On a short list of questions about the Minnesota Wild’s playoff prospects is whether this team has the physical toughness to last beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Last year the Wild took an early exit against a more physical Anaheim team. Now, however, there’s opinion inside and outside the Wild organization that Minnesota can play more physical hockey.

The late season acquisition of forward Chris Simon was controversial because of Simon’s history of on-ice aggressiveness.  A lot of fans and media caused a critical uproar over the Simon acquisition but he will be judged more positively if the Wild advance deep in the playoffs and he avoids incidents that are worthy of YouTube.

The Wild’s leading scorer, Marian Gaborik, told Sports Headliners on Saturday that Minnesota is “definitely tougher” than last year.  In the same breath he mentioned  Simon along with other team enforcers, Derek Boogaard, and Todd Fedoruk. “These guys are there to protect us,” Gaborik said.  “They’re doing a good job and they’re playing well.  And that’s what we need.”

The energy and intensity with which teams compete in the playoffs results in a more conservative, defensive, physical style.  “It’s a totally different level of hockey,” Gaborik said.  “It’s a big challenge.  Big competition.  You have to just go out there and work your butt off, and be ready mentally and physically.”

Gaborik, whose famous groin problems in the past have limited his playing time, has played in 75 games this season.  He has set a new single season career record with 80 points.

Gaborik said his physical status is “all good” now.  He also said off-season exercises, along with properly warming up before playing, and massage on his legs, have all been successful parts of his prevention program.

The Wild finish the regular season with games on April 3 and 6, then await the playoffs.  They are fourth in the Western Conference standings and first in the Northwest Division.

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The Twins will measure themselves against their Central Division rivals in April, playing each of their rival four teams.  Minnesota faces division opponents in 16 of its first 28 games.  The Twins play seven straight dates starting with tonight’s opener at home with Los Angeles.

The 2008 Miller Lite Vikings’ Draft Party will be Saturday, April 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and general admission tickets go on sale tomorrow, according to the team’s Web site, www.vikings.com.  The event will be in the Winter Park field house with Vikings players and cheerleaders in attendance.  Tickets are $10 in advance, or $15 on April 26.   Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com, at the Vikings’ ticket office in the Metrodome, or the Vikings’ Locker Room store locations.  The Vikings have the 17^th pick on the first round.

University of Minnesota president Bob Bruininks told Sports Headliners during an interview that his long term plan to improve recreational and intercollegiate facilities could possibly provide a basketball practice facility for coach Tubby Smith.  The facility might be used both for recreational activities and basketball.

Bruininks said a new baseball stadium, to be located on the present Siebert Field site, may cost about $10 million.  Private fund-raising for the stadium has to increase; and he declined to set a date for completion of the facility.

Bruininks enjoys watching various sports including baseball.  His father umpired years ago in the women’s professional baseball league.

His salary is approximately $438,000 while football coach Tim Brewster makes $1 million and Smith earns $1.8 million.  As Bruininks looks at the college “arms race” in salaries where compensation levels for coaching is pushing near or beyond $4 million, he has concerns.  He won’t pay salaries at that level.

Brewster and his staff are hosting high school football coaches for a fish fry dinner preceded by a Gopher scrimmage on Friday, April 11.  More information is available by calling the Gopher football office, 612-624-6004.

Brewster talking about quarterback Adam Weber who was named to the Sporting News freshman All-American team last season:  “Adam has the potential to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country as he progresses.”

If it’s been a few weeks since you drove by the TCF Bank Stadium, you will be impressed with how much structure there is to the new stadium that opens in the summer of 2009.

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No sport defines the calendar like the major league baseball season.  For generations fans have known the season starts in early spring and ends with the falling leaves in October.  There’s a comfort to realizing big league baseball season has pretty much been this way forever and some of the game’s great traditions like opening day are ageless.

The Twins and all major league teams begin play next week.  The charm of opening day ranks with baseball’s most special events like spring training, the All-Star game and World Series.  Opening day, though, comes to every major league town every year and that makes it unique among baseball’s great moments.

The Twins’ season and home opener is Monday at the Metrodome against the Los Angeles Angels.  This is the earliest home opener in Twins’ history and matches the March 31 road opener at Detroit in 2003.

Here are a dozen things to love about opening day:

Trivia talk: Stump your friends if you know stuff like this will be the Twins’ first opener ever against the Angels.  The most starts by a Twins’ opening day pitcher? Brad Radke with eight openers.

Build up: Anticipation for the opener builds like a kid waiting for Santa Claus.   By the late innings you may be disappointed with the score, but it sure was fun looking forward to the opening game.

Truancy:  Go ahead and admit it.  As a kid you skipped school and later as an adult blew off work to watch the opening game.  Keep the excuses to yourself. 

Newcomers: There are new faces to be seen at each opener.  Curious Twins fans look forward to evaluating center fielder Carlos Gomez, left fielder Delmon Young, third baseman Mike Lamb, shortstop Adam Everett, second baseman Brendan Harris and pitchers Livan Hernandez and Nick Blackburn.

Worth the adulation: Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan are admirable heroes on and off the field.  And with their long term contracts you can cheer them in the new ballpark.

Cynicism proof:  Even the skeptical media and your grouchy friends are carried away by the jubilation of opening day.  Okay, maybe a couple of negative types hold out, but not many more than on Christmas.

Openers past and future: Go ahead and day dream about 2010 in the new ballpark.  If you’re old enough, recall the 1962 home opener when snow surrounded the outfield fence and less than 15,000 showed up on a chilly April day at Met Stadium.

Burst into song:  Singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning is just like belting out “Happy Birthday to You” at a party.  Everybody joins in and nobody cares if you sound like a sick cow.

Storytelling: Former Twins’ radio announcer Halsey Hall once set the press box on fire with his cigar ashes.  Willie Mays came through here in 1951 and was hitting .477 before the New York Giants called him up to the big leagues.  Go ahead and tell a few baseball stories of your own.

Argue and debate:  It’s great fun to argue and debate about baseball players and issues while driving to and from the game, and while watching the opener.  Just to get things rolling, argue with a buddy about where the Twins will finish, the starting pitching, whether Mauer should move from catcher to another position and the impact of steroids on baseball.

People watching: Count how many celebs you see on opening day that are AWOL the balance of the season.  Go easy on them, though.  Opening day is special and it’s even for casual fans.

Real bats: On a lot of baseball diamonds you have to put with the gawd awful sound of the ball making contact with an aluminum bat.  Not in the majors, the bats are wooden and the tradition continues.

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