David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Lottery Luck May Change for Wolves

Posted on May 13, 2015May 13, 2015 by David Shama

News and notes from Glen Taylor and other newsmakers including new high school coaching hires.

The NBA Draft Lottery has not been kind to the Timberwolves. Despite a long list of losing seasons over more than two decades, the franchise has never had the No. 1 pick in the draft. This year the Wolves are sending a woman to see if their luck changes.

And not just any woman.

Glen Taylor, the Wolves owner, broke the news to Sports Headliners his wife Becky will represent the franchise on national TV May 19 when the NBA’s 14 draft lottery teams assemble in New York City. The Wolves, of course, are hoping the lottery rewards them with the first selection in the June 25 NBA Draft.

Wolves president and coach Flip Saunders let Taylor know he wanted Becky to represent the club at the draft lottery and she accepted the invitation. NBA teams send various representatives to the lottery, often front office executives. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has dispatched his teenage son Nick multiple times and won the lottery in both 2013 and 2014.

Saunders has represented the Wolves in the past at the lottery announcement but this will be Becky’s first turn. Will she wear something lucky like a special piece of jewelry? No, but she will be wearing a new dress. “That will be her lucky outfit,” Taylor said with a laugh.

The lottery chances of the 14 teams favor franchises with the worst regular season records. Because the Wolves had the league’s worst record in 2014-2015, they have 250 chances at winning the No. 1 selection in the lottery, while the clubs closest to them are the Knicks, 199 chances; Sixers, 156; and Lakers, 119. The Wolves have a 25 percent likelihood of winning the lottery and securing the No. 1 draft choice. Lottery policy guarantees Minnesota will draft no lower than fourth in the first round.

Taylor will accompany Becky to New York. Although he is chairman of the NBA Board of Directors, he has never personally observed the draft lottery. He made it clear, though, his wife will be the one on TV. “Becky is going to be the front person,” he said.

Taylor said the Wolves must improve defensively next season. He wouldn’t be surprised to see Saunders make defense a priority on June 25 when the club uses its three draft choices—one first round pick and two selections during the second round.

Although Taylor doesn’t have final figures, he expects the Wolves to lose about $1 million to $2 million this past season. The franchise has frequently sustained major annual financial losses. “I would guess in our worst year we probably lost $10 million, but I don’t have that in front of me,” Taylor said.

The NBA has a revenue sharing policy where the more financially successful teams assist others. Taylor didn’t reveal figures but said this past season the amount of revenue received by franchises like his was “much larger” than in the past.

Next season the Wolves could break even or even be profitable if the on-court performance improves. A dramatic improvement landing the Wolves in the playoffs means making money “for sure,” Taylor said.

Greg Boone, who played basketball at Minneapolis Central High School and Augsburg College, is the new Minneapolis Southwest High School boys head coach. Boone is an accountant and won’t have a classroom teaching position at Southwest.

James Ware, the new basketball coach at Park Center, is an assistant principal in the Hopkins school system. Ware’s basketball resume includes assisting Hopkins High School head coach Ken Novak Jr. and working for Dan Monson when he was the Gophers head coach.

Trent Klatt, the former North Star, Gopher and 1989 Minnesota Mr. Hockey, is the new head hockey coach at Grand Rapids High School.

For $2,000 each a maximum of 25 individuals can participate in the Gophers second annual Boys of Fall Elite Camp in August. The three-day experience (August 7-9) will coincide with Minnesota’s preseason football training camp. Attendees become acquainted with the team and staff, and will have an in-depth look at coach Jerry Kill’s offensive, defensive and special team’s philosophies. Participants will attend all team, position and special teams meetings with players and coaches, plus on the field practices. More at Coachkillfbcamps.com.

After a disappointing performance in the playoffs against the Blackhawks, Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, has lost some bargaining power on his next contract. The second round playoffs were the biggest stage this year for the Wild and Dubnyk. He didn’t play his best and teams now have to decide how much importance to give the Blackhawks series versus Dubnyk’s superb play last winter and in the first round of the playoffs. Best guess is he re-signs with the Wild and perhaps triples his reported $800,000 annual salary.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer meets with the media this week for a special session where he will share thoughts on how he coaches and his expectations of players.

Vikings first round draft choice cornerback Trae Waynes after being asked if he sets goals: “No. My whole mindset is play as hard as I can as fast as I can. Just try to make an impact. I’m competing against myself and…against other players but I have got to push myself at this level (NFL), and my big thing is just go out and compete.”

The Twins moved up from No. 21 to No.12 in Espn.com’s latest MLB power rankings of teams. The Cardinals are No. 1 while Twins’ Central Division rivals the Royals and Tigers are 2 and 4.

Twins shortstop Danny Santana has nine errors in 30 games this season. The club record for fewest errors by a shortstop is Leo Cardenas’ 11 in 1971.

While the Saints don’t open the season in their new ballpark until May 18, Hamline’s baseball team has already played nine games there. Among early descriptions of the new facility is it’s “definitely a pitcher’s ballpark” with long distances to the fences.

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Chad Greenway Special on & off Field

Posted on May 11, 2015May 11, 2015 by David Shama

Earlier this month the Vikings announced Chad Greenway was the team’s Community Man of the Year. Several weeks earlier he won the prestigious Byron “Whizzer” White Award presented by the National Football League’s Players Association—the highest honor awarded by the NFLPA. The annual award recognizes players who “go above and beyond to perform community service in their team’s cities and hometowns,” according to the Vikings.

Anyone familiar with Greenway’s off-the-field work to help others wasn’t surprised by the latest honors. He has been involved with a variety of efforts such as starting his own foundation to assist children with education and health needs, donating $100,000 to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, working in his native South Dakota to raise awareness about concussions, and helping with the America Needs Farmers campaign. And those commitments by Greenway are only some of the give back endeavors for the Vikings linebacker who is about to start his 10th season with the team.

At 32 years old, this might be Greenway’s last NFL season. During an exclusive interview with Sports Headliners covering various subjects, he wouldn’t say for sure what he will be doing a year from now. He is one of the franchise’s best linebackers ever, having twice been a Pro Bowler and a second team Associated Press All-Pro in 2012. Three times teammates have voted him Vikings defensive MVP.

Greenway grew up on a farm near Mount Vernon, South Dakota. He played nine-man football in high school. A quarterback and free safety, he led the team to consecutive state championships. At Iowa he became a two-time All-Big Ten linebacker before the Vikings drafted him in 2006 with the No. 17 pick of the first round.

Greenway’s wife Jennifer is a former track and field athlete at Iowa. The couple has three daughters.

Here is a Q & A with Greenway:

Why so much involvement with community work? “Wanting to give back to the community, I wanted to use the platform of the NFL as a springboard to give back to kids and families who were in either desperate need or (had) a specific need.”

Your motivation to help others is extraordinary. Where does that come from? “It snowballed. We (he and Jennifer) started our foundation with the idea of wanting to help families. As we got going we became more and more passionate. After we had our children, we became more passionate.”

What’s your philosophy of life? “Live for your family. Live for your kids as a dad. Be a great husband. Just take it one day at a time.”

What are you and ex-Viking Bob Lurtsema trying to accomplish with the South Dakota concussion initiative? “Awakenings. Specifically awareness to youth in football, and coaches and trainers, but mostly just educating players so they know what to look for in their teammates’ eyes.”

If you were to single out one community honor you received what would it be? “Well, the one honor that is the most significant is the Byron “Whizzer” White Award only because we’re going to be able to start our grant funds for families based off of that. (Greenway’s Lead The Way Foundation will receive a $100,000 donation.) It’s going to help a lot of families.”

What’s the reason this might be your last season? “Because I give everything to the game, and there’s only so much you can ask of your body. We’ll see how it all shakes out but this could be my last year and I would be excited about that. But also knowing that I could continue to play and be excited about that too. So it’s really up in the air. You give everything to the game and it’s going to take bits and pieces of you, but you can’t let it take too much.”

What are the chances you will be back next year? “That’s a hard question. I don’t know. I can’t answer that.”

After you’re finished with football what will you focus on? “My kids and my wife.”

What is it people don’t understand about being a pro football player? “It’s hard work everyday.”

What was the most fun you ever had playing football? “High school because we won two state championships with my best friends growing up. I’d played with them since I was four years old, five years old. To win two state titles with those guys was the ultimate experience.”

What is it fans better believe about the 2015 Vikings? “We’ll compete and we’ll improve.”

After one season what is your impression of head coach Mike Zimmer? “He’s a competitor. He’s impressive.”

How do you describe the importance of voluntary and mandatory spring practices for the Vikings? “Team building, camaraderie, education, (and) learning the defense.”

Who is the greatest Viking you ever played with? “Oh, gosh. Kevin Williams. He was a great teammate.”

If you quit the Vikings today you could walk away knowing what? “Knowing I did everything I could during my career to be content and happy with my effort, and what I did for the team and organization.”

Who is the person that most impacted you? “My parents, just always being there and always giving everything they had to us kids, and giving us opportunities.”

When growing up in Mount Vernon what was your thought about an NFL career? “Near impossible.”

Who were your sports heroes growing up? “Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Kent Hrbek.”

Eleven years after leaving the Hawkeyes, what are your thoughts about the Gophers-Iowa rivalry? “Go Hawks!”

Between Jennifer and you, who is the better athlete? “My wife. She is tougher. She is more competitive.”

What is the best TV show? “Oh, God, I don’t watch TV anymore. Tour de France.”

When it comes to music, nothing beats: “Classic country.”

Favorite artist? “Waylon Jennings.”

My kids make me laugh when: “They’re angry.”

Does that happen a lot? “Yeah, I have three girls.”

There’s nothing better to eat than? “My grandma’s cookies (chocolate chip). She uses real butter.”

Who are five famous people from the past or today you would invite for dinner? “Abraham Lincoln, probably the most influential American. George Washington. Bradley Wiggins…he’s a Tour de France champion cyclist. He’s an Englishman (Greenway is part English). Brett Favre (also), that would just be fun. He’s a great time. And LeBron James.”

My worst personal habit and why: “I am not much of a habit guy. Not too many bad ones.”

Does your wife get on you about stuff? “Of course. Maybe not putting my dishes in the dishwasher (for a bad habit). Say that one. I’ll have her read that.”

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Wild Never Got Started in Playoff Series

Posted on May 8, 2015May 8, 2015 by David Shama

Chicago swept the Wild 4-0 in the playoffs that ended last night at Xcel Energy Center. “We were chasing (from behind) every game,” said Wild coach Mike Yeo. “It was an incredible stat. We never had the lead.”

During the second round Stanley Cup playoff series the Blackhawks frequently used a lead to turn up their defense and make it more difficult for the Wild to score. Minnesota produced just seven goals in the series, once being shutout and in another game scoring one goal.

A year ago media and fans sat at Xcel Energy Center and recognized the team’s need for additional scoring. A common wish was for the Wild to acquire forward Thomas Vanek during the off season. That happened but during the playoffs this spring, including against the Blackhawks, Vanek didn’t score a goal.

The Wild’s offensive shortcomings weren’t just because of the 31-year-old former Gopher who had come home to help the Wild make a deeper playoff run. The series against the Blackhawks exposed the truth that Chicago had superior playmakers and scorers.

Former North Stars player and executive Lou Nanne acknowledged the Wild’s need for “more scorers” and that some Minnesota players didn’t do enough in the series. “They’ve got a couple superstars we don’t have,” Nanne said.

But Nanne said this season has been a success for the Wild and the 2015 team is the best in franchise history. There’s a nucleus to build upon while the Wild compete in what he described as the NHL’s best division (Central) and conference (Western).

After watching the Blackhawks’ impressive play against the Wild, Nanne said Chicago is his favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

Worth Noting

With yesterday’s win over the A’s, the Twins have now won 10 of their last 13 games. The Twins, 16-13 overall, are 6-1 in May and 12-5 this season at Target Field.

The Twins try to improve their 4-8 road record this weekend starting with tonight in Cleveland against the Indians. Mike Pelfrey, among the surprise contributors in the starting pitching, has a 2-1 record with a 2.63 ERA. Tonight he faces Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer, 2-0, 3.38 ERA.

During the weeks ahead Vikings rookies will have about 20 sessions to help them with life skills and behavior, according to Rick Spielman. The Vikings general manager said his organization offers diverse presentations ranging from all the negative things that can happen to players off the field, to the decision-making of buying or renting a car, or house. “We are very proactive,” Spielman said. “We’ve had guest speakers come in from all over the country that we feel can help educate our guys.”

Prior to drafting players, the Vikings devoted a lot of time to psychological test results and background checks. Character played a major role in who the Vikings were willing to select. Spielman knows, of course, that one or more of the 10 rookies drafted last week will make mistakes but hopefully not career threatening errors. “Everybody does (make mistakes), but we try to be as diligent as we can in that area (prevention),” Spielman said.

Spielman will speak next Thursday at the CORES luncheon at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. Reservations for the program (deadline is next Monday) can be made by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

Spielman said his son J.D. Spielman, who will be a senior at Eden Prairie High School next year, has football offers from Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan and Minnesota. He potentially could be a slot back, defensive back or return specialist in college.

The Vikings will have 10 draft choices, 10 free agents and 40 other prospects in for rookie workouts this weekend including today. The club emphasizes inviting ex-college players from this area to workouts. Among the organization’s “finds” over the years have been cornerback and punt returner Marcus Sherels (Gophers) and wide receiver Adam Thielen (Minnesota State-Mankato).

Vikings marketing executive Steve LaCroix said the club has sold about 40,000 season tickets for the new stadium scheduled to open in 2016. The stadium capacity for football will be about 66,000 and eventually over 60,000 of the tickets sold could be season tickets. By state legislative mandate, some single game tickets at affordable prices must be made available for purchase.

The Vikings could have interest in some day hosting the NFL Draft that for decades was held in New York but this spring was staged in Chicago. Various fan activities drew about 200,000 people in Chicago.

Jerry Kill credits the late Dave Larson, who once gave $500,000 to the football program to pay for tutors, laptops and enhancements to the weight room, with playing a major role in improving academics. Kill said earlier this week his players have seven consecutive semesters of collective GPAs of 3.0 or better.

Larson was a University of Minnesota regent and philanthropist. His widow, Janis Larson, told Sports Headliners late last year she will provide $15 million for the football complex that is part of the Gophers’ $150 million plan to build and renovate athletic facilities.

Kill is Honorary Chair of the group trying to bring the College Football Playoff National Championship Game here. “They’re going to move that game around just like the Super Bowls,” Kill told Sports Headliners. “There’s not a finer place than the Twin Cities. They have the Super Bowl and Final Four (already booked), and should have the national championship game.”

Kill said he hasn’t started lobbying efforts on behalf of a national title game for the new Vikings Stadium. Minneapolis is expected to bid for the 2020 game. “I am not that far along on all this,” said Kill, who agreed a few weeks ago to become Honorary Chair. Minneapolis and stadium promoters are aggressively pursuing national attractions for the domed multipurpose stadium that is expected to be among the most unique sports venues in the world.

Kill said all four of his players chosen in the NFL Draft are in “perfect” places for opportunities with their new teams. The four are tight end Maxx Williams, Ravens (second round); linebacker Damien Wilson, Cowboys (fourth round); running back David Cobb, Titans (fifth round); and safety Cedric Thompson, Dolphins (fifth round).

The 1950 NFL Draft was the last time Minnesota had four players selected in the first five rounds.

Former Gophers wide receiver Derrick Engel developed tendonitis in his knee awhile ago and that has slowed his pursuit of a pro football opportunity.

Congratulations to 74-year-old Bobby Bell who will be among University of Minnesota graduates receiving a degree next Thursday during ceremonies at Mariucci Arena. Bell, arguably the greatest Gophers football player ever, will graduate with a park and recreation degree. Friends and family will attend his graduation and celebrate at a party on campus Thursday evening. Among those expected at activities are former Chiefs teammate Willie Lanier and Bell’s son Bobby Bell Jr.

Bell was a two-time All-American tackle for the Gophers. He won the 1962 Outland Trophy, and during his three-year career at Minnesota the Gophers had a 22-6-1 record while playing in two Rose Bowls, and winning both a Big Ten and national championship.

Tom Obarski, the 2014 Concordia-St. Paul Division II AFCA All-American, has signed as a free agent placekicker with the Bengals.

Canterbury Park’s live horse racing season begins next Friday. The 70-day race meet is the longest since 1992. It’s estimated approximately $14 million in purses will be paid to horsemen, a record for the Shakopee racetrack. For the third consecutive season, Canterbury Park’s nearly 1,600 horse stalls will be at capacity.

Wednesday’s column about Verne Gagne prompted e-mails from readers with their own memories of local professional wrestling. A friend remembered going to the Minneapolis Auditorium as a youngster and bringing a squirt gun. “I sat at the end of an aisle with my arms folded. I then proceeded to squirt the Kalmikoff brothers as they walked by,” he wrote in an e-mail. “When they looked over, I was looking elsewhere with an angelic look on my face.”

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