Not only will watching Brett Favre be a late summer treat for Vikings fans, but seeing rookie Percy Harvin scramble around in the Wildcat formation should be the cherry on the sundae.
The Vikings likely are planning extra personnel to handle crowds at training camp in Mankato anticipating Favre joining the team.
The Vikings have re-launched the team’s web site, www.vikings.com, making it easier for viewers to consume media of all types, including videos and news. Fans will continue to stream live video of coach Brad Childress’ press conferences and other team functions, plus links to the Vikings’ Facebook and Twitter pages.
The mid-July issue of Sports Illustrated includes profiles of 14 extraordinary young teenage athletes in various sports. Among them is Patterson, Louisiana running back Kenny Hilliard, who according to the magazine, has offers from Alabama, Louisiana State, Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas A&M. As a sophomore last season he rushed for 2,377 yards and 34 touchdowns, per S.I.
Projection on Tubby Smith’s starting lineup for the Gophers next fall: forwards Damian Johnson and Trevor Mbwake, center Ralph Sampson III, and guards Lawrence Westbrook and Al Nolan.
Among the Gopher freshmen, point guard Justin Cobbs might be the most ready to play in the fall. Seems like a no brainer to redshirt forward Rodney Williams, letting him develop his basketball and academic skills during his first year of college.
ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons didn’t like the decision making the Wolves used selecting back-to-back point guards in last month’s draft. He’s part of the mainstream view that after drafting Ricky Rubio at No. 5 the Wolves should have opted for Stephen Curry, an extraordinary college scorer, instead of Jonny Flynn. Simmons wrote: “That pick was transparent — Flynn clearly was a ‘here’s our backup plan if we don’t sign Rubio’ selection.” See the full analysis at: https://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090710
Five women’s hockey players with University of Minnesota ties have been selected to compete at the 2009 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival August 18-24 at Blaine’s National Sports Center. Participating will be the Gophers’ Anne Schleper and U alums Natalie Darwitz, Rachael Drazan, Gigi Marvin and Erica McKenzie. Forty-one players have been invited to the camp, which will assist USA Hockey in selecting its U.S. National team. From the camp, 23 players will make the roster and prepare for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.