Author: David Shama

Brewster recalled on WCCO Radio Sunday that last year’s game with Florida Atlantic was delayed about 20 minutes until yard markers could be located.

Only two teams in the nation have fewer seniors than the Gophers with 11.

The Gophers are the nation’s No. 3 team in turnover margin, +2.67.

The Vikings’ John David Booty was on anybody’s short list of the nation’s best quarterbacks last year while at USC.  Now the Trojans are No. 1 in the nation with Mark Sanchez, the latest in a line of high performance USC quarterbacks that includes Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.

Booty said there’s a fraternity style relationship between the quarterbacks because of the USC experience where the highly successful Trojans play in the nation’s second largest city under the watch of a media that doesn’t have an NFL team to scrutinize.  Booty told Sports Headliners: “There are four or five of us who have experienced it…I think that’s what keeps us also close together.”

Just in care you’re wondering: official policy is there’s a two beer limit per customer at Vikings games this year.

The Vikings announced their 107^th consecutive sellout at last Sunday’s game against Indianapolis.

It’s a good guess that when former Timberwolf Marko Jaric goes to training camp this fall with Memphis he will receive a number of questions about his engagement to Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima.

The Wolves’ early season lineup could be: forwards Mike Miller and Ryan Gomes, center Al Jefferson, and guards Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair.  Before Christmas rookie Kevin Love is a likely starter at forward with Gomes, while Miller switches to the backcourt with Foye, and Telfair comes off the bench.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who has 75 RBI, is within nine of his career high of 84.        Mauer, hitting .321, is six points behind in the American League batting race.  Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox is hitting .327.

Single-game Minnesota Wild tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, and then at noon on the club’s web site (www.wild.com), and at all Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) locations, or by calling Ticketmaster at (651) 989-5151.  A limit of four tickets per game can be purchased per person.

Senior wide receiver and corner back Royce Winford caught two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and overtime in Augsburg’s 30-24, two-overtime win over No. 20-ranked Wartburg on Saturday.  He has been named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week. Gustavus sophomore linebacker Paul Stommes is the Defensive Player of the Week for his performance, including 15 tackles in the Gusties’ 27-19 win over Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday.  St. Olaf senior Matt Nelson punted six times for a 46.5 yards average in the Oles’ 17-0 win over Pacific Lutheran to win Special Teams Player of the Week.  Players of the week are selected MIAC sports information directors.

Like it or not, Brad Childress is sticking with Tarvaris Jackson for next Sunday’s home game against Carolina.  “He will definitely start,” Childress said.

The Vikings’ third year quarterback, consistently inconsistent, completed 14 of 24       passes in yesterday’s 18-15 loss to Indianapolis.  The Vikings didn’t convert one third down opportunity in the first half, settling for three Ryan Longwell field goals.  In the closing minutes of a 15-15 game the Vikings started from their three-yard line and ran three conservative plays, an apparent decision not to ask too much of Jackson.

Childress said it’s important that Jackson not lose confidence.  The coach’s commitment to continue on with Jackson, who has one touchdown pass this season, is a statement that speaks to Childress’ faith in his quarterback who sometimes didn’t complete passes because his receivers dropped the ball.

Childress and most everyone else knows the Vikings need to balance the offense between the run and pass.  Adrian Peterson ran for 118 yards in the first half and a total of 160 for the game.  In two games, both losses, the Peterson has rushed for 263 yards.

Tight end Jim Kleinsasser has been with the Vikings for 11 seasons and was asked about the passing game.  “We moved the ball pretty well out there,” he said. “When you get in that red zone you gotta put touchdowns on the board.  It’s fine to have field goals but at some point you gotta punch it in.”

If the 0-2 Vikings’ didn’t hit the guard rail yesterday with their loss, they came close enough to at least see it.  They have Carolina (2-0) on Sunday before playing at Tennessee (2-0) and New Orleans (1-1).  All three teams can be considered among the NFL’s top 10.  A 0-5 start would put the Vikings through the guard rail and into the ditch for their 16 game regular season.  The results could be better but for sure this team will be no better than 3-2 after its first five games and it requires a confident outlook to foresee that.

Vikings’ rookie quarterback John David Booty, who was a starter last season for USC, said coach Pete Carroll means it when he tells players they’re Trojans for life.  Booty said he and Carroll text message regularly.

Vikings’ rookie center John Sullivan has been playing that position since fourth grade.  “It’s a natural feeling,” he told Sports Headliners.  “Something I’ve been doing for so long.”

Sullivan backs up center Matt Birk, the Vikings’ 11-year veteran.  Sullivan said he spends perhaps 20 percent of his time practicing at offensive guard.

Vikings’ coach Brad Childress has become friends with Murray Warmath, 95, the former Gopher national championship coach who also was a defensive line coach for the Vikings after he left the University of Minnesota.   Warmath, who uses a wheelchair, visited Vikings’ practice last month.

An MIAC spokesman estimates about half of the league’s nine football teams run some spread offense, the popular formation that’s been sweeping college football for awhile now.  Included is Saint John’s coach John Gagliardi who said “it’s almost like a touch football game.”  Gagliardi, 81, has been coaching in the MIAC for 55 years while all the other league coaches have a combined total of 46 years.

The Minnesota Wild’s Kurtis Foster, along with Wild minor league system players Danny Irmen (a former Gopher) and John Scott all were married this summer. Foster recently started skating again for the first time since fracturing his left femur on March 19 in San Jose.

New Wild forward Owen Nolan, signed as a free agent after playing for Calgary, is from Belfast, Ireland.

Goalie Josh Harding recently participated in an on-ice promotional shoot for EA Sports 2009 in Burnaby, British Columbia. The game was released last week.

The Wild opens training camp on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.  The training camp roster released last week lists 39 players, with possible additions coming from players participating in the 2008 NHL Centre I.C.E. Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan that started on Saturday and continues through tomorrow (Tuesday).  Center Corey Locke is the smallest player listed on the training camp roster, 5-9, 171, while defenseman John Scott, 6-8, 247, is the biggest.

The Wild unveil the team’s first-ever mascot on Sunday, October 5, at an exclusive Hot Tamales Wild Kids Club event at Xcel Energy Center from 3:30 to 7 p.m.  The mascot will target young fans, families and community events.  Hot Tamales Wild Kids Club members are being encouraged to send their ideas for mascot names to the team.