University of Minnesota Athletics
Goldy's Mailbag - Feb. 24, 2011
2/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Welcome to this week's Goldy's Mailbag. This is your chance to get your questions answered about anything and everything related to Golden Gopher Athletics! Submit your question for next week's Mailbag!
I know Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield were in town a few weeks ago. Which baseball programs in the country have more than two Hall of Fame players? - Justin, Benson, MN.
Yes, Paul and Dave were on campus in early February at the "Bottom of the 9th" event at TCF Bank Stadium to help raise money for a new Siebert Field.
To answer your question, no one has more Hall of Fame players than the Golden Gopher baseball program. Minnesota is one of six schools to have multiple players in Cooperstown and one of just two Big Ten programs. Michigan's Barry Larkin could change that soon and become the third Wolverine inducted. He garnered 62.1 percent of the vote in 2011, his second year on the ballot. That was the highest for any player not inducted. He will be on the ballot until 2024.
Here's the list:
Minnesota (Molitor/Winfield)
Columbia (Eddie Collins/Lou Gehrig)
East Central -Okla. (Lloyd and Paul Waner)
Fordham (Frankie Frisch/Ed Walsh)
Michigan (Charlie Gehringer/George Sisler)
Notre Dame (Cap Anson/Carl Yasztremski)
By the way, back to the Siebert Field Legacy Campaign. Here's Paul, Dave and John Anderson talking about the fundraising campaign. You can find more information here at the Golden Gopher Fund's snazzy new website.
How do you decide who goes on the cover of the programs? - Teri, Chicago, Ill.
Interesting question. The game programs are produced in-house by our Creative Services Department with help from the Athletic Communications staff. Typically, the sport's media contact will consult with our publications staff and come up with a schedule for the season. That schedule will then be presented to the coaching staff and it's either approved or adjusted.
Here are some of the game program covers we've produced this season.
Is there another school in the country that plays its game at a major league park? - Chad, St. Paul, MN
There is not another team in the country that plays as many games as Minnesota does in a major league park. Even with the collapse of the Metrodome, the Golden Gophers will move to other edge of Minneapolis and play its Big Ten schedule at Target Field. The Golden Gophers played the first game in the Twins' new ballpark last March against Louisiana Tech in front of over 36,000 fans.
Around the country, Northwestern has played at Miller Park in Milwaukee in the past. George Washington University has played games in the Washington Nationals' stadium. Fenway Park has hosted the ACC Tournament, while Minute Maid Park in Houston has hosted a few in-season tournaments. Like the Golden Gophers, San Diego State opened the Padres' new park in front of 40,000 fans against Houston on March 11, 2004. The Aztecs also played at Petco during the 2009 season with Stephen Strasburg as the main attraction.
The Golden Gopher baseball schedule can be found here.
Any chance the Gopher women's hockey team doesn't make it to next week's WCHA Final Faceoff? - Amy, Shakopee, MN
The current WCHA Final Faceoff format was adopted in 2005-06 and Minnesota has won 10 straight first round games. That said, if there is a team out there to end that streak it may the Ohio State Buckeyes. In 2001, the Golden Gophers claimed the regular season WCHA title, but were blanked in the semifinals of the playoffs by the fifth-seeded Buckeyes.
Last season, Ohio State traveled to Madison to face the defending national champion Wisconsin Badgers. The Buckeyes won back-to-back overtime games to advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff. Ohio State then took Minnesota to double overtime in the semifinals before the Golden Gophers prevailed. Ohio State's upset of Wisconsin marked the first time since the playoffs started in 1999-2000 that the conference semifinals didn't feature Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin.
Looking back at last year's WCHA semifinal, here's current senior Laura May scoring the gamewinner against the Buckeyes in double overtime.
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