Author: David Shama

The first sections of grass for the Target Field playing surface will be installed on Monday with completion expected Thursday.

With faulty mechanics and poor control, 25-year-old Francisco Liriano is a classic thrower, not a pitcher.  Liriano, now on the disabled list, is sure to receive plenty of attention from the Twins between now and next season.  Despite his Tommy John surgery after the 2006 season, Liriano still has the potential to be outstanding and on the pitching poor Twins, management isn’t likely to part with him.

Liriano’s 2009 record is 5-12 with a 5.80 ERA. The pitching staff has a 4.79 ERA (only three American League teams have higher ERA’s).

Matt Tolbert, despite a .178 average in 43 games with the Twins this year before being sent to the minors, is likely to be in the system for awhile.  The Twins like his hustle and versatility, a utility infielder and switch hitter.  Tolbert, 28, is at AAA Rochester where he’s hitting .286.

It was a surreal scene when Brett Favre arrived in town on Tuesday.  Among the lasting images was that of coach Brad Childress driving away from the St. Paul downtown airport with Favre in the passenger seat.  How many NFL coaches have ever picked up a player at the airport and driven him to practice?  Don’t know, but if I had a dollar for each time, I am sure the total would have me dining only at McDonald’s.

Not only is Favre expected to make his playing debut tonight against Kansas City at the Metrodome, but so, too, is rookie wide receiver and No. 1 draft choice Percy Harvin.

The game will be the 116^th consecutive Viking sellout at the Metrodome.

After one preseason game, the Vikings’ defense ranked No. 1 both overall and against the pass, with a No. 6 rank versus the run.

The Sporting News magazine week of August 17 issue has the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson No. 1 in its Fantasy Football Preview.  Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is No. 10, with former Viking Randy Moss 18 and ex-Gopher Marion Barber III 19.

That same issue of the Sporting News magazine rates Bloomington Jefferson alum Cole Aldrich, now playing center for Kansas, as the No. 3 prospect for the 2010 NBA draft.  The article describes Aldrich as fundamentally sound and capable of playing in the NBA now.  The No. 1 prospect is Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall, with North Carolina sophomore power forward Ed Davis No. 2.

Rich Kallok, who as head coach won the 1999 state title at Cretin-Derham Hall, is back with the Raiders as a volunteer linebackers coach.

Each of the 34 NHL players at the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Orientation Camp donated 15 sets of hockey equipment to the youth organization of their choice and all nine Minnesota natives at the camp chose programs in their home state:  David Backes (Spring Lake Park), Dustin Byfuglien (Roseau), Tom Gilbert (Bloomington), Erik Johnson (Bloomington), Jamie Langenbrunner (Cloquet), Paul Martin (Elk River, Kyle Okposo (Highland Central-St. Paul), T.J. Oshie (Warroad) and Zach Parise (Highland Central-St. Paul).

The Wild will introduce a new third jersey for the upcoming season on Sunday, August 30 at 12:30 p.m. at the Minnesota State Fair’s FAN Central building. The event will feature left wing Derek Boogaard and team mascot Nordy.  Fans can pre-order the jerseys beginning on August 30 at the Wild’s state fair booth, or the team’s stores at Xcel Energy Center and Mall of America.

On a perfect summer morning yesterday, news of Brett Favre’s decision to join the Vikings as their quarterback imploded across this metropolis.  On talk radio, in cell phone conversations and around water coolers the passionate citizenry and even the not so engaged were talking Favre and the Purple.

This town has never seen anything quite like the arrival of Favre, the 39-year-old legend who set numerous NFL career records, quarterbacked Green Bay in two Super Bowls, directed countless fourth quarter comebacks, and gutted his way through physical and emotional trauma.  Late in their careers, Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield, both on their way to the hall of fame, came home to join the Twins.  Lou Holtz set off a huge upsurge in Gopher football interest when he became coach.  Herschel-mania was the rage for awhile when the Vikings acquired Herschel Walker in the franchise’s most infamous trade. But no sports god the equal of Favre has ever set ground on the prairie here to join one of the local teams.  How Favre got here after months of speculation about whether he wanted to retire or play for the Vikings is a story of luck, relationships, perseverance, the right opportunity and negotiating skill.

If the Vikings hadn’t hired Brad Childress as head coach in 2006, Favre might not be practicing this week at Winter Park.  Childress had been an assistant coach with Wisconsin in the 1990s and the team’s quarterbacks included Darrell Bevell who helped the Badgers to a 1993 Big Ten championship.  Later Bevell became quarterback coach with Green Bay where he developed a solid relationship with Favre.

Bevell left the Packers to become Childress’ offensive coordinator in 2006.  He and Childress have been looking for consistent and high level quarterback play ever since.  This off-season Bevell and Childress have pursued Favre who obviously feels comfortable with them and what he considers an ideal opportunity with the Vikings.

Favre said earlier this summer he wouldn’t be coming out of retirement to play for the Vikings.  Yet communication between Favre and the organization continued. Favre had the passion to continue playing if he was convinced his right arm was healthy.  It was obvious to he and the franchise leadership that exceptional quarterbacking was the team’s missing asset. Perseverance on both sides and the willingness of Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to offer a reported $25 million two year contract resulted in a deal being finalized.

At least a couple of questions deserve attention in this story.  If Favre debated (perhaps even agonized) for so long whether he could push himself through preseason camp and a 16 game regular season, did he make the right decision yesterday?  Did his heart finally overcome his head?

Only those who have played football, or are close to the game, fully realize the physical wreckage the sport causes.  Favre knows this as well or better than anyone.  I thought that because Favre was so unsure for so long as to whether to play, he made the right decision not to.  If a decision to come back for another season was that difficult, wasn’t there a strong message to that?

The other question is will the Vikings keep four quarterbacks?  They might. Tarvaris Jackson is only 26 and John David Booty is even younger at 24, and during the last off-season the club made the effort to acquire Sage Rosenfels, 31.  Jackson, who has been unreliable, could be offered up in a trade.  He might be the most interested of the three reserves in wanting out of Winter Park, too, after never convincing the coaching staff he was the answer.

And then there’s the most important question of all.  Will Favre and the Vikings play at a level that can return the franchise to the NFC championship game, or even the Super Bowl? The answers start coming on September 13 in the opening game at Cleveland.

Sports Illustrated and Sporting News magazine are making identical predictions for the Gophers.  In last week’s issues both national publications have Minnesota finishing with a 7-5 overall record, 4-4 in the Big Ten Conference.

That won’t deliver yet on coach Tim Brewster’s mantra since day one of becoming Big Ten champs but such records figure to impress for a couple reasons.  First, with 11 potentially challenging opponents and only one “cupcake” (South Dakota State), the Gophers’ schedule could be among the more difficult in the country, certainly the most formidable for the local school in a long time.  Second, the Gophers haven’t won four conference games since 2005.

Sporting News predicts Ohio State will win (big surprise!) the Big Ten with Penn State finishing second.  Michigan State and Iowa will tie for third, followed by Illinois, and then the Gophers and Michigan, with identical overall and conference records, will tie for fifth.  Sports Illustrated has the same schools ahead of the Gophers but predicts a three way tie for fourth place between Northwestern, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The Gophers haven’t played in a January bowl game since 1962 but they will change that in 2010, according to S.I.  The publication predicts a Papajohns.com Bowl match- up in Birmingham between Minnesota and Cincinnati on January 2.  If Sporting News is correct the Gophers will be in Tempe, Arizona for the Insight Bowl and a game against Missouri.  (Last year in the Insight Bowl the Gophers lost to Kansas).

Gophers’ wide receiver Eric Decker and cornerback Traye Simmons are selections by Sporting News for its All-Big Ten offensive and defensive teams.  Both made the publication’s best of the Big Ten list, Decker for his hands, Simmons for man-to-man coverage.

The Gophers open their schedule at Syracuse on September 5 and the Orange are a consensus pick by both publications to finish last in the Big East.  Air Force, which helps open TCF Bank Stadium here on September 12, will be a .500 team, according to S.I. while Sporting News doesn’t predict a record.  California, at TCF on September 19, is ranked No. 21 in the country by Sporting News and both publications see a big year for the Golden Bears.