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After an extended absence due to vacation and illness, Radio Free Sports returns with an extended club remix (i.e. Rob Daniels and Jim Young talked a long time). Rob and Jim cover everything from the plight of ex-Wake linebacker Jon Abbate, to the NCAA's ban on text messaging, to the ACC's early entrants into the NBA Draft. In a stunning development, Rob and Jim disagree on a lot of these issues.
(23:16)
Glasper, if you didn't know, was a safety last season on N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien's last Boston College squad. Despite being an anchor for the Eagles' defense, he didn't get drafted. In this piece on ESPN.com, Glasper has an explanation why, and some pretty pointed criticism of O'Brien.
According to Glasper, O'Brien changed course after BC had played four games in 2006 forcing Glasper to play with an injured hip rather than allowing the safety to take a medical redshirt for the season. Playing hurt, Glasper reasoned, made him damaged goods in the eyes of NFL scouts.
First impression? This is a very damaging story for O'Brien and N.C. State. If a coach gets a reputation as being untrustworthy and willing to treat players as expendable commodities - which this story certainly suggests - then it's going to be very, very hard for him to sell himself and his school on the recruiting trail. And we all know what happens with recruiting goes badly.
Hold on though, because there are several different impressions to be formed here, if you go back in time and do a little more research.
First, check out this story that ran on Glasper in the New Haven Register just before the draft. Glasper's still ticked, but not nearly as overt in his criticism. And while the ESPN.com piece states that Glasper didn't find out until after the fourth game of the season that he wouldn't be allowed to redshirt, the New Haven piece doesn't specify the time. Here's how that issues is handled in that piece ...
But he was surprised to find out that the BC coaching staff wouldn't allow him to red-shirt. Although the doctor that performed his surgery hadn't cleared him to play, BC's team doctor had, apparently reasoning that, technically, nothing had to be repaired in his hip. If Glasper elected to sit out this past season, he would not have been offered a scholarship for next year.
"It was either I played, or my career at BC was over," he said.
So he played, though not until the fifth game of the season.
That may not seem like a big difference, but it's actually huge. In the ESPN piece, O'Brien comes off as downright unethical - withdrawing the promise of a redshirt when his team's defense starts to struggle. In the New Haven piece, while it's still not clear when O'Brien informed Glasper he couldn't redshirt, O'Brien comes across as merely an old-school coach, essentially telling Glasper that he won't give him a medical redshirt because the team doc has cleared the safety to play. That doesn't make O'Brien seem like the most loveable guy, but it's much better than being seen as a liar.
One side note: Kevin Lempa, the defensive backs coach mentioned frequently in the ESPN.com article, did not join O'Brien at State. Instead, he now works at Maryland. Some have suggested he has an axe to grind with O'Brien. Others wondered whether he wasn't brought down to Raleigh because he butted heads with O'Brien over how Glasper was handled. Of course, it's also possible that Lempa just took another job at another school and it has nothing to do with Glasper.
It should also be noted that Glasper was one of the players that BC brought to the preseason ACC football media gatherings. That's a strange thing to do if the team had already agreed to redshirt the player, as the ESPN.com piece says BC had elected to do with Glasper.
In two earlier stories, from during the season, Glasper doesn't appear nearly as bitter about the decision to play, rather than sit out the 2006 season. Here's what he said in a Boston Globe article a few days before he played in his first game.
`` Sitting out is probably one of the worst experiences I've ever had to deal with, especially considering the fact that in 14 years of playing I've never sat out a season of football," Glasper said. ``Watching the first home game against Clemson, I was nearly in tears watching the guys come out because for the first time I felt like I wasn't a part of something. I mean, they were going out there and I'd been with them for three years."
Asked to gauge where he was in his recovery, Glasper said, ``I think it just comes right down to heart. You can't put a percentage or anything on it, on how I feel or anything. I just know deep down in my heart I'm meant to play football and, ultimately, that's going to happen."
Certainly it can be argued that Glasper was merely saying all the right things because he knew that the coaches held all the power in determining his future with the team. Maybe at that time he was inwardly ticked at being forced to come back while outwardly declaring his burning desire to get back on the field. But then there's this article in the BC student paper that ran before Glasper played in his final home game for BC. Look at what Glasper says about returning from injury:
"Coaches want their players back on the field and contributing as soon as possible," said Glasper. "And that should be the idea of players. I don't think the idea should be to place your future ambitions ahead of what you're trying to attain as a team."
This isn't an attempt to run down Glasper's reputation. Nor is it an attempt to polish up O'Brien's reputation. Just view it as additional information that you can use to make up your own mind.
One more thing, though. It looks like Glasper is taking a softer line than the one he took in the ESPN.com piece. Here's what he said to the N&O last night.
“I have no animosity toward Coach O’Brien,” he said. “I'm not bitter about anything or have any hatred.
“He's a good coach, a phenomenal coach. I understand what he did. From a coach's perspective, he did what he thought was best for the team. Maybe he knew that it would be his last year at BC and wanted it to be the best year it could be.”
... but I feel compelled to dedicate this blog entry to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) numbers the NCAA released yesterday.
Hopefully, you were able to make heads or tails out of the story I wrote in today's N&R. If not, I apologize. Perhaps you can take some solace in the number of times I beat my head against my keyboard while trying to make sense of phrases like "upper confidence boundary", "aggregate cohort" and the always fun "squad-size adjustment."
Yet, I feel compelled to provide you with the link to another APR story, one with a more global view than the piece I wrote, but one with clear connections to the Triad. It's the Associated Press story on the APR numbers.
It makes several good points that I sorta wish I'd made in my story.
1) Just because programs avoided penalties this year doesn't mean they're in the clear - particularly when the mysterious "squad size adjustment" is dropped for some teams.
2) The first big glitch in this APR system is that it clearly is harder for programs with less resources - like the historically black colleges and universities - to reach these benchmarks than it is for the wealthier BCS schools. The NCAA responded to this in part by issuing a bunch of waivers, but it still has to figure out a way to make things a bit more equal for schools that don't possess an army of academic advisors and tutors.
Given how few schools have been punished so far, I'm starting to think that there will be so man loopholes in the APR system as to make it pretty toothless. But I'm willing to wait until a full four-year data collection period is wrapped up. I'm sure the NCAA is relieved to hear that.
That's the plan for the college 3-point line in 2008-09, in case you missed it in today's paper. The proposed shift from 19-9 to 20-9 is up for a vote later this month. If approved, it'll go into effect in 2008-09.
A couple of thoughts on this.
One, I wasn't aware that there was such a groundswell of support for making the change. Not that I'm opposed to it. Just wondering, why now?
Two, it's a good thing they're giving schools a year before putting it into effect. I'm not saying it's going to fundamentally change the game but it will, I think, lessen the number of players who can legitimately shoot the 3 and, with greater space between the 3-point line and the lane, make the mid-range game much more important. Coaches need the time to figure out how they're going to adjust their tactics and, more importantly, to figure out how they're going to adjust their rosters to best take advantage of the altered game.
One interesting test case - assuming he doesn't blow up and turn pro before his junior season - would be Duke's Gerald Henderson. His jumper in its current state isn't good enough for 20-9. But man, his mid-range game is tailor-made for the proposed change.
... actually let me clarify that. Because of fantasy baseball, Roger Clemens is tearing me apart.
First, let me describe my feelings toward Clemens. I don't like him. This diatribe by ESPN's Bill Simmons, is very similar to the way I feel - although I'm not a Boston Red Sox fan, so I'm not as bitter about Clemens' refusal to acknowledge the Boston fans.
No, I'm more ticked by the naked hypocrisy of Clemen's career. Throughout his time in Boston, I was pretty much neutral toward the guy. I didn't take a side when he warred with management (although Simmons and many Sawx fans I know will tell you Clemens really was a fat, lazy slob when GM Dan Duquette made his infamous "twilight of his career" comment.) I didn't have a problem with his desire to leave Boston. After all, he was allegedly very much a family guy, who really wanted to move back to Texas. Secondary to that, supposedly, was his burning desire to win a title.
So naturally he signed with ... Toronto?
Hey, I actually kinda like the Blue Jays - I attended a game at old Exhibition Stadium back in the day - so you'd think I'd be pleased by Clemens' decision. Instead, I was insulted. Here was a guy who harped about wanting to be close to home in Texas and he chooses to play in Canada? A guy who is known for his burning desire to win suits up for a club that everyone knew was mediocre, at best? It was a naked grab for cash and Clemens didn't have the decency to admit it.
Strike one.
So Clemens gets himself in shape and has two fantastic seasons, sticking it in Duquette's face in the process. While many wondered if his best days were behind him, the Blue Jays stepped up and showed their faith in Clemens with a huge (at the time) contract. Clemens repays their faith by using some dubious opt-out clause to leave Toronto after just two years. Translation - he had gotten his money and now it was time to win. Oh, but he still made noises about maybe getting back closer to home ... then signed with the Yankees instead. The juggernaut Yankees who probably could have added me to their roster instead of Clemens and still won the title in 99. Clemens wins Game 4 of an already over World Series against an overmatched, injury-depleted Braves squad and gets his beloved ring. Pardon me while I puke.
Strike Two.
So Roger hangs around New York for a few more years, collects another ring and enjoys the best run-support a guy could ever want. Finally, though, he hangs it up. It's time, he says, to quit the grind and go back home to Texas to be with that lovely family. Clemens retires.
(wait for it, wait for it)
To the astonishment of no one, Clemens gets antsy and decides to "un-retire" by joining his hometown Astros. Seven years after talking about wanting to play closer to home, Clemens finally gets around to it. It doesn't hurt that the Astros essentially let him wander into the clubhouse, pitch, leave and then show up the next time his spot in the rotation is up. All that retirement talk, and riding into the sunset crap? Well, it kinda sticks in the craws of Yankee fans. And for once, I sorta sympathize with them.
Strike three.
Which brings me to my current dilemma. Back when my fantasy co-owner Marshall and I were doing our auction draft (we are the Iorg Brothers. He's Dane and I'm Garth. And yes, we're both in our 30s with steady jobs and families) we decided that Clemens would be worth taking a flier on. So we got him for just a $6 bid.
It was a shrewd move and one that could save our season after injuries to Felix Hernandez, Rich Harden and BJ Ryan have sidetracked us so far.
So when Clemens announced yesterday that he was coming back - again - and coming back to the Yankees, I was thrilled. He would do wonders for our rotation. He would win games with that potent Yankee lineup behind him. He was a heck of a lot better than Kei Igawa, who's been killing our WHIP and ERA so far.
But ...
He's Roger Clemens. Mr. Family Guy who needed all that special treatment last season from Houston is now commuting to ... New York? He's going to make more money over the rest of the season than the entire Devil Rays lineup, so it can't be about the money can it? Nahh.... He could have gone to the Red Sox, who actually have a better team this season, but something tells me New York probably offered a bit more cash. So maybe it really was about the money with Roger. It almost always is.
So, you see how this is killing me inside? I must root for Roger to do well - against every fiber in my being - if I want the Iorg Brothers to do well.
I suspect I'll find a way to make this work, because that's what tried and true fantasy baseball players do. We sell our fan souls for better stats. I once fielded a team of me-first egomaniacs in which Gary Sheffield and Frank Thomas played prominent roles. My fellow league owners dubbed my squad, "Team Despicable."
Yes, I'll learn to cheer for Clemens ...
But it won't be easy.
Yes, that's right, I'm back. I just discovered my forgotten password, allowing me to blog for the first time since, oh, the Ford administration. And since NCHSAA media relations guru Rick Strunk sent out the highlights of last week's spring board meeting too late for me to get this in my published high school notes, I wanted highlight one rule change by blog. You can read further Friday in this week's prep notes ...
High school wrestlers will no longer be allowed to exceed 55 matches prior to the conference tournament. And a team will henceforth be allowed to wrestle only one double-dual match (two team matches in one day) per season.
The issue, we're told, is that way too many wrestlers were finishing the season with 90-95 victories. Given that the top season records in the nation traditionally come in at about 75 wins, the high school association thought N.C. wrestlers were going overboard, or at least were being overworked.
I'll follow up on this from the coaches' point of view Friday, but at first glance, I have to say that most of those winning 90 times in a season are piling up 30- to 60-second wins, i.e. they're pinning people in the first period. So it's not a case of overburdened wrestlers in those cases. Begging the question: Was this rule change really necessary?
If there are any wrestlers out there, feel free to chime in on this issue.
... not when someone's around to record your words on a blog.
That was the case for Roy Williams, who spoke at the coaching clinic of former Tar Heel and current Auburn coach Jeff Lebo. Here's the link to the blog entry.
I can save you some time though and provide the juiciest quote right here:
"In our situation, it's not changing very much because North Carolina is such a good school and the requirements to get in are pretty darned difficult. I don't think any other school in the ACC has as much difficulty as we do getting kids in, even Duke. They talk a big game."
Looks like Roy is talking a pretty big game as well, now. And man, if you ever wanted to get under the skin of a Duke fan, start picking at its reputation as the academic flagship program of the ACC. Make fun of Duke football all you want, label K an egomanical dictator if you wish, but going after the Blue Devils' admissions standards? Them's fightin' words.
Just check out the response by the Duke Basketball Report.
** Players representing 12 foreign countries are on the rosters of the four participating teams in Wake Forest's first- and second-round site. The competitors hail from Bolivia, Croatia, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Israel, Poland, Slovenia, South Africa, Thailand and Wales. And that's just four teams.
** Wake freshman Steve Forman enrolled in January, having graduated from a high school in San Diego one semester early. He says he talks almost daily with his friends back home, most of whom want to know about the adjustment to college life and when he'll be in California again.
** Wake coach Jeff Zinn on his team's season, in which the Deacs have set the school record for victories: "I really believed this was our year. And I still believe that."
If you missed the promo in today's paper, you should know that the good folks at the University of Georgia have provided a live video link on their first three courts - which means that you can watch the NCAA tournament matches of former Page High standout (and current No. 1 player in college tennis) John Isner live!
Here's the link I was able to use (he may have already wrapped up his doubles match by the time you see this).
If it doesn't work, just go to www.georgiadogs.com. Then scroll down and click on the Tournament Information graphic. Then look for the live video link.
If you don't catch Isner today, don't worry. His Georgia team is heavily favored and should be playing again on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Gilchrist, a 6-8/6-9 center and one of Virginia Tech's top basketball recruits from the Class of 2007, apparently wants out of his letter of intent now, according to a story by Mark "The Berminator" Berman in our sister paper, the Roanoke Times.
Gilchrist's reason for not wanting to come to Blacksburg? The shootings, apparently.
Or maybe I should say, "hopefully." Because if Gilchrist, who already has a history of school hopping at the high school level, is using the shootings as an excuse to try to get out of his LOI to VT, then that might be the most cynical move I've ever seen in basketball recruiting. And if you follow basketball recruiting at all, you know that's a pretty strong statement.
Check out the update here in Josh Barr's Washington Post blog. It is, as Barr puts it, a bit "bizarre."
First, note that Barr does a phone interview with Gilchrist's "personal trainer." Oh boy.
Then note that the trainer, Terrelle Woody, says that Gilchrist's high school coach, Van Whitfield of Progressive Christian (where Gilchrist played, although he was home-schooled), was not "authorized" to send out the release that stateed that Gilchrist wouldn't be going to VT because of the shooting. Oh boy, again.
Maybe the shootings really have rattled Gilchrist and made him question his college decision. You hope that other schools wouldn't use the tragedy as a tool to negatively recruit against the Hokies and convince Gilchrist to look elsewhere. You hope that Gilchrist's multiple "advisors" aren't using the tragedy as an excuse to perhaps land him at a more prominent basketball school, since Gilchrist has been described as a bit of sleeper that VT found early.
You hope, but you wonder.
We'll find out what Seth Greenberg and the VT basketball staff think of Gilchrist's reason when they decide whether to release him from his scholarship. Stay tuned.
Last week on the blog I mentioned how you could watch former Page standout John Isner play for Georgia in the NCAA tournament thanks to live webcams on www.georgiadogs.com. That will still be the case this weekend, because Isner and Co. advanced easily to the Round of 16 with wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Auburn. Here's a link to the Georgia site's report on the Auburn win. (That's big John in the foreground of the photo, by the way). Georgia now plays Florida at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Tune in to your webcams.
But Isner's not the only local you can catch on the web. Another former Page great, Catherine Newman, will be down in Athens this weekend with her fellow Vanderbilt Commodores as her team takes on Stanford in the women's Round of 16. Vandy rolled over rival Tennessee last weekend, with Newman playing a big role in doubles. Vandy will play the Cardinal at noon on Friday. As long as they're on Cts 1-3 of the Dan Magill Tennis Center, we should be able to watch Newman via the Georgia website as well.
Isner (who'll be the subject of a Friday feature in the News & Record) and Georgia will be favored to advance, as they're the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Newman and No. 16 Vandy, though, have an uphill climb against No. 1 Stanford. Both players have also qualified for the NCAA singles tournament, which starts right after the team tournament and Isner is also playing in the doubles tournament.
Patrick Patterson has finally ended his eons-long recruitment saga by choosing Kentucky over Florida and Duke. The surprise here is not that Duke lost out, but that the presumptive favorite, Florida, was unable to reunite Patterson with his good buddy, incoming Gators guard Jai Lucas. This is a pretty impressive early splash by UK's new coach, Billy Gillispie.
As for Duke, it's now going to have to make do with Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek in the low post and hope to land Greg Monroe in the Class of 2008.
... only this time it's in men's tennis. (Yes, I'm still talking about college tennis. As long as John Isner's still around in the NCAA tournament, I'll have my eye on it. Deal with it.)
The Wolfpack came into the NCAA tournament ranked No. 27 in the final regular season ITA poll. But State made noise last weekend by knocking off No. 6 UNC 4-0 in Chapel Hill. They continued that roll today, upsetting No. 11 Texas, 4-3. After losing the doubles point, State won at #2, #3, #4 and #6 singles to beat the Longhorns and advance to the quarterfinals, on Saturday. The Wolfies will face No. 3 Baylor, which should be feeling pretty nervous about now.
If you want to follow State's match then, or watch Isner and Georgia play this evening, or keep up with Catherine Newman and Vanderibilt's results tomorrow, just go to www.georgiadogs.com and scroll down to the tournament information banner ad.
College basketball junkies are looking for something to do besides following the career moves of Patrick Patterson. That is where arguing about the top 10 programs in the last decade comes in. Should Duke top the list? (20:33)
Yes, I realize today seems like it's been all John Isner all the time (hey, the guy is No. 1 in the nation in both singles and doubles, you know) but Greensboro has another proud Page Pirate competing in the NCAA tournament as well.
Catherine Newman, who plays No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles for No. 16 Vanderbilt, is on the court right now, starting her doubles match, as the Commodores take on No. 1 Stanford.
You can watch it all on the free, live video feed at www.georgiadogs.com (scroll down to the tournament info banner, click on it, then click on Live Video on the next screen). But, if you actually have other things to do, I'll do my best to keep you abreast of things with periodic live updates.
Here's my first one: Thanks to the slightly darker hair of Newman's doubles partner, junior Taka Bertrand, I've been able to figure out which is which on the video feed. Bertrand's the one wearing a baseball cap - oh, and Vandy's wearing the black skirts, while Stanford's in the red.
Unfortunately, Bertrand's also the one that just had her serve broken to start the match. 1-0 Cardinal.
12:17 update - One other thing you should know if you're trying to follow the video feed. When returning serve, Newman's playing in the ad-court. Otherwise, it's really, really hard to tell which one she is when they're on the far side of the court.
And if you don't know what the ad-court is, I really don't know how to help you. Actually, you're probably not watching this right now.
Anyway, sweet topspin lob by Bertrand gets Vandy the break right back. 1-1.
12:24 update:
Newman hammers a forehand winner to finish off a long game resulting in the (gasp!) first held serve of the match. 2-1 'Dores. Greensboro, represent. (Picture me pounding my heart with my right fist. Yes, I realize that gesture is so 2004).
This video feed's getting kinda addictive, actually.
12:33
Two more breaks in a row, and now it's 3-2 Newman and Co. Catherine's hold is starting to look pretty important.
In addition to the live video feed, there's also a live scoreboard as well, which allows you to keep up with how the other dual team matches are going. This is particularly important in doubles, because only one point is given, to the team that wins at least two out of the three doubles matches. So even if Newman and Bertrand keep their lead and win this match, it would be irrelevant if Vandy doesn't also win the other two doubles matches.
Right now, Stanford leads 3-2 in the other two matches.
Sadly, the live scoreboard and the live video feed are almost perfectly synchronized. I was hoping there might be like a 15 second delay on the video, so that I could see the scoreboard updated, then click over to the video and see it all unfold, just as the scoreboard foretold. Sorta make me feel like Desmond on Lost, only without the cool accent and the 40 days of facial hair growth.
Yeah, I should probably step away from the computer now.
12:42 Update
Helped by some fee-nominal defensive tennis by Bertrand, who half-volleys two Stanford overheads to keep a rally alive that ends in Vandy winning the point and the game, Vandy is now up 5-2. Basically, the Commodores are up two "holds" in this match. And both of those "holds" have come when Newman is serving. (Picture me now raising the roof. Yes, I admit I'm lame. I'm watching a video feed from my computer. What do you expect?)
Speaking of video feeds. I've finally figured out what's going on with the weird Court 1 feed. Each time I toggled over to it, it showed a score from a Florida-Baylor match and pictured players sitting on the court, watching action on the next court. However, I could tell by watching the Court 2 feed of Newman's match, that there was actually a real, live match taking place on Court 1. Weird, huh?
Turns out, the Court 1 camera is actually showing Court 4. Thank goodness I remembered the layout of the tennis center from my trip down to Athens last week. This would have driven me nuts otherwise.
12:56 Update
Well, if Vanderbilt doesn't win this doubles point, it won't be the fault of Newman and Bertrand. They just broke again to go up 6-2. Unfortunately though, Vandy's No. 1 doubles team is getting rolled, 7-2. (Oh, by the way, did I fail to mention they play 8-game pro sets in doubles? Sorry about that). It looks like it will all come down to No. 3 doubles, where Stanford's leading 7-5 right now.
Also just had an alarming thought about that Court 1/Court 4 camera snafu. Isner plays his matches on Court 1, for both No. 1 singles and doubles. We'd better get that corrected before he takes the court tomorow. Let's get on that, Georgia techie people.
1:03 Update
Whew! After losing on Court 1, 8-2, Vandy's No. 3 doubles was down two match points at 15-40, 5-7. But they fought back to hold serve. It's now 7-6 on that court.
I think it's 6-4 on Newman's court, with Stanford finally holding serve. But the scoreboard operator apparently took a coffee break, because the scores are no longer keeping up with the action. Thus, when you're toggling back and forth from one match to another, as I am, it gets sort of confusing.
Don't worry though, gentle reader. I will continue to soldier on. Why? Because I care, that's why.
1:07 Update
Well it doesn't really matter what the score was on Newman's court (6-5, 7-4?) because Vandy's No. 3 doubles team just lost 8-6.
This is what would drive me nuts about playing dual team tennis in the tournament play. Now that Stanford has won two of the doubles matches, it has claimed the doubles point. So Newman's match gets stopped mid-stream and we go straight to singles. She doesn't even get the satisfaction of finishing off the set. Thanks for the hour's worth of effort. Sorry if it seems meaningless.
The same thing happens in singles. Once one team has clinched the match, by getting the fourth point, they just halt all other matches immediately. Isner told that this has been an annoying trend for him, as well. Beginning with the SEC tournament, he's only finished one of his last five singles matches. Last night was more of the same. Up 7-5, 4-4 on Florida's Jesse Levine - the only guy to beat Isner in a dual-team match this season, by the way - Isner had to stop short of what could have been a very satisfying win because Georgia had already won the overall match, 4-0.
I understand that in tournament play it's all about the team, and there's no sense burning out players' legs in meaningless matches, but still ... it would frustrate me just a tad.
On to singles, 1-0 Stanford. Newman now will play No. 3 singles against Stanford's Celia Durkin, the No. 14 player in the nation. That's right, No. 14 in the country, but just No. 3 on her own team. There's a reason Stanford's No. 1. The three straight national titles the Cardinal have won are also pretty impressive. I probably should have mentioned that earlier, but I didn't want you to lose hope before the match even started. Then you probably wouldn't have made it this far in the blog, would you?
1:38 Update
Uh oh. Things aren't looking good for Newman. She was just broken for the second time and now trails Durkin, 4-0. If there's any comfort here, it's that Newman's not alone. Five of her six teammates are also trailing. Did I mention Stanford's won the last three team titles?
The problem here for Newman is that Durkin just has more firepower. Newman's a great athlete - remember, she was also a top-notch soccer player in high school - but even she doesnt' have the footspeed to track down some of the bombs Durkin's been firing her way. Point after point, Newman's eventually given up a short ball, and invariablly, Durkin's made her pay.
Newman's best shot is probably to string out this match, keep retrieving as many shots as possible, and hope that Durkin wears down and starts making mistakes. The problem with that strategy though, is that the team match will likely be over before it can start paying dividends.
1:44 Update
Going to keep these updates to a minimum for a while until there's something good to report about Newman's match. From my highly scientific view on this video feed, I'm guessing that she's giving up about 6 inches and 35 pounds to the much more powerful Durkin. I'm going to check the Stanford roster in a moment to see if I'm right (not that I'm expecting an actual weigh listing on a women's tennis roster. Some things about the genders are still just different, regardlesss of Title IX).
In a totally unrelated note, I just realized that No. 5 Northwestern, which was upset by No. 12 UCLA, has a woman named Alexis Prousis, senior, playing for them. I covered Alexis back when she was a freshman at Lake Forest High School in Illinois. Boy, do I feel old. Turns out Alexis won the national doubles title in 2006. Another brush with tennis greatness for me.
By the way, Durkin's 5-8, so the height differential is four inches, not six. Still, that definitely has somethign to do with the power gap between the two player.
2:15 update (the finale)
Well, that'll do it folks. It ended in a pretty appropriate way, with Durkin drilling a penetrating forehand deep that forced Newman into mishitting her forehand wide. Final score, 6-0, 6-1, Durkin.
It's a depressing result, no doubt, but Newman can at least look forward to playing in the NCAA singles tournament as well. And this kind of match is one she can definitely use as a learning experience. At this level, it's no longer enough to be consistent and a great defensive player. You've got to have some offensive weapons as well. Unless Newman adds a few inches to her 5-4 frame, that means she's going to have to work on her strength, and perhaps taking more balls early, instead of from behind the baseline - where Durkin frequently forced her today.
It'll mean a lot more work, but hey, this is the first year ever that Newman has focused solely on tennis. And she's just a freshman. There's plenty of time for her to improve, and plent more room before she reaches the ceiling of her potential, I think.
And with that, I bid you adieu. Hope you enjoyed the blog. I'm hoping to do a few more of these during other live events this summer ... if my bosses let me.
The baseball selections are still a week away, but it's already apparent the ACC is cleaning up in NCAA championships this spring.
The league has been represented in NCAA tournaments by 49 of the 58 teams its members field in the following sports: men's and women's tennis; men's and women's lacrosse; men's and women's golf; and softball. That's an 84-percent acceptance rate. For the sake of context, about 27 percent of the Division I teams in those sports get bids nationally.
Duke is still represented in both lacrosse events and Virginia became the first ACC program to make the men's tennis semifinals. Miami and Georgia Tech make up half the women's tennis semifinalists.
The ACC won't catch the Big Ten in across-the-board achievement for the 2006-07 school year. That league had five of the top eight spots in the rankings through the end of winter sports. But in terms of the really big picture, this is looking like the best year in ACC history.
Now if the league could find a way to get back in the men's Final Four ...
Staff Writer Jim Young is providing live updates from the Georgia-Virginia men's tennis match in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. Georgia features former Page standout John Isner, who plays No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Bulldogs. Jim is not on site, but he is glued to his computer, watching a live webfeed of the match. Check the top of this blog entry for the most recent updates.
4:40 Update
Well, Isner eventually fell, 6-4, 6-4, but something tells me he's not too upset right now. Though he failed to convert on three break points in the last game (he must have been about 0-for-8 on break points for the match), moments after Isner shook Devvarman's hand, No. 5 singles player Nate Shnugg closed out his match, 6-2 in the third set, to give Georgia the decisive point. (Helgeson had also won at No. 3 singles, a few moments before the end of Isner's match).
So even though Isner suffered just his second loss in a dual match in well ... forever, Georgia advances with a 4-1 victory.
Up next is Illinois and another chance for a national title for Isner and the Bulldogs, who came up just short last season, losing in the title match to Pepperdine?
This time? I wouldn't bet against Georgia. The Bulldogs have a huge homecourt advantage with a large rowdy crowd behind them, and they've got fantastic depth, with players like Shnugg, a top 100 player, at the bottom of their lineup and Helgeson, the former Big 12 player of the year, in the middle.
And, of course, there's Isner at the top. This, more than anything, is why he came back to Georgia for one more season - another chance at a national title.
He gets another shot at it tomorrow, at 3 p.m.
4:25 Update
At the very least, Isner's going to make Devvarman earn it (and if I've spelled Devvarman's name wrong repeatedly in this blog, I apologize. It's live blogging, without a net). Isner holds again to close to 5-4. Meanwhile, Helgeson's a game away at No. 3 singles.
4:20 Update
Looks like it just might not be Big John's day. He plays well, getting to break point twice, but just can't put together one more point to break Devverman and get back on serve. After a long, long, long, game Devverman finally aces to hold serve and go up 5-3.
In better news, Omerzel won at No. 4 singles to put Georgia up 2-0 and Flores is already up a break in the third set.
4:10 Update
Isner holds again to make it 4-3 Devvarman, but he's running out of time. He needs to string together a series of strong points on Devverman's serve, or he'll be out of this match.
Meanwhile, Flores just dropped the second set at No. 2 singles. With Helgeson and Omerzel looking strong, Georgia looks pretty set to get 3 points. Someone, either Flores, Hunt, Shnugg or Isner, is going to have to win a three-set match to put the Bulldogs in the title match.
4:04 Update
I promised you a score update earlier and failed to deliver. My bad. Isner just held serve to close the gap to 3-2.
At No. 2 singles, Flores is serving to stay in the second set, at 4-5. He won the first set.
At No. 3 singles, Georgia's Travis Helgeson is up a set and up 4-2 in the second set.
At No. 4 singles, Ga's Omi Omerzel is rolling, up a set and 4-2 as well.
At No. 5 singles, Ga's Nate Shnugg is a game away from tying things up at one set apiece, up 5-2 in the second set.
At No. 6 singles, Ga's Jamie Hunt is up 4-3 in the second set, after dropping the first set.
Overall, it's still very tight, but the Bulldogs have a slight edge right now.
3:58 Update
Looks like things are gettin' a little chippy. At Ad-in on Devverman's serve, Isner blisters an inside-out forehand that he thinks is in for a winner. As he's pumping his fist, Devverman calls it wide. Isner walks up to the net and appears to dispute the call (we have no sound on this web feed, so I have to fill in a few blanks here).
The call goes against Isner, so it's now 3-1 Devverman. But Isner looked smoother in that game and now maybe he's a little fired up as well.
3:46 Update
That break of serve was predictable, unfortunately. Isner played as if he had a mental hangover from the previous game, and was very loose and unfocused. After making a passing shot to win the game, Devverman sprinted over to his seat, while Isner trudged back slowly to get his towel. Uncle Mo is squarely in Devverman's corner.
Looks like Isner made need a little help from his friends today. Score update from the other courts coming up.
3:42 Update
Man, it's got to be frustrating for Isner right now. I'm getting frustrated just watching it. He's dictating almost every single point, while Devverman's doing little more than just running and retrieving, running and retrieving. But each time Isner seems to have put himself in position to really take control of the point, he makes an error. Or, when it seems Isner finally has control of the point, Devverman gets back one more ball, just keeping thing alive. At one point, after missing a short forehand, Isner bent over double, as if it say, "I can't take much more of this."
1-1 in the second set. We'll see if Isner can bounce back mentally.
3:36 Update
Hazard of doing a live blog. In the space of time it takes me to type an entry, Isner has already held serve again. 1-0 Isner in the second set, after losing the first.
3:31 Update
Devverman holds at love to win the first set, 6-4. You can pretty much explain the first set this way: Isner missed his chance to break Devverman's serve, while Devverman made the most of his lone opportunity to break Isner. Looking beyond that, though, it's clear that Isner is facing a guy with metronome-like consistency. Isner' not going to out-rally Devverman from the baseline. He needs to shorten the points and get to the net, to take advantage of his edge in the power department. Isner had his chances in the first set, but made far too many unforced errors, particularly on his approach shots.
On the other courts, it remains very tight. Georgia took the first set at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles, but dropped the first set at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.
Think that doubles point was important?
Isner's teammate at No. 5 singles, freshman Nate Shnugg, also dropped the first set. But Flores and Omerzel won theirs.
3:28 Update
Now there's an impressive service game. Two aces and two service winners for Isner to close back to 5-4. Glad to see that I'm not alone in having trouble getting Isner's serve back. Heck, if the No. 2 player in all of college tennis has this much difficulty, did I ever really stand a chance? Apparently not.
3:21 Update
Spoke too soon, Devverman just broke Isner to go up 4-3.
The other matches are still tight, but Flores is up 5-3 at No. 2 singles and Matic "Omi" Omerzel is up 5-2 for Georgia at No. 4 singles.
3:10 Update
3-2 Isner. We're on serve, but this is fitting into Isner's usual match MO. Devverman's last service game just went to several deuces. Isner lost just one point on his serve. Let the wearing down process begin. Back in a minute with some score updates from the other courts ...
2:59 Update
It's 1-1 in the early going in the No. 1 singles match between Isner and UVA's Sundav Devverman. Devverman, by the way, was ranked No. 2 nationally in the final regular season ITA rankings. So it's a 1 vs. 2 matchup. Perhaps a preview of the NCAA singles tournament? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
2:32 Update
1-0 UGA forehand volley winner by Isner.
1-1. Flores forehand in the net. Man, these UVA guys are hard to pass.
2-1 UVA Flores misses a passing shot.
2-2 UVA hits a shot in the net. Isner/Flores equally hard to pass.
3-2 UGA Isner poaches across and hammers a forehand volley winner. That's five straight points won by the server.
3-3 Isner's passing shot goes a bit long. Opportunity missed. Time to switch sides. And vomit if you're feeling a bit too nervous.
4-3 UGA. Cue the voice of Bud Collins. Mini-break! Flores hammers a forehand that UVA volleys into the net.
5-3 UGA. That ... was ... impressive. After Isner's serve forces UVA to float a return, Flores leaped high and pounded an unreturnable overhead.
6-3 UGA - Once more, just a point away.
7-3 UGA. Curse you jumpy video. It froze just as UVA served, then unfroze with the score suddenly 7-3 and the players filing off the court. Not only did we miss how UGA won the match, we also likely missed a very amusing Isner leaping fist pump.
Still, the more important thing is that Georgia gained the critical doubles point. 1-0 Bulldogs.
Time to eat something before returning to singles.
2:23 updateTiebreaker! 8-8. Oh the humanity.
2:17 update
Flores holds serve to stop the bleeding. 8-7 Georgia. He's been the stronger member of the Isner/Flores duo today. That's the beauty of doubles. When one guy's down (not saying Isner's been down, exactly, but work with me here) his partner can pick him up.
2:14 update
Not to sound too fatalistic, but if Isner and Flores drop this match, and Georgia drops the doubles point, it could be a pretty big uphill climb for the Bulldogs to pull out the overall team match.
It's now 7-7 and UVA has fought off 3 match points to even the match. Momentum is squarely on the side of the Cavaliers.
Flores to serve ...
2:05 Update
Oh boy.
It's getting a wee bit tight down in Athens. It looked like Georgia had the doubles point all but wrapped up after it won No. 3 doubles, 8-3 and Isner was serving for the match at No. 1 doubles, 7-5. But after fighting off five break points, Isner and Flores couldn't make it past No. 6. Meanwhile UVA broke serve to win at No. 2 doubles, 8-6.
So it's 1-1 in doubles matches and 7-6 Georgia, but on serve. Feel free to bit your nails.
1:43 Update
That was waaaay too easy.
Isner holds at love, giving UGA a 6-3 lead at No. 1 doubles. Remember it's an eight-game pro set.
Quick update on the other two matches. It's 4-4 at No. 2 doubles, after UVA had originally taken a 4-1 lead. And it's 5-2 Georgia at No. 3 doubles.
Remember, the team that wins at least two of the doubles matches wins the single doubles point. Then it's on to singles.
1:32 Update
I looked pretty smart two games later, when UGA picked up the first break of the match. There was an amusing moment when UVA double-faulted to lose the game and Isner leaped up in the air and pumped both fists. 1) It was pretty, ummm, dorky looking, at least on video. 2) In the strict etiquette of tennis, you usually don't celebrate any opponents' miscues like that. But hey, this is college tennis.
And did you notice that the stands behind the far court are packed? Probably 3,000 or so people there. Yep, there's a reason why Athens is frequently the host location for the NCAA tournament.
4-1 Isner and Flores.
1:19 Update
It's 1-1 now, but so far, advantage Georgia. It took Isner and Flores five points to wrap up Isner's serve. It took UVA 16 points - and two break points - to finally hold its serve. This is one thing Isner mentioned to me a couple of weeks ago. He tends to wear opponents down because he holds his serve so much easier than they do. Eventually, Isner usually breaks through.
If you're watching along on the video feed, my apologies for its jumpiness (or maybe it's just my computer). Several times it has frozen in time, then jumped ahead, with the point already finished, leaving us to wonder exactly what happened.
Oh, and thanks to UVA's orange shirts, it's kinda hard to tell the teams apart (aside from the fact that Isner is a head taller than everyone else on the court). Here's another useful tip. Georgia - hats. UVA - no hats.
1:10 Update
And we're under way!
Unlike Friday, when it was kind of tricky to tell Catherine Newman apart from her teammate, Taka Bertrand, we should have no such troubles today. Isner and his double partner, Luis Flores, are the guys dressed in red. Isner is the 6-9 right-handed white guy. Flores is the 6-2 left-handed Mexican. If you're still having trouble telling them apart, well then, I really don't know what to tell you.
Isner hammers in a serve that slices into the body of the UVA player in the deuce court. He smacks it long, and Georgia wins the first game. Anyone surprised that Isner is the first guy to serve for the Bulldogs? Me neither
12:55 Update
Okay, looks like we're moments away from getting this show on the road.
Illinois just knocked off Baylor, 4-3. This makes me happy for three reasons.
1) It gets these teams off the court and gets Isner and Georgia on. You didn't click on this blog for Baylor-Ilinois tennis updates did you? Of course not.
2) Illinois is No. 10, Baylor is No. 3. If Georgia advances to the final, technically, it's playing the weaker team. Technically. You can't exactly ignore that Illinois just knocked off the No.2 (Ohio State) and No. 3 teams in consecutive matches.
3) College tennis has long had a reputation for having a significant foreign influence. Nothing wrong with that and please don't paint me as a xenophobe. But don't you think Baylor could have given at least a little more of its scholarship money to some home-grown talent? Here's the breakdown of the Bears' top 6 - two from Germany, one from Slovenia, one from the Czech Republic, one from Hungary and one from England. God bless the USA! One theory here: Have you ever been to Waco? From what I hear, it's very possible that the only players Baylor could attract were ones who came from halfway around the world, who'd never heard of, or seen Waco. Just a theory.
Okay, the real action is just around the corner. Back in a few ...
12:28 Update:
Okay, the wait probably won't be as long as I'd anticipated. Apparently the scoreboard page had been frozen for a while and matches were farther along than I'd thought.
It's now 3-2 Baylor, but Illinois is up a set in one match and up a break in the third in the other.
More in just a bit ...
12:01 Update
Well, live at some point.
See, this is why you have me doing this live blog for you. Otherwise, you would go to the live video feed and be very confused by the sight of players from Baylor and Illinois involved in a tense singles match.
Allow me to explain: Baylor (No. 3 seed) and Illinois (No. 10 seed) are playing in the first semifinal, which began at 9 a.m. Why the NCAA continues to schedule team matches just three hours apart when both teams have to play an eight-game pro set for doubles, rest for a moment and then play a best-of-three set singles match is beyond me. So naturally, the Bears and the Fighting Illini (can we still call them that? Have they come up with a new nickname? Do they have to?) are locked in a tight match that is NOWHERE NEAR finishing. Right now it's 1-1 and at least three matches appear headed for third sets.
This is where I come in though. I'll be the one checking in periodically to give you updates, so you'll know just when Georgia and Virginia start and Isner takes the court for No. 1 doubles. No worries for you. Just check the blog every 15 minutes or so.
You can thank me later. Or now, you'd like.
Looks like the good folks at www.georgiadogs.com have scrapped the live video from today's event. I'm guessing it has something to do with ESPN (or espn2, perhaps) eventually televising the team finals on tape delay.
But you don't want to wait that long, do you? Of course not. So I'll let you know that Georgia took the doubles point (though John Isner and Luis Flores were actually down 8-7 when the point was clinched) and have raced out to leads in several singles matches.
John Isner is pummeling Kevin Anderson, the No. 5 player in the nation, 5-0 and No. 4 singles player Nate Schnugg is up 4-1. So things are looking good right now for Isner and the Dawgs.
Back in the spring of 2002, N.C. State football fans groaned when a top-notch linebacker prospect out of Tampa elected to pursue a pro baseball career after having signed an LOI to play football for the Wolfpack.
That near-miss recruit? Tampa Devil Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes. Had he gone to State, he might have been a fifth-year senior on last year's team. Think the Wolfpack needed help at linebacker in 2006?
On the other hand, had he gone to State, Dukes might have given the school and the coaches a whole lot of headaches. He's always had a reputation as a loose cannon. Just ask the Durham Bulls, and now, just ask his wife.
Check out this article in the St. Pete Times about Dukes' growing list of domestic disputes. Scary stuff.
While we should all be careful not to rush to judgement (Duke lacrosse anyone?) the voice mails that Dukes' wife played for the newspaper don't leave a lot of room for interpretation. That is assuming, of course, that the voice on those messages is the voice of Elijah Dukes.
You dead, dawg," says an angry voice. "I ain't even bulls-------. Your kids, too."
Yikes. Maybe things really turned out for the best for the Wolfpack. Really.
(edit: Here's the photo of the photo of the gun. Can't believe I missed this earlier.)
Troubled former Grasshoppers pitcher Jeff Allison is apparently on the run from authorities nearly five months after he failed to appear in Guilford County Drug Court and the presiding judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
The Greensboro Police Department confirmed Wednesday that two warrants remain outstanding on Allison.
The 22-year-old and former first-round draft pick of the Florida Marlins, who has had repeated problems with heroin abuse, was about to get a second chance from the legal system. Although he had admitted to drug problems, he has not been convicted of a felony in any jurisdiction and was therefore eligible for Drug Court, a diversion program that allows defendants to clear their records if they participate in rehabilitation and maintain a regular schedule of court appearances and other monitored behavior.
His most recent arrests came in High Point and Greensboro in October of last year. He was charged with felony possession of a stolen vehicle and felony heroin possession.
He forfeited most of the $1.8 million signing bonus he was to receive from the Marlins after his intial drug use. In April 2005, he returned to the mound and proclaimed himself buoyed by the support of the Greensboro community after a successful season. His career never made it to 2006.
He is now out of action for the third time in four seasons.
The ACC is considering a fall signing day for football. But is this a good thing? Other highlights: Was ESPN engaging in bad journalism or capitalism its dealings with high school hoops star Patrick Patterson. (20:51)
In his Round of 32 match against Bassam Beidas of Pepperdine. No live blog today, because I've got a bunch of other things going on, but I'll try to pop back in with an update or two. Also, Catherine Newman is scheduled to play at 1:30 against Theresa Logar of Stanford, who is a 9-16 seed.
Isner and his doubles parter Luis Flores will start that tournament later today at 5:30, against Dan Hanegby and Saurabh Kohli of Brown.
You can follow Isner's match live on the web feed at www.georgiadogs.com. Just go to the site, scroll down to the tournament information banner, click on it, and then go to live video. He's on Court 1.
He's already up 1-0. Wow, that was fast.
John Isner is through easily to the Round of 16. He rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bassam Beidas of Pepperdine. Next up is Kevin Skupski of LSU. Skupski, by the way, knocked off Wake Forest's Todd Paul - a 9-16 seed - in the first round.
Catherine Newman's locked up in a tight match, it's 5-5 in the first set against Theresa Logar of Stanford, a 9-16 seed.
In the Big Four, UNC's Katrina Tsang lost in the second round of the women's singles draw, to Melina Gloria of Fresno State, 6-2, 6-3. She was the last Big Four player alive in singles, in either men's or women's. Not exactly a banner year on the courts individually for UNC, Duke, Wake and State.
Staff writer Jim Young is providing live updates from John Isner's Round of 16 singles match in the NCAA men's tennis tournament. Isner is a former standout at Page High School and is the No. 1 ranked singles and doubles player in college tennis. Jim is not on site, but he is glued to his computer, watching a live webfeed of the match. Check the top of this blog entry for the most recent updates.
Oh boy, Isner's not responding well to prosperity. A double fault to start off his serve, followed by a volley error that bounced before it got to the net. 15-30, Isner's down. I missed how he got his point, while I was typing. Let's assume it was a service winner, shall we.
Ace! 30-all.
Ace again!!! 40-30. Did I say that Isner was in trouble? Of course not.
Match point ..... service winner! Game set and match Isner, 7-6, 7-5.
In those four points, Isner showed us why he's a threat to win the national title. Down 0-30, after playing two sloppy points, he turns things around with four swings of his racket. No one else in this tournament - and very few people in the world, actually - can do that. And in this tournament, where most matches from here on will be very, very tight, having the ability to win easy points on your serve is a weapon of immense value.
So it's on to the quarterfinals for Isner, where he'll face the winner of Steven Moneke (No. 5 seed, Ohio State) and Daniel Vallverdu (unseeded, Miami).
Isner and Flores play their Round of 16 double match at 4 p.m. today, against Adam Hubble and Ben Rogers, of Tennessee.
11:48 update
Are you sitting down? You should be. Brace yourself ...
WE HAVE A SERVICE BREAK!!!
Thanks to three straight unforced errors and then a beautiful forehand passing shot that Isner ripped down the line, the 6-9 pride of Greensboro is up 6-5 and serving for the match.
11:37 update
Things got interesting there for a second, as Isner fought back to actually force - gasp! - deuce on Skupski's serve. Then Skupski rolled through the next two points. 5-4 Skupski, on serve.
I'd love to spice this up folks, but I can only blog what I see with my own two eyes. And what I see are two guys with pretty dominating service games.
11:29 update
4-3 Skupski. Still on serve. Also just in, water is wet.
While Isner and Skupski keep winning their serves, Isner's teammate's singles tournament just ended on Court No. 2. Luis Flores fell to No. 3 seed Jesse Levine - who is in Isner's quarter of the draw, by the way, in straight sets.
Meanwhile, Georgia's No. 3, Travis Helgeson, has just stepped on to Court No. 2 to start his match with UVA's Somdev Devvarman. Yes, that's three Bulldogs in the Round of 16. Any wonder why they won the national team title?
11:23 Update
Two more games played in four minutes flat. Think these guys are having trouble holding serve? Me neither. 3-2 Skupski.
Since I have nothing more to add until we reach the inevitable second-set tiebreaker, I'll take this moment to share with you that Skupski is from Liverpool, England. Perhaps a well-researched Georgia fan is heckling him with "AC Milan!" chants during change-overs.
Wonder how many times Skupski's been asked, "Hey, do you like the Beatles?" Wonder how many times people at LSU have giggled when he's told them he's a Liverpudlian.
11:19 update
2-1 Skupski, as we're - surprise! - back on serve in the second set. The over-under on breaks in this match has been set at 0.5. I'm taking the under.
11:08 update
UGA tennis pr guy Kyle Harris told me stories of Isner's ability to really crank up his serve. It's showing right now in the tiebreaker. Isner won his first three service points with ace, winner, ace. 3-2 Isner.
Cue Bud Collins. Mini-break! Wicked, low, backhand return of serve forces Skupski to dump a volley into the net. 4-2 Isner.
Skupski responds with a punishing forehand winner. 4-3 Isner.
Isner gives back the mini-break with a double-fault. 4-4.
Service winner. This one almost disembowels Skupski. 5-4. Isner.
Wow! Brilliant forehand winner by Skupski. 5-5.
Great defensive tennis by Isner gets him another minibreak, 6-5 Isner.
Yikes! Double-fault on set point for Isner. Looks like he really went for it on the second serve. 6-6, changing sides.
Clearly, Isner is rattled. Ace down the middle. 7-6 Isner.
Isner misses another forehand approach - that's been a nagging problem for him. 7-7.
Ace, Skupski. He leads, 8-7.
Service winner, Isner. 8-8. Oh, the tension.
Ace down the middle for Isner, 9-8. That brings up set point #3.
Great defensive tennis again by Isner wins him the first set, 10-8 in the tiebreak. He blocks back a strong serve, then guesses right when Skupski blasts an inside-out forehand. Isner's forehand goes deep down the line forcing a forehand error out of the lefty. That's probably a horrible description, but trust me, it was really good tennis.
7-6 Isner in the first set. This is typical Isner tennis. It wasn't a blowout, but his serve kept him going until he won just enough big points - i.e. three in the tiebreaker - to pull out the set.
By the way, the two points Skupski won off Isner's serve in the tiebreaker both came on double-faults.
10:55 update
Mmmm. That was a might-have-been game for Isner. Twice he got to within two points of the set, at 30-all and deuce, only to ahve Skupski serve up an ace and an overhead winner. But Isner also made three unforced errors in the game as well. Looks like a big missed opportunity.
On to the tiebreaker ...
10:45 update
Okay, now it's getting a little tense. 5-5 in the first set. Skupski hasn't exactly looked vulnerable on his serve. Isner's margin for error is thin.
Which is why it's nice to start off your serve with a booming ace down the middle. Geez. Skupski, my friend, I've been there before. (For those of who who have no idea what I'm talking about, I worte a first-person account of what it's like to face Isner's serve. Of the nine serves he got in the court, I managed to return one and got a piece of one other. The other seven were aces.)
Isner wraps up his serve at love, even after disputing a call on a serve he thought was another ace. Wish we had stats here, I'd love to know how many service aces and winners he has right now.
6-5 Isner. Something's gotta give soon.
10:40 update
Further proof that this Skupski guy is no chump. He has wins this season over Isner's doubles partner, Luis Flores, as well as the No. 6 seed in the tournament, Arnau Brugues, of Tulsa. Brugues, by the way, beat Isner in the finals of the Ralph Lauren All-American tournament in the fall, one of the major titles in college tennis.
The one time Skupski and Isner met this season, during a dual match between LSU and Georgia, they split sets but did not finish the match, because the Bulldogs team had already knocked off the Tigers.
If it seems like I'm not detailing much of the action here, it's because it's all going according to script so far. 5-4 Isner. Still on serve.
10:30 update
Okay, a quick confession. I just missed the last two games. Where was I? Umm... coffee goes through my system very rapidly. Need more? No? Good.
Still on serve, 4-3 Isner.
10:20 Update
Skupski, by the way, is left-handed. Isner has admitted that he pretty much hates playing lefties. Everything's coming at you from a different angle and spinning the opposite direction. Plus, the usual shot to the backhand is now a shot to the lefty's forehand, and vice versa. Basically, it's very counter-intuitive. It's one of the reasons Isner believes he struggled and lost to Florida's Jesse Levine, the No. 3 seed in this tournament, in the regular season.
Wham! Another ace from Isner (I feel your pain, Skupski). 3-2 Isner. On serve.
10:10 update
Okay, so the first update isn't exactly at 10 a.m. sharp. I am but one blogger, people, with two hands. Please bear with me.
Isner's taking on Ken Skupski of LSU. Skupski's unseeded, but he knocked off Wake Forest's Todd Paul, a 9-16 seed, with relative ease in the first round, 6-2, 6-3. He then rolled in straight sets in his second round match. He finished the regular season ranked No. 24 in the country. Not exactly chump change.
A bit of a scare early for Isner, as Skupski got up two break points, at 15-40. But man, it's nice to have a powerful serve. Isner got out of the jam, then served up an ace and a winner to close out the game.
2-1 Isner.
So the manager of the Yankees -- for today, his name is Joe Torre -- says heroic, gritty, gutty savior Roger Clemens will make his 2007 debut in Chicago on Monday. And since they've been there every step of the way through Clemens' slow but steady climb through the minors, ESPN is sure to give us the star treatment for this entirely irrelevant baseball game.
Here's one promotional slogan you probably won't hear: "Watch as Roger Clemens aims to cut the Yankees' deficit from 14 games to 13."
While many pontificated that a Fenway appearance might be poetically appropriate for The Great Return, what's better than Chicago? This entire story has been told by melodramatic windbags, each eager to outdo the other in hyperbole. So why not start the circus in the Windy City?
And this one, I gotta admit, I didn't see coming.
According to a release just issued by the NCAA, all non-seniors from the 2006 Duke lax team (the one disbanded midway through the season, in case you were living under a rock) will get a fifth year of eligiblity, either at Duke or another NCAA institution.
"These individuals were involved in an unusual circumstance that we believe warrants providing them the opportunity to complete their four years of competition,” said Jennifer Strawley, NCAA director of student-athlete reinstatement and membership services."
If guys like John Danowksi, the team's top player and the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming pro lax draft, decide to return to Duke for another season, then the Blue Devils will be one of the favorites for the 2008 national title.
I can't think of another decision like this in NCAA history, but then again, I can't think of another situation quite like the one Duke lacross went through last year.
The Media are accused of many biases, one of which is related to time zones. Things on the West Coast are often ignored, the Pacific crowd alleges. Here's an example where they're right.
On Wednesday afternoon, a host of the thrice-hourly news updates on ESPN Radio informed us that Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox, one of the only two teams that matter in Major League Baseball, extended his hitting streak to 21 games on Tuesday night. When reading the Mariners' score moments later, the broadcaster failed to let us know that Ichiro extended his streak to 22.
Let's fast forward a few weeks. On the night that Ichiro gets to 50, what's the story? That "The Greek God of Walks" has hit in 45 of 50 for the Sox.
Duke lacrosse players get an extra season, ACC baseball tournament's funky format and whether sports celebrities' off-field antics are fair game are topics of today's show. (20:39)