David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins Nix Royce Lewis June 6 Jersey Giveaway

Posted on May 27, 2026May 27, 2026 by David Shama

Royce Lewis’ demotion to Triple-A St. Paul earlier this month apparently made the Twins re-think their giveaway promotion of his jersey for the June 6 home game against the Royals.

The promotional calendar for 2026 home games originally had the first 10,000 fans that day receiving a replica No. 23 jersey. Now the promotional calendar and a ticket spokesperson confirmed that fans will receive a Byron Buxton t-shirt instead.

A Buxton bobblehead will be given away to the first 10,000 fans at the game with the Cardinals on June 27. That offering was on the original promotional schedule.

The mercurial Lewis, who has played parts of five seasons with the Twins, has a career storyline among the most curious in club history. With both a dizzying array of injuries and hitting extremes, Lewis is a captivating figure who once looked like one of MLB’s brightest young players but at other times appears out of place on the roster.

Lewis, who turns 27 June 5, had what appeared to be a breakout season in 2023 when in 217 at bats he hit .309 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI. In the postseason he became the third player in MLB history to homer in his first two postseason at bats. He set the stage for the dramatic during the regular season by hitting four grand slams in a 20-game span as he helped the Twins win the AL Central Division title.

Good Royce/bad Royce. The last two seasons his batting averages were .233 and .237. He was hitting .163 when the Twins demoted him on May 19 to the Saints.

The hope is Lewis will find confidence and rhythm in his swing. Against inferior pitching to what he sees in the bigs, the right-handed hitting infielder has gone on a tear. With the Saints in seven games and 27 at bats he has whacked six home runs.

Lewis has supposedly slumped in recent seasons because of struggles with fast balls and his prevalence for chasing pitches. In response he has sought advice and made adjustments to his batting stance.

Whether he can work himself back to better production in the majors won’t be known for a while. The Twins, though, have sent a message with his demotion and cancellation of the June 6 giveaway.

And there’s more. Twins’ manager Derek Shelton has moved shortstop Brooks Lee over to third base, the position once thought to be locked up by Lewis. That’s a development that might block Lewis’ path to regular playing time when he makes his presumptive return to the big-league club.

Worth Noting

It’s telling that Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves wasn’t included on the three All-NBA teams the league recently announced. Regarded as a top 10 player, media voters didn’t see him that way during the past season.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves player — Anthony Edwards photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

Uber talented and competitive, Edwards could improve his team by showing more maturity in his leadership role. His stock will also rise if the Wolves acquire a quality point guard who can complement Edwards and teammates with playmaking.

Edwards was named to the All-NBA second team in 2024 and 2025.

A Gophers football authority talking to Sports Headliners about quarterback Drake Lindsey and his spring arrest in Arkansas for underage drinking and possessing fake identification. “We’ll see if it leads into (suspension for) the Eastern Illinois (opening) game. I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of it.”

BetMGM set the win total for Big Ten football teams earlier this month. Minnesota is projected at 6.5, the same as Nebraska, Wisconsin and UCLA. Of the Big Ten’s 18 teams, only five others have fewer wins predicted.

Indiana and Oregon are the leaders at 10.5.

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Can Baseball Save Memorial Day?

Posted on May 22, 2026May 22, 2026 by David Shama

The headline is facetious but makes a point.

Surveys report over 50 percent of Americans don’t know the meaning of Memorial Day. The national holiday honors those who lost their lives in military service for the United States.

Millions who live in this nation only know Memorial Day as a holiday from work and school. An opportunity for cookouts, drinking beer, outdoor recreation, visiting people and places, and the unofficial beginning of summer.

The significance of the historical day is not lost on Major League Baseball which will show up and pay tribute to our fallen heroes on Monday.

At 3 p.m. (local times) home teams across the country will pause for an extended moment of silence. In a nation that needs more unity and gratitude this gesture is most welcome.

Teams and umpiring crews will have discretion regarding details of the National Moment of Remembrance. The Twins play in Chicago against the White Sox on Monday afternoon.

MLB players and umpires will wear a red poppy on the left side of their jerseys and shirts with “Lest We Forget” language included. The poppy is a globally recognized symbol for those who died in battle.

These elements and others at ballparks on Monday will be appreciated by those who are passionate about the holiday. With the millions of fans who follow the nation’s baseball teams, the Memorial Day remembrance will educate other Americans about the sacrifice made by past generations to make the freedoms of today possible.

To their credit, the Twins have long recognized the contributions of military members on Memorial Day and so many other times as well. Patriotism is on display at Target Field, from the National Anthem to ceremonial first pitches. See the comment below from former Twins marketing leader Patrick Klinger.

Baseball has long played a role in the recognition of Memorial Day in the Twin Cities. Starting in the early 1900s the minor league Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints, rivals in the American Association, played each other on holidays including Memorial Day.

The so-called “Streetcar Series” had a morning game in one city, then a second in the other town. With streetcars in vogue, it was convenient for fans to travel between Nicollet Park in Minneapolis and Lexington Park in St. Paul.

The series went on for nearly 60 years. A bitter and high stakes rivalry that saw players riding the street cars with fans and fights on the field. It came to a halt, though, in the 1950s when buses replaced streetcars.

The times were changing, too, regarding stadiums. In 1956 the Millers moved into their new home in Bloomington. Metropolitan Stadium, built to attract a MLB franchise, opened that year and there were no streetcars from the cornfields of Bloomington to the Capital City. St. Paul opened its Midway Stadium in 1957 as a counter move to attract a MLB club. Minneapolis and its stadium won out with the Washington Senators relocation to the Met for the 1961 season and they have forever been known as the Minnesota Twins.

A poignant reminder of Memorial Day’s importance is felt by those who visit Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Only those who served in the miliary and their families can be laid to rest at the cemetery that is located adjacent to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The 436-acre site is Minnesota’s only national cemetery. It is the final resting place for over 260,000 souls.

Fort Snelling headstone for George Shama, uncle to David Shama The headstones include those of my parents and two uncles, George Shama and John Fitchette. My father served in World War II and was stationed in Panama. He liked to jest that during his time in Central America our nation’s enemies couldn’t wrest control of the vital passageway under his watch.

My dad loved America. When he was in Panama, he vowed if he could survive the war and return home, he would go downtown and “kiss the pavement” on Hennepin Avenue. I presume he did so.

While my father came from an immigrant family, my mother had relatives here dating back to the American Revolution. She was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

I guarantee they knew about Memorial Day. They might even have known the holiday that began in 1868 was first referred to as Decoration Day.

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U 2027 Recruiting Class Ranks High But Linemen Hold Key

Posted on May 19, 2026May 19, 2026 by David Shama

The 2027 University of Minnesota football recruiting class has 16 verbal commitments so far and is No. 14 in the 247Sports national rankings but Ryan Burns wants to see a lot more.

The Minnesota-based recruiting authority whose reporting and analysis is read on GopherIllustrated told Sports Headliners the class could finish with a “23ish” national ranking. He expects the Gophers to add 7 to 8 more players and hopes that will include valued offensive and defensive linemen.

The class currently has two offensive and two defensive linemen. Offensive line coach Brian Callahan and defensive line coach C.J. Robbins are challenged to bring in what Burns calls “tier 1 guys.”

The offense finished 17^th last season in the 18-team Big Ten, averaging less than 300 yards per game. The line struggled including with the running game. Burns believes “if you just can’t run the ball five-five in the box in the Big Ten…you’re just never going to be able to do much.”

Burns said the Gophers didn’t recruit effectively with offensive linemen from 2022-2024. He wants to see what Callahan can do heading into the summer “to hit on some more…guys to finish off this offensive line class.”

Right now, Minnesota has verbal commitments from three-star offensive linemen Will Clausen from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Joseph Hamer of Lakeville South. Burns said the Gophers would “love to add” three-star Milwaukee offensive tackle Jamail Sewell to their list.

It’s a truism forever in football that the best teams are outstanding on the line of scrimmage. The Gophers finished 11^th last season in defense, including giving up 331.6 yards per game rushing which ranked in the middle of the conference.

Minnesota has a verbal commit from four-star Wayzata High School defensive lineman Eli Diane and three-star d-lineman Gage Geyer from Edina. Burns said Diane hasn’t played since he was a sophomore and he is coming off back surgery. So, until Diane gets back on the field his ability to play and perform at a high level are unknowns.

Burns likes Geyer and his athleticism. Listed at 6-5, 270-pounds, Geyer is also an outstanding hockey player.

Reiterating on the importance of linemen, Burns said that every year he wants to see the Gophers hit on “100 percent” of their targets on both sides of the ball.

The Gophers have two other four-star recruits. Brooks Bakko the tight end from Kindred, North Dakota and safety Tate Wallace from Iowa City.

Ryan Burns photo provided by Ryan, fall 2025 — Ryan Burns

Burns is more than excited about Bakko playing for the Gophers. He believes Bakko could join the tight end alumni from Minnesota who have gone on to play in the NFL including Maxx Williams. “The kid from Kindred (population about 1,000), North Dakota, I think has a chance to be really, really special here,” Burns said.

The Gophers beat out Nebraska, Notre Dame and Wisconsin for Wallace who Iowa reportedly didn’t get in on early. Burns compared him to a “souped up Matt Kingsbury,” a physical linebacker and likely starter for the Gophers this fall.

Wallace was recruited by former Gopher linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin who played for Minnesota from 2018-2022. Entering his second season as Gopher linebackers coach, the personable Sori-Marin has impressed with his recruiting. “I think he does a really good job of connecting with the kids,” Burns said.

The Gophers’ most recent commit is safety Taylor Daniels from West Orange, New Jersey. Minnesota beat out Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi (former Gopher coordinator) for the three-star recruit, just as they did with three-star linebacker Kason Clayborne from Sioux City, Iowa.

Burns likes the Daniels get. “I mean to me, if he were a couple inches taller. He’s 5-10 right now, but say he was 6 foot. He could be going to, I mean, pick your helmet school and they would be throwing a lot of money at him.”

Who could rise up this fall in the rankings among the Minnesota recruits? “ I think the wildcard of this class is going to be the quarterback from California, Furian Inferrera,” Burns said.

A three-star recruit, he’s ranked lowest on Minnesota’s list in evaluation points by 247 but right now that makes sense. He missed his junior season in 2025 because of a knee issue so there isn’t a lot of data on him, but Burns said the talent is apparent.

The quirk about the 2027 class (players can sign agreements in December) is having four players from the same Minnesota high school. If the fall roster shows that, it appears historic.

It’s not easy to document but a researcher might have to examine rosters prior to the World Wars to find such an instance. A time when many of the players came from Minneapolis and St. Paul high schools.

“It is a very rare thing,” Burns concurred. “I can’t find a single instance in at least modern times that four kids from the same Minnesota high school are going to be playing for the Golden Gophers.”

All the Moorhead High School recruits are three-stars: quarterback Jett Feeney, wide receiver David Mack, running back Taye Reich and cornerback Zak Walker.

The Spuds will be a “circle it game” for opponents next season because of their Gopher connections and with the team being a favorite to win the 6A state championship. Feeney told Burns the Spuds are ready for the spotlight, remarking that “pressure is earned.”

Moorhead lost to Edina in the state title game last fall. On October 23 this year the Hornets travel to Moorhead in a game that could take on legendary status. Ticket prices might reflect that, too.

Gopher coach P.J. Fleck and his staff have the annual Summer Splash recruiting camps coming up in Minneapolis the weekends of May 29 and June 12. Those periods typically result in more verbal commits for the Gophers.

Burns said among the players to follow is four-star cornerback Daniel Yebit. Burns said the Yukon, Oklahoma player is someone Minnesota co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Nick Monroe “has been on for a very long time.”

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