The Sporting News ranks the Vikings’ group of wide receivers last among the 16 NFC teams.  The Cardinals’ wide receivers rank No. 1 and Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. is rated the fifth best receiver in the conference.

Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano, out for the season following surgery last November on his left elbow, was 9-3 with a 1.99 ERA at this date last season, according to stats on espn.com. Those numbers look imposing on a 2007 pitching staff that only has one pitcher, Johan Santana, with more than six wins.

Santana, Torii Hunter, Joe Mauer, Albert Pujolz, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz are players Twins president Dave St. Peter would pay to see play. He said, “I don’t think there‘s been a better pitcher in baseball” than Santana and he praised Ortiz, a former Twin now with the Red Sox.  “He’s proven himself as an incredible clutch hitter…and he’s also just a wonderful guy, a great human being,” St. Peter said. 

The ACC didn’t lessen its reputation as America’s premier college basketball league in last week’s NBA draft.  The ACC led all conferences with six first round picks.  The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 each had four.  Ohio State provided three of the four Big Ten picks, with Alando Tucker of Wisconsin going late in the first round to Phoenix.  There were only two Big Ten players chosen in the second round, Carl Landry of Purdue and Adam Haluska of Iowa.  Former Minneapolis North and Wisconsin guard Kammron Taylor wasn’t drafted.

Approximately 150 Twin Cities-area families will open their homes to over 300 international players during this year’s Schwan’s USA Cup, presented by Puma.  The tournament, July 13-21 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, is the largest gathering of youth soccer teams in the hemisphere.  Last year’s tournament featured 898 teams from 28 states and 17 countries, and it is expected that this year’s tournament will draw similar numbers.  Daily attendance may average 25,000.

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.