David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Happy Anniversary to Sports Headliners

Posted on August 15, 2016August 15, 2016 by David Shama

This story won’t lead the local 6 p.m. television news but this month is the 10-year anniversary of David Shama’s Minnesota Sports Headliners.

During the first several months of writing this column, readership consisted mostly of family, friends and wayward viewers from cyberspace. A cantankerous sportswriter used to greet me with this welcome in locker rooms and at news conferences:

“Nobody reads you.”

Today, I can say somebody does. Sports Headliners has recorded millions of page views since its beginning in 2006. Along the way many people have been interested enough in what is reported and opinioned here to keep returning to the website.

For that I am grateful. It’s been feedback from readers that is valued as much as anything experienced during this 10-year journey. “You just keep turning them out,” one reader said in an email. “I don’t know how any fan can consider themselves well informed about Minnesota sports without reading Headliners.”

Another reader suggested something I wrote was “Pulitzer-prize worthy.” Those are ultra kind words but so far no notification about my Pulitzer from the accrediting organization.

Not all readers, of course, have appreciated my efforts. A few folks refer to me as a “moron.” Others prefer “idiot.”

I have made mistakes but I don’t believe my intelligence quotient has sunk to single digits—yet.

Most weeks during the year I try to post the best three columns I can. More often than not the content is mostly notes because that’s the type of sports column I most enjoy reading.

Bud Grant (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)

To scoop other media rivals is fun and professionally rewarding. Sports Headliners scoops most recently were about the announcement of the new Gophers athletic director, and Bud Grant’s precarious small plane landing in Canada. Then there is the trivial get-it-first stuff that is fun to come up with—like where a local athlete is going to play overseas, or the latest on a dating relationship.

Sports Headliners was a one-man startup back in 2006. Today the whole effort remains pretty much the same. That means developing story ideas, covering events, shooting photos, doing interviews, transcribing audio tapes, writing first drafts, editing multiple times and posting the column on the website. The “advertising department” is also in my office where I have lists of prospective advertisers and files on current advertisers.

When I started the blog I didn’t realize how much time it would consume. It is a busy endeavor but it’s also a source of pride and satisfaction. I had a passion for writing this column 10 years ago and still do. I have also had the support of my wife who has provided encouragement and helps with editing.

The realization of Sports Headliners fulfills an ambition I had for a long time. Back in the 1970s I was a Twin Cities sportswriter with assignments that included covering the Vikings and Twins for a wire service. While with the Sun Newspapers I turned down an opportunity to join the Pioneer Press sports department. That is a decision I second-guessed over the years, but I also fulfilled another goal—to have a career in sports marketing.

After having positions with the North Stars, General Sports, Jostens and the United States Tennis Association, I decided to start my own communications business with Sports Headliners as the flagship effort. Technology made the website possible but I couldn’t produce this product without my education as a journalist and relationships with Minnesota sports organizations.

Over the years Sports Headliners has been referred to by various names including blog, column and newsletter. A friend and former coach has labeled it “a missile.”

That’s a head-scratcher but it sure helps not to take yourself too seriously. I know I don’t represent a media giant like the New York Times, or the Star Tribune. I realize my writing “touch” isn’t the cleverest or best delivered in this town. So far there are no journalism awards displayed on my office walls.

But I enjoy what I do, and just as rewarding is that many of you do as well. I often tell friends that I have received more compliments for postings in this space than anything done professionally in my life.

That’s very rewarding, and so, too, is the endorsement of advertisers. Murray’s has been with me almost from the beginning. Van Clemens, Manchester Companies, Goldy’s Locker Room, LZ Automotive, Family Dentistry and many others either are or have been advertisers. Their advertising helps make this effort possible and I encourage every reader to patronize them. These are quality businesses operated by great people.

It’s been 10 years of growth and personal satisfaction writing for you. I have been reminded almost weekly how challenging it is for the Minnesota sports public to be upbeat about local teams. The Super Bowls, Rose Bowls, Final Fours, NBA Finals, Stanley Cups and World Series years for Minnesota teams were long ago.

Brett Favre (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings).

There has been an occasional dance with glory in the last 10 years including WNBA championships won by the Lynx. Favorite memories for me also include the 2009 Vikings’ flirtation with the Super Bowl. That season was mostly defined by the brilliance of then 40-year-old quarterback Brett Favre. The gunslinger from Mississippi by way of the Packers and Jets brought his magic show to Minneapolis and had perhaps the best season of his life.

To be around the kind of greatness showcased by Favre that season is rare—especially in these parts. Yet, fans here seem to remain mostly optimistic. No matter the team, or often the year, fans predict that next season the results will be better, records will improve. Often those aren’t realistic views, but these are attitudes that define what fans are all about. When fans aren’t optimistic, their interest can be near life support status and they may be close to deciding it’s time to move their passion to another team or pastime.

Of all the teams in town, the Vikings seem like the most realistic choice to have major success in the near future. They have good personnel, with even better coaching and resources including the right ownership and facilities. Maybe they soon will wake up the echoes of 2009.

There are other bright spots in town including the Timberwolves with their talented core of players young enough to be playing at Williams Arena instead of Target Center. The ballyhooers have them soon contending for championships but first it would be nice to see the franchise qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

I like several of the team leaders here. Paul Molitor has a high baseball IQ. Mike Zimmer is already included in conversations about the NFL’s better coaches. Bruce Boudreau looks like the Wild’s best coach since Jacques Lemaire. The Wolves Tom Thibodeau’s defensive coaching skills are admired from Rochester to Rio. Gophers AD Mark Coyle and football coach Tracy Claeys have their hearts in the right places working with student-athletes.

The next 10 years could provide an entertaining and perhaps even successful ride for at least a few of our teams. I know some of what happens will be unpredictable, and that too will make things fun.

I am looking forward to the next 10 years of Sports Headliners. In the meantime, keep the comments coming, and if you’re inclined to label me a moron or idiot so be it.

Just part of the job.

3 comments

Big Dip in U Football Season Tickets

Posted on August 13, 2016August 13, 2016 by David Shama

As of yesterday the Gophers had sold 22,706 football season tickets, according to an email from an athletic department spokesman. Those are season tickets that don’t include student sales and the figure represents a major decline in season sales from last year’s final total.

The spokesman also reported that nonstudent season tickets last year totaled 27,885. With less than three weeks to the start of the Gophers season, the athletic department is off about 19 percent from last year’s final sales.

The last few years the public season ticket total is believed to be in the 27,000 to 30,000 range. If the Gophers didn’t sell any more tickets in 2016 they would be down 5,179 tickets from last year at TCF Bank Stadium (with a capacity of over 51,000). The department will expect to boost its total of 22,706 but time is growing tight.

A drop-off of 15 to 20 percent is a significant loss in ticket revenue. The decline has the attention of athletic department leaders who have reportedly cancelled a 2017 price increase. They may have done so not only because of push back from ticket buying customers but also because of media reports earlier this year the Big Ten Conference has negotiated a rich TV deal for its schools. The Gophers’ future TV revenue share reportedly will be over $44 million annually and that would make it easier to hold steady with ticket prices.

A price increase in 2017 was scheduled to be part of a three-year escalation in pricing announced in late 2014. Late this week the athletic department sent emails to ticket holders announcing the freeze in prices, according to a Sports Headliners source. Joe Christensen wrote about the change in pricing in today’s Star Tribune.

Many seats at TCF Bank Stadium have increased in cost by hundreds of dollars because of built-in donation fees attached to ticket prices (also labeled and reported as “scholarship seating fees”). At the time of the 2014 announcement the department explained the necessity for creating more revenues to counterbalance rising costs and to increase the operating budget for Gopher athletics.

However, there is a lot of pushback from unhappy season ticket holders, even though many realize expensive tickets have become common with football programs across the country. One source told Sports Headliners this summer he heard Gophers football season ticket sales for 2016 were off about 20 percent. Another source estimated 10 to 15 percent.

The Gophers were coming off a 8-4 regular season and 5-3 Big Ten record in 2014 when athletic director Norwood Teague announced changes in pricing. Minnesota was headed toward its first New Year’s Day Bowl game since 1962, and Jerry Kill was building his popularity as head coach. By season’s end last year the Gophers had finished 2-6 in the Big Ten and 6-7 overall after a Quick Lane Bowl win against Central Michigan. They also played the last part of the season without Kill who resigned in October because of health concerns.

Without the face of the program in Kill and coming off a disappointing season, it’s not surprising there is a major drop-off in season ticket sales now. The 2016 price increase is no doubt part of the cause. Also, adding to the problem is a home schedule that is less attractive than 2015 when marquee names Michigan, Nebraska, TCU and Wisconsin came to town. The best draws on this fall’s home schedule are Iowa and Northwestern. Next year is better with the main attractions lining up as Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Worth Noting

Best wishes are welcome for Gophers linebackers coach Mike Sherels who has had multiple hospitalizations and surgeries the last couple weeks including Thursday, according to a source. Sherels, 31, has been visited by Gophers players and is likely to remain hospitalized for awhile.

It appears likely Shannon Brooks, the Gophers leading rusher in 2015, will miss the opening game against Oregon State after surgery this week for a broken bone in his foot, according to another source. Speculation is Brooks might be out three to five weeks. Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys is expected to provide details about Brooks early this evening.

After Oregon State September 1, the Gophers play a tune-up game September 10 versus Indiana State and then have a bye before their final nonconference game against Colorado State September 24. A Brooks return for that game might be probable. Brooks, a sophomore, rushed for 709 yards and was a surprise impact player last season.

Redshirt sophomore Rodney Smith, the team’s second leading rusher last season with 670 yards, probably will become the team’s main ball carrier. His backup, junior college transfer Kobe McCrary, seems likely to receive major playing time, too.

McCrary, 6-2, 235 pounds, led the nation’s junior college players in rushing touchdowns last season with 22. Competing at Butler Community College in Kansas, and playing in one of the premier JC leagues in the nation, the Florida native rushed 225 times for 1,190 yards.

Ryan Burns, publisher of Scout’s GopherDigest.com, said McCrary is similar to Brooks in his ability to break or slip tackles. He also told Sports Headliners that while redshirt freshman James Johannesson had an eye-catching spring game for the Gophers and remains a promising player, McCrary “was brought in for a reason.” As Burns knows, Claeys isn’t likely to recruit junior college players with their limited years of eligibility unless they can help the team immediately. McCrary will have two seasons of eligibility at Minnesota.

Burns thought the Gophers had a potential breakthrough freshman in former Marshall High School receiver Drew Hmielewski but he will miss the 2016 season because of shoulder surgery and will be a medical redshirt. “At some time he will probably start practicing this fall,” Claeys said. “I don’t know when.”

Claeys definitely expects Hmielewski to participate in spring practice. Coming out of high school Scout ranked him as the No. 9 wide receiver in the Midwest.

This afternoon’s 4:45 p.m. Gophers practice at TCF Bank Stadium is the last one open to the public.

Comments Welcome

Musical Chairs for Twins Lineup

Posted on August 10, 2016August 10, 2016 by David Shama

The Twins are experimenting with players at different positions as they close the last months of a disappointing season, while looking ahead to 2017 and beyond.

Is this Twins-version of musical chairs a big problem?

Or is it a positive the Twins are developing players who can play multiple positions, while rebuilding a roster for future seasons?

First base exemplifies the sorting out process club officials face in coming seasons. Joe Mauer, the $23 million per season local hero, has two years remaining on his contract and is the regular first baseman. Mauer, 33, switched to first base from catching after the 2013 season and his concussion history won’t allow a return behind the plate.

First base is often the favored position for a good-hit, not-so-skilled player in the field. If that sounds like a fit for second-year slugger Miguel Sano, pat yourself on the back. Sano has faltered defensively this year in both right field and at third base. Mostly a third baseman during his minor league career, Sano could improve in the future but his huge frame (6-4, 262) and potential as a 40 home runs guy per season makes him a natural for first base. He has homered in four of his last five games.

Miguel Sano (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

Sano is only 23—far too young to be mostly a designated hitter. His path the next couple years might be a mix of third base, DH work and test drives at first where he could replace Mauer as the starter in 2019.

Then there is Byung Ho Park. Remember him? The Twins made headlines last offseason by signing the South Korean slugger to a contract through 2019. Besides being a DH, Park’s position in the field is first base. Park has been a flop in his debut big league season and was demoted to Triple-A Rochester earlier this summer. But at 30 years old with a reported $12 million commitment, the Twins aren’t going to give up on him yet.

The Twins have no choice but to be patient with DH/first baseman Park, and the same is true with Kennys Vargas who is also limited to the same roles as Park. Another guy with a classic first base body, Vargas, 6-5, 289, is in his third try with the Twins. He shows slugger potential but isn’t consistent. After a productive stretch following his recall from Rochester, the 26-year-old Vargas is hitting .218 in his last 15 games.

Deciding who plays where in the infield and outfield is a puzzle Twins management must figure out. Brian Dozier, the team’s leading home run hitter and an American League All-Star in 2014, owns second base. Team president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners Trevor Plouffe is considered the regular third baseman when healthy (which he hasn’t been), but trade speculation is persistent about the 30-year-old whose departure from Minneapolis would open more playing time for Sano. The last couple of seasons Eduardo Escobar has had a lot of starts at shortstop, but Eduardo Nunez took his job for the first half of the season and now rookie Jorge Palanco might claim it. Palanco, whose best position might be second base, has also played third with the Twins.

Center fielder Byron Buxton’s inability to hit big league pitching got him demoted again to Rochester. That outfield position has been unsettled for years and the Twins are now trying to fill the spot with left fielder Eddie Rosario. Danny Santana, a converted shortstop who the Twins turned into a centerfielder, has now been playing left field. And, yes, Santana has played in the infield this season.

St. Peter expressed a positive view regarding players at multiple positions. He talked about how the 25-man rosters of major league teams are top-heavy with pitchers, making it important to have versatile position players.

“There’s no question,” St. Peter said. “I think it’s absolutely critical that a manager has players who are versatile, that can play multiple positions. …Give the manager flexibility over the course of a season to deal with injuries, give opportunities for players to get rest (and) to deal with different pitching matchups, and ultimately just to have more options late in the game to pinch-hit, to pinch run, to put in defensive specialists. All those need to come into play.”

It’s certain, though, that if the Twins are to move forward in the standings in future years, they will need established players at various positions in the field—individuals who can excel and play 150 games or more at their spots. Star players like the Twins had years ago with Mauer catching, Justin Morneau at first base, and Torii Hunter and Michael Cuddyer in the outfield.

“There’s a lot of young guys who are looking to establish their footing in the big leagues and to earn that opportunity, that privilege to be penciled in every day at a certain position. We’re just not quite there yet,” St. Peter said.

Perhaps it will all work out for the Twins. The club has played over .500 baseball since July and won nine of its last 13 games.

Worth Noting

The 35-year-old Morneau, signed in June by the White Sox, is hitting .300 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI in 70 at bats.

St. Peter said he has daily conversations with Korn Ferry regarding the team’s search for a head of baseball operations. The firm was retained earlier this summer to assist the Twins in replacing dismissed executive and general manager Terry Ryan.

St. Peter said “the interview process will commence soon, but we’re not there yet.” The organization is still defining what it is looking for in a candidate. The goal is to hire a person by season’s end.

Despite all their winning in recent weeks the Twins still have the worst record (46-67) in the American League. The Twins are the lowest ranked American League team in ESPN’s rankings of the 30 major league clubs. The Twins are No. 27, while the Cubs are No. 1 and have been for the last three weeks.

Talented junior Gophers defensive tackle Steven Richardson could be All-Big Ten after this season. “It’s definitely one of my biggest goals,” he said. “I definitely wanted to get it last year and obviously I fell short due to injury. I felt like if I wasn’t injured, I definitely could have been a contender for it.”

Richardson is short, admitting to 5-10 without his football shoes, but he is exceptionally strong and difficult to block. He missed playing time in 2015 with a reported calf injury. He said this offseason the defensive linemen spent more time than in the past on preemptive training including abdomen workouts to prevent back injuries.

Richardson wasn’t the only defensive lineman injured last season and he expects the collective health of the unit to be better this year. “(Expecting) to have a much more durable D-Line because we were dropping like flies out there (last season),” he said.

Gophers senior quarterback Mitch Leidner did some offseason bonding with his receivers when he took them to the family cabin near Cromwell, Minnesota. “It was a great time, just to get to know people,” said senior receiver Eric Carter.

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