Stadiums – Page 3 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Will Glen Taylor Surprise as New Minnesota Twins Owner?

Posted on June 4, 2025June 4, 2025 by David Shama

The field of potential buyers of the Twins franchise is unknown to the public. Could Glen Taylor be among the interested?

Taylor, 84, might seem unlikely given his age and apparent exit from sports as majority owner of the Timberwolves and Lynx. The sale of those franchises to the Marc Lore-Alex Rodriguez group is expected to be finalized soon by the NBA.

Taylor is a lifelong civic-minded Minnesotan and sports fan. It was Taylor who stepped up in 1994 to buy a distressed Wolves franchise that could have been headed to New Orleans. Taylor started the Lynx franchise in 1999 partially because he wanted to be supportive of women’s basketball. For many years he operated both the Lynx and Wolves when they lost money.

The Mankato-based billionaire obviously wants to make money on his various business endeavors, but he’s demonstrated his interest in benefitting the community including paying for expensive upgrades to Target Center, the city-owned home of the Wolves and Lynx. More than 20 years ago he told the Rochester Post-Bulletin he had interest in buying the Twins and Vikings.

Could Taylor head a group of Minnesotans willing to buy the baseball franchise under terms they consider favorable? Might that group include the Davis family best known to many Minnesotans for its Cambria ownership? Twins hall of famer Joe Mauer, potentially as a minor investor, would add “curb appeal” to a new group.

Taylor and partners reportedly will receive $1.5 billion for the sale of the Wolves-Lynx. The Twins Pohlad family ownership group might be asking a similar price for their franchise.

That appears to be a higher figure than realistic. Forbes does value the team at $1.5 billion but a recent report from Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press said the franchise has more than $400 million debt and is borrowing to pay bills.

That is a big negotiating point to any potential buyer. So, too, is the belief that the Twins are in the bottom third in valuation among the 30 MLB franchises.

Forbes ranks the franchise at No. 23. The Orioles, who sold last year at a reported $1.7 billion, are ranked No. 18 and valued at $1.9 billion.

The Twins are averaging 19,595 fans a game this season, per ESPN.com. That ranks No. 25 in baseball. The Twins per game attendance, though, will rise in the summer months with better weather and if the Twins continue to win as they have done of late.

The club has long had a bandwagon fan base. There is no fierce groundswell of loyalty to the Twins as there is for the Vikings, or baseball’s Cubs and Red Sox.

Attendance is significantly impacted by on field success and while usually having a competitive team in the AL Central Division, the franchise is hardly poised for a World Series run. It doesn’t help either that much of the fanbase is anti-Pohlad, believing that for too long ownership has been unwilling to invest enough in payroll.

Selling season tickets has been a challenge in recent years. When the club moved into Target Field in 2010 the season tickets total was reportedly about 24,000. That figure more than doubled the franchise record, per my reporting in 2010. Now the season tickets base might be in the 10,000 range, or even less.

In addition to on field performance, attendance is impacted by inclement weather. April and May often bring troublesome weather that discourages ticket buyers. Those two months represent roughly one-third of the schedule.

Playing in a facility without a retractable roof is a liability for the franchise which might have been interested in that amenity except for the added cost. A covered facility assures ticket buyers, including groups, that a game will be played regardless of the weather.

The neighboring Brewers have such a facility and are valued at $1.7 billion and ranked No. 20 in the Forbes evaluations. Yet Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin don’t have the geographic drawing power that the Twins benefit from being able to attract fans from the Dakotas, Iowa and Canada. American Family Field gives the Brewers an edge at the box office.

The Twins have also been hit with reported declining local TV revenue. The once lucrative regional sports model has been replaced by Twins TV. Going back to the 2024 offseason it was apparent the club’s stance on player payroll was impacted on a projection of less money from local television.

Perhaps the Twins would be willing to structure a sale for something like $1.2 billion with the caveat that if certain revenue marks are achieved in coming years, the Pohlads will receive a percentage of the success. That could be a negotiating item in a sale that has plenty of challenges including the potential of a MLB players’ work stoppage after the collective bargaining agreement between their union and the owners ends after the 2026 season.

Maybe Taylor is intrigued by it all. Perhaps he sees a reinvigoration of himself on a warm, sunny day at Target Field.

Worth Noting

When the Twins selected Royce Lewis at No. 1 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, they passed on Hunter Greene. While Lewis is in an inexplicable slump and hitting .133, Greene is arguably one of MLB’s 10 best starting pitchers. The Reds ace was 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA last season and in 2025 is off to a 4-3 record with a 2.72 ERA.

New Vikings backup quarterback Sam Howell has a Korean heritage. His grandmother was Korean and he has worn a South Korean flag decal on his helmet in the past.

Brian Cosgriff, the Minnesota high school girls basketball coaching legend who won eight state titles before retiring this spring, turned down the opportunity to pursue the head coaching job at the prestigious Montverde Academy (near Orlando). Cosgriff, 64, had an initial interest in becoming a serious candidate for the national powerhouse program but decided to remain in Minneapolis where next school year he will have a physical education position at DeLaSalle High School.

The upcoming season will be Mark Lundgren’s 30th as a member of the University of Minnesota football chain gang. The season will be the 25th for him as the gang’s crew chief. Lundgren, who has never missed a game, was recently given a 30-year commemorative jacket by some crew members.

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Tears from Tampa to Minnesota after Bueckers Win

Posted on April 7, 2025April 7, 2025 by David Shama

A Minnesota hero earned a storybook ending to her college career on Sunday when Connecticut defeated South Carolina to win the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball National Championship in Tampa.

Paige Bueckers, one of the most dominant women’s college basketball players ever, was pivotal in the Huskies winning the national title in her last game as a collegian while scoring 17 points and grabbing a team second best six rebounds in the 82-59 victory. It was her first college national title and the end of a journey for the former Hopkins High School superstar that prompted intensive emotions in both Tampa and Minnesota.

In the closing seconds Bueckers came out of the game and hugged head coach Geno Auriemma. “I love you. That’s all I could say,” Auriemma told an ABC TV audience after the game talking about Bueckers who was overcome with emotion yesterday just like her coach.

The Huskies’ do-everything point guard said the feeling of winning the title was “unreal.” She also told TV viewers, “I love that coach.”

Bueckers’ coach at Hopkins, Brian Cosgriff, watched the game in Minnesota and last evening talked to Sports Headliners. “I was in tears when she came off the floor and was hugging coach Geno. That’s when it hit me. That’s when I got chills and I was like, holy crap. This is something this young lady has wanted since I’ve known her.

“And knowing Geno the way I do, he was moved. You could see emotionally, he was really moved by their relationship and the magnificence of what was taking place.

“They (the Huskies) walked through this tournament. They were playing really good basketball, and it wasn’t just Paige. I mean Azzi Fudd was amazing. Sarah Strong was amazing (both players had 24 points yesterday).

“They came off the bench with players that were outstanding. It was a complete program victory. No question about it.”

A part of the satisfaction from yesterday for Cosgriff comes from what he’s seen through the years from his “tough as nails” former player. “This was a goal of hers from day one and it finally came to fruition after experiencing many setbacks and a lot of adversity along the way in terms of injuries and those kinds of things.

“She overcame a lot and showed her resilience as a person and a player, and I couldn’t be happier for her. She’s just an amazing basketball player but even a better person.”

Bueckers and Cosgriff, now the girls coach at Minnetonka, have remained close over the years. Last summer Bueckers was in town and used the coach’s rental condo downtown while she saw friends and family, threw out the first pitch at a Twins game and enjoyed the state fair. “You always take care of your former players,” Cosgriff said.

Bueckers, who is among the most prolific winners of women’s college basketball awards ever including National Player of the Year, first joined Cosgriff’s program as a seventh grader playing for the sophomores and junior varsity. A member of the varsity in eighth grade, she and the Royals made the state championship game every year except her last in 2020.

That year the Royals and Farmington advanced to a date for the final game only to see it cancelled by the State High School League because of COVID. Hopkins and Bueckers were primed to win a second consecutive state title with a 62-0 win streak that dated back to 2019 when they had earned the title of Class 4A champs. Cosgriff describes the last-minute decision to cancel the game and not compete for a championship in 2019 “as quite a kick in the pants.”

“The entire program was in tears,” he said. “We were in a mess. Absolute mess.”

But there were different tears yesterday as Bueckers fulfilled a goal she once talked about via SLAM on Instagram back in her Hopkins days. She spoke of “winning a national championship” in college and hoping after that to be the first pick in the WNBA Draft.

Now the 6-foot, 23-year-old Bueckers is considered the likely No. 1 WNBA pick in the league draft next Monday.

Storybook ending.

Worth Noting

In a move to generate more revenue, the U Athletic Department is exploring potential naming rights for Williams Arena. With or without a corporate name, the facility will still be referred to by many fans as “The Barn.”

While many find the nickname appealing, I don’t.

Do you wonder why the historic building that is nearing its 100^th birthday is labeled a “dump” now days? Yes, the men’s urinals are troughs and other enhancements are needed, but it hasn’t helped the venue’s image that for years the arena is called “The Barn.”

To me there’s nothing appealing about the disparaging connotation of a barn being home to a Big Ten basketball team. It’s a marketing mistake by the U to have played into the narrative for a long time.

Other college basketball historic venues aren’t labeled as such. Cameron Indoor, Allen Fieldhouse and The Palestra are examples. The latter two facilities have flattering nicknames: “The Phog” and “The Cathedral of College Basketball.”

Twins Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven, who used to have fun as the Twins TV analyst promoting his birthday, turned 74 yesterday.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Minnesota. The April 6, 1982, attendance of 52,279 for the first-ever regular season game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome set a record that still stands. Rookie Gary Gaetti had four hits, including two home runs, but the Twins lost 11-7 to the Mariners.

Gulp: $25 to park in Ramp A for the Twins-Astros game last Saturday.

The first of 10 free Twins over-the-air games on Fox 9 is a week from Tuesday, April 15, against the Mets from Target Field.

The Twins don’t have the most attractive home schedule for summer weather. They have 15 home games each in April and May, with 13 in June, August and September, and just 12 in July.

The “Hit It To Win It” contest will draw attention at Target Field this season. If a Twins’ home run hits the Winnebago brand RV parked in right field area on the fly, a lucky fan’s entry will be drawn to win an outdoor recreational vehicle or boat of his or her choice from Winnebago Industries (up to $200,000 in MSRP value). To enter the sweepstakes, visit the area inside Gate 34 at the stadium to connect with a Winnebago Industries brand rep, scan the QR code on the stadium RV, or visit www.hitittowinit.com and complete the entry form.

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Put Medved Resume at Top of U New Millennium Coaches

Posted on March 26, 2025March 26, 2025 by David Shama

Niko Medved is now the fifth head men’s basketball coach at the University of Minnesota in the last 25 years. There’s reason to believe he’s the best since the Clem Haskins era of 1986-1999.

Haskins ran afoul of the NCAA, but the man could coach. He was outstanding at developing players and superb at motivating them. Popular with the fans and community, Haskins had winning teams who frequently packed Williams Arena because of their sustained success.

The NCAA investigation that later found the Gophers guilty of violations led to the Haskins firing after the 1999 season. His successor, Dan Monson, was a wunderkind after two seasons as head coach at Gonzaga where the Bulldogs made the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight in year two.

But Monson, 37 when he was hired, had the worst situation of any Gopher coach this millennium—having to operate under the dark cloud of the Haskins demise and the limitations applied on his program because of NCAA sanctions. After seven seasons he was fired with a 36-60 Big Ten record.

Tubby Smith rode the prior success of Rick Pitino to a national championship as head coach at Kentucky in 1998. Smith had been a Pitino assistant but was sliding in on-court success and popularity in Lexington when he left the Wildcats to succeed Monson.

At Minnesota, despite often flirting with an above .500 Big Ten record, Smith couldn’t break through with a winner on the national scene. He had just two NCAA Tournament teams in six seasons, although his overall record of 124-81 and winning percentage of .605 is the best among Gophers coaches this millennium.

The last two coaches prior to the Medved hire this week could be referred to as trainees. Pitino’s son, Richard, was hired at 30 years old in 2013 with one prior season of head coaching experience (at small school Florida International). His successor in 2021, Ben Johnson, had never been a head coach.

On-the-job training didn’t work out well for either. Pitino won .365 percent of his Big Ten games. Johnson, whose teams twice finished last in the Big Ten, was fired this month with a 22-57 league record in four seasons (.278 winning percentage).

Smith had the best resume of the U hires through Johnson. He had won at Kentucky and other stops before Lexington. At the U he came close to having the right core of players for a breakthrough season.

Now here comes Medved with a resume and experience that is distinctly better than Monson, Pitino and Johnson. The 51-year-old Minneapolis born Medved has earned sustained success since beginning his head coaching career at Furman in 2013. Unlike Tubby, he never had the privilege of landing at a blue-blood program, instead having to make the most out of limited resources and legacies.

At Colorado State, his most recent stop, Medved had the Rams in the NCAA Tournament three of the last four years. He owns an overall career record of 222-172 and was 143-85 at Colorado State where he was the only coach ever to win 20 games or more five times.

Medved photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Medved’s coaching acumen was evident to observers of his team this month in the tournament. His team played with poise and discipline at both ends of the court. This was a team that was difficult to defeat if holding a lead in the last five minutes of a game. Over 40 minutes, Medved could be counted on to take timely timeouts, set up effective plays, or change defensive schemes.

His coaching chops have been recognized for years by those who know basketball. In March of 2021 after Pitino’s dismissal, state basketball legend Tyus Jones tweeted: “Gophers should hire Niko Medved and Dave Thorson ASAP.”

Thorson, the former DeLaSalle coaching icon, was then working for Medved in Fort Collins but soon joined Johnson’s staff. Thorson will now stay on the U staff, working with Medved again.

Medved grew up attending Gopher games and was a student manager for Haskins in the 1990s. He was a Gopher assistant coach for the 2006-2007 season.

He is back home now at this “dream job.” His experience as a head coach, familiarity with the state and U, combined with his motivation to succeed figures to make him more successful than any Gopher head basketball coach in a long time.

With its lack of support from the community and donors, and its losing reputation, U basketball is no blue-blood spot on the college basketball map. But it doesn’t have to be the mess the U has made of it either.

Minnesota is our only state supported school with Division I basketball and has a population full of alums. The town boasts Fortune 500 companies as landing places for U players who can choose from a diverse curriculum of academic majors at Minnesota. The number of college prospects in state high schools has exploded and improved dramatically in quality in the last 25 years. The practice facilities are modern and impressive. The nearly 100-year-old Williams Arena gets too much criticism because the bottom has dropped out of the program. Filled to capacity the place rocks with an energy that can shut up even the harshest critics.

Medved has no illusions about what it will take to win here. “It’s a talent acquisition business,” he said.

College basketball players will have interest in the Gophers if they’re assured of at least a couple of major things. Is there an opportunity for playing time? How much compensation goes with being a Gopher?

With a roster depleted by graduation and transfers, it’s clear there are going to be playing opportunities for the 2025-2026 season.

It’s expected the Gophers will be at least competitive, if not better, than other Big Ten rivals when it comes to revenue sharing with players. Athletic director Mark Coyle reportedly wants revenue sharing money for men’s basketball to be in the top third among Big Ten programs.

The other factor is Name, image and Likeness money for players. Johnson didn’t have much success in generating NIL money through the Gophers official collective, Dinkytown Athletes. It’s expected Medved’s personality, commitment to relationships and grit will make him more successful generating money for his program. “I am a big people person,” he said.

Medved won his press conference yesterday. His character came through when just about the first thing he said was Johnson is welcome around the program. “Ben is my friend,” Medved said.

When Coyle introduced his new head coach he predicted players will “love” competing for him. That caring about others is part of what attracted Coyle to Medved and could be considered a piece of his “proven track record.”

Medved, a self-described ultra competitor, promises to “pour his heart and soul” into his dream job. He knows success won’t come from just him. “It’s going to take all of us,” he said.

To take the Gophers to a level “never seen before” (his words), Medved is looking for a “team together” approach that includes those inside and outside the U, from players to donors, assistant coaches to season ticket holders, administrators to closet fans, and more.

“We want to be as good as we can be soon. Biggest thing is sustained success,” Medved said.

That would certainly differentiate him from his predecessors.

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