President Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners it’s costing $10,000 per day to heat the new Twins’ stadium so that construction can continue during the cold weather in January.
He expects Joe Mauer to be ready for the start of the season but wouldn’t say if Mauer will participate in the opening of spring training work next month in Florida. Mauer’s long term health isn’t an issue following kidney surgery, according to St. Peter.
The contract of the Twins’ catcher runs through 2010 and as the team does with all of its players there are ongoing discussions, St. Peter said. He believes Mauer wants to remain with the organization.
Even though this is the Twins’ last season in the Metrodome and the Gophers will not play any more football in the facility, the stadium can operate in the future on revenues from the Vikings and other events, according to Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission since 1987. Lester said the stadium commission expects to have $11 million in reserves by year end and is mandated to have at least $6 million. If a new Vikings’ stadium is built on the Metrodome site the commission will operate that facility, Lester said.
Purdue coach Matt Painter believes seven or eight Big Ten Conference teams may be chosen for the NCAA tournament. He’s also impressed with Gopher freshmen and big men Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III who are struggling with consistency. “They’re going to have their day,” Painter said. Painter considers Gophers’ point guard Al Nolen the “fastest guy” in the Big Ten.
The Gophers, who beat Indiana at Bloomington yesterday, are at home against Illinois on Thursday night but then play four of the next five games on the road: at Michigan State and Ohio State, home against Indiana, and then at Penn State and Michigan.
Randy Wittman is relaxing and has time to watch daughter Lauren, a senior at Eden Prairie High School play basketball, according to a friend of the former Timberwolves coach.
A poll of Minnesota Wild fans likely would show they are more upset about the team not signing NHL All-Star game goalie Niklas Backstrom to a new contract than they are about management not coming to an agreement with franchise wing Marian Gaborik.
Following last weekend’s All-Star break, the Wild resume play tomorrow night at home against Toronto with a 23-20-3 record 49 points, fourth in the Northwest Division and tied for ninth in the Western Conference. Last season Minnesota was 28-19-3, with 59 points at the All-Star break and leading the Northwest Division (third in the Western Conference).
Center Mikko Koivu has more than doubled his production from last season, scoring 46 points (13 goals, 33 points) compared to his 20 points (seven and 13) last year at the All-Star break.
Former Burnsville football player Larry Norton told Sports Headliners he hopes to play guard for Miami in a new startup league, the United National Gridiron League. Norton played offensive tackle collegiately for Syracuse.