Absolutely Obknoxious

So long, website...

2008-07-31T02:47:00.003-05:00

Hello NEW WEBSITE!

Alright, I am shutting down operation of this specific blog. No longer will you be able to come here and read my take on sports or any news I see relevant. Instead, you'll have to go to my new site, which is still without an awesome template, but has some other cool features.

2008-07-28T01:34:00.000-05:00

Busy summer, working on new blogsite. updates few and far between until players report in a week or so.

Leach article

2008-06-20T14:46:00.000-05:00

Here's an article about Mike Leach from Chip Brown at the DMN.

Update time

2008-06-19T18:05:00.002-05:00

Back in town until Monday, so here are some updates from the week...

Vote for Crabtree (scroll to bottom) for Big 12 Men's Performance of the Year

Tech lands a great committ in Friendswood QB Jacob Karam. This is huge for Leach and company because he is a very legitimate talent who can easily battle for the quarterback position in 2009 against Potts, Loucks and Doege. Karam doesn't have the high school passing numbers like some of the other quarterbacks already on campus, but his athleticism (and lack of knee surgeries) adds a lot of promise. Story from Friendswood on Karam. Karam is highly ranked in the state and has a 14-7 record in 2 years for the Mustangs.

Danny Amendola survives first round of cuts by Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys trimmed their roster to 79 players, with Amendola being included in that 79. Good luck Danny!

The College World Series in Omaha has kicked off, and Rice is already back in Houston, dropping games to unranked Fresno State and 7th ranked LSU.

Cedric Benson, shame on you.

2008-06-07T03:41:00.003-05:00

You heard it here first folks, Cedric Benson is sitting in the Travis County Jail tonight after being arrested for a drunk driving. The current time is 3:42 CST.

Story from AAS posted 5 hours after my blog :)

Draft Day 2!

2008-06-06T13:00:00.010-05:00

Round 7:

210. Jordan Danks, OF, Texas - Chicago AL (Brother John is starting P for CWS)
217. Cole St. Clair, LHP, Rice - Los Angeles NL
221. Luis Flores, C, Oklahoma State - Chicago NL
222. Nate Ten Brink, 3B, Kansas State - Seattle
225. Adam Zornes, C, Rice - San Diego

Round 8:

251. James Leverton, LHP, Texas Tech - Chicago NL
255. Beemer Weems, SS, Baylor - San Diego

Round 9:

264. Matt Hague, 3B, Oklahoma State - Pittsburgh
268. Dan Jennings, LHP, Nebraska - Florida
275. Aaron Luna, OF, Rice - St. Louis
285. Kyle Thebeau, RHP, Texas A&M - San Diego

Round 10:

311. Alex Wilson, RHP, Texas A&M - Chicago NL
313. Robert Weinhardt, RHP, Oklahoma State - Detroit
321. Donnie Webb, OF, Oklahoma State - Cleveland

Round 11:

332. Jacob Priday, OF, Missouri - Houston
347. Kyle Walker, LHP, Texas - Colorado
351. Matt Langwell, RHP, Rice - Cleveland

Round 12:

371. Jake Opitz, 2B, Nebraska - Chicago NL
372. Kenn Kasparek, RHP, Texas - Seattle

Round 13:

391. Blake Stouffer, 2B, Texas A&M - Washington
403. Jared Gayhart, RHP, Rice - Detroit

Round 15:

446. Jason Gurka, LHP, Angelina JC - Baltimore (Texas Tech signee)
448. Johnny Dorn, RHP, Nebraska - Florida

Round 16:

493. Thad Weber, RHP, Nebraska - Detroit
500. Luke Anders, 1B, Texas A&M - New York AL

Round 18:

549. Bobby Bell, RHP, Rice - Toronto

Round 19:

569. Mace Thurman, LHP, Baylor - Cincinnati
590. Mitch Abeita, C, Nebraska - New York AL

Round 20:

613. Ryan Lollis, OF, Missouri - Detroit

Round 21:

638. Lucas Luetge, LHP, Rice - Milwaukee

Round 22:

659. Byron Wiley, OF, Kansas State - Cincinnati
663. Trevor Hurley, RHP, Kansas State - Texas
670. Dane Carter, 3B, Texas A&M - Atlanta

Round 23:

697. Brian Ruggiano, 2B, Texas A&M - Los Angeles NL
703. Michael Gosse, 2B, Oklahoma - Detroit
712. Seth Garrison, RHP, TCU - Boston

Round 24:

717. Wes Musick, LHP, Houston - San Francisco
721. Chris Kelley, RHP, Rice - Washington
739. Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Georgetown HS - Los Angeles AL (Texas signee)

Round 25:

761. Rebel Ridling, 1B, Oklahoma State - Chicago NL
766. Dan Edwards, RHP, Kansas State - Philadelphia

Round 26:

777. Ryan Lormand, 2B, Houston - San Francisco

Round 27:

805. Timothy Huber, LHP, Nebraska - Kansas City
810. Doug Thennis, 1B, Texas Tech - Chicago AL
819. Bryan Kervin, SS, TCU - Toronto
827. Tim Matthews, RHP, Baylor - Colorado
832. Hunter Cervenka, LHP, Sterling HS (Houston) - Boston (Texas signee)

Round 28:

858. Adam Smith, SS, Klein HS - Arizona (Texas A&M signee)

Round 29:

870. Randall Thorpe, OF, Heritage HS (Colleyville, TX) - Chicago AL (Texas A&M signee)
874. Justin Murray, RHP, Kansas State - Oakland
877. Jonathan Runnels, LHP, Rice - Los Angeles NL

Round 30:

901. Casey Whitmer, RHP, Texas - Washington
909. Cody Dunbar, RHP, TCU - Toronto

Round 32:

956. Brandon Loy, SS, Rowlett HS - Baltimore (Texas signee)
964. Ben Hornbeck, LHP, Kansas State - Oakland
965. Sam Freeman, LHP, Kansas - St. Louis
968. Colt Farrar, RHP, First Baptist Academy (Royse City, Tx) - Milwaukee (Texas Tech signee)
971. Kurt Calvert, OF, Missouri - Chicago NL

Round 33:

987. Ryne Price, OF, Kansas - San Francisco
1004. Neil Medchill, OF, Oklahoma State - New York NL

Round 34:

1033. Bryan Pounds, 3B, Houston - Detroit

Round 35:

1052. Nick Czyz, LHP, Kansas - Seattle

Round 37:

1109. Randall Linebaugh, RHP, Baylor - Cincinnati
1112. Kirkland Rivers, RHP, Texas A&M - Houston
1123. Nick Cassavechia, RHP, Baylor - Detroit

Round 38:

1152. Andres Esquibel, RHP, Kansas - Seattle
1155. Zach Herr, LHP, Nebraska - San Diego

ROUND 40:

1222. Sam Stafford, LHP, Collins HS (Klein, TX) - Boston (Texas signee)

Round 42:

1266. Riley Boening, LHP, Texas - Minnesota

Round 44:

1321. J.P. Padron, 1B, Rice - Washington

Round 46:

1377. Lee Fischer, SS, Missouri - Chicago AL
1380. Erik Morrison, SS, Kansas - Texas
1391. James Cesario, 2B, Houston - Colorado

Round 48:

1425. Owen Brolsma, RHP, Texas Tech - Pittsburgh

The Draft Looms

2008-06-05T07:42:00.006-05:00

Today is draft day in the MLB. I will try to keep a semi-realtime update going on today, but can't promise anything. I'll focus most on Big 12 players.

For the Red Raider fans, expect to see Roger Kieschnick, Zach Stewart and James Leverton taken fairly early today.

Longhorn fans can expect to see Kyle Russell, Jordan Danks and Preston Clark on the board today.

The Aggies can expect Jose Duran, Blake Stouffer and Kyle Thebeau to be safe bet picks.

UPDATE

Round 1:

9. Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri - Cincinnati
19. Andrew Cashner, RHP, TCU - Chicago NL
45. Bryan Price, RHP, Rice - Boston

Round 3:

79. Jordy Mercer, SS, Oklahoma State - Pittsburgh
82. Roger Kieschnick, OF, Texas Tech - San Francisco
84. Zach Stewart, RHP, Texas Tech - Cincinnati
93. Kyle Russell, OF, University of Texas - Los Angeles NL
98. Benjamin Pribanic, RHP, Nebraska - Seattle

Round 6:

174. Robert Grossman, CF, Cy-Fair HS (Houston) - Pittsburgh (Texas signee)
188. Jose Duran, SS, Texas A&M - Milwaukee

That's all for today, folks. I only had a list of signees for Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M, so I can't comment on any other Big 12 signees who were taken.

Also, I am not a fan of having this on ESPN. It has taken 3 hours to get through the first round. Baseball America did a much better job with much better analysis when they did their live stream.

Larry Hays steps down, Spencer head coach

2008-06-04T03:44:00.002-05:00

On Monday, Larry Hays officially announced his retirement from Texas Tech University. Hays had served as the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team for the previous 22 years of his 38-year career in coaching.

Dan Spencer will take over as the head coach for the Raiders.

Texas Tech Official Release

Lasting Impression - Don Williams (LAJ)

2008-05-31T21:44:00.001-05:00

I've got like 3 unfinished projects saved that i need to finish and post, but i've been doing a lot of work around the house and outside. I'll get it posted before I'm gone for another week.

Oh yeah...

2008-05-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

Kenn Kasparek threw a no-hitter or something...

:)

What hasn't happened today?

2008-04-30T14:03:00.002-05:00

So yesterday I saw that Tech has named Dan Spencer the Head Coach Designate for the baseball team. Whenever Larry Hays decides to hang 'em up, Spencer will be the man.

Texas Tech press release

The Dallas Mavericks fired head coach Avery Johnson after losing their 3rd straight playoff series.

CBS Sports

The Phoenix Suns shifted all the blame on Mike D'Antoni, sending him looking for a new job. If I remember correctly, it wasn't D'Antoni who makes the trades.

SI

Dallas Cowboys, holla

2008-04-29T11:56:00.003-05:00

So the draft has come and gone once again, lets see how the Cowboys did...

In round one, the Cowboys had to wait until pick 22 to get their feet wet. When their turn finally came around, they nabbed Arkansas RB Felix Jones. Good pick, IMO. Jones will provide much need support to Marion Barber III. While I was high on Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall, friends made the good point that there is no need to have two running backs with the same style on a team. That being said, Jones has the speed to create an outside presence, and should compliment the straight ahead style that Barber prefers.

The Cowboys traded up from their 28th spot to grab CB Mike Jenkins out of South Florida at #25. Another solid choice by the Cowboys. The one thing that has hurt them in recent years has been Roy Williams...err...secondary. With the drafting of Jenkins and the addition of CB Adam "Pacman" Jones from Tennessee, the Cowboys shouldn't have to worry about Roy Williams attempting to cover an opposing WR. A DB was Dallas' most needed position, and they got a good one. Jenkins was ranked as high as 3rd among fellow cornerbacks. He is also one year removed from an arrest, a perfect fit in Dallas!

With their last pick on the first day, the Dallas Cowboys drafted a legend. Now, this legend is not a legend because of his on-field abilities, but rather an internet message-board legend because of the text message he recieved from LSU QB Ryan Perrilloux during his announcement on signing day a few years ago. Martellus Bennett, HOLLA!

I'm not too thrilled about this pick. Dallas needed a TE, but I think that Michigan State TE Kellen Davis was a better selection than Money-B (Oh yeah, I forgot to add that Martellus is a "rapper"...hip-hop lifestyle, holla!) Money-B is very talented, but extremely raw. Coming from Dennis Franchione's "system" at A&M, Martellus has a lot of catching up to do. Luckily for everyone, he wasn't converted to an oversized RB, and stayed at his TE spot, where he gained a lot of valuable experience as a blocker and running around without the ball.

47/3 =15.7

2008-04-25T12:23:00.003-05:00

A seven game losing streak for the Red Raiders quickly turned into a three game win streak. After celebrating a series win over then #2 Missouri, Texas Tech followed up by sweeping A&M-Corpus Christi to give Coach Larry Hays his 1,500th overall win. It took a span 13 games until they got to 1,502. Tech suffered weekend sweeps at Nebraska and Kansas, and a midweek sweep in Las Vegas against UNLV. Tech's only win during that span was a 10-0 gem against the New Mexico Lobos, who split their midweek series with a Wednesday victory. It took until game 3 against the Kansas State Wildcats for Tech to break out of the funk.

Since that 19-4 run-ruling by the Raiders, Tech has defeated New Mexico State twice, scoring 12 and 16 runs, respectively.

During their 1-12 stretch, Tech scored 51 runs, or 3.9 runs per game. Since that drought was snapped, Tech has plated 47 runs in 3 games, or 15.7 runs per game. Much of this is in large part due to the re-emergence of Texas Collegiate League Player of the Year Chris Richburg, who returned to the lineup after a 6 week absence. Richburg broke his left fibula while rounding second base against Central Arkansas.

In the 3 game streak, Richburg is 8 for 10 with 8 runs and 6 RBIs. He has collected 5 extra base hits, including becoming only the 5th player in Texas Tech history to hit for the cycle, a feat he accomplished in Tech's 16-10 victory over New Mexico State in Roswell. On the year, Richburg is hitting at .329, the second highest average among Tech starters.

The hitting is going great for the Raiders, but that doesn't mean anything if the pitching cannot keep up. With a season ERA sitting at an even 6.00, the pitching staff is forcing the bats to win games, which is causing the Red Raiders to lose games. The problem with the staff is not one single player or group of players, but rather one position: starting pitcher. In Tech's 46 games this season, the starting pitchers have amassed a group ERA of roughly 7.12, while the bullpen stays at approximately 4.46. Not good.

Couple those numbers with the recent loss of veteran AJ Ramos, and Tech could be in for a bad ending if the hitting fizzles out. It's all up to the bats to pull the rabbit out of the hat now.

Augustin and Abrams testing NBA waters...might be too cold for one of them.

2008-04-23T19:55:00.002-05:00

Both DJ Augustin and AJ Abrams are declaring for the NBA draft, but won't hire agents. They can still withdraw their names by June 16th, unless they sign an agent.

I think this is a great move for DJ, because, honestly, why the hell not? 19.8 ppg in the Big 12 and the winner of the Bob Cousy Award...sounds good to me. He has great moves, can shoot, and has very good court awareness. I predict 1st round and a better rookie season than Acie Law.

AJ, on the other hand should withdraw his name. He just seems too spotty to be NBA calibur. His only real tool is his 3-point shooting. He isn't good at making his own shots, defense, or shooting inside the arc. That spells NBDL all the way.

Spurs improve to 2-0, Mavericks improve to 0-2

2008-04-23T18:57:00.002-05:00

The Spurs were the Spurs while the Mavericks were the Mavericks.

It should be no surprise to anyone that San Antonio has taken both games on their home court to jump out to a 2-0 start over the Phoenix Suns. They played their game, came back from a large deficit and held on to frustrate Amare Stoudemire and his team. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker led the way for the Spurs. The first half featured 3 points from Brent Barry and 51 from the Big 3, while the second half saw they others score 20 of the 48 Spurs points. Regardless, the Spurs took the lead with a series of scoring spurts and held on in the end to take the 2 game series lead.

While this was happening, Dallas was keeping up their current trend of playoff woe. Since taking a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals, Dallas has successfully lost 10 of their last 12 playoff games, including 6 of 8 in the first round, as well as their last 8 on the road. Unfortunately for the Mavs, they would need two wins at New Orleans Arena to move on to the quarterfinals. It just doesn't seem plausible for New Orleans to allow this to happen, especially with the level of play that Chris Paul has been experiencing.

Pacman a Cowboy

2008-04-23T18:54:00.003-05:00

Well, it finally happened, the Cowboys and Titans agreed, in principle, to a deal that will send 6-time arrestee Adam "Pacman" Jones to the Dallas Cowboys. The teams have not released all the terms of the deal, but I have a feeling that it probably involved a few late draft picks.

This could be interesting. The upsides are that the Cowboys get a need position for cheap (hopefully), and bring in a veteran who has game-changing ability on defense and special teams. The downside is that Pacman brings a troubled past with him. Either way, it isn't a huge gamble if the speculated 4th and 6th round picks are indeed what the Cowboys gave up for Jones.

Let's talk NFL Draft

2008-04-22T12:39:00.002-05:00

So the first pick is already locked up. The Miami Herald is reporting that Jake Long has agreed to a deal, in principle, with the Dolphins for 5 years. So with that done, we move on to pick #2, which is held by the Rams. Honestly, I don't know who the Rams are going to pick, only they do. As I peruse all these sports sites, I am bombarded with MOCK DRAFTS! In my opinion, mock drafts are about as useful as an asshole on your elbow. People who make mock drafts are up there with those people who think that they are all knowing due to their March Madness picks. Its all about guessing right, and usually without any real knowledge, just luck.

Now I'm sure there are people out there who really can tell you what options a team has when picking their draft pick, but once you get past pick 10, every pick is dependent on those before it, so you have such a large pool of variants, that it really does come down to lucky guesses.

With that stated, most of the expert picks for the Cowboys have them taking a RB and CB, or a WR and CB, or a WR and RB...the trend is nearly endless. CBS offers 3 mock drafts, all have the Cowboys picking 6 different players with their 2 picks. That just furthers my point of variants in the late round. Its comical.

If I were to guess at who the Cowboys were going to pick, I wouldn't be able to give you a name, but rather a position. Personally, with what I saw last year, there is one area that the Cowboys must address immediately, and that is secondary. They have good cornerbacks in Terrence Newman and Anthony Henry, and one Pro-Bowl caliber safety in Ken Hamlin, but they have that huge hole in Roy Williams. The guy should be paying Brett Robin millions for making him a superstar fraud. Williams just doesn't cut it, and he needs to be replaced, badly.

One option I have heard was moving Henry to Williams' safety spot and selecting a CB at #22. I can see that strategy working very well. There should be a few solid corners left at that junction. Aqib Talib, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Antoine Cason, Brandon Flowers, Reggie Smith and Justin King would all be safe picks.

After shoring up that pick, Dallas can now look past filling gaps, and find a player that can give them an immediate impact. There will really be no glaring needs on the defensive side, which leaves the door wide open for an offensive player, be it a strong RB or a playmaking WR. Personally, I think that it would be best to find a good sized WR who can help out Owens and Glenn. I have a leaning towards Limas Sweed and James Hardy. Both are tall, can catch and Sweed has excellent speed. Or they can take a small slot receiver who can catch the ball and take a hit, like that Danny Amendola kid from Texas Tech...alright, maybe a little bit of a stretch, but someone should take him in the late rounds solely because of Welker's success.

So there you have it.

Let's Make It Official

2008-04-21T20:57:00.003-05:00

We (I) here at Absolutely Obknoxious are ready to announce which NBA team will be our favored club throughout the NBA Playoffs. We (I) have done extensive research, comparing endless pages of statistics for weeks to figure out which team is worthy of being crowned the World Champions of basketball. We (I) spent sleepless nights trying to decide if Steve Nash would be the man to jockey his team to the Finals, or if the newly re-made Celtics would weather the storm and win 16 games. After all of this, we (I) decided that it was pointless since I'm a huge Spurs homer!

GO SPURS GO!

I am so biased about this that it isn't even funny. I will be rooting on the Spurs and rooting off the Mavs. Hopefully I will be able to proudly display my Dirk logo once the Hornets dismantle Dallas.

AJ Ramos out for the year

2008-04-21T20:53:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately, AJ Ramos is no longer in service for the remainder of the year. Ouch.

The official release says that it is the result of a torn UCL, suffered earlier in the season. This will leave Tech struggling to find another weekend starter, who won't struggle.

Official Release

PICTURES!

2008-04-21T20:08:00.005-05:00

The first batch is from a home game against Central Arkansas, while the last 4 are from Coach Hays' 1500 career victory.

Tech falling faster than Britney Spears

2008-04-13T18:55:00.003-05:00

6 conference games in a row, and 7 of the last 8. Texas Tech just isn't getting it done. I'm not sure if the team has quit on themselves, or if they are in a team-wide slump, but it hasn't been pretty at all lately. I'll let the box scores and 1 hitter speak for themselves, rather than writing a rant. It seems that Kansas has our number this year.

Kansas bats power Jayhawks past Tech, 9-5

Jayhawks crush Red Raiders, 9-1 (1 hit, but 7 walks, and only 1 run)

Kansas "complets" weekend sweep. (no typo on my part.)

Texas managed to steal a game from the Missouri Tigers today, and didn't give up double digit runs doing it! Of course, in the 3 game series, the Longhorns were outscored 46-23. On a positive note, Kyle Russell hit 2 more home runs, bringing his yearly total to 7, up from 2 weeks ago. his batting average has also jumped to around .250, its highest since week 2. One thing troubling me about the Longhorns is their ERA, which is above 5.00. I don't think Texas has had a staff ERA this high since around 2001. Very troubling, especially if they want to get past the Regionals for the first time since the 2005 Championship.

How to ruin an ERA, Longhorn style.

2008-04-12T01:43:00.003-05:00

Aaron Crow gave up 9 runs in 5 innings, after going 42+ straight scoreless innings. He also picked up his 8th win.

Texas jumped out to an early 9-3 lead, before Missouri went on a 28-3 run to close out the game. Highlighting the offensive plague was Jacob Priday, who collected 4 home runs and 9 RBIs. Missouri hitters collected a total of 7 home runs off the Texas staff, trumping Kyle Russell's pair.

Let me be the first to say, "What the &*$&!" The 31 runs allowed in a single game is a new record for the Longhorns, breaking the previous high of 26 that Texas Tech collected in 1995.

4 of the 7 pitchers in orange each gave up 6 runs in a combined 5.2 innings pitched. The "good pitchers" only allowed 8 runs in their 2.1 innings.

I don't have much more to say, I'm in that much shock.

Tech lost too, but the only surrendered 9 runs.

Tech swept by Nebraska, Texas beats OU twice

2008-04-08T12:40:00.003-05:00

This is gonna be quick. I was unable to follow or see any games this weekend due to a funeral, but here is a quick rundown.

Nebraska swept Texas Tech in 3 games to stay atop the Bog 12 leaderboards. The Huskers beat Tech by scores of 6-2, 5-2 and 5-3. While the sweep is nothing to enjoy, the fact that the Raiders did not get blown out, or give up tons of runs are both positives to take away from the weekend. Nebraska's pitching staff was dominant, or Tech's bats became anemic and strikeout riddled during the road series. I'm not sure which choice fits the hole better, but that was the best synopsis from my quick boxscore review.

Texas managed to win their series against the Sooners, taking the Friday and Sunday games, while surrendering the Saturday contest. Kyle Russell may have jumped out of his slump, hitting 2 home runs over the weekend, including a grandslam. For the Longhorns' sake, lets hope this is his way of informing his fans that his .209 average and 1 home run are a thing of the past.

Tech plays a series this week againts New Mexico, battling tonight and Wednesday night, while the Longhorns face off against their I-35 rivals from San Marcos. UT vs. Texas State is scheduled for a 6:00 first pitch.

I have some pictures from Coach Hays' 1500 win that I will upload as soon as I remember to get my camera. I was awarded as the fan of the game, recieving Rudy's BBQ "Sause" and a $10 gift card. That makes 2 prize winnings for me, and 1 that was actually worth something.

Doug Thennis named Big 12 POW

2008-03-31T17:50:00.001-05:00

5-10 with 7 RBIs, including the game winning grand slam on Sunday and the game tying RBI single on Saturday was enough to get Doug the Player of the Week award for the 2nd time in his career. Congrats.

Texas Tech release

A-mazing

2008-03-30T18:24:00.004-05:00

So I'm here to gladly eat my crow. Texas Tech, in dramatic fashion, beat the Missouri Tigers in two of the three games this weekend. Both wins for the Raiders came in the bottom of the 9th inning, a 3-2 win Saturday and a 15-11 win on Sunday.

Friday's game was a heartbreaker. Missouri's Aaron Crow did what Aaron Crow do. He shut out the Raiders for 8 innings, helping Missouri to a 1-0 win. Tech's starting pitcher, Nathan Karns, had his best outing of the season, giving up one run in the 1st inning and walking only a single batter, well below his season average.

Saturday's game would start off the same. Missouri scored one in the 1st, but was answered by the Raiders with a single score of their own. The game continued at 1-1, seeing great pitching from Tech's AJ Ramos and Missouri's Ian Berger, until a bases loaded, full count walk gave Missouri a 2-1 lead. It was a strike, by the way. Tech seemed destined to lose another 1 run game, until the 9th inning decided to be all drama-like. Monk Kreder's 1-out walk, followed by consecutive singles from Jason Seefeld and Doug Thennis tied the game at 2. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Tech LF Taylor Ashby ripped a single up the middle, making way for Jason Seefeld to score the winning run, albeit on a horrible slide that sidelined him for Sunday's game.

Sunday would be a goose of a different feather. Missouri's 4 run 1st inning paved the way for a 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th. Tech pieced together a 3-run rally to knot the game at 7. Missouri, being the #2 team in the nation, picked the 8th inning to score another 4 runs in an attempt to spit in the face of their hosting opponent. The Red Raiders would have none of their tomfoolery. A 2-run 8th inning kept Tech within reach of making my sunburn worthwhile. Tech reliever Zach Stewart held the Tigers in check in the 9th, bringing up the meat of Tech's lineup for the final at bat. A walk, single and a sacrifice bunt gave Tech runners on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out. 2B Willie Rueda ripped a triple into left center to tie the game at 11. With the winning run on 3rd, and only 1 out, Missouri opted to load the bases, hoping for a double play to end the threat. Instead, Doug Thennis lifted a would be game-winning sacrifice fly into the gusting wind and over the left field wall for a walk-off grand slam. It was very dramatic. Tech won 15-11.

So, this weekend was huge. Not only does Tech finally put it together, but they avoid losing their 3rd straight conference series to open the year. Winning 2 of 3 against the best pitching staff in the nation also helps. The confidence from both the wins could be what the Raiders needed to turn their hard luck around into soft luck, assuming soft luck is the good kind that wins games.

Video of Thennis Grand Slam

On another note, Texas won their game against Nebraska, salvaging a win to put them at 5-4 in conference play. Their basketball team decided not to win, losing to Memphis by more than I care to write down. Stupid Memphis, with their free throws and make-out parties.

On a sad note, the starting QB for the Hub City Bulls, a semi-pro team that plays in Lubbock, suffered a broken neck on the first play from scrimmage in Saturday's game against the opponent (I honestly never knew who they were playing). I haven't heard any updates on his condition, but it did not look good at all. Prayers are with him and his family. The Bulls won 21-16 to go to 2-0.

Tech sets up for battle with #2 Missouri

2008-03-28T02:17:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow marks the first game of the 3 game series between Texas Tech and #2 Missouri at Dan Law Field in Lubbock. The only positives I see right now is that Tech is getting their harder series done with first. Already gone is Texas A&M and Texas, so that leaves the easier part of the conference schedule after this weekend. Unfortunately, Missouri is coming off a weekend that saw them allow only 2 runs on 8 hits against 14th ranked Baylor, shuting out the Bears twice.

Missouri is stacked on the mound. SP Aaron Crow is possibly the best pitcher in the Big 12, and combines with SPs Kyle Gibson and Ian Berger to give Missouri one of the top rotations in the nation. In 5 starts, Crow is 5-0 with a 1.03 ERA and 2 complete game shutouts. In his 35 innings, he has struck out 51 batters and walked only 7. Crow will face off against troubled Tech pitcher Nate Karns on Friday. AJ Ramos and Ian Berger will pitch Saturday's contest, while Sunday belongs to Chad Bettis and Kyle Gibson.

Offensively, Missouri is led by Jacob Priday and Aaron Senne. Senne is tied for 2nd in the Big 12 in home runs with 6, and trails only Roger Kieschnick (TTU) and Brandon Belt (UT) in RBIs, with 32. Priday leads the Tigers with a .387 average and 7 doubles.

The only true weakness in Missouri's armor seems to be their baserunning, being thrown out 10 times in 27 stolen base attempts. This probably won't become a factor in the series, due to their superb ability to do everything else.

I don't see this being a good weekend for the Red Raiders. Crow average 13 Ks per game, while Tech seems to like striking out with runners in scoring position. I predict a sweep for the Tigers.

Tech Football updates

2008-03-28T02:07:00.002-05:00

The NCAA has cleared transfer DT Chris Perry to play in the fall. Perry, who transferred from Miami, sat out last season with a knee injury. Perry will likely battle for a starting position with incumbents Colby Whitlock and Rajon Henley. The addition of Perry will help Tech in the middle, a position that gave Tech troubles last season against the run.

DMN

Tech began their spring practices on Wednesday. Some positin changes have taken place already, according to reports. So. LB Brian Duncan has been moved from the outside to the middle, his position in high school. LA Reed has been moved from WR to S. His production at WR last year was dismal, while his hitting ability on special teams was tops on the team. This move could help out a lot if Reed can make the adjustment to defense. RB Jarred Flannel, a RS Fr. has moved to CB. He will battle for the starting spot opposite Jamar Wall, but won't likely get it.

Also back in action was WR Todd Walker, a former HS All-American from Pflugerville who sat out last season with an injury.

Fox 34 Video

My worlds collide today

2008-03-20T02:34:00.002-05:00

So today kicks off the annual baseball series between Texas Tech and the University of Texas. I am always at a loss whenever this day arrives. I'm a student of one school, and a lifelong fan of the other. Either way, I win, but I also lose. Usually though, I'm obliged to root for the Red Raiders, since I'm paying them.

So here we go. #13 in the Nation vs. #7 in the Big 12. I wonder how this will turn out. From an unbiased standpoint, I will have to say that the Longhorns will take 2 of the 3 games. The inconsistent pitching that has been plaguing the Tech starters will haunt them against the able-hitting Longhorns.

Tech's best hope is a to play mistake-free baseball. This means no base running blunders, no errors and no free passes. If all of those fall into place, Tech can easily overcome the Longhorns and win the series. The best chance for Tech is Saturday, when Chad Bettis takes the mound. Bettis is a perfect 3-0 in 4 starts with a 3.25 ERA. He stiffled the Aggie offense on Sunday to help avoid a sweep in College Station, and could easily do the same in Lubbock.

For the Longhorns to win, they will have to play their brand of baseball. Dan Law Field is perfectly designed for Augieball. A decent bunt on astroturf is an amazing bunt on fieldturf. Jordan Danks, Travis Tucker and Michael Torres could be the three best weapons for Texas this week. A leadoff single can easily turn into a runner on 2nd with 1 out, a scenario that has always been positive for the 5-time National Champs.

Tech and Okie State close to Dallas game?

2008-03-20T02:11:00.002-05:00

It seems that this ongoing drama is taking yet another exciting turn. Hopefully, this is a turn for the better. According to Texas Tech AD Gerald Myers, it seems that the game is a go, except for deciding where it will be played. The two options on the table are the dilapidated, yet renovated Cotton Bowl in Fair Park, or the monstrosity that is slowly growing south of Interstate 30 in Arlington. Which stadium would be better?

The Cotton Bowl, originally the Fair Park Bowl, has been sitting in South Dallas since 1934. As historic as the stadium is (Cotton Bowl game, Texas/OU, Styx concerts), it is also one of the most outdated facilities that I have ever been to. The bathroom setup at Oso Little League in Corpus Christi, Texas was more uriner-friendly than the enormous lines that await you inside the State Fair's centerpiece. Now, with the new renovations that are bumping the seating from 76,000 to 92,107, the bathroom problems could be fixed, so that helps out the Cotton Bowl. Getting to the Cotton Bowl (and subsequently leaving) are seemingly nightmares. I sat in traffic longer than I sat in the Cotton Bowl all 3 times I've seen a game there (2002 and 2003 Red River Shootout, 2006 Cotton Bowl). So the Cotton Bowl is not in a bad location and has plenty of seats, but the traffic problems are a huge sad face sticker on their report card.

The "Sponsor to Come Later" Dallas Cowboys Stadium would be ready by the game's planned start date in 2009. It will be state-of-the-art and dwarf any building I've ever seen in person. It is currently planned to hold only 80,000, but honestly, when was the last time a Tech or OSU home game came close to 80,000? Parking and the such shouldn't be a problem, thanks to the location of the stadium. Plus, being between Fort Worth and Dallas, and in Arlington increase the amount of adequate hotel rooms for fans. This is a huge plus. Did I mention that it is state-of-the-art? Personally, I think it is hard to go wrong with a $1 billion plus stadium.

My vote goes to Jerry World. I think it will be a great option for both teams to play in a major venue, and the central location helps out a lot. Plus, I have been to the Cotton Bowl, but haven't been to Jerry World (duh). Although I did drive past it on Saturday afternoon, and was simply mesmerized by the enormity of it.

This whole scenario sits very well with me. We are finally getting a game in Dallas, against a team that will make it a fun event. I hate OSU more than I hate 8 of the other schools in the conference, plus, with the Tech fanbase in the metroplex, there is no way this will fail. Look at the TCU and SMU games over the past 2 seasons (with myself in attendance) and try and estimate what percentage of those crowds donned Scarlet and Black (hint, more than 50%).

The added revenue from this game will far surpass the paultry amount we get every other year from hosting the game in Lubbock. Sure, it will hurt the economy a bit, but in the long run could improve the overall talent of the team through recruiting, which could help in wins, which aides attendance, which begats profit for local businesses. Problem solved through a PROACTIVE solutin, rather than our typical reactive route.

Avalance-Journal

Jerry World

Cotton Bowl

End of season review, Texas Tech fan style.

2008-03-13T18:59:00.002-05:00

Well, it wouldn't be a risky reach to say that the Texas Tech basketball season is over, and thank God it is. Now, there might be an NIT appearance in store for the Red Raiders, but that's basically an insult anywhere outside of College Station (oh snap!!1).

It was an entertaining season, to say the most. High expectations at first turned into a slow and steady downward spiral that was momentarily stopped with a win against high-ranked Texas, and ended again with a 2 game losing streak to finally put the Raiders down for the count.

We began the season with The General at the helm, doing his same old song and dance, and ended the year with a glimmer of hope that his son can emulate at least half of what Bobby was able to do in his career. Stumbles against Centenary and Sam Houston State stung the most, even more than the 44 and 58 point losses to Texas A&M and Kansas. At least Kansas and Texas A&M had the personnel and resume to hand over those types of defeats to the oft out-matched group from Lubbock.

The most pleasant surprises were the emergence of the whitest basketball shooter since Brandy Perryman lit up the Erwin Center. Yes, Alan Voskuil, the unsuspecting shooting guard who made quite a name for himself with his accurate shooting and Dawson's Creek-esque looks. Voskuil made good on exactly 50% of his 3-pointers (68-136, including today's game against OSU). Voskuil will have to be a focal point next year, as teams will probably que up on him to limit his production on wide open shots.

Another reason to not walk away with a frowny face is the play of a few newcomers. Freshmen John Roberson and Mike Singletary showed glimpses of All-Conference calibur play, while transfer Trevor Cook was a solid candidate for All-Lubbock. With Roberson taking control of the offense after a good season under his belt, there is hope. He showed great poise in the motion offense, hitting 40% from beyond the arc, and finishing 3rd on the team with 12.2 points per game.

Singletary looked like a third-world PJ Tucker. He could've been a PJ Tucker clone with the right coaching philosophy, but we can't get everything we want. He showed glimpses of offensive goodness (not greatness) with his 7.3 points in varying amounts of playing time. His 2.9 rebounds per game were "good enough" for 4th on the team.

All I can really say about this season is that I'm very sad to see Martin Zeno leaving. He played his heart and soul out for 4 very good years, never complaining and always being ready to play. He is the kind of person that everyone should want on their team. I'm also hoping that, in true Texas Tech fashion, we can truly "wait for next year." We return 3.5 starters (I honestly don't even know who would qualify as starters on this club) and only lose 2.5 players (Rizvic still has half a year of eligibility, Longar.) Pat Knight has also gained commitments from 5 players, 2 in the JuCo ranks, who could contribute immediately or be the next Ricardo De Bem.

So, in closing; this year was subpar. We lost games we shouldn't have and won games we shouldn't have. We almost upset 3 top 10 teams, but could only muster out wins against 2 of them. We lost to 2 schools who are smaller than my high school class, and lost by the largest margin in Tech history, twice, within a week, sandwiched around a win against Texas. The best I can predict next year is that we will be a team that will either run you out of the building, or absolutely crash under the pressure of having to rebound and shoot. Regardless, we will still beat A&M in Lubbock. Wreck 'Em!

Incoming Recruits ... Plus One!

Big 12 Standings (3/10)

2008-03-10T15:58:00.002-05:00

BIG 12 STANDINGS (3/10)

TEAM	W	L	WIN %	STREAK	LAST 10
#12 Baylor	10	1	0.909	W3	9-1
Oklahoma	12	2	0.857	W9	9-1
#14 Missouri	9	2	0.818	W4	8-2
Nebraska	9	2	0.818	W8	9-1
#23 Texas A&M	11	3	0.786	W2	9-1
#25 Oklahoma State	9	3	0.750	L1	7-3
#10 Texas	9	4	0.692	L2	6-4
Kansas	8	5	0.615	W6	7-3
Texas Tech	7	6	0.538	W1	6-4
Kansas State	6	6	0.500	W3	6-4

Texas Tech and Texas both had their games today rained out. No make-up dates have been announced for the Texas game, while the Texas Tech game has been canceled.

Kieschnick named Big 12 Player of the Week (March 10th)

2008-03-10T15:53:00.003-05:00

Phillips 66 and the Big 12 announced that Roger Kieschnick has been named their Player of the Week for March 10th. Kieschnick had 4 home runs and 11 RBIs in 5 games, while batting .524.

Kieschnick is currently hitting .429 (T5th in Big 12) with 7 home runs (1st), 24 RBIs (1st) and a 1.000 SLG percentage (1st). His 16 extra base hits are also #1 in the Big 12.

Big 12 release

Texas Tech wins 2 out of 3 in San Marcos, final game rained out

2008-03-10T13:01:00.003-05:00

Well, today's game against Texas State has been rained out. Nothing bad since it gives the guys a day off before playing in Albuquerque tomorrow.

Tech managed to take both game against Northern Illinois this weekend, but lost their contest against the Texas State Bobcats. Saturday's game against the Huskies was a good showing for the Red Raiders. AJ Ramos finally pitched a game where the run support was more than one run, and picked up his first win on the year. Tech's bats were alive, and accounted for 11 total hits in the 11-5 victory. The one bad note is the pitchers' control issues. 2 Tech pitchers combined for 5 HBPs and a wild pitch with 4 walks to boot. Of those 9 free passes, it allowed NIU to add 3 of their runs. The wild pitch also allowed a Huskie run to score. Let's hope Dan Spencer gets those control problems worked out.

The game against the Bobcats was the worst one for Tech this year. A 14-3 loss that saw 6 Tech starters go hitless, including Roger Kieshcnick and Taylor Ashby (11 game hitting streak ended). Unable to answer with big hits, all of Tech's run were scored via the sacrifice fly.

Game 3 on Sunday proved to be much better than game 2 was. Chad Bettis provided a strong starting effort for the Raiders, picking up his 2nd win of the year. He was backed by great hitting from Roger Kieschnick and Tanner Rindels, who both collected 3 hits. Kieschnick collected his 7th home run of the season on Sunday which is tops in the Big 12.

Texas Tech and Illinois cancel series

2008-03-08T13:57:00.002-06:00

Texas Tech had to cancel their 2nd home series of the year versus a team from Illinois. This weekend's cancellation isn't quite like the previous one, but it still translates to 4 more home games lost. The Illinois baseball team was unable to get a flight out of Chicago due to the heavy snow up there. Luckily, the Raiders were informed in time, and made a deal with the Texas State Bobcats to play in San Marcos this weekend. San Marcos was anticipating the same situation as Tech was facing because their opponent was Northern Illinois, but the Huskies managed to get a flight out of Chicago before the airport was shut down.

Tech plays UNI at 2 pm today, and Texas State at 7 pm. Tomorrow, Tech and UNI square off again at noon. The Raiders close out the series on Monday at 2:30 against the Bobcats.

So what does all of this mean? It means that the Raiders have lost 8 home games out of 10 so far on the year. This hurts financially, as the Raiders have had to make 2 weekend trips to the San Antonio area and haven't brought in money from the lost games. It also means that Tech's game against Texas on March 20th will mark their 3rd home game. In retrospect, Texas A&M will have played 21 home games in the same stretch.

Tuesday could prove dreary for the Raiders since they will have to play in Albuquerque for the second time this year after being in Central Texas. So they have 4 games in 3 days in San Marcos, and have to immediately get to New Mexico to play the Lobos the very next day. That's a lot of baseball and travel for the team.

Update soon

2008-03-05T20:50:00.002-06:00

I'll update this soon. I've been swamped with school, life and baseball games.

Catching up with 2006-2007 Texas recruits

2008-02-29T12:35:00.006-06:00

After coming off their 6th National Championship in school history, Texas signed arguably one of their best classes ever, inking 16 players. Baseball America ranked the class as the 3rd best in the nation. Everything looked golden for the 2006 Longhorns, until the draft.

Of the 16 players, only 9 made it onto campus. Of those original 9, only 4 remain Longhorns in 2008. One member of the 2006 class, Brandon Belt, is now a Longhorn after spending his freshman season at San Jacinto College in Houston.

Here's the class breakdown, with an update for each player that I could track down:

Brandon Belt - University of Texas (San Jacinto College)
Belt opted to spend his freshman season at San Jacinto College after being drafted in the 11th round by the Boston Red Sox. Belt went 7-2 with a 2.82 ERA on the mound, and hit .421 with 57 RBIs and a team leading 9 home runs. Belt is now the starting 1B for Texas, after transferring between the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Michael Demperio - University of Georgia (University of Texas)
Demperio was one of the 9 Longhorns who made it to campus. After recovering from the removal of a brain tumor prior to the 2007 season, Demperio appeared in 33 games for the Longhorns, starting 11 in the infield. He hit .156 with 4 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. After the season, Demperio elected to return back to his home state and play for the Georgia Bulldogs. He is currently their starting 2B, hitting .182 with 2 stolen bases.
Carmine Giardina - University of Central Florida
Giardina was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 28th round of the MLB draft. Instead of signing with the Red Sox or attending Texas, he opted to stay closer to home and enroll at University of Central Florida. Giardina made 8 appearances for the Knights in 2007, starting 4 contests. He accrued a record of 1-2 with a 4.97 ERA. He struck out 28 batters in his 25.1 innings. 2008 has not started well for Carmine. In his only appearance to date, he managed only 1/3 of an inning, giving up 2 runs for a 54.00 ERA.
Taylor Hammack - University of Houston (San Jacinto College)
Hammack's name was on the long list of pitchers who spurned Texas after pitching coach Tom Holiday left for the head gig at North Carolina State. After being drafted in the 46th round by the Houston Astros, Hammack enrolled at San Jacinto College. As a pitcher, Hammack pitched 16 innings, striking out 13 batters, with a 6.19 ERA. He had more success at the plate, hitting .301 with 4 home runs and 41 RBIs. After his freshman year, Hammack signed with the University of Houston, and now enjoys a starting role for the Cougars. Hammack has made 1 start this season, giving up only 1 run in 4 innings, striking out 6 batters. Hammack is scheduled to start against the Longhorns on Sunday in the Minute Maid Classic.
Nathan Karns - Texas Tech University (NC State)
Karns followed his recruiter, Tom Holiday, to North Carolina State, after being a 10th round pick of the Houston Astros. With the Wolfpack, Karns was 3-2 with a .267 ERA. He started 8 of the 9 games in which he pitched. Karns decided to transfer to Texas Tech University in the fall, with the arrival of former Oregon State pitching coach Dan Spencer in Lubbock. Karns has started one game for the Red Raiders, striking out 7 batters. In 4 innings, he has given up 3 runs, giving him a 6.75 ERA. Karns is slated to start on Saturday against Tennessee in the Minute Maid Classic.
Marcus Lemon - Texas Rangers
Lemon, son of former Detroit Tiger Chet Lemon, was scheduled to take over in the infield for the Longhorns. Unfortunately, the Texas Rangers had the same idea when they drafted him in the 4th round. Lemon chose to sign with the Rangers, and spent 2006 season with the Rangers' rookie league team in Arizona. Lemon hit .310 in 28 games. In 2007, Marcus was moved up to Single A with the Clinton Lumberjacks. he finished the season hitting .261 in 128 games. Lemon scored 62 runs with the Lumberjacks.
Kyle Lusson - University of Texas
Lusson spent his freshman year as a backup outfielder for the Longhorns, playing 15 games with 4 starts. Lusson completed the season with a .240 batting average. So far in 2008, Lusson has made 1 start for the #3 Longhorns. Kyle has a .500 average in 2 at bats.
Pat McCrory - University of Texas (Navarro College)
McCrory wasn't supposed to come in until 2008, but decided to leave Navarro a year early and join the Longhorns. He began 2007 as the starting SS for the Longhorns, but was eventually moved to the bullpen in favor of Josh Prince. As a batter, he hit .067 in 12 games. On the mound, he collected 1 win in 19 appearances with a 3.65 ERA. So far in 2008, he has hit 1 double in 2 at bats, but hasn't seen action as a pitcher.
Russell Moldenhauer - University of Texas
Moldenhauer came to Texas after getting drafted in the 3rd round by the Angels of Anaheim. In his first season, he saw extensive playing time as the Longhorns' DH. He hit .278 with 6 home runs and 32 RBIs on the year. In 2008, Moldenhauer has seen the field as a DH and in LF. He is currently batting .235 with 5 RBIs and a triple.
Josh Prince - Tulane University (University of Texas)
Prince came to Texas as Dooley Prince's younger brother. It didn't take long for him to be known as simply Josh Prince. Josh took over the SS job midway through the season, and went on to hit .371 for the Longhorns. After the season, he decided to take his game closer to his Louisiana home, and transferred to Tulane University. Prince is the Green Wave's starting SS this year, and is currently batting at a .133 clip with 1 RBI.
James Russell - Chicago Cubs (University of Texas)
James Russell came to Texas from Navarro College with pitching coach Skip Johnson. In 2007, he claimed a role as the #2 starter behind Adrian Alaniz. Russell's 8 wins were good for third on the Longhorns' staff. He maintained a 3.86 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 109.2 innings. Russell was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 14th round of the June draft. He signed with the Cubs 2 months later. Russell pitched 3 games in the Cubs' system in 2007, giving up no runs and 3 hits in 9 innings.
Clint Stubbs - Louisiana Tech (University of Texas)
Clint Stubbs came in as another Longhorn sibling legacy. His older brother, Drew Stubbs, needs no writeup. Clint was expected to see time as a speedy outfielder, but couldn't manage to get any starts behind Jordan Danks. Stubbs played in 12 games collecting 2 hits in 8 at bats. After the season, he opted to transfer to Louisiana Tech, where he is currently batting .400 in 6 games, 2 starts, with the Bulldogs.
Jess Todd - St. Louis Cardinals (University of Arkansas)
Todd was supposed to be another Navarro pitcher in burnt orange, but ended up in Razorback cardinal. With Arkansas, Todd finished the year 2nd in wins and 1st in strikeouts. His 9-3 record in 93.1 innings with 128 strikeouts combined with his 2.89 ERA to earn him the honor of being the 82nd player taken in the MLB draft (2nd round). With the Cardinals Organization, Todd pitched in 16 games, 7 starts, collecting a 4-1 record for the Batavia Muckdogs. He struck out 69 batters in 58.1 innings for the Muckdogs.
Travis Tucker - University of Texas (McLennan Community College)
Travis Tucker started all 63 games for Texas in 2007, hitting .307 with 34 RBIs. In 2008, Tucker has moved to 3rd base, and continued his strong play. As the Longhorns' lead off hitter, Tucker is hitting .222 with 6 runs scored.
Jordan Walden - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Grayson Community College)
Walden was supposed to be the gem of the 2006 class. As a senior who hit 99 mph on the radar, his draft stock flew up the charts. Many organizations figured that Walden may follow the lead of Jordan Danks and stick with his commitment, they were half right. Walden was taken in the 12th round by the Angels, but found his way to Grayson Community College to play for Viking head coach Dusty Hart. Walden was 9-2 for the Vikings in 11 starts, with a 1.85 ERA, earning NJCAA All-American honors. After the season, Walden took advantage of the MLB's draft and follow rule, signing with the Angels. Walden started 15 games for the Orem Owlz, going 1-1 with a 3.08 ERA.
Blake Williams - ?? (University of Texas)
Blake Williams made it to Texas as a freshman in 2007. He was redshirted by the staff, and never saw the mound. He isn't on the 2008 roster, and I cannot find anything about him transferring or quitting.

Spurs beat Mavs, Barry coming back

2008-02-29T10:52:00.002-06:00

So the Spurs beat the Mavs last night by 3 points in an exciting finish (for Spurs fans). The game was incredibly close, and came down to the final shot. Unfortunately for Dallas, that shot was blocked by Bruce "Everyone Outside of San Antonio Hates Me" Bowen.

The Spurs won double when Brent Barry announced that he would resign with the Spurs after he clears waivers on Tuesday. Barry was included in the trade that brought Kurt Thomas to San Antonio, and will be cut by the Sonics.

Link

Former players update

2008-02-28T17:04:00.002-06:00

Longhorns
Michael Demperio hit a double in the first inning off Atlanta Braves' starter Charlie Morton in an exhibition with the MLB team on Wednesday. Demperio finished the day 1-3 with a double and strikeout. On the season for Georgia, Demperio is batting .182 through 3 games against highly ranked Arizona. He has started all 3 games at 2B, stolen 2 bases and been perfect in the field on 9 chances.

Josh Prince is batting .133 in 5 games for the Tulane Green Wave. Prince has been perfect at SS, not commiting and error in his 17 attempts.

Clint Stubbs has started 2 games and appeared in all 6 for the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech. He is batting .400 in 10 at bats with 3 runs, 2 RBIs and a double.

Red Raiders
Geoff Byrns has started 3 of 4 games for the St. Mary's Gaels. He has a .400 average with 2 doubles, a triple and a home run. The Gael's are 3-1 since Geoff joined the squad.

Collin Auten has yet to appear in any of the 4 games TCU has played. Auten registered 5 saves in 21 appearances for the Red Raiders in 2007.

Big 12 Standings (2/27)

2008-02-27T23:39:00.002-06:00

BIG 12 STANDINGS (2/26)

TEAM	W	L	WIN %	STREAK	LAST 10
#3 Texas	5	0	1.000	W5	5-0
#22 Baylor	4	0	1.000	W4	4-0
#24 Oklahoma State	4	0	1.000	W4	4-0
#16 Missouri	3	1	.750	L1	3-1
Oklahoma	3	1	.750	W3	3-1
#29 Texas A&M	4	2	.667	W3	4-2
Texas Tech	2	3	.400	L1	2-3
Kansas	2	4	.333	L2	2-4
Nebraska	1	2	.333	L1	1-2
Kansas State	0	2	0.000	L2	0-2

Texas rolls to 5-0 with win over UTPA

2008-02-27T23:16:00.002-06:00

Dominant.

That is how this Texas pitching staff has looked against much weaker competition. Today, a freshman and 2 transfers combined for a 3 hit shutout in 7 innings. They allowed 4 base runners in total while striking out 10. Albeit against a lower level of competition than they will face this weekend in Houston, Texas has cruised to easy victories because of this entire staff.

With a 1.88 ERA after 5 games, it appears that they have what it takes to make a long run towards Omaha in 2008. The production is coming from almost everyone who has been on the mound. 7 of the 12 pitchers used have yet to give up an earned run, and opponents are batting only .201 with a .239 slugging %. 52 strikeouts to only 11 walks in 43 innings are great numbers, and they've only yielded 6 extra base hits, all doubles.

With the new start date and condensed schedule that teams are facing this season, the team with the deepest and most dominant staff will have the best chance at winning the championship. Currently, only Oklahoma State has a better staff ERA in the Big 12, with a 1.25, but they have walked more and struck out less in fewer innings. Look for these pitchers to keep the Longhorns' opponents from succeeding.

The hitting hasn't been shabby either. Texas is tops in the Big 12 with a .333 average and 48 runs scored. An OBP of .460 has helped Texas immensely, giving them more opportunities to score their runs. They are also 11-11 in sacrifice hits, doing exactly what Augie asks of each batter to help the team.

Back to today's game. Chance Ruffin, Casey Whitmer and Marcus Tackett gave no mercy to the Bronco hitters, while Brandon Belt and Russell Moldenhauer had timely extra base hits that helped the run production. Belt's 2 ground rule doubles gave him 5 for the season, 2 better than any batter in the Big 12. Texas is now 5-0, ranked #3 and plays Tennessee at 7 pm (time schedule to change due to games before it) at Minute Maid Park on Friday.

Box Score

Texas Tech falls to UNM

2008-02-27T23:04:00.002-06:00

Texas Tech fell to 2-3 after struggling with the Lobos in a 7-3 loss. New Mexico jumped out to an early lead thanks to a pair of home runs, and cruised to victory over the Red Raiders in Albuquerque on Wednesday afternoon.

Jason Seefeld brought Tech within 5 with his 2-run blast in the 7th, but the Raiders just could not rally. Part of the problem for Texas Tech was the lack of pitch selection by hitters. Too many times they swung at the first pitch, and didn't reach base. UNM's starting pitcher threw 6.1 innings and only 81 pitches. That's less than 5 pitches per out, and only 3.25 for each batter he faced.

The pitching for Tech was also a weak point today. Russ Fornea just couldn't keep the Lobo batters from getting hits, and Owen Brolsma's performance did not help. James Leverton, Sam Janca and Zach Stewart did a great job in their relief innings, but the hitting couldn't overcome the defecit.

This weekend could end up being a bad one for the Raiders if their woes continue. With games against Tennessee, Houston and Rice, they could easily come back to Lubbock with a 2-6 record. Let's hope they cure their problems and win a game or 2 this weekend.

Box Score

Brian Duncan named finalist for Sullivan award

2008-02-27T23:00:00.002-06:00

Very cool of Brian. The Sullivan Award is given by AAU, and recognizes community service and leadership contributions.

Texas Tech release

Tech sets up for midweek game with New Mexico

2008-02-27T13:29:00.002-06:00

Time for game #5, and the last tune up before the Minute Maid Classic in Houston.

Texas Tech travels to Albuquerque to take on the New Mexico Lobos at Isotopes Park. Game time is set for 4:00 pm. The starting lineup for the Red Raiders should be as follows:

C Monk Kreder
1B Doug Thennis
2B Joey Kenworthy
SS Chris Hall
3B Jason Seefeld
RF Roger Kieschnick
CF Taylor Ashby
LF Chris Richburg
DH Juan Rodriguez

Starting on the mound will be Jr. RHP Russ Fornea, a transfer from Stephen F. Austin, making his first career start in the scarlet and black. Fornea appeared in one game over the weekend, throwing a perfect 1 1/3 innings with 1 strikeout.

Texas Tech has won the last 10 of 11 games in the series against UNM. They lead the all-time series 54-31-1.

Notes

Tech coach Larry Hays is 14 wins away from 1,500 career wins. He is 9 wins away from 800 wins at Tech. He has led Tech for the past 22 seasons.
Roger Kieschnick's 41 doubles is good for 6th all-time at Tech
Kieschnick's 8 triples ties him for 9th all-time at Tech

DJ Augustin named to Academic All-American First Team

2008-02-27T13:25:00.002-06:00

For the second time in school history, Texas has an Academic All-American in basketball. DJ Augustin was picked by ESPN The Magazine as a first team selection on this year's squad. To even be a nominee for the award, you have to be a starter or significant bench player, have a career GPA of 3.20 and be a sophomore or higher. Augustin easily fit all 3 categories, thanks to his 3.64 GPA (4.0 in the Fall 07).

DJ is also the only player on the first team that I've heard of. The others hail from Drake, Belmont, Coastal Carolina and North Dakota State. Congrats to DJ.

TexasSports.com

Workman K's 11 in Texas victory

2008-02-27T13:15:00.002-06:00

Brandon Workman did a hell of a job in his first start as a Longhorn. The freshman from Bowie, Texas pitched 6 innings and struck out 11 UTPA batters, earning his first victory in the 10-3 Texas win.

For the first time all season, Texas actually trailed an opponent. They gave up the first run on a slow roller up the 3rd base line. Travis Tucker opted to not field the ball in the hopes that it would roll foul, but it stayed fair and the runner on 3rd scored, giving UTPA a 1-0 lead. Texas tied the game, but UTPA scored another run, taking a 2-1 lead this time. Texas decided that that would just not work for them, and outscored the Broncs from that point on 9-1, thanks in most part to the lack of control by the Pan Am staff. Texas picked up 11 walks and 3 HBPs in the contest. 7 of the 14 batters ended up scoring, with 2 picking up RBIs for their effort.

Brandon Belt set a career high with 4 RBIs on the day. He also collected 2 of the 9 Longhorn hits. Travis Tucker was successful on 3 stolen base attempts out of 4. He stole 2nd in the first inning, but was subsequently thrown out trying to steal 3rd.

Texas and UTPA close out their 2 game stand today at 2:30 at Disch-Falk Field.

Big 12 Standings

2008-02-26T14:38:00.006-06:00

BIG 12 STANDINGS (2/26)

TEAM	W	L	WIN %	STREAK	LAST 10
#22 Baylor	4	0	1.000	W4	4-0
#24 Oklahoma State	4	0	1.000	W4	4-0
#3 Texas	4	0	1.000	W4	4-0
#16 Missouri	3	1	.750	L1	3-1
Oklahoma	2	1	.750	W2	2-1
#29 Texas A&M	3	2	.600	W2	3-2
Texas Tech	2	2	.500	W1	2-2
Kansas	2	3	.400	L1	2-3
Nebraska	1	2	.333	L1	1-2
Kansas State	0	2	0.000	L2	0-2

Texas Tech revises 2008 football schedule

2008-02-26T14:31:00.002-06:00

Due to a request by the Big 12 for reasons relating to the TV schedule, Texas Tech has announced that they have pushed back the dates of their final 2 football games. The Red Raiders were initially set to travel to Norman, Oklahoma on November 15th to battle the Oklahoma Sooners, and back to Lubbock for their contest against the Baylor Bears on November 22nd. Now, Texas Tech will take the 15th off, travel to Norman on the 22nd and play host to Baylor on November 29th, after Thanksgiving.

This new schedule gives Tech 2 open dates (September 27th and November 15th). I personally don't like the game on November 29th because it will shorten my break.

Texas Tech also has their Red-Black game scheduled for April 19th.

THE NEW POLLS ARE HERE!

2008-02-26T14:18:00.003-06:00

The NCBWA poll came out today. It's the one that I use to track the Big 12 teams.

The Big 12 went from 3 teams among the top 25, to 4.

Texas jumped 3 spots from 6th to 3rd.

Missouri moved up one from 17th to 16th.

Baylor went from 26th to 22nd.

Oklahoma State is now 24th, moving up 5 spots.

Texas A&M dropped out of the top 25 to 29th. They were 20th before splitting their series with Northern Colorado in College Station.

Texas Tech finishes weekend 2-2

2008-02-26T13:56:00.003-06:00

Texas Tech finished their weekend at the UTSA Tournament tied for 2nd place with a 2-2 mark. Tech led off their season in poor fashion, getting 1-hit by Louisiana-Lafayette. The 4-0 defeat was not blamed on pitching, as Tech starter AJ Ramos struck out 10 batters in his 7 innings. Texas Tech had a better outing against Army on Sunday morning. Tech kicked off the game with a 7-run first inning, and cruised to a 16-2 victory, highlighted by Roger Kieschnick's 4 extra base hits. Kieschnick recorded 2 doubles, a triple and a home run, coming up just a single shy of the cycle.

Tech followed up the victory with a disappointing loss to tournament champions Oral Roberts. Tech held a 2-run advantage before giving up 3 2-out runs in the bottom of the 7th, dooming the Red Raiders to a 7-6 loss and a losing record. Not to go out on bottom, Tech answered back with a vengeance against the host team. With 10 runs in the first frame, Tech set the pace for the day, finishing with a 16-6 victory and a 2-2 record.

A 2-2 record is good for this team. They proved a lot of what critics panned them for before the season was empty cynicism. The brightest spot for the Red Raiders was their pitching staff. The starters were phenomenal, going a combined 2-1 with 25 strikeouts in 22 innings. Although the ERA for the starters was a 4.09, most of those runs were scored in the final innings against them. The relievers did a fair job, with Brian Cloud and Robert Kilcrease being the 2 that stood out the most.

On the offensive side, 3 players distinguished themselves from the pack. Roger Kieschnick hit .350 with 10 RBIs and 6 of his 7 hits going for extra bases. Jason Seefeld, a surprise starter after tearing his ACL in the fall, led the way with a .455 average and .625 OBP. Doug Thennis, Tech's leadoff man hit .353 with a .476 OBP. Another bright spot was Joey Kenworthy, not for his swinging, but rather his lack of swinging. Kenworthy led the team with 8 walks and 8 runs scored. As a team, Texas Tech was patient enough to draw 32 walks, which helped them to score their 38 runs on the weekend.

This weekend was good for Tech. They showcased pitching and hitting, and got that first weekend out of the way. They did struggle with the bullpen against Oral Roberts, but that is not something that should bother anyone too much, seeing as how only 2 pitchers of the 13 used (9 in relief) made multiple appearances, with 7 making their first appearances of their Tech career. Wednesday's game at New Mexico should be a good one for the Raider faithful if the team continues their strong hitting.

Texas completes sweep of VCU

2008-02-24T22:21:00.003-06:00

Texas successfully swept VCU this weekend in their 3 game set. Friday's game was pretty good for a team's first game. Some players started off slow, except Preston Clark, who collected 4 RBIs on the day. The middle infield duo of newcomers Michael Torres and David Hernandez proved to be worth something. They both managed to lay down sacrifice bunts twice, and had some great defensive plays. The pitching was excellent, with Austin Wood striking out 6 over 6 innings of work. Brandon Workman and Kyle Walker both provided adequate relief pitching, combining for 5 strikeouts in the final 3 innings. Texas won the game 6-2.

Saturday was all about Texas. They scored a season high 17 runs (harr!) on 15 hits. Torres helped the effort with 5 RBIs in his second game in burnt orange. Belt got his first 4 hits of the season, with 2 doubles. The pitching was great, save for a bad inning by Keith Shinaberry, but Chance Ruffin came in and closed out the game for the Longhorns, and recorded his first career save (Texas was only up 4 when he entered). Kyle Russell hit his first home run with a long shot off the scoreboard in left center. That won't be the last one Kyle hits, either.

Sunday saw the triumphant returns of Kenn Kasparek and Riley Boening from injuries that kept them out of 2007. They combined for 8 k's in 7 innings, both giving up an unearned run. Kyle Russell continued to add to his offensive numbers, putting up 3 RBIs, while Jordan Danks hit a double and triple. Preston Clark took the day to rest, giving freshman Cameron Rupp his first start at catcher. Kyle Lusson started for Kevin Keyes in LF, after Keyes left Saturday's contest following a knock to the head from a VCU fastball.

So Texas is sitting well at 3-0. They didn't show any real weakness this weekend and never trailed the Rams. The offense looked impressive, and the pitching staff seemed to do almost everything right. If they continue their level of play, they won't have anything to worry about come playoff time.

Tuesday's game against UT-Pan American is set for a 3:15 start. Wednesday's was said to be 3:15, but might have been moved back to its originally scheduled time.

Big 12, day 3

2008-02-24T14:29:00.010-06:00

Texas Tech defeated Army, 16-2, in San Antonio.

Roger Kieschnick was 4-6 with 6 RBIs. Kieschnick's 4 hits included 2 doubles, a triple and a home run.
Fr. SP Chad Bettis made his first career start, lasting 6 innings and giving up 1 earned run.
1B Doug Thennis was 3-4 with 3 runs, 2 RBIs and 2 doubles.

Texas Tech dropped their 2nd game to Oral Roberts, 7-6. Oral Roberts scored 3 runs with 2 outs in the 7th inning.

Roger Kieschnick hit his 2nd home run of the day with a solo shot in the 5th.
Chris Richburg connected on his first home run of the season, a 2-run blast, in the 3rd inning.
Nathan Karns pitched 4 innings, striking out 7 batters and allowing only 2 hits. He also gave up 3 runs and walked 4.

#6 Texas defeated VCU, 10-2, completing their weekend sweep of the Rams.

5 Longhorns made their debut today. Cameron Rupp started at C for Preston Clark while Tant Shepherd, Kawika Emsley-Pai, Stayton Thomas and Marcus Tackett all subbed in during the contest.
RF Kyle Russell finished the day 2-4 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs
CF Jordan Danks went 2-4 with 2 runs, 1 RBI, a double and a triple.
SP Kenn Kasparek made his season debut, striking out 5 batters in 5 innings of work.

Baylor outlasted Purdue, 2-1, sweeping the Boilermakers in Waco.

RP Nick Cassavechia earned his 2nd save of the year.
LF Ben Booker went 2-4 witha run

#20 Texas A&M defeated Northern Colorado, 5-2, splitting their 4 game series.

3B Dane Carter hit a 2-run home run in the 8th inning for the Aggies, their 2nd of the weekend.
SP Scott Migl lasted 6.1 innings, giving up 2 runs and striking out 5 batters, improving his record to 1-0
RP Travis Starling picked up his first save of the season.
2B Blake Stouffer is still searching for his 1st hit of the season. He is currently 0-12.

Kansas lost their first game to Hawaii-Hilo, 4-3. In game 2, Kansas answered with a 16-4 victory over the Vulcans.

Oklahoma State swept Gonzaga in a double header, 3-1 and 10-3.

Nebraska fell to Stanford, 4-2, in Palo Alto.

#17 Missouri outlasted tournament host Stetson, 9-5, in DeLand, Florida.

Missouri SP Kyle Gibson earned his first win, striking out 10 batters in his 6 innings of work.

Oklahoma's game with #19 UCLA was cancelled due to rain.

Kansas State's game against California was cancelled due to rain.

BIG 12 STANDINGS

TEAM	W	L	WIN %	STREAK	LAST 10
Oklahoma State	3	0	1.000	W4	4-0
Baylor	3	0	1.000	W3	3-0
#17 Missouri	3	0	1.000	W3	3-0
#6 Texas	3	0	1.000	W3	3-0
#20 Texas A&M	2	2	.500	W1	2-2
Oklahoma	1	1	.500	W1	1-1
Kansas	2	3	.400	W1	2-3
Nebraska	1	2	.333	L1	1-2
Texas Tech	1	2	.333	L1	1-2
Kansas State	0	2	0.000	L2	0-2

Zach Thomas a Cowboy!

2008-02-23T13:15:00.003-06:00

The Cowboys signed veteran LB and former Red Raider Zach Thomas to a one-year, $3 million deal on Saturday. Thomas played his first 12 years in Miami, reaching 7 Pro Bowls and recording the 2nd most tackles in NFL history.

DMN

Big 12, Day 2

2008-02-23T12:52:00.036-06:00

Texas Tech lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 4-0 in San Antonio.

Texas Tech was held to 1 hit for the game, a single by So. Taylor Ashby
Jason Seefeld started the day as the Tech DH. Seefeld tore his ACL in fall practice, and wasn't expected back until later.
SP AJ Ramos struck out 10 Cajuns over 6 innings, but picked up the loss.

#6 Texas defeated VCU 17-4.

Jr. RF Kyle Russell hit his 1st home run of the season, and 39th of his career
So. 1B Brandon Belt went 4-5 with 4 runs and 2 doubles
So. 2B Michael Torres was 3-6 with 2 runs and 5 RBIs
Fr. DH Kevin Keyes left the game in the 8th inning after being struck in the head by a fastball. It didn't appear to be a serious injury.
Fr. SP Cole Green picked up the win in his first start of his career
Fr. RP Chance Ruffin retired all 9 batters he faced, striking out 4, and earning the first save of his career.

#20 Texas A&M lost to Northern Colorado 3-1 in 7 innings of their first game of a double header.

A&M SP Kyle Thebeau picked up the loss after throwing 5.1 innings and striking out 5. Thebeau gave up all 3 Northern Colorado runs.
1B Luke Anders finished the game 1 for 2 with a 3B and an RBI.
Preseason All-American Blake Stouffer remains hitless through the first 2 games of the season. Stouffer is 0-4.

#20 Texas A&M was swept in a double header by Northern Colorado, losing the 2nd game 4-2.

Blake Stouffer continued his season opening slump, going 0-4. He is now 0-8 in 3 games this season.
Brian Ruggiano hit a solo home run for the Aggies, his first of the season
SP Barret Loux struck out 9 batters in 5 innings during the first start of his career.
RP Clayton Ehlert picked up the loss for A&M

#17 Missouri defeated Michigan State 14-9 at the Stetson Tournament in DeLand, Florida.

Sr. DH Jacob Priday was 2-4 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs
So. LF Aaron Senne was 1-3 with 3 runs, 1 RBI and a double.
SP Rick Zagone struck out 7 batters over 4 innings of work
Missouri's bullpen gave up 5 runs in 6 innings of work.

Oklahoma State defeated Gonzaga 12-2, improving their record to 2-0

SS Jordy Mercer went 1-4 with 3 RBIs and 1 run
3B Matt Hague, a transfer from Washington, went 2-5 with 3 RBIs, 1 run and a 3B.
LF Neil Medchill went 3-4, scoring 3 runs and batting in 2 more.
SP Tyler Lyons picked up his first win, going 5 innings for the Cowboys

Kansas lost to Hawaii-Hilo 4-3, in Kona, Hawaii.

CF Nick Faunce led the Jayhawks with 2 hits. He finished the game 2-3 with 2 runs.
1B Preston Land went 1-3 with 2 RBIs.

Hawaii-Hilo completed their sweep of Kansas today with a 12-4 victory.

SS Erik Morrison was 2-5 in game 2, with 1 run
CF Casey Larson was 1-4 with 2 RBIs
RP Thomas Marcin struck out 3 batters in 2.1 innings of work.

Kansas State lost to Santa Clara 9-2 in the first game of a double header, the second game was postponed due to inclement weather. The game has yet to be rescheduled.

Evan LeBlanc and Gabe Alcantar both had 3 RBIs for Santa Clara.
3B Nate Tenbrink hit his 1st home run of the year for the Wildcats.

Oklahoma lost to #19 UCLA, 7-5, in the bottom of the 9th.

UCLA's Gabe Cohen hit a walk-off 2-run home run off OU's Jake McCarter in the 9th inning.
OU 2B Mike Gosse finished the game 1-5 with a 2-run home run
OU C JT Wise went 2-4 with 2 runs

Oklahoma defeated #19 UCLA, 3-2, to split the double header.

Baylor defeated Purdue 11-10 on a Ben Booker fielder's choice in the bottom of the 11th.

3B Shaver Hansen finished the contest 3-5 with 3 runs and 4 RBIs, including a Grand Slam
CF Paul Miles was 3-6 with 1 run and 1 RBI
SP Shawn Tolleson lasted only 2.1 innings in his first appearance for Baylor. Tolleson redshirted in 2007 after Tommy John surgery.
RP Nick Cassavechia, a pre season All-American, gave up 1 hit and struck out 2 in 2 innings of relief work.

Stanford and Nebraska were scoreless in the 3rd inning when inclement weather forced the game to be suspended. The game will be continued tomorrow.

BIG 12 STANDINGS:

TEAM	W	L	WIN %	STREAK	LAST 10
Baylor	2	0	1.000	W2	2-0
#17 Missouri	2	0	1.000	W2	2-0
Oklahoma State	2	0	1.000	W2	2-0
#6 Texas	2	0	1.000	W2	2-0
Nebraska	1	1	.500	W1	1-1
Oklahoma	1	1	.333	W1	1-1
Kansas	1	2	.333	L2	1-2
#20 Texas A&M	1	2	.333	L2	1-2
Texas Tech	0	1	0.000	L1	0-1
Kansas State	0	2	0.000	L2	0-2

FORMER LONGHORN/RED RAIDER UPDATES

Josh Prince led off and played SS for Tulane. He finished 0-4

Michael Demperio led off and played 2B for Georgia against Arizona. He was 2-3 with 2 walks and a strikeout. He was 2-2 on steals.

Clint Stubbs started in RF for Louisiana Tech. He was 0-2 with a sacrifice in the 13-1 victory over McNeese State.

Geoff Byrns walked in his appearance as a pinch hitter for St. Mary's against Towson.

Big 12, Day 1

2008-02-22T20:09:00.011-06:00

Lots of games going on in the Big 12 today.

#6 Texas defeated Virginia Commonwealth 6-2.

Junior SP Austin Wood struck out 6 in 6 innings
Junior C Preston Clark collected 4 RBIs
Freshman LF Kevin Keyes went 3-4 with a double

#17 Missouri defeats UConn 6-1

Junior SP Aaron Crow struck out 7 and gave up 1 run in 6 innings.
Senior CF Kurt Calvert went 3-4 with 3 RBIs
Junior RF Ryan Lollis went 2-4

Oklahoma State beat Gonzaga, 6-1.

Kansas beat Hawaii-Hilo, 2-1.

Stanford beat Nebraska 17-4 in game 1 of their double header, while Nebraska took game 2 9-2.

California defeated Kansas State, 5-1.

Cal SP Tyson Ross and RP Daniel Wolford combined to throw a one hitter.
KSU RF Jordan Cruz lead off the game with a solo home run, Kansas State's only hit of the game.

Baylor outscored Purdue 2-1 in Waco, thanks to a 7th inning 2 run homer by Fr. 2B Landis Ware.

Baylor 2B Raynor Campbell is sidelined 4-6 weeks after a successful surgery on his right thumb Wednesday morning. Campbell sustained the injury earlier in the week fielding ground balls. True freshman Landis Ware will fill in for him.
Sr. CL Nick Cassavechia recorded his first save of the season, throwing a perfect session in the 9th.
Sophomore SP Kendal Volz picked up the win after going 8 innings with 10 strikeouts

#20 Texas A&M outlasted Northern Colorado, 9-5, in College Station.

Aggies Dane Carter, Jose Duran and Brian Ruggiano all collected 3 hits on the night
A&M and Northern Colorado both struggled defensively, collecting 4 errors a piece
Freshman RF Brooks Raley went 2-4 at the plate, collecting a run and an RBI, while also pitching a scoreless inning in relief for the Aggies

Oklahoma's contest against #19 UCLA has been postponed due to incliment weather

Texas Tech plays Louisiana-Lafayette at 10 am on Saturday.

BIG 12 STANDINGS:

TEAM	W	L	WIN %	STREAK	LAST 10
Baylor	1	0	1.000	W1	1-0
Kansas	1	0	1.000	W1	1-0
#17 Missouri	1	0	1.000	W1	1-0
Oklahoma State	1	0	1.000	W1	1-0
#6 Texas	1	0	1.000	W1	1-0
#20 Texas A&M	1	0	1.000	W1	1-0
Nebraska	1	1	.500	W1	1-1
Oklahoma	0	0	0.000	0	0-0
Texas Tech	0	0	0.000	0	0-0
Kansas State	0	1	0.000	L1	0-1

FORMER LONGHORNS/RED RAIDERS UPDATE:
Michael Demperio led off for Georgia and played 2B. He was 0-4 with 1 run and a HBP. He reached base on his first at bat after being hit by a pitch. He later scored on a SF.

Clint Stubbs was 0-1 with a run for Louisiana Tech. He reached base on an 8th inning fielder's choice and came around to score.

Josh Prince started at SS for Tulane. He was 2-4 with a run and an RBI for the Green Wave.

Geoff Byrns hit 2 doubles and scored a run as the starting DH for St. Mary's. Byrns was a perfect 2-2 at the plate

Here we go!!

2008-02-22T14:26:00.014-06:00

VCU Starting Lineup

CF Matthew Leskiw
2B Richard Gonzalez
3B Chris Jackson
1B Jared Bolden
C Carlos Rodriquez
DH R.J. Schenk
LF Nathan Furry
RF Justin Wright
SS Joe Van Meter
SP Will Hirsch

Texas Starting Lineup

3B Travis Tucker
2B Michael Torres
CF Jordan Danks
RF Kyle Russell
C Preston Clark
DH Russell Moldenhauer
1B Brandon Belt
LF Kevin Keyes
SS David Hernandez
SP Austin Wood

..... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
VCU.. 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 8 1
Texas 1 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 X 6 8 1

WP: Austin Wood (1-0)
LP: Will Hirsch (0-1)

VCU (0-1)
PLAYER......AB R H RBI
Leskiw...... 2 0 0 0
..Cheatham.. 3 0 0 0
Gonzalez.... 2 0 1 0
Jackson..... 4 0 0 0
Bolden...... 4 1 0 0
Rodriguez... 4 0 1 0
Schenk...... 3 0 1 1
..Evans..... 1 0 0 0
Furry....... 4 1 2 0
Wright...... 3 0 1 0
..Santos.... 1 0 0 0
Van Meter... 4 0 2 1
TOTAL.......35 2 8 2

TEXAS (1-0)
PLAYER......AB R H RBI
Tucker...... 4 1 2 0
Torres...... 3 0 0 1
Danks....... 2 2 0 0
Russell..... 2 2 0 0
Clark....... 3 0 2 4
Moldenhauer. 3 0 0 0
Belt........ 4 0 0 0
Keyes....... 4 1 3 1
Hernandez... 2 0 1 0
TOTAL.......27 6 8 6

2B: Keyes (1) SB: Danks (1), Russell (1), Tucker (1) CS: Gonzalez (1)

Scouting Texas pitching

2008-02-22T02:41:00.001-06:00

The Statesman now has their preview of the Texas pitching staff up. Seems pretty good. They have Cole Green, Kenn "The Lefty Lank" Kasparek and Austin Wood as the starters.

Spurs add Kurt Thomas

2008-02-20T18:48:00.003-06:00

The Spurs made a trade today, looking to add size for their playoff run. PF Kurt Thomas comes to San Antonio in exchange for SF Brent Barry, C Franscisco Elson and a 1st round pick.

The addition of Thomas will be a big help for a team looking to give Tim Duncan some much needed help inside. Losing Barry won't hurt as much, with his injuries and the current play of Ime Udoka, and Elson hasn't been as much of an impact as the Spurs would've hoped when they signed him from Denver.

Scouting the Texas outfield

2008-02-20T13:39:00.003-06:00

Well, we are just 2 days from the first pitch, and the Statesman has released their preview of the Texas outfield. Kyle Russell in right, Jordan Danks in center and, wait for it, Kevin Keyes in left field. That's right, freshman Kevin Keyes beat out sophomore Russell Moldenhauer for the starting job. It appears that Moldenhauer isn't quite over an injury he sustained in the offseason. Moldenhauer, along with sophomore Kyle Lusson will be the top backups in the outfield.

So that gives the Longhorns lineup a change:
C Preston Clark (Cameron Rupp if Clark isn't ready to go)
1B Brandon Belt
2B Michael Torres
3B Travis Tucker
SS David Hernandez
RF Kyle Russell
CF Jordan Danks
LF Kevin Keyes
DH Russell Moldenhauer/Cameron Rupp (just a guess on my part)

Bravo, Hunter Pence

2008-02-19T13:43:00.003-06:00

Well, apparently Astro's CF Hunter Pence walked through the glass door at his apartment. The story from the Chronicle says that he was going outside to get into the hot tub with his friend, and was unaware that the door had been shut. He walked right into it and cut himself up a bit. It wasn't too bad, but he will be out for at least a week.

Its a real shame when accidents like this happen, especially in front of a lady you're trying to "be friends with," right Hunter?

Houston Chronicle

Is anybody goin' to San Antone?

2008-02-19T12:42:00.005-06:00

The Red Raiders have found their opponent(s) for this weekend. Thanks to some hard work on the phones, Texas Tech is headed for the Alamo City to participate in the UTSA Baseball Classic at Wolff Stadium.

So instead of having 4 games against NIU, Tech has games against Louisiana-Lafayette, Army, Oral Roberts and UTSA. Tech and UL-L play Saturday at 10 am. Sunday includes a double header for the Raiders with Army at 10 am and ORU at 2 pm. They round out their trip with a 2 pm game against the tournament host Roadrunners on Monday.

Saturday 2-23: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette 10 am
Sunday 2-24: vs. Army 10 am, vs. Oral Roberts 2 pm
Monday 2-25: vs. UTSA 2 pm

TTU release

Scouting the Texas infield

2008-02-19T01:59:00.002-06:00

Austin American-Statesman

The gist of it revolves around having only one player returning in his original spot (C Preston Clark) as well as having 3 completely new faces starting for the Longhorns.

Tech still sifting through options for this weekend

2008-02-18T23:46:00.002-06:00

Texas Tech has been searching through many options to replace their weekend series with Northern Illinois, which was canceled on the heels of last week's tragedy in DeKalb. Tech was scheduled to play a 4 game series against the Huskies until the NIU administration called off all sporting events until Monday.

So far, the options have ranged from getting NIU down here for a 3 game series on Monday and Tuesday, to heading to a tournament at UTSA or UT-PB.

Losing 4 games could come back to haunt Tech come NCAA Tournament Selection time. It also changes the 5-game warmup before the Minute Maid Classic to as small as a 1-game warmup against New Mexico next Thursday.

If Tech is able to schedule NIU for a Monday-Tuesday series (2 games on Monday, 1 on Tuesday), it would mean that the Red Raiders' pitching staff would have to find a way to cope with 9 games in a 10 day period.

Short Hops

Fox34

Kidd to Dallas, Round 2

2008-02-18T15:47:00.004-06:00

Jason Kidd is reportedly headed to Dallas, finally, in a deal that doesn't include Jerry Stackhouse or Devean George. The deal now is Jason Kidd and Malik Allen headed for the Mavericks, while New Jersey will recieve Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, Keith Van Horn, Trenton Hassell, 2 first round picks and $3 million.

The trade is being sent to the NBA today to see if they will allow it. The question mark is Keith Van Horn. Van Horn hasn't played in the NBA for over a year and a half. If it is approved, Dallas will sign him and then trade him to New Jersey, the team that originally drafted him out of Utah.

NIU cancels series against Tech in aftermath of tragedy.

2008-02-17T23:08:00.003-06:00

It seems that NIU has cancelled all sporting events until February 25th, after the tragic shooting spree that occured Thursday. As upset as I am, I cannot get mad at the University for their decision. They are calling it a "Week of Healing," which they probably need.

I've read rumblings of Texas Tech looking to schedule an opponent from D-II or possibly finding an opponent at the UT-Arlington Tournament.

Five days, and counting...

2008-02-17T19:02:00.003-06:00

We are only five days away from the first baseball game for the Red Raiders. Friday at 3:00 pm, I will be planted on the metal bleachers at Dan Law Field, ready to begin another season of college baseball.

Texas Tech opens their schedule on February 22nd against Northern Illinois University. They play on game on Friday, two on Saturday at 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm and concluded the four game series with a noon contest on Sunday.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal wrote their preview for the 2008 season. They break down each position and suggest what they believe will be the starting lineup. It falls very close to everything that has been floating around the internet lately. Their projected starting lineup and batting order is as follows:

1B: Doug Thennis
3B: Joey Kenworthy
LF: Chris Richburg
RF: Roger Kieschnick
C: Monk Kreder
DH: Taylor Ashby
CF: Tanner Rindels
SS: Chris Hall
2B: Willie Rueda

SP: AJ Ramos
SP: Nathan Karns
SP: Chad Bettis
SP: Cory Large

RP: Sam Janca
RP: James Leverton
RP: Robert Kilcrease
RP: Brian Cloud
RP: Lorenzo Douglas
RP: Paul Gonzalez
RP: Brennen Stewart

CL: Zach Stewart

INF Jason Seefeld is still not up to 100% after his torn ACL from the fall, but should be back sometime during the season. Once he does return, he will most likely gain a starting spot, possibly at 3rd. SP Miles Morgan is still healing from his injury suffered last season, but will also return before too long. His role will most likely depend on how healthy he is.

C Juan Rodriguez will definitely push Kreder for playing time early on, while Ben Baker does the same with Kenworthy for the starting job at the hot corner.

Friday also marks the first game for the University of Texas Longhorns at the newly renovated UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns will square off in a three game weekend series against Virginia Commonwealth University starting at 2:30 pm Friday afternoon.

Kieschnick, Russell among Golden Spikes nominees

2008-02-16T17:36:00.003-06:00

USA Baseball announced their list of 75 players on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List on Friday. The Golden Spikes Award is annually given to the to player in college baseball.

Notable players from the Big 12 named to the Watch list include the Texas trio of Kyle Russell, Preston Clark and Jordan Danks, A&M's Blake Stouffer, Roger Kieschnick of Texas Tech, Baylor SS Beamer Weems, Aaron Crow of Missouri and OSU SS/RHP Jordy Mercer. Rice also had 3 nominees with 2B Aaron Luna and pitchers Cole St. Clair and Ryan Berry.

The list will be narrowed to 50 players on May 20th before USA Baseball announces the 5 finalists on June 3rd. The winner will be announced July 16th.

Link

Not sports related, but definitely awesome related.

2008-02-15T19:09:00.001-06:00

Big 12 announces FSN baseball telecast schedule

2008-02-15T02:48:00.004-06:00

2008 FSN Big 12 Conference Baseball Telecast Schedule
Saturday, March 29	Nebraska at Texas	6 p.m.
Saturday, April 12	Texas Tech at Kansas	12 p.m.
Sunday, April 27	Missouri at Texas A&M	1 p.m.
Saturday, May 3	Baylor at Texas	2:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 18	To Be Determined	3:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 25	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship AT&T Bricktown Ballpark; Oklahoma City	1 p.m.

Those are the 5 Big 12 games that will be televised this season on Fox Sports.

Zach Thomas released by Miami

2008-02-14T23:53:00.003-06:00

Zach Thomas spent 4 years terrorizing opponents in the Southwest Conference while he played at Texas Tech. He recorded 390 career tackles while starting as an All-SWC LB for 3 years. He garnered All-American status in his junior and senior seasons as well as SWC Defensive Player of the Year. In 1995, Thomas was voted as a finalist for the Butkus Award before being drafted in the 5th round of the 1996 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.

Texas Tech fans remember Thomas most for his memorable interception in the waining minutes of the 1995 contest against Texas A&M, which he returned for the clinching touchdown. Dolphin fans remember him for his 7 Pro-Bowl appearances, as well as 7 All-Pro selections.

In his 12 years with Miami, Thomas made over 1,800 tackles, good for 2nd all-time and more than any LB in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Thomas' release should not be a huge surprise, given team President Bill Parcells' current salary cap purge of the 1-15 team. Parcells has been making huge changes in the Dolphins roster by way of massive player cuts. Other notable Dolphins who have been set free are QB Trent Green and WR Marty Booker, as well as 7 other players.

Thomas has indicated that he wants to find a new team for his 13th season, and in all likelihood he will end up signing with someone, maybe Dallas? (probably not, but it wouldn't hurt)

CBS

Crank that Voskuil?

2008-02-14T01:07:00.003-06:00

He went from "Little Brother" to "Mr. 30 Points" in only 3 short years. Alan Voskuil helped the unranked Red Raiders claim the first victory for new coach Pat Knight on Wednesday night against the 18th ranked Kansas State Wildcats, 84-75. The win moves Pat Knight to 1-2, while the Red Raiders improve to 13-10 (4-5). Kansas State drops to 17-6 (7-2) after the lose.

Voskuil could not miss from outside during the first half. His 4-4 from beyond the arc spurred the Red Raiders to a 12 point halftime lead. For the game, Voskuil finished 9-14 with a 5-6 3 point night. His 7 rebounds led the Red Raiders, who were once again outrebounded 33-26.

Despite the troubles on the boards, Texas Tech did everything they needed to grasp the W. They shot .509 from the field and hit 25 of their 36 free throws. The defense held Michael Beasley in check as much as they could. Beasley finished the night with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but only managed to make 6 of his 20 shots.

Voskuil wasn't the only one who helped the Raiders to victory. The Freshman duo of John Roberson and Mike Singletary both put up 11 points. Roberson's 6 assists definitely helped the winning cause. Martin Zeno, Tech's leading scorer on the season finished the game with 16 points. Trevor Cook played a huge role off the bench, scoring 8 points and blocking 2 key shots in the second half in only 13 minutes of play.

Kansas State was led by 2nd leading scorer Bill Walker, who scored 27 points before fouling out. That, combined with Beasley's 22 and Jacob Pullen's 16 amounted for 87% of the Wildcats' point total.

KSU's Blake "Lil' Wayne" Young finished with only 4 points, after trying to prove how "hard" he was after a scrape with Tech big man Esmir Rizvic. Both players received a technical foul on the play, but Young should have been removed from the game for making an apparent threat to Rizvic with his fist. The NCAA should better define the terms of "throwing a punch" to include cocking your fist back and threatening another player (editor's opinion).

Jason Kidd a Maverick, once again. OR IS HE??

2008-02-13T18:28:00.006-06:00

Jason Kidd to the Mavericks? Good for Jason, good for San Antonio, bad for the Mavericks. The trade is done, and it will be Jason Kidd going to Dallas with teammate Malik Allen, while Dallas sends Jerry Stackhouse, Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Devean George and Maurice Ager. The Nets also receive 2 first round picks and $3 million cash money. So far, CBS is reporting its a done deal, while ESPN has yet to pull the trigger on confirming it.

Why is this bad for Dallas? You are giving up a valuable 6th man in Stackhouse, a solid playmaking PG in Harris, a very annoying (editor opinion) center with Diop, and 2 players who don't really factor in to the Mavericks corps of players for an aging, expensive point guard and a roster filling power forward.

So Dallas will likely field a lineup of Kidd, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Dirk "Caveman" Nowitzki and Erick Dampier. They will still have Eddie Jones and Brandon Bass off the bench, but not much after that. New Jersey, in exchange, gets an entirely new team.

The trade will cost Dallas 23% of its' total point production on the season, and a player with 105 offensive rebounds (Diop), good for 2nd on the roster. Diop also leads the Mavericks with 61 blocked shots. Harris currently leads the team in steals (56) and assists (206). Those are easy stats for Kidd to surpass, but Harris is much better at shooting this year. Kidd is hitting on 36.6% of his shots, a huge drop off from the 48.3% clip Harris hits.

As a Spurs fan, I am loving this trade. Diop, Harris and Stackhouse seem to hurt the Spurs a lot when they play, while Kidd didn't put up much resistance during San Antonio's 2003 title run.

Cuban may have really screwed up this team's chance in the playoffs. I just don't see Jason Kidd providing more than the players he is replacing.

I give this trade a C- grade.

CBS

UPDATE:

Devean George apparently initiated his no-trade clause, derailing the entire trade. Dallas and New Jersey are most likely going to have to figure out another package that doesn't include George.

Same old song and dance for IU's Sampson

2008-02-13T17:58:00.003-06:00

There is a reason why nobody likes Kelvin Sampson. It's not just because he put together some really good, and dirty (editor opinion) teams at Oklahoma, but rather the fact that he is constantly breaking NCAA rules. To Sampson, ethics is just some silly word that people throw around when he beats them out for a recruit (see Eric Gordon's recruitment). The violations started out with Ol' Blue Shirt making illegal (per NCAA) calls to potential recruits. It wasn't a couple or even a dozen, but 577. The NCAA decided that Sampson was restricted from making any calls to recruits, but was allowed to receive calls. It was soon discovered that he participated in a number of conference calls with potential players. Now, he's in big trouble. Sampson did it AGAIN, but this time he lied about it. The NCAA caught him, again.

This is a big blow to the Indiana program. Under former Head Coach Bob Knight, Indiana faced much scrutiny for his actions, none of which including NCAA violations. It seems that Indiana traded that spotlight for Sampson's aura of cheating. Sampson has already cost himself $500,000 and one scholarship, both sanctions brought on by the university, but with this new round, the NCAA will hopefully step up and punish Kelvin with major sanctions. If Indiana were smart, they'd start a new search for a head coach that doesn't have a knack for blatantly breaking the rules. They gambled bringing in a coach with a winning record on the court, but a losing record off the court, when they lured him away from Oklahoma. Now they need to go find a coach who won't break the rules, even if it means sacrificing a few victories each year. They are now looking like total fools for letting Mike Davis and Bobby Knight leave.

Davis took over for Knight in the 2000-2001 season, and led Indiana to the NCAA Finals in his 2nd season at the helm. After a series of non-Indiana like years, Davis resigned and took over the UAB program. Hall of Famer Knight brought 3 national championships to Bloomington during his 29 years, and 11 Big Ten titles. He was fired after a career marred by on and off the court shenanigans (not cheeky or fun shenanigans).

Indiana needs a new start. They have some great players at their disposal (assuming they return) and are a huge name in collegiate basketball. All they are missing is a coach that makes the news by winning, not through scandal.

Link

It's almost PAT KNIGHT DAY!!

2008-02-12T20:19:00.002-06:00

Lubbock Mayor David Miller is making an attempt to regain some citizen's trust (note editor opinion) by proclaiming Wednesday, February 13, 2008 as Pat Knight Day to officially welcome the new coach to his position. The son of The General is officially 0-2 in his short tenure as the head man for the Red Raiders, both games coming on the road. Wednesday will mark his first coaching gig in Lubbock when the Wildcats of Kansas State trek down from their perch in Manhattan.

Kansas State, 17-5 (7-1), features Fr. phenom Michael Beasley, a forward averaging a paltry 25 points and 12 rebounds a game, both tops in the Big 12. So. forward Bill Walker ranks 6th and 9th, respectively, with 15.8 and 6.8, helping the Wildcats form a formidable combo on the inside.

Texas Tech enters the contest at 12-10 (3-5), and on a 2-game losing streak. Leading scorer, Sr. Martin Zeno is also the teams leading rebounder with 16 and 4.5. Fr. guard John Roberson is 2nd with 12.5 pts. while Jr. Alan Voskuil averages 12.1 per game.

The key to Wednesday night's game will be Tech's ability to neutralize the offense and defense of Michael Beasley. Basically, Tech must keep Beasley from playing his style. That, coupled with a strong shooting game should propel the Red Raiders to victory. In essence, this should be an easy win in Lubbock for Kansas State, something no visitor has achieved in 2007-2008.

#11 Texas upsets #3 Kansas in Austin

2008-02-11T22:35:00.001-06:00

Wow, what a game for the Longhorns tonight, a 72-69 win over another top 5 team. It took a great first half from Connor Atchley and an amazing second half from Damion James and Justin Mason to seal the deal. The MVP of the game, in my opinion, was Justin Mason. Mason went from being a scapegoat for bad shooting to an all-hustle playmaker when the Longhorns needed him the most. His extra effort to grab offensive rebounds and get timely putbacks propelled the Longhorns just enough to overcome DJ Augustin's 1-13 performance.

The Jayhawks dominated the transition game for much of the contest, but could not overcome the grittiness of Texas. Kansas was led offensively by So. Darrell Arthur's 22 points.

Connor Atchley was a perfect 6-6 from the field for 16 points, including 4-4 from beyond the arc, and added 4 key blocks. Damion James scored 14, while grabbing 13 rebounds, most of them coming in the closing half. Justin Mason scored only 9 points, but grabbed 8 rebounds, 5 on the offensive side.

Box Score

Rivals.com Preseason All-American team

2008-02-11T12:35:00.002-06:00

Four big 12 players made it onto Kendall Rogers' team over at Rivals.com. Headlining the group, as usual, is Texas OF Kyle Russell. Joining Russell on the first team is A&M 2B Blake Stouffer. The second team marks the appearance of Baylor Jr. SS Beamer Weems. Weems hit .321 last year, with 9 home runs to boot. In addition to Weems, Missouri Jr. Aaron Crow was also named to the second team.

Rivals.com

Big 12 place 6 on BA's All-American teams

2008-02-11T00:51:00.001-06:00

Six Big 12 players were named to the Baseball America Preseason All-American teams. Leading the way on the first team is the Texas outfield duo of Kyle Russell and Jordan Danks. Russell led the nation last year in homers with 28, while Danks was perfect on stolen bases for the year with 19. On the pitching side, Missouri Jr. Aaron Crow was also named to the first team after recording 9 wins in 2007.

The second team featured only one player from the conference; Texas Tech outfielder Roger Kieschnick. Kieschnick led the Red Raiders last year with 43 extra base hits. The third team featured Texas A&M 2B Blake Stouffer. Stouffer was tops on the Aggie baseball team with a .398 average and 102 hits. Also on the third team is Oklahoma State Jr. Jordy Mercer. Mercer was named as the utility player. Mercer hit .299 while going 3-1 on the mound for the Cowboys.

Baseball America

Kieschnick story

2008-02-10T18:19:00.001-06:00

The AJ has a nice write-up on Roger Kieschnick from today.

A&M loses DC to Cowboys

2008-02-10T16:38:00.001-06:00

Reggie Herring completed the most successful tenure of any A&M DC ever, he never gave up a single point to Texas Tech. Of course, he never got his defense on the field. The Dallas Cowboys offered Herring the position of LB coach, which he accepted, giving him his 3rd job during 2008. He was previously the DC at Arkansas, under former HC Houston Nutt.

CBS

Signing Day! (last week)

2008-02-10T16:02:00.001-06:00

So signing day has come and gone, once again. The recruitniks (a.k.a. Stealers of your money by giving you news that isn't worth the $10 a month) are getting to start on the current juniors, making them into the next big things.

Tech had a very bad day on paper, according to some, but Mike Leach got exactly what he needed to work his magic. He lost Keanon Cooper and Brian Christopher (see earlier posts), but gained Lubbock native Austin Zouzalik. He didn't land any of the 5-star WR prospects, or a big name DT, but the redshirted crop of talent in the receiving corps coupled with the incoming DEs should make those losses a distant memory in the near present. He continued to add to his trademark mammoth OL with a few good pickups from Texas and Oklahoma, as well as a recruit from last year's class who resolved his grade issues. Overall, the class sucks for most schools, but is perfect for the Red Raiders.

QB Seth Doege (Wolfforth, TX, Frenship HS)
Hasn't played in 2 years due to knee injuries, but may do well in the Texas Tech system
RB Harrison Jeffers (Lawton, OK, Eisenhower HS)
Not a very tall RB, but has the ability to succeed in the Air Raid Offense.
RB Brandon Reid (El Paso, TX, Canutillo HS)
Former Missouri commit will get a shot at RB and could even play LB
OT Joe King (Oklahoma City, OK, Putnam City North HS)
6-6 300 lbs. Big tackle who will fit in well with the other lineman.
OT Terry McDaniel (Diana, TX, New Diana HS)
All-state lineman comes in at 6-6.5 315 lbs. Turned down an offer from LSU to be a Raider.
OG Deveric Gallington (Richland Hills, TX, Richland HS)
Top 100 recruit in Texas. 6-4 330 lbs on signing day.
DE Brandon Sesay (Visalia, CA, College of the Sequoias)
Should have an instant impact for the defense. Possible starter by August 30th.
DE McKinner Dixon (Lufkin, TX, Cisco JC/Texas Tech)
Played his freshman season at Texas Tech before leaving to work out his academics. Should team up with Sesay to lead the DL.
DE Ryan Halliburton (Wolfforth, TX, Frenship HS)
Quick pass rusher. Could be a decent player for the Raiders.
DE Joey Fowler (Oklahoma City, OK, Westmoore HS)
The only bad thing about Fowler is his injury history. Other than that, he should contribute on the next level.
DT Broderick Marshall (Austin, TX, Tyler JC)
Committed to Tech in 2006, and finally made it on campus. Could play any position on the DL
CB Jarell Routt (Texas City, TX, Coffeyville JC)
Another former Red Raider recruit who finally made it to campus. Could provide instant help to the secondary.
S Cody Davis (Stephenville, TX, Stephenville HS)
All-state player. Had the knack for making plays at Stephenville HS. Could contribute to the secondary in a few years.
K Donnie Carona (Beamount, TX, Monsignor Kelly HS)
Also played RB in HS. 6-0 200 lbs frame gives Tech more options on trick plays. May very well be kicking FGs for Tech in the fall.
ATH Cornelius Douglas (Lawton, OK, Lawton HS)
Can you say Tyrone Thurman? 5-9 180 lbs WR/CB has the tools to fit in perfectly at Texas Tech. Should remind a lot of newer Red Raider fans of former WR Nehemiah Glover, while the older fans may think of Mr. Thurman.
ATH Austin Zouzalik (Lubbock, TX, Coronado HS)
Zouzalik was the signal caller for the Mustangs, but has been mentioned as a possible DB for his hometown team. Has the speed and athleticism to earn playing time.

Tech also has 2 walk-ons lined up for 2008. The first being Muleshoe HS QB Garrett Riley, brother of WR coach Lincoln Riley. Blake Kelly, a 5-11 180 lbs WR from Blinn JC has also accepted an invitation to walk-on at Tech.

Tech also notched their first new player for 2009. Former Miami DT Chris Perry, of Keller, Tx, has transfered to Lubbock. Perry, a former top 100 Texas recruit, sat out his first season in Miami due to a stress fracture.

Here's a positive (for once) writeup on the class from The Sporting News.

Texas Tech football adds 12th game for 2008

2008-02-07T15:45:00.001-06:00

Texas Tech has added Eastern Washington University to finish the 2008 schedule. Tech and EWU will play in Lubbock on August 30th. The Red Raiders had an open slot after Tulsa University dropped the previously scheduled game on the same date.

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Shaq to Phoenix

2008-02-06T15:23:00.001-06:00

Shaquille O'Neal is the newest member of the Phoenix Suns after being the centerpiece of a trade with the Miami Heat Tuesday night. Miami sent the massive center to Arizona in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

If O'Neal doesn't help Phoenix claim their first World Championship, it could put new GM Steve Kerr's job on the line.

Of course, all of this depends on the outcome of Shaq's physical

Story

Big 12 Baseball rundown

2008-02-05T17:53:00.002-06:00

Alright, we are drawing ever closer to the beginning of the NCAA baseball season. Currently, we sit a mere 17 days away from the first games for the Big 12 teams. Here is a quick rundown of how the teams should fare, and which players to look out for...

BAYLOR (#15 in Baseball America, #18 RivalsBaseball.com)
Baylor is looking to field a very talented and more experienced team this season. Returning for the Bears is the entire infield, led by preseason All-American Jr. Beemer Weems at SS. Weems hit .321 last year while leading Baylor in home runs (9), doubles (17) and RBIs (59). The remaining infield is made up of the So. trio of Raynor Campbell, Shaver Hansen and Dustin Dickerson. The outfield returns three regulars, most notably Jr. Ben Booker.

The pitching staff returns mostly intact, led by preseason All-American closer Nick Cassavechia. Cassavechia was 2nd in the Big 12 last year with 11 saves, while maintaining a 3.12 ERA with 72 strikeouts over 52 innings. The starting pitching should consist of returning starters So. Kendall Volz (6-2 in 2007), So. Wade Mackey (4-3) and Sr. Randal Linebaugh (3-5), as well as So. Willie Kempf. The biggest question for Baylor will be the ability of redshirt freshman Shawn Tolleson. Tolleson is expected to be a bigtime contributor for the Bears after fully recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

The Bears finished the 2007 season 35-27 (12-15). Their first game is on February 22nd against Purdue.

KANSAS
Last season's Kansas team finished the year 28-30 (9-17), on par with what many predicted for the Jayhawks. This year's team should finish close to the same as the previous year's.

Kansas still has some bright spots leftover from the previous campaign. Returning for the Jayhawks is Brooks Wallace nominee, Sr. John Allman. Allman controlled left field lasst year while hitting .333. Returning with him are a pair of starting brothers in So. 2b Robby Price and Sr. C/OF Ryne Price, sons of Head Coach Ritchie Price. The elder of the Price brothers should see significant success after hitting .270 with 10 home runs as a junior. Sr. SS Erik Morrison, a Pirate's draft pick, also returns after hitting .296 in 2007.

On the pitching front, Kansas brings back 3/4ths of their starting pitching from 2007. Jr. Andy Marks (5-6, 91 strikeouts), So. Wally Marcial (5-3) and Jr. Nick Czyz (4-8) should carry the bulk of the weekend innings, while Sr. Andres Esquibel (7-3) and Jr. Paul Smyth (3-4, 7 saves) lead from the bullpen.

KANSAS STATE
Kansas State is potentially primed to have one of their best seasons since joining the Big 12 thanks to the amount of experience they return on the field in 2008. Back is the Wildcats' top hitter and top pitcher. Led at the plate by Jr. Byron Wiley, who hit .366 last year with 7 home runs, both tops for Kansas State in 2007. Taking charge on the mound is preseason 1st team All-American closer Daniel Edwards, a junior who notched 11 saves in 23 appearances as a sophomore.

Kansas State also returns many of their top position players. Jr. Nate Tenbrink, a 3 year starter, remains the 3rd baseman, while Jr. Rob Vaughn will continue to lead the defense from behind the plate. So. Adam Muenster put up big numbers in Manhattan during his freshman season, hitting .294 with 20 RBIs.

On the pitching front, Kansas State returns their top two starters, to go along with Edwards. Brad Hutt, a senior, bring a resume that includes a 9-4 record in 2007 with a 3.07 ERA to boot. Sr. Chase Bayuk will be the #2, after going 5-6 last season in 14 starts.

After amassing a 34-24 record, including a 10-win conference season, Kansas State is set up to have their best season in since winning 13 of 26 Big 12 games in 2002.

More to come...

Kyle Russell story

2008-02-05T17:44:00.001-06:00

The Daily Texan has a nice story about Kyle Russell's decision to return to UT for his junior season rather than sign with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bob Knight retires

2008-02-04T19:38:00.001-06:00

Bob Knight unexpectedly retired Monday afternoon from his post at Texas Tech University. Knight's son, Pat Knight, is set to take over the team for the season's remaining ten games. Knight finished his 6+ seasons at Tech with an overall record of 138-82, giving him the highest win percentage of any Red Raider coach. His career record of 902-371 gives him the most victories in NCAA Men's Basketball history.

At Tech, Knight led the Red Raiders to 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Sweet Sixteen in 2005. He won 3 NCAA titles during his tenure at Indiana, including a perfect 32-0 season in 1973.

As much as people will remember him for his 3 titles, 902 wins and countless antics, I will most remember him for his donations towards education and his role in coaching student-athletes rather than just athletes.

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal story

In my staunch opinion, I am glad that Coach Knight has decided to hand over the program. It was hard seeing him this season, with his teams inability to play up to his name's lofty standards. It just seemed like the game had really passed him by, especially with the influx of a higher quality of players on opposing teams, due to the NBA's new requirements on drafting age. It will be a long time until somebody with his flare and intensity comes to the sport of basketball.

Farewell, Coach Knight!

Amendola shines against the Nation

2008-02-02T23:00:00.001-06:00

Texas dominated the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star game today with a 41-14 drubbing of the Nation team.

Former Red Raider Danny Amendola led Texas in receiving with 71 yards on 3 catches, including the games first touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Amendola caught 4 total passes, but his 2nd, a 6 yard gain was negated by a holding penalty. The play by play reported no other passes thrown to Danny, meaning he caught all four passes that the quarterbacks threw him. Not bad for an undersized, slow white kid.

Former Longhorns Robert Killebrew and Erick Jackson helped out in the defensive effort. Killebrew was credited with 3 solo tackles and a forced fumble. Jackson stood out defensively after returning a Nation fumble 50 yards to give Texas a 21-7 lead in the 3rd quarter. He also broke up a Nick Hill pass to end the 3rd quarter, and recorded 3 tackles, 2 solo.

Box Score

Texas Tech football picks up new commit!

2008-02-02T21:51:00.001-06:00

Texas Tech received a new commitment today from former Missouri commit, RB Brandon Reid of Canutillo, Texas.

Reid is being given a chance at RB, but could ultimately end up as a LB or S if he can't win a job.

Texas Tech is also still in the hunt for former UT lineman J'Marcus Webb, a former 5-star lineman.

The Longhorns Baseball preview...

2008-02-02T02:54:00.002-06:00

So it looks like Texas is poised for a deep run into the NCAA tournament this year, returning tons of talent and trying to replace other talent. The Longhorns have been consistently ranked in the top 10 in every preseason poll.

The coaching staff is one of the nation's best. Augie Garrido, NCAA's all-time leader in wins, mans the ship with a zen-like captaincy, while Associate Coach Tommy Harmon and Pitching Coach Skip Johnson round out the rest of the staff, respectively, while former All-American pitcher Greg Swindell resumes his role of volunteer. There is no need for panic with that sort of talent in the dugout.

The infield is the biggest question mark concerning the 'Horns this season. Only 2 starters return, and only 1 is in his original position. Jr. catcher Preston Clark, the Big 12's top returning catcher, will kickoff the season behind the plate for the 3rd time. Jr. Travis Tucker, last year's starting 2nd baseman and leading base stealer, will make a move to 3rd base, in place of departed All-American Bradley Suttle, now in the Yankee's organization. 1st base will be manned by So. Brandon Belt. At 6' 5", Belt maintains the height that Chance Wheeless had brought to the base the previous years. The middle of the infield will most likely belong to a pair of D1 transfers. Former USC Trojan Michael Torres is projected to cover 2nd base, while Fresno State transfer David Hernandez tries his luck at shortstop. The projected backups are Jeff Boes (1B), Bobby Buckner (SS), Tant Shepherd (3B) and Todd Gilfillan (C)

The outfield is where UT excels. Home Run King Kyle Russell opted to return to the Longhorns for his Jr. season in right field instead of signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. His 28 home runs last season not only led the nation, but set a new UT single-season record. Fellow Jr. Jordan Danks returns to his regular role in center field. The speedy Danks led the team last year in walks while hitting .332 and stealing 19 of 19 bases. He did not commit an error in 119 chances. Left field will initially belong to So. Russell Moldenhauer. The Boerne High School product hit in 2007 in 49 games. His 6 home runs ranked 4th on the Longhorns. His backup will be So. Kyle Lusson, a key defensive replacement for last year's team.

The designated hitter's spot appears to be a 2-way battle by a pair of freshmen. Cameron Rupp and Kevin Keyes, both big-time talents will battle for the position to begin the season.

Texas returns experience on the pitching mound. Jr. Kenn Kasparek and So. Riley Boening are both expected to return to starting roles after sitting out last season due to injuries. Jr. Austin Wood is Texas' top returning pitcher, after going 8-1 on the mound with a 3.15 ERA. The weekday rotation is still up for grabs, although touted Frs. Brandon Workman and Cole Green, and Florida State transfer So. Casey Whitmer appear to be the current front runners.

Jrs. Pat McCrory and Keith Shinaberry both return to the Longhorns after seeing extensive bullpen time in 2007. Shinaberry was 3rd on the team in relief appearances, while McCrory began the season as the starting SS. Jr. Kyle Walker should also get plenty of time on the mound if he has solved his control problems that plagued his first 2 years in Austin. Newcomers Chance Ruffin, Garrett Clyde and Lee Johnson are also candidates for early and often playing time. Rounding out the bullpen is So. Hunter Harris, a 2 game winner in '07.

With plenty of veterans, as well as incoming legacies (Bobby Buckner, son of Bill Buckner, Chance Ruffin, son of Longhorn Legend Bruce Ruffin, and Garrett Clyde, cousin of David Clyde) give the Longhorns more than a chance of making it back to Omaha, again.

Garrido still sizing up his team, but he digs the new Disch (Austin American-Statesman)

Tech Baseball Starting Lineup?

2008-02-02T02:38:00.001-06:00

This isn't from an article, but rather a message board giving credit to Coach Hays and Coach Spencer...

From Soapsuds16 on raiderpower.com

Projected Batting Order:
Thennis-our best hitter when '07 ended
Rueda-will play either 2B or CF
Kieschnick-RF
Kreder-C, Spencer will be asking a lot of him
Richburg-OF
Ashby-OF
Rindels-Best 1B we have, can rake
Baker-solid defensively
Hall-expecting him to build on last season

Projected Starters:
1. Karns-pure stuff, MLB frame, stay healthy
2. Ramos-tough, good stuff
3. Bettis-He's a freak but young, ace in waiting
4a. Forneau
4b. Douglass
4c. Large

Projected Relievers:
Leverton
Cloud
Gonzalez
Janca
Two that aren't the #4 starter

Projected Closer:
Zach Stewart-our best pitcher, similar to Zach Butler two years ago

I got a lot of them right on guesses. It also appears that Miles Morgan will not be ready this month. I had heard from a few sources that Kenworthy would get the nod at 2nd, but it appears that Rueda will resume his starting position. If so, then expect to see Thennis being the DH since his defense was suspect at time last season, in the outfield and at 3rd.

I like Chad Bettis starting on the weekends. I have heard nothing but positive stuff on him, plus he was drafted in the 8th round by the Astros, but stuck by his commitment. Karns is a former UT signee who bolted (along with about 4 other pitchers) when Tom Holliday took over at NC State. I don't know anything about Forneau, Douglass or Stewart, but hope to soon.

All in all, I'm excited!

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal ran a story on the start of Tech's baseball practices.

Tech looking to add D1-AA opponent to schedule

2008-02-02T02:24:00.001-06:00

After Tulsa backed out of the August 30th game in Lubbock, it appears that Tech is going to add another D1-AA (FCS) opponent (scroll down to bottom) to the schedule. Tech is already scheduled to play UMass next season.

I'm not a fan of adding the 2nd D1-AA opponent due to the implications it has on the strength of schedule, but hopefully it will be an easy win and we don't Michigan it.

UH hires Tech Offensive Coordinator Holgorsen

2008-02-02T02:12:00.001-06:00

Well, Kevin Sumlin rounded off his new staff at the University of Houston by hiring Texas Tech OC Dana Holgorsen. This marks 2 straight years that a Tech OC has taken a job at another school. Last year, Sonny Dykes was hired by Mike Stoops to help improve the Wildcat's offense in Arizona.

Its great that Mike Leach seems to be the new go-to guy when a team needs a coordinator to run the spread offense. He's becoming the Bill Walsh of the spread. The spread has become the new West Coast Offense, and Lubbock is the center of the movement.

The biggest pain this causes the Red Raiders is Holgorsen's experience as a teacher, more so than as a play caller, since Leach pretty much does most of that. I give Holgorsen credit for most of the wide receivers that have come through Tech in the last few seasons. Michael Crabtree, Eric Morris, Danny Amendola and Joel Filani have all thrived under his watch, while others like Eddie Britton and Robert Johnson have succeeded after switching positions.

Good luck, Dana!

Let's Talk Baseball!

2008-02-01T00:55:00.001-06:00

It's almost that time of year again, when the diamonds fill with players and the stands fill with fans. Except we'll have to wait an extra 3 weeks this year. With the new uniform start date (grow a pair, North), the NCAA baseball season has to wait until February 15th for its first scheduled game. I figure now is as good a time as any to start looking at what the Longhorns and Red Raiders have to offer.

We'll start with Texas Tech:

During the offseason, Tech decided to do some in-house cleaning. Out was volunteer Pitching Coach Lance Brown and Assistant Coach Daren Hays. Hays took over as the new Head of Baseball Operations, a job that will keep him away from coaching, thanks be to Jebus. The Raiders then went out and made, in my opinion, one of the best hires in a long time, Dan Spencer. Spencer was the pitching coach for 2-time defending National Champion Oregon State. He put together staffs that dominated the post season and helped the Beavers claim supremacy over the rest of the field. In addition to Spencer, Trent Petrie was hired from New Mexico to help mold the young Red Raiders into their former glory from the late '90s. Former Beaver Andy Jarvis was hired as the volunteer assistant coach. With legendary Head Coach Larry Hays at the helm, the Tech coaching staff appears to be back to normal (See Greg Evans and Frank Anderson).

Tech's star power this year will all be focused on Jr. Roger Kieschnick of Rockwall. Kieschnick ended last season hitting .302/.373/.621. He is a huge extra base threat after leading Tech with 43 extra base hits (25 doubles, 5 triples and 13 home runs), as well as a run producer (50 runs and 36 RBIs). He is the closest thing Tech has to a 5 tool player. He can get the power and average at the plate, steal bases, and is an above average fielder (.984 fielding %). Most of Tech's offense will be produced with his bat.

The ace of the staff is Jr. AJ Ramos. Ramos led Tech with an 8-5 record last season, but struggled with his ERA in conference play. This is where Spencer comes in to play. Ramos will hopefully drop his ERA from last season's 4.70, and improve his other totals. Jr. Miles Morgan, if healthy, should also factor in as a weekend starter. Tech's bullpen should be headed up by workhorse So. Paul Gonzalez, who was 2nd on the team with 20 appearances in 2007. Last year's 1B James Leverton has been moved to the mound, and should factor in as well.

As for the rest of the team, there is a lot of question as to the starting lineup. So. Joey Kenworthy should begin the season at 2nd base, while So. Chris Hall will take over for the departed Kyle Martin at SS. Ben Baker is looking to hold onto his position at 3rd base. TCU transfer Monk Kreder is penciled in as the starting catcher, while 1st base is up for grabs. Currently, it appears that the job will belong to either Chris Richburg, a Jr. from Wolfforth and MVP of the Texas Collegiate League, or Tanner Rindels, a transfer from Seward CC in Kansas. I've also heard the prospect of Kieschnick moving to 1st. Jason Seefeld, the projected 2nd baseman, will likely miss the majority of the year due to an injury sustained in the fall.

The outfield is wide open. Sr. Doug Thennis, Tech's leading hitter in 2007, is one of 3 returning starters. Kieschnick will most likely play LF, while CF could belong to So. Taylor Ashby or Jr. speedster Willie Rueda, a former 2nd baseman returning from injury. Chris Richburg may also see time in the outfield, depending on the situation at 1st base.

The pitching is full of newcomers and young talents. Gone are Travis Young, Collin Auten and Aaron Odom, but with a healthy Morgan and a confident Ramos, the staff should improve from last years struggles. Jr. Brian Cloud should be the #2 man behind Gonzalez in the bullpen. Other relief pitchers would be So. Sam Janca and Leverton. The starting rotation will most likely include newcomer So. Nathan Karns, and possibly Fr. Chad Bettis or Jr. Zach Stewart. The recruiting class featured Fr. Robert Kilcrease, a possible instant contributor, and Fr. Austin Quick, both from the Austin area.

It's too hard to tell what the lineup will look like, but hopefully the staff will quickly figure out the best combination and roles. I'm predicting that Tech will improve on their Big 12 performance, even with the increased talent this year for the other teams.

Texas:

I'll do it tomorrow, I'm kinda tired right now...

Former Red Raider and Former Longhorn to suit up for Texas vs. Nation

2008-02-01T00:40:00.001-06:00

So we are almost to the 2nd annual Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Game in El Paso. It features a roster made up of players who spent their high school or college careers inside the Lone Star State vs. those not so fortunate.

Former Red Raider WR Danny Amendola and former Longhorn LB Robert "15-yards" Killebrew will both see action for the Texans, a team that is to be coached by former Alabama legend Gene Stallings.

Last year's game was won by the Nation Team, holding Texas at the 44 yard line as time expired, 24-20. The roster included two former Raiders in Keyunta Dawson (now with Indianapolis) and Robert Johnson (Amarillo Dusters, af2).

Amendola finished his senior season at Texas Tech with 112 catches for 1245 yards and 5 TDs in 13 games. Killebrew amassed 57 tackles, including 1 sack, for the Longhorns in '07.

The game is at 4 PM CST on Saturday. CSTV will televise.

You Stay Classy, Chris Berman

2008-01-31T15:20:00.001-06:00

Wow, this adds to the "Why I dislike Chris Berman" list I've slowly made. This happened 8 years ago and is probably NSFW due to language.

Deadspin.com

Big 12 Recruiting Review

2008-01-31T14:58:00.001-06:00

Tom Dienhart at The Sporting News wrote a piece on Big 12 overachievers and underachievers in football. Texas Tech comes in as an overachiever while or favorite team comes in as an under.

Welker's New 'Stache

2008-01-31T00:06:00.000-06:00

Found this picture of Wes floating around the intertube. Seems like he's a new spokesperson for Milk. Thank God he got out of Miami.

Wreck 'Em, Wes!

Here is an article on Wes from the Austin American-Statesman and one from the Houston Chronicle

Down Goes Kansas!

2008-01-30T23:56:00.002-06:00

#22 Kansas State pulled off the upset of the day today when they beat the #2 Jayhawks in Manhattan, 84-75. It marked the first time in TWENTY FOUR years that Kansas had lost a game on their rival's home court. Michael Beasley and Bill Walker led the Wildcats with 25 and 22 points. Kansas managed to out-shoot their in-state rivals .481 to .429, but the 12 made 3 pointers by KSU proved to be too much in the end.

This marked the first loss of the year for Kansas, leaving #1 Memphis as the only remaining unbeaten team.

In College Station, Texas lost to A&M. A&M was helped out by the refs, and Texas' inability to shoot the ball. It sucked, but proved the Texas Triangle right once again. Tech beats A&M, Texas beats Tech, A&M beats Texas. It's a vicious cycle.

Spurs to sign Damon Stoudamire

2008-01-30T20:55:00.001-06:00

Just heard on ESPN that Damon Stoudamire is going to sign with San Antonio tomorrow. That should help a lot with the injury problems (Parker).

ESPN

Tech football nabs two new commits!

2008-01-30T19:20:00.001-06:00

On Monday, Texas Tech football welcomed the news of two players ready to set foot in Lubbock next fall. One was a welcome addition in Dallas Skyline S Keanon Cooper, while the other, Camden, Arkansas DE Brian Christopher was a totally unknown to me (I don't follow recruiting close enough, apparently).

Don Williams has the write up in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

I really like the addition of Cooper. He brings a much needed talent to the secondary, and this class. Not to take away from early-commit Cody Davis, but Cooper could be a great addition for the future. It is also important for Coach Leach to continue his presence in the Metroplex. One of his last trips inside Dallas landed Michael Crabtree, afterall.

Like I said earlier, I have nothing to add on Brian Christopher. I hadn't heard his name before reading the article. The interesting thing is that two of his teammates at Fairview happen to be targets for Texas Tech, who are currently listed as "soft verbals" to Arkansas. Either Mike really liked what he saw in Christopher when he was looking at the other two, or he is hoping to pull a fast one on Bobby Petrino. Can't really criticize the Coach since he has been a wonderful evaluator of talent (see Wes Welker).

This brings the total number of verbals up to 16, with 10 being listed on the defensive side of the ball. Texas Tech recruits

Welcome!

2008-01-30T19:00:00.001-06:00

So I started a sports blog, finally. Right now I have no goals with this other than to get the hang of it. "Bear" (cut, print, gay) with me. I'm not sure if the aim will be original or informative or both, but as it goes on, I will know.

Right now I plan to focus a lot on college baseball since the season is just around the bend (February 15th, holla!) and it is all I will care about for a while (mid-June). I'll also focus on news regarding Texas Tech and the University of Texas (t.u., tee hee), since I'm familiar with their goings-on.

Sit back, and enjoy the trainwreck.