SB Nation User Blog: ryebreadraz

Mediocrity Not Good Enough For UCLA, Art Venegas Let Go

ryebreadraz — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:25:55 -0000

View full size photo uploaded July 2, 2009

In a somewhat bittersweet piece of news, it was announced today that the head coach of UCLA's men's track and field program, Art Venegas, will not be retained.

One of the nation's premier throws coaches, Venegas led the Bruins to one Pac-10 team championship and two West Region team titles during his decade as the Bruin head coach. In 2009, the Bruins placed fifth at the Pac-10 championships and seventh at the West Regional. They did not score a point at the NCAA championships last month. His contract expired on June 30.

Now, I admire our athletic department's pursuit of excellence. At UCLA, merely being adequate isn't good enough and a move like this makes that clear. On the other side, Venegas is a man who has been with the program for 27 years, the last 10 as head coach. He is also one of the nicest men you will ever meet. He is a truly a great human being, but his job was to compete for national championships and he was no longer doing that. Because of that, I believe the athletic department did the right thing here.

"We appreciate everything Art has done for the program during his 28 years as both an assistant and head coach," said Toth. "But we felt a change in leadership was necessary for the program at this time.

"Art is the preeminent throws coach in the nation. We extended an offer to him to remain on the staff to coach our throwers, but he declined."

Venegas joined the UCLA staff for the 1982 season and served as an assistant coach for 16 years before to becoming head coach prior to the 2000 season. For most of his tenure in Westwood, he coached both the men and women throwers, producing numerous Pac-10 and NCAA champions, as well as Olympians.

While I'd have like Venegas to have stayed on and coach the throwers, I can't blame him in any way for not. At the end of the day though, he just wasn't getting it done and it was time to move on. That doesn't mean I won't hope for the best for Venegas. A man who has devoted so much to the program, the sport and the university, all while being a great man is someone I will be rooting for in the future. We'll miss you Art.

Evaluating the USA Player Pool: Defense

ryebreadraz — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:51:04 -0000

Yesterday, I took a look at the USA's crop of goalkeepers and made the judgment that while Tim Howard is sensational, the position as a whole is weaker than it has been for the Americans in years. That can't be said for the defense, where three of the four spots have more depth than the country has had in some time.

The US defense is a bit of a mixed bag. One spot (left back) are woefully poor, while others are strong at the top and weak at the bottom (right back) and another is not eye popping, but extraordinarily deep (center back). Overall, the US defense appears much improved from the one that represented the US in 2006 so long as there's a competent left back out there. If the midfield can hold some possession and give the defense a break at times, they do well to play narrow and make teams play crosses in from wide positions. If the match becomes an aerial battle, this defense will win nearly every time.

Defense

Let's start on the right, where we've got a battle on our hands. It wasn't long ago that Steve Cherundolo was the unquestioned starter thanks to his experience abroad for Hannover 96 and his 51 caps. Toss in his smart positioning and ability to get off crosses from the wing that many US players struggle to do and it wasn't a tough choice. After all, his backup was Frankie Hejduk, a 34 year old who has a proposenity for picking up cards and has issues putting in quality crosses. Well, when Cherundolo went down with a hip injury, Hejduk took over the top spot and played exceptionally. He showed improved touch on the ball and timing on his tackles to go along with his always outstanding work rate. All of a sudden, the aging veteran didn't look so old and was challenging Cherundolo for his starting spot. Then Hejduk got hurt, opening the door for a young gun by the name of Jonathan Spector. Spector, who plays for West Ham, has been one of the American's highest touted youngsters for some time, but the 23 year old just couldn't stay healthy. He has been healthy this summer though and Spector played fantastic in hostile qualifiers, then the Confederations Cup, where he positioned himself well, stayed with some of the world's best wingers and put in two outstanding crosses that led to US goals. All of a sudden, Spector looks top of the heap in this right back race, but we've still got a year to go.

In the center, there are three clear cut leaders, but the versatility of one may allow all three to start. Oguchi Onyewu has proved to be the rock of the US defense, dominating in the air, cutting down on his fouls and showing improved effort on the ground. The towering 6'5'' man, currently out of contract and drawing interest from clubs in nearly every league, from the Premier League to Serie A, will be at the center of the US defense next summer barring injury. Who will slide in next to him is another question. Carlos Bocanegra had been Onyewu's partner for the last few years, but an injury to him allowed Jay Demerit to step in during the Confederations Cup and he looks great. Bocanegra is a bigger back who likes to push attackers around, a style similar to that of Onyewu. Demerit is smaller, but reads plays well and is a better match for the speedier strikers. This style is perfect to compliment Onyewu and we saw slashes of what could be with that pairing during the Confederations Cup. This looks to bump Bocanegra out, but the Rennes man can play out on the left too, which happens to be a weak spot for the US. While it looks like Onyewu and Demerit are the centerbacks for now, Bocanegra could move back in by next summer. Behind those three is Danny Califf, who has seen his form drop off in the last year, but he still remains the US' fourth choice. The 30 year old Jimmy Conrad seemed to be on the outs with Bob Bradley, but his inclusion on the Gold Cup roster indicates otherwise and he plays himself back into the pool. The diminutive, but smart and dependable Michael Parkhurst is another option as he will use the Gold Cup to prove that he can overcome his size at the international level. One of the more intriguing names out there is Chad Marshall, the 24 year old centerback for Columbus. Having appeared for the US at nearly every youth level, Marshall knows what international soccer is all about and after a 2007 season mired by post-concussion syndrome that took all the shine off his near Rookie of the Year campaign in 2006, Marshall rebounded with a 2008 season that netted him a MLS Cup and MLS Defender of the Year honors. Marshall is on the Gold Cup team and will have a chance to play his way up the centerback depth chart. As a younger defender, he could be the starting centerback in 2014, while providing some solid backup in 2010.

Left back is the US squad's most troubling spot. At the moment, there isn't a single true left back that the US can count on. Bocanegra did play some left back for the team before moving to his natural center position following the 2006 World Cup and he does play left back for Rennes, but he lacks the pace to be a standout left back. Not only does the US lack a quality left back, but there isn't much depth at the position. After Bocanegra, the next best left back in the system right now appears to be Jonathan Bornstein, a 24 year old who plays for Chivas USA. Bornstein has good pace and athleticism, but he is caught out of position too often and doesn't get quality crosses off, which is strange considering he is a converted forward. Bornstein has the physical skills to play the position at the international level, but he needs more seasoning and possible a move overseas where he can see more advanced tactics. As of now, he's nothing more than an adequate backup because of his versatility that is, at time, forced into a starting role. After Bornstein is Heath Pearce, a man who has fallen faster than any American in recent time. It was only a little more than a year ago that Pearce was starting for a Bundeliga squad, had taken over the left back spot and had performed admirably against England, Spain and Argentina in consecutive friendlies. Since then though, he's been in a free fall. Hansa Rostock was relegated to 2.Bundesliga and even there, Pearce's play was so poor that he not only lost his spot in the first XI, but he was demoted to the reserves. Now, Pearce's club future is in limbo, while he remains a factor in the US team only because there is nobody else at the position. The position is so thin that a 32 year old without a single cap, Jay Heaps, was given a call up for the Gold Cup. There are talks about Real Salt Lake's Chris Wingert, getting a chance at the position, but there aren't many choices for Bob Bradley. The best Bradley can do at this point is call in Edgar Castillo. Castillo was born and raised in New Mexico, but as the son of Mexican immigrants, could play for Mexico. He chose to do so, playing for El Tri in their failed Olympic qualifying campaign. Now that he is not in Javier Aguirre's plans, Castillo has said he'd like to switch to the US, under FIFA's recently amended rule, and play for the Nats. While he has suffered a dip in form, having been loaned by Club American to Tigres, and being small in size at 5'8'', Castillo is a young, 22, left footed player who positions himself well and is calm on the ball. While the three other positons along the back appear to be in solid shape, the left back spot is so poor that we could see Castillo called in soon.

Football To Visit The NYC Area...in 2016

ryebreadraz — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:49:38 -0000

Football To Visit The NYC Area...in 2016

UCLA and Rutgers have agreed to a two-year, home-and-home football series, the UCLA Athletic Department announced on Thursday.

The Bruins will open the 2016 season on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights will travel to the Rose Bowl to open the 2017 season on Saturday, Sept. 2.

"We feel this will be an exciting West Coast-East Coast matchup. Rutgers is one of the top programs in the Big East Conference," said UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. "The game will give our alumni in that area a chance to see the Bruins in person and should provide us with some outstanding East Coast exposure."

These two games will be the first meetings between the Bruins and the Scarlet Knights.

Trevor Bauer Named Rivals.com Freshman All-American

ryebreadraz — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:13:36 -0000

Trevor Bauer Named Rivals.com Freshman All-American

SP Trevor Bauer (UCLA)
Valencia, Calif. (Hart)

All the talk before the spring was about first-round pick Gerrit Cole. But Bauer had an even better inaugural season for the Bruins. The right-hander was known for his hard-nosed demeanor on the mound and had a 9-3 record in 10 starts and 20 appearances. He also had a 2.99 ERA in 105 1/3 innings. He also struck out 92 and walked 27 and teams hit him at a .225 clip. Bauer finished the year with four complete games.

Evaluating the USA Player Pool: Goalkeepers

ryebreadraz — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:52:42 -0000

There are only 343 days until the 2010 World Cup kicks off in Johannesburg, South Africa with the hosts, Bafana Bafana, playing a yet to be determined opponent in front of a capacity crowd numbering 84,700, many (unfortunately) with their vuvuzelas in hand. So with the World Cup getting closer and closer, let's take a look at the USA player pool. This will be my first post in an undetermined number of posts over the next week or two that will eyeball where the US stands at the moment and what to keep an eye on as the World Cup draws nearer.

The US player pool is bigger than ever thanks to the growth of MLS, the US Development Academy, the unprecendented number of Yanks abroad and the open mind of Bob Bradley, king of capping the uncapped. The player pool isn't limited to just those who are likely to make the World Cup squad. The player pool expands to anyone with even the smallest of chances of making the World Cup squad or even those who won't make the squad, but is a young and promising player who can make a few appearances for the Nats in smaller friendlies. I'm going to take a look at the US player pool position by position, beginning here with the goalkeepers.

Goalkeeper

This was the first position the Americans started producing world class talent at and has always been a position of strength, but most haven't noticed the decline the Americans have had at the position in recent years. Yes, Tim Howard is a top drawer keeper, as he just proved at the Confederations Cup en route to the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award. I don't think anyone would question Howard's ability and all Americans should feel safe when Howard steps between the sticks, but the rest of the American keepers is what has become a problem. Sure, there's Brad Friedel, but those who have retired from international play are not taken into consideration.

Currently, the Yanks second keeper is Brad Guzan, a young and promising man, who plies his trade at Aston Villa and had a strong performance versus Egypt in the Confederations Cup. Guzan is just a backup for Aston Villa though and while he's in a good situation to learn from one of the best in Friedel, then take over as the top man in a couple years, he's still just learning. Marcus Hahnemann is another keeper Bob Bradley has at his disposal and the new #1 man for newly promoted Wolves, but Hahnemann is aging and not the keeper he once was. A competent backup at the international level no doubt, but when an aging veteran who just spent a year in the Championship is the American's third choice keeper, the level of American keepers has dropped.

After those three, there isn't much of a pecking order. Kasey Keller would fall into this discussion, but it appears as if Bob Bradley is no longer considering him. Luis Robles appears to have jumped into the fray, although many haven't heard of him. Robles is the top choice keeper for 2.Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern, although that could change by the time the season begins. After repordtedly showing very well in the camp prior to the Confederations Cup, Robles looks like he could be the #1 for the Gold Cup, which would be fantastic for his development. Troy Perkins is another keeper who could theoretically compete for the third keeper spot next summer. The 6'2'' keeper, currently in the Norwegian League and formerly of DC United, is on the Gold Cup squad and got his first cap this January versus Sweden. Jon Busch is the final keeper who is in the pool at the moment. The Chicago Fire man was last year's MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and will get his chance in the Gold Cup as well. As you can see, the US keeper pool isn't what it used to be, causing US fans to start rooting for Guzan, Chris Seitz, Dominic Cervi and Josh Lambo to develop and do so quickly.

Ariza On The Way Out?

ryebreadraz — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:37:14 -0000

Ariza On The Way Out?

According to ESPN.com, the Lakers are unwilling to pay Ariza more than the $5.6 million mid-level exception, a number that falls well short of the $8-9 million he's looking for. I think it's clear that LA has prioritized Odom over Ariza.

Trevor Bauer Named Freshman All-American By Baseball America

ryebreadraz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:16:14 -0000

Trevor Bauer Named Freshman All-American By Baseball America

Trevor Bauer was named Freshman Pitcher of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and has been named to nearly every Freshman All-American team, with Baseball America now joining the fray. He is spending his summer with the US National Team.

USA Player Ratings vs. Brazil, Confederations Cup Final

ryebreadraz — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:07:51 -0000

This one will sting. The US went up 2-0 at half after playing one of their best halves in recent memory. They were compact defensively, organized, looked dangerous on the counter and while Brazil had the possession, the US still had their share of possession. That outstanding half of play took its toll though. About 10 minutes into the second half, after Brazil had cut the score to 2-1, I turned to my brother and said, "we’re in trouble. We’re out of gas." The Yanks expended so much energy in the first half, that they were playing on empty for much of the second half. Not having Michael Bradley was a killer too, as he would have been able to close down faster than Feilhaber and tilt the possession more in the US' favor. He would have also allowed Feilhaber to come off the bench, which would have been huge when you consider the options Bob Bradley had on his bench.

In the end, this tournament was a fantastic success for the US. While I'll get into a more detailed post on what it all means later in the week, we can gloss over the keys now. The US team not only proved to themselves that they can compete with the world's best, which they already knew, but that they can beat the world's best. They also got an opportunity to play at the site of next year's World Cup. They discovered some key players in positions of need. Hello Jay Demerit, Charlie Davies, Jonathan Spector. They've also given themselves an outside chance at a World Cup top seed (albeit a miniscule one that would require everything to break their way and is so improbable, it shouldn't even be thought out), but most importantly, they have experience that no other US team has ever had. Consider their friendly opponents in the past two years. Brazil, England, Spain, Argentina. Add that to some big matches versus Mexico and now five matches against very good teams in a competitive environment for a cup. No other US team in history can match that type of experience.

So let's rewind a bit now and take a look at this Confederations Cup Final.

Tim Howard, 9- I gave Howard this same score for his performance against Spain and while that was a clean sheet, compared to the three goals he gave up today, I think it can be argued he was better today, but certainly as good. Howard made save after save and organized his defense very well until they tired. His distribution was better too. His 17th minute save of Robinho was gorgeous and he got off his line on a number of occasions to snuff a Brazilian chance. Overall, Howard proved that he's a world class keeper to the few that still doubted him and was absolutely sensational en route to picking up the Goalkeeper of the Cup award.

Carlos Bocanegra, 6.5- I think Boca was better than some will give him credit for. Many will look to the space some Brazilians, Maicon especially, had coming down the left, but I believe that was part of the gameplan put together by Bob Bradley and Co. It's a tough gameplan to argue against too considering that it worked well against Spain and Brazil doesn't have an aerial threat comparable to Fernando Torres. Boca got beat to the endline a few times, but did his part well and was more composed on the ball than he's been in quite some time.

Oguchi Onyewu, 7- Onyewu was very good on this night, once again dominating the air. He was even solid on the groun and read plays beautifully. As is always the case, his distribution out of the back would have been better, but he wasn't too bad. He stepped in a few times for keytackle as well. I'd like to give him a better score because he wsa very good again, but he did get beat by Fabiano on the second goal. His stock has soared in this tournament and he should find himsel a prominant club for next season and a few more dollars in his pocket as a result of his play in South Africa.

Jay Demerit, 5- This was surely Demerit's worst showing of the tournament, but he wasn't too bad. He was beat on Fabiano's goal just after half, but it could hardly be considered his fault. He found himself out of position a few times and stepped up just a bii late a couple times, leading to chances for the Selecao. He's another American whose stock got a boost from this tournament and I'd have to think that a lower level Premier League side will snatch him up this summer.

Jonathan Spector, 7.5- Spector was absolutely sensational for 70 minues and I'd still consider him to beone of the Americans' best field player in the match. When you consider how often he was left 1v1 against Robinho and Kaka, it's absolutely stunning that he was beaten more often. He played smart defensively and quieted the Brazilian attack time and time again. Toss in his beautiful ball that set up the Yanks first goal and his play was stupendous. Had he not tired in the last 20 minutes and been beaten a few times, this score could be higher, but overall, a job well done.

Landon Donovan, 8- While a host of Americans had strong tournaments, only Howard could make an argument to have been as good as Donovan and I still wouldn't agree with that side. Donovan was fantastic again versus Brazil, putting himself in fdangerous positions time and time again. He ignited the counter attack that netted the US their second goal, one he finished clinically. He still defended well and put his foot in at the correct times. I've got to think he makes a move to Europe this summer or winter, likely to Spain. The argument that he only shows up against weak CONCACAF foes can be put to bed.

Ricardo Clark, 6- As is always the case with the rangy Clark, he covered massive amounts of ground, which was vital with Bradley out due to suspension. He stepped in for a few timely tackles, but was caught out of position a couple times and when the centerbacks had to cover wide, he forgot to slide underneath twice. He clearly tired late, ending up a step late to balls he'd usually have, but he did spring the counter attack for the Americans' second goal with a great ball.

Benny Feilhaber, 6.5- No one will mistake him for Bradley, as he didn't have nearly the same bite or tackling that Bradley brings, but he did well to read the ball and disrupt the Brazilians' passing. He was also calm on the ball, as is his forte, as did well to provide support to his teammates when they were pressured. It's doubtful that he claims a starting spot next summer with Clark's good play, Jermaine Jones coming into the fold and Bob Bradley's affection for defensive midfielders, but he has certain qualities that other US players lack and will certainly be vital off the bench.

Clint Dempsey, 7- My, my how things have changed. It wasn't long ago that Dempsey had been on a scoring grought for the national team and had fans clamorin for his benching. In this match, Dempsey netted yet another goal and was in good position to threaten for a couple more. He was beat by Lucio on the game winner, but he was just another American who tired. No player in the tournament was playing as well as Dempsey in the final few matches and he earned himself the tournament's Bronze Ball award.

Jozy Altidore, 5.5- No player was as gassed as Altidore and it led to him coming off. It's amazing to watch him learn and grow, even from game to game, as he figures out just how to use his massive frame to his advantage. He held the ball up well in the first half and pressure high, leading to a few Brazilian giveaways. All tournament long, it was clear that his toe injury and lack of club play left him lacking fitness, but he payed tough regardless.

Charlies Davies, 6.5- Should he be starting or is he a super sub? That debate is for anothr day, but what's clear is that he needs to be on the pitch. Davies was dangerous 1v1 and put the Brazilian defense on its his a few times, which opened up space in the midfield for the US to buil an attack. His high pressure was vital and his play on the counter attack to pick up the assist on the second goal was magnificent. What impressed me most though was his wilingness to play the simple, square ball and hold possession. It worked well as got the Brazilians chasing a few times and it was something that he had been unwilling to do in the past. He's going to be on the move this summer and it appears as if France is his destination.

Subs

Sacha Kljestan, 3.5- Another poor performance from Kljestan, who has been in a downward spiral ever since his hat trick versus Sweden. It still looks like he'll move to Holland this summer, but for a far lower price than before. He better improve his game there because it doesn't appear as if he'll be called into the national team again until he does. His giveaway in the 90th minute, when he had Davies streaking down the sideline, was absolutely dreadful.

Jonathan Bornstein, 5- A strange decision from Bob Bradley to put in Bornstein at left midfield after Brazil had equalized, but it's possible the change had been reported to the fourth official prior to the goal. Either way, Bornstein didn't have much of an impact, positively or negatively and will only be remembered for his shot from 25 yards out that harmed nothing but the ad boards.

Conor Casey, N/A

A Little Insight Into Jrue Holiday

ryebreadraz — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:57:27 -0000

More photos » by Matt Rourke - AP

8 days ago: Philadelphia 76ers first-round NBA basketball draft pick Jrue Holiday pose for a photograph during a news conference in Philadelphia, Friday, June 26, 2009. Holiday was picked 17th overall in Thursday night's draft. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Browse more photos »

I know there has been some talk over whether or not Jrue Holiday is really a Bruin or not. Some have made it clear that they don't care for Jrue, while others have stuck by his side a little more. That brought us to an interesting point when jsams over at Liberty Ballers, SBN's Philadelphia 76ers blog, asked if we'd like to answer some questions about Jrue. Because N and a couple other frontpagers have a less than favorable opinion of Jrue, they had no interest in answering some questions on him so they passed it along and I decided to answer the questions.

I don't think Jrue has handled much the way he should have, but I don't see any malice in what he'd done and I think that he's gotten a bit of an unfair rap from some Bruins. At the end of the day, I think he acted like a 18 or 19 year old kid in a high pressure situation. That said, here are my responses to their questions on Jrue, someone I will forever consider a Bruin and root for, even if I don't do so in the same way I do it for AA, DC or some of our other Bruins.

LB: Did Jrue perform better than his 8-3-3 numbers indicate? Worse?

Ryan: It was really dependent on the game. The tools are there, no doubt and some games you would see them. There were some games where Jrue was all over the court, defending, rebounding, scoring, passing. There were also other games where Jrue would get frustrated, get torched defensively, turn the ball over at an alarming rate and struggle to put the ball in the basket. It's really tough to say whether or not he was better than his 8-3-3 numbers indicate because half of the time he was, but other times he was worse.

LB: What are Jrue's strengths?

Ryan: He's got a great body for a point guard. At a very long 6'3'', he's going to be able to match up with just about anyone in the league and will have a size advantage over most. His length causes problems on defense, especially on smaller guards as he disrupts opposing point guards in their attempts to initiate the offense. He has good ball handling skills and shows a good feel for the game, especially in the open court. His biggest strength is probably his ability to finish around the rim. While he can, Holiday is not the type of guy who will throw it down when he goes to the rim. Instead, he's able to weave his way past shot blockers, go with a tear drop over shot blockers and can finish with either hand.

LB: Weaknesses?

Ryan: Jrue needs to improve his jump shot. His mechanics aren't bad, but they aren't consistent. He has the tools to be a very good shooter, but it will take some work. He also certainly needs to mature. Against some better teams, he was taken out of his game by their skill and strength. When he got beat a few times defensively, he tended to become a tentative defender and lose his confidence. The truth is, he has the maturity of a 19 year old. That's not too bad considering he is only 19, but an 82 game season isn't the best thing for a kid looking to mature. He has a good family and isn't a bad kid, but the fact is that he is a kid and at times, will act as such.

LB: UCLA has had a handful of unpolished, athletic guys who turned out better than expected in recent years. See: Farmar, Ariza, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Westbrook. Holiday seems to fall in this same category. Do you see him developing as well as these guys?

Ryan: I think Jrue can develop as well as the guys you mentioned, but certainly not as quickly as them. Of those players, only Ariza played a single season of college ball and it took him some time to break out. The other players all made solid contributions within the first year or two and while Jrue can make a contribution, he won't live up to his potential for a few years. Ben Howland's system is extremely effective for the college game and while it doesn't let all players put up huge numbers, it prepares players well for the pros. Holiday's skills have been refined under Howland and he can outproduce his college numbers, but it will take some time first.

LB: Blogging aside, as a Bruins fan, what were your feelings about Jrue Holiday in his one season at UCLA?

Ryan: I know some UCLA fans have less than favorable feelings towards Holiday for some of the remarks that may have come out of the Holiday camp, but I don't harbor those same feelings. While I don't have the same attachment to him that I have for guys who were Bruins for three or four years, some of the missteps that caused some fans to turn on him were a result of questionable people around him, in my opinion, and more than anything, immaturity on Holiday's part. He didn't live up to expectations that many would have for a High School Player of the Year, but he made his contribution despite playing out of position and I still consider him a Bruin. I'll be rooting for him in Philly.

LB: How is Jrue off the court? Good character? Work ethic? Bright kid?

Ryan: As has been the theme thus far, immaturity describes him pretty well. The positive side to all of that is that it's something he will grow out of and I think he's a pretty good kid. He has a good feel for the game and a high basketball IQ. By all accounts, he works his tail off in the offseason and does so in games when he's not downtrodden, a result of immaturity. While he may have some issues the first year or two as he matures, if you are willing to wait a few years, I think you'll have a high character guy who works extremely hard.

LB: Anything else us salivating Sixers fans should know about our new point guard?

Ryan: I think you guys got an absolute steal at #17. Jrue's talent level is far above that of a #17 pick and if you're willing to be a little patient then your patience will be rewarded. While Eddie Jordan will likely bring his Princeton offense with him, I don't see that stopping you from getting into the open floor on stops, where Jrue can shine. For the first couple years, he's going to have some trouble in the half court as he works on his jump shot, but I think that he will become a good half court player eventually. I think it would be best if you resigned Andre Miller or another veteran point guard so Jrue can come off the bench for 15 minutes a game early on and learn the game, then take the starting spot over in a year or two. All in all, a great pick by your Sixers.

UCLA Baseball Named One To Follow For 2010

ryebreadraz — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:31:23 -0000

UCLA Baseball Named One To Follow For 2010

UCLA- The Bruins have been one of the nation's biggest disappointments over the last two seasons, but they could take a step forward next year as their electric youngsters come into their own. The strength of the team will be the uber-talented weekend rotation, which will feature future first-round picks Gerrit Cole (who was already a first-rounder of high school) and Trevor Bauer, as well as bulldog lefty Rob Rasmussen.