Minnesota Sports Briefs: Saints pushing to get new ballpark

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ST. PAUL - While the Minneapolis City Council decides the fate of a new Vikings stadium later this week, the city of St. Paul continues pushing for a new baseball park for the St. Paul Saints.

Mayor Chris Coleman is asking for $27-million to build a new minor league field for the Saints in St. Paul's Lowertown area. In a letter to the Department of Employment and Economic Development, Coleman said the stadium would bring in 400,000 visitors a year, create 500 jobs and generate ten-million dollars annually. The Saints currently play at Midway Stadium which was built in the late 1950s.

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Here are Monday's results in the American Association:

Fargo-Moorhead 13, Amarillo 8 (final)

Laredo 5, Winnipeg 1 (final)

Sioux City 9, Lincoln 8 (final)

Kansas City 5, Gary 3 (final)

New Jersey 5, Wichita 1 (final)

Grand Prairie 3, El Paso 2 (final)

St. Paul, idle

Sioux Falls, idle

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The Minnesota Twins were off yesterday and will begin a three-game series tonight against the White Sox in Chicago. The Twins lost Sunday at Milwaukee, snapping a four-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the White Sox have won four in a row, including a three-game weekend sweep of the rival Cubs. Tonight's game begins at 7:10 p.m.

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The Twins, along with every other Major League Baseball team, will have a little different look this Monday. All teams will wear special caps that feature the club's logo in camouflage and outlined in a team color. The hats will be worn on Memorial Day, July 4th and September 11th to raise awareness for the Welcome Back Veterans Fund. All net proceeds from hat sales will be donated to the fund.

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The University of Minnesota is due to receive its share of revenue raised by the Big Ten Conference. All but one school is in line to get $24.6 six-million, which would set a new conference record. Last year's total was $22.8 million. The payouts are primarily from TV sources like the Big Ten Network, ESPN and other networks. The only school not to receive a full share is Nebraska, since it is completing its first year in the Big Ten.

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The University of Minnesota Big Ten Conference football schedule for 2015 and 2016 have been released. The Golden Gophers will play each of the Legends Division teams plus rival Wisconsin in all years, then play two of the remaining four teams in the Leaders Division on a rotating basis. In 2015, Minnesota will play home games against Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. Road trips in 2015 include Northwestern, Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State. The opponents remain the same in 2016, but the gamesites reverse. The Gophers will not play Penn State or Indiana in 2015 or 2016. The 2013 and 2014 Big Ten schedules had previously been released. Minnesota opens 2012 Big Ten play this September 29th at Iowa.

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The WNBA Minnesota Lynx are in New York to face the Liberty this evening. The defending WNBA champions opened the season with a 105-83 thumping of the Mercury on Sunday. One of the standout players on the team is Maya Moore, who says they must simply continue to do the things they've been doing to repeat as league champs. Tonight's tilt tips off at 6 p.m.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the Western Conference finals Monday night. The Thunder ousted the Los Angeles Lakers with a 106-90 win in Game Five of their semifinal series. The second-seeded Thunder will face the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the West finals. The Spurs won two of the three meetings between the teams during the regular season. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics used a big second half to notch a 101-85 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Five of their East semifinal series. Boston claimed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven set with the victory.

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The NHL Eastern Conference finals have become a best-of-three series. The Devils cruised to a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers in Game Four of the series in New Jersey Monday night. Martin Brodeur stopped 27 shots to help the Devils even the set at two games apiece. New York hosts Game Five on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Coyotes will look to fight off elimination again when they host the Los Angeles Kings in Game Five of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night. L.A. holds a 3-1 lead in the series and can advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a victory.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a two-year contract with defenseman Jamie McBain worth $3.6-million. The 24-year-old Edina native will earn $1.7-million in 2012-13 and $1.9-million the following year. McBain led all Carolina defensemen in scoring this past season with eight goals and 19 assists. The 2006 second-round draft pick has 18 goals and 49 assists in 166 games, all with Carolina. He played college hockey at Wisconsin.

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Lakeville, Minn. racecar driver Joey Miller has been added to the list of racers to take part in the first-ever ARCA race scheduled to be held in Minnesota next month. Elko Speedway is hosting the Akona 200 on June 2nd, marking ARCA's first race ever held in Minnesota. The 27-year-old Miller has won five ARCA races in his career. Miller has some NASCAR experience and says he's looking forward to racing at Elko, which is ten minutes from his hometown. Elko Speedway is located about 35 miles south of the Twin Cities.

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