The Wolves’ Kevin Love lives near Gophers’ athletic director Joel Maturi and coach Tubby Smith, and Love has attended a couple of basketball games at Williams Arena.
Wolves guard-forward Mike Miller might be the No. 1 advocate of ball movement among NBA players. “When we’re moving the ball we’re a lot better team,” he said. “We can compete with anybody when we move the ball. When we keep the ball on one side of the floor and (are) stagnant, we’re easy to guard and it takes away from our offense, and our defense really.”
With Miller his unselfishness and focus on passing can almost seem selfish because he’s an outstanding shooter and scorer. “Yeah, I’ll try to get more aggressive but at the same time it’s working,” he said. “We’re winning games now so I am not going to change anything up right now. I think I am going to continue playing the way I am playing. If there are games I need to be more aggressive, I will be more aggressive. …”
Happy birthday to Wolves’ center Mark Madsen who is 33 today.
Larry Fitzgerald, Sr. was asked what his son, Larry, Jr., thinks about his Arizona team being a playoff underdog again. The senior Fitzgerald said he never talks to junior “about negatives.” The Cardinals are about a touchdown underdog to Pittsburgh in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The elder Fitzgerald, who offers sports commentary locally in print, radio and TV, is believed to be the only media person in Super Bowl history to have a son playing in the game.
KFAN’s Paul Allen told Sports Headliners he thinks the Steelers may win the game by about eight points. He also said Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt has a reputation for trick plays and that could be part of the game plan.
Minneapolis, which hosted the 1992 Super Bowl, is likely to have another some day if a new Vikings’ stadium is approved.
Offensive right tackle Ryan Cook is probably the most likely Vikings starter to be replaced in 2009.
The 2009 and 2010 home Gopher football schedules have the best fan appeal of any within memory. In 2009 the schedule includes Air Force, California, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan State. The next season brings Southern California, Ohio State and Penn State to town.
The Minnesota chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame is seeking nominations for two awards, the distinguished Minnesotan and the courage award. The first award recognizes “an outstanding person who has maintained a lifetime of interest in the game and who, over a long period of time, has exhibited enviable leadership qualities, strong character, and made a significant contribution to the betterment of football in Minnesota.” The courage award “is given to an individual that has demonstrated the will to persevere through adversity, displaying strength and determination.” Nominations can be e-mailed to:sean@nffmn.org
Local author Ross Bernstein said he is working on a Gopher football book that will be given away to fans at the opening game in TCF Bank Stadium on September 12. The book will be a history about Gophers football and available for sale later this year. Bernstein’s other projects include a book coming out this spring on former Gopher and St. Louis Park native Marc Trestman whose pro and college coaching experiences include leading Montreal to the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup game last year. More on Bernstein at www.bernsteinbooks.com
Interest continues in establishing the Metro Millers baseball franchise to play in the Northern League and be based in Burnsville.
Volleyball will be played tomorrow night at Target Center with local interest in Nicole Branagh, a University of Minnesota alum and former Olympian. The AVP Johnsonville Hot Winter Nights Tour is billed as the most prominent national touring Pro Beach Volleyball series.