Former Twins pitcher Carlos Silva, who was Seattle’s losing pitcher pitcher here last night giving up six runs in five innings, had a 10.45 ERA in three spring training games while pitching 10.1 innings.  Silva is in the second season of a $48 million contract, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts Website.  Last year Silva was 4-15 with a 6.46 ERA.  General manager Bill Bavasi signed Silva to his contract after leaving the Twins following the 2007 season.  Bavasi is no longer employed by the Mariners.

The Michigan State basketball team that lost to North Carolina on Monday night in the national championship game relied on only two seniors.  The Spartans will be a Big Ten heavyweight again next season led by sophomore guard Kalin Lucas who was the conference’s player of the year.  Minnesota native Isaiah Dahlman participated in 16 total games, averaging 1.8 minutes and 0.8 points per game.

The Wolves’ Kevin Love needs two more rebounds and two more double-doubles to set franchise records for a rookie.  The team is 7-24 since center Al Jefferson was injured on February 4.

Wolves owner Glen Taylor has been much criticized since his group bought the franchise in 1995 but his Minnesota roots and loyalty probably ensure continued operation here indefinitely despite losing money, with short term prospects not much better given both the state of the team and economy.

The Vikings Draft Party tickets are on sale through www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling the team’s ticket office, 612-33-VIKES. Tickets for the Saturday, April 25 event at the Winter Park Fieldhouse are priced at either $15 (general admission), or $70 including preferred seating, private autograph session, food and beverage coupons and prize giveaways. The Vikings, with the No. 22 pick, are expected to draft at about 6:30 p.m.  The draft party, the same day as the Gophers spring football game, will be from 1:30 to 7 p.m.

The Gophers and 11 other schools will be competing in the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships April 16-18 at the U’s Sports Pavillion.  The Gophers, ranked No. 7 in the country, participate in the evening pre-qualifier on April 16 (starting at 7 p.m.).  No. 1 Stanford is in the afternoon session that day (1 p.m. start).

Jake Mauer has suggested to his grandson Joe that he change positions, move from catcher to third base.  The conversation came up because of Joe’s inflammation in the sacroiliac joint and weeks of suffering that sidelined him during spring training.

No position is physically more demanding than catcher.  Crouching and contorting the body at different angles isn’t easy, particularly so for a big body like the 6-5 Mauer.  Then, too, Mauer has a history of ailments with the Twins that have kept the 25-year-old out of the lineup.  His All-Star career has been defined by two American League batting championships, but also physical problems like a quadriceps injury and the painful back that forced the Twins to place him on the 15 day disabled list last week.

Jake looks at Joe’s athleticism, including his strong arm, and sees a fit at third base. “He said, ‘Oh,Grandpa, if I can’t play catcher I don’t want to play baseball.’  I said, ‘You’re kidding me.’  He said, ‘That’s it.’ ”

Jake predicts Joe will return to the Twins by the third week of the season, after readying himself in the minors.  He said Joe hit the ball off a tee for the first time in a long while late last week.

Medicine prescribed by Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has lessened Joe’s pain and his flexibility has improved.  “It’s done a miracle for him,” Jake said.

Even last week Joe couldn’t run but that’s an improvement over what Jake saw in late February before his grandson went to Johns Hopkins to meet with doctors.  “He was just like an old man of 85, just shuffling along,” Jake said.   “I couldn’t believe it.”

Joe has been through physical aches and pain, but there’s additional hurt and that’s the emotional side of missing spring training and the start of the season.  “He’s going out of his mind,” Jake said.  “He’s a low key guy anyhow but he can’t believe that he can see all the ball players and he can’t do nothing about it.  He would like to join right in.  He said ‘Grandpa, it’s just murder with me.  It eats my inside out. …”

No one believes more in Joe, nor perhaps knows him better, than his grandfather who helped groom him even as a pre-schooler.  Jake was asked if Joe, who missed almost two months of the 2004 season and about one month in 2007, is injury prone. “I don’t know,” Jake said. “I really don’t know. …”

Former Twins Cy Young award winner Johan Santana, now starting his second season with the Mets, is the most valuable pitcher in major league baseball, according to Sports Illustrated.  In its baseball preview issue last week the magazine listed a PVR (Player Value Ranking) for big league players.  Francisco Liriano, who starts for the Twins tonight and is the hoped-for new Santana, has a PVR among pitchers of 55.

Among everyday Twins players, Justin Morneau (49) and Mauer (59) have the best PVR’s.

The Carol Fitzgerald Community Celebration will be Saturday at Martin Luther King Park in Minneapolis.  The event celebrates the life of the deceased wife of media personality Larry Fitzgerald Sr. and son Larry Jr.  Among those expected to attend the 1 to 4 p.m. event are NFL stars Larry Jr., Tommie Harris, Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen.

On Friday American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will perform for the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund Benefit, an event to be held at the Metropolitan from 6 to 9 p.m.  For information on Friday and Saturday activities, call 612-305-2959.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Clinic last week had about 1,000 attendees including exhibitors and outstanding speakers like former Super Bowl coach Brian Billick.  Congratulations to clinic leaders Don Swanson, Ron Stolski, Jim Dotseth and Dave Nigon.

Billick could coach again in the NFL but is facing a trend where jobs go to assistants instead of former head coaches.  Billick, who was the Vikings offensive coordinator before being head coach of the 2001 Super Bowl champion Ravens, has vacationed at Lake Vermillion in northern Minnesota.

Here’s a guess as to Tubby Smith’s early season starting lineup next fall: forwards Damian Johnson and Trevor Mbwake, center Ralph Sampson III, and guards Lawrence Westbrook and Al Nolen.

St. Cloud Tech’s outstanding guard, Nate Wolters, has a scholarship offer from Colorado State, according to a prep basketball source.