If George Thomas could have handled his full-time job and also coached the Gophers baseball team on a part-time basis, John Anderson would never have gotten his chance to win 1,000 games.

When Dick Siebert died in December 1978, Thomas was appointed Siebert's successor by Gophers athletic director Paul Giel.

Anderson, who played for Siebert in 1974-75 before becoming a student assistant and then a graduate assistant, became an assistant coach to Thomas the way Thomas was to Siebert. Thomas resigned after three seasons, and Anderson was elevated to head coach at age 26.

Siebert was a longtime first baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics, hitting .282 in an 11-year major league career that ended in 1945. Siebert, who played in college at Concordia (St. Paul), became a broadcaster for the old St. Paul Saints after his playing career ended.

In 1948, Gophers athletic director Frank McCormick was looking for a baseball coach. Back then -- like I do today -- I made the rounds of the Gophers campus every day, and one of my stops was in McCormick's office. For some reason, the AD took a liking to me and gave me many tips.

I can remember it like it was today, when McCormick, who used to give me a bad time when I visited him, said to me: "You know all the answers. Who should I hire for baseball coach?"

Well, the first name that came to me was Siebert, who was a friend.

McCormick's reply was that university rules would not allow Siebert to coach the Gophers and still broadcast Saints games with a beer sponsor. He then suggested I go to the Saints game that night and ask Siebert if he would come and visit McCormick.

Well, the next day, Siebert interviewed for the job, was hired and coached the team for 31 years.

Siebert won 754 games and three national championships with the Gophers. And he took enough of a liking to Anderson to keep him as a student assistant when Anderson couldn't make the team as a player. If that hadn't happened, the story of Gophers baseball would be a lot different today.

Instead, we have a baseball coach who has built a great program over these past 28 seasons, and at age 54, Anderson will continue for some time being, I believe, the best college baseball coach in the country.

Harvin and Moss Vikings coach Brad Childress was asked to compare former Vikings receiver Randy Moss and this year's first-round pick, Percy Harvin of Florida. Both were highly regarded college receivers who, because of potential off-the-field problems, fell in the draft to the Vikings; Moss was drafted 21st overall in 1998, Harvin 22nd this year.

"They're different players," Childress said. "Randy is a tremendous player, vertical, up the field. Because of his length, he was able to go deep for balls. This guy [Harvin] has legitimately the same speed as Randy, obviously not the same stature. Probably a little more elusive. I wouldn't compare him, except they're receivers."

At 6-4, Moss stands 5 inches taller than the 5-11 Harvin.

Jottings Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury, who together helped make the Timberwolves into a big draw, were reunited this season with the Celtics, but the two have yet to play on the floor together during a game. Garnett suffered a right knee strain Feb. 19 against Utah, an injury that knocked him out of the lineup. Marbury, a free agent after the Knicks bought out the $20 million remaining on his contract, was signed by the Celtics as a backup point guard on Feb. 27. Garnett returned from his injury March 20, but he made it only four games before getting shut down again. And Garnett played in only the first and third quarters of those games. Marbury, on the second unit, played in only the second and fourth quarters. Marbury didn't score in eight minutes of the Celtics' 83-75 loss to Orlando in Game 6 of their playoff series after scoring 12 points, all in the fourth quarter, in Boston's 92-88 victory in Game 5. Garnett is expected to miss the entire postseason, which could end today if Boston loses Game 7 to the Magic.

Taylor Mehlhaff was ranked with the top placekickers in the country coming out of high school in Aberdeen, S.D. The Gophers though they had landed him, but he changed his mind and went to Wisconsin. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the Saints last year and played three games for them. He has signed as a free agent with the Vikings, who have an excellent kicker in Ryan Longwell, but Mehlhaff, who kicks off consistently into the end zone, picked the Vikings because he thought he could earn the kickoff job. Mehlhaff, the second-leading scorer in Wisconsin history with 295 points, went only 2-for-4 on field goals kicking at the Metrodome in 2007, when the Badgers beat the Gophers 41-34.

Not only is Cretin-Derham Hall's Seantrel Henderson ranked No. 1 among Rivals.com's top 100 senior prep football players in the nation, but Jimmy Gjere, the 6-7, 275-pound tackle from Irondale who has committed to the Gophers, is ranked 49th.

The Iowa football team is making a strong bid to recruit Taylor Grant, the son of Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant, brother of Gophers linebacker Ryan Grant and the grandson of Bud Grant. Taylor, who plays tight end and quarterback, has made two visits to Iowa. The Hawkeyes offense can call for three tight ends and is more of a tight end offense than that of the Gophers. So right now Iowa might have the edge for the 6-5, 250-pounder. ... The Gophers have offered a 2010 scholarship to All-America kicker/punter Michael Palardy of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ... The Gophers football team will fly with Delta-Northwestern this year. One of the airlines' key employees in running the Gophers' flights is former Gophers basketball player Cookie Holmes.

San Diego State athletic director Jeff Schemmel agreed to a three-year contract extension. Schemmel, who worked for the Gophers athletic department from 1991 to 2003 and has been running the Aztecs athletic program since 2005, had one year remaining on his current deal and will continue to earn $257,000 a year.

Not only did former Twins pitchers Johan Santana (Mets) and Matt Garza (Rays) start Saturday, but so did Eric Milton, pitching for the Dodgers in his first major league appearance since 2007, when he pitched for the Reds.

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