Jon over at what I think is the best Rutgers blog out there, Bleed Scarlet, has organized a 2009 Preseason Poll for Big East bloggers and I was fortunate enough to be a part of it.
Check in on Monday for my selections, along with those of other Big East bloggers. The voting results of the entire contest will be posted right here - stay tuned.
Friday, July 31, 2009
A Scary Opponent
True, I'm excited about Pitt's announcement of a home and home series with Utah. It will bring a unique opponent to Heinz Field.
Maybe it's just me...in fact, I'm pretty sure it is as I've not seen this mentioned elsewhere. But what exactly does Pitt have to gain from this?
Utah has been a power, recently with two undefeated seasons. This is certainly a game Pitt can, and over the past couple of years, probably would lose. Not saying that's a terrible thing - heck, I'd love to see them play Florida or someone like that (and chances are, they probably would lose. But at least there would be something to gain. Imagine if they beat a top tier team like this. A win vs. Utah would be nice, but certainly not the greatest of feats.
Second, it's only a home and home. Utah has much more to gain from this than Pitt would. A win over Pitt would be a win over a BCS-conference team and likely would considerably help their BCS standing. It would have been nice (although possibly unrealistic) for Pitt to get a 2 for 1. I'm sure Utah, would have balked at that, but again, what does Pitt really have to gain by this other than putting more butts in the seats. Obviously, that's nice and the goal as stated over and over by the athletic department. But from the football side of this, Pitt doesn't have nearly as much to win as Utah does.
However -
Will I be there? Absolutely.
Maybe it's just me...in fact, I'm pretty sure it is as I've not seen this mentioned elsewhere. But what exactly does Pitt have to gain from this?
Utah has been a power, recently with two undefeated seasons. This is certainly a game Pitt can, and over the past couple of years, probably would lose. Not saying that's a terrible thing - heck, I'd love to see them play Florida or someone like that (and chances are, they probably would lose. But at least there would be something to gain. Imagine if they beat a top tier team like this. A win vs. Utah would be nice, but certainly not the greatest of feats.
Second, it's only a home and home. Utah has much more to gain from this than Pitt would. A win over Pitt would be a win over a BCS-conference team and likely would considerably help their BCS standing. It would have been nice (although possibly unrealistic) for Pitt to get a 2 for 1. I'm sure Utah, would have balked at that, but again, what does Pitt really have to gain by this other than putting more butts in the seats. Obviously, that's nice and the goal as stated over and over by the athletic department. But from the football side of this, Pitt doesn't have nearly as much to win as Utah does.
However -
Will I be there? Absolutely.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Welcome to the NBA, Super Sam
And just like that, the sliding of Sam Young to the 2nd round of the NBA Draft was basically forgotten as he has agreed to a deal with the Grizzlies:
Sam Young plans to sign a three-year contract today with the Memphis Grizzlies, becoming the second member of the 2008-09 Pitt basketball team to officially join an NBA club.
A portion of the contract is guaranteed, according to Young's agent Lance Young, who's not related to his client.
'Today' was actually Friday, but I couldn't find any news of the signing on the Grizzlies website today (Sunday).
However, the Post-Gazette reports it's a 3-year/$2 million guaranteed deal:
He will get nearly $2 million in guaranteed money.
Young will sign a three-year contract with a club option for the third year. He will make nearly $900,000 in the first and second years of the contract, all of which is guaranteed.
Young's agent, Lance Young, also has $600,000 worth of incentives written into the contract for accomplishments such as making the NBA all-rookie team.
I don't think there were too many doubts that both Young and DeJuan Blair would both be inked to contracts, even though it was no 'guarantee.' Still, it's good to see them both get off on the right foot and sign fairly quickly. Both should have the ability to make impacts this year.
Sam Young plans to sign a three-year contract today with the Memphis Grizzlies, becoming the second member of the 2008-09 Pitt basketball team to officially join an NBA club.
A portion of the contract is guaranteed, according to Young's agent Lance Young, who's not related to his client.
'Today' was actually Friday, but I couldn't find any news of the signing on the Grizzlies website today (Sunday).
However, the Post-Gazette reports it's a 3-year/$2 million guaranteed deal:
He will get nearly $2 million in guaranteed money.
Young will sign a three-year contract with a club option for the third year. He will make nearly $900,000 in the first and second years of the contract, all of which is guaranteed.
Young's agent, Lance Young, also has $600,000 worth of incentives written into the contract for accomplishments such as making the NBA all-rookie team.
I don't think there were too many doubts that both Young and DeJuan Blair would both be inked to contracts, even though it was no 'guarantee.' Still, it's good to see them both get off on the right foot and sign fairly quickly. Both should have the ability to make impacts this year.
Adding a Running Back
Pitt landed a commitment from running back Andre Givens, bringing their total to 16 for 2010.
Givens was highly sought after, receiving offers from ten schools including some fairly heavy hitters:
Givens, who rushed for 1,433 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, chose the Panthers over offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Louisville, Cincinnati and Syracuse.
Givens was a 3-Star recruit by Rivals.
Despite the heavy recruiting from the Big Ten, Givens thinks the Big East was the place for him - citing one specific reason:
"The Big Ten has big backs and big lineman. It's not as fast as the Big East Conference," Givens said. "I want to be somewhere that plays fast. I felt Pitt was right."
Attaboy.
The more the merrier...this guy looks like he might stick, but a lot will depend on how the running back position gets sorted out this year.
Givens was highly sought after, receiving offers from ten schools including some fairly heavy hitters:
Givens, who rushed for 1,433 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, chose the Panthers over offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Louisville, Cincinnati and Syracuse.
Givens was a 3-Star recruit by Rivals.
Despite the heavy recruiting from the Big Ten, Givens thinks the Big East was the place for him - citing one specific reason:
"The Big Ten has big backs and big lineman. It's not as fast as the Big East Conference," Givens said. "I want to be somewhere that plays fast. I felt Pitt was right."
Attaboy.
The more the merrier...this guy looks like he might stick, but a lot will depend on how the running back position gets sorted out this year.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Another O-Lineman in the Fold
Okay, so I have to admit, the first thing I noticed in this article was...
350 pounds
Welcome to Arthur Doakes of Lebanon High School - the newest member of the 2010 recruiting class.
Man, are you kidding me? The next thing that struck me was that he wasn't getting a lot of good offers - at least not yet.
"A lot of other schools wanted to wait for my senior film," said Doakes, who also was receiving interest from Connecticut, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Virginia and West Virginia, "but I'm glad Pitt saw (potential) in me."
Kind of surprising that he maybe didn't get more looks if he's as agile as his team's defensive coordinator thinks he is. Still, maybe this was one of those kids that Pitt seems to think they got in on early.
350 pounds
Welcome to Arthur Doakes of Lebanon High School - the newest member of the 2010 recruiting class.
Man, are you kidding me? The next thing that struck me was that he wasn't getting a lot of good offers - at least not yet.
"A lot of other schools wanted to wait for my senior film," said Doakes, who also was receiving interest from Connecticut, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Virginia and West Virginia, "but I'm glad Pitt saw (potential) in me."
Kind of surprising that he maybe didn't get more looks if he's as agile as his team's defensive coordinator thinks he is. Still, maybe this was one of those kids that Pitt seems to think they got in on early.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Fitz Wins an ESPY...Hooray.
Sorry, but I just can't get more excited about this. I love sports, but hate the ESPYs on every level. No interest at all.
That said, always good when former Pitt players are involved.
So, congrats to Larry for winning the ESPY for Best NFL Player. A pretty big achievement if you consider all of the players in the league.
That said, always good when former Pitt players are involved.
So, congrats to Larry for winning the ESPY for Best NFL Player. A pretty big achievement if you consider all of the players in the league.
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