Sid Hartman: Combine invaluable for Vikings drafters

To Vikings vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman, one of the most important events for draft preparation is the NFL scouting combine that ended Tuesday in Indianapolis.

Spielman said observing players performing drills and having them available for medical examinations, psychological testing and interviews are important factors as the Vikings get ready for the 2010 draft. Spielman said team officials spent five hours Saturday on player interviews, beginning at 6:15 p.m., then conducted a similar interview schedule on Sunday night.

"It's a great chance to get to know these kids; we've dug up a lot of background on these kids," Spielman said. "We know if they have any kind of arrest records, any kind of suspensions, so this is a chance for us to see them face to face and ask them very pointed questions on some of the questions we do have on them."

Spielman said interviews with two 2009 Vikings draft selections -- tackle Phil Loadholt in the second round and linebacker Jasper Brinkley in the fifth round -- had a big influence on the team deciding to draft them.

Rely on draft This year the Vikings will have to rely on the draft more than ever. They won't be allowed to sign any free agent unless they lose a free agent with a similar salary, because the team finished as one of the NFL's top four teams and the current collective bargaining agreement will expire after the 2010 season.

"Basically we have to sit on the sideline," Spielman said. "If we lose one of our unrestricted free agents, then we are allowed to go out and sign one, but it has to be at the same contract numbers.

"Guys that get cut from teams, that does not restrict us at all. So we're monitoring the cut list like we always have, we're monitoring the [restricted free agent] list, which does not have an effect on us. But the [unrestricted free agent] list, basically we're out of that market."

In the 2006 draft, however, five of the Vikings' six draft picks are still with the team (LB Chad Greenway, CB Cedric Griffin, OL Ryan Cook, QB Tarvaris Jackson and DE Ray Edwards). Three from the 2007 draft are still here (RB Adrian Peterson, WR Sidney Rice and DE Brian Robison).

In 2008, four stuck with the team (S Tyrell Johnson, DT Letroy Guion, C John Sullivan and WR Jaymar Johnson). And in 2009, all five of their draft choices made it (WR Percy Harvin, Loadholt, CB Asher Allen, Brinkley and FS Jarmarca Sanford).

"I give a lot of credit to our coaches, I give credit to Scott Studwell and George Paton, my directors, and to all our scouts," Spielman said. "... They understand the system that's in place, they understand what's expected of them and we have a very good chemistry between the coaches and the front office. I think that's the key to having very successful drafts."

Jottings Hassan Mead, the Gophers' outstanding distance runner who was a six-time All-America in cross-country and track from 2007-2009, hasn't competed since Jan. 15. He missed the conference indoor meet last week and will be redshirted this year as he recovers from an Achilles' tendon injury.

Hard to figure: The Gophers men's basketball team has won three in a row against Wisconsin, one of the best teams in the Big Ten. And now the Gophers have lost four consecutive to Michigan, an ordinary team that has won few games against any of the conference's better teams.

GopherIllustrated.com reports hockey forward Tom Serratore, who has played in 116 games in three seasons for his Youngstown USHL team, has committed to Minnesota. Serratore is second in scoring on his team with 13 goals and 24 points. Serratore's father, Frank, is the longtime hockey coach at Air Force; his uncle, also named Tom, is Bemidji State's hockey coach.

Gophers baseball coach John Anderson isn't surprised his team has started 2-4 because it's a young team with 13 new players. The Gophers also lost three outstanding players in Eric Decker, Derek McCallum and Matt Nohelty.

When the Wild plays host to Calgary at the Xcel Center on Sunday, it will be the Wild's 400th home game and is expected to be the Wild's 400th consecutive sellout. The team has sold out all 399 home games in team history (27 preseason games, 13 playoff games and 359 regular-season games). The presumed modern NHL record of 487 consecutive sellouts was set by the Colorado Avalanche from November 9, 1995, to October 14, 2006. The Detroit Red Wings hold the second-longest streak at 452 games.

Former Gophers hockey player Danny Irmen, now playing for the Wild's Houston farm team, has 11 goals and 17 assists in 60 games this season.

Former Gophers pitcher John Gaub, who has overcome some arm trouble, is on the Cubs' 40-man roster and in spring training with the team in Mesa, Ariz. He has a good chance to make the team as a lefthanded setup man.

Noah Dahlman of Braham, Minn., was named the Southern Conference men's basketball player of the year on Wednesday. Dahlman led Wofford to the program's first South Division championship and a 15-3 league record, a conference best. The junior ranked fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.4 points per game and seventh in rebounding at 6.3. Dahlman also made 59.2 percent of his field-goal attempts in becoming the first Wofford player to win the honor.