Author: David Shama

Twins catcher Joe Mauer is the fourth best player in baseball, according to Joe Posnanski from SI.com.  On his 32 player list he ranks Albert Pujols, Roy Halladay and Adrian Gonzalez ahead of Mauer.

The Twins’ outfield was scrutinized for its defensive performance by Sports Illustrated in the magazine’s baseball preview issue last week.  The publication reported that the Twins allowed the second highest total in the American League last season for doubles and triples.  Left fielder Delmon Young, center fielder Denard Span and right fielder Michael Cuddyer need to prove collectively they’re better than mediocre.

Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire said on Saturday that Francisco Liriano threw the ball the “best” he’s seen him during the left-hander’s final outing in spring training.  But Liriano became too excited in his regular season debut on Saturday against Toronto, started “overthrowing” and lost control of his pitches during a four hit, four run loss in just 4.1 innings.

Speculation about a funding model for a new Vikings’ stadium has the franchise perhaps contributing about one-third of the cost.  Local authority Tony Spadaforda has been studying stadiums, including financing issues, since 1996.  He wants to see a larger financial participation from the Vikings, and also is concerned the team could relocate if a stadium deal doesn’t materialize.

The annual Miller Lite Vikings Draft Party at Winter Park will be Thursday, April 28 during the first round of the NFL Draft.  General admission tickets went on sale Friday. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.vikings.com.

Timberwolves’ assistant coach Reggie Theus seems like a fit for the coaching vacancy at UNLV.  Theus played for the Rebels and had success as head coach at New Mexico State.

Colorado State might be the school that former Gopher Colton Iverson transfers to.

Rumors of Gophers’ coach Tubby Smith being offered the Missouri job prompted an unsupportive story by Mike DeArmond on the Kansas City Star’s blog.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association’s clinic last weekend had a record attendance of 1,150, about 275 more than last year.

At the clinic Bethel’s Steve Johnson was presented the Tom Mahoney Man of the Year award.  In 22 seasons at Bethel, Johnson has made the Royals an MIAC power and gained admiration as a mentor.

The coaches association also announced that Brainerd’s Ron Stolski is the 2010 Coach of the Year.  Stolski became the state’s prep leader in career wins last fall.

Gophers head coach Jerry Kill spoke at the clinic.  He said players who show lack of effort may find themselves wearing a t-shirt that says: “Minnesota Loafers.”

Kill places emphasis on special teams.  He said a team that blocks a punt wins the game about 90 percent of the time.  In three seasons coaching at Northern Illinois, his teams blocked 12 punts.  In seven years at Southern Illinois the total was 28.

New Gophers’ offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover told Sports Headliners that wide receiver Da’Jon McKnight is a “phenomenal player.”   He’s working for the first time with McKnight in spring practice and the Dallas native led the Gophers in receiving last season with 750 yards and 10 touchdown catches.

The Gophers were 3-9 last season and ranked 10^th in both scoring and total offense among Big Ten teams, but Limegrover said “we have some pretty talented kids.”   He likes the attitude of his players in spring practice.  “We haven’t had to coach effort,” he said.

The MIAC is one of three conferences with 10 teams in the Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings.  The standings are determined by a team’s performance in NCAA Division III Championship events in up to 18 sports – nine women’s and nine men’s.  St. Thomas is the leading MIAC school, ranking No. 20 with 335 points.  The Tommies won the national men’s basketball title last month under coach Steve Fritz.

It was 50 years ago this spring the Minnesota Twins played their first ever regular season game. The Twins beat the Yankees 6-0 in New York on April 11, 1961.

The game was televised back to Minnesota and it might have caused a weekday record for bogus sick days among our youth.  I was among the guilty, finding an excuse to be in front of the TV at home, rather than working on reading, writing and arithmetic at school.

This was not a decision I regret.  The Washington Senators, not so lovable losers in our nation’s capital for many years, had relocated to Minneapolis-St. Paul in the fall of 1960.  Anticipation of seeing the new team had been building all winter.

The Senators were renamed the Twins after various nicknames had been reviewed including the Griffs.  That name was suggested to honor team owner Calvin Griffith and his family.  Although the Twins nickname prevailed, it was a grateful owner that welcomed a move from Washington, D.C. where his team was about as popular as a Capitol Hill scandal.

After the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce and other city leaders had spent the better part of a decade pursuing a major league baseball team, it was also a grateful community that greeted Griffith and his team in 1961.  Griffith’s Senators, along with the New York Giants, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox had all been rumored to be interested in moving here in the 1950s.

Griffith finally made the relocation, bringing a franchise that had not been in the World Series since 1933.  But the Senators had been building with promising young talent including sluggers Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison.  There was a hint of better days ahead, perhaps a winner in Minnesota within a couple of years.

Part of the organization’s scouting strategy was to acquire Cuban players.  The team’s best pitcher was Cuban curveballing wonder Camilo Pascual.  But for some reason manager Cookie Lavagetto sent another Cuban, Pedro Ramos, to the mound for that historic first game in Yankee Stadium 50 years ago.

Ramos was a journeyman pitcher.  Calvin’s son, Clark Griffith, remembers Ramos and watching the game on TV while serving in the Navy.  “He had an attitude that he could throw the fastball by anybody, and he couldn’t,” Griffith told Sports Headliners.

Lavagetto didn’t even last half the season as Twins manager before being fired, but he made the right choice with Ramos.  The right-hander shutout the Yankees in the first game of a season where he would compile an 11-20 record.

This was the famed Yankees team of 1961 that featured a then modern day “Murder’s Row” of sluggers including Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra and Moose Skowron. The Yankees’ pitching ace, Whitey Ford, won 25 games that season but couldn’t beat Ramos on opening day.

While the Yankees went on to win the World Series, the Twins finished 70-90.  But by 1962 the Twins were 91-71 and in 1965 Griffith’s franchise had won the American League pennant and was playing in the World Series.

Tonight the Twins play in Toronto in their 51^st regular season opener.  The kids won’t have to call in sick to school to watch this opener.