Making Tuesday Fun Since 2006!
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A "weekly must-read"
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--- ESPN's Ivan Maisel writes a tribute to a baseball book that changed his life after learning of the passing of its author.

I always meant to interview [author Mark] Harris, or at least write him a letter and tell him how much his book meant to me. I never did. The best alternative I have these many years later is to share "The Southpaw" with everyone who loves good writing and loves sports. Pick it up soon.

--- Continuing our off-topic trend (dog days, anyone?), ESPN's Pat Forde gets in-depth with the story of a 14-year-old basketball player already committed to USC.

Luckily there appears to be a limit to this in football where player development is far less predictable.

"There's a bigger chance of misevaluation, the earlier it is," said Kentucky's [coach Billy] Gillispie, who inherited a powerhouse program that was running unusually low on buzz. "There's some question about how guys are going to continue to work and continue to grow. There's some danger involved.

"But I think the positives outweigh the negatives. So many guys are playing so much basketball so much earlier, against great competition. There are guys playing 365 days a year against great competition."

This is clearly not the case in football.

--- Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel lists the nation's 10 best and five worst coaches.

You can also call this: the easy way to make 14 out of 15 coaches unwilling to return your phone call.

Also in The Mailbag: a discussion on the importance of the safety position, E.J. Manuel's commitment to Florida State and its impact in the recruiting world, what it will take for Darren McFadden to win the Heisman, stomping down "upset" talk about the Michigan/Appalachian State game, upset talk for the Washington/Ohio State game, whether Syracuse will ever be good again [yes! -ed], argument over the semantics of "committee" vs. "tandem" when it comes to shared backfields, British college football fans, Jordana Spiro talk.

Also: Mandel returns to the blog talking about Oklahoma's punishment and what it means for USC. Memo to SI: add "permalinks" to your blog pages so people can you know, link to the damn things the easy way.

The longer the NCAA remains silent on the matter, the more the conspiracy theories grow among fans of other programs around the country incredulous that the Trojans -- who fans of other national-title contenders would no doubt love to see taken down a peg -- are dodging this bullet. Wednesday’s Oklahoma news won’t help matters.

I've heard from a contact that one theory floating around USC is that the NCAA investigation will linger for another year or more. The investigation and the cloud of suspicion becomes the punishment, hitting at USC's prestige and its ability to recruit. The Trojans have so far recruited well, but it's hard not to imagine where they haven't lost a player or two who is convinced by other schools that the NCAA is going to bring the hammer at some unknown point in the future.

If true, it's not exactly a postseason ban or vacated titles, but is certain to have a real world cost to USC's prestige which matters with parents and recruits.

One quibble:

But I’m guessing most of the public doesn’t care about such semantics. Most people are going to read the line about OU "failing to monitor" its athletes’ employment situation and say, "Well, shouldn’t USC have been monitoring Bush’s dealings with agents?" According to Yahoo!, the agents were on the sideline and in the locker room throughout Bush’s final season.

To be accurate, it doesn't appear that Bush and his family mixed with any of the agents around USC (nor have other players, to our knowledge). The people at the center of this investigation were based in San Diego County, linked to Native American casinos and East County gangs quite a distance away from Los Angeles at the USC campus. This is how USC beats that charge, since it's likely that Bush's father/family got mixed up with that whole mess back at home. It's really a San Diego story which is probably why it took so long for people to become aware of it. Once again misinformation rules the day.

--- The Sporting News' Matt Hayes tapes a college football preview show and comes away feeling there's a bias against west coast teams.

It didn't help that he was working alongside the king of SEC homers, Tim Brando (along with CBS broadcast mate Spencer Tillman who couldn't be bigger SEC shills if they tried). Mind you, it's just plain foolish to be talking UCLA and national championship this year, but there's room for an equity of views which just never happens with the talking heads. We need less Gary Danielsons and more Pat Hadens, methinks.

Also: Oklahoma's appeal of its punishment is an attempt at getting "wiggle room" if other misdeeds ever come to light.

Also: Numbers don't tell the story of overrated and underrated quarterbacks and tailbacks.

Also: From Big East Media Days, Hayes writes that Kentucky may rain on the Big East's parade. 

--- The Sporting News' Tom Dienhart recalls a conversation with new Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh and frets about the difficulties of what the Stanford job has become.

Also: Heisman winners for life.

Notre Dame's John Huarte, the 1964 winner, has his Heisman on display at his old high school, Mater Dei, in Santa Ana, Calif. "I figured it was better there," says Huarte. "Maybe it can plant a seed, inspire someone to do something they thought wasn't possible."

It worked for Southern California's Matt Leinart, who went on to win the 2004 Heisman after attending Mater Dei. No doubt, glimpsing the trophy on his way to geometry class had an impact.

Also: NCAA penalties won't hurt the Sooners.

There seems to be a growing consensus after the initial shock that Oklahoma got off light. I still don't like the idea of vacating wins since the school didn't appear to willingly "cheat". Just dock 'em more scholarships, don't take away from the other members of the team who did win (and lose) those games.

Also: Dienhart's at Big East Media Days to write that good times will only get better for the league. 

--- The Sporting News'/Rivals.com's Mike Farrell visits the nation's top recruit and learns his "gym" is actually a cramped garage full of workout equipment provided by an assistant coach because the school can't afford a weight room.

Good read, contrasting Pryor with the materially gifted world of last year's top recruit Jimmy Clausen.

--- CSTV's Trev Alberts answers another round of emails. Today's topics: Oklahoma's punishment, Alabama superior to Auburn (?) and repeat talk with the Gators.

I think the reason that the penalties were the way they were was because the NCAA had just gotten done doing the Kelvin Sampson basketball probation investigation. It's like if you have a kid and he misbehaves and you need to discipline him, yet he turns right around a short time later and there's another incident where you feel he needs to be disciplined. You're going to come down more harshly the next time. That may not be fair in Oklahoma's case because the two events aren't tied together, but the one thing the NCAA has always talked about is institutional control and making sure there isn't an atmosphere that lends itself to infractions. I think the fact that the basketball program had issues, right or wrong, made the penalties for football stiffer.

--- CSTV's Adam Caparell says expectations are rising in Steve Spurrier's third year at South Carolina.

Also: Caparell is up to week eight of the 2007 "Football Schedule Planner". 

--- CSTV's Brian Jones breaks down the Big East and the Pac-10.

--- CSTV's Jerry Palm says the 12-game season creates opportunities for "Championship Subdivision" teams. 

--- Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan: Olin's Mailbag.

Today's topics: Bob Stoops' "revised" career winning percentage, SEC yada yada yada, Virginia Tech's national title hopes, Tim Tebow's Heisman hopes, Southern Miss talking undefeated season (nevermind that Tennessee game, heh), and the unearned hoopla surrounding new North Carolina State coach Tom O'Brien.

Attention media folks: a snub is a snub (is a snub is a snub).  In discussing the SEC's relative strengths, Buchanan wrote this:

Within the last 10 seasons the SEC has boasted three national champions – Tennessee in 1998, LSU in 2003 and Florida in 2006. Auburn also went undefeated in 2004, but was not given the opportunity to play for the national championship.

Oregon had one loss in 2001/2002 and was not given the opportunity to play for the national championship.  Why carry water for Auburn and not Oregon?  Both teams would have likely gone on to serious drubbings against Miami and USC, making the whole grievance tour all the more tiresome.  In the meantime, just be fair will ya?

--- Sun Sports TV's Whit Watson says a little silence during broadcasts isn't all that bad.

I agree.

On September 9th, 1965, when Sandy Koufax struck out Harvey Kuenn to complete a perfect game for the Dodgers, Vin Scully remained silent for a full 38 seconds, allowing the crowd noise to carry the broadcast. On radio, no less.

Kirk Gibson's homer to win Game 1 of the 1988 World Series? Scully paused a full 15 seconds between his home run call and his legendary "in a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened" comment. Gibson, limping on two bad legs, was already rounding third by the time Scully spoke.

And just this summer -- last month, in fact -- Scully presented a tense matchup between the Angels' lethal Vlad Guerrero and Dodgers closer Takashi Saito with a staggering 56 seconds of silence. Nearly a full minute of television time with nothing but the rising tension of the crowd and the image before you.

I watched many a Chicago Cub game as a kid, and I distinctly remember many periods of silence, nothing but the distinct noise a Wrigley crowd makes. People joke about Harry Caray being a great personality and an average broadcaster, but he had the gift of sometimes just shutting up and letting the scene tell the story. Scully obviously trumps everyone in that regard. If you haven't heard that famous 1965 broadcast, get you hands on it somehow. It's absolute broadcast perfection coinciding with an actual perfect game.

--- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Tony Barnhart has gone crazy on his blog with nine entries this week. Maybe it's best I just link to the blog? The AJC desperately needs to give him an archive page for his columns because as of right now I check once a week at the AJC site and hope I get lucky to stumble upon his column (which never happens).

--- The Birmingham News' Ray Melick writes that Nick Saban does things his way, in his time.

Still, it seems to bother Saban that he's perceived as some kind of Howard Hughes-style obsessive-compulsive millionaire recluse.

"My wife, Terry, tells me the difference between how you think you are and how other people perceive you is your blind spot," Saban said. "And she says mine is as wide as the Grand Canyon."

There's no Bruce Feldman OR Paul Finebaum this week.  Wow.
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