We've got a floater

Just when it was safe to go in the water the DA reports that WVU swimming coach Sergio Lopez has resigned to be the aquatics director at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. The men won the 2007 Big East Championship for the first time ever and the women finished third this year for their highest ever placement. Lopez won an Olympic medal and world championship medal. He is joining the only other two Spanish swimmers to win Olympic medals at Bolles.

The Bolles boys and girls swimming and diving teams currently hold a total of 51 state championship titles and nine national titles. Since 1972, Bolles has had swimmers represented at every Olympics.

I could work with the team until a new coach is found. I can pull off a cannonball, a can opener, and while I don't swim so good with my face in the water I may start swimming without arm floaties in the next year or two. And my mom has giving me numerous awards for cleaning my room and brushing my teeth over the years.

Polls

For the second straight year WVU will be picked by almost every college football source to be somewhere in the top 20 teams. While it is great to read about Slaton, White et al. in every preseason magazine (and we read them all as we will stay on the commode until the legs fall asleep) are these magazines any good at predicting success for the upcoming season? A quick glance at 7 different preseason polls shows that you at home could probably do just about as well by picking 20 traditional powers out of a hat. The following comparison is the amount of teams in the top 20 of the preseason versus the final AP top 20 poll.

Athlon had 60% of the teams found in the final poll. They missed Boise State, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Arkansas, BYU, Wake Forrest, VT, and BC. Out of the 12 schools they had in their preseason poll that also made the final AP poll there was an error margin of +/- 5.4 spots.

Lindys had 65% of the final AP poll. They missed all the same as Athlon except they had VT in their preseason poll. The margin error was +/- 5.1 spots.

Phil Steele had 65% of the final AP poll. He missed on the same as Lindy's. His error margin was +/- 8.0 spots.

The Sporting News had 65% and the same as above on missed. The error margin was +/- 5.5 spots.

College Football News had 65% of the final poll and the same missed teams. Error margin of +/- 5.0 spots.

Sports Illustrated had 60% of the final AP Poll as they missed the same as Athlon. The error margin of teams in both the preseason and final poll was +/- 5.0 spots.

Finally, the Blog Poll had 65% correct and the smallest margin of error at +/- 4.8 spots. So those people at home really do know more than the experts sometimes.

Boise State, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Arkansas, BYU, Wake Forrest, and Boston College failed to make anyone's preseason top 20 and VT was left off of a few. Teams that were in the preseason top 20 that failed to make the final AP top 20 were Clemson, FSU, Utah, Miami, Arizona State, Iowa, and Georgia. Also none of the reviewed polls had Florida as the champion and the teams with the most error that made both polls were Notre Dame and Oklahoma as both underperformed preseason expert predictions. The lesson, preseason polls are a lot of fun during the boring summer, but take them all with a grain of salt.

Turf Replacement Problems

Well, its not as bad as "West Virgina" on national television, but once again, one of WVU's supplier's has screwed up. As we already know, WVU is returfing (is that a word?) the field at Mountaineer Field. They've managed to install the new playing surface from goal line to goal line. However, there's a slight problem with the endzones.

“The material they delivered does not match the sample which we approved,” Sharp explained. "It’s a different color. “They had just put some of it down (in one end zone), and I could tell that it wasn’t the right color. So we told them to stop working until they could get in the exact color we wanted.”

Apparently, there is now some issue with the supplier of the field turf and things are up in the air and the field will not be finished by June 16th. Hopefully, things will be completed by August prior to the start of fall practice. Or, I guess we could have Nikolay Valuev lay down in one end zone.*

*Yes, it is that slow right now and I've got that little to work with.

#5

The must read summer preview Athlon has WVU ranked #5 in their preseason poll. Some notes from the preview:

Slaton averaged 7.0 ypc last year while White averaged 7.4 ypc.

White would have finished 9th in passing efficiency had he thrown enough to qualify. He needed one more attempt, he would have made it had he not been injured versus Rutgers.

WVU has led the Big East in rushing in each of the last five years.

Get the magazine when it is released next week for more. In other preseason poll news MSN has a story about the Mountaineers being picked 5th in Athlon and 4th in Lindy's, how WVU has embraced the preseason expectations, and how WVU has faired in the past when highly ranked in the preseason (usually not good). The article even has some Beano Cook stories which are always fun to read about, especially now that Beano is 99% gelatin based.

It's just too easy

Andrew Beckner of the Daily Mail has an extensive Q and A with outgoing WVU president David Hardesty about his legacy in athletics. He asked a broad variety of questions, but none about the guard dogs and mace. One interesting Hardesty observation:

AB: You brought up the issue of (athletic department) self-sufficiency. At least in this state, that's a unique situation.

DH: Only the best programs are able to do that. Practically speaking, no other school in the state has the streams of revenue or the competitive excellence that we do. We're in a national conference (Big East) and it has pretty good (financial) distributions to its members.

What other state institution is not self-sufficient? I'm going to guess the one that is "Making big strides" with athletic donations by going from the following:

go back to the June day in 2003, when fans at a Big Green gathering at Sleepy Hollow Country Club were informed that only 77 Putnam County residents had anted up $25 or more to the athletic department’s signature scholarship fund.

How about current donations?

By 2004-05, the number climbed to 125, shot up to 161 the next fiscal year and sits at 176 currently.

176 people in Putnam County had an extra $25 or more rolling around in their pockets and have done their best to put their beloved Cabel County Community College Marshall University athletic program on the precipice of being able to buy a new basketball. Congratulations.

Keely hit the lights

Saw this on best week ever's blog. All the men and women keeping us safe deserve a potato wave, at least if that is good which I would assume it is.

Henry cleared

An entire nation can rest easy tonight as Chris Henry did not break probation since he did not fail a Kentucky court ordered drug test. Therefore Henry will not be going to jail as previously reported by the entire free world, although knowing Henry there are many other things he could go to jail for by nightfall if he plays his cards right. Only time will tell if the Bengals suspend Henry for failing to get arrested. In related news Chris Henry has also been cleared of previous suspicion for involvement in both the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations, the Lufthansa heist, Enron, and OJ is pretty sure Henry didn't kill Nicole. Pacman is very disappointed, but relieved. To up the stakes in the ever escalating competition, Pac was going to set fire to a preschool. A preschool filled with puppies and kittens.

John Maddox is gone

Sometimes a five star player doesn't pan out the way everyone hoped. When that happens everyone wrings their hands and is upset about the loss of potential. But when you have 85 players on scholarship not everyone is always happy with their situation, playing time, future, etc. Former 3-star recruit John Maddox has left the team with much less fan fair than Jason Gwaltney ever received. Maddox is a 6'3" WR out of Philadelphia and was hoped to be a contributor by the upcoming season. Instead, Maddox was redshirted last year while fellow freshman Wesly Lyons saw limited action. As Lyons moved up the depth chart this spring, Maddox's name was not mentioned. The Maddox/Lyons combo could have been a dangerous duo in the future. Now the depth of WR will be stretched even thinner.

Also it appears as though most of this year's recruits are on their way to qualifying with only LB Vince Harris definitely going the prep school route in the last year you can do so.

Among those yet to qualify are New Jersey defensive back Evan Rodriguez, St. Petersburg wide receiver Andrew Harris, Maryland running back Terence Kerns and Morgantown defensive lineman Junius Lewis. All are short on test scores and that’s not a full list.

Expect a few more to either end up in prep school or be greyshirted because not all in a class of 28 can be on scholarship in their first year. A grey shirt would mean that the player would not enroll until January and then count against next year's class. The biggest concern of any of the mentioned in trouble could be Kerns who may reopen his commitment if he goes to prep school.

Worst Video Game Ever?

I know. Its not really sports related. But its really, really slow right now in the sports world - aside from the broadcaster shitting his pants on air.

So I thought I would throw this little bit in, as its personally relavant to some of us, as my nominee for worst video game idea ever. "Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney Trial and Tribulations" Due this summer on Nintendo DS.

Henry could be going to jail

AOL Fanhouse has reported that Chris Henry has failed a court ordered drug test and could be facing jail time for a violation of his probation in Florida. Henry is also on probation in Kentucky and Ohio and could be in trouble in any of the three states. On the bright side Henry is not on probation in 47 other states or Puerto Rico. If Henry does go to jail in any of those three states he might want to ditch the fur, otherwise he may be prom queen.

In the red

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the West Virginia University athletic department brought in $49.9 million in athletic department revenue during the 2005-06 seasons. The total athletic revenue was tied with Connecticut for first in the Big East. WVU also ranked first in football attendance for the 05 season (Sugar Bowl team), but surprisingly Pitt ranked second in the Wannstache's first year (they did play ND at home that year). According to the Office of Postsecondary Education WVU had $39.2 million in expenses so the athletic department is turning a profit.

The athletic department is 51st in spending among NCAA schools. However, there is a huge difference between the top 5 and everyone else when it comes to spending. The top five all spent over $70 million in 2006 with Ohio State leading the way at $101.8 million. Virginia is second and must be wondering what it is they actually get for their money. At least in football as they spent $92 million overall and $19.6 million in football for a 5 win season. The top teams are able to compete in the "arms race" of NCAA athletics in both football and basketball to have the best in coaches, facilities, etc. The top 20 in spending reads like a who's who of prominent teams. Ohio State, Texas, Florida, USC, Oklahoma, LSU, Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia with most of the teams coming from the SEC and Big10. Some other schools of note in spending. Maryland is 36th with $46.2 million, Virginia Tech is 39th with $45.2 million, Pitt is 61st with $33.2 million, Louisville is 41st with $45.1 million and Marshall is 108th with $17.6 million. And they are still overpaying.

By the way, the baseball team lost on Saturday to finish their season one win shy of the Big East Tournament.

Punter takes on Marshall

Of course he wins.

What ever happened to?

Raymond Williams was a four star recruit in 2004 according to Rivals and a Parade All-American. Raymond was recruited to WVU as a DB or RB after being named the Ohio Mr. football in 2003. Williams ran for 3,250 yards and 39 touchdowns as a junior and 2,941 yards and 40 touchdowns as a senior. His commitment to WVU was seen as a big coup at the time as Williams had offers from Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Pittsburgh. A second Parade All-American in that recruiting class named Brandon Barrett would finally give the Mountaineers an explosive offensive threat at receiver. Most fans of WVU have heard the tale of Barrett before. The WR was disqualified his freshman year for grade troubles and spent his time off from the team getting arrested for marijuana possession. He then came back to the team as an invited walk-on and saw some limited playing time as a sophomore. After a great spring game, Barrett was poised to be a down field threat the Mountaineers needed to take the next step. Instead Barrett disappeared during summer school's second session and was booted from the team. The team took the next step without him and won the Sugar Bowl. This past year would have been Barrett's senior season.

Barrett's situation may be a little bitter for most Mountaineer fans because of the wasted talent of a 4-star kid from Martinsburg, WV. However, the story of Raymond Williams is much worse and much darker. Williams had his scholarship offer revoked by WVU after he was charged with manslaughter in the death of a Benedictine High School teammate in 2004. Williams was the supposed mastermind of a robbery that had 16 year old Lorenzo Hunter pull a toy gun on victims.

Lorenzo, a 6-foot-4 sophomore wideout on last year's championship team, was drawing comparisons to NFL star Randy Moss, Smith's former Vikings teammate. In contrast to Williams, Lorenzo was on solid ground in Benedictine's rigorous academic program.

A first victim was robbed of $20 and a cell phone, but the second drew a real weapon and fired four times in to the chest of Hunter. Raymond took Hunter's cell phone, so Hunter couldn't be identified, and ran. Williams plead guilty and the defense attorney used the "kids being kids" excuse during sentencing.

Williams got off light during sentencing with 5 years probation and an order to attend college and maintain a "C" grade average. Williams attempted to walk-on to the Universtiy of Toledo, but failed to qualify academically. Now this:

Last week, Williams, now 21, appeared in Toledo Municipal Court in a theft and trespassing case and was banned from campus. Williams was accused of stealing a wireless recording system from the University of Toledo bookstore in January. Those charges were combined with charges of failing to confine and not vaccinating a pitbull.

This is in addition to not attending school and being charged with driving under the influence recently. A probation violation hearing is now being scheduled. Williams never made it to WVU as a student-athlete and it appears as though he may be spending quite a long time in a correctional institution in the near future. If you find this story a little depressing just wait, Robin will post some cheesecake soon.

Yay! Girls Make-out Friday...

This certainly brightens my day. I hope this makes Friday at worky a little bit better. Yay!!

Round of Reubens

Starting off with some NFL news for former Mountaineers in the one door closes, but another opens category. The NY Giants have cut Brandon Myles. Meanwhile former long snapper Tim Lindsey signed with the Atlanta Falcons yesterday.

In award news Dan Mozes won the Fred Schaus Captain's Award for the most outstanding varsity captain at WVU.

Mozes, a starter on four New Year’s bowl teams from Washington, Pa., earned consensus All-America honors in 2006. He was the 2006 Rimington Trophy winner, an Outland Trophy finalist, Lombardi Award semifinalist, three-time first team all-BIG EAST selection and participated in the Senior Bowl. Mozes was a part of the winningest senior class in WVU history that finished with a 38-12 record during his career. A member of the Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll and BIG EAST Academic All-Star who earned second team Academic All-America honors, Mozes graduated last December with a degree in communications.

Mozes also took home the golden comb for best hair in the athletic department. The award come with a lifetime supply of conditioner. Teammate Jay Henry won the Red Brown Cup for outstanding all-around student-athlete in terms of athletic, academic and civil achievement. Henry finished with a 4.0 and earned dual degrees in finance and accounting, had 181 career tackles, volunteered for Special Olympics and Read-A-Loud programs, rescued puppies from car fires, and saved Morgantown from a stray meteor.





AOL fanhouse has pictures of the Playboy All-American team photoshoot and good god Steve Slaton is wearing yellow. I take back everything nice I've said about those jerseys. They are blindingly yellow. Slaton will apparently have to register his arms as weapons every time WVU goes on the road. Amos Zereoue is jealous. Speaking of Famous Amos, there is a new restaurant in NYC bearing his name which you can visit here. According to this article Amos is the owner.

Finally, the White Star is open again so all is right in the world.

Dean Fisher stepping down

Law school dean John Fisher has announced a June 2008 retirement as dean of the WVU College of Law although he will continue to teach at the law school. Fisher said:

“I have always believed it is one of the chief responsibilities of any dean to ensure continuity of leadership,” he said. “With the University poised to initiate a new capital campaign, new facilities approved for the law school, and the forthcoming completion of our self study in the next academic year in preparation for the regular ABA-AALS reaccreditation visit, a new dean will have the opportunity to place his or her imprimatur on the future of the school.”

Fisher was never a teacher in any of my law school classes, but I've always heard good things about him as a teacher. The hope here is that a new dean will offer new ideas and push for a higher status as a school. There is no reason that WVU should be 4th teer in law schools, especially when the president of the school is a lawyer, given the size and resources of the university. It will be important for the new dean, whoever it is, to embrace newly emerging areas of law (maybe that crazy intellectual property all the kids are talking about) and be given the opportunity to cut some of the fat from the professors. I'm thinking of a certain white sneaker wearing professor we all know (not OS despite his love of white shoes). Also the new dean would have to think of WVU College of Law as a school that will supply lawyers for any destination instead of just West Virginia which has been a problem in the past.

Yessssss!

The Daily Mail has an article about the facelift the Coliseum will undergo this offseason. The following nugget is included:

Parsons said a new scoreboard (and accompanying sound system) for the Coliseum is on the wish list, but isn't a likely addition until "at least" prior to the 2008-09 season. He conceded that the "entertainment value" of scoreboards and video boards is an area in which WVU isn't as up-to-date at it might be.

A new scoreboard/video board with enhanced sound system tailored to the Coliseum's infrastructure will run in the $2 million range. WVU will turn to private sources and board sponsorships to fund that. MAC chief Babcock said a $750,000 gift is committed for the project.

No more "old woman clapping" graphic or Atari sounds? Get rid of Cotton Eyed Joe Huggy Bear and I'll DD for you any night of the week as long as your liver holds up. WVU is also building a Hall of Traditions to honor the basketball history. Time to celebrate.



Also, on June 5th Athlon is releasing their 2007 season preview. They are currently counting down the top 25 teams by releasing a team a day. Today Ohio State comes in at number 12. Louisville was 13 yesterday. Absent so far with 11 to go are WVU, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Pitt, and Marshall. A couple of these teams won't make it. I'll let you guess which ones.

By the numbers

The Sporting News has an article up about Noel Devine and the hype surrounding him, although Devine is never mentioned by name. Writer Matt Hayes points out that 5-star recruits miss all the time and uses the names Brandon Barrett and Jason Gwaltney as examples. He claims that some unknown recruit will eventually mean more to WVU than Devine. Will Devine be the next Slaton or the next Gwaltney while someone like Terrence Kerns is the next Slaton?

First of all there is an excitement about Devine in Morgantown, but it is not as unrealistic as with Gwaltney. Gwaltney signed after Avon Colburn and Quincy Wilson had graduated leaving a vacuum at tailback with only Jason Colson left to fumble carry the ball. People expected Gwaltney to walk in and start. The same cannot be said for Devine. Devine is not expected to start, only to complement the offense this year. He could see time at returner, slot, and running back. Devine is a nice stereo upgrade package to the new car, but Slaton and White are the engine that runs the team. Therefore Devine doesn't have as much pressure coming in as other 5-stars have had. Instead of being Mitch Mustain he is more of a Tim Tebow.

As for Barrett and Gwaltney not being superstars, it wasn't because they didn't have the physical ability to play. The problem with both of them was in the classroom (which Hayes points out Gwaltney has found again) and not on the field. Gwaltney averaged 4.1 ypc and scored 3 times in his limited time on the field (mostly in short yardage) while Barrett was electric at the Spring Game last year. Meanwhile Reynaud, White, and Slaton were not 5-star recruits, but they were all 3-stars and would have been higher if not for question marks on their eventual positions. There is an interesting article at rivals that breaks down the NFL draft based on the player ratings out of high school. In the draft this year about half of the top 100 picks were 4 or 5 stars out of high school and the average ranking for a first round pick was 3.63.

There is a reason that USC, Texas, Florida, and Ohio State have been good recently. They have great recruiting beds and coaches that mine those beds effectively. Not every 5-star recruit works out for them either, but they have recruiting depth that most schools do not. Should player A not pan out they have 3 guys behind ranked nearly as good. For instance USC has Joe McKnight coming in who may have been the best high school running back in the nation, but behind him they have another 5-star and a 4-star running back should he not work out.

WVU usually doesn't have that luxury. Slaton was signed before Gwaltney was a done deal and had Gwaltney already been signed who knows what the feeling would have been about the recruitment of Slaton. Likewise WVU signed Terrence Kerns this year. Kerns is a 4-star out of Maryland and could be the next Slaton just as easily as Devine, but Kerns waivered when he thought Devine was coming and may not have signed if Devine had signed on signing day. Instead WVU got great depth at running back for the second time in 3 years, but that is not the norm for WVU.

WVU fans constantly point out that the Mountaineers win with players that aren't high in the star rankings. As if WVU would rather take a 2-star guy than a 5-star guy. That is ludicrious. WVU gets 3-star guys because the spread option allows them to take a 3-star all world athlete with no position and let him stay at quarterback instead of reciever. Smaller linemen are used due to a zone blocking scheme that utilizes speed over size. The stars are still granted based on projections into any system, not WVU's. So while Pat White is an all-american with us, he wouldn't be playing quarterback at USC. Reynaud is perfect for the screens and crosses WVU uses, but may have had trouble fitting into a deep ball offense. WVU takes players that fit the system or tweaks the system to fit the player. Other coaches don't have to do this because of where they are located.

WVU will always be at a disadvantage due to the small size of West Virginia. The state produces a few DI players a year while California, Texas, and Florida are overrun with players. WVU is in a unique position. Not many big time schools are able to stay at a high level for a long period of time without either a huge recruiting back yard or a big time tradition. For example, Virginia Tech has gotten better as the Virginia Beach and Tidewater areas have grown and Frank Beamer has been busy soaking his goiter recruiting in those areas. WVU will never have number 1, but is trying to get to number 2. Will WVU be a Nebraska that can thrive for a number of years or a Kansas State that burns bright for only a few. Both are similar to us as far as recruiting, but Nebraska has a better shot at returning to glory than KSU based upon their name and history. However, even with that history Nebraska has taken longer than Texas or USC ever would due to the recruits those two can get in their back yards.

Now she's James Brown.

Sopranos characters keep dropping left and right as the show winds down and it makes you wonder how you want to go out. I'd like to jump off of a boat into the mouth of a giant shark. Someone who may be looking to get out is Sean O'Hair. He lost $747,000 in two holes on Sunday.



For those bored and looking to waste a little time you can look at some old school WVU football pictures here including some pictures of old Mountaineer Field and the players running out between the legs of an inflatable Mountaineer. I'm not going back though, I'm still on my learner's permit and it's after dark.

Nice Ass.

My "friends" at CollegeHumor.com do not have to pay me as this is compensation enough.

WVU football unis

The comments in the post below remarked about the changes in uniforms. The proposed uniforms for next year are for home, road, alt and yes gold is a choice. I don't mind the jerseys, but Rod has really had a problem with non-matching pants over the years and they are not shown. I have flashbacks to the last home game with UConn when we wore blue jerseys and white pants.

WVU all-access on Sportscenter

WVU football was featured on ESPN's all-access on campus Thursday on Sportcenter as part of their 5 teams in 5 days coverage. The coverage seemed to be focused on Rich Rodriguez and his ability to get excited yell during practice. After the packaged clip Mark May was wheeled in brought in to discuss the upcoming season and unfortunately no one threw pennies at him. May's razor sharp analysis included stating that the Mountaineers should be good this year, attempt to get to a BCS bowl and that we have two pretty good players in Slaton and White. ESPN is never afraid to state the obvious, but at least the clip didn't include Salisbury or a picture of his junk. You can view the clip here. If it doesn't start right away click on the launch player button. I'd embed the video, but ESPN would rather make you go to their crappy site and be bombarded by pop-ups and crazy guys they call analysts yelling non-sensically in videos that immediately start playing. Sorry.

Round of Reubens

First a video, thanks to Mel for the link.



Ryan Mundy late of the University of Michigan is officially on campus at WVU with one year of eligibility. Mundy should be able to find some time in one of the three safety positions WVU uses. Mundy has also played some cornerback earlier in his career.

Rich Rodriguez has a busy p.r. week. WVU will be featured this evening on Sportscenter and he took some time for a Q & A with CSTV. Most interesting quote was on whether or not WVU has a set percentage on running vs. passing as I don't believe WVU has had the idea to pass 50% the last few years during gameweek.

SB: You guys have a run-first offensive system right now at West Virginia. When you set out your gameplan for the week, is there an ideal run-pass ratio you're looking for over the course of a game?

RR: No, not at all. You know, the fact that we've ran more than we've passed over the last couple of years, I think, has been due to our personnel and the way some teams have defended us. But this is the same system that I've been running for 15 years, and we used to be 65 percent pass. And so when we go to practice plan and we go to games, we have an equal number of pass and run plays called. We just try to go with what's been effective for us. You know, having some guys like Pat White and Steve Slaton that are great runners has geared our offense more toward the run. But we're going to be willing and able to throw it if we have to.

Do you have some extra cash and want to pretend you play for WVU? For $2,000 you can be part of WVU's fantasy football camp.

Campers will have two nights lodging with training-table meals and free transportation once on site. There will be team meetings, video-tape study, non-contact drills and player competitions.

Each camper will receive an authentic WVU jersey, two pairs of West Virginia practice shorts and t-shirts, and a pair of workout socks. Campers will also receive a Fantasy Camp team photo, a photo with Coach Rodriguez and the Sugar and Gator Bowl trophies, as well as a video tape of their unique experience.

All laundry will be provided.

You had me at laundry provided. Ah, nothing like the smell of Ben Gay in the morning as old dudes in absolutely no shape fall apart on Mountaineer Field. Hopefully the new turf will be easy to clean puke off of. Just remember, if you are tubby they'll make you play line. Also in that article Brandon Myles officially signed with the NY Giants. Another lesser known signing. Jason Colson signed with the WV Gladiators, a semi-pro team based in Morgantown. The Gladiators are sure to spend extra time on fumble recovery drills.

Finally, speaking of old dudes. Ricky Henderson is thinking about a comeback.

I see Roger can come back and play. I can come back and play," the 48-year-old Henderson said. "They say I've done too much. What'd he accomplish? ... The players they put on the field nowadays, they couldn't make it in my day. They'd get sent back to Triple-A.

Laughable for non-Pirates fans. However, the Bucs aren't going to spend $28 million on a pitcher (I hate the Yankees), but they would spend $28 K on Ricky possibly. And they need the help.

The Pirates have failed to score more than three runs in 17 of their 32 games. And they have scored in only 10 of their past 74 innings.

Ricky couldn't be any worse. If not Ricky maybe the Pirates can find someone at Mountaineer fantasy camp.

First Annual James Way Classic

The tourney you heard reference to last weekend, the First Annual James Way Classic was a huge success. Many beers were consumed and hopefully many charitous dollars were raised for a good cause. As far as I know the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has never had such an enjoyable fundraiser.

BSR's foursome crushed tasty beverages for a long time, made a few birdies, a couple bogies were laughed off, but we did finish under par- as friends and family of a dear friend gathered together to golf and celebrate the life of my good friend Jim.

Yours truly had a fighting chance for the long drive award, but too many beers were consumed in the 12 holes preceding the designated competition hole. I was not in the fairway... but felt great missing.

Played at Rattlewood GC in Rockville, MD- I discovered Birch Beer... Deliciouoso! As well as catching up with Billiam. Should our loyal fans feel the desire to join in the festivities next year I will fill you in. I love golf and beer and booze. I am El Nino. That is Spanish for... the Nino.

Steve Slaton in Playboy

Steve Slaton has been named to the preseason 2007 Playboy All-America Team

Previous Mountaineers on the Playboy team include Carl Crennel (1969), Paul Woodside (1983), Brian Jozwiak (1985), Major Harris (1989), Mike Compton (1992), Aaron Beasley (1995) and Dan Mozes (2006). Don Nehlen was the coach of the year for 1989.

This will give some WVU fans a chance to convince their wives/girlfriends to let them buy an issue for the articles. I just get it for the pictures of naked girls. I only found out recently there were even words in there.

WVU Baseball on life support, DeLa Hoya delusional

WVU's baseball team dropped two out of three this weekend to drop to 25-18 overall and 7-13 in the Big East. The losses dropped WVU to 10th in the Big East.

Coach Greg Van Zant estimates his team can still reach eighth place and qualify for the playoffs by winning at least four of their last six remaining games against Connecticut next weekend in Storrs, and at home against Georgetown to end the regular season. Connecticut is presently one spot ahead of West Virginia in ninth place with a 6-12 record while Georgetown is 12th with a 6-15 Big East mark.

The baseball team will need a big final week from Justin Jenkins. Justin is a Dick Howser Award candidate and had a 38 game hitting streak this season that is a school and conference record and 10th longest in NCAA history.

Jenkins has a good shot at breaking all of West Virginia University’s major batting records before season’s end, making him the most prolific hitter in school history. Jenkins already owns the school record for single-season hits (94), total bases (411), career doubles (69), consecutive multi-hit games (8) and hitting streak (38 games).

Speaking of hitting, the DeLa Hoya-Mayweather fight probably didn't have enough for non-boxing fans. After the fight Max Kellerman described the action as beautiful for boxing's biggest fans, but probably boring for a casual fan. Mayweather seemed content to throw 30-45 punches a round while Oscar would throw more but land very little. Despite throwing almost twice as many punches DeLa Hoya landed about a third less. I agreed with Kellerman that Mayweather dominated. I thought Oscar won the 2nd, 4th, and 12th rounds and that was it. Every other round had Mayweather dominating the tempo and landing clean or glancing blows to Oscar's face while Oscar did nothing until he would run at Mayweather and windmill like a 8 year old girl while throwing soft punches that missed by about a foot. The pro-DeLa Hoya crowd would stand and cheer and Mayweather would laugh.

The biggest problem with the fight was the announcers. First Emmanuel Stewart and Larry Merchant spent two rounds arguing over whether or not Oscar would tire. He did, but after I was tired of listening to it. Then all three announcers, including play by play woman-beater Jim Lampley, continually stated that Oscar was blocking punches and landing punches despite the clear visual evidence and compu-box numbers to the contrary. Oscar deflected some punches but still blocked most with his nose or ear and I don't think that counts. After the fight Kellerman blasted the one judge who gave the fight to DeLa Hoya and rightfully so while the others made excuses for the judge. It doesn't matter if you throw a bunch of punches. DeLa Hoya believed he won because he threw more punches, but that is not how boxing is scored. If you land 20% while your opponent lands almost 50% and lands more punches and you start fighting like you trained with Tonya Harding you lose.

Bastards do Boxing: Mayweather v. De La Hoya

Tomorrow evening, the sports world will finally get to witness one of the most anticipated boxing matches in the last decade. Unfortunately, the fight will probably be boring to watch with both boxers mainly keeping their distance relying on quick one-two combos and counterpunch opportunities. (tummysticks analysis in italics) Watching De La Hoya get punched over and over in the face is never boring and that is going to happen in this fight.

Expect Mayweather to dominate the first 2 minutes of each round (on points) by merely stepping in, delivering several blows and stepping out. These combos won't be terribly damaging, but will score consistently considering De La Hoya's lack of steady defense. The tide may turn then in the final 30 seconds with De La Hoya's patented round stealing fury of fists to close each round. De La Hoya also has a patent pending on owning one judge per fight that will give him a decision even if he never throws a punch and pees his pants in between rounds. Each round may come down to whether Mayweather can successfully avoid this closing fury by Oscar, which I expect him to consistently do. Unfortunately, the boxers' styles put the fight in the judges' hands and god knows what can happen then.

However, I expect Mayweather's speed and acccurate punching to be just to much for De La Hoya to handle round in and round out. De La Hoya will follow Mayweather around the ring looking for opportunities, swing, miss and get countered. Mayweather wins the first 6 rounds on points. Mayweather can't be beat by Oscar unless he gets cocky, sloppy, or his crazy dad throws gasoline on him and sets him on fire during the fight.

Going into the later stages of the fight, Mayweather's confidence may get the best of him. De La Hoya is still a very dangerous puncher - its what has gotten him through his career. That and owning judges. If Mayweather's confidence gets the best of him and he gets sloppy, the Golden Boy may be able to punish Mayweather for his arrogance and for stealing his luggage. De La Hoya has always been a great finisher, maybe one of the best finishers ever, and if he does manage to hurt Mayweather, things could get very, very interesting. Unfortunately, I expect Mayweather to remain all business in the ring and frustrate De La Hoya until the final bell rings. Once the final bell rings all bets are off as Mayweather goes back to the villan role he took before the fight. He could punch Oscar's wife, Oscar's mom, or wrestle a bear and it wouldn't surprise me.

All in all, I expect De La Hoya to steal a few rounds with his late fury, but Mayweather to hold up and remain undefeated. I'm calling it 117-111 Mayweather. Mayweather will win, I will drink lots of beers, and Mayweather Sr. will still be really really scary looking.

Girl Make Out Friday- Yay!

I am debating whether or not this should become a regular Friday column. Thoughts?

No Loitering Allowed (Mavs)

Underneath that sign congregated quite a crowd. The song Crazy Mary was written by Victoria Williams and covered by Pearl Jam on a benefit record. But it makes a damn fine drinking song and Dirk is going to need some drinks after putting up 8 in game 6.



Take a bottle, drink it down, pass it around if you had money on Golden State.

Stanford is going to need a bigger trophy case

MSN has reported that WVU is 35th in the nation in the Director's Cup which leads all full-time Big East members as ND has more points but they don't count. The Director's Cup is an award for total athletic department achievement. From nacda.com

This program honors four all-sports champions in the NCAA Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA. Each institution is awarded points in a pre-determined number of sports for men and women. The overall champion is the institution which has a broad-based program, achieving success in many sports, both men's and women's. The winner in each division receives a Waterford crystal trophy and a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship.

Stanford has won the award 12 out of 13 years and 12 straight with UNC as the only other winner. Other schools of interest. UMD is 32nd, Louisville 36th, VT 44th, Pitt 45th, Syracuse 193rd, Marshall DNQ. But, in Marshall's defense they suck.

Somewhere in Michigan Beilein Screams

AOL Fanhouse's Charles Rich is reporting that the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee approved a change to move the 3-point line back a foot to 20'9". This would move the line back further than the international line and within 3 feet of the NBA line. Writers and commentators have been calling for a change for years claiming that the NCAA line is too close.

Ex-WVU coach John Beilein could potentially be one of the coaches most affected by the rule change. Beilein's teams have thrived on threes over the years. This season WVU attempted 989 three pointers while the opponents attempted 631. WVU also made 37.5% of threes attempted. Moving the line back will decrease the percentage of makes which should, over time, decrease the amount of attempts. The moving of the line will make inside play more important again as there will be more room to operate for the big men. All the changes in game play favor Huggins over Beilein. Except that the NCAA has not yet ruled to allow beer on the court. Damn you NCAA. It is delicious and makes people happy. Especially Huggy bear.

Round of Reubens

And just like that Mitch Vingle atones. After Dave Hickman tried to take the law into his own hands last week and failed miserably, I was starting to worry about the Gazette. We took our problems with the article to Hickman, Vingle, and the Gazette's editor in emails and while we won't claim the glory we are very happy with the article released today.

Mitch Vingle went to the law school and interviewed Vince motherfucking Cardi. The Man. And the man told him exactly what the Bastards have been saying all along (probably because we all had him for a professor). The problem with the liquidated damages clause was not a lack of time frame, but that it looked like a penalty which would eliminate the clause and only give actual damages. Thank you Mitch. Now send a copy over the Mickey Furfari. He may be a legend, but he's wrong too because as Cardi said in Vingle's article there will always be a possibility of a loophole due to the unforeseeable aspects of the liquidated damages clause.

Meanwhile Hickman stands by his belief that banning text messages was wrong, but at least he isn't arguing that it is because coaches will simply call now. I don't have a problem with people that wanted to see text messaging continue, in fact EDSBS put together a rational argument for text messaging. Hickman just made the wrong argument the first time.

In non-self congratulatory news the WVU soccer team was put on probation for violations under former coach Seabolt. WVU will receive two years of reduced recruiting conduct and lessened visits. However, the NCAA found that the conduct was not due to lack of institutional control so no schollies were lost. There were three areas of concern. Seabolt was employed over the summer as an outside amateur coach kind of like an AAU coach. During this time he brought in WVU and prospective WVU players to the team which is an illegal practice and evaluation of prospective talent. Secondly, prospective student athletes were found to have participated in WVU practices before signing with the school while living cost free in the area. Finally, Seabolt apparently knew of a professional playing Australian and hid the files so that he would still be eligible. The lesson as always is never trust Australians with your beer.

In academic news the WVU men's football team is one point shy of the desired APR number of 925 which is calculated by athletes on scholarship remaining eligible and remaining enrolled. A perfect score is 1,000 and was achieved at WVU by the rifle and women's cross country teams. A grace period has been implemented, but will be removed by the NCAA in the upcoming year. Teams that do not reach 925 can have scholarships reduced.

Other programs that could face possible sanctions next year without improvement are Pitt baseball (923); West Virginia football (924), baseball (919), men's (915) and women's (910) basketball and wrestling (891); Penn State fencing (915); Duquesne men's basketball (909); and Robert Morris men's basketball (903), lacrosse (908) and women's golf (900).

Somebody find Brandon Barrett and get him a book. And have him read it to the wrestlers.

Dodd takes another shot at Devine

Dennis Dodd has a written a superficial spring recap. Most of his "stories" have been detailed indepth all spring by EDSBS or aolfanhouse. He does take time to rank WVU fourth in the "Spring Poll" and predict an Orange Bowl birth versus VT. Dodd has USC vs. LSU in the National Championship. Dodd also takes an opportunity to rip on Noel Devine stating that he won't qualify (although he has already received a passing ACT score) and that he is controversial. The controversy is better explained in another Dodd piece on Devine earlier. In that piece Dodd describes Devine as a potential future McDonald's employee becasue of this:

Devine reportedly has fathered children with two women. His parents reportedly both died of AIDS before he was 12. A grandmother has been his legal guardian. But he stays at the home of a Fort Myers couple.

He has witnessed the murder of a friend.

Best not to mention his grades. One recruitnik told me this week there is little chance the kid will qualify.

The current piece is just a summary and rehash of that piece without any additional thought or information. Dodd really likes to talk about Devine's two kids. You know who else has two kids? Steve Slaton. No one talks about him being a disaster waiting to happen. The only thing Devine and Slaton having two kids proves is that they have some decent swimmers. The athletic department has already put a warning on all tickets for the upcoming year; watching WVU football may result in pregnancies. Yes they are that potent.

Dodd, and the others like him who have labelled Devine without ever meeting him, will continue to spill ink over him if he messes up or underachieves. It is really sad that they will attack an 18 year old with such glee, but I guess controversy sells.

Oh and you know who else has two kids? My dad and the jury is still out on whether or not he will end up at Mcdonald's too (at least for breakfast since he loves pancakes).