Perhaps honeymooning Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is sitting near the Great Wall in China today applauding vice president Kevin McHale for making two significant additions to the roster and praying that more improvements are coming.   The billionaire from Mankato left for China earlier this week with new bride Becky and hopes that his basketball team is in the midst of multiple off-season moves to end a three year slide that has seen the Timberwolves miss the playoffs and lose money. 

The trade on June 14 that brought Juwan Howard to the Timberwolves and last night’s choice of Corey Brewer as the team’s No. 1 pick in the NBA draft are good beginnings for a team that had a 32-50 record in 2006-2007 and was not pleasant to watch the last month of the season.  Howard, a 34-year-old 13 season veteran, brings a reputation for scoring and locker room leadership.  Yup, need that.  Brewer, a 21-year-old from the University of Florida, is a high character and versatile 6-foot-9 athlete who can play shooting guard and small forward. He makes plays for teammates, scores and can defend point guards, shooting guards and small forwards.  Lord, we need that, too.  

But we need to ask the Almighty, not to mention McHale and the other Wolves’ personnel guys, for more help, too.  The transition from loser to winner will take more than Howard, Brewer and a guy named Kevin Garnett.   

Are the Wolves after a star player from another team as they look to make additional moves?  “We’re after the five players who can play the best together that we can get,” Timberwolves president Chris Wright told Sports Headliners last night. 

The Wolves are going to make additional changes, right?  “I would not expect this franchise to look the way that it is today at the beginning of next season,” Wright answered.  “It’s obvious that we have to consider doing something.  The question is when you take a look at all the opportunities that are out there, what is the best opportunity for us? …”  

Wright praised McHale for doing an “incredible job over the last four weeks” in his management of the potential Garnett trade, noting that the Timberwolves didn’t initiate transaction rumors but decided to listen to offers. “He (McHale) has set the bar for if we were to consider something, what it would be,” Wright said.  “Kevin Garnett is the face of this franchise. He’s the consummate professional.  He’s done everything that he can possibly do for this franchise here.  We are not going to do anything that…harms our ability to be able to compete on that basketball court with him or without him. What Kevin McHale will do is analyze every opportunity and he will only do what he believes is in the best interest of making this team more competitive. …”

Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners he’s still trying to schedule an opponent for the TCF Bank Stadium opener on September 12, 2009.  Because of previous commitments and other factors it’s unlikely the opponent will be a football school with an elite national reputation, Maturi said. 

Notre Dame was his first choice but the Irish have said no.  Maturi is a Notre Dame alum and knows the school’s athletic director so he was hopeful about a historic Gopher-Irish opener.  Notre Dame, however, is already playing a schedule dominated with Big Ten Conference opponents and wasn’t interested in adding another, according to Maturi. The two schools haven’t played against one another in football since 1938.                

California, already scheduled to be the Gopher opponent in the second TCF Bank Stadium game, is probably unwilling to switch from September 19 to September 12, Maturi said.  The Golden Bears, who have become a top 25 team, play Maryland on September 5 and Maturi said California prefers to avoid back-to-back games with the Terps and Gophers.

College football scheduling has become a challenge with schools demanding big pay days and return games.  Plus, most schools are looking for a mix of competitive opponents and pushovers.

Maturi said there is still discussion in the Big Ten about adding a ninth conference football game but no decision is imminent.

Maturi said the University still must raise about $26 million as its share of an $80 million commitment for the $295 million stadium.  He hopes to have the $26 million secured within the next 12 months.  Large commitments already include $35 million from TCF Bank, $5 million from Dairy Queen, $3 million from Best Buy.  Maturi said several individuals are providing $1 million each.

The Twins front office is preparing for its groundbreaking event at the new baseball stadium site on August 2. “We’re still obviously planning,” said team president Dave St. Peter.  “I think that it will be certainly bigger in scope than your traditional groundbreaking and I think it should be.   I think it’s a chance for the community to come together.” 

St. Peter told Sports Headliners that a concert will be part of the event and VIP’s may include baseball commissioner Bud Selig, governor Tim Pawlenty, Twins catcher Joe Mauer, first baseman Justin Morneau and team alums Tony Oliva, Paul Molitor  and Kent Hrbek.  Up to 25 current and former Twins are expected to attend the event which begins at 5 p.m. with the groundbreaking ceremonies at 7 p.m.

Carlos Silva, 6-8 after winning yesterday against Toronto, is 3-1 in his last four starts with a 2.90 ERA in those games.  The Twins stole three bases in three attempts yesterday and have now made good on 85 percent of their steals.

Tim Ryan, son of Twins general manager Terry Ryan, is pitching this summer for the Mankato MoonDogs of the Northwoods League.  Tim, who also plays for the Gophers, had a 0-0 record with a 5.06 ERA in about 10 innings of work, according to stats listed earlier this week on the Mankato team’s web site. 

Gopher athletic director Joel Maturi, who resides near downtown, said basketball coach Tubby Smith will live across the alley from him but hasn’t move into his residence.

The Minnesota Lynx web site lists a 13 player roster and a source reports the team has a $700,000 player payroll.   

Sixty-three U.S.-born players, representing a record 30 percent of the total, were selected in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft last week.  The previous high was 28.2 percent in 2006. 

Over the last three-plus decades the Minnesota High School All-Star Football game has had 57 players who have gone on to play in the NFL including former Gophers Ben Utecht and Marion Barber III.  This year’s game will be played tomorrow starting at 7 p.m. at St. Cloud State University. FSN North will televise the game live.