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.

Twins & More

Posted on June 1, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Baseball America’s top 10 Twins prospects going into this season were (in order) pitcher Kyle Gibson, outfielder Aaron Hicks, infielder Miguel Sano, outfielder Joe Benson, outfielder Ben Revere, pitcher Liam Hendriks, pitcher Alex Wimmers, pitcher Adrian Salcedo, outfielder Oswaldo Arcia and pitcher Carlos Gutierrez.

Baseball America got it right in 2003 when ranking the Twins’ top three prospects as Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer.

Twins infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka is eligible to come off the disabled list next Tuesday. He last played in a major league game on April 7.

Jake Mauer, Joe Mauer’s grandfather, predicted last month the Twins’ catcher would return from the disabled list by today, but still no confirmation when Joe will be back in the lineup.

The Twins finish a three game series in Detroit tonight. The Twins are 0-8 in their last eight games against the Tigers.

Bruce Krinke said discussions with the Gophers marketing department are to possibly present a bronze bust of legendary Minnesota Heisman Trophy winner Bruce Smith at the September 24 game against North Dakota State at TCF Bank Stadium. Two busts have been completed by Faribault artist Ivan Whillock immortalizing Smith, a Faribault native and the only Gopher ever to win the Heisman. Plans are for one bust to be displayed at the University and the other at Faribault High School.

Krinke, a Gophers fan who has helped lead the funding drive to pay for the busts, also said one of the busts will be on display June 21-24 at the State Bank of Faribault. It’s hoped that Smith’s sister, June Smith, will be able to attend a commemorative luncheon on Friday, June 24 in Faribault. Smith, who won the 1941 Heisman and later inspired a Hollywood movie titled Smith of Minnesota, grew up in Faribault.

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Notes Plus

Posted on June 1, 2011October 9, 2011 by David Shama

Tony Spadafora, a local stadium authority who for years has studied the Vikings’ need for a new facility, emailed that his research shows an Arden Hills stadium will cost $980 million versus $985 million for a new building on the Metrodome site. Spadafora wrote: “The Arden Hills plan builds a retractable roof stadium with plenty of room for tailgating, which most fans want, and costs $5 million less than the Metrodome plan. Or you can say the Metrodome plan builds a fixed roof stadium with little room for tailgating, which few fans want, and costs $5 million more than the Arden Hills plan.”

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission website arrives at a different conclusion. The MSFC projects Arden Hills will cost about $200,000 to $300,000 more than the Metrodome site. https://www.msfc.com/stadium.cfm

If a new stadium is built on the Metrodome site, the Vikings will have to play a couple of seasons at TCF Bank Stadium. The switch in venues, including because of more limited seating capacity, will result in decreased revenues for the Vikings and it’s believed that any new stadium transition plan will compensate the franchise for lost revenue.

Timberwolves’ basketball executive David Kahn is often second-guessed for not retaining Kevin McHale as coach two years ago. McHale is a better coach than Kahn-hire Kurt Rambis and McHale may have a successful run as the new Houston coach, but the situation in Minneapolis was bad two years ago. McHale’s image with the Wolves franchise, mostly because of his poor personnel decisions while leading the basketball department, was negative. No one should blame Kahn for wanting a fresh start back in 2009. Most NBA administrators would have done the same.

Angela Hermann is Canterbury Park’s new Paddock analyst, replacing Kevin Gorg who is busy with FOX Sports North Twins coverage.

Ostrich and camel racing, among the track’s most popular promotions ever, returns on Sunday, July 17.

Happy birthday on Saturday to WCCO Sports Huddle host Dave Mona.

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has named Carleton’s Luciano Battaglini the Wilson/ITA National Women’s Coach-of-the-Year. He coached Carleton to a second place finish in the MIAC and a top 20 national ranking.

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What’s ahead for Twins’ ‘M&M Boys’?

Posted on May 27, 2011October 9, 2011 by David Shama

Any hopes the Twins have of being a competitive team this season and beyond begin with first baseman Justin Morneau and catcher Joe Mauer, two former American League MVP’s who might just have copies on their nightstands of Reverend Robert Schuller’s book Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do.

The Twins are short on talent throughout the organization and if the “M&M Boys” don’t produce as in the past, Minnesota is in trouble. No, Morneau and Mauer can’t carry the team to the post-season alone but when they play like All-Stars the Twins are much more productive at the plate and in the field. And their production eases the physical and mental burdens on teammates.

Last summer Morneau was approaching career numbers when he suffered his now famous concussion. He was batting .345 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI.

His recovery from the concussion was slow and there was uncertainty about his return to the team. Although Morneau has played in 43 games, he has struggled with his hitting and even at times in the field. A career .283 hitter, he’s batting .230 with two home runs and 13 RBI.

This spring Morneau is so frustrated he has probably made his baseball life worse than it needs to be. He badly wants to be a leader for the Twins and bail out a ballclub with a 16-32 record, the worst in the big leagues.

Want a picture of a guy trying too hard? Grab a camera and point it at the 30-year-old Morneau who in his best season (2006) hit .321 with 34 home runs and 130 RBI, and won the AL MVP award. Trying to recover from the long layoff from the concussion meant regaining his timing at the plate and in the field. And Morneau was hit by the flu bug this spring and lost weight. Now he even has a sore neck, no doubt a repository of his tension.

The mental weight of trying to carry his team has been a setback, too, and one that can best be cured by this prescription: “Chill out a bit, young fella.”

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