Author: David Shama

Bethel, 12-1, can move on to the Division III national championship game if the Royals defeat Mount Union, 13-1, in Alliance, Ohio tomorrow (Saturday).  Mount Union has had extraordinary success winning eight of the last 11 Stagg Bowl national championship games, including the previous two. Bethel’s participation in a semifinal game is the first for any MIAC school since St. John’s in 2003.  The Johnnies won the Stagg Bowl that year by defeating Mount Union, 24-6.  MIAC MVP quarterback Ben Wetzell of Bethel injured his throwing shoulder in last week’s playoff win over Central College but is expected to play tomorrow in the game which will be played on Mount Union’s home field. The game begins at 11 a.m. Minneapolis time and is available through an online video stream: https://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html?code=ncaa&sport=m-footbl&category=live&media=54303

There’s speculation about TCF Bank being acquired by another company.  What happens then to support for the new Gopher football stadium? The agreement between the bank and the University ensures the deal stays in place but the stadium name could change from TCF Bank Stadium to something else.  A new name is subject to approval by the University.

Legendary Gopher Bronko Nagurski is ranked No. 17 among the 25 greatest college football players of all time by ABC TV.  The network has been counting down the greatest players this fall and will announce the No. 1 player during the 2008 Rose Bowl.  Nagurski is ranked ahead of such players as Jim Brown, Dick Butkus and Reggie Bush.

Tim Miles coached against the Gophers last year when he was with North Dakota State.  Tomorrow night he brings his Colorado State basketball team to Williams Arena for a non-conference game against the Gophers. The Rams are 5-3 including a 69-56 over Oregon State.  Former Hopkins star Dan Vandervieren who started his college career with Purdue is at Colorado State but not eligible to play until next season.  Niko Medved, who was on the Gopher staff last season, is the recruiting coordinator and media liaison with the Rams.

The Big Ten Network can make a wise decision by choosing Jim Dutcher as its permanent color man on Gopher basketball telecasts.  His calm approach and intelligent analysis are exceptional in an era of talk-too-much and say-the-obvious basketball commentary.

A Timberwolves spokesman reported via e-mail yesterday that guard Randy Foye remains sidelined indefinitely with a stress reaction in his left patella.  No return date has been determined for center Theo Ratliff either, sidelined with a sore right knee.

NBA journeyman and former Timberwolf Anthony Carter, 32, is now starting for the Denver Nuggets at point guard.  His responsibilities include distributing the ball to superstars Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony.

The Timberwolves are promoting ’70s Night tomorrow at Target Center for their game against Phoenix. There will be 1970’s-themed entertainment throughout the game, highlighted by a special halftime performance by The Original Sugarhill Gang. The first 5,000 fans in attendance receive a free ’70s party wig.

The Vikings playing in San Francisco on Sunday stirs memories for many fans of Jim Marshall.  In 1964 the former Vikings defensive end scooped up a fumble in San Francisco against the 49ers and ran the ball into the wrong end zone. The result was one of the most famous safeties in football history.

Daunte Culpepper didn’t play last week for the Oakland Raiders because of a quadriceps injury. Culpepper, though, has the most passing yards among former Vikings quarterbacks now with other teams. Culpepper ranks 27^th in the NFL in passing yards with 1,331, while Gus Frerotte of St. Louis has thrown for 983 yards and Brad Johnson of Dallas has yet to attempt a pass.

A Boston Globe Internet story yesterday, quoting an unnamed National League executive, suggested that the Detroit Tigers, by way of their recent trade with Florida, are now the American League favorites, and that if the Boston Red Sox acquire Johan Santana the New York Yankees could be looking at a wild card spot at best for the next five years.

One reason it’s good business for the Twins to field a playoff contending team is the new stadium will not have a roof.  That means the Twins want to sell a lot of season tickets so much of the stadium seating is purchased in advance, not leaving to chance what the weather will be and the impact that has on ticket buying.  A contending team gives the organization the best likelihood of selling season and individual tickets in the off-season. 

Alexi Casilla, the 23-year-old Twins infielder who has had problems with mental mistakes, will be among the most intriguing players to watch in spring training because of his versatility and potential. Casilla has been playing winter baseball in his native Dominican Republic.

Sports Illustrated honored St. Paul as America’s new hockeytown this week.  The article recognizes the success of the city and Twin Cities as home to professional, college and high school hockey.  From the city of Herb Brooks, to the nation’s best high school tournament, to continuous sellouts by the Minnesota Wild since their inception, St. Paul has been a special hockey city.

Four Gophers will represent the United States at the International Ice Hockey Federation Under-20 World Junior championships December 26-January 5 in the Czech Republic. Sophomore forwards Mike Carman, Ryan Flynn and Kyle Okposo and freshman defenseman Cade Fairchild will be on the 22-member roster. Minnesota’s four selections are the most of any school. The U.S. team begins practice on December 16 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Gophers are at North Dakota for a weekend WCHA series starting tonight.  The Sioux has the returning WCHA Player of the Year and Hobey Baker Award winner in Ryan Duncan who leads the team in scoring with five goals and nine assists for 14 points. Gopher senior forward Ben Gordon leads Minnesota in scoring with four goals and nine assists for 13 points.

WCHA teams have a 23-8-6 record in non-conference play. The league has six teams among the top 15 in this week’s USA Today/USA Hockey poll including No. 8 ranked North Dakota.  Minnesota is not ranked.

The last few weeks have been a case study of how varied the roller coaster of emotions can be for Minnesota Vikings followers.  After the Vikings lost at home to Philadelphia in late October their record was 2-5.  Coach Brad Childress had a career Vikings coaching record of 8-15. Through the last 10 games of 2006 and first seven games this season his record was 4-13.  The Vikings appeared to have a quarterback puzzle with no pieces that fit and an offense not capable of producing many more points than their turn-miscues-into-touchdowns defense.

The talk shows and e-mailers suggested that Childress leave town and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson could be on the same airplane.  A lot of media joined the rock throwing, suggesting that the Vikings didn’t have a plan to win and there was speculation the season might end at 4-12, or 5-11.

The pit party for the Vikings was too soon.  The first lesson to be learned is don’t judge a season until it’s over.  The second lesson is to allow a second year coach like Childress to have time to see what he can accomplish before trying to terminate him.

The 6-6 Vikings are an improving group but it will make things a lot saner around here if fans and media understand this is not an elite team.  Jackson is playing better but a second year quarterback has a lot of potential for growth.  The wide receiver corps (bless them for their downfield blocking) rates with the least talented and effective units in the NFL.  The right side of the offensive line is still a project (kudos to guard Anthony Hererra for his improvement) and the secondary can have pass coverage issues, particularly in man-to-man coverage.

Before the season I targeted the Vikings for a 7-9, 8-8 or 9-7 record.  With a talented running game, opportunistic defense and four upcoming opponents with a combined record of 18-30, I will luck out on my prediction.

Of course only a playoff spot for the Vikings will satisfy the masses.  With the team playing better and so many mediocre NFC teams, it just may happen.  As of today in the 16 team NFC there are five teams with 5-7 records and three with 6-6 records. The NFL’s legacy of parity is alive and flourishing.