Twins – Page 192 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Worth Noting

Posted on May 21, 2012May 21, 2012 by David Shama

Tom Lehman, Fred Couples and 18 more of the top 20 players on the Champions Tour will compete in the 3M Championship in Blaine July 30-August 5. Arnold Palmer will also participate. Lehman, the Minnesota native, tied for second in last year’s tournament behind champion Jay Haas.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill expects today or tomorrow to see the classroom grades of his players from last semester. Kill and his staff have worked with players to significantly improve academic performance but that’s no guarantee there won’t be disappointments. “It’s one day at a time,” he said.

Kill hopes his players, including the quarterbacks, will volunteer their time to workout during the off-season this spring and summer. It’s not mandatory, but quarterbacks MarQueis Gray, Max Shortell, Phillip Nelson and Mitch Leidner are likely to be throwing to Gophers receivers in the weeks ahead.

Nelson and Leidner are freshmen but Kill said no decision has been made on redshirting. “We’ll make those decisions after two-a-days end,” Kill said referring to scheduled practices in August.

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said it’s “inevitable” college football will go to a national championship playoff. “It’s what the public wants,” he told Sports Headliners.

Gophers women’s basketball coach Pam Borton promoted Curtis Loyd to associate head coach. Loyd joined the staff as an assistant coach in 2010 and is credited with improving Minnesota’s defense. Last season the Gophers held opponents to a program record low field goal percentage of .375.

It will be 20 years ago this summer the Dream Team that included Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan competed in the 1992 basketball Olympics. The Timberwolves’ Christian Laettner was on that team.

The Wild will have an 18-community promotional trip that includes players and other celebrities. The trip begins June 25 and ends June 28. www.wild.com

Hamline is sending three men and three women to next weekend’s NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships in Claremont, California including senior Devin Monson who ranks among the five best performers nationally in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.

Former Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek, born in Minneapolis, celebrates his 52^nd birthday today.

The Twins will see former teammate Orlando Hudson when they open a three-game series tomorrow night in Chicago against the White Sox. The second baseman was released by San Diego last week but signed with the White Sox. He’s playing with his fifth major league club in five years.

Major League Baseball just finished its first weekend of Interleague baseball this season. Next season, with Houston switching from the National League to the American, there will be Interleague play throughout the season.

The Twins, who won two of three Interleague games against the Brewers in Milwaukee Friday-Sunday, are 150-117 in Interleague competition, among the best records in baseball.

By the way, who was the last Twins pitcher to hit a home run?

Jim Kaat in 1972.

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Worth Noting

Posted on May 18, 2012May 18, 2012 by David Shama

Maturi said the Gophers will receive a maximum of $300,000 from the Vikings for each of the NFL team’s games played at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers will charge rent and receive a share of certain revenues including concessions.

He also said seating expansion of TCF Bank Stadium will include but not necessarily be limited to adding bleacher seats in the west end zone. While the Vikings will be able to play games in the Metrodome during coming seasons, it’s already clear they will sometimes have to host games at TCF Bank Stadium while their new facility is constructed near the dome.

Monster Energy AMA Supercross has booked the Metrodome for April 13, 2013, returning to Minneapolis after a five year absence. The best attended AMA Supercross event at the dome was 60,049 in 1997.

Former Wolves All-Star Kevin Garnett, whose Celtics team leads the Sixers 2-1 in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs, will be 36 tomorrow.

Ex-Vikings coach Bud Grant, still active with travelling, hunting and fishing, celebrates his 85^th birthday on Sunday.

The Vikings report to training camp for a 47^th consecutive year in Mankato on July 26 with the first team practice the next day. The Vikings will break camp on August 16.

Gophers football players will report for the coming season on August 2 and practice begins August 3. The Gophers open the schedule at UNLV on August 30.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed that Henry Ellenson, the Rice Lake, Wisconsin high school freshman, was offered a scholarship this week by the Gophers. His older brother, Wally, will be on scholarship as a college freshman this fall for the Gophers.

With this week’s announcement by major league baseball that the 2013 All-Star game will be awarded to the Mets, it sets up further speculation Target Field will host the 2014 game.

Twins rookie shortstop Brian Dozier has only one error in 11 games since his recall from Class AAA Rochester. He’s hitting .298 with two home runs and five RBI.

The Twins projected starting pitchers for the three game series against the Brewers that opens tonight in Milwaukee: Carl Pavano, 2-3, 5.14 ERA; Scott Diamond, 2-0, 0.00 ERA; Jason Marquis, 2-3, 6.68 ERA.

Close followers of the Twins organization will be surprised if super prospect Miguel Sano won’t be playing for Minnesota in two years. Sano, the 19-year-old Beloit Snappers third baseman, leads the Midwest League in home runs with 11.

Canterbury Park opens its live racing season tonight. The Shakopee track will have racing every weekend through Labor Day. Special promotions will include ostrich and camel racing on July 21.

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Despite Slow Start, Mauer Goals in Reach

Posted on May 9, 2012May 9, 2012 by David Shama

Joe Mauer set goals of a .300 batting average, 20 home runs and 100 RBI before the season began, according to grandfather Jake Mauer. Slowed by a bruised left knee recently, Mauer has seen his average drop from over .300 to .286. He has only one home run and 15 RBI.

“He’ll hit .300,” Jake told Sports Headliners on Monday. “Definitely. I hope he hits 20 home runs and I hope he hits about 90 RBI. I think he will. I think he’ll have a good season from now on because he’s healthy. He’s strong. He has no pains. No aches except the knee. He’s ready.”

Mauer’s left knee was hit by a foul ball while catching in a game on April 30. His grandfather said Joe had swelling and has not been able to place normal weight on his back foot while hitting, but Joe expected to return to normal during the team’s homestand that started Monday.

“He just got dizzy like he got a left-handed hook (from) a boxer,” Jake said. “He just got staggered and it (the knee) swelled up.”

Jake is hoping Joe will have a May something like 2009 when his grandson hit 11 home runs with a .414 average and 32 RBI. That kind of production would not only help Mauer reach his season goals, but help the run-hungry Twins create more offense. Last night in a 5-0 win over the Angels Mauer had two hits in a game for the first time since April 29.

Jake is a former baseball player and passionate Twins fan. “The Twins this year are feeble,” he said. “They cannot hit the ball. They have no pitchers that can go over seven innings. Their bullpen is not bad.

“It doesn’t look good. It really doesn’t. I hope they beat last year’s standings as far as wins and losses.”

The Twins were 63-99 last season. In 2012 they are 8-21 so far and Mauer told his grandfather players are stressed. “He says, ‘Everybody is trying too hard.’ …They should try to do what they can do and that’s it.”

The Twins all-star catcher has to be frustrated with all the losing this season after playing on four division title teams. “He wants to win the World Series so God damn bad,” Jake said.

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