Charley Walters: Torii Hunter talked to Twins about managerial job but wasn’t interviewed

The Minnesota Twins need a manager Derek Falvey the guy responsible for the hiring and Torii Hunter the popular former Twins star chatted last week Hunter emphasized he has not been interviewed for the job I guess they re slow-rolling the process right now I m just sitting waiting Hunter explained the Pioneer Press If the opportunity presents itself then it would be something I would look into think long and hard about I have a Ph D in baseball and I grew up in that organization For a lot of reasons Hunter who was a finalist for the Angels job would seem the people s choice in Minnesota to succeed Rocco Baldelli fired at season s end Now it s about a conversation to see where they re headed what their thoughts are and then I m pretty sure they re going to see what I want to do with the club who I m going to bring aboard my staff Hunter noted Hunter already has had conversations with the staff he would bring if hired He declined to reveal them They re all on board except one he reported from his home in Prosper Texas We re still working on that one I don t want to say anything because somebody might scoop them up As improbable as it now might seem maybe Max Brosmer will end up being a better quarterback for the Vikings than J J McCarthy The former Gopher doesn t have the physical attributes that McCarthy has but he took a lot more snaps in college than McCarthy did at Michigan Only Caleb Williams and Drake Maye played in fewer games than McCarthy in college among QBs drafted in the first round in The others Jayden Daniels Michael Penix Jr and Bo Nix Brosmer started games for Minnesota played in at FCS New Hampshire before that The New England Patriots in chose Drew Bledsoe with the first pick in the draft and he became their franchise QB In the Patriots gave him the richest contract in NFL history In the third championship of the season he got hurt and was replaced by a little known sixth-round draft pick named Tom Brady In the ers traded up to No overall to draft Trey Lance who received a million fully guaranteed rookie contract because San Francisco figured he d be their franchise QB But between performance issues and injuries to Lance San Francisco the next year made Iowa State s Brock Purdy the final pick in the draft This spring Purdy received a million five-year extension When Pete Carroll coached the Seahawks he had been searching for a quarterback The Packers had a backup named Matt Flynn who subsequently signed a million free agent deal with Seattle But that year in the third round the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson who outplayed Flynn in training camp to become the starter He eventually signed a million five-year contract Then there is undrafted QB Tony Romo who ended up playing generally fine seasons for the Cowboys This isn t to suggest that Brosmer the Vikings No QB when McCarthy is evolving is going to be the Vikings QB answer But you never know Of the Vikings games since he was drafted J J McCarthy has appeared in only two The remaining Vikings games this season will essentially be a audition for McCarthy He has to stay healthy and play reasonably well The way it looks now the Vikings first-round pick in April s draft will be among the top eight After this season s Vikings autopsy is complete it ll be stimulating who ownership blames for the mess And how much Justin Jefferson might be willing to put up with the disarray That was former Viking Everson Griffen who just completed a multi-state three-week walk for mental medical awareness Chauncey Billups the former Timberwolf and suddenly suspended coach of the Trail Blazers arrested last week in the FBI poker illegal gambling probe during a -year playing career was paid nearly million When Tim Connelly was hired to run Timberwolves basketball operations three years ago he basically had three owners Glen Taylor Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez Now Taylor is gone What s really neat about Marc and Alex is that they re unafraid to try new things and that s empowering Connelly declared Marc with his varied business background and Alex as an athlete and now a very effective business guy I think they re really appreciative of how numerous directions it can go I m super excited for Marc and Alex and super appreciative for Glen and wife Becky Taylor by the way still remains a limited partner in the Minnesota United FC Loons Meanwhile he s donating nearly from the billion he received from the sale to charities he stated the Pioneer Press Taylor and Becky as part of the sale agreement will keep their courtside Target Center seats adjacent to the coach and players for years Eric Musselman was just a kid when his father Bill coached the Gophers to the - Big Ten men s basketball championship in his first season in Minnesota Bill died at age in It ll be an especially emotional day when Eric the coach at Southern California brings the Trojans to Williams Arena for his first time on Jan Bill was just in his first season with the Gophers Assistant Jimmy Williams was assistant Kevin Wilson Williams died at last year Wilson now oversees academic review hall at Texas Christian University Players on Bill Musselman s Big Ten championship band included Jim Brewer Ron Behagen Clyde Turner Corky Taylor Keith Young Bob Nix and Dave Winfield Taylor died at in Turner at in Winfield was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown N Y in He was drafted out Minnesota by the Padres Vikings NFL Atlanta Hawks NBA and Utah Stars ABA the only athlete in history to be drafted by four major professional teams Wilson was also coaching the Gophers JV squad in and needed an opponent for a scrimmage He petitioned the U s intramural department what its best club was He was communicated the Soulful Strutters for whom Winfield played They came over to play my guys were in a - zone and the first three times down the court Dave Winfield leaves from the free throw line over our guys heads and dunks Wilson reported the Pioneer Press last week The guy looked like Superman I went up to him and mentioned Who are you where did you come from He commented I m Dave Winfield from St Paul Central and I m a baseball athlete here Then I talked him into coming out for our band He ended up leading us in rebounding Another time he was pitching for the Gophers against Iowa I was there In between innings instead of sitting in the dugout he went over to the track field nearby and with his baseball uniform on jumped over the high jump bar and set the intramural record It wasn t even close I think it s still the record Dave Winfield Wilson concluded was the early Bo Jackson former major league baseball and NFL all-star There were specific coaches who turned out Friday for the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association meetings at the Hyatt in Minneapolis The early guess for this season s Minnesota Mr Basketball Award is -foot East Ridge point guard Cedric Tomes who has committed to the Gophers Wayzata s Eric Curry is beginning his th season as a Division I men s basketball referee and will work the Big Ex-Orono - -pound basketball star Nolan Groves as a freshman at No -ranked Texas Tech finished No in the band s strength and conditioning undertaking testing Former Gophers football All-American Bobby Bell on Nov will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota s College of Tuition and Human Progress Bell is among nine living members of the Gophers Rose Bowl squad Lou Nanne s latest vote to the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the State High School League Hall of Fame brings the local hockey icon s assorted hall of fame memberships to Author Bob Showers magnificent Minnesota Wild Years in the State of Hockey just came on the sector Top football offensive advisor for No Vanderbilt is ex-Gophers head coach Jerry Kill the former Big Ten Coach of the Year who brought the Commodores star QB Diego Pavia from New Mexico State It was a Who s Who of Minnesota golf from Tim Herron to Don Berry to Hollis Cavner to Inge Thulin to Hilary Lunke and Phil Anderson attending the fresh memorial operation for distinguished John Harris at Mount Olivet Lutheran in Minneapolis Harris father Bob who turns in December the other day at the Oak Crest program in hometown Roseau bettered his age for the th time in his golfing career He s working on increasing his driver distance to yards and is getting close Gross National Golf Unit just now celebrated its -year anniversary by having a wooden statue of legendary Walter Hagen erected behind the th green Playing with future Gophers coach Les Bolstad in July of Hagen shot two-over-par at the northeast Minneapolis discipline one month after it opened Champlin Park junior running back Peston Nelson who has rushed for yards and TDs in seven games has visited North Dakota State and Northern Iowa He s the son of popular local sportscaster Eric Nelson who hosts the daily Takes sports talk show Natalie Darwitz and Mike Snee will headline the Minnesota Old Timers Hockey luncheon Nov at Mancini s Char House Joe Schmit the former KSTP-TV sports anchor is plenty busy in retirement with inspirational speaking his latest two engagements in Australia Don t print that In the NFL draft with the th overall pick the same pick the Vikings used to choose QB J J McCarthy out of Michigan in the Cardinals picked QB Josh Rosen out of UCLA That season Arizona finished - In the next draft with the No overall pick the Cardinals chose QB Kyler Murray out of Oklahoma and in two ensuing nondescript years in Miami and Atlanta Rosen s career was finished The way it looks now next year the Vikings could target one of three veteran QBs Murray Trevor Lawrence or Tua Tagovailoa and perhaps Kirk Cousins who will be cut by Atlanta in March A good starting QB now makes between million and million a season In a transaction for Murray who is guaranteed million next year the Vikings maybe would have to pick up just million or so and not give up a high draft pick The Cardinals could be ready to move on from Murray who is mobile with a strong arm He would seem the greater part likely target for the Vikings Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel s absence neck the last four games remains puzzling Paul Theofanous the hard-driving agent for Kirill Kaprizov is expected to make nearly million for negotiating the Wild star s new million eight-year contract There s buzz that the agent initially yearned million a year from the Wild but that Kaprizov figured million was enough Rather than attempt to privately finance a new arena look for new Timberwolves-Lynx owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to seek a public-private deal for a remodel of Target Center Pssst Seattle manager Dan Wilson the former Gophers catcher who last week was nine outs from taking the Mariners to the World Series was interested in the Gophers coaching job two years ago His wife Annie and son Eli who also played for the Gophers are Minnesota grads George Springer whose dramatic three-run homer in Competition Monday against Seattle propelled Toronto into the World Series played against the Gophers for UConn in college He was pretty much the same hitter then as now a home run or nothing Springer was drafted out of high school by the Twins in the th round of the amateur draft but declined to sign His boyhood idol was Torii Hunter I jumped out of my seat when Springer hit the game-winning homer against Seattle last week Hunter informed the Pioneer Press Nebraska men s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg via private jet visits and a healthy name image and license NIL deal got a commitment from Cretin-Derham Hall s - -pound junior wing Ty Schlagel It could take five years but there s little doubt that the University of St Thomas led by coach Johnny Tauer with the Tommies new million arena will join Marquette Creighton UConn Villanova and Georgetown among others in the Big East Conference As part of James Franklin s million football buyout from Penn State the fired coach will make per day until MLFootball computes That was Hall of Fame former Brewer Paul Molitor from St Paul making the ceremonial first pitch for the Match playoff that ended the Cubs season in Milwaukee At Concordia University-St Paul Louie Varland s fastball was mph With the Twins and now with the Blue Jays in the World Series the North St Paul s heater is mph In the NBA s annual GM survey Cretin-Derham grad Sean Sweeney now of the Spurs received mention as one of the best assistant coach in the league Former Hastings High valedictorian Pat Fraher is beginning his rd season as a NBA official If North Oaks native Frankie Capan III who won in the latest PGA Tour event in Jackson Miss doesn t make the top in PGA Tour earnings this year he ll revert to the Korn Ferry Tour for To date he s earned No on the money list With a membership initiation in the range Interlachen Country Club has a waiting list of Overheard Former Twins star Torii Hunter on the Twins process in finding a manager You hire slow and fire fast Related Articles Gophers cruise to - win over North Dakota in final tune-up What did Max Brosmer prove as the backup for the Vikings Gophers football John Nestor will return vs Iowa The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week Last-minute moves Frederick This version of the Timberwolves defense won t contend for anything