Stadiums – Page 29 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Childress Didn’t Deserve Vikings Exit

Posted on October 16, 2015October 16, 2015 by David Shama

Brad Childress never should have been fired as the Vikings coach in November of 2010. His supporters may be thinking about his fate this week as the Vikings prepare to face the Chiefs on Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Childress now works for the Chiefs and long time friend Andy Reid, the Kansas City head coach. This will be Childress’ 17th season in the NFL but only the four-plus he spent with the Vikings were as a head coach. It will be five years next month that he was let go, despite his success in rebuilding the franchise.

Childress was fired after 10 games of the 2010 season. His regular season record as Vikings coach was 39-35. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons the Vikings won an NFC-best 22 games. The club won consecutive division titles those seasons, for the first time since 1977-78. The 2009 team reached the NFC championship game for the first time in nearly a decade and was among the elite teams in the NFL.

Brad Childress (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

The Vikings were 3-7 in 2010 when Childress was let go, but he had proven his coaching ability. Some disgruntled players may well have contributed to his dismissal, but political situations in locker rooms have a way of disappearing over time. What also may have impacted Childress’ job security was his unpopularity with fans, but he was a solid coach who was successful when surrounded by talented players such as in 2009.

I knew Childress and enjoyed his company one day when we visited legendary Gophers coach Murray Warmath at Friendship Village of Bloomington. Childress knew of Warmath but the two had never met. He spent a lot of time that day visiting with the old coach who had also worked for the Vikings. While we were visiting Warmath, Childress quipped, “Where do I sign up for 95?” Warmath died in 2011 at age 98.

Childress didn’t have to take time from his busy schedule to meet Warmath, but it wasn’t surprising. While in the role of Vikings head coach he was involved with community activities. He is a good guy, good football coach and someone who didn’t deserve such an abrupt ending to his time as the Vikings boss.

Worth Noting

Between now and a home game on November 22 with the 5-0 Packers, the Vikings play five teams with a combined record of 7-19. The 2-2 Vikings have an opportunity to build their record with home games against the 1-5 Chiefs and 2-3 Rams, and away matchups with the 0-5 Lions, and the 2-3 Bears and Raiders.

Odds indicate the one-win Chiefs are due for another “W” soon. Does that add extra concern for Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer? “No, not really,” he answered. “We’ve only won two games—so no, not at all. Our focus is on us and what we do, and how we need to win…and how we need to get better, how we need to perform in the crucial situations of the game. Really, that’s all I’m concerned about.”

The Vikings are chasing perhaps the NFL’s best team, the Packers, who lead the NFC North with their unbeaten record. The Bears have surprised by winning a couple of games already while the winless Lions are a disappointment. What are Zimmer’s thoughts about the division race so far?

“Well, I think it’s a great division, but I’m so focused on us, to be honest with you. I know what the records are. I know who is leading the division, but we’ve got 12 more games to go, so there’s a lot of things that can happen. …Really, all I care about ever is us and how we play…let’s add them up at the end of the year and see what happens.”

Mike Wallace (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace, who missed a couple of practices recently, said his left knee was sore “but I feel good now.” Wallace said he hasn’t had previous problems with the knee.

Vikings superstar running back Adrian Peterson feels “rejuvenated” after the team had last weekend off because of its bye in the schedule. Peterson said he feels pressure to perform after missing most of last season.

Unless the Chiefs return a portion of their visiting team tickets allotment, Sunday’s game at TCF Bank Stadium is already sold out.

A Vikings spokesman told Sports Headliners the number of workers on the U.S. Bank Stadium project is now at 1,400—a peak number since construction began and the number will decline soon and not reach that total again. The project is 75 percent complete and the facility will be completely enclosed by the end of November. The stadium opens next summer.

Prayers and best wishes to former Gophers All-Big Ten linebacker Bill Light who has pancreatic and liver cancer. Bill’s many friends were informed via e-mail this week of his health issues. He was named all-conference in both 1970 and 1971.

The University of Minnesota “M” Club Hall of Fame honored 14 inductees last night at a ceremony inside TCF Bank Stadium. Congratulations to: Luke Becker (wrestling); Ronda Curtin (women’s hockey); Chris Darkins (football and track); Roland DePaul (men’s hockey); Olga (Splichalova) Espinosa (women’s swimming); Brent Gates (baseball); Clifton Gustafson (wrestling); Jack Manders (football); Dick Meredith (men’s hockey); Jennie (Moe) Coughlin (women’s tennis); Dave Odegard (track and field); Joey Ray (men’s gymnastics); Bill “Buzz” Schneider (men’s hockey); Byrl Thompson (track and field).

Shannon Brooks, the Gophers freshman running back who has established himself as the team’s most explosive player, reports not having a serious football injury since ninth grade. Brooks, who believes it’s a “blessing” to have the opportunity to make big plays as a true freshman, said the most carries he had in a high school game was 25. How many could he handle here? “As much as they give me,” he said.

Could Brooks rush the ball 40 times or more in a single game? “I could do that,” he said. “If they feed me the ball, I am gonna run it.”

Gophers fans may talk about missing the speed of departed tight end Maxx Williams but quarterback Mitch Leidner believes present tight ends Nick Hart and Brandon Lingen are comparable. Leidner said “they might have been a little bit faster than” Williams who left the Gophers last winter for the NFL Draft.

The Gophers play Nebraska tomorrow, a school that didn’t join the Big Ten until 2011, but Minnesota and the Cornhuskers had a long nonconference rivalry in football that began in 1900. A few years ago there was quiet talk in the Minnesota Athletic Department about creating a rivalry trophy but nothing is planned. Winners of the last two games with the Cornhuskers, Minnesota leads the all-time series 31-22-2.

The Wild finished ahead of other Minnesota pro sports franchises in the recent 2015 ESPN The Magazine Ultimate Sports Standings. The standings rank 122 franchises from major league baseball, the NBA, NFL and NHL. The NBA’s Spurs ranked No. 1 in voting by fans to evaluate the franchises. The Wild ranked No. 37, ninth best among NHL teams, and ahead of the No. 47 Twins, No. 86 Vikings and No. 97 Timberwolves.

There is no word on when Gophers executive associate athletics director Mike Ellis may return to work from his leave of absence.

Fox Sports North will televise both the Lynx parade and championship celebration today starting at 11:30 a.m. The Lynx, who defeated the Fever for the WNBA title Wednesday night, will host a parade beginning at the corner of 12th Street and Hennepin Avenue before turning down 7th Street toward Target Center. Starting at 12:15 p.m. a celebration will be held at Target Center that includes a video commemorating the championship season and Lynx players will speak to the crowd. Both events are free and open to the public. Target Center opens at 11:30 a.m.

Former Timberwolves player and executive Fred Hoiberg, now head coach of the Bulls, turned 43 years old yesterday.

The Capital Club, featuring local sports figures as speakers, hosts Gophers interim athletics director Beth Goetz on November 3 at Town & Country Club in St. Paul. For more information about membership, contact Patrick Klinger, Patrick@thebrandenhancementgroup.com.

Comments Welcome

Vikings Expect Noisy New Stadium

Posted on August 3, 2015August 3, 2015 by David Shama

Lester Bagley was looking a year ahead last week when he spent one hour talking with Sports Headliners about U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings’ vice president for stadium development said the NFL franchise will receive keys to the new downtown Minneapolis multi-use facility on July 29, 2016.

That date will symbolize the end of a journey for Bagley and the Vikings going back to the last century. The Vikings began lobbying for a new stadium in the late 1990s and Bagley initially joined the effort about 15 years ago as a consultant. For the last 10 years he’s been a club employee and key figure in the stadium saga including legislative efforts and stadium construction. He is now part of a stadium project team working for the Wilf family that controls Vikings ownership. The project group includes Vikings front office executives Steve LaCroix, Steve Poppen and Kevin Warren.

With the construction timeline on schedule for the $1.1 billion covered stadium, the timing was appropriate to talk with Bagley a year out from when the Vikings will be playing preseason games in their new home. Bagley spoke about how U.S. Bank Stadium could be a noisier stadium than the Metrodome, why team ownership probably isn’t done spending additional money on the publicly-privately financed facility, and that despite rumors a few years ago the Vikings never made plans to relocate. He also said the franchise will significantly improve its revenues and financial standing among NFL clubs at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Bagley is excited about the stadium and proud of the deal that will result in a facility used for a long list of events beyond the Vikings home schedule—10 games per year, plus possible playoff dates. The club will pay $10 million for annual rent, a figure Bagley said is the highest in the league. The new facility will host the Super Bowl in 2018 and college basketball’s 2019 Final Four. On a smaller scale, the stadium will be used many days a year for events like high school and college baseball games. (Note: unless the Vikings are involved as a promoter of an event in the stadium, the NFL club will not financially benefit.)

Bagley answered the following questions, with replies shortened for clarity and space considerations.

Q. Did you envision a stadium of this quality 10 years ago?

A. No. Over the last few months is when we’ve started to grow more confident that this stadium is actually going to be a game changer. That it’s going to be the best stadium in the league. It’s going to be the best fan experience—the most technologically advanced. With its indoor-outdoor space, its 60 percent clear roof—combined with the (five) pivoting glass doors (95 feet tall at their peaks)—we’re confident that this is going to deliver all the things that we advocated for and more.

Q. What is the most frequent question about the stadium and how do you answer it?

A. There’s an insatiable appetite by the public about the stadium construction. We get a lot of questions about the roof material. That’s the ETFE product, the ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene. It is a very durable, transparent fabric. Combined with the pivoting doors, it’s going to provide that indoor-outdoor experience.

We also believe based on feedback from the engineers and developers of this roof material, that the stadium is going to be loud. It’s going to be a home field advantage because this material is more acoustically reflective than the old Teflon (roof) at the Metrodome. We think it’s going to reverberate, and then we’ve got 40 percent of the roof that is going to be…metal.

It’s also going to be an intimate stadium (with fans close to the field).

Q. What element do you think fans will most be talking about?

A. I think they’re going to love the doors and I think they’re just going to love the feel of the place. It’s going to be such a dramatic difference and improvement from the Metrodome. It’s night and day. When you walk in, you can see all the way around. There will be views as you walk through the concourse (and) you can see into the bowl.

The old dome was a concrete bunker. Once you were out in the hallway you were jammed and then you couldn’t see anything. This is going to be two and three times wider in the concourses with views into the stadium. There will be lots of places to hang out, to watch the game. We think it’s in line with what the Twins delivered (at Target Field). We think the Twins ballpark is beautiful, contemporary. We think on the other end of town we’re going to match that.

Q. How much extra money have the Vikings owners contributed to the stadium to ensure all the amenities are included? And with additional expenditures, is the stadium still going to allow the Vikings to be profitable?

A. The legislation passed in 2012 had the private side putting in $477 million and public $498 million. Since the bill passed, the Wilf family has invested an additional $95 million, and that money may go up from there. Sort of 95 and counting. Fortunately our owners are willing to do that because they want to protect the vision and the great fan experience that we promised we would deliver. The only way to do it—since there’s no more money from our partner on the public side—is to invest additional dollars.

The Metrodome put us at the bottom of the NFL in terms of revenues (with the Oakland Raiders). There were just no opportunities. Now we’re not going to be at the top (among NFL franchises), but we’re going to be at the upper middle.

…I think this stadium is going to provide all the revenue opportunities that we need to be competitive and to be successful. We didn’t have them (the resources) at the dome—and that’s the premium seats for clubs and suites, the sponsorships, the signage, the (stadium) naming rights, and things like that we didn’t have necessarily at the old building.

This stadium solution is going to work great for the state, for the public. It also secured the team (for Minnesota).

Q. How clear is it the franchise will be profitable annually?

A. We’re still selling (revenue sources involving tickets and corporate commitments etc.). We will know after that first year in the stadium but, yes, we should be out of the red and into the black to be competitive in this league.

Lester Bagley (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Q. In retrospect, with the extra $95 million spent, would it have been a good idea to build a stadium with a retractable roof?

A. We looked long and hard at it. It’s a lot of money to add to a stadium for a roof that’s open maybe three or four games a year. Look at Indy (Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis). The first year they opened it up like five-six times. As the years went on, they only opened it up I think three or four times a year.

We just felt that for this market, for this climate, and for this fan experience, we gravitated toward that clear roof and pivoting doors. Leave those doors open as long as we can during the season. Get a real good feel for the weather…and then have the luxury of closing it up on brutally cold days at the end of the season and for the playoffs.

Q. After securing a stadium deal has it been financially rewarding for you and other key members of the Vikings management team?

A. Well, it’s been job security for all of us, and it’s been a labor of love. The Wilfs have been loyal to us and have been great to work for. No complaints there. We’ve got a great team with Steve Poppen, Steve LaCroix, Kevin Warren and Don Becker. The five of us are kind of the leads on the project. Don Becker coming from the Wilfs real estate development company fits in well. He’s got the real estate and development experience that none of us have. This is our first stadium. We’ve learned a lot.

We’ve got a great team and so that’s what’s been most rewarding. One year to go (for the stadium opening), and then we’ve got a Super Bowl coming. We’ve got other major projects coming, and then we’ve gotta run this stadium, and make it work for our fans as well.

Q. When will the first time be that thousands of Minnesotans can walk into the stadium? What will the event be?

A. We’re working on that right now with the stadium authority and with SMG, the building manager. We’re talking about what event is appropriate. We’re also kicking around the concept of some sort of opening ceremony that would be an open house for the public to kind of come in and kick the tires.

It’s got to be somewhere after July 29 and somewhere before about mid-August because that’s when we start our preseason games. We may play our first two preseason games on the road in 2016 to give us another couple of weeks to sort of kick off Vikings football. We’ll have some ability to provide some input on scheduling, but not much. The NFL does their own thing.

Q. Did the Vikings come close to giving up during all those frustrating years of trying to win legislative approval for a new stadium? Were the Wilfs close to relocating the franchise?

A. I don’t know that we ever gave up, nor were we ever ready to relocate. There were times when it appeared it might not be possible to resolve this issue—which was frightening and the consequences were significant. I don’t believe the Wilfs would have ever moved this team. But at some point if there’s no solution they may have sold the team to somebody else. There was definitely interest in the team from other markets.

Our (stadium) strategy was simple: we went to the capitol for 12 years. We tried to build momentum, and persistence and perseverance. Build that momentum and that coalition of support from business, labor, fans and elected officials…in hopes of getting a breakthrough, and fortunately we did.

Q. How will you personally react when the keys to the stadium are given to the Vikings?

A. (Laughs). I don’t know. Kevin Warren says, I am gonna cry like a baby. I don’t know about that. …This building is going to exceed everything we advocated for many years. The jobs, the economic development, the growth in downtown east. The stadium has been a catalyst. The world class events (coming). We’ve already got the Super Bowl and the Final Four. The college football (national title game) on its way—more than likely. A Wrestlemania. Those things will be very rewarding.

Q. What about hosting the Big Ten Football Championship Game that has been played exclusively at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis?

A. We very much expect to be in the rotation for that game going forward.

Q. Why was it important to locate the stadium in Minneapolis?

A. We basically looked under every rock at every location. Ultimately we realized that we didn’t really have a say where the stadium was going to be built. The public—who was investing significantly—had the most to say about the location.

In hindsight we couldn’t be happier. We think it’s the ideal location. It’s right on the light rail line. It’s right on the edge of downtown. It’s accessible to 394 and 94, 35W, 55. It’s a catalyst for all the economic growth that’s going on down there. It (downtown) was also the most cost effective location given that the 55 acres for the Metrodome site were contributed. We didn’t have to acquire more property.

1 comment

‘Sky’s the Limit’ for Vikings Defense

Posted on June 17, 2015June 17, 2015 by David Shama

Notes on the Gophers, Twins and Vikings.

The Vikings ranked No. 14 in total NFL defense last season. Minnesota was No. 25 among 32 teams in rushing defense and No. 7 in pass defense. This week the team is finishing mini-camp for the spring and veteran defensive end Brian Robison likes what he sees.

“I think the sky’s the limit for us (defensively),” Robison said yesterday. “I think we’ve got an opportunity to do some really special things around here.

“I think our DBs are playing tremendous right now. I think they’re even better than what they were last year. Defensive line wise, I think we’re rushing very well. Linebackers, having Chad (Greenway) back and having a few of those guys back in there doing the things they’re doing. Fifty-four (rookie Eric Kendricks) is doing some great things out here.

“Yeah, we’ve got very high expectations for our defense and now it’s just about going out there and doing it. We can always have high expectations but if you don’t put it on tape then it doesn’t matter.”

Contrary to a published report earlier this spring, J.D. Spielman hasn’t verbally committed to the Gophers. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Sports Headliners yesterday the Gophers remain on the list of possible college destinations for his son who will be a senior football player at Eden Prairie High School next season.

Spielman said he and his son visited Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh two weeks ago. Additional college visits are planned later this month but Spielman declined to identify the schools. J.D., who just finished his lacrosse season for Eden Prairie, has football offers from Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska. Spielman said his son is being recruited as an “athlete,” meaning he could play collegiately on offense, defense or special teams.

Zac Epping, the former Gophers guard, is working with Minneapolis-based agent James Selmer and drawing interest from several NFL teams including the Titans. Epping, who has lost weight since his Gophers days and feels quicker, now weighs 310 pounds and hopes to have a deal soon with an NFL club.

Teams are looking at Epping as either a guard or center. The 6-2 Kenosha, Wisconsin native impressed during his Gophers career with his work ethic and passion for competition. As a young college player, former Gopher offensive lineman Matt Carufel made an impact on Epping. “He kind of taught me, don’t take any crap from anybody,” Epping said.

The Vikings and U.S. Bank officially announced a 20-year naming rights deal on Monday for the new downtown domed stadium. U.S. Bank Stadium has long been rumored to be the name for the facility that opens next year. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported Monday the deal is for $220 million.

If an $11 million per year figure is accurate, the deal is by far the largest of its kind for a Minnesota sports venue. Target Field naming rights have been estimated in the $5 to $6 million range annually with Xcel Energy Center perhaps worth half that, and Target Center and TCF Bank Stadium under $2 million each.

Dave Mona is looking for auction items for the sixth annual Camden’s Concert on July 13 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Among items already secured are prime seats at Lambeau Field for the Packers and Vikings game. The concert features the Wright Brothers and is named after Dave and Linda Mona’s grandson Camden Mona. The event raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Anyone with ideas for auction items can call Dave Mona at 952-944-5344.

Phil Steele’s College Football Preview and Athlon Sports have named Gophers punter Peter Mortell first team preseason All-Big Ten, according to a June 1 Gophersports.com story. Both Steele and Athlon included Minnesota defensive backs Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray on their All-Big Ten second teams. Defensive end Theiren Cockran made Steele’s second team and offensive tackle Josh Campion was on Athlon’s second unit.

Former Gophers associate athletics director Tom Wistrcill has resigned as Akron athletics director to become an executive with Learfield Sports, the national company that works with colleges and conferences developing sports related revenues including for broadcasting.

Whether 21-year-old rookie center fielder Byron Buxton goes back to the minor leagues will have a lot to do with if he can hit breaking ball pitches. Buxton debuted on Sunday, struck out twice and was hitless in four at bats. He saw plenty of breaking balls. He is hitting .200 in three games with the Twins.

Breaking balls are a challenge to most young hitters, and whatever the reasons the Twins organization is working on a string of promising prospects who have floundered early in their MLB careers. The list includes Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks, Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas. All but Hicks impressed with early hitting only to stumble later.

Part of hitting success is confidence and the Twins didn’t allow Arcia, Buxton, Hicks, Santana and Vargas to play and excel for a full season in Triple-A, baseball’s highest level in the minors. The suspicion here is Buxton will be dispatched back to the farm system in a couple of weeks if he doesn’t impress at the plate. No doubt that would be a good move for this highly scrutinized athlete who is rated among the top prospects in baseball.

Buxton is a social media hit with over 24,000 Twitter followers. Decades ago Buxton’s rookie trading card would have been a hot item but now sports memorabilia, including card collecting, has much less interest. The value of old baseball cards for the bigger names is still impressive, though. Harmon Killebrew’s rookie card could command $250, with Rod Carew’s at $150. Mickey Mantle’s rookie card still is the gold standard with a price that might exceed $25,000.

St. Thomas men’s basketball coach John Tauer has authored a book on youth sports and parents. “It’s a combination of psychology, motivation research, anecdotes from the playgrounds to the pros on how and why kids excel or get burned out on sports,” Tauer wrote in an e-mail to Sports Headliners. The book is titled Why LESS is MORE for WOSPS (Well-Intentioned, Overinvolved Sports Parents) and more information is available at Amazon.com. Dr.Tauer, a St. Paul native, has his doctorate in social psychology.

The Warriors likely wouldn’t have earned an NBA title if high scoring guard Klay Thompson had been traded last summer to the Timberwolves. There was interest inside the Warriors organization in sending Thompson—the son of former Gophers All-American center Mychal Thompson—to the Wolves in a deal involving disgruntled power forward Kevin Love who was later traded to the Cavs. But Warriors consultant Jerry West insisted Thompson not be traded and was ready to resign if the deal was made, according to a SI.com story last Thursday by Chris Ballard.

West is a brilliant talent evaluator, perhaps the best in NBA history. He played a major administrative role in the Lakers winning eight world titles in Los Angeles and more recently helped turn around both the Grizzlies and Warriors. The legendary West was drafted as an All-American guard out of West Virginia in 1960, the same year the Lakers left Minneapolis, so he never played here. Ballard wrote that West’s drive for perfection is still present and he can shoot his age, 77, on the golf course.

Comments Welcome