Sports

PREP SCENE Mitchell Palmer McDonald (l-r) Laurra Mohammed, Stephanie Baez, Courtney Wiley, Bedresia Tims, Jenna Dushaw, Diondra Howard, Cassondra Stahn, Cassandra Lavalle, Jaleza Lee and Porsha Hightower sum up Johnson’s boys’ basketball season in one word. Here are six sporting accomplishments that stood out to me in 2010 (in no particular order): 1. ST. PAUL […]

Kwame’s Kapsules Kwame McDonald Editor’s note: This week, we will not feature the Black Coaches due to holiday deadlines. But, we will bring you up to date in the next edition. So many times we end the year with the best of….and what to expect next year. This year, rather than looking back this columnist […]

ANOTHER VIEW By Charles Hallman There are words that simply must be purged from our language. Appropriately, these words duly earn a dishonored place on the Another View’s third annual Banished Overused Words (BOWs) list. This annual year-end column was inspired by Lake Superior State (Mich.) University’s annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s […]

Fitz Beat Larry Fitzgerald Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton Photo courtesy of the Associated Press I am one of the few fathers in American history, based on my experience, who can say I witnessed a sham eight years ago last Saturday. The 2003 Heisman Trophy was presented that evening to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White — […]

Black NFL coaches were 3-5 in week 15. Winners last week were Cincinnati (MARVIN LEWIS) 19, Cleveland 17; Indianapolis (JIM CALDWELL) 34, Jacksonville 24; Chicago (LOVIE SMITH) 40, Minnesota (LESLIE FRAZIER) 14. Losers were Denver (ERIC STUDEVILLE) 23, Oakland 39; San Francisco (MIKE SINGLETARY) 7, San Diego 34; Tampa Bay (RAHEEM MORRIS) 20, Detroit 26; […]

I was looking at the movie The Express the other day. The film tells the story of Syracuse University running back ERNIE DAVIS. Davis was the first African American football player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961. The Heisman is awarded to the top football player in the country. However, after watching it, two […]

Leah Cotton As earlier predicted by this columnist, new U of M Football Coach Jerry Kill’s coaching staff evidently will lack diversity. The lone exception: Last week Kill retained as his only Black assistant Thomas Hammock, who will continue as running backs coach. He also was co-offensive coordinator this past season. “He’s a good fit […]

My how time flies. I was there 29 years ago, and I was there Monday night for the first time since December 20, 1981 to see the Vikings playing a regular-season NFL game outside. Yes sir, in the cold, in the snow, in the wind — 29 years ago it was the Met Stadium in […]

Our special coach-reporter relationship will be hard to duplicate by Charles Hallman Many years ago, Mike Hebert stood up at a school function and publicly told the audience that I was one of the few local reporters that didn’t unfairly judge him after he was hired as Gopher volleyball coach in 1996. To paraphrase Rick’s […]

by Larry Fitzgerald How about that — a “Monday Night Football” game in Detroit, and the Vikings in a so-called home game imitate the Lions: New York 21, Vikings 3. Playoffs? The Vikings’ playoff hopes are over. Vikings quarterback Brett Favre did not play. That’s what I said — it’s the first time since 1992. […]

Concordia splits; former prep stars play in college by Kwame McDonald Black NFL coaches went 5-4 in week 14. Winners are Tampa Bay (RAHEEM MORRIS) 17, Washington 16; Indianapolis (JIM CALDWELL) 30, Tennessee 27; Pittsburgh (MIKE TOMLIN) 23, Cincinnati (MARVIN LEWIS) 7; San Francisco (MIKE SINGLETARY) 40, Seattle 21. Losers were Cincinnati (LEWIS); Chicago (LOVIE […]

Minneapolis Roosevelt served notice last Friday night at Johnson High School that it might not be a team to overlook as the girls’ basketball season progresses. The Teddies started slowly but eventually got in the groove while defeating St. Paul Johnson 87-61. Senior KAYLANI EDWARDS dominated in the post on her way to a game-high […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The Big Ten Network (BTN) has been in operation for three years, but actually most of us have only seen it for two of those years because it wasn’t being carried by many cable systems, including Comcast locally. Now BTN is in over 75 million homes across the United States […]

By Mitchell P. McDonald Contributing Writer With the prep basketball season officially underway, this column will highlight St. Paul Johnson point guard ESTAN TYLER. Tyler, a 6’-1”, 175-pound senior, recently signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Missouri Kansas City. He averaged 14 points per game last season while leading […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Earlier this season, a reporter asked Minnesota Head Coach Mike Hebert what it would take for his volleyball squad to reach the post-season. He responded that a 5-5 mark in their last 10 games probably would be needed. Instead, the Gophers finished the 2010 regular season with seven straight victories […]

By Kwame JC McDonald Contributing Writer LESLIE FRAZIER is the new Vikings football coach. He has been designated as the interim coach. Many are hoping that the word “permanent” will soon replace “interim.” Some think that the team’s performance will determine whether or not he becomes permanent. It will not solely depend on his win-loss […]

By Larry Fitzgerald Contributing Writer The boiling point that is the Minnesota Vikings 2010 season finally boiled over as owner Zygi Wilf replaced Brad Childress as head coach after the Vikings were dominated 31-3 by the Green Bay Packers Sunday. Childress had a record of 39-35 in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs. […]

By Kwame JC McDonald Contributing Writer Teams and coaches winning in week 11 were PITTSBURGH (MIKE TOMLIN) 35, OAKLAND 3; CINCINNATI (MARVIN LEWIS) 31, BUFFALO 3; CHICAGO (LOVIE SMITH) 16, MIAMI 0; TAMPA BAY (KAREEM MORRIS) 14, SAN FRANCISCO (MIKE SINGLETARY) 0. The losers, in addition to Singletary, were INDIANAPOLIS (JIM CALDWELL) 14 to NEW […]

By Larry Fitzgerald Contributing Writer Rogers and Packers hammer Vikings 31-3 This just in: The (7-3) Green Bay Packers are pretty good and now share first place in the NFC North with Chicago. Sunday, the green and gold delivered a knockout performance to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 31-3 to sweep the 2010 series. […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer First it was Proposition 48 in the early 1990s. Then regulations were passed in the early 2000s holding schools more accountable for student-athletes’ graduation rates. Is it now time for real reform in college athletes, since student-athletes still seem to lag behind the NCAA, coaches and the schools in terms […]