Sid Hartman: Twins aren't in hurry, could sign Santana

Look for the Twins to make a strong effort to sign Johan Santana to a long-term contract if the Boston Red Sox don't improve their trade offer for Minnesota's star lefthanded pitcher.

Santana is under contract for next season, so the Twins don't have to be in a hurry. They could try to sign Santana or trade him at a later date.

The demands of Santana's agent have scared a lot of teams and it's possible the Twins' five-year, $93 million offer -- which includes $13 million for the 2007 season -- could be adjusted to satisfy Santana.

At least look for a strong push to be made to sign Santana to a multiyear contract if a reasonable trade can't be made.

A report that Santana had told the Twins he wouldn't accept a trade during the 2007 season was not accurate, Twins president Dave St. Peter said.

The Yankees definitely have pulled out of the Santana bidding and there isn't any chance they will change their mind, according to people close to the team.

Money became a factor in the Yankees' decision after pitcher Andy Pettitte decided to come back. Pettitte will be paid $16 million this season.

The word is that after signing Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, it would have been difficult even for the Yankees to give Santana more than the seven-year, $126 million deal the Giants gave lefthander Barry Zito last year.

Another factor in the Yankees backing off is that they really didn't want to give up pitcher Phil Hughes, who they believe has a good future.

Not surprised Vikings rookie defensive end Brian Robison isn't surprised to see Adrian Peterson leading the league in rushing. He faced Peterson and Oklahoma three times while playing at Texas.

"No change, like I said, you're seeing the same stuff that I've seen for three years," Robison said. He said Peterson rushed for 275 yards against Texas as a freshman but didn't score.

"The other two years he was a little banged up, a little injured but still came out, and I think he had like 116 yards one year."

About his rookie year here, Robison said: "Definitely when I first got here, it was a little bit of a shock factor. I had to make sure that I got on the same level as these guys that have been here for years. And I think I did a good job of adjusting to that.

"You definitely do learn a lot of things from going against guys like [offensive linemen] Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson and all those guys that have been in the league a while."

No doubt Robison is one of the Vikings' best fourth-round draft choices.

Burns likes Jackson Former Vikings coach Jerry Burns, talking about quarterback Tarvaris Jackson's performance in Sunday's victory against Detroit: "Well I think, unquestionably it's the best game he's played. I think he made some very wise decisions, both in when he was running the ball and when he was passing. He threw the ball very well and it's just sort of a shame that he was held out those early games when he had those injuries. I think he would have developed faster, but he looked very good today.

"I'm very happy for Brad Childress. He's doing a great job. I think the team is now believing in him from an offensive and defensive standpoint and I hope he keeps things going and they've got an excellent chance of getting in as a wild card."

Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, discussing his pass to fullback Jeff Dugan on Sunday against the Lions: "No, I never played quarterback, I pitched in baseball. I played baseball for a while so I can throw the ball, but yeah, that was more of a flip-pass right there."

Gophers wide receiver Sidney Rice was an all-state high school basketball player who was recruited by some small colleges to play both sports and he definitely believes he could have played Division I basketball. "I might have been good enough to play in the NBA if I played college basketball," he said. "I'll be playing a little bit [of basketball] in the offseason and it does help a lot, just being able to position my body and go up and get the ball."

While some players complained about the Vikings' defensive scheme early in the season, safety Darren Sharper said the defensive plan hasn't changed too much.

"The thing that has helped out is that our offense has put up some points and that's allowed us to kind of be more effective in what we do on defense," Sharper said. "When we got up by a couple of touchdowns, we were just allowed to sit back and kind of play our defense and let our front four rush."

Former Gopher Paul Martin is first among New Jersey Devils defensemen in scoring with one goal and 10 assists in 23 games; former North Dakota standout Zach Parise has points in 15 of 26 games to lead the Devils in scoring with 12 goals and 16 assists. ... Former Gophers wing Jim O'Brien has three goals and seven assists in 25 games for Seattle of the WHL ... Gophers recruit Nico Sacchetti of Virginia, Minn., has four goals and three assists in 17 games for Omaha of the USHL. ... Former Gophers goalie Kellen Briggs has a 4-2-0-1 record with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .939 saves percentage in seven starts for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL ... Former Gophers goalie Adam Hauser is playing for Adler Mannheim in the German Hockey League and has 13 victories, a 2.73 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.