Author: David Shama

With the advantage of playing one game per week and football’s great popularity, the NFL is likely to be the first American pro sports team with a franchise in Europe.  On Sunday, October 28 Wembley Stadium in London will be the first site of a regular season NFL game played outside North America.  The New York Giants, a natural favorite for English fans, will play the Miami Dolphins.  The NFL has committed to playing up to two regular season games outside the United States for the next five years, according to the NFL Report publication. 

Brad Childress and the other Vikings’ coaches start vacations late next week and will resume work in mid- July.  The first date the public can watch the team practice in Mankato will be Friday, July 27. 

Former Gopher and Viking football player Pete Najarian, now a stock trader, became a regular panelist earlier this spring on CNBC’s financial investment show Fast Money.  Najarian “is ranked one of the top 100 traders by Trader Monthly magazine, is co-founder of optionMONSTER.com, a news and information site for options traders,” according to cnbc.com.  Fast Money airs Monday-Friday at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time. 

Don’t be surprised if Hopkins recruit Blake Hoffarber, a shooting guard, is given an opportunity to fill the Gophers’ need at point guard next fall.  His basketball decision making is exceptional and the Gophers played all last season without identifying a permanent point guard. 

The Twins’ Justin Morneau (second) Joe Mauer (fourth) and Torii Hunter (fifth) all rank within the top five vote getters at their positions for next month’s All-Star game in San Francisco, according to a news release from major league baseball. Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriquez is the leading vote getter at over 1.4 million so far. 

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said on his KSTP weekly radio show earlier this week that he doesn’t know when to expect left fielder Rondell White’s return to the team.  White has been disabled with a right calf muscle injury since early April. 

Scott Baker talking about inexperienced fellow pitchers Boof Bonser, Kevin Slowey, and Pat Neshek all of whom are either in their first or second seasons with the Twins, and how they offer support to one another:  “Maybe not so much mechanically or pitching wise, but more so… a word of encouragement, or something (like) …’you know what, I’ve seen you do this and I know you can do it.’”

Ask Ron Gardenhire or Torii Hunter about the Twins’ MVP so far this season and the answer may surprise.  Justin Morneau is tied for second in home runs among American League players with 17, Johan Santana has won the Cy Young award two of the last three seasons and with more run support might be at eight or nine wins already, Joe Nathan is arguably baseball’s best closer, and Hunter is having a career season with 13 home runs, 48 RBI and a .308 average.      

And then there’s Luis Castillo.  He’s hitting .330, second on the team to Joe Mauer, and earlier this season set a major league record for second basemen with 143 consecutive games without an error.  The 31-year-old Castillo entered this season with only 19 errors since 2004, the third lowest total for a second baseman in the major leagues (behind Detroit’s Placido Polanco, 12, and Kansas City’s Mark Grudzielanek, 16).  Castillo has hit safely in 25 of his last 28 games, batting .361 (44-122) in that period. 

The Twins, defending Central Division champions, have been a disappointment so far with a 30-31 record, but Hunter praised Castillo for playing hurt, getting on base and his errorless streak.  “Without him, I don’t know where we would be,” Hunter said.   

Ask manager Ron Gardenhire about players who deserve consideration for next month’s major league All-Star game in San Francisco and Castillo’s name comes up fast.  Gardenhire mentioned Santana and Nathan, outfielders Michael Cuddyer and Hunter, and no doubt intended to include first baseman Morneau. 

“I think Louie Castillo is probably ahead of them all,” Gardenhire told Sports Headliners.  “He’s done everything for this ballclub up to this point.  He’s probably been our best player even with his sore knees and all those things. …I would think that what he’s done up to this point would lead him right to the All-Star game.   He’s been there before and deserves to go again.” 

Unfortunately for Castillo, baseball fans haven’t thus far submitted enough votes to place him in the 2007 All-Star game.  As of last week five other American League second basemen, starting with New York’s Robinson Cano, had more votes.  

Castillo is in his second season with the Twins after an extraordinary career with Florida.   In seven full seasons with the Marlins he hit under .300 only once, won three gold glove awards and played in three All-Star games. 

Gardenhire made a comparison between the Castillo who played for the Marlins and the Castillo of today.  “His legs are bothering him,” Gardenhire said.  “He’s not the same player he was a few years ago but when he has to run, he runs.  He makes all the plays as we’ve seen with his records.  Good player.”

The innings have been minimal but the results maximal for Twins second year reliever Pat Neshek.  In his role of late inning reliever but not the stopper (hello, Joe Nathan), the second year right hander may not even work a full inning in some games.  His 1.20 ERA is the best on the team among pitchers with six innings or more.  

Neshek’s record is 3-0, with 36 strikeouts in 30 innings.  His ERA is among the most impressive in the American League but he doesn’t have enough innings to qualify for a ranking among pitchers in major league baseball with the lowest ERA’s.

Called up by the Twins from AAA Rochester last season, the Minneapolis-area native was 4-2 with a 2.19 ERA as a rookie.  He was third in wins among American League rookie relief pitchers, trailing Detroit’s Joel Zumaya, six, and Baltimore’s Kurt Birkins, five.  Neshek had a streak where he didn’t allow a run in nine appearances for the Twins.

Neshek’s ERA now betters his already impressive averages in the minor leagues, 2.19 at New Britain in 2005 and 1.95 at Rochester last season.  Coming up through the Twins organization since 2002, Neshek has been a relief specialist and led Minnesota’s minor leaguers in saves in 2005.

The 26-year-old’s role is often to help the Twins hold a lead or stay in the game in the seventh or eighth innings.  Then the 32-year-old Nathan, the Twins’ bullpen star, takes over.  Neshek was asked if he aspires to be the team’s stopper some day, or even a starting pitcher, both opportunities that likely would bring more money.  The Twins could lose Nathan to free agency after next season. 

“No, not at all,” Neshek told Sports Headliners.  “I am very content with what I am doing.  I am content to put on a uniform every day and that would be awesome if I could do that for the rest of my career.  I’ve always said if that’s what they want me to do (relief pitching), that’s what I will do.  In college (Butler University) I was always a starter, and when they drafted me I said, ‘What do you want me to do?’” 

Neshek threw overhand at Park Center High School and developed arm trouble. Since becoming a submarine style pitcher his arm has been okay.  The unorthodox side arm style, combined with a good fast ball, is a challenge to hitters.  “When it’s cooking at the top of it, I can get up to 94 (miles per hour),” Neshek said.  “Couple times 95 but that’s kind of a stretch but usually I will set 90-92, 93 once in a while.”