Author: David Shama

Former Canterbury Park executive John Harty is the new vice president of marketing for Ellis Park Race Course in Henderson, Kentucky.

The Twins’ second spring training game on FOX Sports North is next Monday against Pittsburgh beginning at 12:05 p.m. Minneapolis time.

There are 140 Division I teams out of 346 playing in post-season college basketball tournaments, including 68 in the NCAA field, plus 72 more in three lesser tournaments, the NIT, CBI and CIT.

With some lower quality teams being automatic qualifiers for the NCAA tournament after winning their conference tournaments, there are annually at least a few teams who don’t belong in the NCAA field, but former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher said the NCAA is “never about the best 68 teams in country.”

New Gophers coach Jerry Kill will allow the public to watch spring football practices.  March practices at the Gibson-Nagurski Complex will be on March 24 and 25 starting at 2:15 p.m., March 26 at 3:15 p.m., and March 29 and 31 at 2:30 p.m.

Recent Timberwolves acquisition Anthony Randolph, 6-11, 225, has impressive length, arm span and athleticism.  He’s mostly played center for the Wolves so far but could be a power forward and perhaps even small forward.

Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said don’t count on the 21-year-old Randolph gaining a lot of weight in the future to become a bigger center. “If you’re expecting him to put on 50 pounds of muscle that rarely happens,” Rambis said.

Rambis was not muscular as an NBA player either.  He said that while the Wolves want their players to be as “big, strong as possible,” the objective, too, is not to have  extra weight hamper their quickness and ability to run.

Former Gopher Kris Humphries has at least 15 rebounds and scored 11 points or more in each of his last three games for New Jersey, all wins by the Nets.

Hillary Boyce was second overall and Sarah Fleming third last weekend when the St. Olaf women’s Nordic ski team finished first among seven teams at the United States Collegiate Skiing and Snowboarding Association Championships.  St. Olaf was second in the Nordic men’s competition.

Registration for the 18th annual William A. Irvin 5K opens tomorrow. To register, runners should visit www.GrandmasMarathon.com.  The 3.1-mile run begins at 6 p.m. on June 17 in Duluth and is the first of three major running events during Grandma’s Marathon weekend.  Registration remains open for the 35th annual Grandma’s Marathon on June 18, while the entry process for the 21st annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon is closed.

Timberwolves’ owner Glen Taylor expects to lose $10 million to $15 million this season, another year of large losses for his NBA club.

Taylor told Sports Headliners the franchise has been losing that kind of money for the “last four years.”  He also said “probably 24 to 25” of the league’s 30 teams will have deficits operating this season.  “We fall into the middle, with 12 losing more and 12 losing less,” he said.

The Wolves haven’t played winning basketball in recent seasons including 15-67 last year and 17-51 so far in 2010-11.  Taylor knows that a winning team will boost ticket sales and other revenues, but there’s more involved as he looks to the future and his continuing commitment as the club’s majority owner.

The NBA and the players must make a new collective bargaining agreement after this season.  Taylor pointed out that many league teams are losing money and there’s a need to look at expenses including player salaries.

Taylor also talked about revenue sharing among league teams.  The NBA has limited revenue sharing and he recalled that the largest of monies ever divided was about $60 million.  That was split among 15 teams because in the league’s revenue setup not all teams qualify.  A larger future pot shared among more teams will presumably ease the finances of many franchises.

Closer to home Taylor has been talking with city officials about a major renovation of Target Center.  The building opened in 1990 and is already among the oldest in the NBA.  Locally the facility suffers in comparison to the Xcel Energy Center.

While it’s been suggested that the Wolves might move to St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center, Taylor said no.  “I have a contract to play at the Target Center and plan to fulfill my contract obligation,” he said.

Taylor hopes Target Center renovations can be completed by the city-owned arena within the next several years.  The building hosts concerts, family attractions and other events.  “It won’t be fixed up (just) for Glen,” he said.

In the meantime, the Timberwolves do control the naming rights process for the arena and their deal with Target Corporation ends this year.  Taylor said Target, Sanford Health and other companies are interested in buying the future naming rights.

The Vikings would seem unlikely to gamble on drafting Heisman Trophy winner and controversial quarterback Cam Newton with the No. 12 pick in the first round of next month’s NFL draft.

Newton is a man-child physically (about 6-6, 250) but only played one year of major college football.  The 21-year-old was sensational running and passing for Auburn, leading the Tigers to the national championship.  His career has also been characterized by controversy off the field.

While the Vikings need a quarterback, they already have a similarly gifted project in Joe Webb who was a rookie last year after being drafted on the sixth round.  Webb played enough late last season to tease coaches with his potential.  He played in five games and started two, throwing for 477 yards and no touchdowns with a passer rating of 60.9.

Webb is about 6-4, 220 pounds.  With a strong wind behind him, he could probably toss a football 100 yards.  He can run past tacklers or bowl them over.  He averaged 6.2 yards per carry last season and scored two touchdowns.  Sound like Newton?

Webb, 24, was not a full-time quarterback during his college career at Alabama-Birmingham, also playing wide receiver as a sophomore.  It was his potential at both positions that initially intrigued the Vikings.

The Vikings reportedly plan to work Newton out privately prior to the draft.  He could definitely be available when the Vikings pick at No. 12, although some of his boosters see him being among the first 10 draft choices.  The Vikings have needs at multiple positions and will have many choices drafting early in the first round.

This is not considered an extraordinary draft for quarterbacks.  Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert could be the first quarterback chosen and Newton second, but defensive linemen are expected to dominate among the first 20 players taken.

Because of Webb and other needs, it might not be difficult for Vikings personnel executive Rick Spielman and his assistants to pass on Newton and choose a defensive lineman, offensive tackle or even wide receiver.