Morneau's streak has scouts dazzled

Visit with scouts from other teams who watch the Twins, and many believe Justin Morneau has the potential to be one of the great players to ever play in the major leagues.

He can do it all.

Since July 7, Morneau has hit safely in 17 of 20 games, is batting .380 with 10 doubles, 17 runs, 17 walks, six home runs and 21 RBI. In those 20 games, he has a .494 on-base percentage and a .775 slugging percentage.

In the Chicago series, Morneau hit .357 with two homers and 10 RBI. He was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in the fifth inning in Thursday night's 10-6 victory over Chicago.

"I try not to think about it," said Morneau, 27, of his recent hot streak. "I'm just having fun and trying to win games and that's it. I just try not to think about what's going on and just take it one at-bat at a time and try and do something every day to help us win. That's it, keep it simple."

He credits luck and hitting the ball where it's pitched for some of his success.

"Well, sometimes you've got to get lucky and turn on a few, and then the key for me is using the whole field," he said. "If they're throwing it away, just keep hitting it to left. If they start coming in, turn on it and make it tough on where they're going to pitch you."

"It was a little different this year going in, a little more relaxed and just have fun with it," he said. "I didn't want to use that as an excuse. It's just one of those things, and hopefully the swing can keep feeling good."

He enjoys batting cleanup.

"I enjoy being up there in that situation," he said. "Hitting fourth the past couple of years, and fifth before that, and being in that spot, the more I get up there, the more comfortable I feel.

"You try to do less. When you're younger, you start trying to do more and put pressure on yourself to come through in those situations. Now, you just relax and have confidence in the guy behind you. If they don't give you anything to hit, take the walk, and make it easy on yourself. Don't try and do too much. You learn as you get older that simpler is sometimes better, and you just have to find that."

For the season, Morneau is hitting .320 with 131 hits, 27 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs and 86 RBI.

Now another rookie offensive lineman has a chance to follow in Birk's footsteps. Tim Mattran lived in Chanhassen, 10 minutes from Winter Park, played high school football at Chaska and was a two-year starter at center at Stanford. He has impressed Vikings coaches in the minicamps after signing with the team as a free agent.

"It's a great feeling," Mattran said. "It's something that every kid playing peewee football in Eden Prairie, like I did, dreams about, someday playing for the Vikings. So it's great to be out here and be part of the team."

Does Birk's background and history with the team inspire him?

"Yeah, absolutely," Mattran said. "That's certainly a career path to envy, and hopefully I get a chance to have that same kind of success here. I think this is a great team and a great organization. Hopefully I can grow and become a better player here."

Vikings offensive line coach Pat Morris would like to see Mattran make the team because he played more than one offensive line position in the minicamps.

"The evolution from the college game to the pro game, of being aware of what's going on around you, ratchets up even again," he said. "It's a huge jump from high school to college, and again from college to the pros, of having to know what's going on on the entire field and not just the 5 yards around you, that's definitely taking a little bit of getting used to."

Mattran said he prepared himself to deal with not being drafted.

"I knew that I probably wasn't going to get drafted but that I would have a shot as a priority free agent," he said. "So I wasn't disappointed. I just wanted to get everything figured out [about] where I was going to be afterwards, and I'm glad it ended up being here."

Jottings You wonder what the Twins' record would be if the three free agents they signed in the offseason -- shortstop Adam Everett, third baseman Mike Lamb and outfielder Craig Monroe -- were doing better. Through Thursday's game, Lamb was hitting .227, Monroe .202 and Everett .177. Lamb -- with a two-year, $6.6 million deal -- is the only one with a contract for more than one year.

The Twins have signed 13 of their top 15 draft choices, with two righthanded pitchers, Brett Hermsen (sixth round) and Blayne Weller (14th), the only two left to sign. Most recent to sign was the 30th-round-pick, righthander Michael Tonkin, who is Twins outfielder Jason Kubel's brother-in-law.

Gophers freshmen football players and newcomers report Saturday. Defensive end Brandon Kirksey of St. Louis Hazelwood East, who is one of the few who hasn't been enrolled in summer school, is expected to be here. However, Spencer Reeves, an outstanding linebacker from Dallas Skyline, might not be here on time because he has academic work left to do.

The Gophers will stage their second annual Fan Fest on Aug. 10 from 1-3 p.m. at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Fans will be able to meet and get autographs from players. Gophers football coach Tim Brewster and his coaching staff also will have players instruct fans in football drills. Admission is free. Brewster will also hold a women's clinic Aug. 22 from 6-9 p.m. at the football complex.

The University of Minnesota has raised $77 million for its share of costs for the football team's TCF Bank Stadium, $9 million short of the goal of $86 million. ... Fundraising has started for the new Gophers baseball stadium, and coach John Anderson should have a new stadium in about two years.