Author: David Shama

A performance the Vikings draft experts can’t afford to repeat is 2005. The Vikings chose wide receiver Troy Williamson (No. 7) and defensive end Erasmus James (No. 18) in the first round.  Then they selected guard Marcus Johnson with the No. 49 selection on the second round.  None of the three contributed.  That was prior to vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman joining the Vikings in 2006.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Arizona draft a wide receiver in the early rounds with Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. having only one year remaining on his contract with the Cardinals.  Even if Sidney Rice makes a contractual commitment to the Vikings in the offseason, the franchise needs more playmakers at wide receiver.  Would Fitzgerald, a former Vikings ball boy, want to come home?

Gophers’ senior associate athletics director Marc Ryan, who has administrative responsibilities for football, was impressed with new coach Jerry Kill and his experienced staff during spring practices.

“How that adds up in wins and losses…looking at the 2011 season, (I) can’t predict how that will shake out.  Without question I think we’ll be an extremely well coached football team,” Ryan said.

Ryan said the Gophers will receive $400,000 for playing USC in Los Angeles in their opening game on September 3.  Minnesota paid the Trojans the same amount for a visit here last September.

Kill is in Brainerd tomorrow for an Elks Lodge fundraiser benefitting youth programs.

A Gophers fan said he wants to see Minnesota play at UCLA.  Why?  He could say he saw Minnesota in the Rose Bowl (UCLA’s regular season home field).

Chris Hawthorne, the Gophers’ 19-year-old placekicking transfer from North Carolina State, will have one of the best holders in the Big Ten in backup quarterback Adam Lueck.  Hawthorne, who is from Raleigh, was a reserve at North Carolina State but did make five PAT’s and a 25-yard field goal against Wake Forest.

Gophers’ safety Nathan Tow-Arnett, who will be 29 in July, is the oldest player listed on the spring roster.  Defensive tackle Curran Delaney, a Marine Corps veteran who was a volunteer coach in 2009 at Holy Family High School, is 25.

Offensive tackle Jonathan Ragoo is listed at 6-7, 391 pounds.  Moses Alipate, 6-5, 285, has to be among the biggest quarterbacks in the nation.  Kill said on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle show last Sunday he wants both players to lose weight between now and practice resuming in August.

Plans for the dozen or so black spruce trees removed from Target Field’s center field area to provide batters a better view for hitting include sending most of them to state parks for replanting.  A contest for season ticket holders has fans explaining in a video why he or she should receive a tree.

Glen Perkins reportedly threw a 97 miles per hour fastball during a recent relief outing for the Twins, but radar guns can vary in accuracy by a few miles per hour. Gophers assistant baseball coach Rob Fornasiere said the fastest he ever saw Perkins throw was 93 miles per hour.  Perkins won games on 17 consecutive Fridays during 2003 and 2004 when he pitched for the Gophers during Big Ten championship seasons.

Perkins, who has been a starter for the Twins in past seasons, is trying to re-establish his big league career and he’s been impressive in relief this year.  He has pitched 9.1 innings, giving up six hits and has an ERA of 0.00.

Good outings could continue.  “He’s a kid who traditionally has pitched better later in the season,” Fornasiere said.

The Gophers have been victims of inclement weather and Fornasiere said Minnesota’s 29 games played ranks among the lowest major college totals in the country.  Minnesota has played the fewest games in the Big Ten.  “We only have two guys (A.J. Pettersen and Justin Gominsky) with over 100 at bats,” Fornasiere said.

Head coach John Anderson’s team has 16 games remaining on the regular season schedule and unless they advance deep into the playoffs Minnesota will finish far behind the typical 60 games played.

MarQueis Gray told Sports Headliners after Saturday’s spring game he didn’t know who the Gophers’ No. 1 quarterback is, but a few minutes later offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover said the job is Gray’s.

Limegrover and head coach Jerry Kill have become acquainted with the junior quarterback in meetings and practices during the last few months including spring drills that ended on Saturday.  “He (Gray) did a great job,” Limegrover said.  “I think he’s a guy who has proven that not only is he a wonderful athlete, but he’s got the mental makeup to be an outstanding quarterback.

“He makes mistakes but the great thing is he’ll be the first kid in on Monday watching this film (from the spring game) and he’ll be hard on himself.  He’ll know he missed checks.  He’ll know he missed some throws.  His grasp of the offense isn’t where it needs to be but it’s a lot further along than what you’d almost expect.  So we’re pretty excited about the overall package…the work that he’s put in.”

Limegrover didn’t hesitate when asked about Gray being the No. 1 quarterback.  “He’s our No. 1,” Limegrover answered. “ Things always change but he’s earned that because of what he did prior to spring ball−as much as what he did during spring ball−with his preparation.”

Limegrover said Gray is an example of success for Minnesota’s backup quarterbacks, redshirt freshman Tom Parish and redshirt sophomore Moses Alipate.  Joining the quarterback roster in the summer will be Max Shortell, among the more highly anticipated players in Kill’s first freshman class.

There’s been media speculation that Alipate, a big quarterback at 6-5, 285 pounds, might switch to another position.  Asked about that after the spring game, Alipate said he isn’t aware of a change coming but if a switch will help the team he’s willing.

Limegrover, who is part of a new 2011 coaching staff headed by Kill, was asked about a change.  “You’d have to talk to coach (Kill) about that,” he said.  “He kind of keeps that part of it close to the vest.  We’ll meet on every kid here before too long, probably some time this week.  He’ll meet with them (all the players).  He’s not a guy who kind of has that knee jerk reaction to anything.  It will be a process to make sure it’s the right thing (changing anyone’s position) all the way around.”