Wide receiver and kickoff man Percy Harvin, troubled in the past by hip and headache problems, said after the game he was okay and felt no discomfort.

Vikings wide receiver Greg Camarillo had never returned punts until the Miami game a week ago Sunday.  The sure-handed Camarillo said his best time in the 40-yard dash was between 4.5 and 4.6.

Chris DeGeare, the Vikings’ rookie offensive tackle, not only works as a backup at both guard positions, but has been told to prepare at right tackle, too.

Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards is the legal guardian for nephew Dominic Edwards who has been playing for Chaska High School.  The young Edwards, 6-3, 210, is also a defensive end and being recruited by Akron, according to his uncle.

Former Vikings owner Billy Joe (Red) McCombs is worth $1.3 billion and ranks 308 on the Forbes list of wealthiest Americans.  https://www.forbes.com/

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said on his KSTP Radio show yesterday it’s “hard to think about how we’re going to be able to get something done now”…but “we’re wide open” regarding a possible return by first baseman Justin Morneau.  Gardenhire said Morneau is expected to continue taking batting practice at Target Field and rehab from his concussion while the Twins are on the road this week.

The Twins would love to have a healthy Morneau back for the playoffs under any circumstances, perhaps particularly now that injuries are bothering and even sidelining some players.  “But I think the big concern is just make sure we have him ready for spring training,” Gardenhire said on the radio.

Francisco Liriano, who will pitch the first Twins playoff game, has lost his last two starts after not losing a game from July 9 thru September 14.

KARE 11 sportscaster Randy Shaver, a prep football enthusiast who watches tape on about 36 teams per week, estimates about 90 percent of metro teams run a spread offense at least occasionally if not full time.

“We are the team to beat,” Michael Beasley says during an interview on NBA.com. The Wolves 21-year-old forward amended his prediction on the spot when he said that was his ego talking and acknowledged the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are a better bet to win the 2011 NBA title, but certainly Beasley, 21, showed his swagger in his “we are the team to beat” statement. https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/video/2010/09/15/BeasSept15FINAlmov-1415893/index.html

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Gopher basketball M man John Bell Wilson said Adam Boone has ended his pro career in Austria and is back in Minneapolis.  The ex-Gopher guard wants to work in sports administration, Wilson said.

Tubby’s Tipoff on Friday, October 15 starts at 10 p.m. and will provide Gophers fans their first look at coach Tubby Smith’s team.  The event at Williams Arena will include a scrimmage and dunk contest.

Minneapolis born and New Jersey Devils star Zach Parise was among the hockey celebrities at an NHL image making cocktail party hosted by Vanity Fair magazine earlier this month at New York’s Monkey Bar, according to The Fischler Report of September 21-27.  Attendees also included Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

All Big Ten teams begin playing conference games on Saturday and Minnesota, 1-3 after four nonconference games, is the only team in the league with a losing record.  It looks like Minnesota’s eight conference opponents will all be favored in games against the Gophers who before the season started were predicted to finish with an overall 2-10 record.

Ed Rauen, 75, has been covering Gophers football for KROC Radio in Rochester since 1973.  He had no broadcasting experience when he went on the air for KROC as a color man on Gopher football games in 1973.

Former Edina state tennis champion Whitney Taney has been elected a co-captain by her University of Michigan teammates.  Taney and Rika Tatsuno from California will be co-captains for the Wolverines who began their fall schedule last weekend. The two were 10-0 in doubles last season and ranked No. 4 nationally.  Taney, a senior and captain for the second consecutive season, has been selected to play in the ITA/Riviera Women’s All-American Championships next month.

J Robinson’s Gopher wrestling team is ranked No. 4 in WrestlingReport.com’s national preseason ratings.  Cornell is No. 1.   https://wrestlingreport.com/college/rank/ncaa_rank.htm

Robinson, 64, has worked for years without a multi-year contract but is negotiating a deal now with Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi.

Fans of NFL teams can become involved with “The Kick Hunger Challenge,” an online campaign led by Taste of the NFL. The idea is for fans from all 32 NFL teams to compete against each other to see who can raise the most money for food banks. The online-only campaign is an extension of the Taste of the NFL’s events that support hunger relief.  Fans who register at www.TasteoftheNFL.com can create their own fan page to forward to family and friends and “draft” them to make a financial donation and be part of the challenge.

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Former Vikings running backs coach Dean Dalton told Sports Headliners he’s still an Adrian Peterson admirer but after last season Peterson must re-establish himself as the No. 1 rusher in the NFL.

“No, there’s a legitimate debate,” Dalton said. “Chris Johnson ran for a couple thousand yards last year.  He kept Tennessee alive when they were 0-6 and then they had an 8-2 finish. …”

Johnson led the league in rushing with 2,006 yards.  What Dalton liked, too, was Johnson didn’t have turnover problems like Peterson who fumbled seven times during the 2009 regular season and six of them were recovered by the opposition.

Peterson, who led the NFL in rushing in 2008, ran for 1,383 yards last season.  Dalton not only likes Peterson’s speed, power and elusiveness, but said the fourth year running back is improving his pass protection and catching.  Still, Dalton, who hosts an NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, said Johnson will be No. 1 in the league “until Adrian can unseat him.”

Going into Sunday’s game against Detroit, Peterson is third in NFL rushing with 232 yards, while Johnson is No. 5 with 176 yards.  After two games Peterson has no fumbles and that trend will obviously help him become No. 1.

In the September 20 issue of Sports Illustrated Peterson told Dan Patrick he’s better than Johnson.  Patrick asked Peterson his reaction to those who say Johnson is the best?

“I say to each his own,” Peterson said.  “I play the game to be the best player, and that doesn’t change my mindset at all.”

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