Vikings – Page 263 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Camarillo Makes a Difference for Kids

Posted on December 14, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Greg Camarillo is a benchwarmer for the Vikings, a wide receiver who has just six receptions for 93 yards this season, but to disadvantaged kids like Kitam Hamm he’s a hero.

Hamm is a high school senior who lives in the infamous town of Compton, California. It’s a place where youngsters are maybe more likely to be shot than attend college. Hamm, a football player and student of promise, has hope for the future because of his own hard work and encouragement from family and people like Camarillo and his brother Jeff Camarillo.

Hamm was a seventh grader when the Camarillos started the Charging Forward program in southern California. Compton was targeted not only for the youngsters there who needed help, but also because the Camarillos’ father Albert grew up in the city.

Greg said the Charging Forward program’s goal is to work with student-athletes “that will benefit from a little encouragement and a little reward for hard work in the classroom and on the playing field.” Rewards for those performing well include meetings with guest speakers and gifts like gloves, cleats and tickets to San Diego Chargers games.

“That simple thing that would get them out of their neighborhood for a day — for a weekend — was just what they needed to work hard,” Greg said. “Something to look forward to, (and) something to be excited about.”

Hamm’s success was documented in a lengthy feature for the December 5 issue of Sports Illustrated. The article details the reality of living in a gang-infested community and how Hamm has excelled on the football field and in the classroom.

“He’s a great kid,” Greg said. “He comes from a great household. The article does a great job of portraying what he made it past to be successful.”

Greg has used his money and also fundraisers to provide a budget for Charging Forward. During the next offseason he and his brother plan to start up with another group of youngsters, similar to what they did six years ago with Hamm. The effort will be made easier now that Camarillo has sold his home in Florida and moved back to San Diego.

Greg and Frank hope to have Charging Forward chapters not only in Compton, but San Diego and East Palo Alto, California. Frank, who was a teacher in Compton, is now an educator in East Palo Alto.

“It’s amazing what just a little bit will do to the hopes and dreams of the kids,” Greg said.

Comments Welcome

Worth Noting

Posted on December 14, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Joe Mauer’s fiancé is a nurse in the Twin Cities. He and Madeline Bisanz have known each other since high school at Cretin-Derham Hall. The two have been in Florida but will be back in Minnesota for the holidays. No wedding date has been set for Madeline and the Twins catcher who once dated the 2005 Miss USA, Chelsea Cooley.

Next season needs to be a comeback year on the field for Mauer but it’s even bigger for his buddy, first baseman Justin Morneau. Injuries have slowed Morneau for two seasons and production has been far below his best years (in 2011 four home runs, 30 RBI and a .227 batting average). He turns 31 in May and 2013 is the last year of his contract with the Twins.

Joe’s brother Jake Mauer will return for a third year as manager of the Twins Single-A affiliate Ft. Myers Miracle (Florida State League).

The Saints franchise that comes to Mall of America Field on Sunday to play the Vikings beat Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game on January 24, 2010. Since then the Saints are 21-8 in regular season games, the Vikings 8-21.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association’s annual clinic with the Gophers is March 29-31. Coaches interested in attending can learn more at www.mshsca.org.

New Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has only four teams in 20 seasons of NBA coaching who didn’t make the playoffs. Twice his teams have been in the NBA Finals.

In five seasons playing in the Spanish ACB League, new Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio made .374 percent of his field goals and .314 of his three point attempts. Although he’s only 21, Rubio’s shooting and defense will be scrutinized in the early weeks of the NBA season.

Last summer Rubio treated a north Minneapolis family, who had been impacted by tornadoes, to an afternoon at the Mall of America.

Saint John’s head coach Jim Smith has 731 career wins, the 21^st best total in college basketball history. Smith is 10 wins behind former Temple coach John Chaney.

The Wild will never have a better goalie storyline during the first months of the season than this year. Training camp opened with the comfort of having six-year veteran and regular goalie Niklas Backstrom on the roster. But backup Josh Harding has probably been the team MVP while supporting roles have been played by 51-year-old “emergency” goalie Paul Deutsch and Matt Hackett who didn’t make his first start until December 8. On Monday Hackett was named by the NHL as its Second Star for the week after a 2-0, 1.01 goals against average last week.

The Wild’s Devin Setoguchi is scheduled to sign autographs at the Maplewood Mall Hockey Lodge store on Friday from 6 to 7 p.m. The store is located at 3001 White Bear Avenue in Maplewood.

Comments Welcome

Vikings Leader: ‘We Should All Be Held Accountable’

Posted on December 12, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Ryan Longwell, 37, is a veteran leader on the Vikings team, and he told Sports Headliners the team’s 2-11 record and on field performance deserves scrutiny. Accountability, he said, needs to be assessed among players, coaches and front office.

“I think everything has to be looked at when you have a record like this. …We should all be held accountable and ultimately we are,” Longwell said.

The Vikings are having one of the least successful seasons in franchise history and will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Personnel needs are numerous and major reconstruction of the roster must be addressed.

Asked about possible roster changes for next season, the Vikings placekicker said, “Probably a lot of turnover, as there should be. Obviously this combination didn’t get it done. I think we’re all aware of that. We’re all aware our jobs are on the line each and every week. We know it’s a very fleeting profession.”

Leslie Frazier is in his first full year as head coach and he probably gets a “mulligan” for another season from owner Zygi Wilf. That doesn’t mean all the coaches will return, though, and the Star Tribune speculated last week about the job security of defensive coordinator Fred Pagac.

Longwell believes the Vikings should be comparing themselves to teams like Green Bay and New Orleans, two of the most successful NFC organizations in recent seasons. Those clubs have franchises headed by strongly positioned and clearly defined front office football authorities.

The Packers’ Ted Thompson is executive vice president, general manager and director of football operations. The Saints’ Mickey Loomis is the team’s executive vice president-general manager, and “responsible for the club’s entire football operations,” according to the franchise website. The perception about the Vikings —fair or not — is that decision making and leadership of the football department is less defined. The franchise’s most visible department figure is vice president Rick Spielman who oversees the “pro and college scouting departments,” according to the team website.

Fans and media complain the Vikings fragment the decision making process and should have one voice. Longwell was asked if he anticipates changes in the front office after this season.

He said “it’s tough to have people in power” and not provide “clear lines” of responsibility. He believes there are better organizational “setups” than the Vikings have and it will be up to ownership to decide whether changes are needed in that structure and with individuals.

Longwell doesn’t fault the effort of the players this season. He said, “Our record is not an indication of not getting along, being lazy, or not putting in the work.”

Comments Welcome