Is it just me, or is the music being used by TNT for the NBA playoffs, “Remember the Name,” by Fort Minor the same tune that ESPN used for the Big East Basketball Tournament this past March?

I would swear that it is the same song, but I haven’t found anything to confirm.

It must be the trend now to send press releases to the schools about the All-American and All-conference squads before actually putting the information out there for the preseason publications. Lindy’s, Athlon, Sporting News and now Blue Ribbon Yearbook has it’s All-BE team.

Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm was projected as the offensive player of the year, Pitt defensive back Darrelle Revis was tabbed the defensive player of the year, and Louisville’s Deantwan Whitehead as named newcomer of the year.

West Virginia led the way with seven picks, followed by Louisville (six) and Rutgers (four).

Not sure what Pitt players made the squad. Blue Ribbon doesn’t actually release its tome (almost 400 pages) until July.

As previously noted Athlon Sports will be one of the first publications to put out its college football preview. They somewhat-released their All-American squads and like Lindy’s last week make the same call with H.B. Blades and Darrelle Revis.

The newly released Athlon Sports college football annual is the latest to praise Pitt’s defensive duo, naming Revis a first team All-American and Blades a second-team pick. The pair was named to Lindy’s All-America squad last week.

Athlon also lauded Pitt’s incoming recruits, rating the Panthers’ 2006 class as the best in the Big East and No. 11 nationally. Five Pitt players were listed among the nation’s Top 100 Incoming Freshmen, including tight end Nate Byham (No. 25), receiver Dorin Dickerson (No. 36), receiver Elijah Fields (No. 57), offensive lineman Joe Thomas (No. 66) and running back Kevin Collier (No. 99).

Just to clarify, the recruiting rankings Athlon uses are actually from Scout.com.

One of the articles in this year’s mag is ranking the first year of the 23 new coaching hires from 2005. N0 shock that Charlie Weis of ND is at the top. Coach Wannstedt clocks in down at #16.

The first month of the Wannstedt era was a debacle, but the Panthers battled back from a 1–4 start, won four of their last six and ended the year with a winning Big East record.

Greg Robinson at Syracuse came in at #23.

A personality like Ironhead Heyward will provoke a lot of memories from columnists. This is one of the better stories I’ve read. Chicago Bears training camp in 1993.

I was standing next to him after a Bears practice when two elderly white women approached using delicate steps.

The conversation unfolded this way:

“May we have your autograph?” one of the women whispered.

“Why, sure!” Heyward said, with pure joy and excitement.

“I think you’re going to be my favorite Bear,” one of the women said.

“I’d love that,” Heyward answered. “And you two will be my favorite fans.”

“Ooooh!” both women responded.

“I see you have a camera,” Heyward continued. “Let’s take a picture together.”

And he stood in the middle, arms around each woman. Both asked me to take the shot. I obliged.

Three of the biggest, warmest smiles ever filled the frame.

Heyward afterward gave each woman an enduring hug. He planted a loving kiss on each one’s cheek.

I heard one of them say as they walked away: “That’s the first time I’ve ever been kissed by a black man.”

The other offered: “What a charmer! What a guy! Imagine if every professional football player treated fans that way. I’ll never forget it.”

If you ever met Heyward, no surprise if you left feeling the same way.

I’ve been reading stories like this. There’s acknowledgment of Heyward’s excesses as well, but most seemed to be of the opinion that the goods far outweighed the bads.

Of course for some, like the NY Post sports grump Phil Mushnick sees a chance to take a whack at him and now ESPN college football color analyst Mike Gottfried.

While Heyward’s death wasn’t a big story in terms of time and space provided it, he was a significant historical sports figure. In 1988, Heyward made for the perfect storm example of the academic, financial and social fraud daily committed in this country in the psychotic quest to win ballgames.

Growing up in Passaic, N.J., Heyward was more inclined toward trouble than school, but what did it matter? He was a big, fast RB. The University of Pittsburgh gave him a full, free ride.

At Pitt, Heyward wasn’t much for school and was arrested several times. But none of that kept him from playing for Pitt.

Weeks after Heyward rushed for 130 yards in Pitt’s loss to Texas in the 1987 New Year’s Eve Bluebonnet Bowl, Mike Gottfied, now an ESPN college football analyst and then Pitt’s head coach, announced Heyward could no longer play for him and Pitt. Heyward had signed with an agent – Bruce Allen, son of famed NFL coach George Allen – thus, Heyward was done.

While Heyward was through, Gottfried wasn’t. He ripped Allen for taking advantage of Heyward, adding Allen had “deprived Heyward of a free college education.”

Noble sentiment. But Heyward hadn’t been to a class at Pitt for the entire previous semester. And because no one could recall seeing him in a classroom the semester before that, Heyward may have helped win games for Gottfried and Pitt without having attended a class for an entire academic year.

Still, Gottfried blasted Allen for taking advantage of Heyward and for depriving him of a college education. That’s why Gottfried, for colossal gall, alone, is no less a significant contributor to sports history than Heyward.

I do wonder about the consistently negative sportswriters. Nothing is ever good, and you wonder if it is even possible for them to enjoy sports any longer.

UPDATE: Pitt has info on the funeral arrangements. The family is asking that instead of any flowers, people consider donating to the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation.

A good article in the P-G today by Paul Zeise about Coach Wannstedt and the Pitt coaching staff recruiting effort for year 2.

Wannstedt has been on the road again this May, and this time the situation is much different.

The Panthers are coming off a losing season, and Wannstedt must deal with the fact that three of the four BCS winners — Penn State, West Virginia and Ohio State — are within three hours of Pitt’s campus.

Conventional wisdom would hold that Wannstedt has little chance of duplicating last year’s success. But Wannstedt, based on his experiences thus far, disagrees. He said if anything his chances for success are even better this year than they were last year for several reasons. The biggest one being that he has a much better understanding of what it is he is trying to sell.

Pitt’s losing record has not been an issue, he said, because people understand the roster has some holes that need to be filled, which the team’s struggles clearly highlight.

“Last year, we were selling dreams and frankly didn’t fully know what we were dealing with because we were new,” Wannstedt said. “And people also know now that we really do mean business. They see we are genuine and they respect our work ethic. They see we really have made a commitment, especially in Pennsylvania, and they are more excited about what we’re doing now then they were last year because it is real.

“I can say this with all honesty — the reception for us has been even better this year than it was last. We’re going to get six or seven more commitments heading into the fall and we’ll be off and running again.”

While Wannstedts’ track record of success as a recruiter is hard to argue with, there are a few signs that his second time around won’t be as easy.

This almost seems to be building on this post from Chris Dokish last week on recruiting. Last week saw several recruits targeted by Pitt choose WVU, ND and PSU. Figure any decent beat writer, and I happen to think Zeise is quite good, pays attention to the message board discussions and blogs these days (even if they don’t want to admit it). They can find out what is on the mind of the fans and what things they want to know more. So what you get is an article discussing the matter with more detail, information and quotes. Helping to bridge the gap from discussion and speculation to information and fact.

Wannstedt also is being very proactive to maintain the Panthers’ recruiting momentum and the enthusiasm surrounding the program, which remains very high. That’s a big reason he spent the spring evaluation period — coaches get four weeks in the spring to evaluate prospects — on the road with his assistant coaches.

Most head coaches, especially those at established programs, stay home in the spring, saving their road trips until later in the year when they are able to make school and home visits with prospects.

Wannstedt, however, believes the work he does on the road in the spring is building a foundation for another successful signing day for the Panthers.

“I need to be out on the road right now to help get things established,” he said. “A few years down the road, once we get things up and running like we want it to be, like we know it will be, maybe I sit back a bit and do it the way other head coaches do it.

“But I just don’t think it would be fair for me to push my assistants out the door and make them do the hard work of rebuilding things. I want to be there to help. I also never get tired of selling people on our great city and our great university.

“I am far more excited about our future now than I ever was at any point last year.”

Anyone really feel like arguing against it right now? I suppose there is the feeling that he is burning his visits too soon and it could cost Pitt some blue-chippers who wait to decide and get those final visits from another school.

I think Wannstedt makes a compelling case that he needs to be out there early and often to keep selling the program, his staff and coming to Pitt. Overall, it is also hard to argue against the early returns.

Apparently The Sporting News leaked its All-Big East Preseason team to the schools before it has even made it a release on its own site.

The Sporting News obviously thinks West Virginia and Louisville will dominate the Big East football competition this fall.

Seven players from each of those two schools are on the 2006 Sporting News All-Big East preseason first team.

What’s more, TSN has three Mountaineers and three Cardinals on its second team. There also are seven from each on the All-America checklist. That publication couldn’t have put these two national powers any closer in its projections for the upcoming season.
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Brohm was named Big East offensive player of the year and Pitt linebacker H.B. Blades defensive player of the year.

Pitt and South Florida placed three players each on the all-league first team, Connecticut and Rutgers two each, and Syracuse one.

Obviously, that means Brohm was 1st team QB. Apparently WVU’s Pat White was the 2nd team, meaning Tyler Palko didn’t make the cut.

My educated guess for the 3 Pitt 1st teamers: Blades, CB Darrelle Revis and P Adam Graessle.

A little snippet from the Philadelphia Daily News:

Mike Rice, one of Phil Martelli’s assistants at Saint Joseph’s, says he is “seriously considering” an offer from Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon to become Dixon’s associate head basketball coach. Rice, a Pittsburgh native, came to St. Joe’s in 2004.

So at this time, there is no official word. There is confirmation that the job is his if he “wants” it. Considering he sent the resume to Dixon, I’m guessing the only thing that keeps him at St. Joe’s is a raise and promotion like when Pitt had to retain Barry Rohrssen from leaving to join the St. John’s coaching staff a couple years prior.