Toby Gerhart admits he feels “pressure” in attempting to replace Chester Taylor as the Vikings No. 2 running back behind Adrian Peterson.  But not only does the second round draft choice have the physical skills to run, catch and pass block, his football education at Stanford was exceptional training for his rookie season this fall in the NFL.

Gerhart, who was the runner-up last year for the Heisman Trophy, told Sports Headliners that the offense at Stanford is “comparable” to what he must learn with the Vikings.  Similar schemes and plays will help Gerhart transition, but so, too, will the work ethic exemplified by head coach Jim Harbaugh who played 15 seasons in the NFL, coached three seasons at the University of San Diego, then took over a Stanford program following a 1-11 season in 2006.

Stanford was 8-5 last season and has become a program on the rise.  Harbaugh had made good on a quote that ESPN The Magazine included in the May 3 issue.  “I will attack this job with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind,” Harbaugh said upon being named Stanford coach.

“He taught us what you put into it is what you get out of it,” Gerhart said.

Gerhart had a work ethic when he was a prep star in southern California but Harbaugh’s commitment to succeed made an impression on him.  “He made practices fun, up tempo and all about competing,” Gerhart said.  “Prior to that (Harbaugh arriving), it wasn’t that way.  With him, he pushed every player no matter if you were the best player, or the worst player. …”

With Taylor gone to Chicago after four seasons with the Vikings, we’ll see whether Gerhart can become the replacement.  What seems certain, though, is the Vikings will get the rookie’s best effort.

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Condolences to Murray Warmath whose daughter, Carol Dillow, 65, died Thursday night from ovarian cancer.  Carol was a devoted fan of coach Warmath’s Golden Gophers while growing up in Edina.  “She should have been a football coach,” Murray said.  “She knew more about football than most anyone I ever met.”  Carol was a homemaker, lived in the Kansas City area and is survived by husband Dick and their three children, Andy, Bill and Laurie.  Memorials can be sent to the Warmath scholarship fund at the University of Minnesota.  A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 14 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Edina.

Gerhart has long been an outstanding student in the classroom and he said that while at Stanford he received his first “D” in about 12 years.  He was a management science and engineering major at Stanford.

Former Gophers linebacker Nate Triplett, a fifth round draft choice, told Sports Headliners he has no other pro football plans if he doesn’t make the Vikings roster.  “Playing for the Vikings is the only thing on my table right now,” he said.

Triplett seems most likely to make the team as a special teams player.  He excelled in that role at Minnesota and has an aggressive mentality, willing to be the “guy making the bigger collision.”

Former Gophers cornerback Marcus Sherels, not chosen in the recent NFL draft, impressed Vikings coach Brad Childress with his speed last week when the team worked out its draft choices and others trying to make the roster.

Doubt that it will happen, but some day Brett Favre’s plaque at the Pro Football Hall of Fame could include a blurb or two about his skills as a publicist.  He keeps his name in the national media including last week when ESPN reported he will need surgery on his left ankle to play next season.  Then Favre followed up with more detail on his Website.  www.officialbrettfavre.com

Earlier this year Favre picked a relatively slow news time to appear on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”  Last year Favre waited until training camp to announce whether he would play another NFL season, creating suspense similar to his future for 2010.

Favre’s off-season newsmaking is great for the Favre brand.  He keeps his name in the media, a fact that certainly can’t go unappreciated by his corporate sponsors.

Here’s an off-season to-do list for Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher, courtesy of a Sports Headliners hockey source.  Sign Mikko Koivu and Guillaume Latendresse to multi-year contracts, bolster the center position, and decide whether to trade either Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding, making a shrewd deal for one of the goalies.  The source believes Fletcher will become an outstanding general manager.

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As the second best paid starting pitcher on the roster, the Twins Scott Baker must perform better than what he’s shown so far in 2010.  Baker is 2-2 with a 5.72 ERA and has given up 11 earned runs in his last two outings.  He has a four-year $15.25 million deal that began in 2009, according to Cots Baseball Contracts.   https://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/minnesota-twins_17.html

The Detroit Free Press reported that in each of the last two seasons the Tigers had only one win each year from a left-handed pitcher against the Twins.  Last week in Detroit left-hander Dontrelle Willis beat the Twins 3-0 and will try for another win tomorrow night at Target Field.  The Twins see lots of left-handed pitching because of left-handed fence busters Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.  Neither faced Willis last week in Detroit.  https://www.freep.com/article/20100430/SPORTS02/4300331

With Tiger Woods trying to put his life and golf game back together, there’s probably more opinion now that Roger Federer, who has 16 tennis grand slam singles titles, is the world’s best athlete.  Federer has never played here and years ago this was a great tennis town with exhibitions drawing large crowds.

The annual Gopher equipment sale for the public will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 15 at the Sports Pavilion on campus.  New and used items including apparel, shoes and bags are available, but no jerseys.  Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.

In Naples, Florida last weekend the American Hockey Coaches Association honored John Gilbert, the former Minneapolis newspaper hockey writer, with its Jim Fullerton award that recognizes “an individual who loves the purity of our sport.”  https://www.ahcahockey.com/news/0910/0128awa.html

Here are dates for your NBA calendar: May 18 is the league’s draft lottery; June 14 is the withdrawal deadline for early entrant draft prospects.  June 24 is the NBA draft; July 1 the free agent negotiation period begins and July 8 is the first day to sign free agent contracts.

Lindsay Whalen was on two WNBA finals teams playing for Connecticut.  That winning experience should help her new team, the Lynx.

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has announced that two Winona State athletes and Wisconsin natives are the winners of annual scholar-athlete awards.  Marcus Greatens is the Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award winner and Lauren Brown is the Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award recipient.

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