WJONAM

The Vikings have signed free agent ex-Cincinnati Bengal receiver Jerome Simpson to an undisclosed contract. Simpson will have to sit out the first 3 games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy while a member of the Bengals. Simpson was a 2nd round pick by the Bengals in 2008. He had 50 catches for 725 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2011.

The Twins will skip lefthander Francisco Liriano's spot in the rotation this weekend. He's 0-3 with a 11.02 ERA in 4 starts for the Twins this season. Manager Ron Gardenhire said he talked with Liriano and Liriano feels confident about the plan. Gardenhire does not want to put Liriano in the bullpen and will give him another chance to start. Liriano's next start will be Tuesday May 1 in Anaheim against the Angels.

The Twins lost 6-5 at home to the Boston Red Sox Monday night. Cody Ross hit a 2-run homerun off Jason Marquis in the 7th inning to tie the game at 5 before hitting a solo homerun off Matt Capps in the 9th inning to break the 5-all tie. Minnesota went out to a 5-3 lead in the 5th inning after scoring 4 runs in the 4th inning and adding 1 run in the 5th. Ryan Doumit had a 2-run double and Danny Valencia hit a 2-run homerun for the Twins.

Fishing opener is right around the corner, and Jerry breaks down the important things to consider when getting ready for a safe and successful season.

The University of Minnesota has called a a press conference at 2:45pm today to announce their new Athletic Director. Virginia Commonwealth athletics director Norwood Teague is the lone finalist for the University of Minnesota Athletic Director job and is expected to be introduced at the press conference today. The announcement of Teague as the lone finalist came on twitter from University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler and was also posted on the University of Minnesota website. Kaler had said he hoped to pick a successor to Joel Maturi in May.

The Timberwolves lost 93-88 at home to Golden State Sunday night despite holding a 21-point lead at one point. Minnesota led 55-39 at halftime. Nikola Pekovic led the Wolves with 19 points and 16 rebounds, Martell Webster added 18 points and J.J. Barea chipped in 14 points and 12 assists for Minnesota. The Wolves shot 37 percent while Golden State shot 45 percent. Barea said in the locker room after the game that there are some players that don't care if they win or not and arn't giving enough effort.

The Twins lost 6-2 at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday afternoon. Tampa Bay wins 2 of 3 against the Twins over the weekend. Francisco Liriano allowed 3 hits, 4 walks and 5 earned runs in 5 innings to take the loss and drop to 0-3. Ryan Doumit had a pinch-hit 2-run single and Jamey Carroll was 2-4. Desmond Jennnings hit a 2-run homerun and drove in 3 runs on the day.

The Twins edged the Rays 5-4 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida Friday night. The Twins went out to a 2-0 lead before scoring 4 straight runs to lead 4-2 after 6 innings. Minnesota got a bases clearing double from Josh Willingham in the 7th inning to take a 5-4 lead. Joe Mauer went 2-3 with 2 RBIs and Jamey Carroll was 2-3 with 2 runs scored. Matt Maloney threw 1 inning of scoreless relief to get the win. Liam Hendriks threw 5 2/3 innings with 5 hits and 4 earned runs allowed. Matt Capps threw a scoreless 9th inning to get the save.

Viking General Manager Rick Spielman indicated Thursday that the Vikings have narrowed their choice for the #3 overall pick in the first round of next Thursday's NFL draft to one of 3 players. The 3 players are LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, and Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon. Spielman says the Vikings have the players rated equally on their draft board and must decide which is the greatest position of need.

The Twins lost 7-6 at New York to the Yankees Thursday night. Curtis Granderson hit 3 homeruns for the Yankees. 2 of Granderson's homeruns came against Twins starter Anthony Swarzak. Swarzak allowed 8 hits and 6 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings to take the loss and drop to 0-3. Ryan Doumit went 2-4 with a 2-run homerun and 4 RBIs and Danny Valencia went 2-4 with 2 RBIs for the Twins.