Preview: NCAA Baseball Austin Regional

It's time again for another race to Rosenblatt for the best 64 baseball teams in the land. The Texas Longhorns start their question to be 'Back Home in Omaha' this weekend at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. The 3 other teams that will vie for a trip to the Super Regional are the UC-Irvine Anteaters, Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Brown Bears (Not literally Brown Bears, but the Bears from Brown University, though their mascot is a Brown Bear. So you figure that one.) Anyway, here is a small preview of each team and their chances in the regional:

Brown Bears 24-18 (14-6 Ivy League, Roulfe Division):

The Bear finished the year in 1st place of the Roulfe Divison in the Ivy League. However, they are the lowest seed in the bracket and are not expected to make much of a splash this weekend. Brown will look to play the role of upset team against the likes of Texas and UC Irvine.

On offense, Ryan Murphy, Devin Thomas, Matt Nuzzo and Jeff Dietz are all batting above .333 on the year with Thomas providing 16 HR and 64 RBI to lead the team. The Bears can put some runs on the board. Thirteen times the have put up over 10 runs and four batters on their team have double digit extra base hits on the year. However, you must view these offensive numbers along with the somewhat week competition they have faced. When playing against South Carolina (their most difficult opponent of the year) the Bears were swept 13-1, 11-2 and 9-4.

The Bears only have 2 pitchers with over 10 starts made. Jeff Dietz (who I might add is the same Jeff Dietz batting .337 on the year) is the leading starter, going9-3 on the year with a 2.53 ERA and 7 complete games. James Cramphin is the other regular starter at 6-3 with a 5.12 ERA. Dietz is the only pitcher on the roster with an ERA under 3.00, meaning the Bears will struggle to compete this weekend.

Prediction: The Bears will be 2 and out. They start facing Texas and then the loser of the UC-I v. Wake game. It's been a nice year for Brown, which will come to an end by Saturday.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 33-27 (14-16 ACC, Atlantic):

While Wake Forest did not finish with winning record in ACC pla, the tough competition in the league will prove helpful this weekend as they try to pull off the upsets to advance in the tournament. Five teams in the ACC are currently ranked in the top 25, but Wake only went 6-13 against those 5.

At the plate, the Deacons only have 2 players hitting over .300 on the year, but 4 players who have banged 7 or more homers. Allan Dykstra (no relation to Lenny as far as I can tell) leads Wake batting .316 with 18 HR. Brett Linnenkohl follows, batting .294 with 7 HR. Nobody else seems to stand out on offense. It looks as if there are several good, but not great, hitters on the team, but there doesn't seem to be a glaring weakness in the lineup. Wake will have to have more offensive production to contend.

Similarly, Wake Forest has a deep pitching staff (six player with at least 7 starts) but a lack of greatness by any one starter (one pitcher under 3.00 ERA). Josh Ellis has a 2.74 ERA, but sports only a 5-3 record (oh yeah, Zero starts and 8 saves). Wake starters are but a mere 24-22 on the year. It seems though that the starts have lack of decision when they take the mound. Garrett Bullock and Brad Kledzik have made a combined 28 starts but have only a collective 8-6 record on the year.

Prediction: It seems Wake Forest has some holes in both its hitting and pitching rotations. A lack of batting average mixed with a lack of consistent pitching could make for a short stay in Round Rock this weekend. Don't look for the Demon Deacons to go out without a fight as its tough schedule has prepared the team for hard fought competition.

UC-Irvine Anteaters 40-15-1 (16-6 Big West):

UC-Irvine is just flat out good. The Anteaters are ranked in the Top 10 in many national polls and could easily be hosting a regional themselves. And its not like UC-I has racked up wins against a bunch of low rated teams. UCI is 7-3 against Pac 10 teams and 6-5 against all ranked teams. The Anteaters will pose the biggest threat to the advancement of the Longhorns.

On offense, UCI has 10 players that are batting .300 or above. Cody Cipriano leads the way batting .342 with 12 HR and 52 RBI. UCI is solid from top to bottom on offense and there is no dip in hitting prowess throughout the lineup. Ollie Linton has the highest batting average at .372 and Bryan Petersen has the 'worst' average of a starter at .308. The Anteaters not only hit for average, but also pack a bit of power at the plate. The teams has totaled 91 doubles and 28 triples this year. This lineup is going to be a test for any pitcher and teams will need a solid rotation to tame their bats this weekend. If the Anteater bats get hot for a weekend, it might be hard to stop the offense.

A solid pitching staff follows on the heels of the potent offense. Wes Etheridge and Scott Gorgen are the top two starters for UCI. They have combined for a 21-6 record in their 30 starts and have posted a 2.88 and 3.06 ERA respectively. Cody Hamilton will most likely see the 3rd start this weekend as he has started 5 games, going 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA. Blair Erickson will close and has the only 13 saves of the year and has posted a 2.57 ERA in 24 appearances. The rotation can be deep as six pitchers who have seen over 10 appearances have under a 4.00 ERA.

Prediction: The Anteaters are very much like the Longhorns, with a hard hitting offense and solid pitching. UCI will give Texas all they want and will challenge them to represent the Region in the Super Regional. I see UCI putting up a fight and possibly taking Texas to the brink, but I do not see them winning the Region. Texas is too experienced and too seasoned for the UCI Anteaters to win a weekend series. Do not think for a minute, though, that UCI will not challenge the Horns to take the Regional title.

Texas Longhorns 44-15 (21-6 Big 12):

We are all pretty familiar with the Horns this year. After winning the Big 12 regular season title, Texas failed to advance to the Big 12 tournament championship with an untimely loss to Texas A&M. Despite the loss, Texas is playing as well as any team in the country, is the favorite in the Rregional and expected to advance to the Super Regional. Texas won't has an easy time, however, with UC-Irvine being placed in the same bracket.

On offense, Texas is lead by All-American Kyle Russell who batted .341 on the year and lead the NCAA with 27 HR on the year. Texas offense packs a powerful punch with Russell, Chance Wheeless, Bradley Suttle, Jordan Danks, Nick Peoples and Travis Tucker all batting over .300. It seems as though Texas will not have to worry much about producing runs this weekend, but with their shaky pitching of late, the Horns' bats may be counted on to out score a few teams in the Regional.

Adrian Alaniz is the gem of a Texas rotation that is solid, but small. Other than Alaniz only Austin Wood and James Russell have made more than 6 starts on the year. Russell has been shaky of late going 6 innings and giving up 6 runs on 7 hits in his last start against A&M. Texas is going to count on these three starters to carry them through the entire playoffs with Joseph Krebs available to make a start in a pinch. Randy Boone has made the majority of relief appearances with 37. He has 13 saves, but no other Horn as recorded even 1 save. Boone is the only legitimate closer with Kyle Shinaberry and Hunter Harris receiving a few appearances in relief. Overall, the pitching staff has been solid despite giving up 10 runs to K-State and 7 to A&M in the conference tourney. Depth is the key issue, so if Texas has to play a 4th game this weekend, it might be a committee effort or an appearance on short rest for the game 1 starter.

Prediction: Texas will advance to the Super Regional. This is not an easy bracket, but the Texas bats, along with a few good starting pitching performances should propel the Horns to Corpus Christi to play for a trip to Omaha. UCI will be be the toughest competitor, but the Horns are seasoned and experienced and are looking forward to erasing the memory of last years early exit from the Region tournament. Texas looks to make it to the College World Series this year, and this weekend will be the first step in that journey.

Texas’ Newest Turk – Doğuş Balbay

Well folks, it’s time to bust out the dusty atlas and catch up on your kebab eating skills. According to official University of Texas sources, Turkey’s top point guard prospect, Doğuş Balbay, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play Longhorn basketball in the fall.

This move clearly signals that Texas coach Rick Barnes is ready to not only follow other NCAA coaches in internationalizing the recruitment process, it also indicates his unwavering support for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union. Of note, Balbay’s arrival follows a recent trend by Barnes to recruit top international players, including Edgar Moreno, Sydmill Harris, and planet Vulcan’s highly-touted prospect, James Thomas.

In addition to providing “quality depth at the point guard position” because of his “clever international game and good athleticism,” Balbay is expected to ride a camel to practice and get really excited around Thanksgiving. A regular on the U-18 Turkish National Team for several years, Balbay should bring maturity and poise to the Texas backcourt despite his young age. His quickness on the court not only makes him undeniably un-Turkish (see Mehmet Okur/Hidayet Turkoğlu for more details), it adds a defensive component desperately needed in the guard position.

Wikipedia is quick to point out that the 6’1”, 170-pound high school senior at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire is currently playing basketball for the University of Texas, a tough competitor in the ACC Conference every year. (http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doğuş_Balbay) Thankfully both the Dallas Morning News and TexasSports.com used the pronunciation (Dohge Bal-bay) provided by the same wiki-genius; we wouldn’t want Doğuş Balbay (roughly pronounced Doh-oosh Bawl-bye) to think that we aren’t taking him seriously.

In any case, Balbay’s energy, quickness, and court vision should provide depth and an added spark to Texas in the coming season. We should all welcome and look forward to Texas’ newest Turk, not to mention the addition of shish kebab and cold Efes Pilsen at Erwin Center concessions.

Kansas State gets the last laugh

Going into their second game of pool play against the #17 ranked Texas A&M Aggies, the Longhorns lost 7-3, apparently using all of their runs yesterday in their 19 run outburst against the Wildcats. Texas dropped to 1-1 in group play and will take on Nebraska on Saturday.

The Longhorns couldn't get anything going for most of the day as a man named Kirkland, held the Horns to 3 runs over 6 2/3 innings. After Texas took a 2-1 lead into the bottom third inning, the Aggies scored 5 runs off of starter James Russell, and that was all they needed as the Longhorns couldn't only manage one more run the rest of the game.

A day after pounding out 17 hits, the Longhorns only managed 7 hits, and one extra base hit. After everyone contributed on Wednesday, the Longhorns struggled to get contributions from the bottom of their lineup as the 5 thru 9 hitters went a combined 1-14. The Longhorns just couldn't get it going all day, as the Aggies had to be due after getting swept last week by the Horns.

It looks like the Longhorns will continue their streak of being a favorite to win the Big XII tournament and not winning the Big XII tournament. Kansas State, still upset from their 19-10 beating they received Wednesday, figured out how they could get back at Texas the most. They then did the improbable beating Nebraska 5-1 last night. This locked everyone in Group A in a tie at 1-1. However, the tiebreaker is head-to-head match ups, meaning for Texas to advance to the championship, they will need Kansas State to beat A&M and they will need to defeat Nebraska on Saturday. Texas should be able to bounce back and beat Nebraska, but don't look for lightning to strike twice for Kansas State. I suppose Kansas State got the last laugh.

Texas will use the extra rest on Sunday and prepare themselves to host their regional in a week at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, as they should be one of the top 8 seeds for the NCAA tournament.

Those Aluminum Bats Sure are Useful

The Longhorns opened the Big XII baseball tournament yesterday in a real pitching duel, as Texas improved to 1-0 in Group A, defeating Kansas State 19-10. The 19 runs marked the most ever by the Longhorns in a Big XII tournament, and also marked what we've long suspected, it sucks to pitch against aluminum bats.

Texas, realizing it potentially has 5 games in 3 days, sent Kyle Walker to the mound to attempt to save some arms for later in the week against some tougher foes. Texas of course got what they paid for, by sending Walker and his 1-0 and 10.80 era to the mound. After one inning of service Texas was down 4-0. Trailing 4-1 in the third inning, Texas behind back to back triples scored a touchdown and a field goal to take what one would think would be an insurmountable lead at 11-4.

It appeared that way behind five scoreless innings by reliever Joseph Krebs. Then up 11-4 in the 8th inning, it once again is time to dig deep into that unused part of your bullpen. What did Augie Garrido find? Pat McCrory, who was good for 2/3 of an inning and 5 runs. However, up 13-10, in the bottom of the 8th, Texas was able to tack on another touchdown to make it 19-10. No word on how the extra point was botched.

When your team pounds out 17 hits and 19 runs, I suppose it's only worth noting the players with at least 2 hits, which would be Jordan Danks (3-3, 2 RBI), Kyle Russell (2-4, 2 RBI), Chance Wheeless (3-4, 4 RBI), Russell Moldenhauer (2-4, 2 RBI), Chais Fuller (2-6), and Nick Peoples (2-4, 2 RBI). Kansas State used 8 pitchers in all, the last 2 being off the grounds crew at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. All together they combined to give up 17 hits, 10 walks, facing 52 batters, and throwing 214 pitches. All in all, it was a solid days work.

Texas will next face the #5 seed Texas A&M who they just swept a week ago. A&M is 0-1 after losing to Nebraska 5-3 yesterday. We'll also be sure to keep an eye on Kansas State to see if they can set some sort of record for runs given up in a Big XII Tournament.

Millions of Dollars and Free Coffee

With the second pick in the NBA Draft the Seattle/Oklahoma City SuperSonics select Kevin Durant. The NBA lottery is in the books, and with the second pick, Kevin Durant's fate is determined, and he will now reside in Seattle. The biggest question will be whether Durant will be able to generate enough excitement in the Pacific Northwest to prevent the team from moving to Oklahoma City.

Since it seems that Greg Oden is a guarantee for the #1 pick and the Portland TrailBlazers, Kevin Durant will be happily welcomed by the Sonics. His presence should first allow the Sonics to finally deal disgruntled small forward, Rashard Lewis. Seattle wouldn't miss a beat replacing Lewis with Durant.

Seattle would feature a team with point guards, Earl Watson and Luke Ridenour combining powers to form something resembling a competent point guard. Seattle would have to hope Ridenour rebounds from an abysmal year where he lost his starting job to Watson, who would be a great point guard, if he could shoot a basketball. If Ridenour can bounce back and reach his potential or can combine with Watson to stabilize the position, it should be serviceable.

The shooting guard position is locked up by perennial all-star Ray Allen, who at 31 is still a star in the league. He would be a good role model for Durant and would get a more durable superstar next to him than Rashard Lewis. Also, Durant's youthful attitude would probably do some good to add a few more years onto Ray Allen's career, in what has become a horrible situation for him the last 5 years.

At power forward and center the Sonics would field Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison. Wilcox is a high energy and athletic player, while Collison showed signs of being the star he's capable of being late last season. While Collison isn't a true center, he has filled the position solidly since the Sonics plan of drafting project centers has failed miserably, I wonder why? Off the bench, the Sonics would have shooting guard Damien Wilkins, small forward Mickael Gelabale, and the three headed train wreck that is Johan Petro, Robert Swift, and Mouhamed Sene.

The addition of Durant would instantly improve the outlook of this team, but in the Western Conference they would need another scorer to be able to compete. If they decided to keep Rashard Lewis they would have plenty of scoring options and would be able to play a fast up pace tempo and play a style similar to the Denver Nuggets. However, they lack the quality point guard play you need to make that style a success and would struggle greatly against the top teams with interior size like San Antonio, Houston, and Utah. If they were able to move Rashard Lewis for an upgrade at point guard or a solid center this could be a team that could compete in the Western Conference. But that's counting on an awful lot of competence out of a front office that has drafted Johan Petro, Robert Swift, and Mouhamed Sene in the last three years.

The most intriguing part of this year's lottery is the fact that Kevin Durant would be a perfect fit with the Portland TrailBlazers who own the #1 pick, and Greg Oden would be a great fit for the Sonics. Durant would make Portland instant contenders with a lineup of Jarrett Jack/Sergio Rodriguez, Brandon Roy, Durant, Zack Randolph, and LaMarcus Aldridge. However, Portland won't pass the opportunity to draft Oden with the #1 pick, because Oden is a big time center. And NBA types dream for franchise centers, regardless of how he fits into their team.

It would be interesting to see Portland draft Durant outright and actually give off the impression that they're drafting while keeping their current roster in mind, or even more so, deal the #1 pick to Seattle and another piece and move down so both teams get what they want. But let's face it, a trade that fills a need for both teams? This is the NBA, come on. So look for Durant to make his home in Seattle, and when the Sonics are unable to fill the holes around him, look for Durant to be the newest star of the Oklahoma City Sonics.

Softball season comes to an end

The sinking ship that was the women's softball season has finally come to an end in the Regional final in Gainsville, in a 3-0 loss to the Florida Gators. The Longhorns finished the season with a 35-20 record on the year.

What was supposed to be the start of the post Cat Osterman era for the Longhorns started out great as a young reloaded offense and new young pitchers combined to lead the Horns to 22-3 record to start the year. Everything was clicking for the Longhorns heading towards Big XII play. That was where it all began to unravel. A 9-12 conference record left the Longhorns limping into the NCAA regional with a #3 seed in Gainsville. After losing their opener to Georgia Tech, Texas was able to stave off elimination twice defeating Stetson and Georgia Tech. But facing the #1 seed Florida proved too much as Florida broke a 0-0 tie in the 9th inning with 3 runs to advance to the Super Regionals. When it mattered the most, Texas' rebuilt offense was unable to put any runs on the board.

Next season, Texas will return some vital cogs from this 2007 team, but Texas will lose their leader in catcher Megan Willis, and first baseman Jacqueline Williams. They do return both of their pitchers from this season in Meagan Denny (21-16; 1.73) and Erin Tresselt (12-3; 1.14). Texas also returns their top two hitters this season, 2B Shannon Thomas (.326) and Tallie Thrasher (.321; 12/32). However, Texas will need some of their young players to step up and fill holes in the lineup. Look for two of those players to be Loryn Johnson (.286; 5/30) and Kacie Gaskin (.266; 11/32). But it still appears Texas is about 2 or 3 hitters short in the lineup to be a true force next season.

After everything is said and done, Texas appears to be a team that is still searching for their identity and figuring out how they can become a national power in the post Cat Osterman era.

Big Shot Bob

Ladies and Gentleman, your 2007 NBA Playoffs MVP, Big Shot Bob, Robert Horry. In a series featuring the new era of basketball, the upbeat, flowing, Phoenix Suns, and the old guard, the slow down, grind it out San Antonio Spurs, Robert Horry single handedly ended the series with one of his most clutch shots ever.

This series has featured three good games, where Tim Duncan has been virtually unstoppable with one of the classic performances of all time, Steve Nash has fought against the defense of Bruce Bowen to lead his team to two big wins, and Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Amare Stoudamire, Raja Bell, and Shawn Marion have all played crucial roles. This series has featured two coaches pushing each other to the limit, and has produced great basketball.

When it came down it, none of that mattered, as Robert Horry did what he has been known for all his career. He delivered the knock out blow. Though I'm not sure anyone expected him to do it quite like this. With Game 5 heading back to Phoenix with the series tied at 2 a piece, San Antonio faces a Phoenix team without Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw, as they were suspended for 1 game each for leaving the bench in Game 4, after Horry's forearm shiver to Steve Nash in front of the Phoenix bench. Phoenix, who has featured an eight man rotation of Nash, Bell, Marion, Thomas, Stoudamire, Barbosa, Diaw, and James Jones will lose two of their three inside players. San Antonio will be without Horry, who will miss two games for his shot, but Horry already plays a small role on this team, and with a 10 man rotation, San Antonio will hardly miss him.

Without Stoudamire and Diaw, Phoenix has no chance to win Game 5. The Commissioner's office should be absolutely embarrassed and ashamed to decide the outcome of this series with a rule that is meant to prevent the escalation of on court incidents. While the rule is good in its intent, the absolute nature of the way it is interpreted has always been questionable, but it is finally impacting what could have been one of the best series in the playoffs this year between probably the two best teams in the NBA. This ruling is ridiculous as Stoudamire and Diaw barely got off the bench and were forced back to the bench by their coaches before they got anywhere near the incident. This ruling hurts the fans and the Suns, that is it. It's bad for the NBA and hopefully will be a PR nightmare as the Spurs will play Game 6 at home with a 3-2 lead. This incident is a black eye for the NBA, as Stern continues to struggle with discipline and getting the rulings correct. The NBA is so concerned with abiding by the rules that they're missing the bigger picture.

By handing Game 5 to the Spurs, the NBA is making Robert Horry the MVP of the playoffs. His cheap shot not only gave him some satisfaction for Nash killing them down the stretch, but he also managed to knock out two key players for the Suns in the process. With one clutch shot he won Game 5 and locked up the series for the Spurs. Pretty impressive for someone who won't even play in Game 5 or 6. Be sure to keep an eye out for Beno Udrih's left hook to the face of Darren Williams in front of Utah's bench in Game 3 in about two weeks.

Spoiled Rotten

For the past year, my life has been full of disappointments. Seriously. I can claim no current NCAA championship. The Dallas pro-sports world has forced me to suffer letdown after letdown. It is downright unacceptable. After a fantastic run of quality years being a sports fan, I cannot remember a more disappointing, unsuccessful year.

UT: 0 current championships & disappointing finishes to both the football and basketball seasons, Cowboys: 1 unforgettable bobbled snap, Mavs: 1 embarrassing bounce from the playoffs, Rangers: it's only May and I'm pretty sure they're already eliminated from playoff contention. Okay sure, the Rangers have never had any success (those 2 years they made the playoffs only to see Bernie Williams roundhouse kick them in the face were just embarrassing) and the Mavs, up until last year making the NBA finals were always a source of shame. But even when the Mavs were celebrating to hit double digits in the win column by the end of the season, I was able to keep a positive outlook because the Cowboys were busy winning Super Bowls.

In my past, when teams have been in a run of bad luck, another was always there to save the day. So, in the early 90's when David McWilliams and John Makovic were busy being awful, the Cowboys and Jimmy Johnson (In my head somehow, I give Jimmy the credit for Barry Switzer's Super Bowl win... I can't explain it, just go with it) flew in and acted as heroes. Then came the Dallas Stars. Now, I don't even like hockey, but when a team is as successful as they were in the latter half of the 90's, I'll take it. (And so what if Brett Hull was in the crease? It's the call the ref made, can't blame the Stars for taking what was given to them...). Then it was UT's turn to take over, with baseball getting a couple, men's swimming & diving winning 3 straight National Championships, Final Four appearances in the same year for both men's and women's basketball, and to be topped off with 2 straight Rose Bowl wins, with the second bringing in the first football national championship of my lifetime.... It's been quite a run.

But now here we are, with nothing to brag about at the moment. And where do we look? UT football will be good next year, but will it be good enough? And without Kevin Durant, what scoring options does Rick Barnes have? You have to score to win ball games, not sure if what's left of the Horns realizes that... How much will the Cowboys fall without Bill Parcell? I foresee Terrell Owens imploding under his new leadership and bringing Tony Romo with him... The Mavs look helpless after this last disappointment. I love Avery Johnson, but I think the Mavs are just cursed. Is Dirk the kind of player that can lead a team to a title? I'm becoming more and more doubtful every day, he just doesn't have it. And the Rangers....well.... we all know how that looks...

So I sit here, with a cloud of doubt over my head. When will the next success, the next moment to boast come? I think this is why I despise Florida right now. They've stolen our success. Not only UF, but they have the current NBA championship (granted they'll lose that title soon, but that's beside the point. It's still theirs to boast upon til its passed on), I think there is some sort of hockey success going on down there recently (but does that really count? debatable...). That's supposed to be Texas. Those jerks.

Where Do the Rockets Go from Here?

Sometimes it isn’t fun being right. I did pick the Houston Rockets to beat the Utah Jazz in 6 games, but I have to admit that was a homer call, not my gut feeling. Before the series I expressed my concern that the Rockets would not be able to guard Deron Williams or Carlos Boozer. Sometimes it isn’t fun being right. But what was not necessarily expected was the fall out after the Rockets loss in Game 7.

No I am not talking about Tracy McGrady’s best impression of Andrei Kirilenko during the post-game press conference. I am talking about the unexpected departure of Coach Jeff Van Gundy. I hope everyone in Houston realizes what a blow this is to the Rocket’s cause. Van Gundy is a heck of a coach. Just look at what he was able to accomplish this year with so many things stacked against him. First, Yao Ming goes down for over 35 games with a broken leg. Not only do they lose the best center in the NBA, but they have to replace him with the combination of Dikembe Mutombo, Juwan Howard and Chuck Hayes. Two of them seem like they have been in the league for a combined 50 years and the other is an undrafted free agent that has already been cut twice by the Rockets in his young career.

Van Gundy was working all season with essentially no good options at point guard. He had one who couldn’t penetrate or play defense, in Rafer Alston. And the backup Luther Head only possessed a three-point shot that disappeared in the playoffs. Luther was not a legitimate back up point guard. He couldn’t dribble, pass or defend. So Alston was forced to log more minutes than any Rockets player this season.

Simply put, the Rockets had too many veteran players and were too slow to keep up with the Jazz and the pace of the playoffs. Who did Van Gundy have as options to put on Boozer? Juwan and Yao are too slow and Chuck Hayes is just not a great post defender. Rafer and Luther had no chance against Deron Williams. And when the rest of your line up consists of Shane Battier and Tracy McGrady, it just doesn’t stack up to the likes of Boozer, Kirilenko, Gordon Giricek, Matt Harpring, Williams, Paul Millsap, Derek Fisher and Mehmet Okur. Those guys are just so much younger, faster and crisper, there was just no way the Rockets could keep counting on them missing shots all series. Eventually the shots fell and so did Houston.

Van Gundy has not been without some criticism. Many felt his pick and roll offense has always bee too slow and predictable. His teams have never been break away and scoring teams and in the age of Steve Nash, the Phoenix Suns, Baron Davis and Golden State fast, scoring teams with strong point guard play seems to be the current style of play. When you have lumbering players and stagnant offense, you just can’t keep up.

But it seems like the situation was a product of the tension between Van Gundy and team president Les Alexander. Apparently Alexander laid most of the blame for last year’s 31 win season on Van Gundy. Despite the fact that the Rockets were decimated with injuries to Yao and McGrady all year, Van Gundy took the heat. This didn’t seem to sit to well with the coach. So when the Rockets had healthy players and the team was doing well this year, Van Gundy turned down two invitations by Alexander to renegotiate a new contract. Apparently his feelings were hurt, and probably rightly so. And Alexander is not blind. He has been watching the success of today’s speed teams and wants one for himself. That is probably not going to happen with Van Gundy at the helm.

In my opinion this will be a huge loss for the Rockets (depending on the replacement). But, despite his old-school style, Van Gundy is a great coach. He got every single thing out of his Rockets teams that he could. Alexander did not give him all the pieces to succeed, but its not like Alexander is going to fire himself, so Van Gundy is the fall guy for the disappointing finish to the year.

Hopefully the Rockets do no think this is the final solution to their problems. There needs to be wholesale changes to next years team. Alston needs a back up or needs to be a back up at point guard. There needs to be a more consistent 2 guard that can run and play defense and a power forward that can combine the shooting of Juwan Howard and the hustle of Chuck Hayes. Yao will get better, but will he be able to integrate into a speed offense? This is where a back up center would be nice. Tracy will be Tracy. He will fall in love with his jump shot and forget that taking it to the hoop works every time. But he is a great player and I am convinced that if he is surrounded by a better cast, he can lead the Rockets well past the first round.

Houston has some catching up to do with the league and they better do it fast because they will be doing it without a great coach. I am going to miss the depressing and comical Van Gundy press conferences. But few other coaches would have had the success Van Gundy did with the teams he has coached. Alexander better pull a great coach out of his hat. Because he is sure not going to find that will fight for his players like Jeff Van Gundy.

NFL Draft Wrap Up

In the eyes of the Longhorns, the 2007 NFL draft was a solid success, as the Horns enjoyed 7 Longhorns getting drafted. Then in the days following the draft, two more Longhorns have joined the fraternity of the NFL as undrafted free agents.

Michael Griffin was the first to go as he will join Vince Young in Tennessee as the Titans took him with the 19th pick in the 1st round. Griffin will have a chance to be a starter right off the bat as he will be competing with incumbent starter Lamont Thompson. Thompson, a 6 year veteran, started all 16 games last year with 73 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries. If Griffin can make a quick adjustment to the NFL and play well he should be a starter by the end of the season, if not by the beginning of the season.

Aaron Ross followed Michael Griffin, as he was selected by the New York Giants with the 20th pick. Ross will join a solid group of corners in New York and might not be a starter right away. However, with neither starter playing a full season, Ross will bring much needed depth to NY. He should also get to see the field as a kick and/or punt returner.

Tim Crowder was the third Longhorn off the board as Denver took the defensive end in the 2nd round. Crowder joins the defensive end rotation of the Broncos, and should be one of five to six players that the Broncos will rotate through the position. Crowder will get the opportunity to play and contribute, but his playing time will be determined by his performance.

Justin Blalock joined Crowder in the second round as he was taken by the Atlanta Falcons. With the ability to play guard and tackle, Blalock will immediately help the guard position, as both guards for the Falcons started only 10 games in 2006. Blalock will have a great opportunity to start the season and will be a valuable asset in the Falcons running attack.

Brian Robison joined the party in the fourth round as the Vikings drafted the defensive end. There isn't a lot of depth at defensive end for the Vikings and they didn't get much production from the position last season. Robison should see the field this season, and if he can stay healthy has the chance to be a starter in a year or two.

In the 5th round, the 49ers were able to snatch up Tarell Brown, who has the talent of a first or second round pick, but fell due to durability questions and some off field issues. The 49ers spent a ton of money in the off season to sure up their secondary by bringing in Nate Clements from Buffalo. Brown should get to see some time in Nickel or Dime packages, but will earn his keep for the first season or two on the special teams squad.

Kasey Studdard had his day made by the Houston Texans in the 6th round. The guard will have a chance to see the field because if there's one thing that is sure to be a disaster in Houston, it's the offensive line. Depending on how he does in camp, Studdard has the chance to be a reserve at a few of the offensive line positions.

While he went undrafted, Selvin Young didn't last long as he agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos. Young should be a great fit in Denver and has the chance to make the team. He's a versatile player and will be a solid special teamer and third down back. Denver is a good fit as they will carry a lot of running backs and give everyone a chance to perform, as evidenced by Mike Bell coming out of training camp. Bell and free agent Travis Henry should split time, but Young will compete with Cedric Cobbs, Damien Nash, and Paul Smith for roster spots.

Lyle Sendlein also went undrafted, but was able to come to terms with Arizona shortly after the draft. Sendlein chose Arizona because of the new coaching staff and the current centers under contract for the Cardinals. While the Cardinals have some talent in center Alex Stepanovich, he has been unable to stay healthy for the past two seasons, recording 11 and 5 starts in '05 and 06' respectively. Depending on how he preforms in preseason camp, Sendlein with his durability and experience should be able to make the roster as a backup for center and other line positions.

Texas had a solid draft and most of these Longhorns should have a solid NFL career, with several players having the chance to make Pro Bowls.