Every major league team heading into this week’s amateur draft (starts tonight at 6 p.m. on the MLB Network and MLB.com) knows that despite preparations their exercise isn’t close to perfect. The most obvious reminder is Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria, the 23-year-old third baseman who was never drafted. He leads the American League (along with Boston’s Jason Bay) in RBIs and was a big winner in Sports Illustrated’s recent annual player poll of baseball executives and scouts. The poll asked: “Who are the top five active players you would pick to start a franchise?” Longoria finished second behind Albert Pujols of the Cardinals.
The rest of the top five as reported in the June 8 issue of the magazine: Zack Greinke, Royals; Joe Mauer, Twins; and Hanley Ramirez, Marlins. Former Twin Johan Santana, now with the Mets, finished sixth.
The Vikings report to training camp in Mankato on July 29, with the first practice on July 31. The last practice will be August 12 and the opening exhibition game is August 14 at Indianapolis.
Michael Smith, the brother of former Gophers football player Mark Smith, has joined Bill Snyder’s Kansas State staff as an assistant coach. Michael Smith was at Arizona earlier this year.
Harrison Barnes of Ames, Iowa, considered the No. 1 small forward basketball recruit in the country, is among the players participating in the Twin Cities based Howard Pulley AAU program but there’s no indication the Gophers are in a favored position to have him attend Minnesota in 2010. Barnes told Sports Headliners last month that Minnesota is one of 12 schools on his list.
Wolves’ forward Kevin Love is working as a reporter for NBA TV during the Lakers-Magic playoff finals. www.nba.com
Local basketball fan John Bell Wilson reports that Dan Coleman’s team recently won a Portugal league championship and that Sunday night Troy Bell’s team won an Italian league title. Coleman is the former Gopher from Hopkins High School, while Bell played at Boston College after being at Academy of the Holy Angels.