Posted January 14, 2011    

•Roy Terwilliger

•Joe Mauer

•Jerry Kill

•NHL Draft

•Kevin Love

Open Air Vikings Stadium Not Likely 

A news story earlier this week reported Vikings executive Lester Bagley said the franchise doesn’t need a roof on a new facility, but Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission chairman Roy Terwilliger told Sports Headliners such a stadium won’t be politically popular.   

“The fact is policy makers will look at this as a people’s facility,” Terwilliger said.  “It’s not just one (facility) that takes care of one tenant.” 

Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson said during an interview with Sports Headliners that a covered stadium is “clearly a statewide asset” and the Vikings are not "at odds” with supporters of such a facility. 

Members of the commission, operators of the Metrodome, along with other stadium proponents have long advocated a new facility with a roof, a venue that can be used hundreds of days per year for activities ranging from low profile events like amateur sports to an NCAA Final Four basketball tournament.  Saying that a “roof takes care of the public,” Terwilliger said building an outdoor Vikings football stadium leaves the community without the sort of options the Metrodome has provided since 1982.   

An antiquated facility with a collapsed roof, it’s not financially feasible to continue operation of the dome if the Vikings aren’t the major tenant.  In the future an open air Vikings stadium would mean the state has no large covered stadium since both TCF Bank Stadium and Target Field don’t have roofs.  

“It’s not consistent with the needs across the state and region,” Terwilliger said.  “It’s just not going to work.”   

Anderson said the franchise prefers an outdoor stadium because of the team’s legendary past of playing football in the elements at Met Stadium, and also because an outdoor venue is a less costly option.  An estimated price of an outdoor stadium is $750 million, while a covered facility (fixed roof, not retractable) might cost $200 million more. 

The Vikings have publicly stated their willingness to pay for one-third the cost of an outdoor stadium.  Anderson said that estimated contribution of about $240 million would be available for payment toward a covered facility, too.

 

“The fact is policy makers will look at this (funding for a new stadium) as a people’s facility.”
 Roy Terwilliger

Worth Noting 

Bert Blyleven’s election to the Baseball Hall of Fame last week gave the Twins four players at Cooperstown and it’s not difficult to guess who will be No. 5.  Catcher Joe Mauer looks like a lock, perhaps even if he never played another game.  Hall of Fame voters are a choosey bunch, but even at 27 Mauer might have enough achievements, including batting titles and an AL MVP award, to earn enshrinement.   

With the Twins having retired the jersey numbers of Hall of Famers Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett, it seems certain Blyleven will be accorded the same honor.  

With trades last year that sent Jose Morales and Wilson Ramos elsewhere, the Twins have invited six catchers among 19 non-roster players to training camp.  Two have previous major league experience, Steve Holm (San Francisco) and Rene Rivera (Seattle).   

In addition to manager Ron Gardenhire’s regular staff and minor league staffers, the Twins will have instructors Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tom Kelly, Paul Molitor, Tony Oliva and Terry Steinbach at spring training.  Pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers February 17, with other players coming in on February 22.  The Twins, who have a 29-game Grapefruit League exhibition schedule, will open their spring home season on February 27 against Boston.  

Twins radio broadcaster John Gordon, 70, will reduce his schedule to 90 regular season games and has made it known this is likely his last year before retiring.  Gordon, who has been broadcasting Twins games since 1987, makes his home in Fort Myers and likely finds the prospect of playing more golf and travelling appealing.  Bob Kurtz, Ted Robinson and Kris Atteberry will sub for Gordon.  “John can broadcast as long as he wants to,” said Patrick Klinger, Twins vice president of marketing.   

Former Gophers quarterback Adam Weber is training for what he hopes will be a pro football career.  His intelligence, personality and values ensure a successful career regardless of the direction his life takes.  Although Weber could end up in business, his contributions in coaching or sports administration would be significant, too.  

Gophersports.com reports that the Fellowship of Christian Athletes selected Gophers coach Jerry Kill as the 2010 FCA Grant Teaff Coach of the Year.  

Not only did Auburn’s win this week give the SEC five straight winners in the national championship game, but Ohio State (2002) is the only football program from the north or east to win the BCS title game since it began in 1999.

 

Notes Plus

Defenseman Maxim Noreau was named to the AHL All-Star game, January 31 in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  As of Wednesday he led the Wild’s Houston Aeros farm team with 16 assists and ranked second with 23 points.  The Montreal native played in one game with the Wild last season.

Left wing Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers) of the Ontario Hockey League and defenseman Adam Larsson (Skelleftea AIK) of the Swedish Elite League are the top draft-eligible skaters from North America and Europe, according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s mid-season rankings.  The Wild host the NHL Entry Draft June 24 and 25 at the Xcel Energy Center. 

Among Minnesotans drafted last year out of high school was Mark Alt, now a Gophers defenseman who could have played college football for Iowa.  Carolina made a smart pick in selecting Alt on the second round.  “He is a great athlete, (with) good size and he is intelligent,” said Glen Sonmor, former Gophers coach.   

Alt has been a minus player in only four of 19 games this season and is working on a streak of nine consecutive.  He is plus-four during that period.  

Coach Don Lucia’s Gophers team, at North Dakota for games tonight and tomorrow night, is 8-1-1 when scoring three goals or more this season and 1-7-2 when scoring two goals or fewer.  

Andrew Brommer, the former Rosemount High player, is the lone Minnesotan on the Iowa roster and is a hustle type player, a 6-9 235-pound reserve forward who struggles to score but had a then career high eight points against the Gophers last year.  Iowa (0-4 in the Big Ten) plays at Minnesota (2-3) on Sunday starting at 5 p.m. 

The Gophers upset No. 8 ranked Purdue last night and limited Boilermakers guard Ryne Smith to one three point field goal in four attempts, finishing the game with three points.  He was announced as Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after shooting 78.6 percent from beyond the three point line and averaging a team-best 19 points per game in the Boilermakers’ wins over Penn State and Iowa last week.  

Kevin Love of the Timberwolves is one of seven NBA players raising funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital during "Hoops for St. Jude" Week (March 4-11).  Love and others are donating to St. Jude for each point they score this season, with a season-end minimum total of $20,000.  Love has served as a past spokesman for St. Jude, among the world’s premier pediatric cancer research facilities.  

An era ended this week with the death of David Nelson, the last remaining member of the Nelson family from TV’s “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.”  The Nelsons loved sports and David’s dad, Ozzie, played football at Rutgers.  His younger brother, Ricky, was among the elite teen tennis players in America before focusing on a singing and acting career.   

St. Cloud State senior infielder Kent Koch has to do more than chase down ground balls.  He also “fields” the city budget as the newly inducted mayor of his home town, Loretto, Minnesota.  Koch was featured on ESPN’s "First Take" program on Wednesday morning. 

 

Don Lucia

 Kevin Love