Brewers No Longer Feel Need to Violate 'Baseball Etiquette' to Get Under Cardinals' Skin

Greetings ... you'll notice fewer updates in the coming weeks as I work on football preview research and play lots of NCAA and -- eventually -- Madden on the XBox.

Priorities ...

Anyway, the Brewers continue to play pretty darn good baseball as of late, and are now 12-1 in their last 13 games after a ten-inning win in St. Louis Tuesday.

You might remember a couple years ago, when the Brewers seemed to irk the Cardinals every time the teams played, largely because of their goofy walk-off celebrations and the Mike Cameron-initiated jersey-untucking after wins.

This time, the Brewers are irritating the Cardinals without the antics. They're doing it by going 7-3 so far in the season series.

Led off the field by Ron Roenicke and on it by Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, the Brewers are not behaving like the Brewers of old.

Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post Dispatch had a great column on the rivalry, and what appears to be a maturing Milwaukee team that has transformed itself from the fun-loving, brash bunch that got in the playoffs three years ago.

After years of playing the role of the nettlesome, shirt-tail flipping kids in their competitive relationship with the grumpy but proper Cardinals, the Brewers have evolved into a far more disturbing role for the Redbirds: a mature and confident title contender.

They don't need to yank out their shirt tails anymore to get on the nerves of the cantankerous old-school Cards. Instead, they seem to do it by playing solid, smart - and yes, unflinching - baseball in front of their barking elders.

... Maybe in the past, the Brewers might have shrunk a bit when the Cardinals blustered about any real or perceived affront to baseball's unwritten rules. But now they will stand their ground - and even act like adults - like last week during the great dust-up about Cards manager Tony La Russa's contention that the Brewers were pitching Albert Pujols dangerously high and tight. Last week's strategy sparked a beanball battle and a potential scuffle (neutralized by of all people Fielder, the guy who once stormed to the doors of an opponent's clubhouse to demand retribution).

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you go from Ned "Mortal Kombat" Yost to Ken "Zzzzz" Macha to Roenicke, an even-keel guy who clearly has the respect of his players.

If last week's scoreboard/sign-stealing/throw at Braun/"idiots in the stands" fiasco happens with Yost running the team, half of the team's remaining meetings would include either a bench-clearing incident or the very real threat of one.

This isn't to rip Yost or blame him for the team's past shortcomings. He did some good things in Milwaukee, helping lead the franchise from the depths of despair to where they are now. He played a positive role in that, even though it appeared at times his demeanor was helping hold the team back.

Roenicke, though, has gotten to these guys. His attitude last week was basically to blow off what happened and focus on the next game. His players followed suit, just like every GM dreams when he hires a coach or manager and something like that happens during the season.

We have a lot of baseball to play before October hits, but the Brewers appear to be in just as good a position as they have ever been in. Win another game in this series -- or two! -- and things will only look rosier.

Jimmie Johnson Mad at Kurt Busch ... Why?

Usually, NASCAR drivers have a tendency to get a bit testy during and after short-track races.

When they go to a place like Pocono -- a 2.5-mile track with plenty of room for guys to stay away from each other -- the nerves are often not as frayed, unless an engine blows up or a tire goes down at a really bad time.

Sunday was an exception to this general rule.

At Pocono Raceway, while Brad Keselowski was pulling off an amazing win while driving with a broken ankle, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson had a rather interesting run-in.

On the final laps, Johnson was battling with Busch for a top three-position when they nudged each other a couple times. Busch ended up keeping his spot and finishing third, behind brother Kyle and winner Keselowski. Johnson had to settle for fourth -- not bad since he drove the whole race with a bad clutch.

Afterward, Johnson confronted Busch on pit road, and the two exchanged words. They then shared thoughts on their feud to reporters.

"I worked him over for ten to 15 laps and had the opportunity to screw him over, and I didn't do it," Johnson told ESPN immediately after the confrontation. "I'm not going to run people over to pass them. It's not me."

"I was racing him flat out," Busch said in his own interview. "I didn't know you were supposed to pull over with five to go. We were racing clean, and he wants to come over and bitch at me?"

... in this case, he (Busch) might have a point. "Why can't we race each other and put on a show for the fans?" he said, the implication being that in real racing, paint must be traded and dents must be issued. Johnson has won five Cup titles by practicing a form of racing that's clinical in its devotion to efficiency. But it's in no way dirty, in the Busch brothers/Kevin Harvick/Tony Stewart make-room-if-there-ain't-room sense of the word.

So Johnson has had plenty of success with his style. But he hasn't exactly won over the hearts of NASCAR fandom with it;  Busch certainly echoed the sentiments of a large chunk of NASCAR fandom when he later said that he wanted "anyone but the 48" to win the race.

I watched the end of the race Sunday night. I have no idea what either driver did wrong.

I'm not a fan of Johnson's, though it's generally not his fault. He isn't my favorite driver, and he wins all the time. That's enough right there to generate some dislike.

However, it's hard to argue with his methods.

That said, he's barking up an empty tree on this one. Busch didn't do anything but race a guy hard for a spot. He probably said it best when he asked if he's just supposed to pull over. Is that the case? Is Johnson so spoiled by the respect he gets from other drivers -- teammates or not -- that he can't fathom someone actually making him earn the position he's racing for?

If Johnson's brand of NASCAR is one where Kurt Busch is perceived to have done some wrong in the final laps Sunday, then I want no part of Johnson's brand of NASCAR.

I'd rather have two guys trade paint and rubs for 10-15 laps and actually fight like they care about a spot. Obviously, we don't need people getting dumped over a spot in a race. That's dangerous and unnecessary. But Busch didn't dump Johnson. Not anything remotely close to that. Instead, they raced hard and clean for a position, and Johnson either has a warped vision of what this sport should be like, or he's pissed because he couldn't beat the 22.

You take your pick on that one. I'm not here to judge.

2011 College Football Preview: Big East

As usual, my 2011 College Football Preview includes information compiled from a variety of sources, most notably the work of Phil Steele. Check out his preview publications and material on his website. I also scour local newspapers and school websites for updated information, but it should be noted that all information contained in team and conference previews is only current up to the date of that post's publication.

BIG EAST CONFERENCE
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Pittsburgh
2. Cincinnati
3. South Florida
4. Rutgers
5. Connecticut
6. West Virginia
7. Syracuse
8. Louisville

Top Storylines in the Big East

Odd offseason for coaches. Two league schools had rather unorthodox coaching changes during the offseason. At Pittsburgh, Dave Wannstedt was jettisoned after 26 wins over three years, the most for the school in nearly 30 years. They tried to hire Mike Haywood after a magical season at Miami University, but Haywood's legal issues gave Pitt no choice but to pull the plug on that idea. They then turned to former Tulsa coach Todd Graham, who brings a wide-open offensive attack to Pittsburgh. The Panthers' main rival, West Virginia, had an even more interesting spring. After they announced new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen and named him the head coach in waiting, reports surfaced that current head coach Bill Stewart -- set to coach in 2011 for one more year before Holgorsen took over -- was trying to undermine his successor. Once that all got out, WVU forced Stewart out immediately, with Holgorsen taking over. It was all very juicy, but does it make the Mountaineers better? This was a upper-tier team before the upheaval, and now they have to maintain it after all the distractions. Missing seven starters on defense won't help. Meanwhile, Graham's quarterback-friendly offense should leave incumbent starter Tino Sunseri very happy. The junior is poised to put up huge numbers for the Panthers.

Rutgers rebound? Greg Schiano's Scarlet Knights went 4-8 last season. They took significant steps back both on defense and offense, where their production dropped by more than a touchdown per game while the run game suffered greatly, averaging just 2.7 yards per attempt. Top recruit Savon Huggins is expected to make an impact, and leading rushers Jordan Thomas and Jeremy Deering return. Huggins averaged over ten yards per carry and is the first consensus No. 1 player from New Jersey to commit to Rutgers. Sophomore quarterback Chas Dodd returns after putting up decent numbers last year, and leading receivers Mark Harrison and Mohamed Sanu are both back. Harrison should become a star as Dodd develops. Only a junior, he tallied nine touchdowns and averaged nearly 19 yards per catch last year. Michigan transfer Anthony La Lota, an athletic tackle, keys the Knights' defense.

Can South Florida make The Leap? The 2009 preseason was full of high hopes for South Florida. Matt Grothe was carrying the offense into the season, but the quarterback tore his ACL less than a third of the way into the season, and while freshman B.J. Daniels performed admirably, he couldn't get the Bulls to the top of the Big East. Now, Daniels is a junior, and the Bulls might be ready to make another run. USF needs to get more out of an offense that averaged just 309 yards per game last season, but their defense should be quite strong. Look out for linebackers Sam Barrington and DeDe Lattimore, and defensive end Ryne Giddins could be special rushing the passer. On the offensive side, it will help that the team has a full year of Skip Holtz' system in, but the key is Daniels, who must become more consistent as a thrower.

The Rest of the Story

I like Cincinnati this season for more reasons than just Zack Collaros, though that's a good place to start. The senior quarterback waited his turn to become the full-time starter, and he did pretty well last year, with turnovers and some bad luck conspiring to help the Bearcats limp home 4-8. Mix in an experienced and talented defense with improvement from Collaros, and the Bearcats could be a threat ... Connecticut will miss Randy Edsall's leadership, and former Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni has some big shoes to fill there. It will be interesting to see if D.J. Shoemate can emerge as a top runner, because the Huskies have quietly done a fine job of developing running backs lately, with Donald Brown and Jordan Todman both starring at UConn before going to the NFL. ... While I don't expect much of a dropoff with Syracuse this season, I do think they will struggle a bit, off their first bowl trip (a win at Yankee Stadium) since 2004. Delone Carter was too big a part of the offense not to be sorely missed. It puts a lot of pressure on quarterback Ryan Nassib, who was hot and cold much of last season. If he develops more consistency, the Orange could be a surprise team. ... Charlie Strong did a great job in his first year at Louisville, leading the Cardinals to the Beef O'Brady's Bowl, where they beat Southern Miss. A big reason why was the play of their top quarterbacks, as Adam Froman and Justin Burke were both efficient and took good care of the ball. Inexperienced Will Stein is expected to start this season, and the Cardinals lose seven other offensive starters, so Year 2 could be a bit tougher for Strong.

Tim Tebow Handles Criticism of Tim Tebow Better Than LeBron James Does

Say what you want about Tim Tebow. Marginal NFL-type skills? Maybe.

Inaccurate thrower? I can buy that.

Goofy throwing motion? Sure.

But he is a lot of things most of us can appreciate, if not admire. He is a full-bore competitor. His image is that of a fan-friendly, religious guy who just gets how to conduct himself the right way. Tim Tebow is difficult to hate because he just doesn't give anyone any reason to do so.

That doesn't mean he's immune from criticism. On ESPN Wednesday, former NFL running back and current analyst Merrill Hoge lit into Tebow's NFL skills.

"He is awful as far as accuracy goes and what's kind of even more disturbing, he's probably worse moving and running around with the football and throwing than he is from the pocket," Hoge said. "Can you get better there? A little bit. If everything is perfect, the pocket, your feet are good, all your fundamentals come into place, the coverage is what you want it, you can be successful. But that doesn't happen at the National Football League. Rarely does that happen."

This isn't a critique of Tebow as a football player. Hoge isn't saying he doesn't like Tebow the man. He's saying he doesn't like Tebow's football skills, and he doesn't think Tebow can be a successful NFL quarterback without making marked improvement in his skills.

Tebow took the high road, tweeting "Hey Merril...... 'ppreciate that" in response to the criticism.

NBA star LeBron James was apparently watching ESPN at the time. I guess he has nothing else to do with the NBA locked out until potentially the end of time.

James is clearly a fan of Tebow, and -- on Twitter -- he took the Hoge criticism of Tebow worse than Tebow did.

"Listened to Merril Hoge today on SC and he was just blasting Tebow. The man hasn't even play a full season and its only his 2nd year in," James wrote. "Guys get on that TV and act like they was all WORLD when they played. How bout encouraging him and wishing him the best instead of hating!!"

(I'll save the rant on how this is another example of the awesomeness of Twitter and how it's changed the sports world for the better. Needless to say, it's quite unlikely that we'd get such a strong -- and entertaining -- reaction from an NBA star regarding an ESPN commentator's criticism of an NFL quarterback were it not for Twitter.)

I understand James trying to defend someone he likes/respects/admires. To a certain extent, I also admire Tebow, and it's a reaction to look at Hoge's words and lash out.

But Hoge was simply doing his job.

If he sees the Denver Broncos employing a guy -- potentially -- as their starting quarterback who he doesn't believe has the skills to be a successful NFL starter, it's his job to lay that case out to his viewers. To not do that is a disservice to the viewers, and ESPN already does more than enough stuff that is a disservice to the viewers.

Debate the case Hoge made, but there's no debating his right or obligation to make that case, if that's how he really feels.

I know Kyle Orton was good last season, but the Broncos were 4-12. It's not like using Tebow as the starter will make them worse. That doesn't mean Tebow is the long-term solution, but given that teams aren't banging down the door trying to get Orton (Miami signed Matt Moore instead of making a trade), I don't think it's so easy as to just say Orton is the answer.

The Brewers Have a Real Rival

Nothing beats when your favorite team in a sport is playing well and winning their division/league. It's a great thing to watch, and it usually means your team is pretty good.

(Exception: If the team in question plays in the NFC West, the NHL Southeast, or the American League Central.)

For me personally, it's been a great year, with the Packers and UMD hockey claiming championships. Now, the Brewers are in first place in the National League Central.

If anyone was wondering who the Brewers had developed a blood-boiling rivalry with since leaving the American League Central, it was again confirmed over the last two nights.

It's Tony LaRussa and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The National League Central race has a Cinderella ... a relative newcomer to the baseball hierarchy. That's the Brewers.

What the race needs is a heel. A team that everyone but its own fans can hate. A team that can get the fans' blood boiling.

Thanks to LaRussa, whose actions and words are those of a man who thinks he invented baseball, we have a heel in this race.

As if LaRussa hadn't already earned enough scorn in Milwaukee -- the shirt-untucking saga, the beanballs, and his best players admiring home runs like LaRussa must admire the image he sees in the bathroom mirror -- the Cardinals rolled into town Monday and almost immediately started the wahhh-mbulance.

The Brewers mess with their scoreboard to gain an advantage.

St. Louis manager Tony La Russa filed a complaint with the umpiring crew during that series opener, suggesting the LED "ribbon" board that wraps around the ballpark above the loge level shone brighter while the Brewers batted. The suggestion was that the lighting was darker when the Cardinals batted, making it more difficult to see the ball in their 6-2 defeat.

Umpiring crew chief Gary Darling forwarded that complaint to Major League Baseball vice president of baseball operations Joe Garagiola, Jr., who then placed a telephone call to Brewers general manager Doug Melvin.

They also steal signs.

Sensing the Brewers had hacked their signs, the Cardinals changed them immediately after Morgan, and Carpenter struck out two of the next four batters to end the inning.

"If there's something there, there's something there," pitching coach Dave Duncan said. "If there's not, there's not."

Yeah, the Brewers stole signs in an inning where they hit precisely two balls hard, one of which came with no one on base. The other was a hanging curveball my nine-year-old could have ripped for a line drive hit.

That was just from Monday. Then Tuesday happened. Take it away, Tom Haudricourt.

Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy called the St. Louis Cardinals' retaliation for Albert Pujols getting hit with a pitch Tuesday night "ridiculous."

"That was clearly intentional," Lucroy said of the Cardinals' drilling of Ryan Braun in the bottom of the seventh by Jason Motte, who missed Braun with his first attempt and then drilled him with his second. Motte, the Cardinals' hardest thrower, obviously was left in the game to hit Braun because manager Tony La Russa removed him after he did it.

"That was ridiculous," said Lucroy. "We didn't hit Albert Pujols on purpose. Are you kidding me? In that situation? If we wanted to put him on base, we would have walked him. That's ridiculous."

With two on and no outs in the top of the inning and the Brewers holding a one-run lead, reliever Takashi Saito came up and in with a pitch to Pujols and struck him on the left wrist. Pujols was in obvious pain but stayed in the game, and Motte drilled Braun to open the bottom of the inning.

"We were trying to come inside and get a groundball to third base," said Lucroy, "like they did to me when I hit a ground ball to third with the bases loaded (in the bottom of the seventh). That's what you do in that situation. That's ridiculous.

"I think it's stupid (to hit Braun). I don't think anybody needs to pay for that. There's no way we were trying to do that on purpose. We shouldn't get punished for something we weren't trying to do on purpose. Look at the situation. If we were getting beat by a lot or we were beating them by a lot and that happens, maybe we did it on purpose.  I mean, come on. We weren't trying to hit anybody.

"It's unbelievable. If we were trying to hit him on purpose, then McClellan hit Nyjer Morgan on purpose (in the 10th inning). It's the same thing."

As for Motte throwing two pitches at Braun and not getting ejected, Lucroy said, "That's obviously on purpose. He definitely should have been thrown out. We all thought that, too."

Yeah, Saito threw at Pujols with two on and no one out in a one-run game. I don't see why not. I mean, that seems like a good baseball tactic.

To make matters worse, LaRussa's catcher, Yadier Molina, completely lost his marbles in the tenth inning when called out on strikes on a close pitch. After some physical contact and spitting, Molina was led away by his teammates.

I have to figure the spitting was an accident. The Cardinals are way too classy to do something like that.

As if that wasn't enough, LaRussa went after Milwaukee fans in his postgame press conference.

"Yeah, real scary," La Russa said. "They almost got him yesterday too. There's nothing intentional about it. But they throw the ball in here and that's what all those idiots up there -- not idiots -- all those fans up there are yelling. Do you know how many bones there are in the hand? Do you know how many bones there are in the face? That's where those pitches are. And Braun -- we were trying to pitch him in too, and it was just a little stinger. I don't want to even hear about Braun getting a little pop in the back, when we almost lose this guy (Pujols) in several ways. The ball up and in is a dangerous pitch."

Yeah, Tony, because your precious Cardinals never pitch anyone high and tight.

Today's lesson: Tony LaRussa invented baseball, and he is the true commissioner.

And unless you're a Cardinals fan, you're rooting for the Brewers (or Pirates, who are getting hopeless at this point) in the NL Central. What fun is it to root for the smarmy heel?

Bryant McKinnie: That Guy

NFL training camps are underway, and there really isn't much going on in them. After all, teams are just getting themselves put together. Some are installing new offenses or defenses, and others are getting to know new head or assistant coaches. Everyone is trying to get rookies and newcomers immersed in the playbook so they can get on the field with some semblance of understanding as to what the hell they are supposed to do.

The Vikings are doing a lot of these things. New head coach, new offensive coordinator, new offense, new quarterbacks, new wide receivers.

Big problem.

Left tackle Bryant McKinnie -- a controversial figure, to say the least, for the purple -- showed up to training camp looking like he ate one or more of the Gramatica brothers. Coincidentally, the Vikings placed him on the non-football injury list, a function that allows McKinnie to miss practices, work out, and return to the active roster if and when the team deems him to be properly conditioned.

But why the NFI list? The Vikings didn't say. Neither did McKinnie.

Oh, and the Vikings welcomed a new guy Monday, too.

Meanwhile, the Vikings also signed veteran Indianapolis Colts lineman Charlie Johnson, who started 27 games as Peyton Manning's blind-side blocker at left tackle the past two seasons.

... The 6-4, 305-pound Johnson, 27, has 54 career starts and 10 playoff appearances since the Colts drafted him in the sixth round in 2006. He can play guard or tackle, meaning he could replace Ryan Cook as the team's primary backup or end up starting Sept. 11 at left tackle against the Chargers.

In other words, McKinnie is that guy. The one who couldn't be bothered to keep himself in even the marginal shape his 330-pound body requires. The one who couldn't be bothered to show up in camp without embarrassing himself or his profession. The one who, despite his status as a veteran Pro Bowl player, forced his team to look for a potential replacement at his position, largely for the reasons already listed.

The Vikings made a good move adding Johnson. He's a good blocker and blind-side tackle. He's probably a better player at this stage than McKinnie, but the Vikings aren't going to easily part with such a talented guy.

A motivated and in-shape McKinnie is a beast, one who is tough for any defensive player to deal with. The McKinnie who showed up at training camp Monday is not one that any Vikings player or coach would want to take into battle. They have to hope that the NFI move and the addition of Johnson combine to get the big man going.

If it doesn't, the team could have to make a difficult decision come cutdown day.

2011 College Football Preview: ACC

As usual, my 2011 College Football Preview includes information compiled from a variety of sources, most notably the work of Phil Steele. Check out his preview publications and material on his website. I also scour local newspapers and school websites for updated information, but it should be noted that all information contained in team and conference previews is only current up to the date of that post's publication.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
Predicted Order of Finish
Atlantic Division
1. Florida State
2. North Carolina State
3. Clemson
4. Maryland
5. Boston College
6. Wake Forest
Coastal Division
1. Virginia Tech
2. Georgia Tech
3. Miami
4. Duke
5. Virginia
6. North Carolina

Top storylines to watch in the ACC

Upheaval in Chapel Hill. Just last week, North Carolina fired coach Butch Davis amid NCAA scandal that could impact this program for years to come. After a season in which 13 players and eight possible starters were suspended for NCAA violations, UNC fans were probably looking forward to a look at what their team could do with a full deck. Instead, Davis is gone, we don't know yet how the roster will be impacted, and fall camp is set to start. It's likely too much for even a potentially great team to overcome, and I didn't see UNC as anything more than a potential mid-major bowl team this year (similar to their 8-5 record last year with a Music City Bowl trip). UNC returns 13 starters, including star defensive end Quinton Coples, and sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner is a promising talent. We'll see if it's enough to override everything going on off the field.

The Wilson Theory? ESPN columnist Bill Simmons popularized the Ewing Theory, attaching it to teams that lost star players and ended up improving overall because other players saw the opportunity to step up into a bigger role. NC State relied heavily on the talents of quarterback Russell Wilson the last three years, riding his arm and athleticism to two bowl bids and 20 wins, including a 9-4 record last year. The Wolfpack lost Wilson, presumably to baseball, but he has now quit baseball and transferred to Wisconsin to play his senior season (he can do this because he earned an undergraduate degree at NC State). While Wilson tries to lead Wisconsin to the Big Ten title, Mike Glennon takes over in Raleigh. Glennon was a top-five prospect in high school, but he has just 326 passing yards in two years with the 'Pack. It's his team now. He's more of a pocket passer -- in the mold of NC State's all-time passing leader, some guy named Philip Rivers -- so he won't play the same as Wilson. But with the distractions of Wilson's budding baseball career no longer Tom O'Brien's problem, Glennon has the chance to be a big-time leader for NC State. With eight starters back on defense, Glennon could be a huge factor if he stays healthy, because that defense should keep the Wolfpack in plenty of games.

Nine wins = new coach. After one of his finer coaching jobs, Maryland pushed Ralph Friedgen out the door after ten years at the helm. Friedgen took the Terrapins to the ACC title early in his tenure, but struggled in recent years before leading Maryland to nine wins last season. Former Connecticut coach Randy Edsall was the choice to replace him. He inherits a strong team with 14 returning starters. Two big players to watch are sophomore quarterback Danny O'Brien, who had 22 touchdown passes as a freshman, and senior running back Davin Meggett, who split time at the position last year with Da'Rel Scott, but was Maryland's most consistent runner. Outside linebacker Kenny Tate's range and athleticism keys the Terps' 3-4 defense. If Edsall can lead a smooth transition, Maryland could be a team to watch in an Atlantic Division that doesn't feature any clear favorites outside of Florida State, which has to replace its starting quarterback.

Logan Thomas = Cam Newton? With 26 passes on his college resume, you sure can't argue that presumed Virginia Tech starter Logan Thomas is anything like 2010 Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton of Auburn. But that hasn't stopped some in the hype machine from cranking up the comparisons, largely because Thomas' physical stature is very similar to Newton's. Their games are not that similar, with Thomas more of a pocket passer as opposed to Newton's athletic freakishness. The sophomore takes over at Tech after Tyrod Taylor graduated, and the hope is that he can become the strong passer Taylor never really did until his senior season. Leading rusher Darren Evans is also gone, but the Hokies return almost the whole starting offensive line, and the defense should be strong as always.

The rest of the story

Yes, Florida State loses Christian Ponder. But I like this team a lot. They'll run the ball better, thanks to a crop of great young talents and junior Chris Thompson. Leading receivers Bert Reed and Willie Haulstead return, too, so new starting quarterback E.J. Manuel has plenty of targets. ... If Clemson can fill in pieces on the defense, where stars DeAndre McDaniel and Da'Quan Bowers depart, they could be dangerous. Kyle Parker never reached his potential at quarterback, and his departure to play baseball won't be that tough to deal with. Look for sophomore Tajh Boyd to play well. ... No one in the ACC stands to improve as much at quarterback as Boston College, where sophomore Chase Rettig had his ups and downs as a true freshman. As he continues to gain experience, I expect senior Montel Harris to keep carrying the offense. ... I think Wake Forest will be better, but they could still be the worst team in the ACC. Jim Grobe gets the most he can out of this talent, but the Demon Deacons simply don't have a lot of talent. A pair of sophomores in the backfield -- quarterback Tanner Price and running back Josh Harris -- are the keys to Wake's future. ... Despite losing option triggerman Joshua Nesbitt, Georgia Tech could be a surprise team. They execute their offense well, and while Tevin Washington was ineffective last year when Nesbitt got hurt, I think he'll show great improvement running the offense after a full offseason. If Paul Johnson has a quarterback, his team will improve off 6-7 last year. ... Al Golden takes over at Miami, and the transition shouldn't take long. The cupboard isn't bare here, and if Golden can straighten out quarterback Jacory Harris' fundamentals, the Hurricanes should improve. It helps that non-conference opponents Ohio State and Kansas State both visit South Beach. ... They were 3-9 last season, but Duke keeps getting better under David Cutcliffe. Now, they have to build their defense to take the next step. The Blue Devils allowed 35 or more points in five games, going 1-4 in those contests. Cutcliffe is now seeing his own recruits at most every position, and the team keeps getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Quarterback Sean Renfree -- only a junior -- could be a star once he takes better care of the football. ... Mike London did a great job in his first year at Virginia, getting four wins out of a team that probably wasn't that good. A defense that allowed nearly 30 points per game returns ten starters, so it's obvious that the Cavaliers will go as far as that unit takes them. London is recruiting well, so it's just a matter of time before a three-year bowl drought ends.

Is Indy's Magic Dying?

Good morning. Happy August.

I usually don't use this blog as a link dump service, but I found this column quite interesting, and I wanted to share it and get some thoughts.

Sunday was the annual Brickyard 400 Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis. It's the 18th year they've run this race, and it's become quite a tradition for NASCAR drivers, many of whom grew up loving the Indy racetrack, especially the Memorial Day spectacle that is the Indianapolis 500.

In these 18 years, however, NASCAR has actually lost some footing in Indy. Last year's crowd was estimated at around 140,000, a great crowd for virtually any event you can think of, but not real good at a track that seats 250,000 and was routinely filling all the seats for NASCAR.

This year's turnout was even worse, closer to 100,000. Again, it's a good crowd if we're not talking about a car race at the Brickyard. But it's terrible at the Brickyard.

ESPN.com senior writer Ed Hinton wrote a column after Sunday's race -- shockingly won by Paul Menard -- in which he took to task NASCAR's mere presence at the legendary track.

After taking shots at NASCAR for helping cause the IndyCar split that practically ruined the Indy 500, and at whoever sold the naming rights for next year's Brickyard race to Crown Royal, and at whoever decided it would be a good idea to stage a Nationwide race the day before next year's Brickyard race, Hinton threw in this bomb at the end.

The NASCAR community keeps swearing its everlasting love and awe of Indy.

Well, then, why have they degraded it, even stabbed it in the back?

If they worship Indy so much, then why did they stick a new Cup race just down the road at Kentucky Speedway, just a few weeks ago, to suck the discretionary dollars out of race fans along the Ohio River? This, to go with draining off fans via Kansas Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, tracks built in the region since the Brickyard 400 began in 1994.

What say you? Has NASCAR stained the Brickyard? Have they -- practically -- sabotaged their own major event?

ESPN's first Sprint Cup broadcast of the season is the Brickyard 400. It's treated as a major event by everyone. But the fans apparently don't agree, as they've started to stay away in droves. No matter the reasons for this, it's NASCAR's duty to figure out why it's happening, and do something about it.

Hinton invokes the name of Humpy Wheeler, a great but retired track and racing promoter. It's someone like Wheeler who can resurrect the Indy race, but apparently that person doesn't work for NASCAR or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Worm Turns for College Hockey

It's been a newsworthy offseason in the college hockey world, but very little of it has been wholly negative.

There was the potential for the new conference alignments to blow up in certain people's faces, but that was just potential. Nothing bad has actually happened in that regard. We haven't lost any programs, and a number of programs that appeared to be on thin ice have been somewhat invigorated by the news, talking openly about their commitment to the future.

Unfortunately, no one told the players about these changes.

College hockey is suddenly hemorrhaging players to the Canadian major junior ranks, and there appears to be little the sport can do to stop it.

Last week, North Dakota lost prized recruit J.T. Miller to the Plymouth Whalers, and sophomore defenseman Jamie Oleksiak left Northeastern to join the Saginaw Spirit, both in the OHL.

Now, there are rumors that Miami recruit Connor Murphy is heading to the Sarnia Sting, and Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald tweeted Tuesday night that goalie John Gibson -- a Michigan recruit -- is possibly the next college recruit to "defect" to the OHL.

This isn't about attacking the CHL. I understand what's going on here. Their teams are looking to improve and get the best players available to them. In many cases, those players are in the 17-18 age range, and they have already committed to attend a U.S. college. For CHL teams, it makes sense to work on college-bound players, because it provides them a chance to put older players on their rosters.

The problem here is that the second a kid signs on to play for a CHL team, they relinquish all NCAA eligibility. It's considered akin to playing professionally.

In order for the NCAA to make headway in its "war" against Canadian major junior hockey, it seems to me that there is work to be done on the educational front. Right now, a kid like Oleksiak can decide college isn't for him (I'm not saying Oleksiak did that here, as I don't know his reasons), and he can join a CHL team. The reality is that the same kid can go to the CHL, hate it, and not have a chance to go back because of the NCAA's rigid stance on amateurism. It's a problem that needs to somehow be overcome.

I've written numerous times in the past about the different paths that exist. John Moore chose major junior over Colorado College. That worked out well for him. Jack Campbell chose major junior over Michigan. That hasn't gone as well, as he's still playing in the OHL when he said he'd be in the NHL by now.

When College Hockey, Inc., started up, a WHL executive accused the NCAA of starting a "pissing match" against the CHL. That's hilarious, since the CHL's pissing on the NCAA is what started this whole thing to begin with.

In the end, the college game is where the work has to be done. Chris Dilks believes the upheaval this offseason has contributed to all these players moving to the CHL.

A big part of the problem is that college hockey is too busy fighting and scheming against itself these days to even worry about fighting against the CHL. Why should JT Miller or Connor Murphy think playing in the WCHA or CCHA for the next two years is worth their time when their own schools made it pretty clear that those conferences aren't good enough? Even College Hockey Inc., which was designed to help present a unified message for college hockey, has been neutralized this summer, since they work directly under college hockey's conference commissioners, and thus have had to keep fairly quiet on the current reorganization. It's another instance of North Dakota thinking they could do things better on their own, and, at least initially, being wrong, and another consequence to the sport that was apparently overlooked in the 20 minutes of planning that went into the Secondary Six.

Dilks can be a bit heavy on the grudges, as evidenced by his annoying insistence to call the NCHC the "Secondary Six," but it's hard to argue against the idea that there is a legitimate point in all the madness above.

I can't blame these defections on the NCHC. Really, do you think J.T. Miller isn't going to spend a year or two in Grand Forks because North Dakota decided to help start a new league in 2013? More than that, do you think the conference changes that haven't impacted Hockey East in any way influenced Oleksiak to bolt for Saginaw? Or is it more likely that Northeastern's long coaching search played a role?

If Gibson leaves Michigan at the altar, however, Dilks' "these schools decided their current league was no longer good enough" take gains more traction.

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No matter what, the ball is in the court of Paul Kelly and College Hockey, Inc. They have done a good job establishing themselves as a voice for college hockey, but their message is clearly not being heard over the yelling and screaming from the CHL about how great their program is.

I'm not going to blame Pierre McGuire for this. I'm not going to blame NHL organizations for this.

(I've already taken my shots at McGuire. I still think he's wholly unprofessional when it comes to his commentary about college hockey, but I'm going to be naive here and say he's not the problem, even though it's plausible his commentary influences NHL organizations and young players to make uninformed decisions about which path is best.)

For Kelly and his people, the job is to somehow get the message out through the noise. Propping up players like Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, David Backes, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, Brian Rafalski, Tim Thomas, Martin St. Louis, and others is simply not good enough.

It's not stopping the CHL teams from convincing players that their path is best and fastest. There is a mountain of evidence that the CHL system simply doesn't work for anyone.

Take the case of Jim O'Brien. The Maplewood native played 43 games as a freshman at Minnesota in 2006-2007, scoring 15 points on seven goals and eight assists. The Ottawa Senators drafted O'Brien 29th overall in 2007, and the decision was made for O'Brien to move on to major junior after that, playing for the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds for two years. O'Brien eventually got into the Ottawa Senators' system, where he played two full seasons for the AHL's Binghamton Senators. This past season, O'Brien finally made his NHL debut, playing in six games for Ottawa.

There's no way anyone can sanely argue that O'Brien got to the NHL faster by going to the WHL. Had he played four full years at Minnesota, he would have been set to go pro after the 2009-2010 season. Even if he goes pro after his junior season, it's hard to say he would have been in a worse position heading to Binghamton.

He blew a free education at Minnesota -- a fantastic school -- and the obvious goal was to enhance his development. It's impossible to argue that he did that, and his case should serve as a cautionary tale to any player who thinks the grass is greener in Canada.

It might be for some, but just like college isn't for everyone, neither is the Canadian major junior system.

Isaac Odim to San Diego; Other Notes

Greetings ... wanted to throw up a quick blog with the news on Isaac Odim, a former All-American running back for the UMD Bulldogs.

Odim has agreed to a free-agent deal with the NFL's San Diego Chargers. After going undrafted in April, he -- along with a slew of other undrafted prospects who found NFL jobs today -- had to sweat out this seemingly never-ending lockout before signing their deals.

Going undrafted in any sport is hardly a disaster. In many cases, prospects like Odim are better off not being drafted late, because they can hand-pick the fit that is best for them, rather than being stuck on a roster or in a system that might not be a good fit for the talent or the personality.

In Odim's case, there might be an argument that he put himself in the best situation possible.

The Chargers were led in the ground game by Mike Tolbert, rookie Ryan Mathews, and diminutive veteran Darren Sproles last season. Tolbert and Sproles are free agents, and the Chargers drafted Connecticut star Jordan Todman this April.

There is competition for playing time, but Odim walks into a situation where he can open eyes and earn playing time if he has a good camp. For an undrafted player, that's usually the best you can hope for.

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Also on the undrafted free agent front, former Gophers quarterback Adam Weber signed with the Denver Broncos, and three former Wisconsin offensive stars found homes. Quarterback Scott Tolzien joins Odim in San Diego, running back John Clay is heading to Pittsburgh (where they like big, bruising backs), and wide receiver/kick returner David Gilreath latched on with the Colts.

Clay and Odim both did outstanding jobs finding places where their talents would be used properly, assuming they can make the cut.

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UMD's national championship celebration continues this weekend, as the team and alumni gather at Amsoil Arena Friday night. As part of Alumni Weekend, the players and staff will receive their national championship rings. Alumni are gathering for a dinner at the arena prior to the ring ceremony.

There is an annual alumni golf outing scheduled for Saturday, so we're all hoping for good weather.

One of the perks of my job is access to events like this, and I am immeasurably excited about the chance to hang out with the team and alumni Friday. For many of us, it could be the last chance for a while to get the gang together. Seniors Kyle Schmidt and Chad Huttel will soon be leaving for overseas professional hockey gigs, and others will be going their separate ways.