The last-place Twins had just lost their 93rd game of the season Monday afternoon to the Yankees in new York, and Twins President Dave St. Peter was in his Target Field office.

The Twins played without Joe Mauer, who is being paid $23 million this year and is finished for the season because of pneumonia, and Justin Morneau, who is paid $14 million and is done for the season because of concussion symptoms and a minor knee procedure.

Mauer, 28, who is in the first season of a $184 million, eight-year contract, played in just 82 games this season.

Morneau, 30, who is in the fourth season of an $80 million, six-year contract, played in just 69 games.

Both players’ contracts are guaranteed. I asked St. Peter if he has second thoughts about having signed Mauer and Morneau, both of whom have been American League most valuable player, to such immense deals.

“Absolutely not,” St. Peter said. “We obviously are huge believers in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, and we still believe to this day that they will continue to be cornerstone players for this franchise as they have been throughout their contracts. This was obviously a very difficult year for both of them, as well as other people throughout the organization.

“Our job is to support them and their efforts to come into spring training as healthy as they possibly can. hopefully, that will happen. and if it does, I like our chances for both of those guys having huge bounce-back years next year.”

St. Peter said there “absolutely” is no unknown ailment that has sidelined Mauer, who in 2009 won his third AL batting title (.365) with 28 home runs while leading the league in on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587).

This season, Mauer finished with three homers while batting .287.

“There is no conspiracy theory relative to Joe Mauer’s health,” St. Peter said. “He admittedly has had a very challenging year, and nobody is more frustrated than Joe. It’s pneumonia. it isn’t Lyme disease. it isn’t Lou Gehrig’s disease. it isn’t anything else.

“He has seen some of the best doctors in the world at the Mayo Clinic. I think they’d tell you if it was anything more than that.”

In his first two starts for the Vikings in 2009, Brett Favre completed 14 of 22 passes for 110 yards and one TD, without an interception, against the Browns in Cleveland, then completed 23 of 27 for 155 yards and two TDs with an interception against the Lions in Detroit.

In Donovan McNabb’s first two starts for the Vikings, he completed seven of 15 passes for 39 yards, no TDs and one interception, against the Chargers in San Diego, then completed 18 of 30 for 228 yards and no TDs or interceptions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A bunch of Jerry Kill’s pals from his days coaching small college Pittsburg State (Kan.) were at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday to celebrate his first victory as Gophers coach over Miami (Ohio).

Terry Skrypek, Brother Francis Carr, Frank Asenbrenner, Tracy (Schultz) Warner, Emmy (Treacy) Springer and Rick Cover will be inducted into the inaugural Hill-Murray Hall of Fame at the merged school’s 50th anniversary Saturday before the Pioneers’ 1 p.m. football game against South St. Paul. both teams are 3-0. Ex-Vikings QB Brooks Bollinger is in his first year as Hill-Murray coach.

DON’T PRINT THAT

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said Tuesday that Rick Adelman was the top choice of basketball president David Kahn when the Wolves began their search for a coach to succeed fired Kurt Rambis.

“Early in the process, David had put down Rick as his first choice,” Taylor said.

Adelman will be officially announced as coach today at Target Center. Taylor, because the choice was primarily that of Kahn, isn’t expected to attend the news conference. He said Kahn deserves the credit.

Adelman’s deal, the Pioneer Press has reported, is for $20 million for four years. The fourth year is an option year for both Adelman and the Wolves.

“Rick wasn’t clear if he was going to coach or not coach, so we went through the whole process and interviewed everybody else,” Taylor said. “We were prepared to go ahead, and then (Kahn) went back and talked to Rick, and Rick said he wanted to come in and interview.”

Taylor said Kahn was patient and waited through the whole process, talked several more times to Adelman and then brought the coach to Mankato for Taylor to meet.

“We spent an evening together and talked,” Taylor said. “After that, Rick told David he was very interested in coming here. David made him an offer, and they worked it out.”

OVERHEARD

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill, on the medication for his seizures: “So they need to get it figured out; that’s my wife’s job, and that’s why I’ve been married 29 years. She’s a heck of a woman. She’s trying to get it figured out, and we’ve got good medical people here, and they’ll eventually get it figured out.”