Joe Mauer is ranked the 39th best player in baseball by ESPN.com. Justin Morneau is the second highest ranked Twin at No. 196. ESPN.com has been counting down baseball’s top 500 players since March 20 with the top 25 to be announced today and tomorrow.
Wally McNeil (“Wally the Beer Man”) said he will again be a celebrity bartender at Sneaky Pete’s before and after Twins home games. He plans to work some St. Paul Saints games, too.
Ron Stolski said there were over 1,400 registrations for the Minnesota Football Coaches Clinic last week, a number that “quadrupled” the total four years ago. Stolski is executive director of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, the organization administering the annual clinic.
The MFCA and the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund are partnering to promote “Tackle Cancer Month” in September. High school football programs are being asked to collect donations at their home games to benefit the fund.
Shaver, the KARE 11 sportscaster who is a cancer survivor, told the clinic audience less than 10 percent of the fund’s budget goes for operating costs, with the balance funding research and other programs such as cancer prevention. Through the years he’s helped raise over $4.5 million for the cancer cause, primarily through his annual celebrity golf event.
Among the clinic speakers was Gophers coach Jerry Kill who gave a rousing speech to the high school coaches in attendance. “We want to win for you,” Kill told them.
Kill said he and his staff try to understand all they can about their players. This includes how players learn and some have admitted it’s difficult to pay attention in meetings for more than about 20 minutes. The players have also said they want more team building and camaraderie activities during summer months.
Glenn Caruso was awarded the MFCA’s Tom Mahoney Man of the Year Award at the clinic. The St. Thomas coach has a 43-7 record during four years and his 2011 team was one victory from the Division III national championship game. Caruso told Sports Headliners he’s proud that 96 of his 125 players are from Minnesota schools and all eight assistants are natives of the state.
The Tommies will play a spring football game against a Canadian club team on May 20 in Winnipeg. That day will be Caruso’s 38th birthday.
Among Division III programs nationally, St. Thomas athletics ranks No. 8 in the latest Leerfield Sports Director’s Cup standings. St.Olaf ranks No. 25. The final 2011-12 standings are expected to be released in early June.
Freshman point guard Andre Hollins scored 20 or more points in four of the Gophers last eight games. Hollins made 90.4 percent of his free throws this season and could have led the nation but didn’t have enough attempts to qualify.
Those close to new University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler are impressed with his attitude toward Gophers sports and his commitment to winning.
The 2012 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced Friday from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa during the NCAA Frozen Four. The finalists for the award honoring college hockey’s best player are Spencer Abbott, senior forward from the University of Maine; Jack Connolly, senior forward from the University of Minnesota-Duluth; and Austin Smith, senior forward from Colgate University. The announcement will be aired live on the NHL Network and on the Hobey Baker website at 5 p.m. Minneapolis time.
The Minnesota Stars will play FC Edmonton today in an exhibition match at Parade Stadium. The event begins at 1 p.m. and admission is free. The Stars open their NASL regular season schedule at home on Saturday night (7:30 p.m.) against Carolina at the Metrodome.