The Minnesota Twins will turn back the clock for their final year in the Metrodome. 


On home Saturdays next season, the Twins will wear throwback uniforms from 1982, their first season in the Dome. First baseman Justin Morneau and pitcher Glen Perkins will be at the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis at noon on Monday to model the uniforms. 



The Twins also announced that they will wear a final season commemorative patch on their regular jerseys.

Minnesota Vikings star defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams have gone before the NFL to
discuss their positive test for a banned diuretic. 



The Williamses were absent from practice Thursday to attend a hearing at the league office in New York. They face four-game suspensions if their appeal is denied.

In each of their first two seasons, the Sioux Falls Skyforce have fallen just short of the championship round. But with a solid group of familiar faces, the team is poised to make another run at the top. 


After starting from scratch last season, Skyforce head coach Nate Tibbetts is happy to have a foundation of five returners to build around in his second year. 



"We've got guys that have been around and know," said Tibbetts.  "Last year, we were spending so much time figuring out what guys could and couldn't do.

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen will not be suspended for a spate of late hits. 


Coach Brad Childress said he was told by the NFL that Allen will be fined $25,000, but not punished further. Allen was summoned to the league office Tuesday to talk about his play. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier went with him. 



Allen was fined $50,000 for two late hits earlier this month on Houston quarterback Matt Schaub, one that injured his knee.

Minnesota Twins reliever Pat Neshek is officially in recovery mode following successful surgery to repair a torn ligament in his elbow. 


General manager Bill Smith said the procedure, conducted by team physicians Tuesday morning, went well. The right-hander will wear a soft cast for 10 days and then switch to a hinge brace.

Minnesota Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie has a trial date in Miami set for March 16. He faces four charges
stemming from his alleged involvement in a fight outside a nightclub in February. 



McKinnie's attorney, Larry Kerr, appeared in Miami-Dade County court Tuesday. McKinnie was not required to attend. 



Kerr says he is continuing to negotiate a pretrial diversion program for his client.

Marek Zidlicky scored the only goal in the shootout and the Minnesota Wild benefited from a gift goal that
Pittsburgh put into its own net for a 2-1 victory Tuesday night that ended the Penguins' six-game winning streak. 



Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom, 3-0 in shootouts this season, stopped 24 of 25 shots before turning aside Petr Sykora, Alex Goligoski and Sidney Crosby in the shootout.

When three Minnesota defensive linemen travel to New York this week to meet with the NFL, they
could be bringing the Vikings' playoff fate with them. 



Jared Allen, Pat Williams and Kevin Williams all will meet with league officials in hopes of avoiding suspensions that would gut the team's biggest strength. 



The Williams Wall will appeal four-game suspensions for testing positive for a weight-loss diuretic that is on the list of substances banned by the league. 



Allen will be there to talk about a hit on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers two weeks ago. 



Losing three of their biggest stars would be a devastating blow for a team that is currently tied with Chicago and Green Bay atop the muddled NFC North. 



Allen leads the team with eight sacks and Kevin Williams is second with seven.

Chauncey Billups scored 26 points, J.R. Smith had eight of his 14 points in a decisive fourth-quarter stretch and the Denver Nuggets overcame poor shooting to hand Minnesota its eighth straight loss, 90-84 on Sunday night. 


Carmelo Anthony added 14 points and 12 rebounds to help Denver improve to 5-1 since the Nuggets acquired Billups in the trade that sent Allen Iverson to Detroit. 



Al Jefferson had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Randy Foye added 18 points for Minnesota.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Jeff Garcia takes pride in excelling in a young man's game. Even if it does take a toll on his 38-year-old body. 


"It's that Fountain of Youth I walk up to every single day, trying to keep myself as young as possible," the Tampa Bay quarterback said Sunday after leading the Buccaneers to a 19-13 victory over Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings. 



Garcia threw for 255 yards without an interception and scrambled for two first downs on a time-consuming go-ahead field goal drive in the fourth quarter.

The San Antonio Spurs today signed Dakota Wizards’ guard Blake Ahearn, making him the first GATORADE Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season, and the 120th overall since the league began play in November 2001. 


The Call-Up marks the second of Ahearn’s career, following a stint with the Miami Heat during the 2007-08 season when he averaged 5.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 14.8 minutes in 12 games.

Marek Zidlicky and Antti Miettinen scored in the shootout and Niklas Backstrom made two saves to lift the
Minnesota Wild past the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2 on Saturday night. 



Zidlicky slid his shot under goalie Steve Mason's glove and Miettinen sent the puck between the goalie's legs to seal the victory. 



Benoit Pouliot and Brent Burns scored for the Wild in regulation, and Kristian Huselius and Rick Nash had goals for the Blue Jackets.

Brandon Roy scored 26 points, including a driving layup and a fast-break dunk that put away the game, lifting
the Portland Trail Blazers to an 88-83 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. 



Roy, who was originally chosen by the Timberwolves but traded for Randy Foye on draft night, also had five assists for the Trail Blazers, who got their first road victory over a Western Conference opponent this season. 



Greg Oden added 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes for the Blazers as he works his way back from a sprained foot that kept him out for six games. 



Al Jefferson had 26 points and six rebounds for the Timberwolves (1-7), who have lost seven in a row since an opening night victory over Sacramento.

Niklas Backstrom stopped 24 shots for his second shutout of the season, and the Minnesota Wild scored three
power-play goals to beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0 on Thursday night. 



Marek Zidlicky scored twice and had an assist for Minnesota, which defeated the Coyotes for the ninth straight time.

The Minnesota Twins have signed manager Ron Gardenhire to a two-year contract extension through the 2011
season. 



Despite trading ace Johan Santana, the Twins went 88-75 and nearly made the playoffs, losing a tiebreaker to the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central title. 



Gardenhire has led the Twins to four division titles in seven seasons, and the team has finished with a winning record six times. 



Minnesota also re-signed pitching coach Rick Anderson, bench coach Steve Liddle and the rest of Gardenhire's top staff.

Minnesota Twins reliever Pat Neshek will have ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow. The right-hander will likely miss the 2009 season. 


Neshek re-injured his elbow last week during a throwing session at the team's facility in Florida. He had an MRI test Tuesday, which revealed a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. 



The procedure could take place next week. 



After a standout season in 2007 as Minnesota's primary setup man, Neshek suffered a partial tear of the ligament during a game in May.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Charles Gordon is considering options for surgery on his broken left ankle. 


Gordon suffered a gruesome injury while being tackled at the end of a punt return in Sunday's win over Green Bay. The Vikings placed him on injured reserve Monday afternoon, freeing up a roster spot. They didn't immediately announce a corresponding move. 



Benny Sapp will probably move up and replace Gordon as the third cornerback in the nickel defense for obvious passing situations. 



Aundrae Allison is next in line as the punt returner, and Childress said Bernard Berrian would also be considered for that role. 



The Vikings improved to 5-4 with their 28-27 victory over the Packers.

Adrian Peterson was fired up as always, so determined to beat Green Bay he stormed to the sideline at one point in the fourth quarter with a demeanor that could be described, politely, as angry.


Success for Minnesota's star running back, though, came as usual through patience. 



Peterson rushed for 192 yards and reached across the goal line with 2:22 left to lift the Vikings to a 28-27 victory on Sunday that ended their five-game losing streak to the Packers. 



Though he set an NFL record with 296 yards in one game during his rookie season, Peterson acknowledged this as the most satisfying performance of his brief career. 



"That's what it's all about.

The Sioux Falls Skyforce selected Gary Forbes, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound guard/forward from the University of Massachusetts, with the fourth overall selection in the 2008 NBA Development League Draft. 


Forbes was named to the First Team All-NBA Pre-Draft Team at the 2008 NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando.

Tough day for Jared Allen. 


Minnesota's star defensive end learned Friday he was fined $50,000 by the NFL for two below-the-knee hits on Houston quarterback Matt Schaub last week. 



Allen also learned he was listed as doubtful on the injury report for the upcoming game against rival Green Bay. 



Allen declined to comment on the fine, due to his desire to appeal the punishment.