EJ Henderson Celebrity Bass Challenge Pre-Party

Who: Football studs, hockey hunks, and the pretty ladies who accompany them at the EJ Henderson Celebrity Bass Challenge pre-party
What: EJ Henderson Youth Foundation, which provides academic and athletic outreach programs for inner-city youth.
When: Wednesday, June 24
Where: Seven Sushi Ultra Lounge above r.Norman’s
Why: Before a day on Lake Waconia, the guys got to unwind with cocktails and fish they could actually eat (courtesy Seven Sushi’s chefs).
Thing to Know: If a party featuring sports celebs is supposed to start at 5 p.m., it starts at 8, and the good crowd shows up at 9.

Did someone order steak, ‘cuz all I see is beefcake. Gopher hockey star-turned-NHL player Barry Tallackson over here, Super Bowl champ Darrell Reid (Colts) over there. No wonder Seven is a sea of calves and cleavage—a girl’s gotta make an impression in this crowd. The players are, of course, three hours late, and sponsors and their wives have been hitting the buffet nonstop since five, craning their necks at the staircase, waiting for someone they recognize to arrive. The Bass Challenge the next day promises big names—Marion Barber, Jeremy Shockey, AP—but no word on who’s showing up tonight. Finally, an entourage of well-dressed men makes its way up the staircase, surrounding the man-of-the-hour, Viking’s linebacker EJ Henderson. EJ was followed by former Viking and Arizona Cardinal Jack Brewer, who held his own star-studded event at Epic last week, and some players you’d need an NFL player book the recognize. It’s no surprise some of the big guys decided to sit the party out (they had to be on Lake Waconia bright and early the next day), but for those who made it, it was all eyes on them from adoring football fans—guys and gals.