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.
Nighttime—particularly for road games—is no friend of the Minnesota Vikings.
Losing on Sunday, Monday and Thursday evenings is a pattern for the Vikings who earlier this month were told the team’s home game next Sunday against the Giants will be played at night, instead of starting with a noon kickoff. A few conversations with Vikings players focused on how they fret about the boredom and anxiousness of the extra hours at a local hotel, and the change from routine caused by playing after dark.
“I hate it but, you know what, we gotta play a game,” said Vikings defensive end Brian Robison. “We gotta try to win.”
Adrian Peterson (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)
The Vikings, 9-5, have been one of the NFL’s success stories this fall and could win the NFC North. The Giants, 6-8, had better playoff hopes when the game time was rescheduled but still have a chance at the postseason. Each team has two regular season games remaining. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing while experiencing a comeback season from his troubles last season. The Giants have high profile quarterback Eli Manning and their home territory is the nation’s largest TV market. All of that provides background as to why NBC and the NFL wanted Sunday’s matchup in Minneapolis switched to evening when it will be the only pro football game televised to the nation.
The Vikings have lost five consecutive Sunday night games and 11 of the past 14. It hasn’t helped that four of the last five have been on the road. Opponents have beaten the Vikings seven straight times on Monday evenings including an opening game loss to the 49ers this year. The Vikings have lost five of their last six Thursday evening games, including to the Cardinals earlier this month. Ten of those Monday and Thursday night losses have been on the home field of opponents.
Temperatures next Sunday night for the game with the Giants in TCF Bank Stadium will likely be in the high teens or low 20s. That doesn’t warm the heart of Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. “I think it’s going to be cold. I don’t like the cold but this is an opportunity to go out there to showcase that we’re made to be in the playoffs,” Munnerlyn said. “I think it’s going to be a very good game. I am excited for the opportunity. ….”
Munnerlyn is an “antsy guy” on game days and sleep is difficult for him the night before. Playing on Sunday night presents an extra challenge because it means having too much time to be excited before kickoff. How will he relax and focus during those extra hours before game time?
“I don’t know what I am going to do,” Munnerlyn said last week. “I gotta figure it out.”
Robison can commiserate about the challenge of too much time. “I don’t like sitting in a hotel and just waiting all day,” he said. “I want to get up and be able to go after it. Those noon games, those 3:25 games are awesome. At the end of the day (next Sunday) you’re getting to play a game, you’re playing in prime time. Everybody is going to see you, so it’s about going out there and putting your best (effort).”
Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was lighthearted about Sunday’s Giants game, joking about eight more hours in the hotel. “But I will enjoy it (the game). Prime time and we get a chance to play across the country, so it’s a good deal,” Floyd said.
Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace is headed toward his fewest receptions since his rookie year of 2009. His contract doesn’t guarantee he will return to the team, but he wants to stay in Minnesota.
Wallace was acquired last March in a trade with the Dolphins to give the Vikings a deep-threat among their receiving corps. His contract reportedly pays him close to $10 million this season, but doesn’t assure a paycheck or roster spot next season from Minnesota. The Vikings can let him go at no cost to them, according to reports.
After a rookie season when Wallace caught 39 balls, he has totaled 60 or more receptions each year. Twice he has had more than 70 catches in a year, but this season, with three regular season games remaining, he has just 33.
Mike Wallace (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)
Wallace has started every game except one but in three of those games never caught a pass. His games with the most receptions have totaled eight, six and four. It seems at times he has been used as a decoy, opening up space on the field for others. On other occasions he has been part of a failed Vikings passing attack characterized by poor blocking and quarterback TeddyBridgewater’s inconsistencies.
Whatever the reasons for Wallace’s miniscule totals that include just two touchdown catches, he admitted being frustrated at times.
“Of course. I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t (get frustrated),” Wallace told Sports Headliners. “I’ve been like three or four games where I had zero catches. Of course you’re going to be upset, but…probably all three of those games we won, so it’s bittersweet. Definitely, first things first is win, but at the end of the day you’re still on the field and you want to do personal things. At the same time you gotta stay positive.”
The Vikings won two of the three games Wallace referenced, defeating the Bears and Falcons while losing to the Packers. In those games and all season he said he remained upbeat. He hasn’t voiced concerns, or made complaints, to coaches.
Wallace likes his teammates and coaches. They support one another and that has everything to do with wanting to remain a Viking. He is all about wanting to return in 2016.
“I love this team,” Wallace said. “I love the guys on this team. I love the coaches. It’s fun. These guys give me energy. …”
Starting this Sunday with a home game against the Bears, Wallace hopes for opportunities to be more involved as the 8-5 Vikings compete for the NFC North championship and a playoff run. The 29-year-old known for his extraordinary speed, wants a fast finish to the season.
“I am trying to, man,” Wallace said. “I am focused on it. I want it to happen. I love being on this team. I want to give myself the best chance to be on this team, try to have a strong finish. …”
Worth Noting
The Vikings had to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bears in Chicago last month. Bears wide receiver AlshonJeffery caught 10 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown.
It’s likely the Bears offense will feature a lot of quick screen passes to their receivers on Sunday—something the team has favored in its offense for a couple of seasons.
The Vikings started six rookies in their last game on December 10, the most in franchise history. Starting against the Cardinals were offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, linebackers Eric Kendricks and Edmond Robinson, cornerback Trae Waynes and safety Anthony Harris.
The Vikings have scored 11 special teams touchdowns since coordinator Mike Priefer joined the franchise in 2011—tied with the Eagles for the most in the NFL during that span.
Want to be a volunteer for the 2018 Super Bowl in Minneapolis? Maureen Bausch, the Minneapolis-based executive in charge of planning and executing the week-long celebration for the Super Bowl here, told Sports Headliners she expects about 8,000 volunteers will be needed for activities and events. Anyone applying will be vetted four times including online.
Bausch doesn’t expect a problem reaching the 8,000 total and anyone interested can sign up in the summer of 2017. The best way to stay knowledgeable about the process and Super Bowl 2018 news is to sign up now for email notifications at mnsuperbowl.com. And, no, you don’t receive a game ticket if you volunteer.
Mikko Koivu in Wild’s Stadium Series uniform.
The Wild will unveil the 2016 NHL Stadium Series Alumni uniform on Monday during the team’s game against the Stars at Xcel Energy Center. The Stadium Series uniform current Wild players will wear was unveiled in late November and jersey sales to fans have been so brisk club officials were anticipating another shipment before Christmas.
Tickets remain for the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series weekend February 20-21. Starting at 4 p.m. on February 20 alumni from the Wild and North Stars will face alums from the Blackhawks. The next day beginning at 2:30 p.m. the Wild play the Blackhawks. Both games will be held outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium.
Former Gophers basketball player Jamal Abu-Shamala is now a financial services representative with Principal Financial Group and offices in Minnetonka.
Undefeated Hopkins is ranked No. 7 among midwest boys basketball teams by USA Today following last Saturday’s 89-81 win over previously unbeaten Apple Valley. The Royals are No. 25 in USAToday’s national rankings. Last week Apple Valley was No. 16 in the rankings but now is unranked.
Iowa Western Community College assistant coach James Bankhead is recruiting Minneapolis North forward Jamil Jackson and St. Croix Lutheran guard Ade Murkey. Iowa Western’s roster this season includes sophomore guard Andre Wallace who played at Eden Prairie High School. Iowa Western is ranked No. 10 in the latest NJCAA poll of Division I programs.
While sources have no solid information about who will be the next Gophers athletics director, the educated guess still points to BethGoetz who has worked in the University of Minnesota athletics department since 2013.
The actions of University president Eric Kaler could be interpreted as pointing to a Goetz appointment. Initially he demonstrated confidence in Goetz by promoting her in early August to the position of interim AD. Kaler has been in no rush to start the search process, and perhaps that indicates a willingness to give Goetz, 41, a lengthy tryout for the permanent job.
In a Star Tribune story last Wednesday Kaler told the newspaper he will begin a search to replace former AD Norwood Teague after the first of the year and hopes to have the new person running the department by July 1. He also told the Star Tribune he might not use a search firm. That could indicate a preference to consider a limited field of candidates for the job, with Goetz at the top of the list.
Maybe Kaler wants to wait until spring to let the school year wrap-up around the country. If he wants to court a sitting AD, or top assistant at another university, perhaps that person will be more willing to make a change when not only the school year is ending but the football and basketball seasons—the highest profile sports at Power Five conferences—will be over too.
Dan O’Brien
It’s interesting that Dan O’Brien, who was a senior administrator in the athletic department, has joined the football coaching staff. O’Brien was a person some U boosters advocated as a candidate to become the next AD. Did O’Brien intuit he wouldn’t be a leading candidate because Goetz or someone from the outside will be hired?
There are boosters, too, that warmed immediately to the idea of Jerry Kill becoming the athletic director after his health caused him to resign as football coach. Multiple sources indicate that neither Kaler nor Kill is interested in pursuing that possibility.
The road ahead could be paved for a Goetz hire. Indications are her performance so far is worthy of consideration, and Kaler, the person who apparently holds most of the cards in naming the next AD, may be very pleased by Goetz’s work. The announcement, if it comes, will stir both supportive and critical responses from the public and probably inside the athletic department, too.
Beth Goetz
Goetz, although never a previous AD, has years of experience in athletic department administration at Minnesota and other schools. She could become the first woman AD at Minnesota to run a combined men’s and women’s department. Both inside and outside the University there is a Goetz constituency who want her to make history not only at Minnesota, but to become one of the few female athletic directors ever in the Big Ten.
Others have a different vision about the person who should lead the athletics department. Some Gophers fans no doubt want Kaler to hire an established major college AD with an impressive track record of hiring coaches, fundraising and administering—probably minimizing the risk of finding a great leader for the department.
The Gophers have a 25-sport, $100 million-plus budget with over 700 student-athletes. Many of the qualities needed to successfully lead a department like Minnesota’s are often possessed by an accomplished business person. It’s been advocated that such a business woman or man could bring new thinking, entrepreneurship, marketing, hiring and leadership skills to the job. That person might also have a dynamic, even charismatic personality to help win over a sometimes apathetic alumni and fan base.
Jim Hackett, the retired CEO of Steelcase, Inc., is the interim athletic director at Michigan. He seems like a business poster boy for what Minnesota could consider. Since taking over at Michigan about 16 months ago he has hired Jim Harbaugh—perhaps the best football coach in the country, negotiated a rich sponsorship contract with Nike, administered a $151 million department budget, and continued a track record of academic achievement among the school’s student-athletes.
Hackett doesn’t want to continue in the AD job and Michigan’s president announced earlier this month the school is starting an immediate search for a successor. Michigan will use a search firm to assist with the process.
Meanwhile, the hiring of the Gophers next athletic director apparently rests with Kaler, who fumbled the last time when he hired the infamous Teague. It will be very interesting to watch Kaler’s process and ultimate choice.
Worth Noting
The St. Thomas football team that plays for the Division III national championship Friday night in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl wasn’t even rated in the national top 10 by d3football.com in its preseason poll. Now the Tommies have become the second school in the poll’s history to reach the national title game.
The Tommies, who were ranked No. 14 in the d3football.com preseason poll, also had no preseason All-Americans, nor any returning players from 2014 who earned that honor. But UST, of course, has talented players including running back Jordan Roberts, who had 32 rushing touchdowns this fall—the most of any college football player. The d3football.com All-American team will be announced on Friday, but earlier this week St. Thomas offensive tackle David Simmet was named to the American Football Coaches of America All-American team.
The Tommies’ perfect 14-0 season has resulted from more than exceptional players and superior coaching. There is a collective sense by players of knowing what to do in games and how to adjust. Coach Glenn Caruso said in most games this season things fell into place for the Tommies but there were four when things didn’t click so well.
Glenn Caruso
“We’re a very intuitive group and we do a really good job of figuring out what we need to do…during the game,” Caruso said. “I’ve never, in 20 years of coaching, been around a team that is as dynamic as this one. …Dynamic means you can find different ways to win games, and this team has it because they’re tremendously adjustable.”
Mount Union, the St. Thomas opponent on Friday, is also 14-0 and a gold standard for Division III football. Mount union (Alliance, Ohio) has won 11 Stagg Bowls since 1993 and played in all but one of those bowls since 2000.
UST and Mount Union are the only teams among 660 in college football averaging over 50 points per game on offense while holding opponents to under 10 points defensively. Kickoff from Salem, Virginia on Friday night is at 7:05 p.m. with ESPNU televising.
Condolences to family and friends of Glen Sonmor who died earlier this week. Sonmor, 86, will be remembered for coaching the Gophers, North Stars and Fighting Saints but those who knew him well cherish his friendly manner and passion for life. I can never remember a time when Sonmor wasn’t helpful and available to talk hockey.
Two of the most prominent sports in women’s college sports are hockey and volleyball. The Gophers won the national title in hockey earlier this year and could add another NCAA women’s championship in volleyball this week in Omaha.
Coach Hugh McCutcheon’s Gophers, the No. 2 seed, meet No. 3 seed Texas starting at 6 p.m. Thursday in a nationally televised match on ESPN2. No. 4 Nebraska plays No. 9 Kansas in the other Final Four match, scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m.
McCutcheon became the Gophers volleyball coach after leading men’s and women’s teams in international competition including coaching the U.S. men to the 2008 Olympic gold medal. His first season at Minnesota was 2012 and it’s turned out to be a superb hire by then athletics director Joel Maturi. McCutcheon’s winning teams have drawn capacity crowds at Williams Arena. Players apparently enjoy playing for him and are exposed to a continual learning experience.
The Gophers (30-4) have 12 Minnesotans on the 16-players roster. Senior Daly Santana is from Puerto Rico and is the team’s MVP, but there are a lot of other contributors too including the Tapp twins, Hannah and Paige from Stewartville, Minnesota.
The national championship match will be on Saturday night and televised by ESPN2.
