Sid Hartman: Ryan defends time Mauer took to recover

While Joe Mauer has taken some criticism for being out 29 days because of a strained left quadriceps muscle, Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said it wasn't because the catcher wouldn't play until he was completely healthy. Ryan said Mauer needed that much time to heal because of the type of injury it was.

"When you've got one of those quad strains, it's not about catching," Ryan said. "It's about running, and he had some blood built up in that quad. That's one of those things where it takes time, and anybody that's had one of those, you've got to realize there's a time when you can go and there's a time when you can't. Joe just couldn't go, but he can now."

Former Twins shortstop Cristian Guzman came to town last weekend with the Washington Nationals. He went 8-for-14 (.571) in the three-game series and fielded his position well.

Ryan was asked to compare Guzman with current Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett.

"They're two different types of players. I don't see where you can really compare them," Ryan said. "Guzman's a switch hitter, and Guzman's faster than Bartlett, although Bartlett can really run.

"When Guzman was healthy here, he was a good player for us and did a nice job. He became a free agent and got a great contract from the Nationals. I'm glad to see he's out on the diamond and healthy because he went through a tough stretch over there for the Nationals the last couple years."

Matt Tolbert is hitting .379 at Class AAA Rochester and even though the Twins are desperate for another hitter, Ryan says Tolbert is not ready to help the major league club.

"He's having a good year down there, and he's got some versatility, which always helps," Ryan said. "He's a switch hitter, and he can run. He's a little shaky on defense, and that's what we need to clean up for him. Right now he's a little stiff, and that's one of the issues with him. We've got to soften up his approach to fielding ground balls.

"He's got power and he strikes out a little bit more than we like, and doesn't get deep enough in counts. He's getting there and he can hit a ball a long way, but there's still a lack of consistency [from] at-bat to at-bat."

No return for Culpepper

If Vikings owner Zygi Wilf told Brad Childress he had to add Daunte Culpepper to the Vikings roster, the coach probably would rather resign than comply.

When Childress took the Vikings job, he thought one plus was the presence of a good quarterback in Culpepper. But their relationship was just horrible. One of the best things Childress did was trade Culpepper to Miami for a second-round draft choice before the 2006 season.

Don't be surprised if Culpepper winds up with former Vikings coach Mike Tice at Jacksonville.

Jottings

Timberwolves basketball coach Randy Wittman will be watching draft-eligible players work out at Target Center in pain after recently suffering a back injury while playing golf. ... The word is the final coaching hire for Wittman's staff will be either J.B. Bickerstaff, the former Gophers player who was on the Charlotte Bobcats coaching staff last year, or Greg Ballard, a former Wolves assistant.

Apparently there has been conversation between former Gophers football coach Glen Mason and officials of the new Big Ten Network about Mason working as a television commentator. I hear Mason can have the post if he wants it. ... As expected, Gophers basketball players Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson withdrew from the NBA draft by the June 18 deadline to remain eligible for next season.

The three remaining top in-state recruits who haven't committed to the Gophers have spent or will spend time at Tim Brewster's summer football camp this week. Cretin-Derham Hall wide receiver Michael Floyd, a top-100 player according to some recruiting services, and his mother had an unofficial visit with Brewster on Tuesday. Floyd will spend a day at Brewster's camp later this week. ... Eden Prairie defensive end Willie Mobley has been around the camp all week, and he and his mother had an unofficial visit with Brewster on Wednesday. Cretin-Derham Hall tackle Joe Schafer is also expected to visit the camp this week. There were 430 students in grades 9-11 attending camp this past week.

Among other top recruits taking part in the camp this week is highly rated Corona (Calif.) Centennial quarterback Matt Scott. ... Art Walker, father of wide receiver Deion Walker of Christchurch, Va., is working at Brewster's camp. Deion will visit the Minnesota campus on June 26.

Nolan Brewster, youngest son of the Gophers coach, has been ranked a top-100 recruit and is visiting the University of Texas summer football camp this week. He gave a verbal commitment to the Longhorns in March. ... The new Gophers football equipment manager is Darin Kerns, who served in the same capacity for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Tony Dungy was head coach there.

Gophers head gymnastics coach Mike Burns has been named one of two coaches of the U.S. team for the Pan American Games next month. ... Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich, who played for the Vikings for a short time and also briefly coached for the Gophers, has been named athletic director of the year by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal. One of the great things Jurich did was hire Rick Pitino as Louisville's men's basketball coach. Jurich also has hired great coaches who have built Louisville's football program into one of the nation's best.

Hassan Mead of Minneapolis South ran fourth in the Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championships recently, and this weekend he will be running the 2-mile in the Nike National track meet. ... Ryan Little, an Eden Prairie cross-country and track and field runner, is headed for Oklahoma State.

Peter Croonquist, an outstanding golfer and the son of former PGA Tour player Dan Croonquist, is transferring to Minnesota after first attending Southern Methodist. Another transfer coming to the Gophers is golfer Cameron White, who started at Iowa State. ...The 2007 Gopher Invitational, sponsored by HydroLogic Solutions, will be held Sept. 14-16 at Spring Hill Country Club. Among golf teams competing will be Michigan State, Princeton, Lamar, Indiana, Notre Dame, Illinois, SMU and Georgia Southern.

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