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Thursday, May 1, 2014.
With the NFL Draft looming one week away, former Boise State star Demarcus Lawrence has been criss-crossing the country visiting interested NFL teams. Lawrence, who decided to forego his senior year with the Broncos after the Hawaii Bowl, has snuck into the first round in a number of prominent mock drafts. One is from Bucky Brooks at NFL.com, who projects Lawrence to go with the 30th overall pick in the first round to San Francisco. And he thinks the 49ers’ arrest-prone star outside linebacker is a factor. “Aldon Smith's future is in question,” writes Brooks. “Lawrence is a fluid athlete capable of rushing the passer from a three-point stance or upright position.”
Brent Sobleski of USA Today has Lawrence going with the 27th overall selection to the New Orleans Saints. Sobleski addresses the only demerits on his resume: “Lawrence’s value continues to increase after pre-draft interviews and visits. Lawrence was suspended three times for rules violations during his career with the Broncos. As teams become more comfortable with the person and his explanations of what transpired, his value has improved. On the field, Lawrence is one of the best edge rushers in the draft class (and has) likely worked his way into first round consideration.” Other teams being thrown into the mix for Lawrence include Washington, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Minnesota, Atlanta, Seattle, and the New York Jets.
Life is different in a major market. In a USA Today story by George Schroeder about “a more anonymous Chris Petersen,” the former Boise State coach said when he gets off campus in Seattle, he goes mostly unrecognized. "No one has a clue who I am," Petersen said. There are those rare exceptions, though. Writes Schroeder: “A few weeks back, during spring break, when the Washington Huskies' new football coach took his son sightseeing in downtown Seattle, four people approached Petersen, and the conversations started: ‘Hey coach…’ Laughed Petersen, ‘They were all from Boise.’” His perspective on leaving the Broncos hasn’t changed. "It was just time for a new challenge," he says. "It's really hard to put into words, other than it was just kind of a feel. I loved Boise, loved my time there. It was great. That's why I was so careful."
It’s on to the National Conference semifinals tonight for the Idaho Steelheads, fresh off their victory in the longest game in ECHL history (maybe “fresh” is not the right word). Awaiting in Anchorage are the top-seeded Alaska Aces, who are indeed fresh after sweeping hapless Las Vegas in four games in the first round. Will coach Brad Ralph start Pat Nagle between the pipes tonight? Goalie Josh Robinson is deserving of a night off after that amazing 83-save performance Monday. But Ralph may be tempted to stick with Robinson, who had a goals-against average of 1.44 in the first round against the Colorado Eagles. The Steelheads and Aces met 12 times during the regular season, with each team winning six times. Seven of the last eight meetings between them were decided by one goal, with four of those ending in either overtime or a shootout.
There are only eight teams left in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, and—after a rash of upsets in the first round—the Steelheads are already the second-highest seed left in the postseason (Alaska is first). And the Steelies could improve as these playoffs go, if they can advance again. They’re currently missing three of their best players, Tommy Grant, Ryan Button and Anthony Nigro, who are out with injuries. Nigro could return sometime during the series against the Aces. He scored 47 points in 57 games during the regular season.
Candy Boy, with Gary Stevens aboard, will be charging from the outside Saturday. In a field of 20 horses, Candy Boy drew post position No. 18 yesterday for the 140th Kentucky Derby. Stevens has been riding Candy Boy all year, finishing third aboard the colt at the Santa Anita Derby four weeks ago. Current odds have Candy Boy a 20-1 shot to take the Run For The Roses. But Stevens still knows how to win. In addition to his upset victory at the Preakness last year when he became the first grandfather ever to win a Triple Crown race, Stevens won the Breeders Cup Distaff and Breeders Cup Classic last fall. He turned 51 on March 6.
By my count, eight former Idaho Stampede players are left in the NBA Playoffs, and six of them were involved (but not much) in the Portland-Houston game last night. As in, Portland’s Will Barton, Joel Freeland and C.J. McCollum all entered the game in the final minute of the Blazers’ 108-98 loss to the Rockets. Jordan Hamilton did not play for Houston. And Portland’s Allen Crabbe and Victor Claver were inactive. All six were with the Stampede on brief NBA assignments the past few years. Same was the case for the other two former Stamps in the playoffs, Toronto’s Julyan Stone and San Antonio’s Patty Mills. Stone hasn’t played in the postseason. Mills is the only one-time Stampede player left in the postseason who’s contributing, although he had only two points in 16 minutes last night in the Spurs’ 109-103 win over Dallas.
Christopher Crawford’s latest ESPN Insider list of not the top 10 minor league prospects, but the top 10 minor league fantasy prospects, has former Boise Hawk Kris Bryant at No. 8 and rising. Fantasy or no fantasy, Bryant’s future is tantalizing. He’s batting .281 at Double-A Tennessee, with five home runs and 12 RBI. Crawford’s progress report on him: “You're starting to see a combination of Bryant's willingness to work counts into his favor, and the Southern League's fear of Bryant's bat doing damage more and more, as he's now walked in five of his past eight games.” Bryant was the No. 2 overall pick last year in the major league draft, the highest selection ever to play for Boise, and he batted .354 with four homers in 18 games.
Graham DeLaet is taking this week off from the PGA Tour, but former Boise State teammate Troy Merritt is in the field today at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte. Merritt is slowly but surely starting to get his rhythm after a sour start in his return to the big tour this season. He has made the cut in three of his last four PGA Tour starts, as spread out as they’ve been. Merritt has played only two events since early March—one of them last week, when he tied for 48th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by ZAMZOW’S…nobody knows like Zamzow’s!
May 1, 1991: Oakland’s Rickey Henderson breaks Lou Brock’s career record for stolen bases, swiping his 939th in a game against the Yankees. Henderson wasn’t quite halfway through a 25-year big league career spread among nine different teams. He ended up with 1,406 stolen bases. Henderson, incidentally, started his pro career as a 17-year-old with the Boise A’s in 1976.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 The Ticket. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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