Hat tip to “anonymous.”

We love you Wanny, but I’m really not sure about this picture.

I don’t have the time to look at the 2005 Pitt Football Media Guide at the moment.

Quick observation. Since there is now a page limit on media guides and each athletic department will need to find other ways to use the guide as a promotion. Here’s the 2004 for comparison. Looks like they added a couple more color pages for 2005.

And I am not displeased.

Hat tip to Jamie for the notification that the basketball non-conference schedule has been released.

Saturday, Nov. 19 ——- ST. PETERS

Wednesday, Nov. 23 —– ROBERT MORRIS

Saturday, Nov. 26 ——– MAINE

Tuesday, Nov. 29 ——– ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.)

Sunday, Dec. 4 ———– AUBURN

Wednesday, Dec. 7 ——- at Duquesne

Saturday, Dec. 10 ——– PENN STATE

Saturday, Dec. 17 ——– VERMONT

Wednesday, Dec. 21 —— COPPIN STATE

Wednesday, Dec. 28 —— at South Carolina

Saturday, Dec. 31 ——— WISCONSIN

No it isn’t the most difficult schedule, but it is definitely an improvement over the last year. There are, of course, some patsy games, and no sure losses, but there are several games that should be tough and/or toss-ups.

Based on last year’s RPI, the St. Francis (NY) appears to be the biggest dog. They had an RPI of 261.

The toughest games will likely be Wisconsin and at South Carolina.

Kudos to the Pitt Athletic Department, Jamie Dixon and the basketball program for improving the non-con (finally).

I’m sure to have more on this later.

Score one for common sense from a court.

Andrew Bourne of Liberty was paralyzed in an accident after a Ball State University Cardinals football game on Oct. 20, 2001. The Cardinals upset the Toledo Rockets and, to celebrate, a crowd gathered and climbed up on one of the posts on the field. Soon the crowd’s weight toppled the aluminum structure. Bourne was hit by the gooseneck of the post.

Two years after the accident, Bourne sued Gilman Gear, a Connecticut company that makes goal posts for high school, college and professional football teams. Bourne claims the structure gave way too quickly instead of bending over slowly in the way he said he was accustomed to seeing on television.

[Emphasis added.]

Yeah, that’s what I always think when you see kids trying to rip down goalposts. That the darn things are just so flexible. Judge David F. Hamilton of the Southern District Court of Indiana ruled for Gilman Gear. No surprise that Bourne plans an appeal.

Link via the blog of the sexiest NY Timesman. Hey, Warren, I never got my copy of RJYH.

Ron Cook goes for the full-court backing of Carl Krauser returning to Pitt. I’ll give him credit for going fully to one side in declaring this very good for Pitt. He’s gone opposite Smizik on the issue.

Me, I’m still stuck somewhere in the middle. I wish I wasn’t being so wishy-washy. Love Krauser and his game. Plain worried about how the coach will handle him and the whole team; and I worry about how Krauser’s long decision making after the draft about coming back affects the team.

This is why Jamie Dixon gets paid to be a Division I head basketball coach. The expectations should be lower, even with Krauser back, but the ceiling will be higher for this team.

He will have a talented, mature Krauser. A guy who always wants to be out there. Wants to be playing. He also has a young, talented and raw kid for the future in Fields. Not just at point guard. There is a lot of young talent on the team that should push the guys in front of them.

Fields will benefit from having Krauser around. Not just learning to lead the team and run the offense (and defense), but from going up against him in practice.

Last year, Krauser averaged just under 36 minutes a game. Fields will have to be worked in more, and given opportunities to run the team in anticipation of the future. That means Krauser should see his minutes drop. He will have to be held out for periods lasting more than one or two minutes.

Dixon will have to be keeping him from barking and complaining from the bench about wanting back in.

The situation, frankly, will be more about what kind of coach Dixon is than anything else. Even if Pitt has an up and down year — which I expect they will. A lot of focus will be on the decisions and coaching of Dixon. How does he handle the players? Substitutions? Intensity? Focus? How does he handle the scrutiny of what he does?

Lots and lots of questions for 2005-06.

Starting international, the Under-21 (U-21) tournament got under way with Canada coming back to beat Australia. Kendall had 13 points, but reportedly “struggled from the field.” Canada faces Greece tonight. No box score has been located, and the game was witnessed by crowds in the hundreds.

The Big East has created a new position called Associate Commissioner for men’s basketball. Kind of makes sense with 16 teams in basketball. You have to imagine they may need a little help. This is what the position will do.

In his new role, he will serve as the league’s primary basketball administrator and contact. He will represent the conference on a day-to-day basis in the overall administration, management and control of the men’s basketball programs. Additionally, he will serve as the office liaison with all internal basketball constituencies including institutional administrators, coaching staffs and game officials.
…
Gavitt will also be at the point in developing and cultivating relationships with all television and sponsor partners, providing oversight and administrative direction to the Basketball Supervisor of Officials and assisting with the basketball television/scheduling processes. Further, he will also be asked periodically to assist with basketball media relations, NCAA and league compliance matters, and other conference related functions.

To fill the position, they hired the AD from Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. The Bryant Bulldogs are Division II. His name, Dan Gavitt. According to this bio, he barely leaves the state of Rhode Island, Oh, and Dan Gavitt, just happens to be the son of the first BE commish, and the guy who first hired Mike Tranghese.

Think I’m kidding about not venturing far from Rhode Island? He was the AD for 6 years. Here’s the rest:

Before assuming his position at Bryant, Gavitt had established himself as a prominent figure on the Rhode Island and New England sports scenes. He was the president and owner of Craigville Sports Associates, Inc., a sports marketing and event management firm based in Providence, from 1995 to 1998 and enjoyed a distinguished career in intercollegiate athletics as a coach.

Gavitt also spent six seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Providence College, working with current University of Texas head coach Rick Barnes. During that time the Friars amassed a record of 108-76, qualified for three NCAA tournaments, made two appearances in the NIT and won a Big East championship while maintaining a perfect graduation rate.

Dan earned an MBA from Providence in 1995 after accepting a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College in 1988.

In addition to his work with Bryant University, Gavitt also serves on the board of trustees at the Rhode Island Sports Council and Providence Country Day School. Gavitt serves as chair of the NCAA Division II Northeast Region baseball committee and is a member of the national committee for that sport as well.

I wonder if he risks bursting into flames if he physically leaves the state?

I never got back to that vital sartorial issue. It seemed to generate some comments. I did not buy the very, very retro cord hat with the script traditional Pitt script. As far as I know, it is still languishing there, waiting to be rescued. Instead, I bought this one:

This was a style of hat I had previously owned but it eventually reached the end of its natural life. It had been a very durable hat. Trust me, the photo doesn’t even come close to doing justice to the dust that was on this thing when I bought it. It’s been through the washer a couple times now.

I know that if I had gone out to the malls I could have found a new model of the Pitt hat, probably to my liking but I was not going to spend my brief time back in the ‘Burgh going out to the mall.

I’m sure that the Pitt Store was trying to clear out old inventory, but then you need to mark them down. Far too much of the gear was still at regular price while still sporting the “Pittsburgh” logo.

I don’t like to mail order hats. I like the chance to look at them closer, and get an idea as to how they will fit. Despite an outsized ego, I do not posses a particularly large skull.

I’m sure come September I’ll be investing in yet another Pitt hat.