At 4:45 p.m. on Sunday the NBC telecast of the gold medal Olympicsl hockey game between the U.S. and Canada had a 35 rating and 63 share on KARE 11, according to an email from a station executive.  That translates into about 630,000 homes and 800,000 viewers age 18-plus in the local marketplace.

At $1.8 million annual salary, Tubby Smith is the fourth highest paid basketball coach in the Big Ten Conference, according to Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi.  Ohio State’s Thad Matta, Indiana’s Tom Crean and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo make more.

No Gopher women’s player made the first, second or third all-Big Ten teams announced on Monday.  Brittany McCoy and Kiara Buford were honorable mention on the media selected team, and McCoy was given the same honor by the conference coaches.

Coach Pam Borton’s Gophers, the No. 11 seed, play an opening Big Ten tournament game in Indianapolis tomorrow against Penn State starting at approximately 1:30 p.m. Minneapolis time.

The Wild resumes its regular season schedule tonight in Calgary, the team’s first game in 17 days.  The Wild has won three straight against the Flames for the first time in franchise history.  Calgary wing Jarome Iginla, historically successful against the Wild, has been held without a point this season.  He is the all-time leader against the Wild in points, goals and shots.  He doesn’t have a goal in his last nine games against Minnesota after scoring a hat trick in 2008.

Patrick Klinger, Twins vice president of marketing, told Sports Headliners recently that the franchise has sold an all-time high 21,000 season tickets, with more sales expected in the weeks ahead.

The most intriguing story at Twins spring training could be Francisco Liriano.  He was overpowering during winter baseball in his native Dominican Republic following a disastrous 2009 season with the Twins when he stopped pitching because of a tired arm and his ERA went to an all-time big league high of 5.80.  At 26, and coming off three seasons of inactivity or disappointing results, this season could determine Liriano’s longevity with the Twins and whether he becomes a reliable (if not overpowering) starter.

Major League baseball teams are expected to search out European talent with more frequency in the next 10 years.  The Twins are already involved with 7-foot-1 pitcher Loek Van Mil, a native of the Netherlands, on the 40-man roster.  Further down in the system is Germany’s Max Kepler-Rozycki who signed on with the Twins organization as a 16-year-old outfielder last year.

Former Ch. 9 sports anchor Jim Gilleland is selling real estate in partnership with wife Beth for RE/MAX.  The Gillelands are based in Cottage Grove.

Lewis Garrison and other former Gophers are offering skills training in April as part of their PreSnap Football Academy.  More at https://www.presnapfootball.com/

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It’s mostly seashells and balloons for the Minnesota Twins right now, only days after opening spring training camp near the beach in Fort Myers, Florida.  Popular opinion is this team looks like the best in years, a possible World Series entry in the fall.

But not so fast, my friends.

Spring training optimism emanates from even the most mediocre of franchises.  The start of a new season can create a euphoria that defies logic.  That’s not the accusation about the glowing predictions for the 2010 Twins, but let’s not plan a championship parade from Target Field to Hennepin Avenue yet.

A concern this team must eventually put to rest is not so much performance by its players, but availability.  The Twins have several players, including key contributors, who have been cozy with the injured list.

Joe Mauer played only 109 games in 2007 and last year missed the first month of the season.  Although Mauer is only 26, he plays catcher, the most punishing of positions.  The three-time batting champion, two-time Gold Glove winner and 2009 American League MVP is indispensable to the Twins.

First baseman Justin Morneau was the AL MVP in 2006 and at 28 remains among the elite players in the league.  He averaged about 600 at bats from 2006-2008.  But  if he thought he was an Ironman, a back injury that sidelined him after September 12 for the remainder of the season proved he wasn’t.  Both Mauer and Morneau have experienced severe back problems, sometimes not the best place to have injuries and expect a long career.

Outfielder Michael Cuddyer, 30, had a career season last year, hitting 32 home runs, with 94 RBI and a .276 batting average.  He was exceptional in the clutch and steady, as usual, in the field.  The season contrasted with 2008 when injuries seemed to follow Cuddyer around and he played in only 71 games, with 249 at bats.

Joe Nathan, among baseball’s elite relievers in recent years, had off season elbow surgery to remove bone chips.  Nathan was sometimes ineffective late in the season including the playoff series when the Yankees swept the Twins.  At 35, Nathan has thrown a lot of pitches over the years.  Will his arm be healthy and effective for another 40 saves or so?

If not, the Twins might be able to receive help from Pat Neshek, but after missing all of last year following elbow surgery his potential is unknown.  Neshek, 29, has a violent right handed delivery that has produced impressive numbers in the past such as a 2.19 ERA in 2006.  But that delivery doesn’t seem like associated with longevity.

Kevin Slowey will be counted on as a starter after his season ended last year in early July.  Slowey, 25, had wrist surgery and should be ready to produce for a pitching staff that isn’t completely set on its starting rotation and relievers.  Among the reasons for that is not knowing what to expect from former starters Francisco Liriano (major elbow surgery in 2006) and Glen Perkins (arm tendinitis last year).  Both are 26.

So if there’s a championship parade you can count on seeing most of the players.  They will be healthy and able to attend.

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The Wild likely will fall into the “No” categories regarding a trade this week, and qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but long term Glen Sonmor likes what he sees.

The NHL trading deadline is Wednesday and Sonmor, who used to scout for the Wild and before that made a career of coaching in the pros, recognizes both the difficulty of making trades and also the Wild’s personnel needs.  “Everybody (in the NHL) could use a couple more goal scorers,” he told Sports Headliners.

He is impressed with the franchise’s new leadership, coach Todd Richards and general manager Chuck Fletcher, both in their first seasons here.  “They have good guys in charge but it will take awhile,” Sonmor said.

The Wild resume play at Calgary on Wednesday.  The Wild’s record is 30-27-4              and the team probably won’t make the playoffs unless the right mix of factors occurs including goalie Niklas Backstrom playing extraordinarily.  The Wild’s 64 points ranks 13^th among 15 Western Conference teams.

But because hockey fans here are so knowledgeable, Sonmor expects the public to remain patient with the new regime.  The “P” word isn’t heard so often with the Gophers, though.  Sonmor, who does radio commentary on the team’s games, has watched the Gophers struggle each of the last three seasons, but remains a coach Don Lucia supporter.

The Gophers have a disappointing record of 16-16-2 overall, 11-13-2 in the WCHA.  Last season Minnesota didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament for only the second time in Lucia’s coaching career with the Gophers that began in 1999.  The Gophers were 17-13-7 overall, 12-11-5 in the WCHA.  Lucia, who coached the Gophers to national championships in 2002 and 2003, also had a disappointing record two years ago, 19-17-9 overall, 9-12-7 in league play.

Sonmor is aware of speculation about Lucia’s job security.  He said Lucia has a “tremendous” overall record and the criticism “boggles” his mind. “I don’t think there will be a change,” he said.

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