Bethel can move on to the Division III national championship semi-final game if the Royals defeat Central College of Pella, Iowa tomorrow.  The Royals would then play the winner of the Mount Union versus St. John Fisher game, also being played this weekend.  The game against Central College will be in Pella and begins at noon, and the broadcast can be accessed at www.kniakrls.com. Bethel won its second round playoff game last week, 21-12 over UW-Eau Claire.  The Royals were undefeated during the MIAC regular season, 8-0.  Overall the Royals are 11-1, including two playoff games for the first time ever (previous record 0-4).  Quarterback Ben Wetzell was chosen the MIAC MVP and Steve Johnson Coach of the Year, the second consecutive season he has won that award.  The awards were voted on by conference coaches.

The New York Post speculates that the Twins may keep pitcher Johan Santana until next summer’s trading deadline, allowing time to see if the team can challenge for a Central Division championship and the playoffs.

The New York Yankees have the most regular season wins, 686, since 2001.  They are followed by Oakland, 649, Boston, 645, St. Louis, 641, Atlanta, 639, the Los Angeles Angels, 621, and the Twins, 619.

The annual TwinsFest is scheduled for Friday, January 25 through Sunday, January 27 at the Metrodome. The event will provide fans their first opportunity to purchase single-game tickets to 2008 home games. Tickets go on sale at 5:30 p.m. on January 25 at TwinsFest, www.twinsbaseball.com, (612) 33-TWINS and (800) 33-TWINS and Twins Pro Shops.  A tentative 2008 schedule is expected to be finalized soon and includes an opening series with the Angels and Torii Hunter.

Twins pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training in Fort Myers on Sunday, February 17. The full squad is expected on Friday, February 22. The team’s first game in Fort Myers will be on Friday, February 29 against the World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

Ryan Amoroso of Burnsville, who started his college career at Marquette, led San Diego State in scoring Wednesday night with 19 points as the Aztecs defeated Loyola Marymount, 78-56.

Former Gopher coach Dan Monson is 1-4 at Long Beach State.  Three of the four losses have been by 15 points or more including a 40 point loss to Brigham Young and 22 points to Montana State.

The Gophers, who have a weekend home series with Michigan Tech, are not ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation in this week’s USA Today/USA Hockey national poll. It’s the first time the Gophers have not been in the publication’s top 15 since December of 2003, ending a streak of 99 consecutive polls that Minnesota was ranked. The Gophers, who were 15th in the poll last week, are still ranked 14th in this week’s U.S. College Hockey Online national poll.

Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber, running back Duane Bennett and guard D.J. Burris are included on The Sporting News 2007 Freshman All-Big Ten Team. Minnesota’s three selections on offense were the most of any team in the Big Ten.

Minnesota seniors Dominique Barber, Amir Pinnix and Ernie Wheelwright have been selected to play in the 2008 Hula Bowl all-star game.

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These are the end times, according to many Minnesota Twins fans.  Taking a “Chicken Little:the Sky is Falling” approach, the Metrodome roof will be collapsing, figuratively if not literally, next spring when the Twins open the 2008 season against Torii Hunter and the Los Angeles Angels.

Listen to fans in the days since Hunter was traded and they will make you feel like the Twins are in a nosedive comparable to the stock market.  Hunter is gone.  Johan Santana, Joe Nathan and Carlos Silva won’t be around much longer.  Even Justin Morneau, the doomsdayers contend, won’t play a game in a Twins uniform in the new downtown ballpark that opens in 2010.

The facts are the Twins aren’t as good without Hunter and they were a team with hitting and player position needs before he took the $90 million contract and headed west, deciding that $45 million wasn’t enough to make a life that he wanted.  The reality, too, is the Twins may lose more players either through free agency or trades, but the truth also is no one knows at this moment what the opening day roster will look like.

Patience and perspective, not panic, is the recommended prescription for ailing Twins fans.  The organization ranks among the winningest teams in the American League in recent years and the Twins have made the playoffs four of the last six seasons. (Since the 2001 season only six major league teams have won more games than the Twins and just two are from the American League, New York and Boston).

The front office team has used a philosophy of developing talent in the minor leagues and filling other needs with effective trades.  The results have made the small market Twins, using budget restraint, the envy of some other organizations.

Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners on Monday that the organization is determined to field competitive teams now and in the future including when the new ballpark will provide additional revenues that he said will be invested back into players.  What’s his definition of competitive?

“A team that has an opportunity to advance to post season play and contend for a world championship,” he said.  “Of course, we’ve been to the post-season four out of the last six years.  We’ve been in that position.  We failed to get it done once we got there but getting there in baseball is obviously a significant accomplishment. …That’s our intent.  It’s not to be .500.  It’s not to win 85 games.  It’s to get to get to the post-season. …”

St. Peter said the franchise’s same baseball leaders, including Terry Ryan, Bill Smith and Tom Kelly, are still with the Twins.  The goal is to return to the playoffs where a team can get hot and go on a winning streak as Colorado did this year, surprising almost everyone by participating in the World Series.

St. Peter said he shares the frustration of the public about Hunter and understands it, but he hasn’t been hearing that the 32-year-old outfielder is worth $90 million to the Twins.  What about the gloomy feelings of many fans?

“It’s a reaction to people’s feelings toward Torii who was a player that obviously connected with people,” St. Peter said. “I fully understand that and get that.  At the same time, despite his departure, it is not an organization that has the cupboard bare. …It’s a franchise that has a solid nucleus of players.  Now, do we have holes? Yes. … The final chapter has not yet been written.  I continue to believe we will go to spring training with a team that is much more dynamic offensively than the team that we had in 2007. …That’s our intent. …”

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The Wild are at home tonight playing the team Lou Nanne describes as the “surprise of the NHL.”  The former Minnesota North Stars president said the Phoenix Coyotes were a pre-season pick for “last” among the NHL’s 30 teams, but “no name guys” have come through and the Coyotes are in fourth place in the Southwest Division with an 11-10 record including 22 points, four fewer points than the Wild. Minnesota is in second place  in the Northwest Division with 26 points.

Among the contributors to Phoenix’s success is 19-year-old Bloomington native Peter Mueller.  The young center has six goals and four assists in 20 games. He is one of the leading goal scorers on a team that has won four consecutive games. Defenseman Keith Ballard, 25, from Baudette, is the other native Minnesotan on the Phoenix roster.  His two goals have him tied for 30^th among NHL defensemen in that category.

Goalie Ilja Bryzgalov, claimed off waivers from Anaheim earlier this month, is having an impressive start to the season. He ranks sixth in the NHL in goals against average at 2.08.

Wayne Gretzsky, “The Great One,” has been a part owner for several years and the team’s coach since 2005.  The franchise is working on three consecutive last place finishes in the Pacific Division and hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2001-2002 season. That’s why this season’s start has caused attention.

Gretzky, hockey’s greatest player, has inspired various tributes to his career performance including monuments.  Nanne said hockey came so easy to Gretzky it may at times be difficult for him to relate to his players.  “I would think that’s his biggest challenge,” Nanne said.

Nanne said Gretzky is doing his best coaching job this season.  He is “getting players to play together.”

The Wild had lost three of their last four games before winning on Saturday against        Nashville. Nanne said injuries to key players like forwards Pavol Demitra and Mikko Koivu have held a “good team” back. “They’re not go

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