Timberwolves – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Ant Edwards’ Path to World’s Best Demands Elite Defense

Posted on October 18, 2026October 18, 2026 by David Shama

Anthony Edwards, 25, starts his seventh NBA regular season Wednesday night in Miami against the Heat. He remains the focal point of the Timberwolves, despite a roster shakeup that has two new starters in the lineup.

It’s an annual story now, waiting to see what improvement the Wolves superstar guard might make to elevate his status among the NBA’s best players. Authorities agree he’s one of the league’s 10 best players, but his raw talent teases with the potential to climb higher among his contemporaries and the greats of the past.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves player — Anthony Edwards photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

In its annual ranking of the top 100 NBA players last month ESPN.com listed Edwards at No. 7 and said in part: “Edwards averaged a career-high 28.8 points per game and again made 40% of his 3s on high volume (as he did in 2024-25) while enjoying his most efficient season overall. And while Edwards missed out on an All-NBA nod because he appeared in only 61 games, he is generally one of the sturdiest stars around, having appeared in at least 72 games in each of his previous five campaigns.”

Edwards might average 30 points or more per game this season with the addition of play maker extraordinaire LaMelo Ball (new to the lineup along with 24-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga). One of the league’s best point guards, Ball’s passing benefited Edwards in preseason when the two quickly developed chemistry with one another.

Edwards has twice been named second-team All-NBA. Playing on a Western Conference or NBA champion team would elevate the esteem with which the 6-foot-4 scoring whiz is regarded. But probably even more of a factor is whether Edwards can become a consistent elite defender.

Wolves’ basketball executive Tim Connelly saw it that way last month when meeting with the media. “I think Ant’s best chance to be the best player in the world (is) he has to (first) be the best two-way player in the world. I think he’d be the first to tell you at times last year (that was not up to standard). Part of it was our fault. We put him in positions where he had to (do) so much offensively.

“A lot of the ballhandling stuff will be out of his hands now with a more traditional point guard next to him. But you gotta be a two-way player. He’s gotta be a leader on both ends. He’s shown the ability to be, I think, maybe the best on ball perimeter defender in the league. … He’s so strong. He’s got great instincts. He’s so competitive.

“Do we think it’s gotta be 48 minutes of elite play on both ends? Is that unrealistic? Probably, but do we think in the biggest moments that he’d be the most impactful perimeter defender in the league? Absolutely.”

What about Edwards’ playmaking? Last season he averaged 3.7 assists, the lowest since his rookie year average of 2.9.

“We’re not concerned about his playmaking and we expect our offense to be a bit more free flowing with the addition of LaMelo,” Connelly said.

No question Ball’s availability will be tied to Edwards’ success this season and beyond. The concern is availability. Since being drafted by the Hornets in 2020 (he went No. 3 overall and Edwards No. 1), he has missed a lot of games. Last season he played a near career high of 72 out of 82 games but in previous seasons the totals were 47, 22, 36, 75 and 51.

Ankle injuries have been troublesome. That’s a worrisome history for a 25-year-old, with logic suggesting lower body injuries can become more frequent and last longer as an athlete ages.

Connelly is banking on Ball continuing the trend of the 2025-2026 season. Playing most of the season, he averaged 20.2 points per game and 7.1 assists. The 6-7 veteran also averaged nearly 5 rebounds per game.

Connelly was asked if he saw a ceiling on minutes per game for Ball. “I’d hope 48. I don’t know if that’s reasonable. Everything is nuanced. …There’s nothing chronic (regarding his health).

“He’s been healthy all summer. He’s really taken his body seriously this offseason… I think our expectation of him is to play as much as possible. …When healthy he is going to make a huge impact and right now he looks fantastic.”

Worth Noting

The Golden Gophers men’s basketball team is ranked No. 42 in the KenPom preseason rankings, two spots behind the Badgers and one ahead of the Hawkeyes. https://kenpom.com/index.php

That’s the good news. The bad news is the ranking is likely based on Cade Tyson being on the roster. Word is litigation for Tyson and other athletes involved in an appeal to gain a fifth year of college competition is unlikely to be settled in their favor. Tyson led all Gopher scorers last season averaging 19.6 points per game.

Sports Headliners reader and longtime season tickets buyer Kirk Detlefsen was asked via email what the fans he knows are thinking regarding the Twins who surprised with a better-than-expected record of 77-85.

“…I do know that the attitude with many Twins fans is much different today than it was at this time last year. The few people that I talk to would still like to see the team sold, but the hatred towards the Pohlads that existed a year ago I don’t see. There definitely is a little excitement out there for the Twins’ future with some of our young talent. …

“My personal thoughts, I like Tom Pohlad. The change in leadership within the Pohlad family was the best thing that happened this year. I like what he says, and so far, he does what he says.

“With the addition of three minority partners this past year, I would really be surprised if the Pohlads were to sell the team any time soon. But as the old saying goes, ‘Everything is for sale, it’s just a matter of price.’ “

Among the Twins’ most intriguing prospects because of his youth and skills is 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Enmanuel Merlo who signed a reported $1.5 million contract last January. He hit .311 in the Dominican Summer League this year.

Expectations will be high regarding the 2027 performance of new Twins pitching coach Brian Reith because he comes from the Rays organization with an envied reputation for being among the most intelligent and innovative in developing pitchers. Reith, 48, was the pitching coach last season for the Triple-A Durham club.

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100 Special Number as U Gets Jug Win over Michigan

Posted on October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 by David Shama

Minnesota scored a win for the history books yesterday with its 20-14 victory over Michigan in the 100^th game to determine possession of the Little Brown Jug. The victory also gave P.J. Fleck his 100^th career (Gophers and Western Michigan) coaching win.

Gopher football coach P.J. Fleck — P.J. Fleck

The Gophers defeated the Wolverines at home for the first time since 1977 and only third time this millennium. An emotional Fleck said other than marrying his wife and birth of his children, Saturday may have been “the best day” of his life.

Fleck crowd surfed on the set of Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” prior to the 11 a.m. game. After the game, as usual following a victory, the exuberant 45-year-old did his surfing routine in the locker room with his jubilant players.

Thousands from the delirious sellout crowd stormed the field in celebration following the nationally televised game. Stadium speakers blasted “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers. It was a troll on the visitors with the song being a favorite at Michigan Stadium.

The Gophers, 4-1 overall, have started the Big Ten season 2-0 for the first time since 2019. That team finished 11-2 including a bowl win over Auburn and excelled at one score wins.

The 2026 Gophers had a big three-point win at Washington last weekend and sustained success against the Michigan team ranked top 25 earlier in the year.

Minnesota’s program has a long history of losing games following quality upsets against prominent foes. That was the case in 1977 when Minnesota defeated No. 1 Michigan 16-0 at old Memorial Stadium. The next two Saturdays the Gophers lost Big Ten games.

But yesterday for Gopher fans was a time to savor a Jug triumph and remember the best of the past in the series. Minnesota not only has the win in the 100^th matchup but also won in the 50^th meeting when the Gophers upset No. 5 Michigan in Minneapolis in 1953.

The all-time record in battles for the Jug stands at 73-24-3 in Michigan’s favor. The rivalry wasn’t always so lopsided in the battle for possession of college football’s oldest travelling trophy that had its inception after the 1903 tie between the two schools. The Gophers beat Michigan nine consecutive times from 1934-1942. And took three straight from 1960-1962.

The old-timers reveled in the Michigan rivalry. Mike Wilkinson, now in his 80s and author of the biography on former Gophers’ coach Murray Warmath, posted this on the Sports Headliners website last week: “My old man used to say that if…(Minnesota) lost every game and its lone victory was against Michigan then the season was a success.”

Well, the Gophers will get more wins than the Little Brown Jug triumph this year but the victory will stand close or at the top of 2026 highlights. Wouldn’t it be something if for the first time since Warmath’s 1967 team the Gophers swept all three of their most historic and important rivalry trophies, adding Floyd of Rosedale and Paul Bunnyan’s Axe to the showcase?

Worth Noting

Sailgating on Lake Washington was a hit with Gophers fans who arrived at the Husky Stadium docks after partying and prior to kickoff for last weekend’s game with Washington. The stadium not so much. It is over 105 years old and needs upgrades such as lighting, signage and video boards.

In a cool tie to the past Sports Headliners reader Steve Hunegs reported via email he stayed at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. That’s the same place (then the Olympic Hotel) the 1941 Gopher team stayed when Minnesota’s defending national champions won 14-6 on their way to a second consecutive title.

The 2026 Gophers stayed in a Seattle suburb.

A total of 19 former men’s Gopher hockey players were on opening night NHL rosters when the season began last week. No NCAA program has more all-time NHL alums than the Gophers with over 130.

Minneapolis-based attorney, sports historian and Sports Headliners advertiser Marshall Tanick will be the keynote speaker next Sunday (October 11) for a program at the Brookview Recreation Center in Golden Valley. Tanick’s presentation is “Jews in Baseball” and will be a highlight of the annual meeting of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest (JHSUM).

Tanick’s presentation will include legendary pitcher Sandy Koufax’s famous absence in the 1965 World Series of his Dodgers against the Twins when he sat out a game because of Yom Kippur. Also, insights on Hank Greenberg’s pursuit of Babe Ruth’s single season home run record, All-Star catcher and World War II spy Mike Berg, the Jew who wrote “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (before he ever attended a game) and the Jew who fixed the 1919 World Series. More information is available at https://www.jhsum.org/.

It will be stunning if Ryan Jeffers returns to the Twins next season. There’s no strong indication from the front office or ownership the Twins intend to give the free agent starting catcher a multi-year deal to lock him up.

The 29-year-old Jeffers is among MLB’s best at his position and at his age he may never again have the opportunity to land a career best contract. The Twins would be smart to at least offer him a one-year $23 million deal that guarantees the franchise a compensatory draft pick if Jeffers signs elsewhere.

The Twins will have a gaping hole in the lineup without the catching and hitting prowess of Jeffers. Owner Tom Pohlad is on record with intending to expand the team payroll, but it looks like the club prefers to spend the money elsewhere.

The view here is the team would be better off parting with the 32-year-old often injured Byron Buxton and use some of that money to sign Jeffers. He has a no-trade $100 million contract with the Twins that runs through 2028. The pros outnumber the cons for huddling during the offseason and figuring out a new home for the long-time fan favorite.

Tim Connelly, the basketball boss of the Timberwolves who open their season later this month, said last week he believes his team is championship caliber. BetMGM agreed last week listing the Wolves odds of +2500 (same as the Cav’s and Nuggets) as tied for sixth best among NBA contenders.

The top five are the Thunder and Spurs (tied at +260), Sixers (+850), Knicks (+900) and Celtics (+1400).

Connelly said Wolves Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, now a team ambassador, will not have a “day to day role” with the club, perhaps indicating he won’t be a prime decision maker on personnel.

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Vikings Now Face Potential Quarterback Controversy

Posted on September 22, 2026September 22, 2026 by David Shama

Kyler Murray has cleared concussion protocol and will be the Vikings starting quarterback on Sunday in Tampa against the 0-2 Bucs.

Murray has missed almost two whole games as the Vikings have started 2-0 on the season. He suffered a concussion in the opening minutes of the first game and Carson Wentz replaced him. Efficient game managing by the 33-year-old veteran Wentz has helped the Vikings to wins over the Packers at home and the Bears on the road.

Since the 29-year-old Murray was head coach Kevin O’Connell’s choice to the No. 1 quarterback in the weeks leading up to the season, it’s no surprise the diminutive and potentially explosive passer-runner has been reinstalled as the starter.

But if Murray and the Vikings encounter “head winds” near the Gulf of Mexico Sunday and falter after that, too, look for a quarterback controversy to surface. If the Vikings are losing and Murray is even mediocre, the fan base (and media) will be restless.

Listed at 5-foot, 10-inches and 207 pounds, Murray has a high velocity throwing arm, quickness of foot and running ability that can bedevil opponents. His potential dazzles and we have yet to see what kind of offensive plays O’Connell has created to take advantage of his potential playmaker.

The Cardinals gave up on Murray, now in his eighth NFL year, after last season. His career profile has included persistent injuries and periods of inconsistency. His resume and profile instill optimism, though, among those who want to feel it. In 2019 he was the Pro Football Offensive Rookie of the Year. Twice in his career he was a Pro Bowler.

If things go south for the Vikings, O’Connell knows what he’s got in Wentz who he praised yesterday. “I think Carson is just so steady. He knows exactly, and we talk a lot about what’s going to be required to win, and his role over these last, whatever it is, maybe 106 snaps.

“You think about it, we have no turnovers during that time, and I think we had maybe one procedural penalty where the left side of our O-line lined up too deep yesterday (Sunday). But outside of that, he’s running the show. …”

With either Murray or Wentz running the offense, fans hope the Vikings can not only qualify for the playoffs but win their first postseason game of the O’Connell era that started in 2023. It’s been a quarterback carousel dating back to that year, with nine different starters.

Leading the offense (at least for two games) have been Max Brosmer, Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens, Murray and Wentz.

Cousins, the 38-year-old who left the Vikings in free agency for the Falcons after the 2023 season, is tied with the most touchdown passes in the NFL after two games. His six have helped the Raiders to a 2-0 start.

Worth Noting

Wide receiver Jordan Addison has only two receptions in the first two games but O’Connell liked his blocking on Sunday. He praised it as well timed with wide receiver Jauan Jennings, a quality blocker, not playing in the game for personal reasons.

O’Connell also said on Monday defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has a hip injury and the coach considers him “day-to day.” Punter Brett Thorson has a hamstring injury that will be evaluated during the week.

Brian O’Neill told Sports Headliners the knee issue that made him listed as questionable for last Sunday’s game isn’t going to be an ongoing problem. He played in the Bears game and doesn’t expect the knee issue (details not disclosed) to trouble him in the future, including at the Bucs on Sunday.

Who is the only Golden Gophers football player ever to be the coverboy for Sports Illustrated? The answer is quarterback Bobby Cox who played for Minnesota in 1956 and 1957 after transferring from Washington.

He was labeled the nation’s top quarterback on the November 4, 1957, cover. Interestingly, the 1957 Gophers defeated Cox’s old school 46-7 that year. Also of note, Cox was of Hispanic background, and this is National Hispanic Heritage month.

The Gophers play at Washington Saturday night with a 10 p.m. kickoff on Fox Network. It’s the first game between the two programs since 1977.

Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch is in his third season in Seattle. He was 32 years old in 2009 when Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster hired him to be offensive coordinator.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning knew of Fisch and wanted him to be his quarterbacks coach in Indianapolis, but Fisch chose the Gophers where he coached for one season. Then Fisch left to become quarterbacks coach for the NFL Seahawks.

Joel Maturi, the former University of Minnesota athletics director, attended the 60^th reunion of the 1966 national champion Notre Dame football team in South Bend earlier this month. The Minnesota native was a student trainer on the undefeated team that included former Vikings legend Alan Page.

Maturi, 81, stays active walking a total of eight miles a day.

Former Gopher quarterback Tanner Morgan, who did the color analysis on the Big Ten Network coverage of last Saturday’s Minnesota-Akron game and still lives in the Twin Cities area, runs QBMotion Midwest where he uses science-based mechanics to tutor teen quarterbacks.

Throne Spud, the digital creator and vlogger, posted the 10 most liberal and conservative FBS schools on Instagram. The Big Ten landed six in the top 10 most liberal including Oregon No. 1, Minnesota No. 6 and Wisconsin No. 10. No Big Ten schools on the conservative list with Liberty No. 1, followed by a top five of BYU, Baylor, Mississippi State and TCU.

Sports scorer Stew Thornley — Stew Thornley

Stew Thornley, 71, is finishing his 20^th year as an official scorer for the Twins. A highlight this summer was working as official scorer for the Twins-Phillies Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

The Minneapolis-born Thornley estimates he’s done 750 games as a scorer for the Twins, including 2018 when he worked two games in Puerto Rico. He has also worked the 2017 World Baseball Classic games in Mexico which he referenced as a “wild scene.”

Thornley, also known to Minnesotans for authoring sports books, is an official scorer for Gophers and Timberwolves basketball games, penalty timekeeper for Gopher hockey and sometimes scoreboard operator for Gopher football. And wait, not done yet: official scorer for Gopher baseball and sometimes public address announcer.

Thornley estimates his roles have him out of the house over 100 days and nights per year. Asked tongue in cheek if wife Brenda was happy to have him gone, he said: “Yeah, she is.”

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