Author: David Shama

Twins outfielder Josh Rabe was asked if hitters start to press when they are not producing hits and runs. “Baseball is such a mental game.  It’s not like basketball or football where it’s more physical.  There’s a lot of down time.  All you do is think.  Sometimes your mind gets in the way, forces you to press and causes negative stuff to happen.  Guys get aggressive trying to force things to happen instead of letting it happen.” 

Baseball’s first-year player draft will be nationally televised for the first time ever when ESPN2 provides coverage from 3 to 7 p.m. Minneapolis time on Thursday, June 7.  ESPN2 will air each team’s first round draft choice and additional draft coverage during the four hours.  The total draft is 50 rounds. 

The Minnesota Vikings will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant being named the team’s head coach with an honorary lifetime achievement dinner on Tuesday, September 18. The Vikings have commissioned nationally-recognized artist Terrence Fogarty to create an art print recognizing Grant’s lifetime of achievement in athletics and the outdoors.   Proceeds from the event and print will benefit the Viking Children’s Fund.  Ticket information and event location will be announced later. 

Former Cretin-Derham Hall football player Rafael Eubanks, a sophomore next season at Iowa, is an early contender for the Rimington Award that goes to college football’s best center. 

A lot of fans and media have advice for highly regarded Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.  Among the suggestions is to send Jason Kubel to the minor leagues as a prescription to improve his hitting. 

The Twins need a left fielder and more punch at the plate.  Kubel, 24, has been admired for his ability and potential.  In the minors he hit .321 in 2002 and .298 in 2003.  In 60 at bats with the Twins in 2004 he batted .300 and at two minor league stops that year compiled averages of .377 and .343. He missed the entire 2005 season recovering from left knee surgery.  Last season he had a .241 average, with eight home runs and 26 RBI’s. 

This season he’s hitting .250 with no home runs and 12 RBI’s in 96 at bats.  Yesterday he stopped a 0-11 streak by going two-for-three.   

Would Kubel benefit from playing every day with the AAA team in Rochester?  “We haven’t even gotten there yet,” Gardenhire told Sports Headliners in his office yesterday.  “We’re always evaluating…what’s going to be best for the players and the ball club.  Right now we’re just trying to figure out who can go out there, step it up, play left field for us and get it done.  He’s…probably one of the best projected hitters out there but you have to do it out on the field. Right now it’s just a little bit of a struggle, but he’s trying.” 

Gardenhire said the plan has been to use Kubel as a designated hitter or left fielder and he minimized the likelihood of sending Kubel to the minors.  Gardenhire wants to see Kubel improve his confidence and “trust himself more.” 

Gardenhire said Kubel is healthy and the knee doesn’t bother him.  “You gotta remember he was one of the best hitters in our (farm) system a few years ago before this knee injury,” Gardenhire said.  “He’s only 24 years old.  He’s got a lot to learn.  He missed a complete year of baseball.  He’s still battling back from that.  It doesn’t come back that easy.  He’s working hard.  … 

“His make-up is probably a little detrimental to him because he’s not one of these rah-rah, go-get-em guys.  He’s kind of a laid back kid and that probably doesn’t help him in trying to come back from this thing. …He’s a little tentative.  We gotta get that out.  We want him to be aggressive.  That’s what we’re working on right now, just being more aggressive as a player and a person. …” 

Gardenhire said younger players have emotional swings and Kubel can benefit from a steady approach, not be too hard on himself and “he’ll be a better player once he learns that.”

The easy guess is that Vikings’ seventh round draft choice Tyler Thigpen won’t make the team’s final roster later this year.  Going into the draft last month the Vikings had three players on their roster who they had picked in rounds five or later.  However, there are always surprises in the draft as former Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson, a ninth round pick in 1992, will tell you. 

Thigpen, a quarterback from small school Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina, is familiar with surprises.  He didn’t see pro football in his future growing up near Columbia, South Carolina and even after his junior year at Coastal he didn’t anticipate a tryout in the NFL. 

“Coming out of high school I didn’t think I was going to play college football,” Thigpen told Sports Headliners.  “Going into college football I had no clue I would even dream of being an NFL player.  Things opened up for me after my senior year.  I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity I’ve had.” 

Coastal Carolina intensified its passing game in Thigpen’s last season.  After throwing for 1,589 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, he increased his numbers to 3,296 yards and 29 touchdowns.  “That was a big jump and that (difference) caught the eyes of a lot of guys (scouts),” he said. 

The Vikings liked his talent, including his passing touch, and his character.  The organization looked at Thigpen on film and even included him among the players who visited here before the draft.  “We thought this kid was more than talented enough to get drafted and was definitely worth a seventh-round pick to get him,” said Rick Spielman, Vikings vice president of player personnel. 

Thigpen, about 6-foot-1, 223 pounds, talks modestly about himself and said he doesn’t know what’s next if he isn’t successful in making the team.  “I have no clue,” he said.  “I pray about it.  I ask the good Lord to tell me and send me in the right direction.” 

Would he try NFL Europe? “I definitely want to keep trying,” he said. “If it’s a possibility for me to keep playing, I definitely want to.” 

Thigpen was a sports management major in college.  His future could eventually include coaching at the high school or college level.  For now, though, he’s trying to join the profession of playing football, not teaching it.   

What have the Vikings coaches told him?  “They haven’t really told me anything,” he answered.  “This is a job.  This is a profession.  You gotta come here and compete. …”