Well, this is a surprise. Pat Bostick won’t be filling the analyst role on the Pitt football radio broadcasts this year. He’s going to focus on his other job as the Director of Development for the Panther Club. More with the fundraising aspect.

Coming back to the booth is Billy Osborn.

Osborn has been highly active in broadcasting over the past dozen years. He called college football games for the Comcast Network and also did color for the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul. Osborn is co-host of the “OZZIE and KRAUSEY SHOW,” which can be heard on ESPN 610 AM Sports Radio in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area.

A four-year football letterman at Pitt (1985-88), Osborn was a quarterback and defensive back before settling in as a three-year starting wide receiver. He finished his collegiate career with 77 receptions for 1,104 yards (14.3 avg.) and nine touchdowns. In addition to football, he also lettered in baseball and basketball, becoming the first Pitt student-athlete to letter in three varsity sports since Mike Ditka.

Osborn previously served as the analyst for Pitt football from 1995-2003.

More from Pat Bostick.

Bostick, the former Pitt quarterback, served as color analyst the past five seasons. He joined the Panther Club staff in 2011 and has continued to assume elevated roles for Pitt’s official athletics fundraising office.

“It has been an honor to call Pitt football games alongside the legendary Bill Hillgrove,” Bostick said. “I will forever owe a debt a gratitude to Bill for his friendship, professionalism and introducing me to broadcasting. While I’ll miss being in the booth, I’m very excited about taking the next step in my professional journey. I want to welcome Billy Osborn back to the broadcast team and thank our athletic director Scott Barnes and the entire Pitt family for giving me the opportunity to continue serving the great University of Pittsburgh.”

Bostick did a fantastic job in the booth. A little disappointed that he won’t keep doing it.

Over 2 years ago, I made the following observation regarding a certain sports talk shock radio host:

…does anyone really believe Mark Madden has “reliable sources” anywhere in college sports? Really? The Pens, sure. Maybe even the Steelers. But at Pitt? In basketball? He barely acknowledges the existence of the sport.

This came after Madden cribbed a piece from The Big Lead over the open Oregon job, only he repackaged it to claim he had “sources” telling him that Dixon was heading to Oregon after the Final Four.

So you would think everyone would learn a lesson from this. Mark Madden, however, would hope you would forget it when he teased this on Twitter yesterday.

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No, I haven’t forgotten about Iowa this weekend. In fact, head over to Iowa site, Black Heart, Gold Pants where I participated in a podcast Adam and Patrick about Pitt football, no more Wanny, our AD, expansiopocolypse and the upcoming game. Not recommended for the very depressed as they are still coping with losing to Iowa State and I’m worried about so many aspects of the team at the moment.

Later today, I’ll be on WPTS to talk about the blog and Pitt athletics. That one should be live around 4 pm.

There was some disappointment when Pat Bostick decided that he was done with being a member of the Pitt football team. You hate to lose a good leader and a veteran back-up QB at any level. At the same time, Bostick has his own life and wanted to get on with it.

The good news, he’s staying a very active part of Pitt football.

Former quarterback Pat Bostick, who was under center for some of the Panthers’ most stirring victories in recent years, will join Bill Hillgrove in the booth to form Pitt’s new radio duo for the 2011 season.

Bostick was a three-year letterman for Pitt (2007-08, 2010) and quarterbacked the Panthers to such memorable victories as their 13-9 upset of West Virginia in 2007 and 36-33 quadruple-overtime win at Notre Dame in 2008. An honors graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, he earned his bachelor’s degree in just three years and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Pitt’s School of Education.

In addition, Bostick will have a regular appearance on 93.7 to talk Pitt football. Reed can also breathe easy with the knowledge that Bostick will continue to write articles for Pitt’s website and the Pitt Athletic Department’s newspaper.

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Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and holiday. Tried to get started on the long, long list of outdoor projects around the house, but the rain has been so frequent that not much was really accomplished. Well, aside from a lot more crap in the garage that needs to get out of there. Not sure if there has been two consecutive dry days in the Cleveland area for the past few weeks — well without the temperature dipping below 40. The lack of a spring this year has been worse than normal. That or I’m just old and cranky, and less tolerant of the weather.

So, for nearly a month, the links have been accumulating related to football. I’ve been lazy. The writing of Reed has let me slack off on this stuff. Now it’s time to clear it out — even if it’s a little dated.

Starting with the newest news, though, another Michigan transfer (paywall). Cullen Christian asked for and received his release from Michigan last week. Since Christian went to Penn Hills and several of his coaches at Michigan are now at Pitt — well, the math seemed obvious. This is a really good get, though. Christian was one of the top recruits in Pennsylvania in 2010. One of the top CB recruits in the country. He was a 4-star recruit and an US Army All-American. Injuries and attrition at Michigan forced him to play a lot more than he should have — 10 games. Look forward to seeing him out there in 2012.

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Pitt baseball has been improving under Coach Joe Jordano. So much so, that you can actually listen to some of the games this year on the radio and via a livestream.

WPTS has Pitt baseball broadcasts this year. The first one is this Saturday at 3pm against IPFW

If you are in the ‘Burgh Pitt’s student radio station is 92.1 FM. Otherwise you can listen on the WPTS Website.

Anyways, here’s the press release and broadcast schedule.

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I’ve had this tab open for well over a week, yet it still isn’t resolved. The long expected move for Pitt football and basketball to 93.7 The Fan as the team’s flagship station has yet to occur.

The long negotiating process involving the broadcasting rights to Pitt football and basketball has hit a snag.

The deal was almost done between Pitt and The Fan 93.7 (KDKA-FM) and was in the hands of the lawyers for a final look. But it appears the issue of  woman‘s basketball is holding up a finalization.

When Pitt was carried by Clear Channel, as it has in recent years, football and men’s basketball were heart first on 104.7 (WPGB) and more recently on 94.5 (WWSW), both on the FM dial. Women’s basketball was heard on Fox Sports Radio 970, an AM station that Clear Channel uses for auxiliary sports program such as the Altoona Curve, coaches shows and various insider programming.

Is there a lot of interest or listening for Pitt women’s basketball? No. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t important for Pitt to have a home for it.

It needs a place for broadcasts. The women’s basketball team has been growing and becoming better than simply respectable. Pitt has to show recruits its commitment, and have a home for the broadcasts so they can be streamed.

The problem is that KDKA-FM has no other minor station to put the broadcasts. As such it puts both sides in a bad spot.

93.7 has not taken off quite as expected. They need Pitt football this fall to get bring in new listeners and then try to retain them. Same with basketball later.

For Pitt, they need a place for their sports. While it appears Clear Channel is still willing to have them, it has gotten more crowded as Clear Channel has already made a move to carry WVU games as well.

Both sides want the move to The Fan. Pitt wants more attention that being the primary live programming on the station would bring locally. The Fan wants to have signature live programming to fill time slots.

The longer this draws out, the worse it is for promoting Pitt football for the upcoming season. 93.7 won’t devote as much resources and energy to training camp and the upcoming season if it doesn’t know that it will be the flagship.

Ultimately, it seems that it has to be resolved. I wonder if they could at least reach a short-term agreement to have women’s basketball games streamed over 93.7’s website.

This blog post from Bob Smizik about the former B-94 now going sports talk.

As word about the new sports-talk station in town — SportsRadio 93.7 The Fan — continues to dribble out, one thing is clear: These guys mean business.

From all indications, the CBS Radio Group has made a serious long-term commitment to the station, which will use the call letters to KDKA-FM.

Most notable about that commitment is The Fan will carry at least 16 hours of locally originated programming. That’s twice as many hours as 1250 ESPN produces.

One way to fill some of those hours will be with broadcast of games. That is where Pitt could benefit.

Another area where I expect the new station to be a major player is in bidding for the broadcasting rights of the local franchises — Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, Pitt football and basketball and Duquesne basketball. All of those rights, except Duquesne’s, are currently held by Clear Channel, which operates five stations in the Pittsburgh market and has the Steelers on one, the Penguins on another and Pitt on a third.

The Penguins recently extended their deal with Clear Channel and will be heard on WXDX (105.9) for the foreseeable future. It’s hard to imagine the Steelers leaving Clear Channel, when their contact expires. Because they are the No. 1 franchise in town, the Steelers are heard on WDVE (102.5), the crown jewel of the Clear Channel stations and No. 1 in the market.

But KDKA-AM has made strong bids for the Steelers rights in the past so there’s reason to believe the new station will come just as hard or harder.

Pitt is where The Fan has the best chance to win broadcasting rights. Pitt’s contract with Clear Channel is due to expire in the near future (not sure of the exact date) and I would expect The Fan to be a player in the bidding. Pitt has no reason to be unhappy at Clear Channel, where it’s heard on WWSW (94.5), and it gets plenty of the cross-promotion on the five stations that Clear Channel does so well. But it’s still No. 4 on Clear Channel. It could be No. 1 at The Fan.

Obviously another bidder is helpful. If the new station is really serious about doing local programming that heavy, it would be nice to see some kind of attempt to focusing on Pitt and/or regional college teams as part of the programming. I’m sure there will be no skimping on further over-saturating the region with the Steelers and Penguins coverage, plus rants on how bad the Pirates are doing.

I’d like to think they would consider trying to take some shot at doing a college show. It seems an area that remains relatively untouched. Especially if they do score rights to Pitt football and/or basketball.

Perhaps Georgia Tech AD Dan Radackovich misremembered?

Or perhaps it was AD Steve Pederson and Assistant Athletic Director/Football Operations Chris LaSala?

You may recall Post-Gazette beat writer Paul Zeise wrote this.

There are rumors flying around the Internet that Pitt and Georgia Tech are nearing a deal to play a home and home in football. As it turns out, they seem to be just that — rumors, and not very credible ones.

How do I know?

I asked Steve Pederson — who in turn asked Chris LaSala — and both laughed as they said they have never spoken with Georgia Tech.

Since I was likely the source thanks to a loyal reader and an Atlanta resident, I couldn’t back up the “rumor” at the time. The station only put the first half of the interview on their site.

Thankfully there are all these technological things like e-mail and mp3s. So, I e-mailed the producer of Mayhem in the A.M. at Sports Radio 790 The Zone in Atlanta, Scott Klug. He was nice enough to send me the MP3 of the second part of their interview with Georgia Tech AD Dan Radakovich.

Here’s the final 1:47 of the interview where they do get into the non-con football schedule.

GT AD Dan Radakovich Interview

Is this conclusive that it will happen? No. Does it suggest that Pitt and GT have done more than a little talking? I’d say so.

So, at least now that “rumor” has a source.

Solid podcasting from CFB Weekly takes a step backward this week. They talk to me about Dave Wannstedt, Pitt and dodging the Morelli bullet. Take a listen and fully grasp why I should be read and not heard.

Also on there, the always entertaining Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. Really, it almost  took a coach on the hot seat episode as UCLA and Ole Miss bloggers were also in the mix this week.

— A “marathon” negotiating session last week led to former Panther Darrelle Revis getting a deal done with the New York Jets. Aside from 1st overall pick JaMarcus Russell and Revis, every other 1st round pick had been signed. Revis has a bright future ahead of him, and SI’s Peter King lists him as a CB on his “All-Future Team.”

The Cleveland Browns thought enough of him to have him ranked as a top-five player in the draft this year — and the Jets thanked their lucky stars Revis was still there at No. 14. He’s got excellent cover skills and is a willing tackler.

— CBS SportsLine predicts Pitt will finish sixth in the Big East over UConn and Syracuse.

6. Pittsburgh: Which way you headed, Wanny? Without a proven quarterback and six new starters on defense, Dave Wannstedt is on the hot seat. Watch roadies at Virginia and Michigan State. They will be an indicator of his future.

Pitt and Cincinnati in the 5/6 spots seem to be a toss up. And the comment about Wannstedt being on the hot seat is a bit premature; but it got some talk in the discussion thread.

— Sports Illustrated devoted this week’s issue to previewing college football. They also have Pitt coming in at #6 in the BE with a 5-7 overall record and 2-5 in conference. Not a ton of love there — but they do give a nod to Oderick Turner who is going to be a little more widely known since he’s our top receiver right now.

— Both PSI and Kevin Gorman report that freshman offensive guard Chris Jacobson badly hurt his right knee and will need surgery. The procedure will like take place next week and though he will possibly miss the whole season, Wannstedt did not entirely rule him out for the rest of the year. Obviously, redshirting him is looking like the smart option.

— Beano Cook was a guest on Mark Madden’s show on ESPN Radio 1250. Cook, who Madden calls the “Pope of college football,” says Pitt’s home schedule is the worst it’s been since World War II. That’s not a joke — Beano knows. He also says that LeSean McCoy will see a ton of playing time this year and will make an immediate impact. I found it funny when Cook, at a young 75 years old, referred to McCoy as “Shady.” He also says McCoy will be Pitt’s running back for 3 years before jumping to the NFL.

For the Big East media days, Rivals Radio interviewed a player from each Big East team. Pitt’s representative was Derek Kinder and the interview can be heard here. Before even finishing greeting one another, the interviewer immediately asks, “Who is going to be your starting quarterback?” The answer was pretty much what you’d expect: he’s seen three different guys in practice and didn’t say if any where ahead of the others.

He says the upcoming season isn’t looking too bad and that last year’s 6-6 record was a failure in the end. When he talks about them needing to finish games better, I automatically gag and think of the Michigan State and UConn games. In all, it’s a quick little interview, and not a bad listen.

Also, for your Penn State fill of the week, two articles about PSU and more specifically, their fan base. The first is from Rakes of Mallow, a Notre Dame blog. Penn State and Notre Dame are two of the three teams I dislike the most (WVU the third) but the ND writer makes some great points; highly recommended reading.

I don’t blame Penn State for trying to find a rival, as they don’t really have one. Ohio State is considerably more concerned with Michigan, and vice-versa, while the Irish are more focused on the Wolverines and Trojans. They could restart the local rivalry with Pitt, but the Lions envision themselves on some sort of blue-and-white pedestal when it comes to playing the Panthers.

There was also a reader submission from Mondesi’s House about college allegiances. The reader says that his Penn State co-workers dislike his favorite coach, Jim Tressel.

You would think Jim Tressel stole some of these fans’ dates to the prom, they HATE him with such passion.

This is the classic case of where PSU fans are looking for a rival. They try to act all tough towards Ohio State when Buckeye fans simply shrug it off since they have more important teams to throw their animosity towards.

Reminder that I will be doing a segment or two on The Sports Contraption with Dave Dameshek tonight on 93.7 The Zone. It should be sometime after 7:30. As of this time, Dave’s wife has not gone into labor. The appearance will be live, but hopefully with a bit of a 9 second delay in case I release an expletive deleted. Yes, I tend to keep it clean on the blog, but as my friends can attest, I am not nearly so good in conversation.

Dave’s even got his own entry on Wikipedia where you will learn about his extensive relationship with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla projects.

I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully I won’t provide too many dead air moments or um and ah too much.

I’ll be making my Pittsburgh radio debut tomorrow on the Dave Dameshek Sports Contraption on 93.7 The Zone. Yes, that’s right. Despite doing this for 3 and 3/4 years, this will be the first time a radio show will be speaking to me. That sure keeps the old ego in check.

You can listen on the internet, but you have to do a free, short registration (so do that early). The only thing that might cancel the appearance will be if his wife finally goes into labor. She is apparently due any time, so…

The show is new (as is the whole program format) and Dameshek has been active in reaching out to the Pittsburgh sports bloggers. On Monday he had the guy behind Mondesishouse.com on for a couple segments. It’s a smart approach in that it gets some different people on the radio who pay close attention to Pittsburgh sports giving some different views. Not to mention create some positive vibes with the online community and more promotion for the show (such as this post).

As you can expect the discussion will be on Pitt, though I’m sure other things may creep into it.