Posted July 26, 2010    

•Brett Favre

•Bill Smith

•Trevor Mbakwe

•Jay Pivec

•Josh Harding

Here’s the Plan for Vikings, Favre in 2011 

This needs to be the last year Brett Favre holds the Purple Nation captive.   

(Maybe).  

The Vikings open training camp on Thursday and after almost seven months the world still awaits word as to whether No. 4 will play a second season here.  Yes, it’s understandable that the 40-year-old quarterback needs time during the off-season to make a decision about whether to continue his career or retire.  But how long does it take to count all your fingers and toes to see if any are missing? 

A decision in late July or even in August like last year?  Year after year?   

Let Favre join the team just before kickoff for the regular season opener this September if he can immediately play at the high level of 2009, a season that was among his best ever.  But after 2010 no more of this high drama stuff. 

Unless (wiggle, wiggle) the Vikings go to the Super Bowl.  (Where of course, they will lose a fifth Super Bowl.  Why?  Because the Vikings don’t win Super Bowls.  Look it up).

Without a Super Bowl appearance to warm their souls, the Vikings can’t afford to spend another cold winter wondering whether Favre will play a third season for them.  The offseason is a time for figuring out how to improve the team for both the near future and further out.  Whether it’s through trade, free agency or the college draft the Vikings need a QB plan to take them beyond the 2011 season.   

Favre might deserve a commitment by the Vikings for 2011 but he needs to speak up and say he’s committed soon after this coming season ends.  The only way he should be allowed to play the drama game is if he punches the Vikings’ ticket to the Super Bowl.   

And if he pulls that one off (God, what if they even won the game!), we can all welcome him back in September of 2011.  Just before kickoff. 

 

Fast Facts to Know About Twins 

With major league baseball’s trading deadline coming on Saturday, here are five facts worth knowing about the Twins. 

The franchise needs not only pitching help and another productive right-handed hitter, but also more depth among position players.  The Twins are having a hard luck season with all their injuries, and the spare parts are suspect.   

If the Twins are unable to make a trade or two before the end of the week, don’t give up hope.  Following the trading deadline last year general manager Bill Smith acquired relief pitcher Jon Rauch and starter Carl Pavano via waivers from other teams.  

The Twins are only one game out of first place in the Central Division so they want to help themselves in their push for the post-season.  But there are 13 other teams in major league baseball that are within eight games or less of first place in their divisions.  Translation: there are a lot of “buyers” in competition with the Twins for personnel moves.   

The front office likely won’t address the subject now but it’s worth the concern of Twins fans to wonder whether the club will be able to re-sign Pavano after this season.  He is 12-6 with a 3.26 ERA, and he devours innings like few pitchers in the majors.  Pavano, 34, will be of interest to other clubs in the offseason if he continues to pitch like he has been doing.  He reportedly earns $7 million this season with the Twins and his contract ends in 2010.  

Odds are there’s no high impact help available to be found at AAA Rochester.  Former Twins pitchers Pat Neshek and Glen Perkins, infielder Brendan Harris and outfielder Jacque Jones are trying to recapture the skills they once knew.  Best bet could be shortstop Trevor Plouffe who has discovered the long ball and now totals 15 home runs in Rochester, most on the team.

 

Worth Noting

Here’s a prediction on the Gophers' starting lineup for next season:  guards Al Nolen and Devoe Joseph, center Ralph Sampson III, and forwards Blake Hoffarber and Trevor Mbakwe.  If Mbakwe isn’t available because of his legal situation, then Rodney Williams starts.  

The Gophers host Virginia on Monday, November 29 in the opening game of the 12^th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge.  The other challenge games are November 30 and December 1.  

The Gophers haven’t announced their schedule for next season but season ticket holders paid for tickets last month.   

Congratulations to Jay Pivec on being named the new men's basketball coach at Dakota County Technical College.  He will be starting the basketball program at the Rosemount-based school after making a national reputation for excellence at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. 

"Hiring Jay to lead our new basketball program was the obvious choice," said Cam Stoltz, DCTC’s athletic coordinator.  "He has an unsurpassed track record of mentoring his players and pointing them in the right direction. …” 

The University of Minnesota Athletic Department sent out a mass email offering two-game home ticket packages for Gophers football.  The Maroon package consists of the South Dakota and Northwestern games while the Gold package offers Northern Illinois and Penn State.  

The Big Ten Network will provide live coverage of the news conferences next Monday for all 11 Big Ten football coaches.  Programming begins at 9 a.m. Minneapolis time as the network previews the upcoming Big Ten football season.  

The Wild might have been able to trade backup goalie Josh Harding during another offseason when there weren’t so many NHL goalies available.  But a league source told Sports Headliners the team was interested in keeping Harding, too, to see what kind of a beginning to the season starting goalie Niklas Backstrom experiences.   

Harding, 26, played in 25 games last season and had nine wins, the second highest totals of his career.  Backstrom, 32, has played better in the past than he did last season.  

The 6th annual Cully’s Kids Celebrity Weekend fundraiser held July 16-17 in Fargo generated over $385,000.  The Cullen Children’s Foundation was founded in 2003 by Moorhead native and Wild center Matt Cullen.  The foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial resources to organizations that support children’s healthcare needs.

Concordia University, St. Paul has seven 2010 inductees for its Athletics Hall of Fame. They are: Renae (Brehmer) Fox (women's basketball), Dennis Hilken (football/baseball/basketball), Scott Hollingsworth (baseball), John Hunter ( football/baseball), David Johnson (baseball), Roger Lind (baseball/football) and Howard Patten (basketball/track & field/golf).

 

Ralph Sampson III

 Jay Pivec

Josh Harding