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 August 31, 2011October 9, 2011 by David Shama

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners about 1,100 Minnesota fans are expected at a pre-game pep rally on Saturday before the USC game, perhaps the largest such road turnout in decades for Minnesota. Fan planes from Minnesota are headed to Los Angeles, plus the southern California area is home to a large number of University of Minnesota alums.

When Gray was in high school in Indianapolis USC encouraged him to attend one of the Trojans’ quarterback camps but he didn’t do so. The Trojans didn’t offer him a scholarship.

The Minnesota-USC game starts at 2:30 p.m. Minneapolis time and will be televised by ABC. Tomorrow night beginning at 7 p.m. central daylight time UNLV plays at Wisconsin on the Big Ten Network.

Vikings marketing executive Steve LaCroix said via email on Monday the club has tickets remaining for all home games “starting @ $39 per ticket.” He also reported “limited availability” for the Green Bay game at Mall of America Field on October 23. That ticket inventory is “via a 2-game package” that includes the Detroit game on September 25, according to LaCroix.

The Vikings, 1-2, finish their preseason schedule tomorrow night at Mall of America Field against Houston. Only twice in franchise history has the team gone winless in preseason, 1961 and 1979. The Vikings went on to have losing records in the regular seasons of both years.

The August 29 issue of Sporting News Magazine has the Vikings finishing last in the NFC North with a 5-11 record.

Quarterback Joe Webb ran for 46 yards and one touchdown on two carries against Dallas last week. During the preseason he has 90 yards rushing on nine attempts while completing 12 of 23 passes (one interception) for 170 yards. His extraordinary running and impromptu scrambling ability must have head coach Leslie Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave intrigued about using Webb occasionally in the Wildcat formation as the featured runner-passer.

The Vikings played for the first time on the new Mall of America Field last Saturday against Dallas. Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission executive director Bill Lester described the look of the new $476,000 turf as “stunning.” Marching bands tamped on the turf earlier this summer to break it in and Lester said he’s not aware of any player complaints about the new field.

Former Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is struggling with his new team, with one touchdown pass, one interception and being sacked seven times in three games. A bad season by Jackson and Seattle could position the Seahawks with the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft. That choice will almost certainly be Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. If Luck isn’t available when Seattle drafts, Carroll might choose his former USC quarterback, Matt Barkley.

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Notes Plus

Posted on August 31, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

When it comes to college football bragging rights in Minnesota, the honors go to Division II and III teams. Minnesota-Duluth, national champion two of the last three years, is rated No. 1 in the country in preseason rankings like D2Football.com. St. Cloud is No. 13 in the D2Football.com rankings.

Minnesota-Duluth coach Bob Nielson has turned plenty of heads with his work. His best players include junior offensive lineman Garth Heikkinen from Duluth Central High School. He’s a popular choice for preseason first team All-American. The Bulldogs open their season at Augustana (ranked No. 9 by D2Football.com) on Saturday.

MIAC powers St. Thomas, Bethel and Saint John’s have all received at least one top 10 national preseason ranking. The Tommies have been ranked fourth by The Sporting News, No. 5 by D3football.com and seventh by Lindy’s Sports. The Royals were ranked No. 4 by Lindy’s Sports, seventh by D3football.com and No. 15 by The Sporting News. The Johnnies were No. 9 in The Sporting News poll and No. 25 in the D3football.com poll.

In the preseason MIAC coaches poll, St. Thomas is the favorite to win the conference championship. The Tommies received six of nine first place votes while the Royals had two and the Johnnies one. Among the league’s outstanding players is St. Thomas wide receiver and returner Fritz Waldvogel, a former MIAC Offensive Player of the Year, who could be a first team Division III All-American.

The Lynx, who have won the first Western Conference championship in franchise history, are awaiting official playoff dates from the WNBA. The club has four regular season games remaining including a home game against New York Friday night and the season finale in Phoenix on September 11.

A WNBA source told Sports Headliners the Western Conference best of three games semifinals may start on Thursday, September 15 and end on Tuesday, September 20 at the latest. The WNBA finals are likely to begin on September 22. The Lynx will have home court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs and possibly in the finals.

Minnesota’s talented roster includes players like Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen who have been on winning NCAA, WNBA and Olympic teams. Moore will be Rookie of the Year, while Whalen and teammate Seimone Augustus are league MVP candidates.

Although the franchise has lost money for several seasons, the WNBA source said the Lynx revenue sources, including ticket sales and corporate revenues, have “dramatically increased” and the club is “nearing profitability.”

Twins starting pitchers finished the club’s 2-9 homestand on Sunday with a 7.04 ERA.

Ben Revere, with 25 stolen bases, is chasing the Twins record for most stolen bases by a rookie, 31 by Luis Rivas in 2001.

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Time to Scrutinize Twins Top to Bottom

Posted on August 29, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Now what for the Minnesota Twins?

The embarrassing 2011 season is only weeks away from ending but how the offseason goes will tell the more passionate and savvy fans a lot about this organization’s future.

Ownership and management could take a “cosmetic” approach in the months ahead. Make a few changes and rationalize 2011 as a tough luck season, mostly caused by an unusually high number of injuries. But rather than take the victim approach, the decision makers at Target Field are advised to audit the entire organization and everyone in it.

Best business practices call for nothing less. The process should include fact finding and opinion from not only the ownership and top management, but also the advice of consultants who can look more objectively at the organization and its people.

The Twins were 94-68 last season and have won six of the last nine Central Division titles, but even those ball clubs frustrated themselves and fans with their dismal playoff records. The Twins weren’t built to play with baseball’s best teams, and this year’s club couldn’t compete very well against past Minnesota championship teams.

The 2011 Twins are stumbling to the season’s finish line. The club has a 6-19 record in August and lost 15 of its last 18 home games. Minnesota is 10-28 against the powerful East Division, the American League’s best grouping of teams. The Twins have lost five straight series at home.

It’s time to look at everything and everybody involved with what the Twins do during the season, the offseason and spring training. The scrutiny certainly needs to start with general manager Billy Smith and the organization’s other talent evaluators, but the organizational analysis needs to go beyond that and try to answer questions about coaching, conditioning and best use of player payroll.

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