Author: David Shama

The Gopher basketball office, for the first time in memory, has sent an informational questionnaire with a cover letter from head coach Tubby Smith to basketball alumni asking for contact and background information. 

Andrew Zimmern, local food critic and Travel Channel TV host, told Sports Headliners he will make his second appearance on the Tonight Show when he visits with Jay Leno tomorrow night about foods from Vietnam and Taiwan.

Dave Mona said his new book may be ready for readers by August of next year.  The book will have chapters devoted to interesting sports figures he has known during his career in media. 

Former KSTP TV news and sports anchor Joe Schmit, now president of Petters Media and Marketing Group, will soon be heard on Sun Country radio commercials.  Schmit appeared in two commercials with Sid Hartman for Petters-owned Sun Country but said future ads with Hartman aren’t planned. 

It will be interesting to see whether projections that the 2008 Republican convention will bring 45,000 or more people to town come true.   Minneapolis-St. Paul is being promoted to attendees as a family destination.   

Saint John’s University recently won the 2006-07 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s All-Sports Award. Gustavus Adolphus College won the women’s award for the fifth time in the last seven years.  It is the second consecutive all-sport title for Saint John’s and 14th overall championship. Winners are schools that accumulate the best all-sports records during the MIAC academic year.

Part of leadership is identifying problems and finding solutions.  Right now Timberwolves president Chris Wright and city of Minneapolis chief financial officer Pat Born know Target Center will need major renovations in the years ahead but they can only guess about funding sources. 

Born told Sports Headliners the city-owned building, opened in 1990, “probably could use an $80 million” makeover.  The figure came into a conversation because that was the cost of renovations at US Airways Center in Phoenix where the city faced competition from the nearby new Glendale Arena. 

Minneapolis “doesn’t have the resources” to make that commitment to Target Center and would need another government entity like the state to help, Born said.  Such a request isn’t in view on the city’s radar screen right now anyway.  More immediate are smaller improvements to the building that either have been made or are ongoing such as roofing, plumbing, carpeting and electrical work.  Born said the city set aside $15 million awhile ago and has spent a portion of that budget, with about half remaining. 

The city recently entered an agreement with the highly regarded AEG company to operate Target Center with responsibility to bring more and better events into the building.  Born said as part of that agreement AEG will spend $2 million on capital improvements to be determined. 

While an $80 million renovation is appealing, the city already sees debt when it looks at Target Center.  Born said the city still owes $66 million on the building it acquired from private ownership in 1995.  As part of its agreement with AEG, the city has initially guaranteed to cover Target Center operating losses of up to $1.7 million per year. 

The building has lost money the last three years, according to Born.  Prior to the opening of the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul in 2000 Target Center was a profit center.  Born said representatives of the two buildings are hopeful of working cooperatively together in the future to maximize profits and minimize losses. 

Wright looks at Xcel and the venues coming to the marketplace and sees competition.  The new Twins and Gopher football stadiums arrive in 2010 and 2009.  A new or renovated Vikings’ stadium is highly probable.  The amenities of the Xcel and these other facilities are appealing to fans who will enjoy environments and technology superior to Target Center.  Plus, the new stadiums mushroom the number of private suites and club seating in the marketplace, adding more sales competition for the Wolves. 

“What we’ve got to be concerned about is making sure Target Center does not get left behind,” Wright said. “That somebody develops a long term strategic plan for Target Center to make it viable for all our different consumers.”

Wright said the Wolves have made “substantial investments” in the building such as seating, scoreboard and club improvements but as a tenant there is only so much the franchise can and will do.  From tattered carpet to uninspiring concession areas to crowded concourses, there are various aspects of Target Center that are less than ideal. 

“It’s a little bit tired now and needs a lot of work to be done to it to become sort of the place that it was in the eyes of the general public in terms of THE destination,” Wright said.   

He is asking questions about Target Center’s future, not making demands on behalf of the Wolves.  “The Wolves have been very good partners,” Born said.  “The relationship has not been contentious. …” 

This much is certain: smaller improvements are coming for Target Center and likely a more successful bottom line because of AEG.  Not certain at all is just how nice a building it can become once again and also avoid being at a competitive disadvantage with its venue rivals.   

“I just hope we are able to figure out a way to work together to make this building once again the crown jewel of the Upper Midwest,” Wright said.

What’s next for Torii Hunter?  The 31-year-old outfielder has arguably been the Twins’ spring MVP and top newsmaker.  Yesterday he hit two home runs and batted in a career record seven base runners as the team stopped a four game losing streak with a 16-4 win over Detroit.  Last week he saw a career best 23 game hitting streak end. 

Hunter leads the team in RBI’s (29), is second in home runs (eight) and among the club leaders in batting average (.324) , and also courage. When he’s not producing hits, crashing into the fence making memorable catches in the outfield or shaking off a baseball colliding with his mouth, he’s been preaching patience to the media and public about the slow starting Twins season. 

Hunter’s 23 game hitting streak is eight behind the team record set by Ken Landreaux at 31.  Brian Harper, 25, and Lenny Green, 24, had longer streaks, too.  A streak of 30 games or more is privileged territory in major league baseball and season after season can roll by when no one reaches that level.  Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting record is one of sport’s most hallowed records. 

Manager Ron Gardenhire was asked about Hunter last Thursday morning, only hours before Hunter’s hitting streak ended.  He said Hunter’s ability, experience, and good health and fortune contributed to the streak. 

What happens to players when their hitting streaks reach 30 or more games?  “I know when I was in Little League and I had like a 25 game hitting streak my hands were around my collar all the time so I can only imagine what it would be at the big league level,” Gardenhire said.   “It’s obviously the pressure put on by the more attention you get…if it (Hunter’s streak) continues it’s gonna get hard. It’s already tough enough just trying to play the game and win ball games, and then you add that on top of it, a hitting streak. …” 

DiMaggio’s record?  “It’s incredible,” Gardenhire said.  “He was probably one of the greatest hitters of all time, if not the greatest hitter of all time, and to be able to have a streak like that…goodness, gracious.  Speed plays a part in it.  You gotta be able to leg out some hits but he had a great swing. Back in the day I don’t know how much press it got. … It’s probably tougher now in this day and age because of the press.” 

Gardenhire admires Hunter’s approach to baseball.  “He’s an old school baseball player,” he said.  “He’ll run around.  He’ll give up his body to make a play.  He was taught a long time ago about the importance of catching the ball and playing defense.  He loves it out there everyday playing defense.  He’s not afraid to dive.  He’s not afraid to hit the turf. He just plays.”