Patrick Klinger, the Twins vice president of marketing, may become a compassionate kidney donor. That means he would be willing to provide one of his kidneys to someone he doesn’t know.
A couple of years ago Klinger went through three days of testing at the Mayo Clinic to determine if a portion of his liver would be compatible for transfer to a college friend. Klinger wasn’t a match but a liver from a cadaver saved his friend’s life.
Earlier this year Klinger was ready to donate a kidney to former Twins player and manager Frank Quilici. A woman who is a family friend was a better match and about one week ago Quilici had successful surgery.
“I just think what greater gift can you give than the gift of life,” Klinger said.
The Twins, who are averaging about 33,000 fans per game at home, are likely to see an increase in attendance during June not only because schools will dismiss for summer vacation, but three teams with box office appeal, the Brewers, Cubs and Phillies, will be in town. Ticket inventory, Klinger said, is tight for those games.
Former Twins outfielder Mickey Hatcher, who was in his 13th season as Angels hitting coach, was fired last week. The Angels rank No. 26 among major league teams in runs scored with 159.
The St. Thomas baseball team plays Christopher Newport from Newport News, Virginia on Friday in the Division III Baseball College World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Tommies are 38-8 while their opponent is 34-8. The Tommies are in pursuit of their first national championship since 2009. The championship game will be played on Tuesday.
Minnesota State plays Southern New Hampshire on Saturday in the Division II Baseball College World Series in Cary, North Carolina. The Mavericks are 48-10 this season while Southern New Hampshire is 42-13. The tournament is double elimination as is the Division III competition. The Mavericks have made 31 NCAA tournament appearances.
Ricky Rubio received the second most points in voting by NBA head coaches when they determined the league’s All-Rookie team, announced yesterday. The Wolves point guard was second in points, 49, to Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving who had 58. Wolves rookie forward Derrick Williams made the All-Rookie second team.
The Gophers football schedule for the 2015 and 2016 seasons (released on Monday) includes games against Ohio State in Minneapolis and Columbus. It’s the first time the Buckeyes have been on the Gophers schedule since 2010. Ohio State leads the series against Minnesota 43-7.
Only one date was left open on the schedules, the September 19, 2015 slot where the Gophers are still looking for a nonconference opponent, probably at home.
It was 10 years ago yesterday that former Gophers athletic director Paul Giel died. “If 100 people met Paul they wouldn’t like him. They would love him,” his friend Harvey Mackay said.
Former WCCO TV anchor Don Shelby has nearly 5,000 friends on Facebook, and he’s receiving well wishes for his May 27th birthday.
The Wild are aggressively shopping their No. 7 pick in the first round of the June 22 NHL draft, a pro hockey source told Sports Headliners. “I hear they’re willing to take offers for an established or established players,” he said.
The Wild could also trade the pick to acquire additional draft choices, although that doesn’t seem as likely. The team is badly in need of scorers, and also lacks “leadership in the clubhouse,” according to the source.
“If you watch any of the playoffs you can see how far away the Wild are (from being a post-season team),” he said. The source’s opinion is the Wild needs “three or four” good players to be more equal with at least some playoff clubs.
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