Marilyn Dutcher, wife of former Gophers basketball coach Jim Dutcher, passed away on Monday. Condolences to the Dutcher family. https://www.edenprairienews.com/news/deaths/funeral-notice-marilyn-r-dutcher-108
Twins home attendance has increased a major league best 37.1 percent through August, according to MLB.com’s Baseball Daily News. The Twins, playing their first season at Target Field, averaged 100.6 percent of capacity through games ending August 31.
The Twins won 18 games in August, the most in the American League. More of the same in September might enable them to finish with the best overall record in the league and earn home field advantage in the playoffs. The Twins will need that kind of edge against better teams like the Yankees and Rays.
Among the reasons the Twins have to be thinking about bringing back 40-year-old Jim Thome next season is he’s hitting .280 (7-25) as a pinch-hitter.
Twins third baseman Danny Valencia is hitting .446 in games at Target Field. He has hit safely in 24 of 28 games there during his rookie season.
Although St. John’s has won the last three MIAC titles and been the conference’s marquee football name for decades, it’s St. Thomas that received the most votes from league coaches in a preseason poll. The Tommies received seven of nine first place votes and 63 total points to lead the preseason poll followed by Saint John’s, Bethel, Concordia (Moorhead), St. Olaf, Gustavus Adolphus, Augsburg, Carleton and Hamline.
St. Thomas third-year coach Glenn Caruso has three All-Americans back from last year including wide receiver Fritz Waldvogel, the MIAC’s 2009 MVP. The others are center Josh Ostrue and running back Ben Wartman.