Author: David Shama

It’s mostly seashells and balloons for the Minnesota Twins right now, only days after opening spring training camp near the beach in Fort Myers, Florida.  Popular opinion is this team looks like the best in years, a possible World Series entry in the fall.

But not so fast, my friends.

Spring training optimism emanates from even the most mediocre of franchises.  The start of a new season can create a euphoria that defies logic.  That’s not the accusation about the glowing predictions for the 2010 Twins, but let’s not plan a championship parade from Target Field to Hennepin Avenue yet.

A concern this team must eventually put to rest is not so much performance by its players, but availability.  The Twins have several players, including key contributors, who have been cozy with the injured list.

Joe Mauer played only 109 games in 2007 and last year missed the first month of the season.  Although Mauer is only 26, he plays catcher, the most punishing of positions.  The three-time batting champion, two-time Gold Glove winner and 2009 American League MVP is indispensable to the Twins.

First baseman Justin Morneau was the AL MVP in 2006 and at 28 remains among the elite players in the league.  He averaged about 600 at bats from 2006-2008.  But  if he thought he was an Ironman, a back injury that sidelined him after September 12 for the remainder of the season proved he wasn’t.  Both Mauer and Morneau have experienced severe back problems, sometimes not the best place to have injuries and expect a long career.

Outfielder Michael Cuddyer, 30, had a career season last year, hitting 32 home runs, with 94 RBI and a .276 batting average.  He was exceptional in the clutch and steady, as usual, in the field.  The season contrasted with 2008 when injuries seemed to follow Cuddyer around and he played in only 71 games, with 249 at bats.

Joe Nathan, among baseball’s elite relievers in recent years, had off season elbow surgery to remove bone chips.  Nathan was sometimes ineffective late in the season including the playoff series when the Yankees swept the Twins.  At 35, Nathan has thrown a lot of pitches over the years.  Will his arm be healthy and effective for another 40 saves or so?

If not, the Twins might be able to receive help from Pat Neshek, but after missing all of last year following elbow surgery his potential is unknown.  Neshek, 29, has a violent right handed delivery that has produced impressive numbers in the past such as a 2.19 ERA in 2006.  But that delivery doesn’t seem like associated with longevity.

Kevin Slowey will be counted on as a starter after his season ended last year in early July.  Slowey, 25, had wrist surgery and should be ready to produce for a pitching staff that isn’t completely set on its starting rotation and relievers.  Among the reasons for that is not knowing what to expect from former starters Francisco Liriano (major elbow surgery in 2006) and Glen Perkins (arm tendinitis last year).  Both are 26.

So if there’s a championship parade you can count on seeing most of the players.  They will be healthy and able to attend.

The Wild likely will fall into the “No” categories regarding a trade this week, and qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but long term Glen Sonmor likes what he sees.

The NHL trading deadline is Wednesday and Sonmor, who used to scout for the Wild and before that made a career of coaching in the pros, recognizes both the difficulty of making trades and also the Wild’s personnel needs.  “Everybody (in the NHL) could use a couple more goal scorers,” he told Sports Headliners.

He is impressed with the franchise’s new leadership, coach Todd Richards and general manager Chuck Fletcher, both in their first seasons here.  “They have good guys in charge but it will take awhile,” Sonmor said.

The Wild resume play at Calgary on Wednesday.  The Wild’s record is 30-27-4              and the team probably won’t make the playoffs unless the right mix of factors occurs including goalie Niklas Backstrom playing extraordinarily.  The Wild’s 64 points ranks 13^th among 15 Western Conference teams.

But because hockey fans here are so knowledgeable, Sonmor expects the public to remain patient with the new regime.  The “P” word isn’t heard so often with the Gophers, though.  Sonmor, who does radio commentary on the team’s games, has watched the Gophers struggle each of the last three seasons, but remains a coach Don Lucia supporter.

The Gophers have a disappointing record of 16-16-2 overall, 11-13-2 in the WCHA.  Last season Minnesota didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament for only the second time in Lucia’s coaching career with the Gophers that began in 1999.  The Gophers were 17-13-7 overall, 12-11-5 in the WCHA.  Lucia, who coached the Gophers to national championships in 2002 and 2003, also had a disappointing record two years ago, 19-17-9 overall, 9-12-7 in league play.

Sonmor is aware of speculation about Lucia’s job security.  He said Lucia has a “tremendous” overall record and the criticism “boggles” his mind. “I don’t think there will be a change,” he said.

The Gophers split their series at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center over the weekend.  The building was the site of Sonmor’s first WCHA game as Gophers coach in 1966.  Back then the Bulldogs had a revered player in Keith “Huffer” Christiansen.  Sonmor recalled going to the building the morning of the game and seeing that the playing surface was water, not ice.  That led to this quip from Sonmor:  “I’ve been told as far as I know, there’s only one guy who can walk on water and that’s ‘Huffer’ Christiansen.”

Sonmor describes sophomore forward Jordan Schroeder as the most “skilled” player among the Gophers.  He thinks Schroeder, who leads the team with 19 assists and 27 points, will likely return next season rather than join the Vancouver organization that drafted him in the first round last June.

The Twins plan to announce the name of their official hot dog provider on March 8, according to Patrick Klinger, vice president of marketing.  The Hormel-supplied Dome Dog won’t be continued at Target Field but Klinger expressed confidence the new offering will be popular with fans.  That confidence comes from the franchise’s commitment to provide an extraordinary fan experience at the new ballpark including food offerings that will feature a Murray’s Restaurant steak sandwich, Kramarczuk’s sausages, pork chop on a stick, Walleye fingers and vegetarian selections.

Former Purdue and Timberwolf player Brian Cardinal said the Gophers Ralph Sampson III is a “talented player” and has improved from his freshman season but wouldn’t say that the 6-11 sophomore center will make it in the NBA.

A KARE 11 source predicted via email that Brett Favre’s upcoming appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday night will be seen by about 320,000 viewers in this market.

The MIAC led all NCAA Division III conferences in football attendance for the fifth straight season in 2009. The conference’s nine teams averaged 3,178 fans per game with 152,560 total attendees.  The MIAC had four teams rank in the top 30 of Division III.  For the 13th time in 17 years, Saint John’s was first in Division III attendance, averaging 8,208 per game and attracting 49,249 fans for six home games.

Martina Navratilova and Lindsay Davenport will headline an exhibition on Saturday, April 10 at Eden Prairie High School as part of the Tennis Festival of the North weekend.  The festival will be April 9-11 at the high school and includes on-court demonstrations, a vendor fair and other tennis information.  Organizers hope the festival will become an annual event and expect this year’s activities to attract about 2,000 people, according to an email form Marcia Bach who is coordinating the festival for USTA Northern.  www.tennisfestivalofthenorth.com.