KEVIN O’CONNELL – Page 3 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

And How Was Your California Vacation, Mr. Shama?

Posted on January 28, 2025January 28, 2025 by David Shama

Random shots after 19 days of vacation in southern California.

The weather was sunny almost every day, with daytime temps in the 60’s and 70’s in Palm Desert and Del Mar. Yes, I sent sympathies to Minnesotans suffering through windchills of minus 20 and worse.

The devilish cold brought back memories of walking through howling winds on the U campus to attend Gopher basketball games. I never did so much backward walking before or since. Other strategies could have included a scary ski mask and finding a big lug to walk ahead of me and break the wind.

The show inside cozy Williams Arena was more than worth the trek, though. Last century Gopher basketball was often the best entertainment in town with nationally ranked teams, great players, colorful coaches and deafening crowd noise inside historic Williams Arena.

Alas, the show is no more.

The silver lining? Escaping for weeks in January from Minneapolis prompts no second guessing about missing swaths of the Gopher basketball schedule. Yes, I know the 2025 lads have awakened from the ashes (poor start to the season and last place Big Ten finishes two of the last three years) and won three consecutive games. Sorry, but a below .500 conference record and half empty arena won’t make up for lost ground or wake up the ghosts of Williams Arena.

Where have you gone, Kevin McHale and Bobby Jackson? The coaching trio of Bill Musselman, Jim Dutcher and Clem Haskins is no more.

But back to the trip: I’m appreciative of California adventures including safe travel on infamous state Highway 74 across the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains. The two-lane road with hairpin turns rises from the Coachella valley to over 4,000 feet. In addition to gorgeous views, there are discarded car skeletons in plain sight—presumably vehicles whose drivers encountered disastrous outcomes.

Other than potholes, switchbacks and steep drop-offs driving was a breeze (ha!). BTW, I have a history with the highway including a drive coming down to the valley in deep fog!

My mental acuity on the trip was otherwise most challenged by golf. After years of pulling out my hair and restless nights, I’ve ditched the how-to videos on YouTube and in print. The new mantra is move the body back in the swing, keep the head down and follow through. And: compress your irons, sweep your woods.

Voila. Sign me up for the PGA Tour Champions.

Now if I can just get back on the tennis court. A friend from Edina, also visiting southern California, is of a similar age and is playing five times per week.

My hero!

From two time zones away, it doesn’t seem like a lot has changed on the Minnesota pro sports scene. The Wild still has a promising season and the Twins aren’t making headlines regarding personnel or the franchise sale.

The Timberwolves and Vikings are ongoing soap operas.

The Wolves miss their KAT. Their Ant seems as likely to be fined by the NBA as he is going off for 40.

The Vikings quarterback soap opera is part of the stuff that fuels fan interest and keeps Skol scorching even in the dead of winter.

Coach Kevin O’Connell received his no-brainer contract extension. The love affair between coach and the organization is real. I’ll bet my last bitcoin ownership never brought up during contract discussions that in three seasons KOC has lost the three biggest games he’s coached.

Harry Peter Grant lost four Super Bowls and we adored him.

Various media allowed me to track hometown teams but the most enjoyable reading on the trip came from the Wall Street Journal. WSJ offers the fairest and most accurate newspaper coverage that I know of. In an age of media bias that slips over from the opinion pages to the news columns, the WSJ is a model for professional journalism.

The publication is known for its political and business coverage. The newspaper also provides lifestyle, entertainment and sports reporting and opinion. And the WSJ comes up with stories and angles that both inform and entertain.

Did you know there is a black market for gallstones from cows? A front-page WSJ story last Wednesday was headlined:

“Cow Gallstones Drive A Smuggling Frenzy. Worth twice the price of gold, they are prized in Chinese traditional medicine.”

I’ll never look at cattle the same way again.

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Predictions for 2025? Gather Round Ladies and Gentlemen!

Posted on January 1, 2025January 1, 2025 by David Shama

Yogi Berra supposedly said: “It’s difficult to make predictions—especially about the future.”

I agree with the Yankee Hall of Famer and sage for the ages. But after several days at a darkness retreat, I somewhat cautiously offer the following prognostications for 2025:

Let’s get it over with at the start, Purple Crazies. The Vikings will play in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1977.

Let’s also get greedy and predict the result—although the Crazies won’t like it. The 0-4 in Super Bowls Vikings will lose to the 0-4 Bills. Or my admittedly cloudy crystal ball says Minnesota will lose to the Chiefs, the franchise that defeated Minnesota 23-7 in the Vikings’ first Super Bowl in 1970.

And did you know the 1970 game was in New Orleans? Yup, and the same city hosts the 2025 Super Bowl.

“It’s like déjà vu all over again,” Yogi might quip.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell will be rewarded in 2025 with a new contract paying him in the range of $12 million to $15 million annually.

Rest easy about Sam Darnold as he nears free agency. The Vikings will franchise tag him in 2025 and pay their quarterback something like $40 million for one season.

The Vikings will also retain free agent running back back Aaron Jones with another one-year deal.

The Hitman may bow out. After 13 seasons in purple, I am forecasting 35-year-old Vikings safety Harrison Smith will retire.

I predict Taylor Swift—oops, I mean Travis Kelce—will top the NFL Pro Games fan balloting. Can’t wait for Thursday’s announcement about voting for players on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football.

Retirement could be next, too, for 37-year-old Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley who will be 38 by the time next season is about to tip.

Leaving the Wolves could be power forward Julius Randle who might be moved prior to the NBA trade deadline February 6.

With revenue sharing starting in big time college sports, there will be scores of Golden Gophers athletes who earn five, 10 times or more than a first-year graduate from the University of Minnesota. With NIL earnings and revenue share money, the millionaire athlete arrives in Dinkytown.

Don’t be surprised if a state of Minnesota high school athlete will approach $500,000 in NIL earnings this year.

The Gophers may have a new head men’s basketball coach in 2025. A qualified but long-shot candidate to get the job would be Badgers assistant Joe Krabbenhoft who considered playing for Minnesota coming out of high school in South Dakota but went to Madison.

U basketball forward Parker Fox will not be eligible for a ninth season of college basketball.

John Tauer’s St. Thomas men’s basketball team will win the Summit League title in a year or two.

Former Lynx superstar Maya Moore, a first-year nominee, will be enshrined in 2025 in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

I am establishing the over-under on a Twins starting pitcher being allowed to go nine innings in a game next season at two. Offseason optimism!

The state will approve legalized sports wagering in 2025. This means betting on your local favorites will now hurt not only emotionally but also gash your wallet.

“Kirill the Thrill” Kaprizov maintains his status of best nickname among Minnesota sports elites.

It will be one of the feel-good stories of the year when popular men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko wins his first NCAA championship and the Gophers’ first since 2003.

Drake Lindsey, a freshman last fall, will win the starting Gopher quarterback competition against Zach Pyron, the transfer from Georgia Tech.

As he nears his 50^th birthday late next year, Tiger Woods, paired with 16-year-old son Charlie, will win the 2025 PNC Championship for the first time.

Nobody asked about my golf game, but I am anticipating a hole-in-one on a local par 3.

Celebrity local athletes will have armed security at their homes to combat the national trend of burglaries of the rich and famous. At our home, we’ll install a light timer.

It will be another year of restaurant closings and even bankruptcies. Things aren’t so hot at the grocery store either where I recently paid $4.99 for a can of soup.

Someone, not me, will become famous for writing a dating app instructional manual.

Most of you, sorry to type this, won’t keep your New Year’s fitness resolutions. BTW: Word is Gen Z is opting for weight loss drugs and skipping the gym.

And, no, I am not prognosticating anyone will patent an anti-hangover drink in 2025!

Finally, I predict another year for the Sports Headliners Ducky Awards introduced last fall in this space. The honor is bestowed on a Minnesota sports figure who is doing “just ducky.” To be considered by the Ducky committee a person has to be going through a delightful period in his or her career. The highest criteria will be someone we can look at and declare that life is “pretty peachy keen.”

Early favorite: Sam Darnold. Dark horse: Royce Lewis.

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‘Incredible Fans’ Can Take a Bow for Vikings’ Record

Posted on December 27, 2024December 27, 2024 by David Shama

Enjoy a holiday notes column focused on the Vikings.

The Vikings’ Cinderella season has happened for a lot of reasons on the field and via the front office but don’t discount the fans in the success story. U.S. Bank, now in its ninth season of hosting Viking games, is counted among the NFL’s loudest venues.

“I mean the fans at U.S. Bank are incredible,” Minnesota quarterback Nick Mullens told Sports Headliners earlier this year. “Anytime we can play at U.S. Bank, we’re all for that, for sure.”

Regarding NFL teams playing away from home, including in Minneapolis, Mullens said: “On the road your communication has to be on point. It has to be increased as far as the silent count goes and things like that. So, everybody has to just lock in a little bit more for the most part.”

The noise in the building can be deafening. It was at a rock concert like level against the Texans earlier this season. The fans earned praise after the game for making the venue so loud it forced the Texans into mistakes as they lost 34-7 to the Vikings in September.

The advantage of a home game can often be overly hyped in football, but the U.S. Bank effect is legit and could certainly be in play Sunday when the Vikings host the Packers in a renewal of their border rivalry. Minnesota is 7-1 at home this season, with the only loss coming against the Lions, 31-29.

The Vikings will hope to start fast Sunday like they did earlier in the season when they jumped to a 28-0 first half lead at Lambeau Field. Putting the Packers in the hole early will not only send the crowd into a frenzy, but also could force the Green Bay offense to become more one dimensional as quarterback Jordan Love goes pass-happy in trying to score points.

Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman says that kind of situation “creates a lot of opportunity for a defense.” It can become easier to “dial in” the pass rush and mix coverages.

The 13-2 Vikings, BTW, are 12-0 when Cashman isn’t injured and sidelined.

The Vikings and 11-4 Packers are similar in sack totals, at 44 and 43, but different in styles. Minnesota blitzes much more frequently than Green Bay, which relies on its front-four to deliver pressure.

Love, presumably, will be healthier than when the two teams played in Green Bay on September 29. His mobility was noticeably compromised in that game because of a knee sprain.

Love, 26, has moved into the category of better quarterbacks in the NFL. He sat for three seasons behind Aaron Rodgers before becoming the starter last season.

Drafting Love late first round in 2020 was controversial but has proven to be among the savvy moves of general manager Brian Gutekunst. The son of former Golden Gophers head coach John Gutekunst, Brian has rebuilt the Packers into not only one of the league’s elite teams, but he also has the youngest roster in the NFL.

The Vikings can emerge at season’s end with a 15-2 record, NFC North title and first round playoff bye by defeating the Packers Sunday and Lions in Detroit on January 5. Although the Vikings have won eight straight and are playing at home, the game is seen as a tossup because the Packers are impressive, too, after winning their last two games by a combined score of 64-13.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, whose team was only supposed to win 6.5 games, is considered the national leader for NFL Coach of the Year. He is the third NFL coach ever to win at least 13 games in two of his first three seasons, joining the Packers’ Matt LaFleur and 49ers’ George Seifert.

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is in the conversation for Executive of the Year but probably won’t win. Still, there is no discounting his value including saying no to a staggering contract for Kirk Cousins and then using the money to acquire difference making free agents on defense and the in-season acquisition of offensive left tackle Cam Robinson.

Sam Darnold image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Sam Darnold is a dark horse for NFL MVP, even though entering the last two games of the season skeptics are still waiting for him to revert to the poor quarterback play that characterized much of his early NFL career with other teams.

In 11 games Darnold has at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher this season. He could become the fourth player in league history with 12 such games in a season. Others are Rodgers (14 games in 2020 and 13 in 2011), Patrick Mahomes (13 in 2018) and Matt Ryan (12 in 2016).

Fox will televise Sunday’s game nationally with its lead team of Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.

Dave Mona was recognized earlier this month by the Vikings for 50 years serving as the team’s press box announcer.

Vikings’ legend Scott Studwell will speak to the Capital Club breakfast group Thursday, January 9 at Mendakota Country Club. More information about the Capital Club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

Carley Knox, Lynx president of basketball operations, is the latest guest on “Behind the Game.” She offers input about her career, WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark and the rise of women’s sports. Co-hosts are Patrick Klinger and Dave Boden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw5y8LAhdLA.

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