Author: David Shama

The Vikings were 12-4 during the regular season last year and winning impacts Pro Bowl selections.  With this season’s losing record the Vikings won’t have 10 Pro Bowl selections again.  “I think if anybody on the team deserves it, Chris Kluwe deserves it,” said placekicker Ryan Longwell.  “I think he’s the best punter in the league.  He’s had the best year in the league of any punter.”

Robison has mostly been a reserve during his Vikings career but said he’s been playing more the last two games than earlier in the season, about 20 plays per game.

Vikings coach Brad Childress and Packers coach Mike McCarthy are in their fifth seasons coaching their teams.  Childress, who was linked with the Packers head coach opening before coming here, has a 39-34 regular season record, 1-2 in the playoffs, while McCarthy is 44-29 and 1-2 also.

Vikings wide receiver and punt returner Greg Camarillo watched his teammates slip on the Solider Field turf in Chicago last Sunday and told Sports Headliners it was as “bad” a dry surface as he has played on.

Former Vikings defensive lineman John Randle will receive his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring on Sunday from a hall of fame representative.

The Goal Line Club will sponsor the annual Gophers football banquet on Sunday, November 28 at TCF Bank Stadium.  The public is welcome and the registration deadline is tonight.  More information from Bob Hughes, 651-322-0779, or www.goallineclub.com.

Jim Dotseth of the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association announced yesterday the 10 finalists for the annual Mr. Football award: Joe Bjorklund, Rosemount; Reggie Gandy, DeLaSalle; Jordan Hayes, Brainerd; Eric Kline, Blaine; Dillon Olson, Goodridge/Grygla-Gatzke; Colby Salonek, Springfield; Ayrton Scott, Minneapolis Southwest; Dylan Ulferts, Shakopee; Frank Veldman, Eastview; and Peter Westerhaus, Holy Family.  The winner will be announced at the Mr. Football Banquet on December 19 at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park.

Brainerd stunned observers last week when the Warriors defeated Eden Prairie 13-10 in the prep football playoffs.  Answering an email from Sports Headliners, Brainerd’s Ron Stolski, the winningest prep football coach in state history, wrote that the Eden Prairie win “ranks with the biggest in our long history.”  Before coming to Brainerd, Stolski started the football program at Park Center High School and in 1971, his team’s first year, Park beat Osseo, winners of 38 straight games. Tonight the Warriors play Rosemount in a Class 5A semifinal game at the Metrodome.

Since Cal Clutterbuck’s mustache began its own twitter account (@ClutterStache) the Wild forward has scored four goals in seven games.  He is involved with the “Movember” promotion encouraging men to grow moustaches during November to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer research.

Wild goaltending prospect Dennis Endras led Germany to the Deutschland Cup championship last weekend with wins against Canada and Switzerland.  Endras was the Wild’s emergency goalie when the team opened the season in Helsinki.

Augustana’s Dan Schoen, an offensive lineman from Maple Grove High School, has won the Glen Galligan award as voted by the NSIC coaches.  The award is given to an outstanding senior football player in the conference who excels as a student and athlete.

Woodbury’s Larry Freedman and Princeton’s Jim Beck lead two MIAC football officiating crews that because of their quality work have been selected to officiate NCAA Division III playoff games tomorrow. Freedman’s crew will work the Coe College at Wheaton College game.  Beck’s group will have the St. Norbert College at North Central College game.

In Gophers basketball news, coach Tubby Smith said his team will need to play “50 percent” better in its next game, and the University will retire the jerseys of two more former players later this season.

After the Gophers defeated Siena (76-69) on Monday night at Williams Arena, Smith criticized his team’s lack of consistency in a season that is just beginning.  The Gophers, 2-0 in regular season games and 2-0 in exhibitions this month, will be on the road for the first time when they play tomorrow night against Western Kentucky in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan.

The tournament includes schools with basketball pedigrees such as North Carolina and West Virginia.  If the Gophers and North Carolina win tomorrow, the two schools will play each other Friday.

“It’s going to be a good test for us,” said Gophers forward Trevor Mbakwe.  “We’re gonna be on a neutral site.  We’re not gonna have the (home) crowd so we’re gonna have to rally around each other to win those games.”

Smith was critical of his team’s effort on Monday night.  “We can’t look by anybody,” he said.

Guard Chuck Mencel and forward Dick Garmaker will have their jerseys retired at halftime of Gophers’ Big Ten games on January 26 and February 6.  Mencel was a four-year starter for the Gophers from 1951-55.  He and Garmaker played together during the 1953-54 and 1954-1955 seasons when the Gophers finished third and second in the Big Ten.

Mencel averaged 18 points or better twice during his career while Garmaker had averages of 21.6 and 24.2.  Both players were twice first team All-Big Ten and were All-Americans in 1955.  Mencel was the Chicago Tribune’s 1955 Big Ten Most Valuable Player.

The retired jerseys of other Gophers as displayed in Williams Arena are: Jim Brewer, Kevin McHale, Lou Hudson, Mychal Thompson, Whitey Skoog and Trent Tucker. The Gophers don’t actually discontinue use of a player’s jersey number.  For example, Mbakwe wears the same jersey number as Tucker, No. 32.

Smith described freshman guard Austin Hollins as his best conditioned player.  He said the son of former NBA player Lionel Hollins “plays his heart out.”

Minnesota’s election earlier this month delivered one certainty for the Vkings and their stadium campaign.  Their message will be heard by a lot of new legislators and a new governor.  How that translates into success or failure in gaining legislation to build a new stadium is anyone’s guess.

Stadium sources won’t predict whether the new Republican majorities in the House and Senate will positively affect the push for a stadium that has been going on for more than 10 years.  Although election results aren’t official until certified by the State Canvassing Board on November 23, it appears the Republicans will have a 72-62 majority in the House, 37-30 in the Senate.  It’s expected there will be 60 new legislators.  Both Democrat Mark Dayton and Republican Tom Emmer expressed support for a stadium during their campaigns, and whoever emerges from the recount as governor could be a Vikings ally.

The Vikings stadium lease expires at Mall of America Field after the 2011 season and rumors connect the franchise to a Los Angeles relocation but the stadium campaign remains unsettled in Southern California, too.  https://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/news.html

The clearest sports winner from the new Republican legislative power might be Canterbury Park and its racino efforts.  Canterbury has long advocated adding slot machines, a model that has boosted horseracing in other states, but particularly Democrats have been opposed to supportive legislation here.

The Lakers are in town on Friday night to play the Timberwolves and it was 50 years ago that the franchise relocated from Minneapolis to Los Angeles.  Although now one of the most popular sports franchises in the country, the Lakers of 1960 weren’t a big deal in Los Angeles.  In a November 5, 1960 story Don Page of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “Bigger crowds have watched knitting tournaments than have viewed the Lakers so far.”