Manager Ron Gardenhire said Kyle Lohse is a “great guy” but the former Twins pitcher was too concerned about “quality starts” or why he was pitching out of the bullpen. “He was just one of those guys who was into his stats and all those things, and that’s a situation we are just not caught up with around here,” Gardenhire said. “Great kid…it’s just that sometimes you clash on the field on what your goals are as a team.”
Jason Kubel, who had 220 at bats this season with a .241 average, is a hitter with potential who may help the Twins much more in the future. In the minor leagues Kubel, 24, hit over .300.
You wonder if Rondell White, 34, will return to the Twins in 2007. Although he raised his batting average to .246, after hitting .198 on June 1, his legs don’t allow him to play every day in left field.
Don’t think, too, the Twins aren’t concerned about the inconsistency and future of starting pitcher Carlos Silva. He lost six of his last nine starts and for the season had a .594 ERA.
A year ago the Vikings were 1-3 heading into their bye week and in three of their four games they had scored just 31 total points. Defensively the Vikings had given up 104 points in the four games. When the Vikings resumed their schedule the staff had been expanded to add consultants Foge Fazio and Jerry Rhome to help with the defense and offense. The unorthodox maneuver of adding veteran consultants during the season won’t be repeated this time, not with a new coaching staff confident with its ways and the team at 3-2.
Want to meet Mark Parrish of the Minnesota Wild? He will be at the Festival Foods grand opening (401 West 98th Street in Bloomington) on Sunday from 5 to 6 p.m.
Often injured Timberwolves guard Troy Hudson (played in 36 games last season) said he has bone spurs in his ankles. Before training camp he was talking about developing a rest or recovery schedule between practices and games that will allow him to be effective. “With the right amount of recovery time I feel I can maintain a healthy career throughout,” he said.
Ryan Wittman, Randy Wittman’s 6-7 son from Eden Prairie High School, will be a freshman basketball player at Cornell this season.