In search of a Metrodome miracle, the Twins open a three-game weekend series with division-leading Detroit tonight. The Twins, who trail the Tigers by four games with the season ending on October 4, are 7-4 against Detroit in 2009.  The Twins are 11-4 in their last 15 games with the Tigers in the dome (dating back to last year).

Joe Nathan now has 41 saves this season, moving him within three of tying his career-high of 44 in 2004.

Joe Mauer, who is likely to win a third American League batting title, now has 87 RBI, two more than his career high of 85.

The Vikings face a Lions team on Sunday that lost 45-27 to New Orleans in its season opener and the franchise has lost 18 consecutive games.  Vikings defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy was asked by Sports Headliners about the mental challenge of playing Detroit.  “Everyone knows they’re not a bad team,” he said.  “And it’s the NFL, you can lose any week.  And they always play us tough.  We have to go out there and bring our ‘A’ game still.

“It’s not really about Detroit.  It’s about us.  As far as their situation, what do they have to lose?  You play great ball when you have nothing to lose.”

Acclaimed pro football writer Peter King predicts the Lions will beat the Vikings, 23-21, https://www.fannation.com/peter_king_challenge/peter_king.

If the Vikings don’t allow a Detroit running back to total 100 yards, it will be the 25^th consecutive game Minnesota has accomplished that.

The Vikings’ Adrian Peterson became the first running back in NFL history ever to rush for 180 yards or more and score three touchdowns on opening weekend when he earned those numbers at Cleveland last Sunday.

Worry warts can fuss over Peterson being on this week’s cover of Sports Illustrated.  Don’t think there’s an S.I. jinx?  Maybe not, but just last week the Oklahoma State football program made the cover and on Saturday the Cowboys were upset by Houston.

California connections:  Former Viking Steve Jordan’s son Cameron Jordan is a junior and starting defensive end who made Pac-10 conference honorable mention last season for the Golden Bears.  Will Kapp, son of former Viking Joe Kapp, is a second string sophomore fullback.  Famed University of Minnesota surgeon Dr. John Najarian played football for California in the 1940s.

Gopher coach Tim Brewster said it hasn’t been decided whether freshman linebacker Sam Maresh, who had heart surgery last year, will be redshirted.

Former Patrick Henry football coach Don Swanson, for decades a strong leader and advocate for prep football in the state, passed away from cancer earlier this week.  A memorial service followed by lunch will be held beginning at noon on Monday at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church at 5025 Knox Ave South.

MIAC football teams start conference play tomorrow (Saturday) and all teams except Gustavus have at least one win in non-league games this season.

Former Star Tribune hockey writer Chris Snow is Director of Hockey Operations for the Wild.

Bloomington native and former Wild forward Mark Parrish is at the Canucks training camp.

Former North St. Paul High and St. Cloud State player Bret Hedican retired Tuesday after 17 seasons as an NHL defenseman.  Hedican was with Carolina in 2006 when the team won the Stanley Cup.

Wild forwards Mikko Koivu and Martin Havlat were scheduled yesterday to deliver tickets to selected season ticket holders at their homes.

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The Twins will introduce the members of their all-time Metrodome team at the stadium’s last major league baseball game on Sunday, October 4.  But what if this group could take to the field against an all-time Met Stadium Twins team?

The Twins, who had relocated from Washington D.C. following the 1960 season, played at Met Stadium from 1961 through the 1981 season, then moved to the dome.  Included among the players in that 20 year span is a wrecking crew of three hitters who could give a pitcher from any era heart palpitations.

Sports Headliners consulted with Twins historian Dave Mona who reported on the franchise as a baseball writer for the Minneapolis Tribune in the late 1960s.  He has followed the club closely over the years as co-host of the WCCO Radio Sports Huddle program on Sunday mornings.

With Mona’s input on players and my decision on batting order, here’s how the lineup looks: Cesar Tovar (center field); Rod Carew (second base); Tony Oliva (right field); Harmon Killebrew (first base); Bob Allison (left field); Jimmie Hall or Larry Hisle (designated hitter); Zoilo Versalles (shortstop); Earl Battey (catcher); Rich Rollins (third base).

Carew was a seven-time American League batting champ and had a .328 lifetime average.  Oliva won three batting titles, had a career average of .304 and in his best power year hit 32 home runs.  Killebrew slugged 573 home runs, a total that ranks as 10th best in baseball history.

The all-Metrodome team has four starters and we’ll go with the same number–sort of.  Bert Blyleven is on both teams.  “Circle Me Bert” won 80 games for the Twins from 1970-74, including his only career 20 game win season (1973).  The other starters are Jim Kaat, Jim Perry and Camilo Pascual.

Two relievers?  Right-hander Al Worthingon and left-hander Ron Perranoski provide balance and were top closers in the franchise’s early years.

Managing this group is battling Billy Martin.  In his one year (1969) as Twins manager the team won a division title.  In 1965 Martin was the team’s third base coach and his tutoring of Versalles and Carew contributed to an American League pennant and World Series appearance.

The all-Metrodome team features manager Tom Kelly, catcher Joe Mauer, outfielders Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter, first basemen Kent Hrbek and Justin Morneau, DH Paul Molitor and pitchers Johan Santana, Frank Viola and Joe Nathan.  More at https://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090728&content_id=6110794&vkey=pr_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min

Who would win a game between the all-Met Stadium team and the all-Metrodome club? “Good question.  Never thought about that,” Mona said initially.

Mona asked where the game will be played.  Outdoors at the Met where the Twins lost the 1965 World Series to the Dodgers, or indoors at the dome where the big top was a factor in the franchise winning two game sevens in the 1987 and 1991 World Series?

We gave into our PR backgrounds and came up with a diplomatic decision.  We decided on a seven game series where the winner would be the team with four games in its ballpark.

A final note: the all-Metrodome team is superior in the field.  That group is clearly better defensively at first base, third base and in the outfield, and probably at a couple other positions, too.

But never sell a Billy Martin motivated team short, particularly one with a “Killer.”   (There goes the diplomacy again).

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Two games is hardly a season but it’s difficult to imagine a more spectacular start for a linebacker than what Nate Triplett is experiencing.  In the Gophers’ first game the senior from Delano High had nine tackles and intercepted a pass in the end zone during overtime to end a Syracuse scoring drive.  Last Saturday in the Gophers’ first game ever in TCF Bank Stadium he had a career high 17 tackles and ran 52 yards with a fumble to score the decisive touchdown against Air Force in Minnesota’s second win of the season.

Triplett’s heroics earned him recognition as the Walter Camp National Football Foundation Defensive Player of the Week.  He was also named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week by the football writers association. Triplett, who  had 12 solo tackles against Air Force, is the co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, too.  Triplett’s 17 tackles are a conference high so far this season.

For a guy who only started one game last season and saw most of his playing time as a special teams player, Triplett’s 2009 start is a surprise to many and a source of pride for Gopher coach Tim Brewster.  He said Triplett has been the conference’s best special teams player the last two years and described his development as “amazing.’

“What he’s done is he’s carried that over to linebacker,” Brewster said. “Right now he’s playing at an extremely high level.”

Triplett said he wasn’t worried about what kind of season his last would be, but he was determined.  “This is my senior year,” he said.  “It’s all I have left.”

Determined to make this a “memorable season,” Triplett said he’s been willing to “stay 10 minutes after practice” and “watch 30 more minutes of film” to improve.

He’s also living with two of the Gophers most productive players, quarterback Adam Weber and wide receiver Eric Decker.  That kind of company can’t hurt either.

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