Could 2009 be the best season Adrian Peterson will have during his NFL career?  As the Vikings open training camp this week, there’s reason to wonder if Peterson won’t make this a special season.

The longevity and peak performance of NFL running backs is partially defined by the physical beating endured annually by 16 game seasons.  At 24, Peterson enters his third season in the league presumably healthy and still blessed with the physical gifts of youth including the acceleration and speed that’s already made him All-Pro.

Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton are the NFL’s all-time career leading rushers.  Their third seasons were impressive.  Smith rushed for 1,713 yards in 1992, within 60 yards of his best one season total of 1,773 in 1995.  Payton gained 1,852 in 1977, a single season career best.

Last season Peterson followed up on his rookie total in 2007 of 1,341 yards, with 1,760 to lead the NFL.  In a July ESPN The Magazine article about 2009 Fantasy Football, the publication projected Peterson’s career lasting through the 2019 season and predicted 2009 will be his best for rushing attempts (373) and yards (1,837).

The magazine projected five more seasons of 1,000 yards or more for Peterson.  Using ESPN’s numbers, Peterson will finish his career with 14,829 rushing yards.  That total would place him fourth on the all-time NFL list behind Smith (18,355), Payton (16,726) and Barry Sanders (15,269).

Only three other players have rushed for more yards in their first two NFL seasons than Peterson (3,101 yards).  Eric Dickerson (3,913), Edgerrin James (3,262) and Earl Campbell (3,147) bettered Peterson.

One NFL record Peterson already has is his 296 yards rushing against San Diego in 2007, the single game league high.  As a rookie he only started nine games while playing in 14.  Last year he played in all 16 games and started 15 while leading the league in rushing.  Among his honors was winning the Maxwell Club’s Bert Bell award as NFL Player of the Year, being named All-Pro and starting in the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive year.

It’s not a bad forecast that 2009 will bring even more “hardware” to the Peterson vault.

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Tight end Jim Kleinsasser, 32, is the only player on the Vikings’ roster that was with the team 10 years ago.

Among the likely stories coming out of Vikings’ training camp will be the dream of free agent rookie running back Ian Johnson to make the team.  He’s well-known for helping Boise State team to its dramatic 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma and making a marriage proposal after the game.  Not so documented, though, is Johnson being an accomplished musician who plays the trombone and is learning the piano.

The Twins are 18-6 against the White Sox in the Metrodome since the beginning of 2007 and are 14-2 in the last 16 games.  The Twins are 21-12 versus the American League Central.

The inconsistent collective performance of the Twins’ starting pitchers this season was predictable.  None of the five pitchers in the regular rotation had more than one full season entering this year.

The late inning relief of Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan has been impressive.  When the starters falter early, though, the Twins are like most teams in that they can’t consistently put their middle inning pitchers on the mound and expect to shutdown the opposition.   Nathan has converted on 29 of 32 save opportunities this season.  Guerrier has an ERA of 0.33 in his last 30 appearances.

Anthony Slama, 25, is a pitcher worth tracking in the Twins’ farm system. The right- handed reliever is pitching for Double A New Britain in the Eastern League and has a 4-2 record with 80 strikeouts in 58.1 innings.

In a 2009 NBA point guard dominant draft, the Wolves’ Jonny Flynn was the “class of the class” in summer league play in Las Vegas earlier this summer, according to Sports Illustrated.  A July 27 article praised Flynn’s decision making and ability to penetrate.  An Eastern Conference scout predicted future All-Star status for the 20-year-old Flynn who the Wolves selected with the No. 6 pick in the June draft. Flynn averaged 15 points and 7.4 assists in the summer league.

Internet and radio reports earlier this week have been saying that former Wolves’ point guard Stephon Marbury is behaving irrationally and ate Vaseline.  Marbury is a free agent but listed on the Boston roster.

The Wolves’ “Early Bird” promotion, that includes season tickets for $5 per game, ends on Saturday.

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Greg Jones, the Michigan State junior linebacker who was selected earlier this week as the Big Ten Conference’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, was interested in the Gophers when in high school.  His interest lessened when there was a coaching change at Minnesota after the 2007 season.

The Gophers’ 2009 schedule is a stark contrast from two other Big Ten programs that have byes, Illinois and Wisconsin.  Both those schools have December games, lengthening their schedules and providing rest for players and coaches.  Illinois and Wisconsin both have two byes in their schedules.  “It’s hard to go 12 straight weeks,” Illinois coach Ron Zook said at the conference’s media day on Monday.  “It’s hard for players and coaches.”

Minnesota coach Tim Brewster is an advocate of adding a 12^th team to the conference, dividing the league into two divisions and having a conference championship game between the winners in December.  There’s probably a consensus among conference coaches that later games in the fall will help keep their teams sharper for bowl games.  “I think playing into December would help us,” Brewster said.

At media day Brewster described his program, 1-11 two years ago but 7-6 last season, as an “ascending program.”  He said this about the upcoming season: “We’re experienced, we’re talented and it’s an opportunity for us to really step forward as we go into TCF Bank Stadium.”

Four MIAC players have been named to the D3football.com Preseason All-America team.  First team selections included St. Thomas senior center Josh Ostrue and Bethel senior cornerback Tim Cornish.  Saint John’s senior defensive lineman Nick Gunderson and Gustavus senior safety Joe Welch were named to the second team defense.

Gustavus has chosen nine individuals for induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2009 inductees are Kerri Pool Foss (soccer), Dan Dohmeier (baseball), Bob Klindworth (cross country/track and field), Leisha Johnson Ronning  (basketball), C.J. Page (gymnastics), Scott Anderson (football), Jon Lindquist  (golf), Amy McCrea Morrell (tennis) and Steve Wilkinson (coach).

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