Author: David Shama

Condolences to friends and family of former Gopher basketball player and University of Minnesota educator LeRoy Gardner, 61, who passed away last week.  He was admired by many people in this community and elsewhere.  A memorial service will be held tomorrow (Thursday) beginning at 1 p.m. at the Estes Funeral Chapel, 2210 Plymouth Ave. North.  A repast will immediately follow at the Minneapolis Urban League office, 2100 Plymouth Ave. North.

A Gopher basketball reunion earlier this summer was the last time a lot of friends saw LeRoy who died from lung cancer.  Former Gopher Greg Troland expressed the feelings of many in a group e-mail when he wrote: “Guys, I am so saddened to hear about the passing of LeRoy.  He was such a great friend to all of us.  He meant so much to me since my first step on the University campus.  He is going to be missed by so many people not only among us but to all people he was connected with. … Thank God, I got to see him at the reunion.”

Former Minnesota North Stars executive Lou Nanne told Sports Headliners he believes it will take a new contract of at least $8.5 million for the Minnesota Wild to re-sign Marian Gaborik.  How important is it for the Wild to keep Gaborik here beyond next season? 

“It’s very important because he’s the face of the franchise,” Nanne said.  “He’s the most exciting player they’ve got.  He’s the guy that gets the most goals, generates the most offense so it’s a big thing.” 

If the Wild decide a new contract won’t happen, then a trade involving Gaborik is the team’s alternate move.  Nanne said not signing Gaborik doesn’t necessarily mean a fan fall out.  “You can’t say there’d be a fall out unless they (the team) didn’t win,” Nanne said.  “If they didn’t win after the trade that they made…it could hurt them.” 

Gopher football coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners recruiting strategy for next season includes junior college players.  Defensive backs Traye Simmons and Tramaine Brock, both junior college transfers, have been important to the team’s 2-0 start.  

Minneapolis natives Dan Coleman and Troy Bell will be playing basketball in Europe. Coleman, the former Gopher, left for Portugal last Saturday.  Bell, who attended Boston College, has already played an exhibition game for his team in Italy.

Former Gopher center Joel Przybilla figures to have backup duty to Greg Oden in Portland.  However, the 7-foot-1 Przybilla, who could help the Wolves’ need for a big center, is a human insurance policy for the Trail Blazers.  Oden missed all of last season, his rookie year, because of a knee injury.  Przybilla has two years left on his Portland contract, with a third year option at his discretion, a source said.

Sportsheadliners is betting its ownership in a Wisconsin dairy farm (wink, wink) on the Vikings defeating the Packers in Green Bay tonight.  Although national odds makers favor the Pack by a few points, Sports Headliners believes the Vikings’ souped up defense will be too much for Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay quarterback making his first ever NFL start.

The pass rush, led by defensive end Jared Allen, will bring pressure on Rodgers when he tries to throw.  That pressure from Allen, the defending NFL sack leader, and linemates Ray Edwards (he wants to break the NFL record for sacks in a season), Pat Williams and Kevin Williams is a physical force likely to hurry throws by Rodgers, or put him down on the sacred Lambeau Field turf.

There’s another kind of pressure Rodgers, the 24-year-old fourth year quarterback, will have to confront head-on, too.  He’s spent the summer and will continue into the fall facing a whirlwind of emotions replacing Packer legend Brett Favre at quarterback.  If there was a national vote to name the NFL player under the most pressure, Rodgers wins in a landslide.

For a season opening game, tonight in Lambeau couldn’t be any bigger unless Favre were playing quarterback for the Vikings.  But fuh-get-it.  This is the NFL, not Hollywood.  You have to settle for this scene: opening game, Rodgers’ debut, traditional rivals (Packers lead 48-45-1 including playoffs), the two favored teams to win the NFC North, and Monday Night Football with its national TV audience.

Whew! Somebody pray for Rodgers.  There likely are such prayers being said in Dairyland and not just for Rodgers.  The Packers reportedly have more injured players than the Vikings and how that plays out remains to be seen.

That’s another reason to bet the dairy farm on the Purple who likely will produce just enough points behind a patched up offensive line (see Bryant McKinney four-game suspension) and Adrian Peterson’s extraordinary running to win the game.

Vikings placekicker Ryan Longwell, who played nine seasons for the Packers, was asked about the importance of the opening game.  “It will be huge,” he said.  “You want to start off playing well and you want to start off crisp and executing.  But I think to make it bigger than it is would be a mistake because it’s a long, long season. …”

After the Packer game, the Vikings play Indianapolis and Carolina at home, before a road game at Tennessee.  Those are all expected to be winning teams this season.

“Well, without question, it’s a tough stretch, but I think two things,” Longwell said.  “One, to look past Monday is to make a huge mistake because they’re going to give us everything we can handle and then some on Monday night.

“Then the other side of it is if you look too far down the road it ends up costing you games you should be able to win. And you don’t ever want to do that, you look back with regret. …”

Gus Frerotte, the Vikings’ 37-year-old reserve quarterback, still gets excited about opening games and enjoys the atmosphere at Lambeau Field, a pro football shrine with its boisterous fans and tradition as home to legendary players and teams. “Yeah, Lambeau is great to play in,” he said.  “It’s a lot of fun. Just seeing the people, the fans how they get into the game. …(Hopefully) everybody (in the NFL) gets to play there once.”

What kind of welcoming party does Frerotte expect?  “Not a good one,” he said.

The crowd, though, won’t be coming on the field.  “…When the whistle blows you get ready to work because when you’re between those lines none of those 80,000 people, or how many are going to be there, can be out there,” he said.  “It’s just you versus them.  That’s it.”