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February 22, 2012Vikings will be watching wide receivers closely at the NFL Combine
The NFL Combine kicks off on Thursday and runs through the middle part of next week. NFL coaches and general managers will be in attendance watching players work out. Dan Wiederer of the Star Tribune writes that the Vikings should keep a close eye on Justin Blackmon and three other highly ranked receivers.
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February 22, 20122012 Girls’ hockey tournament: Warroad, South St. Paul, Breck romp in Class A quarters
It’s already tournament time in St. Paul. The girls’ state hockey tournament is under way. In Class A quarterfinals today, second-seed Warroad advanced with a 13-1 win over Detroit Lakes, third-seeded South St. Paul toppled New Ulm, 12-1 and top-seeded Breck beat Chicago Lakes, 7-3. Class AA action starts Thursday, with Minnetonka and Roseville as the top two seeds.
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Newcomers Josh Willingham and Sean Burroughs arrived at Twins’ Spring Training on Wednesday. The only players left to report are Justin Morneau and Oswaldo Arcia. Thursday is the official check in date for position players. As for Burroughs, he’ll be playing some first, second and third base during camp.
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February 22, 2012Revere plans to bunt a lot this year
Ben Revere took to the batting cage in Fort Myers on Wednesday and he spent most of his time laying down bunts. Revere had four successful bunt attempts in 2011 — not nearly as many as a player with his speed should have. This season, the outfielder says he’s going to “bunt more than I ever have before.”
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February 22, 2012Lucia says Gophers’ best is ‘pretty good’
Don Lucia was happy with his team’s resiliency after being swept in Denver before coming back and sweeping Bemidji State. The head coach says the Gophers “can be a pretty good team” when they are blocking shots and limiting their turnovers. Minnesota will need a solid effort this weekend against Nebraska-Omaha.
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February 22, 2012Gophers’ Schmidt on his way to big things
Nate Schmidt has come a long way since graduating high school at St. Cloud Cathedral. He learned a lot in the ten games he played in as a freshman last season. Now, as a sophomore, Schmidt is tied with Kyle Rau with a plus/minus rating of plus-21 — fourth best in the nation.
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February 22, 2012Wolves, Jazz both seek .500
It’s the Wolves and the Jazz tonight at Target Center as both teams are trying to get back to the .500 mark before the All-Star break. Minnesota is coming off a tough OT loss at Denver, while the Spurs have lost nine of 12.
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February 22, 2012Smith calls on Sampson, Hollins to step up
With No. 6 Michigan State in town — and a three-game losing streak threatening to sink the season — Gophers coach Tubby Smith is asking veterans Ralph Sampson III and Andre Hollins to take more of a leadership role.
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February 22, 2012Snow 101: Remembering how to enjoy it
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Snow is in the forecast for much of the state, with predictions ranging in depth. In case you’ve forgotten what to do with the white fluffy stuff, here’s a reminder of fun things to do with snow.
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February 22, 2012Wild recall Hackett to back up Backstrom
The Wild say they’ve recalled goalie Matt Hackett from Houston. He’ll replace Josh Harding on the road trip to Florida and Dallas. Harding, according to the Star Tribune, “tweaked” something in Tuesday’s practice.
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February 22, 2012Twins: MRI shows no major damage in Hughes’ shoulder
Good news for Twins infielder Luke Hughes. An MRI on his sprained right shoulder shows no structural damage. Hughes is hoping a good spring will land him a full time job in the big leagues.
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February 22, 2012Master your mindset: Simple thinking to conquer any goal
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Start changing your mindset and simplify your thinking so that you’re more present. Multi-tasking is a sure fire way to do many things “ok” and, if you’re lucky, you may also do one or two of those things well. Do you really want to leave the fate of your resolution or 90-day goal to happenstance?
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February 22, 2012Souhan: Popular spring training lies
Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan says there are plenty of tall tales in Florida and Arizona every February and March, starting with, “If we can stay healthy….”
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February 22, 2012Drew Butera still in Twins mix?
Drew Butera might not be the greatest hitter in the world, but the Star Tribune reports the Twins might need him as a backup catcher if Ryan Doumit opens the season as the designated hitter.
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Spring training is in full swing and the Minnesota Twins are finding reasons to believe in the upcoming season. All of the injured players from a season ago are returning healthy, and it could mean big things in 2012.
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Governor Mark Dayton won’t use the word “optimistic,” but he says he’s “hopeful” that a Vikings stadium deal gets done soon. But an hour long meeting on Tuesday ended with Dayton saying a deal may not be finalized until next week, if at all. However, Dayton and Vikings’ owner Zygi Wilf agree that the “number of issues that remain are limited, and can be overcome if all the parties are willing.”
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February 21, 2012ESPN: Lakers interested in Beasley
Rumors of the Wolves sending Derrick Williams to the Lakers for Pau Gasol have been swirling for weeks. But now there’s a new wrinkle. The Lakers might be interested in Michael Beasley instead. The NBA trade deadline is March 15.
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February 21, 2012Exhibit looks at intersection of art, sport
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has opened a new exhibit called simply the “Sports Show.” The exhibit looks at the most influential artworks about sports on art over the last century. It also includes a special companion exhibit focused solely on art related to local Minnesota sports teams.
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February 22, 2012Video Vault: ‘Miracle On Ice’ – Feb. 22, 1980
We know you never get tired of seeing this clip. It’s the final minute of the “Miracle on Ice” from February 22, 1980. USA 4, Russia 3. St. Paul’s Herb Brooks becomes a hockey immortal.
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February 22, 2012Sports MN Quiz: What was final score of the USA-Sweden gold medal hockey game in the 1980 Olympics?
On Feb. 22, 1980, Team USA beat the USSR to advance to the gold medal game in the Winter Olympics. What was the final score between the Americans and Sweden? For the answer, click on the headline above.
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February 20, 2012Zumaya excited for fresh start in Minnesota
Twins right-hander Joel Zumaya had a 40-pitch bullpen session Sunday in Fort Myers. He missed all of 2011 after undergoing elbow surgery.
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Francisco Liriano worked hard on his mechanics during the off-season and he’s hoping it pays off. Ron Gardenhire says, “sometimes he gets out of whack, and you wonder, ‘What the hell are we doing?’ That’s Frankie.” Liriano says, “physically and mentally, I’m getting better.”
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February 20, 2012Hutchinson could be salary cap casualty
At 35 years old, left guard Steve Hutchinson is nearing the end of his career. He’s due to make $6.95 million next season. But that’s only if the Vikings bring him back. Hutchinson says he’s aware of the team’s salary cap situation, and that it’s a possibility he’s asked to redo his contract. It’s also possible he could be cut outright to save the Vikings money.
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February 21, 2012Fantasy baseball wizards cool on Mauer
Joe Mauer was the topic of conversation among fantasy baseball experts on EPSN’s Fantasy Roundtable Tuesday. Not surprisingly, Mauer’s erratic performance and unexplained injuries last year have downgraded his stock in the fantasy baseball world.
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February 20, 2012Wrestling Gophers upset No. 1 Cowboys
The U of M wrestling team upset No. 1 Oklahoma State 18-13 to win the NWCA national duals Sunday. The No. 3 Golden Gophers defeated Iowa with an exciting win in the semifinals to earn their spot in the final. The Big Ten championships are March 3 and 4.
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February 21, 2012Yeo tight-lipped about Koivu injury
After several injuries already this year, the Star Tribune reports that Wild captain Mikko Koivu did not practice on Tuesday morning because of another undisclosed injury. Coach Yeo says it remains unclear if the center will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip.
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February 21, 2012Former Twin Guzman expected to sign with Cleveland
Former Twin Cristian Guzman has passed his physical and is expected to sign with the Cleveland Indians this week, the Associated Press is reporting. Guzman has played for the Minnesota, Washington and Texas in his career. He sat out last season because of a shoulder injury.
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February 22, 2012Weird, wild & wacky winter festival fun
Sponsored by: Turkey bowling, golf on frozen lakes, polar plunges through a hole in the ice into the frigid waters, racing beds and bar stools downhill. Silly sports take their place alongside traditional winter fun, like sleigh rides, dogsled races and chili feeds.
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During an appearance on Jim Rome’s radio show, former New York Knicks tough guy Charles Oakley took a shot at former Timberwolves’ star Kevin Garnett. “Garnett left Minnesota and hollered and screamed and all that but hes not a tough guy,” Oakley said. “He’s one of the weakest guys to ever play the game.”
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February 22, 2012Nick Cannon’s kidney disease
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When producer, musician, and host of America’s Got Talent Nick Cannon made headlines with his hospital stay for “mild kidney failure” earlier this year, it left a lot of people stumped. How exactly can kidney failure be “mild”?
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February 21, 2012Patterson and Rau named WCHA players of the week
For the third time this season Kent Patterson has been named WCHA defensive player of the week. The senior Gophers’ goalie allowed one goal in a weekend sweep of Bemidji State. The WCHA rookie of the week award was given to Gophers’ forward Kyle Rau. It’s the second time he’s won the award.
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February 21, 2012Peterson: I wanted to be like Michael Jordan
Adrian Peterson toyed with the idea of changing his jersey number to 23, however, soon scrapped the idea after he realized it would cost him nearly a million dollars due to contractual issues. Tuesday he told Dan Patrick that he considered it because he’s been a lifelong Michael Jordan fan.
