The Twins’ annual off-season to-do list has included this task in recent years: find a third baseman.  Scratch that assignment for the fall of 2010.

Rookie Danny Valencia, who turned 26 on Sunday, looks like he will own the third base job for years to come.  He joined the Twins after the season started, playing in his first game on June 3.   Since then he’s done nothing but impress in the field and at bat.

Valencia has made four errors in 71 games.  His fielding range is big league and although he’s had some throwing errors, Valencia is likely to make his strong arm even more accurate with experience.

It’s hitting, though, where Valencia has really turned heads.  He has the best average among American League rookies, hitting .337.  At Target Field Valencia is hitting .439.  In home and away games he has five home runs and 35 RBI (including 12 this month).

Former American League batting champion Tony Oliva said the Twins organization watched Valencia improve in the minors.  The 6-2, 210-pound Valencia hit .300 in the minor leagues and with two different teams in 2007 totaled 17 home runs.

Oliva told Sports Headliners last week he likes Valencia’s skills including his home run potential.  Since the time that conversation took place Valencia has hit three home runs in his last five games.

“If you see him hit in batting practice, you can see…he have a lot of power,” Oliva said.  “I think a some day when he get comfortable, he learn more about the pitchers, he probably will able to hit the home runs, too.”

The power surge maybe coming faster than Oliva expected.

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Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway used a karate kick to celebrate a big play on Sunday against Miami.  Asked if it will be a signature move he said, “We’ll see.  I don’t want to talk about that after a loss.”

Greenway said Sunday’s home game against Detroit is a “must win” and so are the remaining games on the schedule.

Bernard Berrian fumbled a football on a punt return against Miami.  Although he recovered the ball, Berrian was replaced during the game by Greg Camarillo.

Former Hutchinson and Nebraska lineman Lyndon Murtha is on the Miami roster but wasn’t activated for last Sunday’s game.

A Vikings spokesman said coach Brad Childress has talked to his players about media relations following the Jets controversy involving reporter Ines Sainz.

The Jaguars have signed former Vikings quarterback and Minnesota native Todd Bouman, 38, who hasn’t played in an NFL regular season game since 2005.

Former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton and his family have moved back into their suburban Minneapolis home that was badly damaged by fire last year.

Gophers coach Tim Brewster said safety Kim Royston, who is still recovering from a broken leg earlier in the year, was expected to be in “full pads” at practice yesterday and is “chomping at the bit” to see game action.  No announcement, though, when Royston will play.

Flip Saunders was at the Gophers-USC game last Saturday to see twin daughters Rachel and Kim who perform for the Minnesota Dance Team.  Saunders, the Washington Wizards coach and former Gophers player, told Sports Headliners he has occasionally thought about the coaching opening at his alma mater in 2007.  He was then coaching a Detroit Pistons playoff team and the timing wasn’t right to pursue the Gophers job that went to Tubby Smith.

When Saunders played for Bill Musselman in the 1970s the Gophers performed a pre-game ball handling routine set to music that filled the seats and electrified fans.  Saunders said if he ever coaches collegiately he will use the pre-game show.

Saunders, who still has a home in this Minneapolis area, said John Wall was in town earlier this summer to spend time together and that the 2010 NBA first overall selection will start for the Wizards.

Ricky Rubio, the Timberwolves point guard in waiting, has improved his three point shooting percentages in the Euroleague from 16.7 to 35.8, according to https://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=LFW.

The Twins and the Downtown Council are auctioning off five of the “Twins Around Town” statues.  The statues can be viewed online and also bid on by visiting https://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100913&content_id=14615584&vkey=pr_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min. The auction ends at 9 p.m. Sunday.  A portion of the auction proceeds benefit the Minnesota Twins Community Fund.

If a Big Ten Conference hockey league is formed with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State, each team presumably will play 20 conference games, filling in the balance of their schedules with non-league games.

The Wild become acquainted with the Blues this week in opening preseason games tonight at Xcel Energy Center and Friday in St. Louis.  The Friday night game will be telecast by KSTC-TV.

Coach Glenn Caruso has his St. Thomas football team off to an impressive start.  The Tommies are 3-0, have outscored opponents 116-24 and are ranked No. 4 nationally in the D3football.com poll.  Saint John’s is No. 18 in the poll. https://www.tommiesports.com/ftbl/news/FBPoll-9-6.html

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The Vikings offense that struggled in its opening game against New Orleans didn’t do much to change its profile yesterday, losing to Miami at Mall of America Field 14-10.

After the game the Vikings were 0-2 in the standings and observers, including former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton, wondered if a first quarter decision to decline a field goal opportunity was a major mistake.

On the Vikings’ opening possession in the first quarter they drove to the Miami 27 where they faced a fourth down and two yards to go.  With the fans cheering (of course), Vikings coach Brad Childress decided to try for a first down, but a Brett Favre pass was incomplete.

“I can’t believe he (Childress) did that,” former Viking Mike Morris said on KFAN Radio after the game.

Morris and Dalton preferred the almost certain three points a field goal would have provided.  The argument is why not take the points and put Miami behind early.

Instead of a 3-0 Vikings lead, Miami took over at its own 27 yard line and scored a touchdown nine plays later.  “Miami is not a high scoring team,” Dalton said.  “They’re a ball control team with good defense.  When you have (face) that kind of team, take the points every time you can get them.  That’s potentially a 10 point swing and momentum.”

Childress said his decision was about being aggressive in approach. “I thought we had good momentum right there, and I was trying to play off that,” he said.  “It’s like going for two points early in the game. Would the three points have been nice? Yeah, three points would have been nice, but there’s a lot of other plays to be made going down the line. Just trying to be aggressive, and send a message to our team. I thought we were moving the ball pretty well right there.”

The Dolphins led 7-0 at the half and were ahead 14-0 with less than seven minutes to play in the third quarter.  The Vikings recovered a Miami fumble at the Dolphins one yard line and converted that into a touchdown late in the third quarter.

With 7:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, Ryan Longwell kicked a 28-yard Vikings field goal to make the score 14-10.  Later in the quarter Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson recovered a Miami fumble at the Dolphins’ 24 yard line.  Because the Vikings needed a touchdown, the drive ended on the Miami one yard line with about two minutes remaining in the game.

In the last minute of the game, the Vikings drove inside the Miami 30 yard line looking for a touchdown without success.  If the Vikings had come up with three points in the first quarter, they would have been in position to win the game 16-14 with a last period field goal.

The day ended with a second consecutive loss.  There were somber faces and quiet voices in the Vikings’ locker room after the game.  NFC North Division rivals Green Bay and Chicago are 2-0, the Vikings 0-2.

The Vikings must now play Detroit (0-2) at home next week, then take a bye before facing a demanding October schedule against the Jets, Cowboys, Packers and Patriots with three of the four on the road.

“They’re not in a great position (record), and they’re not playing with confidence offensively.” Dalton said.  “The defense continues to play well.”

The decision to forego the first quarter field goal is no doubt understandable to some observers. A first down might have sent the Vikings’ offense on the way to a touchdown, boosted confidence and helped provide a win.  This is an offense that has produced but 19 points in two games while the defense has given up only three touchdowns (one score yesterday came from recovering a Favre fumble in the end zone).

Dalton said Favre and the passing game are struggling because his personnel is different than a year ago.  Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, a Favre favorite remains a weapon, but wide receiver Sidney Rice is sidelined indefinitely and the team’s other big play making receiver, Percy Harvin, has missed practice time with Favre because of migraine headaches.  Wide receiver Bernard Berrian and Favre have yet to click with one another.

The passing game looks out of sync.  There’s not much explosiveness.  Favre, who had three interceptions and a fumble, looks like a quarterback in search of help.  Struggling is the short version.

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