Worth Noting
A local group will visit Indianapolis
today to make a final pitch to the NCAA to have Minneapolis and the
Metrodome selected to host the Final Four in 2014, 2015 or 2016.
Minneapolis is one of 10 cities being considered, according to Dennis
Alfton, director of operations for the Metropolitan Sports
Facilities Commission.
Look for Smith to use a lot of players
early in the nonconference schedule as he figures out who his best
players are. He played all 11 of his available players nine minutes or
more against Northern State. Junior forward Damian Johnson and
senior center Jonathan Williams didn’t play last week because of
injuries.
“I am not a big guy (on) who starts, but who
finishes,” Smith said. “…So I really don’t have a timetable (for a
starting lineup, key reserves). The sooner, the better. I don’t have a
deadline.”
The Gophers’ other junior college
transfer, guard Devron Bostick, came to Minnesota after being
recognized as the national Division I Junior College Athletic
Association player of the year. He averaged 18.2 points per game last
season while playing for Southwestern Illinois Community College, but
against Northern State missed all five of his field goal attempts and in
two exhibition games has five points. Smith said Bostick hasn’t played
confidently yet.
The November 10 issue of Sporting
News picks the Gophers to finish fourth in the Big Ten Conference
behind Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin.
College basketball’s early signing date
starts Wednesday and continues through November 19. For their class of
2009 the Gophers reportedly have verbal commitments from Royce White
of Hopkins, Rodney Williams of Cooper, Justin Cobbs of
Torrance, California and Trevor Mbwake, a junior college transfer
who played high school basketball in Minnesota. The class will be
favorably ranked nationally. That will give the Gophers consecutive
nationally rated classes, and so the 2010 class is likely to have lower
profile players who can fill roles.
The same issue of Sporting News
listed the 10 best moves by Tampa Bay executive Andrew Friedman in
building the Rays into American League champions. The No. 2 move was
the trade with the Twins that brought pitcher Matt Garza and
shortstop Jason Bartlett to Tampa Bay, and “traded away a
clubhouse distraction in controversial outfielder Delmon Young,”
according to the magazine.
That trade was made under the leadership
of Bill Smith, a year ago the Twins’ new general manager. The
much talked about trade that brought Young here, plus the Twins need to
improve their roster, puts Smith on the spot during this off-season.
Although he hit .135 in his last 10 games
and the Twins lost their playoff tie-breaker to the White Sox, don’t be
surprised if Justin Morneau wins the American League Most
Valuable Player award to be announced soon.
The Timberwolves’ defense was poor last
week in losses to San Antonio and Sacramento, giving up 250 points .
Despite his talent, 6-2 San Antonio point guard Tony Parker
shouldn’t score 55 points. Why didn’t the Wolves, as TV analyst Jim
Petersen asked during the game, double team Parker and make him give
up the ball? Against Sacramento, lacking both effort and size, the
Wolves allowed a parade of lay-ups and in-close baskets, apparently
unwilling or unable to close down the lane. To put more length and bulk
in the front court, the Wolves should try a front line of 7 foot
Jason Collins at center, and Al Jefferson and
Kevin Love, both listed at 6-10, at forwards.
A Vikings source didn’t hesitate when
asked last week who former Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre
would be rooting for in yesterday’s Packer game here. The immediate
response was “us.”
Bloomington native Lane Kiffin, the former Oakland coach and USC
assistant, is having his name mentioned among candidates for the
coaching vacancies at Washington and Tennessee.
Pro sports teams are going to be impacted
by the recession. Various news stories involving slumping ticket sales,
reduced payrolls, loans and possibly even relocations may develop.
