Hartman: Matt Birk puts off retirement a little bit longer

When the Baltimore Ravens travel to Foxborough, Mass., to face off against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, two-fifths of the team's starting offensive line will be former Vikings, with Matt Birk at center and Bryant McKinnie at left tackle.

Depending on the outcome, that game could have special importance for Birk. CBS football analyst Charley Casserly announced that Birk planned to retire -- a report Birk later downplayed -- in the pregame broadcast of the Ravens' 20-13 victory over the Texans on Sunday. Birk, who was drafted by the Vikings in 1998 and played 10 seasons here, knows how rare the opportunities are to play in a championship game, especially with his career winding down.

Birk, 35, is in the final year of the three-year, $12 million contract he signed with the Ravens in 2009.

"I don't think it's unique for someone in my situation to contemplate [retirement], but I'm just focused on the moment, on the now," Birk told the Baltimore Sun after the Texans game. "I've done it for a while, and nothing is guaranteed in this game. You don't know when your last play is going to be, or your last game, and things happen, life happens. I just worry about the now, and after the season, there will be plenty of time to figure out what I'm going to do next year."

On Sunday, Birk will get what might be his final shot at the Super Bowl. And it might finally put an end to rumors about Birk coming back to finish his career with the Vikings.

The Vikings believe they have another great center in John Sullivan.

"Sullivan is a future Pro Bowler," Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said after Sullivan signed a five-year, $25 million contract extension last month.

"It's certainly good for him because he has the ability to do some things at the next level, I think a lot of people understand that," Kill said. "This allows him to sharpen his skills at playing corner, because he's still in the learning process. It also helps him academically, where he can finish his degree, which is very important to us and has became very important to him, so we're excited about that."

While Stoudermire set some impressive records for the Big Ten and the Gophers as a kick returner, Kill said the extra year will also allow him to showcase his improvements in the defensive backfield.

"I also think that the people on the outside looking in, that's what the year of eligibility will do, will help him because I think, in my opinion, and I've coached a long time, he has the ability to do some things at corner," Kill said. "I don't think there's any question about that, but he's still in the learning process and unfortunately got hurt. But this gives him another spring, and [defensive backs] coach [Jay] Sawvel is an awful good football coach and allows him to get better at his position and then we see what happens.

"But more importantly it gives him an opportunity, as I said, to get his college degree, which he'll finish up. Which is important to me and will be a lot more important, at the end of the day, to him also. Because the NFL stands for Not For Long sometimes. You have to have that college degree and have that piece of paper."

Jottings • Toby Gardenhire, the son of Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and a former minor leaguer in the Twins organization, has taken a job as the new head baseball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Toby, who was released by the Twins after last season, told WEAU News in Eau Claire, "I have always wanted to stay in baseball, but that is harder than it sounds. When you are playing, your career can end so abruptly. ... I had a good experience playing in college. I have wanted to get into college [coaching] more than in the pros. I would like to be a part of the college atmosphere."

• The NBA released the first returns on All-Star voting and the Wolves were well-represented, with Ricky Rubio making an impressive debut. Rubio grabbed 133,520 votes, which made him the third-highest vote-getter at guard for the Western Conference. He's behind only future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant (690,613) of the L.A. Lakers and the great Chris Paul (540,173) of the L.A. Clippers. It's easy to see why the two L.A. stars would place so highly above Rubio. The Lakers and Clippers play their home games in the same arena, so when ballots are passed out at either of the team's games, the fans are voting for both players. Kevin Love is fifth among Western Conference forwards but grabbed more votes than Rubio overall with 143,814. Love is behind Kevin Durant (633,538), Blake Griffin (394,264), Dirk Nowitzki (231,832) and Pau Gasol (185,428).

• The Gophers football team got its 22nd commitment this week when Blaine's Duke Anyanwu selected Minnesota. Aanyanwu played wide receiver and quarterback in high school and is being recruited as a multi-position athlete.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. • shartman@startribune.com