Minnesota Sports Briefs: St.Thomas & UW-Whitewater get ready for playoff showdown

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ST. PAUL - The St. Thomas football team continues to prepare for its NCAA Division III national semifinal game this Saturday at Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The winner advances to the national title game. Both teams enter this weekend's game with 13-0 records. Kickoff at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater is set for 2:30 p.m. UW-Whitewater is ranked No. 1 in the nation and has won the national title three of the past four seasons.

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The talk had ranged from staying with the Cardinals to going to the Marlins but now in a stunning move, the Los Angeles Angels have reportedly signed slugger Albert Pujols to a 10-year contract. Specifics of the deal have not been released but it's thought the contract could be worth around $250-million. The Minnesota Twins are scheduled to host the Angels and Pujols during their opening homestand of the 2012 season. The first of the three-game set is on April 9th. The Twins will face the three-time National League M-VP nine times in the season ahead -- six of those games will be at Target Field. Pujols starred for St. Louis over an 11 season span. The Cardinals won this year's World Series.

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The red hot Minnesota Wild are shooting for their sixth consecutive win when they skate tonight against the Los Angeles Kings in LA. Minnesota sits atop the Northwest Division standings with 39 points, which is best in the NHL. The Wild used the successful NHL debut of goalie Matt Hackett to beat San Jose on Tuesday 2-1. Starting goaltender Niklas Backstrom skated with the team yesterday during practice and reserve netminder Josh Harding was feeling better yesterday, but Hackett will be at the ready in case neither can play. Tonight's faceoff is set for 9:30 p.m.

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New Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio of Spain arrived in the Twin Cities this week excited for the NBA season to get underway. The Wolves will play an exhibition game on December 17th, which will be Rubio's first chance to get into a game with his new teammates. He spent much of the summer working out with other NBA players in Los Angeles. Rubio is a potential star with his flashy style, boyish looks, floppy hair, and smooth-sounding name. He told reporters yesterday that he is focusing on improving his jump shot.

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder is hoping to get some work in during practice this afternoon after missing all of yesterday's workout. Ponder is recovering from a hip injury suffered in last Sunday's 35-32 defeat at home to Denver. Ponder says he is sore, but feels improvement in his hip each day. He admits there was a lot of swelling in the hip on Sunday night and Monday and said the injury is "not fun." He says the training staff is working with him on the injury and he expects to play in this Sunday's game at Detroit at noon.

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The Thursday Night NFL Football game this week has the Cleveland Browns visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers to begin Week 14 in the NFL. The Steelers are tied atop the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens, who hold the tiebreaker by sweeping the season series. The Browns, losers of two straight and five of six, have scored more than 20 points just once this season.

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