The Vikings, 2-4, play six of their last 10 games at home, starting with Sunday’s noon game with Philadelphia.  Three of the next four games are here, with the only road date in Green Bay on November 11.

Vikings’ coach Brad Childress spent seven seasons with the Eagles, including four as offensive coordinator.  Vikings’ defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was the defensive backfield coach for the Eagles from 1999-2002.  Former Gophers’ fullback Thomas Tapeh, now with the Eagles, has rushed 12 times for 42 yards this season.

Speculation is that Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb could end up in the NFC North next year, either with Chicago or the Vikings.

Adrian Peterson not only leads the NFL in rushing yards with 670, but his 6.2 yards per attempt is best in the league.

The Vikings’ defense is tied for first in takeaways (16) with Detroit, Seattle and Tennessee.

Gophers’ basketball coach Tubby Smith wants a practice facility other than Williams Arena.  Athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners the project must wait until fundraising is completed for the new TCF Bank Stadium.  The facility’s cost is unknown since details of the building plan haven’t started.

Hockey coach Don Lucia is interested in facility enhancements, too, including a players’ lounge at Mariucci Arena.  Maturi said an alumni lounge is another possibility and that expanding the team’s training table to beyond once per week is desirable.  Maturi also said both the basketball and hockey enhancements must be paid for through fundraising rather than the athletic department budget.

There’s been talk about expanding the Big Ten Conference football schedule from eight to nine games but Maturi said he doesn’t think it will happen.  There are “too many” issues with an unbalanced schedule.

Nothing has changed so far amidst speculation that the Twins won’t have the budget to sign both Johan Santana and Torii Hunter to new contracts.

It was 30 years ago this fall that the Gophers beat then No. 1 ranked Michigan 16-0 at Memorial Stadium.  Tomorrow the Gophers are at Michigan and they have defeated the Wolverines only twice (1986 and 2005) since their dramatic win in 1977.

The defending national champion Gopher wrestling team begins its season on Saturday, November 10 at the Bison Open in Fargo.  Seven times Big Ten Coach of the Year J Robinson has outstanding returnees including two-time national champion and potential Olympian Cole Konrad.

St. Thomas tries for its first win in Collegeville since 1986 when the Tommies play at Saint John’s on Saturday.  An overflow Clemens Stadium crowd of more than 10,000 (capacity 7,500) is expected to watch one of small college football’s better rivalries.  The Tommies (2-5 overall, 2-3 in the MIAC) haven’t defeated the Johnnies (8-0 and 6-0) and legendary coach John Gagliardi since 1997 in the Metrodome.  Two Rocori High School grads start at quarterback, SJU senior Alex Kofoed and Tommie junior David Sauer.

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The next Gopher football recruiting class will be “one of the best in school history.” Coach Tim Brewster, who according to NCAA rules can’t talk specifically about recruits at this time, said at his weekly news conference yesterday that the response by prospective players to Minnesota is outstanding.  The Gophers have 16 verbal commitments for 2008, including three players rated four out of five stars, according to rivals.com.

The players with the four star rating are wide receivers Brandon Green of Chicago and Vincent  Hill of New Berlin, New York, and linebacker Sam Maresh of Champlin, Minnesota.  The Gophers, of course, will continue to recruit beyond the 16 players until signing day next winter.  While Brewster has generated a lot of attention with his spread offense, he made it clear yesterday the Gophers will emphasize defensive recruits and that the way to championships is built with great defensive players.

Brewster said yesterday he “loves to recruit” and he’s assembled much of the staff in his image.  Asked what elements are appealing to recruits so far, Brewster launched into praise of the present and future facilities at the University including the new TCF Bank Stadium scheduled to open in 2009.  He identified the stadium as the only such completely new facility built in the last “50 to 60 years” on a college campus.  “We’re re-connecting with our past history and tradition and getting back on campus,” he said.

Brewster also spoke about the academic opportunities at the University and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. “The Twin Cities is one of the amazing sells in the Big Ten,” he said.  “We’re not out in the middle of the corn field. We’re in a beautiful city environment here with so many things to offer. There are 20 Fortune 500 companies here within a 20 mile radius of this University. That’s better than any college in America. …”

With the Gophers 1-7 and lacking talent and depth at various positions, there are opportunities for new players to play soon.  Brewster called that factor a “tremendous selling point.”

If Brewster and his staff come up with a top 25 rated recruiting class it will be the first within memory at Minnesota.  It won’t hurt the rankings that people like Brewster including media who specialize in recruiting information.

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Although Colorado has been the hottest team in baseball, Twins president Dave St. Peter is picking Boston to win the World Series that opens tonight in Boston.  “It’s hard to pick against Colorado (but) I am an American League guy at heart,” he said.  “Boston in six. …”

St. Peter said the “Red Sox have more pitching depth and the bullpen is stronger.”  He pointed out the Red Sox won 96 games (tied with Cleveland for the most in the majors). Also, many observers think the American League is better than the National League where the Rockies won 90 games. The Rockies closed the regular season winning three straight, then won seven in a row in the National League playoffs.

Enthusiasm is mile high in Denver, an outstanding sports town participating in its first World Series.  St. Peter likened the scene to that of the 1987 Twins who were a surprise World Series team just like the Rockies and captivated this area after the World Series hadn’t been played here since 1965.

Although St. Peter wouldn’t talk about specific dates, he said the Twins have had discussions and will continue to regarding signing outfielder Torii Hunter to a new contract.  “The Twins are in regular communications” concerning the Hunter negotiations, he added.

There’s been speculation that future free agent pitchers can’t command the same record amount of Barry Zito’s deal with San Francisco last off-season (reportedly has the potential of over $140 million).  St. Peter said “pitching is in such short supply” and so valuable that free agents will continue to be well compensated, even if the dollars are less than Zito.

Johan Santana will be a free agent after the 2008 season.  Some suggest that the Twins are better served spending their limited budget on quality everyday players rather than a pitcher, even a great one like Santana who has won two Cy Young awards.  St. Peter said the Twins evaluate “each situation” differently and don’t have a philosophy of preferring position players over pitchers, or vice versa.

Next Tuesday, October 30, the Twins will update the Hennepin County Board with progress on the downtown ballpark and show new images of the facility that opens in 2010.

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