Every good organization has a succession plan.  Looks like the Vikings may have one with the drafting of sixth round pick John Sullivan, 23-year-old center from Notre Dame.  Matt Birk, 31, made the Pro Bowl for the sixth time last winter, but he’s in the last year of his contract and not participating in volunteer training activities this spring.

Birk and the Vikings may work out a contract that keeps him here for several more seasons.  He’s a popular local figure, a St. Paul native who owns two Twin Cities restaurants and has played his entire NFL career with the Vikings after being drafted on the sixth round in 1998.  Birk’s skills and image have been assets to the Vikings.

Whatever Birk’s longevity with the Vikings, his name looks like it will be associated with Sullivan who is considered a solid prospect and potential backup or replacement.  Being around Birk is something Sullivan is looking forward to.

“…Any time I have a question, I certainly won’t be afraid to ask him,” Sullivan said.  “I am sure there’s a ton of stuff that he knows about the game of football, especially playing on this level that I have never been exposed to and I plan on taking advantage of that resource.”

What questions will he ask?  Sullivan said examples could be why Birk chose a certain offensive line call, or used a specific footwork.

Sullivan also said he’s already been watching plays involving Birk and techniques that the Vikings use.  Sullivan has had questions for offensive line coaches Pat Morris and Jim Huber, but has other questions to ask Birk.

Sullivan is already an admirer of the man he may one day replace.  “He’s a very physical player,” Sullivan said. “He’s seems to be very smart.  He’s in the right place at the right time.  It’s not by accident.”

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Vikings vice president of sales and marketing Steve LaCroix wrote via e-mail on Monday that “several hundred” new season tickets have been sold since late April.

Coach Tim Brewster said the Gophers are recruiting a national list of highly regarded high school tailbacks for their class of 2009 and plan to sign two of them to letters of intent.

An athletic department official wouldn’t confirm that the Gophers will be on the road at Syracuse to open the 2009 football season.

When isn’t Carlos Gomez entertaining? The 22-year-old Gomez has even entertained while biting his nails playing center field.  Gomez, with track speed, has 13 stolen bases, and is tied for the most in the American League with Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle.

The Twins started a streak of 20 straight days without a break with their game last night against the White Sox in Chicago.  Then the Twins play 13 more consecutive dates without a day off.

Coach Amos Magee told Sports Headliners earlier this week that the Montreal team coming to Griffin Stadium for a game on Saturday night against his Thunder might have the largest player payroll in the USL.  While Magee didn’t specify dollar figures, Sports Headliners guesstimates that USL team payrolls range from low to high six figures.

Magee said the Thunder had the lowest payroll in the league last year but probably will be about average in the 11 team USL this season. “The payroll is almost twice as much as last year,” he said.

With a roster of about two-thirds new players, the Thunder is still learning to play together.  Minnesota, 2-1 on the season, has only scored three goals but it doesn’t surprise Magee.  “I always find that creative scoring and goal scoring is one of the last things to come with a new group,” he said.

Montreal, 2-2 on the season, has played all of its games on the road so far because a new home stadium is being completed.

St. Thomas is likely to draw a lot of attention at the 2008 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday and Saturday at the Klas Center on Hamline’s campus.  St. Thomas will be the favorite in the women’s events.  The Tommies have already won conference titles in women’s cross country and indoor track and field.  St. Thomas (2008 indoor champions) and Saint John’s (2007 outdoor champions) will be men’s favorites. Championship events will begin on Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.

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A source who is close to the Minnesota Wild told Sports Headliners he will be surprised if the team doesn’t sign Marian Gaborik before Christmas and that there’s a “25 percent” chance that Jacques Lemaire will not return as coach.

The source described Gaborik as one of the NHL’s “10 best forwards” and said it should be the organization’s top priority to sign him to a new contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next year.  Referring to Gaborik as “the face of the franchise,” the source said re-signing him can either help continue the Wild’s “honeymoon” with the fans or at least assist in preserving the team’s popularity.

He thinks Gaborik has mixed feelings about staying here. First, there’s a comfort level having been with the organization for eight years.  Second, playing before capacity crowds and perhaps the most knowledgeable fans in the NHL offers a lot of adoration.  But Lemaire’s emphasis on defense and the prospect of playing in the more wide open Eastern Conference (he might score 60 goals) may tempt Gaborik to move east.  The 26-year-old forward knows his next contract will bring huge compensation and security, perhaps the most he will ever have.

While Gaborik and his advisors test his worth in the NHL marketplace in the coming months, the source suggested that the Wild can use his poor 2008 playoff performance of producing just one assist as a negotiating point.  Although Gaborik had regular season career highs in goals, assists and points, he didn’t even come close to producing the sort of playoff that would have further boosted his attractiveness to other teams and potential future compensation.

It’s the source’s assumption the more time that passes, the less likely it will be Gaborik re-signs here.  Eventually lose him and it will spark similarities to when the Twins made a last minute trade of Johan Santana.  Not good for honeymoon stability.

As for Lemaire, 62, he’s the only head coach in franchise history and on record as saying he’s not sure about a return.  The source said Lemaires was clearly frustrated at times last season with his team’s play.  “He has rapport with the younger guys in showing them his defensive system,” he said.  “He has a harder time selling that defensive style to the older guys.”

What happened to the Wild in the playoff series they lost to Colorado?  “There were two factors,” the source said.  “First, Jose Theodore, the Colorado goalie, was markedly better than the Wild’s Niklas Backstrom. 

“Second, the playing time of (defensemen) Kim Johnsson, Martin Skoula, and Brent Burns increased by about five minutes more per game from the regular season to the playoffs.  By the time they got to game six in the playoffs, playing in the high altitude of Denver, they were tired out.”

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