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.

Magazines Predict Cellar for U Football

Posted on June 15, 2012June 15, 2012 by David Shama

Two of the first college football magazines on the newsstands predict the Gophers will finish last in the Big Ten’s Legends Division.

Lindy’s Sports College Football Preview offers a couple of cynical views about the Gophers. The publication reports the good news is adults will be able to buy beer at TCF Bank Stadium this year. Not so good is the “Gophers need something in the stands to distract fans from the action on the field.”

Phil Steele’s College 2012 Preview also acknowledges Minnesota’s likelihood of last place in the Legends Division — just like last season — but describes the Gophers as a “much improved squad.” Steele is a workaholic football authority who after studying the Gophers voices this optimism: “Three of my nine sets of power ratings call for the Gophers to achieve bowl eligibility and that gives them a shot at escaping the basement.”

Lindy’s agrees the Gophers, with improved talent and speed, could contend for a “lower tier bowl game.” Neither publication includes any Gophers players among the best in the Big Ten Conference, and both view Indiana — forecast for last place in the Leaders Division — as the only team in the conference worse than Minnesota.

The predictions for the Gophers this summer by national publications like Lindy’s and Steele’s won’t surprise most Minnesota fans. Not after a 3-9 season last year, the same as in 2010.

It’s the long term view that inspires more optimism among Gophers fans. I’ve followed every Gophers football coach going back to Murray Warmath, and other than Lou Holtz none impressed media and fans in their first two years as much as Jerry Kill.

This week a friend who is passionate about the Gophers said: ‘If Kill doesn’t become a success coaching the Gophers, I will run naked down the Nicollet Mall.”

If the Gophers don’t lose key players to injuries (hello, MarQueis Gray) they could improve last season’s overall record even if the wins and losses are no better in the Big Ten. Minnesota needs to sweep its nonconference games starting at UNLV on August 30, playing a Rebels program Steele reports has one winning season in the last 17. Then come home nonleague games against New Hampshire, Western Michigan and Syracuse. All winnable, but no cinches.

Last year the Gophers were 2-6 in the Big Ten. On the league schedule are three teams —Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan State— Steele ranks among his 12 national surprise teams for 2012. Then, too, the Gophers must play Michigan, a popular choice to win the Big Ten championship. Minnesota might have to scrap to find two league wins among games against Iowa, Purdue, Northwestern and Illinois.

Looks like a 7-5 season at best, 4-8 at worst.

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Worth Noting

Posted on June 15, 2012June 15, 2012 by David Shama

Wondering what the football Gophers do best? Well, Lindy’s Sports College Football 2012 Preview has an answer. The publication lists the “Five Best Rivalry Trophies”…and guess what? Minnesota is the only program to appear on the list twice. Here are the top three: Floyd of Rosedale —Iowa vs. Minnesota. The Jeweled Shillelagh — USC vs. Notre Dame. Paul Bunyan’s Axe —Minnesota vs. Wisconsin.

New Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague starts work on Monday and a media photo-op is scheduled for that morning.

Former Cretin-Derham Hall head football coach Rich Kallok, more recently an assistant with the program, said he’s not sure if he will be on the staff this season. Kallok has had three hip replacements and also back problems. Two years ago he coached linebackers for the Raiders.

Raiders senior running back James Onwualu, who verbally committed to Notre Dame, is likely to be a wide receiver with the Irish, said Kallok who recently celebrated his 45^th wedding anniversary with wife Sue.

Will the Timberwolves choose 7-foot North Carolina center Tyler Zeller with the No. 18 pick in the upcoming NBA draft? Jim Dutcher, the former Gophers coach, believes Zeller can play in the NBA for many seasons.

“He’s very competitive and a good low post scorer,” Dutcher told Sports Headliners. “He shoots the turnaround and has some good inside scoring moves.”

Not long ago Nbadraft.net projected Syracuse shooting guard Dion Waiters as the Wolves’ first round selection on June 28. However, Waiters is now predicted to be the No. 11 choice in the draft going to Portland.

The Wolves drafted Syracuse shooting guard Wes Johnson two years ago and he’s been a major disappointment. Dutcher said the Wolves have given Johnson more playing time than he’s earned because he was a No. 1 draft choice. “They’re playing him so they don’t look bad,” Dutcher said.

Former Hopkins star Royce White is projected to be drafted No. 24 by Cleveland. The 6-foot-8 White is likely to be a small forward in the NBA and there are doubts about his outside shooting but Dutcher believes that might not be a problem.

The Twins continue a run against National League teams tonight when the Brewers come to town. Many baseball fans don’t know that when the San Francisco Giants were the New York Giants the National League franchise had intentions of moving to Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Millers were a Giants farm team in the 1950s and the Giants were drawing small crowds in the dilapidated Polo Grounds. The Millers’ new stadium, Metropolitan Stadium, was to become the new home of the Giants but following the 1957 season Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley convinced Giants owner Horace Stoneham to move their franchises to California.

Nationally known Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker’s son Steve passed away this spring at age 52.

The Twins lost their first series since May 25-27 against the Tigers when the Phillies took two of three games from Minnesota this week.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe has hit 11 home runs in his last 21 games. Catcher Joe Mauer leads the team in multi-hit games and has four in eight games this month.

Tennis historian and author Jim Holden notes when Forest Lake’s Dusty Boyer won his fourth state Class 2A singles title earlier this month he broke a tie with Rochester legends Dave Healey and Chuck Darley. Boyer defeated Eden Prairie’s Scott Elsass for the championship. Both players are headed to Nebraska to play college tennis. Holden is the author of Tennis in the Northland, a comprehensive history of boys high school tennis in Minnesota.

Finishing among the top 100 Division III schools nationally in the final Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings are St. Thomas at No. 8, Gustavus No. 39, St. Olaf, No. 41 and Concordia, No. 80. The MIAC (with 10) was one of only five conferences in the nation to place 10 or more schools in the standings.

Dave Wright, former Saint Paul Saints media relations director and local author, has been named sports information director at Hamline after filling the position on an interim basis.

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Arena Wars to Impact H.S. League

Posted on June 11, 2012June 11, 2012 by David Shama

It’s Minneapolis versus St. Paul starting in 2014. That’s the year Target Center will host the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament the same March weekend the Xcel Energy Center will be the site of the initial Big Ten Hockey Tournament.

Minneapolis officials will hold a news conference today announcing a five-year commitment to hold the NCHC tournament at Target Center, the 22-year-old facility scheduled soon for remodeling. Xcel Energy Center will host the Big Ten Tournament in 2014 and 2016. The two buildings go up against each other for the first time with their hockey tournaments on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22, 2014.

The Minnesota State High School League plays its boys and girls state basketball tournaments at Target Center. Dave Stead, executive director, said the league has contracts only through 2013 and that means a conflict involving dates (March 19-22) for the 2014 boys tournament. With neither Xcel nor Target Center available, Stead will have to consider other sites. The University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena likely won’t be an option because of commitments to post-season college basketball.

Meanwhile the competition to see if either Target Center or Xcel Energy Center, or both, can play to capacity crowds will be interesting. The NCHC is a new league with membership consisting of North Dakota, Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota Duluth, Nebraska Omaha, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan. The Big Ten hockey playing members will be Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. Both leagues start play in 2013-14.

The Big Ten Tournament will count on the hometown Gophers to lead the ticket sales parade. Wisconsin fans will help, too. The Big Ten will have a three-day event, starting on Thursday, March 20 and will involve all six conference teams.

The NCHC Tournament involves only four teams, with two games to be played on Friday, March 21 and the championship and third place games on Saturday, March 22. Tournament officials have to be hoping North Dakota qualifies for the four-team field each year.

North Dakota fans have proven for years they will follow their team in greater numbers to Minneapolis-St. Paul than any other hockey program in the country. A hockey marketing source said counting North Dakota alums in the metro area and fans coming in from the state of North Dakota, 5,000 to 8,000 UND rooters likely will show up at Target Center.

The competition between arenas and cities is obvious starting in 2014, and so too is the intention of the upstart NCHC which has chosen to take on the Big Ten not only on the same dates but in the backyard of Gophers hockey.

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