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.

Worth Noting

Posted on December 14, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Joe Mauer’s fiancé is a nurse in the Twin Cities. He and Madeline Bisanz have known each other since high school at Cretin-Derham Hall. The two have been in Florida but will be back in Minnesota for the holidays. No wedding date has been set for Madeline and the Twins catcher who once dated the 2005 Miss USA, Chelsea Cooley.

Next season needs to be a comeback year on the field for Mauer but it’s even bigger for his buddy, first baseman Justin Morneau. Injuries have slowed Morneau for two seasons and production has been far below his best years (in 2011 four home runs, 30 RBI and a .227 batting average). He turns 31 in May and 2013 is the last year of his contract with the Twins.

Joe’s brother Jake Mauer will return for a third year as manager of the Twins Single-A affiliate Ft. Myers Miracle (Florida State League).

The Saints franchise that comes to Mall of America Field on Sunday to play the Vikings beat Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game on January 24, 2010. Since then the Saints are 21-8 in regular season games, the Vikings 8-21.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association’s annual clinic with the Gophers is March 29-31. Coaches interested in attending can learn more at www.mshsca.org.

New Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has only four teams in 20 seasons of NBA coaching who didn’t make the playoffs. Twice his teams have been in the NBA Finals.

In five seasons playing in the Spanish ACB League, new Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio made .374 percent of his field goals and .314 of his three point attempts. Although he’s only 21, Rubio’s shooting and defense will be scrutinized in the early weeks of the NBA season.

Last summer Rubio treated a north Minneapolis family, who had been impacted by tornadoes, to an afternoon at the Mall of America.

Saint John’s head coach Jim Smith has 731 career wins, the 21^st best total in college basketball history. Smith is 10 wins behind former Temple coach John Chaney.

The Wild will never have a better goalie storyline during the first months of the season than this year. Training camp opened with the comfort of having six-year veteran and regular goalie Niklas Backstrom on the roster. But backup Josh Harding has probably been the team MVP while supporting roles have been played by 51-year-old “emergency” goalie Paul Deutsch and Matt Hackett who didn’t make his first start until December 8. On Monday Hackett was named by the NHL as its Second Star for the week after a 2-0, 1.01 goals against average last week.

The Wild’s Devin Setoguchi is scheduled to sign autographs at the Maplewood Mall Hockey Lodge store on Friday from 6 to 7 p.m. The store is located at 3001 White Bear Avenue in Maplewood.

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Vikings Leader: ‘We Should All Be Held Accountable’

Posted on December 12, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Ryan Longwell, 37, is a veteran leader on the Vikings team, and he told Sports Headliners the team’s 2-11 record and on field performance deserves scrutiny. Accountability, he said, needs to be assessed among players, coaches and front office.

“I think everything has to be looked at when you have a record like this. …We should all be held accountable and ultimately we are,” Longwell said.

The Vikings are having one of the least successful seasons in franchise history and will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Personnel needs are numerous and major reconstruction of the roster must be addressed.

Asked about possible roster changes for next season, the Vikings placekicker said, “Probably a lot of turnover, as there should be. Obviously this combination didn’t get it done. I think we’re all aware of that. We’re all aware our jobs are on the line each and every week. We know it’s a very fleeting profession.”

Leslie Frazier is in his first full year as head coach and he probably gets a “mulligan” for another season from owner Zygi Wilf. That doesn’t mean all the coaches will return, though, and the Star Tribune speculated last week about the job security of defensive coordinator Fred Pagac.

Longwell believes the Vikings should be comparing themselves to teams like Green Bay and New Orleans, two of the most successful NFC organizations in recent seasons. Those clubs have franchises headed by strongly positioned and clearly defined front office football authorities.

The Packers’ Ted Thompson is executive vice president, general manager and director of football operations. The Saints’ Mickey Loomis is the team’s executive vice president-general manager, and “responsible for the club’s entire football operations,” according to the franchise website. The perception about the Vikings —fair or not — is that decision making and leadership of the football department is less defined. The franchise’s most visible department figure is vice president Rick Spielman who oversees the “pro and college scouting departments,” according to the team website.

Fans and media complain the Vikings fragment the decision making process and should have one voice. Longwell was asked if he anticipates changes in the front office after this season.

He said “it’s tough to have people in power” and not provide “clear lines” of responsibility. He believes there are better organizational “setups” than the Vikings have and it will be up to ownership to decide whether changes are needed in that structure and with individuals.

Longwell doesn’t fault the effort of the players this season. He said, “Our record is not an indication of not getting along, being lazy, or not putting in the work.”

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Timberwolves Notes

Posted on December 12, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

News, quotes and opinion from the Timberwolves pre-training camp opening news conference:

New coach Rick Adelman impressed with his no nonsense talk. He said last season’s 17-65 team played “horrendous” defense and that must change. As Houston’s coach, he recalled coaching against the Timberwolves in the final game of the 2010-11 season and seeing the league’s most generous defense.

“We (the Rockets) got whatever we wanted in our first option,” he said. “We never even had to go anywhere else.”

The 65-year-old Adelman has played and coached a lot of basketball. He plans to put a stop to the Wolves’ habit of giving up easy baskets including in transition defense.

He described the Wolves as a “pretty good offensive team” but negatives include leading the NBA in turnovers and not producing enough assists. He and his staff will preach changes on both offense and defense during a short training camp and two exhibition games leading up to the season opener at home on December 26 versus Oklahoma City.

“There’s a trust level in the way you play the game at both ends of the court that we’ve gotta ingrain in them (his players),” Adelman said. “We’ve gotta make them understand this is how we’re gonna play.”

Adelman wishes he had more veteran leadership on a team that could have five starters 25 and younger. He’s labeled forward Kevin Love, 23, as a team leader. Adelman said Love will have the ball in his hands more this season. “There’s no way he should average two or three assists per game,” the coach said.

Love said he grew emotionally over the summer, almost crying when recalling conversations with family that he declined to detail. He’s ready for leadership including being a “facilitator” in the offense and utilizing his superb court awareness. He’s also ready to “hopefully get this team going in crunch time.”

Assists will increase, too, with the arrival of point guard and passing whiz Ricky Rubio. Love broke up the press confidence when asked his impression of Rubio after scrimmaging with him: “I think he passed the sh.. out of it.”

Love reduced his weight after a summer in which he deliberately ate better. Gone is the baby fat and flab of the past. He looks like a different person and seems more mature.

While Love is a certain starter, Adelman will encourage competition for playing minutes. There will be no set starting team for early practices.

The Wolves will have 16 fewer games during the strike-shortened upcoming schedule to better last year’s 17 wins total. Take the bet the Wolves will do just that.

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