Author: David Shama

The Vikings’ Jared Allen is the only player from a Minnesota team who made Sports Illustrated’s earnings list of top 50 athletes.  The list was released last week and had Allen at No. 44 with earnings of over $16 million including salary and endorsements.  Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is at No. 35, with $17,350,000 in earnings.  Former Timberwolf Kevin Garnett is No. 8 at $31 million and Tiger Woods leads the list at almost $128 million.  More at https://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/specials/fortunate50/2008/index.html

Larry Fitzgerald Sr., who covers the local sports scene on radio, TV and in print, is attending the NBA finals in both Boston and Los Angeles.  Fitzgerald said via e-mail he expects to be the only Minneapolis-St. Paul journalist at the finals.  Newspaper budgets are impacting out of town coverage such as the finals.

TCF Bank Stadium opens next year with a seating capacity of 50,000, meaning it will be the third smallest in the Big Ten Conference.  Gophers coach Tim Brewster said, “I think we’re going to create great demand and convince the U soon to expand the stadium.”

Brewster said the decision to initially have the 50,000 capacity is “strategically well thought out” but the football program will grow in popularity.  The stadium infrastructure is designed to expand capacity to about 80,000.

A source close to the Gopher football team predicts a 5-7 final record this fall.

Six-year NFL Vikings wide receiver Bobby Wade said on Friday at Winter Park that the team will expect a “lot more” from Sidney Rice this fall than last.  Rice, 21 , will be playing in his second NFL season and has the potential to far exceed his rookie numbers of 31 receptions, 396 yards and four touchdowns.

A knowledgeable hockey source said new Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold will be involved with the franchise and “wants to win a Stanley Cup.”

Major League Soccer was honored recently as the 2008 Professional Sports League of the Year by the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily.  The award was based on MLS’s outstanding year in 2007 that included a new team in Toronto, two stadiums, two television partners, three future expansion franchises and showcasing of superstar David Beckham.

Glen Taylor, who has owned the Timberwolves since 1995, told Sports Headliners on Wednesday he has more confidence in the organization’s drafting expertise now than ever before.  Taylor and staff are preparing for the June 26 NBA draft when the Wolves will have the No. 3 overall pick.

The Wolves finished last season at 22-60 record, tied with Memphis for the third worst record in the NBA.  The team has missed the playoffs four consecutive seasons.  Part of the performance can be traced to the annual NBA draft where examples include the disastrous drafting of high schooler Ndud Ebi (2003), questionable pick of Rashad McCants (2005) and wait-and-see selection of Randy Foye (2006).

When past drafts were mentioned to Taylor, he brought up choosing star players Kevin Garnett (1995) and Wally Szczerbiak (1999), two picks that go further back than the above listed threesome.  “Some of them (drafts) have not gone as good as you hoped and some of them have gone better than you hoped,” Taylor said.

Why more confidence about the upcoming draft that also gives the Wolves two second round selections?  Taylor said the organization’s drafting process is improved by adding staff, having more personnel involved in the decision making, increased scouting, more focus in Europe, and also evaluating players with tests.  “We’re doing more testing to try to understand the person’s personality, and the competitiveness, and all their culture things through these tests, so we’re expanding that,” Taylor said.  “Hopefully, that will just provide us more information.”

Comparing the draft process to his other businesses, Taylor emphasized the importance of opinions from different sources.  He values knowing that people sometimes see different skills in players, or how those individuals will contribute to the overall team.

Taylor clearly likes the draft process in place and is looking for improved results.  “I just feel better that we will just increase our odds (of success),” he said.  “There’s no guarantee but I think we’ll increase our odds. …”

For much of the Taylor-Wolves era, vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale operated more autonomously in making draft decisions.  Now McHale has increased staff and opinion from others, plus more information readily available to him.  Taylor thinks that will be helpful to McHale.  Taylor wants others to “challenge him and look at alternatives.”

Those alternatives, Taylor said, could include trading the first round pick.  What if with all the choices regarding who to draft, or whether to make a trade, the Wolves have so many voices that there is no unanimity? “If that should happen, I will certainly sit down with the staff and help resolve it,” Taylor said.

The Twins’ Nick Blackburn is expected to take his regular turn in the starting pitching rotation tonight despite being struck in the face by a line drive on Sunday. Blackburn, who at 26 became a major league starter for the first time this year, doesn’t discourage easily.

The Twins Web site reported earlier in the week that swelling on Blackburn’s face had been reduced and headaches subsided from the ball hit by New York’s Bobby Abreu.  Blackburn is second on the team in wins with a 4-3 record and his 3.32 ERA is best among starters.

On a rebuilt starting pitching staff the right-handed Blackburn has been a major contributor.  Late last season he made it to the big leagues for the first time, pitching in six games as a reliever.  His stats included 19 hits in 11.2 innings, with a 0-2 record and a 7.71 ERA.

The difference since last year?  “I am just using all my pitches now,” Blackburn told Sports Headliners.  “I am finally starting to pitch instead of just going up there and trying to throw fast balls to get all outs.  I am using breaking balls and changeups and stuff, and finally just actually learning what a pitcher really is.”

Blackburn wants to be more consistent the rest of the season in keeping the ball down to hitters, below the knees.  “That’s been the biggest challenge for me,” he said. “I think it’s probably a challenge for all pitchers.  I’ve got the confidence I think that it takes to pitch up here.  I think I am starting to realize I can compete up here and get guys out.  It’s just going to be the every day consistency of going out there and doing what I have to do and making the pitches I have to make.”

Umpires can vary in defining a strike zone but Blackburn, who is not a strikeout pitcher and gets ground ball outs from batters, said he won’t let the way a game is called bother him.  “I am not ever going to let an umpire take me out of a game because his zone is tight or whatever,” Blackburn said.  “So…I just come after the hitters and I try to put it in the strike zone so they can hit and put it in play and get ground balls. That’s my biggest thought going into the game.”