Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners he doesn’t have starting times yet for the 2010 home football games. The home schedule rates high in box office appeal with opponents that include USC, Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa.
Maturi was sorry to lose Gophers basketball forward Paul Carter who is transferring. Carter needs to finish his basketball career in the Chicago area and closer to his sister Bria who has cancer. Carter, who has one year remaining of college eligibility, will earn his degree in communications before leaving Minnesota.
Was the Big East Conference “over-rated” in men’s basketball this year? The Big East had eight teams selected for the NCAA tournament, three more than the Big Ten Conference. Five Big East schools were given No. 1, 2 or 3 seeds, while the Big Ten had only one team with a top three seed (Ohio State a No. 2 in the Midwest). In the tournament’s first round, Big Ten teams were 4-1, while the Big East was 4-4. Although the Big East had three more teams in the tournament, both conferences had one representative in the Final Four (West Virginia and Michigan State). In the semi-finals Duke easily won over West Virginia, 78-57, while Michigan State, playing without injured star guard Kalin Lucas, lost to Butler 52-50.
Former Twins Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, now with the Angels and Mets, lead their teams in salaries this season, according to the latest issue of USA Today Sports Weekly. Hunter will earn $18,500,000 and Santana $20,144,207. Baseball’s top paid player, Alex Rodriguez, will make $33,000,000. Justin Morneau leads the Twins at $15,000,000 with Joe Mauer second at $12,500,000.
Ex-Twin Luis Castillo, 34, is still playing second base for the Mets and is in his third season with the New York team. Former Twin Cristian Guzman, 32, is in his fifth season playing shortstop for the Nationals.
Francisco Liriano, the fifth starter in the Twins rotation, led all major league pitchers with 30 strikeouts during spring training. Liriano, who some experts thought might contend for the Cy Young award last season before struggling, makes his first start of the regular season tonight in Chicago against the White Sox.
The Wild will pay tribute to center Mike Modano, the all-time scoring leader among American-born players, when he and his Stars teammates play at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday in what could be Modano’s final NHL game. Modano, 39, may retire after this season following an NHL career that began with the North Stars in 1989.
North Stars management made Modano the overall No. 1 draft pick in the 1988 NHL draft. His scoring ability attracted attention, although at the time some hockey experts thought center Trevor Linden, a highly regarded player and leader, might be the better choice.
There’s no denying the reputation of Wild tough guy and left wing Derek Boogaard. The April 5 issue of ESPN The Magazine included an NHL players poll that named Boogaard the league’s best fighter. In the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, a poll of 272 NHL players selected him as the toughest fighter.
The Minnesota Lynx gave their fans more reason to look forward to the upcoming season yesterday when the local WNBA franchise chose national defensive player of the year Monica Wright from Virginia with the No. 2 pick in the league draft. The Lynx will offer a roster that includes Wright and local hero Lindsay Whalen at their home opener on Sunday, May 16 at Target Center against the Washington Mystics.
A tennis source believes Martina Navratilova and Lindsay Davenport, in town this weekend to play an exhibition, will receive over $50,000.00 for appearance fees. https://www.tennisfestivalofthenorth.com/
With winter NCAA championships complete, five MIAC schools rank in the top 70 of the Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings. St. Thomas leads MIAC schools with 466 points and is eighth in the standings. The Tommies’ 271 winter points and 195 fall points are school records. Gustavus is 25th in the standings with 312 points. St. Olaf is 40th with 238.50 points, Carleton 47th at 195.50 points and Concordia 67th with 150.50 points.