Vikings owner is expecting successful year

Vikings owner and chairman Zygi Wilf has been very impressed with what he has seen in training camp in Mankato, and he said he anticipates a highly successful season.

"We're going into our fourth year [of ownership], but certainly I think everybody on our team expects great things this year," Wilf said. "We're certainly going to be fighting for the division, and I think we have the team and the confidence to do it. I know that we have the potential to be the best, but we'll wait for the season to unfold to show our true colors."

Wilf, who spent a lot of money to sign free agents in the offseason, is confident the moves are going to pay off.

"I think it's been a process of growing and bringing in the players that would help our team. I think this is going to be our year," Wilf said. "I think it's probably [only] a dozen players that have been with the team since I came in '05 that are still with the team."

The team has some key players who will be free agents at the end of the year, such as center Matt Birk, safety Darren Sharper and tight end Jim Kleinsasser.

"We'll wait for the season to unfold, and I'm sure that during the season our coaching staff, the personnel department and Rick [Spielman, vice president of player personnel] will make the moves that are necessary to continue to improve," Wilf said. "And, I think, certainly signing up guys who are an important part of the team, as Matt is, will be a priority as the season moves on."

One of the interesting things to watch during the season will be what kind of year these veterans are having, and whether the club makes any effort to make certain they return.

"Certainly we could use somebody," Smith said.

It's amazing how bad members of the bullpen are on the road compared to their very satisfactory work at home.

For instance, Matt Guerrier is 2.41 at home and 6.66 on the road; Jesse Crain is 1.85 at home, 5.40 away; Brian Bass is 2.60 at home, 7.80 away; Craig Breslow, 1.32 at home, 3.55 away; Boof Bonser, 5.57 at home, 8.68 away (including 12 games as a starter); and Dennys Reyes, 1.02 at home, 5.25 away. Even All-Star Joe Nathan has a slightly higher ERA on the road (0.93 at home, compared to 1.56).

Smith also announced that Colorado claimed pitcher Livan Hernandez, so the Twins saved a little money. The Rockies paid the balance of Hernandez's salary, about $1 million, but the Twins have to pay the proportion of the incentive bonuses Hernandez has in his contract for innings pitched.

There has been no interest in Craig Monroe, who was designated for assignment, so the Twins will give him his outright release Friday.

Grant never played in a losing high school game. No high school quarterback has come close to this record in recent years.

But with the Gophers loaded with quarterbacks, coach Tim Brewster said he is going to look at Grant on defense first.

"We're going to look at him as a combination kind of safety/outside linebacker type," Brewster said. "Then we ultimately want to see, potentially, does he fit at the middle linebacker position? We just feel like this: He's one of our better football players, and we know what he can do at quarterback. We think we've got a pretty good grasp on that.

"What I want to do is see whether or not he's a defensive player. See where his temperament is at. See the things that he can do on defense. He's an outstanding long snapper; he may be our long snapper next season. But we really feel good about what he's going to contribute to our team."

Grant, who was a 4.0 student and captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams at Eden Prairie, was a starting linebacker for the Eagles as a sophomore.

Brandon Kirksey, a highly recruited defensive end from St. Louis, likely will not join the Gophers this season but is expected to be in school in January. ... Glen Rice Jr., the son of the former Michigan and NBA star and who was heavily recruited by the Gophers, has committed to Georgia Tech. ... Brian Opperman, the Good Thunder, Minn., native who coached Gophers recruit Paul Carter at Missouri State-West Plains, has been named associate head women's basketball coach at TCU.

The contract former Wolves guard/forward Ricky Davis signed as a free agent with the Clippers called for $2.3 million next season, with a player option on a second year, a far cry from his previous contract. He had a six-year, $34.7 million contract while he played for the Cavaliers, Celtics, Wolves and Heat.

The Twins expect about 30,000 per game for the Yankees series next week.

Gophers men's hockey coach Don Lucia reports that one encouraging thing about the coming season is the return of forward Ryan Stoa. He missed all of last year because of torn knee ligaments, but now is 100 percent healthy. "Stoa could have played in the playoffs, but we didn't want to have him give up a season of competition," Lucia said.

Gophers golf recruit Derek Chang finished fourth in the Georgia Open. He had a 6-under-par 282 and was one shot out of third place and eight shots off the lead.