Author: David Shama

Stubhub.com lists tickets ranging in cost from $22 to $275 for the Twins-Yankees series at the Metrodome tonight through Monday.  Contrast that with the Orioles series at the dome starting on Tuesday where the range is $1 to $149.

Advance sales for the Yankee series were about 100,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, with hopes for 120,000 total, Twins vice president of marketing Patrick Klinger said via e-mail.

The Twins have to be the only team in baseball where the starting left fielder (Delmon Young) has no home runs, the right fielder (Michael Cuddyer) has one and the No. 3 hitter in the batting order (Joe Mauer) has zero.  The Twins, though, rank fifth among 14 American League teams in runs scored.

Cuddyer, well-known for his love of magic, does one of his card tricks on the following Web site:https://ballhype.com/video/michael_cuddyer_s_card_trick_2/.

The annual Minnesota Twins Fantasy Camp will be January 10-18 at the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla. The camp is a weeklong event for those 30 or older. Campers participate in major league-style batting and infield practice on the Twins spring training fields and play up to two games each day. Campers receive daily instruction from former Twins players attending the camp.  The cost is $3,895 and more details are available at www.twinsbaseball.com.

Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards told KSTP TV’s Ryan Kibbe earlier in the month that next season he plans on breaking Michael Strahan’s NFL sack record of 22.5.  Edwards, drafted on the fourth round by the Vikings in 2006, has been a part-time starter in the past but looks like a regular in 2008.  Read more at https://kstp.com/article/stories/S454606.shtml?cat=10005

Coach Tim Brewster makes two appearances today to promote the Gophers’ 87-county drive to raise funds for TCF Bank Stadium. He will be at the Golden Valley McDonald’s restaurant (720 Winnetka Ave. North) at 10 a.m. and participate in the Grand Opening of the new McCafe.   He will also be a guest on the “Twin Cities Live” show that airs from 3 to 4 p.m. on Ch. 5.  He will talk about the 87-county tour and phase three of the fund-raising project for the stadium.

Former Mounds View star Nick Horvath became a New Zealand citizen earlier this year and is playing professional basketball in that country, according to https://www.stuff.co.nz/4563576a1823.html.  Earlier this week he was averaging 17.9 points while shooting over 50 percent.  A center, Horvath was averaging over 10 rebounds per game and was second in the National Basketball League in blocked shots.

Balkrisna Sukharan of Blaine has seen his horse, Lookinforthesecret, win $488,940 since January of 2007 when the six-year-old thoroughbred was purchased for $12,500.  The latest success was last Saturday at Canterbury Park when the horse won the $50,000 Honor The Hero Turf Express.  Lookinforthesecret has run 19 times since being purchased, winning 13 of those starts and finishing second five times.

Big city newspaper reporters are objective in their evaluations of teams.  That’s why it commanded attention when Kevin Seifert, who covered the Vikings for nine years at the Star Tribune before leaving the newspaper last week, expressed his optimism about the team in an interview with Sports Headliners.

“The sky’s the limit for them,” he said.  “They obviously think they’re close. …”

The Vikings’ personnel have been upgraded in recent seasons including the 2008 acquisition of Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen from Kansas City.  Seifert mentioned the addition of Allen and the retirement of Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre, and then said the Vikings “have as good a chance as anyone” to win the NFC North Division championship.

Expectations for 2008 clearly include the playoffs for the first time since 2004.  “Anything less than getting in the playoffs is a disappointment, and I am sure they (the Vikings) will tell you the same thing,” Seifert said.

Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway told Sports Headliners that this time of year “every team all across the country is pretty optimistic at this point.”   Part of the optimism here and elsewhere is that teams are starting fresh, a “new slate,” as Greenway describes it.

“We’re laying the groundwork and the framework now for what hopefully will be a playoff team,” he said.  “But we have a lot of work to do before we can even put ourselves in that category.”

Seifert will be joining ESPN.com to write about the NFL and will continue to live in this area.  His nine year memories of reporting on the Vikings include how much news continually comes from that assignment and the unexpected death of offensive lineman Korey Stringer, a story that continues to this day.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier told reporters recently that the Vikings’ practices this month are an opportunity for the newly acquired Allen to establish credibility with his teammates.  The Vikings finish the last of their OTA’s (organized training activities) today and then will have a veterans’ camp June 6, 7 and 8.

Allen, who led the NFL in sacks last season with Kansas City, has made an impression on coaches and players alike at Winter Park.  Frazier said Allen “probably” led the NFL in “batted balls” last year.  Known for his high level playing energy, Frazier praised Allen’s effort and said that another of the 6-foot-6, 26-year-old’s attributes is that he’s “so long.”

A new player, particularly one with a high profile like Allen who has achieved Pro Bowl status and was regarded as a team leader in Kansas City, must become comfortable in his new environment and be accepted by teammates.  That’s what Frazier referred to when he mentioned the value of the Vikings’ practices this month and next, prior to the team going to training camp in late July.

Greenway was asked what the extroverted Allen will mean to a Vikings’ defense that was the NFL’s best against the run last year but mediocre on pass defense.  “Well, I think first of all, he adds great leadership quality about him,” Greenway said. … “He’s a good player.  He’s tested.  We know what he brings. …Anytime you can add a player like that, it’s going to make our defense a lot better.  So we hope he’ll fit in with us well and it seems to be a good fit so far.”

Greenway, a Vikings’ starter, is feeling much better about his own career than a year ago.  At that time he was coming off of surgery on his left knee that forced him to miss all the regular season games of his rookie year in 2006.  He said playing a 16 game season in 2007 and having the knee hold up was the best test and proof that he’s okay.

But 12 months ago at this time he felt concern.  “Last year there was so much anxiety coming into this thing (OTA’s),” he said. “The knee was a year less than where it’s at now.  So I had that kind of in the back of my mind.  I just feel a lot more comfortable out there.  I feel like I belong. …

“I am just trying to become a leader (now) of the defense.  You have so many leaders on this defense and so many good veteran players that I am just trying to fit in where I can and help out as much as I can.”

Looks like you will able to count Allen and Greenway among the leaders.