Presented by THE POOL DOCTOR.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014.
The sad, sad tale of Titus Young has taken a turn for the worse. The former Boise State wide receiver, tormented inside by who knows what, was arrested last Wednesday on another felony charge and is in jail in Los Angeles, with bail set at $105,000. The allegation this time is battery with serious bodily injury. Young flamed out with the Detroit Lions after the 2012 season and was later arrested on 11 felony burglary and assault charges in May of last year (those are still pending). The case has dragged on since, with attorneys trying to delay proceedings while Young received “treatment.” Young’s latest arrest came just one day before he was scheduled to finally make a pretrial hearing appearance in Newport Beach.
Fourteen months ago we asked, “Is Titus Young ‘Titus Done?’” If there was any lingering doubt, the answer now has to be yes. In his first two NFL seasons—probably his only two NFL seasons—Young had 81 catches for 990 yards and 10 touchdowns. He made 48 catches in a rookie year that ramped up rapidly, then had 33 grabs in his second year before he was shelved for insubordination. Young did not see the field after Thanksgiving of 2012 and probably never will again. That’s the least of anyone’s concern now, though.
This will give you an appreciation for how hard it is to earn a spot on the Web.com Tour, much less the PGA Tour. Yesterday at Ridgecrest in Nampa, 158 golfers teed off in hopes of landing one of 12 entries available to qualifiers in this week’s Albertsons Boise Open. The field featured players from Rhode Island to the Czech Republic, and from Alberta to Florida, including 1995 Boise Open champion Frank Lickliter. Luke List of Purcellville, VA, fired a 10-under 62 to lead the group of qualifiers into the main field Thursday. There were 15 Idaho hopefuls competing, and nary a one made it through. The closest Idahoans were Fred Sutton and Ryan Nielson, both of Boise, who shot 70. Former Boise State standout T.K. Kim came in at 71.
If we're talking history this week with the 25th edition of the Albertsons Boise Open, we need some 101 on the host course, Hillcrest Country Club. The facility currently known as Hillcrest was actually created in the 1920’s with a nine-hole course and a Spanish-style clubhouse. It was called the Idaho Country Club, but that was done in by the Great Depression. A group of investors gave it another try in 1935 and revived it as the Boise Country Club, changing the name to Hillcrest in 1940. The venerable landmark has hosted every Albertsons Boise Open since the event was born in 1990.
Denver Broncos quarterback and future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning made a surprise appearance last night at the Albertsons Boise Open kickoff dinner. Manning was the featured speaker, but it was a private affair—no press conference, no soundbites. Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who vacations in Boise every summer and plays a lot of golf at Hillcrest (he nailed a hole-in-one two weeks ago there), was also part of last night’s festivities.
Boise Hawks catcher Mark Zagunis hit for the cycle last night—the first Hawk to accomplish the feat in 20 years—and the clinching double in the eighth inning was a gift the Cubs’ third-round draft pick was happy to accept. Zagunis popped up, and Spokane rightfielder Luke Tendler lost it in the twilight. Zagunis dug into second base to put a ribbon on Boise’s 11-6 victory over the Indians, the Northwest League North Division leaders. The Hawks had survived a four-run first-inning by the Indians that included two home runs. Boise answered with homers from Zagunis and Jason Vosler during a six-run fourth that wrapped up the scoring. Zagunis went 4-for-5 with four RBI, upping his average to .356. The Hawks, now 17-14, are three games over .500 for the first time since the opening week of the season.
Former Hawk Josh Harrison is one of baseball’s great stories this year as he suits up tonight for the Midsummer Classic in Minneapolis. The National League All-Star, the first utilityman to earn that distinction in four years, represents yet another Chicago Cubs draft choice who has made good someplace else. Harrison starred with the Hawks in 2008, then was a throw-in for a trade Pittsburgh made with the Cubs the following year. He worked his way up to the Pirates in 2011 and has had moments of brilliance the past three seasons, yet he still began this season as a seldom-used backup infielder.
Harrison got a shot to play regularly when the Pirates were beset by injuries, and now you could see him start at six different positions—and bat anywhere in the order. Not coincidentally, Pittsburgh has surged into contention in the National League Central since Harrison has been a mainstay in the lineup. Overall he’s batting .297 with five home runs and 28 RBI, and he’s already just 19 at-bats away from his career high.
Boise alum Josh Donaldson was eliminated in the first round of the Home Run Derby last night at Target Field. Donaldson hit three homers, tying for third in his “heat” with Oakland A’s teammate Yoenis Cespedes, who won a “swing off” to advance. Donaldson will start at third base tonight for the American League, bringing in 20 home runs and 65 RBI—but a batting average of just .238.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by HANDYMAN CONNECTION…trusted home improvements.
July 15, 2005: Considered the greatest golfer of the 20th century, Jack Nicklaus takes a final bow as he crosses the Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews. At the age of 65, Nicklaus wrapped up his final major with a birdie in the British Open, a tournament he won three times in his career. The Golden Bear won a record 18 majors overall.
(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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