Race track enthusiast Jake Mauer said one of his grandsons, Billy Mauer, won about $17,000.00 wagering on the Preakness Stakes last Saturday at Canterbury Park.
Wally’s Choice, owned by “Wally the Beerman,” earned $350.00 in the 10,000 Lakes race on Saturday. The horse is second to Blair’s Cove in all-time earnings for Minnesota bred horses. Wally’s Choice is about $40,000.00 behind Blair’s Cove who retired in 1992.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, talking on his KSTP radio show Sunday, admitted he’s “worried” about the performance of relief pitcher Jesse Crain. So far Crain has a 7.31 ERA.
Rumors on the Web are that Royce White could be headed to Kentucky to play for charismatic coach John Calipari. That seems logical given White’s basketball reputation and the Wildcats’ habit of winning and attracting top talent. A local source told Sports Headliners he didn’t know what White’s intentions are including whether a return to the Gophers will happen. It seems certain that if White doesn’t play for the Gophers, he won’t choose another Big Ten school. Conference rules don’t allow league transfers to receive a scholarship at the new program.
If ESPN basketball authority Andy Katz is correct, the Big Ten will be impressive next season. His preseason top 10 includes No. 2 Purdue, No. 3 Michigan State and No. 6 Ohio State. Illinois is ranked No. 15 and among teams on the “cusp” of a top 25 rating are Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin. https://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=5179956
Kevin McHale told Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio that the Celtics might win the NBA title and forward Paul Pierce’s offensive production could be the key. The Celtics, who won an NBA title two years ago with a big three of Pierce, former Timberwolf Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, now have a big four with the emergence of point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo, younger than any of the big three by nine years, might be the team’s best player. His recent 18 rebound game in the playoffs against Cleveland is historically significant for an NBA guard.
Timberwolves-themed boxes of Lucky Charms didn’t deliver the No. 1 pick in last night’s NBA draft lottery. The Wolves used creative thinking to stir up media promotion and possible good luck earlier in the week hoping to improve on their 19.9 percent chances of lucking into the No. 1 pick. (I don’t have a count on how many fans tried to help out by eating Lucky Charms cereal yesterday.) The Wolves will have a quality pick at No. 4 in the NBA draft on June 24 and the Wolves might select Syracuse small forward Wesley Johnson.