Dalton’s Eden Prairie home burned earlier this month and will have to be rebuilt.  He is involved with pro and college media work including hosting a weekly TV show with Gophers coach Tim Brewster.

The Vikings can become the unofficial AFC North champions before year end.  The Vikings have wins over Cleveland and Baltimore.  On Sunday they play at Pittsburgh and have a home game on December 13 against Cincinnati, the fourth member of the division.

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been struggling and receiving criticism.  During last week’s loss to Purdue the much publicized sophomore threw two interceptions and fumbled twice.  The Gophers MarQueis Gray has been compared to the athletic Pryor who is now in his second season as a starter.  Pryor’s statistics include completing 56 percent of his passes, averaging 167 yards per game and throwing eight touchdown passes.

Part of Pryor’s challenge reportedly has been dealing with modifications in the Ohio State offense to include more option pitch or keep for the quarterback.  Pryor’s offensive teammates haven’t performed up to Buckeyes standards.  Coach Jim Tressel said at his news conference after the Purdue game that it’s not what media want to “write” but he refuses to single out players for criticism, and coaches, too, must share in collective problems.

How did he evaluate the quarterback? “The No. 1 measuring stick is we didn’t win,” he said.  “So the evaluation wasn’t good.”

Gray and Adam Weber are roommates on Friday nights before Gopher games.

Steve Solem of BOLD High School has 200 career wins after a 41-0 victory over Lac qui Parle last week.

The annual banquet honoring the prep player chosen as Mr. Football will be held starting at noon on Sunday, December 6 at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park, according to https://www.mshsca.org/Football/.

Any team potentially interested in trading for soon to be 36-year-old Twins reliever Joe Nathan presumably has to satisfy themselves about questions regarding velocity on his fast ball and control of his pitches.

NBA sources see the Timberwolves as the No. 14 team among 15 in the Western Conference, according to https://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ian_thomsen/10/19/scouts.picks/index.html.

FOX Sports North will televise 35 Timberwolves games in high-definition during the 2009-10 season (an increase of 15 from last season).  The first HD telecast will air on Friday, October 30 against Cleveland.

Center Mikko Koivu will be the Wild’s full time captain for the season, according to a team announcement yesterday.  “Mikko possesses all the qualities you want your leader to have,” said coach Todd Richards. “He is passionate, has a great work ethic and competes for everything.  The way Mikko plays defines him as the leader of our team.”

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Brett Favre’s fourth quarter playmaking helped the Vikings defeat a desperate  Ravens team at the Metrodome yesterday.  The Ravens, 3-3 and losers of three straight games, were trying to end their streak with a comeback in the last minute of the game but the Vikings were lucky enough to see Baltimore place kicker Steve Hauschka send a 44 yard field goal attempt wide left and walk away with a 33-31 win.

The undefeated 6-0 Vikings led 20-10 at the end of the third quarter. They increased the margin to 27-10 before the Ravens started producing touchdowns with an offense that frequently had Minnesota’s defense guessing about what was next.  That’s what happened when Ravens’ running back Ray Rice, a stout rusher with extraordinary balance, ran 27 yards to score on a misdirection play to send Baltimore ahead 31-30 with less than four minutes to play.

Before that play the sellout Metrodome crowd and the Vikings defense had been eager to stuff either a run or pass. “They (the Ravens) took advantage of the enthusiasm of the defense,” former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton told Sports Headliners.

Favre and the Vikings offense went down the field after the Ravens scored.  The longest play was a 58 yard pass from Favre to third year wide receiver Sidney Rice. Three plays later Ryan Longwell kicked a 31 yard field goal with two minutes remaining to put the Vikings ahead to stay at 33-31.

Conversation about the 6-foot-4 Rice was often about potential, not production during his first two seasons.  But he’s impressed this year, including yesterday when he caught six Favre passes for 176 yards, his best day in the NFL and first over 100 yards.

Dalton was asked if playing with Favre has boosted Rice’s confidence. “Oh, yeah!” Dalton said.  “He’s given everybody a boost in confidence.”

Dalton also said Favre’s on target long pass to Rice “was a throw not many quarterbacks can make.”  Seems like we said the same three weeks ago when Favre’s last second touchdown to Greg Lewis in the back of the end zone rescued the Vikings for a 27-24 win.

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The Gophers began basketball practice over the weekend and gave fans a glimpse of the team during a scrimmage at “Tubby’s Tipoff” on Friday night.  Minnesota will have exhibition games at Williams Arena against Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State University Moorhead on November 5 and 9, followed by home nonconference games against Tennessee Tech, Stephen F. Austin and Utah Valley (honest) on November 13, 16 and 19.

After all those warm-up games, the Gophers will then have a test and an opportunity to make evaluations about themselves.  Coach Tubby Smith’s team plays Butler on November 26 in Anaheim as part of the 76 Classic.  The Bulldogs are a preseason top 15 team at No. 11 while the Gophers aren’t far behind at 16, according to https://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12316643.

A visitor in Smith’s office last week found the conversation turning to the Butler game.  Smith seemed cautious about facing a team of Butler’s reputation and ability so early in the season (all five starters return).  “They could be a final four team,” he said.

Butler, located in Indianapolis, has long maintained a respectable basketball reputation but the program has never made it to the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs were 26-6 last season.

Smith, starting his third season as Gophers head coach, is familiar with such success.  As head coach at Kentucky he won a national championship and was accustomed to NCAA tournament teams including three clubs that made the elite eight.

Last season the Gophers were 22-11 and in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005.  The Gophers have nine returning players including their most important contributors from last season’s team.

Smith acknowledged he will be disappointed if the 2009-10 Gophers aren’t his best team. He told Sports Headliners no player has locked up a starting position.

Smith said on GopherSports.com that athleticism will be a team strength.  “I think we got more athletic through recruiting, and that was one of the things we were trying to do,” Smith said. “Our strength and condition program, we’ve done a good job there, in the offseason and in the summer.  And it looks like everybody’s stronger. We do a good job within our strength program and certainly guys put in a lot of valuable, hard work there.”  More at https://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38661&SPID=3302&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204815023.

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