Villanova Football Season Countdown: 31 is For Joe Marcoux

 

Kicker: 2005-2008

In his four year career on the Main Line, Joe Marcoux went from an inconsistent kicker with a strong leg, to one of the greatest kickers in Villanova history, which isn't bad for a player who was looked ostracised by his high school teammates at Don Bosco Prep for playing at a I-AA school. Marcoux holds the school record for extra point attempts and conversions with nine in both categories, and ranks as fourth in school history in career points. Added to his career statistics is the fact that he was the first Villanova player to donate bone marrow, which is notable all by itself.

Villanova LB Terence Thomas Signs With The Philadelphia Eagles

Terence Thomas, a four year starter at linebacker for the Villanova football team has signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. He faces an uphill battle to make the team, but the Eagles have undergone some attrition at the position that gives him a better shot than normal. His standout play on special teams in college should give him a better shot than he would have if he had no special teams experience.

Update : OG Brant Clouser has signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants

Uncovered: Antonio Pena's Chatroulette Activities

A friend of mine sent me a link to this dumb (but pretty funny) video where some dude was trolling people by dancing around in a bikini to Katy Perry's song Peacock on Chatroulette. Well, it turns out that three minutes into the video, there is someone who bears a striking resemblance to former Villanova underachiever Antonio Pena.

This begs one question.. What the hell was Tone doing on Chatroulette? Athletes have been known to use the site (and skype for that matter) for unsavory purposes, and he was probably trying to see some boobs, but who really knows. Regardless of his intentions, I think that this was a pretty tremendous find given that I had no prior knowledge of this.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 32 is For Tony Canci

Running Back: 2005-2009

After putting up gaudy numbers during his senior high school, Tony Canci had exactly zero scholarship offers. He wound up walking on at Villanova, where his mom was an employee. In his first couple seasons, he mostly contributed on special teams, but he gradually worked his way into the offense as a fullback. His senior season he had four touchdown receptions and was a key cog in the greatest rushing attack in school history.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 33 is For Darnell Greene

Defensive Back: 1998-2002

As a starter on the 2002 national semifinalist team, Darnell Greene contributed to one of the most underrated defenses in Villanova history, to go along with perhaps the greatest secondary in team . Greene finished the 2002 season tied for third on the team in total tackles with 83 and tied safety Gary Johnson for the team lead in interceptions with three. 

Career Stats:
Tackles: 200
Tackles For Loss: 9
Sacks: 1
Interceptions: 6
Pass Breakups: 7

Football Season Countdown: 34 is For Jamison Young

Linebacker: 1999-2002

Jamison Young's 2002 senior season may be the greatest season ever by a Villanova linebacker, which is saying something when you consider the great linebackers who have come along in program history. In that season, Young finished with 115 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and one forced fumble in 15 games. In 2001, he led all of I-AA football with five forced fumbles, and the team with 89 total tackles.

Career Stats:
286 Tackles
31 Tackles For Loss
21 Sacks
2 Interceptions
9 Pass Breakups
6 Forced Fumbles
2 Fumble Recoveries

Interesting Recent Youtube Upload: Allan Ray and Carl Krauser

Occasionally, I search Youtube for recent Villanova videos, and I did the same today. What came up was a video uploaded earlier today that I haven't seen in at least three years, Allan Ray getting hit in the eye by Carl Krauser (bastard).  As I was at The Garden for that game, that game may be the single most deflated I have ever felt at a sporting event, because A-Ray was closing in on 2,000 points, and I thought he wasn't going to get it.

Villanova Picked To Finish 7th in The CAA, Four Players Named All-CAA

In a bit of a shock, Villanova football was picked to finish seventh in the CAA in the conference's preseason poll. To go along with that, senior wide receiver Norman White, junior center Dan Shirey, sophomore defensive lineman Antoine Lewis, and senior cornerback James Pitts were all selected to the preseason all-conference first team.

I think that predicting Villanova to finish in the bottom half of the league is a bit much, and I think it undersells the rising starters, and even though some very good players at key positions have graduated, the depth showed that it was more than capable when it was given the opportunity. I'm really not sure how they can pick four players to be all conference if they're expect them to finish seventh. It is what it is though, and hopefully the coaches are using this as motivation for the upcoming season.

CAA Preseason Poll:
1. William & Mary (12)
2. James Madison (4)
3. Delaware (2)
4. New Hampshire (2)
5. Massachusetts (1)
6. Richmond
7. VILLANOVA
8. Rhode Island (1)
9. Maine
10. Old Dominion
11. Towson

All Conference Offense:

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 35 is For Billy Joe

Fullback: 1960-1962

Villanova's last ever bowl win was the 1961 Sun Bowl, a game in which Billy Joe was the MVP. Although Joe gained less than 600 yards on the ground during his career on the Main Line, he remains one of Villanova's all time great players because of his accomplishments as a professional (1963 AFL Rookie of The Year, 1965 AFL All Star) while playing with the Broncos, Bills, Dolphins, and Jets. On top of his accomplishment on the football field, Joe also ran track, and still holds the Villanova record for the shot put.

After his career as a player, Billy Joe became a coach, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2007.

John Dempsey Signs With The St. Louis Rams

Former Villanova safety John Dempsey has signed a contract as an undrafted free agent with The St. Louis Rams. In his collegiate career, Dempsey had 242 tackles, ten sacks and five interceptions in 52 games.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 36 is For Noble Champen

Wide Receiver: 2000-2004

Before suffering an injury during his senior season, Noble Champen was a good target for Villanova quarterbacks Brett Gordon and Joe Casamento.  Champen had his greatest game in the 2002 playoff semifinals against McNeese State, with five receptions for 140 yards in a game where Villanova was robbed by an extremely dubious performance by the officials. In 2003, he had a big touchdown against Pennsylvania Government Waste (Temple).

Career Stats:
59 Receptions
1,102 Yards
4 TDs

Isaiah Armwood Highlights: Leave Nothing

Isaiah Armwood is not transferring to Maryland, but there is this video made by Sean Donovan and Andrew Keefe of Villanova Brightside fame.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: is For Dan Silva

Linebacker: 1999-2003

It took me forever to find a player with a traceable stat line at this number, but linebacker Dan Silva provided me with just that. He was never a star, and in his senior season, he had the unfortunate luck to be the backup to Brian Hulea, perhaps the greatest Villanova linebacker since Andy Talley took over as coach in the 80's. In Silva's junior season, he finished third on the team with 5.5 sacks, a number that would have led the 2010 team. 

Career Stats:
51 Tackles
6 Tackles For Loss
6.5 Sacks

Matt Szczur Rides The Bus: Tough Sledding Edition

Former Villanova standout Matt Szczur has played 11 games since his promotion to Hi-A Daytona, and the increased level of competition (or perhaps fatigue) has caught up to him. He is currently hitting .235 in Daytona, with three extra base hits including one home run.

Here are his stats in Hi-A so far:
11 Games
53 PA
12 Hits
1 2B
1 3B
1 HR
2 BB
7 SO
.235 BA
.264 OBP
.353 SLG
.617 OPS

A lot of this can be chalked up to growing pains, but his total lack of walks is a red flag to me. You need to walk more than four percent of the time to be marginally successful unless you have a tremendous amount of power, which Szczur does not. Let's hope he makes the necessary adjustments, and continues to rocket through the minors.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 38 Is For Adam Nelson

Long Snapper: 2010-Present

Apparently they give numbers in the high 30s to long snappers and walk-on running backs. Anyways, Adam Nelson also has played catcher on the Villanova for the past several years, and joined the football team last season because they had a need at snapper, and he can snap.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 39 is For George Siracuse

Linebacker/Snapper: 2009-Present

In what has been by far the most difficult number to find so far, I had to resort to the field goal snapper on the current team, George Siracuse. The less you notice Siracuse this season, the better it is for the team, because his position is the only one in which it's a good thing to remain anonymous.

This Is The Kind of Player Villanova Needs

Last month, Villanova picked up a commitment from offensive lineman Nico D'Angelo from Holy Spirit HS in South Jersey. In a recent article written by Keith Pompey from the Philadelphia Inquirer, D'Angelo explained his motivations for committing to Villanova, and that a move to the Big East doesn't matter as much to him as the quality of education etc.

He starts out saying:

"Big-time football, all the bells and whistles, are not really important to me. What I want is a good education and good football."

So there's a good answer, and it sounds like the coaches won't have to worry about losing him. He also explains his familial connection to the school:

"My dad [Franco] went to 'Nova," said D'Angelo, who attended his first Wildcats game in the sixth grade. "My mom [Renee] went there. So it just felt right."

Villanova needs to monopolize these types of players. If a kid is local, and he has a connection to the school, they cannot afford to lose them, period. He also sounds like a good kid with a solid head on his shoulders, which is a good thing.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 40 is For Frank Boal

Runningback: 1966-1968

I was beginning to think that I wouldn't find anyone to fill the number 40, but then I found out about Frank Boal, a running back who finished his career with 1,005 career rushing yards, and still holds the school record for most career punt return yardage with 649.  In his three year career, Boal led Villanova in rushing once, and scoring twice.

Boal is currently a sports anchor in Kansas City.

Tyrone Johnson Broke His Foot-- Won't Play In Europe

Freshman guard Tyrone Johnson (Montrose Christian) will miss the Villanova basketball team's summer tour of Europe with a broken foot. All I have to say is that he didn't break someone else's nose, and that this is yet another example of why tempering expectations for recruits/incoming freshmen is a good policy all around.

Villanova Link Roundup For July 21!

Fairly slow news week aside from the surprising influx of football verbal commitments. Today I've decided to collect some various Villanova links from the recent past.

Here we go:

• The CAA football media day on July 27 will be streamed on ESPN3.com.
• The Villanova lacrosse team has announced its recruits for the graduating class of 2015.
• The football team added two new verbal commitments for the high school class of 2016. Keep in mind that these commitments are non binding.
• Brian from VUHoops.com takes a look at the broader implications of ESPN's totally BS "Longhorn Network".
• Villanova finished 50th in the NCAA Director's Cup standings.
• Some far away Basketball recruiting news. I'm so excited that this calls for a celebration.

That's about it. The old school hip hop song of the day is It Ain't Hard To Tell by Nas. Try to figure out why.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 41 is For Cameron Cross

Fullback 1998-2002

The odds are that you have never heard of Cameron Cross unless you have followed Villanova football very closely for the last decade or so. Despite a very productive collegiate career, Cross was never a star because his career (with the exception of one season) overlapped perfectly with that of Brian Westbrook, and he had Brett Gordon throwing him passes.

Mostly a receiver out of the backfield, Cross finished his career with 106 receptions for 867 yards, not very shabby when you consider the fact that he was a fullback who had to share a backfield with perhaps the greatest receiving running back in the history of college football.

Villanova Football Season Countdown: 42 is For Brian Hulea

 

Linebacker: 2001-2005

Despite his lack of athleticism, Brian Hulea was one of the greatest linebackers in Villanova history. After leading the team in total tackles his final three seasons, Hulea broke Curtis Eller's school record for tackles in his final career game, and finished his career with 431, a record that doesn't seem likely to be broken any time soon.

Inside Villanova Basketball With Jay Wright Video: Circa 2005

I found this posted on Youtube recently, and even though it's pretty cheesy, I thought it was worth posting.

Recruiting: Two New Football Commitments

Villanova received commitments from running back Aaron Wells, and tight end/defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon (mistakenly listed as "Tonah") yesterday, bringing their commitment total to eight for the recruiting class of 2012.

2012 Commits:
Nico D'Angelo OL Holy Spirit HS, NJ
Jake Prus OL Woodstown HS, NJ
Austin Calitro LB Danbury HS, CT
Mark Clements DB Oakcrest HS, NJ
Stacey Bedell  RB William Floyd HS, NY
Javon White RB Souderton Area HS, PA
Aaron Wells RB River Hill HS, MD
Tanoh Kpassagnon DL Wissahickon HS, PA

Just a note, don't always believe a 40 yard dash time given by a high school athlete. Even if it's correct, it's usually hand timed which is an extremely inaccurate way to keep time. Electronic timing usually adds over a tenth of a second to the number.

Video: John McEnroe at Villanova

I rarely talk about it, but I love tennis, and i decided this video of one of the all time greats warming up to play tennis at The Pavilion was worth posting because it's just pretty cool.

1980: Sydney Maree Punished Twice For Apartheid

Sydney Maree running for Villanova (in third place)

Today is Nelson Mandela's 93rd birthday, and tomorrow is the 31st anniversary, of the opening of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, a great lost opportunity in the history of Villanova track, so I have decided to use today to take a look at Sydney Maree, a native South African who was held out from competing in Moscow due to South Africa's ban from international sport including the  Olympics due to apartheid.

In the long, illustrious history of distance running at Villanova, there has never been a runner who could match the physical abilities of Sydney Maree. During his time on the Main Line, Maree won three NCAA outdoor titles, two indoor titles, set the Villanova record in every single frequently run outdoor distance event from 1500-10,000 meters including the still standing NCAA records in the 1500m and the mile. For this particular story however, Maree's accomplishments are secondary to the grave injustice he suffered, both for being a black South African, and a South African athlete.

During the late 1970's to the mid 80's, distance running was largely dominated by runners of European descent (white guys). Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett from Great Britain, Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland (and Villanova), and John Walker of New Zealand were some of the dominant names in the sport at the time, and Africans from the rift valley had yet to begin winning every single race possible. By the time the 1980 summer olympics rolled around, Sydney Maree was at least competitive with the aforementioned on the stopwatch, (whether he was competitive with them in an actual race is a completely different story altogether,) but he was not allowed to compete due to the ban on his home nation of South Africa from competing in the Olympics because of South Africa's apartheid.

The banning of South Africa for political purposes was a grave injustice, because it punished athletes who were already disenfranchised under South Africa's state sponsored discrimination, creating a "double whammy" for athletes like Sydney Maree. Sydney Maree's season best time that season would have put him in contention for a medal in 1980, but he was unable to compete due to unfair conditions in his own country, and punitive sanctions from the international community that wound up achieving very little.

Sydney Maree would compete in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics for the USA after getting US citizenship. He never medaled in the Olympics despite being an elite runner on the world stage for the better part of a decade.

Matt Szczur Rides The Bus: First Week in Daytona Editon

Matt Szczur's first week in Hi-A was decidedly "meh".  He hit .280 in 25 at-bats, but he only hit one extra base hit (a double) and only walked once. Keep in mind that this is an incredibly small sample size, but it also shows that the Florida State League is significantly more difficult than the Lo-A Midwest League.

Stats (through 25 AB)
.280 BA
.308 OBP
.320 SLG
.628 OPS
7 Hits
1 2B

Just be patient, he should make the necessary adjustments, but don't expect a meteoric rise. I expect him to stay in Daytona for the rest of the season, and perhaps get the promotion to AA at the beginning of next season, with a possible stop in the Arizona Fall League in between.

Other Failed Proposals From Rick Pitino

"This is what we should do"

In light of Rick Pitino's ridiculous proposal for Big East reorganization, we here at Fact on Villanova Sports felt it was necessary to shed light on some of the other rejected proposals that Mr. Pitino has made over the years.

1. Changing the 35 second clock to the 15 second clock- I have no idea why Mr. Pitino would suggest such a thing unless 15 seconds has some sort of special meaning for him.
2. Have Larry Bird, Robert Parrish or Kevin McHale at every Big East Game- This was suggested because having any of those three men "walking through that door" immediately absolves a coach from responsibility.
3. Including a reference to a Kennedy at every press conference-This was something to take attention off of a coaches personal indiscretions. This wasn't a terrible idea, but most coaches weren't willing to use a man with a history of questionable decisions to cover up their own.
4. White suits for everyone! This one failed because Bob Huggins was afraid of what his perspiration would do, and he didn't want to take off the tracksuit that is welded to his body. 

After these proposals from the man, I don't think he should be involved in the free exchange among the Providence Big East decision makers.

Updated Cover For NCAA 12

#BernardPierce4Heisman

Recruiting: Updated 2012 Football Commitments

With the commitment of 2012 RB/DB Javon White, the Villanova football team now has six verbal commitments for that class. It's worth noting that at this point last offseason that they had zero.

Nico D'Angelo OL Holy Spirit HS, NJ
Jake Prus OL Woodstown HS, NJ
Austin Calitro LB Danbury HS, CT
Mark Clements DB Oakcrest HS, NJ
Stacey Bedell  RB William Floyd HS, NY
Javon White RB Souderton Area HS, PA

Again, don't put too much stock in this,or heap expectations on these kids because they're still only 16 years old and they can still change their minds at any time.

Free Bruce Feldman! Fire Craig James!

 

I'm literally out of words for this bullshit. ESPN sucks a huge one.

Video: Matt Szczur Interview From Futures Game

In the interview he talks with ESPN's Pedro Gomez (of Barry Bonds stalking fame) about the bone marrow donation program and why he chose baseball over football.

Dominic Cheek 2011 Highlights: Leave Nothing

Another SeanDon video creation. All I know personally is that Dominic Cheek is a movie star.

Off Topic: Justin Timberlake Trolls The All Star Game

 

I have great disdain for Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, so this video of interview by Justin Timberlake at the MLB All Star Game last night is fantastic. This is almost as good as when Artie Lange went apeshit on Joe Buck's short lived HBO Show.

Transcript, courtesy of my friends at Amazin' Avenue (after the jump)

Time To Temper Expectations a Bit For Matt Szczur

First off, let me preface this by saying that I'm a huge fan of Matt Szczur, and I hope he has a long, fruitful Major League career. However, talk from Villanova fans and Cubs fans about him making an impact in the Majors in the very near future is simply misguided. One thing that cannot be overlooked is the fact that Szczur has yet to have a single plate appearance in Advanced-A, and he played good, but not great in Lo-A. I know that I'm not an expert, or a scout, but I do know that he has yet to make the biggest jump in the entire Minor Leagues: Hi-A to AA. 

My advice is simple: wait until Szczur makes about 100 plate appearances in Daytona until you get excited because a lot can happen in the minor leagues, and most players never make it. Only four years ago, former Villanova pitcher Kevin Mulvey was once viewed as a rising star in the Mets organization, and now he's a middling AAA pitcher in his third organization.

Just something to chew on.

Music Tuesday: Bill Withers

Bill Withers is best known for a song that I will not include here because everyone knows it, and because I don't think it's his best song, or even in his top three, but that's all subjective on my part. For a little background, Withers, who was born an raised in West Virginia was making toilet seats for Jumbo Jets when his demo tape was discovered by Sussex Records. In 1971, his first album Just as I Am came out featuring the tracks Grandma's Hands and Ain't No Sunshine, the latter of which won him a Grammy.

First up is Use Me, perhaps my favorite Bill Withers song. I love the sheer simplicity of it.

Next (after the jump) is  Ain't No Sunshine. Fun fact- he says "I know" 26 consecutive times at one point in this song, and for some reason it works.

Hope Solo In Hero Form

Matt Szczur to Play in MLB Futures Game Tonight

Matt Szczur will share the outfield with Nationals Uber Prospect Bryce Harper tonight at 6 PM. Be sure to tune in on ESPN2 or ESPN3.com.

Matt Szczur Promoted to Hi-A Daytona

In a long anticipated move, former Villanova baseball and football star Matt Szczur has been promoted to the Daytona Cubs of the Advanced-A Florida State League. In 66 games this season with the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League, Szczur has a .314 batting average with five home runs and seven stolen bases.

This is a pivotal stretch for Szczur, as many promising looking careers come to a halt in the FSL.  If he cannot demonstrate an ability to hit for at least gap power, or a get on base consistently at this level, he will no longer be viewed as a legitimate prospect, but then again the Cubs are a terrible organization when it comes to player evaluation.

The Real Reason For WVU's Probation

Matt Szczur Ranked Baseball America's 48th Best Midseason Prospect

Former Villanova standout football and baseball player Matt Szczur was named to Baseball America's list of top 50 midseason prospects.  A bit of a surprise no doubt, but Baseball America is a respected publication that is considered one of the authorities on baseball prospects.

US U-19 Team Loses to The Soviet U.. I Mean Russia 79-74

 

Is now time to bow to our communist overlords? Anywho, here's a recap from our friends over at VUHoops.com. James Bell(who?) played pretty crappy, and former Villanova assistant Paul Hewitt proved once again that he's no good at coaching.

Matt Szczur Rides The Bus: Struggling Edition

After starting the 2011 baseball season with aplomb, former Villanova football and baseball god Matt Szczur has plummeted to earth. In the past ten games for the Peoria Chiefs of the Lo-A Midwest League, he has a .250 batting average, no home runs, and only two extra base hits (both doubles). Most concerning to me is that the has only walked twice in that span. Perhaps this demonstrates that he is bored, but it's more likely that he's in a slump and regressing after experiencing a great deal of luck earlier in the season.

Numbers through 65 games:
PA: 293
BA: .312
OBP-.365
SLG: .431
OPS: .796
HR: 5
2B: 15
3B: 2
Hits: 84

If he's not playing exceptional defense, those are fifth outfielder/AAAA numbers. We'll see how he does when he levels out a bit, but we couldn't expect that surge of power that he was having to last forever.

Recruit: Villanova Football to Announce Big East Move in Sept. UGH

This is getting tedious. Villanova 2012 football recruit Stacey Bedell (William Floyd HS, NY) is saying that Villanova plans to make an announcement on the Big East matter in September.

From Bedell in an ESPN Insider Article:

Bedell committed to Villanova -- a program that won the 2010 FCS national championship -- last Friday, one day after Villanova made its offer. He said Villanova's possible move to the FBS level was a big factor in his decision. He was also considering Army, James Madison, Fordham and Stony Brook.

"It's a great academic school and they told me they're announcing in September that they're going [FBS]," Bedell said. "I wanted to prove to everyone that I can play at that level."

I don't know how much stock to place in this latest development. The coaches at Pennsylvania Government Waste (Temple) proved last week that coaches will say just about anything to land a recruit. If Villanova is really telling this to recruits, and they don't make good on their promise, it could cause some big trouble in recruiting down the line. Let's hope this is true for many reasons.

My reaction:

Recruiting: Villanova's 2012 Football Commitments

I normally don't cover recruiting, but since news is slow, and since recruiting generates page views, I've decided that I'll give it a go when new news comes out


At this time in 2010, Villanova had zero public verbal commitments, but for one reason or another they had five before the Fourth of July, which represent a good chunk of the scholarships available for the 2012 class. One thing to remember about verbal commitments is that they are non binding, and a player can change his mind at any time until he signs his letter of intent. Recruits often renege on their commitments, and Villanova has had several recruits poached from them by major colleges, (most notably and often, Iowa,) so it is important to realize that this could all remain very fluid, especially if any of these players plays out of his mind this coming season and draws the attention of a bigger school.

So here are the commits:

Nico D'Angelo OL Holy Spirit HS, NJ
Jake Prus OL Woodstown HS, NJ
Austin Calitro LB/FB Danbury HS, CT
Mark Clements DB Oakcrest HS, NJ
Stacey Bedell  RB William Floyd HS, NY

I won't dig too deep into the recruiting rankings because Matt Szczur, the best Villanova player of the last ten years wasn't even ranked in the rivals database, so I trust what Andy Talley and his staff are doing in that regard. I also omitted the ht/wt of the players because those are largely irrelevant for a bunch of kids who are essentially still juniors in high school.

Villanova-Temple Will Be on 12/10

Villanova's tilt against Pennsylvania Government Waste (Temple) will be on December 10th at the Liacouras Center. No game time has been announced at this point.

A Preview of Coming Attractions

Because we're in the heat of the offseason, and news creeping to a halt, I'm going to line up what is coming up in the very near future.

• The position by position football season preview.
• Moar photoshopz.
• Some retrospective on past seasons/games.
• Recruiting coverage? (probably not)

The old school hip hop song of the day is It Was A Good Day by Ice Cube

For Chester

 

My beloved dog of 13 and a half years went to the great fire hydrant in the sky this evening, so I feel it's necessary to send him off the proper way. With a clip from the greatest television show of all time, The Wire.

Warning: don't watch the video if you haven't seen all five seasons of the show.

A New Turn In The Temple/Big East "Story"

The coaching staff at Pennsylvania Government Waste (Temple) is now denying rumors that they're telling recruits that their program is ticketed to the Big East in football. An article by Mike Kern in the Philadelphia Daily News digs a little deeper.

Addazio is not allowed to comment on recruiting until players officially sign their national letters of intent in February. However, several sources close to the situation adamently denied that Addazio or any members of his staff had either told or implied that to any recruits.

Hmm.. If they're not getting this information from Steve Addazio or any member of his staff, then where are they getting it from? This particular rumor was never really picked up by the media so it would appear that someone is fabricating this information, and Temple's coaching staff was caught with their pants down in the chicken coup.

Happy Independence Day Everyone

Oh yeah, James Bell(who?) celebrated his Independence Day by dropping 16 on the Canadites.

Radnor's Vicious Double Standard

It has come to my attention that there was parking available for this weekend's AT&T National golf tournament at Aronomink Golf Club on the Villanova campus. Aronomink itself is not in located in Radnor Township, but the influx of traffic that a golf tournament suggests that Radnor Township's bias against Villanova is something that is tangible, and not imaginary.

Let's go over the various reasons we hear Radnor gives for its opposition to Villanova building up the stadium.

1. Traffic- Well, they pretty much shot this one out of the sky when they allowed parking for a major golf tournament in the township.
2. Size/Height of a Stadium- If you've ever been to Wayne, you'd notice an eyesore of a telephone tower right down the street from downtown located right on Rt. 30.
3. Crowd Noise- When you have an interstate highway and a highly trafficked railroad running through your township every day of the year and you worry about the crowd noise on six saturdays a year, you deserve to lose all credibility.

I guess when you don't have the money of a major golf tournament, Radnor doesn't care much.

I'm Getting A Little Tired Of The Legal Issues

Dear Villanova Players Past, Present, and Future,

I'm getting a little sick and tired of the the legal issues, whether you're innocent or guilty, and regardless of how petty they are, especially the ones that violence, controlled substances or both. Villanova has always held its players to a high standard of conduct, and because of that, I've been able to sit atop a moral high horse of sorts, but that high horse is disappearing due to several recent embarrassing incidents. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the Villanova teams of the past two years completely shitting the bed during the final weeks of the season, and the ugly rumors that surfaced as a result.  Even if someone isn't doing something illegal, there is a fine line between being stupid and getting arrested. 

Here are some words of wisdom:

1. Nothing good happens after midnight- Try To be in before midnight.. Cops love busting people for petty offenses like public drunkenness and disorderly conduct right around the time bars close.
2. Avoid the drugs and use alcohol in moderation- Nothing good happens when you're high or drunk. You end up running into a stop sign, or pissing in an alley.
3. Don't be a whore- Having too many women causes problems.. Choose one and try to stay with her. 

That's about it for my moral proselytizing, but I just want some acknowledgment that there is a problem with the culture of this team, and a pledge to fix said problems.

Sincerely,

A fairly average, usually non-judgmental fan.

Corey Stokes Arrested in Hoboken-- Not Good

Time to kiss your NBA dreams goodbye big guy.

USA Beats Serbia (No Bombing of Belgrade Necessary)

This was not necessary

The USA U19 National Team  featuring Villanova guard James Bell(who?) beat Serbia 80-78 to take the lead in Group D in the U19 World Championship.  Bell(who?) started and had four points and two assists in 26 minutes of play.

There are no reports of any attempts at ethnic cleansing by the Serbs.

Unbreakable Villanova Records Part One: Track

 Larry James at the Penn Relays

Earlier, I did a piece on whether or not Kerry Kittles' career scoring record is unbreakable, and I decided to look through the Villanova record books in various other men's sports (track, basketball, and football) to name other unbreakable records. Up first is track, the sport in which Villanova is historically the greatest. Some of these records could theoretically be broken, but there are several that I can guarantee will not be broken in my lifetime.  I'll divide them into two categories- "probably unbreakable" which means that it's in the realm of the possible but still unlikely to be broken, and "unbreakable", meaning they won't be broken without drugs.

Probably Unbreakable-
Event                  Mark        Athlete                   Date
100m                  9.9(ht)       Salaam Gariba     4/6/1991
200m                  20.4          Paul Drayton        9/13/1964
800m                  1:43.92     John Marshall       6/24/1984
3000m steeple    8:18.57     Amos Korir          6/6/1984
110m hurdles     13.38         Erv Hall               10/17/1968
400m hurdles     48.80         Kareem Archer    5/25/1997
5000m               13:20.7     Sydney Maree      6/2/1979
10,000m            28:21.5     Sydney Maree     4/11/1980
Unbreakable
Event                  Mark        Athlete                     Date
400m                 43.97        Larry James            10/18/1968
1500m               3:32.20     Sydney Maree         9/12/1981
Mile                   3:48.83     Sydney Maree         9/9/1981
4x400m             3:02.95     Grant Davis              6/7/1986
                                          Tony Valentine
                                          Edwin Modibedi
                                          Charles Jenkins, Jr.

Of all the records in Villanova history, the safest in my opinion is Larry James' 43.97 second time set in his silver medal run at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, a time that still has him as one of the ten fastest 400m runners of all time. Other than that, Sydney Maree is the king of the unbreakable records, with basically every single Villanova school record at the middle distances.