David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Injuries: Savvy & Luck Help Vikings?

Posted on October 25, 2022 by David Shama

Coming out of the bye-week, the question in Viking-crazed Minnesota is whether the Purple can sustain their hot start to the season.

Kevin O’Connell photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings, 5-1, are likely to continue playing winning football but with 11 games remaining on the schedule it might not be realistic to expect they will dodge key injuries so successfully while seeing their opponents troubled by them. Maybe Kevin O’Connell, who has made impressive adjustments to the offense, called winning plays and hired a solid staff of assistants, has brought along not only coaching skills but also the luck of the Irish.

Safety Harrison Smith is the only starter to miss a game so far. Outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum, a sack specialist and key reserve, missed a game because of illness. Weekly looks at Minnesota’s list of injured or ill players has frequently been minimal compared with other NFL clubs. Minnesota’s practice report on players whose game status was in question, or ruled out, has typically listed six or so names.

Smith missed the Lions game September 25 but returned the next Sunday for the London match up with the Saints. Wonnum didn’t play against the Dolphins October 16. Star running back Dalvin Cook, who injured his shoulder in the Lions game, was in doubt for London but did start and play in the October 2 international game.

Not so fortunate in England were the Saints who were missing starting quarterback Jameis Winston and former All-Pro RB Alvin Kamara. In the Vikings’ last game before the bye, October 16 in Miami, they played a Dolphins team without its starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Then early in the game backup QB Skylar Thompson was sidelined with an injury. Tyreek Hill, on the short list of the NFL’s best wide receivers, played for Miami despite an injured foot.

Minnesota’s good fortune goes back to the September 9 opener against the Packers who went through a troubled offseason and training camp trying to figure out their receivers corps. Veteran Allen Lazard, a QB Aaron Rodgers favorite, seemed the best of the group after star WR Davante Adams left for free agency and a spot with the Raiders during the offseason, but Lazard was injured and couldn’t play in Minneapolis. Injured David Bakhtiari, among the best offensive tackles in the pros, was also unavailable to Green Bay.

Judging by results so far, the Viking strength and conditioning department, led by Josh Hingst in his second year with Minnesota, is doing its job. The Vikings have played like a team not only able to avoid injuries but respond effectively to the few they have had. They also have shown wherewithal in the fourth quarter, not playing like a team that was fatigued or beaten down.

Give the Vikings credit for their health and taking advantage of their opportunities, including opponents’ injuries and making big plays in the second half, but there’s nothing wrong with having good fortune, too.

Worth Noting

Best guess is coveted wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. soon signs with one of the two best NFL teams, the Bills or Chiefs. A wildcard landing spot is the Vikings because of his previous relationship with O’Connell when both were with the Rams.

BTW, it probably can’t be helping the defending Super Bowl champion Rams, with a 3-3 record, that the coaching staff is without O’Connell, Wes Phillips and Chris O’Hara. When O’Connell took the head coaching job in Minnesota last winter, he made Phillips his offensive coordinator and O’Hara his quarterback coach.

Twin Cities Dunkers leader Dan Stoltz, whose SPIRE Credit Union features Kirk Cousins in TV commercials, has arranged for the Vikings’ quarterback to speak to the Dunkers October 31.

Did you know the Vikings’ most elite offensive playmaker, WR Justin Jefferson, is 23 years old, while the Gophers’ best, RB Mo Ibrahim, is 24?

From a personnel perspective beyond this season, the best thing about the Gophers’ program is the promising future of redshirt freshman quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. He was poised in his first college start last Saturday evening in the crazed-white out atmosphere at Penn State and showed both his running and passing skills that include a strong arm.

It’s a possibility Minnesota, with Kaliakmanis, could have the Big Ten West Division’s most talented quarterback next season. Look for Kaliakmanis to start Saturday’s home game against Rutgers if senior Tanner Morgan is still injured and unable to play.

Yesterday head coach P.J. Fleck wasn’t sure who his starter will be. He also said it’s uncertain if reserve quarterback Cole Kramer’s injury will allow him to be on the field. Kramer played on two downs in the wildcat formation against Penn State, but he didn’t touch the ball because direct snaps went to Ibrahim.

The latest rankings of all 131 FBS football teams by Chris Vannini of the The Athletic has Minnesota No. 42. Rutgers is No 93, with the other remaining teams on the Minnesota schedule ranked as follows: Iowa No.61 Nebraska No. 92, Northwestern No. 119 and Wisconsin No. 47.

Morgan, the winningest quarterback in Gophers’ football history, will be remembered for more than his success on the field. His leadership with teammates and caring about the community are exemplary.

This fall Morgan, who lost his father to cancer last year, has a new partnership with the Mendota Heights-based Angel Foundation and its Kapps for Cancer initiative to raise funds. A variety of baseball and stocking caps are being sold. http://kappscustoms.com

Former Gopher football player Jim Bruton has authored 23 books including his latest on Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapels.

The timing of Gopher volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon’s announcement to retire at season’s end is stunning and without explanation yet. Gophers’ athletic director Mark Coyle said at a news conference earlier this year he worries about the extraordinary time all of his coaches must devote to recruiting in today’s competitive environment.

Bob Motzko’s No. 1 ranked hockey Gophers have a roster that continues the program’s tradition of using talent from the state. Twenty of the 26 players on the roster were born and raised in Minnesota, with 16 of them from within 40 miles of campus.

The Wild will host a free, open-to-the-public outdoor practice starting at 10 a.m. November 5 at St. Louis Park’s Recreation Outdoor Center, 3700 Monterey Drive. There will be fan giveaways and activities.

Former Gophers’ All-American basketball player Quincy Lewis, who was M Club director for about four years until October 14, is now director of alumni relations for the Utah Jazz, the NBA club he once played for.

Sports Illustrated’s pro and college basketball issue predicts the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards could be the NBA’s most improved player. “Now with even more talent around him, Edwards is looking at a third-year jump that could put him into the league’s elite,” the magazine said.

The Wolves are projected to finish second to the Nuggets in the Northwest Division and qualify for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The magazine’s highest ranked Big Ten men’s team is Illinois at No. 15, with two other conference programs in the top 25, No. 20 Indiana and No. 24 Michigan.

Race Thompson, the Indiana senior forward from Armstrong and son of Minnesota football great Darrell Thompson, is profiting from NIL deals including a recently announced ambassador role with Merchants Bank.

Absurd: the length of college football games. Last Saturday’s Texas-Oklahoma State game started at 2:30 p.m. and didn’t end until about 6:45 p.m. (Four quarters, no overtime).

Comments Welcome

A Birthday Toast to Icon Harvey Mackay

Posted on October 23, 2022October 27, 2022 by David Shama

Minnesota icon Harvey Mackay turns 90 tomorrow, October 24. He has impacted a lot of us with his accomplishments and wisdom, including this writer. Speaking for the masses, “Happy Birthday, Harvey!”

Many know Harvey as the founder of a Minneapolis envelope business, but even more of the world knows him as the author of New York Times best-selling business books and as a syndicated columnist for newspapers including the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I have his books and read his columns but more importantly have memories of the kindness he has directed my way over the decades.

In 1990 a new ownership group booted me from my marketing position with the Minnesota North Stars. A few days later the doorbell rang at home announcing a delivery of balloons, along with an encouraging note from Harvey predicting my next career stop would be a home run.

This millennium there have been invitations to fly on a private jet with Harvey and other friends of his to away University of Minnesota football games. He also remembers my birthday every year and has a warm smile on the few occasions our paths may cross these days.

Doing for others is part of his DNA and the importance of giving are words he lives by. Harvey has made a tradition of annually donning a Santa Claus suit and ringing the bell for the Salvation Army in Minnesota. The weather is often frigid but for three hours he helps raise money for the needy because his dad taught him volunteerism should be a priority for everyone.

Harvey has a world-class network of friends, and he makes it a point to know details about them. PR maven Dave Mona recalled that when Harvey travelled internationally, he found places selling commemorative stamps because he had a customer who collected stamps. “Are you going to end your business relationship with someone who adds to your stamp collection?” Mona asked in admiration.

I first met Harvey when I was sports editor of the University of Minnesota’s student newspaper. In the 1960s boosters could help with recruiting and Harvey jumped in with both feet. Growing up in St. Paul he had loved the Gophers and he attended the University where he played on the golf team for legendary coach Les Bolstad.

Graduating in 1954, Harvey had ambitions to play pro golf but despite his fierce drive to excel he realized that career wasn’t going to take off. At age 26 he founded his envelope company located within about a 60 second drive to the U campus.

Why envelopes? Because everybody needs envelopes and Harvey couldn’t envision a time when the world would not. Today he is chairman of MackayMitchell Envelope Company, a $100 million business. The company has 450 employees and manufactures 25 million envelopes a day.

Several years ago, Harvey sent a PDF of a story I wrote about him for the Minnesota Daily in January of 1968. It was headlined: “When Mackay Speaks, Top Athletes Come Here.” The gesture was another example of Harvey’s thoughtfulness.

Harvey helped convince many football and basketball athletes to make the U their college choice. The list includes the late John Williams who was an All-American tackle on the Gophers’ 1967 Big Ten title team, and 1969 basketball captain Al Nuness who became a vice president at Jostens. “I tell the kids about the great job opportunity here after graduation, the M Club, the law school and things like that,” Harvey said in the article.

In the 1970s I wrote a cover story for Corporate Report magazine with Harvey’s photo in the foreground and a domed stadium in the background. The Twins and Vikings were getting restless about the limited capacity and revenue sources at Met Stadium. Harvey, as president of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, helped lead a drive that eventually turned a domed stadium into the reality of the Metrodome.

The Metrodome opened in 1982 and a couple of years later Twins owner Calvin Griffith could break his lease if not enough tickets were sold. He could then relocate the franchise if he chose to do so. Harvey got an idea and marshalled the help of others in the business community. One day he walked up to the stadium box office and ordered 45,400 tickets to alleviate the problem, according to a 1984 New York Times article.

Several months before that Harvey chased down Arkansas head football coach Lou Holtz, and with U AD Paul Giel in the hospital, convinced Holtz to take the Gophers’ job. Harvey revered Giel who was an All-American golden boy as a Gopher athlete, a star for the ages in football and baseball in the early 1950s who became Minnesota’s athletic director in 1971. (BTW) Tom Brokaw will tell you about riding the train from South Dakota in his youth to watch Giel run and pass the football for the Gophers in Memorial Stadium.

At my request several years ago, Harvey spoke to a club that I belong to and he brought up Giel’s name. “If 100 people walked into a room where Paul Giel was, 100 people wouldn’t like Paul Giel. 100 people would love him.”

Harvey has maintained a connection to Gopher football to this day and he has built a friendship with coach P.J. Fleck. “Happy birthday, Harvey,” Fleck said last week. “Harvey has been very instrumental in…my time here. He always says, ‘I only need 37 seconds.’

“He’s given me some incredible wisdom and perspective in the six years I’ve been here, and he’s become a really good friend to me. He’s been in our locker room…after games, and he’s always just there to be able to talk through some things.”

Fleck said Harvey will ask him what is going on and what he’s thinking about to gauge the coach’s state of mind. “He always has something for that exact way of thinking of the thing that I am going through, and I think that’s what makes him special,” Fleck said. “It’s not just some broad terms, he really breaks it down to what I am doing, what our team is doing and really kind of hits home the message.

“But one thing always sticks out to me is, ’I need 37 seconds.’ …That’s how he gets in the door.”

Harvey has relished challenges all his life. Deep into his adult years he decided to become a superb amateur tennis player and he did by taking lessons and having a dogged pursuit of his goal.

More than 30 years ago Minnesotans scoffed at the idea of Minneapolis hosting the Super Bowl. Mona remembers everyone thought it was a crazy idea to convince NFL powers to come here in the dead of winter, but Harvey said, “We’re going to win this.”

Then he proceeded to sell everyone on all the assets and things this area has to offer. With the efforts of Harvey and many others, Minneapolis won the bid for the 1992 Super Bowl. The city also hosted the 2018 Super Bowl.

Harvey is famous for his Mackay Morals in his columns and books. One of them is: Life is 10 percent how you make it and 90 percent how you take it.

Over the decades Harvey has gotten up off the mat many times. In his birthday email to me in 2021 he wrote about his months of struggles with COVID. Whether it’s illness or a back issue hospitalizing Harvey, he always fights back. He loves life and every second is precious.

My phone calls with him most always include a warning about his time constraints. He describes time management as the most important management of all. It is the one resource we cannot buy or replace. That’s why those in Harvey’s world can expect brief phone calls and sometimes at odd hours of the day and night.

Greg Bailey, Harvey’s right-hand man for all things needed, was asked if there is a curfew on the calls? “That’s gotten better. He used to call pretty much any time but now he doesn’t call before 6:30, 7 in the morning and (after) 11 at night.”

Harvey can view sleep as a waste of time. I remember decades ago when it was a big deal for Americans to visit Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Harvey was part of a business delegation that visited Havana, and he didn’t go to sleep while he was there because he didn’t want to miss anything.

Bailey smiled when a visitor referred to him as Harvey’s do-it-all assistant. “It’s almost like a marriage,” Bailey said. “When he had dinner with my wife, when I was almost hired for the job, he asked, ‘You know this is kind of like a marriage if we get together? My wife turned to him and said, ‘As long as you remember I am his first wife.’ “

Bailey’s life is more exciting than when he was writing annual reports pre-Harvey. He talks about the fun of those Gopher football trips and “rubbing shoulders” with some of the most famous people on the planet including Muhammad Ali. “It’s been 27 plus years working hand-in-hand. Very interesting, that’s for sure.”

Harvey and wife Carol Ann were close friends with Ali and his wife Lonnie. Ali is gone now as is another friend, Larry King. They would have been entertained at a mega birthday bash Harvey is throwing in November in Phoenix. Friends are coming in from all over for a celebration weekend that includes an Elton John concert November 11 at Chase Field. Harvey will also celebrate tomorrow night with a smaller gathering at an Arizona restaurant.

Before Harvey ever bonded with Ali, he did his homework and learned the heavyweight boxing champion—sometimes referred to as the most famous person in the world—loved magic and performed tricks. Well, guess who taught himself magic to make an impression?

Harvey can also play tricks on his friends. He shared a story awhile back about Ali and King that is a favorite. “Larry loved boxing and Muhammad Ali,” Harvey wrote via email. “He once wrote in his column in USA Today that meeting Muhammad was ‘the biggest thrill in my life … I couldn’t sleep last night … chills running up and down my spine.’

“One night I was having dinner with Larry in New York, and I brought Muhammad with me as a surprise. Suddenly a woman came up and said, ‘Oh, Mr. Mackay, I’ve read all your books … Can I have your autograph?’

“Larry went nuts and said, ‘Don’t you know who this is? This is Muhammad Ali. Don’t you want his autograph?’

“I looked at Larry and said you bit it hook, line and sinker. I paid her $50 an hour to come up and ask for my autograph.

“We were still laughing about that years later. But the point is don’t ever be boring. Don’t be predictable. Show some creativity with your friends and have some fun.”

Mona and his wife Linda will be part of the group that will be on the receiving end of that creativity and fun next month for the birthday extravaganza in Phoenix. Mona marvels at the life Harvey has led and the vibrancy he still possesses.

“He is a lifetime learner. It’s amazing as he approaches 90. …He is one of the most curious people I’ve ever met.”

That’s Harvey. He will find something that intrigues him and off he goes.

“He’s never allowed himself to go stale,” Mona said. “Constantly looking for new mountains to climb, new things to master. …Quality golfer who became a world-class tennis player. How often does something like that happen? But he has always kept himself in good shape and he has remained both physically and mentally active, and he loves a challenge. Because if he hears someone is (an) underdog he wants to get involved.”

Oh, and BTW, earlier this month Harvey came out with a new book: Harvey Mackay’s ABCs of Success. It’s a busy fall for Harvey—just the way he likes it.

Comments Welcome

U Football Frustration Merited, But…

Posted on October 18, 2022November 16, 2022 by David Shama

The results of the last two Golden Gophers football games are frustrating enough but now Minnesota goes on the road to play No.16 ranked Penn State with an uncertain quarterback situation. Tanner Morgan, the winningest Gopher quarterback in program history, was injured last Saturday and is being monitored this week by medical advisors.

Redshirt junior reserve Cole Kramer wasn’t available Saturday to relieve Morgan because of injury. Coach P.J. Fleck said Kramer’s status for Penn State is uncertain. That could leave quarterback duties up to redshirt freshman Athan Kaliakmanis who fumbled a snap and threw two interceptions in relief of Morgan.

Consecutive losses to Purdue and Illinois have resulted in a 1-2 Big Ten record, and frustration by the fanbase. It’s a long shot now the Gophers can win a first-ever West Division championship. Fans are rightfully hungry for a division title now that Fleck is in his sixth season leading the program.

Critics are piling on Fleck after 20-10 and 26-14 losses in the last two games (Gophers have a 4-2 overall record). He is unlikely to deliver a division title to Dinkytown until next season at the earliest, but his resume is solid while coaching at one of the most difficult places to win in the Big Ten.

Other than Nebraska, the Gophers have to go farther to recruit much of their roster than any school in the conference. Out of state recruiting is a must because Minnesota high schools don’t produce a lot of Big Ten prospects. And when it comes to recruiting, remember this about the University of Minnesota: the Gophers don’t cheat by paying players like some of their Power Five rivals. That puts programs like Minnesota at a competitive disadvantage.

The Gophers are a developmental program with a roster that has no five-star and few four-star players coming out of high school. Often developing talent works but there are also ongoing times of poor results. An epicenter in the last two games is the receiving corps. Too often receivers aren’t gaining separation to get open. There are instances where effort is lacking, like not contesting a catch or poor route running.

To be successful the Gophers need balance between passing and running. The passing game didn’t show up in the last two losses, with Minnesota scoring a total of 24 points. In the first four games of the season Minnesota had that balance and scored over 30 points in three nonconference wins and a Big Ten road victory at Michigan State. No doubt, though, one of the nation’s easiest schedules helped fuel the Gophers’ success.

In both losses this fall Minnesota trailed at the half, part of a history of not being able to stage second half comebacks. At one point in Jerry Kill’s coaching career at Minnesota his teams were 0-22 when trailing at halftime. Using a run-heavy offense over the years, the Gophers are currently 0-31 in their last 31 games when trailing by 10 points or more, per ESPN. Minnesota fell behind by 10 points early in their Purdue and Illinois losses.

Kill, a talented coach like Fleck, never won a division title while leading the Gophers from 2011 thru part of the 2015 season. Glen Mason, who coached some of the greatest rushing teams in program history, didn’t win a Big Ten title during his run in Minneapolis from 1997-2006.

Minnesota is a difficult place to win consistently and at a high level. The Gophers haven’t won a Big Ten title since 1967 under coach Murray Warmath who was fired after the 1971 season for losing too many games. Since then, Minnesota has plowed through nine coaches including Fleck who has a resume that deserves respect.

Including bowl games, Fleck is 39-25 at Minnesota, with a winning percentage of .609 that ranks third in program history among head coaches who led the Gophers in 45 games or more. His Big Ten record is 22-24 but none of eight predecessors won more league games than they lost and most of them didn’t even come close. Warmath at 66-57-4 was the last Minnesota coach to have a winning record in conference games. Fleck’s 7-2 and 6-3 league records in 2019 and 2021 are among the best at Minnesota in more than 60 years.

Fleck is the only Gopher coach to go undefeated in bowl games. The Gophers have won three consecutive postseason games including the New Year’s Day Outback Bowl against Auburn after which they finished No. 10 nationally in the final AP poll.

Minnesota is 15-5 in its last 20 away games. Maybe the Gophers surprise their critics Saturday night and make it 16-5.

Wolves Owner Expects Fast Start

The Timberwolves play five of their first six games at Target Center including the season opener Wednesday night against the Thunder. The Wolves also have nine of their first 12 games at home—and for the most part the opponents are not a who’s who of NBA heavyweights.

With a reconfigured roster led by newly acquired all-NBA center Rudy Gobert and coming off a 46-36 season in 2021-2022, owner Glen Taylor has expectations for a fast start. “Well, I looked at the schedule. I think we’re playing against teams that I would say we have a very good chance of beating on paper. …Then we have the home games so expectations (are) we should come out of these first group of games with a pretty good record.”

Taylor has owned the franchise since 1994 and there have been plenty of difficult seasons. He counts the Kevin Garnett era and one season with Jimmy Butler as times of high expectations, along with right now. “This is the third time where I think we have a really good team, and my expectations are that we should go far into the season and do very well. You know it’s going to be fun for our fans, including myself.”

The way Taylor sees it is his team can make a statement in its first 12 games. “We have a history of not doing well against teams we should win (against). …Teams that are missing their stars, we go ahead and lose the game, and stuff like that. You know my expectations (are) that won’t happen this year.

“Get off to a good start. Now that’s good for the players but it’s also good for our fans too because I think it gets their interest and we’ll have a bigger attendance. …I think they’ll get behind the players (and) just motivate them to a higher level of play.”

Taylor also wants to see his team have playoff success, going beyond the first round of the postseason. That’s something Minnesota hasn’t done since 2004. The sting of last spring’s playoff series loss will last awhile since many observers will argue the Wolves were superior to the Grizzlies.

“That’s my expectation (to get beyond the first round),” Taylor said. “I think with the guys that we have, if other than injuries, they should deliver that. I am really confident in our coaching. I think they’ll get the most out of these guys. That’ll make a difference.”

A factor in how successfully the Wolves start the season will be the performance of Karl-Anthony Towns. The all-NBA big man has been asked to switch from center to power forward, and complicating the transition is an undisclosed illness that hospitalized him at the start of training camp.

Taylor didn’t describe the medical problem Towns faced. “Well, I am not going to go into it. They kept me advised everything that was going on. It was a setback, but we are hopeful given the next couple of weeks that he can get his strength and weight back.”

Taylor also said that as Towns recovers it doesn’t mean he “can’t play well.”

Is the nature of the medical issue something that can re-occur? “I don’t think so,” Taylor answered.

New owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are scheduled soon to make another installment on the payment plan leading to their taking over majority ownership of the Wolves and WNBA Lynx by December of 2023. Taylor believes the process is on schedule. “My expectation (is) that the end of this year they would be obligated to make their second payment.”

For now Taylor is basking in a time of high expectations for his team. A visitor suggested there is a buzz about the Wolves. “You’re correct,” the 81-year-old owner said.

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