Sid Hartman: Gardenhire says Mauer will stay behind the plate

With Joe Mauer laid up for the next 15 to 20 days because of a strained left quadriceps muscle, there has been more talk of the Twins catcher shifting to another position, where he might stay healthier.

However, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says that is not going to happen.

"Mauer loves to catch and he doesn't want to play any other position," Gardenhire said. "He does a great job of handling the pitchers, and that is where he wants to be."

Gardenhire said Mauer does have enough athletic ability to play another position if the team ever wanted to move him.

The big worry is that doctors are talking about Mauer possibly being out up to three weeks. The Twins definitely are going to miss his bat. That was apparent after they hit .204 in the six home games against the Red Sox and the White Sox without Mauer in the lineup. The Twins lost two out of three games in each series.

Meanwhile, Gardenhire said he can't convince catcher Mike Redmond to take a day off. "He wants to play every day," Gardenhire said.

The Twins are lucky to have Redmond -- not only on the field, but in the clubhouse, where he is a great leader.

Ford might help

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said the team has to find a way to beat lefthanded pitchers and said the possible recall of outfielder Lew Ford from Class AAA Rochester in the next couple of days could help the problem.

"Well, I just left him in Rochester, and he's about ready to come back up here, and we'll probably bring him back in the next couple of days," Ryan said. "I'm hoping that when he does come back, he'll be part of solving the problem. We've got to find a way to beat left-handed pitchers. And righthanded bats ultimately will be a little bit of the problem-solver. You know, Lew's been here, we've all seen Lew. And he's got speed, he can throw, he can play all three outfield positions. But he's not going to be the answer to everything that is our problem offensively.

"We're going to have to have a lot of people contribute."

Ryan said he has no plans to trade for a righthanded hitter but said that might become necessary late in the season.

"As you get into this thing and if things don't go the way they're supposed to at a particular position, you've got to end up addressing it," Ryan said. "As you get into the rest of the spring and ultimately June here, you're going to have to find ways to score more runs. If we don't, then you have to start making adjustments."

Investigation continues

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said there isn't any news on the status of Gophers football players Alex Daniels, Keith Massey and E.J. Jones, who were taken into custody April 7 by university police who were investigating a complaint of criminal sexual conduct.

The players were released without being charged.

Freeman said he doesn't want to be involved in anything resembling the Duke University lacrosse situation in which players were charged and then found innocent. So the investigation continues without any time limit, Freeman said.

Gophers football coach Tim Brewster said he can't take any action until he hears from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

Help for Owens

Two years ago, Gophers defensive back Brandon Owens suffered a serious shoulder injury that ended his football career. Owens has remained in school and has stayed close to the football program.

What is the school insurance coverage for an athlete who suffers such an injury? Gophers football trainer Ed Lochrie said: "If an athlete is injured we will bill their insurance for the injury and anything not covered by their insurance will be covered by the University of Minnesota, which is self-insured. If an athlete suffers a serious injury such as the one that occurred to Brandon Owens, the NCAA kicks in to pay the bill up to $1 million after the out-of pocket expenses to the University of Minnesota reach the $75,000 level."

Jottings

In 19 dates, including Thursday, the Twins have drawn 513,496 compared with 435,628 a year ago.

Tony Dungy hired Mike Tomlin when Dungy was the head coach at Tampa. Tomlin eventually became the Vikings' defensive coordinator and then head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Leslie Frazier, the defensive coach for Dungy last season, is now the defensive coordinator for the Vikings. Dungy said he believes Frazier will do an outstanding job for the Vikings.

Damien White, a wide receiver from Culver, Calif., has announced he will attend Minnesota. White, who didn't sign a tender before the deadline, will be eligible this fall.

Former Twin Ron Coomer, a teammate of Roger Clemens when they were with the Yankees in 2002, said the signing of Clemens to a free-agent contract is typical of the Yankees and owner George Steinbrenner. "When you are a member of the Yankees that is one thing you know that the ownership will go to any level to win," said Coomer, now a television commentator for Fox Sports North. "That is one reason a lot of free agents sign with the Yankees."

Well, from a playing standpoint, it is good the Twins don't have to play the Yankees as often as they once did. The Yankees used to make two trips to the Twin Cities for a pair of two-game series. On the other hand, no team draws like the Yankees. Under the current balanced schedule, the Yankees make only one trip here, but some teams have been luckier in the draw. The White Sox have seven games at home this season against the Yankees. They hosted the Yankees three times in May and have four games in June. The Twins would love to get that many home games against the Yankees or Red Sox.

Former Twins assistant general manager Bob Gebhard is now scouting for the Diamondbacks and was here this week watching the Twins. ... Also scouting the Twins this week was former Twins catcher Dave Engel, now working for the Orioles. And former Twin Randy Bush is now the assistant general manager of the Cubs.

Zach Parise, the former Shattuck-St. Mary's and North Dakota hockey player who had a great season with the New Jersey Devils, joined Team USA in the world hockey championship and played in Thursday's quarterfinal loss to Finland. Former Gopher Thomas Vanek has five goals and three assists in 12 playoff games for the Buffalo Sabres while Rosemount High School graduate Tom Preissing has two goals and four assists in 11 games for Ottawa.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on Podcast twice a week at www.startribune.com/sidcast. shartman@startribune.com.