Justin Morneau was frustrated during spring training but he’s answered any doubts he or anyone else may have had with an impressive start this season.  The Twins first baseman is leading the American League in hitting with a .369 batting average, and ranks in the top five in both home runs and RBI.

Morneau didn’t play after September 12 last season because of a stress fracture in his back.  In spring training this year he hit .160 with two home runs and eight RBI in 50 at bats.

But so far Morneau’s bat production has been so good it even invites tepid speculation about a Triple Crown season.  No one in the American League has been the leader in batting average, home runs and RBI since Carl Yastrzemski did it playing for Boston in 1967.

That 43 year drought says plenty about the difficulty involved in winning a Triple Crown.  Yet Morneau is gifted and last year Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew told Sports Headliners the “sky’s the limit” for the 29-year-old first baseman.

Morneau has been turning heads since 2006 when he won the American league MVP award with career best totals of 34 home runs, 130 RBI and a .321 average.  In each of the last three seasons he has driven in 100 or more runs and two of those years had 30 home runs or more.

Morneau, who has been with the Twins since 2003, once struggled in the big leagues until he gained more experience and manager Ron Gardenhire helped him to better production.  Killebrew, who hit 573 career home runs, admires Morneau’s power and remarked last year how far Morneau has progressed.

Morneau is sometimes crowded out of the headlines by teammate Joe Mauer, perhaps baseball’s most valuable property.  The odds against a Triple Crown are considerable but if Morneau did lead the American League in batting average, home runs and RBI it would certainly make the baseball world appreciate him even more.

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Forbes national editor Michael Ozanian wrote earlier this month that after another failed attempt to obtain legislative support, it “seems that Zygmunt Wilf is on his way to Los Angeles.”  Ozanian bases his opinion on more than the legislative experiences and the early 2012 expiration of the franchise’s lease in the “antiquated” Metrodome.

Ozanian writes that the franchise has over $300 million in debt.  He states that Wilf has invested “personal cash” and made “multiple capital calls to his partners.”  Further, Ozanian reports that his sources say the Vikings will receive “first nod” by the NFL to move to Los Angeles. https://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2010/05/minnesota-vikings-lose-new-stadium-vote/

A local source with knowledge of the Vikings said the franchise might carry the amount of debt referred to by Ozanian.  The club’s finances aren’t part of the public record.

The same source, speaking anonymously, questioned why the league would give the Vikings preferential treatment for a Los Angeles move.  Other franchises, with Jacksonville being the best example, have also been linked to a possible Los Angeles relocation and represent smaller markets than Minneapolis-St. Paul.  “Moving the Vikings to Los Angeles is not a net gain for the NFL,” the source said.

Vikings’ stadium efforts will peak during the 2011 legislative session.  The fate, however, of whether a bill is passed might be decided much earlier after the race for governor sorts itself out.  The state could end up with a pro, neutral or anti-stadium leader.

The Metrodome site remains the most likely place for a new stadium but much isn’t decided about the facility including where it will be and how to pay for it.  City of Minneapolis leaders haven’t shown strong support for funding the stadium and the city is still paying off the Convention Center.  What hasn’t been reported in the media is that the city owned Target Center will need tens of millions of dollars in renovation in coming years and that could be a larger priority for Minneapolis than a new Vikings stadium.

The source believes the state will need to solve the funding question, although he mentioned Hennepin County might play a role.

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Junior college hall of fame coach Jay Pivec has applied for the new men’s head basketball coaching job at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount.  Pivec’s coaching job was eliminated at Minneapolis Community and Technical College when the school disbanded its basketball programs after last season.  Dakota County Technical plans to start men’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs for the next school year.  Dakota already has soccer, baseball and softball teams.  The new basketball coach will need to assemble a roster and schedule, plus help determine practice and game sites (not available on campus).  It was 20 years ago this spring that Pivec was hired at Minneapolis Community and Technical College where he had a legendary career.

Don’t expect the Washington Wizards management, including coach Flip Saunders, to struggle with who to pick at No. 1 in the upcoming NBA draft.  With the first overall choice, the Wizards will take Kentucky point guard John Wall, not Ohio State forward Evan Turner.

Gophers basketball season ticket holders will pay $2 more per game ($33) for next season.  It’s the second increase since 2002.

It’s not difficult to realize why the Twins pitching is so-so, just look back to 2006.  Four years ago the Twins had a promising prospect in rookie Matt Garza, a first year wonder in Francisco Liriano, a Cy Young winner in Johan Santana and All-Star closer Joe Nathan.  Garza, now with Tampa Bay, is 5-3 and among the league leaders in wins.  Liriano, who has impressed several times this season, is still trying to prove he’s a dominant pitcher after Tommy John surgery nearly four years ago.  Santana hasn’t been Cy Young-like while pitching for the Mets, but could help the Twins a lot.  Nathan is out for the season following Tommy John surgery.

Garza, with 57 strikeouts, is the right-handed power pitcher the Twins lack in the rotation.  He’s also durable.  In five of his last 10 starts he’s pitched eight innings.

Anthony Slama is 0-0 with a 1.69 ERA at AAA Rochester.  The right-handed relief pitcher, 26, has impressed in the minor leagues but Twins general manager Billy Smith said on KSTP Radio last Sunday that Slama has more work to do in the minors.  “He’s going to be a big league pitcher,” Smith said.

The baseball Gophers, who won the regular season Big Ten title, will play their first game today in the conference tournament in Columbus against Indiana starting at 6 p.m. Minneapolis time.  All tournament games are being televised on the Big Ten Network.

Sports Illustrated writer Peter King stirred up the Green Bay-Vikings rivalry with his recent power rankings of NFL teams.  He has the Packers No. 1 and the Vikings (a “bubble team” for the playoffs) at No. 13.  He writes that the Vikings offensive line is in “decline.” https://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/05/16/ranking/index.html

Dustin Byfuglien, the Minneapolis born, Roseau raised hockey player, has eight goals in 16 NHL playoff games this spring for Chicago, a team that opens the Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday against Philadelphia.  The 6-4, 257 pound wing, who also has played defense, only scored 17 goals during the regular season.

The Hockey News rated Blaine forward Nick Bjugstad as the second-best American prospect and ninth-best prospect overall in its final rankings before next month’s NHL Entry Draft.  Defenseman Cam Fowler, from Farmington Hills, Michigan, is ranked No. 3.

Gustavus’ Max Hanson is the Central Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, Bethel’s Marie Borner the region’s Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and Gustavus’ Janey Helland the Field Athlete of the Year.

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