Author: David Shama

It was 40 years ago last month that O.J. Simpson and his USC team drew a crowd of 60,820 to the old Memorial Stadium where the Gophers lost to the Trojans, 29-20, in one of the classic college football games ever played here.  Simpson, who won the 1968 Heisman, was sentenced to prison last week on robbery charges, 13 years to the day that he was acquitted in the murder trial of wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman.

The Gophers defeated Indiana 16-7 last Saturday, although before the game the over and under was 59.5 points, according to the Star Tribune.

Gopher football coach Tim Brewster said that Duane Bennett, who was injured in the second game of the season, will receive a redshirt season.  That means he will be a sophomore next year.

The Gopher offense consists primarily of freshmen and sophomores but the depth chart on defense last week showed eight juniors, two seniors and a sophomore on the first team.

Marian Gaborik becomes a free agent after next season and there’s speculation his next contract can put him toward the top among the NHL’s best paid players but at least one authority doesn’t even include the Minnesota Wild star among the league’s best 15 players.  In a recent issue of the Sporting News Jay Feaster, former general manager of Tampa Bay, ranked Gaborik No. 17 in a listing of top 50 players.  Washington’s Alex Overchkin was No. 1, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby No. 2 and Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom No. 3.

Twins management must be serious about trying Michael Cuddyer at third base in spring training next year.  The team’s official Web site lists him as an infielder on the 25-man roster.  A source told Sports Headliners that when Cuddyer was interviewed awhile ago on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle he didn’t sound enthused about third base, a position he has played in both the major and minor leagues before becoming a regular right fielder.

Look for the Twins to re-sign free agent Nick Punto, one of baseball’s most versatile utility infielders.  Punto responded well to hitting toward the bottom of the batting order, finishing with a .284 average after hitting .210 in 2007.

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.