Diggs was surprised Vikings drafted him

As I wrote in Monday's paper, Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs is only a fifth-round draft choice from Maryland, but he already tied the first-year receiving record of Randy Moss in 1998 with 80 or more receiving yards in consecutive games.

Diggs said the only contact he had with Vikings personnel before the draft was a brief conversation with wide receivers coach George Stewart at the NFL combine at Indianapolis in February.

"The Vikings coaches didn't work me out at the combine or have the normal interview," Diggs said. "They didn't attend my college pro day or in any way give me an indication that they were going to draft me."

Well, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman says the Diggs situation is not unusual and that it happens often because the Vikings apparently have their own system of scouting players.

"I've got some guys like Diggs. … We spent time with Stefon at the combine and felt comfortable with him after that combine visit," Spielman said. "Yeah, sometimes that happens in a draft. … If we're satisfied or feel comfortable where we're at with a player, we may not talk to him again until draft day. … We always do our due diligence and our background and everything that we do on these players and once we feel to the point where we feel confident in what we know about the player, then we usually shut it down on that player and wait for the draft.

"It's not strange. Sometimes it can be strategic. … Well, you can assume what you want to assume … once we feel comfortable with a player and confident with a player going into the draft, then we move on."

Spielman isn't yet ready to rate Diggs as one of the best rookies he has drafted.

Yes, the Vikings have been able to draft a lot of sleepers since Spielman joined the organization.

One thing Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh and I have in common is that we were very close to the late Michigan coach Bo Schembechler.

Schembechler rated Harbaugh as the best quarterback he ever coached, and there was a great relationship between the two during and after Harbaugh played for him. I spent a lot of time with Bo when he led the Wolverines and when he was general manager of the Detroit Tigers. At one time I was involved with a family situation, and one of the greatest letters I've ever received was from Bo's wife, Millie, thanking me for what I did.

I don't believe Harbaugh had the same kind of relationship with former Bears coach Mike Ditka. A good example was on Oct. 4, 1992, when Harbaugh changed one of Ditka's plays against the Vikings and Todd Scott returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to help the Vikings win 21-20. Ditka was screaming in Harbaugh's face when he came to the sidelines.

Jedd Fisch, who was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Gophers under Tim Brewster in 2009, is now on Harbaugh's Michigan staff as passing game coordinator/quarterbacks/wide receivers coach.

"One of the best in the NHL," Fletcher said. "He is a highly skilled player who can score goals. What sets him apart from most top skill players is his work ethic and his relentlessness. He has the mind-set of a grinder, a journeyman, yet he has the skill level of a top player.

"He sort of has the best of both worlds, and he never stops, never stops when he's on the ice. He really energizes the team. If you don't work hard when Zach is on the ice, you get embarrassed. So he pushes his teammates to be better, too."

Fletcher was asked if he was surprised at the Wild's early success.

"Well, surprise may be a strong word, but I think we've been very happy with how Charlie Coyle has played," Fletcher said. "Charlie has been outstanding and he plays on our third line with Thomas Vanek, but he has been skating, been confident, moving the puck, winning battles. He has looked very confident on the ice, which is great to see. The other guy, Parise obviously, but the other guy who has had a good start is [Mikael] Granlund, and again, he's really competed hard and made a lot of plays. A couple of the young guys there have started the season the right way, and hopefully that can continue for us."

• Former Gophers and Lakers basketball great Whitey Skoog, who also became a great coach at Gustavus after his playing days, is in hospice care in St. Peter. … There is nothing new to report about the condition of former Gopher and Timberwolves president of basketball operations and coach Flip Saunders as he continues to get treatment for pneumonia and cancer.

• With the Minnesota-Michigan football game coming up on Halloween, I remember the 1977 game as one of the big surprises of the rivalry. Michigan was No 1 in the country with a great quarterback in Rick Leach, and Cal Stoll's Gophers upset the Wolverines 16-0. The Gophers were 7-5 that year, beating UCLA and Washington, and lost 17-7 to Maryland in the Hall of Fame Bowl, earning a new contract for Stoll. He was fired after going 5-6 the following year in one of the most unjust firings in Gophers football history. The Gophers are a big underdog in the upcoming Michigan game, just like they were in 1977.

• Former Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer saw little action for the Mets in their sweep of the Cubs in the NL Championship Series. He went 1-for-3 in Game 1, didn't play in the next two games and went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in Game 4. In the Mets' NLDS victory over the Dodgers, Cuddyer played in three games and was 0-for-4 with a walk. During the regular season, Cuddyer played in 117 games with the Mets and hit .259 with 10 home runs, 41 RBI and a .391 slugging percentage.

• Iowa (7-0) is almost a cinch to win the Big Ten West with an easy future football schedule including Maryland, at Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue and at Nebraska.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on 830-AM at 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. shartman@startribune.com