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Tuesday, May 27, 2014.
Boise State president Bob Kustra's op-ed essay railing against proposed changes pushed by what some are now calling the "revenue five" conferences is taking some heat, mainly due to the perception that BSU would fall happily into line if it were part of the club. What's actually happening, though, is we're on the verge of a new college football Division I-AA forced by the power conferences, and there's little anyone can do about it. But it could slice the FBS pie in three pieces instead of two.
In this new Division I-AA, I see schools such as Boise State paying cost-of-attendance scholarships and other associated benefits to athletes, if only to separate themselves from the true have-nots in the FBS. The lower five conferences would have to decide if they are going to go along with most of the reforms as units, or let individual schools decide on their own. Those programs that don't want to pony up may be, as Kustra puts it, the ones truly left "in the dust." The schools that opt for the status quo would be a lot more similar to current FCS schools than those at the two aforementioned FBS levels, and would face some very difficult decisions.
In Sports Illustrated's weekly list of "Hot" & "Not" breakout performers, the NCAA is second on the meter as a hot performer. Why? "It mercifully allowed Boise to board DE Antoine Turner early because he was homeless. Runner up for (this week's) Sign of the Apocalypse." Actually it would have been a candidate for Sign of the Apocalypse had the NCAA not granted the waiver. Turner is tweeting that he has passed all his classes—he took 28 units this semester, 18 of them online—and is graduating from Fullerton College with honors. It appears he's headed for Boise later this week.
Boise State football’s “Bronco Invasion” wraps up with its Southern Idaho swing over the next three days, including Mountain Home Air Force Base, Twin Falls, Pocatello and Idaho Falls. Organizer Brad Larrondo told us on KTIK’s Bob & Murph Show that one of the highlights of the tour so far was a fan who popped up at all the stops last Thursday in New Plymouth, Fruitland, Payette and Ontario. He finally convinced Larrondo and coach Bryan Harsin to stop by his house—and the fan had an extravagant “Bronco Room” in his basement, including theater-style seats and a 60-inch plasma TV. There was also a pool table with a blue turf-like surface. Harsin signed it, of course.
It was another week at the office for Graham DeLaet. Granted, DeLaet has a pretty nice office on the PGA Tour, and his weeks are mostly good. The former Boise State star tied for 14th Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial after shooting a two-under 68 and was five-under for the tournament. With his paycheck of $102,400, DeLaet went over the $2 million mark for the season ($2,071,196).
Boise's Brian Scott incurred the wrath of Danica Patrick Sunday night at the Coca-Cola 600. In lap 235, both Scott and Patrick were trying to evade a spinning Marcos Ambrose. Scott couldn't slow down in time and hit Patrick's car, knocking both drivers out of the race. "Idiot," said Patrick over her team radio. "I mean, really, who the hell did not see that coming." In his fifth Sprint Cup start of the season, Scott finished 32nd at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. His best Sprint Cup finish this year remains his first one, the 25th he logged at the Daytona 500 in February. In the Nationwide series Saturday, Scott came in fifth, equaling his best result on that circuit this season.
It’s all-Nickayla-Skinner-all-the-time for the College of Idaho right now. As Skinner ices her right arm, the Lady Yotes continue their stunning run at the NAIA Softball World Series in Columbus, GA, by facing William Carey of Mississippi today in yet another elimination game. Since Skinner lost a no-hit bid against Lindsey-Wilson last Friday on a walk-off solo home run, she has shut out third-ranked Olivet Nazarene, 3-0, and second-ranked LSU-Alexandria, 1-0, the two highest-ranked opponents C of I has ever defeated. The Lady Yotes have 35 wins now this season, and Skinner has earned the decision in 26 of them. Then there’s the NAIA Track & Field Championships, where Hillary Holt won her ninth career national title by winning the 1.500-meters. The C of I’s Sarah Johnson was the upset winner in the 5,000.
Josh Beckett's no-hitter Sunday, the first by an LA Dodger in 18 years, carried another footnote. It was the first time an opposing hurler had thrown a no- hitter in Philadelphia since 1969, when Bill Stoneman did it for the Montreal Expos. It happened at old Connie Mack Stadium, and it was only the ninth game in the history of the Montreal franchise. Stoneman was the former University of Idaho pitcher who led the Vandals to two Big Sky championships. He actually threw two no-nos in his career—the other was in 1972. Stoneman later spent eight seasons as general manager of the Angels and was involved in the club's severing of ties with the Boise Hawks in 2000.
Former Borah Lion Stephen Fife has had his fill of adversity in the 2014 season. The 27-year-old righthander has been placed on the seven-day disabled list by Triple-A Albuquerque due to tightness in his right forearm. Fife last pitched for the Isotopes May 10—six days before that, he made his one big league appearance of the season in a spot start for the Dodgers, a no-decision at Miami. Fife is 1-2 with a bloated 6.94 ERA this spring for Albuquerque. Elsewhere, former Boise Hawk Jeff Samardzija, sporting the best ERA in the majors, finally recorded his first win since last August yesterday when the Cubs downed the Giants at AT&T Park, 8-4. Samardzija’s teammates doused him in cheap beer in the clubhouse after the game. "I smell great," he said.
Other Memorial Day weekend wrap-up items: Lewis-Clark State lost its opener 6-1 to Cumberland Saturday at the NAIA Baseball World Series in Lewiston. But the Warriors are still alive after drilling Southern Poly yesterday, 9-1. It was another big day for jockey Nikeela Renae Black yesterday at Les Bois Park. Black rang up four more victories and has now won 22 of her 49 starts this season. And Treasure Valley teams won nine of the 10 soccer championships over the weekend in the Idaho State Cup at the Simplot Sports Complex.
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May 27, 1968: The National League announces the addition of Montreal and San Diego, to begin play in 1969 as the Expos and the Padres. The Kansas City Royals and short-lived Seattle Pilots would join the American League at the same time, spurring the formation of East and West Divisions in each league for the first time. The Expos were Major League Baseball’s first franchise in Canada and played 36 seasons there before moving to Washington in 2005 and becoming the Nationals. The Pilots lasted just one year in Seattle before becoming the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970.
(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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