Author: David Shama

If the Twins’ starting pitchers continue to struggle and right-hander Kyle Gibson makes more progress at AAA Rochester, he seems a cinch to be promoted to Minnesota this year.  Gibson, 23, has a record of 2-3 with a 3.80 ERA.  He’s impressed with 49 strikeouts in 47.1 innings.

Another highly publicized Twins’ prospect, switch hitting outfielder Aaron Hicks, is only batting .224 against right-handed pitching but hitting .290 versus lefties.  Overall, Hicks, 21, is batting .250 for the Fort Myers Class A team.

Former Twins’ pitcher Jim Perry, elected this year to the Twins Hall of Fame, will be honored during a ceremony at Target Field on June 11.  Perry is fourth in career wins for the franchise with 128, trailing Jim Kaat (189), Bert Blyleven (149) and Brad Radke (148).

The recently adjourned legislative session didn’t result in approval for allowing the Gophers to serve alcohol in premium seating areas at TCF Bank Stadium, Williams Arena and Mariucci Arena.  Some legislators want alcohol available to all fans or none at all, but common practice at college venues is to restrict alcoholic beverages to premium areas such as suites and thereby eliminate access by students.  The no-alcohol policy has cost the Gophers’ athletic department millions of dollars.

Richard “Pinky” McNamara, who played football for the Gophers in the mid-1950s, was a great supporter of that sport including at Hastings High School and the Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game.  McNamara, who passed away this week after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, was part of a group including Bud Grant, Verne Gagne, Paul Giel, Billy Bye and Bobby Cox that for years had a summer get-together at Bay Lake.

Author Jim Holden emailed that not only is the Rochester Mayo tennis team going to the State Tournament but team member Ingrid Neel will become only the third girl ever to play in the Minnesota boys’ tournament, according to his research.  He wrote that Neel is the No. 1 ranked 12-year-old girl in the country.  Holden is the author of Tennis in the Northland, a comprehensive history of boys’ high school tennis in Minnesota.

Junior third baseman Bryan Lippincott from Concordia University, St. Paul leads the Capital One Academic All-America® Baseball Teams selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.  Lippincott won the Academic All-America® of the Year award in the College Division comprised of NCAA Division II, III and the NAIA. A Finance major with a 4.00 GPA, Lippincott ranks among the NCAA Division II leaders through 34 games with a .434 batting average.  His career college average is .406.

The Harmon Killebrew Tribute tomorrow night at Target Field will attract one of the largest gatherings ever to attend a memorial service in Minnesota.  “We’re preparing for 15,000,” Twins marketing executive Patrick Klinger said.  “It’s one of those things where we just don’t know (how many) but we will be well staffed.”

The Twins will be ready to accommodate even more than 15,000, perhaps attracting an audience that approaches or exceeds the 20,000 that reportedly attended the 2002 memorial service for the late Paul Wellstone at the University of Minnesota.  A 2006 memorial service for Kirby Puckett at the Metrodome had attendance of about 15,000.

The Killebrew public tribute will begin at 7:10 p.m. and well-wishers can enter the ballpark beginning at 6 p.m.  Seating is general admission and while concession stands will be open no alcohol will be available.

Klinger said “in excess of 30 members” of Killebrew’s family will attend the tribute and nine speakers will be part of the 90 minute program including Killebrew’s widow, Nita.  Other speakers will include MLB commissioner Bud Selig, Killebrew Twins teammate Rod Carew, and current Twins players Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer.

Musical tributes will come from Killebrew’s former teammate Jim “Mudcat” Grant, and Jeff Arundel, author of the Harmon Killebrew song, and The Minnesota Chorale.  The Twins, who have invested hundreds of man-hours in preparation for the event, will offer various video tributes to Killebrew.

“It (the memorial event) will be touching,” Klinger said. “We’ve put together a nice plan.”

To recognize Killebrew’s accomplishments at Metropolitan Stadium, the Twins will wrap a light rail train with graphics honoring him.  Former teammates will gather at the Mall of America around the location of Metropolitan Stadium’s home plate.  Then the group will board the specially-named No. 3 Hiawatha light rail train and proceed to Target Field, stopping by the Metrodome to pick up additional Twins alumni.

In lieu of flowers, the Killebrew family is requesting that fans donate to the Harmon Killebrew Family Memorial Fund: Wells Fargo Acct#3471335038, c/o Minnesota Twins, 1 Twins Way, Minneapolis, MN 55403.

With Nebraska and Minnesota renewing a football rivalry this fall that began in 1900, Sports Headliners suggests a trophy be created that the Cornhuskers and Gophers compete for each season.

Nebraska, the newest member of the Big Ten Conference, plays a Big Ten football schedule for the first time in 2011.  The Cornhuskers will join the Gophers and four other schools in the Legends Division.  Six other league schools will form the Leaders Division.

Minnesota and Nebraska last met in 1990.  The Gophers lead the all-time series 29-20-2, but the Cornhuskers have won 14 consecutive games.  Minnesota last won a game in 1960, the school’s most recent national championship season.

The Gophers have played more nonconference football games against Nebraska than any other school, and it’s not even close.  Minnesota and Iowa State have met in 26 games.

The Cornhuskers and Gophers have envied football histories.  The two schools can claim 11 national championships, six at Minnesota and five for Nebraska.  Those titles were won by four coaches, Minnesota’s Bernie Bierman and Murray Warmath, and Nebraska’s Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.

The Gophers already have four rivalry trophies.  The newest is the Governor’s Victory Bell established by the governors of Minnesota and Pennsylvania in 1993 for the Minnesota-Penn State rivalry.  The other trophies are the Little Brown Jug (1909), Floyd of Rosedale (1939) and Paul Bunyan’s Axe (1950).  The Gophers compete against Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin for those trophies.

Got an idea for a Minnesota-Nebraska trophy name?  E-mail the suggestion to: ds@shamasportsheadliners.com