Michael Chang, who along with Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Jim Courier will be here for the September 30 LeeAnn Chin Challenge at Target Center, spent part of his childhood growing up in the St. Paul area where his father worked for 3M. Former Gophers’ tennis coach Jerry Noyce recalled that as a youngster Chang won the local Green Giant Little Sprout Tennis tournament. Among Chang’s childhood opponents was David Wheaton, the name most associated with men’s professional tennis in Minnesota.
Agassi has a Minnesota connection, too. He won his first professional tournament at the Minikahda Tennis Invitational in Minneapolis.
McEnroe has helped tutor Rochester eighth grade tennis phenom Ingrid Neel. She played on the Rochester Mayo boys Class 2A state tournament team last spring.
The Target Center event is part of the Champions Series that begins September 22 in Fort Lauderdale and is scheduled in 12 U.S. cities through October 22. Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander will also participate. A prize pool totaling $1 million will be shared by the top three finishers at season’s end.
Dan Patrick asking Donovan McNabb in the August 22 issue of Sports Illustrated whether the Vikings’ veteran quarterback believes he’s been “unfairly criticized” during his NFL career: “I personally don’t care what people think about me. I’ve been criticized throughout my career, so it doesn’t matter.”
Former Cretin Derham-Hall quarterback Steve Walsh tutored Terrelle Pryor before the ex-Ohio State quarterback was selected last week in the third round of the NFL supplemental draft. Walsh, who played collegiately for Miami, was a NFL supplemental pick in 1989.
Gophers football coach Jerry Kill’s 50th birthday was last Wednesday. Kill was born in 1961, the last year the Gophers sent a team to the Rose Bowl. Minnesota defeated UCLA 21-3 in the January 1962 Rose Bowl.
Former Timberwolves assistant coach Eric Musselman has been hired by the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League as head coach.
Former Gophers coach Dan Monson was among the guests at the wedding of his ex-Minnesota player Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian earlier this month.
Tyus Jones, the much acclaimed sophomore point guard at Apple Valley High School next season, impressed Sporting News Magazine enough last month that he was proclaimed “best shooter” in the August 15 issue after writer Mike DeCourcy travelled thousands of miles watching America’s top preps play summer basketball.
Twins curator Clyde Doepner will be the speaker on Thursday, September 8 at the C.O.R.E.S luncheon. C.O.R.E.S members can contact Jim Dotseth for more information, dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S is an acronym for coaches, officials, educators, reporters and sports fans.