Author: David Shama

Four former Gophers were named to the 50^th anniversary Proviso West Holiday Tournament all-time team.  Jim Brewer, Tom Kondla, Al Nuness and Townsend Orr were among 50 players honored last week.

The prestigious Chicago area tournament has a proud tradition and its 50 member all-time team includes some of the most recognizable names in basketball history.  Among those who played in the tournament as preps are Kevin Garnett, Isiah Thomas, Doc Rivers, Michael Finley, Juwan Howard, Mark Aguirre, Corey Maggette, Jeff Hornacek, Evan Turner, Dee Brown, Shannon Brown and Jon Scheyer.

Kondla and Nuness played together with the Gophers during the 1967-68 season.  Kondla was an All-American center in 1967 while Nuness captained the 1968-69 team and averaged 16.4 points per game as a guard.

Brewer was also an All-American center for the Gophers and one of Minnesota’s best defensive players ever when he helped lead the team to the 1972 Big Ten championship.  Orr was a high energy guard on coach Clem Haskins’ teams in the 1990s.  https://pwhoops.com/

I’ve been scratching my head since last month trying to figure out how Joe Kapp isn’t included among the top vote getters for the 50 greatest Vikings.  Kapp was one of the franchise’s most inspirational players ever and led the Vikings to their first Super Bowl.  On his Facebook page Kapp writes that he’s the only quarterback ever to start in Rose Bowl, Grey Cup and Super Bowl games.

Also on Facebook the former University of California quarterback writes: “My sacrifice is I gave up tequila until Cal wins the Rose Bowl.”

Vikings rookie running back Toby Gerhart plans to “relax” for a short while back home in Norco, California now that the season is over.  The Southern California town is located about 20 minutes from the Pacific Ocean.  “It’s nice,” Gerhart said. “It’s different, a little country western town.  A lot of horses, no sidewalks, no street lights. Horse trails and hitching posts and stuff like that.”

Vikings rookie guard Chris DeGeare plans to vacation soon with his fiancé in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Politicians have been against the legislative approval of slot machines at Canterbury Park and Running Aces on the argument they’re opposed to the expansion of gambling.  With Native American operated casinos, gambling at two area race tracks, pull-tabs at bars and lottery tickets for sale at stores, gambling is already well established in the state.  This year may provide the best possibility yet for approval of slots at Canterbury and Running Aces, with a possible tie to funding a Vikings stadium.

The second episode of the FOX Sports North series “Unscripted: Coaches/Manager” airs Thursday night at 9 p.m.  The series provides conversations with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis, Wild head Todd Richards and Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith.  The final episode airs Saturday at 9 p.m.

The Twins relief pitching will look different without late inning specialists Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier but don’t expect the front office to spend big money to replace them.  The seventh inning specialist could be Jose Mijares, with Matt Capps in the eighth and Joe Nathan in the ninth.  The Twins have to be hoping former contributors Pat Neshek and Glen Perkins can pitch in 2011 with the efficiency they showed a few years ago.  Both could help in bullpen roles.

General manager Bill Smith said on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle on Sunday that the best news about first baseman Justin Morneau is doctors have told him to “work through” any concussion symptoms.

Tracy Claeys, the Gophers new defensive coordinator, will be the speaker at the C.O.R.E.S luncheon on Thursday, January 13.  Gophers broadcaster Dave Mona will introduce Claeys.  C.O.R.E.S members can make reservations by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.  C.O.R.E.S is an acronym for coaches, officials, educators, reporters and sports fans.

The Senior Bowl, to be played January 29 in Mobile, Alabama, has announced a partial roster for the game including four quarterbacks, TCU’s Andy Dalton, Alabama’s Greg McElroy, Florida State’s Christian Ponder and Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi.  No Gophers are expected to be chosen for the game which is a scouting showcase for the NFL.

Leslie Frazier is expected to soon have the “interim” removed from his title, according to multiple media reports today.  The announcement that Frazier will become the Vikings 2011 head coach is speculated to come tomorrow or later this week, and it’s expected to receive applause from the players.

Wide receiver Greg Camarillo was asked late last week by Sports Headliners how a secret locker room ballot about Frazier would turn out.  “Everybody likes him,” Camarillo answered.  “Obviously personnel decisions, coaching decisions are made from up top.  But I don’t know a person in this locker room that wouldn’t want to play for coach Frazier. He’s definitely got the future as a head coach.”

Frazier was the Vikings defensive coordinator before taking over as the interim boss when head coach Brad Childress was fired following an embarrassing home game loss to the Packers, leaving the team with a 3-7 record, reports of a divisive locker room, and a long way from looking like a Super Bowl contender.  In the past Frazier was considered for head coaching jobs in the NFL but had always been rejected so the interim tag moved him closer to his career ambition.

“I think we all want him to get the job,” Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell said last week.  “Bigger than that we all want him to get a job.  We feel that he deserves to be a head coach in this league.  You hope it’s here but it’s not our decision to make.  We just know that he deserves to be a head coach.”

The Vikings were 3-3 under Frazier, including a 20-13 loss to the Lions today that left the Vikings with a 6-10 record and a last place finish in the NFC North.  The previous six games were impacted by difficult challenges including too many injuries to key personnel and weather driven decisions that impacted where and when games would be played.

“He’s had more curve balls thrown at him and he’s kept everybody going in the right direction…and going the same way,” Longwell said. “And not enough has been said about what an amazing job that has been, just keeping guys going in the right direction.  You name it.  We’ve seen it and then some this last month.  I think a lot of the credit of the direction of the team goes to him.”

Camarillo said Frazier respects the players and they’ve returned that respect to him.  Frazier’s calm, steady and positive approach has been well received by a veteran group that Camarillo said wouldn’t react favorably to a yelling and screaming leader.

“He sets a level of expectations and then puts it on the veterans to achieve those expectations,” Camarillo said.  “In the NFL you can yell and scream all you want, but we’re all professionals.”

What has Frazier meant to the team the last six weeks?  “A lot,” Camarillo said.  “He brought a new energy.  Kind of a new start to a season.  A new mentality.  After that rough first part of the season, we needed that to refocus and play the rest of the season as hard as we have, as dedicated as we have.”

In 2011 we may see what Frazier can do with 16 weeks.