Michigan State football coach John L. Smith’s Big Ten Conference career record in his fourth and last season is 12-18. During the same period Gopher coach Glen Mason’s record is 13-17.
The Wild play in Los Angeles Saturday night trying for a third win this season against the Kings. Goalie Manny Fernandez is 2-0 against the Kings with a 1.00 goals against average and has stopped 69 of 71 shots.
Roy Smalley, Twins TV analyst, said it will be a challenge to find the player but he hopes the team can add a right handed power hitting designated batter for next season. That need is based on the assumption the team will keep right handed hitting Nick Punto (only one home run last season) at third base, a position where teams often have power hitters.
KARE 11 sportscaster Randy Shaver, who watches countless hours of high school football video and coaches eighth grade football at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, said Cretin-Derham Hall junior wide receiver Michael Floyd already ranks with the state’s best ever prep players including Joe Mauer. Benilde-St. Margaret’s high school team is in the state playoffs and Shaver will be covering the team including his son, Ryan, for KARE 11. In 24 years of reporting on the state playoffs, that’s a first for Randy.
Rob Leer, former KSTP TV sportscaster, owns Leer Communication and Consultants, an Edina based company offering a variety of marketing and publicity services. Leer is directing media relations for the “Boxing Is Back” card at Target Center on November 17. Matt Vanda and Anthony Bonsante will headline bouts as part of the first boxing show since Minnesota reinstated the sport.
Wally Shaver, Gopher hockey play-by-play announcer on WCCO Radio, said his father Al and mom Shirley, both 79, are in good health and living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Al was the play-by-play radio voice of the Minnesota North Stars for all 26 seasons here. Wally is in his sixth season covering the Gophers.
Brian Buchanan, 33, the former Twin who played with the St. Paul Saints last summer, will join the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the Japanese Pacific League in 2007. He becomes the first Saints player ever to agree to play in Japan. He is the 83rd player to move from St. Paul to a major league organization and the first to go to Japan where the major league minimum salary is $300,000 (Buchanan specifics not announced). His manager will be Sadaharu Oh who hit 868 home runs and batted .301 in a 22-year career in Japan.
In voting by MIAC coaches, the following schools are pre-season choices to become conference champions: St. Thomas, men’s basketball, Concordia, women’s basketball, St. Thomas, men’s hockey, and Gustavaus, women’s hockey.