The Minnesota Twins hosted an impressive public groundbreaking party for their stadium last week featuring celebrities, fireworks, and a fly over salute by military planes.  An estimated crowd of 5,000 attended, enjoying $1 brats, $5 beer and a concert, plus autographs from Twins alumni, speeches and the witnessing of history as shovels broke ground on the $522 million project in the downtown warehouse district. 

The event had been rescheduled from earlier in August because of the 35W bridge tragedy.  The postponement added to the cost, according to a Twins spokesman, but he declined to identify a figure.  Another source said the original event budget was about $130,000.  Corporate sponsors helped the Twins cover much of the expense. 

Speculation continues as to how much the final cost of the stadium land will be.  A condemnation panel set the value at almost $24 million late last month but that decision is likely to be appealed.  That’s about $11 million more than Hennepin County was prepared to pay and it’s been known for some time that while the county will not pick up the difference the Twins will be involved.  A source at the groundbreaking event suggested that the city of Minneapolis could be a revenue source, contributing money from two nearby city owned ramps expected to generate about $7 million annually.  However, another source said the city will not use those revenues for that purpose but could help the stadium project, including infrastructure, with a new Minneapolis ticket tax expected to generate about $3 million annually. 

Among those absent from the groundbreaking ceremonies were governor Tim Pawlenty, mayor R.T. Rybak and a number of Twins players.   Pawlenty reportedly declined to attend, perhaps sensitive to the bridge tragedy and flooding crisis in southern Minnesota.  Rybak had a conflict and attendance at the event was optional for Twins players.

Joe Mauer probably generated the biggest cheers from the crowd, some of whom booed commissioner Bud Selig, no doubt recalling the days several years ago when major league baseball considered contracting the Twins franchise.  Mauer, who grew up here watching indoor big league baseball, talked about how excited he is to play outside in the new stadium.  Selig described the Twins as a special franchise because of its successful history including two world championships and said the team’s “front office is the envy” of baseball for its intelligent management.  He told the crowd the new stadium ensures the Twins will be in Minneapolis for the “next two or three generations.”

The vision for the 40,000 seat ballpark, scheduled to open in 2010, includes making the facility one of the best in America.  Planners are in the advantageous position of coming at the end of a major league baseball stadium era that began in the early 1990s and they can pick and choose from the best features.

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Bert Blyeven, who won 287 games during his 22-year major league career, believes Francisco Liriano needs to modify his pitching delivery before he resumes his comeback from elbow surgery next season.  Blyleven, now the Twins TV analyst, described Liriano’s delivery as “violent,” noting that the 23-year-old left hander even had arm trouble as a minor league pitcher with the San Francisco Giants.  Liriano had a 12-3 record and 2.16 ERA last season as a rookie sensation before injuring his arm.  Blyleven suggested Liriano can improve his mechanics in a few ways including using more of his lower body and not placing so much strain on his left elbow. 

Just a sports columnist’s intuition but I don’t think Torii Hunter will re-sign with the Twins.  He can make too much money elsewhere on what will likely be the last and most mega contract of his career.  Hunter had an exceptional August hitting .325, with five homers, 21 RBI and 19 runs scored.

The Minnesota Wild will hold its media day on Thursday, September 13 and open training camp on Friday, September 14.  The first pre-season game is Wednesday, September 19 against Detroit at Xcel Energy Center.

Former Gopher women’s athletic director Chris Voelz and men’s hockey coach Glen Sonmor will be among 13 inductees into the M Club Hall of Fame on Thursday, September 27.  The event will be at the Ted Mann Concert Hall on the University’s west bank campus with a social hour from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by the program.  Ticket information is available by calling  612-624-4497, or 1-800-846-7437.

From the strange but true department: Former Gopher coach Glen Mason was at Maynard’s restaurant in Excelsior earlier this summer when he accepted a spontaneous invitation to join Dan Barreiro on-air.  For years Barriero was probably Mason’s No. 1 media critic but the twosome chatted away during a KFAN remote broadcast from Maynard’s.

The public can see the Viking football team tonight (Tuesday) at 6 p.m. in the Rotunda at the Mall of America.  Head coach Brad Childress will address the crowd following team introductions and designated players will speak. Coordinators Darrell Bevell, Leslie Frazier and Paul Ferraro will answer questions from team play-by-play man Paul Allen.  A few players will sign autographs later in the evening at mall locations to be announced at the Rotunda event.

Childress received an autographed copy last week of Murray Warmath’s biography, “The Autumn Warrior.”  The former Gopher head coach and Viking assistant, now 94, has an open invitation to attend a Viking practice.  

The guess here is the Vikings lost 8,000 to 12,000 season tickets during the off-season.

Gopher Athletic Director Joel Maturi said his department will receive $7.5 million from all TV revenue sources, including the new Big Ten Network.

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If the Twins don’t re-sign Torii Hunter for next season, they figure to miss more than his run producing bat and gold glove fielding.  Tell-it-like-it-is Torii is a major presence in the locker room and sometimes his words of leadership make it into the press, too. 

Hunter has been producing for the Twins who have won five straight games. In the team’s latest series, he homered twice and drove in seven runs to help the Twins sweep four games from Baltimore. The team is now four games over .500 and within 2.5 games of second place Detroit and 5.5 games of first place Cleveland. 

It was in mid-August that the Twins were on a five game losing streak when Hunter good-naturedly but directly scorned the team’s lousy performance. “I said forget that,” Hunter told Sports Headliners.  “You all suck. I suck. The manager sucks. Everybody sucks in this clubhouse. …We started winning. You kind of just joke around about it. It’s nothing serious. It’s just a little joke. At the same time just a little reverse psychology.” 

Hunter talks directly, knowing the truth can hurt and some people don’t want to hear it, but he avoids publicly saying things that could be offensive.  He’s confident about speaking the truth and said he doesn’t care what others think.  Earlier this year he talked about often injured teammate Joe Mauer who missed about a month of this season with a quadriceps injury.  

“All I was saying is that some people have to be 100 percent (to play) and that Joe Mauer might be one of those guys and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Hunter said. “You want to be 100 percent to perform, (then) I want you to be 100 percent to perform but I’ve just never been 100 percent. …” 

Some people told Mauer that Hunter was saying he was soft.  That wasn’t what Hunter said. “We talked about it,” Hunter explained.  “We cleaned the air and it was all gravy. He understood.  …” 

Hunter, who made his major league debut 10 years ago this month, has long exemplified leadership qualities.  “I was always ready for it,” Hunter said. “I’ve been the type player that tries to motivate the guys.  Not trying to be a leader, just trying to motivate. … I am very competitive.  I want to win.  So when I get going I’ve got that football mentality.  Going out there, getting guys pumped up and ready to go. …That’s probably how I became a leader because I was always getting guys pumped up.” 

Although the major league season is long with 162 games, he tries to motivate himself and others for every game.  His tactics range from drinking coffee to jumping up and down.  Injuries are not to be an obstacle to leadership and performance.  

“I get in the lineup every day, no matter if I am hurt or not…and just kind of lead by example,” Hunter said.  “When you lead by example people tend to follow.  If I can go out there every day hurt, no matter what, maybe the other guys will too.”

Manager Ron Gardenhire praised Hunter’s leadership when asked if the veteran centerfielder was the team leader. “He should be,” Gardenhire said. “He’s a guy that’s been here. He’s grown up in this organization.  He understands what it takes to win and how hard it is to maintain any kind of consistency at this level.  I think what people forget is that there’s a lot of good baseball players on all teams.  When you’re facing good pitching, sometimes it makes it look like you can’t hit. So…you have to stay on the even keel and not get too high and too low and I think that’s one of the things Torii tries to make our younger players understand. …”

What’s wrong with the Twins compared to last season’s team that a year ago was 22 games over .500?  Hunter said the weaknesses of some teammates have been identified by other teams and adjustments must be made to respond.   “The league catches up with you,” Hunter said.

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