MN State Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe said that he
has "heard rumors" that MN-based Cargill Company "is
interested" in trying to help build a ballpark for the
Twins, according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis STAR
TRIBUNE. Cargill execs could not be reached. But Twins
Owner Carl Pohlad is telling people "that it might be too
late to save the Twins because the Metropolitan Sports
Facilities Commission [MSFC] is playing hardball, and
refuses to work out a two-year lease extension with the team
to see if plans for a new stadium can be worked out in the
next two years." Hartman wrote that MSFC Chair Henry
Savelkoul "and his politically appointed board are going to
drive the Twins out of town if they don't work something
out." Meanwhile, Pohlad's "close friend," NationsBank CEO
Hugh McColl, "continues to put pressure" on Pohlad to move
the Twins to Charlotte next season (STAR TRIBUNE, 6/27).
PURPLE REIGN: The Vikings' search for a new owner,
which has reached its 10th month, "has degenerated from the
silly to the absurd," according to Zgoda & Fiedler of the
Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Vikings co-Owner Wheelock
Whitney: "It's going to be a relief for everybody when this
thing is over." After reviewing a list of possible suitors,
Zgoda & Fielder conclude that T-Wolves Owner Glen Taylor
"appears to be the fail-safe owner for the NFL and the
Vikings" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/28). In a sidebar,
Jerry Zgoda writes that Taylor "is intrigued by the
possibility of a year-round Minnesota sports entertainment
company," but that "he's not interested in buying the Twins"
(STAR TRIBUNE, 6/28)....On Sunday, the STAR TRIBUNE profiled
five potential Vikings bidders -- team president Roger
Headrick; Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Chair J. Bruce
Llewellyn; former Spurs/Nuggets Owner Red McCombs; Glen
Taylor; and Carl Pohlad (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/28).
