Every major league team heading into this week’s amateur draft (starts tonight at 6 p.m. on the MLB Network and MLB.com) knows that despite preparations their exercise isn’t close to perfect.  The most obvious reminder is Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria, the 23-year-old third baseman who was never drafted.  He leads the American League (along with Boston’s Jason Bay) in RBIs and was a big winner in Sports Illustrated’s recent annual player poll of baseball executives and scouts. The poll asked: “Who are the top five active players you would pick to start a franchise?”  Longoria finished second behind Albert Pujols of the Cardinals.

The rest of the top five as reported in the June 8 issue of the magazine: Zack Greinke, Royals; Joe Mauer, Twins; and Hanley Ramirez, Marlins.  Former Twin Johan Santana, now with the Mets, finished sixth.

The Vikings report to training camp in Mankato on July 29, with the first practice on July 31. The last practice will be August 12 and the opening exhibition game is August 14 at Indianapolis.

Michael Smith, the brother of former Gophers football player Mark Smith, has joined Bill Snyder’s Kansas State staff as an assistant coach.  Michael Smith was at Arizona earlier this year.

Harrison Barnes of Ames, Iowa, considered the No. 1 small forward basketball recruit in the country, is among the players participating in the Twin Cities based Howard Pulley AAU program but there’s no indication the Gophers are in a favored position to have him attend Minnesota in 2010.  Barnes told Sports Headliners last month that Minnesota is one of 12 schools on his list.

Wolves’ forward Kevin Love is working as a reporter for NBA TV during the Lakers-Magic playoff finals. www.nba.com

Local basketball fan John Bell Wilson reports that Dan Coleman’s team recently won a Portugal league championship and that Sunday night Troy Bell’s team won an Italian league title.  Coleman is the former Gopher from Hopkins High School, while Bell played at Boston College after being at Academy of the Holy Angels.

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Although his franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004 and has never been to the NBA Finals, Wolves owner Glen Taylor wants to build a championship team.  He’s starting over in the front office with new president of basketball operations David Kahn who was welcomed to town last month by a franchise that has won 46 and lost 118 games the last two seasons.

But the Wolves have three picks in the first round and two in the second of this month’s NBA draft.  They also figure to have salary cap room to add players in 2010 when the league free agent market is expected to be exceptional.  Plus, the Wolves have a promising forward in 20-year-old Kevin Love and a star in 24-year-old center Al Jefferson.

Despite a season ticket base of about 6,000 and red ink flowing after recent seasons, Taylor told Sports Headliners he’s willing to spend money to win.  “Money is not necessarily what is going to take us to the championship, but if that was the only thing, it won’t stop us,” he said.

Whether the Wolves will be more successful in acquiring productive players than in the past is the $64,000 question at 600 First Ave. North.  Kahn, although he isn’t a former NBA player or coach, will be the major decision maker on both drafting players and acquiring players already in the league.

Taylor expects Kahn to surround himself with a basketball expert staff that can invigorate the process.  “…I think it’s important that you have input from other people that are going to look at it a little different than he is,” Taylor said.  “…He’s willing to do that.  Some other people are not so willing to do that. That they just sort of rely on their gut instinct on what’s the best.  It’s just kind of a cold decision and my preference is that a person gets a lot of advice first before you make that last decision.”

Kahn, a former sports columnist turned lawyer, then basketball man, has a resume that includes nine years with the Indiana Pacers.  Four of those years he was the team’s general manager.  He learned about not only judging talent but how the finances in the NBA work, including structuring salaries so they fit within the league’s cap guidelines.

Kahn told Sports Headliners a person can be the “greatest talent evaluator in the world” but the process of building a roster will be stymied without knowledge of “how to put a deal together or fit things in the salary structure.”

“I hope the different skill sets I bring will be my greatest strength,” he said.  “I am not a specific guy in one respect.  I hope that I am capable in many areas.  Time will tell.”

Kahn expects to do some college scouting for the 2010 draft but wants to learn what he’s got with the Wolves, too.  “I am certain I will see my share of games next year during the college season, and I am certain I will scout, but I really want to focus on the team right now, and what we have,” he said.  “And I want other people to primarily be the people out on the road.”

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If the Twins had retained Jason Bartlett, Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, they might have tied or broken the franchise record this year for most players in the All-Star game.  In both 1964 and 1965 the Twins had six representatives in the game.

Bartlett, who is on the disabled list, is leading the American League in hitting at .373.  The former Twins shortstop, who was traded to Tampa Bay after the 2007 season, is a likely reserve behind Derek Jeter for this year’s All-Star game (in St. Louis on July 14).

Hunter, who accepted a richer contract to play center field for the Angels following the 2007 season, is fifth in the American League with 43 RBI and also has 12 home runs.  Along with those stats, his reputation as a Gold Glove winner and former All-Star make him a legit candidate to be a reserve on the American League team.

Santana, who is leading the National League with a 2.00 ERA, is a cinch for the All-Star game.  The former Twins Cy Young winner, who reportedly left here to accept a six year, $137.5 million contract with the Mets in 2008, might be the National League starter.

The Twins figure to have one starter in the All-Star game, catcher Joe Mauer.  Fan balloting determines the eight starters at the positions in the field and earlier this week Mauer was leading all catchers in votes.  Players and managers vote on pitchers and reserves.

First baseman Justin Morneau is third in RBI in the American League with 50 and is also hitting .338.  He’s among baseball’s best players but does face All-Star roster competition from Boston’s Kevin Youkilis and New York’s Mark Teixeira, both of whom lead him in fan balloting.  All three are deserving of All-star membership this season.

Joe Nathan, with 10 saves, is only four behind the league leaders.  An All-Star in three previous games, Nathan is worthy of consideration as is Twins starting pitcher Kevin Slowey, who is tied for second in wins among American League pitchers with eight.

Bartlett, Hunter, Santana, Mauer, Morneau, Nathan and Slowey.  Seven all-stars would have broken the record, six tied it.  Even five would have been a bit historic since that’s the third best total in franchise history (1971).  In 2009 the best the Twins might do is four.

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