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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.

Garnett Ranked No. 22 among All-Time Greats

Posted on June 3, 2010February 7, 2012 by David Shama

Simmons is the author of the “Basketball Book” which delivers a comprehensive and insider’s look at the best players, past and present, who have played in the NBA.

Simmons believes what Garnett did in Boston after arriving in 2007 from the Timberwolves can’t be quantified by the numbers.  “He transformed the culture of a perennial doormat,” Simmons writes in his book.  “He taught teammates to care about defense, practice, professionalism, and leaving everything they had on the court.  He taught them to stop caring about stats and start caring about wins.”

In the book Simmons ranks Garnett No. 22 among the NBA’s greatest players.  Among those ahead of Garnett are two other power forwards, No. 19 Charles Barkley and No. 18 Karl Malone.  Barkley, who played for three NBA teams, never was on a world championship club.  Malone played in two NBA finals with Utah but lost both times to Chicago.

The Celtics are likely to win their 18th world championship against the Lakers, the defending champs.  Boston has the better defense.  The Celtics’ defense can destroy opponents and evidence includes 32 and 29 point wins in this spring’s playoffs.

The Celtics have four players that on most nights can make a big impact on any game.  Two years ago Boston had its big three but now Rondo is so good he’s transitioned the Celtics to a big four while taking his place among the elite point guards in the league.

The Lakers Kobe Bryant will be the best player in the series but only teammate Pau Gasol, perhaps the NBA’s most efficient offensive center, can be counted on to bring more star power game after game for Los Angeles.  Point guard Derek Fisher is the team’s next best contributor while center Andrew Bynum and forwards Ron Artest and Lamar Odom tease with their up and down performances.

No guarantees, but odds are the Celtics win this series.  If so, it will be the ninth time that the Celtics have defeated the Lakers in the finals.  Garnett won’t carry his team but he will shoulder plenty of the effort, and he will put a lot more space and time between himself and those many difficult seasons in Target Center when the NBA nation wondered if he would ever escape the Timberwolves and win a title.

Make it two.

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Worth Noting

Posted on June 3, 2010February 7, 2012 by David Shama

You wonder if 22-year-old starter Kyle Gibson, a power pitching right-hander, will be on the Twins roster by August.  Gibson, who slipped to No. 22 in the 2009 first-year player draft, is pitching for Double-A New Britain.  His record is 3-1 with a 1.37 ERA.

Twins starting left-hander Francisco Liriano apparently likes Target Field.  He has allowed seven earned runs in 28 innings this season pitching in the team’s new ballpark.

In 11 of the last 14 games between the Twins and Yankees, the games have been decided by three runs or less.

Gophers baseball coach John Anderson, whose team plays an opening game in the NCAA tournament tomorrow night against Cal State Fullerton, will talk to Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi about a new contract this summer.

Maturi, who is chair of the Big Ten athletic directors, will be the only conference AD attending this weekend’s semi-annual meeting of league presidents and chancellors in Chicago.

A friend visiting the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas last week reported that the Vikings are the betting favorite there to win the NFC Championship (3-1 odds) and the second pick to win the Super Bowl (6-1).  Only Indianapolis in the AFC has better Super Bowl odds at 5-1.

Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier talking late last week about Chris Cook, the team’s rookie cornerback who was the club’s highest drafted rookie: “Chris Cook has done a great job for us these few practices we’ve had with him.  He’s got great length. The one thing that has been really impressive has been his awareness. He has good intelligence. That’s a key component to being successful in our league. You feel like he’ll be able to adjust to some of the things he’ll be able to see with his physical ability. He’s been a plus.”

Former Gophers basketball captain Al Nuness will retire as of August 1 after 20 years as an executive at Jostens.

Representatives from the Wild were in Toronto last week to watch the top 100 prospects for the June 24-25 NHL Entry Draft perform at the NHL Scouting Combine. The Wild staff met and interviewed prospects, and saw them tested off-ice.

Blaine’s Nick Bjugstad, ranked as the No. 13 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, had an impressive combine.  He recorded the second-highest pull strength score (307 pounds), tied for second on the anaerobic fitness – mean power output test (11.3 watts/kg) and tied for third with 18, 150-pound bench presses.  He tied for fourth with a 152-pound left-hand grip, tied for sixth lowest with 7.3 percent body fat, ranked seventh in the average leg power test (1,693.8 watts) and tied for ninth with a 110-inch standing long jump.

Cretin-Derham Hall’s Mark Alt recorded the top score with a 31.8-inch vertical jump, ranked fourth in the peak leg power test (6,611 watts) and had the 10th-longest wingspan at the combine (77.75 inches).

Be careful where you source in-demand tickets.  A transplanted Minnesotan lost $1,100.00 on two counterfeit tickets for game two of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Chicago on Monday night.

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Morneau Puts Spring Training Stats in Rearview Mirror

Posted on May 27, 2010February 7, 2012 by David Shama

Justin Morneau was frustrated during spring training but he’s answered any doubts he or anyone else may have had with an impressive start this season.  The Twins first baseman is leading the American League in hitting with a .369 batting average, and ranks in the top five in both home runs and RBI.

Morneau didn’t play after September 12 last season because of a stress fracture in his back.  In spring training this year he hit .160 with two home runs and eight RBI in 50 at bats.

But so far Morneau’s bat production has been so good it even invites tepid speculation about a Triple Crown season.  No one in the American League has been the leader in batting average, home runs and RBI since Carl Yastrzemski did it playing for Boston in 1967.

That 43 year drought says plenty about the difficulty involved in winning a Triple Crown.  Yet Morneau is gifted and last year Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew told Sports Headliners the “sky’s the limit” for the 29-year-old first baseman.

Morneau has been turning heads since 2006 when he won the American league MVP award with career best totals of 34 home runs, 130 RBI and a .321 average.  In each of the last three seasons he has driven in 100 or more runs and two of those years had 30 home runs or more.

Morneau, who has been with the Twins since 2003, once struggled in the big leagues until he gained more experience and manager Ron Gardenhire helped him to better production.  Killebrew, who hit 573 career home runs, admires Morneau’s power and remarked last year how far Morneau has progressed.

Morneau is sometimes crowded out of the headlines by teammate Joe Mauer, perhaps baseball’s most valuable property.  The odds against a Triple Crown are considerable but if Morneau did lead the American League in batting average, home runs and RBI it would certainly make the baseball world appreciate him even more.

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