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.

Fleck’s Gophers West Title Contenders

Posted on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 by David Shama

Want to pick the 2019 winner of the Big Ten’s West Division?

No problem. Write the names of all seven teams on small pieces of paper. Then tear up the one labeled Illinois and throw it into recycling. Now place the other six, including the Golden Gophers, into a helmet—and stir up the pieces with the fury of a gridiron warrior!

Whatever order of team names is drawn could be the final West Division standings in late November. Except for bottom-feeder Illinois, every college football authority is predicting the West will be a wild scramble—perhaps the most competitive race in the country to determine a champion.

Nebraska is a popular choice by many sources to win the division title. For example, the results of the often quoted Cleveland.com media poll that came out last month predicted this order of finish: Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Purdue, Minnesota and Illinois.

The high scoring Cornhuskers have a glamour coach in Scott Frost, future Heisman Trophy candidate in sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez and maybe the Big Ten’s best football athlete in wide receiver and Eden Prairie native J.D. Spielman (he might have opted for lacrosse at Ohio State). The Huskers have a feared offense but the vote here is that the defense will still be too leaky under Frost, who in his second season is rebuilding the once national power.

Also a warning sign that Frost may not have his culture in place yet is news linking multiple players to marijuana use. Put the Huskers down for a 5-4 conference record, but no title.

So if the road to the West championship doesn’t go through Lincoln where does it lead? Follow the trail to both Evanston and Iowa City. Sports Headliners is predicting Northwestern and Iowa will tie for the West title with 6-3 league records. Joining the Cornhuskers with 5-4 records and in a second place logjam will be Minnesota and Purdue. How is that for a cozy race?

Wisconsin and Illinois? The Badgers and Illini finish at the bottom of the West standings with respective conference records of 3-6 and 1-8 (Illinois defeats lowly Rutgers from the Big Ten East).

Northwestern is the defending division champ and although the Wildcats have won 15 of their last 16 Big Ten games they don’t receive enough respect. That’s not an issue here, and I will argue coach Pat Fitzgerald is the league’s best coach. The Wildcats annually play some of the most physical football in the Big Ten and do it with intelligence. The schedule is formidable with crossover games against East Division brutes Ohio State and Michigan State but at least the Cats meet up with both in Evanston.

“They play their butts off. That’s their secret,” an anonymous coach said about Northwestern in the 2019 issue of Athlon college football magazine.

Iowa has a senior quarterback in returning starter Nate Stanley, and talented players on the offensive and defensive lines. Those are high value assets for a Hawkeyes team that closed last season impressively, including with a bowl win over the SEC’s Mississippi State. As usual the Hawks figure to be a plodding and conservative offensive bunch, but also one that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.

Iowa will be difficult to score against and despite a schedule that includes crossover games with East Division powers Michigan and Penn State, the Hawks go 6-3 and find a way to win one more league game than last year when they were 5-4.

Look no further than the state of Iowa to find support for the Gophers who haven’t won a Big Ten championship since 1967. Chad Leistikow, writing in late July for Hawkcentral.com, predicted Minnesota will have a 6-3 conference record and finish in a second place tie with Nebraska (behind Iowa) in the West Division. He rightfully refers to Minnesota’s Big Ten schedule as the “friendliest” among division contenders, and he likes the team’s talented and deep skill players at running back and receiver.

Zack Annexstad’s foot injury that has him out indefinitely makes the quarterback situation fragile with no experience behind Tanner Morgan but there is recognition in Big Ten territory that coach P.J. Fleck has more talent on both sides of the ball than seen in Dinkytown for awhile.

Purdue Nation is in a lovefest with third-year coach Jeff Brohm. He has revived a dreadful program with a highlight reel offense featuring one of college football’s most exciting players in wide receiver Rondale Moore. The Boilermakers can make opponents dizzy with their passing but concerns about the line put some gloom on the offensive unit. Defensively, the Boilers haven’t established a positive identity in Brohm’s first two seasons, giving up 40 points or more in four games last season including when Minnesota pounded Purdue 41-10 in Minneapolis.

The Gophers and Boilers open their league schedules in West Lafayette. Sorry, but the forecast here is Purdue takes revenge for 2018.

West Division glory frequently has gone through Madison but maybe things are changing. Wisconsin was not only a favorite to win the West a year ago, but appeared talented enough to make a run at earning an invitation to the College Football Playoff. Instead the Badgers disappointed with an 8-5 overall record, 5-4 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin lost an early season game at home when BYU pulled off a major upset. Things got worse when at season’s end the hated Gophers embarrassed the Badgers in Madison, 37-15.

Despite a big bowl win over Miami, did the long powerful UW program lose its swagger? If so, can the Badgers get it back? The recovery project may include turning to a true freshman quarterback in Graham Mertz and seeing progress from a suspect defense. Pivotal season coming for the Badgers who showcase Jonathan Taylor, the great junior running back.

When Illinois hired NFL veteran Lovie Smith as its head coach in 2016, I found it a curious choice. I am still scratching my head about that, and Illini loyalists can’t be blamed if they are pulling their hair out. In three seasons Smith and friends are 9-27 overall and 4-23 in Big Ten games (ouch). Based on past performance, the Illini don’t seem to do a lot effectively but they do have one of the conference’s better running back tandems in Reggie Corbin and Mike Epstein. Positives also are that the Illini seem to be upgrading the talent and there’s not much whispering about Smith’s job security because school authorities appear committed for the long-term.

The Big Ten schedule parade starts next week with nonconference games led first by Minnesota hosting South Dakota State on Thursday night.

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Twins Tony O’ on Luis Arraez: ‘Tough Out’

Posted on August 20, 2019August 22, 2019 by David Shama

Twins rookie Luis Arraez has been turning heads since being called up from AAA Rochester last spring, and among those impressed is Tony Oliva who had one of the greatest MLB seasons ever for a first-year player.

In 1964 the Twins right fielder hit .328 and became the first rookie in modern history to win a batting title. He topped the American League in hits, runs and doubles. He also totaled 374 total bases, tying the record set by Hal Trosky in 1934 for most total bases by a first-year big leaguer.

Oliva, who left Cuba in the early 1960s to begin his professional baseball journey, is now an 81-year-old hitting instructor for the Twins. He is in the clubhouse for each home game and has become acquainted with the 22-year-old Arraez who is hitting .348 after 59 games in the big leagues. In the minors the Venezuelan infielder-outfielder had a .331 average through parts of six seasons, per Baseball-reference.com.

That kind of success in the minors somewhat prepared Oliva for Arraez’s hot hitting this spring and summer in the big leagues. “I am not surprised that he is hitting (so well) because he be hitting very good every single year while he was in the minor leagues,” Oliva told Sports Headliners. “But I get a little surprised…that he is doing so well, he got so much…confidence. He is a very tough out. He hits to the whole field. He doesn’t strike out too often. Ninety-nine percent of the time he swing (at) a strike.”

Arraez is a left-handed hitter, like Oliva was, and if he can maintain his batting average he will remain a candidate for American League Rookie of the Year. With 231 plate appearances so far, Arraez won’t have enough to qualify this season for the league batting championship (502 required).

Arraez’s discipline at the plate is impressive, particularly for such a young player. His bat control allows him to hit a balanced number of baseballs to left, center and right field. The way he sprays the ball to all fields is reminiscent of another Twins great, left-handed hitting second baseman and National Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew who won seven AL batting titles.

Arraez has played mostly second base for the Twins but has contributed to the roster’s versatility by also taking assignments at shortstop, third base and left field. He has committed only four errors this season. It seems all but certain the Twins will let 27-year-old second baseman Jonathan Schoop go in the offseason and make Arraez the regular at the position in 2020. Schoop has just a one-year deal with Minnesota.

With Arraez having played in so few games with the Twins, Oliva isn’t ready to go overboard on the newcomer. “It’s easy to get here, but it’s very hard to stay here,” Oliva said. “He could stay here for a long time.”

But Arraez is definitely in good company so far during his brief MLB career. Just last week Twins media specialist Dustin Morse Tweeted that Arraez’s 66 hits in his first 55 games placed him fourth among club rookies dating back to 1961—behind Kirby Puckett at 81, Oliva, 71 and Carew, 70.

Worth Noting

The Twins, who lead the second place Indians by two games, have a favorable schedule the remainder of this month, facing only the While Sox and Tigers who have a combined record of 93 wins, 153 losses. The Indians, by contrast, have a schedule that includes two games against the 73-53 Rays and a series against the above .500 Mets, while playing all their remaining August dates on the road except for a series against the Royals. The Twins have two series at home, two on the road.

The first 10,000 fans in attendance for Saturday’s Twins home game against the Tigers receives the third in a set of four commemorative Joe Mauer bobbleheads. The collectible features Mauer with his 2009 American League MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

A hockey source predicted the Minnesota Wild will announce its new general manager this week, perhaps today. He also told Sports Headliners star defenseman Ryan Suter is among those who owner Craig Leipold has sought input from.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen talking about the time needed to develop chemistry between a quarterback and his receivers: “It takes a long time to get on the same page as the quarterback because there are so many different situations. … You are always still working on it, but it is definitely better to be in a second year with a quarterback (Kirk Cousins) than a first year.”

Cousins has talked with Vikings legend Fran Tarkenton who despite being a highlight reel scrambling quarterback admits to running a 4.9 40-yard dash, a time slower than run now by some NFL offensive linemen.

No fun to write this but fan apathy must be dramatic for the Gophers to announce $10 tickets going on sale later this week for the home opener with South Dakota State.

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Ex-Coach High on 2019 Vikings

Posted on August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 by David Shama

The Vikings host an exhibition game tonight against the Seattle Seahawks. The outcome is meaningless but the opportunity to evaluate players as part of the preseason is valuable for general manager Rick Spielman, head coach Mike Zimmer and others with the organization. The pressure on Spielman, Zimmer and the players is considerable after last season’s 8-7-1 season when Minnesota didn’t qualify for the playoffs.

The prevailing thought is the Vikings have the talent and coaching to rebound from last year and play closer to the level of 2017 when Minnesota was 13-3 during the regular season schedule, and then nearly earned its way to the Minneapolis Super Bowl. While there are skeptics about whether the 2019 edition can do better than eight wins again, you can count Dean Dalton among those with a rosy view about the coming season.

“I think they’re very, very poised to be a strong team,” said Dalton, who was an assistant coach with the Vikings from 1999-2005. “I think offensively we’re going to be excited. They’re going to be fun to watch because they’ll be explosive, yet consistent. Defensively, I think they’ll be able to rise up and keep people off the scoreboard. The variable is special teams, and if they get that group in the upper echelon of the NFL, this is a playoff team with no limitations.”

The Vikings were frequently disappointing on offense last season, with new quarterback Kirk Cousins sometimes unable to make big fourth quarter plays and the running game often absent. Dalton, though, is enthusiastic about the changes in offensive coaches since a year ago, including the addition of Gary Kubiak, the new assistant head coach with a Super Bowl pedigree. Dalton, who lives in Eden Prairie and follows the team closely, told Sports Headliners the 2019 Vikings will have a newfound balance between the run and pass, and success will follow.

The Vikings lost some defensive mystique last year. Opponents scored 24 or more points seven times and there were fourth quarter struggles to make big plays. Yet Minnesota ranked fourth best in the NFL in total yards given up per game at 309.7. Dalton believes the unit this season will be “excellent,” and worthy of top five status when compared with the NFL’s 32 other teams.

Dalton said it was “not a good decision” cutting 12-year veteran defensive end Brian Robison last year. It was an emotional move for many with the organization. The defense missed Robison’s leadership and wisdom, Dalton said. This year, Dalton believes, other members of the defense are ready to fill the leadership void.

What Dalton hopes for and believes is realistic for the Vikings is to become a top 10 or 15 offense, top five defense and rank among the best 15 special teams. The latter is the team’s biggest unknown of the three units, with Zimmer working with new special teams coaches and players. It’s not known who will return punts and kickoffs, who will be the place kicker and who will punt. Even the holder status is TBD, and the preseason will be used, too, to sort out the impact guys covering punts and kickoffs.

Zimmer is shaking things up on special teams. The club has a revolving door history with placekickers but Spielman keeps trying with the latest move making a trade with the Baltimore Ravens to acquire kicker-punter Kaare Vedvik. With new faces instructing and likely newcomers playing key roles, maybe the Vikings can achieve at least middling status among NFL special teams and help the club live up to Dalton’s optimism.

Worth Noting

Dean Lombardi, the former executive with NHL teams including the North Stars, is living in Sonoma, California, and I am told he isn’t interested in the Wild’s GM vacancy.

Bill Guerin, the Penguins assistant general manager, could be the choice for the job and a source said he has the experience and people skills that might attract Wild owner Craig Leipold.

New St. Thomas athletic director Phil Esten told Sports Headliners it’s likely his school will have a decision by the first part of next year regarding where the Tommies will compete after leaving the MIAC following the 2020-2021 school year. Esten is spending “about 75 percent” of his time sorting through options for a new conference home and determining whether the Tommies remain a Division III sports program, or target another level.

It’s an unusual partnership for a Division III program, but St. Thomas football games will be heard for a ninth consecutive year on WCCO—also the radio home of the Twins and Timberwolves. Dave Lee, the station’s early morning show host, again will provide play-by-play on Tommies broadcasts. Eric Nelson also returns as the analyst working in the booth with Lee.

Pete Fiutak, writing on the Internet last Tuesday for College Football News, included the Gophers in a story about five promising teams from the Power Five conferences drawing minimal attention. Fiutak wrote “that while Nebraska is considered the Big Ten West’s hot thing, it might just be the Gophers who steal the show.”

Fiutak’s other choices in a story headlined “Five Dangerous Teams No One is Talking about” were Washington State (Tracy Claeys defensive coordinator), Missouri, TCU and Virginia Tech.

Badgerofhonor.com offered predictions about Wisconsin’s 12-game football schedule last Tuesday, with writer Christian Borman forecasting the Badgers will reclaim Paul Bunyan’s Axe from Minnesota. “This is the game I think the Badgers are looking most forward to,” he wrote.

Former Golden Gophers basketball coach Jim Dutcher talking about the quality of high school basketball in the state: “Proportionally (by population in the U.S.), Minnesota turns out more Division I players than any place in the country.”

Gary “Cookie” Holmes, a contributor to Dutcher’s 1982 Big Ten championship team, oversees charters for Delta Airlines in Minneapolis including Twins flights.

Although Twins prime talents Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff are not hitting up to expectations this season, Bleacher Report placed the shortstop and outfielder at No. 11 and 13 respectively on its top 50 MLB prospects list posted last Thursday. The other Twins prospect on the list is right-hand pitcher Brusdar Graterol, ranked No. 32.

Retired manager Tom Kelly, who led the Minnesota Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, turned 69 last week. He was 36 when he became the club’s manager in 1986.

Condolences to former Gophers basketball captain Al Nuness on the passing of his 98-year-old mom, Fannie Nuness, who lived in Hopkins after being a longtime resident of Maywood, Illinois.

The Capital Club will hear from Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle August 28 and Minnesota Timberwolves CEO Ethan Casson October 4 at Town & Country Club in St. Paul. More information about the club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrickklinger@klingercompany.com.

Sun Country Airlines is partnering with Minnesota United for a fan charter to the U.S. Open Cup Final in Atlanta August 27, offering $325 round-trip tickets. The price includes bus transportation to and from the stadium, but not a game ticket to watch the Loons.

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