Carl Pavano, who will pitch opening day in Toronto on Friday, was the team’s No. 3 starter at the beginning of last year. Pavano, 17-11 last season, pitched seven complete games, a major league total exceeded only by Roy Halladay’s nine.
The Twins don’t play a game in April against the White Sox and Tigers, their major rivals for the division title.
Former Twins pitcher Juan Berenguer’s son, Chris, is the Division III Player of the Year in hockey. The Hamline senior defenseman is a three-time All-American.
Former Chaska High School pitcher Brad Hand, drafted by the Marlins in 2008, pitched in two spring training games for Florida, compiling a 9:00 ERA in five innings.
Successful basketball programs don’t have five important players transfer within about 12 months but that’s reality for the Gophers. The departed now include Colton Iverson, the junior center who for whatever reasons didn’t improve during his career at Minnesota. Earlier this year guard Devoe Joseph transferred, while last off season forwards Paul Carter and Royce White, and guard Justin Cobbs, also left the program. Minnesota was 6-12 in the Big Ten last season.
What if Iverson joined White at Iowa State playing for former Timberwolves executive Fred Hoiberg who in his first year coaching in Ames has made national news with several transfers joining his program?
Former pro wrestler Jumpin’ Jim Brunzell, who played football for Gophers coach Murray Warmath, gave new Minnesota coach Jerry Kill a poster with Warmath’s game maxims. Included is one called oske wow wow that means “interception, find a different colored jersey and make a block.”
The Gophers, 3-9 last season, will have spring practices tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday. “We may take a step back, before we take a step forward,” Kill said last week before spring practice started.
The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will have its annual awards dinner on April 17 at the University of St. Thomas. Kill will be the keynote speaker and Isaac Odim from the University of Minnesota Duluth will be among those honored. Odim is the first recipient of the Bob Stein College Scholar-Athlete Award. To purchase tickets to the event or become a member of the chapter, visit www.nffmn.org.