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MVC Baseball Tournament pairings (MSU is 2nd seed)

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:06:20 +0000

Despite winning this past weekend’s series at Indiana State, Missouri State still finished as the second seed in this weekend’s Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament at Hammons Field.

Of course, the importance of the tourney is imperative — win and you’re going to the NCAA Tournament. Here is the tournament schedule:

Tuesday

Game 1 (#5 Evansville vs. #4 Illinois State) – 9:00 a.m.
Game 2 (#8 Creighton vs. #1 Indiana State) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 3 (#6 Southern Illinois vs. #3 Wichita State) – 4:00 p.m.
Game 4 (#7 Bradley vs #2 Missouri State) – 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday

Game 5 (Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Gm 2) – 9:00 a.m.
Game 6 (Loser Gm 3 vs. Loser Gm 4) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 7 (Winner Gm 1 vs. Winner Gm 2) – 4:00 p.m.
Game 8 (Winner Gm 3 vs. Winner Gm 4) – 7:30 p.m.

Thursday

Game 9 (Loser Gm 7 vs. Winner Gm 5) – 9:00 a.m.
Game 10 (Loser Gm 8 vs. Winner Gm 6) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 11 (Winner Gm 7 vs. Winner Gm 9) – 4:00 p.m.
Game 12 (Winner Gm 8 vs. Winner Gm 4) – 7:30 p.m.

Friday

*Game 13 (Winner Gm 7 vs. Winner Gm 9) – 12:30 p.m.
*Game 14 (Winner Gm 8 vs. Winner Gm 10) – 4:00 p.m.

*If necessary

Saturday, May 26

Game 15 (Winner Brkt 1 vs. Winner Brkt 2) – 7:07 p.m.

Missouri State as the host will play the 7:30 p.m. game of the first day of the tournament. The order of the other games will be determined by seeds. Seeds 1, 4, 5 and 8 will be in one bracket. Seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7 will be in the opposite bracket. Seed 1 will play Seed 8, Seed 4 will play Seed 5, Seed 2 will play Seed 7 and Seed 3 will play Seed 6 in the opening round.
Ticket Information

All Tournament Prices

All Tournament – Season Ticket Holder $40.00
All Tournament – Non-Season Ticket Holder $50.00
All Tournament – Fac/Staff Season Ticket Holder $40.00
All Tournament – Fac/Staff Non-Season Ticket Holder $50.00

Single Game Prices

Adult $10.00
Student/Child over 2 (Includes any college student with ID) $5.00
Children under 2 Free

AUDIO: Interview with Steve Warren (Green Bay/Neb./Kickapoo)

Allen Vaughan — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:25:24 +0000

[[Show as slideshow]]

When Steve Warren is in town, the TAG crew makes time for the former NFL defensive lineman — and vice versa.

Warren, a former Green Bay Packer, Nebraska Cornhusker and Kickapoo High School Chief is back in his hometown doing some legwork for the imminent launch of his D.R.E.A.M. Springfield chapter and second-annual From the Field to the Court football/basketball featuring himself and former Kickapoo Chief/current Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Tolliver.

Taking a seat in the TAG HQ studios, Warren took some time to talk to TAG’s Allen Vaughan and Brett Johnston to discuss his organization/camp, concussions, bounties and he even busted out some a capella singing that’s worth a listen.

ShoFights brings pro MMA card to Drury June 16

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:04:11 +0000

ShoFight 20 will be bringing its 15-fight Mixed Martial Arts card to the O’Reilly Family Event Center June 16, Drury University announced Thursday.

ShoFight 20 will feature a main event between UFC veterans Shamar Bailey and Karo “The Heat” Parysian, a fight that will be for the ShoFight Welterweight Championship. The card will feature 14 other fights, including a ShoFight Middleweight title fight between Terry Martin and Kendall “The Spyder” Grove. Both are also UFC veterans.

Tickets are available today at DruryTickets.com or by phone at (417)873-6389. Prices start at $18.

Parysian is a UFC and Strikeforce veteran, fighting in the UFC most recently as 2010.

Bailey was a quarterfinalist on UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter featuring Team Lesnar and Team De Los Santos. He was eventually signed to the promotion andfaced Danny Castillo at UFC 139. However, weighed in at 3 pounds too heavy and the fight was bumped up to 158 catchweight. He lost to Castillo via first round TKO and was released from the promotion.

The rest of the card includes

Jonatas Noveas vs. Drew Fickett
Chris “Crazyman” McDaniel vs. Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett
Mike Wessell vs. Aaron Rosa
Alan Gibson vs. Dustin Phillips
Chris “Gritz” Gruetzmacher vs. Roli Delgado
Lucas “The Hillbilly Lightstorm” Overcast vs. Matt “Luke Duke” Lucas
Sevak Magakian vs. John “Guns” Gunderson
Josh McDonald vs. Karen Darabedyan
Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm vs. Marcus “Maximus” Aurelio
“Smilin” Sam Alvey vs. “Mr. International” Shonie Carter
Robert Saborudden vs. Jacob “Straighjacket” Ritchie
Chris Barnes vs. Jesse Zeguin
Jason Ignacek vs. Ara Meridian

UPDATED: MSU’S Pierce Johnson is No. 26 MLB Draft prospect

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:05:52 +0000

This is from the night Pierce Johnson struck out 16 Creighton batters earlier this season.

UPDATED: In his initial MLB mock draft, ESPN.com’s Keith Law has Missouri State righthanded pitcher Pierce Johnson going No. 29 to the Arizona Diamondbacks (subscription link).

This is what Law said in his synopsis:

He could have gone in that 13-16 range if healthy, but a forearm strain has left his status unclear. He could still go that high if the medicals come back clean.

Earlier this week, Law Johnson as the country’s 59th best prospect. There was hype at the beginning of the season, positioning Pierce Johnson as a Top-60 MLB draft prospect, and Johnson’s done nothing to diminish his standing. If nothing else, he’s strengthened it. At 59 overall, he’s the 31st pitcher on the board, and the 12th best college pitcher.

It’s been well-chronicled how dominant this year’s pitching staff has been at MSU, and Johnson has been a huge part of that. Currently, he’s 2-6 with a 2.85 ERA in 11 starts with 3 complete games. He’s pitched 75 2/3 innings, striking out 94 while walking 25 and allowing 24 earned runs. His 94 strikeouts rank him 25th in the country and he ranks 12th in the country in strikeouts per 9 innings (11.18).

After missing a few starts in the middle of the season, Johnson has seemed to have worked through soreness in his right forearm.

MSU will travel to Indiana State this weekend. The Bears currently trail the Sycamores by 1.5 games heading into the final weekend of the season.

Bass Pro Tournament of Champions teams announced for 2013

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:08:21 +0000

The Springfield Public Schools athletics office announced the teams for the 2013 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions today. Here is the raw news for the tournament on January 17-19. Check back later this week for more insight and information.

Montverde Academy, Montverde, FL (22-5) National Rank # 14 (Maxpreps)

Kasey Hill – (2013) Guard – Ranked # 8 (Rivals) – Committed to: Florida
Chris Davenport – (2013) Forward – Recruited by: Clemson & Florida State
Dakari Johnson – (2014) Center – Ranked # 4 (Scout) – Recruited by: Georgetown, Kentucky, Ohio State, Syracuse, & Louisville
D’Angelo Russell – (2014) Guard – Ranked # 16 (Rivals) – Recruited by: Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, & Tennessee

John Bosco High School –Bellflower, CA (25-8)

Isaac Hamilton – (2013) Guard – Ranked # 11 – Recruited by: Arizona, Baylor, & Kansas
Daniel Hamilton – (2014) Forward – Recruited by: Baylor, UConn, USC, & St. Johns
Devin Burleson – (2014) Center – Recruited by: New Mexico, Oregon, & Texas

Prestonwood Christian, Plano, TX (27-4) – National Ranked # 9 (MaxPreps)

Julius Randle – (2013) Forward – Ranked # 3 (Rivals) – Recruited by: Kansas, Missouri, Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, & Ohio State
Marquan Botley – (2014) Guard – Recruited by: Memphis & TCU
Mickey Mitchell – (2015) Forward – Ranked Top Ten in Sophomore Class

Paul VI High School, Fairfax, VA (35-3) State Champions – National Ranked # 8 (Maxpreps)

Stanford Robinson – (2013) Guard – Ranked # 88 (Rivals) – Recruited by: Georgetown, North Carolina State, & Wake Forest
Tim Higgins – (2013) Center – Committed to: Cornell
Marcus Derrickson – (2015) Forward – Ranked Top Ten in Sophomore Class – Recruited by: Georgetown, North Carolina, Syracuse, & Maryland

Bullitt East High School, Mount Washington, KY (26-6)

Derek Willis – (2013) Forward – Ranked # 26 (Rivals) – Committed to: Kentucky

Hall High School, Little Rock, AR (27-3) – State Champions

Bobby Portis – (2013) Center – Ranked # 56 (Rivals) – Committed to : Arkansas

Nixa High School, Nixa, MO (30-2) – Class 5 State Runner-Up

Austin Ruder – (2013) – Committed to: Missouri State

Hillcrest High School, Springfield, MO (18-5) – Class 4 State Runner-Up

SGFers in the Bigs — May 16

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:19:52 +0000

All stats are through Tuesday’s games (May 15).

Shaun Marcum, Milwaukee Brewers (Missouri State)

Marcum had his second-best start of the season, allowing one run and striking out 6 over 7 innings in an 8-2 win over the Cubs Saturday. He’s pitching so well that trade rumors say he’s being dangled in potential deadline deals, assuming the Brewers won’t be able to afford him in free agency — which is this summer.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Brewers	2-1	3.07	7	7	0	44	35	16	15	3	16	39	.217

Brad Ziegler, Arizona Diamondbacks (Missouri State)

Ziegler pitched in all three games against St. Louis last week, allowing no runs and only three baserunners in 3 2/3 innings (sign the guy as a free agent?). He followed that up on Saturday with a scoreless frame against San Francisco. An odd note, 5 of Ziegler’s last 6 appearances have been in losses (but not his losses).

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Hold	Save	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
D Backs	0-0	1.32	15	2	0	13 1/3	12	2	2	0	7	10	.261

Jeff Gray, Minnesota Twins (Missouri State)

Sure, the Twins are the worst team in baseball — and it’s not really close — but Gray is dazzling in his role. He threw two more scoreless innings over two appearances, striking out 3. He seems to be settling in, finally getting his strikeout number above his walk total.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Twins	2-0	1.84	15	0	0	14 2/3	11	3	3	2	8	10	.200

Scott Elbert, LA Dodgers (Seneca HS)

Elbert bounced back recently, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances. It lowered his ERA by an entire run. In two of those, he retired one batter, throwing only 8 pitches in the two appearances. On Tuesday, he threw a full inning in a victory over Arizona, striking out two.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Dodgers	0-0	4.82	16	0	3	11	15	5	5	2	3	9	.375

Ross Detwiler, Washington Nationals (Missouri State)

Detwiler made two starts since our last update, and they weren’t as dazzling as what the Nationals have been used to. Despite throwing a quality start (6 IP, 3 R), he lost 4-2 to Pittsburgh. On Monday, he allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in 5 innings to San Diego. Washington won, but the two starts raised his ERA more than a run.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Washington	3-2	2.75	7	7	0	39 1/3	33	17	12	2	10	28	.224

Lucas Harrell, Houston Astros (Ozark HS)

Harrell is starting to show some consistency — and so is his porous defense. On last Wednesday, Harrell allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to Miami. He got a no decision. But, on Monday, he was outdueled by Philadelphia’s Joe Blanton in a 5-1 loss. Harrell allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 5 2/3 innings. It’s tough to rely on ground balls when your defense consistently lets you down. Houston has allowed an unearned run in each of Harrell’s last 4 starts.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Houston	2-3	4.40	8	8	0	45	46	26	22	2	18	22	.267

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (Missouri State)

There is still no timetable for Howard’s return from Achilles surgery, an injury he suffered on the final out of the Phillies’ NLDS loss to his hometown St. Louis Cardinals. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said this on May 11: To get full strength will take probably a lot longer than a season. In fact, it may take a long, long time. That’s just the nature of the surgery.”

2011	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Phillies	152	557	81	141	30	1	33	116	75	172	1	0	.253	.346	.488	.834

SGFers in the Minors

Matt Palmer, San Diego Padres Triple-A (Missouri State)

After returning from a blister problem that cost him a start, Palmer is 2-0 in two starts for Tucson. At New Orleans, Palmer went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned), 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. In his past two starts, he’s lowered his ERA nearly 3 points.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Tucson	3-2	5.88	6	6	0	26	34	19	17	0	13	20	.321

Scott Carroll, Cincinnati Reds Triple-A (Missouri State)

Things are not going well for Carroll, a former MSU ace and QB. In two appearances in the past 7 days, he’s allowed 4 runs in 2 2/3 innings, boosting his season EAR to nearly 9. Against Lehigh Valley Monday, he picked up his third loss when he allowed 3 runs and 4 hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Triple-A Louisville	1-3	8.27	14	0	0	20 2/3	34	19	19	2	10	15	.391

Buddy Baumann, KC Royals Double-A (MSU & Rogersville HS)

Baumann’s workload has been odd all season. He’s pitched multiple innings at a frequent pace all season, but in the past 7 days, he only made one appearance. However, it was a good one. He pitched a scoreless innings against Springfield, giving up a hit and walking one. Against SGF, Baumann has thrown 6 1/3 innings and allowed 2 runs — 1 earned.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A NWA	2-0	5.03	11	0	0	0	19 2/3	22	15	11	1	11	18	.278

Mike Kickham, SF Giants Double-A (Missouri State and Glendale HS)

Mike Kickham did Bowie dirty on Saturday. The Glendale grad earned his second win of the season by throwing 6 shutout innings, striking out 4. The most important number, however, is zero walks. Control issues had plagued the southpaw in his past two starts, but not Saturday.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A Richmond	2-3	2.81	7	7	0	32	31	11	10	1	20	25	.265

Pat Doyle, Cincinnati Reds High-A (Missouri State)

Of Doyle’s 71 career minor-league appearances, 69 of them have come in relief. However, one of those two starts came Tuesday and it was sparkling. Doyle threw 6 shutout innings of one-hit ball to complete a doubleheader sweep of Stockton. It might have been the shot in the arm he needed, as it lowered his ERA a run and a half.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Bakersfield	3-1	3.28	13	1	0	24 2/3	19	11	9	3	6	24	.207

Tyler Clark Detroit Tigers High-A (Catholic HS)

All Tyler Clark does is make hitters look feeble. In two more appearances, he’s thrown 2 1/3 more scoreless innings, striking out 3. The only baserunners he allowed were the 3 he walked Monday vs. Tampa, but he escaped the jam. Look at his ERA. It’s insane.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Lakeland	1-0	1.15	9	0	0	15 2/3	9	2	2	0	6	18	.176

Aaron Meade, LA Angels Low-A (Missouri State)

Meade made two more appearances for Cedar Rapids, throwing not only 4 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball, he didn’t allow a hit. He walked 2 against Quad Cities (St. Louis Cards affiliate), but that was all. It’s quite the debut for Meade, who joined the team late after adapting a new delivery in Extended Spring Training. In all, he’s allowed 1 hit in 6 1/3 innings.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Low-A Cedar Rapids	0-0	0.00	3	0	0	6 1/3	1	0	0	0	3	3	.050

Wait, I thought they were in pro baseball…

Former MSU slugger Josh Mazzola has signed with the Winnepeg Goldeyes of the American Association. It’s the same league former MSU closer/Glendale HS alum Dan Kickham will play in with the KC T-Bones.
Warsaw graduate Johnny Eierman is in extended Spring Training with Tampa Bay after being a third-round pick by the Rays last season. In 59 at-bats, he hit /254/.328/.424 with the Gulf Coast League Rays. Per his Twitter account, he expects: “I’ll either be in west Virginia in the Appalachian league or in the new York penn league In june.”
Former MSU infielder Toby Gardenhire retired and was named as the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Per MSU coach Paul Evans, former MSU ace Brett Sinkbeil’s has retired. He received some offers
All information points to former MSU catcher Dallas Hord catcher having retired.
Former Rogersville HS slugger Seth Conner has reported to extended spring training, but told us he has been told by Toronto field coordinator Doug Davis that he is switching to being a full-time catcher. “They told me they liked my leadership qualities and my work ethic. They think I can pull it off, and once my confidence is up, I think I can, too.”
Former MSU and Kickapoo pitcher J.C. Casey has reported to extended spring training and hopes to get assigned to a full-season team soon.

Anything or anyone we missed? Send it to me at allen@tagsgf.com

Missouri State pitchers: Hate to Lose

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:08:17 +0000

The inside of Nick Petree's hat.

No one sees it but his teammates and himself, but a few words neatly written underneath the bill of Nick Petree’s Missouri State baseball cap bill sums up this season’s historic starting rotation dominance.

“Hate to lose more than you love to win.”

Using that as not only a mantra, but words to live a life by, has given Petree and rotation-mates Pierce Johnson and Clay Murphy the edge to not only capture a Missouri Valley Conference title, but become the most effective starting trio in MSU baseball history.

Think about that statement for a second. These guys are the most dominant from a program that has a history of producing MLB pitchers? These guys? Think about the MSU lineage: Scott Bailes pitched for the Cleveland Indians in the 1980s. Shaun Marcum (Milwaukee Brewers) and Ross Detwiler (Washington Nationals) are current big league startiers. At one point, MSU had four guys on one staff pitch eventually pitchin in the big leagues when Brad Ziegler, Jeff Gray, John Rheinecker and Matt Palmer threw in 2001. Has there been a more dominant MSU trio?

Clay Murphy, Pierce Johnson and Nick Petree. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/For TAGsgf.com

“Not with the results they’ve been able to produce,” said MSU manager Keith Guttin. “You can look at those numbers and say, ‘I don’t know if we’ve had three guys that have produced that number.’ Not to say we haven’t had great pitchers, because we have — tremendous ones — but not all at this one time.”

The starting trio’s numbers are so impressive, that even if all three got their collective heads kicked in over the last month, they’d still be too good to be true. That’s why it’s worth mentioning that each starter had an earned run average of 2.85 or below in a climate of obese ERAs well above 4. Petree, a redshirt sophomore righthander from Clinton, leads the way at 0.58 (6 earned runs in 93 1/3 innings), followed by Murphy (Illinois native, junior righthander) at 1.37 (9 in 59) and Johnson (Colorado native, junior righthander) 2.85 (24 in 75 2/3). Those are three of the Missouri Valley Conference’s top 10 starting pitcher ERAs. Exclamation points and capital letters don’t make all of it appropriately jump off the page.

(Editor’s note, as of mid-April, Murphy was ruled out for the rest of the season because of elbow trouble. A tough break, for sure.)

The whole dichotomy of MSU’s’ pitching staff is a story in itself because of where each player’s skill set and physical appearance meet. While it’s not fair, it’s taken three years for reality to exceed perception. The main catalyst: Competition, and the will to win.

While competition is the essence of sports, it’s not always the main ingredient. How many times have we seen talented athletes not live up to their potential because they don’t compete enough? They don’t seem to want to work hard or do what’s necessary to be great. Well, MSU’s trio heard about their potential and rewrote the scouting reports.

Nick Petree leads the nation in ERA at 0.63. Photo by Alex Stocksdale/For TAGsgf.com

“It’s not always about stuff,” said MSU pitching coach Paul Evans, referring to raw pitching talent. “It’s not always about location. We try to compete. Get out there and whatever your ability, you figure out a way to get it done. There’s always a way to get out of a jam if you think you can get out of it. These guys in particular draw on that.”

In other words, these guys draw on adversity. Petree only had one D-I offer. Murphy was thought to be undersized for mid-to-high D-I ball. Many weren’t sure if Johnson was going to figure it out after being was a 15th-round draft pick out of high school. This group that roomed together as freshman and was recruited in the same class, has all faced it, they all embrace it and use it to compete. They also use their contrasting styles to befuddle hitters.

Petree hasn’t allowed an earned run since March 2. As a recruit, he wasn’t a flamethrower — and still isn’t — but had savvy. Then, after his senior year of high school, he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his right elbow. When he came back, he threw harder, in the higher 80s, which went nicely with the rest of his complete game. Not only does he mix speeds well and can throw strikes, but Guttin and Evans say he fields his position and holds runners on. Opponents haven’t stolen a base off him all season.

This is from the night Pierce Johnson struck out 16 Creighton batters on Friday night.

Johnson is the future pro of the group. In the preseason, he was ranked as a Top 60 MLB prospect. It’s actually improved, as he’s been ranked as high as 49 by ESPN, which would place him with the first two rounds. But as a freshman, he was an unfulfilled talent who could throw hard, but struggled with a 7.52 ERA in 40 2/3 innings. But last season, he found himself. In 2011, he struck out 8.56 batters per 9 innings, and excelled in midweek games against power conference teams, including Arkansas and Mizzou. This season, he’s been dealing with tightness in his right forearm, which has kept him out most of April, but he put his imprint on the season with a 16-strikeout performance against Creighton and even with a few missed starts will be amongst the country’s leaders in Ks.

Actually, it’s weekends like March 23-25 against Creighton that illustrate the way this trio uses each other as measuring sticks. On Friday, Johnson whiffed 16 in 9 shutout innings. Petree followed on Saturday with 10 Ks in a shutout. Murphy said”I was like, ‘Man, I’m going to have to keep this going.’” After allowing 3 runs – one earned – in the first, that was it in a 5-3 win.

Unbridled competition can be a dangerous thing, especially if you can’t harness it. Evans said each has had personal struggles, but found ways to stay confident and then take that confidence and make it a permanent part of the bloodstream.

“You have to physically mature, but also mentally and emotionally mature,” Evans said. “Sometimes (pitchers) don’t have the confidence they need. Sometimes they need a kick in the rear and find that moment of confidence to say, ‘I am that good.’ Some guys have it and get there quicker than others.”

It’s that maturation that blends with competition on the field, and competition off the field — like Dr. Pepper drinking contests, Call of Duty video games battles and numerous other things, that sets Petree, Johnson and Murphy apart, not only from the rest of the MVC, but the rest of MSU pitching lineage.

“Success is one of the greatest feelings you can ever experience,” Petree said. “You have to work hard, and we’ve always been able to do it.

Now we’ll just wait and see how far it carries MSU.

Upcoming MSU home games at Hammons Field

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, May 22-26 (Tuesday-Saturday)

The High Road podcast, Sunday, May 13

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:23:57 +0000

Mother’s Day: Allen talks SGF Cards manager Mike Shildt’s frisbee skills, MSU football big picture & Team Fusion’s Eric Stevens talks Bang-A-Palooza May 19.

Episode: 5/13/2012

Mother’s Day — sponsored by Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar

Interview: Team Fusion’s Eric Stevens talks Bang-A-Palooza (May 19 at HoJo)
SGF Cards manager Mike Shildt must be a hippy after that helmet frisbee at the ump.
What kind of a future does Terry Allen have with MSU football?
Scoreboard segment
Facebook.com/TheHighRoadShow

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Watch SGF Cards manager Mike Shildt hit umpire with helmet

Allen Vaughan — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:26:46 +0000

While most SGFers grew accustomed to former SGF Cardinals manager Pop Warner’s laid-back style, current Cardinals manager Mike Shildt is making sure we know he’s not the same guy.

The Texas League has suspended Shildt for 3 games after he made inappropriate contact with an umpire while arguing balls and strikes during a game with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in Springdale. Upon reading the News-Leader’s story, it’s described as incidental. But after watching this video, I’m no so sure. Of course, the ejection came the night after SGF was no-hit by NWA.

Either way, understand that with Shildt frisbeeing his batting helmet at an ump and hitting coach Phil Wellman being best-known for the greatest managerial blowup in minor-league history, the SGF Cardinals are now equipped with the most entertaining coaching staff any fan could ask for.

INTERVIEW: Tim Huskisson (Willard/N. Colo.) drops by TAG HQ

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:12:25 +0000

[[Show as slideshow]]

The last time most of us saw Tim Huskisson play basketball, it was at Willard High School and he was 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. After one season at Division I Northern Colorado, where he started 17 of 28 games and averaged 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, he’s 6-5 “and some change,” hovering around 203 pounds.

Huskisson, a business and communication double major at UNC, stopped by TAG HQ (334 W. Walnut B) to hang out in the studio with TAG’s Allen Vaughan and Brett Johnston to catch up on his past season. The topics: Whether or not he’s transferring to Missouri State, getting so much playing time early, dunking on people (including UNC teammate and Branson native Tate Unruh) and much more.

You can stream the audio here or you can download it as an MP3. And, you can always find exclusive one-on-one interviews like this by subscribing to TAG Media’s podcast feed via ITunes.

SGF Cardinals get no-hit by Royals affiliate (with video)

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:36:59 +0000

The Springfield Cardinals were no-hit Thursday night by the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in a 2-0 loss in Springdale, Ark. NWA is the Kansas City Royals’ Double-A affiliate, and it’s the first time in franchise history the SGF Cards didn’t get a hit in a game.

The last time the Springfield Cardinals left Hammons Field, it ended in an 0-8 road trip. This time, things couldn’t have started out worse.

NWA started rehabbing big-league reliever Greg Holland, who pitched a clean first. He was followed by lefthanded starting prospect Chris Dwyer, who pitched 6 2/3 no-hit innings where he struck out 5 and walked two — the last time Dwyer pitched against SGF, he allowed 10 runs. Reliever Brendan Lafferty got the final out of the eighth and closer Kendal Volz pitched a clean ninth.

The Cards will continue their four-game set against NWA tonight at 7:30. Michael Blazek will start for Springfield against Jake Odorizzi of the Naturals.

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Springfield Cardinals
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Kolten Wong	2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.308
Jermaine Curtis	3B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	.400
Oscar Taveras	CF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.320
Kyle Conley	RF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.258
Chris Swauger	DH	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.259
Jake Shaffer	LF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.263
Xavier Scruggs	1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.184
Nick Derba	C	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.203
Greg Garcia	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.250

BATTING
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Scruggs; Taveras.
Team RISP: 0-for-2.
Team LOB: 4.

Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Greg Holland	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
Chris Dwyer (W, 2-4)	6.2	0	0	0	2	5	0	5.91
Brendan Lafferty (H, 3)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.86
Kendal Volz (S, 4)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.98

WP: Rosenthal.
Balk: Rondon.
HBP: Garcia, G (by Dwyer).
Pitches-strikes: Rosenthal 92-56, Thomas 23-15, Rondon 25-13, Wright, J 11-7, Holland, G 14-11, Dwyer 103-60, Lafferty 3-2, Volz 8-6.
Groundouts-flyouts: Rosenthal 5-1, Thomas 2-1, Rondon 1-0, Wright, J 2-1, Holland, G 0-0, Dwyer 9-5, Lafferty 0-1, Volz 2-0.
Batters faced: Rosenthal 21, Thomas 5, Rondon 5, Wright, J 3, Holland, G 3, Dwyer 24, Lafferty 1, Volz 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Thomas 1-0, Lafferty 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Pat Hoberg. 1B: Greg Stanzak. 3B: Matt Benham.
Weather: 75 degrees, clear.
Wind: 6 mph, R to L.
T: 2:45.
Att: 3,964.

Brian McTague hired as Branson HS boys’ basketball coach

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 11 May 2012 02:39:06 +0000

Branson has hired former Clever coach Brian McTague as its boys' baskeball coach.

Branson High School has hired former Clever coach Brian McTague to be its boys’ basketball coach, he confirmed to TAGsgf.com Thursday night.

McTague, was 125-67 at Clever over the past seven seasons — including final four appearances in 2008 and 2010. He said the Branson opening is one he’s always had his eye on.

“If you ask my friends, Branson is a job I’ve always been interested in,” he said via phone Thursday. “I feel like it’s one of the best openings in the area. It’s got great facilities and over the past 10 years, it’s really become a great basketball area. Coach (Randy) Bishop deserves a lot of credit for that.”

A Spokane native, McTague has been waiting in the wings to get a chance at one of the area’s larger schools. Branson is a Class 5 school and is just a season removed from a great run of state rankings and deep playoff runs. Before taking over at Clever, which was his first head coaching job, he was an assistant at Glendale for seven years.

Bishop left Branson for Lawrenceville, Ill. HS after 9 seasons. McTague was hired over Spokane coach Larry Brown, according to reports by the Tri-Lakes News.

MSU football kicks QB Trevor Wooden off team

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:42:34 +0000

MSU has dismissed QB Trevor Wooden for a violation of team rules.

While Missouri State administration wouldn’t reveal what exactly happened, school athletic director Kyle Moats announced quarterback Trevor Wooden has been dismissed from the football team.

Wooden,a High Springs, Fla. native, lead the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total offense last season and was expected to be the Bears’ starter again this coming season.

“This is obviously a very difficult situation, and it’s never easy to make a call like this,” MSU football coach Terry Allen said in a release. “But based on the circumstances, I feel it is in the best interest of our program to make a clean break and start moving forward.”

Moats said he supports Allen’s decision and noted the behavioral expectations of every MSU student-athlete are clearly defined.

“We expect Missouri State student-athletes to abide by the rules set forth by the University, the athletic department and their respective teams,” Moats said. “When they fail to meet those obligations and responsibilities, there are consequences.

“I know there were a lot of people counting on Trevor to be a leader on this team and be the face of our program this fall. However, our coaches have to enforce the rules consistently regardless of whether a player is a starter or a role player. That’s the right thing to do, and I support our coaches when they have to make tough calls like this.”

On Aug. 25, 2011, Allen suspended Wooden for the season opener against Arkansas for a separate violation of team rules. He started the remaining 10 games. His numbers were impressive, despite MSU’s tough season. His 2,420 yards of total offense were the best in the MVFC and ranked 14th nationally. As a redshirt freshman wide receiver in 2010, Wooden played in 11 games, started 10 contests and caught 21 passes for 284 yards.

He was one of 24 returning players on the 2012 MSU roster with starting experience from last season.

The Bears will open fall camp on Aug. 2 with at least two scholarship quarterbacks in sophomore Kierra Harris (Texarkana, Ark.) and newcomer Brodie Lambert (Fr., Arlington, Texas).

Former Mizzou football greats to return for Williams camp

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:00:02 +0000

Mizzou's new football helmets

The 4th annual Lorenzo Williams and Friends Weekend is returning to the Ozarks July 6th and 7th, featuring some of the best Mizzou football alumni, many of which have made it to the NFL.

The event includes a golf gournament at Millwood Golf and Racquet Club on the 6th, as well as an autograph session at Ashley Furniture that night. The youth football camp will be at Lake Country Soccer on the 7th.

Expected to be in attendance are Lorenzo Williams, Jeremy Maclin, Aldon Smith, Blaine Gabbert, Martin Rucker, Sean Weatherspoon, Chase Coffman, William Moore, Tony Temple, Attiyah Ellison, Corby Jones, Mike Jones, Wes Kemp, Jerrell Jackson, Jaron Baston, Brad Ekwerekwu, Danario Alexander, Roland Young, Steve Erickson, Derrick Ming and a few other possibilities. Former Missouri State tight end and current Philadelphia Eagle Clay Harbor is expected to be in attendance, as well as current Mizzou players.

Proceeds of the events will go towards 12 children charities this year, including CMN/St. Judes, Care to Learn, the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Wish I May, The Ellis Fund, the Hamels Foundation and Pipkin Middle School are among them.

SGFers in the Bigs — May 9

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:56:17 +0000

All stats are through Tuesday’s games (May 8).

Shaun Marcum, Milwaukee Brewers (Missouri State)

Marcum started Sunday and earned a no-decision in San Francisco, going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs. He’s overcome early-season shoulder trouble and is again one of the more durable starters in baseball.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Brewers	1-1	3.41	6	6	0	37	32	15	14	3	14	33	.232

Brad Ziegler, Arizona Diamondbacks (Missouri State)

Ziegler has pitched three times in the past week — twice against the St. Louis Cardinals — and he picked up a win against the Mets on Friday. He’s only allowed one earned run in his last 14 appearances.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Hold	Save	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
D Backs	0-0	1.32	15	2	0	13 1/3	12	2	2	0	7	10	.261

Jeff Gray, Minnesota Twins (Missouri State)

Gray pitched two innings in the past week, allowing a home run to Seattle’s Kyle Seager on Saturday. He’s still pitching in losing games, as the only two victories he’s appeared in, he has earned the win both times.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Twins	2-0	1.69	13	0	0	12 2/3	9	3	3	2	8	7	.191

Scott Elbert, LA Dodgers (Seneca HS)

It hasn’t been the best start to the season for Elbert. He looked good on Monday in a clean inning against the Giants, but on Friday against the Cubs he gave up two hits, one walk and a run in a loss. Two nights before, he allowed a walk-off home run to Jason Giambi in a loss to the Rockies.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Dodgers	0-0	5.87	13	0	3	9 1/3	13	5	5	2	3	6	.394

Ross Detwiler, Washington Nationals (Missouri State)

Detwiler continues to be a huge part of why the Nationals have one of the best starting pitching rotations in all of baseball. He tied the Pirates up in knots Thursday, allowing one run on just three hits in 6 innings. He’s won 3 of his 6 starts this season.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Washington	3-1	1.59	6	6	0	28 1/3	19	9	5	2	9	21	.190

Lucas Harrell, Houston Astros (Ozark HS)

Harrell earned a win against a home-state team, beating the Cardinals on Friday. It wasn’t the prettiest start, but the offense supported him. The one thing he is doing is proving his durability and ability to go at least 5 innings. He lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing 3 earned runs (4 unearned) and 7 hits.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Houston	2-2	4.76	6	6	0	34	35	20	18	2	13	15	.269

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (Missouri State)

Howard hit at extended spring training for the first time all season, according to reports. There is no timetable for his return from Achilles surgery, an injury he suffered on the final out of the Phillies’ NLDS loss to his hometown St. Louis Cardinals.

2011	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Phillies	152	557	81	141	30	1	33	116	75	172	1	0	.253	.346	.488	.834

SGFers in the Minors

Matt Palmer, San Diego Padres Triple-A (Missouri State)

Palmer had a start pushed back because of a blister, but it looks like the time off might have done him some good. He earned a victory after 5 innings of 2-run ball against Sacramento, allowing 6 hits and walking only one.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Tucson	2-2	6.75	5	5	0	20	26	16	15	0	11	14	.313

Scott Carroll, Cincinnati Reds Triple-A (Missouri State)

Carroll is going through one of the roughest stretches of his career. Although he pitched a scoreless inning Monday, he allowed 6 runs on 7 hits in 2 2/3 innings against Durham (Tampa Bay). Even with Monday’s scoreless inning, he’s allowed 11 runs in his past 6 innings out of the bullpen.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Triple-A Louisville	1-2	7.50	12	0	0	18	28	15	15	2	9	12	.384

Buddy Baumann, KC Royals Double-A (MSU & Rogersville HS)

After two scoreless appearances while NWA was in town, Baumann allowed 2 runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings Tuesday at home against Tulsa. His strikeout numbers are good, but he’s not regularly getting hitters out.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A NWA	2-0	5.30	10	0	0	0	18 2/3	21	15	11	1	10	18	.273

Mike Kickham, SF Giants Double-A (Missouri State and Glendale HS)

After setting Double-A on fire, Kickham has now lost his last two starts, and it’s walks that are the most problematic. Although he only allowed 3 runs, he lasted only 4 1/3 innings, walking 4 and striking out just two. In 25 2/3 innings, he’s walked 20 while striking out 21.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A Richmond	1-3	3.51	6	6	0	25 2/3	25	11	10	1	20	21	.269

Pat Doyle, Cincinnati Reds High-A (Missouri State)

Doyle doesn’t seem to be getting much help from his defense, as he’s allowed 4 runs in his past 4 1/3 innings, but only two are earned. Still, he’s getting extended work. He’s earned a win (at Modesto) and a loss (Lancaster) in his past two appearances.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Bakersfield	2-1	4.70	10	0	0	15 1/3	13	10	8	2	5	17	.228

Tyler Clark Detroit Tigers High-A (Catholic HS)

Clark is back in the groove of slicing up High-A hitters. In his last 6 innings of relief, he’s allowed no runs and three hits, while striking out 8 and walking none. Surely he will get a more prominent role at Lakeland, or possibly a promotion. It’s just too easy right now.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Lakeland	1-0	1.23	8	0	0	14 2/3	9	2	2	0	3	16	.188

Aaron Meade, LA Angels Low-A (Missouri State)

After a tweak in mechanics — to more of a sidearm deliver — Meade has been promoted to Low-A Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League, the same as the Cardinals’ Quad Cities. He made his first appearance Saturday against Wisconsin and dazzled. Hopefully there’s more to come.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Low-A Cedar Rapids	0-0	0.00	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	1	.142

Wait, I thought they were in pro baseball…

Former MSU slugger Josh Mazzola has signed with the Winnepeg Goldeyes of the American Association. It’s the same league former MSU closer/Glendale HS alum Dan Kickham will play in with the KC T-Bones.
Warsaw graduate Johnny Eierman is in extended Spring Training with Tampa Bay after being a third-round pick by the Rays last season. In 59 at-bats, he hit /254/.328/.424 with the Gulf Coast League Rays.
Former MSU infielder Toby Gardenhire retired and was named as the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Per MSU coach Paul Evans, former MSU ace Brett Sinkbeil’s has retired. He received some offers
All information points to former MSU catcher Dallas Hord catcher having retired.
Former Rogersville HS slugger Seth Conner has reported to extended spring training, but told us he has been told by Toronto field coordinator Doug Davis that he is switching to being a full-time catcher. “They told me they liked my leadership qualities and my work ethic. They think I can pull it off, and once my confidence is up, I think I can, too.”
Former MSU and Kickapoo pitcher J.C. Casey has reported to extended spring training and hopes to get assigned to a full-season team soon.

Anything or anyone we missed? Send it to me at allen@tagsgf.com

MSU hoops adds freshman wing from Texas (w/ highlights)

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:30:09 +0000

Simpson

Missouri State’s men’s basketball team has signed Michael Simpson, a senior at Klein Collins High School from just outside of the Houston, Texas area. He averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists and made 81 percent of his free throws as a senior.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Simpson is described as long and athletic, but can shoot it.

“He is a long, athletic, and skilled wing player who has a great stroke from the perimeter,” MSU coach Paul Lusk said. “He adds another skilled player to our recruiting class and gives us a versatile scoring threat.”

According to MSU’s sports information department, Simpson was a two-time all-district selection and was ranked No. 37 on the Greater Houston Top 150 Senior Prospect List. TexasHoops.com lists him as the 48th best player in the state.

An honors student with a 3.6 grade-point average, he also played AAU ball for the elite Texas Pro team. He helped Klein Collins High, a Class 5A program, to a 19-14 record in 2011-12.

Simpson is MSU’s second commitment this spring, along with Tevin Bracey (G, 6-3, 180, Bronx, N.Y., Gompers High, Westchester [N.Y.] CC). The spring National Letter of Intent signing period runs through May 16 for basketball. Simpson and Bracey join a trio of fall signees — Bruce Marshall (C, 6-10, 205, Fr., Fayette, Mo., Fayette High), Marcus Marshall (SG, 6-2, 180, Fr., St. Paul, Minn., Johnson High) and Gavin Thurman (PF, 6-7, 210, Fr., Wichita, Kan., Heights High) — on the list of five Missouri State roster additions for the 2012-13 season.

Here are some Simpson highlights:

SGF Area Sports HOF announces 2012 class

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:17:01 +0000

Today the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame announced its 26th class of inductees. They include Bob Brown, Dr. John P. Ferguson, Jr., Dr. Bruce Harger, Jane A. Meyer and Leon Neal, and will be inducted on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

Bob Brown (right) is entering another local sports Hall of Fame.

Bob Brown is best known as one of the best high school coaches in local history, earning 672 career victories. He won a state title at Bolivar in 1960 and was a coach at Parkview during the “Jolly Green Giants” states in the mid-’60s. In more than 35 years of high school coaching, he reached four final fours and won 12 conference titles. After retiring from Parkview, Brown was a college assistant at both Tulsa and Western Kentucky. He finished his career by coach Springfield Catholic for 6 years.

Dr. John P. Ferguson, Jr. is one of the area’s golf legends. Whether he was winning junior championships (1929), area high schol championships (1930-32) or city championships (1931 and 36), Ferguson was as good as it got — and that was during an era that produce multiple Masters champions (Herman Keiser and Horton Smith). Ferguson starred in college, as well, winning conference titles at Drury before transferring to Yale to pursue a medical degree. After carving a niche as one of SGF’s top physicians, Ferguson continued to dominate the local scene, winning the Hickory Hills Country Club championship in 1951 and ’52. He shot his age each year from age 73 to 89.

Dr. Bruce Harger had a distinguished 26-year military career, including the Air Force Academy. But, it was at Drury where he made his local sports fame. Harger was Drury’s athletic director from 1988 to 2003, overseeing the move from NAIA to NCAA Division II where the number of the school’s sports exploded from 6 to 13. Before moving to its current home, the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Drury played in The Heartland Conference, something that Harger helped form. Harger passed away in 2003 after a 3-year battle with cancer.

Jane A. Meyer did a lot of things with sports in the radio business, but the most important to the local sports scene involved the Missouri State Lady Bears. Meyer began working at KTXR when she and her husband Kan took ownership in 1964. As president and GM of KTXR, she began airing Kansas City Royals baseball and Evangel College sports. By the late ’70s, the station had the rights to the St. Louis Cardinals and Drury basketball. However, it was in 1984 that Jane put the Lady Bears road games on the radio during a time when very few stations carried women’s basketball that made KTXR very unique. The station even added volleyball in 1991. She passed away in 2002.

Leon Neal

Leon Neal just completed his 18th season as Evangel’s women’s basketball coach, but it’s more than his current tenure than earns him the honor. Sure, he has 380 wins and nine NAIA national tournament appearances — twice reaching the Final Four – but he was quite the player for the Crusaders. He was the school’s first NAIA All-America and his 782 points scored in 1977-78 still ranks as the school’s second-highest single-season total. After college, he turned down several NBA training camp offers to play for Athletes in Action, a touring Christian team, and then spent seven pro seasons playing in Portugal. On Feb. 6, Leon and his daughter NaTasha both had their Evangel numbers — both No. 44 — retired by the school.

Tickets for the dinner and ceremonies are $40, and may be reserved by calling 417.869.4848. The Hall of Fame was founded by Bonus Frost in 1987 and now is a 501-C3 organization. It exists to recognize outstanding accomplishments in athletics by local natives and residents and to benefit local youth sports organizations. Through its first 25 years, the Hall has contributed over $242,000 to such groups for the purchase of equipment. Plaques representing each inductee are on display at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

It’s time to start marveling at what Nick Petree is doing

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:42:35 +0000

Petree has been dealing since Rick Santorum thought he could win the Republican nomination.

0.70

That number doesn’t represent a speed limit. That’s not a blood alcohol content reading. It’s Missouri State righthanded pitcher Nick Petree’s earned run average. That’s right, his ERA.

It represents a ton of things, none of which is Petree receiving the amount of respect it deserves. Because, when you look at the history of MSU baseball and all of the greats that have pitched here, he’s about to statistically top them all.

He’s allowed only 6 earned runs in 77 1/3 innings this season, spanning 11 starts. Yes, that 0.70 leads the NCAA by four-tenths of a run – or 57 percent of his entire ERA (Army’s Chris Rowley is at 1.10 in 73 2/3.). He hasn’t allowed any sort of run in 30 innings, besting an MSU record held by Greg Reed’s 29 1/3 streak in 1988. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in 64 2/3 innings, a span that stretches back to March 2.

By the way, do you know what was happening on March 2? Let’s recap:

NCAA March Madness hadn’t begun yet. For crying out loud, Missouri State’s season came to a screeching halt with a 72-64 loss to Evansville.
March 2 was the first day anyone reported the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal existed.
A full slate of MLB Spring Training games hadn’t happened yet.
Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich were getting ready for Super Tuesday on March 6, hoping to knock off Mitt Romney.

The inside of Nick Petree's hat.

The coolest part? Aside from MSU’s current 34-14 record and half-game lead in the Missouri Valley Conference with two weeks to play, Petree doesn’t throw that hard. All the professional attention is being paid to teammate Pierce Johnson, who many feel is a sure-fire first-round pick. But, it’s Petree who is carving with the fastball that moves at 85-87 and assortment of breaking balls, who is straightjacketing opposing hitters. As noted in this month’s TAG Magazine feature (that will be hitting the Web Friday), Petree is in the top 2 percent of competitors in the world. If you take a peek inside his hat, it says:

Hate to lose more than you love to win

Strong words, for sure. For more on Petree, look for a TAG Magazine at more than 500 locations around SGF, or drop by TAG HQ at 334 E. Walnut B (upstairs). But, for now, just marvel at the stats.

The High Road podcast: Sunday, May 6

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:11:02 +0000

Hydration is Key Sunday: Allen talks about the Blues’ misery, how MSU’s Nick Petree is unhittable and what Austin Ruder’s commitment to MSU means big picture.

Episode: 5/6/2012

Sleep is for the weak Sunday — sponsored by Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar

Missouri State’s Nick Petree is the best pitcher in school history — according to stats.
The St. Louis Blues got swept. Sad.
Nixa’s Austin Ruder commits to MSU hoops. Will it help the Bears land NHS teammate Jalen Norman?
The HS hoops coaching carousel continues to spin out of control.
Recap of TAG HQ grand opening
Facebook.com/TheHighRoadShow

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PHOTOS: SGF Cardinals 2, NWA Naturals 1 (5/2)

Brett Johnston — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:43:31 +0000

[[Show as slideshow]]
photos by Brett Johnston

VIDEO: This is how TAG gets ready for sports trivia

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:23:14 +0000

This is just one way that TAG's staff gets ready for sports trivia dominance.

After improbable back-to-back victories on Ozarks Sports Sunday’s new sports trivia segment — The Showdown — TAG Media wanted take the public behind the scenes on what it actually takes to be champions.

Below is a video demonstrating the type of dedicated routine and concentration it takes to be champions.

Don’t forget to tune in to KOZL at 10:30 p.m. Sunday to see TAG go for a 3-peat vs. Team News-Leader, allegedly consisting of Kary Booher, Matt Schoch, Erin Bolen and Chris Basnett. Do they have a chance? Probably not after seeing this video.

For previous OSS episodes, click here for Week 1 and here for Week 2.

Overseas hoops diary: Shavies wraps up his best pro seaason

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:45:49 +0000

Remember those braids? Shavies was the man, back in the day. Photo: Courtesy MSU Athletics

Anthony Shavies is a former Missouri State basketball player (2004-05) who is currently playing overseas for the Furstenfeld Panthers (Austria). Aside from being a fan favorite during his days at SMS (check the photo, he’s old school), he’s also a TAG Media favorite. As the regular season winds down, Shavies has agreed to take us behind the scenes in Austria and show us what it’s like for overseas ballers.

Hoops Diary #6

I know you guys have been anxious for another diary entry, so I apologize for the wait. Originally I didn’t have much to write about. Unfortunately we’ve been eliminated from the playoffs. We didn’t play well in the 5th and deciding game of the series. So, rather than waste your precious reading time with tales of our lack luster play. I decided to be patient, because sooner or later something will happen in Furstenfeld.

We had our final get-together/banquet on Saturday. At this time the team usually hands out everyone’s last check, and pays out any bonuses you may have earned. Also, the players turn in their cars that the team has provided, and keys to the apartment provided.

That’s not what our team did.

Anthony Shavies is balling overseas with a uniform that looks like a NASCAR vehicle...

Upon being asked about our last payment, the General Manager and Manager of the team pretended to have no clue what we were referring to. It was pretty funny, I admired the boldness on their part. After getting a few beers in his system, our GM pulled me to the side and asked me about returning next season. We agreed to discuss next season over coffee Monday morning, at which time I would receive my last payment. Of course the GM didn’t show up for the meeting/coffee. Of course no one from the team answered their phones during my last days in Furstenfeld.

So, here I am, sitting in the airport in Washington D.C. (the team booked me a flight home which includes a seven hour layover in D.C.) without my last check from my former team. I must admit though, it is common for teams to not pay players at the end of the season. It’s not fair, and it’s not ethical, but it is common. However, my former team has always been good about payments — not anymore though I guess. Just when I thought the team officials could not embarrass themselves or the team anymore, the GM shows up to the banquet 45 minutes late, gets drunk and schedules meetings that he’s not going to attend. Solid job, bro!

Quick note: I just got a call from my teammate JRob (Jeff Robinson), he’s still in Furstenfeld until tomorrow morning. JRob told me that the team has informed another one of our teammates, Gary Ware, that they are keeping his last check because he did not inform them that he did not have a driving license when they issued him a team vehicle in August. It’s really not funny, but I’m having a good chuckle at this. I’m sure Gary (who played under Cuonzo Martin at Purdue University) is steaming mad, I’ll list the reasons below:

The team booked his flight for May 7th, two weeks after our season ended. Typically, the flights home are booked for departure 3-4 days after the last game.
Gary paid out of his own pocket to have his flight moved up to May 1st.
Gary missed his May 1st flight because the team had not paid him yet and he decided he wasn’t going to leave until he was paid.
Team informs him on May 3rd (after he had already missed his flight) he wasn’t going to be paid.

OK, should Gary have been driving without a license? No. However, the team found out in February that Gary did not have a license. And they immediately confiscated the team issued car. So why is he being punished twice for the same mistake? And how does this give them the right to not pay him? I have about as much a clue as you do right now. Another one of my teammates was fined 300€ (about $400) for not sharing his team car with other players on the team. The thing about that is they never told him he was supposed to share his car. I hope you guys are having a good laugh about this, because I am. Seriously, I’m the weirdo sitting by himself in the airport laughing hysterically while everyone stares in confusion.

I’m not worried about my last check, one way or another my agent (Anthony Hilliard, Interperformances Sports Agency) will take care of it. Hilliard represented Coach Steve Woodberry when he played, and now list Deven Mitchell and Jermaine Mallett as clients, as well as myself.

I had a solid season individually, I posted career best numbers in scoring (18.1 points per game), field goal percentage (47.4) and 3-point field goal percentage (39.6). If you walked by the MSU practice facility on a weekday morning during the summer, then you know how I achieved those accomplishments. I’m looking forward to doing all over again this summer. I talked to Deven a couple days ago about us working out together this offseason and he sounded extremely motivated about summer workouts as well.

I can’t wait to sit down with my man Allen in the (TAG HQ) studio, I’ve come across some fantastic recruiting stories from JRob. These stories include a former University of Miami head coach, who was recently under some fire about possible recruiting violations. It’s good stuff, I promise. Okay people that’s all for now, see you guys around Springfield.

Shavies Out!

Former MSU player Dale Lamberth named Crane boys’ hoops coach

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:28:29 +0000

Here's Lamberth from his playing days at MSU. That autograph looks authentic to me.

Former Missouri State basketball player Dale Lamberth has been named the boys’ basketball coach at Crane, he confirmed today.

We will have more details, but it’s an interesting hire for many reasons. One, it’s a high-profile local guy getting his first crack at a high school job. Lamberth averaged 9.8 points during his three years at MSU (2005-08) and has been an assistant at Hillcrest.

But it’s not just interesting for that reason. It’s interesting because Lamberth is replacing Rob Guerin, who was let go just a season after winning a Class 2 title.

We’ll have more thoughts from Lamberth later today, but wanted to get the news out there.

Mark Bernsen, boys hoops coach at Mtn. Grove HS? Yes, it’s true

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:00:28 +0000

Mark Bernsen

Stranger things have happened in the Ozarks — especially recently — but I’m just not so sure this is the oddest.

Former Missouri State men’s basketball coach Mark Bernsen has agreed to be the next coach at Mountain Grove High School, according to local reports. The 62-year-old Bernsen replaces Wayne Jessen, who left to accept an administration job at MV-BT-Liberty.

Bernsen is best known as the guy who took over for Charlie Spoonhour at MSU, going 48-37 from 1992-95 with an NIT trip.

According to KSPR’s Mike Scott, Bernsen became aware of the opening by Mountain Grove assistant principal ~~Wayne~~ Duane Hiler, who Bernsen developed a friendship with during his time in Springfield. When asked why Mountain Grove? Bersen responded, “have you been to Mountain Grove? that’s why.”

So, let’s recap the recent HS coaching moves:

600-game winner and girls’ basketball coaching legend Gary Murphy gets canned at Marshfield.
Murphy is replaced by Shelly Jones, who goes from Drury assistant back to the HS ranks where she was a great coach at Parkview.
Crane doesn’t bring back coach Rob Guerin, just one season removed from a Class 2 state title.
Republic hires former MSU player/assistant coach Trevyor Fisher.
Willard hires former Mizzou player Lamont Frazier.
Crane then hires former MSU player Dale Lamberth, his first HS head coaching job.

What else could happen? Dare yourself to dream. Here are my top 3 coaching scenarios (that are completely fake and would never happen).

Jackie Stiles becomes the Skyline HS girls’ coach (my alma mater. No offense, Kevin Cheek…)
Melody Campbell and Tara Mitchem team up to coach (insert team).
Norm Stewart to Weaubleau HS.
Melvin Booker to Houston HS.
Danny Moore to Verona HS.

SGFers in the Bigs — May 2

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:29:03 +0000

All stats are through Tuesday’s games (May 1).

Shaun Marcum, Milwaukee Brewers (Missouri State)

Marcum had two starts in the past 7 days, the last one coming in the form of 7 shutout innings at San Diego. He ended up with a no-decision, but induced 10 ground ball outs and 6 strikeouts. His walks are up, but his ERA is still very low.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Brewers	1-1	3.19	5	5	0	31	27	12	11	3	12	30	.225

Brad Ziegler, Arizona Diamondbacks (Missouri State)

The Miami Marlins got to Ziegler for his first loss of the season Saturday. Otherwise, the former MSU pitcher is cruising right along. Saturday’s loss snapped a string of eight-consecutive scoreless outings.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Hold	Save	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
D Backs	0-0	1.93	11	1	0	9 1/3	8	2	2	0	5	9	.242

Jeff Gray, Minnesota Twins (Missouri State)

Gray continues to find work, even if it is sporadic. He pitched one-third of an inning in a loss to Kansas City Friday and pitched a clean inning against the Angels Tuesday. His ERA continues to sink to where he might get trusted with more prominent roles.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Twins	2-0	1.69	11	0	0	10 2/3	7	2	2	1	8	6	.179

Scott Elbert, LA Dodgers (Seneca HS)

Elbert has returned to a specialist role recently, pitching just one-third of an inning his past three appearances. The last one came Tuesday against Colorado, where he picked up his third hold of the season.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Dodgers	0-0	4.26	10	0	2	9 1/3	9	3	3	1	2	5	.346

Ross Detwiler, Washington Nationals (Missouri State)

It looks like Detwiler is human after all. After a tremendous start that saw him give up 1 earned run in 16 innings, he was tagged for the loss at the Dodgers Friday. It still wasn’t a bad outing, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings. His ERA is still 1.64.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Washington	2-1	1.64	4	4	0	22	16	8	4	2	6	19	.203

Lucas Harrell, Houston Astros (Ozark HS)

Harrell has had to make his last four starts on the road and the last one didn’t turn out so well. He was saddled with his second loss Saturday, this one at Cincinnati. His season looks like this: Two good starts, three no-so-good starts.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Houston	1-2	4.71	5	5	0	28 2/3	28	16	15	2	11	12	.259

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (Missouri State)

Howard has been cleared to move forward with baseball activity and he is heading to Clearwater, Fla., to try to do just that. The plan is to gradually increase baseball activities and continue to build strength in the leg. He’s recovering from Achilles’ surgery.

2011	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Phillies	152	557	81	141	30	1	33	116	75	172	1	0	.253	.346	.488	.834

SGFers in the Minors

Matt Palmer, San Diego Padres Triple-A (Missouri State)

Nothing is going right for Palmer. He leaves the Angels organization to join the Padres and he gets beat up at Triple-A Tucson to start the season. He was scratched from his last start with a blister. Hopefully he can regain his form.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Tucson	1-2	7.80	4	4	0	15	20	14	13	0	10	12	.317

Scott Carroll, Cincinnati Reds Triple-A (Missouri State)

Carroll got blown up in his last two relief appearances, including two runs and four hits in two innings at New Orleans. It’s ballooned his ERA to 5.65 and his batting average against to .375.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Triple-A Louisville	1-1	5.65	10	0	0	14 1/3	21	9	9	1	9	10	.375

Buddy Baumann, KC Royals Double-A (MSU & Rogersville HS)

Baumann’s not getting much help from his defense. He’s allowed three unearned runs — to go along with 3 earned runs — in his last two appearances. That includes two unearned runs in an inning in front of the hometown crowd at Hammons Field last night. He didn’t allow a hit, but walked two.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A NWA	2-0	5.65	8	0	0	0	14 1/3	17	13	9	1	9	14	.283

Mike Kickham, SF Giants Double-A (Missouri State and Glendale HS)

After his first loss of the season last week, Kickham put together two interesting starts. He pitched 5 innings of one-run ball, but then flashed wildness with 5 walks, 4 hits and 2 runs in just 3 1/3 innings vs. Bowie. His overall body of work is still strong, even if his walks are very high.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A Richmond	1-1	3.00	5	5	0	21	20	8	7	1	16	19	.263

Pat Doyle, Cincinnati Reds High-A (Missouri State)

Doyle delivered back-to-back scoreless performances in the past week, throwing 3 scoreless innings. In his last 6 innings, he’s only alowed 3 hits and one run, striking out 7. That’s the kind of stuff that got him a brief stint at Triple-A last season.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Bakersfield	1-0	4.91	8	0	0	11	8	6	6	1	4	17	.241

Tyler Clark Detroit Tigers High-A (Catholic HS)

Clark finally had his first rough outing of the season at Lakeland, but it could have been much worse. The Mizzou grad gave up 5 hits, but only one run on Thursday. He turned around against the same team and pitched two scoreless innings last night, earning his first victory.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Lakeland	1-0	1.69	6	0	0	10 2/3	7	2	2	0	3	12	.194

Wait, I thought they were in pro baseball…

Former MSU slugger Josh Mazzola has signed with the Winnepeg Goldeyes of the American Association. It’s the same league former MSU closer/Glendale HS alum Dan Kickham will play in with the KC T-Bones.
Warsaw graduate Johnny Eierman is in extended Spring Training with Tampa Bay after being a third-round pick by the Rays last season. In 59 at-bats, he hit /254/.328/.424 with the Gulf Coast League Rays.
After talking to MSU pitching coach Paul Evans, former MSU pitcher Aaron Meade, a 10th round pick in 2010, has not been assigned to a full-season team yet after ending with Orem of the short-season Pioneer League. However, after messing around during a bullpen and throwing sidearm, the Angels coaches want him to experiment with that arm slot. Once he’s ready, he’ll be deployed.
Former MSU infielder Toby Gardenhire retired and was named as the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Per MSU coach Paul Evans, former MSU ace Brett Sinkbeil’s has retired. He received some offers
All information points to former MSU catcher Dallas Hord catcher having retired.
Former Rogersville HS slugger Seth Conner has reported to extended spring training, but told us he has been told by Toronto field coordinator Doug Davis that he is switching to being a full-time catcher. “They told me they liked my leadership qualities and my work ethic. They think I can pull it off, and once my confidence is up, I think I can, too.”
Former MSU and Kickapoo pitcher J.C. Casey has reported to extended spring training and hopes to get assigned to a full-season team soon.

Anything or anyone we missed? Send it to me at allen@tagsgf.com

SGF Cards Homestand Report: 10-game losing streak (and NWA)

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:46:55 +0000

Each homestand for the Springfield Cardinals offers a ton of baseball value. Not only do we get a chance to evaluate potential future St. Louis Cardinals talent, but we get to pull back the curtain and see other future Major Leaguers. Each time a new team comes to Hammons Field, we will offer up a Homestand Report, detailing what happening with the Springfield Cardinals and their opponents.

Springfield Cardinals

Record: 8-16

Opponent: Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals)

Series: 4 games, Tuesday-Friday

Well, here’s the good news. You didn’t miss any of Springfield’s wins while they were on the road. Why not? Because the Cardinals have lost 10 straight games, including all 8 on a recent road trip to NWA and and Tulsa.

They lost games in every way imaginable, mixing poor offense with good pitching, great offense with poor pitching, bullpen implosions, etc. SGF returns tied for the worst record in the Texas League, tied with San Antonio at 8-16. Just 24 games into the season, SGF is already 10 game behind first-place Tulsa (18-6).

The good

Taveres

• Oscar Taveres, OF: Tavares continues to hit, raising his average 34 points since you saw him last. His .340 batting average ranks him fourth in the Texas League, but he’s doing it with power. His .670 slugging percentage is second in the T-L, thanks to his tied-for-second 6 home runs.

And, he’s doing all of this at just 19 years old. He doesn’t turn 20 until June.

2012: .340/.374/.670, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 4 BB, 13 SO, 1 SB (0 CS)

Conley

• Kyle Conley, OF: While Conley has played well, you can tied the 10-game losing streak directly to Conley. After all, the 7th round pick in the 2009 draft out of Washington has been up for how long? 10 games.

After batting just .154 at High-A Palm Beach, Conley was promoted and hasn’t looked back. He’s playing every day and has maintained a .928 OPS over the 10-game losing streak.

2012: .297/.333/.595, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 12 SO, 0 SB (0 CS)

Freeman

• Sam Freeman, LHP: Freeman is on the 40-man roster, so success shouldn’t be a surprise. Still, his level of dominance is impressive, especially considering there aren’t that many close late-game situations right now.

He’s only struck out 6 in 14 innings, but opponents are hitting just .196 against him. While many assume lefthanded pitchers are specialists who only face lefthanded batters, that’s not Freeman’s role. He’s out there to get everyone, facing more righties than anyone. That doesn’t mean he’s not especially tough on southpaw hitters, though. In 6 1/3 innings, he’s giving up just 4 hits (.178)

2012: 0-2, 1.29 ERA, 14 IP, 6 K, 3 BB, 10 H, .196 BAA

The bad

Scruggs

• Xavier Scruggs, 1B; Niko Vasquez, 3B and Audry Perez, C:These three guys were expected to help Taveres provide power and depth to the lineup. Instead, each of them are hitting .200 or worse.

Perez has lost considerable playing time to the eternal veteran Nick Derba, who is actually hitting this year. If Perez was hitting, they’d let him iron out of defensive troubles. However, he’s hitting .200/.213/.267≥

Scruggs continues to ruin minddle-of-the-order at-bats. He’s hitting just .176 over 85 at-bats. He has light-tower power, but you have to make contact for that to happen. He’s struck out 29 times, nearly twice as many as his 15 hits.

And then there’s Vasquez. Niko is a sad story, a high school product who was thought to be a dynamic offensive talent. But if you looked at his .149/.231/.170 hitting line, you can see he’s 7-for-47 with one double. He’s been benched in the favor of other light-hitting infielders and he may be an early release when rosters start to move.

Perez: .149/.216/.213, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 18 SO, 0 SB (1 CS)
Scruggs: .176/.263/.306, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 9 BB, 29 SO, 1 SB (2 CS)
Vasquez: .149/.231/.170, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 16 SO, 0 SB ( CS)

Who’s new?

Conley was added to roster at the end of the last homestand, taking the roster spot of Tommy Pham. Pham was placed on the DL on April 20.

This series’ probable starting pitching matchups

• Today, 7:08 p.m. — NWA, LHP Noel Arguelles (0-2, 6:05 ERA)vs. SGF, LHP Tyler Lyons (0-3, 4.58 ERA)

• Wednesday, 12:08 p.m. — NWA, LHP Justin Marks (1-1, 7.13 ERA) vs. SGF, RHP Scott Gorgen (0-2, 4.38 ERA)

• Thursday, 7:08 p.m. — NWA, RHP Tim Melville (1-1, 6.89 ERA) vs. SGF, LHP John Gast (3-2, 3.20 ERA)

• Friday, 7:08 p.m. — NWA, LHP Chris Dwyer (1-3, 5.64 ERA) vs. SGF, RHP Scott Gorgen (0-1, 2.63 ERA)

Promotions

• Today —Drury University Red T-shirt giveaway; Great Southern Bank $1 Dog Day

• Wednesday — CoxHealth Healthy Living Educational Day

• Thursday — Cardinals World Series Championship Replica Ring Giveaway; Johnsonville Buck a Brat Night

• Friday — AM Pyrotechnics Friday Night Fireworks

————————–

Northwest Arkansas Naturals

So far, Tulsa is the class of the Texas League, and has jumped out to a league-best 9-3 record, including 5 straight wins and a sweep over Corpus Christi earlier this week.

And, to make it better — or worse — for local fans, the Rockies’ Double-A roster is loaded with prospects. Tulsa boasts 10 of its franchise’s top 30 prospects according to Baseball America.

The studs

Wil Myers

• Wil Myers, OF: Last year was a perfect example of how everyone needs to take a deep breath when judging/evaluating young baseball players. See, Wil Meyers was on such a fast track, many thought he’d ace Double-A and shoot to the big leagues around the time of his 21st birthday. Instead, he spent much of 2011 either injured or slumping. He still finished with 354 ABs and .254/.353/.393 with 8 home runs and 49 RBIs. It was very disappointed.

So, as people jumped off the Myers bandwagon, it seemed to lighten his expectations. And with that, he’s raking at Double-A this season. So far, he leads the Texas League in OPS (1.065), is third in average (.349, trails by 4 points) and is fourth in on-base percentage (.402). His 6 home runs are tied for second in the Texas League.

This was what people were expecting to see. He might not be long for Double-A, with this type of performance. He’s the Royals’ No. 3 prospect behind LHP Mike Montgomery and wunderkind prospect Bubba Starling.

2012: .349/.402/.663, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB, 25 SO, 3 SB (0 CS)

Colon

• Christian Colon, SS: Colon hasn’t been the fast-track major leaguer many expected. After being the fourth pick of the 2010 draft, Colon was lackluster at Double-A last season and is starting here again. While it’s anticipated his big-league future is at second base, he’s still at shortstop and with a .728 OPS, he’s producing good offense and defense.

Over his last 10 games, Colon is .371/.436/.571. He’s not a burner on the basepaths, but on the season, he’s walked nearly as many times (6) as he’s struck out (7). Not bad for 92 ABs.

He’s the Royals’ No. 11 prospect.

2012: .286/.333/.551, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 8 SO, 5 SB (1 CS)

• Chris Dwyer, LHP: Dwyer is full of promise as the Royals’ No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America. He’s a 6-foot-3, 215-pound southpaw who has the ability to throw hard and drop a 12-to-6 curveball. However, outside of a solid 2010, where he aced High-A and 4 Double-A starts, he’s been uneven.

In 2011, he made 27 Double-A starts, ending with a 5.60 ERA. An ERA that high doesn’t quite make sense with his .238 batting average against, but he struck out 126 and walked 78, as well.

It’s expected for him to read Triple-A at some point this season, but he’s going to need better results than he’s had so far for NWA. You’ll see him in Friday’s series finale.

2012: 1-3, 5.64 ERA, 22 1/3 IP, 20 K, 11 BB, 24 H, .273 BAA

• Other Baseball America Top 30 prospects: No. 4, Jake Odorizzi RHP; No. 6 John Lamb, LHP (DL); No. 17 Noel Arguelles, LHP; No. 19 Tim Melvile, RHP

Texas League Standings

**Texas League North**
Club	W	L	PCT▼	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
Tulsa Drillers (COL)	18	6	.750	-	12-2	6-4	9-1	W5
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (KC)	12	12	.500	6.0	10-4	2-8	7-3	W1
Arkansas Travelers (LAA)	10	14	.417	8.0	6-4	4-10	4-6	L1
Springfield Cardinals (STL)	8	16	.333	10.0	5-5	3-11	0-10	L10

**Texas League South**
Club	W	L	PCT▼	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
Frisco RoughRiders (TEX)	15	9	.625	-	10-4	5-5	6-4	W2
Midland RockHounds (OAK)	13	11	.542	2.0	6-4	7-7	5-5	W2
Corpus Christi Hooks (HOU)	12	12	.500	3.0	9-5	3-7	6-4	L2
San Antonio Missions (SD)	8	16	.333	7.0	4-6	4-10	3-7	L2

MSU players sign with NFL teams as undrafted free agents

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:51:42 +0000

Jermaine Saffold will get a chance to make the Cincinnati Bengals roster.

Former Missouri State football players Jermaine Saffold and Chris Douglas signed with NFL teams over the weekend as undrafted free agents.

Neither was drafted, but the Cincinnati Bengals signed Saffold, the MSU Player of the Year, and the Buffalo Bills signed Douglas.

Safford caught 45 passes for 913 yards and a team record-tying 8 receiving touchdowns. His 83 yards per game ranked 25th in the nation and he shattered MSU record for career receiving yards (2,221) and season (913). At his Pro Day in March, the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Saffold ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and broad jumped 10 feet, 3 inches.

The 5-9, 213-pound Douglas rushed for only 511 yards and 3 TDs in 2011, but rushed for 1,081 yards and was 27th in the nation in rushing yards per game (95.6). He ran a 4.47 in his 40 on MSU Pro Day.

For an entire list of NFL rookie free agents, click here.

TAG wins OSS Trivia again, watch us take down Harbell’s

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:56:23 +0000

After a smashing debut last week as the initial winners of The Showdown, the new head-to-head team sports trivia contest on KOZL’s Ozarks Sports Sunday, Team TAG was invited back to face Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar.

It wasn’t close.

TAG Media 6 | Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar 2

TAG is now 2-0 and waiting to take ~~down~~ on a team from Mediacom. Consider the challenge accepted. Watch the segment below and come back later this afternoon for another YouTube special.

OSS Showdown Ep. 2 from Justin Dougherty on Vimeo.

The High Road podcast, Sunday, April 29

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:35:00 +0000

Hydration is Key Sunday: Allen is joined by Harbell’s Derek Bumgarner, and they talk NFL Draft, OSS Trivia and much more.

Episode: 4/29/2012

Street Cred Sunday — sponsored by Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar

Harbell’s owner/trivia buff Derek Bumgarner co-hosts
The Chiefs and Rams had good drafts, and the direction of the franchises is clear.
TAG is going to crush Harbell’s in OSS Trivia Sunday night.
St. Louis Cardinals are still hot, but will Matheny amend his baserunning style?
Tough loss for the Blues.
Facebook.com/TheHighRoadShow

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NFL DRAFT FREAKOUT: The Kansas City Chiefs should draft…

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:24:26 +0000

Things are pretty obvious with the Kansas City Chiefs these days. They’ve completely hitched their 2012 season on the shoulders of Matt Cassel, he of one double-digit win season, zero college starts and one kick-ass K Swiss commercial.

While I disagree he’s the guy to help them win the Super Bowl (or the division), it doesn’t matter what I think because Scott Pioli has put his NFL reputation on Cassel. For every time I’ve heard a high school or college coach complain about how they are crazy to stake a career on teenagers, the irony is Pioli can choose. And Cassel is his choice.

KC’s entire offseason reflects this belief. Brady Quinn as the backup? (Gross) Peyton Hillis as a complementary back (awesome). Kevin Boss as the Moeaki injury replacement at tight end. (Very Boss.) Eric Winston, the best offensive lineman on the market.

So, when it comes to tonight’s NFL Draft, here are three draft scenarios we at TAG would like to see.

Scenario 1

Barron

Chiefs draft Mark Barron, safety from Alabama

Think about it. Peyton Manning. Philip Rivers. Carson Palmer. Three solid QBs, making Cassel an easy No. 4 in the AFC West. If that’s the case, why not construct the best secondary possible?

Sure, having Eric Berry back at strong safety duplicates Barron’s position, but this is the new NFL. Aggressive playcalling. Roll the Dice. Blitz, Romeo, Blitz.

The addition of Stanford Routt to Brandon Flowers can mean more one-on-one coverage and allow Barron and Berry to be the best safety tandem in football. You’ve got to be great at something, right? Be great, Chiefs.

Scenario 2

Kuechly

Chiefs draft Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly

How much more Jovan Belcher do we have to stomach? My god. Put some quality in a middle linebacker, please. The problem with drafting Kuechly, or any MLB here, is the fact most mike linebackers don’t play all three downs.

Kuechly does (or, should).

Some looneys have Kuechly going No. 5 to Tampa Bay, but that’s awful early for a guy who might play 40 snaps a game. 11 is much safer of a landing spot.

It should solidify a solid defense, that if the line finally comes around, could become a top-7 unit. Especially if Romeo Crennel can orchestrate his girthy, mustachioed magic like he did at the end of last season.

Scenario 3

Tannehill

Chiefs draft, and/or trade up for Ryan Tannehill, QB from Texas A&M

This would be the ultimate Pioli pro-wrestling heel turn. He’s sold everyone a ball of goods on Cassel and taken heroic amounts of criticism to insulate his favorite quarterback. So what does he do? He knows Tannehill is at least a year away, and drafts him, letting Cassel either return to Pro Bowl form or ride off into the NFL backup QB sunset.

Then, if the Chiefs go 6-10 (or worse), he’s already got his heir. If the Hunt family will feel wonky about firing him with a first-round QB that someone else might hate in the fold.

It’s called job security and Pioli is looking for it.

——

OTHER NFL DRAFT FREAKOUT CONTENT

• The St. Louis Rams should draft….
• Allen’s Mock Draft

NFL DRAFT FREAKOUT: Allen mock drafts because he wants to

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:40:01 +0000

As a part of TAGsgf.com’s NFL DRAFT FREAKOUT, I can’t stop thinking about the NFL Draft. That’s why I took the time to put together another meaningless NFL Mock Draft. Enjoy. Or ignore.

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB Stanford (duh)
Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (double duh)
Minnesota Vikings: Morris Claiborne, DB, LSU (Can’t have enough DB help vs. Rodgers, Stafford, Cutler, etc.)
Cleveland Browns: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M (Total panic. If they waited until 22 to take QB, they’ll conjur images of Brady Quinn. Quiver.)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama (No brainer. He’ll be an instant star)
St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State (Need weapons. Start here)
Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame (Throw Blaine Gabbert a bone)
Miami Dolphins: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis (In shock Tannehill isn’t here. Freak out pick.)
Carolina Panthers: Stephon Gilmore, DB, South Carolina (See Minnesota’s reasoning)
Buffalo Bills: Matt Kalil, OT, USC (Every team deserves a break once in a while. This is a steal)
Kansas City Chiefs: Mark Barron, S, Alabama (Forms with Berry, Flowers and Routt to create dominant secondary)
Seattle Seahawks: Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse (Got to take Jon “Bones” Jones’ lil’ bro, right?)
Arizona Cardinals: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa (Got to protect……Kevin Kolb?)
Dallas Cowboys: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College (Stop the run)
Philadelpha Eagles: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State (Best player available)
New York Jets: David DeCastro, G, Stanford (With Tebow, need 7 offensive lineman)
Cincinnati Bengals: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina (Pass rush?)
San Diego Chargers: Michael Brockers, DT LSU (Best LSU Tiger available)
Chicago Bears: Cordy Glenn, OT, Georgia (Got to fix that O-line)
Tennessee Titans: Dre Kirkpatrick, DB, Alabama (Replace Cortland Finnegan)
Cincinnati Bengals: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech (Think they’re getting Calvin Johnson…shhh, they’re not)
Cleveland Browns: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford (To help cover up Tannehill’s bad decisions)
Detroit Lions: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina (Headcase and best player available)
Pittsburgh Steelers: Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama (Steelers do it again)
Denver Broncos: Kevin Zeitler, G, Wisconsin (Protect. Peyton. Manning.)
Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor (Local. Good.)
New England Patriots: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State (Best player available)
Green Bay Packers: Courtney Upshaw, DE, Alabama (That’s the fifth ‘Bama guy so far)
Baltimore Ravens: Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois (Defense, right)
San Francisco Giants: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina (Going to be a star)
New England Patriots: Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska (Versatile LB/SS type)
New York Giants: Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame (This is Mr. Irrelevant for me!)

Click here for our 3 St. Louis Rams draft scenarios. Chiefs to come

NFL DRAFT FREAKOUT: The St. Louis Rams should take…

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:01:19 +0000

As someone who has labeled themselves as a St. Louis Rams fan, it’s hard not to laugh out loud during the NFL Draft. They’ve failed so many times with so many regimes, I’ve already half-assumed Sam Bradford is headed on a path more like Alex Smith than Matt Stafford.

If you truly digest the following list of Rams first-round picks, you’ll die in hours, just like cholera. Be sure to boil the Kool-Aid before your ingest. Here goes:

2011 — Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina (Still has time to prove he doesn’t suck)
2010 — Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma (David Carr or Matt Schaub?)
2009 — Jason Smith OT, Baylor (Just took a paycut to stay on crappy team. Not a good sign.)
2008 — Chris Long, DE, Virginia (Starting to turn the corner, but not worth being the No. 2 overall pick)
2007 — Adam Carriker, DT, Nebraska (Washed out with Rams, serviceable with Redskins now)
2006 — Tye Hill, CB, Clemson (Awful)
2005 — Alex Barron, OT, Florida State (Worse than Tye Hill.)
2004 — Steven Jackson, RB, Oregon State (They got one right!)
2003 — Jimmy Kennedy, DT, Penn State (Ugh.)
2002 — Robert Thomas, LB, UCLA (No)
2001 — Damione Lewis, DT, Miami Fla; Adam Archuleta, SS, Arizona State; Ryan Pickett, DT, Ohio State (Nothing special)
2000 — Trung Canidate, RB, Arizona (I HAVE TO STOP!!!!)

See what we’re dealing with? Why even pay attention to the NFL Draft? Why? Well, because it’s eternal hope. And that’s why I thought I’d write something that shows who I think they should take. I’ve got 3 scenarios.

Scenario 1

Rams trade one of the Redskins’ future No. 1 picks and this year’s No. 1 pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 3 pick

This way, the Rams draft Trent Richardson for Alabama. They get Adrian Peterson reincarnate for the best years of his career. No brainer. But, why would they do this if they already have Steven Jackson — the only guy worth an S on that list?

Because then, they’d turn around and trade Steven Jackson for a third-round pick.

The the entire NFL Draft transaction looks like:

St. Louis gives up:

No. 2 overall pick
Steven Jackson

for:

Trent Richardson
No. 3 overall picks
A future first-round pick
This year’s second-round pick from Washington
This year’s third-round pick from Mystery Team

You trade Steven Jackson at his decline point, get the next best thing (better) and pick up three additional picks to move 1 spot down in the draft? Genius. (Why am I not the Rams GM?)

Scenario 2

Blackmon

With the No. 6 pick, the Rams select Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State or Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

We all know that many feel Blackmon is overrated for the No. 6 spot. And while I can’t keep from being overly-doomsday and thinking he’s going to have the same impact as Michael Crabtree has had in the past three years for San Francisco (miniscule), do you know who else was a No. 6 pick?

Torry Holt (1999)

Sure, he had Isaac Bruce to take the pressure off as a rookie, but was Holt on anyone’s radar at that point? You have to start accumulating young receiving talent and Blackmon can be the one until they make another move. It’s not like the Rams are going to make the playoffs next year, right?

Take Blackmon or Floyd and stop overthinking this.

Scenario 3

Suh

With the No. 6 pick, the Rams select Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

I despise defensive tackles. They have zero fantasy football impact (except for Ndamukong Suh, Warren Sapp, etc) and the plays they make are normally not dynamic. It’s even less sexy than drafting offensive tackles.

But the Rams have the makings of a stellar defensive line. Chris Long is turning into a solid, if not spectacular pro. Robert Quinn is going to be good, but who will play defensive tackle? The Rams signed Kendall Langford (who?) and need to get young talent up front.

Sure, it will conjur images of past failures (Kennedy, Lewis, Pickett), etc., but you have to draft talent and position. And, we’re talking about a division that still runs the ball, not throws. San Francisco. Arizona. Seattle. If it was the NFC North, it would be the next best cornerback. But here, it’s defensive line. Gross, I know.

SGFers in the Bigs — April 25

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:13:44 +0000

All stats are through Tuesday’s games (April 24).

Shaun Marcum, Milwaukee Brewers (Missouri State)

Marcum pitched another quality start, lasting 6 innings and allowing 3 runs against the Chicago Cubs in a no-decision. This is exactly what Marcum can give you — lots innings without walking a lot of guys. His WHIP is 1.05.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Brewers	1-1	3.79	3	3	0	19	16	8	8	3	4	17	.225

Brad Ziegler, Arizona Diamondbacks (Missouri State)

Ziegler pitched 3 clean outings in the last 7 days and only allowed one baserunner. He was so efficient that in the last two — against Atlanta and Philadelphia — he got three outs in just 5 pitches.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Hold	Save	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
D Backs	0-0	2.25	8	1	0	7	5	1	1	0	3	6	.217

Jeff Gray, Minnesota Twins (Missouri State)

Gray’s role is clear — pitch in losing games and try to keep it close. In a blowout loss against Boston Tuesday, Gray had his best outing, lasting 2 1/3 innings, striking out 4 while not allowing a baserunner.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Twins	2-0	1.93	9	0	0	9 1/3	7	2	2	1	7	6	.222

Scott Elbert, LA Dodgers (Seneca HS)

Elbert appeared the last three games for the Dodgers and delivered. He pitched three scoreless innings, helping get his numbers back under control. Elbert has never been a groundball pitcher, but in the last three games, he’s had 6 fly outs and 3 strikeouts.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Dodgers	0-0	3.38	7	0	2	5 1/3	7	2	2	1	2	5	.333

Ross Detwiler, Washington Nationals (Missouri State)

Detwiler is one of the feel-good starts in all of baseball, not just locally. He’s made three starts and won two of them, all by allowing just one earned run in 16 innings. He’s keeping his walks under control and striking out nearly one batter an inning. As their No. 5 guy, he makes the Nationals one of the best starting rotations in the National League.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Washington	2-0	0.56	3	3	0	16	11	5	1	1	4	15	.193

Lucas Harrell, Houston Astros (Ozark HS)

Harrell has pitched twice since our last post, losing his first start Monday against Milwaukee by allowing 5 runs in 5 innings. The start before that, he dueled with Washington’s Jordan Zimmerman with 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball. After not walking anyone in his sparkling debut, he’s walked at least three batters in each of his past three starts.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Houston	1-1	3.97	4	4	0	22 2/3	19	10	10	1	10	11	.235

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (Missouri State)

Reports indicate Howard will see a wound specialist on Monday to see if he can be cleared for baseball activities. It will then be the start of his Spring Training with a June or July return date, if all goes well.

2011	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Phillies	152	557	81	141	30	1	33	116	75	172	1	0	.253	.346	.488	.834

SGFers in the Minors

Matt Palmer, San Diego Padres Triple-A (Missouri State)

Tucson hasn’t been nice to Palmer. Considered to be a guy with big-league experience who could make an emergency spot start, Palmer was blown up in his start Tuesday night, allowing 7 runs in just one-third of an inning against Salt Lake City. It’s unfortunate because he won his first start of the year Thursday, allowing one unearned run in 6 innings at Colorado Springs.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Tucson	1-2	7.80	4	4	0	15	20	14	13	0	10	12	.317

Scott Carroll, Cincinnati Reds Triple-A (Missouri State)

Carroll pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings Monday vs. Indianapolis and is yet to allow a home run on the season. On the road, the former MSU pitcher and football quarterback has thrown 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Triple-A Louisville	1-1	3.00	8	0	0	12	15	4	4	0	6	9	.326

Buddy Baumann, KC Royals Double-A (MSU & Rogersville HS)

When you’re a long reliever, sometimes you face warmed-up bats. Baumann has now allowed runs in his last three appearances, including two against Arkansas in 2 1/3 innings Saturday. Still, he’s making teams beat him, keeping his walk rate down and the ball in the park.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A NWA	1-0	4.22	5	0	0	0	10 2/3	12	5	5	0	4	12	.273

Mike Kickham, SF Giants Double-A (Missouri State and Glendale HS)

Kickham lost his first start of the season, getting touched for four runs in three innings against Altoona. He allowed his first home run of the season and saw his batting average against rise 100 points. But here’s the good news — the first two starts were so good, the numbers are still impressive, especially since he skipped High-A.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A Richmond	1-1	2.84	3	3	0	12 2/3	10	5	5	1	9	13	.238

Pat Doyle, Cincinnati Reds High-A (Missouri State)

Doyle picked up a win in relief Friday vs. San Jose and continues to find work in the bullpen. Statistically, Doyle is struggling with runners on as batters are hitting .375 against him in that situation.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Bakersfield	1-0	6.75	6	0	0	8	7	6	6	1	3	11	.241

Tyler Clark Detroit Tigers High-A (Catholic HS)

Clark gave up his first run of the season, even though he didn’t allow a hit against Dayton. He gave up a leadoff walk to a guy who then stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch. In all, Clark has only allowed one hit in 6 2/3 innings. That’s one hit allowed in 24 plate appearances. That will get him promoted, if he keeps it up.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Lakeland	0-0	1.35	4	0	0	6 2/3	1	1	1	0	3	7	.056

Wait, I thought they were in pro baseball…

Former MSU slugger Josh Mazzola has signed with the Winnepeg Goldeyes of the American Association. It’s the same league former MSU closer/Glendale HS alum Dan Kickham will play in with the KC T-Bones.
Warsaw graduate Johnny Eierman is in extended Spring Training with Tampa Bay after being a third-round pick by the Rays last season. In 59 at-bats, he hit /254/.328/.424 with the Gulf Coast League Rays.
After talking to MSU pitching coach Paul Evans, former MSU pitcher Aaron Meade, a 10th round pick in 2010, has not been assigned to a full-season team yet after ending with Orem of the short-season Pioneer League. However, after messing around during a bullpen and throwing sidearm, the Angels coaches want him to experiment with that arm slot. Once he’s ready, he’ll be deployed.
Former MSU infielder Toby Gardenhire retired and was named as the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
I haven’t found any information on Brett Sinkbeil’s whereabouts. He was last in Pittsburgh’s system, playing at Double-A Altoona.
All information points to former MSU catcher Dallas Hord catcher having retired.
Former Rogersville HS slugger Seth Conner has reported to extended spring training, but told us he has been told by Toronto field coordinator Doug Davis that he is switching to being a full-time catcher. “They told me they liked my leadership qualities and my work ethic. They think I can pull it off, and once my confidence is up, I think I can, too.”
Former MSU and Kickapoo pitcher J.C. Casey has reported to extended spring training and hopes to get assigned to a full-season team soon.

Anything or anyone we missed? Send it to me at allen@tagsgf.com

T of C’s Parker commits to UCLA, Bruins now top hoops class

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:03:50 +0000

Tony Parker is a big dude, and now he'll try to be the next great UCLA center.

Miller Grove (Ga.) High School senior and recent Bass Pro Tournament of Champions alum Tony Parker surprised many on Monday by committing to UCLA. According to ESPN.com, it gave the Bruins the top recruiting class in the country.

Even when he was here in SGF in January, Parker kept his recruiting options open and his preferences secret. He mentioned schools all over the country, but never mentioned UCLA. But, according to ESPN, after the Bruins secured Shabazz Muhammad, the country’s No. 1 talent, to go with No. 3 Kyle Anderson and No. 62 Jordan Adams, Parker — who is No. 27 — wanted to make an impact quickly.

“Duke, Ohio State and UGA: Those three schools were right behind. I love (Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski), I love what he had going, but I just thought UCLA was a better fit for me and the people I was coming in with,” Parker said. “Ohio State, it doesn’t get no better for a big man there. But I just thought I would have to work harder at UCLA and would probably come in with more of a chip on my shoulder.”

Here is a list of other T of C alums and which Division I schools they will play for next season:

Archie Goodwin, Sylvan Hills (Ark.) — Kentucky
Grant Jerrett, La Verne (Cal.) — Arizona
Omar Calhoun, Christ the King (NY) — Connecticut
L.J. Rose, Westbury Christian (Texas) — Baylor
Brandon Morris, Miller Grove (Ga.) — Georgia
A.J. Avery, St. Rita (Ill.) — Western Michigan
Tony Hicks, St. Rita (Ill.) — Penn
Delvin Dickerson, Westbury Christian (Texas) — South Alabama
Jeremiah Turner, Lincoln (Cal.) — Cal-Irvine
Devon Turk, Westbury Christian (Texas) — Loyola (Ill.)

TAG beats KOLR/KOZL on debut of OSS sports trivia showdown

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:42:37 +0000

When it comes to The Showdown, the score is easy to read:

TAG Media 5 | KOLR/KOZL 4

As a part of a new sports trivia segment on Ozarks Sports Sunday, KOZL’s revolutionary weekend sports show, TAG Media ‘s four-person team of Allen Vaughan, Brett Johnston, Mark Archambeault and Kyle Green (BakedFreshDaily.com) took down KOLR/KOZL sports anchors Dan Lucy and Nick Carboni, as well as the ever-versatile news anchor Kate Stacy.

Watch the segment from last night’s episode and stay tuned for TAG’s victory acceptance speech.

OSS Showdown Ep. 1 from Justin Dougherty on Vimeo.

And, here is our acceptance speech (produced by Baked Fresh Daily)

The High Road podcast, Sunday, April 22

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:01:27 +0000

Hydration is Key Sunday: Allen is at TAG HQ and talks local HS hoops coaching carousel, the STL Cards’ hot start and Brett mutes any KC Royals talk — literally.

Episode: 4/22/2012

Street Cred Sunday — sponsored by Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar

Who made a better hire, Republic (Trevyor Fisher) or Willard (Lamont Frazier)?
If you thought the St. Louis Cardinals would have this kind of a start, without Carpenter, Wainwright and Berkman, you are lying.
Brett won’t allow Allen to discuss the KC Royals current losing streak. Literally. He discovers the mute button.
Find out how Pujols is doing with our “Albert took the money and ran, so see how he’s doing.” update.
Facebook.com/TheHighRoadShow

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Willard hires former Mizzou player as boys’ hoops coach

Allen Vaughan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:18:16 +0000

Here's a sweet black-and-white photo of Lamont Frazier from his playing days.

According to local reports, Willard High School has hired former Mizzou player Lamont Frazier as its boys’ basketball coach.

Frazier was most recently the coach at Poplar Bluff from 2005-2011 and ~~had a xxxxx record~~ no one has reported his coaching record, but it’s his Mizzou lineage that attracts the most attention. He captained the 1993-94 team to a 28-4 season and played four years under Norm Stewart, finishing 15th on the school’s all-time assist list and 20th in steals.

Frazier replaces Dusty Killingsworth, who stepped down after 3 seasons as the Willard coach. Killingsworth was 47-33 and won a district title in 2011.

The former Mizzou star is the second local head basketball coach with Division I playing experience. On Monday, Republic hired former Greenwood and Missouri State guard Trevyor Fisher.

SGF Cards Homestand Report: Tulsa Drillers

Allen Vaughan — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:40:26 +0000

Springfield Cardinals

Record: 6-6

Opponent: Tulsa Drillers, Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies

Series: 4 games, Thursday-Monday

Springfield’s 12 games have come against two teams — Frisco and Midland. While here in SGF, the Cards went 1-2 vs. Frisco and 2-1 vs. Midland. Well, down in Texas against those two teams, the Cards duplicated the outcome, going 1-2 vs. Frisco and 2-1 vs. Midland.

The Cardinals are home for only 4 games, but aside from being painfully inconsistent with pitching and hitting, the Tulsa Drillers are in town and feature 10 of the franchise’s top 30 prospects.

The good

Wong

• Kolten Wong, 2B: Wong is proving to be worth the hype. Last year’s first-round pick has hit safely in 9 of his 11 games played, and one of those was as a pinch hitter on a day off. For those who think he’s just a singles hitter, he’s leading SGF in slugging percentage (.634) and his OPS is north of 1.000 (1.081).

Honestly, if he keeps this up, he won’t be in SGF long.

2012: .366/.447/1.081, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 3B, 6 BB, 5 SO, 1 SB (0 CS)

Taveres

• Oscar Taveres, OF: After getting off to a slow start, Taveres has quietly worked his numbers back to where many hoped. He’s hit safely in 10 of his 11 games, missing April 12′s game with Frisco. For what it’s worth, he did reach base on a walk that day. Overall, he’s 9 for his last 23 at the plate and he already has three 3-hit games.

For those worried about his extra-base power, he’s slugging .612 with 2 home runs, 5 doubles and 2 triples. If you’re looking for a negative, he’s only walked once, but even then, you’re nitpicking.

2012: .306/.320/.612, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 1 BB, 9 SO, 0 SB (0 CS)

Gast

• John Gast, LHP: It’s hard to ask for a better start. Underwhelming in his 2011 season at 9-8, 4.02 ERA in 161 1/3 innings, the 6th round pick in the 2010 draft is scorching in 2012. He’s won all 3 of his starts, lasting at least 6 1/3 innings each time and striking out at least 6. Actually, all the numbers are sick.

Opponents only have 10 hits off him in 20 innings, hitting .149. He hasn’t allowed more than 6 baserunners in any of his starts and he’s striking out one batter per inning pitched. Bonus stat? With runners on base, batters are hitting .067 when he’s pitching out of the stretch.

2012: 3-0, 1.33 ERA, 20 1/3 IP, 20 K, 5 BB, 10 H, .149 BAA

The bad

Scruggs

• Xavier Scruggs, 1B: SGF is showing its faith in Scruggs, a 19th round pick in the 2008 draft, but so far, it’s not paying off. Scruggs is 7-for-47 on the season (.149) and he’s not been able to make good on his one good tool — power. He’s only had one extra-base hit, a homer in the team’s fourth game. Plus, he’s struck out 18 times and walked 4, meaning he’s whiffing in more than a third of his at-bats. Not good.

However, SGF is still batting him 4th behind Wong and Taveres. No wonder Taveres has only scored 4 times this season.

2012: .149/.216/.213, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 18 SO, 0 SB (1 CS)

Blazek

• Michael Blazek, RHP: Blazek was supposed to be back at Double-A to master it, not get owned by it. But, in two starts, he hasn’t made it out of the fifth, allowing 11 runs in 8 1/3 innings. Walks are part of the problem, but it’s hit and extra-base hits that aren’t homers. His WHIP is north of 2 and he’s walked twice as many as he’s struck out (6-3)

Lefthanders are hitting him hard, too, batting .375 with 2 home runs and his ERA against them is 21.60. He’s starting Friday’s game.

2012: 0-2, 11.88 ERA, 8 1/3 IP, 3 K, 6 BB, 13 H, .361 BAA

Who’s new?

Actually, as of now, there are no new additions to the SGF Cardinals roster. We will keep you updated on this.

This series’ probable starting pitching matchups

• Today, 7:08 p.m. — Tulsa, RHP Dan Houston (1-1, 5.25 ERA) vs. SGF, RHP Trevor Rosenthal (0-2, 7.27 ERA)

• Friday, 7:08 p.m. — Midland, RHP Parker Frazier (1-1, 1.50 ERA vs. SGF, RHP Michael Blazek (0-2, 11.88 ERA)

• Saturday, 2:08 p.m. — Midland, LHP Nick Schmidt (0-0, 6.10 ERA) vs. SGF, LHP Tyler Lyons (0-2, 5.69 ERA)

• Sunday, 2:08 p.m. — Midland, RHP Joe Gardner (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. SGF, RHP Scott Gorgen (0-1, 2.63 ERA)

Promotions

• Today — Cardinals World Series Championship Replica Ring Giveaway; Johnsonville Buck a Brat Night

• Friday — World Series Trophy Appearance; AM Pyrotechnics Friday Night Fireworks; Taco Bell Coupon Giveaway

• Saturday — World Series Trophy Appearance; 1927 Throwback Jersey Night

• Saturday — World Series Trophy Appearance; Hiland Dairy Ice Cream Sunday; Kids Run the Bases

————————–

Tulsa Drillers

So far, Tulsa is the class of the Texas League, and has jumped out to a league-best 9-3 record, including 5 straight wins and a sweep over Corpus Christi earlier this week.

And, to make it better — or worse — for local fans, the Rockies’ Double-A roster is loaded with prospects. Tulsa boasts 10 of its franchise’s top 30 prospects according to Baseball America.

The studs

Arenado

• Nolan Arenado: A second-round pick in the 2009 draft out of El Toro (Calif.) High School, Arenado is regarded as one of baseball’s top 40 prospects after a huge 2011 season. He led all minor leaguers with 122 RBIs at High-A Modesto and then turned around won won MVP honors of the Arizona Fall League.

While he’s just 21 years (as of Monday), he’s expected to get a crack at Colorado very soon, especially if he keeps up his torrid pace. This season, he’s doing almost everything right. His OPS is above 1.000 (1.030) and is 6-for-11 vs. lefthanded pitching. He’s one of the most high-profile players to ever visit Springfield.

2012: .364/.462/.568, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 5 BB, 7 SO, 0 SB (0 CS)

Rutledge

• Josh Rutledge, SS: Like Arenado, Rutledge lit up the California League last year, too. A third-round pick out of Alabama in 2010, Rutledge missed most of 2010 with a wrist injury. But, in the second half of 2011, he broke out, hitting above .400, launching all 9 of his home runs and amassing a 27-game hitting streak. It’s not likely he’ll play shortstop for Colorado, so he’ll likely move to second base in the future. But, he’s Tulsa’s SS right now.

2012: .286/.333/.551, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 8 SO, 5 SB (1 CS)

Gardner

• Joe Gardner, RHP: : Gardner was a third-round pick by the Cleveland Indians in the 2009 draft out of UC-Santa Barbara and was flipped to the Rockies in the Ubaldo Jimenez deal last season. Colorado GM Dan O’Dowd is on record as saying Gardner will end up in a big-league bullpen, but because of his Double-A success as a starter, he’s staying put. He’s scheduled to pitch Sunday for Tulsa at Hammons Field and has a 3.00 ERA after two starts, even though his last was 3 1/3 innings of scoreless ball.

He specializes with a sinker that comes from a three-quarter arm slot, but doesn’t grade out with any more above-average pitches.

2012: 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 9 IP, 8 K, 4 BB, 11 H, .282 BAA

• Other Baseball America Top 30 prospects: No. 3 Chad Bettis (DL), RHP; No. 8 Kent Matthes, OF; 18. Edwar Cabrera, LHP; No. 23 Ben Paulson, 1B; No. 28 Parker Frazier, RHP; No. 29 Coty Woods, RHP; 30 Michael Mabry, RHP

Texas League Standings


North	W	L	PCT▼	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
Tulsa Drillers (COL)	9	3	.750	-	5-1	4-2	8-2	W5
Springfield Cardinals (STL)	6	6	.500	3.0	3-3	3-3	5-5	W2
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (KC)	5	7	.417	4.0	3-3	2-4	4-6	W1
Arkansas Travelers (LAA)	4	8	.333	5.0	2-4	2-4	3-7	W1


South	W	L	PCT▼	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
Frisco RoughRiders (TEX)	8	4	.667	-	4-2	4-2	7-3	L1
Midland RockHounds (OAK)	6	6	.500	2.0	3-3	3-3	5-5	L2
Corpus Christi Hooks (HOU)	5	7	.417	3.0	3-3	2-4	4-6	L4
San Antonio Missions (SD)	5	7	.417	3.0	3-3	2-4	4-6	L1

Weems in Portsmouth’s Top 10 NBA prospects

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:09:39 +0000

How much did Kyle Weems improve his NBA Draft stock? A Huffington Post columnist said significantly.

We chronicled Kyle Weems’ trip to the Portsmouth Invitational last week, but a columnist/NBA draft analyst writing for the Huffington Post said the former Missouri State great was among the 10 best NBA prospects at this year’s event.

Carl Berman, who is listed as Managing Partner, NetScouts Basketball “The International Basketball Connection” wrote the following about Weems:

Has very good size. He is 6’6 ½” with sneakers and is a solid 225 lbs. He has three point range (40.4). He has a quick, high release with good rotation. He can mix it up inside and is a solid rebounder (7.2 rpg). He is a physical defender and moves very well for a big, physical player. He has a 6’10″wingspan (+4 ½”).

The NBA Draft is June 28.

SGFers in the Bigs — April 18

Allen Vaughan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:54:09 +0000

All stats are through Tuesday’s games (April 17).

Shaun Marcum, Milwaukee Brewers (Missouri State)

Marcum pitched better in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Atlanta and rookie Mike Minor than he did in his season-opening victory. Either way, it looks like Marcum’s shoulder problems look to be over and he’s still one of the top No. 3 starters in all of baseball.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Brewers	1-1	3.46	2	2	0	13	8	5	5	2	2	12	.174

Brad Ziegler, Arizona Diamondbacks (Missouri State)

The D Backs put Ziegler to use in the past week, pitching in 4 games and only allowing 4 baserunners in 3 2/3 innings. None of them scored, and he did pick up his first hold of the season Thursday at San Diego.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Hold	Save	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
D Backs	0-0	2.25	5	1	0	4	4	1	1	0	3	4	.267

Jeff Gray, Minnesota Twins (Missouri State)

Gray earned wins in back-to-back bullpen appearances against the Los Angeles Angels. They were functions of good timing, rather than great pitching, as he was brought in for one batter each time, lasting just 1/3 of an inning. He retired Peter Bourjos and Howard Kendrick. Looks like he’s carved out a role in the Twins bullpen.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Twins	2-0	0.00	5	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	2	2	.250

Scott Elbert, LA Dodgers (Seneca HS)

Elbert picked up his first two holds of the season last week, both against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a situational reliever with outings of 1/3 and 2/3 of an inning. So far, he’s only pitched 2 1/3 innings, but he’s made 4 appearances and is in high-leverage situations. And, it doesn’t help to play for the team with the best record in the majors (9-2)

Team	W-L	ERA	G	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Dodgers	0-0	7.71	4	0	2	2 1/3	5	2	2	1	2	2	.500

Ross Detwiler, Washington Nationals (Missouri State)

Detwiler’s second start of the season wasn’t as eventful. The former Missouri State ace was bailed out by his offense and received a no decision against Cincinnati, who tagged Detwiler for 5 runs — but only 1 earned — and 6 hits. He pitched 5 innings, but with a 0.90 ERA through 10 innings, Detwiler looks to have nailed down that No. 5 spot in the starting rotation.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Washington	1-0	0.90	2	2	0	10	8	5	1	1	3	8	.222

Lucas Harrell, Houston Astros (Ozark HS)

Harrell’s second start didn’t live up to the lofty expectations he set for himself. Pitching at Miami, Harrell allowed 4 runs and 7 hits in 4 innings, efforting 85 pitches. His team came back late, giving Harrell a no-decision. He makes his third start tonight against the red-hot Washington Nationals and will face Jordan Zimmermann.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Houston	1-0	3.27	2	2	0	11	10	4	4	0	4	6	.130

Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (Missouri State)

The former Missouri State slugger still hasn’t been cleared to return to normal baseball activities, according to this report. The Phillies need him, too. They rank 27th in runs scored and 28th in home runs.

2011	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Phillies	152	557	81	141	30	1	33	116	75	172	1	0	.253	.346	.488	.834

SGFers in the Minors

Matt Palmer, San Diego Padres Triple-A (Missouri State)

At Salt Lake City, Palmer was roughed up in 3 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 5 walks. He only struck out one. It has been a rough start for Palmer, who is trying to position himself as the next guy to start for San Diego if an injury comes to the starting rotation.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Tucson	0-1	6.23	2	2	0	8 2/3	13	6	6	0	6	6	.351

Scott Carroll, Cincinnati Reds Triple-A (Missouri State)

Carroll hadn’t allowed a run until last night against Toledo, where he gave up 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in just an inning. But, before that, he’d had 5 scoreless outings. Of his 6 appearances, he’s pitched an inning or more each time.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Triple-A Louisville	1-1	2.89	6	0	0	9 1/3	12	3	3	0	4	8	.324

Buddy Baumann, KC Royals Double-A (MSU & Rogersville HS)

Baumann’s last two outings for Northwest Arkansas weren’t the prettiest. He allowed 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings to Corpus Christi and then 1 run in 2/3 of an inning to San Antonio. He’s getting a reputation as a fly ball pitcher as his Ground Out/Air Out ratio is 0.27.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	Save	Hold	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A NWA	1-0	3.24	4	0	0	0	8 1/3	9	3	3	0	2	12	.265

Mike Kickham, SF Giants Double-A (Missouri State and Glendale HS)

Kickham shook his Double-A nerves and showed he can dominate. In his second start, Kickham threw 6 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6. He was ranked as the Giants’ No. 20 prospect by Baseball America, but might shoot up the rankings if he can keep this up.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
Double-A Richmond	1-0	0.00	2	2	0	9 2/3	4	1	0	0	7	11	.138

Pat Doyle, Cincinnati Reds High-A (Missouri State)

Doyle pitched his first scoreless outing Saturday at San Jose, but then got tagged for 3 runs in 1 1/3 innings Tuesday at Visalia. His strikeout rate is high, but his WHIP is 1.6.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Bakersfield	0-0	9.00	4	0	0	5	5	5	5	1	3	8	.263

Tyler Clark Detroit Tigers High-A (Catholic HS)

Clark continues to dazzle in his High-A tenure, this time, pitching 3 scoreless innings across two appearances in the last week. He allowed his first — and only — hit Friday and overall, he’s only allowed 3 baserunners in 5 innings. On Tuesday, he pitched the ninth with a 5-0 lead. As a college guy, if he has success in middle relief, he could be upwardly mobile.

Team	W-L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	BAA
High-A Lakeland	0-0	0.00	3	0	0	5	1	0	0	0	2	5	.071

Wait, I thought they were in pro baseball…

Warsaw graduate Johnny Eierman is in extended Spring Training with Tampa Bay after being a third-round pick by the Rays last season. In 59 at-bats, he hit /254/.328/.424 with the Gulf Coast League Rays.
After talking to MSU pitching coach Paul Evans, former MSU pitcher Aaron Meade, a 10th round pick in 2010, has not been assigned to a full-season team yet after ending with Orem of the short-season Pioneer League. However, after messing around during a bullpen and throwing sidearm, the Angels coaches want him to experiment with that arm slot. Once he’s ready, he’ll be deployed.
Former MSU infielder Toby Gardenhire retired and was named as the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Former MSU slugger Josh Mazzola was in Giants camp, but was cut on March 29. He has not been picked up anywhere else, yet.
I haven’t found any information on Brett Sinkbeil’s whereabouts. He was last in Pittsburgh’s system, playing at Double-A Altoona.
All information points to former MSU catcher Dallas Hord catcher having retired.
Former Rogersville HS slugger Seth Conner has reported to extended spring training, but told us he has been told by Toronto field coordinator Doug Davis that he is switching to being a full-time catcher. “They told me they liked my leadership qualities and my work ethic. They think I can pull it off, and once my confidence is up, I think I can, too.”
Former MSU and Kickapoo pitcher J.C. Casey has reported to extended spring training and hopes to get assigned to a full-season team soon.
Former MSU and Glendale pitcher Dan Kickham was released by the Detroit Tigers on March 27.

Anything or anyone we missed? Send it to me at allen@tagsgf.com

Overseas hoops diary: Shavies and a 10-game winning streak

Allen Vaughan — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:39:34 +0000

Remember those braids? Shavies was the man, back in the day. Photo: Courtesy MSU Athletics

Hoops Diary #5

Guess what? We’ve won 10 games in a row, so I guess we’ve earned the right take a bus on road trips again! Hooray for us. Guess what else? We took a bus to our road game (Game two) last Thursday against the Klosterneuburg Dukes, the result…we lost by 30.

I was actually in favor of driving to the game since it’s been working for us. I’m not superstitious, but I do like routine. If you’re on a hot streak, you shouldn’t change anything. Here’s a quick story. Former MSU guard Blake Ahearn is the most superstitious guy I’ve ever been around. In between free throw attempts he has to “slap five” to teammates on both his left and right side or it throws him off.

We came out flat at the beginning of game two, the Dukes came out hot, and the referees may as well have been wearing uniforms for the other team. We knew going in that we would have to beat the Dukes and the officials; that’s just the way it is here in Austria. Like I’ve said before, the “higher-ups” and the officials in this league are not big fans of the Furstenfeld Panthers (my team), for reasons that have nothing to do with us players. That makes winning so much more difficult, but it is what it is.

OK, what I’m about to lay out might be one of my best overseas stories. I hope it translates well in this blog. Most American players that play in Europe are signed with an agent based in America (let’s call him Agent A). Quite often “Agent A” works with an agent here in Europe (let’s call him Agent E). ”Agent E” works as a middle man between the teams in Europe and “Agent A”.

Shavies' teammate, Jeff Robinson, got screwed out of a playoff bonus. Not cool.

My teammate Jeff “JRob” Robinson is kinda big time. JRob played in the 2008 Final Four with the Memphis Tigers, he transferred the next year to Seton Hall where he finished his collegiate career. When the Panthers were negotiating JRob’s contract, they knew they would have to add some incentives to augment his contract because they couldn’t offer him much money. One of incentives that would earn JRob extra money was if we made the playoffs – which we did. According to JRob’s contract, making the playoffs would earn him a bonus of $1,000.

Obviously we’re in the playoffs, and last week when payday came around, JRob asked where his extra $,1000 was. The team accountant looked puzzled and informed JRob he has no such bonus in his contract. JRob immediately pulled out a signed copy of his contract, showing the accountant that indeed he did have a playoff bonus in his contract.

In August, the Panthers sent a contract to “Agent E” that works with “Agent A” representing JRob. JRob agreed to the contract, signed it, faxed it and he was on a flight to Austria a couple days later. While JRob was on the flight to Austria, the Panthers sent a “revised” contract to “Agent E”. ”Agent E”, without consulting JRob or “Agent A” agreed to the contract which removed all the bonuses from the contract. It should be noted that “Agent E” in this story works with the Panthers frequently and isn’t exactly what I would call a honest individual. That story is life overseas; it is a very sweet and sour situation and you never really know which side you’re going to get.

Currently, we’re down 2-1 in our playoff series, we play again on Thursday at home. Hopefully we can force a game five and win the series on the road. It’s been a long season, the aches and pains are starting to pile up like dishes in a frat house. But we’ve got to dig deep and play through it all.

Blake Ahearn played in his second game with the Utah Jazz Monday. He's averaging 4.5 minutes per game.

Here are some rapid-fire thoughts from the sports world:

Congratulations to my teammate and brother Trevyor Fisher, who has accepted the position of boys’ basketball coach at Republic High School. Fish is going to be a great coach, and I’m really happy for him.
Congratulations to another teammate and brother Blake Ahearn for earning a call up to the Utah Jazz. If Blake gets some minutes he will play well, I guarantee that. He’s been preparing for this moment forever.
Congratulations to another Bear, who’s not technically my teammate but definitely still my little brother, Kyle Weems. As I’m sure everyone knows, he just completed a solid three days at the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Kyle is extremely talented and I honestly believe he’s going to have a solid NBA career.
You guys out there looking for basketball fix can follow a couple of us overseas Bears on www.eurobasket.com.
Jermaine Mallett’s team (Treflo Sopot, Poland) begins its quarterfinal series April 23rd. His team have a strong chance to win it all.
Deven Mitchell’s team (Gaz Metan, Romania) is up 2-0, their next game is April 18th. Deven’s team is the favorite to win the Romanian title, and he’ll most likely be voted regular season MVP.
Wish all of us Bears luck. Thanks for taking the time to read this amazingly interesting blog.

Shavies Out!

The High Road podcast, Sunday, April 15

Allen Vaughan — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:04:38 +0000

Sucka Free Sunday: Allen has the day off, but he replays interviews from this week’s podcast featuring Lucas Harrell and Mike Kickham.

Episode: 4/15/2012

Don King Sunday — sponsored by Harbell’s Grill and Sports Bar

Interview: Lucas Harrell, Houston Astros pitcher
Interview: Mike Kickham, San Francisco Giants minor leaguer

Brett and The KGenius make fun of Allen for not working Sunday, even though he worked a lot to get these interview this week.
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