Author: David Shama

In Johan Santana’s last four losses he has a 1.38 run support average with the Twins scoring just four total runs in 26 innings pitched. He has given up 13 home runs including seven in his last six starts.

Justin Morneau, with 17 home runs, has hit 11 in his last 30 games.

Murray’s restaurant co-owner Tim Murray travels to see major league baseball stadiums and so far has visited 24 of the current 30 stadiums.  His favorites, in order, are: Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field in Chicago, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Coors Field in Denver.  His least favorite: Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

The following potential players for the 2007 NBA Draft were scheduled to work out earlier today at Target Center for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Louisiana State forward Glen Davis, Providence forward/center Herbert Hill, Florida forward/center Chris Richard and Creighton center Anthony Tolliver.

Timberwolves president Chris Wright expects the NBA to discuss the lottery draft system at upcoming league meetings. The present system stacks the odds of drafting No. 1 in favor of the teams that finish with the worst records but the more likely outcome doesn’t always prevail.

Wright said the Portland Trail Blazers have sold over 2,500 new season tickets since lucking into the No. 1 pick in the June 28 draft.  Memphis, a team with the worst record during the regular season, fell to No. four in the draft.  It was a bitter disappointment for the franchise which had already started marketing with the assumption a higher pick would come to the Grizzlies. 

Six players who will be with the Gophers next fall have been invited to the 2007 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, New York August 3-11. Mike Carman (Apple Valley), Cade Fairchild (Duluth), David Fischer (Apple Valley, Ryan Flynn (Lino Lakes), Kyle Okposo (St. Paul) and Patrick White (Grand Rapids) are among a group of 45 players that are candidates for theU.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in late December and early January in the Czech Republic. Minnesota has more invitees to the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp than any other school.

 The Minnesota Wild, in partnership with Wells Fargo, has announced a 17-city promotional tour that begins Monday, June 25 and ends with the second annual Wells Fargo Wild Summer Bash Thursday, June 28 at Rice Park in downtown Saint Paul. 

Three MIAC baseball student-athletes have been selected to the 2007 American Baseball Coaches Association All-America team. Gustavus senior third baseman Tony Konicek was a first team pick, St. Olaf junior outfielder Andrew Schmiesing was second team, while Saint John’s senior first baseman Jay Kasner was a third team selection.

Two touchdown receptions in two seasons.  The number catches your attention like a Paris Hilton off to jail headline.   Vikings wide receiver Troy Williamson, the seventh player selected in the 2005 NFL draft, has been experiencing self-inflicted “restraints,” not able to break loose and fulfill the hype that followed him out of South Carolina after his junior season.

Prior to the draft a prediction expert even said Williamson was the best player available.  His extraordinary speed and explosive bursts were going to ease the loss of Randy Moss for 2005 and beyond.  Instead, Williamson has produced two touchdowns; both in his rookie season, and developed a well deserved reputation for dropping balls.

Dean Dalton was a Vikings assistant coach when Williamson was drafted.  Now an NFL media expert, Dalton was asked last week if the coming season could be career-ending if Williamson, 24, doesn’t change his performance.

“Well, no,” Dalton answered. “He’s still a very young receiver but it’ll be a huge year for him to rejuvenate his career.  He took a huge hit from the fans and all the pundits because he had a sub-par year. …His first year here he had an excellent technical coach, Wes Chandler, teaching him how to be a receiver because he was so raw coming out of the University of South Carolina.  And then he didn’t get the same detail oriented teaching a year ago when he really needed it.  If you look at his track record his rookie year, he improved as the season went on.  He only had two drops the entire year and at the end of the year he was making explosive plays.

“Last year he had numerous drops and his confidence level just fell off the cliff. What you saw there was that he had self doubt and he was so raw that his technique work was poor.  Now he’s got another teaching style position coach in George Stewart which I thought was a great off-season move by (head coach) Brad Childress. …He will maximize Troy’s physical talents and help him become a receiver. …”

Dalton said that in 2006 there were expectations Williamson could become the team’s No. 1 receiver.  The team lost Nate Burleson to free agency before the season and neither Koren Robinson nor Williamson emerged as Burleson’s successor.   “So that No. 1 hole was then forced upon him (Williamson) and he wasn’t ready as a receiver to take that spot,” Dalton said.  “He’s a good speed complementary guy.  A good No. 2 and that’s where he belongs.  So now he’s back in that role and that should help him.”

Can he become a No. 1?  “Yeah.  I think he has all the potential in the world and he has the work ethic,” Dalton said.  “He’s a good kid who is gonna stay passionately committed to improving himself as a football player. … “

Dalton talked to Sports Headliners after he had watched Williamson at the team’s mini-camp last Friday.  Dalton credited the Viking organization with supporting Williamson during the off-season including with eye tests.  He said Williamson caught thousands of balls and impressed him with his work ethic.  All of that, and with the addition of Stewart’s coaching, likely will produce “a much more mature and more refined Troy Williamson this year,” according to Dalton.  “I saw just today his confidence level is back to where he was as a rookie,” Dalton said. 

Was Williamson worth the No. 7 pick in the 2005 draft?  “He could justify that pick with his improved performance because he’s such an explosive athlete,” Dalton said.  “He can bring a dynamic to the offense that was sorely needed a year ago and he wasn’t able to do it.  Hopefully he can bring that dynamic…to this offense next year.”

Although the Timberwolves are desperate for a power forward or center in the June 28 NBA draft, they could draft 6-foot-1 point guard Mike Conley from Ohio State.  The best of the bigs, including 6-foot-10 Al Horford from Florida, figure to be gone by the time the Wolves pick at No. 7.  If the choice is 6-foot-11 Joakim Noah, also from Florida, or 7-foot Yi Jianlian, from China, the Wolves are advised to go for Conley. 

Conley is a true playmaker who would allow the Timberwolves to move Randy Foye to shooting guard, a more natural position for him.  Conley could easily have benefited from more than one year of college basketball, but he’s already a top 10 draft prospect.  He receives high marks for his shooting, drives to the basket, play making and character. 

Noah is a minimal player offensively.  His lack of shooting range and poor shooting form were reasons he averaged 12 points per game his senior season.  Jianlian is suspect because of his physical strength and the limited competition he’s faced in China. 

Disappointment has often characterized the public’s reaction to the Wolves’ drafts.   Since 1989 when the franchise began the Wolves have only had five high impact players they acquired throught the draft, Pooh Richardson, Christian Laettner, Kevin Garnett,  Stephon Marbury (draft day trade for Ray Allen) and Wally Szczerbiak.   

The drafts from 2000-2004 were not productive bringing Igor Rakocevic, Loren Woods, Marcus Taylor, Ndudi Ebi, Rick Rickert and Blake Stepp to Minneapolis.  Wolves fans engage in a frustrating exercise of identifying productive and even star players the Wolves could have drafted.   

Their latest poster player is Cavs rookie Daniel Gibson,  a 21-year-old rookie from Texas, who scored 31 points including five-for-five on three pointers to help Cleveland defeat Detroit in game six of the Eastern Conference finals earlier this week.  Gibson was the 42^nd pick in the 2006 draft and available to the Wolves when they chose forward Craig Smith, another promising player.  Gibson may draw comparisons with San Antonio all-star point guard Tony Parker, the 28^th pick in the first round of the 2001 draft (Wolves had no first round pick that year). 

San Antonio, the team playing Cleveland in the finals and in pursuit of a fourth NBA championship since 1999, offers players that encourage comparisons with the Wolves.  Manu Ginobili, the star guard who excels in clutch moments, was drafted in the second round of the 1999 draft, the 28^th pick.  The Wolves used their two first round choices on Szczerbiak and William Avery. The Spurs starters include two players who weren’t even drafted, defensive stopper Bruce Bowen and center Fabricio Oberto.