Morneau fields tolerably but carries a big stick

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau's defense won't make anyone forget about Doug Mientkiewicz anytime soon.

But after watching his bat knock one out of the ballpark, fans will be forgiving when he makes the occasional miscue trying to get one out at first base.

Right now, Morneau may be a curse word for some Twins fans. It seems sacreligious for a first-place team to get rid of their stud first baseman -- one who is perennially among the favorites for the Rawlings Gold Glove award -- in favor for a guy who seemingly couldn't decide what he wanted to swing at in his first few stints at the big league level.

In the end, we will forget that Morneau's defense was the one thing that kept him from becoming an everyday first baseman at the big league level. Instead, the name Morneau will be synonymous with that of the most exciting thing in baseball: the home run.

According to folklore, it's been a long time since Paul Bunyan wandered around the state of Minnesota with his big axe.

Now, we have a chance to see the damage Mr. Bunyan may have done with a piece of lumber with the addition of the 23-year old to the roster.

His presence in the heart of the order means that the Twins have a bona fide power hitter who will hit 30-40 home runs in a year. The Twins haven't had that kind of output since the Kirby Puckett-Kent Hrbek-Gary Gaetti years of the late 80s.

As evident by his 18th inning home run on Sunday, Morneau has a lot of power. He has eight home runs already on the season and will probably lead the team in that category for the next several years.

He's also one the few players who creates a buzz in the stadium every time he plants his feet in the batters box.

He has already scratched his name in the fourth spot in the line-up, and along with catcher Joe Mauer, should give the Twins one of the best 1-2 punches in the games for years to come.

Hudson resigned

The Minnesota Timberwolves may well have turned in their reservation for the 2005 NBA finals after they re-inked guards Troy Hudson and Trenton Hassell to multi-year deals.

The Wolves, who also signed Fred Hoiberg in the offseason, have had another productive offseason and will return pretty much the same nucleus that brought them to the Western Conference Finals this spring.

Minnesota should be the favorite to come out of the west this year after the dismantled Los Angeles Lakers have self-destructed.

The signing of Hudson and Hassell means the Timberwolves will have their second string point guard back. They also matched Portland's offer for Hassell, meaning they will have a defensive stopper to take on the likes of Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.