Before the Twins open their new ballpark in 2010, it’s likely that baseball will already have been played in the downtown facility.  Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners that college baseball teams could help test out the new park prior to the first major league game.

Near the close of spring training some teams leave Florida or Arizona early to play final exhibition games.  This year the Giants and Athletics will play in the Bay Area, and the Angels and Padres will also play exhibition games in California.  The Royals will play in Milwaukee.  St. Peter said for now the Twins like their model of staying in Florida right through spring training. The Florida weather is more reliable than other places, plus the Twins benefit from sold out crowds at spring training headquarters in Fort Myers, he said.

Prep basketball expert Ken Lien’s latest rankings of the state’s top 10 boys’ teams are: Hopkins, Osseo, Minnetonka, Shakopee, Stillwater, Wayzata, Cretin-Derham Hall, Crosby-Ironton, St. Cloud Tech and Tartan. Lien, chair of the Mr. Basketball program, compiles his top 10 based on who he considers the best teams regardless of school enrollment size.

From the braggadocios, look how great I am department comes this scene following the Celtics-Wolves game Friday night:  Kevin Garnett grabbing his jersey, thrusting it toward the crowd as if to say, “Look at me and what I did!”

The annual Minnesota Football Coaches Clinic is scheduled for March 27-29 at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park and the Bierman facility on the University campus.  Speakers will include head coaches Tim Brewster of the Gophers and John Gagliardi of Saint John’s. The clinic is a partnership between the Gophers and the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association.  More information is available at www.mnfootballcoaches.com

A friend reported that former Gustavus Adolphus star Eric Butorac and his dad Tim watched from James Blake’s box seats at the Australian Open last week when Blake lost a quarterfinals match to Roger Federer.  Eric and partner Kevin Ullyet lost in the third round of doubles at the open.

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Minnesota Twins president Dave St. Peter was asked on Wednesday about the chances now of trading two-time Cy Young award winning pitcher Johan Santana.  “I am not an odds maker,” St. Peter answered with a smile.  Rated in a recent issue of the Sporting News as the American League’s best pitcher, Santana has been rumored as headed to any of several teams since last fall.

“We don’t think we have a deal that behooves trading the best pitcher in the game,” St. Peter said.  However, the Twins executive said the situation “could change in five minutes.”

In a recent Sporting News article the publication rated the American and National League’s top pitchers.  The top five in the American League were: Santana, Roy Halladay of Toronto, Josh Beckett of Boston, C.C. Sabathia of Cleveland and John Lackey of Los Angeles.

Santana confuses batters with his fast ball and changeup.  He has won 70 games during the last four seasons. Sports Headliners believes Santana will be traded to the New York Mets before the season begins on March 31 at the Metrodome.  The guess here is the Mets will make a good offer, plus shipping Santana to the National League’s offers a secondary benefit of not having to face him during the regular season.

Meanwhile, St. Peter and other front office executives are excited about the franchise’s annual TwinsFest for fans tonight through Sunday at the Metrodome.  More than 60 current and former Twins are expected to attend including Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau who will be appearing all three days.  Alumni will include Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew.

On display will be a three-dimensional model of the new ballpark. The 5-foot by 5-foot model represents the most detailed depiction of what the new 40,000 seat ballpark will look like when it opens in 2010.

Attractions include tours of the Twins’ clubhouse, national anthem tryouts, baseball cards and collectibles, kids-only player Q & A sessions, player photo stations, a baseball skills area, youth baseball clinics as well as live and silent auctions. TwinsFest hours are tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

TwinsFest is an annual fundraiser for the Twins Community Fund. Since its inception in 1989, the event has raised more than $3.6 million for programs and organizations supported by the fund.  St. Peter said he hopes this year’s event, expected to draw 25,000 to 30,000 fans, will produce over $300,000 for the fund from admissions and other revenues.  Past and present players donate their time to attend with no one receiving an appearance fee, he said.

Last year’s TwinsFest drew a record 35,000 attendance, the best not only for the Twins but any baseball team that stages a winter promotional event for fans, St. Peter said.  Atlanta and St. Louis also draw large crowds, more than 20,000, he added.

The Twins exceeded 10,000 season tickets last season for only the second time in franchise history.  St. Peter expects a renewal rate of more than 90 percent and the franchise has already sold about 750 new season tickets.

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Lawrence McKenziehas a knuckle sprain on his right hand that he admitted earlier this week bothers him.  “It’s pretty sore,” the Gophers’ senior guard said. “It’s something that gets bumped and bruised everyday at practice.  It’s hard for the swelling to go down but I wouldn’t blame the way I am playing on my hand. Sometimes when I get in a game I forget about it. …”

McKenzie’s scoring has been inconsistent.  He’s averaging 10.9 points per game after a career high of 14.9 last season. The Gophers play at Ohio State tomorrow night.  (Limited viewing here because the game is telecast on the Big Ten Network).

Stubhub.com lists a tickets price range of $56-$343 for the Gophers’ home game against Wisconsin on February 3.  The Iowa game on February 9 has a range of $57-$252.

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith is the cover story in this month’s Northwest Airlines in-flight magazine.  The feature is written by Jeff Shelman who covered Gopher basketball until this season for the Star Tribune but is now working in the paper’s news department.

Ali Lucia started work earlier this month as a news anchor and producer at Fox 47 TV in Rochester, Minnesota.  She’s the daughter of Gopher hockey coach Don Lucia.

Lucia’s Gophers have been outscored 34-18 in the third period, including 24-7 in WCHA games. But Minnesota has out shot its opponents in third periods with a 271-258 edge in overall games and a 178-145 advantage in the WCHA. The Gophers have out scored teams 51-33 in the first two periods.  Minnesota plays at Wisconsin tonight and tomorrow night.

There’s opinion that Ohio State award winning linebacker James Laurinaitis, the former Wayzata star, lacks the speed to excite NFL scouts.  That could be a reason he is returning for his senior season at Ohio State, rather than turning pro.  He hasn’t impressed in Ohio State’s two national championship games against the speed of Florida and LSU.

With the value of NFL football fullbacks who can block, don’t be surprised if the Gophers’ Justin Valentine is invited to a pro camp and makes the team.  He was a solid contributor for three seasons in the Gophers running game but didn’t fit in the new spread offense last year.

As of Tuesday, Minnesota Swarm goalie Nick Patterson led the National Lacrosse League in goals against average at 9.88 per game and ranked second in save percentage,.802. The Swarm has its first Minnesota-born player ever signed to a contract in Colin Achenbach of Burnsville, an Apple Valley High School alum.  The Swarm, 2-0, off to its best start in franchise history, plays at Rochester tomorrow night.

The women’s basketball team from Concordia University in St. Paul, is No. 2 nationally in the USA Today ESPN top 25 rankings of Division II teams.  The 2007 national champion women’s volleyball team met with Governor Tim Pawlenty earlier this week at the state capitol.

The Gophers’ track and field team will be honoring a trio of Big Ten Conference championship groups at a reunion on Saturday following the Jack Johnson Minnesota Invitational. The Gophers will welcome members of the 1998 Big Ten indoor and outdoor championship team, and the 2003 Big Ten outdoor champs.

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