David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Notre Dame Gameday a Special Experience

Posted on October 6, 2014October 6, 2014 by David Shama

Two Minnesotans traveled all the way from Minneapolis to South Bend, Indiana last Saturday to find Torii Hunter.

Well, that’s kind of misleading. Tim Murray and I attended the Notre Dame-Stanford game in search of a classic college football gameday experience. At Notre Dame Stadium we found Torii Hunter, Jr.—the son of the famous Tigers outfielder and former Twins favorite. Torii Jr. is a sophomore wide receiver for Notre Dame and he caught a couple of passes for 24 yards in the Irish’s 17-14 win over Stanford on Saturday.

There were several other players with Minnesota connections at the game including Notre Dame starting sophomore linebacker James Onwualu, the former Cretin-Derham Hall star. Stanford had more Minnesota connections than the Irish but the Cardinal player who really caught our attention with another famous name was Barry Sanders. Like his Hall of Fame football dad, young Sanders is a running back and he gained 14 yards on three rushes Saturday.

But this was no attempt to scour the rosters of Notre Dame and Stanford searching out every name—this was a quest to visit a football shrine and famous university. So our trip to Notre Dame was not a hastily planned affair, although the original intent was to see Alabama play a home game in Tuscaloosa.

Pardon my irreverence, but Tuscaloosa is where “god” once resided and we wanted to see where he did his best work. I am speaking, of course, about former Crimson Tide deity Paul “Bear” Bryant who coached Alabama to six national championships. The Bear passed away a long time ago but his legacy and impact live on. No wonder the stadium video screen at Bryant-Denny Stadium has shown the Bear drawlin’ and growlin’, “I ain’t nothin’ but a winner.”

Tim and I didn’t score seats for a big Bama game this fall so we changed our focus to Notre Dame. The Irish know a thing or two about national titles, too, claiming 13 of them—the most in college football since 1936 when the Associated Press started certifying championships.

Last Saturday we watched two of the better teams in college football as No. 9 and undefeated Notre Dame played No. 14 and one-loss Stanford. With Saturday’s win the Irish moved up to No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and the Cardinal fell to No. 25.

We saw two teams that could push and shove with anyone in the beleaguered Big Ten Conference. The quality of the football certainly made the game special but at Notre Dame there is so much more to the gameday experience including the stadium with its marvelous sightlines and devout fans.

There is a legendary story about Minnesota’s old Memorial Stadium that opened in 1924 and preceded Notre Dame Stadium. Supposedly a group of stadium planners from Notre Dame came to Minneapolis and assessed Memorial Stadium. “Gentlemen, this is how not to build a football stadium,” a group leader reportedly said.

Whatever Memorial Stadium lacked—and that certainly included inferior sightlines—Notre Dame Stadium seems to have. We sat in Section 9, Row 52, Seats 23 and 24 on Saturday. Our location, thanks to a friend with Notre Dame relationships, was on the 50-yard line—probably the best viewing for a football game I have ever experienced and that includes various Minnesota venues, plus the Rose Bowl, Michigan Stadium and Ohio Stadium.

Notre Dame Stadium, with a seating capacity of approximately 80,795, offers amazingly intimate seating. Obviously some seats are much further away from the field than others but most are between the goal lines and there are no “nose bleed locations.”

Last Saturday was a miserable weather day at Notre Dame Stadium but nearly every seat appeared filled at kickoff. The fans were loud and loyal, cheering for the Irish while “bailing” water out of raincoats and wishing they had wiper blades on their eyeglasses.

Prior to kickoff the Notre Dame public address man informed the crowd that local weather conditions included a “31 degree wind chill.” The fans laughed and applauded the announcement. Then he said temps were in the 80s at Stanford’s home in Palo Alto, California. The crowd let loose with boos.

Tim and I chuckled about that, but wished we could have “tweaked” the weather. “I would rather that it had been about eight degrees cooler so it was snowing (not a steady rain),” he said.

I didn’t make Tim feel any better telling him the normal daytime high in South Bend in early October is about 66 degrees—but the weather couldn’t drown our gameday experience. How could it when you step on to campus hours before kickoff and the sound of the famous “Notre Dame Victory March” can be heard from blocks away? Again and again the band played on…”Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame”…and the song never wore out its welcome with us.

There is an extraordinary spiritual and historical feel to the campus, although there is, of course, a touch of commercialization too including $95 tickets. Weeks ago a friend urged me to visit the Hammes Bookstore where Notre Dame clothing, plus foot wear, computers, jewelry and many other items are available for purchase. “They sell everything except books,” he wisecracked.

The Joyce Center adjacent to the stadium is open hours before the game and provides interactive games. The place is a theme park of Fighting Irish football, and part of the on-campus reminder about the school’s football glory and the men who made Notre Dame one of the most famous sports brands in American history.

Tim Murray, David Shama at Knute Rockne Memorial. — Tim Murray, David Shama at a Knute Rockne memorial.

We stopped at a Knute Rockne memorial in a campus building and listened to a pep talk on film from the legendary coach…”Rock’em, sock’em.” Outside the stadium is a Rockne statue along with statues of other famous Fighting Irish coaches including Lou Holtz. It was Holtz who won Notre Dame’s last national title in 1988 and just three seasons after he coached the Gophers.

Someone wrapped two neckties around Holtz’s statue on Saturday, giving the old coach a livelier look and perhaps trying to make a connection with him. And why not because Notre Dame is a spirited and sacred place where a visitor can stop and pray at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, gaze up at the statue of the Virgin Mary atop the Golden Dome and admire the Word of Life Mural of Jesus on the exterior of the Hesburgh Library. “Touchdown Jesus” as it’s known can be seen at a distance by fans inside the stadium.

From stadium personnel to students to alums to other fans, everyone we encountered at Notre Dame Stadium and on campus was courteous and helpful. They were happy as the hours approached before the game, and after a rain-soaked, windy and cold Saturday they were no doubt even happier. The Fighting Irish, now among the highest ranked teams in the land, will perhaps soon be in the conversation for an invite to college football’s first playoff next January.

As Tim and I discussed our Notre Dame experience on Sunday we knew it would be long remembered. “It was really fascinating, and makes me want to have even gone to school there,” he said.

I knew he meant that. He might have even uttered those words right after we left the stadium last Saturday—sloshing in our shoes and walking nearly a mile back to our rental car.

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Day after Prescription for Vikings Fans

Posted on October 3, 2014October 3, 2014 by David Shama

Vikings fans don’t feel so chipper this morning after last night’s 42-10 loss to the boys from Brown County.

I get it. You’re not sure whether to jump off the Stone Arch Bridge, or start the morning with a double Bloody Mary. But don’t panic. Read this space—and then put your horns back on.

Do you think Jesse Ventura—our former Governor and world-class rassler—is feeling inferior to Packers fans today? Heck, no. No doubt Jesse is willing to wrestle all Wisconsin Governors—past and present—to show those Dairylanders who is boss.

The fact our ex-Governor could whip all of their leaders is a good prescription for feeling better, but why stop there? Yeah, Aaron Rodgers got lucky last night and threw three touchdown passes but our new guy, Teddy Bridgewater, is only 21 years old. When Rodgers is retired and living off the income from his annoying insurance commercials, “Touchdown Teddy” will still be lighting up the Pack.

And speaking of the Pack, let’s discuss these nicknames for the two teams. The original Vikings crossed the Atlantic centuries ago and discovered America. We’ve got the Kensington Runestone here in Minnesota to prove what the Vikings accomplished.

The Packers? Anyone can be a Packer. Pack cans…pack meat…pack clothes…blah-blah-blah. What was discovered in Wisconsin? 3.2 beer? Cheese hats? Maybe the polka?

Remember the 2009 NFL season when Brett Favre led the Vikings to two wins over the Packers? Well, he was the league’s best quarterback that year at age 40. He must have liked the water, or maybe it was our superior beer in Minnesota. And since grandpa Favre last played in the NFL for the Vikings—not the Packers or Jets—I figure we’ve got first call on him if he comes out of retirement.

Packers fans like to talk about the holy and ancient record of their football glory that includes 13 world championships and Hall of Fame heroes. There is, for example, a historical figure named Curly Lambeau—not a very inspiring football name—and, of course, “Saint Vince.” Now the thing about Vince Lombardi is he did win the first two Super Bowls but he also dumped you Green Bayites. He left the Packers to take over the—close your eyes Representative Betty McCollum—the Redskins.

Our legend is Harry Peter Grant. Bud is a smart guy. He had no choice to grow up in Wisconsin but guess what? He attended the University of Minnesota, played pro basketball for the Minneapolis Lakers and spent his entire NFL coaching career with the Vikings.

Grant lost four Super Bowls in the 1970s but that didn’t shake our collective self-esteem as Minnesotans. Not when Wendell Anderson, our Governor, was pictured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1973 with the caption: “The Good Life in Minnesota.” Wendy was holding a big fish on a stringer and we were, no doubt, making a lot of Wisconsin folks jealous.

We can not only play in Super Bowls but host them, too. Now when did you ever hear about Green Bay and Brown County putting in a bid to stage the Big Game?

You didn’t, and one reason for that is Green Bay is just a modest sized place with a population similar to Rochester, Minnesota and not a lot bigger than Bloomington. I mean how many motel rooms and tents could Green Bay make available for out of town Super Bowl guests?

We’re a pretty classy area here (not to boast or anything like that). Much of our workforce is employed by Fortune 500 companies who have also attracted Wisconsin “immigrants.” We probably have more live theatre per capita than any area other than New York City. We quote both Shakespeare and Sir Francis Tarkenton while Packers fans ice fish and watch reruns of “Grumpy Old Men” (filmed in Minnesota, by the way).

Even sportswriters in MSP are smart and creative. Legendary Minnesota columnist Don Riley once promised to get on his hands and knees to push a peanut with his nose between Green Bay and Appleton if the Vikings lost to the Packers. Never mind that he didn’t do it. What mattered to Riley was that he found another way to antagonize Packers fans whose city he always referred to as “Green Bush.”

Now that you’re feeling better, circle November 23 on the calendar. When the Packers come to Minneapolis, things are going to be different than last night. We have “Touchdown Teddy,” Cordarrelle Patterson—“The Silent Assassin,” and the ghosts of marauding Norsemen.

No more “Minnesota Nice.”

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Story behind Story of U Win over Michigan

Posted on October 1, 2014October 1, 2014 by David Shama

Last Saturday’s upset win over Michigan in Ann Arbor was unusually emotional for Gophers coach Jerry Kill who immediately after the game gave a long hug to his wife Rebecca and then praised seizure specialist Dr. Brien Smith. Kill told ABC sideline analyst Jeannine Edwards the doctor “saved my career.”

In 2013 the Gophers had also been in Ann Arbor when on the morning of the October 5 game Kill suffered an epileptic seizure. He has had a number of seizures but this was the first causing him to miss coaching a game. He also didn’t coach the following game two weeks later, and while he eventually returned to game day coaching last season it was from the press box and not the sidelines.

With a history of seizures, including at Minnesota where he started coaching in 2011, Kill drew criticism from media and fans last year who questioned whether the coach’s health should prompt his resignation. He responded by taking a leave of absence to again confront his challenge with epilepsy and seizures.

Kill turned to Smith, a nationally recognized authority on treatments for seizures. Last week Smith talked to Mlive.com reporter Sue Thoms for a September 27 story about Kill. “I think he just realized, yes, I have to monitor the situation because I can’t push the envelope too far,” Smith said.

Kill has made changes with medication and in his lifestyle including management of stress, according to the story. Close associates and other observers have praised his renewed health. His progress, of course, doesn’t come with guarantees that he will not have future seizures.

Smith knows the concern is ongoing for those afflicted with seizures. “It can be challenging, and it’s not always an easy fix for everyone,” Smith said. “In many cases, it’s trial and error with different medications and making other adjustments. You have to keep plugging away at it and fix the things you can fix.”

During his TV interview with Edwards, Kill gratefully acknowledged the role of Rebecca. Kill said without her support, including willingness to let her husband continue his career, he wouldn’t be coaching.

Kill’s mother was at the game and that added to the emotional scene in Michigan Stadium. She witnessed the Gophers’ first win over the Wolverines since 2005 and only the fourth victory dating back to 1977. It was a milestone win for Kill who preaches all the time he coaches “for the kids” and the victory eased the frustration of 58-0 and 42-13 losses in Ann Arbor in 2011 and 2013.

The Gophers won back the Little Brown Jug, college football’s oldest rivalry trophy. Kill wants Minnesota fans that haven’t seen the jug to have that opportunity. Tonight and Thursday evening the jug will be on display in the T. Denny Sanford Athletics Hall of Fame at TCF Bank Stadium from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Kill told Sports Headliners yesterday that people who haven’t seen him for awhile remark about how much better he looks. “I’ve worked hard to walk everyday—get some time to myself everyday,” Kill said. “Still working the same (long) hours but just being smarter about it. Doing the best I can to sleep. It’s hard during the season but I am doing the best I can. It’s all good at the end of the day. I am doing all the things that Doc Smith told me to do.”

Dan O’Brien, the Gophers associate athletic director who works closely with the football program, knows too that epilepsy means there’s never guarantees seizures won’t reoccur but the last 12 months have been positive. “He hasn’t had any (seizures) since right after that Michigan game (2013) when they started a new treatment plan,” O’Brien said.

Kill and his team stumbled a year ago in Michigan. Last Saturday he and the Gophers triumphed, celebrating a kind of double win on and off the field—partially thanks to a doctor from the Wolverine State.

Big Ten Power Rankings

Here’s how Sports Headliners sees the 14 Big Ten teams after five weeks of mostly nonconference action but also league games for all but three schools.

1. Michigan State (3-1, 0-0)—Spartans are the class of the Big Ten and worthy of their top 10 national ranking with a high scoring offense, tough defense and tougher coach in Mark Dantonio.

2. Ohio State (3-1, 0-0)—Buckeyes fail to impress defensively but offense coming along nicely without injured quarterback Braxton Miller who is out for the season but coach Urban Meyer says is the starter in 2015.

3. Wisconsin (3-1, 0-0)—Badgers inconsistent so far and LSU loss will haunt this team all year, but love that running game led by Wisconsin native Melvin Gordon.

4. Nebraska (5-0, 1-0)—Cornhuskers on a sugar binge after devouring all those cupcakes and first test comes Saturday at Michigan State—wonder if coach Bo Pelini will bring his cat for good luck.

5. Iowa (4-1, 1-0)—Hawkeyes have won two games by a total of eight points and lost one by three while playing tough in the trenches (as usual). U student body already practicing “We hate Iowa cheer” in anticipation of November 8 game in Minneapolis.

6. Minnesota (4-1, 1-0)—The Gophers will need the same kind of passing from quarterback Mitch Leidner and offensive line play shown in the Michigan game to become real contenders in the West Division race, but that’s not an impossible task.

7. Maryland (4-1, 1-0)—The Terps have only a game-ending loss to West Virginia but we will know a lot more after Saturday when they host Ohio State in a game that could be trouble for the Buckeyes.

8. Penn State (4-1, 1-1)—PSU fans now know new coach James Franklin doesn’t walk on water after the Nittany Lions lost to so-so Northwestern last Saturday, again showing a dismal run game that might make the late Joe Paterno hold his nose.

9. Rutgers (4-1, 0-1)—The feisty Scarlet Knights, formerly from the not so famous American Athletic Conference, have been better as a Big Ten member than most expected and have away from home wins over Washington State and Navy. Gotta give a wink to a school whose football alums include Ozzie Nelson.

10. Northwestern (2-2, 1-0)—Coach Pat Fitzgerald received major contributions from freshmen in last weekend’s dominating 29-6 win at Penn State and the Cats could give the Gophers an alley fight in Minneapolis a week from Saturday.

11. Michigan (2-3, 0-1)—Coach Brady Hoke, who won 11 games in 2011, is 9-9 in his last 18 games, and his seat is the warmest in college football while more seats are going empty in 109,901 capacity Michigan Stadium.

12. Indiana (2-2, 0-1)—The stumbling Big Ten image got such a lift from the Hoosiers’ miraculous road win over SEC member Missouri on September 20 that I don’t have the heart to rate them any lower in the power rankings than 12th although they might deserve it.

13. Illinois (3-2, 0-1)—Illinois has one of the league’s better quarterbacks in newcomer Wes Lunt and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit is talented but Illinois is in for a long season including a probable fourth consecutive loss to the Gophers on October 25.

14. Purdue (2-3, 0-1)—The Boilermakers play at Illinois on Saturday in a game that will cheer up one of these two downtrodden programs and probably give the scoreboard a workout since Purdue is yielding 27.8 points per game, the Illini 35.

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