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.

Nice B-Day Present for Linval Joseph

Posted on October 8, 2018October 8, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Monday notes column:

Not a bad birthday present. Yesterday 6-4, 329-pound Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph ran 64 yards for a touchdown on a fumble return that might have saved the season for his team. Wednesday he turns 30 years old.

Somebody said it was the first touchdown Joseph has scored in his nine-year NFL career, including five seasons with the Vikings. Teammate Stephen Weatherly caused a fumble by Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and Joseph snared the ball, running to the end zone for the Vikings’ first touchdown. “I just tipped it to my self and told myself to run by people,” Joseph said about the career highlight play.

The Vikings went on to win the game, 23-21. A welcome victory after the much hyped Vikings went to Philadelphia stumbling with a 1-2-1 record. “We needed some points, we needed a big play,” Joseph said. “I felt like that jump-started us to go out there and get the win.”

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer knew it was important, too. After the win over the Eagles he awarded Joseph with a game ball.

Joseph has been a rock on the defensive line for the Vikings and after the last two seasons was named to the Pro Bowl. He has a four-year contract of $50,350,000 that pays out an annual average of $12,587,500, according to Spotrac.com.

There were multiple reminders in the last few days about how precious life is including remembering Tony Sparano who died last summer. The former Vikings’ offensive line coach would have been 57 yesterday.

Zimmer’s wife of 27 years, Vikki, died on this day nine years ago at age 50.

Tom Sakal, captain of the Golden Gophers’ last Big Ten title team in 1967, lost his fight against cancer and passed away on Saturday in Florida. “Sake” was an All-Big Ten first team defensive back in 1967 and terrific captain who remained popular with former teammates all his life.

Condolences to the family and the long list of admirers of former St. John’s football coach John Gagliardi who also passed over the weekend in Minnesota. The legendary Gagliardi was perhaps the most quietly confident coach I ever met.

According to financial figures provided by the University of Minnesota, the Golden Gophers paid their 2018 nonconference football opponents the following amounts for games at TCF Bank Stadium: $1,250,000, Miami (Ohio); $800,000, New Mexico State; $250,000, Fresno State. Minnesota plays a return game at Fresno State next season.

Too much praise? Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz was asked Saturday on the Minnesota football pregame radio show heard on KFAN for his evaluation of the Golden Gophers. He immediately praised the special teams, but at times Minnesota faltered in its 48-31 loss to the Hawkeyes. The Gophers looked unprepared in giving up a touchdown on a fake Iowa field goal attempt. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck gambled and lost when punter Jacob Herbers threw a poor pass on a fake punt. Iowa capitalized on a short field and drove for a touchdown.

Ed Cohen, 86, has been part of the Gophers’ home football stats crew for 61 years, and is also a passionate golfer. He shot under his age this summer at Bluff Creek Golf Course in Chaska, recording a score of 84.

The Lakeville North and Prior Lake prep football teams play Friday night (October 12) at the Twin Cities Orthopedic Stadium in Eagan. The event is part of a high school football series that started September 28 with a sell-out of more than 6,000 fans who watched Eagan and Farmington.

The Vikings’ newly-constructed Twin Cities Orthopedic Performance Center and TCO Stadium is being utilized to continue the club’s commitment to youth football. Home teams in the Vikings Prep Spotlight series receive an amount equal to the average of their highest game revenue during the past three seasons. They are also reimbursed for team transportation. The Vikings retain gate and concessions revenue to pay expenses for game production, staffing, security and technology.

Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson said via email the Vikings are working under the assumption of incurring financial losses for the series but will not know the amount until after the games take place and final expenses are calculated against revenue.

Defending Class 6A champion Eden Prairie likely will know a lot more about its chances of winning yet another state title after games at Minnetonka and home against Edina next Friday and a week from Wednesday. The Eagles have one loss this season (against Lakeville North) while the Skippers have two losses and the Hornets one.

Congratulations to high school football coaches Carl Lemke of St. Croix Lutheran on career win No. 300, and to Troy Hendricks from Bemidji, Matt Lundeen of Redwood Valley and Bill Magnuson of Pequot Lakes on career 100 victories.

The latest issue of Sports Illustrated predicts who will be the 2019 NHL playoff teams and leaves out the Minnesota Wild. The magazine forecasts the Predators will defeat the Maple Leafs in the playoff finals. S.I. said the Jets, the Wild’s nemesis in the Central Division, will have the best coach in Paul Maurice.

Western Collegiate Hockey Association men’s commissioner Bill Robertson speaks to the CORES lunch group November 8 at the Bloomington Event Center (formerly the Knights of Columbus building), 1114 American Blvd. Robertson, a longtime sports executive with experiences in the NBA, NHL and MLB, is in his fifth season leading the historic WCHA. For lunch reservations and other information, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Mike Veeck’s Fun Is Good Seminar will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. October 19 at CHS Field. The St. Paul Saints owner is one of sports’ more famous creative thinkers, and his seminar will offer instruction on personal development and building a work environment with high morale. More at Funisgoodteam.com/seminars.

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Ed Duren Interception a Gopher Classic

Posted on October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 by David Shama

When Minnesota renews its football rivalry against Iowa tomorrow at TCF Bank Stadium at least a few former Golden Gophers will think back to October 15, 1966. On that date Ed Duren, a husky defensive lineman, had the thrill of his career when he intercepted an Iowa pass and ran 95-yards for a fourth quarter touchdown in Minnesota’s 17-0 win at old Memorial Stadium.

Duren, 72, died last week in the Twin Cities of complications from diabetes. A visitation was held Monday in St. Paul, and a number of his teammates were at the mortuary including Jim Carter, who encountered Leon Trawick. “We were teasing and laughing about that run,” Carter told Sports Headliners.

Anyone who saw the play recalls it with affection. Duren was built stoutly at about 6-1, 240-pounds. He was on the field to plug holes at the line of scrimmage, not run a near 100-yard race. But that’s exactly what he got an opportunity to do when teammate Ezell Jones tipped an Iowa pass by Ed Podolak.

The football popped up in the air and Duren grabbed it at the Minnesota five-yard line. The big fella headed for the end zone, lumbering at a slow pace while observers wondered if he might drop to the ground from exhaustion. “It took him a day and a half,” Carter joked.

Carter remembered that a couple of faster teammates ran alongside the plodding lineman and wanted him to hand off the football. “It (the return) took forever. I got a kick out of it,” Carter said.

The 1966 team had a mediocre 4-5-1 record but bigger things were ahead the next year. Duren’s senior season of 1967 produced a Big Ten championship for the Gophers when they tied Indiana and Purdue for first place. He was named to the Big Ten’s all-conference second team defense.

Duren’s interception run is the second longest in Minnesota history, after Gary Hohman’s 99-yarder in 1969. Duren’s signature moment meant a lot to him, as did the 1967 Big Ten title and the championship ring commemorating the achievement. Just days before his death Minnesota-based Jostens replaced the original championship ring that had been stolen from him.

Al Nuness played a role in that kindness. Nuness, now retired, worked for Jostens for more than 20 years and was a friend of Duren’s dating back to the 1960s at Minnesota. “That’s kudos to Jostens to turn that around (in a short period),” Nuness said.

Nuness was a Gophers basketball player when Duren was in school. Players from the two sports lived in the same campus dormitory. “It (the interception) was one of those things we all laughed about together in the dorm,” Nuness said.

To this day folks are still chuckling and remembering Ed with fondness.

Worth Noting

Prayers to my friend Tom Sakal, captain of the 1967 Gophers, who is battling cancer. He has been a winner all his life—with the Gophers, in the Vietnam war, as an insurance executive and husband to wife Rosemary.

The Minnesota and Iowa teams that play tomorrow at TCF Bank Stadium have identical 3-1 overall and 0-1 Big Ten Conference records. The Gophers lead the all-time series 62-47-2 but results this century have been poor. Iowa has won five of the last six games. Since the 2000 season the Gophers have five wins in the series.

Among the many intriguing freshmen prospects on the Gophers’ roster is 6-9, 400-pound offensive lineman Daniel Faalele, who is likely to be redshirted. “He’s just an incredibly strong guy,” coach P.J. Fleck said. “He’s only got to get stronger, which is scary.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said junior safety Amani Hooker from Minneapolis wasn’t highly pursued by other Big Ten schools when he was at Park Center High School. Hooker, though, has impressed as a Hawkeye starter and certainly would look valuable in a Gopher uniform Saturday with safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota’s best player, out for the season after foot surgery.

Minnesota likely will use walk-on freshman Jordan Howden as Winfield’s replacement in the starting lineup against Iowa. He struggled filling in for Winfield two weeks ago against Maryland. The Las Vegas native excelled in prep football and track in Las Vegas where he finished fourth in the state 100 meters with a time of 11.21.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has at least 100 receiving yards in each of the team’s first four games this season. He needs 100 receiving yards at Philadelphia on Sunday to become the third player in NFL history with at least 100 receiving yards in each of his team’s first five games to start a season.

Results of a study on collisions by birds with the exterior glass at U.S. Bank Stadium are expected next spring. The Vikings, Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, Audubon Society and professional researchers are involved with the two-seasons study.

Twenty-five Vikings games have been played at U.S. Bank Stadium since the facility opened and for 13 of those dates the massive pivoting doors that bring outside air into the building have been open.

The Wild can probably play with any NHL team if a core of key players stays healthy. Problem is Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Jared Spurgeon and Eric Staal all have histories with injuries.

Thehockeywriters.com is among those who don’t see a successful season for the Wild, predicting a sixth place finish in the seven-team Central Division. An article by Larry Fisher on Tuesday said Suter won’t be the same player after his severe ankle injury, Koivu and Staal “will start showing their age,” and Devan Dubnyk’s “days as a top-10 goalie or even a top-20 goalie are numbered.”

The Twin Cities-based WCHA office reports 12 alumni from member schools are on NHL opening week rosters including three Minnesota natives, David Backes (Robbinsdale) from the Bruins, Casey Nelson (Stillwater) from the Sabres and Tyler Pitlick (Minneapolis) from the Stars.

Former Gophers All-American Conner McHugh is training in the breaststroke for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Brother Max is a Gopher freshman and a possible Olympian someday in the breaststroke.

Simone Kolander, the former Gophers All-American soccer player and daughter of ex-Minnesota basketball standout Chad Kolander, is one of 25 interns working in the U Athletic Department.

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Pitino Upbeat on Team Despite Critics

Posted on October 3, 2018October 3, 2018 by David Shama

Richard Pitino’s Golden Gopher basketball team began formal practices last week and will play a season-opening exhibition game in about four weeks against Minnesota Duluth at Williams Arena. How Pitino’s sixth year as coach will go is a mystery to college basketball observers, including me.

Athlon’s college basketball publication forecasts an 11th place finish in the 14-team Big Ten Conference for the Gophers. Dan Murphy, writing for Espn.com last August, placed Minnesota at No. 10 in his Big Ten power rankings.

Street & Smith’s basketball magazine is more optimistic about the Gophers, listing them No. 4 behind Michigan State, Michigan and Nebraska. I am more aligned with Street & Smith’s outlook and believe Minnesota has the personnel to finish between fifth and seventh in the standings.

Front court talent is where the Gophers are most promising. Senior forward Jordan Murphy averaged more than 16 points and 11 rebounds last season. Athlon ranks him the No. 66 player in college basketball and he is on everyone’s list of potential All-Big Ten forwards.

Junior Amir Coffey, a starting forward in the past who could play shooting guard this season, is so versatile he is expected to impact most every game including as a playmaker. Sophomore forward Eric Curry missed all of last season but his scoring and rebounding totals could be in double figures many games this season.

Minnesota’s backcourt outlook is murky with the departure of last season’s senior leader, point guard Nate Mason. Sophomore Isaiah Washington was a flashy but erratic playmaker last season and could be Mason’s successor.

Answering a question last week about Washington, Pitino stressed the importance of improving fundamentals. “…In high school it’s different than college, but I think he is progressing nicely. He’s been really good over the summer. And it’s very important that over the next month, he continues to get better.”

Starting senior shooting guard Dupree McBrayer has a career field goal percentage of .390. His three point percentage is .351. Without improvement, that will open up playing time for combo guard Brock Stull, the senior transfer from Milwaukee who averaged 13.4 points per game last season.

“Really, really good passer. Really good shot-maker,” Pitino said about Stull. “It’s just a matter of getting that conditioning up. That will be there in time.”

For the Gophers to make “crystal ballers” like Street & Smith’s look accurate they will not only need top play from the above mentioned players but also newcomers including top 50 recruit and center Daniel Oturu of Cretin-Derham Hall. Freshmen Gabe Kalscheur (guard) and Jarvis Omersa (forward) may make major contributions too, although it’s possible someone could redshirt. Pitino is still waiting to hear from the NCAA whether Pitt transfer and sophomore point guard Marcus Carr will be eligible for this season or will have to redshirt.

Pitino describes his program as “strong” but others aren’t so sure. “I love where we stand as a program,” he said. “Two years ago we had a terrific regular season. One of the best they’ve ever had (at Minnesota). Last year we were sitting at 13-3 after 16 games. …”

Pitino’s 2016-2017 team was 11-7 in regular season Big Ten games and earned its way into the NCAA Tournament. That was an unexpected turnaround after the Gophers had been 2-16 in conference games the season prior. Last season Minnesota had the impressive start Pitino referenced above but injuries to Coffey, Curry and McBrayer, and center Reggie Lynch’s suspension that hit in January, wrecked what looked like a special year.

“If the Gophers can stay clear of the snake eyes this season, they should be significant factors in the Big Ten race and strong candidates for an NCAA Tournament berth,” Street & Smith’s wrote.

However, both Street & Smith’s and Athlon have Pitino on their national lists of coaches on the hot seat for the coming season. Pitino’s five-year conference record in regular season games is 31-59. In all games he is 12 games over .500 at 90-78.

Dan Murphy’s article for ESPN acknowledged the Gophers great start last season but also said, “…It will take a Herculean effort to get things back on track. Pitino enters the season as the Big Ten coach who has to do the most to keep his job for another season.”

Worth Noting

College basketball authorities don’t consider the Big Ten an imposing league. Neither Athlon nor Street & Smith’s has a Big Ten team in its top eight nationally. Athlon ranks Michigan State No. 10 in the country, with Michigan No. 24 and Nebraska No. 25. Michigan State, at No. 12, is the only Big Ten school in Street & Smith’s top 20.

The conference sent only four teams to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Big Ten hasn’t had a national champion since 2000 (Michigan State).

Senior forward Zeke Nnaji, the Hopkins High School basketball star, is being recruited by Baylor and he included the Bears this week on his top five list (he excluded the Gophers). Jared Nuness, who was a standout player for the Royals in the late 1990s, is part of the Baylor staff.

Jared’s dad, Al Nuness, the former Gopher, works at Hopkins and has been impressed with Nnaji for a couple of years. He compared the 6-foot-10 Nnaji with the state’s most coveted senior, forward Matthew Hurt from Rochester John Marshall.

“I think his potential is just as good as Hurt,” said Al Nuness. “He has the potential to be very good. This kid runs the floor, and has a lot of ability. He can shoot and make the three-point shot.”

Congratulations to Minikahda Club pro Jeff Sorenson who topped the 2018 Minnesota PGA standings with 513.70 points and is the Omega Player of the Year. Brent Snyder from Troy Burne was second with 390.50 points. Sorenson has topped the state standings six times since 2007.

The Minnesota United has now sold and distributed more than 50,000 tickets for its last home match of the season at TCF Bank Stadium on October 21. The United is trying to set a new single match attendance record for Minnesota professional soccer. A record announced attendance of 49,572 was established over 40 years ago at Met Stadium for a Kicks game.

The Capital Club, the St. Paul-based networking gathering that features prominent sports speakers, will hear from a panel of prominent female sports reporters including Rachel Blount and Dawn Mitchell on October 23, and Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko November 13, and Gophers women’s basketball coach Lindsay Whalen November 28.

Meetings are usually at Town & Country Club, but a program is also scheduled for October 30 with a tour of the Treasure Island Center and TRIA Rink. More information about the Capital Club is available at Capitalclubmn.com, or from Patrick Klinger, patrickklinger@klingercompany.com.

Dick Jonckowski will sign copies of his new book, It’s All about Me, from 5 to 7 p.m. October 11 at Mancini’s Char House in St. Paul. The book about the well-known Minnesota emcee and public address announcer has been available for about three months. Jonckowski said over 600 copies have been sold. “It’s really going well,” he told Sports Headliners.

Jonckowski can be contacted at 952-261-3013.

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