Preps – Page 108 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

If Not U, Jeff Jones Headed to Iowa CC?

Posted on May 30, 2014May 30, 2014 by David Shama

Jeff Jones, the nationally recognized Washburn High School running back who is arguably the prize recruit in the 2014 Gophers football class, could be headed to Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs.

Jones needs a higher score on his ACT test to be accepted by the University of Minnesota. He will take the test for a fourth time on June 14. Washburn coach Giovan Jenkins declined to specify what score Jones needs to become eligible to play for Minnesota this year.

“I honestly think he is going to get it (the improved score),” Jenkins told Sports Headliners. “He’s improved each time. He is confident he’s going to get it. He knows junior college is not where he wants to be.”

Jenkins said if Jones doesn’t qualify for admission to Minnesota he will need to spend two years at a community college and earn a degree to then have immediate eligibility at an NCAA program, presumably the Gophers.

Jenkins has spoken with Iowa Western coach Scott Strohmeier and is enthusiastic about the program that is annually a national power. Jenkins described the Reivers, who won the 2012 National Junior College Athletic Association championship, as a “great program” that has sent more than 20 players to Division I schools the last two years. “It’s definitely a program he (Jeff) wants to be part of,” Jenkins said.

But Jones, of course, would rather be a Gopher, fulfilling the commitment he made in February when he signed his national letter of intent binding him to Minnesota. Jones is the only Rivals.com four-star recruit in the Gophers 2014 recruiting class. He turned heads playing in the prestigious Under Armour All-America Game in Florida last January, gaining 72 yards and being named Team Nitro MVP.

In past years the best Minnesota football preps have chosen schools other than the Gophers so Jones’ commitment to play for his hometown team is viewed as a step forward for UM coach Jerry Kill.

In pursuit of a qualifying ACT score, the 6-foot, 200-pound Jones could take encouragement from former Washburn tight end Ra’Shede Hageman who didn’t become eligible to play for the Gophers until June of his senior year. Hageman became an All-Big Ten defensive lineman and was selected in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft by the Falcons.

Worth Noting

Iowa Western Community College’s Strohmeier has been head coach of the Rievers since 2008. He is from Watkins, Minnesota and played quarterback at Fergus Falls Community College and the University of Minnesota, Crookston.

Jenkins said Hageman has signed his contract with the Falcons and purchased a Porsche.

The Chanhassen house of former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is for sale at $1.75 million, according to a Wednesday Bizjournals.com story by Jim Hammerand.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer after being asked yesterday if players attending the organized team activities are buying into a new coach and system: “I don’t worry about if they are buying in. My job is to coach them hard and try to get them to be the best players they can be. …”

Zimmer on what he’s seen from All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson: “Yeah, he looks great. He’s made some tremendous cuts, you’d have to ask him, but he seems excited to be here, about some of the things that we are trying to do with him and I think it’s only going to continue to get better.”

With reported trade rumors involving Kevin Love, it’s fair to wonder if the Timberwolves All-Star forward will participate as scheduled in the July 13 celebrity softball game at Target Field. The game is part of the MLB All-Star Game promotional activities and it seems likely Love, sure to be greeted by boos, will become a cancel if traded to another NBA club between now and July 13.

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino, who was hired about 14 months ago, will receive a raise and if the increase isn’t agreed to yet it will be soon. Pitino’s initial salary was set at $500,000, plus $700,000 of supplemental compensation.

Randy Wittman, fired as Timberwolves coach in 2008, is close to a contract extension with the Wizards.

The MIAC all-sports standings recognize an overall annual champion for each gender. For the seventh consecutive school year St. Thomas has finished first in both the men’s and women’s all-sports standings. St. Olaf and Saint John’s were second and third in men’s sports while Saint Benedict and Gustavus were runners-up in women’s athletics.

The St. Thomas men have finished first 28 times in 52 years, while the women have done it 23 out of 32 years. The Tommies have finished first in both genders 19 of the past 30 years, an indication of the many winning teams and seasons at the St. Paul school.

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Walters Wants More Time for Family

Posted on April 30, 2014May 1, 2014 by David Shama

Charley Walters decided it’s time to stop going to bed every night with three telephones nearby.

The Pioneer Press sports columnist will end his full-time career of almost 39 years with the newspaper at the end of May. The demands of a 24-hour news cycle and desire to have more time for family and personal interests convinced Walters to step away from a career he thought about even as a kid growing up in Minneapolis.

“I just turned 67 and there are a lot of things Paula and I want to do,” he told Sports Headliners recently. “I love my career, and the St. Paul paper has been terrific to me. But I want to ride bicycles, go for hikes, read the 10 books I am only 20 to 30 pages into (and) visit my kids.

“We want to see all the national parks. We’ve done a lot of travel and want to do a lot more of that. I don’t have time with this column.”

Walters’ wife Paula is a Twin Cities pediatrician and is also retiring soon. The couple has three grown children, with two of them living out of state. The children are a priority for Walters and so too is 92-year-old mother Bertha Walters. “Paramount (to having more time) is being able to see mom in eldercare,” he said.

Walters has extensive contacts and his newsy notes column has been a must-read for Minnesota sports fans. Admirers will be happy to know the column won’t be completely disappearing. After he told newspaper bosses a couple of weeks ago he was retiring, they asked him to become a part-time employee and write Sunday columns. He agreed and that means continuing to make good use of 3,500 phone numbers accumulated during nearly four decades of journalism.

A journalism graduate from the University of Minnesota, Walters said his “proudest moment at the newspaper” came when he played a role in the Pioneer Press investigative reporting of the academic fraud scandal in the Gophers men’s basketball program. The newspaper’s lead reporter on the story, George Dorhmann, won a Pulitzer Prize but Walters got things started, although he still won’t say how he did it.

Knowing what’s going on in Minnesota sports has interested Walters since he was a kid delivering the Minneapolis Tribune at 5:30 a.m. His enthusiasm for news and competitiveness to find scoops is evident when he talks about his career. “Sometimes I will make a dozen phone calls just to get a one sentence item in the newspaper,” he said. “The best part (of the job) is people seem to enjoy it. It’s a lot of work but I have no problem filling space.”

Walters began his newspaper career after a few years of professional baseball. Included were several big league games pitching for the Twins in 1969. “There were only two things in my whole life I wanted to do,” Walters said. “One was to play major league baseball and the other was to be in the newspaper business. I’ve been able to do those things.”

Among his peers, Walters will be missed for more than newsy columns. He has never become caught up in self-importance. He greets friends with a secret handshake and is ready to tell or hear a good story. His humble personality is what you might expect from a guy who grew up in working class northeast Minneapolis.

“I don’t care for self-promoters,” Walters said. “I don’t think that gets you anywhere. I think your work gets it done.”

Worth Noting

Shattuck-St. Mary’s hockey coach Tom Ward has been following the Faribault prep school’s many alumni participating in the NHL playoffs. Among them are Wild forwards Erik Haula (2008-2009) and Zach Parise (2000-2002).

Ward is particularly close to Parise with the two talking and texting regularly. “We talk about hockey a lot,” Ward told Sports Headliners.

The Wild play the Avalanche tonight in Denver with their best of seven series tied at three games each. The Wild have struggled trying to shut down Nathan MacKinnon, the 18-year-old forward who is also a Shattuck-St. Mary’s alum. He has 10 points on eight assists and two goals in the series.

MacKinnon left Shattuck after his sophomore year so he never played for Ward, the varsity head coach. “He was always a fast, energetic player,” Ward said. “He’s really rounded out his game since he left here.”

Ward is proud of all his Shattuck-St. Mary’s alums who are in the playoffs. “They’re all humble, hard working guys. Team first guys,” Ward said.

Former North Stars general manager Lou Nanne said on KFAN Radio with Dan Barreiro last night if Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper has his best game of the series Minnesota will win.

Minnesota defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman will be drafted No. 16 in the first round by the Cowboys, according to Chris Burke’s NFL Mock Draft in the May 5 issue of Sports Illustrated. “His motor ran hot and cold for the Gophers,” Burke wrote. “When he’s on, though, few can disrupt the pocket like this 6’6” monster.”

Former Gophers linebacker Mike Rallis has signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and is training for his wrestling career in Florida.

Ex-Gophers defensive back and Jim Thorpe Award winner Tyrone Carter is promoting a football camp on Saturday and Sunday at Woodbury High School where scheduled instructors include former Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss. The Tyrone Carter Elite Training Schools Camp is for participants who are in the 8^th thru 12^th grades this school year.

Position-specific training is offered, and scheduled coaches include ex-Vikings David Dixon and Everett Lindsay, and former Gophers Phil Archer, Duane Bennett, Michael Carter, Ukee Dozier, Ron Johnson, Tellis Redmon and Darrell Reid. There is a registration discount code, “Elite.” More camp information at Tcelitetraining.com.

Congratulations to Mark Sheffert, former Gophers football walk-on, who is part of the 2014 Minnesota Business Hall of Fame class that will be honored by Twin Cities Business Magazine on July 23 at the Hilton Minneapolis. Sheffert is chairman and chief executive officer of Manchester Companies. He has over 40 years of business experience and was president at First Bank System (now US Bancorp).

It wouldn’t be surprising if former Timberwolves assistant coach Eric Musselman, who has also been an NBA head coach with two teams, has been in contact with Flip Saunders. Musselman resigned this spring as an assistant at Arizona State. His connection with Saunders, the Wolves president of basketball operations, dates back to when Eric’s father Bill Musselman was Gophers head coach and Flip was a Minnesota player. The Wolves are reviewing candidates to succeed Rick Adelman who resigned earlier this month.

Saint John’s head baseball coach Jerry Haugen increased his career win total to 702 last week with four victories. His record is 702-589-5 record (.543) in 37 seasons at Saint John’s.

The National Senior Games website says Minneapolis has been described as the “healthiest city in America” and refers to 22 city lakes and 6,000 acres of park land. The Games will be hosted by Bloomington, Minneapolis and St. Paul July 3-16 of next year. There are 19 sports involved and past competitors have been in their 90s and older.

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Matt Birk on Mission with New Book

Posted on April 21, 2014April 21, 2014 by David Shama

Matt Birk’s book has been in circulation for a couple of months and about 10,000 copies have been sold. He told Sports Headliners the book has changed his life and those who have read it.

All Pro Wisdom: The 7 Choices That Lead to Greatness is co-authored by Birk and leadership expert Rich Chapman. It’s a book, Birk said last week, to help people improve themselves because “everybody is going through something.”

People struggle to identify what they want, or to accomplish what’s important to them. “A lot of people just aren’t growing,” Birk said.

All Pro Wisdom asks readers questions and suggests how they can change their lives. Those questions include subjects such as self-identity, purpose and where to find strength and guidance.

Birk preaches we all have choices and decisions that impact our lives. He tells the story of “Easy Eddie” O’Hare who was mobster Al Capone’s lawyer. O’Hare’s job was to keep Capone out of jail, but “Easy Eddie” was bothered by the ethical example he was setting for his son. O’Hare decided to work with federal authorities and helped send Capone to prison. Later O’Hare was murdered, presumably by gangsters loyal to Capone.

Choices are important. Decisions have consequences.

During World War II O’Hare’s son Butch O’Hare was a pilot and war hero. Butch was a man of courage and integrity, a son “Easy Eddie” could be proud of. Butch died during the war but is not forgotten. The largest airport in Chicago is named after Butch O’Hare, a Medal of Honor recipient.

Choices are important. Decisions have consequences.

Birk played 15 seasons in the NFL, 11 of them for the Vikings, before retiring from the 2013 Super Bowl champion Ravens. Now 37, he is on a mission to spread the word about his book and help people.

“Right now it’s so rewarding,” Birk said. “It’s what we’re supposed to be doing—taking this message out and sharing it with groups and sharing it with people.

“It’s not about how many books we sell, but every day getting emails and notes from people telling us how much they appreciate the book. How the book was so appropriate at this point in their lives and what they’re going through, what they’re dealing with.”

Birk is speaking to youth groups, churches and Fortune 500 companies in various parts of the country. The message isn’t always about the book but often is. The opportunity to talk in front of so many people, and diverse audiences, is something he welcomes more than ever.

“For a lot of my career, for a lot of my life when I was younger, I made it all about me,” Birk said. “Pretty selfish. I took a lot (but) I didn’t give a lot. There are a lot of people that helped me along the way. Didn’t have to. Just wanted to help me out so I am grateful for that.

“You know what? I’ve eaten enough. Now it’s time for me to feed some people to try to help them out. It doesn’t matter to me what I do, as long as I feel I can have an impact and make a difference in people’s lives, and that’s what the 7 choices is allowing me to do right now.”

If Birk sounds like a man of faith, it’s because he is. Raised a Catholic in Saint Paul, Birk and his family attend services at the Church of St. Joseph in West St. Paul. When asked about his identity, Birk doesn’t talk first about his career as a football player that included six Pro Bowl selections. Birk identifies himself and all of humanity as “spiritual beings” who can know themselves and make their most important life choices and decisions by realizing they are “children of God.”

In addition to speaking engagements, Birk is an NFL appeals judge for the NFL, deciding whether players will be disciplined by the league. “I am fortunate to do that,” he said. “It’s hard work but it’s important work.”

Birk and his wife Adrianna have six children. The family spends much of the year in Naples, Florida but also returns to Minnesota. He considers his responsibilities at home—being a “good husband and father”—his most important role.

But that doesn’t mean he plans on being a homebody. “As my wife will tell you, I am not much for sitting still,” he said. “I don’t really watch TV. I like doing stuff. I like trying different things and trying to make a difference.

“I am so stupid I think I might actually be able to change the world. I think that we can change the world. That is what I am trying to do.”

Worth Noting

Birk was a sixth round draft choice of the Vikings in 1998, a long shot to make the roster after playing for Harvard in the Ivy League. When asked about the NFL Draft today, he said there’s more to identifying a player than assessing physical skills.

“Well, I guess it’s still pretty amazing that (with) all of the time and money and human resources that can be pumped into scouting good players, at best it’s still a 50-50 proposition at the end of the day. You can’t measure heart. You can’t measure what’s inside a person.”

The Vikings have the No. 8 pick in the first round on May 8. What is Birk’s advice for his old team? “The biggest position they’ve got to get figured out is quarterback. I think they’ve done a good job in other places in filling the team. You have a great running back (Adrian Peterson), the finest football player I’ve ever played with in my career.”

The Wild, trailing the Avs 2-0 in the playoffs, will hold a pre-game party outside Gate 2 of Xcel Energy Center this afternoon starting at 4 p.m. NHL alumni Henry Boucha, Dan Mandich, Shjon Podein and Tom Younghans will be available for autographs from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. “Five Man Advantage” will provide music for the 90 minute party preceding the 6 p.m. game.

Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor had his73^rd birthday yesterday.

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation will recognize eight scholar-athletes at the seventh annual Minnesota Football Honors Awards May 4 at the Hilton Minneapolis. The following individuals were chosen for academic excellence, outstanding leadership and commitment to their communities:

Andrew Blake, Pine City High School linebacker; Brett Brenden, Rothsay running back and linebacker; Bronson Bruneau, Lakeville North long snapper and tight end; Jack Dummer, Edina cornerback and strong safety; Tobias Knight, Washburn outside linebacker and fullback; Josh Sitarz, Totino-Grace linebacker; Michael Strand, Barnesville running back, defensive back and punt returner; and Austin Swenson, Spring Lake Park quarterback.

The Minnesota Chapter’s mission is to serve the state and nation “by developing leadership, sportsmanship, competitive spirit, and academic excellence in America’s youth through promoting amateur football.” The awards event, presented by the Minnesota Vikings, is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.nffmn.org.

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