Goodbye G.J. Kinne

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.

Conradt to speak at commencement

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.

Major Applewhite back at Texas

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."

Gary Johnson Cleared to Play

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

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 - Pregame

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

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?

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.

Commendations and Condemnations

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.

Goldthwaite girl makes good, Texas town takes note

Jody Conradt, her team and a little town 2 hours northwest of Austin can finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

Conradt won her 900th game Tuesday night after losing six of her last seven, making her one of two coaches in the entire NCAA basketball landscape to reach that mark. Pat Summitt at Tennessee is the other. Conradt's left such legends as John Wooden, Dean Smith and Phog Allen in her wake.

While winning those hundreds of games - and a national title to boot - Conradt's earned attention and respect, receiving spots in multiple halls of fame. But no one's taken more notice of her than the people of Goldthwaite.

Goldthwaite boasts about 2,000 residents. It's the town where Conradt grew up, where she averaged more than 40 points a game during her four years in high school. And, according to Mayor Mike McMahan, it's the town she put on the map.

"We just feel fortunate she's from here, and we've known her all our life," McMahan said.

The 55-year-old McMahan has kept a close eye on Conradt's career, as has most of Goldthwaite's population. A sign near the city limits declares you're approaching her hometown.

Conradt's squad has struggled this season and will need a large dose of benevolence from the NCAA selection committee to compete in this season's tourney, but Conradt's accomplishment should not be overlooked.

Nor should the team. While the Longhorns have notched a modest 18 wins, they've beaten No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 13 Texas A&M. They've shown that when they put their minds to it, they can beat some of the top teams in the nation. With 64 bids to hand out, the selection committee just might be able to find a spot for the Texas team. ESPN's Bracketology currently projects the team as a 12 seed.

That was before they lost 67-58 Wednesday night against the Sooners. The ground these women stand on couldn't be any shakier.

"We're hopeful," Conradt said. "I think our team did everything they could do to try play themselves into the tournament."

But even if Conradt fails to put a team in the field of 64 for the second straight year, she knows she has loyal, albeit frustrated, fans in Goldthwaite.

"When we get beat, or when things are down, we all hurt," McMahan said.

"We all" is the 99.9 percent of town residents that he estimates know who she is. Their kids practice in the same gym that she started her basketball career in. Goldthwaite Eagles look up to her - their reminder that growing up in a pixel of a town doesn't mean they can't affect the world.

"Jody continues to be a role model," McMahan said. "Not only for girls, but for young men around here."

SI Cover Curse?

Kevin Durant has earned himself a Sports Illustrated cover, and it comes out today.

Jinx?

Dating back to 1954 when the Milwaukee Braves' Eddie Matthews graced the magazine's first issue - and injured his hand a week later - the superstition has percolated that a stint of bad luck came with a spot on the cover. In the '50s alone, one athlete was killed and another paralyzed from the neck down while their cover issues were still on the news racks.

But take heart. Though Texas athletes have felt the curse, it's been only in the form of a loss. In 1970 and 1977 undefeated Texas teams lost their next games, and in 1998, after Ricky Williams made a cover appearance, the Longhorns lost to Texas Tech. If history holds, a loss to Baylor on Saturday is the worst we can expect. OK, maybe he'll fail to notch a double-double and be outscored by an injured Aaron Bruce too.

Point is, jinx schminx.

Look at Vince Young. All he did while on the cover of Sports Illustrated was win Texas a national title and lift his draft status somewhere just above the stratosphere.

T.J. Ford and Cat Osterman weren't slowed by their joint appearance on a cover in 2002, but then they were there in the off-season.

Chris Simms was also on that cover.

Five days later, the Longhorns fell 35-24 to the Sooners. Simms was sacked four times, and he threw three interceptions.

All of a sudden, that game against Baylor doesn't look so easy. They are on the road; Bruce is an All-Big 12 honorable mention.

But he's also from Horsham, Victoria, Australia.

Nevermind.

Besides, that was Chris Simm's second cover appearance. In his first, he was being leveled by Oklahoma's Jimmy Wilkerson. It wasn't the covers getting to him. It was the Sooners.

Texas' history of overcoming any perceived jinx is long. Running back Jimmy Saxton made a cover appearance in 1961 and finished a close third in the year's Heisman race. Running back/punter Ernie Koy was featured after Texas upset No. 1 Alabama in 1965, and he began a successful NFL career that same year. James Street parlayed his appearance into a national championship in 1969.

Durant will join their company soon and surpass them all eventually. There's nothing to worry about.

Then again, after T.J. Ford found himself on the cover before 2003's Final Four, he turned in one of the least remarkable performances of his career. Among Texas players, he finished fourth in points - tied with Brian Boddicker.

Did I mention the 6-foot-3-inch, 190-pound Bruce led NCAA freshmen in scoring his rookie season and was labeled a "Diaper Dandy" by Dick Vitale?

Texas hasn't got a prayer.