Minnesota Sports Briefs: Peterson continues his brilliant play as Vikings win again

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ST. LOUIS - Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 212 yards and a touchdown to lead the Vikings to a 36-22 rout of the Rams in St. Louis yesterday.

With 1,812 rushing yards on the season, Peterson is now just 293 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's NFL single-season record of 2,105 yards set back in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams. Christian Ponder threw for 131 yards and had a rushing TD for the Vikings, who are still in the thick of the NFC Wild Card race at 8-and-6. Everson Griffen had a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown in the victory. Sam Bradford finished 35-of-55 for 377 yards with three TDs and one interception for the Rams, who had their three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 6-7-and-1. Steven Jackson had 13 carries for 73 yards in defeat. The Vikes are at Houston next weekend.

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The University of Minnesota football team was on the practice field yesterday, continuing their preparation for the December 28th bowl game against Texas Tech in Houston. Gopher coach Jerry Kill will give his players today and tomorrow off before hitting the practice field again on Wednesday on campus. Minnesota is 6-6 on the season, while the Red Raiders will enter the Meineke Car Care Bowl with a 7-5 record.

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The University of Minnesota men's basketball team has not played since last Tuesday night's win at home over North Dakota State. The No. 13 Golden Gophers are 11-1 on the season and will not play again until this Saturday against Lafayette. The break in the schedule comes during a period where players are taking final exams at the university.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves begin a two-game road trip through Florida tonight as they take on the Magic in Orlando. Minnesota will then face the Heat in Miami tomorrow night. The T'wolves have won four in-a-row following Saturday's 114-106 overtime victory over Dallas. They sit at 12-9 on the season. Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio returned to the lineup for Saturday night's win over the Mavericks. Rubio had eight points and nine assists. The 22-year-old Rubio tore his ACL in March and had missed the first 20 games of this season.

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Multiple media reports indicate the Minnesota Twins have agreed to terms with free agent pitcher Mike Pelphrey on a one-year contract. The 29-year-old righthander missed most of last season with the Mets after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery. In 2010, Pelphrey was 15-and-9 with a 3.66 earned run average for the Mets. If the deal is finalized then Pelphrey would be penciled as the Twins' fourth starter, along with holdover Scott Diamond and newcomers Vance Worley and Kevin Correia. Minnesota may attempt to sign another pitcher before spring training or go with several in-house candidates to fill out the starting rotation.

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The NHL Players' Association began to vote on whether to allow the executive board to file a disclaimer of interest yesterday. It would be the first step in dissolving the union. All 700-plus members of the NHLPA will have the chance to vote through Thursday and would need two-thirds majority for the motion to pass. On Friday, the league announced a class action complaint in New York and Federal Court to uphold the lockout.

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