The Vikings might not have needed Brett Favre’s miracle throw and touchdown to Greg Lewis with two seconds remaining if the 49ers hadn’t blocked Longwell’s field goal attempt in the closing minute of the first half, with Nate Clements running 59 yards for a San Francisco touchdown and a 14-13 lead.  After the game coach Brad Childress didn’t know who failed the Vikings while blocking but “that should be a fairly routine play and it wasn’t.”

The Tigers organization will honor its 1984 World Championship team tonight before the game with the Twins.  Among those former players expected to participate in the celebration is St. Paul native and ex-Twin Jack Morris.

Twins president Dave St. Peter said the Gophers may play the first baseball game at Target Field but plans haven’t been finalized.  The game would be prior to the Twins Target Field exhibition games against St. Louis on April 2 and 3.

St. Peter also said it’s possible that some Twins players may take batting practice at Target Field after the season.  The purpose would primarily be to reward stadium construction workers by allowing them to watch.

The Wild’s Martin Havlat has about 12,600 followers on his frequently updated Twitter page, https://twitter.com/martinhavlat

The Wild won’t be among the eight western conference teams making the 2010 playoffs, according to the Sporting News magazine issue of September 28.   The publication predicts in its NHL preview that Pittsburgh and Detroit will play again in the Stanley Cup finals.

A crowd of 800 is expected for the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Minnesota Wild Face-Off Luncheon starting at 11:30 a.m. this Thursday at the Crown Plaza Riverfront.  Ticket information is available by calling 651-265-2775.

Minnesotan Matt Vanda will fight Phil Williams from Queens, New York in a super middleweight bout headlining a boxing card on Friday, November 13 at Grand Casino in Hinckley.

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Board of Directors voted to consider expanding to 16 institutions in the 2012-2013 academic year.  The board requested that NSIC Commissioner Butch Raymond solicit potential new members immediately.  Potential members must submit a letter of interest to the conference office by June 1, 2010.  The NSIC is a 14-team, 17-sport, NCAA Division II conference with teams located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

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Adrian Peterson of the Vikings predicts there will be no déjà vu on Sunday against the 49ers at the Metrodome.  In 2007 at San Francisco Peterson had a self-termed “worst” game and predicted yesterday that results will be different on Sunday.

Peterson ran for three yards on 14 carries in San Francisco, by far his least productive day since he came into the NFL in 2007. “It was the worst game of my career so it sticks in my head,” he said.  “I am looking forward to playing these guys this week.”

Peterson, who leads the NFL in rushing with 272 yards, was coming off a knee injury for the last San Francisco game but said that wasn’t the problem.  He said he felt light- headed and weak in that game, suggesting his condition was probably caused by something he had eaten.

There was another factor, too.  “Still with that (not feeling well), it was a lot that I didn’t do,” Peterson said.  “Not being patient enough, rushing my plays. Not giving the offensive line time to do their jobs, putting guys on guys.  That really was what disappointed me the most when I watched the film.”

Peterson, who said he’s been looking forward to Sunday’s game for a long time, was a rookie in 2007.  His experience now is likely to help against the 49ers who are expected to use a similar defense including cornerback blitzes as in 2007.

Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said “credit” has to be given to the 49ers but he also said Peterson is a different player now.  “It’s going to be a different game,” Bevell said.  “It’s not going to be the same as that game, although we believe we’ll see some of the same schemes.”

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The Gophers start practice next month and assistant coach Saul Smith told Sports Headliners the team could be one of the deepest in the country.  He also said the Gophers are a team without “stars” and need improvement from last year’s players, and he expects Minnesota to compete for a Big Ten title.

The Gophers return nine players from last year’s team: Devron Bostick, Paul Carter, Blake Hoffarber, Colton Iverson, Damian Johnson, Devoe Joseph, Al Nolen, Ralph Sampson III and Lawrence Westbrook. Travis Busch, who had another season of eligibility, didn’t return but the Gophers added junior college transfer Trevor Mbwake, and freshmen Royce White and Rodney Williams, all prospective contributors in 2009-10 and beyond.

The Gophers finished behind six other teams in the Big Ten last season with a 9-9 conference record and 22-11 overall.  If they are to measure up to some preseason ratings that have them among the top 25 teams in the country, the Gophers will need to be better than last year but don’t expect them to do it with a star system.

Instead, look for head coach Tubby Smith to often use 10 players, maybe more at times.  The Gophers emphasize defense, sometimes full court.  Maximum effort is insisted upon.  Offensively, the Gophers are often searching for the right combination of players and matchups.

Among the deepest teams in the Big Ten for next season?  “We’re going to put you out there…and whoever gets the job done is going to play more,” Saul Smith said. “But we give everybody opportunities here.  If you want to say that’s depth, then yeah, I think we’re right there, top two, top three deepest teams, if not in the Big Ten, in the country. And we’re going to try to utilize that, absolutely.”

Westbrook (12.6) was the only Gopher to average in double figures last season.  The next closest were Johnson at 9.8 and Nolen, 6.5.  No stars?

“Not in our eyes as coaches,” Saul said.  “We expect leadership.  That’s what we’re looking for. We want our seniors to have a chance to be those leaders and that should be their objective.  If it’s not a senior that wants to lead, then so be it. This leadership is not scoring the most points.  Leadership is making sure everybody is on time for a 6 a.m. workout, being the first guy.  These are things we expect.  These are guys we’re going to have to count on down the stretch.  I think our guys realize that and get it, but we’ll see. We hope they do.”

The Gopher seniors will be Bostick, Johnson and Westbrook.  The junior class consists of Carter, Hoffarber, Mbwake and Nolen.

A visitor suggested to Smith that the Gophers had a good season last year even though most (if not all) of the players could have played better, with no one certainly experiencing a career season.

The players have a “whole lot of room to improve,” according to Saul.  “They need to understand that none of them were all conference players,” he said.

Smith’s father won a national championship at Kentucky and had successful teams at Georgia and Tulsa.  Those teams were characterized more by team play than star power.  It will be no different at Minnesota where the coaching staff is trying to win with both numbers and ability in the team concept.

In two seasons at Minnesota Tubby and his staff have gone from 8-10 in the conference and 20-14 overall to last year’s success that included the program making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005.  “We expect a lot more as a staff, as a program,” Saul said. “We know our fans do, and that’s what it’s about.  Providing a good product and trying to bring Big Ten titles here. That’s our objective. That’s why we came here and that’s what our plan is this year.”

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