Sid Hartman: Minneapolis City Council could step up, but it won't

In 1995, the Winnipeg Jets were trying to move in time for the 1996-97 NHL season. Gary Bettman was intent on getting the team to move to Target Center.

The NHL commissioner held off officials from Houston and Phoenix while waiting for the great Minneapolis City Council to appropriate some funds so that top-level professional hockey could return to the Twin Cities.

Wheelock Whitney, one of the great civic leaders here, made a speech pointing out that Metropolitan Stadium, Met Center, Target Center and the Metrodome had been built without taxing the public. The Metrodome was funded on a liquor tax.

And maybe this was the time for the city of Minneapolis to step up and provide some funding so the North Stars could be replaced.

But the city council did nothing. And the Jets went to Phoenix and became the Coyotes. And though the NHL eventually returned with the Wild, Xcel Energy Center and Target Center continue to compete for big shows and lose money.

Well today, court hearings will be held on the condemnation situation of the land that will be home for the new Twins stadium. The price could come out a lot higher than the $13.5 million the space has been taxed on. The Pohlad family has agreed to pay an additional amount to help Hennepin Country when and if the condemnation comes out higher.

But Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat points out that a lot of the infrastructure connected with the ballpark will have to be eliminated if the condemnation figure comes out high.

Here would be a chance for Barbara Johnson, Lisa Goodman and other geniuses in the city council to say, "If that happens, we will contribute."

The city will be the beneficiary of its 3 percent entertainment tax on the sale of Twins tickets at the new stadium, something that the city hasn't been getting on tickets sold at the Metrodome. That new income could amount to $3 million or more per season for Minneapolis.

In addition, there will be a lot of other benefits financial and otherwise to downtown Minneapolis with the building of the ballpark. The state will gain a ton in revenue from the parking ramps.

But rest assured, Mayor R.T. Rybak; council President Johnson; and Goodman, whose Ward 7 includes the area where the ballpark will be built, will stand by and do nothing. They will be consistent.

Wolves like Brewer

While the Timberwolves basketball brass aren't going to reveal who they want to take first in Thursday's NBA draft, I expect them to take Corey Brewer of Florida if he is there at No. 7 overall.

Wolves coach Randy Wittman was asked to describe Brewer.

"He does everything," Witt- man said. "Well, he's a scorer. He's a shooter. Those guys in that slot there bring different things, he plays an all-around game. He can put the ball on the floor. I think ... what he's going to be best known [for] early in his career at our level is his ability to defend.

"He's a legitimate 6-9, really probably going to fit more into the shooting guard, the 2 position, but can play the 3 position. But when you have a guy who's 6-9 who can just get down and lock down and defend you, that's a luxury that you don't always come across."

Wild scouts agreed

Wild President Doug Risebrough normally likes to see any potential first-round picks play, but he didn't see Colton Gillies play this past season. Instead, he relied on three scouts who all agreed that the British Columbia native has a great future.

"Our European guy saw him play when he went to a European tournament at the end of the year, so all of the top four recruiters saw him and they all liked him," Risebrough said. "And as a manager that's a better feeling for sure, that when you can select a player that you know all the scouts like. That's not always the case, especially if you're drafting at 19-year-old, because ... the opinion can vary quite a bit just maybe because the player played differently throughout the year. And that's why he's going to be picked that late in the draft."

Jottings

Golf legend Arnold Palmer, former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and former White Sox GM Roland Hemond were among the guests at Saturday's Starkey Hearing Foundation Gala, held at RiverCentre in St. Paul. Palmer said he is pretty much retired but he finds it hard to say no to Hollis Cavner, so Palmer likely again will play in the 3M Championship, the Champions Tour event at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. ... Hemond said in his long career as a baseball executive, he couldn't ever recall a really good-hitting team go into a teamwide slump the way this year's White Sox have; they are last in the majors with a .234 average. ... Lasorda sang the praises of Twins GM Terry Ryan and manager Ron Gardenhire for putting a winning team on the field season after season.

Gophers men's hockey coach Don Lucia, who is in Rochester, N.Y., scouting under-17 players, said Alex Goligoski, who was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2004, is talking to his parents after meeting with NHL officials and hasn't decided whether he will sign pro or return to the Gophers this fall. ... Lucia said he wasn't surprised to see Patrick White and Jim O'Brien -- drafted in the first round of the NHL draft Friday. "White is going to be a good player," Lucia said of the Gophers recruit. "... He's got good skills." Lucia saw a good future for O'Brien, a U freshman last season, and also for two second-round picks who are Gophers recruits: Mike Hoeffel, from North Oaks, Minn., and Nico Sacchetti, from Virginia, Minn., who is only in 11th grade and has committed to play for the Gophers in 2008-09.

Donruss/Playoff, a manufacturer of sports trading cards, has signed Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson to an endorsement deal.

Former Gophers center Greg Eslinger was named to the All-NFL Europa team. He started all 10 games for Cologne, helping the Centurions average 307.1 yards of total offense per game.

Former Minnetonka High School pitcher Zach Peterson, who won a school-record 27 games in four seasons for Illinois-Chicago, signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Royals. Friday, he earned a victory in his pro debut with Idaho Falls of the Pioneer League.

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