Whether it’s film study or training like a boxer, Ray Edwards is looking for an edge to be the “best defensive end ever to play this game.”   Edwards, the 23-year-old who was drafted on the fourth round in 2005 by the Vikings, made that statement last week at the team’s mini-camp.

He has been outspoken and confident this spring.  After two seasons of learning and starting a total of 13 games, he now looks like he will be a permanent starter.  But Edwards wants to be more than just an NFL regular.

He wants to break Michael Strahan’s NFL single season sack record of 22.5.  He had five sacks last season and three the year before.

Edwards said last week he felt “under rated” coming out of high school in Cincinnati and after leaving Purdue following his junior season to play for the Vikings.  Hard work, training and confidence have brought him along further than ever and he asked last week, “If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? …”

The 6-foot-5 Edwards said he’s gained weight since joining the Vikings and is now at 270 pounds.  He retains or perhaps has added to the explosiveness off the line of scrimmage that starting with his rookie year distinguished him as a pass rusher.

“I do boxing training, and work on my feet and my hand speed,” Edwards said.  “And …film study of past defensive ends that have been definitely successful in this league. Like Strahan. …I’ve watched a lot of his film.  Lots of Reggie White film. Chris Doleman.  Simeon Rice.  Dwight Feeney.  I’ve watched all of those guys, studying their film to see what they were doing to be successful at this level.”

Edwards doesn’t expect to make a second career out of boxing but he’s convinced that the training has made him better.  Improved foot coordination and balance, hand speed, and shoulder strength, all make Edwards a more imposing end, ready to attack blockers this fall.

Experience has contributed to his development, too.  He said he’s learned how to better read offensive formations and has improved at handling different blocks.

Edwards said in the past he has been trying to “make a name for himself.”  Sounds like he’s determined to do just that.

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Jake Gardiner of Minnetonka is likely to be the first Minnesotan picked in the June 20-21 NHL Entry Draft but Aaron Ness of Roseau could be the better pro, according to a scouting authority who spoke to Sports Headliners this week but requested anonymity.

Gardiner and Ness are 17 and 18-year-old defensemen.  Gardiner is 6-foot, 170-pounds, while Ness is 5-10, 157, according to www.nhlentrydraft2008.com. “My guess is this kid (Gardiner) will go higher because he’s bigger,” the source said.

He also said Gardiner “just flies” across the ice. “He could be the best skater in the whole draft,” the source said.  He also thinks Gardiner will be drafted in the first round while Ness may have to wait until the second to be chosen because he’s small, but that could be a mistake.  “Ness is so spectacularly smart and quick,” the source said.

He likes Ness’s ability to score and his “instincts for the game.”  He likens Ness to former Gopher Paul Martin, now New Jersey’s best defenseman.  “If I was picking (for an NHL team), I would take Ness (over Gardiner) because he has a chance to be a really elite player,” the source said.

Ness is headed for the Gophers where he’s likely to be an impact player as a freshman, including on the power play.  He is ranked No. 27 among the draft prospects by the NHL Web site.  Gardiner, who is ranked No. 23, is expected to play at Wisconsin next fall.

The source said a third Minnesotan probably will be selected in the first three rounds of the draft, defenseman Cory Fienhage of Eastview High School.  He is ranked No. 36 by the NHL Web site.

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The Twins’ Class A Beloit farm team has the tall and the small.  Pitcher Loek Van Mil is 7-foot-1, shortstop Chris Cates is 5-foot-3.

Dave Mona, one of the local organizers for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open, was elated with the news earlier this week that Michelle Wie has qualified for the June 23-29 championship at Interlachen Country Club.  He said fans have been anxiously asking whether Wie, 18, will play here.

Mona said daily capacity for the Open will be 22,500. Although he didn’t have figures available, he said advance ticket sales are fairly balanced for the championship’s last four days.

Trick-shot artist Dennis Walters, who is paralyzed below the waist, will headline an exhibition for the Catch the Spirit program at the Open on Monday, June 23 at 1 p.m. on the driving range at Interlachen.  Walters will be joined by Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus, Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell, ESPN analyst Michele Tafoya and Tim Laudner, a member of the Twins’ 1987 World Series Championship team.

Catch the Spirit began in 1991 as an effort to attract more youth and families to golf and USGA championships.  As a part of Catch the Spirit, anyone 17 and younger receives free admission to the Open when accompanied by a ticketed adult.  Kids receive a front-row seat in all grandstands during the week.  More information is available at www.2008uswomensopen.com.

Long time Lakers’ fan Dana Marshall sent a trivia note via e-mail that the franchise’s last game as the Minneapolis Lakers was played on March 26, 1960 at Washington University in St. Louis.  The Lakers are celebrating 60 years of the Minneapolis-Los Angeles Lakers franchise.

The Minnesota Thunder host Atlanta on Saturday starting at 6 p.m. in another game that will be played at Field U2 at the National Sports Center in Blaine.  Fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets, according to the team’s Web site, www.mnthunder.com.  The track at the NSC stadium field is being removed so the playing surface will be 80 feet closer to the grandstand. The facility will be ready for the Thunder in July.

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