A Baker’s Dozen of Thursday Night B.S.

Twelve things that have been going through my mind during this latest mid-week of college baseball action.

The ESPN Weekend Preview, Week 9

I was hoping to post the least-flattering picture of me as was possible. Mission accomplished. (Looks like I'm in the middle of singing Dean Martin's "That's Amore")

Okay Stitch-Heads. This week’s preview was intentionally a little bit lighter in volume. Mainly because of my travel back from Florida and the Frozen Four and because Walter Villa’s expose on the Miami Hurricanes was going to be front and center this week. But fear not, I still added my usual weekly “Baldcast” and also have a cool Q&A with UCF coach Terry Rooney. So be sure to click on this highlighted link and have a blast with it.

Back with more stuff in a little bit.

ESPN preview – Week 8, and some hockey stuff I felt like throwing in.

Sorry this is so late. Was at hockey’s Frozen Four here in Tampa all day today and it didn’t get posted on the ESPN site til mid-day.

Here’s the link to the preview, even though a lot of teams have already played game one this weekend.

And here’s some pics and whatnot from today’s semifinals of the Frozen Four in Tampa, where Ferris State (located in Big Rapids, Mich. in case you were wondering) beat Union College 3-1 and Boston College routed Minnesota 6-1. The Bulldogs and Eagles will play for the national title on Saturday night on ESPN.

In hindsight, I'm sort of glad ESPN didn't end up using me to work the Frozen Four (I was originally given the assignment, but then their normal hockey writer was able to make the trip, so I got a free boondoggle out of it after all). Here's where they sat the media members for the games; way up near the banners and rafters of the arena.

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In case you didn't see my tweeted pic (What, you don't follow me on Twitter? Shame.) Here's the picture of me and that creepy Union College Dutchman. And it begs the question; is the Dutchman just as "hostile and abusive" of a nickname like other mascots the NCAA outlaws like Fighting Sioux, or Fighting Irish or Seminoles? (Oh wait, Notre Dame and Florida State have big money, so they don't have to change their nicknames. I forgot.)

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Ferris State goalie Taylor Nelson checks to see if it's time to hit the ice on the Jumbotron above.

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Union goalie Troy Grosenick was on his haunches all game long as FSU put all kind of traffic in front of him.

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... but the Hobey Baker Award candidate (yes, hockey's version of the Heisman) still made plenty of good stops despite the 3-1 loss.

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In the pre-game tunnel, Minnesota has no idea of the ass-whippin' they're about to get from Boston College.

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The Eagles celebrate a goal early in the 2nd period. Minnesota didn't have many answers for the dominant B.C. skaters.

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The B.C. student section and Eagle mascot were pretty rowdy all night long, the product of what a 6-1 win will do for you.

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Thankfully, the Dr. of College Baseball had his iPhone giving us the LSU-Florida game while we were in the Tampa Forum, so we got to see that bizarre ending where the Gators screwed themselves out of a 1st and 3rd with no outs and didn't score in the 9th inning, to lose 7-6.

ESPN Weekend Notebook, Week 7

The latest weekend Notebook for ESPN is up, if you wanna check it out, here’s the link.

I shot the video from the top of the James Hotel in the SoHo area of Manhattan. Behind me, over my left shoulder, the tall building you see being built, is the new Freedom Tower which is the skyscraper that is being constructed on the spot of Ground Zero.

ESPN Weekend Preview, Week 6

It’s a little late – I was hoping they’d post my weekend preview a few hours before the first pitch of the Florida-South Carolina game – but the weekend preview is up on the ESPN “College Sports” site. If you want to check it out, here’s the link to it.

Hey, the good news is that South Carolina fans will love the fact that I picked the Gamecocks to take down Florida this weekend. After tonight’s win, it’s one down, one to go. (I think this will start the influx of Carolina fans to become stitch-heads in droves).

Reviewing Reckling Park

As you might’ve seen, I didn’t do any kind of write up on the Arizona-Rice game I went to at Reckling Park on Wednesday night (won by Arizona 8-5, by the way. And I was impressed with their offense and athletic ability). I was still in the middle of working on finishing my weekend preview during and after the game.

But I still had a great time going back to the Owl’s den for the first time since 2006. Saw some old Stitch-Head friends of mine, chatted it up with Tanya Graham and froze my ass off in the heavily-air conditioned press box (which I didn’t mind, I’m Scandinavian… and I didn’t stay in the press box too long anyway)

Reckling Park has a big-time feel to it. And I loved the surrounding high-rise buildings leering down on the action as well.

But due to my hyper-vigilance to my surroundings, I did jot down a few things I noticed about the stadium. Here are some goods+bads on going to a game at Reckling.

ESPN Weekend Preview – Week 5

Between flying to Dallas, going to the DBU game, driving to Houston, going to the Rice game and then driving to Austin, you might guess that the energy backpack I’m wearing is running a little low on juice. I mean this Thursday night feels like a Sunday morning to me… that’s how discombobulated my wits are right now. But I say “Pshaw!”, never you fear my fellow Stitch-Heads. I was still able to throw together a weekend preview. So go ahead,
click on this highlighted bit of copy and you’ll go straight to it.

More soon.

G’night

“If You’re Not A Bronco Fan, Buck Off”

Yes, I once owned a T-shirt that read that on the back, with the words “Santa Clara University” etched on the front. It was a holdover from the school’s now-defunct football program, of which one of my good friends was a coach on the staff at the time.

Well now, that T-shirt (which was not-so-shockingly reviled by the Jesuit-based school administrators) may be more apropos than ever. Only this time, it may be time to rally around the Bronco baseball team. I found out why tonight.

Right now, while you are steeped in misery or hating life for one reason or another, the Santa Clara baseball players are having the time of their lives. And what's even better? They're winning their asses off too.

ESPN Weekend No. 4 Preview

The official sponsor of my Weekend Preview video. Is that cool or what?

A Walter Villa feature, the Upset Watch, Mid-Major Spotlight, and best of all, Jim Beam Whiskey the sponsor bumper that plays before my video kicks in. I raise my tumbler in full salute. Click on this highlighted line for the ESPN weekend preview.

Facing My Demons

I am stepping into the exorcism suit. I’ve got my black suit with the white collar and the black fedora. I’ve got my holy water and the good book. I’m ready to face the devil. The spinning heads. The pea green soup barf. The foul smell. The spinning head of Linda Blair. I’m ready to face my demons.

Yes, I get Emails. All the time. Most of ‘em are complimentary, though admittedly a lot of them are to correct something I got wrong. And yes, I even get Emails that are angry birds… to which I usually give the bird back to them.

But for the first time ever, I thought I’d start answering a few Email and twitter questions every other Thursday when I’ve got time to do so, maybe even make it a regular feature. So here I go.