David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins Museum Talk & Other Notes

Posted on September 12, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Clyde Doepner, the only full-time curator employed by a major league baseball team, said there’s a possibility of opening a Twins museum. Club management has discussed a possible museum and perhaps locating it in the Ford Centre, the historic office building located near Target Field.

Doepner has been collecting Twins memorabilia dating back to when the ball club played at Met Stadium. He has more than 7,000 memorabilia items in his personal collection, including not only Twins items but also from the franchise’s days in Washington, D.C.

The former high school teacher and baseball coach was hired two years ago as the franchise prepared for its opening of Target Field in 2010. He credits team president Dave St. Peter with his hiring. St. Peter and other club leaders wanted Target Field to be a place that told the history of baseball in Minneapolis-St. Paul including the Twins.

Although Doepner has collected items ranging from the autographs of U.S. presidents to a Twins jersey that incorrectly spelled Minnesota, there is a memory he described as more special than anything else. “The day Harmon Killebrew knew my name,” Doepner said.

Call them the “Smash Boys.” Miguel Sano, 18, hit 20 home runs in 267 at bats for the Twins Elizabethton team in the Appalachian Rookie League. Eddie Rosario, 19, hit 21 balls out of the park in 270 at bats for Elizabethton.

Since the July All-Star break Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is hitting .235 in 14 games with no home runs and nine RBI. He has been unable to play since August 28.

The late Angelo Giuliani, a famous Twins scout, is among nine people being inducted into the Saint Thomas Academy Athletic Hall of Fame on September 30.

Glenn Caruso, football coach of nationally ranked St. Thomas, will be the featured speaker at the C.O.R.E.S luncheon on Thursday, November 10. C.O.R.E.S is an acronym for coaches, officials, educators, reporters and sports fans.

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Vikings Open Against S.I. Super Bowl Pick Chargers

Posted on September 9, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

The Vikings can use their game against the Chargers on Sunday in San Diego as a first step to show the national media its predictions about them are incorrect. Sports Illustrated pro football authority Peter King predicts the Chargers will play in next February’s Super Bowl, losing 24-20 to Atlanta.

Sports Illustrated is among the national media that implies or states the Vikings − 12-4 two years ago but 6-10 last season ─ are in rebuilding mode. S.I. forecasts the NFC North order of finish as follows: Packers, Lions, Bears and Vikings.

S.I. headlines its Vikings story with this: “The Donovan McNabb gamble could pay off big − or go bust.” Will the 34-year-old quarterback resemble his best seasons in Philly, or replicate more recent performances in Washington?

Sporting News Magazine’s NFL preview offers the same predicted order of finish in the NFC North as S.I., and projects wins and losses for each team. The Packers will finish 15-1, the Lions and Bears 8-8, and the Vikings 5-11, according to Sporting News.

This might be irritating, but ProFootballWeekly.com managing editor Mike Holbrook is preaching the same predicted order in the division as the two magazines. Ditto ESPN radio’s Colin Cowherd.

Critics not only wonder about the quarterback but also the receivers, offensive and defensive lines, and the safeties. That’s a lot of doubt, but if McNabb’s okay, and Adrian Peterson is all-world, and Jared Allen and Chad Greenway lead a revived defense, and Leslie Frazier coaches like Tony Dungy, the Vikings might even surprise themselves. (Whew. That’s a lot of ifs).

Placekicker Ryan Longwell has been with Vikings teams going back to 2006. He thinks the focus of this team in preseason has helped prepare the club for the 16 game regular season schedule that starts Sunday.

“I think we’re all excited. It’s been a different camp for us than the past couple of years in the fact that it’s been quiet and business-like, the way it should be,” Longwell said. “I think for a team like us, with a lot of new pieces, new coaching and players, I think it’s actually what you want. You want to be a little under the radar and be able to work. And that’s what we’ve been able to do. …”

Longwell said NFL observers may see a talent gap between the Packers and Vikings but his locker room doesn’t analyze it that way. “I think the people that pick (forecast) the record, you can’t pick it until it’s all over with,” he said.

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Expect Both Gray & Shortell to Play Tomorrow

Posted on September 9, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Fans will attend tomorrow’s Gophers home opener against New Mexico State hoping to watch both MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell. It’s not likely they will be disappointed.

Despite Shortell’s impressive fourth quarter debut last week at USC, Minnesota coach Jerry Kill has made it clear Gray is still the No. 1 quarterback. The New Mexico State game, though, figures to be so one-sided that Shortell, a freshman, will at least be given mop-up duties in the third or fourth quarter.

The Aggies are a prime candidate to be the worst team on the Minnesota schedule this season. New Mexico State hasn’t played in a bowl game since 1960 and that’s not likely to change in 2011. The Aggies, 5-20 the last two seasons, lost their opening game last Saturday to Ohio in Las Cruces, 44-24, gaining 362 yards passing but only six running. Pre-season media and coaches polls predicted the Aggies will finish last in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Aggies are 0-6 historically in games against Big Ten teams. They have been out- scored 336 to 41.

The New Mexico State schedule matches the Aggies against 13 schools this season. The Aggies don’t have a winning record against any of them, including Fresno State (0-17) and Utah State (7-27).

As for Gray and Shortell, Kill likes to be aggressive with the use of his quarterbacks. When he coached at Northern Illinois, he was willing to play more than one QB in a game. That’s definitely a possibility tomorrow.

Shortell gave the coach a shot of confidence when he rallied the Gophers to a near win in the fourth quarter. Gray, a junior, had to leave the USC game because of cramping that Kill said might have been caused by both dehydration and anxiety. Both Gray and Shortell were seeing the most extensive playing time at quarterback of their college careers.

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