Hash Marks

Vince Young police report

2008-09-12T19:56:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of the Nashville City Paper, here is the official report that was filed after the Metro Police got involved in tracking down Vince Young. Troubling.

VY till I die

2008-09-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Boy, is VY having a tough time of it. I'll admit, when I heard he left the season opener with an injury, part of me hoped it would keep him out a few weeks so he could take a deep breath and reset. Little did I know a media manifested mental meltdown was in the works. But sure enough, next thing you know Jeff Fisher is calling the cops to hunt him down and a crisis negotiator tags along just in case.
Now speculation is rampant. Is he losing it? Does he want to play football? Is he a coddled mamma's boy?
I know media members have to speculate to some degree. Columnists wouldn't be worth their salt if they don't offer insight, ideas and possibilities. But when you're coming out with theories on the mental health of an individual, you're moving on to some shaky ground.
Of course, Jason Whitlock can't stay out of the fray.

No one revolutionizes the starting quarterback position. The position revolutionizes the person playing it. Just ask Donovan McNabb. He figured it out and changed his game. Over the objection of idiots, McNabb developed his skills as a pocket passer. He concentrated on becoming a student of the game. If he can stay healthy over the next three or four years, McNabb will surpass Warren Moon as the best black quarterback ever to play the game.
...
But McNabb has never threatened to quit or asked out of a game because the Philly fans were too rough. McNabb understands that in some instances the scrutiny of a black quarterback might be a tad more intense than that of a white one. He also understands that the best way to combat it isn't whining. It's performance. It's work ethic. It's professionalism.
It's not a coincidence that McNabb comes from a supportive, two-parent household.
I bring that up not to castigate Vince Young and his mother. I don't even know the story of Young's upbringing.
I raise the issue to point out that in modern professional sports — with the astronomical players' salaries — ownership and management examine the upbringing of the athletes and factor that into their decision-making.
Vick's failure, Young's potential failure and the guaranteed money they were given will make ownership more reluctant to anoint another kid from the 'hood a franchise quarterback straight out of college.

It takes some gumption to suggest Young's struggles in the NFL are due to his upbringing in the same breath that you admit you know nothing about his upbringing. Then again, Whitlock has never been short on gumption. Texas students that were around when Young was making college football fields his personal playgrounds know all about the life and times of young Vince Young. There's Vince's dad going off to jail. There's Vince in handcuffs and an angry mother storming in to take care of business. There's gang activity swirling about Vince and the women in his life serving as a bulkhead to deflect it from him.
And finally we find VY, one of the greatest college players to ever step on the field. He scored eight touchdowns in a pair of Rose Bowl appearances. Both were wins of course, and one was a national championship game, of course. If I can add, he racked up 839 yards of offense in those games, "the Granddaddy of them all."
I'm not saying he's guaranteed to succeed in the NFL. As Houston Chronicle columnist Richard Justice reminds us of the player—and person— he was at Texas, he also pulls our attention to the uncharacteristic struggles off the field.

Those of us that knew him at the University of Texas are having trouble believing this is the same guy that was so tough, so mature and so fiercely competitive.

He wasn’t simply the best college football player on earth those last two years at Texas. He was the guy that made everything go. Teammates and coaches alike looked to him to lead.

He led the Longhorns in the locker room and on the field. I thought the Texans were fools for not drafting him because I couldn’t comprehend him failing. Now it’s getting harder and harder to believe in him.

In three seasons, he has missed a team flight, sulked when things have gone badly and gotten steadily worse as a player.

That’s not the Vince Young that Longhorn Nation loved. That Vince Young didn’t pout when people doubted him. He fed off it, used it to drive himself to do more and more.

I don't know if Young will ever but he deserves a little more than uneducated speculation. The latest developments to the story suggest that everything is fine. It was all just a big mix-up. Time to stop overreacting.
I'm not that much of a sucker.
But it might be a little less convoluted than people think.
Young has never been known for his acting skills. He'll never be confused for a chameleon. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and always has. So the taped interview we've all seen rings true.
Something is going on. I won't argue. But everyone goes through rough patches. No, you don't need to follow his mamma's instructions and pray for him and tell him it'll be OK, but these doomsday prognostications are a bit much.
Young has a winning record in the NFL. He's been to the playoffs. He stays out of jail. And, yes, he gets upset when he gets overwhelmed. But there's no reason to think he won't overcome it.
As always, you can count on Mack Brown for a more optimistic take. I'll give him the last word.

"Anybody that knows Vince knows how competitive he is. Vince sets a high standard for himself and when he doesn't reach that standard, he gets disappointed," said Brown, who sent a text to Young on Monday night. "But he's fine. He's moving forward. He's been criticized before. His worst moment here was his best moment because after he played so poorly against Missouri, he never lost another game.

"So anybody who thinks Vince Young's not competitive, that he won't step up, and he's not going to compete and get that thing turned around doesn't know Vince Young. He'll be fine and we're pulling for him, can't wait to get him well and get him back out on the field."

52-10... Need I say more?

2008-08-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

Every Texas season should open with a 52-10 win over a patsy. (Despite what FAU apologists would have you believe, the Owls are a patsy.) Sadly, for the first time in two years, I didn't see the game. Sacrilege I know, but I was hosting family, and they didn't want to go the sports bar.

So I get to read recaps and box scores. And I like what I see.

Colt McCoy has, theoretically, established himself as one of the Longhorns' most effective dual threat QBs ever. Seriously.
With his 222 yards passing and 103 yards rushing, he became the second UT quarterback to break the 200/100 barrier more than once in a career. Vince Young, who gave McCoy a hug before the game and got his number retired, accomplished the feat five times.

With three passing TDs and one on the ground, McCoy got a jumpstart on everyone's favorite statistic. Vondrell McGee and Cody Johnson also scored on the ground, while Blaine Irby, Chris Ogbonnaya, Jordan Shipley and James Kirkendoll pulled down touchdown passes.

Kirkendoll's scoring reception came from none other than John Chiles. While Chiles did nothing with his feet, his passing seems improved. The TD pass was the first of his career, and he completed an impressive 4-of-5 passes. In all of last year, he was 1-for-9 with his arm. So, he quintupled his career passing totals in one game. I'm going to take the liberty of attaching more importance to that accomplishment than it probably merits.
Last year, his QB rating was 26.98. This year, it is 228.32
His completion percentage a year ago: 11.1% Now: 80%
Hallelujah. Jump for joy. He's legit.
I hope.

Oh, and about FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger's remarks earlier this week. Well, the AP said it all.

Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger had rankled Texas with comments suggesting the Longhorns weren't tough and could be intimidated if hit hard enough. When the Longhorns walked into the stadium about two hours before kickoff, defensive tackle Roy Miller pulled off his shirt on the field and appeared to be yelling at his teammates to get them fired up as several Owls players stood nearby.
Texas had little trouble pushing around the Owls' defense. While Schnellenberger had said he wanted to get "three hats" on Texas ball carriers, Florida Atlantic seldom appeared to have three players even close in the first half.

If three late hits is Schnellenberger's idea of tough, I have nothing but ill wishes for his squad this season.

As if Texas needed bulletin board material

2008-08-26T00:54:00.000-07:00

With football season about to...(don't do it, Ryan...) kick off (wow, you did it), I hope/plan to check in more often.

Florida Atlantic comes to Austin for the season opener in four days, and Owls head coach Howard Schnellenberger is confident that his squad can put up a fight. Why, he's down right cocky.

"My defense will get to a point where they will be mean, nasty and ornery bastards and that’s what you need for Texas. Texas will move the ball with tit-for-tat, screens and options, but we’ll make them pay a price whenever they catch one of those dinky passes. We’ll put three hats on them and make them not want to get up, that’s the way to beat Texas."

The Longhorns got off to a slow start last season and didn't seem themselves until the Holiday Bowl, but Schnellenberger is forgetting that the talent he puts on the field doesn't afford him any "way to beat Texas." Greg Davis' tit-for-tat, screen and option-based attack has been around awhile, but that hasn't stopped him from taking part in seven consecutive 10+-win seasons. I'll deride Davis' offensive scheme right along with Schnellenberger, but I'll also laugh when it steamrolls his Owls.

By the way, now that I no longer cover Texas, I might allow myself to sound like a bit of a fan sometimes. That's my prerogative. But the author of FAU Sports Beat should really rethink his approach.
He proudly proclaims himself the sports editor of FAU's University Press, and he covers the team. As a journalist that should be asking tough questions as necessary and avoiding any appearances of fanhood, his declaration that he is "excited to cover the most dynamic up-and-coming football program in the country: the FAU Owls" is a bit over the top. His "Scout the Enemy" section of links might get a pass—not from me, though— but poll options of "Longhorns cover" as opposed to"Owls WIN!!!" are just embarrassing.
Be more professional, bro. All those silly college sports editors around the country have a hard enough time getting any respect from their counterparts in the local media without you going and waving your little FAU pennant that you bought at the University Co-op.
For the record, I voted that the Longhorns will cover. 59% of the people agree with me.

TBL interviews VY

2008-07-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

Over at thebiglead.com, they got a hold of Vince Young and asked him a few questions.
Some of the talk was about the new show, some it was a lot more interesting.
A couple highlights:

Q: Busy offseason for you - the shoe, going back to Texas to take classes … what’d you take?

YOUNG: Oh, it was busy. I definitely want to get my degree and send that message out to kids. I’m only one credit away and I’l be walking across that stage next May. I don’t understand how more people don’t want to go back - how can you sit in college all those years, make the grade, and not want to get a degree? It’s like you wasted your time if you don’t. I’m an education major, and I took lit classes and child development classes.

...

Q: That’s wild - you’re attempting to be a role model by getting an education and talking to college football players, and yet and the massive story about you this summer centers around a shirtless photo at the club.

YOUNG: That irked me a whole lot. I’m trying to build an image and be a role model that God wants me to be. I don’t understand what’s wrong with having fun with a lot of guys I haven’t seen in a long time. We had a couple drinks, but nobody drove home. Somebody must have wanted to make money, and they put the pictures out there. That comes with being an NFL QB, I guess. There were other football players there, but you won’t hear their names mentioned. But it was bad because I didn’t want kids and parents to see that stuff and say, ‘he’s not the right role model.’ That’s why I apologized. But I’m going to continue to have fun.

VY Launches Signature Shoe

2008-07-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Vince Young is still banking on that 2006 Rose Bowl performance.
I mean, I love the guy, but his performance in the NFL hasn’t been good enough to earn him a signature shoe. Nonetheless, the Reebok VY Electrify launched today. It comes in both football cleat and trainer versions, and it can be had for a piddling $99.99.

Here’s what Vince said.

"I'm happy to be working with Reebok and Dick's Sporting Goods to launch my new cleat. I know it takes a lot of faith in an athlete for a company to create a signature product and I will do my best to make Reebok and Dick's Sporting Goods proud," said Vince Young. "As I say in the commercial; 'I play in the greatest football league in the world. Experience, ability, and intuition got me here and I'm better equipped now than ever.' This cleat is awesome and I can't wait to wear it when it counts - in September."

Yep, that sounds like ~~the VY I encountered~~ a corporate mouthpiece. And that's alright.

Augustin Goes Pro for Good

2008-06-26T19:06:00.001-07:00

This is a cross-post from my new blog, Monozygotic, but it was too relevant not to post it here.

So D.J. Augustin went ninth in the draft to the Charlotte Bobcats, not bad for a sub-6-foot point guard. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when he announced he’d go pro. After covering the Longhorns during his sophomore season, I knew how good he was but I also saw him struggle against Memphis. It seemed like that would be the best example of what he’ll face in the NBA, and it didn’t go well.

Plus, I knew how family-oriented and focused on academics he is. During the conference portion of the situation, he said he’d be coming back next year, and I didn’t think he’d change his mind.

But I guess I was too close to the situation to be able to assess it accurately. For the distant observer, it was obvious. He was an AP All-American and bound to be a lottery pick. He got the chance to live out his dream and make a ton of money in the process, and he could do it NOW.

Or he could play another year of college ball.

Before last season, Augustin worked out a lot with T.J. Ford. Ford had a message for him: “You’ve got to run the show. You’ve got to do it.”

He’ll have the same mission in Charlotte. A Charlotte Observer columnist, Tom Sorenson, saw this coming and delivered a short scouting report on Augustin.

“Augustin, 20, is almost slight. But he runs an offense beautifully. And get this: He would rather create shots for his teammates than for himself. And he can shoot. There is purity to his game.”

That sounds about right.

Good luck D.J.

A History Lesson for Bissinger

2008-06-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

Buzz Bissinger is at it again, and I have to write a rebuttal somewhere. (Multiple somewheres it turns out.)

To get up to date on blog-hatin' Buzz's latest, read this:
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/63452-Bad-sports/
And go ahead and read this:
http://www.salon.com/sports/daily/feature/2008/06/20/bissinger/

There's a lot of garbage to get in a tizzy about. I'm just going to take issue with one remark of Bissingers.

Bissinger: "You have blogs that proudly parade around saying, ‘We don’t need no stinking credibility or stinking information — it doesn’t matter what you say or do if you know how to write.’ They cover themselves under the mantle of the First Amendment. But if John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had any idea what the First Amendment would have wrought, they would have canceled it.”

That he chose to say that shows mind-numbing ignorance.

John Adams was a Federalist. Thomas Jefferson was a republican. Jefferson certainly wasn't interested in meddling with the press' right to do as it pleased, and Adams only took such steps when the prospect of war drew near.
Jefferson went so far as to commission Philip Freneau to publish the National Gazette, a republican-supporting, Federalist-bashing paper that cared little for accuracy and less for fairness. On the occasion of George Washington's 61st birthday: "Who will deny, that the celebrating of birthdays is not a striking feature of royalty? We hear no such things during the republic of Rome...
"If this evil was of no great extent, than merely debasing those who are in practice of it, I should not feel much concern. But when I consider it a foreruner of other monarchical vices, and holding an improper example in this country, and an example of precedent, I cannot but execrate the measure."

Washington was a favorite target of the National Gazette.
But the publication wasn't anomalous. It was a reaction to the Gazette of the United States, which was published by John Fenno and supported by John Adam's fellow Federalist Alexander Hamilton. The paper was born, in the words of Fenno himself, "for the purpose of demonstrating favorable sentiments of the federal constitution and its administration." But as often as not, it made attacking the opposition a higher goal.
And Thomas Jefferson was the primary target.
As Eric Burns recorded in Infamous Scribblers (my main source for all this information): "In a 1796 issue of the Gazette, under the pen name Phocion, Hamilton expressed his alarm at the 'pretensions of Thomas Jefferson to the Presidency.' Jefferson was in that category of men who are 'most dangerous,' against whom the populace must be constantly 'on our guard.' Hamilton suggested that Jefferson was a 'demagogue,' that he wore the 'garb of patriotism,' but only as a disguise; that he spoke the 'language of liberty,' but only to deceive others about his real intentions."
It is worth noting that Adams himself wrote for the Gazette of the United States at least once.

So you see, Adams and Jefferson were both familiar with the press at its most hateful. An irresponsible, “snarky” press did nothing to weaken either of the men's convictions that the press should be unrestrained.
It took a lot more than that.
In 1798 Adams signed the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Sedition Act made "false, scandalous, and malicious writing" illegal. Ostensibly, the acts were to protect the nation and prevent internal strife from weakening it in a time of crisis.
Jefferson wouldn't stand for that. Along with James Madison, he drafted the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions that passed in both states' legislatures. The resolutions were a direct response to the Alien and Sedition Acts and stated that the Constitution was a "compact" — an agreement between the states. Therefore, the states held the right to deem an act of Congress unconstitutional.
The resolutions failed in every other state in which they were introduced but they stand as proof of Jefferson's unwavering dedication to freedom of the press and states' rights as a whole.
I can comfortably say that John Adams would have tolerated freedom of the press in spite of blogs.
Without any qualifications at all, I can say Jefferson would have fought for freedom of the press despite what it has wrought. When he controlled it, the press was as mean-spirited and "snarky" as it is today.

--------------

Burns, Eric. Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism. New York: PublicAffairs, 2006.

My -30- Column

2008-04-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what "fifth-yeah" senior means, and I have no clue what a "tenur" is. But don't blame me. I don't write the headlines. This is my goodbye letter to the Texan and my readers, who are legion.

Fifth-yeah senior finally leaves after controversial tenur

By: Ryan Killian

Posted: 4/30/08

In the typewritten days of the newspaper industry, "-30-" denoted the end of a story. A -30- column gives graduating seniors an opportunity to reflect and speak their minds.

My byline appeared in The Daily Texan for the first time on Feb. 20, 2004.

Damn, I've been here awhile.

But I guess I've overstayed my welcome, because they told me to write one of these here 30 columns.

I came to the Texan with one goal: Get hired. Turns out that's really easy. So then I came up with a new goal: Cover Texas football. That one took awhile.

By the time it was all over, I covered football twice, men's and women's basketball and a slew of other sports. I covered a baseball Super Regional in Oxford, Miss., and a Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Along the way, I learned a lot of things. For example: If Ricky Treon tells you to pull over the van because he feels sick, don't ask questions or even check your blind spot. Pull the damn thing over and let him out. If you fail to react in time, take heart; the canned air sanitizer is still in the van.

Projectile vomiting aside, traveling around Big 12 country (and beyond) was always my favorite part of covering sports for the Texan. I've been to Manhattan, Kansas City, Lawrence, Lincoln, Ames, San Diego, Stillwater, OKC and Oxford.

I saw Ryan Bailey kick a game-winning field goal at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium. I sat under the basket as Kevin Durant scored 25 points in the first half at Allen Fieldhouse - and when Bill Self and his Jayhawks cut down the nets 20 basketball minutes later to celebrate a Big 12 regular season title.

Excuse the cliché, but who could ask for anything more?

Plus, I learned a lot along the way (though, avoiding clichés apparently hasn't stuck). One of the first things I learned was not to root for Texas while on the job. Truth be told, that part came easy. That doesn't mean my fanhood died though. I have not graduated to some higher level of sports awareness.

If I ever do, it'll be time to find a new job.

I decided to be a journalism major because my mom one time told me I could write well. Plus, I knew I loved sports. Sports + writing = sportswriting.

I suck at math, but even I could figure that much out.

(Another nice thing about journalism: I only had to take one math class. C's get degrees.)

If this missive is going to have any value, I suppose I should offer some unrequested advice to all you undergrads out there. Believe me kids, I'm an expert, so perk up.

You're in college. Pass your classes. Have fun.

That's all there is to it.

I've never heard anyone mention his or her grades or studying as they discussed their fondest memories of college life. Personally, mine involve regular

spur-of-the-moment trips to Waco and Denton.

You learn a lot more about what's important to you while spending time with your friends and doing things that would horrify your parents than you ever will in a classroom.

Another thing: Get real-life experience (or something approximating it) in your chosen field. Graduating with an empty resume and a good GPA doesn't say much. Plus, you'll figure out if you even enjoy what it is you're preparing to do for the rest of your life.

I got lucky. I love this sportswriting stuff.

But enough about me. Let's get to the fun stuff.

In which Ryan lets people know how he really feels about them.

Mom and Dad: How many parents can say they graduated three kids from three state universities in one semester? Sure, one of those kids went to Texas A&M, but that's not your fault. Thanks for everything.

Stacy, Eric, Nikki, Alex: I'm going to have to leaf through a book of meaningless platitudes, so I can find something appropriate to say. Hold please … here we go, Halle Berry 2002 Oscar speech to the rescue: "Thank you. I'm so honored. I'm so honored. ... Thank you. … But more importantly you've loved me when I've been down. … And I love you very much. ... Thank you so much for being my mentors and believing in me."

Well that didn't quite fit, but close enough. And it was fun.

In order of appearance - Eric (again), Matt, Ryan A., Daniel, Lance, Lonnie, Shane: I could write a whole 30 column to you bastards. It would read like a love letter. Now let's all move to DFW, get real jobs, have real lives and never grow up.

The rest of my shoutouts have been arranged at random - the process involved lots of rolling dice and flipping coins. So, don't try to use the order to determine a hierarchy. (Or am I the only person that does things like that?)

David H., Colby W., Blake H., Michael S.: I look at you, and I see the future. Don't foul it up any worse than we did.

Ricky Treon: Wow, I think this is the first time I've ever been able to get in a word edgewise with you. I'm not complaining, though. That Secret Service Agent never knew what hit him. Oh, and sorry about your carpet, but my shoes took the brunt of it.

Joseph Duarte: You could hate The Daily Texan, and I'd understand. But you're always around and supportive, and I thank you for that. I guess your bitterness was assuaged when that guy turned wound in Paris, Texas. That's a great story. Keep telling it.

Melanie Hauser: You're one of a kind. Ack! Another cliche. You taught me better than this … you're the best teacher in the history of teaching. What's that? Too superlative? … can't help it. It's all true. I was far from your best student, but thankfully, your policy of once-a-student-always-a-student is all-encompassing. Even after I graduate, I'm still going to be your student. I'll still e-mail too often to ask trivial questions.

Texas Sports: Our relationship was contentious at times, sure, but at the end of the day, you were responsible for providing me with the access and information that was so crucial to doing my job. Sure, I'd trade on-demand box scores and notes for more access and freedom, but that's a discussion for another day.

Jill Sterkel: I've covered plenty of UT head coaches. You got more respect from your athletes than any of 'em, and I share that respect for you. It's not my place to say anything but just for the heck of it: Texas doesn't need any more coordinators. Get out there and coach again. For the swimmers.

Eric Ransom: Leave your job now, and tell them to hire me. If I'm the best thing that ever happened to the Texan sports department, you were the second best. Your cutting, cynical wit kept me going, and your reporting skills have always put mine to shame.

Cedric Golden: You put up with my wide-eyed existence, and that's saying something. The Statesman higher-ups knew what they were doing when they made you a columnist, and I'm proud I can say I knew you when.

Jacqueline Walker: I still remember the first time I ever saw you. You woke me up. That was very rude of you. I knew we hit it off on that trip to see Texas lose against Kansas State, but I never thought we'd become friends like we did. I'm glad we did though, otherwise, I never would've gotten acquainted with the Witches of Eastwick.

Nathan Riojas, Clay Whittington: Journalism as we know it is collapsing around us. Fuggit. Let's be sportswriters as long as we can stand it.

Cody Hale: Remember that one time on Sixth Street where we almost got in a fight? You would've kicked my ass. (But I would've fought.)

If Ransom kept me going, you've kept me sane. Plus, as a roommate, you taught me the importance of tidiness, and I understand girls appreciate that.

Connie Clark: 203-44 (58-11) - 84-64-2 (22-31) And I'm the bad guy?

Anup Shah, Brady Gray: You kids are winners. Keep the ship on course.

Bill Minutaglio: You made storytelling fun and reinforced my previously ungrounded notions that every story is worth telling - even if it's just a night in Waco with Ryan and Daniel. I plan on continuing to hound you with emails every time I have a pertinent question. It's selfish of me and a waste of your time, I suppose, but I value your input.

Natalie England: Thanks for not laughing at me when I brought in my "clips" that first day I entered The Daily Texan basement. The sight of a dumbass freshman with a stack of complete Conroe Courier sports sections must have been pretty funny. Oh, and thanks for giving me the men's golf beat and then the women's golf beat when that other kid flaked. And finally, thanks for treating me as an equal once you were out being a real live sports writer and I was still doing it up DT-style.

Prospective Employers who might happen to stumble across this: Have mercy on my soul. No really, I made some concessions. This isn't too bad, is it? Is it?!

Everybody I've forgotten: That's life.

Ryan Killian covered football, men's basketball, women's basketball, softball, women's swimming, women's golf, men's golf, postseason baseball, NASCAR and Indy Racing for the Texan before serving as Sports Editor in the fall of 2007. He was best known for turning every cutline into a history lesson.

Disappointing couple of days for Texas football

2008-04-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

The Longhorns just experienced a rather humbling NFL Draft experience.
Sure five of them got drafted, but only one, Limas Sweed, heard his name called on the first day. The Pittsburgh Steelers picked him up in the second round with the 53rd selection. Both players who elected to leave college early and enter the NFL went in the third round. Running back Jamaal Charles was taken 73rd overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Green Bay Packers selected tight end Jermichael Finley with the 91st pick of the draft.
Offensive tackle Tony Hills heard his name called in the fourth round, and he'll be with Sweed in Pittsburgh.
Defensive tackle Frank Okam was the final Longhorn selected. He went to the Houston Texans in the fifth round.
Overall, Texas doesn't have anything to brag about. For the first time since 2003, the Longhorns didn't have a single player taken in the first round.
A year after seeing his twin brother go in the first round, safety Marcus Griffin will have to wait to be signed as a free agent.
The same goes for wide receiver Billy Pittman, defensive tackle Derek Lokey and cornerback Brandon Foster.

I kept waiting for the Tennessee Titans to select a Texas player, but for the first time since 2004, the Longhorns were left out of Tennessee's plans for the future. Of course, they were "supposed" to take Sweed in the first round, but they followed the trend of ignoring wide receivers — none were selected in the first round — and Sweed fell a long way.

Goodbye Augustin

2008-04-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Well, at first I thought he was coming back. Then, as the process dragged on I started changing my mind. Now, he's made the decision.
D.J. Augustin will enter the NBA draft.
I think he could've used another year, but I hope I'm wrong.
Back during the regular season, he said he'd be back no matter what happened. I don't hold it against him too much that he changed his mind — what with all the money and fame involved — but he should have seen that coming, you'd think.

A.J. Abrams to Declare for Draft (?!?!)

2008-04-23T00:07:00.000-07:00

Fox Sports is reporting that A.J. Abrams is going to declare for the draft. He won't hire an agent, and he'll probably still come back to Texas, but apparently he's going to take advantage of a recent rule change that allows NBA teams to pay for his workouts while he weighs his options.
I suppose he's got nothing to lose, unless he actually enters the draft, but I'm not sure how much he stands to gain either.
On the flip side, just goes to show you that yesterday when I was among the reporters hounding D.J. Augustin about whether or not he'll go pro, I should've checked up with Abrams. I could've maybe been the first to know and might have gotten some insight into what he's thinking.

D.J. Augustin still hasn't decided

2008-04-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

I just thought you should know: D.J. Augustin said today that he hasn't decided on whether or not he'll take his game to the NBA. Furthermore, he said he didn't have any timetable for a decision. Of course, the deadline is April 27th, so he'll have to make a decision by then.

Augustin an All-American, Again

2008-04-05T16:18:00.001-07:00

At what point do all these awards get watered down?
D.J. Augustin has been named "NABC State Farm All-America First Team"
Yawn.
Joining him on the team is Michael Beasley, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Tyler Hansbrough and Luke Harangody.
Harangody is the only deviation from the usual bunch. Kevin Love is on the second team.

Goodbye G.J. Kinne

2008-04-05T00:48:00.000-07:00

G.J. Kinne is transferring.

http://www.thedailytexanblogs.com/viewsfromthepressbox/?p=78

As much as I would have liked to blog it here first, now that the Daily Texan has its own blog I have to be professional and make sure they have it first.
Of course, it's not like I would have been scooping anyone anyway. It was an e-mailed press release.

And don't say I never tagged a blog post G.J. Kinne. That's really what I'll take from all this.

Augustin takes Cousy Award

2008-04-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

D.J. Augustin is the nation's best point guard.
You might argue with that assessment, but I wouldn't. And neither would the people who decide such things.
Augustin was declared the winner of the 2008 Bob Cousy Award, which goes to the country's top point guard each season. The sophomore will be presented the award at the Marriott River Walk in San Antonio this Monday.
Augustin's 5.8 assists per game were enough to lead the Big 12, and he was the conference's second-leading scorer with 19.2 points per game.
The Cousy Award has only been around for five years, and Texas A&M's Acie Law won it last year.

Conradt to speak at commencement

2008-04-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'm graduating in May, and it looks like one of my favorite UT coaches (and that's a short list) will be speaking at the commencement.
Jody Conradt retired last year, making room for Gail Goestenkors to take over the women's basketball program. She basically the Darrell K Royal of women's sports except with better graduation rates among her athletes.

My Bracket

2008-03-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

HOUSTON — Hopefully you can click on that image and get a readable image. My Final Four is intact with North Carolina and UCLA already qualified.
If Kansas can take care of business (and Stephen Curry), and if Texas can pull off an upset, I'll be looking real good.
I know my bracket might seem homer-ish, but if the Longhorns beat UCLA in California, the y can do it in San Antonio, right?
And Memphis ain't that good. (Ok, after watching them yesterday I have to rethink everything, but it's a bit late for that.)
At the beginning of the season, an Elite 8 berth would've sounded like a nice goal. With the way things have gone, I think Texas needs one more win to end this season with hardly a trace of disappointment. (Any season that ends with a loss carries at least a measure of disappointment.)

Miami athletes' reputation safe

2008-03-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

So I didn't post here as much as I would've liked to, but there was one funny tidbit from Miami's press conference before the Hurricanes played Texas that deserves some mention.
Former Rick Barnes assistant Frank Haith now coaches Miami. He took a page out of his old boss's say-anything-and-damn-the-reaction book after being asked about guard Jack McClinton and his penchant for delivering motivational metaphors to his teammates.
McClinton and the players had broached the subject earlier in the presser, and someone was curious to learn more about it. The reporter asked, "coach, your players talked about Jack giving metaphors before the game to kind of motivate them. Would you be able to share any of those with us and also just a little bit on Jack's leadership?"
Miami has a reputation for academics over athletics, and that's putting it nicely. Haith's tongue-in-cheek answer only reinforced it.
"That's a big word for my team to say, 'metaphor,'" he answered.

Latest Cheerleader Commentary

2008-03-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

LITTLE ROCK, Ar., — So I know you all enjoyed that post about Texas' cheerleaders, so here's one on Miami's.
The Hurricane squad here at the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament has seven guys and five girls. Now, it's not as bad as Texas A&M and their "Yell Leaders" and their lack of cheerleaders, but seriously, how can you justify this?
Male cheerleaders are for lifting. It doesn't take seven guys to lift five girls. So, two of them end up spotting. At this level, you don't need spotters (though one Miami girl did take a tumble...) so they just stand their tapping on their megaphones.
Points for the classic Miami attire, points deducted for the guys that stand around.

Texas Video Preview

2008-03-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

UWire called and had me give a little scouting report on Texas.
Check it out.
I hate my voice, but I'm used to that. For some reason, I sound kind of like a dumb redneck in this, and that's kind of cool.

Kansas' Band Can Sing

2008-03-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

KANSAS CITY, Mo., -- The Marching Jayhawks sing remarkably well.
The bandies circled in the tunnel about 40 minutes before Texas and Kansas tip for the Big 12 title game and did a stirring rendition of "Hog Calling Time in Nebraska."
I'm not one to get impressed by bands, but I know enough about singing to take note. Now only were they on pitch and on key and all that rot, they threw in a bit of harmony.
There's only about 30 of them here, so it was something of an ensemble performance, which made the sheer volume of it pretty impressive (of course, the acoustics of the Sprint Center's underbelly helped).
If you want an example of what I'm talking about, check this out.
But seeing the small bunch do it live was more impressive.
Catchy tune.

The College Basketball Experience

2008-03-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

KANSAS CITY, Mo., — This town can be a bit boring if you don't know what to do, and I don't know what to do. So I explored "The College Basketball Experience" again, and then spent a good while making a little multimedia presentation.
This way, you too can experience the College Basketball Experience.

Texas Cheerleaders Cheering Well

2008-03-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

KANSAS CITY, Mo., — I'm courtside at the Sprint Center, and since the writers from school papersdon't get primo seats, I'm stuck in the corner, just caddycorner from Texas' cheerleaders and dancers.
Texas is putting the finishing touches on OU during the semifinal game — it's 77-49 right now with 2:47 left — and the pom-pom wavers have to get some credit. (FYI, my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek.)
They've taken to calling out individual opposing players by number and picking them apart. Blake Griffin is a favorite target of theirs, and they keep telling him to quit looking at them. It's hilarious.
When they first started with him, he ended up with possession under the basket — and promptly got called for a 3-second violation. He hasn't been the same since.
The Nebraska writer on my right commended them for their passion, and I do too.

And the game is over... Texas advances.

Texas downs Cowboys at Big 12 Tourney

2008-03-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

KANSAS CITY, Mo., -- Texas beat Oklahoma State 66-59 at the Sprint Center to advance to the Semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Damion James came up huge with 11 points and 23 points while D.J. Augustin led the team with 24 points.

By Stephen Durda

Texas women fall in quarters

2008-03-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

KANSAS CITY, MO -- Well I'm in Kansas City, but I was on the road when the Longhorns' impressive run ended at the hands of Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls won 75-72, and the Longhorn women are on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. Their chances of making the field of 64 look pretty good though as they finished the season by winning five of their last six games.
The team learns its fate Monday, March 17 during the NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Special.

On a personal note, Kansas City is still unimpressive. Exits are in short supply, so if you wind up on a freeway, you'd better be headed in the right direction. Otherwise, a five-minute drive might turn into a 45-minute drive. (Don't blame me, I wasn't driving.)
Another thing, restaurants are either rare in these parts or hidden. If you're looking for Church's Chicken, McDonalds or Denny's you'll do fine, but everything else — even that world-famous barbecue — seems fairly evasive. Tomorrow we plan to hunt it down though.

By the way, I recorded a Texas preview for U-Wire and CSTV for the NCAA Tournament. It'll air between the conference tourney and the Big Dance, check it out if you want to be unimpressed.

Return to my roots

2008-03-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

This blog was born in Kansas City, MO during Big 12 Media Days for the 200 football season. Back then, Matt Mosley hadn't caught on to blogging yet, and this was the one and only Hash Marks blog.
Oh well, we can't all be as clever and original as me.
Anyway, I'll be back there on Thursday to cover the Big 12 tournament, and I'll try to update regularly.

Quick recap of Texas basketball awards and recognitions so far:
Rick Barnes: NABC Distict 9 Coach of the Year, All-Big 12 Coach of the Year
D.J. Augustin: ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American, First Team Sporting News All-American, First Team All-Big 12, USBWA All-District VII Team
A.J. Abrams: USBWA All-District VII Team, Second Team All-Big 12
Damion James: USBWA All-District VII Team, Second Team All-Big 12
Justin Mason: All-Big 12 Defensive Team

Darrell Scott News and Notes

2008-03-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

My friends at The Austin Sports Report compiled the known facts about that running back Darrell Scott and his decision to go to Colorado.
While Mack Brown didn't have anything to say about that exact situation, he did take the opportunity to talk about recruiting violations in general. Interesting.

"Thoughts on Colorado/Darrell Scott and the recruiting violation rumors"

Augustin set to return next season

2008-02-23T15:17:00.000-08:00

Minutes after leading Texas to a 62-45 win over Oklahoma, sophomore point guard D.J. Augustin stated that he plans on returning for his junior season next year.
"I'm definitely coming back," he said. "I'm not even looking at that kind of stuff."
Augustin added that a deep run in the NCAA tournament wouldn't change his outlook, and he said he just wants to win championships.

Michael Griffin for Obama

2008-02-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

Guess who has taken up Barack Obama's banner?
Former Texas safety and current Tennessee Titan Michael Griffin called my phone this morning — or at least an automated recording of his voice called my phone. Griffin was trying to coax me into voting for Obama.
Unfortunately for him, being a journalist, I can't take sides in politics.
(Actually that's just a cop out, but either way I'm not voting.

************

In other news, the Oklahoma Sooners football squad got its 8 wins from the 2005 season restored.

Kansas just another opponent?

2008-02-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

It might be Big Monday, and it might be Kansas, but Rick Barnes and his basketball team would have you believe there isn't anything extra special about tomorrow's game.
"Everybody gets pumped to play Kansas, but everybody gets pumped to play Texas too," guard A.J. Abrams said.
D.J. Augustin echoed the sentiment, saying a win would be big but that they're not letting the hype get to them.
The No. 12 Longhorns don't need any distractions.
No. 4 Kansas has lost only once this year, and Texas has struggled — even in the process of rattling off three straight wins. Barnes sees a lot of strengths in the Jayhawks.
"They've had this team together for awhile. These guys know each other," he said. "They're experienced. They've been there.
"They're a good basketball team."
Freshman Gary Johnson stuck to the party line for the most part, saying the magnitude of the game comes only from the fact that a win would give the Longhorns a decent shot at the conference title.
But Johnson, who missed the beginning of the season, knows the coming contest is something special.
"This is by far the biggest game I've been able to play in so far," he said.

Bobby Knight Retires

2008-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Texas Tech head coach Bobby Knight suddenly resigned earlier tonight.
I won't go over his career accomplishments or scandals as if you don't already know who he is.
His affect on Texas head coach Rick Barnes probably can't be overstated. Barnes loves Knight and isn't shy about it. He released a statement upon hearing of his mentor's resignation.

Statement from Rick Barnes on Bob Knight Retiring

"The best that has ever been has just walked off into the sunset. As
people reflect on his career, they will begin to recognize what Bob
Knight has been able to accomplish. He has affected countless numbers of
people with his teachings and ideas, people he could never realize that
he has touched. And that will continue in time as we pass down those
teachings to future generations. There is so much I admire about Coach
Knight. What I admire most is his willingness to share what he had
learned with anyone along the way, his reverence for the game, and his
respect for those who came before him. There is no question he has left
the game of basketball far better than he found it."

On Pat Knight taking over the head coaching duties:

"I've gotten to know Pat pretty well since he has been in Lubbock and I
respect him greatly. He has had the best seat in the house, having
played for his father and sitting next to him on the bench, so we know
he's learned some pretty important lessons along the way. Pat is more
than ready to be a head coach."

I'm just disappointed I only had one chance to see him up close. It came just a few days ago when the Red Raiders lost to Texas at the Erwin Center. In the post-game press conference Knight was curt but as polite as could be expected. He left suddenly after deciding he'd answered enough questions.

Ross plays part in Giants Super Bowl win

2008-02-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

Aaron Ross and the ten guys with him on the defensive side of the ball took the field with :28 on the clock and a 3-point Giants lead that no one ever expected to see.
Ross himself had a chance to seal the win of the first play. He was the lone Giant in coverage on an errant deep ball from Tom Brady that found only the turf.
Brady was sacked for a 10-yard loss on the next play, and third down was a deep incompletion to Moss.
Fourth-and-20, and ten seconds left. It all came down to one more deep ball.
The play resulted in one more incompletion, and the Giants got the ball back left with one tick left.
17-14, New York wins.
Ross finished the game with just 1.5 tackles, but it looked like Brady didn't go in his direction much.

Welker beats Ross

2008-02-03T17:58:00.001-08:00

Round two of the Texas vs. Texas Tech contest goes to the Red Raiders and Wes Welker.
Aaron Ross appeared to be in man coverage against Welker, and when the speedy slot receiver took off across the field, Ross couldn't keep up.
Welker made a catch for a 19-yard completion and Gibril Wilson brought him down.

Ross and his defensive mates are getting no help from Eli Manning on the offense. They've been on the field constantly, and they've held stubbornly time after time. Thanks to them, the Giants only trail by four points in the fourth quarter. They couldn't (realistically) ask for a better position.
As I write that, Manning connects with tight end Kevin Boss for a 35-yard gain, and they are driving.

Ross makes a big play

2008-02-03T17:40:00.001-08:00

We just saw a Big 12 confrontation in the Super Bowl, and Texas came out on top against Texas Tech.
Aaron Ross brought down Wes Welker for a 2-yard loss. New York's Corey Webster got to Welker first and held him up just long enough for Ross to put a hit on him.
After a penalty breathed new life into the Pats failed drive, New York was able to shut down Tom Brady once more and forced an incompletion on fourth down to take over.
Ross now has 1.5 tackles, and I haven't seen him get beat yet.

Aaron Ross Super Bowl watch

2008-02-03T16:29:00.001-08:00

Texas-ex Aaron Ross made his Super Bowl debut a few minutes ago as a starter for the New York Football Giants.
I'll keep tabs on him throughout the game.
During the Patriots first possession, Ross earned half a tackle. The Patriots scored on the drive and lead 7-3 in the second quarter.

Ross acknowledged how fortunate he is to be playing in a Super Bowl during his rookie season on TexasSports.com. He pointed out that it took Giants punter Jeff Feagles 20 years in the league to finally set foot on the big stage. Teammates Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters have been in the league 10 and 11 years respectively, and they're both playing in their first Super Bowls he said.
"Not just making it, but participating in it means a lot," he said.

Major Applewhite back at Texas

2008-01-16T23:08:00.000-08:00

I won't be able to attend tomorrow's press conference announcing the hiring of Major Applewhite, so here's the scoop.
After spending a season at Alabama as offensive coordinator, Applewhite is taking a demotion — but not a pay cut — to return to Austin.
The former Texas quarterback will be assistant head coach and running backs coach. The Houston Chronicle reports he'll make $250,000 a year.
"It's exciting to be a Longhorn again, Applewhite said in a statement. "The opportunity to
come back to my alma mater, working with Coach Brown, Coach Davis and all the great coaches, many that I know and have worked with before, is special. Having the chance to be with all of them the last couple of days, to see their passion, to be a part of the expectations they¹ve built and see how they're all on the same page and heading in the same direction is really exciting to be a part of."
Before Alabama, Applewhite coached at Rice. He started his coaching career under Mack Brown as a graduate assistant.
In his playing days, Applewhite became a fan favorite while throwing for 8,353 yards and 60 touchdowns.
"We're really excited to have Major back, Brown said in the statement. "He was a great player for us and we saw him growing into a terrific coach as a graduate assistant here for two years."

The Return of Gary Johnson

2008-01-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

Johnson finally getting his chance

After receiving clearance from doctors, freshman struggles slightly early on

By: Ryan Killian

As it is known to do, the New Year brought change to the Texas Longhorns.

Freshman Gary Johnson made his first start at the college level on Jan. 2 and hasn't left the starting lineup since.

Through 13 games of the season, No. 19 Texas featured the same starting five. With three guards, the Longhorns lacked size.

That's where the 6-foot-7-inch, 235-pound Johnson comes in.

After coming out of high school as the state's most highly regarded recruit - and a top 10 national prospect - it seemed Johnson would contribute immediately. Instead, he didn't play until January.

Texas' biggest recruit had been sidelined by a heart condition.

"I was told once that there was a possibility that I probably would never be able to play again," Johnson told the Austin American-Statesman. "It was kind of hard to take. I cried."

When the team conditioned together over the summer, he wasn't allowed to participate. Finally, a couple of weeks before the season started, Johnson was cleared to hit the hardwood. Still, he wasn't allowed to play.

All he could do was practice, watch and wait.

The phenom who had averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds per game in high school couldn't contribute when his team jumped out to an 11-0 start. When the Longhorns fell to consecutive Big 10 opponents, he couldn't do anything to prevent it.

Until, finally, the announcement came that would let him back in the game.

"After a six-month process of monitoring, testing and evaluation by Dr. James Willerson, Gary Johnson has been cleared to participate in all physical activities at the University of Texas, including regular-season games," said Texas trainer Fred Burnett in a statement.

Johnson was ready to go. TCU was up next, and the Longhorns had a new starter.

This is usually the part in the story where our hero takes the court and makes his presence felt in a jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring sort of way. But this isn't a fairy tale, and life rarely follows a Hollywood script.

Twenty-one minutes into the game against the Horned Frogs, Johnson had scored five points. His first collegiate points came fewer than two minutes into the game when he made a layup. His next three attempts failed, and he hit only one of four free throws.

Against St. Mary's, though, his numbers improved markedly. He scored 15 points while shooting 7-of-10 from the field. Again though, he struggled at the line.

Then, two days before classes got underway, Johnson made his first appearance in a road game.

It was also his first Big 12 game. It was also a disaster.

The freshman missed each of the four shots he attempted from the field. From the line, he missed another pair of shots. In the box score, his final line showed no points, one assist and one rebound in 19 minutes of play.

Worse still, Texas lost.

Three games into his college career, and Johnson has struggled.

Of course, the 19-year-old has already shown he can overcome adversity.

And, for him, this isn't adversity. This is a beginning.

It's been a long time coming.

Gary Johnson Cleared to Play

2007-12-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

Freshman Gary Johnson is finally going to play.
After being limited to practicing due to a heart condition, the Houston native will finally make an appearance at the college level.

"After a six-month process of monitoring, testing and evaluation by Dr.
James Willerson (President-Elect at the Texas Heart Institute and
President of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston),
Gary Johnson has been cleared to participate in all physical activities
at The University of Texas, including regular-season games, beginning on
January 1, 2008," UT athletic trainer Fred Burnett said in a statement released by the university. "Based on the team's schedule, the first game Gary can participate in will be the January 2nd home contest against TCU."

At 6-foot-7, 247 pounds, Johnson gives Texas more size that it's been lacking. After losing each of their last two games, the Longhorns can definitely use any boost he provides.

Texas beats Arizona State 52-34

2007-12-28T00:38:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Well it's all over, and Texas won their fourth straight bowl game.
This one was never close. The Longhorns raced out to a 21-0 lead, and survived a few momentum swings before finally winning 52-34.

Jamaal Charles rushed for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns while quarterback Colt McCoy ran for 84 and a score of his own. McCoy also passed for 174 yards and a touchdown on his way to being named offensive player of the game.
Brian Orakpo earned defensive player of the game honors with six tackles including a pair of sacks. Marcus Griffin contributed to the defense by intercepting a pair of deflected passes and making a couple tackles.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - Halftime

2007-12-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO, Calif., — In a game marked by wild swings in momentum fueled by turnovers, personal fouls and one of the oddest unsportsmanlike penalties... ever, Texas leads Arizona State 28-18 at the half.
The Longhorns scored in a Holiday Bowl record 1:21 to start the game, then cruised to a 21-0 lead.
Derek Lokey scored his first touchdown on offense with a 2-yard reception to cap the first drive, and backup quarterback John Chiles scored on a 4-yard rush minutes later.
Running back Jamaal Charles rushed for 80 yards in the first quarter alone, and scored on a 15-yard run to end Texas' initial outburst.
In the second quarter things got interesting. A deflected backward pass was touched by a UT assistant as it rolled a few feet from the sideline. Texas recovered the ball several yards down the field, but a video replay revealed the sideline gaffe. Arizona State got the ball back, an automatic first down, and advanced half the distance to the goal line from the original line of scrimmage. The Sun Devils quickly scored to put their first points on the board.
Colt McCoy finished the first half with 56 positive yards and 42 negative yards of rushing, and seemed held together only by gumption, but it wasn't impressive.
He did score a 9-yard rushing TD.
An ASU field goal ended the scoring.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - Pregame

2007-12-27T16:39:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The band is out on the field. The Longhorn marching band that is.
I'm at Qualcomm stadium for the Holiday Bowl, and kickoff is in less than 10 minutes.
After announcing that no players' jobs were safe, Mack Brown made no changes to the depth chart. We'll have to see who actually starts, but I bet he'll stick with the chart.

San Diego's Gaslamp district is the place to be if you're going out at night, but after spending last night there, I'm not impressed. The drinks are ridiculously expensive, and there's nothing especially cool about the bars or clientele.

Matt Hill Done for Season

2007-12-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

Matt Hill's season is over before it began.
Friday the six-foot-ten sophomore will undergo surgery on his injured left heel, and he won't recover in time to play this season. Hill hasn't seen any action yet this year because of the injury, and he missed a lot of time last year with injuries.
Texas already suffers from a lack of depth, and the return of Hill was seen as part of the antidote for that problem. Now the Longhorns will have to look elsewhere.
Rick Barnes could have used Hill to provide some size to an undersized lineup, but he'll have to wait for next season.
At this point in the season, Hill was one of three players yet to see action. Freshman Dogus Balbay is probably out for the year after being injured in a pickup game, and freshman Gary Johnson suffers from a heart condition which has precluded his opportunity to play thus far.

Major Applewhite to Texas?

2007-12-12T02:02:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year in college football. The rumor mill is up and running, and it won't stop until the season of hirings and firings is over.
Have you heard this one?
Major Applewhite to Texas, where'd he'd replace Greg Davis as offensive coordinator.
This is definitely a rumor, but isn't that what blogs are for?
My source — whose scrupulousness I can vouch for — heard it from a former teammate and current buddy of Applewhite's. Supposedly, UT and the Major have been talking.
It'll be interesting to see if anything comes of this.

Texas in Holiday Bowl

2007-12-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Longhorns will spend Christmas away from home this year while they prepare to take on Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl.
"We're looking forward to getting out to San Diego and preparing for another
great Holiday Bowl," head coach Mack Brown said in a statement.
Only fifth-year senior Longhorns have been to the Holiday Bowl.
"It's starting to get exciting again," quarterback Colt McCoy said. "You know who you're going to play. You know where you're going to play."
They also know what they're playing for.
The Longhorns are trying to become the only college football team with 7 straight 10-win seasons.
The game is in San Diego, Calif., and pits a Pac-10 team against a Big 12 team.

Oklahoma wins Big 12 title

2007-12-01T22:03:00.001-08:00

By Ryan Killian
Daily Texan Staff

SAN ANTONIO - No. 1 Missouri ended the 2007 regular season in the only fitting way - with a loss to No. 9 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship.
On the last day of the season, the Tigers' 38-17 loss ended their hopes at playing in their first ever national championship game and upset an already inconceivably convoluted BCS picture.
"I would like to think if you're 11-2 it's somewhat of a success," head coach Gary Pinkel said. "Our players are certainly very disappointed. That's what they should be."
Instead, the Tigers probably won't even play in a BCS bowl of any sort, and the Sooners clinched an automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl - and a shot at slipping into the title game.
"Ya'll just voted [Missouri] the No. 1 team in the country in the last week of the year, and we beat them on a neutral field by 21 points," head coach Bob Stoops said. "Hopefully it matters to somebody."
A rushing touchdown from Chase Daniel with 14 seconds left in the first half, and the ensuing game-tying two-point conversion seemed to give Missouri the momentum heading into halftime, but the Tigers couldn't muster any sort of offense in the final two quarters. The Sooners though, were almost unstoppable.
Oklahoma took the lead for good on a four-yard rushing touchdown from Allen Patrick late in the third quarter and scored another touchdown less than two minutes later after a bobbled Daniel pass ended up in the hands of a defender.
Curtis Lofton returned the interception 26 yards to set up a touchdown that made the score 28-14.
Missouri managed a field goal to begin the fourth quarter, but the Sooners answered right back with a 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive to widen the margin again.
A 26-yard Oklahoma field goal with 3:42 on the clock ended the game's scoring.

Big 12 Championship - Halftime

2007-12-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

Missouri's Chase Daniel has looked alright through the first half, completing 13 of 23 passes and throwing no interceptions. He's also run for 40 yards and a TD.
But he's not looking like a Heisman winner.
He's overthrown guys, and he's underthrown guys.
Granted, pretty good coverage is forcing him into making tight throws, but Heisman operators of pass-oriented teams make those throws.

On the other sideline, Sam Bradford loked good during the first half, completing 11 of 15 passes for 130 yards. Neither team has mustered impressive running attacks, but they're plodding along, getting it down.

The score is tied at 14-14 after the Tigers scored with :14 left on the clock, and Gary Pinkel made an odd decision to go for two. It seemed he had the perfect play in his back pocket and was ready for an excuse to try it out.
Tight end Martin Rucker took a pitch on an apparent reverse, then found Jeremy Maclin wide open in the end zone for a successful conversion.

Maclin has been all over the place, grabbing six passes for a total of 49 yards while also taking care of punt and kick returns. He also rushed once for 8 yards.

Big 12 Championship - Pregame

2007-12-01T16:52:00.001-08:00

I just got done watching LSU take care of Tennessee. Erik Ainge's interception at the end there was ridiculous. The Vols had LSU right where they wanted them, and they let it slip away with that.

The OU band is out on the field.
The Sooners crowd is making itself heard, but to my naked, untrained eye the place seems pretty evenly split.
Here's Missouri's band. I've never seen them before, but I already like them better than OU's. I think it's MU's use of dancers that I like. That makes sense.
Really I don't care much for marching bands either way. They just make halftime at college football games interminably long. (I must admit though, the playing of "Eye of the Tiger" is pretty cool.)

It's still over 17 minutes to kick off. I'm ready to get this thing started. I'm taking Mizzou 35-28 over the Sooners. You heard it here first.

Aggies Upset Horns, Again

2007-11-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

Texas pushed its luck all season, mounting fourth quarter comebacks to take leads and recovering onsides kicks to preserve wins.

In the end, the Longhorns' failed to make a final harrowing escape, falling 38-30 to Texas A&M at Kyle Field.

"I thought that we tried hard," Texas head coach Mack Brown said. "We didn't play well."

The Aggies rolled up an impressive 533 yards against Texas and quarterback Stephen McGee threw for a career-high yards and three touchdowns.

The A&M offense took advantage of missed tackles and blown coverages all night, punting only three times and making 27 first downs.

Texas' offense meanwhile, struggled initially before hitting its stride in the final quarter - when the Longhorns were already down by 21 points. Quarterback Colt McCoy was responsible for two turnovers with one interception and a lost fumble.

"It's a tough pill to swallow," he said.

The loss prevents Texas from having any chance at sneaking into the Big 12 title game, and it ruins the Longhorns' chance at securing an at-large BCS bid that had recently become a very real possibility.

The game was A&M head coach Dennis Franchione's last. After coaching in College Station for five years, Franchione announced his resignation immediately after the game.

"I want to express my respect and gratitude to Coach Franchione for his courage in making this decision, and putting the interests of his players and this institution ahead of his own interests," A&M athletics director Bill Byrne said.

**********************

So in College Station they'll be celebrating a win and a loss tonight, the win of the game and the loss of their reviled head coach.
Texas fans on the other hand will probably spend a good portion of tonight wondering why they should set aside a holiday for Thanksgiving when UT can't even beat A&M.

With LSU's loss tonight, Texas could've been back to heights unimagined after losing two straight Big 12 games. Now the Longhorns are back out of the national picture, and the bowl scenarios will all have to be reworked — again.

In College Station

2007-11-22T22:42:00.000-08:00

Well I'm in College Station.
I got here tonight instead of tomorrow because my sister lives here and me and my other sister and her husband and one of my brothers surprised her at work. (The other brother was at our parents' house in Conroe after spending some of today in the ER after a bike wreck.)
My official prediction was published in The Battalion today, 35-24, along with a column on what Texas needs to do, and think, to win.

Texas vs Texas Tech Pregame

2007-11-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

Players are trickling onto the field for warm-ups, and it looks like a pretty perfect day for football. I just threw out a prediction on the game, 41-35 - Texas. The Daily Toreador sports editor, Ben Maki, doesn't like Tech's chances either.
"They'll put up a fight," he said before picking Texas 35-31.
Texan beat writer Cody Hale is saying 35-24 Texas.

Elsewhere, Michigan is struggling which means Texas' chances of creeping back into BCS contention are growing legitimate.

Elsewhere, Conroe High School takes on Lufkin in 30 minutes for the 15-5A championship. The Tigers have seen quite a resurgence this year, and everyone in the world would like to see them win today.

Here come the Red Raiders

2007-11-09T15:50:00.001-08:00

By Ryan Killian
Daily Texan Columnist

One if by land, two if by sea, Texas Tech if by air.
Defensive Coordinator Duane Akina better raise the alarm. The high-flying Red Raider offense is coming to town, and his secondary will be under pressure every time Graham Harrell calls for the snap.
Mike Leach is operating the best passing offense in the nation, and he’s parlayed that into the nation’s top overall offense. His counterpart at Texas, Mack Brown, has taken notice.
“Tech gets their yards against you if you play great,” he said. “And if you don’t play great, they’ll score a million.”
By that logic, the final score Saturday could be 1,000,026-35, unless Longhorn defenders show some improvement.
That’s not an official prediction though — even if Texas’ tackling doesn’t improve.
After last weekend’s unending blooper reel of missed tackles, it’s hard to imagine things not looking a little better. This team has two types of defenses. We saw the hungry, swarming, ball-chasing defense against Oklahoma and a few other opponents. The disinterested D has been on display more often.
With Brown’s sideline tirade still ringing in their ears, it’s hard to imagine that Texas’ safeties and corners won’t be out to prove something. Cornerback Ryan Palmer had a breakout game against the Red Raiders last season, basically winning the game with a pair of spectacular plays. Young Deon Beasley is already predicting that the explosive Michael Crabtree will have trouble making the plays that have turned him into one of the Big 12’s best receivers.
With Harrell completing almost 75 percent of his passes and Crabtree standing a few inches taller than most Texas defensive backs, it’s fairly unlikely that the pair won’t successfully make completions. The Longhorn defense — linebackers too — just need to make tackles on their first attempt.
Robert Killebrew, this means you. Everyone knows you can lay the wood after the whistle’s been blown. Now, you’ve got to do it when it counts. I’m still not sure how you missed Oklahoma State’s Keith Toston last week when he was too busy reeling in a one-handed catch to make a move and you still blew right by.
But it’s not just Killebrew. Last week no one was exempt. They made a traveshamockery out of tackling until the fourth quarter.
This week, like it or not, the secondary is in the spotlight. Even on Broadway the lights are hot and uncomfortable. This is college football in Texas. These lights can burn.
And that’s exactly what Crabtree and company have been doing to defensive backs all season.

UT 38 - OSU 35

2007-11-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

Somehow Texas won again.
I'm a bit baffled as to how I'm supposed to opine intelligently on something as illogical as the Longhorn's 21-point fourth-quarter comeback.
So I'll pretty much save that for Monday's column.
After losing a huge lead, OSU had a chance to take it right back with 1:13 on the clock, but Jason Ricks 32-yard field goal try twisted right and sailed outside the uprights to give the Longhorns one more chance.
With their full complement of timeouts, the Longhorns were able to survive a quarterback sack and drove to the 23-yard line in eight plays. Texas head coach Mack Brown called a timeout with two seconds on the clock, and kicker Ryan Bailey knocked a 40-yard field goal through the uprights to give the Longhorns their first lead of the game — with the clock reading 00:00.
Afterward, the Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy compared the loss to "getting to the World Series and getting swept in four games."
"It rips your heart out," he said. "But at least you got to the World Series."
Several Oklahoma State fans didn't take the loss especially well, and water bottles were raining down on Texas players as they sang "The Eyes of Texas." Several Longhorns had to be restrained — not as if they'd have done anything besides some yelling and goading — from retaliating by Associate Athletics Director for Football Operations Cleve Bryant. Even Brown gave cornerback Ryan Palmer a push away from the seats and told him to stay back.

The Longhorns were down by three touchdowns in the fourth quarter when Gundy attempted to convert a fourth-and-six at Texas' 35-yard line. Adarius Bowman was tackled six yards in the backfield and the momentum swung.
The offense quickly found its rhythm and drove down the field on an 8-play drive capped off with an 18-yard run from Jamaal Charles.
After the Cowboy's next drive was stopped, a perfect punt from Matt Fodge pinned UT back at their own one-yard line.
It took Texas three plays to work their way to 24-yards up the field. Then Charles took a handoff, got to the sideline and raced 75 yards down the field for a touchdown to bring his team back within a score of the Cowboys. After breaking through the secondary, Charles kept his eyes on the video monitor at Boone Pickens Stadium.
"Looking at the big screen, it looked like someone was going to catch me," he said.
They never gained ground on the track star though, and he finished the game with 180 rushing yards.
After throwing three interceptions to OSU defensive back Jacob Lacey, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy needed to make a big play down the stretch, and he did — hooking up with Jordan Shipley for a 60-yard reception that gave the Longhorns first down on the one-yard line.
After two uninspiring attempts, Vondrell McGee pounded the ball into the end zone, and Bailey knotted things up with the PAT.

UT vs OSU - halftime

2007-11-03T14:22:00.001-07:00

It's been a wild one in Stillwater, and we're just half done.
After shaving a 21-0 deficit to a manageable 21-14, Texas couldn't help but allow one more touchdown before the half.
Whether or not the play ever should have been run is questionable.
Whether or not the Longhorn defense can tackle today is not.
They can't.
During the Cowboys' final two drives Texas forced Oklahoma State into a few third-down situations. Then, they missed a tackle or two, or three, and the Cowboys had another first down. Robert Killebrew highlighted the lowlights with an inexplicable miss on Keith Toston as the back hauled in a one-handed reception.
Despite the poor display, it appeared that Texas had stopped the Cowboys one yard short of the end zone when Ishie Oduegwu pulled down Brandon Pettigrew after a 13-yard gain and the clock drained away.
But officials put two seconds back on the board, Mike Gundy called his last timeout, and Oklahoma was given one more chance. Gundy chose to make a statement and go for the touchdown instead of taking the chip show field goal.
One Zac Robinson pass to Pettigrew later Oklahoma State had rebuilt a healthy 14-point margin.

Texas running back Jamaal Charles has only been given eight carries, but he's averaging 6.5 yards per attempt, and he scored on a 22-yard run that put Texas' first points on the board.

After the first quarter, seven of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy's 8 pass attempts had been caught. Unfortunately for the Longhorns two of them were grabbed by Oklahoma State defensive back Jacob Lacey. On Texas' first offensive play of the game, McCoy overthrew Nate Jones and Lacey picked it off and took it 39 yards to the end zone.

Eddie Jones is out of the game with a shoulder injury and Dallas Griffin is out with a knee injury, according to a Texas sports information director.

UT vs OSU - pregame

2007-11-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well I'm sitting in the press box at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., and I've gotta say this place is pretty unique. Once it's done being renovated it's going to be really really loud. The sound has nowhere to go because it's hemmed in on three sides by seats and on one by the most massive fieldhouse. Plus the fans are just about on top of the field.
If I was going to gripe about this facility, my complaint would be the odd positioning of the press box — stuck over the end zone. But truth be told, the view is fine.

Those of us who have seen Texas play just about every week are pretty skeptical of the Longhorns' prospects today. One "expert" envisions fatal overuse of the zone read after last week's success with it.
I could see that, but Greg Davis — by his own admission — likes to throw the ball, and Oklahoma State's passing defense is one of the worst in the country. I don't think he'll overlook that.

Texas a Top 10 Team?

2007-10-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Somehow, despite the fact the the Big 12 boasts three Top 10 teams and four Top 15 teams, they've still got bad conference rap.
You can call them top heavy, but a quarter of the conference's teams are in the Top 15. That's pretty impressive.
Don't blame ABC's Craig James for the negative reputation. He has four Big 12 teams in his Top 10, including Texas.
It's a pretty interesting ballot he filled out — Oklahoma No. 3, Alabama No. 12 — but it's not too ridiculous.

But don't worry, if you think Texas shouldn't be ranked that high, guys like Austin Ward from the Casper Wyo., Start-Tribune help even things out. He's got the Longhorns No. 25.
His Top 3 are Arizona State, Boston College, and then Ohio State, and I get the feeling he's not ranking his top 25 teams as much as he's trying to correct for perceived mistakes among his fellow voters.
I don't get into critiquing voters' selections much — if they all had the same opinions the poll would be pointless — but his ballot is pretty bad.

So Texas Won...

2007-10-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

Alright, by this time you should know Texas beat Nebraska 28-25.
After trailing 17-3 in the third quarter Ryan Bailey kicked a couple field goals. Then Jammal Charles went insaned, rushing for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He ended the game with 290 yards on the ground.

If you read this week's Double Coverage you'd have read half my column on how Charles is pretty good and how he should be getting the ball more. Unfortunately, half of it was lost... I'm still not sure how.

Anyway, it's only fair — to myself — to post it here, so everyone can see my genius.

By Ryan Killian
Daily Texan Columnist

It’s time to stop saying Jamaal Charles needs to regain his confidence while limiting his carries and taking the ball away from him in crucial situations.
Hand him the pigskin and give him the chance earn it back.
Sure, that popping sound you’ve grown almost accustomed to during Texas games is the sound of 88,000 exasperated fans slapping their foreheads as the Longhorns fumble away an opportunity, but it’s not always Charles.
Vondrell McGee fumbled twice against Baylor, including once with the scrimmage line at Baylor’s one-yard line.
I know he wasn’t entirely to blame for that bungled pitch that resulted in a 14-point swing for the Bears, but if it had been Charles in his cleats the furor would have been palpable.
Brown’s coaching staff has given up on the run too early in almost every game this season. How can the running backs be effective when you make Colt McCoy throw it all the time?
How can Charles perform like the national-championship-winning junior he is when he can’t get the ball.
Despite the coaching staff’s insistence that the running game isn’t where it should be, Charles is the conference’s second-leading rusher. He’s somehow managed to average a touchdown every game even though McGee and Chris Ogbonnaya are getting more and more goal-line opportunities.
Last week marked the first time this season that Charles failed to average at least four yards per carry. Along the way he averaged seven yards per carry against UCF, over six yards per carry against TCU and another six yards per carry against Iowa State.
And he’s fumbled four times.
By this time in that magical 2005 season one Texas player had fumbled six times. His name was Vince Young, and you didn’t hear too many complaints about it.
At this point in 2005 Young also had already notched pair of two-fumble games.
When you’re given a football and told to run up the field while eleven guys (the smallest of which is about 200 pounds) try to hit you as hard as you can, the ball is going to be knocked from your grasp from time to time.
Charles isn’t blameless, but he’s trying and he’s not doing as bad as everyone is acting — or overreacting as the case may be.
The Cornhuskers have the Big 12’s worst rushing defense and this is the week to for Charles to make like Forrest Gump and run and run and run.
A field of corn would be harder to run through than the Husker’s defense, which is giving up 227.38 yard per game on the ground. Only four teams in the whole Bowl Subdivision are doing worse.
After three games this season, Charles had rushed for 100 yards in each one. Against Rice that streak came to an end when he rushed for three touchdowns but only 72 yards. His last carry came in the first drive of the third quarter.
I’m not saying you should keep players in just to reach milestones, but when you take Charles out at that point and then talk as if he isn’t being as productive as he should be, something’s fishy. When he scored a touchdown during the next game against Kansas State it was his ninth game in a row with a touchdown.
Since then he’s only scored once more.
I don’t get it.
Brown keeps saying he needs to get Charles out in space. I haven’t seen it happen. I’ve seen him run the counter and get pulled down in the backfield time and time again. I’ve seen the zone read fail over and over, but I haven’t seen Charles get out in space much.
At least twice this year Brown has confessed getting away from the run game too early. You can credit offensive coordinator Greg Davis for that.
He’s got the same view I do. We’re both up above the field tucked behind a glass wall watching the game play out like it’s a play and we’ve got box seats.
And he sees something totally different than I do.
Most of that can be credited to a lifetime spent studying football. Compared to him I’m less nearly clueless about what’s going on right in front of me.
So how doesn’t he see that the running game would be fine if he showed the determination to let it tire out defenses?
Over five yards per carry ain’t bad. Eight touchdowns in eight games ain’t bad. Four fumbles in eight games? Not that bad.
While McCoy’s been unholstered this season and allowed to make plays, the offensive coaches at Texas have stuck a dunce hat on Charles and put him in the corner.
McCoy’s also thrown 12 interceptions, accounting for more than his fair share of Texas’ turnovers.
Keep praising McCoy and let him do his job, that’s fine with me. But give Charles a break, and give him the ball.

Nebraska leads Texas 10-3 at the half

2007-10-27T14:26:00.001-07:00

I wrote in this week's Double Coverage about how Texas needed to trust Jamaal Charles and run the ball down Nebraska's throat. They're not listening to me, and Texas is down by seven.
Meanwhile, Charles is averaging 5.9 yards a carry — but he's only had nine.
Vondrell McGee has run the ball three times and is averaging 7.3 yards per.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has only completed half of his 18 passes he stuck a ball right in a Nebraska linebacker's stomach. Luckily for the Longhorns the Husker didn't make the interception.
Unluckily for the Longhorns, Bailey missed a 34-yard field goal attempt.

Texas took the lead with a Bailey field goal, but Nebraska has scored 10 unanswered points beginning with a field goal of their own from Alex Henry. Sam Keller then threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Nat Swift to cap an impressive 80-yard drive.

Texas vs Nebraska - Pregame

2007-10-27T11:50:00.001-07:00

The crowd's a little bigger than usual with the Cornhuskers in town, but this isn't the match-up everyone envisioned after the Longhorn's narrow win in Lincoln, Neb., last year.
Nebraska's unranked and 4-4. The Huskers' headcoach Bill Callahan needs to update his resume.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns have lost twice and proven that anyone can beat them.
But head coach Mack Brown likes to point out that it's always special when the Red N and Burnt Orange Bevo collide, and there's some truth to that.
This is Texas - Nebraska. One way or another, it's going to be fun.

Halftime: 28-3

2007-10-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Texas is taking it to the Cyclones.
Colt McCoy looks like he's a freshman, and for the slumping sophomore, that's a great thing.
McCoy has thrown three touchdown passes in the first half and completed 15 of 19 passes.
Four receivers have over 30 receiving yards, and Jordan Shipley has already caught two touchdown passes, including a 58-yard run and catch on Texas' first offensive play of the game.
Jamaal Charles has only had five rushing attempts, but he's averaged seven yards a carry and gotten into the end zone once.
A Quan Cosby catch accounted for Texas' other first half score.

Mack Brown raised a few eyebrows by putting in his entire second team on offense — comprised solely of freshmen — while Texas had only a 14-3 lead. I'm not sure what he was trying to accomplish, but it could easily be construed as a sign of disrespect.

Ames, Iowa

2007-10-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sure, it's been drizzling off and on but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the weather here in Ames, Iowa. It's 53 degrees.

An hour and a half before the game, the student section at Jack Trice Stadium opened up, and fans came racing down the stairs, gunning for the primo spots. Once they got there, they'd lay down and save as many seats as they could for friends.
It looked pretty cool until I realized that the first rush of like 100 people was the only rush. So everyone got nice seats. It was a pretty silly exercise.

We're staying at the Holiday Inn in downtown Des Moines, and by Daily Texan standards, it's a Five Star resort. We even have our own beds.

I was going to say that today's depth chart makes the departure of Limas Sweed official, but it says he's starting at split end. He's not.
Quan Cosby will be there. Nate Jones will be opposite him, and Jordan Shipley will be in the slot.

Security at Jack Trice Stadium is refreshingly lax. I think a bit of ingenuity would get you into the game just as easily as a ticket — if you were the kind of guy that didn't like paying to see sporting events.

Jamaal Charles' problems holding on to the ball this season have been well documented. During the season, the Longhorns as a team have fumbled six times. The Cyclones have coughed up the ball 14 times and lost it nine.

It's just under an hour till game time. I'll try to update sporadically today.

Major League Baseball is Amazing

2007-10-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry to go off topic, but if you missed the end of the Rockies/Padres one-game playoff, you really missed out.
Baseball, America's pastime and the most literary of sports, is widely yawned off these days. I'll refrain from making a generalization about the American people to explain why they can't enjoy it like they used to — steroids has nothing to do with it, they've only brought longball-loving fans in.
But games like this is why it's so beautiful. 162 games wasn't enough. Then nine innings wasn't enough. Finally, the Padres scored two runs in the thirteenth inning and brought future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman and his 524 saves to the mound.
Even that wasn't enough.
Kazuo Matui and Troy Tulowitzki led off the inning with back-to-back doubles to bring the Rockies within one run. Then Matt Holliday tripled off the wall and right over the glove of a leaping Brian Giles.
Hoffman intentionally walked the always dangerous Todd Helton, bringing up Jamey Carroll, a weak hitting infielder who entered the game as a pinch runner. He didn't end the game with a hit. Instead, he flied out to right field.
That was enough.
Holliday lumbered home, arriving just as Giles' throw got there. Catcher Michael Barrett blocked the plate with exquisite near-perfection, but Holliday's fingertips found a piece of the dish. At least home plate umpire Tim McClelland says they did, and he had the best view.
Barrett retrieved the ball as it dribbled lazily away from the site of the collision, and he tagged a stunned Holliday. But McClelland was already signaling that the runner was safe.
He'd touched a piece of the plate and grabbed a piece of history with it.

My Take on Gundy and The Column

2007-09-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing both sides of the Gundy/Carlson argument, and I've reached a few conclusions. If I were a real columnist, I'd say that either Gundy was right or that Carlson was spot on.
Unfortunately, I can't provide anything so clear cut.

I think Gundy's reaction was over the top and uncalled for. I think he should be ashamed of it, and I think he did all but one of his players a huge disservice by refusing to talk about what had just been a great win.

I think Carlson's column was poorly written, poorly researched and unfair. Using that anecdote with Reid being fed chicken by his mother in that manner was inappropriate.
She made more mistakes. Most importantly, she credited "rumors and the rumblings" for one controversial assertion. Another she began with the most bloggish of phrases — " Word is..."
From talking to sports writers who know her, I believe that the rumors, rumblings and words come from very legitimate sources. But that's not good enough. If she's going to write something this controversial, she owes it to Bobby Reid and her readers to cite her sources. If she can't get anything from a source who can be named, then she has nothing. This is especially true because her assertions are largely unprovable. If an unnamed source provides insight on an injury, we'll know on gameday whether or not the information was legitimate. In this case, we may never know if her sources were accurate.

Her next big mistake was a by-product of bad, lazy reporting. She only uses two quotes and both were taken second hand. This raises the possibility that they were taken out of context. If you read the quotes, you have good cause to be suspicious. She should have done her own reporting and avoided this pitfall.

Jason Whitlock pointed out a lot of the same things as I did, and his column on this is worth reading. The problem with Whitlock's column is that he gives Gundy a pass on his bad behavior. My guess is that it's because Jason's a real columnist and he has to have a right-or-wrong straight opinion. I don't.

Gundy's worst mistake was overshadowing his team's big win over Texas Tech with this tirade. The Cowboys are in national news for the first time in a long time because he started pointing his fingers and yelling — at a woman. It's kind of funny, Gundy is a coach for a BCS school, so he's been around awhile. But he's never gone off like this, not until a woman provoked his ire. Now, he suddenly has the guts to take a stand and stick up for his player?
I don't buy it.

He's naive and self-righteous. He talks about hurting the "kid's" feelings, but he's the guy who benched the quarterback. Think that didn't hurt?
Another thing — frankly, he sounds like a moron.
"This was brought to me by a mother — of children," he says, in case we weren't clear what kind of mother we're thinking of.
"Three-fourths of this is inaccurate," he charges.
Carlson asked him Monday to divulge where the inaccuracies in the story lie.
"I don't have to," he answered.
Yes you do, Mike, if you want to be taken seriously.
"This article embarrasses me to be involved with athletics," he said after the game.
Why? That just doesn't make sense. Maybe he should quit his job if he's ashamed about it.
Another annoying this is his use of the word "downgrade." Apparently Carlson, downgraded Bobby with her column... No, more accurately, she denigrated him. That's the word he was looking for, but never would have found, as evidenced by the fact that he stuck with the word "downgrade" throughout the tirade and even into the next few days.
Jenni denigrated Bobby. She didn't downgrade him To downgrade someone is to "assign to a lower status." For example... Oh, I don't know, making your starting quarterback your backup quarterback.
That's downgrading someone, Mike.

Texas 58, Rice 14

2007-09-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Texas fried Rice at Darrell K Royal Stadium, as Colt McCoy complete 20 of 29 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns. Jamaal Charles added another three rushing touchdowns while accumulating 72 yards on the ground, all of which came in the first half.
Wide Receiver Limas Sweed's stats were also confined to the first half, but that didn't stop him from setting a new career high with 139 receiving yards. His pair of touchdown receptions matched a career high.
The Owls took notice of the 6-foot 5 inch senior.
"He is one of the top five receivers in the nation right now," defensive back Ja'Corey Shepherd said. "There were a couple of plays where I should have made the play on him, but he shielded me of and made the play on the ball."
Freshmen made significant contributions for the Longhorns once the game was in hand, and no one attracted more attention than backup quarterback John Chiles. While both of his attempted passes were dropped, Chiles ran for 72 yards in only nine carries.

UT vs Rice - Halftime

2007-09-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like my prediction was wrong, unless Texas cant find any rhythm at all in the second half — which I somehow doubt. The Longhorns lead 41-7.

Halftime at any game involving Rice is worth watching because of the MOB band. Last year they formed a gun. This year they had people dressed up as Henry Melton, Sergio Kindle and James Henry. Then a trio of cop cars came out and rounded them up as they ran around the field. Next off they panned Michael Vick with a skit in which a dog made him roll over and play dead.
They ended in a '7' formation. 7 = numbers of Texas players recently arrested, Michael Vick's jersey number and the number of points UT scored against A&M last season.
Good stuff, but the Rice fans seemed to enjoy it more than the Texas faithful, not sure why....

Speaking of Sergio Kindle, he's been a breath of life on Texas' defense and special teams, but late in the first half he came off the field with an injury. We'll see if he comes back for the second half, but I kind of doubt it. He looked to be in some pain.
Brandon Foster missed today's game after aggravating a quad injury during pregame.

Henry Melton, Billy Pittman, and Kindle have all seen action today, and they've looked alright. Pittman had one ball thrown his way in the first half but no receptions.

The real story here is Limas Sweed. It seems like he's been forgotten this season — until now. He's reeled in one 48-yard reception and a 52-yard TD catch. He also made a 24-yard touchdown catch to complete Texas' scoring in the first half. His line so far: 5 catches, 139 yards and 2 TDs.
Cosby also has a TD catch, and Jamaal Charles has a pair of touchdown runs. He's gained 72 yards so far on the ground, but her dropped a perfect deep ball that almost certainly would have gone for six.

UT vs Rice - Pregame

2007-09-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and headed out to shoot a mini-documentary on early morning tailgaters. I was nervous that they wouldn't be out with the Owls in town, but a 6:30 a.m. a trio of guys were setting up. By the time I got started, there was plenty of action.
I've never actually been tailgating, but it was all I ever thought. Beer, grilling and flat screen TVs.

Texas destroys Rice with the regularity of a second hand on a Rolex, but they haven't put a whooping on anyone this season. Either they'll break that trend today, or they'll probably be out of the AP's top 10. I'm guessing its going to be the latter... 55-13 sounds about right.

I'm not a techophile by any means, but I am something of a gearophile. To shoot the documentary and cover the game, I brought the following items.
1 Canon XL1
1 Tripod
1 pair Sony headphones
1 Sennheiser 416 shotgun mike
1 Short Robopole boompole
1 Extra XLR cable
1 Mac laptop
1 Olympus digital voice recorder
1 Konica-Minolta digital camera
1 Pentax film camera
3 Rolls film
3 Mini-DV tapes
3 Notebooks
3 Pens
2 Pair binoculars

And... I think that's about it. I'm not so dumb to think I'd need it all, but I'm dumb enough that I thought it should all be brought, just in case.

Texas' Reputation Suffering

2007-09-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

By Ryan Killian
Daily Texan Columnist

You have the right to remain silent when asked whether or not you attend the University of Texas.
Good thing too, because you wouldn’t want to be considered guilty by association.
Sergio Kindle, Henry Melton, Tyrell Gatewood, James Henry, Andre Jones and Robert Joseph have all sat in the wrong end of a cop car since the summer, and two of those arrests happened this month.
Even Texas legends are getting arrested. Peter Gardere, the only Longhorns quarterback to beat Oklahoma four times was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on Sept. 13.
People are noticing, and it’s not just Aggies and Okies.
Why couldn't the Longhorn get into a huddle on the football field? It's a parole violation to associate with known felons.
I came across that joke and a slew of others on a blog this week.
If Texas players were keeping it simple and getting arrested for the regular college kid stuff, I’d pretty much shrug it off. But two of these arrests are for felony charges.
Instead, according to an arrest warrant, we’ve got James Henry going into someone’s’ apartment yelling, “who narked on us?”
Then he got down to business. The warrant says he kicked the witness “6-7 times in the head, punched him repeatedly threw him to the ground, and then threw one of his shoes into a nearby parking lot.”
Reading that changed my whole perception of Texas’ problems with the law.
Gatewood’s lawyer, Jamie Balagia, would have you believe that the players are targeted by law enforcement. Up until yesterday, Mack Brown would have you believe that the arrests are overblown by we in the local media.
Something changed his mind though.
“Most head coaches in major colleges across the country have a roller coaster. Ours is more public than most, so everything we do is public,” he said. “And that’s probably good for the kids because we don’t have anything ya’ll don’t know.”
Hopefully he’s right, and either way, we find out enough that players should know to stay out of trouble.
That’s hardly the case though.
These guys are selfishly dragging Texas’ name through the mud with no regard to the opportunities they’re wasting or the embarrassment they’re bringing on themselves and the school. In Smalltown, Texas they could get away with just about anything, but here they’re just seen as crooks and troublemakers. Guilty or not, they’ve already been judged.
Playing Rice this weekend, little focus is on the game. While Texas has lost two players indefinitely to suspensions this month, they’re welcoming back Kindle and Melton. Also, Billy Pittman, who’d been suspended for a minor NCAA infraction, is eligible this week.
While the Longhorns seem to be ejecting the primary offender — Gatewood and Henry’s names are no longer on the roster — other players that recently spent time behind bars will spend Saturday on the gridiron.
They deserve the second chance, but this experience should serve as a wake-up call for them and every other Texas player. There is no margin for error right now.
Brown’s recruiting choices are being scrutinized despite the fact that just about every one of these players was courted by Oklahoma and Texas A&M. UT is being compared to “The U.”
Texas has plenty of smart, down-to-earth players like Tony Hills and Lamarr Houston, but being a good person isn’t usually newsworthy.
News is what happens on the football field or when the police are involved, and right now these Longhorns are making plenty of news away from the stadium.
With the team’s lackluster play on the field, their big headlines are coming in the middle of the week, and Texas coaches and fans can only cringe.
“I’m not trying to hide from anything,” Brown said. “We don’t do that here.”
That makes sense to me. If they were any better at hiding, maybe they wouldn’t be getting caught constantly.

Texas Tough to Figure

2007-09-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday I missed my first Texas football game in more than a year. I was stuck watching it on TV, so this will be something of a Simmons-esque column, without the humor. Because, really, there was nothing funny about the Longhorns' three-point win over UCF.

To be fair, I never had the feeling that Texas was in trouble. Even when they fell behind momentarily in the fourth quarter everything seemed under control.

But what's the deal with this football team?

Arkansas State and University of Central Florida might be better than anyone will give them credit for, but they don't have the athletes to stay on the field with Texas - unless the Longhorns fail to execute.

Ryan Bailey tied a UT single-game record with five field goals against the Knights. Good for him - bad for Texas. Two of those field goals were 19-yarders. Alright, that yardage includes 10 yards of end zone and seven yards behind the line of scrimmage to where the ball is snapped. Kicking field goals from the two-yard line can't be avoided sometimes, but twice in a game? Since last year, this team has had more problems getting in the end zone from five yards or less than any other team I've ever seen. Remember what happened last year when Texas found themselves at the goal line against Kansas State?

For want of a yard, McCoy was lost.

For want of McCoy, that game and possibly the next was lost.

For want of a win, the Big 12 South was lost.

And all for want of a yard.

The offense has the athletes, and they're executing pretty well between the twenties. McCoy completed 68 percent of his passes. Jamaal Charles rushed for 155 yards. Three receivers finished the game with more than fifty receiving yards.

And Texas won by three measly points.

A win's a win, and parity is here to stay. That's the party line, and it has some merit; but Oklahoma has no problem mopping the floor with everyone they face. As a matter of fact, half the Big 12 teams have won by 40 or more at least once this season. That list includes Kansas, Kansas State and Texas A&M.

Meanwhile, Texas is so busy preparing ahead for Oklahoma, they beat the Indians and the Knights by a combined 11 points.

Rice, Texas' ever-faithful whipping boy, is on the schedule next. Baylor beat the Owls by 25 points. Texas Tech beat them by 35. If Texas doesn't have similar success they'll keep dropping in the rankings. This week they're No.7; the No.4 Sooners have already vaulted the Longhorns, and most likely they'll be big favorites when the two meet.

Maybe Texas will be prepared for them by then.

UT vs UCF

2007-09-16T01:50:00.000-07:00

Alright, in two seasons of UT football, this is the only game Is should miss.
I know what I saw on TV, and as far as I can tell, there are two possibilities.
1.) Texas ain't that good.
2.) Texas spent another week preparing for OU.
I don't know what the deal was. What I found most interesting was that individual plays seemed to usually go as hoped. Colt McCoy put up the right numbers, and yet the offense struggled. If the plays were executed as well as it seemed, and the offense still struggled, the playcalling is obviously a problem. Of course, hardly anyone would disagree with that assessment. The screen plays and zone reads are getting old. I don't care if they run that zone read only twice in a game, it's twice too many.
Texas is good enough of a team to stomp UFC, but UFC came out and played their best and Texas played like no one was watching.
Wins are nice, but the occasional beatdown is expected. The Longhorns have yet to deliver one.

Texas' Overlooked Win

2007-09-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last night Texas beat then-No.19 TCU by three touchdowns.
The state of Texas noticed, but it seems elsewhere people were too busy hearing about such exciting matchups like the one between unranked Oregon and unranked Michigan, or unranked Notre Dame and then-No. 14 Penn State to pay attention.
OU got well-deserved credit for obliterating Miami, but The U is in shambles. Texas Christian had a nine-game winning streak — the fourth longest in the nation — and they were coming off a 27-0 trouncing of Baylor.
If the first half showed how Texas can struggle, the second half showed in equal measure how they can dominate.
"We have a lot of veteran guys out there, and they know how to win and what it takes to win," receiver Quan Cosby said. "You just have to go out there and do it."
If they "do it" against University of Central Florida, Rice and Kansas State, you can bet their next game against a Top 25 team won't be overlooked.

Mack Attack - Brown Gets Another Raise

2007-08-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Big bucks for Brown

Brown earned raise from Regents

By: Ryan Killian

Posted: 8/29/07

Mack Brown wasn't born yesterday. He was born 56 years ago yesterday.

So it's safe to say knows a good deal when he sees one, and it's even safer to say he got a good one Tuesday. His raise from the Board of Regents nets him an extra $150,000 for the coming season. Additionally, he's got another $100,000 coming to him this weekend. Then there's that $1 million "retention bonus" in 2009 and another one in 2010 for double that.

It's a mind-numbing amount of money, but he's earned it. Texas is reaping a bountiful financial harvest, and Brown's football program is responsible for a nice portion of those revenues. Brown, whose success since 1990 is bested by only Florida State University's Bobby Bowden, isn't the top paid coach in the sport. He's not even the highest paid coach in the Big 12 conference. That honor goes to Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, who, with maximum bonuses, could have made $3,450,000 last year.

Before Brown, the last head coach to lead the Longhorns to a national title was Darrell K. Royal in 1970. He was a legend, and everyone after him a disappointment - until Brown. Since 2001, Texas has won at least 10 games every year. The team has had nine straight bowl appearances, and if they can win a measly six games this year they'll earn a school-record 10th straight.

He's not having this success in an empty stadium, either. No, he's packing them in there as tight as they'll fit. Extra bleachers are in one end zone to accommodate them, and the other end zone is being revamped to fit in even more.

Those fans have money, and it's that money that's driving this whole thing. Remember, Brown's salary comes from athletic revenues. Your tax money isn't being used to enhance his stocks portfolio or buy him a 1,500-count Egyptian cotton bed spread. No money's being taken from the state's coffers and stuffed in his wallet.

He's literally earned this dough.

In 2006, Brown was eligible to make $2,474,345 more than Steve Roberts, his counterpart in Saturday's opener. But that's just the way things work in college football, and the final score will likely reflect the teams' differences.

To keep the top talent, you've got to have the top coaches. To keep the top coaches, you've got to pay top dollar.

Brown's incentives were also modified Tuesday. Winning the Big 12 Championship is now worth $100,000. Winning the national title is worth almost half a million bucks. It's another reminder that the goal here is winning.

If that's not enough of a reminder, it should be noted that his compensation in the event of a termination was also altered. They love him now, but they'll ditch him like an ugly girl at prom if he dares to lose too often.

In Tuesday's motion Vice Chairman Cyndi Taylor Krier did "further move that the Board finds, as required by state law, that this proposed contract change is in the best interest of UT-Austin."

I second that motion.

U-Wire Top 10

2007-08-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Ranking college football teams seems to have become part of the job for sportswriters, and new polls pop up every day.
I don't see anything wrong with that, especially not when I get to vote in one. 28 voters, each from a separate D-1 school paper, made their picks. And here's what we came up with.

***

For the Texan, I wrote today about why giving Mack Brown a raise was a good thing. Once it's published, I'll probably post it here as well.
There was one argument against the raise that I didn't address: some would charge that the incredible amount of revenue gained by the football program should be put into hiring better teachers and improving UT's academics in general.
That's fine, but the way I see it, giving away what they've earned is liking plugging the rectum of an incredible dog that lives off his own droppings because you can't stand the smell. Sure, you'll get rid of the stench, but eventually your pet will die or demand a regular feeding.

Kyle Russell to Stay at Texas

2007-08-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

After earning All-American status and hitting a team-record 28 longballs last season, Kyle Russell has opted to return for another year of college baseball. Standout catcher Preston Clark made the same decision, a year after being named a first team All-Big 12 selection.

Both players already have their sights set on Omaha and the College World Series, somewhere they haven't been in the last two years.

"Obviously, I wouldn't have chosen to come back if I didn't think we could do extraordinary things next season," Russell said.

If they do make it to Omaha, third baseman Bradley Suttle and pitchers Adrian Alaniz and James Russell will miss out. The trio all signed professional contracts, and Alaniz has already picked up a handful of wins for the Class A Vermont Lake Monsters and been named an All Star.

The Longhorns had seven of their recruits selected in the draft including Brandon Workman in the third round, but only Taylor Groat, and eight round selection by the New York Yankees, signed a deal by the August 15 deadline.

Texas QB Sprains MCL

2007-08-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

John Chiles is now Texas's back up quarterback, at least until Sherrod Harris recovers from a sprained MCL he suffered in practice.
Texas head coach Mack Brown said that Chiles and Harris had been neck and neck while competing for the back up job, and the pair were taking the same amount of snaps. Now Chiles will be practicing with the second team, and G.J. Kinne will be with the third team.
"We really believe John has decided that he wants to play, and he wants to play quarterback," Brown said.
The Longhorns are hoping that Harris will be back by the time the season starts, but it looks as if Chiles will likely be the guy doing mop up duty under center if Texas gets out to any big leads.

After years of stability on the offensive line, the Longhorns are young all across the front, and Brown admitted that the running game had suffered. Things are improving though, he said and today's performance was their best day yet.
"It's so unusual to have young offensive linemen that you're preparing to play," Brown said.
Chris Hall, a sophomore guard out of Irving has been one of the brightest spots. After playing in seven games last season, he'll likely be a big part of any succes Texas has on the ground.

Kindle Arrested

2007-07-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

So, I'm out of town, out of state and sometimes out of the loop.
Luckily, I was able to get some time on the internet today and learned that Sergio Kindle got arrested for DWI.
Just thought you should know. But you probably already do.

McGee Notes

2007-07-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

San Antonio—Stephen McGee has packed on about 20 pounds since last season, and with the revelation that he was playing hurt all last year, he could be on the verge of living up to his potential.
McGee suffered a torn muscle in his throwing arm on the first day of two-a-days last year, and didn't throw again until the week of the first game.
"As a result," head coach Dennis Franchione said, "I think, as coaches we were probably trying to make sure he that he didn't sit in the pocket and take a beating and take too many sacks, and we encouraged him to run with the football, which may have been a little part of him not finding a second or third receiver sometimes."
While I can't see how encouraging your quarterback to run with the ball helps him avoid a beating—especially when considering that McGee doesn't like to go down without initiating contact—I do believe that the injury might be to blame for turning McGee into a run-first quarterback after setting passing records during high school.

McGee is apparently pretty smart two. With two years of eligibility left, he's going to graduate in the next couple of weeks. Already accepted to grad school at A&M, he'll be taking the minimum nine hours to stay eligible, he said.

The quarterback has always been linked to Colt McCoy, and they'll be compared forever. McGee understands that, but says he's friends with his Texas counterpart because Longhorn wide receiver Jordan Shipley is from Burnet, McGee's hometown.
Shipley has brought McCoy down to Burnet, where the quarterbacks have gotten to know each other.
"We have a lot of similarities," McGee said. "We like to hunt and fish, stuff like that."

Thorpe Prediction - Mini Feature

2007-07-23T15:31:00.001-07:00

San Antonio—Another year, another Big 12 corner predicting he'll win the Thorpe Award. Aqib Talib from Kansas is this year's culprit.
"I see myself keeping it in the Big 12, taking it from Aaron Ross. I think he'd appreciate that," Talib said.
Talib, who says the Jayhawks gave away four games last year, and should have been 10-2, also said that 9 wins and a berth in the Big 12 title game was a reasonable projection for this year's team. Last year, he said, was a warm up season. 2007 is the real thing.

Dwain Crawford might be the most likeable football player you've never heard of. That probably has something to do with the fact that he's a Baylor Bear, and as a defensive back, he was overshadowed by C.J. Wilson (another Thorpe Award self-nominee) and Anthony Airline.
Unlike Rhett Bomar, it's pretty safe to assume he actually worked at his summer job. The junior works as a rancher, feeding cattle and putting out hay in the Texas sun near Waco.
"That's what I'm used to doing," says the Giddings native, who started working on an oil field at 15.
This is Crawford's second summer on the job. Before that, he was clearing a lot for a realtor. But swinging an ax in the heat of the summer wasn't for him.
"It sucked," he says.
So now he's home on the ranch.
Crawford says he doesn't necessarily need the money; he's just accustomed to holding down a job. But, with a truck to keep running, the money comes in handy.
"It's costing me like 75 bucks to fill it up," he says.

2007 Big 12 Media Days

2007-07-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

San Antonio--I'm at the Wyndham-St. Anthony Hotel in downtown San Antonio for this year's Big 12 Football Media Days. A year ago tomorrow this blog was born at last year's Media Days in Kansas City, and it's still alive. Impressive, I know.

Today we'll hear from Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Baylor. It'll be interesting to hear what OU's head coach Bob Stoops has to say about the wiped out 2005 season and its appeal. Luckily, he's up first in about half an hour.

His Sooners are ranked above Texas in Street & Smith's preseason poll as well as Blue Ribbon Yearbook's and Dave Campbell's Texas Football/FSN poll. All the other polls have the Longhorns higher— including one with them at No. 2 (Athlon Sports). Texas's lowest ranking is No. 8 by Street & Smith's and CBS Sportsline.

The Longhorns have several players on the 2007 Preseason All-Big 12 team. I find the exercise of selecting a pre-season team pointless (though its irrelevance pales when compared to preseason offensive and defensive players of the year and a newcomer of the year awards).

But, in case you care. OL Tony Hills, WR Limas Sweed, QB Colt McCoy, RB Jamaal Charles, DL Frank Okam, DL Derek Lokey and DB Marcus Griffin all made the team.
And the preseason offensive player of the year? That'd be McCoy.

Durant Deserves to go FIrst

2007-06-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

By: Ryan Killian

I'm going to turn my back on the congregation real quick and deliver a short sermon to you, the choir.

Kevin Durant should be the first pick in tomorrow's NBA draft.

You've seen what I've seen, haven't you? That glorious jump shot he'll drain from anywhere on the court, that majestic one-handed dunk. He's the best talent to come out of the college ranks in years, and his place atop the NBA draft is only in doubt because taking a seven-footer with a real inside presence first is just common sense.

Durant defies this prevalent theory, though. From a young age, he learned how to play the game by not playing much at all. He engaged in monotonous drill after monotonous drill and became one of the most well-rounded, skillful 18-year-olds the game has ever seen.

We all know how good Greg Oden can be. The question is, how good can Durant be? No one's really sure. He still hasn't filled out that 6-foot-10-inch frame. Oden might be the safe pick, but have some faith. Durant will be very good, and he just might be one of the best ever.

The pro-Durant position seems to be picking up steam at this late juncture - I think I've even heard some mumbled affirmations from the pew-sitters behind me - and new analysis by stat guru John Hollinger further strengthens this position. I'll spare you the details, but according to him, not only is the former Texas star heads and shoulders above Oden - in a strictly figurative sense, of course - he's far above any collegiate product of the last five years.

He hits threes. He makes blocks. He snares rebounds. Anyone can look up the stats and see that.

I sat almost under the basket, on the floor as Durant scored 25 points in the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks. When he scored 37 more against KU during the Big 12 Tournament, I was there.

If Portland's front office saw what I saw, they'd have a hard time passing over the teenager who made history in NCAA Basketball by winning just about every outstanding player award possible - as a freshman.

If there's anything he lacks in talent - and I'm not sure there is - he makes up for it with desire. Who's ever said that about Oden? Who wouldn't want to say it about a guy on their team?

I get the feeling he hates losing more than he likes winning, and a player like that demands respect.

God help the Trail Blazers if they slight this ultimate competitor. For he will strike down with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to underestimate him.

Amen.

Durant graces EA Sports cover

2007-06-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

By Ryan Killian

Good news, Texas fans. You haven't seen the last of Kevin Durant playing basketball in a Longhorns jersey. In fact, he could be here for another four seasons, if you so choose.

You think I'm lying?

Run out and buy the "NCAA March Madness '08" video game when it's released, and there he'll be, right on the cover. Play the game - and your dreams can come true except this time, maybe Durant can get the Longhorns into the Sweet 16 and beyond.

While it seems the Portland Trailblazers will pass over Durant and select Ohio State's Greg Oden with the first pick of Thursday's NBA draft, Electronic Arts Inc. made no such mistake.

The company announced yesterday that Durant has been selected for the cover, meaning that Texas will be the first university to grace two EA Sports game covers at the same time: Vince Young is the "Madden NFL 08" cover athlete.

"A lot of great players have been chosen to be on the cover of EA Sports video games, and it is an honor to be in that company," Durant said. "When I see it on store shelves, it is really going to hit home that it's me on the cover of 'March Madness 08.' I'm going to be first in line to buy all the copies to hand out to all my friends."

At 18 years old, Durant is the second-youngest athlete selected by EA Sports to represent a game, behind then-16-year-old soccer phenom Freddy Adu. So it's safe to say that plenty of his friends will be eager to get a copy of the company's latest title.

The 6-foot-10-inch forward joins a group of UT alumni with mixed subsequent success.

Durant is the fourth Texas alum on an EA Sports cover. Young was the third, while Texas third baseman David Maroul was selected for "MVP 06 NCAA Baseball" after being named the 2005 College World Series Most Outstanding Player, and Ricky Williams earned the nod for the "NCAA Football 2000" game after winning the Heisman Trophy in 1998.

While great things are expected of Durant and Young, Williams has remained in the news only because of his struggles with the NFL and a marijuana habit he refuses to kick. Meanwhile, Maroul is hitting at a .205 clip and striking out too much for the San Francisco Giants' A club in San Jose.

I don't think Durant will get caught up with weed or struggle in the NBA's D-League. Instead, I expect him to follow in the footsteps Young is making right in front of him.

His "NBA Live" cover appearance could be right around the corner.

Rash of Arrests Plague Texas

2007-06-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

Another week, another arrest for Texas football.

Robert Joseph's arrest Saturday marked the second run-in with the law this month for Longhorn football players. Defensive end Henry Melton was arrested on June 1 and charged with driving while intoxicated.

Joseph's charges? Burglary of a vehicle.

He's no longer with the team, at least. Shortly after being suspended, he announced that he'll transfer.

Something's not getting through to these guys. They know they have a bull's-eye on them every time they get on the playing field. What they don't realize is that the same bull's-eye is there when they show up on a police blotter.

They represent the University of Texas just as visibly as the school's highest officials, and yet time and again, they end up in jail.

Cornerback Tarell Brown was arrested twice while at Texas, with the first incident coming just days before the team's game against Ohio State. Backup Tyrell Gatewood was arrested with him, and the pair was held out of the game, which the Longhorns lost 7-24.

Remember Ramonce Taylor?

Of course you do. After scoring 15 touchdowns during Texas' national championship season, the all-purpose back was arrested for felony marijuana possession and eventually pleaded guilty. Like Joseph, he transferred, effectively ending what had once been a very promising football career.

While the regularity of arrests seems to be picking up, it's been a problem for a few years.

Last year's starter at running back, Selvin Young, was arrested in 2003 along with linebacker Aaron Harris - who was later arrested with Brown and Gatewood - defensive tackle Larry Dibbles and cornerback Edorian McCullough for marijuana possession. Those charges were dropped due to inadmissible evidence.

Even the almost-legendary Cedric Benson was arrested twice. First it was for drug charges in 2002, then for criminal trespassing in 2003.

They may not always be guilty, but they're putting themselves in a position to get arrested way too often. I really don't get it. It's possible to have fun and stay out of jail. I've been doing it since I got here.

Confrontations with the police occur, but cursing and insulting the cops is not the way to go, Henry.

And I respect anyone with an appreciation for guns, but falling asleep with a loaded 9 mm on your lap? That's just a bad idea, Tarell.

Last but not least, know if there's pot in your ride (or backpack), Ramonce, Selvin, Aaron, Larry and Edorian.

Whether or not the charges stuck every time - they usually didn't - they cast a damaging shadow on the program. Comparisons are already being drawn to the U, and that's just embarrassing.

The school's football team is supposed to make students proud, not make them raise a legal defense every time sports are discussed.

But for now, anytime someone asks me what's going on with Texas football, I'll have to plead the fifth.

Notes and News

2007-06-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

Eight teams will be in Omaha, Neb., this weekend for the College World Series, and not only will Texas be absent for the second consecutive year, but the Big 12 conference isn't sending a single representative.
Texas A&M lost in their Super Regional to Rice, and Oklahoma State was beaten 20-2 by Louisville.
UC Irvine, who eliminated Texas by beating them twice, extended their season for another weekend by sweeping Wichita State.

The Houston Chronicle's Joseph Duarte reports that Texas sophomore safety Robert Joseph will be transferring shortly after being arrested and charged with burglary of a vehicle.
It's hard to say why this keeps happening at Texas, but it's easy to see why they're trying harder and harder to recruit guys that will stay out of trouble. This rash of arrests and incidents should pass soon. If not, Texas will be the new U.

A total of 11 Texas players and six recruits were taken in the draft.
Quick rundown:
RF Kyle Russell — 4th Round (Cardinals)
3B Bradley Suttle — 4th Round (Yankees)
P Randy Boone — 7th Round (Blue Jays)
P Adrian Alaniz — 8th Round (Nationals)
P James Russell — 14th Round (Cubs)
P Joseph Krebs — 14th Round (Reds)
1B Chance Wheeless — 17th Round (Diamondbacks)
CF Nick Peoples — 19th Round (Cardinals)
C Preston Clark — 33rd Round (Cubs)
P Kenn Kasparek — 34th Round (Nationals)
IF Clay Van Hook — 45th Round (Mariners)

The six recruits:
P Brandon Workman — 3rd Round (Phillies)
OF Taylor Grote — 8th Round (Yankees)
OF Runey Davis — 11th Round (Pirates)
OF Kevin Keyes — 26th Round (Rangers)
P Garrett Clyde — 43rd Round (Cubs)
C Cameron Rupp — 43rd Round (Pirates)

It seems odd that the Rangers and Astros combined to draft only of them, Keyes by the Rangers. I think there's something to be said for nabbing the talent in your own backyard, but what do I know.

Oh, if you haven't noticed, Daniel Gibson is the man.

Bodine Takes Sam's Town 400

2007-06-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

On fresh tires, Todd Bodine spun out frontrunner Travis Kvapil with four laps to go, putting himself in first and setting up a green-white-checkered finish.
Bodine held on for the win, but many in the crowd were less than enthusiastic, booing him lustily.
While the veteran driver overcame early fuel trouble impressively, his victory was tainted for fans who felt he punted Kvapil out of the way. The incident was preceeded by a late caution during which every car on the lead lap except Kvapil pitted. Kvapil then, seemed to be a sitting duck on the restart and was tapped as he tried to block high, then low.
“I was going to give him the bottom and I was taking the top," Bodine said." All he had to do was stay down and take it, and he came up and blocked me so I went low and he came up and blocked me again and I hit him. I hate the circumstances, and I hate that it happened. But you've got to pick one lane. You can’t block them both. When a guy’s got a run on you, you’ve got to pick a lane and he didn’t."
Kvapil didn't blame Bodine for the accident. Instead, he was upset to see such a good truck wreck. After spinning, his Ford ended up coming back down the track and slamming into the inside wall.
"That's kind of what bums me out the most," he said. Our K&N Ford is tore up."
Despite the accident, he stayed on the lead lap and finished sixth.
Mike Skinner, who appeared to be reeling Bodine in, wound up second, while Rick Crawford, Ron Hornaday Jr., and David Starr made up the rest of the top five.
Hornaday Jr.'s fourth-place finish was probably just as disappointing as Kvapil's sixth place.
After dominating all night,— leading most of the races laps — Hornaday Jr. ran out of fuel in in the front stretch of Texas Motor Speedway's 1.4 mile track and had to coast to his pit stop.
"We just misjudged the fuel mileage," he said.

Rain Delay in Round Rock

2007-06-03T19:04:00.001-07:00

Round Rock — The Texas Longhorns couldn’t UC Irvine’s seemingly inexorable march toward a Super Regional berth, but with flashes of lightning filling the sky and sheets of rain falling from it, the weather sure did.

The brief respite granted Texas could prove to be a lasting reprieve. Texas has exhausted its options on the mound, especially Joseph Krebs. Krebs has been brilliant, appearing in every game and leading the tournament in innings pitched with 9.2.

After working five innings and throwing 77 pitches earlier in the day against Wake Forest, the senior got back into action tonight, allowing only an inherited runner to score before getting the Longhorns out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth inning.

That run though, put the Anteaters ahead, and if Texas can’t come back, their season will end in the NCAA Regional once more.

Texas Survives Wake

2007-06-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Round Rock — It took 12 innings and just about every available pitcher on Texas' staff, but the Longhorns beat Wake Forest 7-4 in the Round Rock Regional at Dell Diamond today.

The 7-4 victory lets Texas play again, but the cost may be unsurmountable. Centerfielder Nick Peoples is done for the year after breaking his collarbone making a spectacular diving catch in the first inning.

On the hill, Augie Garrido utilized James Russell, Joseph Krebs, Randy Boone and tonights project starter Austin Wood, meaning that he'll be severely limited against UC Irvine.

Boone and Krebs have both seen action in each of the first three games and it's doubtful they'll be available, while Russell has made a pair of starts. Wood, who only pitched one inning and earned his first save of the year, is still expected to pitch tonight.

While Texas led most of the game, a 3-run homer to tie the score at 4-4 with two out in the bottom of the ninth made it appear the Longhorns might not even be playing tonight.

"When something dramatic happens to you like happened to us, you usually lose that game," Garrido said.

Texas never lost their composure though, and after Jordan Danks singled to lead off the top of the twelfth, the nation's leader in home runs, Kyle Russell, laid down a sacrifice bunt to put him in scoring position. Chance Wheeless hit an infielder singer putting runners on the corners, and Bradley Suttle followed with a two-run double to the gap in right-centerfield. Another double, this one from Russell Moldenhauer gave the Longhorns a 3-run advantage, which Wood preserved in his only inning of work.

"Anything less than a real strong mentality and this game is lost," Garrido said.

Texas Falls, 3-1

2007-06-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Round Rock — Texas' starting pitcher Adrian Alaniz started slow, but got on a roll Saturday night at Dell Diamond, but he was overshadowed by UC Irvine's Scott Gorgen, who pitched a complete game and kept the Anteaters in the winner's bracket with a 3-1 victory at the Round Rock Regional.

Gorgen gave up a homer to Bradley Suttle in the third inning, but never lost his confidence and spun a gem. Despite pitching in front of the biggest crowd of his life and facing, what he termed as "the loudest roar."

The Longhorns were down by a run fter two batters and never caught up. Lead off hitter Taylor Holiday hit a triple and Ben Orloff followed with a single. But Alaniz bore down and only allowed one more earned run while pitching into the seventh inning.

Texas head coach Augie Garrido identified defense as the difference in the game, and he pointed out Anteater centerfielder Ollie Linton in particular. Linton robbed designated hitter Russell Moldenhauer twice, on liners into the gaps on either side of him. Both catches came with runners on.

Meanwhile, Texas had three errors including one which allowed a run. UCI finished the game without any gaffes of their own.

"They did not give us an extra base or an extra out the entire game," Garrido said.

Despite the loss, he is pleased with the team's attitude. Last year, the Longhorns failed to make it out of their regional, but he sees something different in this team.

"The difference is in attitude," he said. "This team has a different attitude and make up than last year's team."

Regardless of their mindset, winning the next three games and advancing to Super Regionals won't be easy.

Texas plays Wake Forest tomorrow at noon, and if they win, they'll be facing the Anteaters again — and ICU isn't lacking in confidence.

"We all believe, and we all know that we're going to be in the World Series," catcher Aaron Lowenstein said.

Garrido's been around a long time though, and he hasn't given up yet.

"We played the cards that we had, that were our best cards to play, and we lost the pot," he said. "But we didn't lose all our chips. There will be another day."

Devils' Rooting Interests Tonight Split

2007-06-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

With yesterday's winners UC-Irvine and Texas squaring off at 6 p.m., Wake Forest players won't know until tonight who they'll play in tomorrow's elimination game.

But they have their preferences.

Aake Forest got into the loser's bracket on day one by losing 13-0, but right fielder Evan Ocheltree thinks Texas would be the bigger challenge, so he's hoping that the Anteaters keep to their winning ways.

"Personally, I'd like to take Texas," Ocheltree said. "I'd like Texas to lose tonight just because of the fact that we'd only have to shock the world once. After facing UC Irvine, I think we can take them. I know we didn't show it yesterday but now we've got a gameplan coming in to tomorrow, and I want to see Texas."

Starting pitcher Ben Hunter most likely won't get into tomorrow's game after pitching an 8-inning gem today, but he wants another chance at Big West conference's regular season runner-ups.

"I'd like to see Irvine again," he said. "Then again I also think we can beat Texas if we play our game."

Head coach Rick Rembielak made his position on the matter just as clear as his players.

"I don't care," he said.

Wake Forest eliminates Brown

2007-06-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Round Rock — I'm at Dell Diamond where the Demon Deacons just bounced the Bears 4-2 from postseason play. The game was a pitcher's duel with both starters going at least 8 innings. Brown's James Cramphin went 8.2 before things got interesting. With his team already trailing and a runner on first, head coach Marek Drabinski elected to bring in closer Will Weidig.

After Weidig's first pitch struck Ben Terry. Terry, who has been warned for standing too locse too first base by an umpire earlier this season, was awarded first. Drabinski, thinking the pitch was a strike, went out and made his case to plate umpire John Johnston. On his way back to the dugout, he stepped across the third base line and into fair territory to "fix a divot." Despite not saying a word to Weidig, crossing the line counted as a mound visit — his fourth of the game — and the closer had to be pulled.

"That's baseball, and that's the way life goes," Drabinski said.

Things got even stranger when the next pitcher, Peter Moskal, also hit a batter with his first offering. Drabinski then pulled Moskal in favor of Anthony Vita. Vita then walked in a run and was replaced by Alex Silverman who also walked in a run before striking out Tyler Smith to end the top of the ninth.

Wake Forest's insurance runs came in handy as Jeff Dietz homered in the ninth off Josh Ellis to give the Bears their second and final run of the game.

Henry Melton Arrested

2007-06-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Texas defensive end Henry Melton got arrested last night. Of course, you probably still think of him as the running back that was supposed to be the next BIG thing, but that didn't work out so they switched him to the other side of the ball.

Melton was around 6th Street last night at 2:30 when an officer pulled him over after noting that his truck was driving in an unsafe manner, according to the AP

After being charged with DWI, he was taken to Travis County Jail, from which he was released after posting a $1,500 personal recognizance bond early this morning.

I was on sixth last night, just from about 2:10 a.m. to 2:40 a.m. because I was DDing for my roommates, and with the biker rally going on in Austin right now, there was just a weird, aggressive vibe that you could feel. Motorcyclists were busy reminding everyone why they're so annoying, and three cars drove in a tight circle around my truck parked at a gas station with the accelerators on the floor. I was hoping that at least one of them would have their back end whip around, and that they'd slide into the station's building, but I wasn't so lucky.

Anyway, all that to say that yes, Melton seems to have screwed up. But last night, any number of Austinites could have been arrested and in his shoes. Everyone was driving like they were three sheets to the wind.

Texas Baseball

2007-05-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I'll be covering Texas baseball during the postseason. While I can't root anyone on, it sure would be nice to go to my first College World Series in Omaha.
There will be a press conference tomorrow at Dell Diamond in Round Rock where Texas is hosting a regional.
The No. 2 seed is UC Irvine. Wake Forest is No. 3, and Brown, Texas' first opponent is No. 4.
They've never played Brown or UC Irvine, and Wake twice, in 1949.
It looks like the players have already done some scouting though, and pitcher Austin Wood had this to offer on the competition:

UC Irvine has real good pitching and they play in one of the best leagues in the country, so we know they are a quality team. Wake Forest comes from a solid conference and they have talent all over the field, as well. Brown is a conference champion, you know they can't be taken lightly. They are a good hitting team, so our pitching staff is going to have to come prepared to throw strikes.

Last year, the team couldn't get out of the regional, so the trip to Omaha, which fans have come to expect, didn't happen. This year, the team is determined not to go down so feebly, and their 44-15 record is an improvement that suggests they'll be tougher to beat this time around. Infielder Bradley Suttle thinks the team is in a better position to advance this year than they were a year ago.
"I think the team is more experienced as a whole this year," he said. "We had a lot of young guys playing last year like Kyle (Russell) and myself who benefited from this past year. I think the team is more confident this year. We are playing better now at this point than we were last year."

My Hash Marks

2007-05-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

So, you may have notice that espn.com and Matt Mosley have teamed up to create a new NFL blog.
Incidentally, it's called Hashmarks.
It's a good blog, with a great title (though it's very familiar sounding).

Anyway, now that I've started writing, I'll keep writing I suppose.
Let's see...

The NBA conference finals are over after two games, both of them.
I've never liked the NBA, and things aren't improving. I propose games be reduced to five minutes. Each team can have one timeout though so it'll last an hour or so.
People need to lay off LeBron James though. The Cavs are in the conference finals, that's impressive when you remember that they are, well the Cavs. Anyway, the kid's still young.
Give him time.

Go Barry Bonds. (I know, with that statement and my proposed NBA rule change I've alienated 91 percent of my readers, which is odd because I think this post will have about two readers.)
Seriously though, are we hating everybody who ever touched that "stuff" or just the surly ones? Hate him because of his personality if you must, but listen to his peers and take their word for it. What he's done and continues to do is amazing.
Appreciate it while you can. History will have plenty of time to judge it.

Speaking of that "stuff," give Jason Giambi a break too. Greenies used to be commonplace, and the revelation he tested positive for amphetamines is no big deal. Besides, he admitted to using stuff, then when some of that "stuff" is revealed we freak out?
I'm not sure what you expected.
Bottom line is he took some responsibility and he put some blame on the institution. The Yankees and MLB are angry because of the latter action. They hope to somehow solve this problem without taking any heat. Making a player regret opening up about using performance enhancers dramatically sets back the movement to repurify baseball.
I haven't heard or read that anywhere, but it's the case and as long as players can't open up about what went wrong, the shroud of secrecy, mystery and doubt will remain.

The Indy 500 is coming up despite the decline of the sport, this race is still chock full of storylines and potential history.
Three women are in the field and Danica Patrick has a legitimate shot to win it. A win would be huge. Three strong outings would be impressive.
There are two Andrettis trying to be the first from their family in Victory Lane since Mario did it 1967. Mario raced in 24 more without ever winning it again, and Michael's tried his hand at it 15 times. Last year, Marco, now 20 years old was caught on the last lap and edged by Sam Hornish in his rookie effort.
But I don't feel too sorry for the Andrettis. No one from my family has ever won the race in the history of ever. At least they've done it once.

Get excited for Canada.
They might win their first Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did it in 1993.
This time it's little Ottawa in the mix and all they have to do is knock off a team from sunny California.
Of course, the last two winners came from Tampa Bay, Florida and Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Anaheim Ducks are looking pretty strong. J.S. Giguere is a beast.
Still, let's root for the fellas up north. The NHL needs their champion to be appreciated, and Ottawa would appreciate the Senator's accomplishment far more than Los Angeles.

Let's get something straight.
It's a regrettable shame that the late Josh Hancock's father is suing Justin Tolar, the man whose car stalled on a freeway in St. Louis, allowing a sequence of events that led to the death of Hancock, a Cardinal's pitcher.
Now, is it wrong that he's suing the tow truck driver?
I would guess so, but until we find out if that driver, Jacob Hargrove, followed protocol then I won't say anything for sure.
Is it wrong that the restaurant owner and Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon and his daughter Patricia Shannon Van Matre — the manager who apparently tried to convince Hancock to take a taxi — are being sued?
Hell no.
I've worked in the restaurant business, and from what I learned one thing was always understood. If you get a customer drunk and he gets killed driving while still intoxicated, you're getting sued, and you deserve to lose. Drunk customers aren't cut off because management cares. They're cut off because if he drives and dies, they're in big trouble.
They got Hancock drunk. They apparently never cut him off. And they let him drive when they knew he was drunk.
All that should equal a decision in Hancock's favor.

Perrilloux Making Headlines

2007-05-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Remember Ryan Perrilloux?
Texas' prized recruit a couple years ago that caused quite a furor by bolting for LSU?
Well he's back in the news. Too bad it's the middle of the off-season.
After making no contribution to the Tigers during his time there, he's been suspended indefinitely for trying to illegally enter a casino.
Granted, the offense doesn't sound so bad to me.
But the apple sure is.
The Longhorns dodged a bullet here.

Moving on, is anyone else getting tired of Boston whining?
You can't read a sports story about the city — and there seem to be hundreds every month — without coming across the words "suffering," "curse" or some form of the verb 'to deserve'.
While Bill Simmons has made a living from grousing about the bad luck of Boston, he's just one of many whimpering voices.
Now that "The Curse of the Bambino" has been removed from their arsenal with a World Series win, they're griping about losing a lottery.
Even the Boston Globe's venerable Bob Ryan has joined the pitiful chorus.

You want to talk curses? Start here.
Who did what to whom? Was it decided that 16 championships in 30 years was somehow unfair and obscene, and that enough was enough and the Celtics are never going to get another break again and that's that?
Because that's what it looks like. Nothing else can explain how the Celtics continue to suffer the wrath of powerful unseen forces determined to make their lives miserable.

Give me a break. Houston doesn't win, but it also doesn't have the sense of entitlement that leads to rants about sports not being fair when the breaks don't come. It was Houston the BoSox beat to finally win another World Series. The Astros were making their first October appearance, and of course, have yet to win the big one.
Boston, you have Tom Brady and the Patriots. Your beloved Sox are 10.5 ahead of the hated Yankees, and no one else is any closer.
You live the charmed life. Now stop imploring the nation for sympathy.

Commendations and Condemnations

2007-05-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Looking back: commendations, condemnations

By: Ryan Killian

Posted: 5/3/07

As the semester draws to a close, it seems a good idea to hand out what I like to call Killian's Commendations and Condemnations. Ok, I just made that up on the spot, but it will work splendidly.

First, a commendation to Kevin Durant. Bet you didn't see that coming.

Texas has grown to be respectable as a basketball school, but with Durant around you couldn't talk college basketball without bringing up the Longhorns. The 6-foot-9-inch kid wonder averaged a double-double during his too-short stay, and now he's headed toward stardom and riches in the NBA.

Staying in-house, my first condemnation goes to the University of Texas Board of Regents. "Sawing 'em off" may be low, but taking Aggieland Outfitters to court over it was even lower. Rivalries should be bitter and a little dirty.

They shouldn't be fought in a courtroom though.

Texas outfielder Kyle Russell is to be commended for his impressive play this season. He just made the list of finalists for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award.

And with good reason.

The kid's leading the nation in home runs with 24, and his slugging percentage of .884 is tops too. He's already broken Jeff Ontiveros' team record of 20 home runs. Considering that home runs are baseball's sexiest stat, and that the sport's most glamorous element, power, is reflected in slugging percentage, it's safe to compare them with, say, touchdowns in football or average points in basketball. Neither Vince Young or Durant ever led their respective leads in those stats.

Just sayin', it's something to think about.

Billy and Bob get to share a dose of condemnation. Billy Gillespie, formerly of Texas A&M, took his "aw, shucks" approach to Kentucky. Bob Huggins took off for West Virginia, leaving Kansas State, resuscitators of his coaching career, in the lurch. Both coaches had it made in the Big 12. Gillespie commanded a huge contract with the Aggies, while Huggins had the run of Aggieville after almost getting the Wildcats into the NCAA tourney.

Both gave their thanks by saying goodbye, Gillespie via text message.

Conference winners always deserve their fair share of commendations, and Texas has three programs currently in possession of a Big 12 title. The soccer team won theirs last semester, but overlooking them wouldn't be right. After beating Colorado in penalty kicks to take the title, Texas earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and it took a meeting with that perennial powerhouse Portland to end their season in the third round. When all was said and done, the No. 8 ranking the team was left with marked its highest final ranking in team history.

Men's swimming and diving won their conference championship in February - for the 11th straight time. These guys are good. Their domination was rewarded in early April when, between veteran Garrett Weber-Gale and freshman Ricky Berens, they swept Swimmer of the Year and Newcomer of the Year respectively. They finished in fifth place at the NCAA championships - and were disappointed.

The men's indoor track and field program also got a taste of the title, splitting it with Nebraska. After dominating in the heptathlon, Texas also won the high jump, distance medley, mile run and 800-meter run on their way to 93 points and the tie atop the leader board.

Now the quick hits, the harsh, judgmental stuff first.

Jevan Snead. Sometimes competitors sit the bench. Snead transferred to Ole Miss after he couldn't wrestle away the starting job from Colt McCoy. Women's golf team, you started the season with a 16th-place finish in New Mexico. You ended it with a 10th-place finish in the Big 12 championship. A little improvement, or competitiveness, would have been nice.

To end on a positive note, here's a few more things that caught my eye.

NCAA, good call on separating text messaging and recruiting. WTG. You seven NFL draftees, and you two that signed free-agent deals, you know who you are, congratulations. Lastly, check 2B of next Wednesday's Daily Texan. I'm counting 32 female athletes who pulled off 4.0 GPAs in the last calendar year. That's impressive. I've never done it for a single semester.

Change Needed in Softball Program

2007-04-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

By Ryan Killian

At a school where seven straight conference titles gets the women's swimming head coach dismissed, it's a wonder Connie Clark is still coaching the softball team.

Clark has won three regular-season conference titles in her 11 years here, but her squad is 3-7 in the Big 12. They've won only two games in their last nine, and one of them was a 2-0 victory over Texas State.

Wednesday night they lost in shut-out fashion to the Bobcats.

Her biggest career triumph was the recruiting of eventual three-time Player of the Year Cat Osterman. But even with Osterman, who threw an NCAA-record 19 no-hitters, in the circle, the Longhorns never even played for the national title.

The three regular-season titles were won in 2002, 2003 and 2006. In 2005, the Longhorns won the conference tournament title.

But what about 2004, when Osterman was pitching for Team USA? That year the team was 5-13 in conference and less than .500 over the course of the season.

Clark didn't win championships; Osterman won championships. And the Big 12 isn't exactly a tough conference. It's competitive, sure, but only one conference team has won the national title since 1988. That was Oklahoma in 2000.

Clark has shown she can win with talent, but she can lose with talent too. That's what she's done this year.

Starting pitcher Meagan Denny was named the Texas Girls Coaches Association 2004 Athlete of the Year. In addition to being quite a mouthful, that's a major honor as players from every women's sport in the state are eligible. She won multiple Player of the Year awards while leading Crowley High School to consecutive state championships, but this year she's been credited with 11 of Texas' 14 losses.

Desiree Williams has been injured for much of this year, and she's only played eight games, but Arizona's Gatorade Softball Player of the Year has never lived up to her potential. Her raw talent peeked through last year when she hit 12 homers and batted .333, but that wasn't enough to put Texas over the top, even with Osterman.

In the 2006 College World Series, Texas won their first game before the offense sputtered, and they lost the next two without scoring a run.

Talent isn't the problem at Texas. Recruiting isn't bad either, as the uprooting of Williams from the softball-loving state of Arizona shows.

The pairing of Osterman and Williams was supposed to produce a national title, but all it's netted was a deep World Series run in 2005 and an appearance in 2006.

While Texas came home early last year, Arizona went home with the title, their seventh since 1991. Clark's been given talent to win with, and she hasn't produced.

It's time to give that talent the winning coach they need.

Samsung 500

2007-04-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Stone Cold Steve Austin just gave the order: "Gentlemen start your engines."
I'd imagine they will, cuz Stone Cold said so.
All this means we're on our way to a green flag at Texas Motor Speedway for the Samsung 500.

Troy Aikman was in here earlier to help present the special helmet that Tony Raines will wear in today's race. It's decorated in a special military theme and was already sold at auction for over seven grand.
NFL Hall of Famer Roger Staubach also participated in the ceremony. The pair of former stars own Raines' team, and they got David Arrigo to design the "Military Tribute" helmet.

I almost ran smack dab into some guy named Dale Earnhardt Jr. a few minutes ago. He got out of my way though.

2:12 ** I'm up in the press box again, but this time I brought my laptop with me.

We're in the 49th lap. During the first lap, a wreck knocked J.J. Yeley and David Ragan outof the race. Ricky Rudd and Casey Mears were also involved. The wreck started as Ragan and Yeley came out of turn 4. Ragan moved up the track and right into Yeley.
Ragan later apologized and took responsibility for the wreck which had Yeley steaming.
"The No. 6 car wrecked me," he said. "He wrecked himself too, I guess, but just stupidity. We hadn't even completed a lap ... Going for the checkered is one thing, but coming down to complete the first lap. It is totally uncalled for, rookie or not a rookie."

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have been running strong, and both are currently in the pits in lap 98. Earnhardt Jr. is leading.

2:32 ** We're back under caution, debris in turn 2, they say. That's got some incredulous murmurings among the media here. They're saying that Gordon' lead had gotten too big, so they brought out the caution to even things up a little. It doesn't seem like any of the drivers are complaining over the radio though. According to the Fox broadcast, Gordon's only remark was on how good his car is.
He's never won here. There's never been a repeat winner here.
It's still early, but it could be his turn.
If he wins (or Jimmie Johnson) it will be the fifth straight victory for Hendrick Motorsports.

The top four cars are Chevy's right now. Fifth is a Kurt Busch's Dodge. Sixth, Matt Kenseth's Chevy.

2:42 ** Dale Earnhardt passes Johnson to take second, and the crowd goes wild. We're in lap 131, and there' a lot of seperation between Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon as well as between Johnson and Earnhardt Jr.
Johnson's looking vulnerable from this vantage point.

2:54 ** I just noticed that Ragan is back out on the track, but the real story is the fight for first place (funny how that works.)
Earnhardt Jr. just passed Gordon. As he reeled him in, his fans seemed to multiply and you could tell they tasted the lead.
He has it now. We'll see what he can do with it.

3:48 ** Some of NASCAR's biggest stars just tangled, and it looks like Johnson was the biggest victim. After Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya made contact, Stewart was sent sideways through turn 4. Behind him, Johnson wasn't able to get out of the way.
Johnson is now in the garage, but Stewart and Montoya are still out there.
Earnhardt won the race out of the pits to retain the lead, earning him a loud cheer from his sizable contingent of fans.

3:55 ** Kurt Busch just passed Earnhardt Jr. at the start/finish line to take over first place, and we have a crash...
Lap 253 and were under caution. After Stewart spun, Kyle Busch hit Earnhardt Jr. hard from behind. Kyle is now in the garage and Earnhardt's good day looks pretty shot. He's working on the problem, but we'll have to see if he can get it togehter.
Kurt still has the lead. Mark Martin is in second, and it looks like Gordon — currently in fourth — is Hendrick's last hope of making it fine in a row.

4:25 ** We see again how quickly things change in NASCAR. Kurt Busch went from first to a lap down to last on the lead lap after brushing the wall in turn 4.
While brushing the wall didn't seem to hurt, Kurt went into the pits right afterward to change tires. Just as he got in, the yellow came out, and unlucky break that cost him a lap. Fortunately, he got the lucky dog pass as the leading car a lap down, so he picked up the lap. Now he's in 14th place with 39 laps to go.
Earnhardt Jr and Johnson are both back in the garage.

4:47 ** Kenseth is in first and in a dogfight with Jeff Burton. 3 laps left this time by, this should be close.

4:53 ** The race is over and Burton is our winner. Time to go to work.

Busch Series Race Underway

2007-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

The O'Reilly 300 is in progress and after watching the first 2o-or-so laps from pit road, I've moved back into the media center. It's more warm and there's a lot more information at my fingertips.
Through 48 laps, three drivers are out or off the track (Kevin Lepage, Timothy Peters and Brad Keselowski). Kyle Busch is leading. Busch has led every Busch race this year that he's run in, but he has yet to win one.

** On lap 49, Denny Hamlin just passed Busch for the lead.
**On lap 50 he relinquished it for gas and tires, but at least he got some bonus points for leading a lap, I suppose.
** Matt Kenseth just lost control, possibly a broken track bar. Race is under caution in the 54th lap. We'll see if Kenseth can get back in the race.

Keselowski's day is over after a broken motor within the first five laps of the race. Keselowski, the driver of the No. 23 Oklahoma Centennial Chevrolet is a rookie on the Busch circuit and 3th in points. He has yet to post a Top 10 finish, and that streak will continue.
"It's pretty disappointing because I thought we were going to have something strong to race with," he said. "We'll have to go get 'em at Phoenix."
In Lap 70, we're back under caution after a wreck that gathered up several competitors. Steve Wallace, Jon Wood, Shane Huffman and Reed Sorenson were all involved and are off the track.

Final Update**

Kenseth recovered from his early misfortune in the biggest of ways by winning the O'Reilly 300 by 0.128 seconds over Denny Hamlin. The margin is closer than any previous Busch races at Texas Motor Speedway.
I disappeared from my updates because I decided to watch the race from the press box instead of the media center. It was a nice vantage point, and I think I'll take my laptop there for the whole thing tomorrow.

NASCAR Qualifying Washed Out

2007-04-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Fort Worth — The wind is howling. The thunder is rolling, and we're being told to stay away from the windows.
Outside the race cars you've seen hurtling around countless tracks across America are being loaded into their trailers for safety. Thousands of people who'd hoped to watch a day of practice and qualifying for Sunday's Cup race are being ushered away from the grandstand.
I'm at Texas Motor Speedway, hunkered down in the media center nestled inside the 1 1/2-mile track. Tornadoes and hailstorms are in the forecast.
A pair of flat-panel TVs to my left spread doom and despair. We can expect 60 MPH wind gusts, says the nice lady from her safe studio.
Despite the impending trouble, people in this flimsy structure seem ever more jovial. Maybe its our collective way of coping with worry, but I don't buy that. I think we all feel pretty safe, and we'll feel a little disappointed if this storm's not a real humdinger.

Edit: So the weather lady is back after a brief loss of signal. She has more good news. We can expect "tennis ball sized" hail and "life-threatening weather."
You know, the weather doesn't suck for us or the fans near as much as it does for drivers like Jeremy Mayfield.
Because of the cancellation of qualifying, Mayfield won't be competing in this year's Samsung 500. The field has been set according to owner points, the 2006 winner, a past champion exemption (but not in a true sense of the phrase) and number of qualifying attempts made this year + owner points.
All that adds up to leave Mayfield on the sidelines.
"Obviously, it stinks," he said. "Especially with the year we've had. ... We have a great car here, and it really stinks that we don't get to show it."
Mayfield says that despite the team's struggles, they've gotten better each time out. Here, at what he called his "favorite race track of all" he may have finally been competitive.
Now we'll never know, and he has no reason left to enjoy the track and the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
"The people are great," he said. There's a great Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops near the track. I Like Texas a lot. Unfortunately, I don't get to stay."

Justice served but injustice can't be undone

2007-04-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

By Ryan Killian

We presumed 'em guilty as we read horrifying accounts of what they'd allegedly done.

We shook our heads at the indecency of college athletes.

We called them rapists.

Wednesday, the three Duke lacrosse players accused of raping an exotic dancer had all charges against them dropped.

"Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent," North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said.

More than a year after they were thrust into the harshest of spotlights, David Evans, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty can live in peace. Or can they?

When the media caught wind of this story and its intriguing elements - white attackers and a black victim, athletes ganging a 27-year-old mother, well-to-do Duke students forcing themselves on a working North Carolina Central University student - they pounced.

Headlines screamed. Talking heads opined. And millions of Americans passed judgement.

The media bears some responsibility for this unfortunate injustice, but will it do its part to reverse it? Doubtful.

While the rape story was featured prominently on espn.com when it broke, the story on the charges' dismissal languishes off to the side - right under "NFL Releases 07 Schedule."

The images of Evans, Seligmann and Finnerty have already been forever tarnished. They will always be associated with rape and even kidnapping. Making sure America hears of their innocence is only right.

If they're guilty of anything, it's exercising bad judgement - the same bad judgment that's being employed all the time on West Campus with no consequences. Attending a party where strippers have been hired as entertainment may not be conduct becoming of a college athlete (or any aspiring professional), but it certainly isn't tantamount to abuse, much less rape.

Wednesday's decision didn't result in a celebration or even true joy for the accused; it merely gave them their cue for a long-awaited sigh of relief. Relief with an asterisk.

Dismissal of these charges does not grant the accused peace of mind. Nor does it grant them a restored image or escape from the stigma of rape. It is merely an acknowledgement that those once presumed guilty have been deemed innocent. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, who has since been charged with ethics violations that may result in his disbarment, and an overzealous media built this case up to the epic and tragic proportions that it has suddenly fallen from.

Now, Evans, Seligmann and Finnerty will pay the price.

"These cases are over and no more criminal proceedings will occur," Cooper said.

But whispers of "rapist" will continue forever.

Goestenkors Could be the Answer

2007-04-07T02:03:00.000-07:00

By Ryan Killian

4/5/07

All hail Gail.

Sure, the new women's basketball coach, Gail Goestenkors, hasn't done anything for Texas yet, but she turned Duke from bottom feeders to a regular in the Final Four.

There's no reason why she can't do the same for Texas.

And she knows it.

As a 29-year-old candidate for the job at Duke, she had no head-coaching experience. What she did have was a plan. She carried a list of 20 high school players she wanted to recruit over the next three years and said she could get the Blue Devils into the Final Four in five years. The university had to do its part - give the team its 15 allowable scholarships, add full-time coaching staff positions and get the players out of vans and charter busses and into airplanes for road trips, for starters - but when it did, Goestenkors landed them in the Final Four.

It took her seven years, but who's counting?

Texas already boasts some of the best facilities and recruiting programs in the nation, so despite two straight seasons without an invite to the NCAA tournament, Coach G won't have to take the Longhorns from rags to riches as she did with Duke. This will be more of a progression from upper-middle class.

And now she has experience to boot. Not only has she led the Blue Devils to four Final Fours, and within 90 seconds of another, she's also coached - and lost - in two title games. And she coached the 2005 USA-Under 19 team to a gold medal in the world championships.

Replacing Jody Conradt and her 900 wins won't be easy, but Goestenkors already has one more Final Four than Conradt in 23 less years of coaching. She's even made inroads into the Texas high school scene, recruiting All-American Lindsey Harding from Cy-Fair High School in Houston. Harding was selected No. 1 overall in Wednesday's WNBA draft.

Despite that experience and the accolades that have come with it - she was named USA Basketball Coach of the Year in 2006 and Coach of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference in six of her 14 seasons there - it's the lack of a national title that weighs on her mind. In 2003, she told USA Today that she couldn't get through a stroll on the treadmill without envisioning herself in a close title game with the seconds winding down and trying to determine the team's final shot.

Now, instead of Duke blue, it'll be a burnt-orange clad player making that shot in her dreams. And with the bevy of talent already on the roster and waiting to be recruited, that moment could come soon.

Maybe in five years, but seven would be just fine.

Oklahoma City Miracle?

2007-03-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Ok, so it's never a miracle when a team with the best player in the country beats a team that lost to Oral Roberts at home, but no one here is giving Texas much of a chance against Kansas. They're playing for the Big 12 tournament title at the Ford Center in about an hour, and I'm among the many expecting KU to win.

Texas hasn't looked especially good in either of their first two games, and Kevin Durant has yet to put together two good halves. D.J. Augustine seems to be taking about 30 minutes of floor time before warming up and finding his groove, and Connor Atchley is, well, he's Connor Atchley. A.J. Abrams is Texas' most consistent performer here in OKC, and his specialty is the fickle-by-nature three-pointer.

Meanwhile, Kansas is looking fine, and that's enough to beat the Longhorns if they keep underperforming. To be fair, Durant's had two incredible halves to go with his to ho-hum halves, and Augustine made a huge shot against Baylor, then several shots down the stretch versus Oklahoma State. If they can get hot together and stay that way, Texas' chances increase exponentially.

***

After much soul searching and serious debate, Cody Hale and I have decided we'd rather live in Oklahoma City than Texas' panhandle. This has more to do with how awful the panhandle is than how great OKC is, but this town's not that bad if you stay in a select few areas.

When I say a 'select few', I'm giving OKC the benefit of the doubt. The only nice place we've found is Bricktown, but we haven't explored much. There are plenty of restaurants on and around downtown's knockoff Riverwalk, and the bars look nice from the outside. Circumstances beyond our control prevented us from checking out Skyy Bar or any of the others, but given the chance, we would have. We ate at Toby Keith's I Love this Bar and Grill, and a 1-hour 10-minute break not withstanding, it was pretty good. The cover band was too loud for conversation, but at least they sounded alright. The ribs were delicious, and the fried okra, "freedom fries," and caesar salad were all good. The corn bread was nothing special, but the cheap beer to wash it down with made up for it.

***

Alright, 30 minutes till tipoff, time to get my game face on.
Quick, meaningless predictions:
Texas loses, 65-75
Durant scores 28
Craig Winder has three steals, three fouls and two points
Texas gets into the NCAA tourney as a 4 seed