Author: David Shama

Intriguing magazine cover story found while cleaning out a closet: In the December 4, 2000 issue of Sports Illustrated former Vikings’ quarterback Daunte Culpepper declared, “I want to be the best ever.”

ABC-TV NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy described Flip Saunders, the former Timberwolves coach now directing Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals, as one of the league’s best coaches.

The initial reaction was one of disappointment last week when the Timberwolves came up with the third pick in the June 26 NBA draft instead of first or second and the opportunity to take either guard Derrick Rose of Memphis or forward Michael Beasley of Kansas State.  But there’s opinion that this might be a Big Three instead of a Big Two draft.  The third option being USC guard O.J. Mayo who already has a pro body at about 6-4, 195 pounds, and has exceptional playmaking and scoring skills.  However, management’s expertise at drafting over the years provides concerns about future picks by the Wolves.

Twins infielder Alexi Casilla is hitting .306 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 11 games and 36 at-bats after being recalled from Rochester.  With the Red Wings he hit .250 with no home runs and two RBI in 96 at-bats.

The Twins are one game over .500 despite being without four pitchers who a year ago could have been projected as starters.  Scott Baker is on the disabled list while Johan Santana, Carlos Silva and Matt Garza are with other teams.

Saint Paul Saints owner Mike Veeck is part of an ownership group that wants to have a team playing in Normal, Illinois as part of the Frontier League, according to Pantagraph.com, a Web site that covers news in the Bloomington, Illinois area.

For those who keep track of the trivial in Gopher football scheduling, this year Minnesota will play only one Big Ten Conference game at home before November. The last time that happened was 1975.  The Gophers play Indiana on October 4 at the Metrodome, then aren’t at home until November 1 against Northwestern.  Not that it’s likely to happen, but the schedule sets up so there’s no potential conflict with Twins home playoff or World Series games.

Wally’s Choice, the local race horse who didn’t race at all last year after a career- threatening torn tendon in 2006, ran for the first time in 2008 on Saturday at Canterbury Park, finishing third in the eighth race of the day. Wally’s Choice is owned by Wally “the Beerman” McNeil, his wife Joyce McNeil and Canterbury Park Board Chairman Curtis Sampson.  With over $431,900 in career earnings, the owners hope that one day Wally’s Choice can break Blair’s Cove’s all-time record of $533,528 for Minnesota bred race horses.  Wally’s Choice, a seven-year-old thoroughbred, received stem cells from his own body to help the healing process from the torn tendon.

Three representatives from the MIAC were recently honored with regional awards from the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association. Saint John’s senior Chris Erichsen was named Central Region Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. St. Thomas men’s coach Steve Mathre and St. Thomas women’s coach Joe Sweeney were named Central Region Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coaches of the Year.

Defending U.S. Women’s Open champion Cristie Kerr, 30, was inspired by legendary Minneapolis golfer Patty Berg.  Kerr said earlier this week that Berg, who passed away in 2006, inspired her when she asked what it takes to make a champion.

Berg told her “you have to bleed red, white and blue.”  The advice meant playing with superior effort and inspired Kerr to wear red, white and blue clothing last year on the final day of the Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Berg was the first U.S. Women’s champion, winning the title in 1946.  Now Kerr will be trying to repeat as champion in Berg’s home area.  The Open will be played June 23-29 at Interlachen Country Club in Edina.

It will be a determined Kerr who takes to the course.  Last year not even a rain delay could stop her from going to the driving range where she worked on her game as lightening lit up the sky.

Kerr said earlier this week she’s “peaking” as she approaches the championship here. “I feel like my game is at a point where I can win again…,” she said.

In the next few weeks Kerr will work hard on her short game which she said has to be “phenomenal” to win the Open.  The Interlachen course has no flat greens and overall is considered a demanding but fair test for the golfers who will come here.

The course will be 6,789 yards, the longest yardage in Open history, with a score of 292 required to play par.  When Bobby Jones won the men’s U.S. Open in 1930 at Interlachen the total yardage was 6,672.

“It’s going to be a great championship here at Interlachen,” Kerr said.

A development to watch in major league baseball is maple bats.  Fans and media have been talking about maple bats breaking during games.  Pointed projectiles pose a danger to players and fans.

Commissioner Bud Selig said earlier this month he will be investigating whether maple bats are breaking more frequently than ash bats and if they pose a safety threat. There’s mixed opinion about what’s going on.

In an article earlier this month, a California newspaper, the Modesto Bee, said maple bats are becoming a problem in all of professional baseball.  The newspaper’s Web site, www.modbee.com, said: “To put it simply, traditional ash bats crack. Maple bats explode, and over the last six years, maple has become the preferred wood of major league baseball. Just last year, it surpassed ash for the first time, according to MLB.com, and this season 60 percent of all major leaguers are swinging maple.”

Maple bats are believed to have a harder hitting surface than the more traditional ash bats, but the view by many is that they break more frequently and explosively.  Earlier this year, for example, a Pittsburgh Pirates coach was struck in the face by a broken maple bat.

Home run king Barry Bonds had success with maple bats and players are copy cats looking for their own edge.  “To me any advantage I could gain by the bat being a little harder, I need the help,” said Twins third baseman Mike Lamb who is a lifetime .278 hitter but is currently at .222.  “I need the help.  It probably isn’t even true. …But the perception for me anyway is that it helps.”

Lamb, who has been using maple bats for the last several seasons, guessed that more Twins use maple rather than ash bats.  He said he doesn’t know if maple bats break more frequently but said “when barrels are big and handles are small, that doesn’t help either.”

Conjecture about changes includes regulating thicker maple bat handles and even banning them.