David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Owner Tom Pohlad: Minnesota Twins “Building for 2028”

Posted on March 1, 2026March 1, 2026 by David Shama

Tom Pohlad, the new face of the Pohlad family Twins ownership group, sounds like he might be tempering his previous optimism for the club in 2026.

Pohlad apparently indicated that at a social club gathering in Naples, Florida recently. Minneapolis-based attorney, writer and historian Marshall Tanick reported via email to Sports Headliners what Pohlad said at the Minnesota Breakfast club gathering, an organization in Southwest Florida that was started in 1964 by Minneapolis natives and draws prominent speakers during the winter months to its weekly programs.

Tanick wrote that Pohlad concluded his remarks by cautioning the team may not be immediately successful but is “building for 2028.” Earlier in the winter Pohlad repeatedly said the club will be competitive in 2026, perhaps indicating a final record that could challenge for the postseason.

A MLB.com story in mid-February said Pohlad met with reporters and was told one sportsbook projected the team’s over-under win total at 73.5 wins. “That’s ridiculous,” Pohlad said, per an article by Matthew Leach.

The Twins are coming off two disappointing seasons including a 70-92 finish last year. The club has made no significant roster changes as Minnesota prepares for the coming season in Florida. And the team’s prospects for a winning season have been further dimmed by a season-ending arm injury to ace starting pitcher Pablo Lopez.

The Twins have a short list of proven talents including pitcher Joe Ryan, catcher Ryan Jeffers and centerfielder Byron Buxton. Sportsbooks forecast a losing season.

Pohlad, though, is optimistic about the club’s farm system that is rated among the best in baseball. He’s hopeful that many players will emerge who can make the roster talent special.

Tanick reported that Pohlad also referred to young talent already with the Twins and those players coming from the farm system create an optimistic outlook for future team performance. “There’s no reason why every single year we can’t win our division,” Pohlad said.

Twins lead owner Tom Pohlad — Tom Pohlad photo courtesy of Marshall Tanick

Pohlad, who replaced brother Joe Pohlad as the Twins leader late last year, has emphasized improved communications since taking over. He addressed the team at the start of spring training, for example. And he’s been aggressive in reaching out to the fans including ticket buyers.

Tanick reported Pohlad told his Minnesota Breakfast audience he’s “trying to turn a new page” after what he termed “a rough couple of years” for the AL Central Division team. Part of mending fences with the fanbase, of course, will include better results on the field.

The organization will be mindful, too, of the fan experience at Target Filed. Traditionally overachievers on promotions, key offerings by the Twins in 2026 will include $2 pre-game beers, free ice cream on Sundays for kids, Friday Happy Hour (beer and food), merchandise giveaways, music concerts, and other allurements.

The disenchantment by Twins fans, though, takes many forms. For example, a middle aged couple whose past passion has included watching the club in spring training, has opted this year to attend Cactus League games in Arizona.

Worth Noting

New Twins manager Derek Shelton and general manager Jeremy Zoll also spoke to the breakfast group in Naples. Shelton is using the term “hunt for the good” to encourage an optimistic outlook.

He announced the club will be aggressive in its play including “run a lot” on the bases, per Tanick’s reporting. Surprisingly, in the team’s opening spring training game against major league competition, the oft-injured Royce Lewis stole a base.

Attendees at Twins home games at the Lee Health Sports Complex can expect extraordinary customer service. Smiling faces and helpful information are abundant. Game pricing can easily be three figures for two fans but can include parking, and hot dogs and sodas.

Longtime Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer, scheduled to be inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame July 11 when Minnesota hosts the Angels, turns 70 years old today. He was the franchise’s TV voice for 40 years with his career ending in 2023.

The Capital Club breakfast group will hear from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson on Wednesday, March 11 at Mendakota Country Club. Before his recent departure from the Department of Justice, Thompson was the lead prosecutor in the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation and related investigations of fraud in Minnesota Medicaid programs. Now in private practice, his clients include journalist Don Lemon. For more information, contact Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

Pat Colbert, with the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section since April of 1989, retires July 1. The former Assistant Executive Director of the section has been working part-time since January 1, leading up to his retirement. The Bloomington native played tennis for Normandale College where he was team MVP on the 1977 conference champions.

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Dry Spell Way Too Long on Vikings Postseason Consistency

Posted on February 4, 2026February 4, 2026 by David Shama

In four seasons under the leadership of recently dismissed GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and current head coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have made the playoffs twice, qualifying in alternate years going back to 2022. Go back almost to the start of the new millennium and the Vikings have shown similar frustration and inconsistency in earning a postseason spot.

It hasn’t been since 2000 that the Vikings strung together three consecutive playoff appearances. Coach Denny Green’s teams made the playoffs five consecutive times from 1996-2000. In Green’s first season, 1992, he also started a run of three straight playoff appearances.

Bud Grant’s Vikings had a streak of six consecutive playoff seasons from 1973-1978. Although there were three Super Bowl losses in that period, it was clearly a period of glory for the franchise.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell image by David Shama — Kevin O’Connell

What the current Viking drought shows is the lack of consistency by the Vikings in the new millennium. NFL teams who have achieved three straight playoff years and sometimes more in that time frame include the Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Bucs, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, Giants, Packers, Panthers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, Ravens, Saints, Seahawks, Steelers, Texans, Titans and 49ers.

That’s 24 of the 32 NFL teams.

Teams with the most sustained success have great quarterbacks. The Vikings have been searching for “the guy” for decades while quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and others have lit up defenses.

Interestingly, Green never found the savior, but he found multiple quarterbacks in the 1990s that brought success. They had the support of superb linemen and receivers and an elite running back in Robert Smith.

A veteran pro football source, who has worked as an executive for NFL teams, believes the Vikings could make the playoffs after the 2026 regular season. “…It’s such a competitive league. Injuries are going to play a big part in it. The quarterback play obviously (is vital). Neither of those things lined up for them (the Vikings) this year and they still won nine games…. It shows that there’s enough talent to get it done, and if you’ve got a really top quarterback, and if (J.J.) McCarthy becomes that player, then there’s a really good chance they could have an extended streak of consistent playoff appearances and become a Super Bowl contender.”

The Vikings will be dealt an easier schedule in 2026 because of their mediocre record last season. One that figures to be more manageable than in 2025 because the Vikings had gone 14-3 in 2024.

Worth Noting

ESPN.com’s David Purdum recently wrote that approximately $1.76 billion is expected to be wagered on Sunday’s Super Bowl via U.S. Sports Books, per the American Gaming Association. That would represent a 27 percent increase from last year. Legalized gambling via Sports Books is available in 39 states and the District of Columbia, Purdum wrote.

Marshall Tanick, the Minneapolis-based attorney, writer and historian, wrote in a recent article for the Minneapolis Times that sports wagering in America had roots in Minneapolis after World War II. “The saga started here in the backroom of a cigar store on the corner of 4^th and 1^st Avenue, in what is now referred to as the Warehouse District of Minneapolis, about two blocks from where the Target Center stands. It was initially created by Leo Hirschfield, the slightly built but highly sharp son of a Minneapolis physician,” Tanick wrote.

A publication called the Green Sheet was sold by Hirschfield to clients offering odds on games involving two of the most popular sports of the day, major league baseball and college football. Ironically, Minnesota is one of the states where legalized gambling is not available. https://minneapolistimes.com/minneapolis-was-the-mecca-of-sports-betting/

In Sunday’s matchup between the favored Seahawks and Patriots, at least one former Gopher will earn a Super Bowl ring. Linebacker Boye Mafe and tight end Nick Kallerup play for the Seahawks, while linebacker Jack Gibbens is with the Seahawks.

Vikings alumni with the Seahawks are running back Cam Akers, quarterback Sam Darnold, linebacker Chazz Surratt and former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Alums with the Patriots include wide receiver Stefon Diggs, quarterback Josh Dobbs, center Garrett Bradbury, linebacker Christian Elliss, offensive tackle Vederian Lowe and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga.

Darnold can become the fourth quarterback ever to win the Super Bowl in his first season with a team. The others are Tom Brady (Super Bowl LV with the Bucs), Trent Dilfer (Super Bowl XXXV, Ravens) and Matthew Stafford (Super Bowl LVI, Rams).

Chiddi Obiazor, the defensive end from Eden Prairie listed at 6-6, 275-pounds, has transferred from Kansas State to national champion Indiana. He seems a likely starter for the Hoosiers who host the Gophers October 31.

The Gophers aren’t included in the many “way too early top 25 rankings” from many sources. Opponents drawing mention on Minnesota’s 2026 12-game schedule are Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Penn State and Washington.

Twins pitchers and catchers report for their first workout next week, February12 at the Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers. First full squad workout is February 16. First spring training game is at the complex February 20 against the Golden Gophers.

The Gopher men’s basketball team is averaging 8,511 in home game attendance (similar to last year’s 8,923) at Williams Arena, capacity 14,625. The St. Thomas men’s team, playing in its new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena with a capacity of 5,400, is averaging 2,723. The Tommies averaged 1,437 last season at Schoenecker Arena.

It will be interesting to see how the Wild and other playoff contending NHL teams play after a layoff of more than two weeks to accommodate the Winter Olympics. Injuries sustained in the Olympics and the issue of team chemistry are a potential nemesis because of the long break.

The Wild plays its final game before the break tonight in Nashville against the Predators, then resumes with a key matchup in Colorado against the Western Conference leading Avalanche February 26.

The highly acclaimed annual MFCA Coaches Clinic, headquartered at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park, will be held March 26-28 and is a partnership with the football Gophers. https://www.mnfootballcoaches.com/page/show/2279758-mfca-clinic-information

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Contract Extension for P.J. Fleck Reportedly in the Works

Posted on February 2, 2026February 2, 2026 by David Shama

University of Minnesota head football coach P.J. Fleck, hired in January of 2017, has received numerous adjustments to his contract over the years and apparently is headed for another revision soon.

School president Dr. Rebecca Cunningham indicated that at a social club gathering in Naples, Florida recently. Minneapolis-based attorney, writer and historian Marshall Tanick reported via email to Sports Headliners what Cunningham and Fleck said at the Minnesota Breakfast club gathering, an organization in Southwest Florida that was started in 1964 by Minneapolis natives and draws prominent speakers during the winter months to its weekly programs.

Tanick wrote Cunningham “intimated that the school is about to extend Fleck’s contract” which now runs through 2030. Other details weren’t offered but a new extension falls in line with the support Fleck has received from athletics director Mark Coyle who hired him.

U coach P.J. Fleck & school president Rebecca Cunningham — Coach Fleck & Dr. Cunningham photo by Marshall Tanick

Coyle has frequently praised Fleck’s work at Minnesota, and he mentioned on local radio last fall the possibility of another revision to the coach’s contract which most recently was upgraded in July. The details of that agreement included increasing the amount of annual retention bonuses for remaining Minnesota’s coach. Also, part of the new agreement was a reduction in the amount owed to the U if Fleck were to leave the program by his own choice.

Fleck’s present deal pays him $6 million, plus escalating retention bonuses that started at $1 million in 2025 and go up each year. His $7million compensation last year ranked No. 12 in the 18 team Big Ten, per USA Today. He was tied for 31^st best paid among all college football head coaches, according to data published annually by USA Today.

Fleck has frequently had his name linked to other coaching openings in college football. Although he has yet to win a division or conference championship at Minnesota, his record compares favorably with his predecessors. He is the fifth-longest tenured coach in program history and currently only Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has been at his school longer among Big Ten coaches.

Fleck’s career Big Ten record is 39-40 and having about a .500 winning percentage is the best among Gopher coaches since Murray Warmath coached his last season in 1971. He is 66-44 overall at Minnesota and has moved ahead of Glen Mason for fourth most wins ever by a Gopher coach. He’s led the Gophers to five seasons of eight or more wins. His winning percentage of .600 is third best among Gopher coaches who coached 40 games or more.

Last season the Gophers were 8-5 overall, 5-4 in the Big Ten. Minnesota was 7-0 and undefeated at home for the first time since 1967. The Gophers won their seventh consecutive bowl game under Fleck when they defeated New Mexico in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix.

Tanick reported Fleck said the 2025 season was about what he expected and “pretty good.” He also said the Gophers may be better next season with the “majority of the team” returning. He highlighted three of his most gifted returnees in quarterback Drake Lindsey, running back Darius Taylor and edge rusher Anthony Smith.

Tanick wrote that Fleck is excited about Beckham Sunderland, a placekicking transfer from Michigan and Texas State. Fleck described the senior as an “unreal kicker.” He played at Texas State for special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato, who recently was hired for that job at Minnesota.

Fleck and his staff have had success in retaining most of their best players in the recent past. The transfer portal has created a lot of annual change with rosters but Fleck told the Florida audience his program has lost only two key players dating back to 2022. Both ironically transferred to Oregon with running back Bucky Irving joining the Ducks in 2022 season and safety Koi Perich leaving last month.

Fleck dropped an interesting nugget when he said Perich will receive a $2 million compensation package to play his junior season at Oregon in what is expected to be his final year of college football. Perich is one of the nation’s best strong safeties and excels as a punt and kick returner.

Yet the Ducks may have overpaid for the Esko, Minnesota native. Safety is usually not a position where players are able to command $2 million. That level is more typical for quarterbacks and stud linemen, particularly pass rushers.

Fleck expressed confidence to his Naples audience about the players competing to replace Perich who was a 2024 freshman All-American. Speculation is a top candidate is junior Mekhai Smith, the transfer from Lehigh who Pro Football Focus graded as the top safety in the Patriot League last year.

With limited high school talent in the state to recruit, and challenged by Name, Image and Likeness funding below many programs in the Big Ten and other power conference teams, Fleck and the Gophers are a developmental program. That often dictates finding undervalued recruits and overseeing the progress of all players on the roster to improve and even exceed expectations.

With that status, the Gophers are often compared to Iowa, a program that consistently makes the most of its talent. The Hawkeyes are better at what they do than the Gophers, characterized by their lights out defenses and extraordinary special teams that include top tier returners, kickers and punters.

Fleck is 1-8 against Iowa and no doubt burns to get that second win this fall in Minneapolis when the Hawkeyes come to town. Fleck and Coyle also got the message that once lowly Indiana was able overnight to climb from the basement of college football to the penthouse.

Beat the Hawks, improve the overall Big Ten record and muscle into the college football playoffs soon, and Fleck will certainly be in line for another extension, his best yet!

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