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.

Matt Birk on Mission with New Book

Posted on April 21, 2014April 21, 2014 by David Shama

Matt Birk’s book has been in circulation for a couple of months and about 10,000 copies have been sold. He told Sports Headliners the book has changed his life and those who have read it.

All Pro Wisdom: The 7 Choices That Lead to Greatness is co-authored by Birk and leadership expert Rich Chapman. It’s a book, Birk said last week, to help people improve themselves because “everybody is going through something.”

People struggle to identify what they want, or to accomplish what’s important to them. “A lot of people just aren’t growing,” Birk said.

All Pro Wisdom asks readers questions and suggests how they can change their lives. Those questions include subjects such as self-identity, purpose and where to find strength and guidance.

Birk preaches we all have choices and decisions that impact our lives. He tells the story of “Easy Eddie” O’Hare who was mobster Al Capone’s lawyer. O’Hare’s job was to keep Capone out of jail, but “Easy Eddie” was bothered by the ethical example he was setting for his son. O’Hare decided to work with federal authorities and helped send Capone to prison. Later O’Hare was murdered, presumably by gangsters loyal to Capone.

Choices are important. Decisions have consequences.

During World War II O’Hare’s son Butch O’Hare was a pilot and war hero. Butch was a man of courage and integrity, a son “Easy Eddie” could be proud of. Butch died during the war but is not forgotten. The largest airport in Chicago is named after Butch O’Hare, a Medal of Honor recipient.

Choices are important. Decisions have consequences.

Birk played 15 seasons in the NFL, 11 of them for the Vikings, before retiring from the 2013 Super Bowl champion Ravens. Now 37, he is on a mission to spread the word about his book and help people.

“Right now it’s so rewarding,” Birk said. “It’s what we’re supposed to be doing—taking this message out and sharing it with groups and sharing it with people.

“It’s not about how many books we sell, but every day getting emails and notes from people telling us how much they appreciate the book. How the book was so appropriate at this point in their lives and what they’re going through, what they’re dealing with.”

Birk is speaking to youth groups, churches and Fortune 500 companies in various parts of the country. The message isn’t always about the book but often is. The opportunity to talk in front of so many people, and diverse audiences, is something he welcomes more than ever.

“For a lot of my career, for a lot of my life when I was younger, I made it all about me,” Birk said. “Pretty selfish. I took a lot (but) I didn’t give a lot. There are a lot of people that helped me along the way. Didn’t have to. Just wanted to help me out so I am grateful for that.

“You know what? I’ve eaten enough. Now it’s time for me to feed some people to try to help them out. It doesn’t matter to me what I do, as long as I feel I can have an impact and make a difference in people’s lives, and that’s what the 7 choices is allowing me to do right now.”

If Birk sounds like a man of faith, it’s because he is. Raised a Catholic in Saint Paul, Birk and his family attend services at the Church of St. Joseph in West St. Paul. When asked about his identity, Birk doesn’t talk first about his career as a football player that included six Pro Bowl selections. Birk identifies himself and all of humanity as “spiritual beings” who can know themselves and make their most important life choices and decisions by realizing they are “children of God.”

In addition to speaking engagements, Birk is an NFL appeals judge for the NFL, deciding whether players will be disciplined by the league. “I am fortunate to do that,” he said. “It’s hard work but it’s important work.”

Birk and his wife Adrianna have six children. The family spends much of the year in Naples, Florida but also returns to Minnesota. He considers his responsibilities at home—being a “good husband and father”—his most important role.

But that doesn’t mean he plans on being a homebody. “As my wife will tell you, I am not much for sitting still,” he said. “I don’t really watch TV. I like doing stuff. I like trying different things and trying to make a difference.

“I am so stupid I think I might actually be able to change the world. I think that we can change the world. That is what I am trying to do.”

Worth Noting

Birk was a sixth round draft choice of the Vikings in 1998, a long shot to make the roster after playing for Harvard in the Ivy League. When asked about the NFL Draft today, he said there’s more to identifying a player than assessing physical skills.

“Well, I guess it’s still pretty amazing that (with) all of the time and money and human resources that can be pumped into scouting good players, at best it’s still a 50-50 proposition at the end of the day. You can’t measure heart. You can’t measure what’s inside a person.”

The Vikings have the No. 8 pick in the first round on May 8. What is Birk’s advice for his old team? “The biggest position they’ve got to get figured out is quarterback. I think they’ve done a good job in other places in filling the team. You have a great running back (Adrian Peterson), the finest football player I’ve ever played with in my career.”

The Wild, trailing the Avs 2-0 in the playoffs, will hold a pre-game party outside Gate 2 of Xcel Energy Center this afternoon starting at 4 p.m. NHL alumni Henry Boucha, Dan Mandich, Shjon Podein and Tom Younghans will be available for autographs from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. “Five Man Advantage” will provide music for the 90 minute party preceding the 6 p.m. game.

Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor had his73^rd birthday yesterday.

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation will recognize eight scholar-athletes at the seventh annual Minnesota Football Honors Awards May 4 at the Hilton Minneapolis. The following individuals were chosen for academic excellence, outstanding leadership and commitment to their communities:

Andrew Blake, Pine City High School linebacker; Brett Brenden, Rothsay running back and linebacker; Bronson Bruneau, Lakeville North long snapper and tight end; Jack Dummer, Edina cornerback and strong safety; Tobias Knight, Washburn outside linebacker and fullback; Josh Sitarz, Totino-Grace linebacker; Michael Strand, Barnesville running back, defensive back and punt returner; and Austin Swenson, Spring Lake Park quarterback.

The Minnesota Chapter’s mission is to serve the state and nation “by developing leadership, sportsmanship, competitive spirit, and academic excellence in America’s youth through promoting amateur football.” The awards event, presented by the Minnesota Vikings, is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.nffmn.org.

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Advice to Vikings: Get Johnny Manziel

Posted on April 18, 2014April 18, 2014 by David Shama

Who says Johnny Manziel isn’t worth risking a high draft choice for?

“Draft experts” ranging from sportswriters to seamstresses, that’s who. But “experts” from sportswriters to Sunday school teachers also say he is worth the gamble.

Here’s the point: there’s no sure draft prospect. Never has been. Quarterbacks who became Super Bowl champions had doubters going into the draft and later. Roger Staubach, a 10^th round pick, had to shake off the rust of a U.S. Navy stint before joining the Cowboys. John Elway, it was said, couldn’t put enough finesse on his passes but he sure made the Broncos a champion. Tom Brady played in the shadows at Michigan and was a sixth round draft choice before helping the Patriots become an NFL power.

Manziel, at 6-foot (maybe), is too short to play in the NFL. He’s more interested in being a celebrity than a winning quarterback. He’s not worth the risk to a team like the Vikings who have the No. 8 pick in the May 8 NFL Draft.

That’s the kind of stuff you hear. Maybe you endorse the chatter. Everybody has an opinion about Johnny Football who combines a strong and accurate arm with the athleticism and vision to dart around the field as if Fran Tarkenton stepped out of a time machine.

“Nobody really played like I played. This kid plays like I did more than anybody else,” Tarkenton told Jim Corbett in a March 11 Usatoday.com story. Tarkenton also said he would like to know more about Manziel’s off-field activities like leaving the Manning Passing Academy early.

Now everybody, please admit this much: Manziel has made the build-up to the 2014 draft more interesting than the usual prelude.

Some mock drafts have had Manziel being drafted by the Vikings, potentially adding a quarterback who will improvise on plays and perhaps stir memories of Sir Francis. The opinion here is the Vikings would be fortunate to find him still available after seven other teams drafted. It’s no cinch the Texans, with the No. 1 pick, will take South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. That franchise needs a quarterback and maybe it will be fate that Manziel, a Texas native who captured the nation’s attention at Texas A&M, ends up playing in Houston.

The Vikings probably will have to move up in the draft to secure Manziel who could be the first quarterback taken or the second after Central Florida’s Blake Bortles. Both have impressed in workouts for NFL scouts.

But do the Vikings, also quarterback hungry, really want Manziel? New head coach Mike Zimmer reportedly values character in his players. In a March 31 Nfl.si.com story by Josh Sanchez, the Vikings coach talked about the importance of a quarterback’s work ethic and leadership.

“We asked him all kinds of questions. …There are some flags that come up,” Zimmer said of Manziel.

Were those the words of a coach throwing up a smoke screen? Or was it a pronouncement the Vikings don’t want the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner who found himself answering to the NCAA about an autograph controversy after that season?

Manziel is a brash self-promoter and this off-season made a cameo with LeBron James in a McDonald’s commercial. But lots of athletes have run their mouths and lined their pocketbooks while winning championships.

Manziel supporters will argue he is all about the team. He was often the hero at A&M, delivering big plays in close games. After an A&M turnover, he even chased down a Louisiana Tech defensive player who was running toward the end zone.

Staubach knows a lot about doubters and character. He served in the Navy for five years before joining the Cowboys. He ended up a Hall of Fame quarterback. Appearing on the NFL Network’s “NFL AM” program on April 9, Staubach said he would take Manziel over Clowney as the No.1 pick. “I just think there’s something about this kid,” he said.

Staubach compared Manziel with Russell Wilson, another short-statured quarterback who the Seahawks chose in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Wilson is the starting quarterback now for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.

Former Gophers quarterback Adam Weber has been in NFL camps trying to make a career in pro football. His experiences include time on the Broncos’ practice team. Weber talked about the adjustment Manziel and his NFL team will need to make.

“His size (about 6-feet, 205) and the way he plays can get him exposed,” Weber said. “As a quarterback in the NFL, your job is to stay healthy and stay on the field. …Whoever takes Johnny is going to get a very talented quarterback—kind of a lightning-in-a-bottle type, but I think they’re gonna have to learn to kind of bring (rein) him in a little bit and keep him from exposing his body to big hits because the guys are a little bit bigger and faster in the NFL than they are in college.”

Weber, though, believes Manziel is worthy of a team’s high draft choice. “He goes out there on his pro day when everyone is watching him, and he puts together one of the best pro days that any quarterback had this year. I don’t know what else you would want.

“The only thing I see is questionable is his size,” said Weber who mentioned smaller quarterbacks like Drew Brees have been effective. “… I would take him.”

Maybe Manziel will end up in Houston. But Internet stories this month have Manziel applying for a trademark to protect the phrase, “The House That Johnny Built.” While the slogan is reportedly a tie-in with the renovation of Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, it’s a match with the Vikings’ new stadium opening in 2016.

And there you have it about the most polarizing quarterback prospect in the 2014 draft. There’s even controversy about how best to market the slogan “The House That Johnny Built.”

Twins Notes

Stats and impressions about the Twins after almost three weeks of regular season play:

Minnesota is 8-7 after yesterday’s doubleheader wins against the Blue Jays. The Twins have been swept by only the A’s this season. Minnesota swept the Royals, won two of three games from the Indians and Blue Jays, and won a single game in the season opening series against the White Sox.

The team’s run production has been a pleasant surprise, including scoring runs with not a lot of hits in some games. Off-season and spring training personnel decisions appear to have improved the sputtering offense from last year. Management and coaches can feel good about adding the bats of catcher Josmil Pinto, and outfielders Chris Colabello and Jason Kubel. Also, the club’s long time patience with second baseman Brian Dozier and third baseman Trevor Plouffe seems to be paying off.

Kubel is hitting .340 while Colabello is the American League RBI leader with 19. Pinto, with a designated hitter role, is second on the Twins in home runs with three while Dozier, the team’s leadoff hitter, leads the club with five—tied for second in the majors. Plouffe is hitting .309 with 11 RBI—second best on the team.

Personnel decision makers reshuffled the starting pitching rotation in the offseason. Results have been disappointing, although rookie Kyle Gibson has been impressive with a 3-0 record and flashy 0.93 ERA. The bullpen has been more reliable than the starters with Glen Perkins ranking with the league’s best closers.

The Twins appear to be a better club than the team that was 66-96 last year. The guess here is they can win 10 more games than in 2013, perhaps more.

What would it take to push the record closer to .500 or even above? The starting pitching has to improve a lot and the anemic offensive production from shortstop Pedro Florimon and center fielder Aaron Hicks is problematic, although both are superb in the field.

Among the franchise goals entering the season was eliminating last year’s habit of being out of one-sided games by the middle innings. The 2014 Twins have been almost perfect in avoiding early blowout losses. That represents progress and puts some air into their hopes.

Former Twins pitcher LaTroy Hawkins is pitching for the Rockies and has a 1.59 ERA with four saves as a reliever. The 41-year-old Hawkins has been in 949 MLB career games. “My goals this year are to reach 1,000 career appearances…and to win my first World Series,” Hawkins wrote as a guest columnist in the March 31 issue of Sports Illustrated.

His Rockies teammates include ex-Twins Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau who have .317 and .346 batting averages.

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Glen Taylor: 2014 Playoffs ‘a Must’

Posted on April 16, 2014April 16, 2014 by David Shama

The Timberwolves 25^th season ends tonight and the franchise won’t qualify for the playoffs. The club hasn’t participated in post-season games since 2004 and that disappoints owner Glen Taylor who plans on asking plenty of questions during the next couple of weeks.

With a roster of young talent led by All-Star forward Kevin Love, and the addition of new players such as forward Corey Brewer and guard Kevin Martin, the Wolves appeared ready to break the playoff drought when the season started last fall. “It was a must for this year (making the playoffs),” Taylor told Sports Headliners.

Injuries slowed the club’s progress. Most notable was the ankle injury of center Nikola Pekovic who has only been able to play in 54 of 81 games. Other than Love the 28-year-old Pekovic is the team’s best front court scorer and among the NBA’s premier low post offensive players (averages 17.4 points and 8.7 rebounds). Pekovic, who reportedly signed a five-year $60 million contract before last season, has a history of injuries and missing games.

But Taylor said in addition to the team’s injuries contributing to not making the playoffs, he is troubled by the many close games the Wolves lost. The club often was ineffective in the fourth quarter. Taylor intends to explore why. “Is that the responsibility of the staff and the coaches? How much of that is the players? I am going to dig further into that.”

Taylor didn’t offer an answer when asked to evaluate and label the performance of the coaching staff. He wants to meet with the coaches and talk to others in the organization after the season.

Head coach Rick Adelman and Taylor will have a discussion that will focus on more than basketball. Adelman’s wife Mary Kay has health issues and Taylor understands “family comes first.” But Taylor wants to know if coaching next season is a priority for Adelman who completes his third season with the Wolves tonight and has a 68^th birthday in June.

What Taylor hears from Adelman, long regarded as one of the NBA’s best coaches, will obviously influence whether he wants the coach to return. “You have to take a lot of your energy and thought and emotion into (helping) your family, and it does affect your other areas of responsibility,” Taylor said. “It’s not a criticism of him. …I just want to really sit down and talk to him and see how he feels…before I make a decision or he makes a decision.”

Taylor acknowledged Adelman’s devotion to his wife sometimes took the coach away from the players. “When things like that happen, the basketball team probably doesn’t get its full attention, but that’s life,” Taylor said.

After tonight’s game the Wolves will finish the season with either a 41-41 or 40-42 record. That will certainly be an improvement over last year’s 31-51 record. But not making the playoffs is frustrating for Taylor who also has seen his franchise operate with financial losses many years.

Taylor thought this year might be different for the bottom line. “We’re not going to make our budget. Our budget was to break even, so my sense is that we’ll lose several million dollars.”

The 72-year-old owner, though, hasn’t lost faith in the franchise and recognizes his young team should get better in coming years, led by Love, 25, and 23-year-old point guard Ricky Rubio. Perhaps the Wolves will even become a special team and achieve the NBA title aspirations the franchise has long had.

“Personally, I think I have the patience. I just gotta make sure our coaches and stuff have the patience,” Taylor said.

It will be up to Taylor and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders to find the best supporting players for Love, Pekovic and Rubio. Any personnel moves, though, will be influenced by payroll.

The owner feels pressure not to exceed the NBA salary cap. They have or will make major salary commitments to Love, Pekovic and Rubio. That’s why Taylor, who has most of his roster signed for next season, doesn’t predict the club will sign an expensive free agent this summer. “…You’re looking at probably more the fifth, sixth and seventh positions on the team,” he said.

Worth Noting

Taylor’s other basketball team, the Lynx, made a six-figure profit of less than $500,000 last season. It was the first time the Lynx, who won the WNBA title last year, have been profitable. Taylor expects another winning season and a profitable year in 2014. “By staying into the playoffs and getting to the end, just makes you profitable,” said Taylor who declined to give exact figures.

The Mankato billionaire is closing in on ownership of the Star Tribune. “It probably won’t get completed until maybe the end of May or first of June but I am confident it will get done,” Taylor said.

As newspaper owner will Taylor expect friendly coverage of his Timberwolves? “No. I expect those guys to do their jobs,” he answered.

Former Gopher football players Keanon Cooper and Chris Hawthorne are among 25 interns working in the University of Minnesota Athletic Department. The Golden Gophers Internship program provides 10-12 months of learning experiences in department areas such as communications, facilities, fundraising and marketing. Participants must have a BA or BS degree and preference is given to candidates who have played for Gophers men’s and women’s teams.

Interns receive $1,000.00 per month. More information is available by contacting senior associate athletic director Marc Ryan, ryanx011@umn.edu.

Rachel Banham, who led the Big Ten in scoring last season as a junior averaging 23.3 points per game, is looking forward to next season when eight players return including four juniors and three sophomores. “I think the sky is the limit,” said Banham who will be the team’s only senior. “We have a bunch of really good girls, and really good girls coming in.”

Banham is dating men’s team junior guard Andre Hollins. What did Hollins say after the Gophers won the NIT championship earlier this month? “He was very excited,” Banham answered. “All he kept chanting was N-I-T champs. Clearly, he was very happy.”

The Gophers women’s team hasn’t earned an invitation to the NCAA tournament since Banham has been at Minnesota. Hollins has played in one NCAA tournament, two years ago. What if both teams made deep tourney runs next year? “That would be awesome,” Banham said. “I think that would be the best way for both of us to go out.”

For the third straight season—and for the eighth time in the last nine years—the MIAC attracted more fans to its football games than any other conference in NCAA Division III, according to information released recently by the league. The conference led Division III in both total and average attendance per game for the year 2013. A total of 160,482 fans attended the 48 football games hosted by the MIAC’s nine schools, an average of 3,343 fans per game.

Saint John’s led the nation in attendance per game (7,364) for the 12th time in the last 13 years. In total attendance Bethel (38,054) and the Johnnies (36,822) finished third and fourth respectively.

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