Author: David Shama

Earlier this week the Gophers had about 1,800 tickets available for Sunday’s game against Ohio State (noon start).  This will be Minnesota’s only game against Ohio State in 2007.

Timberwolves guard Rashad McCants asked about his limited minutes and progress now that he’s playing again following his severe knee injury: “There’s not a lot that I can put on the table as far as a timeline but I know that I am getting better everyday, knocking some of this rust off in a game by game situation.  I feel more comfortable on the floor.  It’s just a matter of time now.” 

McCants plans to “kick back and relax and get my body back” over the upcoming NBA All-Star game break.  He “probably” will go to Las Vegas to support teammates Kevin Garnett and Randy Foye who will be participating in all-star activities. 

Honors earned by Vikings players during the past season included Associated Press All-Pro First Team defensive tackle Kevin Williams; Pro Bowl defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams, center Matt Birk and guard Steve Hutchinson;  NFL Alumni Best At Their Position, Hutchinson;  NFL.com All-Interview Team, Birk and Hutchinson; Sports Illustrated Dr. Z’s All-Pro Team, Pat Williams; Sports Illustrated Peter King’s All-Pro Team, Kevin Williams and Hutchinson; USA Today Larry Weisman’s All-Joe Team, running back Chester Taylor, Pat Williams and cornerback Antoine Winfield.

The top 10  candidates for the 23rd Annual Mr. Hockey Award are: Jordy Christian (Moorhead), Mike Dorr (Roseville), Tyler Johnson (Cloquet), Nick Larson (Hill-Murray), John Lee (Moorhead), Aaron Marvin (Warroad), Taylor Matson (Academy of Holy Angels), Ryan McDonagh (Cretin-Derham Hall), Matt Reber (Edina) and Patrick White (Grand Rapids).  The Mr. Hockey Award is given to the outstanding senior high school hockey player in the state and is selected by a panel of NHL Scouts, Division I college coaches and selected media.  The award will be presented on Sunday, March 11 at a banquet in RiverCentre that will include other hockey award presentations. For ticket information, call (651) 735-2184.

With the NBA All-Star break coming up this weekend it’s expected that Detroit coach Flip Saunders will be back in town to visit his family.   He is also expected to be introduced at the Gopher-Ohio State basketball game on Sunday along with others associated with the Big Ten champion 1982 Minnesota team.  Saunders was an assistant coach on the team and the University is recognizing the 25^th anniversary of that group. 

While in town will Saunders meet with Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi about the Gopher basketball job?  Hard to say but I doubt the timing and circumstances are right for the meeting.  Remember, it’s difficult to keep such meetings secretive and Saunders is under contract with the Pistons.  (He has two years remaining after this season.)   

Saunders is under pressure to not appear like he’s on his way out as Detroit’s coach. A basketball source told me that in 2005 then Pistons coach Larry Brown made it known he might have interest in the presidency of the Cleveland Cavs.  That reportedly angered Pistons owner Bill Davidson and even though Detroit made it to the NBA finals it was long before decided that Brown would not be kept on as coach for the next season. 

Neither the Gophers nor Saunders have to negotiate the Minnesota job in February.  More likely talks will begin later.  No one knowledgeable I talk with disagrees that Saunders is the Gophers’ first choice and most think he could be interested in the job. 

In the meantime, other names the Gophers should consider are former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery and Washington State’s Tony Bennett. 

Montgomery was at Stanford for 18 seasons and is the school’s most successful coach ever.  His teams enjoyed top 10 rankings, won four Pacific 10 Conference championships and participated in the NCAA tournament 12 times.  His winning percentage of .702 is based on 393 wins, 167 losses. 

Bennett (not to be confused with the 80-year-old music icon) is in his first season with Washington State, a school that is more often a burial ground for ambitious coaches rather than a launching pad. Bennett, 37, has the Cougars ranked 10^th in the Associated Press national poll with a 21-4 record. 

He has ties to the Midwest having played at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and grown up under his dad, coaching legend Dick Bennett who revived a long dead basketball program at UW-Madison before finishing his career at Washington State.  Known for his integrity and character, the 37-year-old Bennett once was an assistant coach at Wisconsin where he recruited Devin Harris (now starring with the NBA’S Dallas Mavericks) and Alando Tucker, one of the nation’s top players at Wisconsin this season.

The New York Yankees and Chinese government have agreed to work together to develop baseball in the Communist country of over 1 billion people.   The Yankees will be sending personnel to China to instruct players and plan to open academies there, according to a recent article in USA Today. 

Twins executive Bill Smith, who oversees the club’s baseball academies in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, said Minnesota presently has no plans to copy the Yankees plan, although the team has been and remains interested in talent from Asia.  “Howard Norsetter is our international coordinator,” Smith said. “I know Howard has made some inroads all across Asia.” 

Smith said baseball is “growing all across the world” and the Twins, for example, signed an outfielder (Wang-Wei Lin) this winter from Taiwan who will report soon to the club’s minor league camp.  Norsetter has been working for the Twins since the late 1980s when he began scouting in Australia.  His scouting territory has even included Canada where he found Corey Koskie and Justin Morneau. 

Jake Mauer said his son Joe has been working out in Florida and preparing for spring training.  One of baseball’s most eligible bachelors, Joe doesn’t have a steady girl friend, according to his dad. 

Twins president Dave St. Peter said the public’s “expectations are high” for the coming season.  The excitement includes anticipation of another division title and more star power among players than fans have known in the recent past.  St. Peter estimated last week that about 35,000 tickets have already been sold for the Twins’ home opener on Monday, April against Baltimore. 

According to the Twins web site, three new Hormel bobblehead doll giveaways are planned for the 2007 season: Joe Mauer batting title bobblehead (Saturday, June 9), Justin Morneau MVP bobblehead (Friday, July 20) and a Michael Cuddyer bobblehead (Saturday, September 15).

Mauer has signed a few four year contract but Morneau is signed only for this season.  General manager Terry Ryan has said at least twice on talk radio this week that he is willing to reopen discussions to sign Morneau to a multi-year contract.