Twins trivia question: Who is the only player ever to wear uniform No. 0? (See answer at bottom of column).
The Twins, who open a four-game series in Boston tonight, haven’t won at Fenway Park since 2007. The Red Sox haven’t had a losing record against the Twins since 2006 when Minnesota won five of six games.
Outfielder Aaron Hicks, who after the 2010 season was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the Twins’ farm system by Baseball America, is off to a slow start with the Class A Fort Myers Miracle hitting .202 in 94 at bats. In three previous minor league seasons Hicks has hit .318, 251 and .279 with a total of 16 home runs and 105 RBI.
Coach John Anderson’s Gophers baseball team, 8-7 in the Big Ten race, is two games behind in the loss column from conference leaders Michigan State and Purdue, both 10-5. The Gophers, who have won five of their last six league games, are at Michigan today, tomorrow and Sunday for three games. Minnesota has six regular season games remaining after Sunday.
Hopkins Class 4A state championship coach Ken Novak is the ESPN RISE Boys Basketball Coach of the Year. The ESPN RISE for High School Athletes website said Novak is the only Minnesota coach to win the award since its inception in 1970.
It was 20 years ago this month the North Stars, with a losing record during the regular season, made their improbable run to the Stanley Cup finals where they lost in six games to the Penguins. The North Stars, who began in 1967 and participated in only two finals, played two more seasons here before moving to Dallas.
The team had some entertaining characters through the years including a European player who was asked if he had a Minnesota driver’s license. “Sure,” he said, showing off his foreign license.