Author: David Shama

Tennis star Whitney Taney decided earlier this week to accept an athletic scholarship offer to attend Michigan.  The Edina High School senior has a 159-0 prep record and has won two state singles and doubles championships.   

Whitney’s father Ted said the University of Minnesota was among her final choices and he mentioned how much she liked coach Tyler Thomson and his players.  “She (Whitney) was fortunate to have many different colleges interested in her and after a lot of thought she decided she wanted to go away to school,” Ted said. “After making an official visit to Michigan last month, she really fell in love with it and decided that’s where she wanted to attend.” 

Ted said Michigan is a top 25 program and Whitney is probably the school’s No. 1 freshman recruit for next year.  She was No. 16 nationally earlier this year in the USTA’s girls 18’s rankings. 

Edina’s girls team has won nine consecutive state championships and hopes to add a 10^th next week.

If Brad Johnson can quarterback the Vikings to wins over Seattle Sunday and New England on Monday, October 30, he moves into a tie with Wade Wilson for the fourth most victories as a Viking quarterback.  With 25 wins Johnson trails Wilson, 27, Daunte Culpepper, 38, Tommy Kramer, 54 and Fran Tarkenton, 92. 

Fox Sports North hockey commentator Kevin Gorg predicts the Wild will be a “factor” in the Stanley Cup playoffs, advancing to the second or third rounds.  Wisconsin’s defending national champions will not win the WCHA championship, Gorg said.  Instead, a young Gopher team will “surprise” by winning the title. 

Former Minnesota North Stars owner Howard Baldwin is planning a movie about Gordy Howe and sons Mark and Marty all playing together in the early 1970s for the Houston Aeros, according to an item in The Fischler Report. 

Timberwolves president Chris Wright, who once was general manager for soccer’s Minnesota Strikers, attended the World Cup matches in Germany earlier this year.  He has been to every World Cup since 1990. 

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Vern Mikkelsen was on the Hamline campus earlier this month to sign copies of his autobiography, The Vern Mikkelsen story.  Mikkelsen was a great player for the Pipers before becoming a star forward with the Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA. 

The St. Paul Saints compiled a 5-0 record on their recent trip to Japan and became the first minor league team from America to tour Japan.

Glen Mason is in his 10^th season as University of Minnesota football coach.  The Gophers are more than half way through their 12 game schedule (four non-conference games and, as usual, eight Big Ten Conference games).  Following Saturday’s 48-12 loss to Wisconsin, the Gophers are 0-4 in the conference and 2-5 overall. 

Dating back to last season, Minnesota has the second longest losing streak in the Big Ten.  The Gophers have lost five consecutive conference games while Michigan State has lost six straight.  Minnesota is 2-7 in its last nine conference games and is in last place in the Big Ten. 

Mason’s career record at Minnesota is 60 wins, 55 losses.  He has won 29 conference games and lost 47.  His non-conference record (including bowl games where he is 3-3) is 30 wins, nine losses. 

In the Big Ten Mason has 11 conference road wins in nine and one-half seasons.  He has never won in Madison, the site of Saturday’s loss.  The scores in Madison: 48-12, 38-14, 49-31, 41-20 and 26-7. 

During the Mason era Minnesota’s highest finish in the conference standings has been fourth (three times).  The other finishes are 10^th, ninth, eighth and seventh (three times).  The last five seasons the Gophers’ conference finishes have been 10^th, seventh, fourth, eighth and seventh again. 

The 30-9 non-conference record has come against these schools: Hawaii, Iowa State, Memphis, Houston, Arkansas State, Ohio, Louisiana-Monroe, Illinois State, Baylor, Toledo, Louisiana-Lafayette, Murray State, Southwest Texas State, Buffalo, Tulsa, Troy State, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Kent State, California and Temple, plus bowl opponents Oregon, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Alabama and Virginia.

Iowa and Wisconsin are the conference schools in closest geographic proximity to Minnesota.  Iowa has won two of the last four conference championships and participated in four consecutive major bowl games including the Orange Bowl. (The Gophers haven’t defeated Iowa since 2000 and have lost their last three games in Iowa City by a combined score of 134 to 74). Wisconsin won Big Ten titles in 1998 and 1999 and won two Rose Bowls following those seasons. 

Northwestern, historically a subject of college football ridicule, won a conference championship in 2000.  In 1995 and 1996 the “Mildcats” were also Big Ten champions. 

To finish above .500 for the season (7-5) the Gophers would need to win all of their remaining games including in Columbus against No. 1 ranked Ohio State.