A couple of quick-hit links and thoughts from the sports world.
Brevin Knight says he wasn't released from the Bobcats for monetary reasons. The release of Knight came as a mild surprise to me. He was a great true point guard, capable of spelling Raymond Felton or allowing Felton to play the two-guard for brief periods of time on the floor. His release was a strong message to Felton that the Bobcats brass wants him to be the point guard of the future - and expect more out of him this season.
In more Bobcats news, Matt Carroll says he's getting interest from three teams - including Cleveland and San Antonio. While most Bobcats fans are focused on the Gerald Wallace situation, and rightfully so, Carroll was an important player to the 'Cats last year. This situation bears watching very, very closely. The Spurs will contend for another title next year, and Cleveland has a big selling point in playing with LeBron James.
I haven't written anything about the three deaths in the Benoit family - mainly because I don't know what to say - but I thought this feature on former professional wrestler Lex Luger was very intriguing.
Here's an interesting take on Mike Hargrove's sudden resignation.
Other random thoughts: If the Chicago Cubs are really about to turn the corner, they'll win the next two series against Washington and Pittsburgh and head into the All-Star weekend (hopefully) four or five games back of Milwaukee. ... Who did the best in the NBA Draft? Hard to argue against Portland, but here's something to think about. The Blazers had six draft picks this year and had nearly the same amount last year. They can stash a few players overseas, but that's too many young players for a 12-man roster. ... My way-too-early preseason Top 10 for college football? So glad you asked ...
1. USC
2. Michigan
3. LSU
4. Texas
5. Florida
6. West Virginia
7. Virginia Tech
8. Wisconsin
9. Oklahoma
10. Ohio State
and just for fun ....
1. Appalachian State
2. Montana
3. North Dakota State
4. Northern Iowa
5. Youngstown State
6. New Hampshire
7. Massachusetts
8. James Madison
9. Cal Poly
10. Furman
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with R&L sports writer Brad Norman
Brad Norman
About Me
- Brad Norman
- Statesville, N.C., United States
- I'm a sports writer for the Statesville Record & Landmark covering local high school and county athletics. I graduated from Appalachian State University in May 2006 with a degree in journalism and have worked for the R&L since November 2006. The purpose of this blog is to provide insight and commentary on both local and national sports. www.statesville.com
4 comments:
Who are your preseason Heisman candidates?
The obvious No. 1 is Darren McFadden. Dude is an all-world tailback, and is essentially a lock to be the top pick of the NFL draft, regardless of which year he comes out. He's in a great system as well, and should be considered the favorite at this point.
The rest of the list is a bit less defined, but I'll touch on some in sort of quick-hit type of thing:
Colt Brennan: A senior, Brennan is already on the Heisman radar and will put up ungodly numbers in Hawaii's offense.
Colt McCoy: Will put up good numbers, and Texas should be a one-loss team and in the BCS picture.
John David Booty: Don't know if he belongs on the list purely on talent, but he is the quarterback of the best program in the country that had a pair of quarterbacks win the Heisman the last few years.
Steve Slaton/Pat White: Either one of these two would be deserving of an invite to the ceremony, but these West Virginia teammates may steal votes from one another.
Mike Hart: Maybe a bit of a darkhorse, but he should get the carries - and yards - needed to get noticed.
DeSean Jackson: I don't think he has a chance, but if he can make a big difference in the return game and still average around 150 receiving yards a game, he has a shot.
You're crazy...putting Furman in your top 10 and not Wofford? I think Wofford will be much better than Furman. Can App win both of those road games this year?
Wofford MUCH better than Furman? I don't think so. But in all likelihood, the two will definitely compete all year for second place in the SoCon. It should be really interesting. Wofford probably has a better team returning and has the better coach in Mike Ayers, but Furman's freshmen class will be much better ... and the Paladins should have a healthy Jerome Felton.
I feel very confident in stating that Appalachian will lose to Michigan to open the season, but will win every home game again. The only genuinely tough road games are Wofford and Furman. The Mountaineers' last Division I-AA loss (or FCS, whatever) came at Furman two years ago, and they won 49-17 the last time they were in Spartanburg, but have historically not played well there.
On a pure talent basis, this returning ASU team may be the best ever. The team is absolutely loaded at every position, with the only potential weakness - the defensive line - getting a huge boost from two major transfers from LSU and Vanderbilt. I'd say App goes 10-1, but that road game at Wofford will be the toughest of the year - besides Michigan, of course.
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