Super Bowl Update

Florida voters shake their heads in wonder as Tampa Bay Times continues flogging their stories re their poll of "political insiders" -favoring incumbents in 2012. Surprise!



Political insiders say Sen. Bill Nelson likely to win third term
By Adam C. Smith, Times Political Editor
In Print: Sunday, December 25, 2011

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/

As a whole, it wasn't really that much fun. Unless you're a baseball fan, then it was a great season.

Troy won the Sun Belt regular season title. I'd have to say that my favorite Troy game to cover was the series at South Alabama where Troy won the last 2 to clinch the title, and Tyson Workman threw 149 pitches in relief to clinch Game 3.

Great stuff. This year's baseball team was made up of champions. If only they could get enough pitchers to stay healthy for the duration of the season. I was fortunate enough to go to Nashville for the Vanderbilt regional, where Tyler Ray improved to 12-0 with a win over Oklahoma State. He's back for his senior year.

It was the last game Troy would win, as the Trojans fell to Vanderbilt and Belmont. Troy has most of the 2011 team back and is poised for a great 2012 if they can shore up catcher/middle infield and pitching depth. The offense should be very good.

Some stories I was happy to write about include THIS ONE on Tyler Hannah, who nearly gave up the game but transferred to Troy, revitalizing his career. He'll be back in 2012, shifting to shortstop. I also liked THIS ONE on pitcher Drew Hull, primed for a big senior season to have it cut short by Tommy John surgery.

Troy did mourn the passing of iconic coach Chase Riddle at the age of 85 in June.

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HOOPS: Troy had one of the worst seasons in Don & Dave's career, finishing 8-21, and rallying with a 6-10 Sun Belt record just to reach that. Troy is off to a 5-8 start this year as injuries and depth issues are starting to take its toll.

Wrote THIS STORY on Will Weathers and how Hurricane Katrina affected his life - this was way back in January. Vernon Taylor, last year's leading scorer, was certainly one of my favorite Troy basketball players and people to cover. Story on him HERE.

I enjoyed watching VT play because he always had a smile on his face and was all energy, all the time. I thought he developed into a pretty good player as a senior because he worked at it and loves the game.

Troy's new arena opens in 2012. Don Maestri and David Felix are two of the most enjoyable people I've been around, and I got to write THIS STORY on them just a few days ago.

I can see them going around 5 more years, and I really hope they get the chance to go back to the NCAA Tournament, and that with the new arena, they can attract the type of recruit that is going elsewhere in the Sun Belt. If they coach 4-5 more years at Troy (Maestri is 65), they might have a chance to build a team or 2 in that span that has a chance, but it's getting tougher and tougher in the Sun Belt to do so.

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FOOTBALL: Well, you guys know it was a rough year. I never saw 3-9 coming especially after a decent start at Arkansas and Clemson, but it happened. Troy suffered through academic woes, injuries, the talent not being as good as it has been and leadership issues.

Doesn't mean there weren't some good profiles to write. I liked THIS ONE on senior long snapper Wes Henry, and THIS ONE on left tackle James Brown, who said football saved his life. Now, Brown, who will play in the Senior Bowl and then go on and make some money in the NFL.

James Brown was another guy I'll remember pretty fondly at Troy. Just a super nice guy off the field and always had a smile on his face, despite the struggles this year, and really enjoyed playing the game. Other seniors that I got to talk to numerous times over the past 3-4 years, like Will Goggans and Xavier Lamb, are high-character guys who will do well in life. Yes, I do remember Goggans pre-beard. I could mention all the guys I've talked to, but this blog post is probably long enough.

To me, the play that signified the entire season wasn't really one that ended up making a big impact. Troy forced a Western Kentucky punt early in the game on Nov. 26. Well, WKU's punter line drived one and it doinked right off the back of Barry Valcin, who was running down to block. Part of me wonders if the punter just saw Valcin, knew he wasn't looking and just placed it perfectly. If I remember right, he punted right and Troy's punt returner was left. WKU obviously recovered deep in Troy territory, but I think that possession ended in a blocked field goal.

I could find all the fumbles, interceptions, blown defensive assignments, but that would be too easy. That play was just one of those plays that happens to losing football teams. But Valcin, another guy that I like, was awarded a sixth year of eligibility after he's battled two serious injuries as a college athlete.

I've got to think 2012 will be better for the Trojans. How much better? Just depends on how the breaks go. Troy's non-conference schedule is a good one, with Mississippi State and Navy at home, and if there's an SEC team you want to play on the road, Tennessee in November is probably the game you want to play.

Well, it was good for a half.

Troy was tied 33-all at North Texas, a team with a few potential stars, but they're mostly freshmen. Well, in the second half, UNT couldn't miss and rolled with an 87-65 win.

Game recap HERE and box score HERE.

Point guard Will Weathers played after injuring his ankle again at Denver and wasn't particularly sharp and probably didn't help the ankle get better, but a few days of rest will help.

Troy hosts Middle Tennessee, in my opinion far and away the best team in the league, on Thursday.

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(7-5,1-0) defeated the Oregon State Beavers(10-3,0-1) 95-80 in their Pac-12 opener. The Huskies under Lorenzo Romar have made the NCAA tournament the last five times they have won their conference opener. The Huskies were led by freshman sensation Tony Wroten's 26 points as the Huskies finished the game on a 12-0 run to put away the Beavers. The Huskies bench outscored the Beavers bench 30-9 led by C.J. Wilcox who scored 15 points making his first appearance off the bench of the season. For the Huskies who had gone through a rough stretch losing four of five have now won two games in a row. They have also defeated the Beavers at home for the ninth straight year. Overall the Huskies have defeated the Beavers 9 out of 10 as they have had the Beavers number lately. Romar is 16-4 against the Beavers in his career as the Huskies have dominated this series.

Going forward the Huskies must play like they did today to maintain their streak of going to the NCAA tournament which is currently at three. The Huskies were off to a wonderful start in the first half as they controlled the game which is what they must doing going forward.

In the first half the Huskies led 50-39 over the Beavers. The Beavers shot 15-31(48.4%) from the field, two for six(33.3%) from three pointers and 7-12(58.3%) from free throws. They were led by Jared Cunningham who scored 13 points on 5-6 shooting including a three pointer. For the Huskies they shot rather well shooting 19-41(46.3%) from the field, 3-9(33.3%) from three pointers but made all nine free throw attempts. They were led by Tony Wroten who scored 12 points on five for seven shooting including a three pointer. Abdul Gaddy scored nine points on four for six shooting including a three pointer. Aziz N'Diaye in his second game back from injury scored six points on three for five shooting. Terrence Ross added six points on two for seven shooting. C.J. Wilcox coming off the bench shot bad making just one for eight but did score six points as he made all four free throws. Wilcox would show up in the second half as the Beavers would make a run but the Huskies would sustain that run.


The Huskies in the second half outscored the Beavers 45-41 in winning 95-80. The Beavers had closed the game to within 83-80 when Wilcox hit a huge floating jumper to extend the Huskies lead 85-80. With a little over two minutes left Wroten took on two Beavers defenders as he scored the layup plus got the and one to put the game away. The Huskies ended the game on a 12-0 run to win by 15 points. The Huskies held Cunningham to just two second half points as he finished with 15 points for the Beavers. For the Huskies they shot 37-72(51.4%) from the field, only 4-18(22.2%) from three pointers but did make 17-20(85.0%) from the free throw line.

The Huskies were led by Wroten who scored 26 points on 10-16 shooting including a three pointer. He also grabbed nine rebounds, four assists and had a steal. The Huskies as a team had six guys in double figures. The next leading scorer was C.J. Wilcox who scored 15 points on 4-13 shooting but made a three pointer and was perfect six for six from the free throw line. Abdul Gaddy scored 13 points on 6-10 shooting including a three pointer and six assists. Desmond Simmons provided 13 points off the bench with five for nine shooting including a three pointer while pulling down eight rebounds. Terrence Ross scored 10 points on 4-11 shooting with three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Aziz N'Diaye provided 10 points and seven rebounds on five for seven shooting. Darnell Gant scored only six points on three for six shooting with just two rebounds.

All in all, this was a good win for the Huskies over a much improved Beavers team. The Huskies needed to start conference play off hot after a rough non conference schedule. This was an important win for Romar as history shows when he wins the conference opener the Huskies are dancing in March while if they lose they aren't dancing. The Huskies are 1-0 in conference play and have 17 more games left in conference play to show if they are for real or aren't for real going forward.

Observations:

- Tony Wroten is starting to look like the Huskies best player with each and every game. Wroten led the team with 26 points and rebounds with nine. He also shot over 70% from free throws while only turning the ball over two times. Wroten took over the game down the stretch making the biggest bucket off the night to put the game away. Wroten is fast and talented while showing improvement on his at times sloppy play. Wroten is headed towards a Pac-12 freshman of the year award.

For the season Wroten is averaging 16.8 points per game, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 rebounds. He is also shooting 50.3% from the field with 1.7 steals per game. If he can cut down on his turnovers and start making his free throws he could be the most unstoppable player in this conference by a long shot. With the way Wroten has been playing the Huskies future for this season appears to be pretty bright.

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies have announced that defensive coordinator Nick Holt, linebackers coach Mike Cox and safeties coach Jeff Mills have all been fired. After the debacle of the Alamo Bowl where the Huskies scored 56 points and lost this was a move Steve Sarkisian had to make. The Huskies offense in year three under Sarkisian showed great improvement as quarterback Keith Price threw for a school record 33 touchdowns while rushing for three. The Huskies also saw running back Chris Polk rush for a career high 12 touchdowns yet the Huskies still only went 7-6 losing four of their last five games. The defense was bad all season long allowing 35.9 points per game and went 0-5 against ranked opponents allowing 51.4 points per game.

When Nick Holt came to Washington there is plenty of hype surrounding his hire. Sarkisian referred to him as the top defensive coordinator in the nation. Scott Woodward made him the highest paid coordinator in the conference making more than Washington State Cougars head coach Paul Wulff.  During Holt's first season the defense improved greatly including the first shutout of the Cougars since 1964. Since that first season the Huskies have regressed each year. During 2009 the defense allowed 26.66 points per game and 389.5 yards per game. In 2010 despite making a bowl game the defense regressed allowing 31.2 points per game and 401.2 yards per game. In 2010 the defense did finish strong holding their opponents to seven points in three of the final four games. In 2011 though the defense struggled all season long having just one game where they allowed fewer than 20 points. For the year the defense allowed 35.9 points per game and 453.3 yards per game. The defense regressed each season under Holt which meant a change had to be made.

Sarkisian showed guts in firing his friends who he had begged to follow him from USC. Sarkisian showed how important this job is to him. Sarkisian also isn't off the hook quite yet. Firing Holt was one of many steps that needs to be done in saving this defense. Who Sarkisian hires as his next defensive coordinator will utlimately decide his legacy as Washington. He has built up a 10 plus win offense already. With just an average defense the Huskies go 10-3 this year in year three which would have gain Sarkisian national attention. As head coach Sarkisian is in charge of the entire football team. He must also help out his defensive coaches by recruiting better defensive players. Sean Parker and James Sample who are both young safeties appear to be the only studs that Sarkisian has landed on the recruiting front. If the defense isn't saved with the new coordinator then it will be Sarkisian who will be asked to turn in his coaching whistle at the university.

In conclusion, Sarkisian did the right thing and handled it with class. Instead of letting the media decide the fate of his coaches he personally told them. This was a tough move as this program was 0-12 just three years ago and this staff has led them to back to back bowl games. I'll thank Holt for the 2010 Holiday Bowl which was won by the defense and his three apple cup wins. However, this was a move that had to be made. This program is at a point where they are ready to take off and must have a quality defense if they ever want to be where they once were. This next month will be the biggest month in the Sarkisian era which will forever determine his fate at this program. Sarkisian made the bold move but next time he won't be able to blame the coordinator. He just used up his one free fire the coordinator card next time this will fall squarely on his lap.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In thin mints? Somoas? In trefoils?
In cups of cola?
In root beer, in Tab, in Fanta, in Sprite?

In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?

How about looooove? How about loooooove?
How about love?
Or Chips Deluuuuuuuuxe?
Try Chips Deluuuuuuuuxe?


Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand snack times to plan
Five hundred twenty-five thousand ix hundred minutes
How do you measure the health of a woman or a man?

In truths that he learned
Or in times that he cried
In dreams which he yearned
For the sodas deniiiiiiiiied?

It's time now to chow down
For the struggle finally ends
Let's celebrate
Remember the year
then have cookies with friends!

Remember the love
(Oh you got to, you got to remember the love)
Remember the love
(And soda's a gift from up above)
Remember the love
(Share love. Give love).
Measure in love....
(Measure, measure in Chips Deluuuuuuxe!)
Seasons of love...
And Chips Deluxe....

It's been a year! I did it! It's nice to know that self-restraint is possible. Now it's over. Oh thank heaven, it's no longer 2011! Give me that plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies over there! Nom, nom, nom, so good!

As 2011 comes to a close, the blog has come to a fun milestone. 700 posts! I cannot believe I have written so consistently here for 4 years. Thanks to everyone out there on the interwebs who has stopped by in the past several years to see what I had to say about whatever. Be it a theater review, or Olympics coverage, or a TV recap, or a love letter to Rafa, or my Year Without Cookies, my little google stats thing lets me know that people continue to come by. :) I always think I have the best readership because almost nobody ever leaves comments. I don't say that sarcastically. The occasional, "good post, O!" is always a treat, but I don't think I could really deal with a bunch of really intense ALL CAPS misspelled comments every time I posted about an episode of SYTYCD in which anonymous people tell me how I'm a dumbass who doesn't know anything. It's nice enough that people stop by now and then, read and go on with their day. :)

As I reach 700 today, I went back and read my original post about why I was starting to blog. It was called "Plans" and you can read it in full here. But my basic idea was this:

"I believe the Lennon quote goes: Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. But what if you are not busy making other plans? What if there are no plans and no momentum towards making them? I am not by nature a self-planner. I mean, it's my day job to organize other people's schedules and make plans for them, but that's different. It's like with chefs who don't cook for themselves at home. Right now I have peanut butter and jelly prospects for the future.... I have lofty ideas about what I should be able to accomplish in my life and it ain't gonna happen unless I get out of my comfort zone and try new things. When I get inspired, I will follow through. Now that's my plan."

So that's where the whole title for blog came from. Reading that first post back, I am satisfied that I have continued to follow last marching order. When I get inspired now, I will follow through. And the past four years have been filled with inspiration. And love. And boredom. And anger. And comfort. And self-discovery. And objective achieved. And facing new challenges. And setting new bigger goals. In essence, making plans.

I'm glad I've developed a place where I can come write about it all. :)

Photo courtesy of Petty Officer John Jacobs, USCG

This photo was taken at this year's Run For The Warriors® in Jacksonville, NC.  I love that this family is running together, supporting our wounded service members and military families.  This year, the kids come along for the ride.  One day, they will join in the fun and run the race themselves.

The Run For The Warriors® was created first and foremost as a means to welcome home wounded service members and honor them for their service and sacrifice. For those of you without a military background, I need to share the excitement of a typical Homecoming. 

When a battalion returns from a deployment, family and friends gather on a large, open field on the military base.  The field is filled with children, parents, husbands and wives.  Bounce houses are set up to keep the kids occupied as the frazzled parents wait.  Music plays, food is served and the cameras are ready.  It might be early morning, afternoon, evening or the middle of the night.  When the service members arrive in their buses, each family member and service member frantically searches the crowd for their loved ones. There are hundreds of people greeting each other, hugging, kissing and crying.

Now imagine the “homecoming” of a wounded service member.  They are pulled out of a battle field and transported to a series of bases until they arrive at a medical facility.  No music plays, no food is served and certainly, no one is waving with excitement.  The only cameras clicking are MRI and x-ray machines.  Fear replaces the excitement.

In 2006, a group of Marine wives held the first Run For The Warriors® at Camp Lejeune to change all of that.  The event opened with a ceremony to honor a group of wounded Marines and to give them the Homecoming they deserved.  That particular day, it was cold and rainy. However, thousands of runners and family members did not care.  They clapped, cheered, cried and celebrated their wounded heroes that morning.  

Each year, this race continues with more and more people who attend to race, participate and honor.  And true to its beginning, the race always begins with a ceremony to welcome our heroes home.

To learn more, visit our Run web page.

"A lonely species in a merciless universe anxiously awaits an answering voice amid utter silence." 
That would be us. 
No, not Dolphins fans or Hallandale Beach, but humans. 
Classic Charles Krauthammer!

The Fermi Paradox and Goldilocks in one column?
Charles Krauthammer zings us out of our post-Christmas/holiday blues -sorta!

But if what Charles Krauthammer says is true about intelligent life

Troy head basketball coach Don Maestri wasn't confident in starting point guard Will Weathers playing Saturday at 3 p.m. against North Texas in Denton. Weathers twisted his ankle late in the loss at Denver Thursday, aggravating an injury earlier this season that caused him to miss a game.

Weathers is Troy's leading scorer and leads the Sun Belt in assists.

"I don't know if he'll be able to play," Maestri said. "He rolled it going after a ball. He's a pretty tough kid and he can play with a lot of pain and has a high pain tolerance. We've seen him do this before (injure his ankle) and at times, he's had to sit out for a couple of days."

If Weathers can't go, Emil Jones would handle point guard duties. Backup Nic Combs left the team a week ago.

"Emil is probably our most least-turnover prone ball handler," Maestri said. "He's actually a pretty good ball handler and can run the offense."

If Weathers can go, there will be one change to the starting lineup. R.J. Scott (13 points on 5-of-8 shooting) will start in place of Alan Jones (0-of-8).

If Weathers can't go, the lineup would be Emil Jones-RJ Scott-Alan Jones-Justin Wright-Tim Owens. Alan Jones will get plenty of minutes regardless and have chances to get back in the groove from 3-point land.

North Texas is coming off a home loss to UALR on Thursday. The Mean Green lost most of last year's team and are relying on some talented freshmen. One is point guard Chris Jones, who is scoring around 15 ppg, but has more turnovers than assists. Another is 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward Tony Mitchell, who is a legit NBA Draft prospect and could go pro after just one year.

"I hope he does," Maestri said. "He's a tremendous player. He can play any position on the floor and he's a great shooter."

"It depends on what night you catch North Texas. They've had a few chemistry problems. One night they're really on, and other nights, like when they got upset by Little Rock last night, they're off. Denver's going to be good every night, but North Texas is up and down."

(my guess is that Weathers plays, but we'll see how effective he is.)

***Saturday morning edit: From the Denton Record-Chronicle, North Texas will be without injured forward Kedrick Hogans, one of the team's veteran leaders. He suffered a knee injury against UALR.

As the Year Without Cookies clocks down its final hours, I feel like it must be noted that while there were no cookies consumed and no sodas imbibed, it certainly wasn't a year without sweets. DEFINITELY not a year without chocolate. I probably relied more heavily on things like mini chocolate bars or mini-peanut butter cups or low-cal pudding packs to get my chocolate fix. Desserts in general are delicious, and I cannot go without them. But even so, I must have put a bit of a dent in my sugar intake by eliminating the two greatest offenders.

That being said, they serve a dessert at the Museum of Natural History that I consider simply over the top. Just looking at it gives me a sugar rush and has me reaching and inspires a Pavlovian need to reach for a glass of milk and guzzle it down. It's a brownie served on top of a cupcake. Really? I mean, REALLY? This thing is crazy. It's just too much. Of course Migu always asks me to get him one for a snack, but even if we shared it, that would be overkill. Could you imagine me trying to get him to sit down and do his homework after eating even half of one of those things? He'd be spinning around like the Tasmanian Devil.

So not all desserts are created equal - especially in terms of sugar and calorie intake. If I was going to eat this thing, I might as well just down a whole carton of Chips Ahoy's and call it a day.

Less than 48 hours to go! Woohoo!!!

When we reflect on the events of 9/11, so often we focus on the people who worked in those buildings and their families.  Within our organization, we reflect on the impact of 9/11 on our military men and women.  However, how many people think about the workers who had to clean up after this tragedy and rebuild?


The Ground Zero Independence Ride was created in 2002 as a means of healing for the many workers who were tasked with clearing debris left from 9/11.  The ride is planned and organized with the support of unions throughout the New York metropolitan area.


In keeping with the goals for this ride, funds raised are always donated to nonprofits that focus on strengthening families.  Hope For The Warriors® has been proud to be involved with this event for the last two years.


In this photo, you see the start of the Ground Zero Independence Ride.  You can also see in the background the construction equipment that is being used to rebuild the area.  This photo has more "clutter" in it than many of the other photos that I have posted and that is precisely why I love it.  Although the area around Ground Zero is busy and congested, the absence of the towers has left a hole in the city.  Many of the people you see on these motorcycles are the men responsible for rebuilding the towers.  With this ride, they also intend to mend families.

Trojans went up to Denver and couldn't slow down the hot-shooting Pioneers, falling 79-62.

The loss drops Troy to 5-7, 0-1 in Sun Belt play. It's a brutal first 1/4 of the Sun Belt schedule, with road trips to Denver, North Texas and Western Kentucky and a home game against Middle Tennessee. Of course, I say that and UNT lost at home to Arkansas-Little Rock and WKU had to go to overtime to beat a 1-win ULM team, but going to UNT or WKU isn't something Troy has had much success with.

Recap HERE from TroyTrojans.com and a box score HERE

HERE is a story from the Denver Post.

Notice this part at the end = "The Trojans went the final 2:55 without Weathers as he went down after being fouled going for a loose ball, and Denver hit their free throws down the stretch as they took the 79-62 victory."

Troy is at North Texas on Saturday.

Like Maestri said the other night, if Will Weathers is hurt, it's like losing Peyton Manning.

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(7-5,5-4) are set to take on the #12 Baylor Bears(9-3,6-3) in the Alamo Bowl set in San Antonio, Texas which is three hours from the Baylor campus. Both teams feature explosive offenses led by Baylor's Robert Griffin III who won the heisman trophy. The Baylor offense is averaging 43.5 points per game which is good for seventh in the entire nation. While the Huskies offense which is led by Chris Polk is averaging 31.5 point per game which is good for 36th in the nation. This should be a high scoring game with two quality offenses going up against two weak defenses. The Bears defense is allowing 35.7 points per game which ranks 109th in the country while the Huskies defense is allowing 33.3 points per game which ranks 99th in the country. For what has been a boring bowl season so far this game should generate plenty of excitement to the casual fans.

You can't talk about the Bears mighty offense without first talking about heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III who if he leaves for the NFL would be a top 10 pick in the draft. Griffin is trying to lead the Bears to a 10 win season which was once unthinkable. For the year he completed 72.4% of his passes for 3,998 yards(10.8 YPA). He threw for 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions during the season. His passing stats alone are terrific then you factor in his 644 yards rushing(4.0 YPC) with nine touchdowns and you can see why he won the heisman trophy. His favorite targets are Kendall Wright who hauled in 101 receptions for 1,572 yards(15.6 YPC) with 13 TD's. The second weapon for this passing offense which ranks fifth in the nation is Terrance Williams who caught 53 passes for 895 yards(16.9 YPC) with 11 touchdowns. The Bears have a third receiver who is having a fine season in Tevin Reese who has caught 46 passes for 811 yards(17.6) with seven touchdowns. The Bears can also run the ball as they feature Terrence Ganaway who rushed for 1,347(5.9 YPC) with 16 touchdowns. The Bears offense features plenty of weapons on offense and for the Huskies to win they must keep that offense on the sidelines.

The Huskies need to do what they did last year in the Holiday Bowl win. Last year Sarkisian fed Chris Polk the ball over and over again as the Nebraska offense sat on the sidelines. Polk on the year has rushed for 1,341 yards(5.1 YPC) with 11 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for 324 yards(11.2 YPC) with four touchdowns. Which earned Polk first team all pac-12 selection.  Polk currently trails Napoleon Kaufman by 200 yards for the all-time rushing lead in school history. Polk also has quality backup running backs if he needs a breather. Jesse Callier for the season has rushed for 264 yards(5.9 YPC) with a touchdown. He has also caught six passes. Remember last year in the Holiday Bowl Callier completed a 14 yard pass to Jake Locker to set up the first score. Bishop Sankey has ran for 187 yards(6.7 YPC) with a touchdown and also has caught six passes. Sankey is pretty quick and can bust a long run everytime he touches the ball. The Bears defense allows 198 yards rushing per game so the Huskies should pound the ball on them. If the Bears decide to stack the box well the Huskies also have a good passing game too.

The Huskies passing offense is led by sophomore quarterback Keith Price. Price who is filling in for Jake Locker who set plenty of records at Washington. For this year it was Price who set a record for most passing touchdowns in a single season. Price for the year completed 67.4% of his passes for 2,625 yards(8.1 YPA) with 29 touchdown passes(school record) to just 11 interceptions. Price has plenty of weapons to throw to as well as he spreads the ball around the field to multiple talented receivers.  Price was selected to honorable mention all pac-12 and in a normal year could have been more but with Andrew Luch and Matt Barkley that makes it tough. His two leading receivers are both seniors and honorable all pac-12 receivers Devin Aguilar and Jermaine Kearse. Aguilar caught 36 passes for 521 yards(14.5 YPC) with four touchdowns. Kearse caught 42 for 501(11.9) with six touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown as well. Freshman sensation Kasen Williams has emerged lately and has caught 33 passes for 408 yards(12.4 YPC) with six touchdowns. James Johnson added 26 receptions for 330 yards(12.7 YPC) with three touchdowns. The Huskies also feature honorable mention all pac-12 freshman tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who caught 36 passes for 479 yards(13.3 YPC) with six touchdowns. The Huskies also have plenty of offensive weapons to compete with the Bears. The key to this game will also be how the defense responds.

Last year when the Huskies won the Holiday Bowl all the attention was on the offense. When in reality the Huskies won 19-7 as the defense stepped up setting up the first score and eventually getting a safety. Mason Foster was the defensive MVP as he was all over the field. While Alameda Ta'amu just as easily could have been the MVP as well. He recovered the fumble that set up the first score, recorded two sacks and was also held which allowed the safety. Ta'amu who is a projected late first or early second round draft pick is playing his final game as a Husky. Ta'amu was honorable mention this year as he was injured throughout the season. Another Husky defender playing in his final game is Cort Dennison who led the Pac-12 in tackles and earned second team all pac-12 selection. The defense must step up if they expect to pull off this upset. Nobody is expecting them to shut down Baylor like they did last year with Nebraska but nobody will accept games where they allow over 40 like they did against Nebraska, Stanford, and USC. The defense must play tough in the redzone and hold the Bears to three points instead of seven points that could be the difference between winning and losing.

In conclusion, with Griffin winning the Heisman this will be the featured bowl game amongst the games not in the BCS. The Huskies have a great chance to impress the nation with a win against a quality opponent for the second straight year. For Sarkisian who is having a rough day losing out on an in-state recruit earlier today he can remove the doubt that he is the guy with a win today. With a win today Sarkisian will tie Jim Owens for second all-time in Huskies history for most bowl victories with two. With a win today the program will have made progress improving their win total each season under Sarkisian. With a win to day the Huskies will have won back to back bowl games for the first time in 20 years. This game is huge for the Huskies and their opponent for the second straight year is favored to destroy them. This is a huge test for the Huskies who failed so many throughout the year. Maybe tonight is the night the Huskies finally pass that final exam.

By Kshell

For this bowl game Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian will be under the spotlight of the nation. The nation won't be watching the Alamo Bowl tonight to watch the Huskies though as they'll be watching Robert Griffin III who is the heisman trophy winning quarterback from Baylor. This will be the first time since Tim Tebow won the heisman in 2007 that a heisman trophy winner isn't playing in a BCS game. RGIII which is what most call him led the Baylor Bears to a 9-3 record as he completed 72.4% of his passes for 3,998 yards(10.8 YPA). He threw for 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions during the season. His passing stats alone are terrific then you factor in his 644 yards rushing(4.0 YPC) with nine touchdowns and you can see why he won the heisman trophy. This won't be the first time the Huskies have faced a heisman trophy winner in fact the Huskies have only beaten the Heisman twice in their history. They have lost five games in a row to the Heisman trophy winner which had three of them being coached by Sarkisian at the time.

The Huskies recently haven't played well against Heisman trophy winners as they've been blown out as well. The last time the Huskies played an eventual Heisman winner was in the trainwreck season of 2008 when Sam Bradford  came to town. Oklahoma destroyed the Huskies 55-14 as Bradford was 18-21 passing for 304 with five passing touchdowns and also rushed for a touchdown. In 2005 the mighty USC trojans came to town featuring eventual heisman winner Reggie Bush. The Trojans won 51-24 as Bush ran for 51 yards on just eight carries with a touchdown, also caught two passes for 18 yards. He also electrified college football with a spectactular 84 yard punt return for a touchdown. The year prior the Huskies faced the Trojans again losing 38-0 in 2004 as Matt Leinart who won the Heisman that year was 24-43 passing for 217 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. In 2002 the Huskies faced the Trojans losing 41-21 as Carson Palmer was 21-34 passing for 348 yards with four touchdowns three of which were to Mike Williams. The Huskies faced a Heisman winner seven years prior in Eddie George as the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Huskies in 1995 over in Columbus 30-20. George ran for 212 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 149 with a touchdown at halftime as the Buckeyes led 23-7 over the Huskies. The two previous times the Huskies faced a heisman winner though they actually won those games.

Heading into the 1992 Rose Bowl the undefeated Washington Huskies led by Don James were hoping to win back to back Rose Bowls and win a National championship. Standing in their way was Heisman Trophy and future Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard of the Michigan Wolverines. The Huskies won that game 34-14 as Howard was held to just one catch which was late in the game too. Mario Bailey of the Huskies scored a touchdown and he possed for the Heisman. Despite having 18 receiving touchdowns Bailey was snubbed from being invited to New York that year. Howard was the first heisman player the Huskies had faced in a decade as in 1981 Marcus Allen and the USC Trojans came to town again with the Rose Bowl on the line. The Huskies won 13-3 in a rain storm as Allen had 155 rushing but would lose to the Huskies for the second straight year after scoring the winning touchdown in 1979. That year the Huskies lost to the Trojans and eventual heisman trophy winner Charles White. The Trojans won 24-17 at Husky stadium as White ran for 243 yards on the day but was held out of the endzone. Don James actually went 2-1 against Heisman trophy winners while no other Huskies coach has defeated a heisman trophy winner.

In conclusion, every heisman winner with the exception of Howard had a good game against the Huskies. Look for Griffin III to have a good game as well. Sarkisian is hoping Griffin III has a good game instead of a great game as the Huskies pull off the upset. Defeating a heisman trophy winner is difficult but that is mainly because they are also on the national championship team. That isn't the case this game as the Baylor Bears already have three losses. The Huskies are going up against College Football's best and were already routed by the runner up Andrew Luck 65-21. The Huskies defense has been scary bad this year which will be quite the test given this is best player they have faced all year which is saying something considering they already played Luck, Matt Barkley and LaMichael James. Hopefully the Heisman jinx starts a little bit early at 6 p.m. PT tonight in the Alamo Bowl and Sarkisian can join James as the only Huskies coach to defeat a Heisman trophy winner.

Photo provided courtesy of Richard Hall Photography

Every year in the beginning of October, I make the short drive to Tyler, TX for the Texas Wounded Warrior Celebrity Pro-Am Weekend.  This event, held by the nonprofit group, Texas Wounded Warrior, honors wounded service members for their service and sacrifice.  It also introduces many of these service members to the therapeutic game of golf. 


The weekend begins with the Military Flyover on Saturday afternoon and as this photo shows, it is nothing short of spectacular.  A Gala follows the air show and then on Sunday and Monday, the guys hone their skills in the game of golf.  


Each year, this events seems to get bigger and better.  I can't wait for 2012!

I was intrigued about some comments about Chatham Tap’s tenderloins (and sides) after my Muldoon’s review and after asking around and finding out that at least the location in Fishers is family friendly, we loaded up the kids one night to give it a try (anyone know about the downtown location? Is it kid friendly?)  It had only been a couple of weeks since we tried Muldoon’s, so it was still pretty fresh and a good time to make a comparison.

Trojans travel to Denver, an extremely tough place to play, to open conference action tonight at 8 p.m.

You can read my short game preview HERE.

Troy is 5-6. Denver is 10-2. Denver runs a Princeton offense and drains the shot clock, but has gotten more athletic over the past few years. Brian Stafford is a veteran guard who can really score, and Chris Udofia (above, 34, AP photo) is easily one of the top 5 athletes in the Sun Belt.

Troy has played Denver very well over the past three years, winning all three matchups, but all three were in Troy. It's a different atmosphere and different altitude. Denver used to be tough to win at because of the altitude, now it's tough to win at because of the altitude and because Denver is pretty good.

For a link to some game notes, with even more stats and facts about both teams, go HERE.

By Kshell

For the first time in three seasons the Seattle Seahawks will be sending a player to the pro bowl. When the Pro Bowl teams were announced second year safety Earl Thomas was selected to the pro bowl while five of his teammates could later join him as alternates. Last season as a rookie Thomas was named an alternate while this year he is finally going to the pro bowl. Of the six Seattle Seahawks honored five of those players were acquired by Pete Carroll through the draft, trade or free agency showing you the job he has done shaping this roster. Thomas who was a first round selection last season along with Russell Okung is part of a solid Seahawks foundation for years to come. Thomas becomes the first Seahawks safety selected to the pro bowl since Darryl Williams in 1998.


When the Seahawks selected Thomas last year in the first round he changed the Seahawks defense. The Seahawks for the past decade have struggled at the safety position but finally had a youngster in Thomas. He was paired up with veteran Lawyer Milloy as Milloy taught him the game well. Milloy also mentored pro bowl alternate Kam Chancellor last season as well. For a franchise who hadn't had a pro bowl safety in 13 seasons in one draft selected a pro bowler and an alternate. Thomas statistically had a better season last year than this year although this year he hasn't allowed any long touchdown passes. For the year Thomas has recorded 90 tackles, two interceptions, while recovering two fumbles.

Thomas has been all over the place in helping shape the Seahawks new identity. The Seahawks under Carroll are now a physical team that thrives on good defense instead of the Mike Holmgren era where it was all about the offense. Thomas has transformed this secondary which features him as a pro bowler and two alternates which many saw as a weakness heading into the season when in fact turned into a strength. Carroll has made so many changes to this team that there isn't really a face for this franchise. Well I think there is a face now and his name is Earl Thomas the safety from the University of Texas. Hopefully Thomas will be joined by some of his other teammates in Hawaii as well.

The other alternates were safety Kam Chancellor, cornerback Brandon Browner and fullback Michael Robinson were first alternates. Second alternate was running back Marshawn Lynch while punter Jon Ryan was third alternate.  I'll start with Lynch who has rebounded from a rough start to have rushed for 1,118 yards(4.2 YPC) with 12 touchdowns. Lynch has rushed for a TD in 11 straight games for the Seahawks which is a record. Chancellor on the season has been great along with Thomas in recording 87 tackles, four interceptions, a sack, forcing two fumbles and recovering a fumble. Browner is a great story as he played in the CFL for six seasons and Carroll discovered him out of nowhere. Browner this year had six interceptions which were returned for 220 yards including two touchdowns. Michael Robinson and Jon Ryan have been solid as well this season. Carroll other than Ryan has drafted Thomas and Chancellor, traded for Lynch and signed Browner and Robinson.


In conclusion, I'm so happy for Earl Thomas couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. When hearing the news that he had made the pro bowl Thomas tweeted this "Bout to go to dinos pub and order ever drink they got ...lol 12th man come join me it's on me..." which for those who took him up on his offer I bet had a great time.  Also during preseason this year I attended a practice where let's just say the guys who stuck around to sign autographs are no longer on the roster. Then one guy came out and that was Thomas who signed for everyone. It was worth the wait too as I also own his jersey as well.

Thomas is one of those guys who will be a household name in Seattle and throughout the nation. He just turned 21 years old too and doesn't appear to have a big head which most people often complain about when it comes to athletes. Earl Thomas is not only a great player but also a great human being as well. For the other alternates hopefully they can somehow make the pro bowl as well to join Thomas who is the first Seahawk in the pro bowl since 2008. A franchise that had multiple pro bowlers from 2003-2008 was shutout for two straight years showing the job Carroll inherited and has now done. Congrats to Earl Thomas on making the pro bowl he definately deserves it!

The day before Troy lost 76-70 to UTSA, sophomore point guard Nic Combs asked to meet with head coach Don Maestri.

He had spent the last three and a half years far away from his home of Edmond, Okla., playing prep school ball in Maine, junior college ball in Mississippi and redshirting a year at Troy after a hand injury and playing as a backup this year to Will Weathers.

He wasn't playing much, just a handful of minutes each game, but wanted to get back home and officially left the team in a meeting with Maestri.

"We talked about a couple of scenarios and asked if he was sure this was what he wanted to do, but he had his mind made up," Maestri said.

"He had been here for a year and a half and his parents never called asking why he wasn’t playing. They let him grow up and become a man. It’s hard to lose him because he’s a fine kid, but if you’re homesick and not happy, I guess you have to move on."

Troy (5-6) opens Sun Belt play Thursday at Denver (10-2). Maestri went out of his way to speak on Combs' character.

"He’s one of the finer kids we’ve had in the 30 years in our program," Maestri said. "He’s one of the nicest and most polite kids. He’s very well-mannered, goes to all his classes, just a fine kid and a fine person."

If Weathers needs a break, Maestri said either Alan Jones or Emil Jones would handle backup duties. Both Jones are currently starters, and Emil Jones has shown the ability to play four positions for the Trojans at just 6-foot-3.

"We’ll move Alan Jones and Emil Jones behind Mo (Weathers)," Maestri said. "Emil, believe it or not, is a very savvy basketball player. We’ll get both of them to step in. Mo’s a guy that unless he gets hurt or is in foul trouble, is going to play 35 minutes a game, so it’s nothing new for him.

"If we lose him, it’s like losing Peyton Manning. We’re in trouble."

George W. Bush at the Warrior Open

This photo is not the best quality but I love the moment it captured.  This October, Hope For The Warriors® was invited to the Warrior Open, a golf tournament for wounded warriors, hosted by former President George W. Bush.  We were one of only four nonprofit organizations highlighted at this event.  It was amazing!


There were several service members competing in this event that we have worked with in the past including the young man to the right of Bush.  That is Nick Bradley and he has attended two golfing events with Hope For The Warriors®.


And why does Nick have that half-amused, half-surprised look on his face?  In this photo, you see Bush with the two warriors who are about to tee-off.  There are thousands of people watching, news camera, reporters, secret service and more.  None of this stopped Robin, Peggy and myself from yelling out to Nick, "Get closer to the president, we're taking your picture!"  Then we got the other warrior's attention.  And oh yeah, Bush's attention too.  And we actually made them stop and look our way, so that we could get a photo of our Nick, next to the president.


He was embarrassed at the time but someday, he will thank us!

By Money Mike



Coming into this offseason, GM Adrian Hanauer said the main focus was signing a Goalkeeper and a couple of outside backs after Kasey Keller retired, James Riley was taken by the Montreal Impact in the Expansion Draft before being traded to Chivas USA and Tyson Wahl was traded to the Montreal Impact. You can consider all those holes being filled in now. The Sounders already signed Goalkeeper Michael Gspurning and selected Left Back Marc Burch in the Re-Entry Draft. Now the Sounders have signed a Right Back. Earlier this morning, the Sounders have signed Swedish international Adam Johansson after his contract with IFK Goteborg expired.

According to reports, Johansson has agreed to a three year contract with the Seattle Sounders and will join the club in late January due to the fact that he was called up by Sweden. Otherwise he would've joined camp on time.

Johansson began his professional career with local club Vastra Frolunda which is also where former Sounder Erik Friberg, who revealed this signing with a series of Tweets, began his footballing career. Johansson spent three seasons with Vastra Frolunda and made 66 appearances for the club with a goal to his credit. He joined IFK Goteborg in 2005 and didn't feature regularly in this first two seasons there. In 2007, Johansson finally established himself as a starter for Goteborg. Johansson started 24 of 26 matches as Goteborg won the 2007 Allsvenskan title. In his seven seasons over there, he made 129 appearances and scored one goal.

Johansson has also capped 9 times for the Swedish national team. His first cap came January 2009 against the United States.


Thoughts on this move:

Well I would still consider looking for another Right Back in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft because Sweden qualified for EURO 2012, which means he could be in consideration for that squad that will participate in the European Championship in June. That was the question I had with myself on Michael Gspurning, but Austria didn't qualify so I don't need to worry about that. Anyway, this is a great move. This guy comes in with good technical ability and should help meet one of the biggest offseason goals for the Men in Rave Green which is better possession from their fullbacks.

Troy will add 15 guys who are on scholarship in January. That's a lot, but when you're 3-9, some changes in personnel need to be made or take care of themselves. Troy's coaches should be commended for pulling in what looks to be a good JUCO class on paper and we'll see who stands out this spring. We'll go position by position.

This is a lot, but remember that Troy was 3-9 last year.

***The biggest thing I take is that, with the defensive signees, they're really looking for guys to come in and play big roles right away, regardless of how many returning starters are coming back. I think the offense is pretty set and loaded up with some good-looking high school receivers. Troy certainly needs that and some guys on defense who can make some stops.

QUARTERBACK - Troy signed Deon Anthony from Hinds CC in Mississippi. He had interest from Pitt, but Pitt's coach left. So, Anthony will fight for a spot and if he doesn't win the starting spot, he at least gives much more options for a defense to contend with. If he gets run out there for a wildcat on 1st and 10 or 2nd and 5, defenses have to respect the pass.

RUNNING BACK - No January signees

WIDE RECEIVER - Jamel Johnson is back after a productive year in JUCO. No doubt, Corey Robinson missed him and Chip Reeves, who is also expected to be back in the fall but isn't a signee. If you're talking about guys who can catch the ball and get more yards, or win jump balls, these two are playmakers. For the non-January guys, Cody Core could end up being the top high school recruit and is a big guy that can make plays. Troy is holding off interest from other schools, such as Kentucky.

OFFENSIVE LINE - Chris Hawkins from Hutchinson, CC in Kansas is the lone midyear guy here. He'll have three years left to play two and I think his future spot is at tackle, but coach John Schlarman is good at getting guys to learn how to play different positions effectively. Bart Whigham from Northview was supposed to be a 2011 grayshirt, but didn't qualify.

DEFENSIVE LINE - The big "name" here is Lonnie Gosha, who left Arkansas midway through the year. He's from Lake Butler, Fla., and was a three-star recruit. He'd have to sit out this year unless a hardship is approved, but he's a guy that can be a difference-making defensive tackle down the line. He wanted to get back closer to home. Brandon Timmons is a DE from Northwest Miss., and he'll certainly have a chance to win a starting spot. Troy might have liked to sign another midyear DL, but there is still the spring period to find some players who can come in this summer and look to help out immediately.

LINEBACKERS - Big group here. The headliner may be Mark Wilson, who flunked out after last year at Troy and made his way to Fullerton, Ca. where he blew up and got offers from big schools and at one time was committed to Arkansas. But he wanted to be back at Troy and called coaches every week and after a thorough review, they took him back. Wilson has three years left to play three. Eli Canton from NE Miss CC will be a sophomore with four years left to play three and he's a huge guy, right frame of mind off the field, nasty streak on the field who has pre-med aspirations. His JUCO coach compared him to Brian Urlacher. That's quite a comparison, but he certainly could be a good player. Wayland Coleman-Dancer and Brandon Powe lined up side by side at Mississippi Delta CC. Coleman-Dancer is more of an OLB and Powe is a bigger, MLB type.

DEFENSIVE BACK - Troy has a pair of high school guys coming in with Shaq Beverly (early graduate) and Chris Davis (grayshirt). It sounds like Jeremy Spikner from NE Mississippi CC has a chance to be a real good one, and he'll have a spring to earn a starting spot. Martrez Townes from Itawamba CC is a guy that could be a nickel, so maybe I should have listed him among the linebackers.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Troy signed Will Scott to come in and punt, and Ryan Kay is a grayshirt and he'll be given a crack to win the kicking job.

I'll get into some research later on, but here is Troy's updated commitment list

I will update this list with all updates to Troy's 2012 recruiting class. A link will be posted on the right side of the blog.

**** (Star count is the highest rated I could find the commitment listed on all of the recruiting sites - rivals, scout, ESPN, 247sports.com)

HIGH SCHOOL
***Brandon Silvers (QB, Gulf Shores, Ala.)
**Brandon Burks (RB, Daleville, Ala.)
***Andre Allen (RB, Panama City, Fla.)
**Cody Core (WR, Auburn, Ala.)
***Bobby Walker (WR, Fruit Cove, Fla.)
***Brandon Brooks (WR, Jacksonville, Fla.)
**Michael Lindsey (WR, Elba, Ala.)
Antonio Garcia (OL, Riverdale, Ga.)
***Luke Lawrence (OL, Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
**Mitchell Roland (LB, Auburn, Ala.)
***Shaquille Beverly (DB, Jacksonville, Fla.)
JaQuadrian Lewis (DB, Fitzgerald, Ga.)
John Knight (DB, Thomasville, Ala.)
JUNIOR COLLEGE
Deon Anthony (QB/ATH, Hinds, Miss. CC)
Jamel Johnson (WR, Holmes, Miss. CC) - was at Troy in 2010
***Chris Hawkins (OL, Hutchinson, Kan. CC)
**Brandon Timmons (DE, Northwest Miss. CC)
Wayland Coleman-Dancer (LB, Miss. Delta CC)
Eli Canton (LB, NE Mississippi CC)
Mark Wilson (LB, Fullerton, Calif. CC) - was at Troy in 2010
Brandon Powe (LB, Miss. Delta CC)
Jeremy Spikner (DB, NE Mississippi CC)
Martrez Townes (DB, Itawamba, Miss. CC)
Will Scott (P, Gulf Coast Miss. CC)

2011 GRAYSHIRTS or NON-JUCOS
Chris Davis (DB, Thomasville, Ala.)
Ryan Kay (K, Hampton, Ga.)
Lonnie Gosha (DL, Lake Butler, Fla.) - left Arkansas midway through last year

Photo courtesy of Paul Oberle

When we asked Jay to be our emcee for the 2011 Got Heart, Give Hope Gala, we knew he was the man for the job.  Anyone who has heard him speak can attest to the power of his words, voice and emotions.  What I did not know was how amazing he would be as our Gala's auctioneer.  He did more than just lead the auction--he owned that stage!  I guess this proves that if you can lead on the battlefield, you can lead anywhere else too.

I love this photo of Jay as he takes command of everyone is the room.  Jay is also the founder and executive director of Wounded Wear, a nonprofit that provides clothing and clothing modifications for wounded service members. 

Jay has also recently taped a public service announcement for Hope For The Warriors®.  Here is a small thank you clip that was also filmed that day. 

And not for the first time... a Miami Herald reader reveals more insight in their comments about the news than the Herald reporter does in their reporting of a news story; Miami-Dade's lobbying fees


A well-informed and observant Miami Herald reader states what radio industry icon Paul Harvey used to famously call "the rest of the story" in his syndicated show, via the comments section of

The Panettieri house, after Christmas dinner...

Dad: HEY, DON'T YOU WANT SOME CHRISTMAS COOKIES? EAT SOME CHRISTMAS COOKIES!
Owen: I have not eaten cookies all year.
Dad: WHAAT??
Owen: I HAVEN'T EATEN COOKIES ALL YEAR!
Dad: OH...

Neither of us is hard of hearing. We just talk LOUD.

Merry Christmas, Folks. The last largest hurdle has been jumped. Less than a week to go now.. It's almost done. There were many wonderful Christmas cookies on display this week, but I avoided them all. It was a tough one. Home-made cookies. Store-bought cookies. Somehow they always taste sweeter at the holidays.

I bought myself a post-New Year's box of Mallomars this week. Somehow they always seem to disappear from store shelves during Christmas week. So I've got those delicious treats chilling in my fridge. Less than a week to go. It finally ends!!!