Matt Szczur Stats Update

As I've mentioned here the last two days, former Villanova superstar Matt Szczur has hit home runs in two consecutive games.  He still has his skeptics, (myself included, ) but he seems to be figuring things out.

Stats through 33 games (154 Plate Appearances):
.343 BA
.409 OBP
.460 SLG
.869 OPS
47 H
10 2B
2 HR
13 SB (1 CS)
15 BB
11 K

It'll be interesting to see how long he stays in Peoria if he keeps producing at this level.

Matt Szczur Hit Another Home Run Tonight

Szczur went 2-4 with a double, a home run, and a walk. He's now batting .343 on the season for the Peoria Chiefs with two home runs.

Box Score

ESPN's Keith Law Isn't a Huge Fan of Matt Szczur

For those of you who don't know, Keith Law is ESPN's main MLB draft analyst. He's a bit snarky, but if you like baseball at all he's a must follow on twitter. After Matt Szczur was signed, Law said this about Szczur:

"Every area guy I talked to about him this spring called him a 4th/5th outfielder with plus speed and outstanding makeup but limited baseball tools."

Being a fourth or fifth outfielder is nothing to scoff at because it still means that you're a legitimate major league player.

Yesterday after Szczur's first career home run, he was asked again about him on twitter.

Here are his responses:

Legitimate

 Fair Enough

The fact is that I can't say I disagree about any of these things. Szczur is a singles hitter and that doesn't bode particularly well for regular big league success. He'll have to either walk a ton or become a lights out defender in center field to justify value.

Matt Szczur Hits His First Professional Home Run!

Former Villanova superstar Matt Szczur went 1-5 for the Peoria Chiefs, but he hit his first career home run in 57 games as a professional.

the box score for the momentous occasion

Off Topic: Ouch

This was like the last two Villanova seasons..

Karalunas Wins Award, Villanova Track and Field NCAA Qualifiers and Assorted Links!

 Sheila Reid

No real huge news today, so links you shall get!

• Villanova lacrosse superstar Brian Karalunas won the Lowe's Senior Class Award.
• In women's track, Sheila Reid (1500 meters and 5000 meters), Bogdana Mimic (5000 meters), and Shericka Ward (100M hurdles) all qualified for the NCAA championships.
• In men's track, only Matt Gibney (1500 meters) qualified.
• Interestingly, three of the four Villanova NCAA qualifiers are from outside the United States. Reid is from Canada, Mimic is from Serbia, and Gibney is from Australia.
• Corey Fisher had his first pre draft workout with the Indiana Pacers.
• Go tell On the Banks to get the stick out of his ass about Villanova. I guess he doesn't realize that Rutgers(NJ) doesn't command ANY major media market.  I guess he doesn't realize that Villanova is Philadelphia's real pro basketball team. It is in the best interest of Rutgers(NJ) to keep Villanova in the conference.
• The Big East is debating the size of the conference basketball tournament when TCU joins.
• Andy Staples from SI.com thinks that the Big East is no longer vulnerable going to cash out big with their next TV contract.
• Antonio Pena signed a contract to play pro basketball in the Dominican Republic. I'm a bit surprised it wasn't Jamaica.

That's all for today.. Watch the Indy 500.

Who Will Replace Chidozie Ekweozor?

I have now heard from several sources that Villanova offensive tackle Chidozie Ekweozor blew out his knee recently. This news does not bode well for a Villanova offensive line that was already a major question after the graduations of Ben Ijalana and Brant Clouser.  Chidozie was one of the starters on my post spring depth chart, and I wonder if his replacement is even on the roster yet.

Here are some candidates on the current roster (no freshmen):

Donald Davis- A tall defensive tackle who has had the misfortune of being lost in the shuffle at that postion. Davis is somewhat lean, but he's athletic enough to play defensive end and strong enough to play defensive end, plus I'm sure he has relatively long arms. I had heard somewhere that he will be switched to offense next season.

Likelihood of Davis starting at tackle? 30%*

Josh Polonio- Not as tall as Davis, but much stouter. In my post spring depth chart, I projected him as one of the starting guards, but now I see him as more of a tackle, simply because of the pinch they're in.

Likelihood of Polonio starting at tackle? 20%

Here's Polonio's high school film (as a tackle)



Ryan Bennett- I don't even know if Bennett will be on the roster next year, but he has always been on the depth chart for one reason or another, so he may have a chance at the position. My only memory of him from the past season was that he had a large cast on his hand and that i thought his jersey number (96) was unusual for an offensive lineman.

Likelihood of Bennett starting at tackle? 10%

Newcomer (Transfer/Freshman)- I think the transfer is perhaps the most attractive option. Hopefully the staff can find an offensive lineman from an FBS school that is good enough to be a stop gap until the cavalry arrives in the next recruiting class. There are also a few decent options from the recruiting class of 2011 that could be considers.

Likelihood of a Newcomer starting at tackle? 40%

*These percentage values are simply wild guesses just so I could assign an arbitrary numeric value to these.. I have no inside information on this whatsoever.

Navy Going After Villanova Lacrosse Coach?

In The Navy?

Since we just took their basketball coach, I guess Navy is trying to repay the favor by going after Villanova lacrosse head coach Michael Corrado.  I'm not in the know about this situation and just going off a media report, but it must be noted that Villanova has an advantage in that Corrado is a  1987 VU alum.

If there any updates on this in the near future, I'll bring it to you.

Despite Being Dropped By Falcons, Brian Finneran Intends to Continue Playing

Even though he's been informed that he will not be re-signed by the Atlanta Falcons, former Villanova wide receiver Brian Finneran said in a recent interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he intends to continue playing in the NFL.

Q: Do you plan to continue playing?

A: Well, I have to wait for this lockout to get over with so they can get everything in order and figure out what they can do with the free agents like myself.

Q: Did you talk to any teams before the lockout?

A: A few. Hopefully, (when the lockout is over) I can start talking to some different teams and see what happens. See if there is anybody interested and take it from there. I just want to give myself an opportunity once it presents itself. I want to be ready to go if something does pop up.

I hope Finn gets a chance, but there isn't usually a huge market for a slow 35 year old white wide receiver who has never been a superstar even when he was young.  He'd most likely have to win a job in a team's training camp.  We'll just have to wait and see if he gets a chance.

Former Villanova Linebacker Terence Thomas- "Tap The Rock"

 

Here's former Villanova captain linebacker Terence Thomas showing off his 2009 national championship ring and explaining how that team came to get the motto they used.

VUHoops: Pinkston Trial Delayed Until July

According to ever reliable Brian on VUHoops.com, JayVaughn Pinkston's upcoming trial on assault charges has been delayed until July.

From The Post:

For those following the JayVaughn Pinkston criminal matter closely, a trial on his criminal charges was originally scheduled for May 25, 2011 (yesterday). According to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, however, a continuance was granted and Pinkston’s case will not be heard by the court until at least July 27. Judge Thomas C. Branca will preside over the trial when the case resumes in July.

Pinkston must resolve three outstanding charges; one count of simple assault and two counts of harassment. A fourth charge of simple assault was dismissed in a lower court proceeding. In the meantime, Pinkston remains free on $2,500 unsecured bail that was posted in January.

Now I'm not a lawyer, but I'll play pretend.  A continuance isn't necessary a bad thing, and it could be for a variety of reasons.  Hopefully, his attorney will use this extra two months to work out a plea agreement to settle this bullshit without bringing JVP to trial and watching the prosecution try to set an example of a 19 year old kid.

Free JVP!

Boston Globe: Big East Vote Was 5-3 In Villanova's Favor

It's official, at least according to the Boston Globe. Some speculation was that it was a majority of schools against Villanova, but that doesn't seem to be the case. It just seems that Villanova didn't have the super majority needed to get into the Big East. The article is mostly about the power struggle in the conference, but Villanova is definitely a key part of that.

An Excerpt:

According to several sources within the league, there has been an ongoing internal debate among Big East commissioner John Marinatto and a core group of presidents and athletic directors.

The power struggle is football-driven, led by athletic directors at West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers, and the presidents at West Virginia and Pittsburgh. The three schools flexed their muscles when Villanova was being considered as the 10th team in football last month. To get approval, Villanova needed six of the eight Big East votes. The vote was 5-3.

The internal bickering and bargaining has been intense, with Pittsburgh AD Steve Peterson and Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti having the loudest voices in the room but different agendas. Pernetti has argued the hardest for the bigger formula, i.e. 12 teams in football, 19 or 20 in basketball.

Outwardly, the Big East has tried to put on a “we are family’’ face. It’s not working.

Who is to blame? Maybe everyone.

 So again, it's Rutgers (NJ), West Virginia, and Pitt who are the obstructors.  Again I must point out that these are the three schools with the biggest collective egos and the three schools that stand to lose the most if Villanova is competitive. Read into that as you will, but it seems that Villanova has just enough support that they may be able to be strong armed into this.

"Hard Hitting" Interview With Ken Caldwell And Brandon Bender

A highly entertaining interview with AAU figure/"mentor"/possible crook Ken Caldwell and former Louisville player Brandon Bender.  Both of these people have been connected with some alleged recruiting impropriety by UCF.

So in the interview, the interviewers ask ZERO tough questions and the interviewees fluff everything about UCF including going as far as saying that John Wall would have considered UCF had he visited there.

Part one

Part two

This interview was a bit too folksy for me, and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. 

Also, the title of this song is completely relevant to the mindset UCF fans.

Matt Szczur's Early Pro Stats: Impressive, Deceiving

A you probably know, former Villanova deity Matt Szczur is now playing the minor league system of the Chicago Cubs.  This season, Szczur Christ has been playing in the Cubs' Lo-A Midwest League affiliate Peoria Chiefs. If you like using batting average as a measuring stick, (I don't because it's incredibly unreliable, and largely luck based,) Szczur is playing fantastic, hitting at a .339 clip.  When you get down to the peripherals, and the fact that he's a 21 year old college player in Lo-A  (college players at 21 are usually in Hi-A)  he's been solid at best.

The Stats: 
(all stats from baseball reference)
Games: 27
Plate Appearances- 128
Hits-38
Walks- 14
Strikeouts- 11
Stolen Bases- 12
Caught Stealing- 1
Batting Average- .339
On Base Percentage- .414
Slugging Percentage- .384
Extra Base Hits- 5 (all doubles)

I'm very conflicted when I look at his overall line. On the positive side, there's his outstanding success rate stealing bases and the fact that he's walking slightly more than he's striking out. His walk rate of 9.14% is decent, but he's still facing pitchers at the low end of the spectrum in terms of polish and control. On the negative side, his isolated power (SLG-BA) of .045 is on the low side, and he'll have to develop some power, play outstanding defense, or walk at a higher rate in order to advance his way through the system.

These are just the early returns on a small sample size so things could change.  I'd still like to see him play against a higher level of competition before I make any real judgments, but there are plenty of things to like about Matt Szczur's early pro baseball career to go along with a few things that are concerning.  One thing I know for sure is that Villanova could have used him on the diamond this season.

Dana Holgorsen At The Casino.. EXCLUSIVE PHOTO

We've received a photo from an anonymous tipsters showing Dana Holgorsen being arrested after his incident at a West Virginia casino.

L'équipe de basketball Villanova Dirigé vers l'Europe en août

Eurotrash

I really don't care much about the Villanova basketball team schooling a bunch of semi-pro European teams from August 7-16, but some people do.

From the release:

For the first time in a decade, the Villanova men's basketball team is headed to Europe. The Wildcats, who made their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010-11, will travel to France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands from Aug. 7-16 and are slated to play five exhibition games as part of the tour, it was announced today.

Villanova's most recent visit to Europe came in August of 2001 when the Wildcats toured Italy. The `Cats also took a trip to play exhibition games in Ottawa over Labor Day weekend in 2007.

Qui veut du sexe Mouphtaou?
Wer will Sex Mouphtaou?
Wie wil seks Mouphtaou?
Who wants to sex Mouphtaou? 

VIllanova-Mizzou Will Be December 6th

The previously announced tilt between Villanova and Missouri will be held December 6, 2011 at 7 PM per an announcement from ESPN today.  The game will be part of a doubleheader in the Jimmy V Classic.  For those who care (I don't) Marquette and Washington will be playing in the other game.

Let's just hope Villanova loses because the last time they lost to Missouri, good things happened.

Big East Coaches Say They Want Expansion, But Are "Meh" About Villanova

So once again, people in the Big East are torn about Villanova. This time, based on an anonymous poll by CBSSports.com, it's the coaches that haven't reached a consensus.

The questions:

 
1. Do you favor Villanova as a football member?
Yes: 2½ votes
No: 2½ votes
No opinion: 3 votes

2. If Villanova becomes the 10th member, do you want to stay at 10 or go to 12 members? If 12, which two schools would you add?
Go to 12 schools: 5 votes
Stay at 10: 2 votes
No opinion: 1 vote

3. If Villanova is not added, do you want to stay at nine members or still get to 10 schools? If 10, which school would you add?
Add a 10th member: five votes
Stay at nine: three votes

PPL Park is again being raised as an issue:

Last month the school appeared ready to announce they would make the jump to the Big East only to have the Big East pull the invitation because of concerns about the Wildcats' stadium situation.
Villanova can't expand its on-campus stadium so the Wildcats are looking into playing off campus at PPL Park, home of the Philadelphia Union's soccer team. The stadium seats 18,500 and Big East sources said it's no secret the league does not want to play in a stadium that small. PPL Park would have to be expanded to satisfy the Big East -- and still that might not be enough.

One coach said he would not favor Villanova if it plays in an expanded soccer stadium but said he would favor the Wildcats if they played their home games at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles and Temple. However, that's not likely since the Owls have an exclusivity contract, blocking Villanova from playing there.

 My solution: Franklin Field.

Once again, Villanova has made zero progress, and the Big East seems to be in some serious disagreement amongst its members, which actually bodes fairly well for VU.

Link Day

 I bring you linkz

• Villanova soccer is trying to increase its footprint in Texas.
• Fire Joe Godri. 
• Will Sheridan came out with a new video.. Good timing.
• Luke Hancock from George Mason, famous for destroying us is transferring to Louisville.. Fuck.
• Charles Barkley has no problem with the gays.
• Matt Szczur will finally be back to baseball.

And now, the rarest occurence on earth:

Loaded Big East Poll Proves That ECU, UCF Fans Can Flood A Poll

78 percent of readers on the Big East blog say that Villanova shouldn't join the Big East. The 22 percent who voted for Villanova are probably the only people who weren't UCF, WVU, or ECU fans.

It should also be noted that the ginger who runs that blog is a fervent opponent of such a move and has said so several times. Tell the idiot what you think here.

Anyone Who Thinks Temple Can Get Into The Big East is Delusional

A response to this "article". This is about as good as "Bernard Pierce For Heisman".

Will Sheridan's New Video

It's called 302.. Not nearly as catchy as "Welcome To The Jungle" but a bit more conventional.

I Think I have a New Favorite Player

“I’m just glad to be a Wildcat."- Ash Yacoubou

More From The Article

Yacoubou provided his expectations for his first year on the Main Line, in terms of both basketball and academics.

“My expectations, I wanna do whatever it takes to help the team win, do very well in school, get very good grades in school and work very hard at winning Big East Freshman of the Year, Rookie of the Year,” said the ranked #126 player in the final Rivals 150 for the class of 2011.

Ash, you are my sunshine.

Villanova Will NOT Be Playing In The Big East/SEC Challenge

Even though the two conferences have little in common, ESPN is trying to make a rivalry between the Big East and the SEC in basketball. The unfortunate thing about it? Villanova, Notre Dame, and Marquette, three of the best Big East teams over the last several years aren't playing.

Thursday, Dec. 1
St. John’s at Kentucky
Georgetown at Alabama
Providence at South Carolina
Mississippi at DePaul

Friday, Dec. 2
Vanderbilt at Louisville
Florida at Syracuse
Cincinnati at Georgia
Auburn at Seton Hall

Saturday, Dec. 3
Arkansas at Connecticut
Pittsburgh at Tennessee
West Virginia at Mississippi State
LSU at Rutgers

Yes.. give games to Seton Hall, Rutgers, Depaul, and Providence, but nothing to Villanova..

Tyrone Johnson Senior Season Highlights

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't excited about him. Hat tip to VUHoops for finding it.

Oliver Luck Has Finally Learned To Shut Up?

While  you can still tell through innuendo that he wants no part of Villanova in the conference, WVU athletic director Oliver Luck is finally obeying orders and keeping quiet.

Luck wouldn't go there ... maybe because he went there publicly, candidly (and not briefly) on the air last month, after Big East Commissioner John Marinatto had issued a gag order of sorts on members discussing that particular piece of the expansion puzzle.
Luck's law degree and business background in pro sports before he took the WVU athletic reins serve him very well in these matters. And in detouring around the Villanova pothole - "I have to defer to the conference there," he said - Luck found a route he'd like to see the Big East travel.

 Alright.. good to know  you can stay quiet.

His reference point was the recent $3 billion, 12-year telecast contract the Pac-10 (to be the Pac-12 on July 1) landed from the unexpected rights marriage of ESPN and Fox. The deal will provide about $21 million on average annually to member schools.
"One of the things I really found interesting, if you followed the Pac-10 or 12 and the recent TV negotiation - and what happened was pretty eye-opening, pretty spectacular - was something (Commissioner) Larry Scott was asked," Luck said.

Ugh. Get it through your thick skull that the Big East has nowhere near the brand power of the Pac-12. WVU is nowhere near USC or UCLA in terms of recognition.

While this man has learned something in terms of following instructions, he's really learned nothing when it comes to the place of his school and conference in terms of the national landscape.

Kemba Walker's Big Day

Yep, he finally learned to read.

The Day After: Villanova is Classy

Just some reaction from a couple Villanova luminaries. Unlike some ignorant assholes, (who are unaffiliated, and you are free to harass,) that can GDIAF, the reaction from Will Sheridan's Villanova basketball brethren to his recent presence in the national media is universally positive.

Kyle Lowry:

Mouphtaou Yarou:

I guess all of that stuff about a "Villanova Family" that Jay Wright talks about isn't bullshit.

Villanova Hires New Defensive Line Coach

Villanova has hired former Maryland defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Dave Sollazzo to be the defensive line coach for The Wildcats. The defensive line was previously coached by Billy Crocker who will move to linebacker coach after former coach Clint Wiley left the staff to the head coach at Sterling HS in New Jersey.

The Release:

Villanova University head football coach Andy Talley today announced changes to the 2011 Wildcat coaching staff. Dave Sollazzo has been hired as the team's defensive line coach, while Billy Crocker will move from defensive line coach to linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. Sollazzo replaces Clint Wiley who resigned in April to become the head coach at Sterling High School in Somerdale, N.J.

From a recruiting standpoint, Sollazzo will recruit New York and Northern New Jersey. Current defensive coordinator Mark Reardon will assume Wiley's recruiting duties in southern and central New Jersey in addition to the state of Delaware.

"Dave brings a great deal of experience to our staff," said Talley. "He is an outstanding recruiter with a tremendous reputation. I am very pleased we were able to add someone of Dave's caliber to the staff. He is a great addition to the Wildcat football program."

Sollazzo comes to Villanova from the University of Maryland where he served as defensive line coach for the past 10 seasons. He was also the Terrapin recruiting coordinator for the last five years. During his last four years at Maryland, the Terps signed 72 student-athletes ranked among the top 100 nationally at their positions, including 17 All-Americans.

Prior to his 10-year stint at Maryland, Sollazzo spent two seasons (1999-00) as the defensive tackles coach at Georgia Tech. Before he arrived at Georgia Tech, Sollazzo was the defensive line coach at his alma mater, The Citadel, from 1989-98. As a player, Sollazzo was a defensive lineman at The Citadel from 1973-76.

 Seems like a real quality hire.

Yep, Will Sheridan's Gay

Note: I normally don't get into sociopolitical issues on here, but this is national news. Ignoring this story would be irresponsible, especially because it falls directly into the scope of what my blog covers.

It's official, former Villanova forward Will Sheridan is gay. Coming out in an article on ESPN.com by Dana O'Neil, Sheridan discussed his own personal journey as a gay collegiate athlete, and how his teammates didn't make it an issue, despite the fact that he was open with them.

They were sitting in their dorm room late at night talking, not necessarily about anything deep or meaningful. Just talking, as people do at the end of the day.
They were Villanova freshmen, two guys tossed together by the fate of their college who would grow so close that even now, eight years later, they remain as tight as brothers.

And so that night as they talked casually, their friendship already on solid footing, Will Sheridan told Mike Nardi something he had only told a few people.
"I just said, 'I need to tell you something ... I'm gay,'" Sheridan said.

I was a freshman when Will Sheridan was a senior, and I'm not surprised in the least by this news.  It was pretty much an open secret from the moment that I walked on campus that "Bump" was gay. I'll admit that I'm not perfect, and that I've been known to say offensive things about all groups, but I wasn't about to let one gay Villanova player affect how I rooted for my team, especially a player like Will Sheridan, the true definition of a "student athlete".

I'm not going to go congratulating Will on his courageousness, because in 2011, he should be able to live his life. I am going to say that I'm proud of Will for always being a tremendous representative of Villanova in every way. A lot of players end up doing stupid things, but Will Sheridan is the epitome of class, and regardless of whether he's gay or straight, Villanova fans should be proud of Will Sheridan for the fact that he is classy, intelligent, articulate, and is a fantastic representative of the fine university that we are fans of.

Denver Goalie Stands On His Head, Officials Can't Get Off Their Knees.. Villanova Loses

Villanova loses 13-10.

My Reaction:

• The officials served up some ridiculous home cooking on this one. Denver got good enough goaltending to win, but they were aided by the fact that the officials didn't call a penalty in Villanova's favor until the game was out of reach.
• I hate to trash a student athlete, (especially one that probably isn't on scholarship,) but Villanova needs better play from its goalie next year. Billy Hurley was pretty "meh", even if he has an awesome bow tie.
• Where can Villanova find some Canadians?
• After Villanova went up by three at the beginning of the second half, I thought this was just about over. I was wrong.
• Fuck ESPN for forcing me to watch the first half on ESPN3.
• There was a really obnoxious guy close to the field mike who was yelling some obscenities. Again, good job ESPN.
• The commentary team did a terrible job of pointing out the officiating was atrocious. There was some innuendo, but those officials needed to be held accountable for the novice.
• Brian Karalunas was rendered useless because whenever he did anything physical, a flag was thrown.

Today's old school rap song is Fight The Power by Public Enemy (for obvious reasons)

Lacrosse: Villanova-Denver Preview

Later today, the Villanova lacrosse team will head to University of Denver to play the sixth seeded Pioneers who have won ten straight games. The game will be the first ever NCAA lacrosse tournament game played west of the Mississippi River.

A glance at Denver:

• Denver's adjusted offensive efficiency of 36.86 ranks second in the nation. By comparison, the national average is 27.92, and Villanova's is 33.63.  
• Denver prefers to play at a significantly faster pace than Villanova.
• They'll be without Todd Baxter, their captain and third leading scorer for the game.
• Their coach, Bill Tierney is known for his historically stingy defenses, even though offense has been his team's calling card this season.

We Can Only Hope Mizzou Beats Villanova

Because the only other time Villanova played Mizzou, they beat us, but later in that season, we got the last laugh.

Awesome

This has nothing to do with Villanova, but it's awesome.

Denver's Captain Out For Tomorrow's Tilt Against Villanova

Barring a miracle, Denver captain Todd Baxter will be out against Villanova.  Unfortunately, it appears that his backup is really good.

Darrun Hilliard Senior Season Highlights Take Two

Because the first one was deleted

Presenting The Same Argument Twice Prevents it From Being "Point/Counterpoint"

Today I stumbled across an article from some obscure publication in West Virginia. It's entitled "Point-Counterpoint: Big East Expansion."

After the jump is the article in its entirety.

The West Virginia Media Consensus: No Villanova in The Big East

There is a consensus in the West Virginia University media community-- the Big East must do anything necessary to say no to Villanova. From the outset, there seems to have been at least one article  a week (an exaggeration) coming out of West Virginia imploring the conference to stay away from Villanova, and offering their own alternatives (UCF, Houston, ECU, and Memphis).  The duty of the media is to be impartial, but it's obvious that the media establishment in West Virginia has no interest in being anything but fervent supporters of the Mountaineer football program.

For example, here is an article yesterday entitled "Point-Counterpoint: Big East Expansion," the problem with the article? It doesn't present a point/counterpoint argument. Both of the idiots argue virtually the exact same thing, including the often repeated refrain that Villanova doesn't belong in the conference to play football, which leads me to believe that there is a fear amongst WVU fans that VU will join the conference and become an instant threat to them, much like UConn has been.  West Virginia has absolutely no interest in competition from smaller schools that are better academically than them.  Is this an inferiority complex, or is it simply xenophobia? I don't think we can say for sure. One thing we can say for sure is that the state West Virginia is almost unanimously against Villanova in the Big East.

Father Peter's Letter In FJM Format

Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends:

Hi Father Peter!

I wanted to share some new information with you about the status of Villanova's potential transition to the Big East as a football member.

Good.. I've been waiting for a while for an update. As you may have noticed, I've been growing a little impatient, but don't worry, I Found a way to occupy my time.

As I communicated last month, the Villanova Board of Trustees was poised to move forward with a decision at its April meeting when we learned that the Big East needed more time to conduct its due diligence. Since that time, we have been actively engaged with the Big East leadership on the football issue. In a recent letter received from Big East Commissioner John Marinatto, which he agreed that I could share, he stated the following:

Nice! We Get some information straight from the cow's horse's mouth.

"Please know that the Big East Conference will continue to work closely with Villanova University as we pursue our ongoing goal of ensuring the Conference's long-term stability, strength and value through football expansion, which will require more time to finalize as we continue our evaluation of the evolving football and media landscapes. I appreciate the outstanding job Villanova has done in its FBS football evaluations over the last nine months and obviously Villanova University continues to be a strong member of the Conference and an attractive candidate for football membership. I am grateful for all the time, effort and energy that both you and Villanova have put into your thorough assessment and presentations, Father, and I appreciate and understand your concerns and personally pledge to continue to work diligently with you and your team as we move forward."

Um.. pardon me if I sound rude, but this isn't really the "new information" we were looking for. In fact, I don't even think it has any new information at all.

I am proud of Villanova and the way that our University undertook exploring this move to Big East football. We approached it seriously and with a process that was thoughtful, diligent, inclusive and research-based. I continue to be confident of the value Villanova brings to the Big East. Our teams have won 72 Big East Conference titles, and we lead the Big East with 19 NCAA Team Champions and 114 NCAA Individual Champions. Villanova has an undeniable history of academic and athletic excellence, which is nationally recognized.

I'm glad that you understand how important athletics are to the history of Villanova, and to its future. For the record, I'm a big fan of how the arts have helped Villanova, but I think we can both agree that sports have helped the school in a way that brings far more positive PR than anything else.

I know that many of you may be frustrated with the Big East's timeline -- I share your feelings. However, we must remember that the true mandate for Villanova is the successful implementation of our University's Strategic Plan.

Andddd I just lost you. The strategic plan didn't place nearly enough emphasis on athletics, and regardless of what the faculty thinks, athletics are the single greatest way to build camaraderie in the community. That is something that cannot be achieved through an ethics class, or performing arts center.

I've communicated to you my excitement and commitment to the bold vision for Villanova's future as outlined in our Strategic Plan, and I can guarantee you that there will be no delay in accomplishing our goals. The powerful momentum propelling the Strategic Plan forward is already visible. Here on campus, many initiatives are underway, including improvements to campus infrastructure, academic and curricular enhancements, and significant investments to further bolster our prestige with future students. In these areas, Villanova will determine its own destiny.

Son of a bitch.

As information regarding the Big East becomes available, I will share it with you. Moving forward, I am committed to strengthening our impressive tradition and ensuring that it thrives to benefit Villanovans for generations to come. This will be our shared legacy.

Yeah, but we all know who gets the credit.

Sincerely,
 
Fr. Peter Donohue, O.S.A.
President 

Breaking News

We have now learned exactly why Osama bin Laden hated the U.S.

Let's Do Some Big East Equivalency Formulas

Since fans of some Big East schools are so knowledgeable on Villanova's bid to play football in the conference, I thought I would do some equivalency formulas.

1. $30 Million = Doing things on the cheap
2. 12,000 seats = 5,000 seats (RE: Villanova Stadium)
3. Rutgers Football = National Powerhouse
4. Five Teeth = A lot (West Virginia)

That's all.

Tuesday Link Roundup: Billy Lange Brightsiding Edition

Okay, it's a fairly slow day for new news today after the blockbuster basketball news from yesterday. So here's a link roundup.

• Former Villanova NCAA Champion runner Bobby Curtis who despite his success, has been fighting insomnia pretty much the entire time.
• Former Villanova soccer goalkeeper Jillian Loyden made it on the roster of the US Women's World Cup team.
• ESPN lacrosse analyst Paul Carcaterra thinks that Villanova could be dangerous, and that Johns Hopkins lucked out by not drawing them.
• Jay Wright on Villanova's struggles in the end of seasons recently.
• Of course Billy Lange is back at Villanova, but more changes could be coming.

Also, this has no associated link, but Jay isn't leaving Villanova anytime per sources close to the program. Stop freaking out whenever a college job opens.

Jeff Goodman: Billy Lange is Coming Back To Villanova

According to a report from FOXSports.com's Jeff Goodman, former Villanova assistant, and current Navy head coach Billy Lange will be returning to the Main Line to be a part of Jay Wright's coaching staff as the associate head coach.

On the surface, this is a fantastic move for the program. Not only is Lange a member of the "Villanova Family", but he's also from the area, (played for Herb Magee at Philadelphia University,) and he has head coaching experience on multiple levels of college basketball.  Goodman says: "(Lange) could also be the guy who ultimately replaces Wright down the road if and when he leaves," but don't read into any of that, because I'm pretty sure that the next head coach of Villanova is going to be Bobby Gonzalez, Fred Hill Jr., Steve Lappas, Buzz Williams, or Phil Martelli Brett Gunning, or Pat Chambers.

It's just nice to see the school spend some money on an assistant coach with prior head coaching experience at the division one level.

I Knew John Marinatto Hated Football Schools

Not a Fan of Tolerance

Finally Some News About The Villanova Football Situation (It Isn't Much)

 According to Mike Jensen of The Philadelphia Inquirer a decision isn't imminent.

Says Jensen:

"Do not expect a decision this month from the Big East about whether to allow Villanova to upgrade its football program. Do not be surprised if this drags into the summer. If Villanova makes the move up, the timetable probably will be moved back by a year.

So what's going on? It appears that a number of the Big East's football schools aren't sure what they want their league to look like. Would adding 'Nova as a 10th team be enough for a while? Would adding 'Nova and two others - Central Florida and Houston are popular rumored additions - be the better option? Is 'Nova the right choice at all? These decisions are not going to be made in the next three weeks, I'm told. That means the three-year timetable to move up, an aggressive one under the best of circumstances, isn't likely.

We're also told this is not some interim step toward turning Villanova down. (Although that obviously could still happen; it just hasn't happened yet.) Some people believe that if the league takes only one new member, Villanova still has the best shot at being that school. So why doesn't the Big East simply add one school now anWd decide about adding more in the months ahead? Answer: Let's assume that league officials realize that the Big East hasn't exactly covered itself in glory for the way this whole episode has been handled.

Well that's just fucking grand, I think I'll throw a party now that I know all of these  blockbuster details.

He goes on to say that Villanova is still in discussions with The Union about PPL Park blah blah blah.

So let me break this down:

• What We've Learned- Nothing. Until John Marinatto someone goes on the record and clears this mess up, we know absolutely NOTHING.
•  What We Don't Know- Just about everything that is relevant to this situation.
• What's To Come- Months and months more of this stupid fucking charade, and continued photoshop creations, (courtesy of me,) portraying Oliver Luck as a bigot.
• What I'll Need When This is Over- A cigarette.

Villanova Gets At-Large Bid to NCAA Lacrosse Tournament

Despite shitting the bed yesterday against Georgetown, They'll be playing at Denver next Sunday at 5:15 Eastern on ESPNU.  While this isn't ideal, they proved against Syracuse that they can play with just about anyone.

Oliver Luck At The Kentucky Derby

Oliver Kingdom

Notable Villanova Results (not Sheila Reid) at The Big East Track Championships

Now that the Big East Track and Field Championships are over, I'll share some Villanova notables for you other than Sheila Reid going beast mode.

Men:

• In the 5,000 meters, Mathew Mildenhall finished in third, and Brian Long came in fourth.
• Keith Capecci came in second in the 10,000 meters..
• Villanova's 4x400 meter relay team of Nicoy Hines, Carlton Bowers, Christopher Kearney, and Sam Ellison finished in second to Rutgers.
• Hines also finished in fifth in the 400m hurdles.
• Ellison finished fifth in the 400 meter dash.
• The 4x800 relay of Brian Tetrault, Matt Wikler, Carl MacKenzie, and Matt Gibney finished in third behind  Notre Dame and UConn.
• Gibney finished in a close third in the individual 800.

Women:

• Shericka Ward finished in second to UConn's Trisha-Ann Hawthorn in the 200m dash.
• Ward also came in second in the 100m hurdles. 
• Amanda Marino finished in fifth in the 10,000 meters.
• Kristen Mahon finished fifth in the 400m hurdles.
• Ali Smith finished in fifth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.
• The 4x800 relay of Kelly McElroy, Emily Lipari, Ariann Neutts, and Nicky Akande finished in third behind Georgetown and UConn.
• in the field events, Ashlyn Llerandi came in third in the pole vault and Julia Arduini came in fifth in the Javelin.

In the overall, the women came in third and the men in seventh (fucking title IX bullshit).

Villanova's Sheila Reid is Big Winner at The Big East Championships

Villanova distance runner Sheila Reid continued her impressive season today by winning both the 1,500 and 5,000 meter races at the Big East Championships today at Villanova Stadium.

Reid's Results after the jump

This Dog Is Obviously a Rutgers(NJ) Fan

Saturday Link Roundup

Okay, as I've already told you, The Big East Track Championships are today and tomorrow at Villanova Stadium. The day is fairly quiet outside of the spring sports, so it's link time!

• As I'm sure you heard, Dante Cunningham was a dumbass and got arrested for the drugs and the weapons.
• Linda Goss, the associate head coach of the softball team is due to retire after 25 seasons with The Wildcats (it's a slow week, so this is the first and last time I'll ever mention softball.)
• In the good news department, frat boy puncher, (and my hero,) JayVaughn Pinkston will be reinstated to the university on June 1, 2011.
• Luke Hancock, who scored 18 points and hit the decisive three pointer against Villanova for George Mason this season, has requested a release from his scholarship, and that request has been granted.  Hancock hasn't made a final decision though.
• The Coyer Twins, whose brother Chris plays quarterback for Temple, (he was a backup this season,) have committed to play for Harry Perretta beginning in 2012.  Maybe they can convince their brother to transfer?
• The newly renamed Pac-12 Conference signed a new (monstrous) TV deal with FOX Sports and ESPN. The new (and excellent) blog, Big East Coast Bias thinks this is a bad thing for the Big East, but Brian from VUHoops.com takes a far more optimistic approach.
• From the department of redundancy department, it looks like newly drafted Ben Ijalana is going to get an opportunity to gain early playing time with the Colts.
• Today's game with Georgetown is the last game of the season for the 10th ranked Villanova lacrosse team.
• Jay Wright is not leaving for Maryland, so stop speculating about it.
• The Villanova baseball team isn't very good.

That's all for today.. The old school hip hop song of the day is  Express Yourself by NWA

Big East Track Championships Today and Tomorrow (And Yesterday)

The Big East Track and Field Championships are being held this weekend at Villanova Stadium.  If you're in the area, I'd highly recommend going to cheer on The Wildcats, but if you're not in the area, it's being live streamed for free here.

Schedule of events:
Villanova's preview for the men
and the preview for the women

And finally, since we're talking about running, Flock of Seagulls with I Ran:

Ben Ijalana "Plugged In" As A Starter For The Colts

According to general manager Bill Polian, speaking on the official website of the Indianapolis Colts, former Villanova offensive tackle Ben Ijalana is "plugged in" as a starter on the offensive line of the Colts after being picked 49th overall by the team last week.

From the article:

“He's plugged in,” said Bill Polian, the Colts' vice chairman. “We think he can play both positions, so it's added value there.”

Added Chris Polian, the team's vice president and general manager: “In snippets here and there, they did move him around a little bit at Villanova. You saw him line up at guard sometimes. You saw him line up on the right side at times.”
Ijalana “dominated” in Villanova's NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Chris Polian said.

I'm still going to go out on a limb and say that at some point, Ijalana will start at left tackle for an NFL team.  His feet are simply too good to be wasted at guard or right tackle.

Chill The Fuck Out About Jay Wright

 

 

After five consecutive off seasons of rumors about Jay Wright, yet another "sexy" destination has popped up due to Gary Williams' retirement.

All I have to say about these rumors is that until I see something connected to this aside from "anonymous sources", I simply won't believe it, and you shouldn't believe it either.  Jay has turned down opportunities at better jobs to stay at Villanova.  Yes, Maryland is a nice job, but as Brian from VUHoops pointed out last night, VU spends more per annum on basketball.  Unless he's offered an ungodly amount of money, why would Jay go somewhere that is allocating less resources than the one he is already at? 

So if you're panicking, just wait a little bit, and remember that Maryland hired Randy Edsall to be their football coach because they didn't want to shell out the big bucks to hire Mike Leach.

Update: sources are telling CSN Philly that Jay is not a candidate for the Maryland game.

Gus Johnson Remembered

An Unscientific Look Into Dante's Near Future

Mike Bianchi, You Left Me With No Choice..

Since Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel gave me the cold shoulder after I wrote him a love letter, I have no choice but to release this picture.

All I Have To Say About Dante Cunningham

Taking a Stab At a Pre-Fall Football Depth Chart: Defense

Just about the only sure thing

The second part of a two part series.. It is still four months away from the beginning of football season, and three months until camp begins, but it's fun to make projections, so projections I will make!

Defensive End- Rakim Cox and Marlon Johnson: Both are players with significant starting experience. Johnson is coming off a severe knee injury, but it happened early enough last season that it shouldn't be much of a problem.  If the starter isn't one of these two, expect junior Tamai Young, or sophomore Keelan Malone to get the lion's share of the snaps.

Nose Tackle- Antoine Lewis: After starting most of last season's games at defensive end, Lewis should move inside to his more natural nose tackle position.  With the requisite size for the position, this should be a smooth transition.  His versatility could come in handy in a pinch.  Young could also battle for position at this spot. 

Linebacker- Delano Ferguson, Devon Bridges, and Tyrone Armstrong: This is so difficult to project because there are three graduates from this past year.  I basically selected three names and threw them on the list. Take far less stock into this position as all the others.  Take a look out for Emeka Ndichie and several freshmen come fall.

Safety- Ronnie Akins, Shane Harris, and Craig James: Two of these guys have at least some experience, with Akins flashing in his first two seasons, and James playing well on special teams.  Harris is the wild card.  Freshmen could see significant time on this unit, and look for Dominic Scarnecchia to possibly see some time here, especially in a pinch.

Cornerback- Eric Loper and James Pitts: The most stable position group on the team.  This will be the third year in a row that Loper and Pitts will be paired up at the corner.  Aside from these two, Leighton Dennis should see some action, and possibly Kelvin Johnson. 

Punter- Dominic Scarnecchia: After a fine junior season, Scarnecchia should retain his starting position for his senior season.  If he's pressed into action on defense, Mark Hamilton should be able to fill in capably.

That's it for this.. I'll try to get some more information in the near future.  

Taking a Stab At a Pre-Fall Football Depth Chart: Offense

The Playmaker

It is still four months away from the beginning of football season, and three months until camp begins, but it's fun to make projections, so projections I will make!

Quarterback- Christian Culicerto or Dustin Thomas: If I really had to guess, it's going to be Culicerto headed into fall camp, based on some info that I've gathered and a practice I attended in which he received most of the snaps.  Aparrently Thomas hasn't been very impressive.

Tailback- Lawrence Doss: He's paid his dues, give him a shot, and if he sucks, give the rock to Austin Medley or one of the freshmen.

Wide Receivers- Norman White, Dorian Wells, and Joe Price: While he hasn't seen a ton of time, the coaches are high on Price, and the offense works best when there are two big receivers and one smaller one.

Tight End- Brennan Erbeznik: A fairly easy call because he's the only tight end on the roster at the moment.

Offensive Tackle- Josh Bucci and Chidozie Ekweozor: Bucci moves over from guard, and Ekweozor stays at tackle.  Expect Ekweozor to play on whichever side is the opening day starting quarterback's blind side. 

Guard- Ross Hall and Josh Polonio: I know the staff are very high on Hall, and Polonio is a guess.  My best guess is that this is a position that will be filled by one of the true freshmen.. Keep an eye on Vince Kowalski come fall.

Center- Dan Shirey: A starter since a few weeks into his freshman season, Shirey is guaranteed a start at the pivot this season as long as he is healthy.

Kicker- Nick Yako or Mark Hamilton: after last year's abortion of a season, I fully expect Yako to bounce back this season.

That's it for today, but I'll be back later in the week with a projection for the defense, which will involve a lot more conjecture.

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD.. FUCK YEAH!

Ben Ijalana Video From Draft Day

To protect the sheriff.. Also, it would be nice if they realized that he's best at Left Tackle.

Greg Schiano is a Classy Human Being

Dear UCF Fans, I Win

A short while back, I posted an e-mail that I had sent to Orlando Sentinel sports columnist Mike Bianchi that outlined some reasons why Central Florida was a poor fit for the Big East.  The post was tweeted by somebody from that paper, and a flurry of comments hit this blog, the majority of them from butt hurt UCF fans.

Over the weekend, I was vindicated when Pete Thamel of the New York Times came out with a piece that detailed some extremely shady recruiting practices at UCF in both football and basketball, the most grievous of which involved the recruitment of Kevin Ware, one of the best basketball recruits in the nation who inexplicably committed to UCF despite the fact that just about every other school in America wanted him. 

Meanwhile, my friend Mike Bianchi decided to defend the rule breaking that is allegedly happening at FTU.

So on behalf of my omniscience, I just want to tell all of the dumb UCF fans who slammed Villanova on here to taste it.

An Interview With Villanova's DMR Champions of America

Watch more video of 2011 Penn Relays on flotrack.org

Matt Gibney, Brian Tetreault, and Carlton Bowers talk about their performance on Friday. Sam Ellison is absent.