I mentioned, yesterday, the issue of Pitt playing some Friday night away games this season and the conflict with the tradition of the Friday night high school game. Today, an article about the topic.

The Panthers will play four weekday games this fall, including two under Friday night lights. Neither of those Friday games will be played at Heinz Field.

“We are holding firm against playing Friday night home games, out of respect for the high schools,” [Pitt Athletic Director Jeff] Long said.

“I appreciate him feeling that way,” said WPIAL executive director Larry Hanley. “But I don’t know how long Pitt can maintain that when those TV dollars are being thrown at them.”

AD Long can “Rage, rage against the dying of the light,” but a time will come. It’s not the dollars as much as it will be the dictates of the contract and pressure brought from ESPN and the Big East. Never, say never.

Among Division I-A schools, only Toledo (five) will play more weekday games than Pitt this season. Three other teams — West Virginia, Ohio and Miami (Ohio) — also have four weekday games.

Long said the Big East will resist playing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but he expects the league will continue with games on Thursdays and Fridays.

This year, the Big East has slated 13 weekday games, including eight conference matchups. Pitt and Rutgers are the only teams in the league with two Friday games.

Of the major conferences, the Big East and Western Athletic (four games each) will be busiest on Friday nights.

The Big 12, Mid-American and Conference USA each has three Friday games. The Big Ten and Pacific-10 each have two, and the Southeastern Conference has one Friday game scheduled.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has the second-most weekday games (eight), but none are on Fridays.

No conference is immune from weekday games. The Mid-American has the most (17, including nine conference games) and the Big Ten has the fewest (three, all non-conference matchups).

At the bottom of the page is a chart showing conferences and the number of weekday games played. Notice that Mountain West, has only 4 weekday games. That’s a direct result of their moving their TV deal to CSTV from ESPN.

The WPIAL Director is also right that a Friday night home game for Pitt would hurt Pitt as well. Not just in the obvious issue of attendance. There is also recruiting.

One of the classic recruiting tools is hosting the high schoolers at the game. Give them a feel for the atmosphere and an idea of what could be. Losing a possible day to host the kids is huge when you only have 5 or 6 in a season and the competition from other schools trying to do the same.

I will stick to my principles and maintain that recruiting sites, generally, don’t do any real harm. Still, how seriously can you follow and seriously consider an interview with a high school junior’s father regarding the kid’s future college decision.

Howard Mabin is not sure when his son will make a decision.

“First you have to get some offers,” he said with a laugh. “It’s just so early, it’s tough to tell.”

The elder Mabin says his son has three schools currently at the top of his list.

“Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Michigan,” he said. “Really, anywhere in the Big Ten, but the Big East is starting to look good too.”

Jordan Mabin’s cousin, Dorin Dickerson, recently committed to Pitt. That could affect Mabin’s decision because he and Dickerson are close.

“Possibly,” Howard said.

That just seems a little creepy and borderline stalking of Jordan Mabin. I mean, I guess it’s nice to see Pitt listed as a possibility with a kid who would appear to be considered a top talent for the 2007 recruiting class, but it just seems to be the sort of thing to give those who are looking for ways to limit, control or stop these sites more ammunition.

Last week, Bruce Feldman at ESPN.com took note of Coach Wannstedt and Pitt’s early recruiting success. Later, Ivan Maisel in an ESPN.com chat said he thought part of the reason Pitt’s recruiting success being ignored was that the Big East has been written off by the national media.

Late yesterday, and now today, a story about Wannstedt and Pitt’s recruiting success, written by the AP Sportswriter in Pittsburgh, Alan Robinson, got picked up by plenty of papers.

Now, slightly more than six months since former Pitt coach Walt Harris was pushed out the door despite five consecutive bowl game appearances, Wannstedt is keeping his promise to reinstate Pitt’s one-time recruiting dominance in its backyard.

With the national letter of intent signing day still seven months away, the Panthers already have 12 verbal commitments from high school players — including 10 of Pennsylvania’s top 46 players, according to Rivals.com, which tracks football recruiting nationwide.
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“Dave’s taken a page out of (Southern Cal coach) Pete Carroll’s book as a former pro coach going back to college — he’s gone out and met the high school coaches 1-on-1,” Burton said. “He brings a familiarity that’s tailor-made for what he’s trying to do.”

Excitement. Solid recruiting. National publicity.

And then out of nowhere, a voice of caution.

Now I’m not saying Panthers fans shouldn’t be optimistic about the future of the program, but let Wannstedt and his staff coach and win a game first.

All this persuasion hype reminds me of two seasons ago when the Panthers opened the season ranked No. 15.
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What I’m saying is all of this publicity could come back to haunt a young team trying to build a championship-caliber program just as it did in 2003.

The Panthers weren’t able to handle the spotlight two years ago and it could be tough this season. One loss to a team they’re supposed to beat – such as that humiliating setback at Toledo in 2003 – could cost them not only this year, but for years to come.

Wannstedt has come home with hopes of building a national championship team. He should be careful what he wishes for.

Oh, sure. Throw some cold water in our faces.

It’s something I have said to keep an eye on. The Big East and Pitt being put on Friday nights for games would upset area high schools, and the tradition of the Friday Night High School games. I expect some more closer to the actual season starting, especially from the Pittsburgh area.

Here’s some of the early sniping from a sports editor in the Mon Valley.

Pitt’s football team will be going against the high school kids for another Friday night with the Panthers’ contest at Ohio University being moved from Sept. 10 to Sept. 9 for the national ESPN2 television audience.

It’s the night of most of the WPIAL team’s second games.

The Panthers’ other Friday night contest is at Rutgers Sept. 30.

This year, they are road games, so the impact may be blunted. Next year, if there are any home Friday games, expect some real pissing and moaning.

Spend around 6 hours on the turnpikes of Pennsylvania and Ohio with a whining 3-year old and you miss some things. The great unanswered question these days is why there is no other rest stop heading West on the PA Turnpike after the one around mile marker 77, while the Eastbound side has two. Annoying.

Anyhow, the boys at Marquette Basketball have some pieces of information. It would seem one of Pitt’s three home & home opponents this season will be Marquette. Likely, WVU will be another for Pitt. My guess for the third home & home match-up would be either Notre Dame or UConn.

They also note, the HoopScoop ranking of the 2005 basketball recruiting classes. Pitt is ranked #23. The rankings are based on the total “value” of the entire class, not the average of each recruit — which is how Middle Tennessee State and Utah State are ranked ahead of Pitt. On a talent ranking per recruit scale, Pitt would be around #15.

A little late on the link, but Rivals Radio did an interview with the first commit for the 2006 class, Gilbert Brown (Windows Media).

I thought there was nothing today. Then CollegeFootballNews.com came through. The Tuesday question for their panel:

Q: How will the first season go for … ?

The responses are varied:

– Dave Wannstedt – A perfect fit. His mediocre NFL head coaching career overshadowed what a great defensive coach he has been. Don’t be shocked if he leads Pitt back to the BCS.
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– Dave Wannstedt – Solid, but not spectacular. Third in the Big East.
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Dave Wannstedt – If he lets Tyler Palko ‘spin’, the Big East championship is a realistic goal. He’ll like what he has on defense, but he can’t make Palko be a 15 attempt a game guy. With the bad blood that Walt Harris generated, an alum like Wannstedt should have a ton of support.

That bit about Palko is the only fear I have. Pitt has to keep the offense open and throwing. Yes, more balance, but Pitt has to play to its strength on offense. And as if to follow it up, they list “The Next Big Things” (i.e., NFL prospects) for various positions. For Tight End:

10. Erik Gill, Pittsburgh — Gill’s primed to be one of this year’s fastest rising tight ends. At nearly 6-5 and 270 pounds, he’s built like a lineman, but runs well and proved in 2004 to be a reliable option for Tyler Palko. Playing behind Kris Wilson for two years forced Gill to concentrate on his blocking, and he evolved into one of the game’s most punishing run blockers. With Wilson in the NFL last fall, Gill broke the seal on his entire game, displaying the kind of agility rarely found in a kid his size. As the Pitt offense trends back toward the running game under Dave Wannstedt, Gill might have 25 catches in 2005 on play action passes alone.
2004 Numbers — 25 catches for 433 yards and 4 TDs
Shades of … Jerramy Stevens

Wide Receiver:

10. Greg Lee, Pittsburgh (Jr.) — It’s not as if Pitt didn’t miss Larry Fitzgerald last year, but Lee sure looked unfazed about replacing the best receiver in school history. Yet another stud out of the Florida pipeline that the Panthers like to tap, he kept the program’s trend of churning out top-flight pass-catchers alive with a sterling effort in his debut as a starter. And while not as gifted, he mirrors Fitzgerald in that he’s no burner, but uses his superb athleticism and hands to haul in balls most wouldn’t touch. If he and Tyler Palko stick around campus for two years, they’ll develop into one of the most feared pitch-and-catch combos around.
2004 Numbers — 68 catches for 1,297 yards and 10 TDs
Shades of … Marcus Robinson

And at Quarterback:

10 more that need to be watched for the 2006 Draft

1. Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh (Jr.) — In just one season as a starter, Palko established himself as one of college football’s rising stars under center. His makeup and work ethic just scream winning quarterback.

Pitt is still built to throw the ball.

Eastern Pennsylvania sportswriters are begining to take note of what Pitt is doing.

While we’re on the subject of the Big East, it has not taken University of Pittsburgh football coach Dave Wannstedt long to mine the fertile recruiting ground that is western Pennsylvania.

Eleven players have already made verbal commitments to play football for the Panthers in 2006, including West Allegheny do-it-all senior Dorin Dickerson and Woodland Hills linebacker Greg Webster. Dickerson is a Top 100 prospect nationally and Webster is considered one of the top players in the state.

Johnny Majors took the same approach 30 years ago. He recruited western Pennsylvania heavily, went undefeated in 1976 and won the mythical national championship.

I’m guessing this is one of the older sportswriters.

You should read this article, just for the positive stuff Steeler back-up QB Charlie Batch is doing in Homestead. The part I’m pointing out is the brilliance of NCAA regulations.

Last week, he had Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon stop by the playground to speak to the younger players. Dixon spent almost an hour there, which says something about him.

“I can only talk to the ones in ninth grade and younger. NCAA rules,” Dixon said, shrugging.

You should have seen Batch glare when some of the older players and even a few of the volunteers bounced basketballs at the other end of the court during Dixon’s speech. He didn’t want any distractions. So what if most of the kids were more interested in hearing about former Pitt players Chris Taft and Carl Krauser than SAT scores? If Batch and Dixon can help just one kid do well in school, their time will have been worth it.

Happy 4th.

A few articles relating to the Big East that caught my eye.

UConn trying to reload, anticipating not just the seniors but the underclassmen who will leave early.

The Huskies already know four seniors will be gone next May — wings Rashad Anderson and Denham Brown, forward Ed Nelson and forward/center Hilton Armstrong. Add the probable NBA departures of underclassmen Rudy Gay, Josh Boone and Marcus Williams and the Huskies will have a far different look in 2006-07.

Ultimately, it’s why Calhoun and his two primary recruiters, assistant coaches Tom Moore and Andre LaFleur, have combed every corner of the country the last 10 months: UConn needs blue-chip help at every position.

And geography is no limitation.

A generation later, LaFleur and UConn are courting several point guards, including 5-11 playmakers Sherron Collins of Crane Tech in Chicago and Eugene Harvey of St. Benedict’s in Newark, N.J.

At shooting guard, the Huskies are involved with some of the best prospects in the country, including 6-7 ½ Earl Clark of Rahway High in Rahway, N.J., and 6-3 Ramar Smith of King High in Detroit.

At small forward, UConn hopes to add top-10 recruit Paul Harris to the mix for the 2006-07 season. Harris, a 6-4 wing from Niagara Falls, N.Y., is also considering Syracuse, Villanova and Pittsburgh, among others.

At power forward, top-five standout Darrell Arthur is high on UConn’s list. The 6-9 Arthur, who plays at South Oak Cliff High in Dallas, also counts Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Georgia Tech among his suitors.

At center, UConn’s top two targets are 6-11 Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Wash.) Prep and 6-9 Alex Stepheson from Harvard-Westlake in North Hollywood, Calif.

That is why no one refers to UConn as having a pipeline from a specific place.

For Cinci to get into the Big East, it wasn’t just having a good basketball program, they needed to severely upgrade their facilities. The longtime UC athletic director, Bob Goin, was the man behind that. With his looming retirement, however, he hasn’t been able to hold the peace between UC President Nancy Zimpher and Coach Bob Huggins. That led to this at Big East day in Cinci.

She had been booed once and she surely would have been booed again – louder, no doubt – and the question was whether to step up to the microphone and face another jarring refrain. Nancy Zimpher opted not to.

To be fair, she wasn’t in the script. To be fairer, she certainly could have been if she had so chosen. The University of Cincinnati president had addressed the faculty and staff on campus in the morning, and had been well-received, but for the noon rally at Fountain Square – the centerpiece of the public celebration over UC’s official entry into the Big East – her part was restricted to the acceptance of Charlie Luken’s proclamation.

That went something like this:

“As the University of Cincinnati goes,” declared the mayor, “so goes the city of Cincinnati.”

Then he called up Zimpher.

Then the booing started.

Then Zimpher started. Then Zimpher started shouting, just to be heard.

Then she sat down and Luken, feeling badly for her, said to the crowd, “I’ve been booed a lot, but you’ve made your point. Let’s be polite.”

And as long as she didn’t speak, there was no booing.

And while everyone looks at Cinci as the “thug” problem, it would seem the Big East has just ridded itself of the true thug team. Read the entire, very long article, and you may never be able to view Al Skinner the same way. A man who seems to carry himself with class, and represent BC very well just gives his players free passes until it gets to felony level. There is also one of the more bizarre passages to read.

No sooner did Watson heal from the fall, however, than McLain ran into trouble. On his first full day home for the summer, the 6-7 forward was arrested in a McDonald’s parking lot in Penn Hills, soon after he and Ely passed the counterfeit bills. Police said McLain and Ely initially denied having been in the Dollar Tree store but conceded otherwise after they were shown receipts and merchandise recovered from their vehicle.

Ely’s case became more problematic when police discovered three counterfeit $10 bills in his rectum. Police also said video surveillance cameras at the stores appeared to show McLain and Ely distracting the cashiers in part by asking for job applications. Officers said one of the clerks may have failed to properly screen and mark the counterfeit bills because of the distraction.

McLain’s lawyer, Wendy Williams, said in an interview that a person knowingly committing a crime would not ask for a job application. She said McLain, who had no criminal record, had no idea the bills were counterfeit or how he obtained them.

[Emphasis added.]

The players managed to get the charges reduced because of some, uh, “evidentiary problems” for the prosecution. Coach Skinner, then characterized it as essentially the same as a traffic ticket.

Finally, perennial “sleeping giant,” Rutgers may be making some noise in basketball. Armed with an ace recruiter, hired away from Villanova, they are actually getting their foot in some doors.

As noted by Joel yesterday, Pitt has commit #12:

Joe Thomas, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive guard from Lakewood St. Edward’s who is considered a top 25 prospect in Ohio, became the first out-of-state player from the Class of 2006 to give a verbal commitment to Pitt.

Thomas capped one of the most productive recruiting weeks in recent Panthers’ history by becoming the seventh player to commit in six days and 12th overall.

“That actually put a big impact on it, seeing how good of players they’re getting and wanting to play with those guys,” said Thomas, who was recruited by Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads. “When I go to Pittsburgh, I feel like I’m at home. Coach Rhoads would always welcome me when I came to Pittsburgh, and he came to my school twice in May. He’s a nice guy, easygoing.”
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“I’m very physical, strong and aggressive,” said Thomas, an All-Cuyahoga County selection as a junior. “I have very good feet. I’m quick off the ball. And I love the game.”

His team will be playing Central Catholic at Gateway at the end of August.

Here are the recruiting profiles for Joe Thomas. Rivals.com has him ranked the #22 prospect in Ohio.

While the Cleveland paper has nothing yet, I noticed that Pitt alum and former linebacker Nick Cole (1998-2001) is joining the football staff at his old high school.

…joining former Brooklyn High football sensation Nick Cole on Tom Sporich’s staff. Sporich will be entering his second season as the Hurricanes coach.
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Cole was a Plain Dealer All-Star and a two-time All-Ohio selection (1995-96) as a running back/safety/linebacker for Brooklyn. He set Hurricanes’ records with 4,212 yards and 44 touchdowns, and went on to play linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh.

Just good to have Pitt guys working in some of the high schools in Ohio. Oddly, in 1999 Nick Cole is also listed as having 0 punt returns for 15 yards.

From an ESPN.com chat with Ivan Maisel:

Jason Jamestown, NY: What’s your take on Dave Wannstedt comming to Pitt. Aside from writers who cover the Big East, it doesn’t seem like he’s getting as much attention as a Myer or Spurrier. Is it because of the conference Pitt plays in . . . or is it something else?

Ivan Maisel: That’s because everyone else in the country has written off the Big East, Jason. Also, Wannstedt is not coming in with a sterling NFL record. I know, neither did Pete Carroll or Al Groh, and both of them have made a good transition. But the Big East is personae non grata, and I have no idea if that’s the correct plural Latin, since I haven’t taken Latin since eighth grade.

Is that fair? Probably not, but he is likely right as to part of the reason for it. I would also suggest that part of the media quiet is that the recruiting successes have all come in Western Pennsylvania — Pitt’s backyard. It limits how much his impact is noticed — for now.

In another piece looking at the reshuffled conferences:

Another winner: The injured Big East got a reprieve when BCS commissioners decided it will retain its automatic berth for at least three years (and probably longer based on new qualification standards).

“When we first lost people everybody was doom and gloom,” Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said. “What we’ve done is caught our breath and gone about our business. On the football side we have enormous potential.”

When the ACC raided the Big East for the three schools, the Big East acted quickly in luring South Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville from Conference USA.

“When we look back on this 20 years from now this will be a landmark move,” said Louisville AD Tom Jurich. “The Big East is an icon.”

Sometimes image is everything. BC threw an ACC party at Fenway Park on Thursday. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese is throwing out the first pitch Friday night at a Reds game while in town to welcome Cincinnati.

For those scoring at home, those celebrations were in the houses of defending world champions (ACC) and the last place team in the NL Central (Big East).

I really wish I had a good comeback here, but I’m not completely awake yet.

His chances of being sent to the NBDL went down a notch with Golden State’s release of power forward Rodney White. Taft will be given every chance to stay with the Warriors to provide bench depth.

Taft is a strong shot blocker — he had 110 in his two years with the Panthers — and rebounder. He has an improving midrange jumper as well, and while he is an outstanding athlete, scouts questioned Taft’s work ethic before the draft. With Golden State releasing Rodney White on Thursday, Taft should get an opportunity to stick.

“I can’t wait to show everybody what I can do,” said Taft, who will also play for the Warriors’ summer-league team. “It’s disappointing I didn’t get picked in the first round, but this is a very, very good fit for me.”

It’s not like Taft has never shown motivation. He did in his first year. It is about maintaining the energy and levels.

Okay, let’s face it. There isn’t going to be a lot of news over this weekend. So here’s what I can scrape.

Pitt is either repackaging, replacing or supplementing its Pitt athletics magazine. This one is called “Panther Eyes.” It is being produced by ISP Sports, with whom Pitt signed last November. They seem to be doing a good job in producing media content for Pitt.

A Big East Notes article observes that Tyler Palko is the most likely BE player to be in the running for the Heisman. The only other would by Louisville QB Brian Brohm.

Top recruiting target Darin Walls is now saying (at least to the ND Recruiting site) that he hasn’t narrowed his choices to simply Pitt or Michigan.

“That’s not true,” said Walls. “I think something was misunderstood or misquoted, I’m not sure.”

“Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, Pitt and Penn State area my top five. I’m still open to everyone, but those are the schools I’m giving the most attention to right now.[“]

I’m inclined to believe this. He indicates he is in no rush to decide, and wants to take his visits.

Not to worry, there is plenty of recruiting happening for Pitt, especially from the new commits.

Now that he’s committed to Pitt, Jason Pinkston has become a recruiter. The star defensive tackle wants other WPIAL stars to follow him.

Almost daily, Pinkston phones blue-chip recruits and tells them to hop on board the bandwagon. Pitt is it.

“I asked Jason, ‘Are you working for Pitt now? Are you on their payroll?’ ” said Mike Silianoff, Pinkston’s coach at Baldwin High School.

“He’s telling everyone, ‘Pitt is too good to pass up.’ ”

And some of the area high school coaches seem to be drinking the kool-aid.

“Kids who are still unsigned are feeling pressure,” said Gateway coach Terry Smith, Aaron Smith’s uncle. “Do they want to go somewhere else and miss out what might be a very special time to be at Pitt?

“Or will they commit to Pitt just like so many of these (recruits) are doing?”

Encouraging. Very encouraging.

Probably a good move by the Big East to partner with College Sports TV on the new website. Really more dynamic and lots more info. Wonder what other ties could deepen between the two.

Truth Laid Bair now has a page for college football blogs. This blog is #19. I’m going to have to work on improving that. It just galls me to be behind a WVU blog.

Today is officially the launching of the Big East, version 4.0 (or is it 5.0?). That includes a new BE logo and I’m guessing a new look for the Big East Website — which is presently unavailable.

So, welcome Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, Marquette and DePaul.

It’s gonna be weird.

UPDATE: Here’s the Pitt press release.

PantherLair’s Rob Lichtenfels has a Q&A up. He puts the number of scholarships Pitt has available around 17 (maybe a couple more). With 11 filled, Pitt will start getting a little more selective.

Top TE prospect, Nate Byham had successful surgery following an injury suffered at Pitt’s 7-on-7 tournament. Byham is in no hurry to pick a school, but Pitt is in the mix.

Byham claims to be “wide open at this point,” but conceded he already has 15 scholarship offers.

“USC, Miami, Iowa, Pitt, Tennessee and Oklahoma are probably my top six right now,” he told Hale. “Like I said, I am still pretty wide open.”

Byham is considered the top TE recruit in the country and one of the best recruits out of Pennsylvania.