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.

Collective Makes Significant Impact on Gopher Football

Posted on August 11, 2024August 11, 2024 by David Shama

Dinkytown Athletes, the official Golden Gophers collective involved with Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for University of Minnesota athletes, launched in July of 2022 and sold its first memberships to the public in September of that year. DA, led by Derek Burns and Robert Gag, faced a skeptical Minnesota sports public but interest in boosting the coffers of the collective is documented in a report shared recently with Sports Headliners.

Active paying members were up 156 percent year-over-year in the spring of 2023 and 180 percent in the fall of last year, per “The Dinkytown Difference Football Case Study.” The document doesn’t specify dollar amounts, but the opinion here is DA has become competitive with other collectives supporting major college football programs including many in the Big Ten. (Editor’s note: DA is a Sports Headliners advertiser.)

Darius Taylor photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Without the growth in financial support for DA from contributors, the Gophers wouldn’t be returning 16 starters from last season’s team. Among returnees are standouts including sophomore running back Darius Taylor whose 799 yards rushing last season was fifth best in school history for a true freshman despite missed playing time when he was injured. Taylor’s NIL earnings are estimated at six-figures. For sure being rewarded, too, with NIL earnings are other Gophers including Aireontae Ersery, rated the best returning offensive tackle in college football by Pro Football Focus.

In a new era where players on the existing rosters of college football teams have to be re-recruited, the transfer portal window is an anxiety producing time as programs look to both retain and add personnel. For the 2023-2024 portal period the Gophers coaching staff led by P.J. Fleck lost three transfers to Power Five programs including starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. Minnesota gained eight transfers, giving the Gophers a net gain of 94 games in playing experience, according to the Dinkytown difference document.

Rivals.com gave Minnesota the second highest grade among Big Ten teams last spring for its work in acquiring talent in the transfer portal. Minnesota’s B grade was surpassed only by Washington’s B+.

Minnesota’s eight transfers include promising running back Marcus Major from Oklahoma, former state No. 1 recruit and edge rusher Jaxon Howard from LSU, plus needed help at wide receiver where Cristian Driver from Penn State and Tyler Williams from Georgia. The biggest transfer prize looks like FCS transfer Max Brosmer from New Hampshire.

As a startup, founders Burns and Gag learned money needs to be in place before the transfer portal opens. In the 2022-2023 portal the Gophers lost 10 transfers to Power Five programs. Minnesota gained two transfers during that period resulting in a net loss of 115 games in Power Five playing experience, according to the document.

Among the players leaving the Gophers was cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr., who became a 2023 All-American at West Virginia. Austin Booker made all-Big 12 as a defensive lineman for Kansas. Defensive lineman Trill Carter was the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year playing for Texas.

Worth Noting

Steve Erban said his company will be taking about 600 Gopher football fans to Minnesota’s October 12 UCLA game at the Rose Bowl. Creative Charters has almost sold out its availability.

Just added to the football fan travel lineup is a trip to the November 9 Rutgers game. Erban said the trip experience will include a visit to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey.

Speculation is Viking safety Lewis Cine, the team’s top draft choice in 2022, will not be a member of the team when roster cuts are made later this summer. Cine, selected last in the first round with the No. 32 pick, has been a disappointment during his career and appears to be way down on the safety roster in training camp.

In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Cine played in three and seven games respectively, and started in none. It now appears that Cine, and cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., who was the team’s second player taken in the 2022 draft, will be draft busts. Booth Jr. was traded last week to the Cowboys for cornerback Nashon Wright.

The most important performance yesterday in the Vikings’ 24-23 closing seconds victory over the Raiders may have been the winning field goal by rookie kicker Will Reichard. In the opening preseason game for both teams the Vikings got a clutch 38-yard boot by Reichard who is trying to win the kicking job after Minnesota released veteran Greg Joseph in the offseason.

Adding to the drama at U.S. Bank Stadium yesterday, Reichard had his first field goal attempt as a pro blocked, and Raider kicker Daniel Carlson kicked three field goals including a 56-yarder. Carlson was released by the Vikings after his first two games as a rookie in 2018. He’s been with the Raiders ever since where he’s become one of the NFL’s best, and the hasty decision by the Vikings to cut ties remains among the worst in recent years for the franchise.

An interesting individual matchup in Viking training camp is rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner going against stud offensive left tackle Christian Darrisaw. Turner, a first-round selection, had a sack yesterday and looks like a game-changer.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game his top two quarterbacks, newcomers Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy, are “ahead of where I thought they would be at this point.” It’s believed that Darnold, an NFL vet going into his seventh season, is almost certainly the starter for the regular season opener at the Giants September 8.

Rookie McCarthy made a couple of underwhelming throws in the first half, including an interception. In the second half, he threw two touchdown passes with velocity and touch on the football. Darnold played only one series, the opening drive of the game.

The Twins finish their four-game series today against the Guardians who have lost two of the first three games against Minnesota at Target Field. Cleveland holds a 2.5 games lead in the AL Central Division but has lost seven of its last eight games and is 17-23 since June 26.

The Guardians are the smart choice to win today with ace starter Tanner Bibee going against Minnesota rookie David Festa. Last Monday, though, Festa impressed in a win over the Cubs, giving up two hits and no runs in five innings.

Twins president Dave St. Peter is a college football fan and will attend his first game at Michigan Stadium when Texas plays Michigan September 7. “Excited about it,” St. Peter said. “Never been to the ‘Big House’ so it will be a fun experience. I am certain of that.”

This will be the 14^th trip he and friends have made to well-known college football venues.

Target Field has a history of hosting college football games with regional teams and interest remains in future bookings, but St. Peter told Sports Headliners nothing is on the “calendar for the next few years.”

Look for Twins games to be on cable/satellite next season, plus directly to the consumer via streaming. Comcast viewers who finally have the Twins back on cable this summer by paying a higher monthly fee may have to pay more of the same for Timberwolves and Wild telecasts.

Owen Presthus, grandson of former Golden Gophers basketball captain Paul Presthus, is an outstanding soccer player and a few days ago was signed by Columbus Crew 2 to an MLS Next Pro contract.

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Twins Hope for Early Leads in Timely Series with Cleveland

Posted on August 8, 2024August 10, 2024 by David Shama

In their most important series of the season so far, the Twins are advised to at least split their four game upcoming series against the Guardians at Target Field.

The Guardians are 5-0 this season against the Twins and lead Minnesota by 3.5 games in the race to win the American League Central Division. A Guardians sweep of the four-game series with the Twins that starts tomorrow afternoon (Friday) could make it quite unlikely Minnesota will win the division.

It’s extreme to think that on Sunday night Cleveland will be 9-0 on the season against Minnesota. Also extreme is the thought of a Twins sweep that would put the Twins in first place and boost Minnesota’s chances of being in the division lead through the last day of the season on September 29.

Even losing three of four will not be cheery news for Minnesota, while winning three would be a confidence booster. The way it looks right now the Twins are likely to and need to at least split the series.

The Guardians, 67-47, and the Twins, 63-50, will have one final series in September. Minnesota will play four games in Cleveland, September 16-19.

The Guardians have the best home record in the American League at 35-20 and 15 games over .500. In three home games in April against the Twins, the Guardians outscored Minnesota 19-8.

Twins president Dave St. Peter was asked earlier in the week about his view of the upcoming series: “It’s significant, obviously. We have an opportunity to make a dent in their lead. We clearly are playing at home, so these games are of the utmost importance.

“They’re really good (the Guardians). They’ve had our number to this point and so we’re obviously going to have our hands full.

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

“We know what their team is about. A lot of quality players, great defense, great base running. We know their bullpen is elite. So, we’re probably going to have to get to their starters and try to get to them early on with the hopes that we can kind of control games. And I think that will be one of the keys to the Guardians series.”

Only four teams in MLB have given up fewer runs than the Guardians with 452. Their saves total of 38 is second only to the National League Cardinals.

Bailey Ober is scheduled to start either tomorrow afternoon’s game or the night game at Target Field. He is one of three top of the staff pitchers for Minnesota that St. Peter was asked about.

“You know, I think our pitching has been great. We know there’s another gear. Pablo Lopez, we’ve already seen him pitch in the biggest moments (postseason 2023). We expect him to be great down the stretch. Joe Ryan has had a really, really nice year. Another step forward. And Bailey Ober over the last few months has been one of the better pitchers in baseball.

“So, I think we’re really confident about those three guys and believe they give us a great chance to win every chance they take the ball. So that’s going to be necessary if we’re going to hunt down the Guardians.”

Ryan had to exit yesterday’s game against the Cubs in the third inning because of triceps tightness in his right arm. Preliminary status is concern, with hope the injury will not sideline the seven-game winner for long.

The other two starting pitching spots in the rotation have been in flux over the course of the season. Most recently the four and five spots have gone to rookies Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa.

St. Peter said who fills those spots the balance of the season is likely to come from a mix of Richardson, Festa, Chris Paddack and Louie Varland. Paddack is on the IL list with a right forearm strain, while Varland has been pitching effectively for the Triple-A Saints.

A couple of those guys may figure into the bullpen plans, too. St. Peter predicts that, and he likes the relief pitching on his club which has been effective and could improve with even better performance and depth in the last two months of the season.

The Twins like reliever Justin Topa who they acquired from the Mariners in the offseason only to see him sidelined with a left knee injury. Topa is getting back into form with the Saints and St. Peter is “very excited” about his return to the Twins.

“We haven’t seen him pitch since spring training so that’s going to be huge for us and we’re still very confident Brock Stewart (right shoulder strain) will find his way back here as well.

“And we mentioned Paddack and Varland, both of those guys could also end up in our bullpen, just as they were last year in the postseason. So, we think there’s a lot of depth to our bullpen right now. We like that part of our team a lot.”

The Twins are trying to make the postseason for a second consecutive season. Fangraphs gives Minnesota a 33.4 percent chance to win the division and 51.1 percent likelihood to qualify for the playoffs as a wild card entry.

The Twins positional players can field, and score runs. Shortstop Carlos Correa and center fielder Byron Buxton are among the elite defensively at their positions in MLB. There are other fielding standouts, too, including the combo of Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda at third base, and Max Kepler’s capable work in right field.

The club ranks eight in runs scored in MLB with 552, fueled by a lineup of productive hitters including Lewis who has hit 14 home runs in 125 at bats. Correa is hitting over .300 and so, too, is Miranda who is bouncing back from a miserable 2023 when he had a shoulder injury.

Outfielder Matt Wallner, who St. Peter said might hit the ball harder than anyone on the roster, has been a key contributor to the offense since being recalled from the Saints in early July. He is hitting .311 in his last 15 games.

The bummer for the Twins is injuries have sidelined Lewis and Correa for extended periods. While Lewis is playing now, Correa hasn’t been in a game since July 12. Buxton hasn’t played in the last three games after colliding into the fence while making a catch. And there are the injuries already mentioned that pitchers are dealing with.

“We like our club a lot,” St. Peter said. “We think it’s a pretty good team. So, we gotta try to get healthy and stay healthy.”

Whoever is available for the Twins this weekend is likely to feel the energy from large crowds at Target Field. “…It’s certainly something we’re counting on during this upcoming homestand,” St. Peter said, while adding the club still has plenty of tickets to sell.

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Gold Medal Growth Opportunity for Wolves’ ‘Ant’

Posted on August 6, 2024August 7, 2024 by David Shama

Anthony Edwards and his U.S. Olympic men’s basketball teammates stayed undefeated at the Paris games this afternoon. Edwards, who had a second best on the team 17 points, helped the Americans run their record to 4-0 with their 122-87 win over Brazil. The U.S. advances to the semifinals in Thursday’s game against Serbia as the Americans pursue Olympic gold.

Edwards—who scored most of his points today in the second half in a one-sided game from early on—was coming off a 26-point game last week when he led the U.S. in scoring in a 104-83 victory against Puerto Rico. Edwards, who made six of 10 field goals today including three of seven three-pointers. trailed only Devin Booker’s 18 points on the U.S. team.

The Timberwolves’ 23-year-old shooting guard is thought to be on the verge of superstardom, if not there already. Edwards was named All-NBA for the first time in his career earlier this year. He made the all-league second team after averaging a career-high 25.9 points per game on a career-best 46.1 percent shooting. He averaged 5.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.1 assists, becoming the first player in franchise history to average 25+ points/5+ rebounds/5+ assists in a season.

Edwards has expressed confidence that he can contribute in big moments, including at the Olympics where so far he is the American team’s leading scorer. “His confidence is something that fuels him, to be quite honest with you,” Wolves coach Chris Finch told Sports Headliners earlier this summer.

Anthony Edwards photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

The Olympics are a superb “summer lab” for Edwards to polish his skills and improve his maturity as he prepares for his fifth NBA season this fall. Although Edwards is coming off the bench for the U.S. team, coach Steve Kerr is liberally dividing up playing time so that his uber-talented and deep roster provides most players with double digit time on the floor. Today Edwards played a team leading 20 minutes, 53 seconds.

The competitiveness in practices and games at the Olympics is certainly an opportunity for Edwards to take the “next step.” In the playoffs last spring he had superb games but also moments where both his decision-making and stamina lagged.

Being around consummate veterans like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will show Edwards how they handle big moments on a big stage. It is also a setting for Edwards to see how they handle themselves off the court—an environment that sometimes has been challenging for him since the Wolves drafted him No. 1 overall in 2020.

Two years ago this September, Edwards was fined $40,000 by the NBA for anti-gay remarks he made in an Instagram post. After an April 2023 incident in Denver when Edwards recklessly swung a chair that hit two bystanders as he exited the court, he was fined $50,000 by the league.

There have been other issues that have impacted his reputation, too. Whether he can put further problems behind him will be interesting as he leads the Wolves, a team whose leadership he took over last season from Karl-Anthony Towns.

Edwards seemingly benefited from international play last offseason when he played for the U.S. Men’s FIBA World’s team. He led the U.S. in scoring at 18.9 points per game and minutes (25.9) as the Americans placed fourth in the tournament. He also averaged 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals.

Chris Finch: ‘Garza Very Potent Offensive Player’

Luka Garza has played minimal minutes in his three seasons in the NBA, including two with the Timberwolves where he’s a fan favorite because of his offensive efficiency, work ethic and ties to the Big Ten via the University of Iowa. Garza, a 6-foot-10 center-forward who averaged a career-low 4.9 minutes per game last season and 8.9 minutes over three seasons, has been an emergency back up during his short pro career. But he has shown enough promise to earn his best contract after signing a two-year deal with Minnesota last month that Spotrac.com reports guarantees him $2,162,606 for 2024-2025.

Garza’s deep on the bench status won’t change next season unless injuries impact the front court roster. Finch will remind a listener that things can happen over the course of a long season.

“I don’t see him like right off the bat being in our rotation, but, again, you never know how these things work out,” Finch said. “Couple years ago, I didn’t see Naz Reid in our rotation either.”

Reid, a power forward, was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season. An undrafted free agent in 2019 out of LSU, Reid began his career with a two-way contract and developed into an impact scorer off the bench for Minnesota.

Garza knows about two-way deals (meaning a player can be sent to the developmental NBA G League and earn minimal money) but when given the opportunity with the G League Iowa Wolves or Minnesota, he has produced points. In a late season rout of the Raptors last spring, he scored 16 points for the Wolves, making seven of 10 shots in 9:28 of playing time. That was the most points in under 10 minutes by a Wolves player since James Robinson had 23 points in 9:35 minutes on the court.

“He is a very potent offensive player,” Finch said. “He can score from all ranges, (including) his three-point shot. He’s got an old school back to the basket game. One thing we love about him is he can really punish switches.”

When a smaller player has to switch on to the 245-pound Garza, the likelihood is more points for the Wolves. He has a deft shooting touch near and away from the basket.

But there’s more to Garza’s success offensively. There is his determination to play with effort including trying to beat the defense down the floor for a layup or dunk.

Garza’s work ethic, drive, good soldier reputation and perhaps even bench cheer leading is part of the reason he’s stuck in the NBA, initially arriving as a second-round pick by the Pistons and now with guaranteed money in Minneapolis. He played in 25 games, averaging four points on 48 percent shooting, along with 1.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists last season.

“He certainly could be a double-digit scorer in the league if given the minutes and opportunity to do so,” Finch said. “The key for Luka being a rotation player is always going to be his ability to guard in pick and roll (situations) and defensive rebound.”

Garza has worked on improving his footwork and other skills that can make him a better player, including defensively. That improvement is clear to those who watch him closely, but it will always be true that his impact is most evident offensively.

“…When Luka comes on the floor we make a conscious effort to get him the ball,” Finch said. “It doesn’t matter who he is playing with or against.”

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