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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.

New U QB: ‘I Live and Die by Preparation’

Posted on March 26, 2024March 26, 2024 by David Shama

 

Between now and the University of Minnesota’s opening football game August 29 against North Carolina, no Golden Gophers player will prompt more curiosity and anticipation than transfer quarterback Max Brosmer.  He made FCS All-American last fall at New Hampshire while leading the FCS in passing yards and total offense.  Yet there is no certain way to know how well he will perform at a higher level against FBS/Big Ten teams.

That answer will have to wait until the Gophers go through their 12-game schedule, but a few things are known after Brosmer’s short tenure here that includes workouts in the winter and now spring practices that began last week.  The intel is this: the transfer QB is an adult, with a pro’s work ethic, dedication to preparation and a desire to lead.

“I live and die by preparation,” said Brosmer who played five years at New Hampshire and was a team captain in 2023.  “I know that my skill only goes so far.  I don’t run a 4.4.  I can’t escape every single blitz but if I know it’s coming, then maybe I can have a chance to get out of it. …I think that it (escaping trouble) comes from a team effort.  Comes from the staff and also a group effort from the offensive line, the running back room, the receiver room and me as well–together (with us) doing it. …There’s a lot that goes into it.”

Brosmer, already named a Gopher captain, has known for years that he doesn’t have the strongest arm to throw the football as hard or far as some of his peers.  “The thing that I had to improve at a young age was to be able to throw to tight windows before they were there,” he said.

Max Brosmer

At New Hampshire last year Brosmer attempted 459 passes and was intercepted only five times.  That kind of success comes from repetition and knowing where the holes will be in the secondary.  Brosmer will also tell you success comes from knowing his receivers and mutually being in synch in all aspects of passing and catching.

It will take time on and off the field for Brosmer to develop things with his receivers, but he already has their attention and impressed both them and other teammates.  Wide receiver Daniel Jackson, the team’s star wide receiver, refers to Brosmer as the “general” for the way he has taken over the huddle and been embraced and trusted by teammates.

“… In the huddle, on the field when we’re already lined up, he’s able to make adjustments on the fly,” Jackson said. “He’s able to see things that really no one else on the field is able to see. And he’s able to put us receivers and running backs in the best position to go out there and be successful. It’s just his knowledge of the game is very, very impeccable.”

The Gophers have struggled in recent seasons to develop a consistent passing offense.  Last year they ranked 123rd among 130 FBS teams in passing yards per game at 143.4.

Brosmer is aware of the challenge but has noted there is a strong willingness by him and others to put in the effort to make the results better in 2024, which will be his one year of eligibility at Minnesota.  “I am super, super excited,” he said.

Brosmer added he sees talent to work with and added this about the receiver room: “There’s a crave and a desire to grow and to progress. …”

Brosmer is talking about work ethic and he has created a sense of commitment that goes beyond his teammates.  “He’s the hardest worker I’ve been around. No question,” said co-offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. who talks about “a partnership” with his QB.

Harbaugh said Brosmer has challenged him and changed him. “The best thing about (being) a coach is when a guy can challenge you, and he makes you better every single day. And I think that is the number one thing that he does. Me and him are together all the time, and we’re working together. He challenges me to make sure that every meeting that I have…that I’m ready to roll.”

The Gophers, 6-7 last year, didn’t find the passing consistency they needed with Athan Kaliakmanis who has transferred to Rutgers.  Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck was looking for an experienced and accomplished quarterback in the portal.

“…We talked about how we needed a quarterback to walk in here and connect the entire football team,” Fleck said before spring practice started about his quarterback. “And that was going to be a tall task for anybody. But you can tell in two and a half short months this team is completely connected to him, has leaned on him and has looked to him for guidance.

“And that’s a credit to our players, but also a credit to him that he’s been able to do that in such a short amount of time. And it’s real, it’s authentic. He’s a special young man. And we look forward to him actually throwing some footballs here coming up. …Because this isn’t like having a freshman come in here that’s really talented.

“He has all the experience that you want. That doesn’t promise you anything, but it gives you a better chance. And his work ethic is through the roof and has really taken this team probably farther quicker than maybe expected.”

Coming out of Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia he threw for 3,459 yards as a senior, but he didn’t have FBS recruiters knocking down his door.  Late last year, though, there were FBS programs pursuing the high-profile Brosmer, but he didn’t take long to decide on the Gophers.

“…I wanted to get in out of the portal as quickly as I could as long as I was going to the school that fit me the best.  Minnesota being that school for me.”

The fit has been more than fine so far.

Gophers Travel Notes: Rose Bowl Return

Stillwater-based Creative Charters has been arranging Golden Gophers football fan trips since 1993 and will be carrying on that tradition in the fall including the October 12 game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl.  Minnesota last played in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1962—ironically against UCLA.

For over 60 years Gophers fans have yearned to see their team back in the “Granddaddy” of all bowl games.  It hasn’t happened but the next best thing is playing in Pasadena during the regular season where the Bruins host their home games.

Creative has already sold out three trips for the return to the Rose Bowl.  “We have the entire Godfrey Hotel,” Steve Erban told Sports Headliners.

Dorothy & Steve Erban

Steve and wife Dorothy own Creative Charters, and they’re adding two more trip packages to accommodate the strong interest in the game.  The Godfrey and now the Loews, both in Hollywood, are host hotels. Creative Charters has also scheduled a Warner Bros. Studio Tour as part of the trip experience.

Fleck said going back to the Rose Bowl means coming “full circle for a lot of families” in a football program that is tradition rich.  U defensive lineman Danny Striggow, a Minnesota native, said of the game and the playing venue: “That’s an awesome opportunity.”

A potential 600 travelers going with Creative Charters thinks so, too.

Comments Welcome

Twins Prez: Byron Buxton Doing Great

Posted on March 24, 2024March 24, 2024 by David Shama

 

Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners during an interview Friday management doesn’t have a targeted number of games for Byron Buxton to play center field, or number of at bats as the club’s center fielder.

“We do not.  There is no number.  Taking it one day at a time.  One series at a time.  One month at a time.”

St. Peter was asked how Buxton is physically with spring training ending Tuesday and the regular season starting Thursday in Kansas City against the Royals?  “Great. He is doing great.  Fantastic.”

Since 2017 when Buxton had a career high 140 games, the gifted 30-year-old has played in as few games as 28 and no more than 92. In 2023 injuries were problematic again and his role was only as a designated hitter.

Now the plan is a return to center field where Buxton’s skills and presence give the defense, per St. Peter, “a competitive advantage.”

Team fielding, including prowess up the middle, is one of multiple reasons the club president believes his team can improve on last year’s breakthrough season when the club won the American League Central Division championship and was victorious in a playoff series for the first time in 21 years.  “

We feel really good about our club defensively,” St. Peter said.

Buxton and shortstop Carlos Correa are former Gold Glove winners.  First baseman Carlos Santana was a Gold Glove finalist with the Pirates last season, while third baseman Royce Lewis is uber athletic and a former shortstop.  Regarding the catching roster of Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez, St. Peter said “that’s as good a catching combo as there is in the American League.”

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

In evaluating the outfield corner defense, St. Peter said Max Kepler is “elite in right field by every measure” and left fielder Matt Wallner is above average.

It’s second base where Twins fans may be most concerned about the defense.  Edouard Julien, 24 and a terrific hitting prospect as he showed last season in his rookie debut, can struggle in the field but St. Peter is upbeat about him.  “Eddie Julien was vastly improved by the end of last year at second base and I think that’s a big deal.”

The Twins scored the 10th most runs in MLB last season and only two other clubs hit more home runs than Minnesota’s 233.  That was accomplished with Buxton and Correa, potentially two of the most productive hitters on the roster, having subpar seasons.

Asked about team hitting, St. Peter said, “We think it’s exciting.  We expect to score more runs (in 2024).”

Production, St. Peter predicted, will depend on having a healthy group starting with players who struggled with injuries in the recent past:  Buxton, Correa, Lewis, Kepler and first baseman Alex Kirilloff.

Buxton, at .207 and Correa with a .230 average, were hampered with injuries last season.  They’re capable of doing much better in 2024 including exceeding the combined 35 home runs and 107 RBI the two produced.

Lewis has the kind of offensive talent that can carry a team. The 24-year-old showed clutch hitting with four grand slam home runs during 2023 in only 236 at bats as injuries limited his availability.

Kepler, slowed by injuries in the spring, had an eye-catching second half of the season hitting .306 after the All-Star Game break, with 12 home runs and 36 RBI.  “…I am expecting big things from Max in 2024,” St. Peter said.

St. Peter refers to Kirilloff “as an elite hitter.”  The 26-year-old has been on the verge for a couple of seasons in making heroic headlines but injuries have slowed his progress.  “We still believe in Alex,” St. Peter said.  “We think he can be a critical guy for us. ..”

Julien, 24, hit 16 home runs last season in 338 at bats.  While hitting .263, he showed the ability to hit the baseball to all fields.

Jeffers could also help make St. Peter’s expectation of scoring more runs come true.  He leads the team in home runs this spring with four.  “Ryan Jeffers has a lot of power,” St. Peter said.  “We’ve seen that in Minnesota.  Last year he had a great offensive year, one of the better offensive years any catcher had in our game. He hits the ball hard. ….”

St. Peter’s optimism about 2024 extends to the pitching staff.   “Since (baseball boss) Derek Falvey has been here (Nov. 2016 hired) our pitching has improved each and every year. I expect our pitching this year again to be one of the strengths of our team.”

St. Peter described it as “challenging losing Sonny Gray.”  He was a superb veteran starter, a stabilizer for the Twins but he signed as a free agent with the Cardinals during the offseason.

“He gave us a chance every night, but I am really confident that our group (of starters)—led by Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack, Louie Varland—I think that group is plenty good in terms of it’s going to give us a chance to win a lot of games,” St. Peter said.

“I am also really excited about our bullpen.  I think our bullpen is as deep as it’s been since Derek has been leading our baseball operation.  Even with the loss of Jhoan Duran (oblique strain) to start the season, you know what we’ve seen out of Griffin Jax, what we’ve seen out of Brock Stewart, Jorge Alcala. We like our bullpen a lot.  We think it will be again a strength of our club.”

St. Peter believes the players are “very determined to take another step toward a championship,” implying the club is targeting an American League Pennant.  Minnesota’s record last season was 87-75.  How many wins for the Twins in 2024?

“… I don’t forecast victories (number of wins),” St. Peter answered.
“I certainly expect our team to be better.”

At season’s end success will be directly tied to the health of the players.  Adversity will come but in the club’s favor is its depth.

“Willi Castro was a critical player a year ago that can play all over the diamond, as can Kyle Farmer,” St. Peter said. “You add the addition of Carlos Santana (infield, outfield, catcher).  He gives us additional depth there as well. …The depth we have with Jeffers and Vazquez.  In our mind two starting catchers kind of sharing time there.  So we like our depth a lot.  We think…it will be one of the strengths of our club.”

By now, almost on the eve of the season opener, you have caught on that the longtime Twins president (named in 2022) is optimistic about 2024.  Whether it’s individual players like Buxton, or the collective forecast, he can see success ahead.

Comments Welcome

Taylor: Equity Group Not in Place for Wolves Sale

Posted on March 19, 2024March 19, 2024 by David Shama

 

Finalizing the deal to sell the NBA Timberwolves and WNBA Lynx remains unclear with a deadline of March 27 looming.

In 2021 owner Glen Taylor struck a multi-phase payment plan with Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to acquire the Minneapolis-based basketball franchises for $1.5 billion. The final payment to give Lore and Rodriguez majority control over the teams (Taylor becomes a minority owner) is due a week from Wednesday.

That deadline is an extension of a previous date and indicates the challenge the buyers have experienced in raising capital needed for the takeover.  Taylor told Sports Headliners yesterday about $600 million is needed to make the final payment.

Doubters might be skeptical of the sale being completed.  Taylor’s communications with the two buyers haven’t been frequent of late but he did offer important news about financing.

“They had an equity group that was going to come in and put in $300 million, and that equity group has either withdrawn or the NBA has denied them,” Taylor said.  “They have to go out and find new revenue.  That I do know.  I don’t know if they found it or what they’re going to do.  We haven’t seen the schedule of ownership yet.”

The NBA will have a final call on approving the sale even if the Lore and Rodriguez group meet their final payment obligation.  That might not be a slam dunk.  If the league isn’t convinced the new owners can meet operating obligations with their finances, approval won’t be granted.

Marc Lore

It’s believed Lore and Rodriguez will want to replace Target Center to better serve customers while improving revenues and financial value of the two franchises. A source told Sports Headliners the Farmers Market near downtown is a site of interest to the potential new owners.

Taylor would neither confirm nor deny the speculation about the location at 312 East Lyndale Avenue North.  “…I don’t think I am the one that should comment on that.  I think you should ask that of those guys.”

Gophers Basketball Notes

Anticipating how a college basketball team will perform the next season has never been dicier than it is now.  With players having “free agency” to change schools at a whim, it’s best not to go overboard about the Gophers who potentially could have all five starters return.

The possibility of having center Pharell Payne, forward Dawson Garcia and guards Cam Christie, Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr. returning has college basketball authorities upbeat about Minnesota’s future.  School athletic director Mark Coyle says a preseason top 25 ranking could happen, with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Big Ten Network analyst Brian Butch seeing the Gophers as possible title contenders in the Big Ten Conference.

After consecutive last place finishes in the conference and a combined league record of 6-33, coach Ben Johnson had his best Big Ten regular season record going 9-11 and 18-14 overall. Minnesota has its first NIT invite since 2014 and opens play tonight at Butler.

Izzo: “…Ben’s done an unbelievable job with the program. They could be the No. 1 team in the league next year so hat’s off to them.”

Butch told Sports Headliners the Gophers could be “top four” in the league next year.  He said his alma mater, Wisconsin, might be in that company, too.

Garcia, a junior, made second team All-Big Ten as chosen by the media.  He is averaging 17.7 points per game and has an admirer in Izzo.  “…He’s a very good player, and if he keeps getting better, watch out,” the legendary Michigan State coach said.

Hawkins, who ranks second nationally in assists with 7.5 per game, is Garcia’s roommate.  “Me and him, we feel like it starts with us. We’re the older guys in the lineup.

“I feel like as we go, the team goes.  Dawson is a great player for us. He’s our leading scorer here.  We expect a lot out of him, and he gives it to us.”

Hawkins, the team’s point guard, transferred from Howard last year and expects to make a decision soon about returning for his senior season.  “I love Minneapolis.  It’s like my new home, I guess.  I love my teammates and my coaches.  They test me every day to get better.

“I feel like in the beginning of the season I was struggling a little bit with turnovers and stuff as far as that, so I feel like through the season I got better and better. Next year I definitely feel like we’ll be a good team, a better team.”

Guard Braeden Carrington played frequently as a sub this year and could be the first player off the bench next season.  He said it’s not “too much to hope for” that the Gophers will be a nationally ranked team in the fall of 2024.

Carrington wants to see more consistency within games from the team. At times opponents went on scoring runs and the Gophers became “flustered,” he said.   “I think if we can get that figured out (consistency through 40 minutes), I think we’ll be good for next year.”

Carrington, a sophomore defensive stopper, believes he can improve his agility and strength to become an even better defender. “My goal is to be an all-defensive player (in the Big Ten),” he said.

Ben Johnson

It seems likely Johnson will receive a contract extension and additional compensation in his contract.  He is the Big Ten’s youngest head coach at 43 and believed to be the lowest paid.

The Badgers, who finished second in the Big Ten Tournament, might have all their starters return except for forward Tyler Wahl from Lakeville.  Moving into Wahl’s spot could be Lakeville native Nolan Winter, who is the son of former Gopher center Trevor Winter.

Nolan showed considerable improvement during his freshman year and at 6-11 has exceptional skills including his outside shooting. “I think the future is so bright for Nolan,” said Butch.  “He’s a great kid.”

Winter might team with 7-foot junior starter Steven Crowl from Eagan to give the Badgers two bigs in their lineup.  They continue the legacy in Madison of exceptional players from Minnesota who became Badgers this millennium.

Wisconsin is in the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time and is one of only five programs to participate 23 times in the last 25 years. Butch, who is the game radio analyst for Wisconsin, said the ongoing recruiting pipeline to Minnesota is because so many players have found success playing for the Badgers.  Those players have bought into a culture of sacrificing for each other, and the Badgers have turned out Big Ten titles and NCAA Tournament runs under coach Bo Ryan and now Greg Gard.

“…They understand what exactly it is to be successful,” Butch said. “They buy into what Wisconsin is about.

“And you’ve seen changes (in style). This year Wisconsin is scoring the ball more than they have. Kids have seen that, too. Greg is willing to change.  To adapt.  I think that helps, too.”

Izzo said coming to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament was a “tearful visit for me” because of his friendship with the late Flip Saunders, the former Gophers point guard, and Timberwolves executive and coach.  “…Flip Saunders deserves to be even thought of more than he probably is here because he loved this city, he loved the Gophers, he loved the Timberwolves, and I love him. Sad to see him not with us right now.”

 

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