Author: David Shama

Gopher athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners that Tubby Smith, who was named men’s basketball coach in late March, hasn’t signed his contract but he’s not concerned.  Lawyers representing both sides are finalizing it and the basics have been agreed to, according to Maturi.

Earlier this year Smith signed a memorandum of agreement and is being paid by the University.  Maturi said among points agreed to is that Smith will have a seven year contract to coach the Gophers.

In addition to salary for Smith and his assistants, the athletic department is “increasing our budget significantly” for men’s basketball, according to Maturi. “We’ve made a commitment we’ve never made before,” he said. As an example the Gophers will be flying via charter aircraft to games.

Smith wants a separate practice facility, not Williams Arena, for his team.  It’s not unusual for big-time college programs to have a practice site other than the place where games are played.  Maturi recognizes the value in the Gophers having a facility where they can practice, have weight training facilities and staff offices.

The project, though, is likely to wait, Maturi said, until fund-raising for the new football stadium is completed in perhaps two years.  He qualified that timeline if an unexpected donor were to step forward.

Maturi is excited to have a proven coach like Smith who won a national championship at Kentucky.  The Gophers open their schedule with a home exhibition game on Thursday, November 1 against Minnesota State Mankato.  Smith, who won five Southeastern Conference titles at Kentucky and had four teams in the elite eight of the NCAA tournament, will be working to improve a Gopher team that was 9-22 overall and 3-13 in the Big Ten Conference last season.

A not so sweet season has left the local boys of summer and their fans with a dugout full of questions for next year.  Although the Minnesota Twins have won three straight, they recently ended a six game losing streak.  They have lost 10 of their last 15 games.  A year ago the Twins were more than 20 games over .500 and on their way to the Central Division championship.  Today they are one game under .500 and 13 games out of first place.

Injuries and disappointing performances have taken the Twins from the major league feel good comeback story of 2006 to a 2007 season that has frustrated management, players and fans.  General manager Terry Ryan isn’t accepting interviews from the media until the season is over but he and others in the organization can anticipate a lot of questions during the off-season.  Here are 10 on our list:

How is the team’s locker room chemistry? The players have loved each other’s company in the past but frustration and criticism can hurt relationships.  It’s always a plus to have camaraderie with fellow employees in the workplace. 

Have the players lost confidence in management’s ability or willingness to add and keep quality players on the roster? The Twins not only didn’t add veteran impact players before or during the season but star second baseman Luis Castillo was traded away during the chase for the Central Division title and the move reportedly shook up some players.

Will management ask ownership for a larger payroll than in the past?  On the contractual list of important need-to-sign players, only Joe Mauer got locked in long term so far this year.  What’s to become of Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan and Michael Cuddyer? 

Do the above mentioned players want to remain Twins?  Nobody is staying here just to play in the new ballpark if there’s a lot more money and possibly a better team to join elsewhere.

Can Mauer find answers to his health problems?  He’s extraordinarily gifted and valuable, but injuries have lessened his playing time in two of his four major league seasons.

Will the Twins solve their power hitting needs at designated hitter, third base and left field?  The Twins probably will look within for some answers.  Jason Kubel is hitting .382 with 10 RBI in his last 10 games and might be the regular left fielder next season.

Can Alexi Casilla, 23, be a major league second baseman by next season?  He’s made mental errors and hasn’t been ready for the job given to him after Castillo was traded to the Mets.

How effectively can promising young starting pitchers Francisco Liriano, Matt Garza, Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker contribute next season?  It’s easy to be all over the board in answering this one.  These guys have talent but there are plenty of ifs based on inconsistent past performance and whether Liriano can recover from elbow surgery. 

If the Twins lose Hunter to free agency and don’t make any significant changes to the roster, can they expect to be in the Central Division race next season?  Better luck with injuries would certainly help and so too would the emergence of the young pitchers to give the Twins one of baseball’s best starting staffs (assuming Santana is still here).  Needed, too, would be near career years for Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Kubel and Jason Bartlett.

Fans have been excited about the Twins in recent years but how will they respond in ticket buying next season? The new ballpark, opening in 2010, helps build and cushion season ticket sales but overall fans are looking for answers.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated ranked the NFL’s top 500 players before the season started.  Colt quarterback Peyton Manning was first and Kevin Williams of the Vikings No. 14.  Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver with the Cardinals, ranked No. 58.  Former Gopher running backs Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber III ranked 115 and 260.  Former Vikings Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper were 246 and 306, while Viking quarterback Tarvaris Jackson ranked 321.

Tied at five: Combining pre-season and one regular season game the Vikings defense and offense have each scored five touchdowns.

The Vikings have dominated their series with the Lions and have a couple of streaks going into Sunday’s 3:05 p.m. game in Detroit.  The Vikings are 60-29-2 all-time against Detroit and have won 10 straight, the longest winning streak by an NFL team against an opponent. The Vikings are 5-0 in Ford Field, the Lions new home stadium since 2002.

Lions offensive coordinator and former Ram coach Mike Martz was an assistant coach for head coach Joe Salem with the Gophers in 1982.

Current and former Vikings will attend the annual Taste of the NFL Celebrity Dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday, October 1 at Winter Park (Field House).  The public can enjoy food from 20 area restaurants and sample quality wines. Tickets are $160 per person or a table for 10 is $1,500.  Ticket information: 612-338-4537 or www.tasteofthenfl.org. Net proceeds benefit Hunger Solutions Minnesota through the Viking Childrens Fund.

The Minnesota Wild will host a State of Hockey Celebration in the Rotunda at the Mall of America from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. The event commemorates the start of the hockey season and various attractions will include interactive games. Marian Gaborik and Mark Parrish are scheduled for an appearance from to 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will model a new team jersey.

Single game Minnesota Wild tickets go on sale Saturday.  Tickets are available in all price categories.  Tickets can be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center box office starting at 9 a.m. or at Ticketmaster locations beginning at noon.

Gustavus Adolphus junior wide receiver Chad Arlt, Saint John’s senior running back Aaron Blackmore, Bethel sophomore cornerback Tim Cornish and St. Olaf  sophomore defensive back Carson Jones have been named MIAC football players of the week.  Achievements included Arlt catching a school record 15 passes that resulted in 221 yards (Gustavus record 228).