Media – Page 47 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Myles Standish, Me & Thanksgiving

Posted on November 20, 2017November 20, 2017 by David Shama

Thanksgiving has always been near the top of my favorite holidays. Perhaps my feelings were founded during grade school while playing the role of Myles Standish in a stage production about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. The memory is enduring, although it was my first and last time on stage. Sir Tyrone Guthrie never came knocking on my door.

In this space you won’t find any Grand Turkey winners (see the Strib’s Patrick Reusse for that). Instead, I want to reference individuals who I am thankful for—and please give me a pass for many others I should have singled out.

I begin with my Website readers, some of whom have followed this effort since my 2006 startup. The encouragement and appreciation expressed by them has played a significant role in my continuing to crank out over 115 columns per year. Thank you.

Gratitude also to my amazing wife who cares little about college or professional sports but graciously edits almost every column before being published.

Thanks to all the advertisers, past and present, who have supported my efforts and made it possible for others to enjoy this Website’s reporting and commentary. It’s also satisfying to learn about readers who told advertisers they saw their ads on my site.

When my Website needs code to be written, or the server is down, it’s my go-to guys David and Dan who always pitch in. Gracias!

I battled many times on the court with my tennis buddy and lifelong friend Myron, but more importantly he’s one of the special people who taught me about the importance of family.

Happy Thanksgiving to my oldest son Bill, who despite seldom playing tennis, once beat me on a cold, windy and miserable day on the North Shore, and forever proclaimed himself the “Two Harbors Family Tennis Champion.”

With admiration to my other son, Joel, who is a Father of the Year candidate every year to his young son Chase.

I still feel sad Jerry Kill had to abruptly end his career as the Golden Gophers football coach two years ago but Minnesotans should give thanks for how he revitalized the program on the field, in the classroom and in the community. We’re all better for having witnessed his character and commitment.

Count Jim Carter as one of Kill’s friends and mine, too. I love Carter’s passion for making the University of Minnesota extraordinary in every way.

How do I not root for Paul Molitor? He went through some rough times decades ago but has emerged as a genuine hero who treats others with kindness and consideration.

Maybe you know someone who’s filled with common sense and wisdom. Jim Dutcher is a treasure to me.

Without Glen Taylor, this town might not have professional basketball. He could be the world’s nicest billionaire.

CORES lunches and programs are always a hit. I appreciate Jim Dotseth and Phil Frerk for their information and invites.

Thanks to Adam Thielen for almost always being available in the Vikings Winter Park locker room to answer questions—in good times and bad.

WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson provides timely insights about media and sports, and is a pleasure to be with.

They say you find out who your friends are when tough times hit. Al Nuness has been there for me.

Wednesdays are pizza media days at Winter Park and it’s fun times sharing memories and laughs with Charley Walters, while chewing on the “meat lovers special.”

Part of the fun in covering sports is being around young athletes, and admiring the charisma and passion for life many possess. A favorite is Apple Valley High School’s Tre Jones who has a smile and presence that lights up even a dark gym.

I have known Dave Mona for a long time and I thank him for the opportunities he has extended to me including leading the Twin Cities Dunkers a few years ago.

Thank you Dave St. Peter for unfailingly responding to my emails requesting interviews about the Twins.

My best wishes to a couple of close friends who have lost loved ones this year, and battled physical challenges. Among the redeeming things about sports is that if only for a moment, what we see on ball fields and courts can lessen our burdens.

I want to remember those who have passed from this earth, including the late Frank Jirik from Met Center and the North Stars. He was a great mentor and may have invented Polish jokes. Nobody did them better.

My memories of the late Herb Brooks are enduring, too. He always was so giving and unselfish with his time.

Nobody could send chills up and down the spine talking about the Golden Gophers like the late Paul Giel. “Old No. 10” made friends wherever he went.

Who doesn’t miss Harmon Killebrew? He was the Twins greatest slugger and a hall of fame player and person.

Today’s media news world has a lot of practitioners of “get it first and let’s hope we’re right.” I try to remember the time-proven principles of accuracy, fairness and objectivity. Thankful when I do so.

In a crazy and sometimes cruel world, hope you find peace and happiness this Thanksgiving!

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Ric Flair Film to Preview Here Friday

Posted on October 22, 2017October 22, 2017 by David Shama

There are characters—and then there is Ric Flair who spent part of his youth in Edina and is the subject of an ESPN documentary that airs November 7. Minnesotans will have a preview look at the show on Friday night as part of the Twin Cities Film Festival at the ICON Theatre in St. Louis Park. The film is part of ESPN’s much praised “30-for-30” series.

Jim Brunzell, who has known Flair since the two attended Verne Gagne’s pro wrestling school in suburban Minneapolis in 1972, will be at the ICON with Verne’s son Greg, and the two will do a Q&A with show attendees. Brunzell, who partnered with Greg in the 1970s to form the famous “High Flyers” tag team, told Sports Headliners that Flair might also attend the showing Friday night.

Flair almost died earlier this year and Brunzell said doctors have cautioned the 68 year old about travel. Although Flair has been retired from wrestling for years, he does promotional work for World Wrestling Entertainment, the pro wrestling industry giant. Often referred to as the greatest professional wrestler ever, he paid a price for his demanding career in the ring and his extravagant lifestyle out of it.

Brunzell said Flair had an awful pain in his stomach this summer and was hospitalized. He had internal bleeding and was put into an induced coma. “During that time he was on the edge of leaving us,” Brunzell said.

Part of Flair’s colon was removed and he was placed on a defibrillator for heart arrhythmia. He was in the coma for nine days. “He can’t remember anything but he knows right now he will never have a drink again,” Brunzell said.

Flair told Brunzell he is “very fortunate that I didn’t kick over.” Flair also said he plans to “lead a better life” in terms of his habits.

Flair admitted to Brunzell he had too much idle time in hotels and airports during his wrestling career. Drinking alcohol filled a lot of hours. “He told me he got in the habit of drinking too much,” Brunzell said. “He was drinking to the tune of about 3,800 calories a day (of alcohol).”

Years ago Brunzell and Greg Gagne attended a party at the Sofitel Hotel in Bloomington where the booze flowed. Guests brought refreshments like whiskey, vodka and rum. They dumped everything into a container lined with a garbage bag—brewing up “mother hunch punch.” Brunzell said the concoction “was like firewater.”

Flair appeared at midnight near the hotel swimming pool. He was dressed in cowboy boots, cowboy hat and a handmade wrestling robe that might have cost $10,000. Brunzell said Flair started dancing, took off his robe and revealed his naked body. The hotel staff told Flair that wasn’t acceptable. Brunzell and Gagne headed to their hotel rooms in case things got a little crazier.

Brunzell tells the story to make a couple of points including how much Flair loves to be around people—to see them smile, to feel their energy and to entertain them. On any given night Flair might do just about anything to get people’s attention and feed his ego. “There’s stories that people just can’t fathom, and they’re true,” Brunzell said.

In the online ESPN “30-for-30” trailer, Flair said, ““Everybody wanted to be me. Every man because I had the nicest clothes, the biggest cars and the more (most) women, and I was the best wrestler.”

Flair claims in the documentary to have slept with 10,000 women. Brunzell, who has known Flair for more than five decades, won’t put up an argument about the number saying, “Well, it’s close, and I can tell you that for a fact. …”

Flair has been married four times and he lost his son Reid to a drug overdose in 2013. His relationships have been strained with those closest to him. He often faced the question of how his actions would impact family and himself. “Many times he went the wrong way on that question,” Brunzell said.

Talk to Brunzell for awhile about his friend and it doesn’t take long to understand why he says the “30-for-30” documentary about Flair’s life will be compelling and sad. The two have known each other since 1968 when they met at the University of Minnesota. Brunzell, from White Bear Lake High School, was a sophomore on the Gophers football team when this kid with literally one of the biggest heads on the team showed up for practice.

Flair stood 6 feet tall and weighed about 300 pounds. He practiced for five days. Then guess what?

The coaches learned the freshman hadn’t bothered to register for classes at the University. Well, despite the warning, Flair didn’t register, and that ended his brief Gopher football career.

Flair, who managed to do a little socializing at a fraternity during his short stay at the U, never earned a college degree and sold insurance before turning himself into a professional wrestler. He went on to become a “Mount Rushmore” wrestling icon because of his persona (including his signature “woo” catchphrase), and also his skills and athleticism in the ring.

Brunzell refers to the gifted Flair as one of the top five wrestlers of his era. “He could do anything and he worked his rear off, and he took hellacious bumps (punishment),” Brunzell said.

It would be a homecoming for Flair, who now lives in Atlanta, to come back to Minnesota later this week for the showing of his documentary. “Well, I think deep in his heart, he was proud to come from Edina,” said Brunzell who recalled that Flair, once known as Rick Fliehr, was an adopted child who spent some of his school years at a boarding school in Wisconsin.

Whether Flair is able to return here or not, he will long be remembered by Minnesotans and others across the country as a larger than life wrestler and entertainer. As Flair says in his ESPN documentary, “Diamonds are forever and so is Ric Flair.”

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Big Ten Title Team to Motivate Gophers

Posted on September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 by David Shama

More than 35 players from Minnesota’s 1967 Big Ten championship football team will be in Minneapolis Friday and Saturday to celebrate their 50th anniversary. That was the last Gopher football team to win the conference title and new head coach P.J. Fleck values the link to the past.

“I think it’s incredibly important,” Fleck said Tuesday. “We talked to them (his players)…about embracing your past to create your future. We want to bring the championships back to Minnesota.

“That doesn’t happen overnight. I said that from day one in my press conference, and every time I’ve talked. …But the one thing I’ll say is, we want to make sure, when the 1967 team watches our game (Saturday), they’re inspired. It brings them back to their day.”

Fleck and some players will attend a reception for the 1967 alums on Friday night at TCF Bank Stadium. Lockers at the stadium will temporarily have nameplates with names of the ex-Gophers and a gift in each space.

Prior to Saturday’s 11 a.m. home game against Maryland the ’67 champions will hear Fleck’s pregame speech. Then between the first and second quarters the ’67 group will be recognized on the field.

Minnesota quarterback Conor Rhoda said he and teammates are grateful to have the legacy players back in town. The 3-0 Gophers, going into their opening Big Ten game against the 2-1 Terps, want to show their elders how much they’ve accomplished in the last eight months.

“Hopefully, we’re able to do that Saturday and be able to show them that this program has taken the steps to get back to how it was in the ‘60s when they won the championships,” Rhoda said.

The 1967 group was the last of coach Murray Warmath’s championship teams from that decade. He has passed away and so has most of his staff, although former assistant Mike Reid will attend the reunion. Deceased players include Mike Condo, Ron Kamzelski, Charlie Sanders and John Williams.

Worth Noting

Fleck has travelled to high school games in the metro area via helicopter. Rhoda said the expense of using a helicopter sends a message. “For those kids that he was out recruiting it would show how important they are to him and how badly he wants them,” Rhoda said.

Fleck said a helicopter allows him to use his time efficiently. He not only wants to see players but engage with coaches and fans at high school games. “The more places we can see, the more benefit we have,” he said.

Rhoda talking about second team quarterback Seth Green, a redshirt freshman who so far has minimal college game experience: “He’s got all the skills in the world.”

It would be interesting if either Iowa or Wisconsin tries to hire popular former Gophers linebackers coach Mike Sherels. He isn’t coaching now but has a great reputation in the state of Minnesota where both the Hawkeyes and Badgers recruit.

The Vikings and Lynx games were both televised in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market last Sunday afternoon. How did TV audiences in the 18-plus category compare? The Vikings telecast averaged 665,500 viewers, the Lynx 40,700.

Profootballfocus.com gave third-year cornerback Trae Waynes the fifth highest grade among Vikings after last Sunday’s win against the Bucs. The former 2015 first round draft choice has been known for his inconsistency.

“Trae seems to be getting better all the time,” said head coach Mike Zimmer. “I think he’s starting to develop more confidence. There’s still things he needs to work on, but he’s got such great athletic ability that he just needs to continue to use it. Sometimes he overthinks a little bit—just go out and play.”

Zimmer, known for his defensive coaching, can appreciate the seven interceptions the Lions have in three games. “They do a good job of getting pressure on the quarterback,” he said. “They play tight in coverage. They are very well coached scheme-wise—fundamentally sound and they are around the football so they end up getting a lot of picks.”

The Lions and Vikings are both 2-1, and Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium is probably anyone’s guess as to the winner. The Lions won both games last season.

Despite starting quarterback Sam Bradford missing two games, the Vikings have the third most passing yards through three games in franchise history. They have 882 yards, compared with 982 in 2004 and 988 in 1981.

After last Saturday’s “Holy Grail” game won by St. Thomas, the D3football.com national rankings have the Tommies No. 3 and Saint John’s ninth.

The Twins, who play their final regular season game on Sunday, have four players with 20 home runs or more. If Max Kepler hits one more home run to total 20 he will make the 2017 season only the third time in club history five players have reached that level. Brian Dozier (33), Miguel Sano (28), Eddie Rosario (27) and Eduardo Escobar (20) are the 2017 home run leaders.

Gophers sophomore basketball forward Eric Curry, who had successful reconstructive knee surgery September 20, is on crutches and attending classes, but will miss the upcoming season.

The 35 players expected at Big Ten Media Day October 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York will include Gopher center Reggie Lynch and guard Nate Mason. Lynch was Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last season, while Mason was All-Big Ten.

Condolences to Gophers center and Norway native Matz Stockman, the Louisville transfer, who lost his father Eirik last summer. Stockman, who is redshirting this season, returned home to Norway for awhile because of his father’s death.

Athlon’s college basketball magazine ranks Rochester John Marshall’s Matthew Hurt the No. 5 prep player nationally in the class of 2019. Because his brother Michael is already on the team, the Gophers might be favorably positioned to land Matthew.

Kevin Burleson, who played guard for the Gophers from 1999-2003, is an assistant coach for the NBA Rockets.

Mike Hastings is among the best coaches in men’s college hockey so it wasn’t surprising this week when both a coaches poll and media poll ranked his Minnesota State team most likely to win the WCHA’s regular season championship in 2018. His teams have won 122 games, the fourth most nationally, since he took over the program for the 2012-13 season. Bemidji State was voted No. 2 in the polls.

The WCHA offices are based in the Twin Cities and the men’s administration is led by commissioner Bill Robertson, a former executive with the NHL Wild.

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