Back Porch Minnesota

A few months ago, FanHouse did a compilation of the top athletes in each of our nation's biggest cities. As part of that, we posted what we thought was a pretty solid list of Minneapolis' top five athletes.

Well, things have changed.

Adrian Peterson has exploded onto the NFL scene. Torii Hunter appears headed out of town as a free agent. Kevin Garnett got traded. Johan Santana may be next up on the trade block.

With all of that in mind, it's time to re-visit that top five, in an effort to make it more in-tune with the current sports climate in Minnesota. It's a rather shaky climate, by the way. It's not unlike Minnesota's weather.

In putting together this updated list, I am operating under the assumption that Johan Santana will be playing in a Twins' uniform in 2008. Frankly, I don't think that's anything remotely close to a safe bet, but at this point, the Twins are saying the right things publicly and talking about re-signing him. Santana may just decide to stay, though his public discontent with the organization during the 2007 season is not going to help them.

My assumption is that Hunter will sign elsewhere. The Twins did their level best to re-sign him over the summer, and it wasn't enough money or a long-enough contract offer.

5. Marian Gaborik (Unranked in summer of 2007) -- Hockey is still king in Minnesota, to a certain extent. The Wild have sold out every game they've ever played at the XCel Energy Center, and there's always a special buzz in the building when Gaborik gets the puck. He can be downright magical, sporting world-class speed, great hands, and an uncanny ability to make big plays. He's not the most marketable soul in the world, but he's the most popular player on the Wild roster. Yes, he's even more popular than enforcer Derek Boogaard, though he almost made this list.

FanHouse is posting the top five current athletes for America's top 25 cities with the following criteria: 1) Who would a Twin Cities fan say is his/her favorite athlete? 2) Would the player's name (or face) be familiar to locals who don't follow sports?

Find your city's top five: ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DC | DEN | DET | HOU | IND | LA | MIA | MIL | MIN | NO | NY | SF | PHI | PHO | PIT | SD | SEA | STL

I had to work to get a Vikings player on this list, even though the Purple are clearly still No. 1 among the diehards here (despite gains made recently by the Twins). It should tell you something about the franchise's recent turn that A) It was a struggle and B) The player has yet to play a down yet. With that said, it's a pretty solid top five when you can't even find room for a defending league MVP or a hockey player in a puck-loving state.

5. Adrian Peterson -- Instantly became the Vikings' most recognizable player when the RB was drafted No. 7 overall. People here are so in love with his potential that it's ridiculous. But it's probably wise to let the fans salivate for now. He's a legitimate reason to be excited about the offense; that didn't exist last year.

4. Johan Santana -- This is where it gets tricky. The Twins are stacked with top-end players. Three of them made this list. Missing the cut is 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau (though if you read the New York papers, you might think Derek Jeter won). As Chris Rock once apparently said at a New York comedy club, according to a reliable source, "Exactly. Who the (bleep) is Justin Morneau." He's just not big enough outside of Minnesota and Canada. Santana, a two-time Cy Young award winner, has nationwide credibility. Even if folks here take him for granted sometimes and pile on a little when he starts slow, they ultimately can't get enough Johan.