College Sports

Just a few weeks ago, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) asked its members to stop recruiting younger and younger prospects. Coaches appeared to agree, including Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie, who has been the beneficiary of several of the youngsters announcing their plans.

The NABC said it strongly encouraged coaches from asking for commitments, or offering scholarships.

Well, that didn’t last long.

Florida has accepted a commitment from a player who will be entering 10th grade this fall, and Gillispie is backing off his earlier statement.

According to Gillispie, “I’m a company man. But I’m not going to get beat up as far as competing. You always want to try to do what the coaches’ organization asks. But you’re not going to sit by the wayside while other people are getting ahead of you.”

Baloney.

First of all, as I stated in a column on May 17, (newborn-commits-to-kentucky), these commitments aren’t worth the paper they are written on. Either side can back out with no reprisals. But the situation is getting out of hand. Eighth graders are being recruited… 13 years old! Come on!

And now Gillispie is crying about getting beat out by the SEC’s head “Billy” (Donovan) for a 9th grader. Yeah, whatever!

Unless the NCAA and president Myles Brand get a handle on this thing quickly, it will escalate even more. The organization can’t afford to sit in it’s ivory tower offices in Indiana and shake it’s head “no.”

The NABC tried, but it has no real power over it’s coaches. No one wants more NCAA legislation, but if the coaches are going to push it, the NCAA needs to push back… and soon.

Rising senior Billy Humphrey, Georgia’s second leading scorer this past season at 12.2 points per game, has been kicked off the Bulldog squad, according to head coach Dennis Felton.

Humphrey, a 20 year old, was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with DUI, failure to maintain his lane, and the underage purchase of alcohol. He was taken to the Gwinnett County jail at 3:32 a.m.

It was his third arrest in less than a year.

“I am disappointed in Billy,” said Felton. “We’ve worked really hard with him in the past to see that he succeeds, but I feel that it’s now best for our program to move forward without him.”

Humphrey played in 30 of the Bulldogs 34 games this past season, starting 28. In addition to his 12.2 points per game, he averaged 3.5 rebounds. He shot 37% from behind the 3-point line and 83% from the free throw line, both bests on the Georgia team.

The part of this story that grabs me is Dennis Felton. Felton was hired to clean up a Georgia basketball program that was running wild under former coach Jim Harrick. Harrick had turned the Bulldog program into a joke, with accusations of academic fraud. In five seasons at UGa, Felton has a record of 75-79, a winning percentage of .487. On the surface, that looks bad, but look a little deeper and see that Felton has had an uphill struggle to rebuild the program. Players have been dismissed and transfered.

This past year was supposed to be the turning point for the Dogs. They had the players to make a run, four starters returning. The previous year they had finished 19-14 and advanced to the NIT.

So what happened? Before the season even started, forward Takais Brown, the team’s leading returning scorer, and guard Mike Mercer, one of the top athletes on the team, were both kicked off. Brown (now playing professionally in Finland) had failed several drug tests, and Mercer (who transfered to South Florida) was dismissed for being a disruption. He had previously been suspended for not adhering to academic policies.

To add insult to injury, reserve center Rashad Singleton quit in January because he wanted more playing time, and freshmen forwards Jeremy Jacob and Chris Barnes each suffered season-ending injuries.

So Georgia entered the rugged SEC schedule with one arm tied behind it’s back. But a run through the conference tournament saved Felton’s job… at least for now. Georgia, the sixth-seed in the East, won the tournament with a 66-57 victory over Arkansas.

In short, Felton was hired to bring discipline to a program that lacked it. He is doing that, but it isn’t easy. He’s made some recruiting mistakes that have haunted him. Attrition is a problem in the program (players have transferred out in addition to those kicked off). This isn’t a time when schools can sit by and let that happen, as the NCAA will impose penalties for lack of academic progress within the program.

But I hope Georgia doesn’t bail out on Felton (like many schools do!). Given a full chance, Felton will win at UGa… he’s a winner, and he’ll do it the right way.

Today is our nation’s birthday. We’re 232 years old today, and maybe we’re showing our age a little bit. But today is the day to celebrate that age and all our accomplishments. We spend today with family and friends, cooking out, on the water, playing games, whatever.

There are a lot of sports traditions that go along with the fourth. When I was a kid, my family spent virtually every fourth at an Atlanta Braves game. We’d get to the old Atlanta-Fulton County stadium, grab some hot dogs and head to our seats. After the game, we’d stay for the fireworks.

My favorite year was 1985, when a game with the Mets went into extra innings and didn’t end until after 4 a.m…. and the Atlanta brass shot the fireworks off anyway! I wasn’t at the game, but was watching it at home. When I saw that they were shooting off the boomers anyway, I just started laughing. The stadium was located in the middle of a neighborhood, hard by I-75. Can you imagine waking up to that noise? The Braves lost the game in 19 innings, a game marked by a pitcher (Rick Camp) having to hit for himself and tying the game up (again) in the 17th inning. I’ll never forget the dirty look he got from the ump as he crossed home plate.

Anyway, I digress. We all have our traditions on this day, and a great many of our traditions, and memories, involve sports in one way or another. And these memories can evoke powerful emotions. Not long after my husband and I first met, I took him to Atlanta for a game on the 4th. When the fireworks started, I couldn’t believe it… I got emotional. I remembered my dad taking me to the games, teaching me how to keep score. The July 4, 1985 games was one of his last to see before he died. He didn’t live to meet my hubby, but his love of baseball, and sports in general, now is being passed down to my little girl, through me.

So today, I think about the traditions of sport. There is a lot of bad in sport, but at the end of the day it unites us in a unique bond that transcends generations.

What’s the old ad? “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet!” Amen!

China’s government has denied attempting to politicize the Olympic process, after receiving a letter from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressing regret over remarks made about Tibet and the Dalai Lama.

Tibet’s Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli, was speaking at a ceremony honoring the Olympic torch as it passed through Lhasa. The remarks came at a ceremony marking the reuniting of the flame with a separate flame that had been carried to the top of Mount Everest. He reasserted China’s hard line on supporters of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who has been in exile in India.

“The sky above Tibet will never change,” said Zhang. “The red five-star flag will always fly above this land. We can definitely smash the separatist plot of the Dalai Lama clique completely.”

So, China is accused of politicizing the Olympics, the world’s largest sporting stage?

Duh!

Isn’t that what virtually every nation has done since the era of the Modern Olympics has begun? Isn’t that what Hitler did in 1936? Isn’t that what the Soviets were doing in 1980 (even though there was a U.S.-led boycott)? And the L.A. Olympics in 1984 also had a jingoistic flavor (despite a reciprocal USSR-led boycott).

The Olympics provide a stage for nations to say, “Look at us! Look what we can do, what we have done!” But because China’s policies are so militaristic in form, so strident and outspoken in speech, it has a magnifying glass over it. The IOC “tut-tuts” and shakes it’s head. “Not what we expected, we are disappointed,” the organizers cluck.

Where were these people when the decision was made to place the Olympics in China? Did they not have any idea that China would use the Games as a “coming out” party? Did they think by sending the Olympics to China, it’s human rights atrocities would simply vanish? That the nation would think, “Hey, let’s clean up our act and get with the democratic program!”

Sheesh, my five year old could have seen this one coming!

Georgia’s bulldog mascot, UGA VI, passed away last week of congestive heart failure. He died at his home in Savannah.

Now normally I would probably not write about a mascot… especially one at a rival school. But Uga is different.

Uga (the name is pronounced uhg-uh, and is a reference to Georgia’s school initials, UGa), is probably the best known mascot in the nation. He has been proclaimed the nation’s best by no less than Sports Illustrated. The lineage, English bulldog, is secure, according the the University.

Uga VI was heavier than any previous Georgia mascot at 65 pounds. He outweighed his dad by 20 pounds. He first took the field for the Bulldogs when he was less than a year old, in 1999. During his tenure, Georgia’s football team won two SEC Championships (2002 and 2005)and had a record of 87-27.

But football was not the only arena where Georgia saw success during Uga VI’s reign. All told, 19 of Georgia’s 33 national championships came during this period.

Here are some quotes on the passing of Uga VI:

“This is a very sad day for the entire Bulldog Nation. Uga has always been such a strong figure associated the University of Georgia nationwide. Uga VI was a damn good mascot and a damn good dog. He was an outstanding representative of our fine institution.” Athletic Director Damon Evans.

“Uga VI served with extraordinary courage and heart as a beloved University of Georgia mascot. He was a true symbol of the toughness and competitiveness of our athletic teams, and was a rallying figure for the entire Bulldog Nation.” University of Georgia President Dr. Michael F. Adams

“Uga VI was indeed a damn good dog. Alumni of all ages had a special relationship with him, and he always drew a crowd of alumni faithful, whether at the Sugar Bowl, the Homecoming Parade, or simply walking into Sanford Stadium before leading us to victory. We will miss him and all he stood for.” Trey Paris, President of the Georgia Alumni Association

Like all previous Uga’s, Uga VI will be buried in a marble vault in the Southwest corner of Sanford Stadium, Georgia’s football stadium, with his predecessors.

Justin Gatlin, one of the world’s fastest sprinters, has given up after losing his most recent appeal to compete at the U.S. Olympic trials.

Gatlin, the defending Olympic 100-meter champion, lost his most recent appeal on June 26, and has decided not to further the case to the Supreme Court. He will continue to seek monetary damages from the U.S. Olympic Committee, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and other defendants. He claims that his first doping violation, in 2001, was flawed because he was taking prescribed medication for attention deficit disorder.

So now Gatlin will sit out the remainder of his suspension. I’m not surprised at the result of his various lawsuits. The different committees have had to take strong stances on illegal performance enhancing drugs. The violations worldwide in all areas of sports have been massive, and in some cases have threatened to do serious harm to the sports themselves. Look at cycling. It is a shell of what it once was, due to allegations and positive drug tests.

And while I have long been a Justin Gatlin fan, I think that to allow him to run would be sending a horrible message. His argument that his first violation was due to ADD medicine may be true. But even if it is, the second violation is the one that got him suspended for the duration. He knew what would happen if he was found guilty of any sort of drug violation. He associated himself with those who pushed performance enhancing drugs, all the while maintaining he was “clean.”

It caught up with him. It’s a shame, I doubt he needed the drugs to win. But he did the crime, and now he needs to do the time.

At last, Big 10 fans living in the Big 10 states will actually be able to get the Big 10 Network (BTN).

Comcast, the leading cable provider in seven of the eight states where Big 10 schools are located, came to an agreement with the BTN that will provide access to the network beginning August 15, just in time for kickoff.

The seven states included are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Iowa, the eighth Big 10 state, does not have any Comcast subscribers.

BTN had been holding out for $1.10 per customer and wanted to be on basic cable packages. They settled for 70 cents per customer and will be on expanded basic in the seven states. Outside of that region, Comcast has the option of placing the network on it’s Sports Entertainment Network or other service tiers.

BTN is owned by the Big 10 Conference and Fox Cable Networks. It is groundbreaking in the fact that it is the first network owned by a conference, although other conferences are now looking into starting their own networks. BTN covers all sports offered on the conference level, giving broadcast views to sports that rarely get it.

As I said in a previous article (Big 10 Network: A Bad Idea Gone Worse) , this idea will probably snowball, and the sports fan will pay and pay and pay. We’ve already been priced out of the stadiums and arenas. Corporate money trumps Joe College Alum any day. But in the hunt for the $$$, the “Show me the money” mentality has taken over.

So stay tuned, America. Next up? SEC-TV. Pac10-a-vision. Big East Coast Bias TV. You name it, you’ll pay for it!

For the first time ever, the top three picks in the NBA draft are all one-and-done’rs. For the second straight year, the top overall pick is a freshman.

Chicago opened by taking Derrick Rose out of Memphis with the top pick. He was followed by Michael Beasley of Kansas State going to Miami, and USC star O.J. Mayo going to Minnesota (although the word is that he is potentially trade bait).

Ohio State’s Greg Oden was the top pick of the Portland Trailblazers last year.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Beasley said, “We actually talked about this earlier. We all grew up together and we all grew up playing against each other and we all made a pact together that we would all be here. Just to see it all fall into place and see it all happen is kind of crazy.”

In addition to the top three picks, five of the first seven were freshmen. And the Pac-10 had five of the top 11 picks.

I don’t have a problem with the kids who are one and done. I do have a problem with the rule. It seems so random. Of course, all three major sports have such random rules about the draft it is hard to keep up.

I have never quite understood why there is not just one rule governing football, basketball and baseball. Baseball’s rule has always been my favorite… you can be drafted out of high school, but if you choose to attend college, you cannot reenter the draft until following your junior season. It allows the schools to be able to build programs, rather than wonder each year what your roster needs will be.

The NBA’s draft rules seem to be the most harmful to a program in the long run. Do you recruit a player knowing he will be gone in one year? Do you hope that you can build that team chemistry quickly and then start all over the following season? Or do you bypass the players who will be “short timers” and go for project players, players you can mold to fit your system.

Tough questions. The NCAA needs to come up with some answers, instead of letting the pro leagues puppet the whole show.

Steve Detwiler had himself quite a night. The Fresno State slugger had two home runs and all six Bulldog RBI’s to lead FSU to its first-ever NCAA Division I Baseball National Championship. Fresno State took the title with a 6-1 victory over eighth-seeded Georgia.Detwiler hit a two-run shot in the second inning to give Fresno State an early lead, and followed that up in the fourth with an RBI double. He capped his night with a two-out, three run homer in the sixth that gave the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.

Bulldog pitcher Justin Wilson did his part for FSU on the mound. In eight innings, he allowed one run on just five hits, and struck out nine. Reliever Brandon Burke took over in the ninth and got the final three outs. His game clinching performance included getting a double play with Georgia runners on first and second and no one out in the ninth.

Fresno State had quite a run to the title. It marks the first time a regional four-seed has won a national championship, and during the course of the tournament, FSU hade to beat the #2 national seed North Carolina twice, the #3 national seed Arizona State twice, the #6 national seed Rice once, and the #8 national seed Georgia twice.

All in a days work for a team that wouldn’t be denied and who gave us one of the most improbable runs in NCAA baseball tournament history.

Wilson and Detwiler were both on the MCWS all-tournament team while teammate Tommy Mendonca was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Fresno State ends it’s season with a mark of 47-31, while Georgia ends up 45-25-1.

After a long, long college baseball season, it’s all come down to tonight’s game. Fresno State vs. Georgia. Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs. Big Red vs. Big Red.

Both teams have great stories. FSU fought through a region where it was seeded fourth, and became the first regional four seed ever to advance to the championship round. Georgia finished last year with a losing record, but won the SEC regular season, and became the first team with a losing record the prior year to advance to the championship round.

Tonight’s game is one of those classic matchups where you don’t want to see anyone lose. You know both teams are playing on heart as much as ability.

First pitch is just minutes away, on ESPN at 7 p.m. EDT. Catch it!