Morneau remains productive hitter in Twins lineup

One good move the Twins made in recent memory was signing Justin Morneau to a six-year, $80 million contract in January 2008, locking in the outstanding first baseman until 2013.

Morneau is off to a better start this season than he was in 2006, when he was the American League MVP.

Not only is Morneau one of the best fielding first basemen in baseball, but he is hitting .342 with 14 home runs and an impressive 47 RBI.

Joe Mauer can be a free agent at the end of the 2010 season.

Can you imagine the situation the Twins would be in if they had both Morneau and Mauer to sign at the same time?

Morneau said a small batting adjustment he has made has helped him to his strong start.

"The only thing I'm doing different is with two strikes," said the 28-year-old superstar. "I ... choke up and try to make myself recognize the ball. I always ask myself, 'Why I didn't do it before?' Just choke up and just try to hit it that way.

"I'm not going out there necessarily to pull the ball more, but I know I have hit more balls to right field. That's not really intentional, it's just kind of happening. ... Just seeing the ball and get a good pitch to hit."

He has hit some of the hardest and longest home runs of any Twins player, including former first baseman Kent Hrbek.

"I don't know if they're pitching me more inside, but it's one of those things," Morneau said. "If I [don't] keep hitting the ball, then I'll have to go back to hitting the ball in the other gap. But right now, if the hits are in right field, I'll take them. If they're in left field later on, then I'll have to go back to doing that."

Checking the major league hitting stats at the start of this season since 2006, Morneau is third in RBI with 370. The leader is Ryan Howard of the Phillies with 431, and Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees is second with 380.

Morneau also has proven to be a durable player. He is fifth in games played from 2006 through 2008 with 477.

You look over all the American League rosters, including the Yankees and Red Sox, and none of the teams have such an outstanding twosome.

McKinnie not worried Bryant McKinnie expects to have one of his best seasons with the Vikings this year because the left tackle's legal problems stemming from a fight outside a Miami nightclub in February 2008 are over.

"I don't have to worry about anything else but playing football," he said.

McKinnie said he tried to remain focused last year, but I believe it had to be tough for him to compete at a top level when he could have wound up in jail.

McKinnie said he might have been unfairly targeted because he is an athlete.

"I learned a lot. All you can do is keep moving from there."

Does he have any goals this year?

"To get to Miami," he said, referring to the site of the 2010 Super Bowl.

McKinnie was asked how the offensive line would be without center Matt Birk, who signed with the Ravens as a free agent.

"We have some young players that are doing the job," McKinnie said.

"I just want [a new coach] before free agency, so we can get a game plan," Fletcher said. "If there are certain players he likes or doesn't like. I don't want to sign guys the coach would hate. With the salary cap, you can't do that. I just want him around to help sell and help prepare for what we need to do."

Fletcher said the Wild will get a good player with the 12th overall pick.

"Then we don't pick until the fourth round," he said. "After that, it's darts at a dart board. Our first guy should be good. We'll see. He should be good. If not, it's our fault."

Fletcher said there are three or four good Minnesota players available in the draft.

Jottings The Vikings are unlikely to sign Brett Favre until August, like the Jets did last year, but if he is healthy once the Vikings begin training camp, they still might be interested. There also is a concern that Favre will demand a contract calling for $12 million to $14 million. Apparently, Favre never did have Dr. James Andrews, the famous doctor in Birmingham, Ala., examine the partially torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder. ... One thing about former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who was critical of Favre in recent interviews, is that once he retired in 1978 -- despite having thrown 25 touchdown passes that season -- he stayed retired, unlike Favre.

Catcher Jose Morales was hitting .349 when the Twins sent him down to Class AAA Rochester, where he is hitting .279. He probably won't be called up until September unless one of the major league catchers gets hurt.

Most of the newcomers and returning lettermen on the Gophers football team will attend summer school. They will start 6 a.m. workouts June 8, and then players will work out without coaches in the evening like they did last year.

Ernie Rose has been named assistant men and women's golf coach for the Gophers. Rose is head teaching professional at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Maple Plain.