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Author: David Shama

David Shama is a former sports editor and columnist with local publications. His writing and reporting experiences include covering the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Gophers. Shama’s career experiences also include sports marketing. He is the former Marketing Director of the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. He is also the former Marketing Director of the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section. A native of Minneapolis, Shama has been part of the community his entire life. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where he majored in journalism. He also has a Master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas. He was a member of the Governor’s NBA’s Task Force to help create interest in bringing pro basketball to town in the 1980s.

Gophers’ Meyer Ranks with Glen Perkins

Posted on June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 by David Shama

 

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column…

The Minnesota Twins, selecting at No. 27 in next week’s MLB Draft, aren’t positioned to acquire University of Minnesota pitcher Max Meyer from Woodbury. Speculation this spring is the sophomore right-hander will be selected among the first 10 picks, and Gophers coach John Anderson told Sports Headliners Meyer “may be top five.”

Anderson, the Gopher coach since 1981, ranks Meyer and Glen Perkins his two best pitchers ever. The St. Paul-born Perkins was selected No. 22 in the first round by the Twins in June of 2004, and later became a big time reliever for Minnesota.

Anderson said Meyer has a superb work ethic and trained hard to achieve his success as both a reliever and starter for the Gophers. Meyer caught the attention of scouts this spring with a slider moving at an impressive spin rate. His other top pitches are a changeup and fast ball that has reached 100 miles per hour, Anderson added.

John Anderson

Meyer finished his Gopher career with a lifetime 2.07 ERA (fourth best all-time in the program), with 187 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched. His 18 saves are the third-most in 132 seasons of the program’s history.

Jerry Kline Jr. told Sports Headliners yesterday there have been “no conversations” with Treyton Thompson or his family this spring about transferring to Cretin-Derham Hall. Conjecture in recent weeks has Thompson, a top 100 prep player for the class of 2021 and a verbal commit to the Gophers, playing his senior season for coach Kline.

Thompson, a native of Alexandria, Minnesota and a power forward, played as a junior at La Lumiere School in Indiana last year. He and his family inquired more than 12 months ago about a transfer to CDH but that wasn’t possible because metro area residence is required. It’s not known if Thompson is looking at other options than La Lumiere for his senior season.

The Raiders lose four starters from last season’s team but return Trejuan Holloman, a junior point guard drawing national attention from recruiters. He is an unselfish playmaker who consistently gets others involved. “He’s a fun player to play with, and he’s a fun kid to coach, and he’s all about team,” Kline said.

No high school player from the state will be the object of more attention next winter than Minnehaha Academy 7-footer Chet Holmgren, who both ESPN and 247Sports rank as the No. 2 prep player nationally in the class of 2021. Despite his size, he has extraordinary versatility including ball handling. Holmgren’s shooting and shot blocking are also among his most noticeable skills.

Kline refers to him as unique. “He’s just a phenomenal player and he’s only going to get better,” Kline said.

Chet weighs less than 200 pounds and is similar in size to his father David Holmgren who played four seasons as a reserve for the Gophers from 1984-1988. “He hadn’t really filled out yet when I had him,” said Jim Dutcher, who coached David his first two seasons.

A scholarship player, David played in 57 games, starting three times during his Gopher career. He averaged 1 point and .08 rebounds per game in limited minutes during at Minnesota after being a standout center at Prior Lake High School.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) was originally supposed to be the last day college basketball players could withdraw their names from the NBA Draft and still be eligible for next season. The NCAA nixed the June 3 date awhile ago and has yet to announce a new deadline. That gives Marcus Carr, Minnesota’s best player if he returns to the team, more time to contemplate whether his immediate future is with the Gophers or pros.

My guess as to Carr’s draft appeal to NBA clubs? At best, mid to late second round.

Happy birthday to Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne who turns 79 today.

It was eight years ago yesterday that media icon Dark Star (real name George Chapple) died at his home in Minnetonka. A character among characters, Dark loved sports including horse racing and is a member of Canterbury Park’s Hall of Fame.

The current issue of Sports Illustrated devotes its cover and 10 inside pages to the financial “crisis” facing minor league baseball. The article begins with this: “In response to an SI survey on the effects of the pandemic, three-quarters of teams express serious concerns over either their survival or that of fellow clubs.”

College football is second only to the NFL in “core fans,” per a news release last week from the National Football Foundation. The release cited a Gallup poll that reported college football’s popularity surpassed the American professional sports of baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer.

The Gophers had the third largest jump in attendance among FBS schools in 2019, with an average of 8,275 more in average announced attendance for seven home games. Minnesota’s average for the season was 46,190 versus 37,915 in 2018.

Comments Welcome

U Coach May Help Change Baseball

Posted on May 29, 2020May 29, 2020 by David Shama

 

For decades the Gophers’ John Anderson has been advocating a later calendar start to college baseball’s season. Minnesota’s head baseball coach since 1981 thought a change might be coming about 20 years ago when Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany was taking up the cause.

Delany was about to meet with power brokers from other conferences in early September of 2001. Then the terrorism of September 11 rocked America and changed the direction of priorities in countless ways including a proposal that was to dramatically alter college baseball.

This winter the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and shuttered sports including college baseball. The Gophers stopped play in mid-March, finishing with an 8-10 record—all nonconference games. All of a sudden the Big Ten baseball coaches had time to think about the future of their sport.

Even before the pandemic most college sports, including baseball, had financial issues. Hardly any programs make money, and most operate at a large deficit. Anderson said he has a $1.8 million budget, with $200,000 in revenues. In the Big Ten, Wisconsin dropped its program years ago. This spring Bowling Green and Furman pulled the plug on baseball, and Anderson calls this “a scary time for mid-majors.”

The financial issues in most college sports, including scholarships, staff salaries, facilities, and travel weigh heavier than ever now, with the uncertainty of when and how the “cash cows” of college football and basketball will resume play and with what box office results. The University of Minnesota has 25 intercollegiate sports but historically only football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey have been money makers. Their revenues have long carried the total Athletic Department budget.

Because of the pandemic, the Gopher Athletic Department has been forecasting tens of millions of dollars in future losses, with a worst case number of $70 million. Everyone wonders at Minnesota and elsewhere what kinds of measures will be taken to deal with deficits including the most extreme of options—eliminating some nonrevenue sports.

Anderson told Sports Headliners this week “it will be interesting to see where this thing leads us.” He added, “I think more (baseball) programs are going to be in trouble…so we’ve got to get busy here and find ways to make our sport better from a financial standpoint.”

He and his Big Ten coaching colleagues have accepted the challenge this spring by talking about changing their sport’s annual calendar. With extra time available (no coaching or recruiting), they have been meeting weekly via Zoom calls. The result has been a 35-page proposal that remakes the Division 1 college baseball calendar with potential benefits not only to finances but also student academics and health.

The Gopher coach provided research for the “New Baseball Model” document written this spring, a collaborative effort involving many others, too, including Michigan coach Erik Bakich. The model suggests the college baseball season begin the third week of March, with the schedule continuing into late June. The first round of the NCAA Tournament would be played in early July and lead to determining a national champion later that month—a period when there is not a glut of TV sports programming and interest in spectator sports.

Contrast that schedule proposal with this year that had teams like the Gophers starting play in February and ending the regular season before Memorial Day. Even in February and March weather is a crapshoot for college baseball teams including in the south. Cold, wind and precipitation can keep fans away from games at Minnesota or other places in early spring.

What Anderson and others believe is better weather for more games will generate not only increased ticket sales, but also improved revenues such as concessions and parking. The later start to the season, it’s argued, will mean college baseball doesn’t have to compete with basketball’s “March Madness,” and college baseball will more directly align with spring interest in pro baseball. The timing of becoming a spring-summer sport, Anderson said, will also enhance programming for the Big Ten Network whose broadcast opportunities are normally more limited toward the end of the school year.

Promoting college baseball in the spring and summer could be coming at the right time with the predicted demise of minor league baseball franchises for financial reasons. If teams fold, that will leave a void for baseball in many markets, and one that college baseball will sometimes fill.

In a new college baseball world, Anderson and many other coaches across the country see not only revenues going up, but expenses being reduced. The Gophers and other northern teams annually travel south in March for games, hoping for warm weather. Anderson said four weekends can cost $200,000 or more in expenses.

John Anderson

But a later start to the season would put the focus on early regional nonconference games where Minnesota might travel no further than Nebraska for games against Nebraska-Omaha and Creighton. In a new schedule scenario the Gophers might not have any annual airplane travel, or just one trip, Anderson said.

Anderson talks about increasing revenues, reducing expenses and being what he terms less of a “burden” on the Minnesota Athletic Department. “That’s going to be critical going forward here because I don’t think it will ever be the same financially after this (period) is over with,” he said.

The “New Baseball Model” says the current college baseball calendar that has players juggling time early in the winter/spring semester “forces numerous days of missed classes.” The later start to the baseball schedule (winter/spring semesters typically end in May) will allow student-athletes to miss fewer classes and focus more on academics, according to the plan. It’s also emphasized that the new calendar will provide increased training and preparation time for the season that now starts more hurriedly. A reduction in injuries is hoped for.

While the “New Baseball Model” project started in the Big Ten and has received support from the league’s athletic directors, the approval of at least four of the five major college conferences will be needed to enact legislation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The earliest approval could come from the NCAA would be in the fall and then the new model might be in place in 2022. “I think we’ve got a great chance to get the legislation passed,” Anderson said.

Hopefully, Anderson will still be coaching by then. He is revered by so many admirers in Minneapolis and other places. Sometimes affectionately referred to as “14” (his uniform number), he has won 11 Big Ten titles and more games than any baseball coach in conference history. He cares deeply about his sport and student-athletes. His sincerity and class speak louder than the thoughtful words he uses to express himself.

Anderson has another year remaining on a contract that ends in June of 2021. What happens then? “I’d like to (continue on), but obviously we’re in very difficult times right now,” he said. “I don’t think anybody is talking about any contracts. They’re just trying to figure out how to keep the ship afloat here, and find out if there is going to be football in the fall.”

Then Anderson switches topics to one more important to him now. He is looking forward to the time when he can work with his players again. “We’re going to be way behind in player development, so can’t wait to get them back on campus where we have an opportunity to get back to work. I hope it’s going to be in the fall.”

1 comment

Vikings’ Center Looks for Better Season

Posted on May 27, 2020May 27, 2020 by David Shama

 

Garrett Bradbury, the Vikings’ top draft choice in 2019, met with the media via Zoom today, and he acknowledged the inconsistency of his rookie season last fall.

Minnesota used its No. 18 pick in the first round to choose the athletic 6-foot-3, 305-pound Bradbury, who once was a college tight end and also an offensive guard. Center is a leadership position and the hope in the franchise office is the intelligent and personable Bradbury can be a fixture at the position.

Outside the organization critics didn’t give Bradbury high marks for his rookie season, particularly faulting his pass blocking. Quick out of his stance and mobile in college at North Carolina State, Bradbury has the skills to get past the line of scrimmage and block for Minnesota’s running game—a priority focus by head coach Mike Zimmer.

A question that will nag at Bradbury until he improves his pass blocking is whether his arm length at 31¾ inches is a liability in gaining leverage against pass rushers. Other NFL centers have more arm length than that. He can’t be known as a blocker often pushed back by the pass rush.

A year ago January Bradbury had to devote time to preparing for the NFL Combine, and then when the Vikings drafted him he was challenged to learn a new offense. This year the time has been there to concentrate on analyzing what went right and wrong in the 2019 season and learn from it.

“I think in terms of improvement, consistency is kind of the biggest thing for me,” Bradbury said today. “…My goal this coming season is just to be better in year two, and make the improvements that I want to.”

Offensive line is not an easy assignment, regardless of position, and those who play there often show impressive improvement from year one to year two. “There’s nothing better than experience, having those reps,” Bradbury said.

This season will offer the benefit, too, of Bradbury playing with many of the same personnel on the line. “Chemistry is everything with the offensive line,” he said.

Worth Noting

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck is doing a June 10 private autograph signing of helmets and other items that come with Beckett certificates of authenticity. Promoter Total Sports Enterprises is that cautioning multiple categories of items may sell out prior to June 10. More at Tseshopmn.com.

Fleck speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers via Zoom June 3 and will be joined by Gopher defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford. The 72-year-old social club usually hosts programs with prominent speakers at the Minneapolis Club, but for now is convening members via Zoom.

Gopher seniors Winston DeLattiboudere from football and Sarah Werking from women’s cross country/track & field are Minnesota’s 2019-2020 Big Ten Conference Outstanding Sportsmanship Award recipients, the league announced today (Wednesday).

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the retirement celebration for prep football coaching legend Ron Stolski has been rescheduled again, moving from June 13 to September 19 at Cragun’s Legacy Clubhouse in Brainerd. Instead of gifts, donations to the Ron Stolski Scholarship Fund are welcome. The fund is part of the Brainerd Public Schools Foundation. Stolski coached football in Minnesota for 58 years, including the last 45 at Brainerd.

If the Vikings play their exhibition and regular season home schedules without fans in US Bank Stadium, they might lose $7 million or more each game based on NFL estimates circulating on the Internet. The Twins and other MLB teams playing in empty stadiums could lose about $640,000 per game.

While use of the designated hitter in both the National and American Leagues is expected for sure when MLB opens up this summer, many fans would welcome experimentation with rules to increase pace of play and length of games. Ideas could include aggressive enforcement of policies to speed up time between pitches, and in extra innings the team at bat starts with a runner in scoring position.

Speculation is Gopher junior right-handed pitcher Max Meyer could be a top-10 selection in the upcoming MLB Draft. Meyer, from Woodbury, was named an All-American yesterday by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for a third consecutive year.

A consensus preseason All-American, Meyer finished his Gopher career with a lifetime 2.07 ERA (fourth best all-time in the program), with 187 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched. His 18 saves are the third-most in 132 seasons of the program’s history. Baseball is the oldest program of the 25 sports at Minnesota.

Meyer was named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, as was teammate and second baseman Zack Raabe, a sophomore from Forest Lake. Raabe hit .463 for Minnesota this season and his 31 hits led NCAA Division I teams.

Raabe’s dad, Brian Raabe, played on Minnesota coach John Anderson’s 1988 Big Ten title team and made it to the big leagues as an infielder. “He reminds me of his dad in a lot of ways, and Zack has a chance to play professional baseball,” said Anderson who predicted the younger Raabe will be among the nation’s better college hitters next year.

Bill Robertson

The recent news Alabama Huntsville is discontinuing its hockey program gives WCHA men’s commissioner Bill Robertson even more to do regarding league membership for the 2021-2022 season. Only Alaska and Alaska Anchorage are now committed to WCHA participation for that season as most member schools are exiting next spring for a new league.

“It’s going to be the ultimate challenge,” Robertson said about the search for new WCHA members.

Robertson, whose WCHA offices are based in the Twin Cities, is in discussions with multiple schools about joining the WCHA for 2021-2022 including Arizona State, Lindenwood, Long Island and Simon Frazier (Burnaby, British Columbia).

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