Worth Noting
There’s no doubt
Joe Mauer and the
Twins will one day look at moving the superstar catcher to third base.
At 26, there’s no chance of that happening next season but a Mauer move
to third in 2010 could set up an intriguing infield. Mauer at
third, Orlando Cabrera at shortstop, Justin Morneau at
first base and prize third base prospect Danny Valencia converted
into a second baseman. Then move sweet hitting Jose Morales
(.343 average in 32 games with the Twins) behind the plate.
ESPN
The Magazine’s August 10 issue claims Yadier Molina of the Cardinals is
baseball’s best catcher but the publication also says Mauer is among the
most difficult to steal bases on.
Former Minneapolis Lakers coach John
Kundla, who won five pro basketball championships, was among a panel
asked by the Sporting News magazine to rank the 50 greatest
American coaches ever. Former Gophers football player Bud Wilkinson
ranked No. 29 because of his coaching career at Oklahoma, and Herb
Brooks was listed at No. 50 in an article in the August 3 issue. Brooks was a
coaching genius and deserved a better listing than last after a career
that included the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” and three national championships
with the hockey Gophers. Bud Grant, who coached the Vikings in
four losing Super Bowls, and Tom Kelly, who won two World Series
as Twins manager, didn’t make the list. Top five were UCLA’s John
Wooden, Green Bay’s Vince Lombardi, Alabama’s Paul
Bryant, Los Angeles’ Phil Jackson and Miami’s Don Shula.
Official capacity for TCF Bank Stadium is
50,805. All seven home games during the first season are considered
sellouts but tickets are expected to be available on the Monday
preceding some games. That’s because visiting teams are allocated 3,000
tickets and not all schools are expected to use the full inventory.
A Gophers spokesman said 9,185 block M’s
are displayed in various parts of the stadium.
The Gophers public relations department
will, as usual, produce a printed media guide but Michigan, Michigan
State, Ohio State and Wisconsin will have electronic versions only. The
NBA told its franchises they have the option for next season of
electronic only, too. The Timberwolves will opt for electronic only.
It was eight years ago this month that
Vikings’ tackle Korey Stringer died from heatstroke
complications. His widow, Kelci, works with the NFL on a heat
prevention illness program.
As of Wednesday, a Vikings spokesman
reported single game tickets remain for all 2009 home games including
Green Bay and Chicago.
Don’t be surprised if John David Booty
becomes a serious option at quarterback this season for the Vikings.
