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.

U Teammates High on Buggs’ Potential

Posted on February 28, 2014February 28, 2014 by David Shama

If Charles Buggs’ teammates and head coach are correct, the Gophers redshirt freshman forward has a lot of productive moments ahead in his Big Ten career.

Buggs, who had only played in six games all season while scoring five total points, stunned an appreciative Williams Arena audience on Tuesday night by coming off the bench in the first half to make four of five field goal attempts. He finished the game converting five of six shots, scoring 13 points and was the team’s fourth leading scorer despite playing only 19 minutes in Minnesota’s 95-89 win over Iowa.

The performance that had the crowd roaring with approval didn’t surprise junior guard Andre Hollins, Minnesota’s leading scorer this season. “He’s athletic as hell,” Hollins said. “There’s just tons of upside.”

“Buggs is a talented player,” senior guard Malik Smith said. “One of the most talented players in the league if he just gets his mind right. Gets confident, he will be good for a long time.”

Among the most talented players in the Big Ten Conference? Smith believes Buggs has talent that ranks among the 10 best in the league. “He is one of the most athletic guys I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been around this game for a long time. I am 23 years old. He’s a super athlete. If he continues to work…he will be great.”

Gophers coach Richard Pitino is impressed, too. He said his inexperienced forward has the “best potential” of anyone on the team.

Buggs is a late developer and that’s why he was redshirted for the 2012-13 season. He has played in only seven games for a total of 40 minutes during 2013-2014. He averaged a modest 11.4 points per game as a senior for Martin High School in Arlington, Texas. Buggs’ build, 6-9 but only about 210 pounds, isn’t imposing either.

“His body is a little bit too thin but he’s continued to gain weight throughout the season,” Hollins said. “They’ve (the staff) been on him really tough about that. He’s been handling it well. He’s just been getting better.”

Buggs, who attended prep school for one year after high school, had to learn a new system under Pitino after being brought to Minnesota by former coach Tubby Smith. It’s taken time to learn what to do and play with confidence.

“He has confidence in practice but when he gets in the games he really doesn’t have a lot because he hasn’t been playing a lot,” Smith said. “With more playing time I think his confidence will build.”

Buggs played with energy and confidence on Tuesday night. That energy makes him popular with teammates off the court.

Hollins enjoys watching Buggs dance at a University residence hall. “You put on music and he’ll start dancing,” Hollins said.

Despite having large feet, Buggs is adept at dancing. “He makes it work,” said Hollins who believes his teammate might be good enough for TV’s “Dancing with the Stars.”

Buggs, who didn’t make himself available to media following his breakout performance Tuesday night, will probably be needed if the Gophers are to play competitively with first place Michigan tomorrow evening in Ann Arbor. Minnesota, with two regular season conference games remaining, has a 7-9 record and an upset over the first place Wolverines, 12-3, would be a big step toward an NCAA Tournament invitation next month.

Pitino doesn’t talk about tournament ambitions. He did, however, laud his team’s improved focus and energy in the upset win over nationally ranked Iowa, now 8-6 in Big Ten games.

The coach will take more of the same from Buggs and his other players.

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Twins Pondered Re-Signing Morneau

Posted on February 28, 2014February 28, 2014 by David Shama

Contrary to what fans may believe, the Twins were interested in signing Justin Morneau during the off-season. Team president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners this week there were discussions last fall before Morneau accepted instead an offer from the Rockies.

“This is a guy that we have a very close relationship with,” St. Peter said. “Wore our uniform since day one as a pro player and won an MVP for us.”

St. Peter also said moving Joe Mauer from catcher to first base was “going to impact Justin’s role with the team.” Morneau would have been a DH, pinch hitter and part-time first baseman.

No doubt the Rockies offered more money to the 32-year-old Morneau who was the American League MVP in 2006 when he was a major contributor to Minnesota’s Central Division title. Morneau reportedly has a two year $12.5 million deal with the Rockies, or $1 million less than he was paid last season by the Twins, according to a December 4, 2013 story by Cliff Corcoran on Mlb.si.com.

Morneau hasn’t been an MVP type hitter for years and the Twins traded him to the Pirates late last season. With the Rockies he’s found a familiar face in former Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer who at age 34 won the NL batting title last season.

“[Having Cuddyer] makes the transition a little easier,” Morneau said in Ben Haber’s story on MLB.com Tuesday. “He is a guy I have looked up to in the past and that I can go to if I need anything.”

Morneau has the opportunity with the Rockies to replace the retired Todd Helton at first base.

Twins Notes

The Twins have produced consecutive season records of 66 wins and 96 losses. St. Peter acknowledges the need for improvement but won’t put a number on how many games he wants the Twins to win.

“I want to see us take a step forward,” St. Peter said. “The way I define it is we obviously need to be playing meaningful games in the sense that we feel as though we are contending in the months of August and September. If we’re doing that I think we’ve taken a significant step forward and that’s ultimately what we’re hoping for.”

Baseball has made a commitment to regular season international games. In late March the Dodgers and Diamondbacks will play in Australia. St. Peter believes next year two MLB teams may play in South Korea.

“We’ve expressed interest in that (a foreign game) to the league,” he said. “I think it requires the right players on your roster to play in those games.”

Participation by the Twins in such a game could be three, four or five years away, St. Peter said. A fit for Minnesota may develop if minor league prospect Max Kepler eventually plays for the major league club and MLB approves a game in Europe. Kepler, a native of Germany, could potentially be a big draw in his home country.

Kepler, who has played first base and in the outfield during his pro career, may start this season in Class A at Fort Myers. “He’s a very impressive physical specimen,” St. Peter said. “Strong young man, great runner. Just a really, really, solid athlete.”

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Price Increase Coming for U Football?

Posted on February 26, 2014February 27, 2014 by David Shama

Gophers notes:

It doesn’t require an advanced degree in marketing to foresee a likely increase in 2014 Gophers football ticket prices.

A Gophers spokesman didn’t confirm an increase will soon be announced but said, “We haven’t raised ticket prices since TCF (Bank Stadium) opened in 2009. But I don’t know right now if we’re going to be raising them this year.”

That’s five seasons with not even inflationary increases on ticket prices, and obviously operating costs are rising including for coaches’ salaries. Head football coach Jerry Kill’s new contract boosts his annual pay by $900,000 and the athletic department is committed to keeping the compensation for assistant coaches competitive with the better paying programs in the Big Ten Conference.

The Gophers had losing seasons from 2009-2012 but last fall Minnesota was 8-5 overall, 4-4 in Big Ten games. The eight wins were the most by the program since 2003 and the league record was the best since 2005.

The team’s on-field results and the stability of prices for five seasons makes a price increase in 2014 more acceptable to ticket buyers than in the past. Because season ticket renewals must be sent out within three weeks the Athletic Department will have to decide soon about pricing, assuming a decision hasn’t already been made.

Kill continues to be impressed with the leadership and commitment to excellence of University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler. Kill said Kaler “doesn’t want to be in the middle of the road on anything” and he trusts him.

Kill has also been impressed with the leadership of quarterback Mitch Leidner in off-season workouts. Spring practice begins next Tuesday with the Spring Game scheduled April 12 at TCF Bank Stadium.

The biggest challenge Kill may have in replacing linebackers coach Bill Miller is finding another staffer as adept at recruiting in the state of Florida. Miller has resigned to join the Florida State staff.

Epilepsy occurrences prevented Kill from driving last fall and earlier this winter but he said on Monday he’s behind the wheel again.

Athletic director Norwood Teague said a feasibility study is being done regarding how to fundraise the $190 million project to upgrade facilities. A fundraising committee headed by former Gophers hockey player Lou Nanne has been formed and results of the study will bring focus to the project.

The Gophers basketball team, surprise 95-89 winners last night over Iowa, are 7-9 now in the Big Ten. If Minnesota can win one of its two remaining Big Ten games the Gophers can equal last year’s 8-10 league record, even though that was a more talented team.

The Hawkeyes have eight Iowans on their roster. The Gophers have one Minnesota native, sophomore power forward Joey King.

King has replaced Oto Osenieks as a starter in recent games. Osenieks, who has an injured knee, didn’t play last night. His totals in the previous three games have been 6, 10 and seven minutes.

Reserve redshirt freshman forward Charles Buggs, who had scored only five points all season, had 13 last night. Gophers coach Richard Pitino said Buggs has the “best potential” of anyone on the team.

Gophers junior guard and leading scorer Andre Hollins has been dating Gophers women’s junior guard and leading scorer Rachel Banham for 10 months. “She watches all my games. I watch all hers,” Hollins said last night, acknowledging they give each other advice.

Will the two marry? “Who knows,” Hollins answered.

Worth Noting

Rookie swingman Shabazz Muhammad, who was the Timberwolves key player in a road win over the Suns last night scoring a career high 20 points, was in high school two years ago and considered by many observers to be the best prep in the country. If he continues to play at a high level the Wolves could become a playoff team this season, and probably for sure next year.

Kennys Vargas, the Twins minor league prospect who has impressed with his power in spring training, hit 19 home runs in 125 games last year for Fort Myers. Vargas, a first baseman, had an impressive on-base plus slugging percentage of .813.

Vargas, 6-foot-5, has struggled with his weight and is now at 275. “I am not saying 275 isn’t okay,” Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners. “He’s a big man. He can carry that. We don’t want him to be more than that.”

St. Peter said about 6,000 tickets are still available for the team’s home opener with the Athletics on April 7. By opening day St. Peter expects the club to have the “equivalent” of more than 17,000 full season tickets, down approximately 2,000 from last year’s total.

The Twins have sold about 100,000 tickets for their 16 home spring training games in Fort Myers. St. Peter expects seven or eight games to sell out and total attendance to reach 120,000 or more, placing the Twins in the “upper echelon” among MLB clubs for total home spring attendance.

The Big Ten has named Edina native Matt Hopfner Freshman of the Week in baseball. Last week the Northwestern outfielder had four multi-hit games and a .500 on-base percentage.

KARE 11 executives have to be delighted with viewership during the Winter Olympics that ended on Sunday. The station had the highest viewing of any American TV market for the Olympics, according to a KARE news release. KARE’s average household rating over 17 days of prime time Olympic telecasts was a 19.1 rating with a 36 share, besting second place Salt Lake City.

The station’s late news following Olympics programming was also highest in the country by a wide margin averaging an 8.5 rating/27 share for adults 25-54.

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