Sid Hartman: Twins still compete with smaller payroll

Twins General Manager Bill Smith believes he can compete with the Yankees even though his payroll is about $70 million, while the Yankees are around $200 million.

Smith cited pitcher Nick Blackburn, who held the Yankees superstars to one earned run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings in Friday's 4-3, 11-inning loss.

"It's not about money. It's about players. We have good players," Smith said. "Nick Blackburn is a classic example. He's a second-year player. Right now, he's not making a lot of money. He's going to."

So do you think you can match up with the Yankees, despite the difference in payroll?

"They are very good," Smith said. "The Yankees are where they are for a reason. They have great players. We like our team, we like our players.

"Any success we have is going to be through scouting and player development. We know we have a great manager and great major league coaching staff. We have a lot of good young players who have come through our system."

So you can do the job they do with a lot less money?

You think you can match them in personnel?

"We're different. We won our division. They won theirs. Now we have to square off, and see who wins the series. Our guys are trying like crazy. Hopefully, we'll bounce back [today]."

Well, Smith might be right. But the Twins are very fortunate they are not in the same AL East Division where the Yankees have to compete. If they were, they would have finished 16 1/2 games behind the Yankees.

But what the Twins do has proven successful, with five AL Central titles since 2002.

Even though the Yankees spend all of that money, they haven't won a World Series since 2000. The Twins haven't won it all since 1991.

They won even though the Boilermakers wound up with 402 yards of total offense (299 passing) to the Gophers' 281.

And for a team that normally throws the ball a lot, Adam Weber threw only nine passes and completed five, with two interceptions. And star wide receiver Eric Decker caught only three passes for 50 yards.

The big thing the Gophers did well offensively is run the ball, for 207 yards. And they might have found a top running back in Kevin Whaley, who wound up with eight carries for 79 yards and a touchdown. Duane Bennett added 53 yards on nine carries.

But the big stars were on defense, even though the team gave up a lot of passing yards.

"Obviously, when you block a field goal for a touchdown, special teams plays a big role in that," Gophers coach Tim Brewster said. "The blocked field goal for a touchdown was absolutely huge. I think we blocked it with our stomach. That was the type of push we got on the inside."

The Gophers did come back from a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter to give them a 2-1 record in the Big Ten.

Now the real test will come on the road at Penn State and Ohio State on successive weeks. We will find out how good they are.

Dugan emerges Tight end Jeff Dugan, who has been with the Vikings since 2004 and caught only 17 passes before this season, already has equaled his 2008 total (two) this year after seeing action for more than 15 plays in the 30-23 victory over the Packers on Monday.

Dugan was inactive for several games last year, but not this season.

Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell expects Dugan to continue to see more action than he has in the past.

Dugan said he is in the game more for his blocking as a tight end.

"It depends on the game plan, I guess," he said. "In Cleveland there was a lot more three-tight end stuff."

He certainly will see some action in today's game against the Rams in St. Louis.

Dugan graduated from Maryland, where he now has started to work on his MBA. He attended Northwestern during the winter.

Jottings Gophers wrestling coach J Robinson is going to Iraq during the week of Oct. 18 to visit the 34th Infantry Division "Red Bulls" of the Minnesota National Guard. ... Les Pico of the Vikings staff has been honored by the NFL for having the best of the 2008 NFL Player Development Continuing Education Programs.

The Gophers have offered a football scholarship to outstanding DeLaSalle running back Evan Williams, one of the best of his type in the state. ... Visiting the Gophers campus this week were four outstanding recruits: offensive lineman Matt Eggen of La Crosse (Wis.) Logan, who already has committed to Minnesota. The others, who are being recruited by a number of schools, are Vincent Johnson, a defensive lineman from North Crowley, Texas; wide receiver Dominique Sanders of Fort Worth (Texas) Dunbar, and linebacker Nduka Onyeali of Denver (Colo.) Mullen.

The Gophers have a BCS team on the schedule every year through 2020. Other than 2012, when the Gophers need a home game for Sept. 8, they have their nonconference schedule completed through 2016. ... South Dakota University will be paid $300,000 for playing the Gophers here on Nov. 14.

Arilee Pollard, wife of Jim Pollard, who played on the great Minneapolis Lakers basketball teams that dominated the NBA for a long time, will autograph a book written about her husband at Applebee's in Eden Prairie today from 2 to 5 p.m.