David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Promotion Sparks Muskies Memories

Posted on February 8, 2012February 8, 2012 by David Shama

Mention the Minnesota Muskies to Dick Jonckowski and the lively memories come back in a flash. The team played one season at Met Center as part of the start-up American Basketball Association in 1967-68. The Timberwolves are wearing Muskies jerseys for six games this season—including Friday night at Target Center against Dallas—for a promotion titled the “Hardwood Classic Series.”

The old Muskies were thought of as anything but classic before they moved to Florida because of fan apathy. They were replaced by the Minnesota Pipers, another ABA club that met with similar disinterest by the public and lasted only one season at the Met.

There is an old joke—true or not—associated with both teams that Jonckowski recalls and it goes like this: A potential ticket buyer telephones the Met Center and asks what time a Muskies or Pipers game starts? The phone operator replies: “What time can you be here?”

Jonckowski, known now to local basketball fans as the public address voice of the Gophers, was the Muskies’ assistant public relations director. He remembers “we couldn’t draw people no matter what we did.”

The team tried all kinds of promotions like free t-shirts, wristbands and basketballs without success. During an interview with Sports Headliners it didn’t take much effort to prompt Jonckowski to make jokes about the team’s lack of fans.

“We had three busloads pull up (to the Met) one afternoon,” he said. “Then we find out they only wanted to use the restroom.”

The team claimed to draw 6,000 fans for its opening game but even if accurate a more typical crowd was 2,000. There were thousands of empty green and gold seats in the building (capacity about 15,000 for basketball). Jonckowski recalled that general manager Eddie Holman didn’t like TV cameras showing all those empty seats.

“People would buy the cheap seats. He (Holman) would wave the people down to sit in the front row because we only drew 2,000—maybe 3,000 people— not many,” Jonckowski said.

The problem wasn’t the Muskies weren’t a good ballclub. The team finished second in its division and had several talented players but Minnesotans literally weren’t buying into a start-up league after having the five-time world champion Minneapolis Lakers a decade earlier.

The Muskies franchise had several owners and a general manager in Holman who Jonckowski said got the job because he was a neighbor of George Mikan, the former Laker great and ABA commissioner. Holman, who was in the restaurant and bar business, offered free food and drink to the media at the old Eddie Webster’s near the Met Center.

“It was crazy.” Jonckowski said. “It had to cost him a lot of money.”

Jonckowski, just beginning his career, would have liked some of that money sent his way. “I worked for $60 a week,” he remembered. “I just wanted to get my foot in the door in pro sports. I didn’t even have enough money to park my car. In those days I parked my car down on Glenwood Ave.(a long walk from the team’s offices downtown). …”

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Worth Noting

Posted on February 8, 2012February 8, 2012 by David Shama

Jim Rantz, Twins senior director for minor league operations, likes infielder Brian Dozier who will start the season at Class AAA Rochester. Dozier hit .296 in the Arizona Fall League and will play mostly second base at Rochester, although he’s drawn past speculation as a big league shortstop.

Sports Headliners has been told that to build a Vikings Stadium on the Arden Hills site will require about 33 permits from government agencies, a far larger number than building on or near the Metrodome site.

The Gophers, 0-2 in the Big Ten this season against Iowa, play another border rival tomorrow night, Wisconsin at Williams Arena. The Gophers play in Madison on February 28.

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith, now in his fifth season with the Golden Gophers, is 6-2 in rivalry games against Iowa, and 3-3 versus Wisconsin.

The Gophers will likely start two Minnesotans tomorrow night, forward Rodney Williams and guard Joe Coleman. The Badgers figure to start three Minnesotans, forward Mike Bruesewitz, center Jared Berggren and guard Jordan Taylor.

Last season Badgers sophomore guard Josh Gasser became the first Big Ten freshman to earn a triple double since Magic Johnson in 1977.

The NBA All-Star balloting is a reminder about the lack of quality centers in pro basketball compared with power forwards. Superior power forwards like the Wolves’ Kevin Love weren’t voted on to the first team.

The Wild are home tomorrow night against Vancouver, part of a favorable home schedule the rest of the season that has Minnesota playing 18 of its remaining 29 games atXcel EnergyCenter. Tickets remain for all home games.

The Wild’s Cal Clutterbuck and Nick Schultz answer questions and provide autographs tonight at Main Street Bar and Grill in Hopkins. Matt Kassian and Nate Prosser will do the same on Monday at Cowboy Jack’s in Bloomington. Both appearances begin at 7 p.m. and are part of the Wild Hockey Unplugged series. Autograph tickets for each player will be distributed.

Saint John’s forward Aaron Barmore knows about perfection. The former Bloomington Jefferson High School player is the MIAC Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week. All he did last week was not miss a single field goal attempt in helping the Johnnies upset St. Thomas for the first time since 2003 and also defeat Hamline. Barmore averaged 16 points and 6 rebounds per game. He made all 12 of his field goal attempts.

The Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game training camp will for the first time be at Saint John’s University in Collegeville. The game will be played on June 30 at TCF Bank Stadium.

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Mackay Attends Ali’s 70th Birthday Party

Posted on February 6, 2012February 7, 2012 by David Shama

Minneapolis businessman and former Gophers golfer Harvey Mackay was one of 350 guests who attended Muhammad Ali’s 70^th birthday party in Louisville last month. Mackay, a New York Times best selling author, met Ali years ago when he visited the legendary former heavyweight champion at his home in Michigan.

“He loves magic and I did some of my best tricks for him,” Mackay told Sports Headliners. “That forged the relationship.”

It’s a relationship that includes Ali’s wife Lonnie and Mackay’s spouse Carol Ann. The couples live within about seven minutes of one another in the Phoenix area. They frequently go out to dinner together.

Perhaps the most famous personality in the world, Ali’s speech and mobility are limited by Parkinson’s disease. Mackay admires his friend’s courage in living with the disease. “He never complains,” Mackay said. “I know he’s in pain and not feeling good.”

Ali has been admired for years not only for his fame in the ring, but also for his work on behalf of charities and the graciousness with which he treats others. “His eyes sparkle and pop when a young person approaches him,” Mackay said. “He will take a picture with anybody.”

At Ali’s party in Louisville Mackay saw another friend, coach John Calipari of the No. 1 ranked Kentucky Wildcats. Calipari asked Mackay to give a motivational talk to his team later this year to help inspire Kentucky’s bid for the NCAA title. “I want to do it,” Mackay said. “I am just not sure of my schedule.”

Mackay’s latest book is The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World. Like his previous best sellers the new book not only includes many personal stories about famous newsmakers like Ali but also everyday people with interesting experiences. Mackay said for years he’s kept files with headings like creativity, time management and motivation that document business and life lessons.

The daily exercise has helped Mackay write his well-known books including Swim with the Sharks. “A person’s life equals the total sum of his or her experiences,” he said.

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