Sid Hartman: Morneau's hitting helps show critics Twins can contend

The Twins continue to surprise, having won four of their first five games on this road trip to Detroit and Kansas City. The players, including first baseman Justin Morneau, say the team will prove they are better than the media rank them.

"We're not too worried about what we don't have," Morneau said. "We've been battling every day and busting our tails. We've had a couple of bad games, but for the most part, we've given ourselves a chance in most of the games. You can never count us out because we're always going to play nine innings."

Morneau said he believes the Twins have the talent to win the AL Central Division after seeing the competition.

"I'm hoping so," he said. "We have the talent in here, we have players.

"[Alexi] Casilla's made a difference. He's been up the last few days playing, and you get those two fast guys [Carlos Gomez and Casilla] at the top of the order, they can make a difference. That puts a lot of pressure on the other team."

Casilla, who was hitting .219 for Class AAA Rochester when he was called up May 11, is hitting .282 after going 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly Wednesday against the Royals. He has two home runs and 12 RBI in only 39 at-bats.

Morneau has raised his batting average to .310 and has a team-high 40 RBI after he hit a game-winning solo homer in the 10th inning of the Twins' 9-8 victory in Kansas City on Wednesday.

When Morneau won the AL MVP in 2006, he was off to a much slower start than this season. He could be heading for an even better year. He is one of the most feared hitters in the league right now.

James deal The Vikings will receive a conditional seventh-round draft choice from the Redskins for former Wisconsin defensive end Erasmus James if he makes the 53-man roster and plays in at least one game. Had the Redskins not made the deal, there were at least four other teams ready to claim James on waivers.

Redskins defensive line coach John Palermo coached James at Wisconsin.

"When John heard James was available, he made sure we made the deal," said Vinny Cerratto, Redskins vice president of football operations. "He is a bargain at $695,000 this year and $1 million next if he is healthy. Dr. [James] Andrews, who operated on James [in December], is our team doctor and he reported to us that James is 90 percent ready to play."

Jottings Contrary to rumors, the Vikings don't have interest in Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, who is available.

With 27,000 existing Gophers season ticket holders expected to buy seats in the new football stadium, 3,000 premium seats are expected to be sold before the stadium opens in 2009. There will be 10,000 student tickets and 3,000 tickets available to the visiting team. Jason LaFrenz, director of marketing and ticket sales, says there are only 7,000 seats left before the new stadium is sold out for its first season. The Gophers have sold 1,500 new football season tickets this year. ... The Gophers have a new ticket manager in Brent Holck, an Austin, Minn., native who previously worked at Duke. Ticket manager Dan Teschke, who has done a great job, has been promoted to director of points. His job will involve parceling out the good seats in the new football stadium.

Gophers football coach Tim Brewster on his decision to remove return specialist Harold Howell from the roster: "Harold Howell is a good football player, and I was not disappointed on how he played on the football field. What disappointed me is that he didn't do what he needed to do in the classroom."

The Gophers men's basketball locker room that was completely remodeled when Dan Monson was coaching here was flooded the other day. A water pipe broke and it will have to be almost completely remodeled again.

Former Gophers running back Marion Barber III, who recently signed a seven-year, $45 million contract ($6.4 million per year) with $16 million guaranteed, is the seventh-highest-paid running back in the NFL. The highest is the Saints' Reggie Bush, who averages $8.8 million per year. The only others being paid more than Barber are the Chiefs' Larry Johnson, the Cardinals' Edgerrin James, the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson, the 49ers' Frank Gore and the Saints' Deuce McAllister.

Former Gophers winger Blake Wheeler hasn't signed an NHL contract as yet with the Phoenix Coyotes, even though he definitely will turn pro. If Wheeler chooses to not sign with Phoenix this month, he could become a free agent and sign with any team, but not for more money.

Jason Cohen, who has been an intern in the legal and business affairs department of the Vikings, has been named director of business development and associate legal counsel of Women's Professional Soccer, a league beginning play with seven teams in the spring of 2009.

Former Twins third baseman Terry Tiffee was called up by the Dodgers this week after hitting. .422 with four home runs and 38 RBI for Class AAA Las Vegas. Tiffee spent last season with Norfolk, Baltimore's Class AAA farm team.

Two former Twins are struggling in the Japanese professional baseball league. Lew Ford is hitting .217 for the Hanshin Tigers after spending some time in the country's minor leagues. Rochester native Michael Restovich is hitting .214 for the Softbank Hawks.