The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Friday Feedback

July 29, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback. I’m out of words. Short week next week. I’m gone Monday and Tuesday and then back Wednesday to begin the marathon. Thanks for hanging on through these slow weeks. Maybe you like the light load because the stories you might see this time of the year are generally not good ones, but, man, it drives me crazy. Some quasi-exciting stuff is coming, though. Not bad stuff. Mostly silly stuff. It is significant to me, though. Nothing to worry about, but something I believe you’ll like, if it comes to fruition.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, stand tall.

SheikYbuti said:

Two observations: (1) WVU is the most volatile proposition on the list, when one combines the payoff for the under with the lay amount for the over; (2) of the 35 teams listed, the Mountaineers are the only one from from the Big East. As previously indicated by the numbers illustrating the relative popularity of clothing and paraphernalia bearing the trademark of a particular school, WVU continues to be the preeminent national brand in the conference.

I’d call those facts, not observations. The volatility is interesting. There’s a risk, obviously, but still a fairly even reward if you’ve got the cash to throw at things like that.

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Um …

July 28, 2011 by Mike Casazza

No words, except “Holy” and “smoke,” for this one.

Stolen from a reader

by Mike Casazza

While I’m honestly not trying to do this, I am beginning to feel like one of those English or history teachers who takes attendance and then shows a movie. Just that time of the year, I suppose, and other preoccupations, chief among them issues with the Daily Mail laptop, have further slowed things.

And this is why my eyes light up when I get an email with the subject “This could be a fun game…”

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Found: Dave Johnson

July 27, 2011 by Mike Casazza

The former offensive line coach and almost Division II head coach is still working the whistle, though it requires an invitation. Johnson was in Kentucky at Fairview High football practice late last week and helping a former Marshall pupil mold his team.

Ever the optimist, Johnson highlighted a positive relative to his situation.

Johnson was under Bob Pruitt at Marshall from 1997-2000 as the recruiting coordinator, tight ends coach and offensive tackle coach. He then worked at Georgia, under Mark Richt, as the Bulldogs’ tight ends coach from 2001-07. Most recently, he spent 2008-10 as the offensive line coach at West Virginia, where he played from 1979-83.

Currently, Johnson is traveling allegiantly as part of the National Football Academies, a group that makes stops at several football camps across the country.

“If I was in college coaching right now, I wouldn’t be allowed to do this,” Johnson said. “This has given me the ability to continue to do some things while I’m waiting to see whether or not I’ll get back into college coaching.”Johnson had originally planned on visiting Fairview this past spring, but he winded up having an opening in July. McPeek constantly keeps in contact with Johnson, and gladly welcomed his former coach to Fairview.

“He’s such a great guy to come here for three days with his busy schedule,” McPeek said. “He talked to our guys about taking care of the little things.

“You don’t have to bench 300 pounds to be on time, you don’t have to squat 500 pounds to be a good teammate,” McPeek recited some of Johnson’s points in practice. “I think our kids got a lot out of it.”

Look who’s getting total consciousness

by Mike Casazza
"So I jump ship in Africa and I make my way over to Madikwe and I get on as a looper at a course over at Pride Rock …"

That is your erstwhile football coach, Rich Rodriguez, on the right. He was indeed a caddy Monday at the Greenbrier Classic’s Pro-Am on The Old White for his good friend, WVU supporter and construction magnate, Dave Alvarez.

You’re going to have fun with this, I’m sure, but first I have to say: I’m starting to like this Rodriguez.

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An adversary rises to snatch WVU’s crown

July 26, 2011 by Mike Casazza

It’s early in a soap opera that started innocently enough Friday, but it seems Connecticut’s athletic director is being made to pack his bags.

It’s been an eventful time in Storrs — BCS game, Big East and NCAA title in men’s basketball, another storied season for the women’s team, a furtive exit by the football coach and a major NCAA case and consequences for the basketball coach — and a new president is reportedly asking questions, perhaps with an answer in mind.

This is a juicy story, though, again, in its infancy. Depends how it breaks, but it may ultimately surpass what WVU has held up and others have challenged this summer.  

The unique and extenuating factor here? The tug o’ power between the now-embattled AD and the long-embattled men’s basketball coach.

New presidents make changes. It happens. Hathaway has to live with his failure to hire a new fundraiser after Paul Pendergast left. Yet without Calhoun’s vengeance, without his lobbying, without some basketball donors calling in to stab Hathaway, I am convinced Herbst doesn’t act this quickly. Not when Paul Pasqualoni and Geno Auriemma would be in favor of Hathaway staying.

This was a perfect storm. Calhoun won a national title and has re-emerged in all his power and glory. Herbst has just come through the door. And anybody with a gripe, legitimate or not, has voiced them to the outside firm. With a large segment of UConn fans also eager to blame any and all woes on Hathaway, how do you rehabilitate his image? There’s no way he survives long-term. He is done like dinner.

Las Vegas takes the microphone

by Mike Casazza

The over/under win total predictions were released yesterday. West Virginia is at a very interesting, very tenuous 9.5. Only four teams are above that.

The Mountaineers are favored to finish under and a $170 bet and an under finish will win you $270. Bet the over and hit it and a $100 bet will win your $250. Your thoughts on that outcome for the team that, by the way, opened many weeks ago with 60-1 odds to win the national title and is now 25-1.

Will, or can, WVU get to 84?

July 25, 2011 by Mike Casazza

For some reason, I decided to look at West Virginia Dana Holgorsen’s scholarship number this season. Players tend to bail during a coaching change, though WVU’s came a little later than normal, but the Mountaineers are also working with their self-imposed scholarship reduction this season. A football team is allowed 85, per NCAA rules, and WVU will have 84 in a time when it only seems like schools recruit about 30 players every year and practice with about 130 others. One way or another, I thought getting up or down to 84 might me tricky.

Turned out that was right. The Mountaineers will have 78 scholarship players when camp begins Aug. 5.

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Jay Jacobs working on that fourth syllable right now

by Mike Casazza

Early word — and, man, do I mean early — is Bob Huggins’ fifth basketball team is going to score more this year than the past two years. Those WVU teams were offensively challenged, to say the least, and while it was admirable to see a team commit so sincerely to defense and rebounding to make up for the shooting and scoring shortcomings, it wasn’t very exciting basketball.

All this talk about branding the football program and giving it an offensive identity has thus far escaped basketball, where, really, the talk shouldn’t be much different. True, Huggins won — a whole lot — but one wonders how long anyone thought he could keep that style going with so many new and young players. Henceh the recruiting emphasis on points and wings, right?

Well, this team that’s about to head to Europe two weeks from today is rumored to be a little more capable. Now, I didn’t seen any great shooters added to the class and it’s probably unfair to expect Kevin Noreen to make up that gap or for Kevin Jones and Truck Bryant to play well above their acceptable averages. Still, the word is more points because of more easy baskets.

These Mountaineers will be ath-a-let-ic and if you’ve only heard that, believe it when it comes from someone who’s seen it.

“We will be more athletic,” Huggins promised. “We were running transition drills and we had two or three guys trying to dunk over other guys. That’s something we haven’t had. Before, we had guys going underneath of them.”

Friday Feedback

July 22, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the 150th edition of the Friday Feedback — hold your applause, please. And you should know, we were in negotiations and almost moved today’s Feedback to Chuck McGill’s Marshall blog, just because it’s the hip thing to do these days.

Moving on, the good great news is we’re almost there. Just have to surf through the next week and then we’re good to go. Big East media day is Aug. 2 and Keith Tandy, Bruce Irvin, Geno Smith and Dana Holgorsen will quite likely be in the middle of the circus in Rhode Island. They might even get to talk a little football, if they’re lucky. I’m not lucky enough to attend and we’ll rely on the work of others, but I’ll get my feet on the ground soon thereafter. Players report Aug. 4 and practice — practice! — begins Aug. 5.

Not sure what I can promise on my end because I just don’t know how Holgorsen is going to structure things. Is the media allowed to attend? I would wager on yes, but for how long? What part? What’s off limits? All of that, of course, could limit the picture and video content I share here, but, who knows? Maybe not. Then again, not sure how many times I can show a victory drill or fumble recovery practice, anyhow. Maybe we can liven it up. And maybe you have ideas.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, when life hands you lemons, you better get that damn permit. (Aside: First reaction is to say the officers must have something better to do — except it’s true. People are getting stabbed near Cay Creek, for crying out loud, and Midway officers are now being threatened for their actions.)

pknocker40 said:

Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health.

– “Hard stubble on my right. My center is itchy. Impossible not to scratch. Situation excellent. I tousle.”

Yep, that’s what I’d remember about Movember.

This isn’t a joke. Not at all. It’s tremendously tremendous. I can’t wait. It’s going to get more than slightly out of control around here that month. I can’t promise you many things, but I can promise you that.

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