Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi is believed to be on a list of candidates for the athletic director’s job at Notre Dame.  A local source speaking confidentially said on Monday he thinks Notre Dame will test Maturi’s interest in replacing Kevin White who recently left Notre Dame to become athletic director at Duke.  On Sunday an article on the South Bend Tribune’s Web site included Maturi’s name among eight people that could be top candidates for the Notre Dame job.  Maturi, however, told Sports Headliners this morning that he hasn’t been contacted by anyone officially representing Notre Dame.

Maturi has two years remaining on his contract at Minnesota and “expects to finish his career” as the Gophers’ athletic director.   Maturi said he’s “real happy at Minnesota” but when pressed about whether he would at least listen to a Notre Dame contact, he responded that “I am not going to say never. …”

Maturi is believed to earn over $310,000 as Minnesota athletic director, a salary that is average at best among his Big Ten Conference colleagues.  He said a bigger salary elsewhere won’t tempt him.  “I’ve never done anything (just) for money,” Maturi said.

Maturi is a Notre Dame alum, graduating from the school in 1967.  He admitted ties to Notre Dame are appealing but so, too, is Minnesota because he grew up in the state.

The source, who is close to Gopher athletics, said it will be a serious loss to Minnesota athletics if Maturi leaves the University.  A native of Chisholm, Minnesota, he was athletic director at Denver University and Miami of Ohio before coming to the University of Minnesota.

Maturi has been the athletic director here since July of 2002.  During that time he has successfully merged the men’s and women’s athletic departments at the University. The two departments operated separately for many years and it was a divisive relationship.

Maturi also hired new basketball and football coaches in 2007.  His hiring of national champion basketball coach Tubby Smith within a few days last year is regarded as a coup by many admirers in intercollegiate athletics.  Football coach Tim Brewster has made headlines with his recruiting success and is committed to winning the school’s first Big Ten championship since 1967.

Under Maturi’s leadership the University gained legislative and other support for the TCF Bank Stadium project.  The Gophers will open their new $288.5 million football stadium on campus next year.

Maturi has been a tireless worker on behalf of the Gophers.  Popular within the athletic department, Maturi regularly attends the events of all 25 men’s and women’s sports at the University.  “He’s the hardest working man I’ve ever seen,” the source said.

Maturi’s accomplishments also include fiscal success.  While earlier forecasts had the athletic department operating at a deficit, the Gophers currently have a balanced budget, according to published reports.

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Even a high priced event planner couldn’t have concocted a better way for the Minneapolis-Los Angeles Lakers to celebrate the franchise’s 60^th anniversary than to have the team in the NBA finals against their No. 1 enemy, the Boston Celtics.  It’s a dream script the Lakers are following, returning to the NBA finals starting Thursday night for the 29^th time in franchise history, targeting a 15^th world championship that would put them within one title of the most championships in league history.  The Celtics, of course, have 16.

The Lakers have been promoting a 60^th anniversary logo during 2007-2008.  It refers to the Minneapolis-Los Angeles Lakers and is worn on Laker uniforms.  On games televised from the Staples Center in Los Angeles the anniversary logo can be seen on the scoreboard hanging over center court.

The Lakers won five world championships in Minneapolis before they moved to Los Angeles for the 1960-61 season. Only once, though, did the Minneapolis Lakers play the Celtics in the finals, 1959.  Boston swept Minneapolis 4-0 as part of an era when the Celtics won 11 titles in 13 years.

After the Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960 they lost seven NBA finals to the Celtics.  Laker frustrations with the Celtics didn’t end until 1985 when they finally beat Boston in the finals.

The Lakers won again over Boston in 1987 and the dream script has the two teams playing against each other now for the first time in 21 years.  It’s a fantasy trip for not only the teams, but also the NBA with its two most glamorous franchises sure to goose the league’s image and TV popularity (yikes, this could have been Utah against Detroit).

The Lakers are the favorites against the Celtics, according to many observers.  The Lakers are viewed as the more balanced team between offense and defense.  The Celtics are more likely to have low scoring games, and when a game is in need of a last minute basket Boston doesn’t have anyone who rivals the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.

How successfully Boston defends Bryant may determine the series.  From the days when Elgin Baylor played in Minneapolis to present day, the NBA has always been about match-ups.  The guess is that Boston’s Paul Pierce, a muscular 6-foot-7, will defend Bryant, 6-6 and so good he’s been playing like a Michael Jordan clone.

Pierce may have some moments against Bryant but it looks like a challenging match-up and the one-on-one problems for the Celtics don’t end there.  With Pierce, a forward, taking the Lakers’ superstar guard, that leaves Boston trying to figure out how to defend the long front line of 7-foot Pau Gasol, 6-10 Lamar Odom and 6-10 Vladimir Radmanovic.  In addition to Pierce, the Celtics start 6-11 Kevin Garnett, 6-10 Kendrick Perkins, 6-5 Ray Allen and 6-1 Rajon Rondo.

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Most observers would give the Lakers the coaching edge, too.  Laker coach Phil Jackson, a North Dakota native, has won nine world titles while Boston’s Doc Rivers is in his first finals as a coach.  Jackson can break the league record for most titles by winning a 10th this spring.  Who is he currently tied with? Celtics legend Red Auerbach, of course.  With this Laker dream script it couldn’t be anyone other than a guy who bled Celtics green and white.

In the unpredictable world of the NBA, the Celtics could win the series and put a few tears on the script.  Locally that might please some fans who root for former Timberwolves Garnett and Sam Cassell, now 38 and perhaps in his last playoff series. Interestingly, though, everyone I talk to is rooting against Garnett.

If Bryant or Gasol get hurt, the script looks like it will have an unhappy ending.  If the Lakers play poorly and the Celtics play like they’re inspired by the ghost of Auerbach, look for a 17^th banner in Boston.

And then, too, there are the game officials.  Just last week Brent Barry of San Antonio drew collision contact from Laker Derek Fisher on a last second desperation shot. Barry could have gone to the free throw line, made three free throws and won the game for the Spurs while tying the Western Conference finals at 2-2.  No foul was called but late in the week the league office admitted that Barry should have shot those free throws.

In the 2006 NBA finals the officials sent Miami guard Dwayne Wade to the free line adnausem.  Wade was seemingly off-limits to contact from defensive players. The result was a steady parade of Wade to the free throw line.  The officiating turned around a series where Miami trailed 2-0 in games against Dallas and then “free throwed” back to win in six.

The Minneapolis-Los Angeles Lakers aren’t looking for any surprises in their script.

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