Post by rainman on Jul 16, 2009 6:59:14 GMT -5
HERTZEL COLUMN - A few random summer thoughts
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
— A few random thoughts as the summer starts to heat up …
• Am I the only one who finds a certain irony in the context of two traffic accidents and a jacket full of violations for a man nicknamed Truck?
• Bob Huggins certainly has been tested before, both by his players and by himself, but he now faces a really tough situation.
His two point guards are on indefinite suspension for what seem to be serious violations, and the spotlight is squarely on him. He’s smart enough to know that some strong discipline is necessary, yet he’s also smart enough to know that you can’t win in the Big East with anything less than a premier point guard.
It’s a tightrope that is going to require balancing the thought that “kids will be kids” with setting an example to show that the kind of behavior leading to these incidents cannot spread throughout the team.
• Just wondering why it seems that incidents such as the ones involving Truck Bryant and Joe Mazzulla always happen outside a bar in the wee, wee hours of the morning rather than outside a church?
• Who finds it interesting that the Pirates have a farm team in Charleston and a general manager named Huntington?
Of course, Huntington is not only a city but a bank, which would make it easy — if they happen to win a world championship — to change PNC Park to Huntington Park.
• With the Pirates, the once-promising Ian Snell couldn’t get Charlie Brown out, leading the fans to boo him and for him to request a demotion to Class AAA Indianapolis.
Upon arriving at Indy he struck out 17 batters in his first game, including 13 in a row, and now has won three straight, each with an overpowering performance.
That would suggest that perhaps his problems were more of mental nature than any lack of ability.
It would also lead to the question why, with all the cash being thrown around major league baseball, including on medical care, teams like the Pirates don’t have a house shrink.
Most professional golfers have a psychologist and, of course, WVU has its own Ed Etzel to treat the mentally wounded, to help with concentration or feelings of inadequacy, yet baseball doesn’t do this on a regular basis.
Strange, when you are always hearing “Baseball is 10 percent physical and 90 percent mental,” except, of course, from Yogi Berra, who would have said “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
• I have a new routine these days. I don’t go out at night until after I’ve checked to make sure Truck Bryant isn’t on the roads.
• With football camp just around the corner now, here’s a suggestion for Bill Stewart.
On Friday, Oct. 30, the Mountaineers play what is supposed to be a crucial game against South Florida. If it turns out to have a strong bearing on the Big East race and bowl implications, wouldn’t that be the perfect time to have Patrick White zip over from Miami to talk to the team before the game?
The Dolphins are at the New York Jets on that Sunday, so perhaps it could be worked out to get him to New York for the Saturday walkthrough.
• As it turns out, Rich Rodriguez never did give out Braylon Edwards’ No. 1 jersey last year. He caused quite a stir not long after being hired by saying he would give it to a freshman, unaware of Michigan tradition that the uniform number would not be used and Edwards would give a nice monetary gift to the school.
Edwards, a wide receiver with the Cleveland Browns, was upset at the time but now is best buds with Rodriguez.
“That was a misunderstanding as it related to tradition, and we got past that. We’re fine,” Edwards was quoted as saying in the Detroit Free Press.
• Everyone is worrying about the offensive line this year for the Mountaineers.
While that is unproven, I keep hearing a voice whispering “special teams, special teams.”
With Pat McAfee gone and with the dismal performance last year by the unit defending kickoff returns, that aspect of the game is certainly lined up to be the Achilles heel of this year’s team.
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
— A few random thoughts as the summer starts to heat up …
• Am I the only one who finds a certain irony in the context of two traffic accidents and a jacket full of violations for a man nicknamed Truck?
• Bob Huggins certainly has been tested before, both by his players and by himself, but he now faces a really tough situation.
His two point guards are on indefinite suspension for what seem to be serious violations, and the spotlight is squarely on him. He’s smart enough to know that some strong discipline is necessary, yet he’s also smart enough to know that you can’t win in the Big East with anything less than a premier point guard.
It’s a tightrope that is going to require balancing the thought that “kids will be kids” with setting an example to show that the kind of behavior leading to these incidents cannot spread throughout the team.
• Just wondering why it seems that incidents such as the ones involving Truck Bryant and Joe Mazzulla always happen outside a bar in the wee, wee hours of the morning rather than outside a church?
• Who finds it interesting that the Pirates have a farm team in Charleston and a general manager named Huntington?
Of course, Huntington is not only a city but a bank, which would make it easy — if they happen to win a world championship — to change PNC Park to Huntington Park.
• With the Pirates, the once-promising Ian Snell couldn’t get Charlie Brown out, leading the fans to boo him and for him to request a demotion to Class AAA Indianapolis.
Upon arriving at Indy he struck out 17 batters in his first game, including 13 in a row, and now has won three straight, each with an overpowering performance.
That would suggest that perhaps his problems were more of mental nature than any lack of ability.
It would also lead to the question why, with all the cash being thrown around major league baseball, including on medical care, teams like the Pirates don’t have a house shrink.
Most professional golfers have a psychologist and, of course, WVU has its own Ed Etzel to treat the mentally wounded, to help with concentration or feelings of inadequacy, yet baseball doesn’t do this on a regular basis.
Strange, when you are always hearing “Baseball is 10 percent physical and 90 percent mental,” except, of course, from Yogi Berra, who would have said “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
• I have a new routine these days. I don’t go out at night until after I’ve checked to make sure Truck Bryant isn’t on the roads.
• With football camp just around the corner now, here’s a suggestion for Bill Stewart.
On Friday, Oct. 30, the Mountaineers play what is supposed to be a crucial game against South Florida. If it turns out to have a strong bearing on the Big East race and bowl implications, wouldn’t that be the perfect time to have Patrick White zip over from Miami to talk to the team before the game?
The Dolphins are at the New York Jets on that Sunday, so perhaps it could be worked out to get him to New York for the Saturday walkthrough.
• As it turns out, Rich Rodriguez never did give out Braylon Edwards’ No. 1 jersey last year. He caused quite a stir not long after being hired by saying he would give it to a freshman, unaware of Michigan tradition that the uniform number would not be used and Edwards would give a nice monetary gift to the school.
Edwards, a wide receiver with the Cleveland Browns, was upset at the time but now is best buds with Rodriguez.
“That was a misunderstanding as it related to tradition, and we got past that. We’re fine,” Edwards was quoted as saying in the Detroit Free Press.
• Everyone is worrying about the offensive line this year for the Mountaineers.
While that is unproven, I keep hearing a voice whispering “special teams, special teams.”
With Pat McAfee gone and with the dismal performance last year by the unit defending kickoff returns, that aspect of the game is certainly lined up to be the Achilles heel of this year’s team.
