Super Bowl Update

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.