This morning, I took a few minutes off from snickering at yet more Nittany Lion justice, Penn State’s continuing inability to sell out Beaver Stadium, and Anthony Morelli’s getting yanked out of the Big 33 game (and yet he STILL thought that he should have been the MVP) to study the just-released ESPN/USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
The Top 10 includes all of the usual suspects (in order, USC, Oklahoma, LSU, Georgia, Miami of Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Texas, Ohio State, and Florida). Our hugely overrated hoopie friends come in at #11 — amazingly ahead of both Maryland (#20) and Virginia Tech (#32) — two teams that each should have kicked the Mountaineers asses by early October. The next Big East, or even soon-to-be Big East, Conference member in the rankings is Louisville at #31 (also ahead of Virginia Tech… say, who suddenly pissed off ESPN down in Blacksburg?).
 
I guess that I was a little surprised that somebody actually voted for our rebuilding Panthers. We came in at #44 (2nd or 3rd in the Big East, depending on whether you count Louisville or not). But then again, if you look at the whole range of Division I-A teams this year, that might be about where I’d put us. Sure, we’re way down from last year. But at least we’re still ahead of Boston College (#48).
 
And just in case any Nittany Lion fans stumble across this site, how does life feel way down at #58 (8th place in the Big Ten)? So how’s that Big Ten Conference thing working out for you? And just how the hell did you guys get ESPN to rank JoePa as the 8th best coach of the past 25 years (ahead of Eddie Robinson, Bobby Bowden, and Steve Spurrier)?
 
Don’t worry. I’m sure Anthony Morelli will fix things next year, when Michigan finally rotates back on to your schedule.

Hail to Chas’s dropping a post in front of this one before lunchtime.

Now the on-the field problems. Kicker David Abdul and return-man/3rd Wide Receiver Terrell Allen will be out for the season still recovering from injuries. Abdul broke his leg in February, in a car accident when he fell asleep while driving. It appears that his kicking career is in serious jeopardy. Allen had wrist surgery after he tore ligaments in his left wrist during spring practice. He is taking a medical redshirt.

Both hurt the team. I think Allen’s may be the worse of the two. He excelled at returning kicks and punts. He showed great explosiveness and helped keep Pitt in the second half of the Continental Tire Bowl by giving Pitt good field position. Personally, I expected him to push Brockenbrough and Lee for a starting WR job this season.

Abdul’s loss is mitigated by JUCO All-American transfer Josh Cummings. Still, despite his horrible kicking last year, Abdul was expected to compete for the job.

This article is almost a week old, and I held off on posting about it because I was hoping there would be an explanation.

Pitt football coach Walt Harris was a no-show for the Big 33 Media Conference on Friday afternoon.

Harris was scheduled to speak at the 30-minute press conference, which also included Penn State coach Joe Paterno, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and former Penn State linebacker and Detroit Lions president Matt Millen.
…
“We have no word yet,” Big 33 media representative Greg Hoffman said. “We’ve tried everything and we’ve got nothing right now.”

Harris did attend last night’s Big 33 Honors Banquet at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

Like I said, I have no idea why he missed. Whether it was because of a misunderstanding, miscommunication, a recruiting visit that went long, I don’t know. I e-mailed the reporter a few days ago, but he never responded.

This is probably a minor thing at most, but it strikes me as embarrassing. That the head coach of Pitt would miss the press conference for the Big 33 game is unbelievable.

Pitt still hasn’t released it’s basketball schedule for 2004-05, but for the second straight year, they will be playing in the  Jimmy V. Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden. This year, Pitt will take on Memphis.

Memphis should be  a tough opponent for Pitt. They have one of the best incoming recruiting classes in the country, and most of their starters are returning. This is great news. A good, tough non-conference opponent and televised on ESPN.  

I want John to get this grill cover to protect his new grill.

So, I noticed on the Pitt Insiders message board comments about the new Pitt Nike hat. It’s nice with the simple block lettering of “PITT,” but I’m not a big fan of having the Nike Swoosh on the front. This one is more what I like, even if I’m not as wild about the font taken from the present unis, at least it still just says “PITT.” Lots of styles to choose (even if none of them are offered in the Lids stores in the Cleveland area).

Of course, you can actually get your hands on the older style Pitt baseball cap at a reduced price. Looks like they are still trying to clear out inventory. Though, if the colors are accurate, it looks more like the hats when they hadn’t redesigned the actual baseball hats yet with the new logo, but simply updated the colors after the switch.

I haven’t actively looked to see if any other Pitt alum are playing in the NBA summer league since the beginning of July. Thankfully, the Trib provided an update for me.

Lett with the LA Clippers
Jaron Brown is playing for Memphis
Brandin Knight is playing for Golden State

No word on what Julius Page is doing.

Anyone looking to get me a birthday present couldn’t go wrong with this sweatshirt.

Any excuse to get the old script Pitt logo on the blog. 

The official notice has arrived, and our parking passes were shifted across Ridge Avenue to Green 23 (from Green 22).   This will require us to walk an additional 500 feet or so to the stadium, but it has one positive note:  TWO port-o-johns in the heart of the parking lot.

Due to the closure of at least one, if not two of the former Gold and Red lots (new building construction), parking has become much more limited.  Spaces are allotted, as always, by priority points.  We were required to rank our top three preferences, and we ended up with preference #2.  This isn’t bad, especially when you take into account the fact that Pitt is raising the rates on the other lots, requiring additional donations to Team Pittsburgh for many lots (not the Green lots, thankfully).

I, and I suspect my compatriots, will miss Green 22.  [Not nearly as much as we miss the Parran Hall lot on O’Hara and DeSoto Streets in Oakland, but that is another matter and another Stadium. ]
Green 22 has been our cars’ home before, during and after Pitt football games since the shift to Three Rivers, then Heinz Field.  It has a nice strip of lawn between the parking spaces and Route 65, which provides extra tailgating space for those arriving early enough to park on that edge of the lot. 

We have grown fond of our neighbors, and I recognized a sociological trend amongst the tailgaters in our lot – most have just about the same seniority as we do with the season tickets (it seems the ticket holders all graduated in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s, and began buying season tickets within a few years after graduating), as well as generosity (none of us are either able, or willing, to spring $1000 to Team Pittsburgh or the Athletic Fund to get into the Gold lots).  I wonder if we will see the same faces over in Green 23?  I suspect we will.  

Quo vadis, SHAT?  Will we meet again, portly and bearded men who nearly light themselves on fire at least two or three times a year (sometimes per game)?

One thing is for certain, the sanitary facilities will improve.  Green 23 has TWO port-o-crappers in the lot, and they aren’t banished to one far corner of it, either.   Green23 is more square shaped, while Green22 is a long, thin rectangle.  The placement of the pissers in Green23 are much more convenient for excessive drinking – um, I mean conversation and fellowship, as it takes much less time to walk back and forth from the cars.  

The commute will be virtually unchanged.  The lot entrances are almost directly across Ridge Avenue from one another.    

PS – on the subject of portable sanitary facilities;  Chas and I attended the Pitt/Notre Dame game in South Bend three years ago, and were floored by the luxurious port-o-johns they fielded in the parking areas.   I never thought I would see better, until Fourth of July Weekend, when I was at the Heinz family estate for a political function.   Yes, the same function Dr. Cyril Wecht, JD, MD, JO was NOT invited to!   (Had to get that one in there – I dedicate that to John).
 
I am a fequent volunteer as a motorcade driver when the Democratic presidential & VP candidates make big trips to Pittsburgh (I did several with Gore, one with Clinton, and now two with Kerry – extra local drivers are needed for the staff and press corps).  Because “Rosemont” is secured when Kerry is on the property, us lowly drivers can mingle about the grounds, as opposed to staying hidden away with the staff and press vehicles as  usual.   This got us into the picnic, which was a 4th of July thing complete with plenty of Heinz condiments.

Well, after the picnic/photo op with JK and THK (Edwards wasn’t announced until the next morning), we had to wait around while the staff pow-wowed in the main house (there are two guest houses and a carriage house, in case you were wondering).   We may have been allowed on the grounds, but not within 30 feet or so of the house itself.   Nature eventually called, so I wandered to the three port-o-johns lined up near where the “press area” had been set aside earlier that day.  They seemed very clean from the outside, with hardly any signs of wear or tear, or dents, etc.   They even had “VIP” placards on them!
 
I go inside to take care of some business, and I am amazed at the luxury.   A rather large mirror; a working sink (with actual fresh water); a toilet with a flush-petal on the lower left side (operated by your foot, so as to not soil one’s self with germs); a shelf WITH a cup holder; both toilet paper AND soft paper towels, along with anti-bacterial soap!   This must be the kind of service that fans get at Augusta National during the Masters – this was no ordinary football game style port-o-john.   The thing was nicer than my own bathroom, and almost as large!
Needless to say, Notre Dame is now #2 on the port-o-john quality list.

At ESPN.com, Andy Katz has put together his list of the top 50 teams in what can only be considered a pre-pre-preseason list. Part of me is annoyed because, shock of shocks, they list 4 ACC teams in the top ten. Instincts scream, typical ESPN bias to the ACC. Then the semi-rational part of me has to concede that the ACC placed 2 in the NCAA Final Four. Really, I question the placement of North Carolina at #2, but that is as much pro-Roy Williams bias by ESPN as anything else.

The important thing, Pitt. #18 in the list.

WHY: Point Carl Krauser and forward Chris Taft are two of the most talented players at their respective positions. Sure, the Panthers will miss Jaron Brown and Julius Page, but having Chevy Troutman for another season is a huge plus. He gives them the toughness needed for them to carry out Jamie Dixon’s style.

WHY NOT: The Panthers still need a reliable perimeter threat. If they can find one, then they could crack the top 10.

SUMMER BUZZ: It’s all about Taft. NBA personnel were already pumping him up to be a top 10 pick in 2005. He still has plenty to learn, but he’s on track for a banner sophomore season.

Last year Pitt was around #23 in these lists. This year, cracking the top-20. I really can’t argue with what Katz writes about the team. Pitt really needs someone to be able to hit an outside jumper. Someone who can at least shoot 40% from outside. Krauser will put up the shots from anywhere, but he is most effective as a shooter on the drive. Will it be one of the new guys? Will McCarroll show some consistency with his outside shot (and play defense)?

The Big East will be tough as hell this year. Syracuse, UConn and BC will definitely be good. Notre Dame might be better or about the same as last year. Villanova has all the talent, and their late run in the Big East Tournament suggests they might finally be putting it together. I don’t think Providence will be as good as last year (before their fade), but with Gomes back for another year they will still be tough.

In response to Lee, I don’t know many — outside of a few contrarians and people at ABC Sports — who actually like the BCS. The new formula is amusing and more than a little ironic in that the whole point was to add to the accuracy and pull out some of the human element that helped screw up the national championship before hand. Unlike Lee, I think the problem isn’t so much with the AP Writers Poll as it is with the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Stewart Mandel of SI.com (admittedly a sports writer, but not an AP Voter) addressed it in his mailbag.

The new BCS formula gives added weight to the AP poll. Does this mean some stricter voting guidelines could come out for the writers? Just seems that writers with an agenda could affect the outcome of who should be on the field rather then the players.

I don’t think you have to worry about that nearly as much as you do with the coaches, who have an actual vested interest. Believe me, 95 percent of writers are more interested in finishing their story before the bars close or counting their Marriott points than whether a certain team is ranked second or third.

That is where I’m concerned. Well, concerned is probably the wrong word.

With the Writer’s poll, there is some transparency. You can find out how the writer voted (some will even post their voting order online after the poll comes out). The Coaches’ Poll has no transparency. And you don’t think there is bias in trying to pump up your conference and teams? Then there is the issue of whether it is actually the coach who is voting and evaluating. Wasn’t it some coach in Central PA who had someone else in the athletic department fill it out for him? Plus, how much time does anyone believe a Div. 1 Head Coach is going to have to evaluate his picks? Please.

We’re stuck with a screwed up system until the college presidents help end the hypocrisy. Really, they are the ones who I blame. From PSB fave, Matt Hayes from a month or two ago:

We begin with a story of college baseball — the ping of aluminum, the double-digit innings, the 5-hour games … I’m already bored. We’re talking baseball because without it, we can’t see the BCS for what it really is: an exclusive, hypocritical, members-only club.
…
The Big Ten Conference is upset about (I swear I’m not making this up) competitive inequity in college baseball. The league that, along with the Pac-10, is holding the BCS hostage while dangling the lucrative Rose Bowl is upset because The Man is keeping them down. Yep, they say, forcing Big Ten teams to play baseball on the road in February and March because their fields are snowed under creates a competitive disadvantage for the league when it comes to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and the College World Series.

So the Big Ten wants the baseball season moved back, beginning at least a month later (early March) and ending well into July. And it’s probably going to happen.

“I don’t see how it couldn’t,” says a member of the NCAA baseball committee.

The reason, of course, is money. When there is money to be made — college baseball is a clay-covered Cullinen diamond waiting to be spit-polished — everyone has his hand out.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, we give you the connection to college football: By moving the baseball season back, the presidents of these prestigious universities are allowing an NCAA sport to be played not only beyond its proposed semester but beyond the school year. Meanwhile, the steadfast argument against a national football playoff has been that it would extend the season into the second semester. When the fifth BCS game was announced last month, it was revealed that the championship game would be played a week after the other four BCS games — or one week into the second semester.

Read the rest and laugh.

Although I try to follow all Pitt sports, I am — like most Pennsylvanians — primarily a football fan. Thus, once the season is done and all the recruiting gets wrapped up, I tend not to post all that often… unless some Nittany Lions get stupid or something like that. And since (1) there were (unfortunately) no large-scale riots at this year’s Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and (2) I don’t know enough about basketball to say anything worth reading, I’ve been quiet for awhile. I sincerely doubt that anyone missed me, since I sincerely doubt that anybody other than the authors reads this site.
 
But I thought that I’d better get my two cents in on college football’s new and improved BCS formula. The Associated Press summarizes the changes as follows.
 

“There will be fewer numbers to crunch in the revamped version of the Bowl Championship Series formula… Under the new formula, which goes into effect this season, the coaches’ poll, the AP writers’ poll and a combination of computer rankings will each count for one-third of a team’s overall BCS ranking. Strength of schedule, team record and quality wins, three components used under the old system, have all been eliminated.”

 
I think that most of us can agree that any system of determining a national champion without a tournament is inherently flawed. That being said, university presidents are obviously going to continue stubbornly refusing to give the vast majority of college football fans, players, and coaches what they really want. And since us fans are too disorganized to ever put together a boycott or something like that, we’re stuck with whatever scraps the university presidents let fall from their table.
 
So what can we say about our new BCS formula? Well, it’s certainly simpler, and that’s a good thing. However, it also gives the media much more power. And I’m honestly not sure how good of a thing that is. Assuming that all regional biases will continue to cancel each other out, I have a hard time believing that a cinderella — like last season’s TCU, Northern Illinois, or Miami of Ohio — would ever be taken as seriously by a media poll as it would by a computer poll. Ever notice how much higher TCU was ranked in the BCS than it ever was in either the AP or the ESPN/USA Today polls?
 
I’m not media-bashing (although it is funny to see the media falling over each other to congratulate the university presidents for their new media friendly formula). I’m just saying that it’s human nature to take a long-standing power like Ohio State, Michigan, or Miami more seriously than a TCU. Or (face it) a Big East team. And that isn’t entirely fair.
 
Yeah, I know. What’s being fair have to do with college football? And since when is it blogworthy to note college football doing something that solidifies the current hierarchy of football schools?
 
Incidentally, for those of us who live some distance from Oakland and get a little homesick sometimes, how cool is the new webcam on top of the Cathedral of Learning? You can actually wait in a queue to control where the thing points and the zoom and so on. And the wait is never very long. Try pointing it down Forbes Avenue on a sunny afternoon. You can almost smell the “O” grease and filth. Wonderful.
 
Finally, hail to the 4D’s Lounge — a large restaurant/bar located right beside the 17th Street Expressway, which is the major entrance to downtown Altoona. The 4D’s is building a big new outdoor patio facing 17th Street, which has been named (and prominently signed as) “The Pitt.” The DiVentura family, the good people who own the 4D’s, are Panther fans. Personally, I just love seeing that sign over the entrance to one of the most Penn State-friendly cities in the Commonwealth.
 
And I highly recommend the Friday night fish fry.

The NCAA is apparently considering extending player elegibility to five years.  I’m not quite sure what to make of it, but Bob Smizik has a definite opinion on the matter.  Discuss!

It’s hard to imagine karma hitting the ACC this quickly isn’t it.

I mean, less than 2 weeks ago Miami and Virginia Tech were quietly welcomed into the ACC. No big press conferences, no huge announcements. Just a little press release to make it official.

Matt Hayes at the Sporting News tells the ACC it can say hello to being a football conference:

It took Miami and Virginia Tech less than one week after they became official members on July 1 to show why. The one-time basketball league now is a football factory, for better or for worse. The ACC will get its million-dollar championship game in 2005, and it could get as many as two BCS slots per year. But it also gets this:

Miami recruit Willie Williams, arrested 11 times since 1999, was given three years of probation last week, stemming from his latest incident. Now he’ll start the process of enrolling at the university.

Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, less than two months removed from being sentenced to 30 days in jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor — he was one of three Tech players who gave alcohol to underage girls — was arrested last week and charged with marijuana possession.

“It’s certainly not the best way to start a marriage,” says one ACC official.

But the ACC knew what it was getting into by inviting Miami and Virginia Tech to the party. These are football schools, pure and simple. They bring nothing to the table other than their ability to recruit, win games and shovel potential bowl money into league coffers.

An ACC official told me weeks ago that the league office was watching both cases closely to see how the respective administrations would deal with the off-field issues. The last thing the publicity-conscious ACC wants is to be linked with the SEC and Big 12 as football factories. But after the events of last week, the first step already has been taken.

Of course you can also add the indefinite suspension of Miami CB, Antrel Rolle, after he was charged with (felony) battery on a police officer and misdemeanor offenses of disorderly conduct and resisting an officer without violence.

Oh, and then there is always squeaky clean Florida State to jump into the fun. Bobby Meeks, the starting guard, is facing felony charges from this past weekend — battery against law-enforcement officers and resisting arrest with violence.

You will know it’s all over for the ACC when Duke football players get arrested.

Plenty of coverage in Cinci in the last few days on the hiring of former Pitt great, Sean Miller as basketball head coach of Xavier, replacing Thad Motta. Kind of makes sense, when the only big issue regarding UC is, “When does Huggins sober up return from suspension. From the shot taken at OSU’s hiring process (also mocked by national columnists) to the ‘no brainer’ decision on the hiring. Then there is the assembling of a new staff. Of course there is the obligatory article about Miller’s coaching bloodlines. Finally, a 5 question sitdown with the new coach.

1 What is your favorite moment as a player? (Miller is a former All-Big East point guard at Pittsburgh.)

A: When I was a freshman (in 1988), we played Syracuse on the final Sunday in March. Both teams were tied for first place, so it was for the Big East championship, and it was the largest Carrier Dome crowd for a basketball game at the time.

We went in there and won it, and it was an amazing moment to win the Big East title against a team like that Syracuse team.

2 What did you think last season when you saw ESPN replay the Jerome Lane dunk? (Lane, who played with Miller, broke a backboard on a dunk in 1988 after Miller threw him a pass on a fast break.)

A: It reminded me of how much weight I’ve gained since my playing days. That clip right there is keeping me alive.

That was a Big Monday game on ESPN, so for him to do that on that stage was amazing. It had very little to do with the pass.