The Big East may be the premier college basketball conference, but it absolutely stinks in college football. Last season, a Big East team got to go to a BCS game even though no teams in the Big East were in the final BCS Top 25. This year, only the West Virginia Mountaineers are currently ranked, and they are only the 23rd best team in the nation. In my opinion this is undeserving of a BCS Bowl Game and allowing them to go is rewarding mediocrity. Next year, the Big East will lose WVU, the Pittsburgh Panthers, and the Syracuse Orange because they are leaving the conference to join the Big 12 (WVU) and the ACC (Pitt and Syracuse). Once the Mountaineers and Panthers leave the conference, the Big East will no longer have any tradition or history of great football. It will be a conference made up of second and third class teams.I obviously think they should lose their automatic bid already, and I don't think I really need to spend too much time explaining my argument because most people, including the media, agree with me. If you disagree, then please let me know why in the comments below.Should the Big East lose its automatic bid to a BCS Bowl Game?
After Bernie Fine was publicly accused for sexually molesting former ball boy Bobby Davis, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim vehemently defended him and called the accusations false. His defense of Fine included basically calling Davis and his brother a liar. He repeatedly said that there is nothing to see hear and that this case had already been investigated thoroughly.Well, it turns out that the kid making the accusations doesn't seem to be lying, and he actually collected evidence of Fine's wife corroborating his story via secret phone recordings (see below). Considering how staunch of a defense Boehiem gave for Fine, should he resign? In my opinion, I think he should because he came across as intimidating the injured party. He called Davis, the victim to the horrendous crime, a liar. He also mockingly brushed away the new accusations from a second ball boy because he is related to Davis. He acted as though the second victim's account should be disregarded as "convenient" on the basis for being related to the first victim, Davis. I think he went to far and should be held accountable. It just seems like he was trying to help his friend instead of trying to protect helpless children.
Casey Anthony was found not guilty of 1st degree murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony. The charges against Anthony and their verdict are as follows:Count One, First Degree Murder - Not Guilty: "The Grand Jurors of the County of Orange, duly called, impaneled and sworn to inquire and true presentment make in and for the body of the County of Orange, upon their oaths do present that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY, between the 15th day of June 2008 and the 16th day of July, 2008, in said County and State, did, in violation of Florida Statute 783.04(1)(a)(1), from a premeditated design to effect the death of CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY, a human being, unlawfully kill CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY."Count Two, Aggravated Child Abuse - Not Guilty: “And the Grand Jurors of the County of orange, duly called, impaneled and sworn to inquire and true presentment make in and for the body of the County of Orange, upon their oaths do present that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY, between the 15th day of June, 2008 and the 16th day of July, 2008, in said County and State, did knowingly and willfully, in violation of Florida Statute 827.03(2) cause great bodily harm, permanent disfigurement or permanent disability to CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY, a child under 18 years of age, by intentionally inflicting physical injury upon CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY, or by intentionally committing an act or actively encouraging another person to commit an act which could reasonably be expected to result in physical injury to CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY.”Count Three, Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child - Not Guilty: “And the Grand Jurors of the County of Orange, duly called, impaneled and sworn to inquire and true presentment make in and for the body of the County of Orange, upon their oaths do present that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY, between the 15th day of June, 2008 and the 16th day of July, 2008, in said County and Satate, did willfully or by culpable negligence, in violation of Florida Statites 782.07(3) and 827.0393), while a caregiver to Caylee Marie Anthony, a child under 18 years of age, fail or omit to provide CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY with the care, supervision and services necessary to maintain CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY’S physical and metal health, or fail to make a reasonable effort to protect CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY from abuse, neglect or exploitation by another person, and in so doing caused the death of CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY.”Count Four, Providing False Information to an Officer - Guilty: "The Grand Jurors of the County of Orange, duly called, impaneled and sworn to inquire and true presentment make in and for the body of the County of Orange, upon their oaths do present that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY, on the 16th day of July, 2008, in said County and State, did, in violation of Florida Statute 837.055, knowingly and willfully give false information to YURI MELICH, a law enforcement officer with the ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF, who was conducing a missing person investigation, with the intent to mislead YURI MELICH or impede his investigation, to wit: that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY was employed at Universal Studios Orlando during the year 2008."Count Five: Providing False Information to an Officer: "The Grand Jurors of the County of Orange, duly called, impaneled and sworn to inquire and true presentment make in and for the body of the County of Orange, upon their oaths do present that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY, on the 16th day of July, 2008, in said County and State, did, in violation of Florida Statute 837.055, knowingly and willfully give false information to YURI MELICH, a law enforcement officer with the ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF, who was conducing a missing person investigation, with the intent to mislead YURI MELICH or impede his investigation, to wit: that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY left the child CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY at the Sawgrass Apartments, 2863 South Conway Road, Apr. 210, Orlando, Florida with a person identified as ZENAIDA FERNANDEZ GONZALEZ on June 9, 2008."Count Six, Providing False Information to an Officer - Guilty: "The Grand Jurors of the County of Orange, duly called, impaneled and sworn to inquire and true presentment make in and for the body of the County of Orange, upon their oaths do present that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY, on the 16th day of July, 2008, in said County and State, did, in violation of Florida Statute 837.055, knowingly and willfully give false information to YURI MELICH, a law enforcement officer with the ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF, who was conducing a missing person investigation, with the intent to mislead YURI MELICH or impede his investigation, to wit: that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY informed persons identified as JEFFREY MICHAEL HOPKINS and JULIETTE LEWIS, former Universal Studios Orlando employees, of the disappearance of the child CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY between June 9, 2008 and July 16, 2008."Count Seven, Providing False Information to an Officer - Guilty: "The Grand Jurors of the County of Orange, duly called, impaneled and sworn to inquire and true presentment make in and for the body of the County of Orange, upon their oaths do present that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY, on the 16th day of July, 2008, in said County and State, did, in violation of Florida Statute 837.055, knowingly and willfully give false information to YURI MELICH, a law enforcement officer with the ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF, who was conducing a missing person investigation, with the intent to mislead YURI MELICH or impede his investigation, to wit: that CASEY MARIE ANTHONY received a phone call from the child CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY on July 15, 2008 at approximately 12:00 p.m."Essentially, Anthony was found innocent on all felonies and guilty on the misdemeanor charges for lying to investigators and officers of the law. She faces a maximum of 4 years in prison, but might not face any prison time.I'm going to be honest I think the results of this case are fundamentally unjust. How can she not be found guilty of at least manslaughter. Even if the jury didn't believe the murder was premeditated and didn't feel the 1st Degree Murder and the potential death penalty fit the crime, they should have at least found her guilty of negligent manslaughter. This is unbelievable.What do you think, Was justice found?
Great finish to the college football season last night.Again, I'd like to point out my comment from my Week 2 picks on Sept. 9:"No. 21 Auburn over Mississippi State (Tigers my sleeper of the year)"And of course -- well not really, based on my season record -- I picked Auburn to win last night. Dodd was the only expert to do so (maybe all the experts except for Chip Patterson should be replaced next season).I was completely wrong on the high-score prediction. I had a feeling it would be low scoring heading into the game, but much easier to say after the fact. Hope no one got burnt on playing the over.FINAL Expert Picks standingsBowls: Patterson 22-13, Jacobi 19-16, Darst 18-17, me 18-17, Dodd 18-17 & Horowitz 17-18Overall: Patterson 258-81, Darst 252-87, me 248-91, Dodd 245-94, Jacobi 244-95 & Horowitz 239-100Underdog moneyline strategyHad you followed this theory, you would have been ahead 112.8 units. And to think it started out 0-5.Remember I said not to play any games of this theory after Dec. 31 (No underdogs won outright after this date). But if you want to know the final tally for all the bowls, here you go:Underdog moneyline strategy0-1/-10: New Mexico: BYU wins as FAV vs. UTEP (+320)0-2/-10/Total -20: Humanitarian: Northern Illinois wins as FAV vs. Fresno State (+111) 0-3/-10/Total -30: New Orleans: Troy wins as FAV vs. Ohio (+110)0-4/-10/Total -40: Beef O’Brady’s: Louisville wins as FAV vs. So. Miss (+120)0-5/-10/Total -50: Poinsettia: San Diego St. wins as FAV vs. Navy (+130)DNP: Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State wins as FAV vs. Utah (+550)1-5/+31/Total -19: Hawaii: Tulsa (+310) wins as DOG vs. HawaiiDNP: Little Caesars: FIU opened as DOG, wins as FAV vs. Toledo1-6/-10/Total -29: Independence: Air Force wins as FAV vs. Ga. Tech (+125)2-6/+13/Total -16: Champs Sports: N.C. State (+130) wins as DOG vs. West Virginia3-6/+13/Total -3: Insight: Iowa (+130) wins as DOG vs. Missouri3-7/-10/Total -13: Military: Maryland wins as FAV vs. East Carolina (+270)DNP: Texas: Illinois opens as DOG, wins as FAV vs. Baylor3-8/-10/Total -23: Alamo: Oklahoma State wins as FAV vs. Arizona (+170)4-8/+25/Total: +2: Armed Forces: Army (+250) wins as DOG vs. SMU5-8/+10.3/Total +12.3: Pinstripe: Syracuse (+103) wins as DOG vs. Kansas StateDNP: Music City: North Carolina wins as PICK vs. Tennessee6-8/+39/Total +51.3: Holiday: Washington (+390) wins as DOG vs. Nebraska7-8/+17/Total +68.3: Meineke Car Care: South Florida (+170) wins as DOG vs. Clemson8-8/+11.5/Total +79.8: Sun: Notre Dame (+115) wins as DOG vs. Miami9-8/+21/Total +100.8: Liberty: UCF (+210) wins as DOG vs. Georgia10-8/+12/Total +112.8: Chick-Fil-A: FSU (+120) wins as DOG vs. South Carolina----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10-9/-10/+92.8: TicketCity: Texas Tech wins as FAV vs. Northwestern (+250)10-10/-10/+82.8: Outback: Florida wins as FAV vs. Penn State (+210) 10-11/-10/+72.8: Capital One: Alabama wins as FAV vs. Michigan State (+250) 10-12/-10/+62.8: Gator: Mississippi State wins as FAV vs. Michigan (+145) 10-13/-10/+52.8: Rose: TCU wins as FAV vs. Wisconsin (+130) 10-14/-10/+42.8: Fiesta: Oklahoma wins as FAV vs. Connecticut (+520) 10-15/-10/+32.8: Orange: Stanford wins as FAV vs. Virginia Tech (+155) 10-16/-10/+22.8: Sugar: Ohio State wins as FAV vs. Arkansas (+130) DNP: Go Daddy.com: Miami (Oh) opens as FAV, wins as DOG vs. Middle Tennessee State10-17/-10/+12.8: Cotton: LSU wins as FAV vs. Texas A&M (+110) 10-18/-10/+2.8: BBVA Compass: Pittsburgh wins as FAV vs. Kentucky (+165)10-19/-10/-7.2: Fight Hunger: Nevada wins as FAV vs. Boston College (+250) DNP: Title game: Auburn opens as FAV, wins as PICK vs. OregonThanks to those who often checked in. I was stunned to see each weekly blog received over 1,000 views and the Bowls pix blog received over 17,000 views. Maybe some of you were checking in to see who not to bet on, but I hoped some of the information helped.Enjoy the offseason -- and feel free to check out CBSSports.com's baseball coverage through the year as that is my primary job here.JR
Great finish to the college football season last night.Again, I'd like to point out my comment from my Week 2 picks on Sept. 9:"No. 21 Auburn over Mississippi State (Tigers my sleeper of the year)"And of course -- well not really, based on my season record -- I picked Auburn to win last night. Dodd was the only expert to do so (maybe all the experts except for Chip Patterson should be replaced next season).I was completely wrong on the high-score prediction. I had a feeling it would be low scoring heading into the game, but much easier to say after the fact. Hope no one got burnt on playing the over.FINAL Expert Picks standingsBowls: Patterson 22-13, Jacobi 19-16, Darst 18-17, me 18-17, Dodd 18-17 & Horowitz 17-18Overall: Patterson 258-81, Darst 252-87, me 248-91, Dodd 245-94, Jacobi 244-95 & Horowitz 239-100Underdog moneyline strategyHad you followed this theory, you would have been ahead 112.8 units. And to think it started out 0-5.Remember I said not to play any games of this theory after Dec. 31 (No underdogs won outright after this date). But if you want to know the final tally for all the bowls, here you go:Underdog moneyline strategy0-1/-10: New Mexico: BYU wins as FAV vs. UTEP (+320)0-2/-10/Total -20: Humanitarian: Northern Illinois wins as FAV vs. Fresno State (+111) 0-3/-10/Total -30: New Orleans: Troy wins as FAV vs. Ohio (+110)0-4/-10/Total -40: Beef O’Brady’s: Louisville wins as FAV vs. So. Miss (+120)0-5/-10/Total -50: Poinsettia: San Diego St. wins as FAV vs. Navy (+130)DNP: Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State wins as FAV vs. Utah (+550)1-5/+31/Total -19: Hawaii: Tulsa (+310) wins as DOG vs. HawaiiDNP: Little Caesars: FIU opened as DOG, wins as FAV vs. Toledo1-6/-10/Total -29: Independence: Air Force wins as FAV vs. Ga. Tech (+125)2-6/+13/Total -16: Champs Sports: N.C. State (+130) wins as DOG vs. West Virginia3-6/+13/Total -3: Insight: Iowa (+130) wins as DOG vs. Missouri3-7/-10/Total -13: Military: Maryland wins as FAV vs. East Carolina (+270)DNP: Texas: Illinois opens as DOG, wins as FAV vs. Baylor3-8/-10/Total -23: Alamo: Oklahoma State wins as FAV vs. Arizona (+170)4-8/+25/Total: +2: Armed Forces: Army (+250) wins as DOG vs. SMU5-8/+10.3/Total +12.3: Pinstripe: Syracuse (+103) wins as DOG vs. Kansas StateDNP: Music City: North Carolina wins as PICK vs. Tennessee6-8/+39/Total +51.3: Holiday: Washington (+390) wins as DOG vs. Nebraska7-8/+17/Total +68.3: Meineke Car Care: South Florida (+170) wins as DOG vs. Clemson8-8/+11.5/Total +79.8: Sun: Notre Dame (+115) wins as DOG vs. Miami9-8/+21/Total +100.8: Liberty: UCF (+210) wins as DOG vs. Georgia10-8/+12/Total +112.8: Chick-Fil-A: FSU (+120) wins as DOG vs. South Carolina-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10-9/-10/+92.8: TicketCity: Texas Tech wins as FAV vs. Northwestern (+250)10-10/-10/+82.8: Outback: Florida wins as FAV vs. Penn State (+210) 10-11/-10/+72.8: Capital One: Alabama wins as FAV vs. Michigan State (+250) 10-12/-10/+62.8: Gator: Mississippi State wins as FAV vs. Michigan (+145) 10-13/-10/+52.8: Rose: TCU wins as FAV vs. Wisconsin (+130) 10-14/-10/+42.8: Fiesta: Oklahoma wins as FAV vs. Connecticut (+520) 10-15/-10/+32.8: Orange: Stanford wins as FAV vs. Virginia Tech (+155) 10-16/-10/+22.8: Sugar: Ohio State wins as FAV vs. Arkansas (+130) DNP: Go Daddy.com: Miami (Oh) opens as FAV, wins as DOG vs. Middle Tennessee State10-17/-10/+12.8: Cotton: LSU wins as FAV vs. Texas A&M (+110) 10-18/-10/+2.8: BBVA Compass: Pittsburgh wins as FAV vs. Kentucky (+165)10-19/-10/-7.2: Fight Hunger: Nevada wins as FAV vs. Boston College (+250) DNP: Title game: Auburn opens as FAV, wins as PICK vs. Oregon
Thanks to those who often checked in. I was stunned to see each weekly blog received over 1,000 views and the Bowls pix blog received over 17,000 views. Maybe some of you were checking in to see who not to bet on, but I hoped some of the information helped.Enjoy the offseason -- and feel free to check out CBSSports.com's baseball coverage through the year as that is my primary job here.
JR
Posted by Bryan FischerA big international flavor at last night's NBA draft. Wonder how different things would be if college recruiting was a draft instead of its current system?Five issues that will shape Notre Dame's upcoming recruiting class. Athlete Anthony Brown hopes he'll get a USF offer soon. Running back William Mahone visited Michigan State this week. LSU has 12 commits in this list of top players in the state of Louisiana. Mike Stoops and Arizona have opened a pipeline from the state of Oklahoma. Offensive tackle Jordan Diamond said he plans to visit Arkansas in early August.Commitments: Northwestern added three commitments Thursday night. Fellow Big Ten program Indiana also added three commitments yesterday. Linebacker Jamal Lyles and defensive end Josiah Price both committed to Michigan State. Defensive end James Washington pledged to Syracuse.
A big international flavor at last night's NBA draft. Wonder how different things would be if college recruiting was a draft instead of its current system?
Five issues that will shape Notre Dame's upcoming recruiting class.
Athlete Anthony Brown hopes he'll get a USF offer soon.
Running back William Mahone visited Michigan State this week.
LSU has 12 commits in this list of top players in the state of Louisiana.
Mike Stoops and Arizona have opened a pipeline from the state of Oklahoma.
Offensive tackle Jordan Diamond said he plans to visit Arkansas in early August.
Commitments: Northwestern added three commitments Thursday night.
Fellow Big Ten program Indiana also added three commitments yesterday.
Linebacker Jamal Lyles and defensive end Josiah Price both committed to Michigan State.
Defensive end James Washington pledged to Syracuse.
Rutgers University will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon. The school will be announcing who will own the naming rights to Rutgers Stadium. The Scarlet Knights will be the fifth Big East school to play in a stadium that has sold off their naming rights. Pittsburgh, South Florida, Louisville, and Syracuse are the previous four. Pittsburgh and South Florida do play in NFL stadiums, however. It was about a year ago this month when Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti and the school had hired a company to assist them in finding interested parties. It now appears they have a taker and have come to an agreement. Do you have any thoughts on Rutgers giving away naming rights? Any predictions on what the name may be?Read more Rutgers Football news on BleacherReport.com Read Full Article
Rutgers University will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon. The school will be announcing who will own the naming rights to Rutgers Stadium. The Scarlet Knights will be the fifth Big East school to play in a stadium that has sold off their naming rights.
Pittsburgh, South Florida, Louisville, and Syracuse are the previous four. Pittsburgh and South Florida do play in NFL stadiums, however.
It was about a year ago this month when Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti and the school had hired a company to assist them in finding interested parties. It now appears they have a taker and have come to an agreement.
Do you have any thoughts on Rutgers giving away naming rights? Any predictions on what the name may be?
Read more Rutgers Football news on BleacherReport.com
Are you ready for the Bowl Season? First kickoff is less than 16 hours away.Even though I failed to defend my regular-season title among the experts, I look to bounce back with my bowl picks … but I have always struggled this time of year. You never know what team will show up; if a team is so bummed it's not playing in a bigger bowl (See Alabama) and isn't as focused as it should be.But below, I'm making my picks anyway. More importantly, I'd like to point out my underdog moneyline strategy, which I will keep an updated scorecard for on the comment part of this blog.The idea: Play the moneyline on the underdog for every bowl through Dec. 30. In the picks below, I list the moneyline in parentheses from scoresandodds.com.Ex: BYU over UTEP (+320) means, even though I'm picking BYU to win to help my standings vs. the experts, I'm suggesting to play UTEP at +320 to win outright. I will keep records for my picks and the underdog moneylines for all the games. But I don't like the underdog moneylines after Dec. 30.Some games won't have a +moneyline next to it, because there isn't one if the game is virtually a pick 'em.Before getting to my winners below, a quick reminder of the Expert Picks regular-season standings: Chip Patterson 236-68, Darst 234-70, me 230-74, Dodd 2227-77, Jacobi 225-79 & Horowitz 222-82.HANDICAPPINGAs for my regular-season suggestions, I finished 19-23-1. I know, not good, but we'll get three of them back on Day 1 as I like the lines on all three games (UTEP +11½, Northern Illinois -1½ & Ohio +2).There are a total of seven games I like. Add Central Florida +6½, Michigan State +9½, TCU-Wisconsin over of 58½ and Kentucky +3½.If there are any more that pop up, I'll post on the comment board of this blog.Good luck and have a happy holiday & bowl season.THE WINNERSSATURDAY, DEC. 18New Mexico: BYU over UTEP (+320) – Take the 11½ pointsHumanitarian: Northern Illinois over Fresno State (+114) – Lay the 1½ New Orleans: Ohio (+110) over Troy – Take the 2 pointsTUESDAY, DEC. 21Beef O'Brady's: Southern Mississippi (+120) over LouisvilleWEDNESDAY, DEC. 22Maaco: Boise State over Utah (+485) THURSDAY, DEC. 23Poinsettia: San Diego State over Navy (+165)FRIDAY, DEC. 24Hawaii: Hawaii over Tulsa (+305)SUNDAY, DEC. 26Little Caesars: Florida International (+108) over ToledoMONDAY, DEC. 27Independence: Air Force over Georgia Tech (+125)TUESDAY, DEC. 28Champs Sports: West Virginia over North Carolina State (+125)Insight: Missouri over Iowa (+108)WEDNESDAY, DEC. 29Military: East Carolina (+240) over MarylandTexas: Baylor over Illinois (+110)Alamo: Arizona (+175) over Oklahoma StateTHURSDAY, DEC. 30Armed Forces: SMU over Army (+250)Pinstripe: Kansas State over Syracuse Music City: Tennessee (+110) over North CarolinaHoliday: Nebraska over Washington (+400)FRIDAY, DEC. 31Meineke Car Care: Clemson over South Florida (+170)Sun: Notre Dame (+125) over MiamiLiberty: Georgia over Central Florida (+210) – Take the 6½ pointsChick-Fil-A: South Carolina over Florida State (+135)SATURDAY, JAN. 1, 2011TicketCity: Texas Tech over Northwestern (+300)Outback: Florida over Penn State (+250)Capital One: Alabama over Michigan State (+310) – Take the 9½ pointsGator: Mississippi State over Michigan (+170)Rose: Wisconsin 36 (+120), TCU 28 – Play the over of 58½Fiesta: Oklahoma 42, Connecticut 13 (+475)MONDAY, JAN. 3Orange: Stanford 38, Virginia Tech 30 (+140)TUESDAY, JAN. 4Sugar: Ohio State 31, Arkansas 24 (+145)THURSDAY, JAN. 6Go Daddy.com: Miami of Ohio over Middle Tennessee StateFRIDAY, JAN. 7Cotton: LSU over Texas A&M (+101)SATURDAY, JAN. 8BBVA Compass: Kentucky (+145) over Pittsburgh – Take the 3½ pointsSUNDAY, JAN. 9Fight Hunger: Nevada over Boston College (+310)MONDAY, JAN. 10BCS title game: Auburn 43, Oregon 38 (+135) Read Full Article
Are you ready for the Bowl Season? First kickoff is less than 16 hours away.Even though I failed to defend my regular-season title among the experts, I look to bounce back with my bowl picks … but I have always struggled this time of year. You never know what team will show up; if a team is so bummed it's not playing in a bigger bowl (See Alabama) and isn't as focused as it should be.But below, I'm making my picks anyway. More importantly, I'd like to point out my underdog moneyline strategy, which I will keep an updated scorecard for on the comment part of this blog.The idea: Play the moneyline on the underdog for every bowl through Dec. 30. In the picks below, I list the moneyline in parentheses from scoresandodds.com.Ex: BYU over UTEP (+320) means, even though I'm picking BYU to win to help my standings vs. the experts, I'm suggesting to play UTEP at +320 to win outright. I will keep records for my picks and the underdog moneylines for all the games. But I don't like the underdog moneylines after Dec. 30.Some games won't have a +moneyline next to it, because there isn't one if the game is virtually a pick 'em.Before getting to my winners below, a quick reminder of the Expert Picks regular-season standings: Chip Patterson 236-68, Darst 234-70, me 230-74, Dodd 2227-77, Jacobi 225-79 & Horowitz 222-82.HANDICAPPINGAs for my regular-season suggestions, I finished 19-23-1. I know, not good, but we'll get three of them back on Day 1 as I like the lines on all three games (UTEP +11½, Northern Illinois -1½ & Ohio +2).There are a total of seven games I like. Add Central Florida +6½, Michigan State +9½, TCU-Wisconsin over of 58½ and Kentucky +3½.If there are any more that pop up, I'll post on the comment board of this blog.Good luck and have a happy holiday & bowl season.THE WINNERSSATURDAY, DEC. 18New Mexico: BYU over UTEP (+320) – Take the 11½ pointsHumanitarian: Northern Illinois over Fresno State (+114) – Lay the 1½ New Orleans: Ohio (+110) over Troy – Take the 2 pointsTUESDAY, DEC. 21Beef O'Brady's: Southern Mississippi (+120) over Louisville
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22Maaco: Boise State over Utah (+485)
THURSDAY, DEC. 23Poinsettia: San Diego State over Navy (+165)FRIDAY, DEC. 24Hawaii: Hawaii over Tulsa (+305)SUNDAY, DEC. 26Little Caesars: Florida International (+108) over ToledoMONDAY, DEC. 27Independence: Air Force over Georgia Tech (+125)TUESDAY, DEC. 28Champs Sports: West Virginia over North Carolina State (+125)Insight: Missouri over Iowa (+108)WEDNESDAY, DEC. 29Military: East Carolina (+240) over MarylandTexas: Baylor over Illinois (+110)Alamo: Arizona (+175) over Oklahoma StateTHURSDAY, DEC. 30Armed Forces: SMU over Army (+250)Pinstripe: Kansas State over Syracuse Music City: Tennessee (+110) over North CarolinaHoliday: Nebraska over Washington (+400)FRIDAY, DEC. 31Meineke Car Care: Clemson over South Florida (+170)Sun: Notre Dame (+125) over MiamiLiberty: Georgia over Central Florida (+210) – Take the 6½ pointsChick-Fil-A: South Carolina over Florida State (+135)SATURDAY, JAN. 1, 2011TicketCity: Texas Tech over Northwestern (+300)Outback: Florida over Penn State (+250)Capital One: Alabama over Michigan State (+310) – Take the 9½ pointsGator: Mississippi State over Michigan (+170)Rose: Wisconsin 36 (+120), TCU 28 – Play the over of 58½Fiesta: Oklahoma 42, Connecticut 13 (+475)MONDAY, JAN. 3Orange: Stanford 38, Virginia Tech 30 (+140)TUESDAY, JAN. 4Sugar: Ohio State 31, Arkansas 24 (+145)THURSDAY, JAN. 6Go Daddy.com: Miami of Ohio over Middle Tennessee StateFRIDAY, JAN. 7Cotton: LSU over Texas A&M (+101)SATURDAY, JAN. 8BBVA Compass: Kentucky (+145) over Pittsburgh – Take the 3½ pointsSUNDAY, JAN. 9Fight Hunger: Nevada over Boston College (+310)MONDAY, JAN. 10BCS title game: Auburn 43, Oregon 38 (+135)
Posted by Bryan FischerWhen Todd Graham took over the head coaching duties at Pitt, many thought the school would concentrate their out-of-state recruiting on Texas, where Grahm coached in high school and recruited well while at Rice and Tulsa. While his staff has focused a lot of their efforts in the state, they haven't forgotten about nearby talent in the midwest. That paid off Friday with the commitment of Oakwood (Ohio) defensive end Myles Hilliard to the Panthers after he unofficially visited the school."On the way back, me and my dad were talking about it," he told PantherLair.com. Then when I got home, I went to sleep and woke up at four o'clock in the morning and I was just thinking about it, and I realized, yeah, I want to go there. Hilliard held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Syracuse and West Virginia, among others, but it was the connection he developed with the coaching staff at the school's summer camp that really sealed the deal for Pitt."It was just the coaches," he said. "Every college looked nice, but it was the coaches. I wanted somebody who I had a great relationship with and who was going to coach me and make me better."The 6-foot-6, 245-pound defensive end spent time with position coach Paul Randolph and outside linebackers coach Randall McCray while camping and the two had been recruiting him hard ever since he picked up an offer from the school two weeks ago. Hilliard is the fourth commit for Pitt in the class of 2012, all but one of whom is on defense.
When Todd Graham took over the head coaching duties at Pitt, many thought the school would concentrate their out-of-state recruiting on Texas, where Grahm coached in high school and recruited well while at Rice and Tulsa. While his staff has focused a lot of their efforts in the state, they haven't forgotten about nearby talent in the midwest. That paid off Friday with the commitment of Oakwood (Ohio) defensive end Myles Hilliard to the Panthers after he unofficially visited the school.
"On the way back, me and my dad were talking about it," he told PantherLair.com. Then when I got home, I went to sleep and woke up at four o'clock in the morning and I was just thinking about it, and I realized, yeah, I want to go there.
Hilliard held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Syracuse and West Virginia, among others, but it was the connection he developed with the coaching staff at the school's summer camp that really sealed the deal for Pitt.
"It was just the coaches," he said. "Every college looked nice, but it was the coaches. I wanted somebody who I had a great relationship with and who was going to coach me and make me better."
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound defensive end spent time with position coach Paul Randolph and outside linebackers coach Randall McCray while camping and the two had been recruiting him hard ever since he picked up an offer from the school two weeks ago. Hilliard is the fourth commit for Pitt in the class of 2012, all but one of whom is on defense.
By all accounts, the 2010 season was a success for the Virginia Tech Hokies. They won the ACC, appeared in the Orange Bowl against Stanford and lost but still had an 11-win season. They were undefeated in conference play and had another great season. Now they must replace Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Williams and Darren Evans; three of their best offensive players. They have to break in a new quarterback, Logan Thomas, who has been highly touted as the "next big thing." The Hokies can't let a few obstacles stand in their way. They still have plenty of key pieces to make another conference run and possibly more. Here are 20 dream scenarios for the Virginia Tech football team.Begin Slideshow Read Full Article
By all accounts, the 2010 season was a success for the Virginia Tech Hokies. They won the ACC, appeared in the Orange Bowl against Stanford and lost but still had an 11-win season. They were undefeated in conference play and had another great season.
Now they must replace Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Williams and Darren Evans; three of their best offensive players. They have to break in a new quarterback, Logan Thomas, who has been highly touted as the "next big thing."
The Hokies can't let a few obstacles stand in their way. They still have plenty of key pieces to make another conference run and possibly more.
Here are 20 dream scenarios for the Virginia Tech football team.
Begin Slideshow
Posted by Adam JacobiDennis Dodd posted his annual list of Hot Seat Ratings today, so if you haven't perused them all, do so at once. At once, I say! Right now, let's focus on some of the untouchables, the 32 coaches who scored a 0.0-0.5 rating. Suffice it to say none of them are getting fired this year (or even next) without a major, unforeseeable catastrophe befalling the program. But past that, what coaches are truly untouchable, and who's just still on a honeymoon? Here's a look at 15 of those coaches, five for each category in the schools' alphabetical order, listed with Dodd's hot seat ratings.THE HONEYMOONERS Gene Chizik, Auburn, 0.0: Hear me out. Chizik is absolutely a 0.0 on Dodd's scale this year, and he would be even if the NCAA somehow finds a way to make Auburn vacate the 2010 BCS Championship (though that seems extremely unlikely at this juncture). But Auburn is expected to struggle this year, and while it's easy now to say that the title has earned Chizik a five-year grace period, what happens if Gus Malzahn gets a high-major head coaching offer and Kiehl Frazier doesn't pan out? If Auburn struggles through two straight .500 seasons and Malzahn takes off, that 0.0 turns into a 2.0 pretty soon.Will Muschamp, Florida, 0.5: Muschamp is one of the most dynamic and promising new head coaches in the last decade or so, but the fact remains that he's a 39-year-old, first-year head coach at a "win right now" program. Oh, and John Brantley is still his quarterback. If Muschamp can't get his Gators back above the South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC East pecking order, his seat's going to ignite in a hurry.Chip Kelly, Oregon, 0.0: The other coach coming off a 2010 BCS Championship berth also has two things working against him: a track record of only two seasons as head coach, and the possibility of major NCAA violations. For Kelly, the worry is more the latter than the former, and depending on where this business with Willie Lyles and Lache Seastrunk's recruitment ends up, Kelly could find himself in way more hot water than a 22-4 coach has any right to be. That's all "ifs" right now though, so for now, the honeymoon is still on.Doug Marrone, Syracuse, 0.5: Marrone enters his third year with the Orange after guiding the once-proud program to a 36-34 Pinstripe Bowl victory over Kansas State last year -- Syracuse's first bowl win since 2001. He's got a solid core of skill players back, but the overall talent level at Syracuse is still low enough that a moderate rash of injuries could be enough to plunge Syracuse back to the level of 3-5 wins in 2011, and that's a good way to snap fans back into remembering that the Pinstripe Bowl is just... the Pinstripe Bowl. Marrone's still got a lot of work to do.Steve Sarkisian, Washington, 0.5: Like Marrone, Sarkisian has performed the rather remarkable feat of turning around a program that had been mired in sub-mediocrity for the majority of the '00s. But like Marrone, the program's talent level isn't BCS-caliber yet, and unlike Marrone, Sark has to contend with losing a first-round draft pick senior quarterback, Jake Locker. Further, Washington's road schedule is brutal this year; the Huskies'll probably have to win at least two home games between California, Arizona, and Oregon just to get back to .500.HAPPILY MARRIED Jimbo Fisher, Florida State, 0.5: That Bobby Bowden transition wasn't so bad after all, was it? That's because Fisher guided FSU to 10 wins in his very first year... unlike the last six years of the Bowden era. Seminole fans are going to start raising expectations to the levels of the mid-'90s, so four losses and an ACC Championship loss aren't going to cut it forever, but Fisher's recruiting well enough to restore FSU to glory quickly.Kirk Ferentz, Iowa, 0.5: How comfortably ensconced at Iowa is Ferentz? He's been coaching at Iowa for 12 years, and in seven of them, Iowa has suffered at least five losses. Ferentz runs a clean coaching staff, but there have been a couple isolated stretches of off-field embarrassments for the Hawkeyes -- and the rhabdo case certainly didn't help matters. But he's well-loved in Iowa City all the same, and the fact that he has turned down offers from Michigan and several NFL teams is not lost on Iowa fans or administrators. Moreover, his teams haven't been bad since his first two years on campus, and he's producing a double-digit win season once per three years; if he keeps that pace up, he'll be at Iowa for as long as he wants.Charlie Strong, Louisville, 0.5: Strong has only been at Louisville for one season, but he's already got a winning season under his belt (unlike the disastrous reign of his predecessor, Steve Kragthorpe), and he's recruiting well enough (in particular, QB signee Teddy Bridgewater) to keep Louisville winning in perpetuity. If Strong leaves, it's because a powerhouse came calling; he's legit, and everybody at Louisville knows it. If he delivers a BCS win, you can move him into the last category here.Mark Dantonio, Michigan State, 0.5: Dantonio has been more successful at Michigan State than Nick Saban was. Mark Dantonio is therefore a better coach than Nick Saban. QED. If Dantonio can avoid any more health scares and start routinely challenging for Big Ten (sigh) Legends division championships, he's set for life in East Lansing. Easier said than done with Nebraska coming to town and Michigan likely to rebound from the recent swoon, though.Bo Pelini, Nebraska, 0.5: Bo Pelini has done a fine job in his first three years as Nebraska head coach, and on first glance, it appears the young coach is the perfect candidate to lead the Huskers into the Big Ten. There's been an odd sense of impermanence from Pelini's stay at Nebraska though; it's unclear whether it comes from his tempermental sideline behavior (and his brother's) or his itinerant career thus far -- this fourth season as Huskers head coach makes this the longest coaching job Pelini has ever held. Whatever it is, he seems to lack the stable, staid nature of his longer-tenured fellow coaches. That's not insignificant; if a coach can make his fans and boosters believe he's got everything under control when things go south for a year or two, his seat can stay nice and cool for longer. Pelini is respected, but he's not quite there yet.YOU'LL HAVE TO PRY THEM FROM OUR COLD DEAD HANDS Nick Saban, Alabama, 0.0: Saban delivered a national championship to Tuscaloosa in his second year there, and his Crimson Tide have finished with three straight AP Top 10 finishes. He's the highest-paid coach in college football for a reason: he earns it.Chris Peterson, Boise State, 0.5: Peterson basically ruined the WAC for everybody else, going 61-5 as Boise's head man. Sure, you can wonder where he'd be without Kellen Moore, but Peterson did beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl with Jared Zabransky behind center. Now that Utah and TCU are both running off to BCS conferences, expect Boise to dominate the Mountain West for as long as Peterson's there.Chris Ault, Nevada, 0.0: If this scale could go into negative numbers, Ault would be at least a -10. He's a College Football Hall of Famer who has overseen Nevada's rise from Division II to the upper echelon of the FBS mid-majors. Ault is a true Nevada lifer: he played QB for the Wolfpack in the '60s, and he's on his 26th year as a head coach with the program (his 39th overall in some facet with the Nevada athletic department). He is never, ever, ever getting fired. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern, 0.0: Fitzgerald just signed a contract extension that has 10 years on it, but is a de facto lifetime contract. He'll probably be in Evanston for at least the next 20 years. Seems crazy to say something like that about Northwestern football, doesn't it? But here it is and here we are.Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech, 0.0: The Hokies owe as much to Beamer as just about any program and current coach in the country (other than the aforementioned Nevada and Ault or Penn State and Joe Paterno, who might as well get the school named after him upon retirement). When the ACC realigned in 2005 to include a championship game, the divisions were set up to ensure the possibility of Miami and FSU meeting every season. Instead, it's been Virginia Tech dominating the conference, appearing in four of six championship games and winning three. The ACC is Frank Beamer's conference, so the very notion of a hot seat for Beamer is essentially unimaginable.
Dennis Dodd posted his annual list of Hot Seat Ratings today, so if you haven't perused them all, do so at once. At once, I say! Right now, let's focus on some of the untouchables, the 32 coaches who scored a 0.0-0.5 rating. Suffice it to say none of them are getting fired this year (or even next) without a major, unforeseeable catastrophe befalling the program. But past that, what coaches are truly untouchable, and who's just still on a honeymoon? Here's a look at 15 of those coaches, five for each category in the schools' alphabetical order, listed with Dodd's hot seat ratings.
Gretchen Ertl - AP Duke's Justin Turri (12) celebrates a fourth-quarter goal with Zach Howell, second from left, and David Lawson. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- On Thursday afternoon, Duke goalie Dan Wigrizer began to prepare for one of the biggest games of his life by using tennis balls instead of lacrosse balls. It wasn't until Saturday night that the Blue Devils' coaching staff gave the sophomore the green light to play.And on Sunday afternoon, before an announced crowd of nearly 14,000 at Gillette Stadium, Wigrizer and the Blue Devils turned in their best defensive effort of the season as No. 5 seed Duke used three fourth-quarter goals to defeat No. 4 seed Notre Dame, 7-5.With the NCAA quarterfinal win, Duke advances to the final four at M&T Bank Stadium, where the Blue Devils (14-5) at 4 p.m. Saturday will meet unseeded Maryland (12-4), which upset top seed Syracuse 6-5 in sudden-death overtime. "That Maryland team is dynamite. We know them so well because we play them so often," said Duke coach John Danowski, whose team split with the Terps in two games this season. "They have 20 seniors. They have Grant Catalino. They have Ryan Young."They are tough, emotional and have a great faceoff unit. At this point in the season, nobody sneaks in on anybody, not when you beat Syracuse."But Danowski was equally impressed with the Blue Devils' effort Sunday, especially on defense. A week ago, Duke barely held off Delaware, 15-14, in an opening-round win. Wigrizer missed the game with a concussion after getting hit in the face with a shot in practice.Twice last week, Wigrizer said, he took tests to see whether he could play against Notre Dame but failed. On Thursday night, he got permission to start preparing. Danowski didn't decide to start Wigrizer until midnight Saturday.Wigrizer finished with 14 saves. He frustrated Notre Dame (11-3), especially in the second half. The Fighting Irish and Blue Devils were tied at 3 at the half, and Notre Dame junior midfielder Max Pfeifer scored on a man-up situation to tie the score at 4 with 2:30 left in the third quarter. The Fighting Irish didn't score again until 16 seconds remained in the game.Duke defensemen Tom Montelli, Chris Hipps and Bill Conners kept constant pressure on Notre Dame's attack and kept pushing the group farther from the goal and creating bad angles.Wigrizer was superb."Thursday was my first full practice, and I just wasn't going to let it get to my head that I hadn't taken many shots," Wigrizer said. "I knew they were going to come out shooting. They were going to start taking shots right away, which they did. The first possession they had, they just kept shooting and shooting. During the game, I was trying to stay relaxed and calm. Our defense did a good job of keeping them outside the paints, and they made it easy for me to see shots and easy for me to make saves."Danowski was a little surprised by his goalie's strong performance."When you get a concussion from a shot, a lesser man might be a little squeamish about stepping back in there," the coach said.While Wigrizer was shutting down Notre Dame - which outshot the Blue Devils 34-28 and out-hustled them on ground balls 27-18 - Duke's offense dominated the fourth quarter.The Blue Devils won three of five faceoffs in the period and outshot Notre Dame 10-5.Freshman attackman Jordan Wolf scored the first goal of the fourth quarter with 13:30 left after beating sophomore midfielder Quinn Cully off a late slide near the right of the crease.Senior attackman Tucker Virtue made it 6-4 nearly three minutes later when he scored on a 15-yard laser from out front, and Duke essentially sealed the win with a goal by junior midfielder Robert Rotanz with 3:44 remaining."I think it was pretty clear if you watched that game that we know each other well," Notre Dame coach Kevin Corrigan said. "I don't think it is complicated stuff - you got to make plays at this time of year to win games, and we didn't make enough plays."We had our opportunities - we just didn't finish them. They finished them more than we did."
Gretchen Ertl - AP
Duke's Justin Turri (12) celebrates a fourth-quarter goal with Zach Howell, second from left, and David Lawson.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- On Thursday afternoon, Duke goalie Dan Wigrizer began to prepare for one of the biggest games of his life by using tennis balls instead of lacrosse balls. It wasn't until Saturday night that the Blue Devils' coaching staff gave the sophomore the green light to play.
And on Sunday afternoon, before an announced crowd of nearly 14,000 at Gillette Stadium, Wigrizer and the Blue Devils turned in their best defensive effort of the season as No. 5 seed Duke used three fourth-quarter goals to defeat No. 4 seed Notre Dame, 7-5.
With the NCAA quarterfinal win, Duke advances to the final four at M&T Bank Stadium, where the Blue Devils (14-5) at 4 p.m. Saturday will meet unseeded Maryland (12-4), which upset top seed Syracuse 6-5 in sudden-death overtime.
"That Maryland team is dynamite. We know them so well because we play them so often," said Duke coach John Danowski, whose team split with the Terps in two games this season. "They have 20 seniors. They have Grant Catalino. They have Ryan Young.
"They are tough, emotional and have a great faceoff unit. At this point in the season, nobody sneaks in on anybody, not when you beat Syracuse."
But Danowski was equally impressed with the Blue Devils' effort Sunday, especially on defense. A week ago, Duke barely held off Delaware, 15-14, in an opening-round win. Wigrizer missed the game with a concussion after getting hit in the face with a shot in practice.
Twice last week, Wigrizer said, he took tests to see whether he could play against Notre Dame but failed. On Thursday night, he got permission to start preparing. Danowski didn't decide to start Wigrizer until midnight Saturday.
Wigrizer finished with 14 saves. He frustrated Notre Dame (11-3), especially in the second half. The Fighting Irish and Blue Devils were tied at 3 at the half, and Notre Dame junior midfielder Max Pfeifer scored on a man-up situation to tie the score at 4 with 2:30 left in the third quarter. The Fighting Irish didn't score again until 16 seconds remained in the game.
Duke defensemen Tom Montelli, Chris Hipps and Bill Conners kept constant pressure on Notre Dame's attack and kept pushing the group farther from the goal and creating bad angles.
Wigrizer was superb.
"Thursday was my first full practice, and I just wasn't going to let it get to my head that I hadn't taken many shots," Wigrizer said. "I knew they were going to come out shooting. They were going to start taking shots right away, which they did. The first possession they had, they just kept shooting and shooting. During the game, I was trying to stay relaxed and calm. Our defense did a good job of keeping them outside the paints, and they made it easy for me to see shots and easy for me to make saves."
Danowski was a little surprised by his goalie's strong performance.
"When you get a concussion from a shot, a lesser man might be a little squeamish about stepping back in there," the coach said.
While Wigrizer was shutting down Notre Dame - which outshot the Blue Devils 34-28 and out-hustled them on ground balls 27-18 - Duke's offense dominated the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils won three of five faceoffs in the period and outshot Notre Dame 10-5.
Freshman attackman Jordan Wolf scored the first goal of the fourth quarter with 13:30 left after beating sophomore midfielder Quinn Cully off a late slide near the right of the crease.
Senior attackman Tucker Virtue made it 6-4 nearly three minutes later when he scored on a 15-yard laser from out front, and Duke essentially sealed the win with a goal by junior midfielder Robert Rotanz with 3:44 remaining.
"I think it was pretty clear if you watched that game that we know each other well," Notre Dame coach Kevin Corrigan said. "I don't think it is complicated stuff - you got to make plays at this time of year to win games, and we didn't make enough plays.
"We had our opportunities - we just didn't finish them. They finished them more than we did."
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 Vintage 2007?s Journey To Harvest is Complete All of our grapes for the 2007 crop year have now been harvested and are well into the process of becoming Vintage 07. The Zinfandel and Merlot are crushed are now quietly ageing in oak barrels. The Sauvignon Blanc is divided between Stainless Steel and neutral oak barrels with fermentation almost complete. Small In Size But Great In Quality The crop was small, about 30% below what we had forecast, but the quality is superb. All of the early reports for the Sauvignon Blanc are of great flavors and aromas of pineapple, citrus, and apricot. The zinfandel aromas and flavors are the classic Zinfandel spice with blackberry and raspberry overtones. The Enologix Laboratory evaluation for our Zinfandel was that the juice had the quality and character to produce a wine with a Parker score of 95. This is just about as high quality wise as you can get. We feel that we as growers have now thrown the ball to our winemaking friends to take full advantage of this running start and bring all this fruit quality through to some super award winning wines that will truly gladden the hearts of all! The dollar results of the small crop will cause discomfort for all of us for the entire 08 crop year until harvest time comes around again. It?s as if your employer reduced your income by 30% with no chance to recover until eleven months later. In spite of the romance and joy of growing grapes here in Sonoma Valley, Mother Nature can be a harsh taskmaster at times. Zinfandel Experiment Remember last month we wrote of our bold head-pruned Zinfandel experiment? The grapes from this experimental area did not score as highly as the trellis grown portion of the crop. We feel that in this first year the newly head pruned vines did not have a chance to develop the typical umbrella canopy and that the grapes were exposed to too much direct sun. We have great faith in this experiment so will pay special attention when pruning time comes around. Autumn in the Vineyard As soon as the last grape was harvested we gave every vine a great drink of water and a dose of fertilizer. Immediately after harvest the vines have a burst of expansion of new root activity as the vine stores up carbohydrates in reserve for next year?s crop. As the weather changes and the vines cease photosynthesis, the leaves take on beautiful fall colors. But when you walk through the vineyard or look down on the rows of bright orange or yellow vines from a hillside they share with you a lot about what is truly going on in their secret lives. Its almost embarrassingly personal! The Vines Speak The vines in the areas of extremely lean, rocky soil have their leaves turn yellow and fall off first. The vines in these areas are really saying, ?we could use some extra fertilizer or perhaps a second water emitter.? Here and there as you look over the vineyard there are dark green when all the vines around them have yellow or orange leaves. This means there is a broken irrigation line and those vines are getting more than their fair share of water. Vines near to large oak trees also loose their leaves early, as the oak tree?s roots soak up some of ?their? water. In several areas you can look down a row and tell by the leaves where the soil changes (on our case) from rocky to very rocky. I have often thought some year when the leaves are all turning yellow or orange with some beginning to fall off that we should carefully go through the entire vineyard with a large detailed map and make personal vine adjustments - a prescription for an extra emitter here, more fertilizer there, maybe a steady program here of an extra hour or so of water when the drip system is on. I am certain the vines would appreciate it and reward us with an extra ton of grapes or so. So Much To Do Meanwhile in the ranch office son John has his green eyeshade and sharp yellow pencil on, working out the ranch budget for 2008. So many projects begging for attention: Perhaps we will be able to begin a long needed mulch program to nourish our soil. Should we begin to graft over our Merlot block or patiently wait a few more years for the market to return? Should we replace some long needed trellis stakes that are rusting off at the bottom. Should we buy some compressed air bubblers for the bottom of our irrigation lake to help control algae with out chemicals? Ahh?the romance of growing grapes in the beautiful Sonoma Valley.
Vintage 2007?s Journey To Harvest is Complete All of our grapes for the 2007 crop year have now been harvested and are well into the process of becoming Vintage 07. The Zinfandel and Merlot are crushed are now quietly ageing in oak barrels. The Sauvignon Blanc is divided between Stainless Steel and neutral oak barrels with fermentation almost complete.
Small In Size But Great In Quality The crop was small, about 30% below what we had forecast, but the quality is superb. All of the early reports for the Sauvignon Blanc are of great flavors and aromas of pineapple, citrus, and apricot. The zinfandel aromas and flavors are the classic Zinfandel spice with blackberry and raspberry overtones. The Enologix Laboratory evaluation for our Zinfandel was that the juice had the quality and character to produce a wine with a Parker score of 95. This is just about as high quality wise as you can get. We feel that we as growers have now thrown the ball to our winemaking friends to take full advantage of this running start and bring all this fruit quality through to some super award winning wines that will truly gladden the hearts of all!
The dollar results of the small crop will cause discomfort for all of us for the entire 08 crop year until harvest time comes around again. It?s as if your employer reduced your income by 30% with no chance to recover until eleven months later. In spite of the romance and joy of growing grapes here in Sonoma Valley, Mother Nature can be a harsh taskmaster at times.
Zinfandel Experiment Remember last month we wrote of our bold head-pruned Zinfandel experiment? The grapes from this experimental area did not score as highly as the trellis grown portion of the crop. We feel that in this first year the newly head pruned vines did not have a chance to develop the typical umbrella canopy and that the grapes were exposed to too much direct sun. We have great faith in this experiment so will pay special attention when pruning time comes around.
Autumn in the Vineyard As soon as the last grape was harvested we gave every vine a great drink of water and a dose of fertilizer. Immediately after harvest the vines have a burst of expansion of new root activity as the vine stores up carbohydrates in reserve for next year?s crop. As the weather changes and the vines cease photosynthesis, the leaves take on beautiful fall colors. But when you walk through the vineyard or look down on the rows of bright orange or yellow vines from a hillside they share with you a lot about what is truly going on in their secret lives. Its almost embarrassingly personal!
The Vines Speak The vines in the areas of extremely lean, rocky soil have their leaves turn yellow and fall off first. The vines in these areas are really saying, ?we could use some extra fertilizer or perhaps a second water emitter.? Here and there as you look over the vineyard there are dark green when all the vines around them have yellow or orange leaves. This means there is a broken irrigation line and those vines are getting more than their fair share of water. Vines near to large oak trees also loose their leaves early, as the oak tree?s roots soak up some of ?their? water. In several areas you can look down a row and tell by the leaves where the soil changes (on our case) from rocky to very rocky. I have often thought some year when the leaves are all turning yellow or orange with some beginning to fall off that we should carefully go through the entire vineyard with a large detailed map and make personal vine adjustments - a prescription for an extra emitter here, more fertilizer there, maybe a steady program here of an extra hour or so of water when the drip system is on. I am certain the vines would appreciate it and reward us with an extra ton of grapes or so.
So Much To Do Meanwhile in the ranch office son John has his green eyeshade and sharp yellow pencil on, working out the ranch budget for 2008. So many projects begging for attention: Perhaps we will be able to begin a long needed mulch program to nourish our soil. Should we begin to graft over our Merlot block or patiently wait a few more years for the market to return? Should we replace some long needed trellis stakes that are rusting off at the bottom. Should we buy some compressed air bubblers for the bottom of our irrigation lake to help control algae with out chemicals? Ahh?the romance of growing grapes in the beautiful Sonoma Valley.
Posted by Chip PattersonAfter spending six seasons on the NFL sideline, Connecticut's Paul Pasqualoni has been getting back into the groove of being a head coach in college football. A big part of that in the offseason is the public relations grind. Pasqualoni made the short trip to Bristol this week spend time at ESPN participating in various programming for the network. In his appearance on First Take, Pasqualoni weighed in on the challenges of creating more money for scholarship athletes."I think we would all like to see the players be able to receive a stipend," Pasqualoni told First Take's Dana Jacobson. "Now having said that, it's a very difficult thing to do. If you do it for a I-A football player then to be fair you have to do it for all scholarship players. Of all the I-A teams in the country, and there's probably over 120 of them, maybe 40 of them are operating at a level of profit. I don't know exactly how you fund it, when you start talking about every student athlete and giving them a stipend."Pasqualoni spent 17 years with the Syracuse football program, with 13 of them as a head coach. At 61, he is one of the more seasoned coaches in the game and it is refreshing to hear an even-keeled look at the situation. When Mike Slive or Jim Delany give their opinion on the issue, it always feels loaded (because it is). Many people would like to see scholarship athletes receive a stipend for their hours put into college athletics, which often leaves barely enough time for academics and no chance of a part-time job. But the logistics of creating, managing, and regulating that money is still something that needs to be agreed on before any additional stipends are put in place. Change, in general, can take a long time with issues involving money. But with the NCAA, there is no telling how long it will take for those discussions to take place in a serious manner.
After spending six seasons on the NFL sideline, Connecticut's Paul Pasqualoni has been getting back into the groove of being a head coach in college football. A big part of that in the offseason is the public relations grind. Pasqualoni made the short trip to Bristol this week spend time at ESPN participating in various programming for the network. In his appearance on First Take, Pasqualoni weighed in on the challenges of creating more money for scholarship athletes.
"I think we would all like to see the players be able to receive a stipend," Pasqualoni told First Take's Dana Jacobson. "Now having said that, it's a very difficult thing to do. If you do it for a I-A football player then to be fair you have to do it for all scholarship players. Of all the I-A teams in the country, and there's probably over 120 of them, maybe 40 of them are operating at a level of profit. I don't know exactly how you fund it, when you start talking about every student athlete and giving them a stipend."
Pasqualoni spent 17 years with the Syracuse football program, with 13 of them as a head coach. At 61, he is one of the more seasoned coaches in the game and it is refreshing to hear an even-keeled look at the situation. When Mike Slive or Jim Delany give their opinion on the issue, it always feels loaded (because it is). Many people would like to see scholarship athletes receive a stipend for their hours put into college athletics, which often leaves barely enough time for academics and no chance of a part-time job. But the logistics of creating, managing, and regulating that money is still something that needs to be agreed on before any additional stipends are put in place. Change, in general, can take a long time with issues involving money. But with the NCAA, there is no telling how long it will take for those discussions to take place in a serious manner.
Posted by Bryan FischerWith a rigid academic profile and a football team that is now BCS-caliber, Stanford has to search the country for recruits that fit their specific profile for what they're looking for. The Cardinal staff went all the way into Brentwood (Tenn.) Monday night for their latest commitment, offensive lineman Graham Shuler, who felt the school was just what he was looking for."I actually decided a couple of weeks ago but I’ve really just been praying about it and talking about it with my coaches and my family and just really making sure that this is the best decision for me and at the end of last week, I just really realized this is it, this is where I want to be and what I want to do," Shuler told Scout. "I wanted to go to a school where I could get an incredible academic environment and a great education that would prepare me for my future. There’s no better school in the country that can prepare me for the field like Stanford can and the rest of my life in the classroom."The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Shuler is the son of former Auburn tackle Rob Shuler, who played in the early 80's. While the son didn't follow in his father's footsteps to the SEC, he is on board with a rising power in the Pac-12 and is looking to help recruit a promising class for the school this year."I mean, right now I’m very excited about my decision," he said. "I’m not really sure what all I’m allowed to do. I want to better Stanford as much as possible and I will be a spokesperson, advocate for them for the rest of my life. So might as well start now. I want to be the best, I want to be on the team that’s the best, and that happens by surrounding yourself with the best players."The fifth commitment for Stanford's class of 2012, Shuler has a 3.9 GPA and held offers from Clemson, Boston College, Mississippi State and Syracuse among others. As a testiment to the the Cardinal's national reach, all five commitments are from a different state and none of them are from California.
With a rigid academic profile and a football team that is now BCS-caliber, Stanford has to search the country for recruits that fit their specific profile for what they're looking for. The Cardinal staff went all the way into Brentwood (Tenn.) Monday night for their latest commitment, offensive lineman Graham Shuler, who felt the school was just what he was looking for.
"I actually decided a couple of weeks ago but I’ve really just been praying about it and talking about it with my coaches and my family and just really making sure that this is the best decision for me and at the end of last week, I just really realized this is it, this is where I want to be and what I want to do," Shuler told Scout. "I wanted to go to a school where I could get an incredible academic environment and a great education that would prepare me for my future. There’s no better school in the country that can prepare me for the field like Stanford can and the rest of my life in the classroom."
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Shuler is the son of former Auburn tackle Rob Shuler, who played in the early 80's. While the son didn't follow in his father's footsteps to the SEC, he is on board with a rising power in the Pac-12 and is looking to help recruit a promising class for the school this year.
"I mean, right now I’m very excited about my decision," he said. "I’m not really sure what all I’m allowed to do. I want to better Stanford as much as possible and I will be a spokesperson, advocate for them for the rest of my life. So might as well start now. I want to be the best, I want to be on the team that’s the best, and that happens by surrounding yourself with the best players."
The fifth commitment for Stanford's class of 2012, Shuler has a 3.9 GPA and held offers from Clemson, Boston College, Mississippi State and Syracuse among others. As a testiment to the the Cardinal's national reach, all five commitments are from a different state and none of them are from California.
WR Miles Onyegbule from Arlington, Texas, is one of the members of the 2011 freshmen class. June 18, 2011 Why did you choose to attend the University of Texas? After weighing all my options with [the other schools], I just felt like staying in the state and playing for this great school and the tradition it has. There was no doubt about it, [Texas] was going to be the school from day one. Once they offered, I had to jump on it. What are your feelings about head coach Mack Brown? Just every time I come down here it’s a comfort level like no other. Over here, it’s like they’re going to sit you down and tell you what you need to hear and be straight up with you, and I just like being comfortable playing for good people. What do you think about the facilities here at Texas? The first time I saw the stadium it was game time against my brother (former Kansas DE Maxwell Onyegbule) with the burnt orange everywhere, and it was crazy. I loved it. How are you feeling about starting your college career? I just want to put on some gloves and catch some balls for the University of Texas. I’m excited.
WR Miles Onyegbule from Arlington, Texas, is one of the members of the 2011 freshmen class.
June 18, 2011
Why did you choose to attend the University of Texas? After weighing all my options with [the other schools], I just felt like staying in the state and playing for this great school and the tradition it has. There was no doubt about it, [Texas] was going to be the school from day one. Once they offered, I had to jump on it.
What are your feelings about head coach Mack Brown? Just every time I come down here it’s a comfort level like no other. Over here, it’s like they’re going to sit you down and tell you what you need to hear and be straight up with you, and I just like being comfortable playing for good people.
What do you think about the facilities here at Texas? The first time I saw the stadium it was game time against my brother (former Kansas DE Maxwell Onyegbule) with the burnt orange everywhere, and it was crazy. I loved it.
How are you feeling about starting your college career? I just want to put on some gloves and catch some balls for the University of Texas. I’m excited.
Larry King
March Madness
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