Sid Hartman: Hutchinson will benefit from shoulder surgery

E.J. Henderson, the Vikings' outstanding middle linebacker, suffered a broken leg last December at Arizona and is not ready to take part in Organized Team Activities this spring.

And it's no secret that cornerback Cedric Griffin suffered a serious knee injury in the NFC title game against the Saints and probably won't be ready for the start of the regular season.

But the fact that All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson had shoulder surgery and won't take part in any of the OTAs is news.

Hutchinson injured the shoulder in the middle of last year and, despite the pain, he played the entire season and didn't give up a sack. He expects to be ready when training camp starts.

Hutchinson, in his ninth season in the NFL and fourth year with the Vikings, admits that the shoulder problem kept him front playing at top form last year. With the successful surgery, he should be able to return to his dominant ways this season.

Hutchinson also looks for improved performance by the offensive line this year. Last year, center John Sullivan started for the first time as a replacement after Matt Birk signed with Baltimore, and 2009 second-round pick Phil Loadholt started as a rookie right tackle. Now, both have that full season of starting experience under their belts.

Like a lot of the veteran players, Hutchinson believes one reason quarterback Brett Favre will return for a second year with the Vikings is that because the 40-year-old quarterback enjoyed his stay so much here last year.

Vikings coach Brad Childress was asked about Payne.

"First of all, what you see from Logan is the familiarity he has coming from a Seattle type of West Coast offense [which the Vikings use]," Childress said. "I know he was in a couple of other camps, but at least he was exposed to that [offense] in a couple of training camps and minicamp situations. So it's pretty seamless in his transition. He understands what it takes to make a roster.

"He understands the elements of having to contribute as a wide receiver that plays special teams, whether it's a gunner, whether it be in a return unit. He knows the merit of that. It's not just the pie in the sky stuff where they say you have to do this and he is like, 'Yeah, I don't do that.' He knows the importance of doing that."

Mauer game plan Not many players have had the success Joe Mauer has enjoyed. The Twins catcher won the American League MVP award last season after leading the league in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

Mauer seems to have an edge on other players in preparing for the game.

"I do things to get my body ready, stretching and doing some exercises to maintain strength. I go down and take some swings. I make sure I get my arm exercises in."

Mauer has the added duties of calling the games behind the plate, and that takes preparation time for the Gold Glover.

"We watch video and have scouting reports we go over," he said. "I am starting to get better working with computers. I get on there and watch some film."

It's one thing to have scouting reports on paper, but watching pitchers on film gives batters an edge.

"You can watch video," he said. "You can take from it what you want. We always say that tape never lies. I like to watch pitchers I might face that night. I watch some hitters and see how they adjust to pitchers similar to the guys we have."

"I'll look over there to see if they want to put any plays on, like a pick-off play or a pitch out," he said. "It's pretty much all up to me and the pitcher that is out there on the mound."

Teams are doing a lot better job of pitching to Mauer this season, and it seems as if they are doing a good job positioning themselves in the field, too. The Yankees had good luck taking a few hits away from Mauer while playing a man right on second base.

Still, Mauer entered Thursday night's game at Seattle with a .319 average, 10th in the American League.

Jottings The U.S. junior national hockey team will have an evaluation camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., in early August, and the team will be named in December for the world tournament, which starts the day after Christmas in Buffalo. U.S. coach Keith Allain of Yale will have two Minnesotans, Phil Housley and Mark Osiecki, as assistants. Housley, a longtime star with the Buffalo Sabres, is the coach at Stillwater High School. Osiecki will be in his first year as Ohio State's coach after being an assistant at Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth.

Gophers baseball recruit Bobby Juan of La Crosse Central has been named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Wisconsin. A third baseman and pitcher, Juan was also a prep standout in football and basketball.

Gophers wrestler Sonny Yohn, who just completed his sophomore year, won the championship in the University World Team Trials freestyle final at Colorado Springs on Saturday in his 211 1/2 pound class.

Steve LaCroix, vice president of marketing for the Vikings, talked about the changes the team has made at the Metrodome. "We're just trying to maximize the square footage that's available with the Twins moving out," LaCroix said. "Our ticket office moved to the main level there now, outside of the building. Then, the upper level which was the executive offices of the Twins, is now going to be a private club. It'll be a [150-person] membership, so there's not a lot of space in there as far as the number of memberships, but it'll be a real high-end type of opportunity, and it should be fun."