.
Penn State then hired former FBI chief Louis J. Freeh to investigate the situation. While there were some restrictions on his investigation, it divulged some major findings. It became obvious that when those top Penn State officials discussed it, they were wishy-washy on reporting it. Paterno argued to try to suppress the disclosure for the sake of the program and the school’s reputation. That was wrong, but it also should have been predictable, because every major coach at every major college is guilty of trying to prevent any loss of image in their program.
To me, the critical point was that Curley, Schultz and Spanier had discussed it, and all agreed they would follow Pennsylvania state law, which calls for disclosure of any suspected child abuse to state agencies. But they didn’t. Curley told them that after discussing it with Paterno maybe they should wait. Spanier was asked to tell the Penn State board of trustees about the situation, and all he said was that it was only a minor problem that would be taken care of — and nobody on the board of trustees asked for further information.
Without question, what we have here is institutional malfeasance, from the top down. Yes it was wrong for Paterno to try to suppress the information, but it was understandable that he would protect his turf which was totally uninvolved with Sandusky’s sleazy antics. It was unconscionable that Curley, Schultz and Spanier would give in and become a big dog willingly wagged by the tail, no matter how forceful and convincing Paterno was in his role as tail. Football is such a huge money-maker at major colleges that it, along with basketball, often cause administrations to overlook questionable antics in the athletic department until they boil over. This one boiled over, and all four of those leaders lost their jobs. Spanier was forced out, Schultz and Curley were fired, as was Paterno.
Sandusky is in jail for life, presumably, after being found guilty of repeated sexual molestations. He was an assistant football coach, but he was also a sly, sinister, conniving pervert — character flaws that had nothing to do with football or coaching. He could have been assistant custodian, or assistant to the president of the university, and he might have committed the same atrocities — and been less likely to be found out.
Next, Penn State tore down the statue of Joe Paterno outside the football stadium, the Nittany Lions symbol for football excellence. Then came the heavy-handed penalties for what NCAA prez Emmert said was the most egregious crime in NCAA sports history. But you know what? It had nothing to do with sports. The old coach, and the current players, will pay the price for having Penn State never again be mentioned among the best programs in college football. Even if they someday return to their stature, the Nittany Lions will be known for the black mark attached to their name and their heritage by the NCAA because of an obscure assistant coach/pedophile.
There are hundreds of major college football teams in the country, and twice as many Division I basketball teams, which are almost as powerful on-campuses. All of them have coaching staffs, with head and assistant coaches. On every one of those staffs, it’s good promotion for assistants to see that young kids come to games, to try to get them fired-up about the big college program in the area, especially while looking to the future. We would like to think that among all those thousands of assistant coaches bringing young lads to football games there is not one other single one who lays a hand on any one of those young boys. We would like to think there are no other Jerry Sanduskys. But if you believe there are none, then you might be interested in buying some ocean-front property in Kansas.
Mark Emmert said he hoped his action would make an example of Penn State for all other institutions to realize they couldn’t let something like the football program or any other athletic program become bigger than the college or university’s primary objective, which is academics, and to improve young people for their lives ahead. Very noble. And extremely naive. Does he really not know that at every major college, high-profile athletics make so much money that they indeed are tails wagging large dogs? Remember Wisconsin last year, when it was headed for the Rose Bowl but its star quarterback was found to have committed a punishable offense? The Badgers were able to put off any suspension until AFTER the Rose Bowl game, so as not to hurt Wisconsin’s chance to win, chance to maintain its program’s image, and to help make a lot of money for the school, the Big Ten, and the NCAA.
If Mr. Emmert really wants to make an example out of this horrible incident, maybe he should shut down the Penn State football program, even though nobody on the current team, staff, or administration had anything to do with the Sandusky situation. But why stop there? Penn State is part of the Big Ten, so maybe the whole conference is guilty. Why not shut down the entire Big Ten in football for one season? In fact, if Emmert really wanted to show some courage, why not shut down all college football programs in the country for one season? Then bring the sport back, having been smacked upside the helmet to redirect the sport to a different perspective, eliminating all the suspected academic-rule-bending and under-the-table dealings.
That’d teach ’em.
OLYMPIC GOLD AND GOALS
The 2012 Summer Olympics, just starting in London, will cause a lot of us to get on our red, white and blue outfits and chant “USA…USA…” to rattle our national pride at the whopping number of medals the U.S. is sure to stockpile.
That’s the part of the Olympics that wears me out the most. Never mind the uniforms made in China. Or the fact that only the USA Olympic Committee has changed the color of its uniforms from the color of the flag they’ll be waving at every opportunity. The flag, and previously the uniforms, were red, white and blue, with the blue being the same royal as embraces the flag. The uniform color now is navy blue, to go with the red and white. Yeah, that annoys me too. Name another country that has disgraced its own flag’s heritage similarly.
While watching the very exciting U.S. championships and Olympic qualifying events, I realized that the top three American runners, jumpers, throwers, swimmers, and all other athletes, get to go to represent our country in the Olympics. Is it possible that the U.S. will have the most athletes at the Olympics? Some countries might send one to an event, some none.
It’s great that the best competitors get to go, even if most of them come from only a few countries, because it’s a great honor. Duluth’s own Kara Goucher, for example, was third in the marathon so she’s going, and she’s got a legitimate chance to win gold in the event, if she can show more progress from recent events.
Nonetheless, it wears me out when every day, national and local television and newspaper reporters will breathlessly tell us how many medals the U.S. won that day, and where the U.S. stands in the overall medal count, for gold, silver and bronze, and in total. I wonder if Equador keeps track? Or Latvia? My point is, the nation with the most athletes competing should win the most medals.
In my perfect world, only the top competitor in each event would qualify for the Olympics. That’s it. When they line up for the 100-meter sprint, each lane would be filled by an athlete from a different nation. No more would the four top U.S. runners crowd out top runners from “lesser” nations. Since only one can win the gold anyway, maybe each country should have their best athlete out there with a shot at it. Shouldn’t the Olympics be about every nation sending their best athlete in every event, and competing in a climate of sportsmanship and camaraderie?
Also, before the games even start, I am weary of all the buildup about the U.S. Olympic basketball team. I mean, if any other nation comes within 30 points of the NBA-laden U.S. team, it will only be due to complacency and/or arrogance. Yet because they are all identifiable sports stars in the U.S. media mainstream, every media outlet reports breathlessly on every preliminary exhibition rout where the U.S. crushed some other poor country’s hopefuls. I’m as patriotic as the next guy — moreso, maybe. But it’s almost to the point where my root-for-the-underdog mentality has me hoping the U.S. gets upset along the way somewhere. Oh, they’ll win the gold all right, but it would be good for their character to have them out there wearing their red, white, and navy blue, made-in-China uniforms getting upset by Spain, or somebody.
Enough of that rant. Go Kara, we’re all behind you in the marathon. And go USA, we all love to get the chant going again. But let’s stop with the medal count. At least, whenever it’s given, let’s also give the total number of athletes present from each country.
Twins entertain, regardless of record
By John Gilbert
As we head into the All-Star break, one thing has become remarkably evident. It doesn’t matter whether the Minnesota Twins scratch and claw their way to .500, or even into contention in the second half, rarely have they been as interesting to watch as this season.
Joe Mauer is the only Twins player headed for the All-Star game, and justifiably after he hit something like .495 for the month of June. And — you read it here first — he will come back and win his fourth AL batting title. Whether he does or not, the Twins have been captivating for baseball fans willing to overlook the frustration of the first six weeks and enjoy the sheer entertainment value the team is offering.
We have catcher-first baseman-designated hitter Mauer as an emblem of the whole Twins season. Off to his worst first month as a Major Leaguer, Mauer has been amazing as he’s climbed to third in the American League batting race. Justin Morneau, his M&M twin until both were plagued with injuries last season, is starting to hit too, and I anticipate a really strong second half for him.
When both of them were slow starting, the Twins were too, as their plunge to the bottom of the standings rotated among failures to hit, score, play defense, and pitch, and usually a combination of at least two of the above.
Talk radio bozos in the Twin Cities — the same ones who have been on Joe Mauer’s case the last two years — were actually suggesting the Twins would have to dismiss manager Ron Gardenhire when things were going bad. Poor Gardy was the victim, rather than the problem, in the first six weeks. It’s tough to come out of Spring Training fired up for a strong season and have everything sputter for over a month.
On the other hand, the current rise of the Twins to respectability has ridden some odd inspirational forces. First off, Scott Diamond was banished to the minors early in training camp, but since being called up in desperation a month ago, Diamond has been the Twins best pitcher. True, Francisco Liriano has come up with a few gems in recent starts too, but he is just living up to expectations when he does that. Finally.
The major sources of inspiration have been twin home run hitters. No, not Mauer and Morneau, but Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffe. Reports were that Plouffe had “some pop” in his bat, and would be playing for the Twins as soon as he could get a chance and adjust to Major League pitching.
Willingham, signed as a free agent after the Twins let Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel both go via free agency, was one of the scariest outfielders I’ve ever seen in a Twins uniform. There have been some real dandies in that category, but early in the season, I watched Willingham misplay pop flies, and once he raced toward left-center for a soft, Texas League single, and he flat over-ran the ball, which went behind him for a double or triple. That was back when we were wondering where the Twins might hide Willingham, since the DH spot was usually filled by Mauer or Morneau.
We also wondered where Plouffe might fit in. Now, as we reach midseason, Willingham has worked hard to improve his defensive play and has now reached the level of at least adequacy. He’ll never be the defensive stalwart Denard Span is in center, or the mercurial Ben Revere is in right, but he’s no longer a liability in left. Especially because he is pounding the ball.
Plouffe, meanwhile, is making strong plays at third base, and the pop in his bat is sending pitch after pitch into the seats, home or road. In Tuesday night’s game at Detroit, the Twins led 1-0, then fell behind 4-1. With two out in the fifth, Revere singled, and his speed prompted a balk, and may have provoked a wild pitch. Mauer socked one up the middle that was very tough to handle behind second base, and he was safe on an error as Revere scored. Next up was Willingham, and he launched one into the left field seats.
The two-run homer tied the game 4-4. It also was Willingham’s 18th homer of the season, tying him with Plouffe for the team lead. After Morneau went out, however, Plouffe came up and whacked another pitch into the left-field seats to give the Twins the lead, reclaiming the team HR lead at 19. It was the sixth time this season that both Willingham and Plouffe had homered in the same game. The game later was tied 6-6 in the seventh when Mauer and Willingham both socked opposite-field doubles, and a sac-fly later, the Twins regained the lead in the crazy game at 7-6.
In the last of the seventh, the Twins got into a bind of sorts, but when slugger Miguel Cabrera blasted a line drive down the third base line, Plouffe lunged to stab the shot with his glove, then fired a bullet across to first for a double play. Just for insurance, Mauer came up again to lead off the ninth, got to a 3-1 count, and drilled a home run to left for an 8-6 cushion. In came Glen Perkins, a fireballing left-hander who has adapted well to the role of closer with Matt Capps out with an injury. Perkins blew down the Tigers to complete a four-game sweep for the Twins.
Go back to the start of the season, when most observers were picking the Tigers, with Prince Fielder added to Cabrera in a potent lineup, to win the pennant, and they were just as certain the Twins would be at the bottom. The Twins are still at the bottom, but you couldn’t prove it by the Tigers, who were sent into another tailspin by the Twins.
It almost seems as though the early-season struggles forced the Twins to play some questionable players in the infield and outfield, but by sheer repetition, or latent skill, those players have become fixtures. At the same time, the pitching staff is improving, with the starters getting better and better, and the middle relief always solid, while Perkins has been nothing short of sensational as the middle-reliever turned closer.
The Twins are poised to play a tough second half. Will it be good enough to get into contention? Probably not. But who cares? The Twins are providing entertainment, night after night, and nothing is predictable or impossible.
East Ridge 13-year-old steals 7A track show
Gracelynn Otis, 13-year-old 8th grader from East Ridge, completed a Section 7A double in the girls 2-mile after also winning the mile -- both with personal bests.
By John Gilbert
Personal bests, meet record times and getting to the state track meet are always the focal points of a sectional track meet. But every once in a while, one specific event goes way beyond such normal highlights and puts an indelible stamp on the entire event. That was the story of the Section 7A track meet, held at Malosky Stadium.
Near the end of the daylong finals, the most scintillating finish came in the girls 3,200-meter run. That’s two miles — eight times around the 400-meter track — which is a long race. This one looked like a good race, with two girls running away with the lead. My attention was focused on a little girl, running back in the middle of the pack most of the way, and when she moved up to third place, I thought it was a worthy performance for someone who looked like the little sister of the other competitors,
With one lap remaining, she was almost the whole length of the straightaway behind the co-leaders, and as the leaders went down the backstretch, I maneuvered to get into position for what I anticipated would be a bang-bang finish.
Imagine my surprise when I focused in on the leaders coming around the final far turn onto the homestretch, and the littlest runner was in the lead! Gracelynn Otis had not only made up 40 yards to catch the leaders, she passed them both coming around the turn, and sped down the final straightaway to hit the finish line with her arms thrust to the skies.
“This is my second 7A meet,” she said. “I was fifth in the two-mile last year. But I’m just an eighth-grader.”
An eighth-grader? How old does that make you?
“Thirteen,” she said.
A couple of observers near me had discussed in expert terms how Gracelynn played it perfectly, holding back and then timing her finish to overtake the leaders. She would have gotten quite a laugh out of such lofty strategy. Actually, she surprised herself, coming into the event with the fourth-best time, and, she admitted, no intention of contending for the victory.
“I felt dead with a lap to go,” she said. “I felt tired because I had just done my personal best in the mile. But then I saw that I had a chance, so I went harder than I had been counting on.”
Her swift finish beat Lindsey Dahl-Holm of Carlton by a half-second, and her winning time of 11:51.50 was the best she had ever done at 3,200 meters — 10 seconds faster than her previous best all season.
That’s what made it such a magical day. Earlier, Gracelynn was ranked third-best going into the 1,600, but she won that with a time of 5:17.22, almost 5 seconds under her previous best time, to beat Esko’s Kailee Kiminski by over 9 seconds. Then in the 2-mile, she not only runs her personal best, but won with a comeback of Kentucky Derby proportions.
Remember the name, Gracelynn Otis from East Ridge. She will be back, and with a better resume, in the spring of 2013, when she is a veteran ninth-grader. Or, in the 7A meet of 2016, when she’ll be a senior who could be heading for her fifth state meet.
I had to ask where East Ridge was. I mean, it’s not like you can head for downtown East Ridge. Years ago, the tiny towns of Alborn and Brookston merged into a consolidated high school and they called it AlBrook — capital “B” please — to keep both identities. Now the kids from Cotton have joined up, and the new school halfway between Duluth the the Iron Range is named East Ridge.
BASEBALL NEARS STATE
Denfeld wound up 18-5 for the softball season, with three of those losses to 7AA champion Forest Lake. Denfeld beat St. Francis behind Nikki Logergren’s pitching, while Forest Lake whipped Duluth East in the regional. Forest Lake, which beat Denfeld 1-0 late in the season, was loaded up and ready for the rematch, scoring eight runs in the first inning, and beating the Hunters 8-1 in the double-elimination tournament. That put St. Francis into the elimination game against East, and St. Francis ended the Greyhounds season, 4-0. Sarah Hendrickson pitched Denfeld to a 2-0 shutout over St. Francis to regain the final pairing, but the Hunters still couldn’t solve Forest Lake’s powerful lineup.
Logergren pitched the first game, then turned the pitching over to Hendrickson, who pitched three straight games. Logergren was busy putting on a batting clinic. It seemed as though every pitch was either a ball or a line drive when Logergren was batting. She hit every ball hard through the first two games, and when she finally hit a short squib against St. Francis, she clearly beat the throw but was called out. Had instant replay been used to review that one, Logergren would have been 8-for-8 by my count.
There was one questionable one, when she hit a low rocket through Forest Lake’s star second baseman, but if she could have seen it, she might have caught it, and it’s a hit in my book. Logergren also got two more hits in the final loss to Forest Lake, which means she went into the sectional tournament hitting something over .500, and then went 9-for-11 in the 7AA tournament. At St. Scholastica next season, Logergren will concentrate on hockey, then on applying her bat to the Saints softball program.
STEWART SECTION
Is it possible for AMSOIL Arena officials to declare that corner area of the stands “Stewart Section?” Dick Stewart, the wonderful man who built Stewart Sporting Goods to the area’s mosts prominent sports store, had become a fixture at all UMD home games since retiring and selling his store. Both at the DECC and now at AMSOIL, Dick would respond to the urging of fans by standing up and waving his little hanging flag thing, to the roars of approval from all the fans.
It seems like just a couple weeks ago when we got a chance to give Dick a big 90th birthday party at Heritage Center, but it was two years ago. Time goes by. Dick’s wife Maxine, who didn’t go to games with Dick in recent years, died on May 26. Nine days later, Dick joined her, dying at age 92 after a fabulous life of brightening the lives of all those he ever knew.
He used to be actively involved with sports teams in the area, but in later years, it was always fun to stop by the store, on 15th Avenue East and Superior Street, and joke around with Dick and the rest of his staff. The best Peewee hockey team in the area was invariably sponsored by Stewart’s. He sold the store, which expanded to be adjacent to Heritage Center, then closed the original store. But it’s still Stewart’s, and the popularity of the man and his store were nothing compared to the adulation heaped on him by UMD fans, particularly throughout the 2010-11 season, when the Bulldogs gave Dick their first NCAA championship.
At his 90th birthday, an endless stream of people came by to wish him well. I said to Dick, “You know, you’re so popular with everybody, maybe you should open a store.” Dick got a big laugh out of that, and it felt good to see him laugh. That’s the way I’ll remember him.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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