The Harmon Killebrew Tribute tomorrow night at Target Field will attract one of the largest gatherings ever to attend a memorial service in Minnesota.  “We’re preparing for 15,000,” Twins marketing executive Patrick Klinger said.  “It’s one of those things where we just don’t know (how many) but we will be well staffed.”

The Twins will be ready to accommodate even more than 15,000, perhaps attracting an audience that approaches or exceeds the 20,000 that reportedly attended the 2002 memorial service for the late Paul Wellstone at the University of Minnesota.  A 2006 memorial service for Kirby Puckett at the Metrodome had attendance of about 15,000.

The Killebrew public tribute will begin at 7:10 p.m. and well-wishers can enter the ballpark beginning at 6 p.m.  Seating is general admission and while concession stands will be open no alcohol will be available.

Klinger said “in excess of 30 members” of Killebrew’s family will attend the tribute and nine speakers will be part of the 90 minute program including Killebrew’s widow, Nita.  Other speakers will include MLB commissioner Bud Selig, Killebrew Twins teammate Rod Carew, and current Twins players Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer.

Musical tributes will come from Killebrew’s former teammate Jim “Mudcat” Grant, and Jeff Arundel, author of the Harmon Killebrew song, and The Minnesota Chorale.  The Twins, who have invested hundreds of man-hours in preparation for the event, will offer various video tributes to Killebrew.

“It (the memorial event) will be touching,” Klinger said. “We’ve put together a nice plan.”

To recognize Killebrew’s accomplishments at Metropolitan Stadium, the Twins will wrap a light rail train with graphics honoring him.  Former teammates will gather at the Mall of America around the location of Metropolitan Stadium’s home plate.  Then the group will board the specially-named No. 3 Hiawatha light rail train and proceed to Target Field, stopping by the Metrodome to pick up additional Twins alumni.

In lieu of flowers, the Killebrew family is requesting that fans donate to the Harmon Killebrew Family Memorial Fund: Wells Fargo Acct#3471335038, c/o Minnesota Twins, 1 Twins Way, Minneapolis, MN 55403.

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With Nebraska and Minnesota renewing a football rivalry this fall that began in 1900, Sports Headliners suggests a trophy be created that the Cornhuskers and Gophers compete for each season.

Nebraska, the newest member of the Big Ten Conference, plays a Big Ten football schedule for the first time in 2011.  The Cornhuskers will join the Gophers and four other schools in the Legends Division.  Six other league schools will form the Leaders Division.

Minnesota and Nebraska last met in 1990.  The Gophers lead the all-time series 29-20-2, but the Cornhuskers have won 14 consecutive games.  Minnesota last won a game in 1960, the school’s most recent national championship season.

The Gophers have played more nonconference football games against Nebraska than any other school, and it’s not even close.  Minnesota and Iowa State have met in 26 games.

The Cornhuskers and Gophers have envied football histories.  The two schools can claim 11 national championships, six at Minnesota and five for Nebraska.  Those titles were won by four coaches, Minnesota’s Bernie Bierman and Murray Warmath, and Nebraska’s Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.

The Gophers already have four rivalry trophies.  The newest is the Governor’s Victory Bell established by the governors of Minnesota and Pennsylvania in 1993 for the Minnesota-Penn State rivalry.  The other trophies are the Little Brown Jug (1909), Floyd of Rosedale (1939) and Paul Bunyan’s Axe (1950).  The Gophers compete against Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin for those trophies.

Got an idea for a Minnesota-Nebraska trophy name?  E-mail the suggestion to: ds@shamasportsheadliners.com

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Harmon Killebrew’s charity dinner and golf events for June 29 and 30 to benefit the Twins Community Fund and Miracle League of Minnesota were sold out before he passed away last week.

Manager Ron Gardenhire said on his 1500 ESPN radio show Sunday that his new shortstop Trevor Plouffe sometimes “guides the ball” when throwing and the club can’t have Plouffe “baby the ball.”

Will Plouffe remain at shortstop when middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka comes off the disabled list?  Plouffe has made two errors in 13 games and at times looks uncertain in the field.  At bat he has a .212 average with three home runs and 10 RBI.

The Twins have lost four of their last five games and also nine of the last 10 at home.  A positive is Minnesota’s 12 home runs in the last six games.

Jim Thome, who has 593 career home runs, has hit 113 of them against left-handed pitchers.  Thome has passed Reggie Jackson for fifth place for most homers by a left-handed hitter versus lefties.  Barry Bonds holds the record at 227.

Happy birthday to Don Shelby, the former WCCO-TV anchor and basketball lover, who is 66 on Friday.

ESPN.com’s Andy Katz offered a men’s college basketball top 25 preseason listing earlier this month with Ohio State No. 3, Wisconsin No. 11 and Michigan No. 23.  The Gophers, coming off a 6-12 Big Ten season in coach Tubby Smith’s fourth year, won’t be in anyone’s preseason top 25, although Minnesota does return three starters including the league’s best rebounder, Trevor Mbakwe.

Mbakwe, who made second team All-Big Ten, averaged 11 rebounds per game in league games.  In Big Ten and other games he had 10 rebounds or more 20 times.  He was in double figures in both rebounding and scoring for all 18 league games.

The Wild’s Houston farm team won game seven against Hamilton in the Western Conference Finals last night to advance to the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Finals. The Aeros are 6-0 all-time in Calder Cup playoff game sevens and have won  five of those games on the road.  Minnesotans Jared Palmer, Nate Prosser and Chad Rau have all contributed in the Aeros playoffs game with Rau ranking among the top Houston goal scorers with six.

Look for Aeros head coach Mike Yeo to receive strong consideration for the Wild’s head coaching job replacing Todd Richards.  Count on Yeo, who has built a solid locker room culture in Houston, to be an NHL head coach in the next couple of years. The Wild will likely announce a coach before the June 24-25 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul.

St. Thomas finished first in the final standings of the 2010-11 MIAC All-Sports Competition. Gustavus was second followed by St. Olaf, Saint Benedict, Concordia, Carleton, Bethel, Saint Mary’s, Hamline, Augsburg, St. Catherine and Macalester.

The annual C.O.R.E.S-Minnesota Minutemen Golf Tournament will be Wednesday, July 13 at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.  Members of those organizations should contact Duane McEwen via email for more information, mcewendh@aol.com.  (C.O.R.E.S is an acronym for coaches, officials, educators, reporters and sports fans).

 

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