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.

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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Twins Under .500 When Buxton Out

Posted on August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column leading off with the Minnesota Twins.

Byron Buxton was placed on the injured list with a left shoulder subluxation on August 3 and still isn’t ready to return. That’s the fourth time this season the Twins’ invaluable center fielder has been on the injured list with ailments, including a right wrist contusion and concussion-like symptoms.

The Twins, with a 72-47 record, have been under .500 with Buxton absent. Looking at the dates when Buxton was placed on the injured list until the days he was activated, the club’s record is 13-15.

Buxton would receive a lot of support in any vote for MLB’s best outfielders. Now in his fifth season with the Twins, his career highlight film is filled with ooh and aah plays in the field. His pitchers applaud him for game-saving plays. This season his fielding average is .991, with just two errors in 215 chances. The club’s best base stealer, the Twins simply aren’t the same team without him.

The Twins and Indians could stay close in the race to win the AL Central Division going into the final weeks of the season. After a three-game series in Cleveland that ends September 15, it appears the Twins will have an easier remaining schedule than the Indians. Minnesota will play the White Sox and Royals at home, and on the road against the Tigers and Royals. Those three Central Division teams have a combined 131 wins and 223 losses as of today, while the Indians must play four opponents (Tigers, Phillies, Nationals, and White Sox) who are 301 and 289. The Nationals and Phillies are in contention for the postseason, while none of the other clubs mentioned are.

The Indians, until they came to Minneapolis for a four-game series last week, hadn’t played another above .500 team on the road since May.

Minnesota starter Jake Odorizzi, 13-5 with a 3.44 ERA, is 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA against the Indians. His continued success will be vital if the Twins are to qualify for the playoffs.

Twins home run leader Max Kepler appears at the Ridgedale Fan HQ store September 22, while Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes is at the Eden Prairie location September 8. More details including ticket information visit FanHqStore.com – info@fanhqstore.com

Happy birthday to Brainerd head football coach Ron Stolski who turned 80 on Monday, the opening day of practice for high school teams in Minnesota. He has been coaching prep football for 58 seasons, with 45 at Brainerd.

Jim Dotseth, 76, has been retired from high school football coaching since 1997 and was asked if he can imagine still leading a team. “No, I can’t,” said the longtime friend of Stolski who grew up in Minneapolis and attended Patrick Henry High School.

Stolski said he learned long ago coaching is about the players, not him. How much longer does he want to lead the Brainerd Warriors? “I will coach as long as we believe we are doing good things for kids, and as long I can keep doing it,” he told Sports Headliners yesterday. “Frankly, I feel like I am 50.”

Dotseth recalled Stolski’s coaching dates back to high school days while working with youth football. A strong advocate of the many values of football, Stolski is also executive director of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, who brand their organization with the slogan “Keepers of the Game.”

Stolski’s career record is 386-175-1, second all-time in Minnesota to Verndale coach Mike Mahlen, 393-122-3. No. 3 on the list of prep football coaches with the most career wins is Becker’s Dwight Lundeen at 359-159-3, followed by Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant, 344-71, Cambridge’s George Larson, 307-66-6 and Delano’s Merrill Pavlovich, 304-150. All six, except for Larson, are still coaching.

After a summer break, the CORES lunch group resumes Thursday, September 12 with a program featuring speaker Jeff Passolt, the retired Fox 9 news anchor and former KARE 11 sportscaster. CORES luncheons are held at the Bloomington Event Center, 1114 American Blvd. For reservations and other information, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse, a persistent critic of Golden Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck since 2017, wrote an upbeat column about the program last weekend. For the many skeptics of Fleck among fans, the article will create more credibility for Fleck and authenticate the program.

Max Duggan, the high profile Council Bluffs, Iowa quarterback the Gophers pursued, is at TCU and “positioned to be the first true freshman to start the opener” at QB under long time coach Gary Patterson, per the August 12 Sports Illustrated college football issue.

S.I.’s top 25 ranking of teams includes Minnesota West Division rivals Iowa (18), Wisconsin (19) and Nebraska (24) but not the Gophers or defending division champion Northwestern.

New Jersey assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald is a name to watch as the Minnesota Wild continue the search to replace Paul Fenton as GM.

Minnesota United will play just three games at home over the next 32 days, including this evening at Allianz Field. The Loons, 7-1-4 at Allianz, play Colorado with a 1-6-3 road record.

Midwest All-Star Wrestling and St. Croix Casino, Turtle Lake, are promoting a pro wrestling card at the casino August 23 with nostalgic names like Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter.

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Twins Fans Make a Statement

Posted on August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 by David Shama

Looking for a positive storyline from the Twins-Indians four-game series at Target Field? While the hometown club lost three of four to Cleveland, the fans came through for the Twins.

The Indians scooted out of Minneapolis in a first place tie in the AL Central with Minnesota but don’t blame local baseball patrons for lack of support. Series attendance averaged 35,568 with a four game total of 142,275—the fourth highest for a four-game series in Target Field history. The largest crowd was Sunday afternoon, a reported sellout of 37,849.

Fans turned out even though they could have stayed at home watching the series on HD TV. Many drove through rush hour traffic and construction for the Thursday and Friday evening games. Fans sat through a two-hour rain delay on Saturday night and arrived on Sunday despite threatening morning skies and a 2-1 series lead by the Indians.

Max Kepler (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

At the ballpark fans mostly waited for something to cheer about, and when those moments arrived they roared their approval. The Indians dominated the series except for Saturday night when Cleveland killers Jake Odorizzi and Max Kepler led Minnesota to a 4-1 win. But seldom did patrons boo their heroes, while instead showing off their best Midwest civility.

Twins marketers entered this season facing an apathetic customer base. After the ball club disappointed last season with a 78-84 record, home attendance totaled less than 2 million for the second time in three years at Target Field, the much praised outdoor ballpark that opened in 2010. (The team had attracted over 3 million fans in each of the first two seasons in its new home.)

Before the 2019 season the fanbase looked at the Twins and wondered if the team might at best finish five or 10 games over .500? That didn’t stir a rush to the box office and neither did a roster lacking star power. Then a cold and soggy spring just put more gloom on attendance prospects for 2019.

But the Twins became the most homer-happy team in baseball with the likes of Kepler, Nelson Cruz, Eddie Rosario, Mitch Garver, Miguel Sano and others. Odorizzi and Jose Berrios pitched like All-Stars and Taylor Rogers was a savior out of the bullpen. The springtime Twins won a lot of games and jumped to a double-digit lead over the second place and defending division champion Indians.

The Twins became a happening story nationally and at home. The club’s marketers responded with a smorgasbord of ticket options. The fans dove in with newfound interest and passion. As of yesterday morning Minnesota ranked 15th among 30 MLB franchises in attendance, averaging 27,333 fans per game, according to Espn.com.

What this all means is that the 2019 Twins are reaffirming this is a quality baseball market—even if it’s not a great one. No, this isn’t St. Louis or Boston where owners might name their pets “Stan the Man,” or “Teddy Ballgame.” But give this area a fair shake with a competitive and entertaining ball club and the baseball public will respond.

Fans from Minneapolis-St. Paul and parts beyond have even made the Twins American League attendance leaders over the years. Since the franchise’s arrival here in 1961, the Twins have been tops in total home attendance three times. The club has also gone over the MLB coveted 3 million season mark three times.

This has long been a football town with the Vikings dominating sports interest for decades. If the Gophers could ever become elite the football madness will go to yet another level in the state. But the Twins have their hard-core following, too, with many in the fanbase looking like poster folks for our “Minnesota Nice” reputation as warm-hearted and family loving people.

The turnstile turnaround for the Twins (TV ratings are way up, too) comes at a time when others are in the public doldrums. Sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild are struggling with ticket sales. In this overcrowded sports market place, a downward trend for one organization can help another attract discretionary dollars from both the public and businesses.

In the summer, the Twins compete for attention from the Vikings, Gophers, Loons, Lynx, Saints and Canterbury Park. That’s not to mention the frequent magic of summer weather drawing people to so many recreational opportunities either in town—or as they say—“up north.”

The Twins are well positioned now for short and long-term success with their customers. Large crowds are certain for the remaining schedule, including possible sellouts when the Indians return to Minneapolis for a series September 6-8. And this fall the club will see resurgence in ticket sales including their season tickets that have been trending downward for years.

The Twins’ success comes at a time when MLB attendance is projected to be down for a fourth consecutive season, according to a July 11 Foxbusiness.com story. The grand old game has its issues including pace of play and length of games that typically log in at over three hours. Add in commuting time and families can be spending over five hours and more than $200 to be bored with their ballpark experience.

Not much complaining here, however. As the Twins push toward a possible division title for the first time since 2010, and threaten the all-time MLB record for home runs, the mantra from this marketplace is, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

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