Posted June 11, 2008    

• Glen Taylor

• Harrison Ford

• Mary Jo Sanders

• Denny Green

• Francisco Liriano

Hoiberg May Be Wolves' Next Basketball Boss

Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners last week it’s “fair” to say assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg is being developed to succeed Kevin McHale as the Timberwolves’ basketball boss. McHale, 50, has been Taylor’s top basketball operations guy since 1995 when the Mankato businessman bought the team.  Hoiberg, 35, joined the front office after his playing career with the Wolves ended in 2006.  

“What we’re doing with Fred is that each year we put him in a different area so that he can learn it, so that if and when Kevin decides to step down then you know Fred is there as a candidate for that job,” Taylor said. “That’s been said openly in front of Kevin, and in front of Fred, so this isn’t anything that’s being done in the secret or anything like that, and Kevin’s been very supportive of it and Fred’s been learning a lot. …” 

There’s speculation a change could come as early as next year but Taylor said that timeline hasn’t been discussed and Hoiberg isn’t “pushing” for that.  “I think that will just weigh upon how well we do,” he said.  “I think that will be determined by the decisions we make this year and how well we play this year.” 

When McHale took over with the Wolves he was inexperienced.  Taylor said he wants to avoid “trial and error” in the future and that’s why there’s a plan to develop Hoiberg, although it’s possible there could be a McHale successor other than Hoiberg.  

Meanwhile, the Wolves are having a lot of meetings, including ones attended by Taylor, trying to determine what to do with the No. 3 overall pick in the June 26 NBA draft.  Taylor is open to either keeping the No. 3 pick, or trading it away (for perhaps a lower draft choice packaged with veteran players). 

There’s a consensus that Derrick Rose of Memphis and Michael Beasley of Kansas State are the two best draft prospects.  “I don’t think it’s just obvious this year who would be No. 3,” Taylor said.  “I know our guys don’t have a person in mind yet.  I know that will be determined after these tests and bringing the players in and meeting them.”

 

Kevin McHale
 

Glen Taylor

Worth Noting

The Wolves’ Hoiberg is a younger look-a-like for movie star Harrison Ford of Indiana Jones fame.  

If UCLA forward Kevin Love isn’t among the first 10 picks in the June 26 NBA draft some team is going to really luck into a special player.  Love is a phenomenal outlet passer, with ability to rebound and play unselfishly.  

The daughter of former Gopher and Detroit Lions tight end Charlie Sanders will box in a 10 round main event for the International Female Boxing Association junior middleweight title on Friday night from Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm and Mary Jo Sanders will headline the pay-per-view event. 

Holm fights out of Albuquerque and has a record of 21-1-2, with six KO’s.  Sanders, from Detroit, is 25-0 with eight KO’s.  Holm is the IFBA welterweight champion and seven-time world title-holder in three different weight classes.  IBA middleweight title-holder Sanders is a four-time world champion in four divisions.

Cristie Kerr, about 5-3, 125 pounds, weighed 175 pounds in 1999, according to wikipedia.com.  Both of her parents are diabetics and Kerr lost 50 pounds by 2002, per wikipedia.  Kerr, 30, is the defending U.S. Women’s Open champion. The Open will be played June 23-29 at Interlachen Country Club in Edina. 

Several local restaurants will offer the opportunity to photograph the U.S. Women's Open trophy prior to June 23.  The trophy tour will begin Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Redstone in Eden Prairie and conclude on June 20 at Via in Edina, also from 5 to 7 p.m.  The U.S. Women’s Open Championship Cup that will tour here is a replica of the original trophy housed in the USGA Museum.  Since 1992 the winner of the U.S. Women’s Open has been presented with the replica trophy to have until the following championship.  For more information visit www.2008uswomensopen.com. 

Joel Maturi, who the South Bend Tribune Web site included on a list of possible candidates for the Notre Dame athletic directors job, told Sports Headliners on Monday that neither a search firm or representative of Notre Dame has contacted him about the vacant position.  (It’s believed that one of the most prominent candidates, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, has said no to Notre Dame.)  

Maturi said he’s working every day on final fund-raising for the TCF Bank Stadium opening in 2009.  The goal is $9 million but he hopes to push beyond that total.  He also said the new stadium will have 20,000 to 25,000 seats between the goal lines with the balance in the bowl end. The initial stadium capacity will be 50,000 with expansion to more than 70,000 possible.

 

Fred Hoiberg

 
Cristie Kerr
 

Joel Maturi

Extra Innings

Delmon Young’s minimal major league home run numbers are startling compared to what he did in the minor leagues.  Young has one home run so far this season, even though he is the team's regular left fielder and has 241 at-bats.  He hit 13 last year for Tampa Bay before being traded here in the off-season.  His major league home run total is 17.  In 353 games in the minor leagues he hit 59 home runs with 273 RBI and a batting average of .317.   With the Twins he’s hitting .266 with 20 RBI. 

Former Twins Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett, part of the Young trade, continue to impress with the surprising Rays (second in the East Division).  Garza is 4-3 with a 4.38 ERA.  He is tied for third in most wins on the staff.  Bartlett has been a contributor to the Rays’ defense playing shortstop and has seven errors in 61 games. 

To use a Denny Green phrase, the Twins appear to be who we thought they were. A lot of opinion before the season had this team finishing at about .500.  Despite losing six consecutive games, the Twins are within three games of .500 with a record of 31-34.  

Viable Twins’ candidates for the American League all-star team are closer Joe Nathan, catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau.  No one else is close.  

At least one local media report speculated earlier this spring that the Twins might trade Francisco Liriano.  He’s trying to work his way back to the major league.  At Rochester he has a 2-2 record, 3.94 ERA, walking 23 in 59.1 innings and striking out 47. Just two years ago, before he missed part of the 2006 season with his elbow injury, Liriano was better than Johan Santana or any other Twins pitcher.  The two might have pitched the Twins into the 2006 World Series. 

The MIAC has hired Brittany Feser as the conference's assistant director. A native of Springfield, Minnesota, Feser has spent the past two years as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin-La Crosse.  The assistant director position is available through the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Grant. The grant is designed for Division III institutions and conference offices to hire a 10-month full-time individual for two years.

 

Justin Morneau
Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins

Brittany Feser