Author: David Shama

Although they have more assets than liabilities, the Twins face an off-season where they can and need to improve the roster.  With the right moves, and luck, the Twins could move to the front among American League teams in 2009 after missing the playoffs and a Central Division title by one game this season.

Based on conversations with sources that closely follow the team, here’s a suggested to-do list for the folks at 34 Kirby Puckett Place.

First, find a regular third baseman that can be above average in the field and at bat.  Preferably he hits right handed and has power because that fills need No. 2.  The Twins hit 111 home runs all season, the lowest total in the American League and got beat in the last game of the season on a Jim Thome home run, 1-0 by a White Sox team that had 235 homers, best in the majors.  The Twins need to diversify their punch a hit, steal a base, sacrifice a runner offense to include more power.

Void No. 3 is the bullpen where the Twins desperately need right-handed Pat Neshek to make a full recovery from his arm injury.  The Twins are lopsided in the bullpen with too many of their better relievers throwing left handed.  In addition to a Neshek recovery, the Twins need improved pitching from bullpen right handers Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier, or their replacements.

How the Twins may go about acquiring talent to help in the field, at-bat and on the mound will be watched with scrutiny.  The front office has frequently used a bargain hunting approach in other off seasons, signing over-the-hill types who they hoped could flirt with past glories.  “They have to move out of the Kmart free agent market,” a source said.  “Hoping to catch one of these guys in a rare year is a failed strategy.”

Adrian Beltre, the Seattle third baseman who makes $13.4 million per year according to espn.com and hit 25 home runs last season, is a name that keeps coming up in Twins talk.  A source questioned whether the Twins would go for his big contract and how Beltre fits in the clubhouse.

Good team morale is a Twins organizational must-have.  If the Twins offered Seattle outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who makes almost six million according to espn.com, they could achieve some trade off in salaries.  Cuddyer, though, is a team leader and popular with players and management.

If the right handed hitting Cuddyer, 29, is around next season he needs to play in a lot more games than 71 and produce much better numbers than three home runs and 36 RBI.  So, too, does outfielder Delmon Young who hit only 10 home runs with 69 RBI for the Twins in his first season after coming here in a controversial trade with Tampa Bay.  His defenders say give the 22-year-old time but don’t be surprised if either he or Cuddyer are mentioned in trade talks.  Another alternative could be to have both players in the lineup by moving Cuddyer to third base (he played there in the minors) and keeping Young in the outfield with Carlos Gomez and Denard Span.

The statistics support Gopher coach Tim Brewster’s statement that his team needs to “get more explosive playmakers.”  In five games the Gophers have 32 plays of more than 20 yards.  Wide receiver Eric Decker has 11 of those plays, kickoff returner Troy Stoudemire eight.  Running backs Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge, and defensive backs Marcus Sherels and Kyle Theret, have two each.

The Gophers need other wide receivers to become down field threats.  True freshman Da’Jon McKnight might be first in line.

He caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Weber last Saturday against Ohio State, his first catch as a Gopher.  The 6-foot-4 Dallas native not only has size but Brewster said that McKnight has a 40-inch vertical jump.

The coach also said that McKnight was a basketball player earlier in his athletic career and didn’t play football until his junior year of high school.  Although McKnight is second team on the Gopher depth chart, it won’t be surprising to see him play tomorrow against Indiana.

The Gophers, 4-1, play an Indiana team, 2-2, that is going on the road for the first time this season.  The Hoosiers have an impressive offense with big play guys in quarterback Kellen Lewis and running back Marcus Thigpen, but an unimpressive defense that is giving up 25 points per game.  The opposition, except for a 42-29 loss to Michigan State (4-1), has been suspect, too.  The Hoosiers defeated Western Kentucky (2-3) from the Sun Belt Conference, Murray State (0-4) from the Ohio Valley Conference, and lost to the Mid-American Conference’s Ball State (5-0), 42-20.

The Gophers lost 34-21 to Big Ten Conference title favorite Ohio State last week but Weber said the game showed that his team “can play with the big boys.”  Theret  believes the Gophers could beat the Buckeyes in a rematch.

Another explosive receiver the Gophers are hoping to move into the lineup at times is wide receiver and junior college transfer David Pittman who hasn’t been playing because of a hamstring injury.  Brewster is hopeful about receiving help from Pittman this season.

Brewster said defensive back Traye Simmons leads the country in the interceptions and pass break ups with totals of two and nine.

Brewster said it’s unlikely the Gophers will recruit a junior college quarterback for next season even though they have two seniors behind Weber in Tony Mortensen and Mike Maciejowski.  Ineligible MarQueis Gray may qualify academically and be in school next year as a freshman quarterback.  Quarterback Moses Alipate of Bloomington Jefferson has verbally committed to the Gophers.

Wisconsin saw a 19-0 halftime lead at Michigan turn into a 27-25 loss last Saturday.  Vikings head coach Brad Childress told Sports Headliners that when he was an assistant coach at Illinois in the early 1980s the Illini were ahead in Ann Arbor 21-0 at the half.  Then Illinois lost the game to Michigan by a score of 70-21.

Childress and Brewster are friends and text message each other frequently.

The Big Ten is the only BCS conference with its own daily TV network. That’s a plus for recruiting because high schoolers in various parts of the country can keep up on Big Ten teams.

Tubby Smith and the Gopher men’s basketball program will host its second annual Coaches Clinic on Saturday, October 25 at Williams Arena.  The clinic will also include on-court demonstrations from former Gopher player and ex-Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, plus high school coaches John Hedstrom of Minnetonka and Matt Cordes of New London-Spicer. The pre-registration fee is $75, or $100 at the door on October 25.  Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. at Williams Arena.

Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman will be able to watch his son Ryan, a star player for Cornell, compete against the Gophers on December 6 at Williams Arena.  The Gophers play Cornell in the afternoon, while the Timberwolves have a night game in Target Center against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Harvey Mackay, the former Gopher golfer and New York Times best selling author, wrote about ex-Gopher football player Sam Richter in his syndicated column earlier this week.  Richter is the author of “Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling,” a recommended read for anyone who wants to use the Web more effectively in business.

Media and Western Collegiate Hockey Association coaches predict that Minnesota and Wisconsin will tie for fourth place in the WCHA this coming season.  In preseason polls released on Wednesday the media and coaches also voted Colorado College to win the league with North Dakota second and Denver third.

The media and coaches didn’t agree on Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year selections. Aaron Ness and Jordan Schroeder from Minnesota each received five of the 25 media votes for Rookie of the Year with Denver’s Joe Colborne earning a league-high seven votes.  Ness and Schroeder each received two votes from the coaches for Rookie of the Year, while North Dakota’s Jason Gregorie and Minnesota Duluth’s Jack Connolly each received three votes.

The Wild will unveil the team’s first-ever mascot on Sunday at about 4 p.m. during a on-ice event at Xcel Energy Center. The mascot will be targeted toward young fans, families and community events.  Hot Tamales Wild Kids Club members will have a chance to skate and all fans attending the event will have the opportunity to take a picture with the new mascot. Other activities will include floor hockey, face painters and a movie. The public is welcome with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.