Frank White is the curator of an exhibit at the Landmark Center in St. Paul that pays tribute to African-American baseball history in Minnesota. On Thursday, April 22 beginning at 6:30 p.m. there will be a panel discussion titled “The Way We Played the Game” and it will include former black players and be moderated by local sports historian Kwame McDonald. There’s no admission charge to attend.
White said that among his research findings is the discrimination in Twin Cities housing many years ago. Deeds stated that houses were not to be sold to Negroes and Jews. He also said that in the 1930s and 1940s blacks had to sit in the balconies of local movie theatres.
Yesterday StubHub.com listed a ticket range of $74 to $3,000 for today’s historic Target Field opener between the Twins and Red Sox.
FOX Sports North will begin live Target Field pregame coverage at noon today. Pregame programming, including batting practice, continues until game time at 3 p.m.
From 2002 through 2009 the Red Sox had the second best winning percentage in major league baseball. The Yankees were No. 1 with a .605 percentage followed by the Red Sox at .581. The Twins were sixth at .547. Ron Gardenhire has been the Twins manager and Rick Anderson the pitching coach since 2002.
Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission executive director Bill Lester told Sports Headliners “we have to remove the uncertainty” to convince the NCAA to book another Final Four in Minneapolis. With the future of the Metrodome in doubt and the uncertainty of a new covered stadium to replace it, this area won’t have any more Final Fours for awhile.
The Metrodome has been the site of two Final Fours and many earlier round tournament games. A new downtown Vikings stadium with a retractable roof will undoubtedly interest the NCAA in a return here.
Indianapolis was the site of this year’s Final Four. Lester said the NCAA has a contract with Indianapolis to play host to the Final Four every five years until 2039. The NCAA is interested in downtown sites like Indianapolis and Minneapolis where the game and other activities can be more closely coordinated than in the suburbs.
Bobby Bell, the best player on the Gophers’ 1960 national championship team and the Rose Bowl teams of 1961 and 1962, will be in town for Minnesota’s spring football game on Saturday, April 24. The former All-American tackle is a good friend of Gophers coach Tim Brewster. The University will recognize the 50th anniversary of the 1960 team at a home game next season.
The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will honor brothers Bob and Pinky McNamara for their contributions to Minnesota football at the chapter’s annual awards dinner on Sunday, April 18 at the University of St. Thomas. Other award recipients will be former Gophers’ trainer Jim Marshall who worked 42 years for the University of Minnesota and John Lieser who has almost 100 years of combined experience officiating football and basketball games.
Eight high school football players will be recognized as outstanding scholar-athletes at the dinner: Marshal Ash (Milaca), Dan Freund (St.Thomas Academy), Jacob McHenry (Henry Sibley), Gabe Mezzenga (Totino-Grace), Anthony Osifuye (Woodbury), Alexander Richelsen (Holy Family Catholic), Jason Schneider (Andover and Kristopher Wensmann (Melrose Area). To purchase tickets to the event, or become a member of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation, visit www.nffmn.org.
Canterbury Park re-opens its card club on Wednesday following a renovation costing more than $2 million. The Shakopee racetrack hopes to have the legislature approve slot machines for its card club operation. That would significantly improve revenues for Canterbury, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The track opens for live racing on Friday, May 14.