Author: David Shama

The signing of 2008 All-Star third baseman Joe Crede has caused renewed optimism about the boys of summer here in the northland.  With the season more than a month away there’s talk of a Central Division title for the Twins, with perhaps the more zealous predicting the franchise’s first World Series appearance since 1991.

But not so fast, my friends.  There’s a storyline that must develop if the Twins are to make good on the optimism of February.  Let’s accept it as fact that the team’s three All-Stars from 2008, reliever Joe Nathan, catcher Joe Mauer, and first baseman Justin Morneau will again be among the best in baseball at what they do.  Their supporting cast, while seemingly talented and full of potential, causes an observer to ask questions.

Crede hit 17 home runs last year in just 98 games, but he’s had back surgery in both 2008 and 2007.  At 30 years old, how do we know Crede’s back won’t be an issue?

Here’s a more encompassing question:  A dugout full of Twins enjoyed success last season but many are still inexperienced. So what?  Other teams make scouting serious business and adjustments can be made to exploit weaknesses.  We’ll see what kind of adjustments Central Division and other teams make this season.

Exemplifying the inexperience are starting pitchers Nick Blackburn (33 major league starts), Glen Perkins (26 starts) and Kevin Slowey (38).  Right fielder Denard Span was a rookie last season, appearing in 93 games.  Center fielder Carlos Gomez had played in only 58 major league games until last year when he was in 153.  Second baseman Alexi Casilla has 163 games of major league experience.

Then there’s concern about starting pitcher Francisco Liriano who made an impressive comeback last season after missing all of 2007 following major surgery on his left arm.  There are no guarantees in life, including pitching arms.  An All-Star like Liriano, the team’s most dominant pitcher, is huge in helping to potentially place the Twins among baseball elite.

All winter there have been two topics Twins fans could verbalize even in their sleep.  One was upgrading the talent at third base, the other an eighth inning stopper.  Crede could be mission accomplished but spring training and the early season will determine whether wannabes like Luis Ayala and Jose Mijares can become more than average in the eighth inning assignment.

So go ahead with your hopes for the Twins but don’t lineup for World Series tickets yet.

The Gophers lost a great fan this week when John Fitchette of Minneapolis passed away at age 92.  John, or Jack as most of his friends called him, rooted for all the Gophers teams but particularly football and basketball.

Jack followed coach Bernie Bierman’s national championship teams in the 1930’s and 1940’s.  Years later, when the wins became fewer, he looked at a successful Big Ten team that had more speed than the Gophers and wondered why Minnesota coaches couldn’t develop that in their players.  A chef by training, it seemed like he thought the coaches could cook up an ingredient or two and make those Gophers faster.  A few times I suggested speed was something a player pretty much possessed, or didn’t.  After awhile Jack stopped bringing up the topic but I never knew for sure if I convinced him.

Jack may have just given up talking about the speed issue.  He wasn’t a confrontational or critical guy.  In his last years he was disappointed by the lack of football and basketball success.  But he seldom spoke a critical word about the team, certainly not a specific player and very infrequently a coach.  A disappointed shake of the head was the usual reaction to another Big Ten loss.

For about 50 seasons Jack was a basketball season ticket holder.  He was no expert on the sport but appreciated a good play and commonly uttered “Wow!” at a spectacular one.

But Jack was no admirer of showboating.  He didn’t approve of that from players, or media types.  The bigger the ego, the less in common the person had with Jack, a humble bachelor from south Minneapolis who spent much of his retirement years caring for others and working at volunteer organizations.

About 11 years ago Jack said he hoped the Gophers could return to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1962.  He was at that game between Minnesota and UCLA.  Health allowing, he wanted one more trip to Pasadena.

The Gophers couldn’t come through but that didn’t stop Jack from being a fan.  His loyalty never faltered.

Wild executive Bill Robertson reports that Cal Clutterbuck’s jersey is the No. 1 seller in this market for the NHL franchise.  He’s the first rookie since Marian Gaborik to lead jersey sales for the team.

Robertson is friends with former North Star Mike Modano.  He expects Modano, 39, to play another NHL season and next year be a candidate for a young U.S. Olympic team.

Modano’s wife, Willa Ford, is an actress who is the fifth “victim” in the new Hollywood move “Friday the 13^th,” according to Robertson.

The Wild play at Calgary tonight, with 14 of the next 17 games on the road.  This will be the fifth of 15 consecutive games against Western Conference teams as the Wild starts a hoped for playoff drive.

Right wing Antti Miettinen scored the Wild’s fourth short-handed goal in the last eight games on Tuesday in a 2-1 shootout loss to Los Angeles.  Miettinen had no short-handed goals in his first 289 NHL games but has two in his last eight.

Joe Schmit is co-hosting a WCCO Radio-Sun Country cruise that leaves on Sunday for Cozumel and the Cayman Islands.  He and Eleanor Mondale will be broadcasting from the ship 9 a.m. to noon Monday-Thursday.  The former KSTP news and sportscaster reports that his Lymphoma isn’t active and he’s not receiving treatment.   “I go back to Mayo (Clinic) again in April and am hoping for another good report,” Schmit wrote via e-mail.  He’s president of the John T. Petters Foundation.

The MIAC led all NCAA Division III conferences in average per game and total football attendance for the fourth straight season in 2008. The conference’s nine teams averaged 3,563 fans per game with 160,355 total attendees.  Seven MIAC teams had attendance averages in the top 26 nationally.  For the 12th time in 16 years, Saint John’s led the country, averaging 7,964 fans last season.  Concordia College-Moorhead was 10^th with an average of 3,956.  Other MIAC leaders were St. Olaf (11th, 3,837 per game), St. Thomas (16th, 3,542), Bethel (22nd, 3,301), Gustavus Adolphus (23rd, 3,173) and Carleton (26th, 3,085).

The Vessey Leadership Academy in West St. Paul, a free public charter high school that includes many disadvantaged kids, has received a $2,000 donation from the Minnesota Minutemen for its sports programs.  The school offers junior varsity football, varsity boys basketball, and junior varsity girls lacrosse, relying on fund raising and donations for much of its budget.