MinnesotaSportsScene.com

The Minnesota Twins are getting serious about winning. Now that they are moving into a new stadium this season, the team has gone on something of a shopping spree for talent.

Already they have added DH Jim Thome, starting pitcher Carl Pavano, and completed a trade for shortstop JJ Hardy. Today, they added Gold Glove winner Orlando Hudson, who will secure the second base position. All of this spending comes at a time when the Twins are desperate to show catcher Joe Mauer they are committed to getting to a World Series, so that they can sign him for between $20-25 million per season – still less than he’s expected to command on the open market if he bypasses a new deal with the Twins.

While a lot of this talent-signing is about the new stadium, have no doubt that re-signing Mauer is also a major element in all this off-season wheeling and dealing. It’s not just for the pond pumps.

Tags: Carl Pavano, Jim Thome, JJ Hardy, Joe Mauer, Orlando Hudson

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One of the most highly-sought recruits this year, Cretin-Derham Hall offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson today chose USC as his college of choice on National Signing Day. His choice came despite the recent departure of Pete Carroll, who moved to Seattle to run the Seahawks recently, and has been replaced by Lane Kiffen, formerly of the Oakland Raiders and a one-time candidate for the Gophers job that went to Tim Brewster.

Brewster tried as hard as anyone could to land Henderson, but even if Minnesota had Kiffen instead of Brewster as coach, he would have had a hard time keeping Henderson at home. Why? Simple: Kiffen can offer Henderson southern California winters; Minnesota can’t. Send that out on your iPods.

And when everyone is after you, as was the case with Henderson, that makes it hard to land a guy like that. Of course, USC is taking on some risks, too; Henderson needs to work hard to meet academic eligibility requirements, so the signing won’t mean much if he struggles with his grades. That would have been an even bigger issue for other Henderson finalist schools like Minnesota and Notre Dame, which have higher academic standards than USC.

Still, Henderson is a solid “get” for the Trojans; but losing the Henderson sweepstakes is by no means a knock against Brewster. Some recruits just have too many huge schools going after them.

Tags: iPods, Lane Kiffen, Seantrel Henderson, Tim Brewster, USC

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Following their 22-point loss to Ohio State, Tubby Smith’s Gophers this year seem destined to finish no better than 18-12 overall, including a 9-9 mark in the Big 10. That would make this year’s Gophers the first Tubby Smith-coached team not to reach 20 wins in 17 years.

Of course, with the team rocked by academic ineligibility and other players suspended for team rules violations and legal trouble, Smith hasn’t had as deep a roster to work with as he was expecting to enjoy upon entering the season last fall as a Top-25-ranked team in the nation.

The glass tiles overhead aren’t breaking for the Gophers this year, and they look to be NIT-bound. Hopefully, Tubby can land Cory Joseph to round out his recruiting class and help patch the holes created by so many disappointing player developments this season, so that he can come back strong in 2010-11.

Tags: glass tiles, Tubby Smith

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It’s nothing to get too excited about just yet, but the Timberwolves won back-to-back games this weekend, defeating the LA Clippers and the New York Knicks, by margins of 14 and 21 points respectively. The wins were sparked by some lineup shuffling by coach Kurt Rambis, who sent Kevin Love and Damien Wilkins to the bench in favor of Ryan Gomes and Ryan Hollins.

The double-Ryan attack paid off, snapping the Wolves’ recent losing streak against the Clippers, then stuck with the change against the Knicks to take advantage of the mismatch created by the shift, and the team rode that energy to a second win, bringing their season total to 11 wins and 38 losses.

Love was undeterred by the benching, scoring 25 points in nearly 32 minutes of play. Wilkins scored 11 against the Knicks. Gomes and Hollins, meanwhile combined for 26 points and seven boards, compared to 36 points and 18 board for Love and Wilkins, playing against Knicks reserves.

How long Rambis will stick with this strategy is unclear, but so far it seems to be working. And since I’m about to lose my desktop for the next 2-3 weeks for servicing and testing, and I’ll be doing my updates from an old, slow laptop computer, I figured I better mention all this while it’s still a pleasant task!

Tags: laptop computer, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks

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While it would have been nice to face the Saints at Metrodome, the Vikings could hardly ask for a better playoff road game location that the New Orleans Superdome. Since the Vikings are built to be a Dome team, this is an ideal matchup for the NFC Championship Game, for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

Sure, New Orleans is tough; sure, they scored a lot of points against Arizona.

Then again, Dallas scored a lot of points against Philly before they faced the Vikings, and all they managed against us was three points. In fact, the Vikings defense allowed fewer points today than any playoff team this weekend. Well, sure… Indy held Baltimore to three points, also, but was that as impressive as holding Dallas to three points? I think not.

Many people thought 40-year-old Brett Favre would be studying the best joint supplements by now, not a New Orleans game plan for the right to go to the big game.

OK, so New Orleans’ QB is younger than Favre by a decade or so. So what? It’s going to be a great game and between Favre and Brees, guess who has been in more playoff games and to more Super Bowls?

Hint: it’s not the guy in black and gold.

As for that running up the score thing? Well, that’s just Favre being Favre. No one (except us Vikings fans) grumbled about it when Brett was in green-n-gold. Now that he’s in purple, he’s suddenly a bad sport?

Nope. He always has been.

Tags: best joint supplements, Brett Favre, Drew Brees

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We’re leading 20-3. That’s better news than discovering weight loss pills that don’t raise your blood pressure!

With a 17-point lead and about 12 minutes left, Minnesota’s in a good position to win. And this is a Dallas offense that put up a load of points against Philly last week. Talk about defense!

Adrian takes it. Second and five. Five yard gain. That’s solid.

Harvin on the handoff. First down!

Peterson on the handoff. Three yard gain. Second and seven.

Smart to grind it out at this point.

Peterson again… no, play action. Complete to Rice! 20-yard connection.

Nine minutes to go. Good time of possession and clock control.

Peterson gains six yards. Second and four.

Peterson again; no gain. Third and four. Eight minutes left.

Rice catches it again… TOUCHDOWN! Make that 26-3, and it’ll be 27-3 after the extra point.

Kick’s up and good. 24-point lead! New Orleans, here we come!

Tags: Brett Favre, Dallas Cowboys, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, weight loss pills

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There are some jobs Philly may be looking to fill this week, but in Minnesota, Brad Childress must be feeling pretty secure after that first half.

Let’s see how this first possession goes. Touchback.

First and 10 from the 20.

Peterson goes up, gets to the 27. Seven yard game. Good move to commit to the run, even though we were quick-strike in the first half to take the lead.

Second and three. Adrian again. No gain. Third and three.

Dallas offside. Complete up to the 40, but the play was stopped.

False start on us? What? Grr.

Harvin wasn’t moving at all. Bad call.

Third and eight.

Incomplete to Harvin on the third-down redo.

Man, too bad that wasn’t a reviewable call… At least we’re ahead by two scores. I’ll be back…

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, jobs Philly

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So far, things couldn’t be going better, even though I thought this might be a game that inspired migraine treatments. We’re ahead 17-3, and Favre has two touchdown passes to Sidney Rice.

Our D is keeping Tony Romo and the Cowboys off-balance, and we’re handling their 3-4 defense pretty well.

We just put up our first punt since the first drive of the game. Great half, and we get the first possession coming out of it.

Who could ask for more?

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The Vikings are near midfield on what looks to be a promising drive. Makes me glad I’m slimmer now, though I didn’t need a fat loss supplement to get here. I can enjoy the game a lot more with 20 pounds less of me to move around.

Taylor gains five. Second and five.

Farve to Rice. TOUCHDOWN! A 47-yarder!

Vikes up 6-0!

NOW the playoffs have begun! Extra point up and… good! Vikes 7, Cowbots 0!

Tags: Brett Favre, Dallas Cowboys, fat loss supplement, Sidney Rice

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I know a few things about diets that work, having recently lost my first 20 pounds, putting me 25 percent of the way toward my overall goal, but right now I care a lot more about the Vikes’ first possession:

Incomplete pass over the middle. Second and 10. Peterson gains three. Third and seven.

We need something to work. C’mon, Favre, prove you’re worth it.

Favre sacked almost immediately. Three and out. Time to punt. Crud.

Not sure I’m going to blog about every possession, but I’ll be back throughout the game for updates…

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No one cares as much about wrinkle cream reviews as they do about the big playoff game between Minnesota and Dallas today. It’s happening on our turf, the Metrodome, and although Dallas got the call and won. We get to start on defense.

I’m sitting here listening to the call on 100.3 KTLK FM because I want the Vikes to have a chance to win. The Vikings are 1-3 when I watch them on TV this season, 11-1 when I don’t.

We just buried the Dallas return man. The playoffs are underway!

Darn. First down for Dallas, and it only took the ‘boys two downs to get there. They’re a passing team and that’s our weakness on defense.

Dallas just made it to the 45. This is not good. Three plays and a lot of yards given up already.

Incomplete pass! Now that’s more like it. Here comes second down… nine-yard pass complete. Third and one. Pass for 13 yards down to Minnesota’s 40. We need a stop!

Incomplete pass. Ball squirts out, but Dallas recovers. Leber just missed a sack.

Ray Edwards catches the Dallas back four yards behind. Third and 14. This is better.

Sack! Ball squirts out! WE RECOVER! Bullet dodged! Vikes’ ball! Yeah!

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, wrinkle cream reviews

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When one hears “Northwestern,” the first thing the pops to mind is the Big 10 school with the semi-decent sports teams; the next is the Minnesota Bible college that goes by that name. But there’s another Northwestern and it’s a business-oriented college with a solid online degree program.

They offer business administration and health information technology as well as criminal justice degrees online. And the great thing is, they have a personal touch that lasts a lifetime, as their career placement office is at the disposal of their graduates for as long as they’re out in the work world and need the help, whether they just graduated last December, or twenty Decembers ago.

Tags: criminal justice degrees online, Northwestern College

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