Lee mentioned the idea below.

Incidentally, wouldn’t it be interesting if each college — in addition to its other traditions (fight songs, marching bands, etc…) — had a unique drink associated with it… like the mint julep is associated with the Kentucky Derby? And no, I’m not suggesting that Iron City pounders be associated with Pitt…

Interesting idea. For Pitt, the history suggests a Whiskey drink. The Whiskey Rebellion was in Western PA, after all.

A couple suggestions and comments:

Rusty Nail
1 part scotch (whiskey)
1 part Drambuie
Stir in glass with ice.

Pros: Great name, simple.
Cons: The Drambuie is too sweet, and expensive. When was the last time you saw Drambuie at a friend’s place?

Golden Nail
1 part whiskey
1 part Southern Comfort
Stir in glass with ice.

Pros: Decent name; simple, strong drink.
Cons: SoCo is too South.

Whiskey Highball
2 oz. Whiskey
1 lemon peel
Ginger Ale top off
Whiskey in the highball (or Collins) glass, add ice in the glass. Squeeze lemon peel and drop in glass. Pour ginger ale to top off.

Pros: Good drink, for a long night of drinking. Simple, but not too strong — girls would actually drink this.
Cons: Kind of boring.

What else?

While watching Kenny Mayne’s coverage from Churchill Downs on SportsCenter earlier this week, I wondered aloud to my wife what kind of chain-smoking blue hair still gets into horse racing — a sport that officially died around 1957 or so when Americans began to realize that watching television (and hell, even Sputnik) was more fun.

Well, I found one. And get a load of this freak. I mean, he actually goes into detail about (1) who owns each horse, (2) what each horse’s odds are, and (3) how you make a freakin’ mint julep.

Hey, if I made fun of Pat for getting into European soccer, I gotta give Chas a little for getting into the Kentucky Derby. Although in Chas’s defense, I’m convinced that he’s only pretending to be into it for the excuse to drink a bourbon-based beverage.

Incidentally, wouldn’t it be interesting if each college — in addition to its other traditions (fight songs, marching bands, etc…) — had a unique drink associated with it… like the mint julep is associated with the Kentucky Derby? And no, I’m not suggesting that Iron City pounders be associated with Pitt…

However, I could suggest that Bud Light drafts in a cheap plastic cup be associated with Penn State. Hey, speaking of Wal-Mart State, it’s nice to see that their current streak of near-monthly football player arrests continues unabated. This month’s offender is Michael P. Sothern, a terroristic-threats-and-disorderly-conduct-making redshirt freshman linebacker who JoePa allowed to play in last Saturday’s Blue-White game despite the fact that the coach knew of the charges beforehand.

So add Sothern to the list of Nittany Lions who have been arrested since NCAA President Myles Brandt said that “Penn State is the poster child for doing it right in college sports” last winter…

Defensive lineman Ed Johnson (Feb. 7 riot at the Ice Pavilion)
Defensive lineman Matthew Rice (Feb. 7 riot at the Ice Pavilion)
Quarterback Michael Robinson (Feb. 7 riot at the Ice Pavilion)
Defensive end Lavon Chisley (currently the target of a sexual-assault investigation)
Defensive lineman Richard Cheek (criminal conspiracy, identity theft, access device fraud and receiving stolen property)
Wide receiver Maurice Humphrey (aggravated assault, simple assault and summaries)

Add in the spate of DUI charges from last fall, including the one against star senior wide receiver Tony Johnson, and I can’t help but wonder if Brandt should raise his standards for poster children. I mean, for the safety of those of us who have to live in the shadow of Central Pennsylvania’s Sodom, could we possibly expect more from student athletes than what Penn State dishes out?

Yeah, I know. Pitt has had a few off-the-field problems recently too. But you see, Miles Brandt never called us a “poster child for doing it right.” Besides, we’re hardly in Penn State’s league yet.

Incidentally, I love how the Central PA media clings to Brandt’s quote as some proof of superiority over programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, and Iowa who the Nittany Lions can no longer beat on the football field. Really, it’s very Notre Dame of them. It’s very Nietzsche’s “Genealogy of Morals,” in case there are any other Philosophy majors out there.

Incidentally, for the idiot Nittany Lion fan in your life who believes that PSU is gonna win ten or so games next fall, here’s a well-written dose of reality from Walt Moody at the Centre Daily Times. I’m actually really starting to like that paper. It sure beats old Neil Rudel at the Altoona Mirror, anyways.

Well, it’s 10:00. I probably should get to work now…

Hail to Bourbon

Stupid column from Bob Smizik wondering why people got so bent out of shape over the possibility of associate head coach and top recruiter Barry Rohrssen leaving the program for St. John’s last week.

Maybe I was too vague for someone like Smizik, last week. Let me spell it out.

In the last year plus for Pitt athletics:

— Lost the AD that helped rebuild the two major college sports, hired the coaches, moved the football team into sharing a pro level stadium, and helped to push the construction of the Pete and the new South Side training facilities.

— Lost the head basketball coach who rebuilt the basketball program from bottom feeder to Big East Champions and back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances.

— Had one of the most pathetic, embarrassing and sloppy pursuit of hiring a new basketball coach.

— Saw the school go over 6 months without naming a new AD, losing the interim one as well.

— Had the ACC raid the Big East for the top two football programs, then come back for BC as the cherry on top.

— Had the BCS status of the Big East up in the air for the last 6 months, and even now, it doesn’t feel safe.

— Had a football season with BCS potential fall apart when the defense couldn’t stop anything on the ground.

— Lost a top assistant on the football coaching staff to a new job, leaving Harris in total control of the offense without any dissenting voice.

So you could see why keeping some, any, continuity in the basketball program for a little longer might be considered a relief. Just for a while to keep some of the same people running the show might be good for the stability and long term psyche of Pitt athletics.

Looks like WVU has decided to pull the scholarship offer to Running Back Raymond Williams. This comes on the heels of his arrest and accusations of robbery and murder.

I expect Williams to eventually end up at Division II or some I-AA school. He will set all sorts of records, and be considered a medium to high draft pick, and then ESPN will do some story on his fall and rise.

UPDATE: Make that 15 years. It appears from reports Williams and another have confessed to the actions

Two Benedictine High School football stars have confessed to taking part in a botched robbery that left a teammate dead and will beg for the state’s mercy, a lawyer for one of them says.

City prosecutors filed murder and aggravated-robbery charges Wednesday against Raymond Williams, who won Ohio’s Mr. Football honor last year as the state’s outstanding prep star, and Jon Huddleston, a defensive back on the state-champion team. If convicted, the Cleveland teens would face at least 15 years to life in prison.
Police say the two and 16-year-old Lorenzo Hunter tried to rob a 20-year-old man with a fake gun around 2 a.m. April 16, only to see the intended victim pull a gun, fire and kill Lorenzo as Huddleston and Williams ran.

Pat D’Angelo, Huddleston’s lawyer, said both youths spoke with Benedictine counselors, then agreed to give police oral and written statements without attorneys present.

“They made statements to investigators that expose themselves to liability,” D’Angelo said Wednesday. “We’re contrite, remorseful and saddened that someone died.”

‘Angelo said he reviewed statements from both defendants and understands that Williams brandished the phony gun during the stickup of Rodney Roberts near East 124th Street and Craven Avenue.

You are in a college football conference that has just lost its two best programs for the last 10+ years. You are a football program that has seen a top-20 recruiting class fall apart and sink into the 60s. You are a football program that has still managed to pull itself close to respectability, but struggles to get national exposure.

Your school is offered a chance to put an early season game on ESPN on Labor Day. What do you do?

If you are Pitt. You say no.

The Big East and ESPN asked Pitt to move their season opening game with South Florida from Saturday to Monday and a game that may get local tv coverage would be seen nationally.

Pitt decided not to move the game because that would only give them 4 days to prepare for the home opener with the Ohio University Bobcats.

Brilliant.

I understand that the coaches would want more time, but think guys. Pitt needs more exposure, especially this year. It needs to be seen.

Of course, given that Pitt is playing USF, and what happened last time… maybe not having many people see the game is a better approach.

West Virginia may be missing one of the jewels from their 2004 football recruiting class.

Ohio’s reigning Mr. Football, Raymond Williams, and a teammate were jailed Monday, accused of taking part in a robbery that led to the shooting death of their friend.

Cleveland police took Williams and fellow Benedictine High School football player Jon Huddles ton, both 18, to City Jail, but neither was charged, a police spokeswoman said.

Williams, committed to attend West Virginia University this fall, was held on suspicion of murder.

Williams was also selected to the “Parade Magazine’s All-America High School Football Team.” The details are sketchy, but it appears the charges will be much lower than the sensationalized accusations.

Police do not believe Williams or Huddleston fired the gun that killed teammate Lorenzo Hunter; rather, they say that the two took part in the holdup with Lorenzo and that the robbery led to his death.

Lorenzo, 16, was shot and killed about 2 a.m. April 16 near East 124th Street and Craven Avenue in Cleveland. Authorities said Lorenzo was hanging out with friends during his spring break when he tried to rob a neighborhood man with a phony gun.

The 20-year-old man, Rodney Roberts, opened fire with a real one. Roberts lived just a few doors from the shooting scene. He was charged last week with aggravated murder. At a court hearing, his lawyers said Roberts was being robbed when he shot Lorenzo in self-defense.

I don’t know what this will do to his scholarship? Looks like WVU wants to take Miami’s place in the Big East as the destination for thugs and punks.

As previously mentioned, 3 Pitt Panthers were drafted in the first 2 rounds.

Kris Wilson was drafted #61 overall by the KC Chiefs in something of a surprise. Wilson was expected to go in the 3rd to 5th round. Going near the end of Round 2 may be considered a reach by some, but the Chiefs really liked him.

The Chiefs, however, are convinced Wilson, a 6-foot-1, 248-pounder out of Pittsburgh, can be a tight end/fullback type who can instantly contribute on special teams and certain offensive formations.

“Our tight-ends coach and wide-receivers coach worked him out and really thought he was extremely talented,” Chiefs team president/general manager Carl Peterson said. “He can catch the ball, can run, can block. His stature’s a little short at 6-foot-1 1/2, but he’s got excellent, excellent measurables — a guy we think will make our football team and make it better on game day.”
…
The Chiefs envision using Wilson and Gonzalez to create matchup problems in two-tight-end sets.

“You’re talking about a guy who can do a multitude of things,” said Chiefs vice president of football operations Lynn Stiles. “I had an in-depth discussion with Al Saunders yesterday and we talked about a variety of things he thought he could bring to the offense in either a two-back combination or two tight ends or split out from the formation.”

Would it be wrong to note that the article notes that back-up fullback Omar Easy will have to fight to stay on the roster because of Wilson being drafted. Easy played his college ball at Penn State. Heh.

Shawntae Spencer went at #58 to the SF 49ers.

Skip Bayless of the San Jose Mercury News didn’t like the pick of Spencer.

Yet unless Donahue can get one of Dr. York’s labs to pour Shawntae Spencer into Mike Rumph, the G.M. wasted the second-round pick that Philadelphia gave him to move up from 28 to 16. Spencer, from Pittsburgh, was not invited to the combine or a single all-star game, but he wowed gullible scouts with his individual workout.

That same AFC assistant, who studied the 6-foot-1, 181-pound Spencer’s game tapes, said: “We crossed him off because he runs from contact. He can run and cover but he will not tackle, and unless you’re Deion Sanders, a corner has to tackle in this league.”

Rumph, the 49ers’ top pick in 2002, can’t run or cover, but at 6-2 and 205 pounds he will knock your block off. If only Donahue could meld them into Shawntae Rumph.

(For a great ripping take down of Bayless as a columnist, read this.)
Yet the not tackling, but defending against the receiver was part of why Erickson drafted Spencer.

On the field, Spencer has shown the critical ability to cover while off the receiver.

“You have got to be able to play off because (of rule changes) you can’t touch (receivers) anymore,” Erickson said.

Larry Fitzgerald of course was the headline act for the Pitt players. The #3 pick overall. He went to the Arizona Cardinals, who had a rather surreal draft day as many still mourn the loss of Pat Tillman.

If the NFL draft weren’t surreal enough, the scene at Cardinals’ headquarters was straight out of The Twilight Zone. Cardinals officials found themselves doing a victory dance inside the draft room as soon as Fitzgerald was there for the taking. Yet just outside the facility, somber fans stood beside a Pat Tillman memorial, shedding tears, saying prayers and leaving flowers.

If the celebration was bittersweet, there was also a strange sense of destiny in the air. This reunion of Fitzgerald and Green seems almost too perfect.

The well know story, of course is that Fitzgerald was a ball boy for the Minnesota Vikings for many of the years that Dennis Green (now the Cardinals head coach) was the Vikings’ head coach. Green made no secret that he was going to pick Fitzgerald if he was still there to make their receiving core one of the most potentially explosive.

In the 6-foot-2, 223-pound Fitzgerald, the Cardinals reportedly have a solid citizen and an uncommon talent. He will be paired with Anquan Boldin, a second-round pick last year who set an NFL rookie record with 101 receptions and led the Cardinals in receiving with 1,377 yards.
…
Bryant Johnson, a first-round pick last year, is likely to be the team’s third receiver.

The trio of young receivers could give the Cardinals an offense in the mold of what Green had in Minnesota with receivers such as Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Randy Moss.

“If we can put those things together, the way he (Green) has had it in the past, we have a great chance to be a successful football team,” Graves said.

Still up to 7 more Pitt players can be taken in day 2.

The same day the P-G reported that Rohrssen was staying, Joe Starkey of the Trib. had a column calling Rohrssen’s departure “imminent.” Reading the column, you could see that Starkey was getting a lot of info from Rohrssen or people close to him, but then Rohrssen and Pitt announced he was staying. Starkey was probably a little annoyed to look so wrong.

A last-ditch attempt by St. John’s University to lure Pitt assistant Barry Rohrssen wasn’t enough in the end. The New York City native turned down his hometown university and a lucrative offer early Saturday morning to extend his flourishing career with coach Jamie Dixon and the Panthers.

Rohrssen met with Pitt vice chancellor Jerry Cochran and Dixon on Friday evening, and the trio ultimately came to a verbal agreement.

However, St. John’s officials made one final appeal just past the midnight hour. The university offered close to $50,000 in incentives in addition to a $200,000 contract offer.

Rohrssen says he decided to stay because of Jamie Dixon. He will make around $175,000 and is now the “associate head coach.” Rohrssen is now the highest paid assistant associate head coach in the Big East.

Starkey penned a new column for today about Rohrssen staying. Saying Rohrssen made “the right call.”

As of Friday afternoon, however, Rohrssen was ready to bolt to become the associate head coach on Norm Roberts’ new staff at St. John’s.

Rohrssen said Pitt had not acted quickly enough or boldly enough to keep him, even though it was offering to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in the Big East.

St. John’s was offering an annual salary of approximately $200,000. Pitt’s offer fell between $170,000 and $180,000.

What made Rohrssen change his mind later that night?

“Jamie Dixon,” Rohrssen said Saturday. “He just convinced me.”

Rohrssen will leave someday. Maybe as soon as next year for either his own head coaching gig, or for an even higher paying, higher profile assistant/associate coaching job. Pitt is lucky, though, to at least get another year of coaching continuity for the basketball program. It is a definite positive.

Conversation with the wife this morning.

Wife: Do you want to go to Angie’s play class with us this morning and then run some errands?

Me: Uh, no. Not really. I kinda’ want to watch at least some of the draft. You know, to see where some of the Pitt players will go.

Wife: (Rolling the eyes.) How long is the draft?

Me: Um, 17 hours.

Wife: Blank stare.

Me: Not in a row.

Wife: You’re not watching it all day.

Me: (Lowering my eyes.) Yes, dear.

So how was your draft day?

Look, it wasn’t expected that Pitt would come near what Miami players did in the draft on the first day. Six picks in the first round? Geez. And if Gore (the running back) hadn’t gotten hurt, he might have been in the mix if he declared.

Still, for Pitt, this was one of their best showings on the first day of the draft in over a decade.

Larry Fitzgerald went #3 in the draft to the Arizona Cardinals as expected. The first Pitt player to go in the top five since 1992 with Sean Gilbert going to the then LA Rams.

Pitt had two other players go in the latter half of the second round (ESPN Insider subs. req’d). Shawntae Spencer went #58 overall to the San Francisco 49ers, in something of a slip since there were a lot of rumors of him going late in the 1st or early in the 2nd Round. He was the 7th Cornerback taken in the draft.

This is a great pick for the 49ers. We had some other cornerbacks rated a little bit higher than Spencer, but he was the fastest rising player in the entire draft over the course of the last month. He is a 6-1 cornerback who ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash and also held up extremely well as a three-year starter at Pittsburgh. The 49ers desperately needed to find their nickel cornerback in this draft, and Spencer will fill that role.

In something of a surprise to the ESPN scouts, Kris Wilson went at #61 to the KC Chiefs. The 4th Tight End taken in the draft.

Adding Wilson improves depth behind Tony Gonzalez, but more importantly he makes the Chiefs’ two-tight end sets that much more dangerous. Like Gonzalez, Wilson has the speed to stretch the field, and Kansas City should be able to create more single-coverage matchups when he is on the field

And Mel Kiper, Jr. said of Wilson:

An excellent pass receiver who is an underrated major-college performer. Wilson would have gotten much more attention if he were a little taller, but he has similar size to Shannon Sharpe and Alge Crumpler. He is an adequate blocker and a fine overall project pick.

Rounds 4-7 are tomorrow. Only about 7 hours left.

Looks like Barry Rohrssen will stay with Pitt another year.

St. John’s also offered the associate head coach title and between $200,000 and $250,000. Pitt didn’t match the $200,000 figure but got close enough to keep Rohrssen, the program’s conduit to New York City, in the fold.

An official announcement could come as early as today.

It may not seem like a big deal to retain an assistant, even one as important as Rohrssen; but with the way the last 12 months have been for Pitt, it’s something.

Pitt Assistant Coach and vital NYC recruiter Barry Rohrssen went on his own recruiting trip yesterday to interview for the associate head coach job at St. John’s. He stands to be offered more money and a better job title, though Pitt would likely match the money.

As part of the recruiting trip, St. John’s AD and new head coach took Rohrssen to the Knicks-Nets playoff game at Madison Square Garden last night.

One thing working against Rohrssen taking the job are the looming sanctions from the NCAA. The rumors suggest loss of scholarships and probation.

Pitt got a verbal commitment for the 2005 football recruiting class. LaRod Stephens, 5’8″, 165 RB from Johnstown, PA. Pitt was the first to offer him a scholarship. He was drawing interest from PSU, WVU, Indiana and Ole Miss. Last season, Stephens was an Associated Press first-team All-Class AAA all-state selection and the Tribune-Democrat Player of the Year.

Pitt is now pursuing a prep star from New Jersey. Alex Galindo, small forward, is considered the #65 player in the country, and will visit Pitt this weekend. He orginally committed to UTEP, but the coach there left for Texas A&M. Galindo also has a visit planned to Kansas and possibly Rutgers. According to the report, Pitt does not have a scholarship available to offer him unless a member of the 3-player incoming class or a current player leaves the team. Pitt, though, is acting like they will have a scholarship available.

The restructuring the contract of Pitt basketball coach, Jamie Dixon, seems to be proceeding. A new contract could be announced on Monday.

Now the bad news. Assistant coach and vital recruiter, Barry Rohrssen, could be lured to St. John’s. He would be installed as associate head coach, and make twice as much as what he makes at Pitt.

Almost a week after PSB mentioned it, the Pitt Athletic Department put out a press release on Fitzgerald being on the cover of NCAA Football 2005. The game comes out some time in July

EA Sports has a website for the game, and an interview with Larry Fitzgerald.

EA SPORTS: What’s it like being selected to be on the cover of a video game?

Larry Fitzgerald: You work your entire career to put yourself in the position to do something like this — be on the cover of such a prestigious game, a game that will sell over two million copies. It also creates a lot of attention for my school as well; it will help recruiting, and help my team as well, so it’s just great for all parties.

We can only hope.

A little tiff may lead to bigger problems later on, or it may lead to nothing. Here are the details so far.