David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Notes Plus

Posted on November 15, 2011December 28, 2011 by David Shama

The average NBA player reportedly earned $5.15 million last season, but players and team owners can’t reach agreement on a new labor deal. When hall of famer Elgin Baylor played for the Minneapolis Lakers in the late 1950’s he was one of the top players in the league but earned $7,500, according to Minnesota native Ed Cohen who represented Baylor.

Michigan senior guard Courtney Boylan, who played for Chaska High School, is the women’s Big Ten player of the week after scoring a career high 21 points in a road win at Florida. The 5-7 Boylan tied a career single game high of seven rebounds.

Jay Pivec, the former head coach at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, takes his 2-0 Dakota Community and Technical College team to Rochester on Friday night. This is the initial season for DCTC basketball and the Blue Knights will play Rochester Community and Technical College, a team ranked No.2 in the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Division III poll.

The Twins are renting Target Field to country music stars Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw for a concert on Sunday, July 8. It will be the first concert in the two-year-old stadium’s history but certainly not the last. A source told Sports Headliners that smaller concerts using a portion of the stadium are possible next year and beyond. Look for full stadium concerts like the Chesney and McGraw show in possibly 2013 or further out.

The Minnesota State High School League pays a total of $50,000 for rental of the Metrodome for semifinals and finals games in soccer and football this month, according to Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission. The league also pays 10 percent admissions tax and event costs such as ushering.

Wild forwards Dany Heatley and Mikko Koivu and defenseman Marek Zidlicky have been named to the 2012 NHL All-Star ballot. Players appearing on the ballot were selected by the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department.

Author Jim Hoey has written a new book that will challenge anyone who likes Minnesota boys’ hockey tournament trivia. The book is titled Puck Heaven, and Hoey also authored Minnesota Twins Trivia.

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Frazier: Rookie QB Ponder ‘Unflappable’

Posted on November 14, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

How will Christian Ponder play tonight?

That’s a question being discussed at lunch tables today by Vikings fans. The Vikings rookie quarterback will make his third NFL start tonight in Green Bay playing in front of a rabid crowd and national TV audience. And the 8-0 Packers might be the best team in football.

Ponder made his first ever start last month in Minneapolis against the Packers. He gave life to a season-long struggling Vikings offense. Although the Vikings lost 33-27, Ponder did throw for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

The next week in Carolina, Ponder helped the Vikings to a second half win over the Panthers. Ponder directed a long fourth quarter drive that resulted in a Ryan Longwell field goal and a 24-21 win, only the Vikings second of the season.

What’s impressive about Ponder is that he has completed 70.4 percent of his passes on third downs. That’s second best in the NFL among passers with 20 or more third down attempts. Inside the 20-yard line no league passer can match his stats of five-for-five completions and two touchdown passes.

Coach Leslie Frazier said Ponder has been “unflappable” in his two starts for the Vikings. He doesn’t expect the stage to be too big for the rookie tonight. “…I don’t think it’ll overwhelm him on Monday night at Lambeau,” Frazier said last week. “He just has a way about him of being able to handle situations. Of course we’ll do some things to prep him but I have a feeling he’ll be able to absorb it.”

Ponder has impressed teammates, too. “He’s doing a great job,” center John Sullivan said. “…He’s studying hard and he’s making great throws. He’s really leading the team, and he’s a very intelligent guy.”

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No U Program Cuts for Next Year

Posted on November 14, 2011December 28, 2011 by David Shama

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said there are no plans to cut any of Minnesota’s 25 men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports for 2012-13, despite an anticipated extra $450,000 his department will pay athletes on full scholarships.

The Big Ten Conference is expected to follow an NCAA initiative made this fall that will increase grants by up to $2,000 each to athletes to more closely cover the cost of attending college. Maturi said the change will impact approximately 225 Gophers athletes on full scholarships. (It’s presumed that all ─ or at least most ─ Big Ten schools will give each qualifying athlete the full $2,000, rather than put themselves at a competitive recruiting disadvantage against other major conference programs).

There are no large revenue increases anticipated at Minnesota to offset the $450,000 but eliminating sports isn’t Maturi’s intent. Instead, he will look at various ways to address the budget including sometimes not giving staff pay raises.

There has long been empathy for college athletes who come from financially needy backgrounds and find that scholarships providing tuition, fees, room, board and books aren’t enough to meet their needs. Maturi and others question providing the extra $2,000 to all athletes.

“I am not opposed to giving those that really have a need some spending money,” he said. “But if Joel Maturi’s son or daughter is on a full scholarship, quite frankly, they don’t need the extra $2,000. I make enough money. If they don’t work I can get them the pizza money, whatever it might be.”

Financially needy athletes already receive Pell Grant money that can provide over $5,000 annually. Maturi said those receiving that grant money will also get the $2,000.

With the $2,000 being given to athletes, will that lessen the alleged illegal paying of college players at some schools? “No, not a bit,” Maturi said. “Not in my mind.”

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