Kendry Kendry no bendy

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Kendry Morales was understandably excited to round the bases and celebrate his game-winning walk-off home run on Sunday.

The Angels' best hitter came through in the clutch, jacking a fairytale grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat the Mariners 5-1 on Saturday.

For the moment, Morales was on top of the world. He was leading the Angels in batting average (.290, ahead of Bobby Abreu at .277), home runs (11, ahead of Mike Napoli and Torii Hunter with seven each), and RBIs (39, ahead of Hunter with 29). He was carrying the team.

As teammates have done hundreds and hundreds of times, the rest of the Angels waited anxiously at home plate for their hero to touch the bag and celebrate the suspenseful win.

Things didn't go quite as planned. As Morales jumped into his teammates' loving embrace, he came down awkwardly on his left ankle, possibly landing on a teammate's foot, breaking it on impact. He's scheduled for surgery next week and could miss the rest of the season. That would be a dagger to the Angels' postseason hopes, as they remain two-and-a-half games behind the Oakland A's in the AL West.

When all was said and done, the only thing more absurd than Morales' freak injury was this article, which suggested that his broken leg would serve as a lesson learned to all professional baseball players not to celebrate at home plate after a game winning home run.

With that tiny tangent out of the way, check out the video of Morales checking himself and then promptly wrecking himself. If that video dies, click this link and watch it on MLB.com.

Meet the incoming Terps: Terrell Stoglin

Without a Boom Osby or a Greivis Vasquez on next year's roster, fans may be looking for a unique personality to latch onto and cheer on for the next four years.

Terp fans, look no further. Tucson, Arizona point guard Terrell Stoglin is overflowing with charisma. He even tried his hand at an amateur rapping career, which his buddies put on YouTube. Luckily, he's sticking to hoops.

The 6-foot-1, 160-pound floor general also finished one of the most prolific high school careers in Arizona high school history, leading Santa Rita High to the Arizona 4A-II state championship.

Stoglin averaged 29.4 points, 6.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game as a senior, finishing only behind Atlanta Hawks guard Mike Bibby in the state's all-time scoring.

His work didn't go unnoticed, as he earned scholarship offers from Maryland and Texas A&M, and an increased interest from Portland, USC, San Diego and Oregon State, among others.

He also shot up in the rankings, going from a relative unknown to No. 98 in the ESPNU 100, and the No. 19 point guard. Rivals ranked him slightly lower, rating Stoglin the No. 125 overall player in the country and the No. 30 point guard.

Stoglin played alongside incoming recruits Pe'Shon Howard and Haukur Palsson in the Capital Classic, scoring 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. He also added four rebounds and two assists in his 19 minutes.

He and Howard filled the Terps' most pressing need: a competent point guard. The two are also fairly similar to the pair of sophomore big men who were rookies with the Terps last year in Jordan Williams and James Padgett. Stoglin, like Williams, was a prolific scorer in high school, with criticism surrounding his level of competition. Both performed well on the AAU circuit and landed scholarship offers from Maryland and other high-majors.

Howard wasn't the No. 1 scoring option on his high school team, like Padgett, and instead acted as a complement to his team's big scorers. However, Howard and Padgett's high school competition and packed high school tournament schedule prepared both for the level of intensity that comes with college ball.

A two-time All-State selection, Stoglin is built in the same mold as former Boston College point guard Tyrese Rice, who finished his career as the Eagles' all-time leader in points (2,099), assists (595) and steals (161). While Stoglin might not put up those numbers, he is expected to be an immediate contributor, and could start from day one.

2010 MLB mock draft

With a readership centered mostly around Baltimore and Washington D.C., Benched Press' primary goal is to cover both towns equally, at least in regards to the two-city sports: baseball and football.

Never one to shy away from mock drafts, it's important to cover what both teams are doing in the MLB's First-Year Player Draft in June.

That said, it's almost a blessing (for the sake of this blog) that last year, both teams were miserably bad. Therefore, a mock draft that includes both the Nationals and the Orioles only has to be three picks long. Hooray! Let's get to it.

1st pick - Washington - C Bryce Harper, College of Southern Nevada -- Declared by Sports Illustrated to be "Baseball's Chosen One," and the "most exciting prodigy since LeBron," Harper made YouTube fame when he hit the roof of Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field with a 502-foot home run during the 2009 International Power Showcase. Last year, he was named Baseball America's High School Player of the Year. Here's Sports Illustrated's terrific profile on Harper from 11 months ago.

Harper, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound 17-year old, actually sped up the process to the pros, opting to earn his GED and enroll at the College of Southern Nevada, a junior college in Las Vegas, to become eligible for the 2010 Draft.

In 58 games with the Coyotes, Harper led the team with a .415 batting average, 23 homers and 68 RBIs. For good measure, he added 17 stolen bases. Most amazingly, despite projecting as a catcher, Harper throws a 96 MPH fastball. Wow.

As the best player available in the draft by a fairly wide margin -- a la last year's pick, Stephen Strasburg -- the Nats are considered almost locks to draft and sign Harper.

Here's the condensed version of MLB.com's scouting report:

Strengths: His bat, from hitting abilty to his plus, plus power. He's got great arm strength from any position, particularly behind the plate. He's very aggressive and hustles at all times.

Weaknesses: Some worry about his ability to catch in the long-term. When hitting, he fought jumping out at pitches and getting out front a bit.

2nd pick - Pittsburgh - SS Manny Machado, HS -- ESPN's Keith Law rates Machado the second best prospect in the draft behind Harper. Due to his 6-foot-3, 190 pound frame, position and Miami, Florida hometown, he has been compared to a young Alex Rodriguez at times.

He's one of the best hitters in the draft, and according to MLB.com, led Team USA last year in batting. Machado is a big boy, and scouts question whether or not he'll continue to grow and become too big to play shortstop.

Like Rodriguez, Machado's specialty is a big bat, though he is a serviceable shortstop. If he continues to grow, the Pirates will likely put him at third base, which should be fine.

Machado has plans to attend Florida International, but, like most high schoolers, throw him a fat check and it's almost a lock that he'll sign.

Here's the condensed version of MLB.com's scouting report:

Strengths: Big, strong, looks the part, plenty of tools, especially with the bat.

Weaknesses: Already pretty big, he may not be able to stay at shortstop in the long-term.

3rd pick - Baltimore - RHP Jameson Taillon, HS -- High school prospects -- especially pitchers -- are widely considered higher-risk selections, mostly because they haven't had the chance to play against college-level competition, which means teams are drafting on potential rather than proven commodities.

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Taillon threw a no hitter in late March, striking out 19 of 21 batters in his Texas high school game. His fastball has been clocked up to 99 MPH, and he also boasts a curveball, slider and changeup.

He has committed to play baseball for Rice, but it is believed that he'll sign if drafted at the top of the first round. Ole Miss pitcher Drew Pomeranz could slip in here at No. 3, though it is strongly rumored that if Taillon is still available, the Orioles will draft him. Pomeranz has struggled at times during SEC play and appears to be the lower-risk, lower-reward prospect of the two.

Here's the condensed version of MLB.com's scouting report:

Strengths: Three plus pitches with the changeup giving him the potential to have a four-pitch mix.

Weaknesses: Like with many high school pitchers, his command can improve.

Flyers move on to the Stanley Cup finals

You know there's a story worth mentioning when I write about hockey for the first time in this site's year-plus existence.

The No. 7 seed Philadelphia Flyers are in the Stanley Cup finals. And while that doesn't seem particularly noteworthy one way or the other, consider this unbelievable chain of events:

Qualifying for the playoffs - The Flyers weren't a shoo-in to earn a spot in the playoffs, even if they did end up with the No. 7 seed. To get there, though, Philly beat the Rangers 2-1 in a suspenseful shootout victory. The winner of the game was getting into the playoffs; the loser, going home empty-handed.

Eastern Conference quarterfinals - Philly stomps No. 2 seed New Jersey in five games. In Games 4 and 5, the Flyers outscore the Devils 7-1, holding New Jersey scoreless for the series' final five periods.

Eastern Conference semifinals - The Flyers trail No. 6 seed Boston 3-0 in the series before rallying to win the next three. But in Game 7, the Bruins take what seems to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the first period. Philadelphia overcomes the impossible and wins the game 4-3. The Flyers completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sports, much less hockey, by winning a series after trailing 3-0, and winning Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in the first period.

Eastern Conference finals - Philly dominates the series against Montreal, winning in five games. Montreal had shocked No. 1 seed Washington in seven games and then No. 4 seed Pittsburgh in seven games before its luck ran out against the pesky Flyers.

Now, Philadelphia prepares itself for the No. 2 seed Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals. One can't help but hope that the Flyers take the Cup home, despite the fact that the city's fans are bush league at best.

The Flyers haven't won the Cup in 35 years, and even though Chicago's streak is even longer than that, it's hard not to root for the underdogs to pull through again.

Nationals OF Nyjer Morgan's costly mistake

Big thanks to Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan, whose blooper brought a smile to the faces of 30,290 fans in attendance at Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Bigger thanks to the Internet for bringing a smile to the face of anyone who wanted to see Morgan's play after it happened, over and over and over again.

Before you watch the video, included below, let's talk about how Morgan allowed Baltimore's speedy outfielder Adam Jones to score on an inside-the-park home run.

In the fourth inning, with the score knotted at 2-2, Jones hit a ball to deep center field. Morgan, the outfielder, jumps up to make the catch, but the ball bounces off his glove as he hits the wall. Assuming the ball ended up a home run, Morgan throws his glove on the ground and has a temper tantrum.

Meanwhile, without Morgan realizing it, the ball has come to a complete stop on the warning track. Fellow outfielder Josh Willingham chases down the ball, but even a good throw to the cutoff man can't save the Nats from Jones crossing home plate for the in-the-park home run.

Even stranger was that it was the second inside-the-park home run in three days, the first one coming against New York Mets outfielder Angel Pagan. Pagan's and Jones' were the first and second-ever inside-the-park home runs in Nationals Stadium's three-year history.

Even stranger than that was that Morgan was directly responsible for both of them.

In the end, it didn't matter too much. Though his mistake cost the Nationals two runs, Washington later rallied for the 7-6 win.

Watch Jones' home run here.

Cottle out as Maryland lacrosse coach

Die-hard follower or casual observer, Terps fans who watched Saturday's 7-5 loss to unseeded Notre Dame were subjected to a loss similar to Maryland's loss to Michigan State in March Madness.

No, the lacrosse team didn't lose on a buzzer beater. But after everything in the tournament bracket broke their way, the Terps showed up sloppy and unimpressive, perhaps overlooking their current opponent while daydreaming about their path to the National Championship.

No. 3 Maryland didn't have to face No. 6 Princeton, as Notre Dame had surprisingly upset the Tigers. And in the Final Four, the Terps wouldn't be playing No. 2 Syracuse after unseeded Army shocked the Orange in double overtime.

For Maryland to reach the National Championship, it would have played the No. 14, No. 11, and No. 7 or No. 15 seed to get there. Yet the Terps couldn't get it done against a Notre Dame team that Maryland had beaten 7-3 a year ago.

So it comes as little surprise when news broke on Sunday that head coach Dave Cottle, who was in the last year of his contract, will not return to Maryland next year.

Cottle was the school's third-winningest coach, finishing his career at Maryland one shy of the 100-win club. Had Maryland beaten Notre Dame on Saturday, he would have been one of only four coaches -- Virginia's Dom Starsia included -- to win 100 or more games at two different schools.

Still, for a team that has been in the USILA (1934-1970) and NCAA (1971-present) National Championship game 26 times, winning 12 titles, Cottle's four years in a row without a Final Four appearance just wasn't cutting the mustard.

Maryland isn't tolerant of mediocrity. In fact, Cottle ended his nine-year tenure as the Terps' second-worst coach from a winning percentage perspective, despite winning 10 or more games in eight of his nine seasons.

The Terps are just one of seven teams to ever win a National Championship. Lacrosse is more top-heavy than just about every other sport in college athletics. Only four teams (Syracuse, Johns Hopkins, Princeton and UVA) have won in the last 18 years.

Maryland has knocked on the door several times, though, reaching the Final Four 19 times since 1970. But under Cottle, Maryland got there three times, failing to reach the National Championship every time.

The top candidates that Maryland is expected to pursue include the following (in no particular order):

Gary Gait, Syracuse women -- The Michael Jordan of lacrosse, Gait was the NLL's MVP six times, and one of only two players to ever win the award more than once. He's a former Maryland women's lacrosse assistant coach and has compiled a 47-14 record at Syracuse, including an Elite Eight and two Final Fours. He has lacrosse gear named after him, which means that his name alone could keep Maryland's top talent in-state.

Paul Cantabene, Stevenson -- Nobody has transformed a program like Cantabene, who should be the Terps' top target. Stevenson University, formerly all-women's Villa Julie College, finished 19-2 this year. Cantabene is 79-27 in six years at Stevenson, inheriting a program with nearly no historical success. In the last two years, he's reached the Final Four in Division III both times.

John Tucker, Washington Bayhawks (MLL) -- The Bayhawks' head coach, Tucker spent time coaching Maryland-area high schools in Annapolis, Baltimore and Towson. The 2007 MLL Coach of the Year has valuable connections in the area.

Scott Marr, Albany -- Marr is 85-69 in 10 years at Albany, but has put the Great Danes on the map nationally. Before Marr took over in 2000, Albany had just one 10-win season since 1970. He led the Great Danes to 10-win seasons in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Jeff Tambroni, Cornell -- He's compiled a 73-20 record since 2005, including finishing as the NCAA runner-up in 2009 and a Final Four team in 2010.

John Tillman, Harvard -- Though he's just 20-19 as a head coach in three years at Harvard, he has led the Crimson to moderate success. Harvard was 6-6 this year, but lost three games by a single goal, and Tillman played for Baltimore in the NLL and was an assistant coach at Navy for 11 seasons, so he knows the local landscape well.

Jim Berkman, Salisbury -- A stunning 358-35 in 22 seasons on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Berkman may not want to leave at this point. After all, if he hasn't left yet, why would he now? In his time at Salisbury, Berkman has won eight Division III National Championships.

Conference expansion talks heating up

A little over three months ago, I wrote about a potential Big Ten expansion, and who some possible candidates would be to jump ship from their conferences and join up with the Big Televen.

Let's play a gigantic game of 'What If?,' sponsored by the Star-Ledger, who put together a fantastic graphic of what it would look like if the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC and Atlantic 10 poached every relevant team and completely reorganized to form six super conferences (sorry, Conference USA and Mountain West Conferences!).

Though it will almost certainly never happen, there's nothing better than a little premature speculation. Let's check it out. And don't worry, Terps fans, Athletic Director Debbie Yow said there's no truth to Maryland moving to the Big Ten, at least not any time soon.

ATLANTIC 10

Current members to remain: Charlotte, Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, Xavier

Would-be additions: DePaul, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall

Would-be subtractions: St. Louis, Temple

Bottom line: The A-10 would get a lot stronger with the additions of the Big East's bottom feeders. Since none of the four schools who would be hypothetically joining the conference have major football teams and all four are not competing year-in-and-year-out for a Big East championship, these four would make sense to add to the Atlantic 10.

All four would might begrudgingly join, as the drop off from Big East to Atlantic 10 is definitely a demotion, but all four teams would be able to win quickly in the conference, and hit the ground running, particularly Providence and Marquette.

Geographically, this would mean that the A-10 would stretch as far east as Amherst, Massachusetts (Massachusetts) and as far west as Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Marquette). That would actually be tighter than the A-10's current span, which goes beyond Milwaukee all the way to St. Louis, Missouri (Saint Louis). Humorously, the conference would still imply 10 members, despite swelling all the way to 18 with this expansion.

Verdict: All in all, a definite upgrade for the Atlantic 10.

BIG ATLANTIC (FORMERLY ACC AND BIG EAST)

Current members to remain: Boston College, Duke, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Would-be additions: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Memphis, Notre Dame, South Florida, St. John's, Temple, UCF, Villanova, West Virginia

Would-be subtractions: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL)

Bottom line: This potential realignment blows my mind. The ACC would be adding nine Big East basketball teams, and would have four basketball-only teams -- a deal that grosses me out with the current Big East structure. Essentially, these two conferences would join at the hip.

But trading Florida State and Miami for UCF and South Florida, Georgia Tech for Memphis and losing Clemson doesn't sound like fun.

Geographically, this move would push the conference's boundaries as far north as Boston, Massachusetts (Boston College), as far west as Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis) and as far south as Tampa, Florida (South Florida). It would put 20 schools across 13 states, thanks to Memphis, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and the Florida schools.

Verdict: Losing the biggest four schools in the southern part of the conference is tough, especially because adding teams like Memphis, Temple and UCF don't negate any part of the losses on the football side.

Becoming the Big East version 2.0 is not appealing, unless the 'Big Atlantic' is willing to part ways with any football tradition whatsoever. Anyone who enjoys Saturdays in the fall would not be happy to see this change. From a basketball view, the ACC/Big East duo -- er, Big Atlantic -- would be the hands-down powerhouse, which would excite UNC, Duke and Maryland fans. All in all, a losing proposition if you're a football fan, and a winning proposition if you're a basketball fan and/or don't pay attention to college football.

BIG TEN

Current members to remain: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

Would-be additions: Nebraska, Rutgers, Syracuse, Missouri, Pittsburgh

Would-be subtractions: None

Bottom line: Pittsburgh has long been a name thrown around in the discussion for Big Ten expansion, and it would appear that the Big Ten would be willing to take Rutgers, a team without a ton of tradition, in order to lock up Syracuse and Pitt.

Imagine a scenario in which Syracuse's men's soccer team had to travel to Nebraska for a league game. That's 1,200 miles, or a 19-hour bus ride. This doesn't seem particularly feasible from a travel standpoint, but this move would strengthen the Big Ten's already strong football reputation. Losing nobody doesn't hurt, either.

Geographically, this expansion would leave Big Ten with 16 teams across 12 states, by far the biggest stretch of mileage for any conference in this proposed move. The Big Ten would stretch as far east as Piscataway, New Jersey (Rutgers) and as far north as Minneapolis, Minnesota (Minnesota), as far west as Lincoln, Nebraska (Nebraska) and as far south as Columbia, Missouri (Missouri).

Verdict: The Big Ten has been spear-heading the expansion talks, so it makes sense that it would be licking its chops for the opportunity to add Syracuse, Nebraska, Mizzou and Pitt. Rutgers wouldn't add much from a basketball, football or even media perspective, but it could be a necessary part of the deal. All in all, this would be a step up for the Big Ten, especially because adding Syracuse and Pitt would bolster the conference's basketball power.

BIG 12

Current members to remain: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech

Would-be additions: BYU, Colorado State, Houston, New Mexico, TCU, Tulsa, Utah

Would-be subtractions: Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska

Bottom line: Regardless of an expansion or no expansion, the Big 12 should consider dropping Iowa State altogether. The Cyclones don't bring much to the table in basketball or football, and are the geographic outlier in the equation. Adding teams from the Mountain West (BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, TCU, Utah) makes sense, as the Big 12 would be essentially cherry-picking who could compete reasonably well in both sports. The additions of Conference USA talents Houston and Tulsa would also be a good two-sport move.

The real head-scratcher is in figuring out why Colorado State isn't already in the Big 12, with Colorado in and Iowa State in. Not that the Rams are particularly competitive, either, but it's a strange move that leaves Colorado State as a big fish in a medium-sized pond.

These proposed additions would expand the Big 12 as far north as Ames, Iowa (Iowa State), as far west as Salt Lake City, Utah (Utah), and as far south as Houston, Texas (Houston), which is 16 schools in eight states, nine of which are located in either Texas or Oklahoma.

Losing Colorado, Missouri and Nebraska makes this far from a slam dunk for the Big 12. Mizzou and Nebraska bring something to the table in football, and the Tigers are a good two-sport member. Nebraska has had down years but boasts a ton of tradition, while Colorado hasn't been relevant in either sport for a while now.

Verdict: The Big 12 wouldn't get significantly stronger in basketball rather than football, or vice versa, but it would provide the conference with a lot of competitive depth. This would be a fairly neutral, possibly negative move for the Big 12, especially if it could get away with skimming BYU, TCU and Utah from the Mountain West instead of letting any of those schools slip to the Pac-10. The three teams leaving the Big 12 would hurt the conference's prestige from a football standpoint, but BYU and TCU would cushion that blow.

PAC-10

Current members to remain: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State

Would-be additions: Boise State, Colorado, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, UNLV

Would-be subtractions: None

Bottom line: The shift here would add six of the best teams from the Western Athletic Conference (Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada), Mountain West Conference (San Diego State, UNLV) and Big 12 bottom-feeder Colorado. It wouldn't make the Pac-10 much stronger in football outside of Boise State, though it would give teams like Washington State a chance to get off the conference floor in football.

One would think that the Pac-10 would be pushing hard to absorb Utah, BYU and TCU, who are the powerhouses of the Mountain West, but in this hypothetical realignment, those three head to the Big 12, which makes sense geographically. This shift would make the Pac-10 a 16-team conference that would stretch as far east as Boulder, Colorado (Colorado), northwest as Seattle, Washington (Washington) and as far south as San Diego, California (SDSU). Adding Utah instead of Colorado would make more sense geographically, especially since the Pac-10 would be expanding to include two MWC teams anyway.

Verdict: It's kind of a funky move for the Pac-10. There's a certain big-school feel to the current set-up, and adding five mid-majors and a cellar dweller in Colorado wouldn't go a long way. One would think the Pac-10 wouldn't be thrilled about adding these six, outside of the boost that would go along with adding Boise State in football.

SEC

Current members to remain: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Would-be additions: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL)

Would-be subtractions: None

Bottom line: The football-centric SEC would love nothing more than to scoop up the other best teams in the southeastern region of the United States. Stealing Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami would not only make sense geographically, but it would also be a huge coup for the conference.

The SEC would still stretch from Florida up to Lexington, Kentucky (Kentucky) and as far west as Fayetteville, Arkansas (Arkansas), adding two schools from Florida, one from Georgia and one from South Carolina, where other SEC teams already reside.

From a basketball standpoint, the SEC certainly wouldn't get any stronger, and Kentucky would still be atop the standings almost yearly.

Verdict: A nice upgrade from a football standpoint, considering that's the conference's mission objective. Miami and Florida State bring a stellar football tradition, and Clemson and Georgia Tech would fill in nicely in the middle of the pack each year with the likes of Ole Miss and South Carolina.

LeBron, Calipari match made in Heaven?

Sports fans, you better get comfortable. For the next few months, the biggest story -- rightly so -- will be the LeBron James free agency saga.

Will he stay in Cleveland? Will it be Chicago? New York? New Jersey? Until he signs his name on the dotted line, nobody will know. That won't stop everybody -- myself included -- from speculating about it.

One of the more interesting angles to come out has been the connection between James and University of Kentucky coach John Calipari.

James has been spotted courtside at a few Kentucky games this year, and Calipari returned the favor by showing up to a few Cavaliers games, including the playoffs. Now, after firing former Cleveland coach Mike Brown, it appears that the Cavs are going to do whatever it takes to retain James, even if it meant axing the 2009 NBA Coach of the Year.

It would appear that some teams, Chicago included, may try to woo Calipari in hopes of landing LeBron. And let's face it, with one of the NBA's top talents on the free agent market, that's a relatively small gamble that could end up with a big payoff.

Calipari insists he's in Lexington, Kentucky for the long haul, though. But where have we heard that before?

Rewind to March 27, 2009. Cal is still coaching Memphis, and on the heels of four straight Sweet 16s, he tells the Memphis Commercial Appeal, "I want to be here. This is where I want to coach, and my name will be tied to every job that's open, and our fans I think have gotten used to it."

Four days later, Calipari was officially announced as the new head coach for the University of Kentucky.

On Friday, Cal addressed the rumors via Twitter: "I've said many times that I've got the best job in the country. Still the speculation runs wild and I can't stop that... I want to address this with the Big Blue Nation one last time, I will be coaching at Kentucky next year. Now let's finish what we started!"

Please excuse me if I take that with a grain of salt.

ESPN's Dick Vitale wrote a column on Friday insisting that the potential James-Calipari NBA marriage was nothing short of preposterous:

"Also, I think it is crazy to talk about John Calipari leaving Kentucky and going to coach the Bulls, Cavaliers, or any other NBA team. My friends, it is not going to happen. ... It is craziness the way the media has speculated on this connection. It is reckless and it blows my mind!" Vitale wrote.

If nothing else, Vitale's lack of a clue only leads me to believe that the rumor carries more weight. Part of me thinks that there's a snowflake's chance in hell that LeBron and Calipari both join the Wizards. That possibility hasn't been mentioned much, if at all, but with sure-to-be No. 1 pick John Wall a Kentucky product, one would think he might want to reunite with his former coach...

Wizards win NBA Draft lottery

For masochistic fans of the Redskins, Nationals/Orioles and Wizards, last night was like winning the Mega Millions.

One of the NBA's unluckiest franchises -- and one of sports' unluckiest fan bases -- the Washington Wizards just won the NBA Lottery.

The Wizards (26-56), coming into the 2010 NBA Draft lottery as the fifth-likeliest team to earn the No. 1 pick, defied odds and now hold the coveted top pick in June's NBA Draft.

Barring a jaw-dropping surprise, the Wizards will select Kentucky freshman John Wall, the consensus best player in the draft.

Come on, there's room aboard the Wizards bandwagon!

With a hobbled point guard in Gilbert Arenas, who is due $17.7 million next year, the Wizards are expected to be ready to part ways with Agent Zero, which would make the Wizards ready to make a big splash in free agency this summer.

Drafting Wall and adding an All-Star (or two) would build the foundation of a potentially playoff-caliber NBA team next season.

The Wizards made room for a big off-season that features free agents like: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce, Rudy Gay, ... well, you get the point.

Washington traded the paychecks of Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, and prepared for a busy off-season, which it only hoped could include Wall in its plans. With only $41 million on its payroll -- Arenas included -- Washington has wiggle room to add a player like LeBron or maybe two second-level stars.

New owner Ted Leonsis has already proved to be good luck to the franchise, unknowingly willing the Wizards to the top pick for the first time in nearly a decade. The last time the Wizards held the No. 1 draft pick (2001) resulted in Kwame Brown, a terrible pick in a gag reflex-inducing draft whose stars included Pau Gasol and Joe Johnson.

This draft, while expected to be significantly deeper than 2001, features a no-brainer No. 1 pick in Wall. After Wall, there's a drop off, then Ohio State's Evan Turner, another massive drop off, then a handful of third-tier prospects.

This also marks the first time (in my memory) that a city has boasted three of sports' top stars: Wall (Wizards), Ovechkin (Capitals) and Strasburg (Nationals) are breathing life into one of the country's most painful fan bases.

For those unfamiliar with Wall's body of work, watch the following video, and pretend you've been a huge fan of him all along. Honestly, nobody will know. Everybody is too excited about winning the lottery to care, anyway.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia's Achilles heel

Back in 2007, Texas Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia was one of the biggest sleepers in fantasy baseball. A shoo-in for the starting job, Salty was an up-and-comer with a big bat who had succeeded in the minor leagues.

Salty was the 36th overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft, and Baseball America named him the No. 18 overall prospect in 2006, and the No. 36 prospect in 2007. Yet, in four years and 240 games in the bigs, he is just a .251 hitter with 23 home runs and 91 RBIs.

He's also spent a significant amount of time on the disabled list and in the minors rehabbing shoulder and back injuries. He had shoulder surgery last September, and had a rib removed.

So it's encouraging that in 18 games with the Oklahoma City RedHawks this year, Salty is hitting .343 with three home runs and nine RBIs. Meanwhile, the Rangers are struggling offensively at the catcher position. Matt Treanor, the default starter, is hitting just .200 with one home run and six RBIs in 23 games. Woof.

Why hasn't Salty been called up to the big leagues again?

He can't throw the ball back to the pitcher. Seriously.

Bob Hersom of okcredhawks.com writes that, "In Salty's last game, Tuesday night at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, 12 of his throws back to the pitcher landed either short of the mound or in center field. He had five errant throws in the first inning alone."

Five throws that landed short of the mound or in center field? That sounds more like a JV baseball game, not triple-A.

Really, if you plucked a guy out of the stands at the RedHawks game, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't botch five throws back to the pitcher in the first game.

Salty is still getting it done at the plate, and is riding a 16-game hitting streak. He doesn't seem to be having any trouble catching or hitting the ball, so you'd think that the Rangers would promote him to the big leagues and move him over to first base. After all, first base is where they stick the unathletic kids, anyway.

There's only one problem: the Rangers' first baseman is Justin Smoak, one of the most hyped prospects in Texas' organization. With the two of them, one could play DH, except that's where Vlad Guerrero has been hitting .338 all season. You could stick Guerrero in right field, but that's where star outfielder Nelson Cruz plays, and Cruz is batting .314 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs in 21 games this season.

Oy vey. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be in Texas, Salty.

Army upends No. 2 Syracuse

With the first round coming to a close, No. 2 seed Syracuse was comfortably ahead of unseeded Army. The Orange had just scored again to push the lead to 5-1 with 12:44 left in the second quarter at the Carrier Dome in front of the home crowd, and some fans at home likely turned off their TV sets.

Army wasn't done yet. A Devin Lynch goal with :01 on the clock before halftime narrowed the deficit to 6-4. The Black Knights were still being outplayed up and down the field, as Syracuse held a 19-12 ground ball advantage and a 21-13 shot advantage.

In the third, Syracuse opened up with a quick goal, but Army responded with two of its own, closing the gap to 7-6 as the quarter ended. And the fourth quarter was deja vu, as the Orange opened with an early goal before Army tallied two more unanswered.

As regulation expired, Syracuse fans were left wondering if this was really happening. In overtime, Army nearly got a one-on-one shot opportunity, but time expired.

But in the second overtime, attackman Jeremy Boltus fed the ball to Lynch at the top of the crease, who rifled a shot past Syracuse goalie John Galloway. In the extra periods, Army dominated, outshooting Syracuse 6-1.

Just like that, the two-time defending National Champs were bounced in the first round, by a team that started off the season with a 1-4 record. Syracuse had even thumped Army in late February to the tune of 12-7.

Army was the team nobody wanted to face. Despite a 10-5 record, the Black Knights ended the season on a scorching hot 9-1 streak, and got to face off against their in-state rivals in the first round. The win gave Army its first postseason win since 1993, according to NCAA.com.

Perhaps the most encouraging item of all was that the Black Knights won due to a team effort. Three Army players scored a pair of goals, and three more added one goal each. It wasn't a one-man show by any means.

The upset -- the equivalent of a 15 seed knocking off a 2 seed in March Madness -- sends ripples that go beyond just this game. Army might not have even appeared in the NCAA Tournament had it not been for the Black Knights beating Navy in the Patriot League finals.

No. 1 seed Virginia now has a much easier path to a title, which would complete the fairytale storyline after teammate George Huguely was charged with the murder of Virginia women's lacrosse player Yeardley Love.

It also helps out No. 3 seed Maryland, who next faces unseeded Notre Dame -- winners over No. 6 seed Princeton -- and then potentially faces the winner of No. 7 Cornell versus unseeded Army for a spot in the National Championship.

The landscape is shifting. Syracuse topped Cornell in 2009 and Johns Hopkins in 2008; the Orange were sent packing after last night, Cornell needed three overtimes to beat unseeded Loyola (Md.) 11-10, and Johns Hopkins lost 18-5 to No. 5 seed Duke on Saturday.

The action continues this weekend, with No. 3 Maryland playing unseeded Notre Dame on Saturday at 12 p.m., and No. 5 Duke against No. 4 UNC at 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, No. 7 Cornell faces off against unseeded Army, and No. 1 Virginia plays No. 8 Stony Brook at 2:30 p.m.

Vikings' Noethlich's long road to glory

Every once in a while, a story comes along detailing an athlete's road to success that was so unlikely that when he finally achieves his dream of suiting up in an NFL uniform, you can't help but root for him.

Meet Bill Noethlich.

Noethlich overcame just as much adversity as Baltimore Ravens franchise left tackle Michael Oher. The only reason there's no movie about Noethlich like The Blind Side is because he was an undrafted free agent from Division II Southwest Minnesota State, not a first round draft pick from Ole Miss.

Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis wrote of Noethlich's journey to success.

As a 13-year old, Noethlich's mother, Doretta, died after a car accident.

"Emotionally and physically, really, I was just not doing too well, and neither were my brothers or my dad," Noethlich told Zulgad.

He didn't even play high school football until his senior year, when he joined his high school's nine-on-nine team, a common set-up in less populated areas throughout the midwest.

His grandfather passed away when he was 15 after a heart attack, which Noethlich told the Star Tribune, made him think, "Why me?"

When his father re-married six years after his mother passed away, the family built a house in remote Doland, South Dakota. Shortly after they moved in, the house burned to the ground in the middle of the night, Zulgad wrote.

His stepsister, Jennifer, fell into a diabetic coma and died during his junior year.

"We've had a pretty rough run of bad luck here for the last few years. We've had a lot of losses and kind of taken it on the chin, but things always bounce back, it seems like," his father, Dan, said.

Noethlich kept his chin up and graduated from Southwest Minnesota State with a degree in Agriculture Economics & Management -- what else? The 6-foot-7, 301 pound tackle started 41 of 44 career games for the Mustangs, earning second team All-NSIC South Division honors.

That's right. The former Division II tackle wasn't even a consensus All-American at SMSU. His body of work still got him an invitation to the Cactus Bowl in January, an all-star game in Texas.

The Vikings noticed, and offered the semi-hometown boy a tryout at their rookie camp.

Noethlich's hometown of Doland, South Dakota has a population of 297. Its most famous resident was former vice president Hubert Humphrey, who, like Noethlich, graduated from Doland High.

Doland is located 260 miles west of Minneapolis, a 4 hour, 30 minute drive. His high school graduating class included 12 students, which might actually make it one of the highest percentages in the country for a high school producing an NFL player.

Noethlich emerged from the Vikings' rookie camp with a contract, further beating the odds. Even with his frame, who would have suspected that the kid who played nine-on-nine football in a small town in South Dakota would one day suit up for the Minnesota Vikings? Talk about a dream come true.

Don't go out and buy your Noethlich jersey just yet, though. As an undrafted free agent, the Vikings can cut ties with him at any time without batting an eye. And, coincidentally, he'll now be playing in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, which brings this whole story full circle.

Here's to rooting for him to make a name for himself, and hopefully stick around for a while.

Wizards' Leonsis takes down banners

Known for being one of the most fan-friendly owners in pro sports, Ted Leonsis announced that he was taking down the Washington Mystics' attendance banners.

Leonsis owns the NHL's Washington Capitals and the WNBA's Mystics, and is purchasing the NBA's Washington Wizards and the Verizon Center, where all three teams play.

"The only banners we should display revolve around winning a division or conference or league championship," Leonsis wrote on his blog at TedsTake.com.

The attendance banners were an eyesore. Anyone who had been to a game at the Verizon Center has probably laughed at them at one time or another, especially because the Mystics only have two winning seasons since their inception in 1998, and no championships of any sorts.

"So to all of the folks who have emailed me your thoughts over the years about the attendance banners– as a heads up know they are no longer up in the rafters," Leonsis wrote.

You knew that Leonsis buying the Wizards from Abe Pollin was going to be great long-term for the franchise. But nobody thought he'd be listening to fans and writers complaining about some attendance banners.

Leonsis definitely wouldn't give his rec-league soccer team of eight-year olds trophies just for trying, and that's the way it should be. There's no reason for division titles, conference titles and the retired numbers of Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and Gus Johnson to share space in the rafters with "2003 WNBA Attendance Champions".

"I hope we can put up some real championship banners based on team performance soon."

Amen, Ted.

Nationals await Stephen Strasburg

The most hyped baseball prospect since 2002, Washington Nationals star pitcher Stephen Strasburg just took one step closer to his major league debut on Friday, getting promoted to triple-A Syracuse on Friday.

Strasburg didn't disappoint, earning a win after pitching six scoreless innings, and notching six strikeouts to just one walk. His debut was so highly anticipated that the Chiefs, previously averaging 3,915 fans per game, sold out well beyond capacity, squeezing 13,766 fans into the 11,000-seat Alliance Bank Stadium.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound future ace brought nearly 10,000 more fans to a minor league game because he was pitching, and Syracuse-area baseball fans better not put off going to see him in person. The 21-year old right hander is expected to make five or six starts for the Chiefs before getting called up to the Nationals' major league roster.

Strasburg cruised through double-A ball in Harrisburg, finishing with a 3-1 record and a 1.64 ERA in five starts. In 22 innings pitched, he threw 27 strikeouts and six walks.

Most impressively, according to The Washington Post, he "appeared to simply outclass opposing hitters in Harrisburg -- failing to give up a single hit against his curve ball."

He faces similar hype to another San Diego, California product: Mark Prior, who the Chicago Cubs selected No. 1 overall in the 2001 MLB Draft.

Prior signed a then-record $10.5 million contract, broken in 2009 when Strasburg signed a $15.1 million contract with Washington. In Prior's second year as a pro, he finished third in the National League's Cy Young Award vote, but missed three starts due to an injury he sustained after an on-the-field collision. Prior spent time on the disabled list almost every year from 2003 to 2008, and never regained the form that made him the most coveted prospect in baseball at one time.

Strasburg, Baseball America's No. 1 overall prospect in 2010, has no history of injury, and with the Nationals at 18-15 (2nd in the NL East), there has never been a more promising future for Washington's baseball team.

Redskins' Haynesworth frustrating teammates

After last year's 4-12 finish, every Redskins player showed up to the team's training facilities in Ashburn, Virginia ready to get out of the cellar. Well, almost every player.

The one noteworthy name that was missing from both of Washington's voluntary workouts was Albert Haynesworth, the $100 million man. And his teammates are taking notice.

"There is no room for negotiation at 4-12. I'm here, [London] Fletcher's here, everybody's here. He's got to understand that. We need him to come here, be here and show these young guys that the veterans have bought in and that we want to win games," said 37-year old defensive end Phillip Daniels.

Haynesworth, not-so-affectionately nicknamed Mr. Butterworth and Albert Ain'tworth, had clashed semi-publicly with new defensive coordinator Jim Haslett after Haslett decided to switch from the Redskins' 4-3 defensive scheme to a 3-4.

The change would give the Redskins one fewer down lineman, and one more linebacker. It would also change Haynesworth from a defensive tackle to a nose tackle, a fact that the 350-pound tackle hasn't taken too well. That makes some sense, as the nose tackle isn't exactly the sexiest position in football, but some team sources, including Daniels, have been told that Haynesworth will be able to play defensive end at least part of the time as well.

"It says this is voluntary, but for us, what we went through last season after a 4-12 season, it's mandatory. He should definitely be here. And it's a shame he's not," Daniels said.

Haynesworth missed four games last year en route to collecting $32 million of his $41 million guaranteed in his jaw-dropping contract. He also made headlines for clashing with then-defensive coordinator Greg Blache, who sent the former Pro Bowler home during the season for disciplinary action.

He missed the team's first voluntary minicamp in April, hoping to be traded away before the NFL Draft. Head coach Mike Shanahan put his foot down, though, insisting that he would not be traded.

Ninety-four percent of the 8,164 voters on The Washington Post's website believe that Haynesworth should be participating in the team's off-season conditioning. Here's to betting that Haynesworth and his friends comprised a good chunk of the other six percent.

"We want him to come in in great shape and give us a chance to win. You want a guy to come in in great shape. We're going to have a system. We're going to evaluate where he influences us, influences our defense the most, where he gives us the best chance to win. Obviously, he's a dominating player. And when the time comes, we'll evaluate where he should play and what gives us the best chance to win," Shanahan told reporters last month in Orlando.

Haynesworth will be required to attend the Redskins' mandatory minicamp in June, according to ESPN.com.

Just about the only person in the Redskins organization who had a good year last season was the beer vendor, who profited off fans drinking away their sorrows.

A-Rod, meet Dallas Braden

All it took was a little smack talk.

Last month, Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden went from a virtual unknown to making front-page headlines for a spat with New York Yankees all-star third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

Braden yelled at Rodriguez for stepping on the pitcher's mound on April 22nd en route to the dugout, a so-called unwritten rule of baseball that is supposed to be respected by everyone.

"That’s my mound. I don’t go over there and run laps at third base. I don’t go over there. I don’t spit over there. I don’t spit over there. I stay away. You guys ever see anybody run across the mound like that? He ran across the pitcher’s mound, foot on my rubber. No. Not flyin'.," Braden said.

The argument ended with an enraged Braden and a remorseless Rodriguez, who refused to apologize after being confronted, and mocked Braden: "I've never quite heard that - especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career."

The argument sparked a debate about baseball's unwritten rules that has been discussed ad nauseum for the last three weeks. No talking to a pitcher during a no hitter, no bunting late in the game when a pitcher has a no hitter going, etc.

On Saturday, A-Rod told ESPNNewYork.com that, "I really don't want to extend his extra 15 minutes of fame."

Well, things couldn't have worked out worse for A-Rod's wish.

Yesterday, just 24 hours after Rodriguez continued to tease Braden through the media, the A's pitcher took the smack talk to heart, becoming just the 19th player in MLB history to throw a perfect game, against the Tampa Bay Rays. It's safe to say his 15 minutes of fame will go on for a little longer.

Braden threw 109 pitches, 77 for strikes, improving his record to 4-2 on the season with the 4-0 win. The Athletics' 24th round draft pick in 2004 is now 18-23 in his fourth year in the major leagues.

In celebration of Mother's Day, Braden's grandmother was in attendance, and after the game told the press: "Stick it, A-Rod." Get him, grandma!

Rodriguez has a history of douchebaggery, stemming from a 2004 ALCS game against Boston in which he slapped Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo's glove to avoid getting tagged out. In 2007, he shouted 'Ha!' during a fly ball in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, causing the infielder to drop the ball. So it really comes as no surprise that he's in the headlines again for something negative.

Conference USA: The Golden Child(ren)

Note: The following is the final piece of a four-part series on Conference USA basketball.

Three, arguably four, teams fall outside of the realm of Conference USA's cesspool: Rice, Southern Methodist, Tulane and maybe Tulsa.

For the first three, it just isn't a level playing field. Rice, SMU and Tulane all have elected to employ tougher academic admissions policies for student-athletes than the rest of the league.

From an athletic perspective, these three schools are at a huge disadvantage. Unlike playing in the ACC, Big East or another big-time program, few kids with the talent and grades good enough to play at a high-major would want to play in Conference USA.

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RICE -- Head coach Ben Braun has a story typical of many C-USA coaches: the retread. Braun was canned at California after 12 seasons, five NCAA Tournament appearances, and a 219-152 record. Cal finished eighth or worse in the Pac-10 in three of his last four years in Berkeley, and thus he was shown the door.

He resurfaced at Rice in 2008, where he hasn't seen much success -- yet. The Owls finished 10-22 (4-12) in his first season in Houston, and 8-23 (1-15) last season. Rice's administration realizes it's a daunting job, and with four players on his roster coming from prep school and another three transferring in from other colleges, Braun seems to be doing the best he can, for now.

Rice will be patient. It has to. Former head coach Willis Wilson coached the Owls for 16 years, amassing a 218-247 record until his last season in 2007-08. That squad finished 3-27 (0-16), and Wilson's contract wasn't renewed. He's currently on Josh Pastner's staff at Memphis.

Though Braun hasn't been in Rice all that long, he is already building toward a promising future. A freshman duo of guard Tamir Jackson and Arsalan Kazemi led the team through some bumps and bruises this season, but that should pay off as soon as next season.

Jackson, a product of Dan Hurley (son of legendary New Jersey prep basketball coach Bob Hurley and brother of former Duke guard Bobby Hurley) at St. Benedict's Prep, led the Owls in scoring this year.

Kazemi played for The Patterson School in North Carolina, alongside Marshall's Hassan Whiteside and Washington's Clarence Trent.

Jackson's 10.8 points per game and Kazemi's 10.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game show that b0th kids are capable of hanging with the rest of the league. Both are thriving in Conference USA as freshmen and should help Rice turn it around in the near future.

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SOUTHERN METHODIST -- For a team with a (fairly) rich basketball tradition, SMU hasn't had a winning season since 2002. Head coach Matt Doherty's name should be familiar to college basketball fans, as he coached UNC from 2000 to 2003, amassing a 53-43 record before getting fired.

Like Braun, Doherty washed up in Texas, but 250 miles north, in Dallas. Doherty hasn't sniffed a winning record in three years, and his team has actually gotten worse each year, dropping from 14 wins to 10 to nine in three years.

It's been 25 years since SMU was relevant on a national scale. Under former coach Dave Bliss, the Mustangs reached three NCAA Tournaments, and in 1984, were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Doc Hayes led SMU to four Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight, and a Final Four. He remains the program's winningest coach.

With only four Texans on his roster, Doherty is doing things his own way, bringing in players from as far east as New York and as far west as Hawaii, and even a handful from other countries (two players from Senegal, one from England and one from Poland).

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TULANE -- Perhaps no school has faced bigger adversity for success in the entire country than Tulane. Former head coach Dave Dickerson, a Gary Williams disciple, was fired after a 60-62 record through four years, and no postseason appearances.

Dickerson arrived in New Orleans four months before Hurricane Katrina, and told ESPN.com that he "felt like I was in transition every year there with the storm and the aftermath of Katrina."

He has since landed a job as an assistant at Ohio State under Thad Matta.

The incoming head coach, Ed Conroy, is a good Xs and Os coach, and led The Citadel to its second 20-win season since 1912. Though he's not a sexy hire, he taught a disciplined team at The Citadel, and had to have his student-athletes jump through more hoops than he will at Tulane. In fact, New Orleans may seem like a vacation after spending three years in Charleston, South Carolina.

The men's basketball program was involved in a scandal that shook college basketball in the 1980s after shaving points in exchange for money and cocaine. The scandal caused Tulane's athletic department to discontinue the basketball program for four years, but then-head coach Perry Clark rebuilt the team and led the Green Wave to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1994-95. The program hasn't been back since.

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TULSA -- Last but certainly not least, Tulsa doesn't entirely fit into any of these categories. That's a good thing. For the most part, Tulsa is a fairly clean program with a clean head coach, Doug Wojcik, a former assistant under Michigan State's Tom Izzo.

Wojcik has guided the Golden Hurricanes to three straight 20-win seasons, but his time at Tulsa may be running out if he can't make an NCAA Tournament soon.

Tulsa isn't the hardest school to get into, and many of its former coaches have gone on to bigger and better jobs: Nolan Richardson leapfrogged to Arkansas, where he spent 17 years coaching the Razorbacks. Tubby Smith left for Georgia, then spent 10 years at Kentucky before taking the job at Minnesota a few years ago. Steve Robinson spent a minute in Tulsa before coaching Florida State for five years. Next, Bill Self led Tulsa to a 74-27 record over three years, and left for Illinois and eventually Kansas, where he has won a National Championship. Lastly, Buzz Peterson spent one year at Tulsa before four years at Tennessee.

The hardest part of the job, it seems, is convincing an 18-year old kid to spend four years in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Golden Hurricanes should have a good 2010-11 campaign, especially with the additions of Scottie Haralson (UConn) and DJ Magley (Western Kentucky), who both sat out last season per NCAA requirements. Both guys will be geared up for big minutes after SMU loses three starting seniors from this year's 23-win team.

For the rest of this series:
Part 3: The Middle Ground
Part 2: The Used Car Salesmen
Part 1: Basketball's Wild Wild West

Orioles' present gloomy, future promising

A quick glance into the stands at Camden Yards shows that most Orioles fans have already given up on this season. Despite a recent sweep of the visiting Boston Red Sox, there hasn't been much to root for with regards to Baltimore this season. At 7-21, the Birds are dead last in Major League Baseball, and look poised to get a top 10 draft pick for the ninth time in 10 years.

A promising outfield trio of Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Nolan Reimold, with Matt Wieters at catcher and pitcher Brian Matusz firmly entrenched in the rotation is nice, but that's about all there is to get excited about on the current roster.

With that said, one of the best things about baseball is the minor leagues. With five minor league clubs chock full of prospects, it's the easiest thing for Orioles fans to follow without having to address the reality that is the team's lousy major league club right now.

Norfolk Tides (AAA)
First baseman Rhyne Hughes was Tampa Bay's 8th round pick in 2004, and has played so well in Norfolk that he got called up to the big leagues. Before that, he was batting .353 through 15 games and had three home runs to 11 RBIs.

Pitcher Jake Arrieta was a fifth round pick in 2007, and has ascended quickly through the organization to be one of Baltimore's prime prospects. In 36 innings pitched, Arrieta is 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA, and 30 strikeouts to 19 walks. He's a likely candidate for a summer call-up, especially if the Orioles rotation struggles or faces injury.

Bowie Baysox (AA)
Bowie's bright spot has been Baltimore's weakest spot, which should excite Orioles fans. The Baysox have had an outstanding bullpen so far, comprised of Pat Egan, Pedro Beato and Chad Thall. That trio has combined for a 4-0 record with 36 strikeouts to 10 walks, and in 45 innings pitched, has surrendered just six earned runs.

The most exciting part is where these three were scooped in the draft. Beato and Egan were 32nd and 36th round draft picks in 2006, respectively, and Thall was a 27th rounder in 2005. All three are trees as well: Egan is 6-foot-8, Beato is 6-foot-6 and Thall is 6-foot-4.

Frederick Keys (A)
Centerfielder Xavier Avery and second baseman L.J. Hoes are the two most impressive players in Frederick so far. Avery is batting .320 with 13 RBIs and seven stolen bases. The former University of Georgia football recruit is turning out to be a great pick after getting drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft.

Meanwhile, Hoes is batting .309 through 26 games. He has walked 20 times, showing his patience at the plate, and has 17 RBIs to show for it. He is also shaping up to be a steal -- the one-time UNC commit fell to the third round of the 2008 draft because teams were nervous he wouldn't sign with them. The O's snatched him up, signed him, and he's one of the most promising prospects in Baltimore's minor leagues.

Delmarva Shorebirds (A)
Pitcher Ryan Berry was the team's ninth round selection last year, and has been dominant for the Shorebirds. In 36.1 innings pitched, Berry has struck out 36 batters and walked just seven, with a 2.23 ERA. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any wins to show for it, but he should be promoted to Frederick shortly.

Just behind Berry is fellow starting pitcher Jake Cowan, the Orioles' 10th rounder last year. He's 3-0 with a 29-14 strikeouts to walks ratio, and is sporting a 2.40 ERA.

Lastly, shortstop Garabez Rosa leads the Shorebirds with 12 doubles and is second on the team with a .329 batting average. He's not a power guy at 6-foot-2 and 166 pounds, but he's getting on base and his 12 RBIs in 22 games is another good sign.

Hofstra's Tim Welsh out as soon as he's in

We've all overindulged a little at one time or another. Recently-hired Hofstra men's basketball coach Tim Welsh must have been partying a little too hard in celebration of his new gig.

Just one month after taking the head coaching job, Welsh is back on the market looking for another job. He resigned after getting arrested for a DWI last week.

USA Today reported that "Nassau County police say the 49-year-old Welsh was found stopped in his Lexus about 1 a.m. Friday at a steady green light at an intersection in Levittown."

He's being charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, which ESPN's Andy Katz explains means that Welsh blew higher than 0.18%, or more than twice the legal limit.

Welsh took the job at Hofstra, signing a contract worth $3 million over five years, after working with ESPNU as a college basketball commentator. He previously coached at Iona and Providence, where he led the Friars to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001 and 2004.

With such an embarrassingly short tenure, Welsh probably won't be welcomed back to ESPN. On the bright side, he's probably more than welcome back to the bar that over-served him, though.

Meanwhile, Hofstra's athletic department has to go through the process of finding another coach. Last year's coach, Tom Pecora, left to take the job at Fordham. He was 155-126 in nine seasons at Hofstra, leading the Pride to three NITs in a row, but never led his team to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Welsh wasn't an A-plus hire, so one would think that Hofstra will likely hire someone like a Big East assistant coach, or try to pry away a successful coach from a smaller school.

UVA's Mike London violates via Facebook

Virginia football coach Mike London hasn't coached a down of football yet, but he's already received his first recruiting violation.

He publicly posted on recruit Curtis Grant's Facebook wall, causing UVA's athletic compliance office to self-report the secondary violation.

Grant is one of the country's top linebacker prospects. He holds scholarship offers from 20-plus schools, including the majority of the SEC.

Here's the post:

Mike London: Thanks for coming up Saturday It was good seeing you even though that tight fitting black T on. LOL no but again always good seeing you coach L April 11 at 5:12pm

Curtis Grant: Hahaha.,I had to look big. April 11 at 8:51pm

After reading that, I half-expected to see "To Catch A Predator" host Chris Hansen pop out from behind my computer monitor.

Beneath the creepy undertones of a 49-year old man commenting on an 18-year old boy's tight fitting black t-shirt, the violation isn't a big deal at all. In fact, according to assistant athletics director for compliance Steve Flippen, it's "permissible per NCAA bylaws to privately message a prospect on Facebook, [but] it is not permissible to publicly post a message on their wall."

Almost all Division I football schools commit secondary recruiting violations. USC coach Lane Kiffin committed six while coaching Tennessee last year, including picking a recruit up in a limousine at the airport.

Other violations at Tennessee and Georgia included hosting a mock press conference, using a fog machine (seriously), receiving complimentary NFL tickets, calling a recruit too frequently, improperly providing a free hotel room, and others.

In fact, Ohio State has committed more than 375 secondary violations since 2000, though not all through the football team.

So in the end, who cares? The answer: nobody. This could have all been avoided if London had sent Grant a message rather than posting it on his wall, and nothing will come from it.

The real underlying moral of this story is that old people shouldn't use Facebook.

Brett Favre needs ankle surgery

Before reading the most shocking news item you'll read all week -- hell, maybe even all year -- make sure you're sitting down. I'll wait for you. Sitting yet? Good.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre still isn't sure he wants to retire yet. But the 74-year old signal caller isn't going to make up his mind until it completely screws the Vikings.

Favre told ESPN's Ed Werder on Friday that he needs ankle surgery for the injury he sustained in the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints in January.

That's right. Favre injured his ankle in January, and in late April decided to go ahead and consult a doctor about it. Great! Just in time to miss all of training camp. Gee, that's awfully coincidental.

Not knowing whether he'd be back or not for the 2010 NFL season, Minnesota didn't want to spend a high draft pick on a quarterback, especially because the Vikings needed to address other needs.

Minnesota took a sixth round flier on UAB quarterback Joe Webb, a speedy passer with a body that translates to the next level. But Webb isn't the Vikings' franchise quarterback, and he probably won't ever become it.

The Vikings will need to scramble if Favre decides to hang it up for good. The Nos. 2 and 3 on the depth chart are Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson, who have combined for 51 touchdowns and 47 interceptions in their careers.

It'll have to do, especially with a quarterback-heavy 2011 NFL Draft that includes Washington's Jake Locker, Arkansas' Ryan Mallett, Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor, Delaware's Pat Devlin, Florida State's Christian Ponder and potentially Stanford's Andrew Luck, if he leaves early. If the draft was today, all six would likely go in the first two rounds.