| Who you pulling 4? |
By: By Kurt Hildebrandt
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Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2010 4:57 pm
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Being a fan of the Green Bay Packers has given St. Peter resident Dave Grimmius much satisfaction and along with that comes a strong admiration for the team’s former quarterback Brett Favre.
That admiration has not diminished since Favre left the team, even though he is now the top signal caller for the Packers’ main NFC North Division rival of late, the Minnesota Vikings.
It’s even more of a mixed bag of emotions for Grimmius now that Green Bay has been eliminated and Minnesota is still alive in its pursuit of a possible Super Bowl championship and the Lombardi Trophy that goes with it.
“It was kind of a bad deal how he left the Packers and I still love the guy,” Grimmius said. “When he first signed with the Vikings I thought that was great for them because he fit in with what they needed, but the first time I saw him in the purple helmet...it just didn’t look right.
“I’ll be pulling for them against Dallas, because I probably dislike the Cowboys more than the Vikings. It’d be okay to see Minnesota get to the Super Bowl, but I don’t really want to see them win it.”
Back around 2005, Grimmius saw an ad on eBay about a chain saw artist named Buzzsaw Bob, who did ice sculptures for the St. Paul Winter Carnival, which said he did all kinds of sculptures for hire so Grimmius contacted him.
“Turns out he originally was from the Wisconsin Dells area, and as we got to talking he recommended doing a wood statue with Brett in a classic Johnny Unitas pose,” Grimmius said. “It didn’t take him very long at all, probably only a couple weeks and I was very happy with it. It shows Brett with his bearded look.”
Because of the newness of the wood, Grimmius had to keep the statue of his gridiron hero in the garage because it gave off a rather strong smell. One family in the neighborhood, who used to walk by the Grimmius house often made sure to stop and look for the statue of #4.
“The dad told me his little girl used to look in and say, ‘there’s Jesus,’” Grimmius said. “And many folks from state of Wisconsin probably felt the same way.”
Grimmius grew up in Worthington and was originally a Vikings’ fan, but made the transition through his wife Doreen, who isn’t much of a football fan but is a native of Green Bay, Wis.
“Her dad was an usher back in the days at Lambeau Field and was a big Packers’ fan and my brother-in-law has season tickets and he’s always willing to share,” Grimmius said. “Once I actually started going to games at Lambeau Field, I was hooked. There’s really nothing like it and it’s far better than the Metrodome.
“I haven’t been able to get away to a game there this year, but there have been seasons recently where I’ve been to as many as five games. It’s a long drive, but definitely worth it.”
The statue has found a home in Grimmius’s basement where he usually via TV takes in the Packer road games and those home games he can’t make in person. While he has maintained a high level of respect for Brett Favre, Grimmius has had to take “disciplinary” action against his likeness because of some of the things Favre has said since he became the Vikings starting QB.
“I have him in the corner facing the wall right now because he’s been kind of naughty this season,” Grimmius said. “Saying things like ‘this Vikings’ team is the most talented he’s ever played on,’ will get him you in trouble.
“But, I still love the guy. When he was with the Packers it felt like no matter who we were playing, with Brett on the field we had a chance to win. I even felt that a few years ago when they only won four games.
“You think about this year with the Vikings and that game with the 49er’s where he won it with that last-second touchdown pass. While there were many Viking fans who were excited about him being in Minnesota, it took just that one pass for the rest of their fans to love him...just one pass. He’s that kind of player.”
Even though the Packers are eliminated, Grimmius will still be watching the playoffs to see how his team’s former standout fares the rest of the way out.
“I retired from the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center in July after 31 years, and the guys there gave me a Brett Favre Vikings’ jersey as a gift,” Grimmius said. “I’ll probably wear it for Sunday’s game and hope to see Brett beat the Cowboys.”
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