C-USA Preview: For Memphis, success this season will be measured in March

17 Oct
2012
by in General, NCAA Sports

Yahoo! Sports is breaking down each league for the upcoming college basketball season working backward from No. 31 to No. 1. Here's a look at our No. 10 league, Conference USA.

In the three seasons after he accepted the unenviable task of following John Calipari at Memphis, Josh Pastner has won a conference title, reached the NCAA tournament twice and thrived on the recruiting trail.

The one goal he has yet to accomplish is postseason success.

Memphis is 0-2 in the NCAA tournament under Pastner, falling to Arizona in 2011 and Saint Louis in 2012. Pastner's success landing top recruits and reestablishing the Tigers as Conference USA's dominant program have earned him patience, but the fan base will no doubt grow a bit restless if that doesn't translate into a March run sooner or later.

The good news for Memphis is it boasts more than enough talent to compete with anyone in the nation next season. Even though Central Florida has a slew of returning talent and Marshall brings back DeAndre Kane and Dennis Tinnon from a 21-win team, the Tigers are clearly a runaway favorite in Conference USA in their final season before joining the Big East.

Memphis' biggest advantage should be in the frontcourt, where it has three players with pro potential. Sophomore Adonis Thomas is an inside-outside threat and junior Tarik Black is a candidate for a breakout season, while promising incoming freshman Shaq Goodwin is unrefined offensively but a difference maker as an athlete.

The loss of Will Barton and his 18 points per game deprives Memphis of its best perimeter scorer, but plenty of firepower remains.

One option to transform from complementary player to standout is Chris Crawford, an excellent shooter who is also capable of getting to the rim. Antonio Barton is a long range threat, D.J. Stephens finishes well going to the basket and junior college transfer Geron Johnson has the ability to score in many ways if he can stay out of off-the-court trouble.

MAKING A LIST
Best shooter: Scottie Haralson, Tulsa. On a depleted Tulsa team reeling from leading scorer Jordan Clarkson's transfer, Haralson will have to emerge as a go-to scorer. The 6-foot-4 senior needs to round out his offensive game, but he is already a premier shooter, having sank 90 3-pointers last season and shot 40.7 percent from behind the arc.
Best playmaker: Miguel Paul, East Carolina. Paul, a 6-foot-1 Missouri transfer, averaged 15.2 points and a league-high 5.9 assists per game. If he can improve his 38.6 percent shooting as a senior, he could contend for first team all-league honors.
Best defender: Chris Crawford, Memphis. In addition to being a potential breakout scorer for the Tigers, Crawford is also his team's top perimeter defender. The 6-foot-4 junior bothered opposing wings with his length and quickness and had a league-best 63 steals last season.
Top NBA prospect: Adonis Thomas, Memphis. Hailed as one of the nation's top recruits entering his freshman year, Thomas showed flashes of potential before an ankle injury sidelined him for six weeks during his freshman season. He's healthy now and ready to showcase a versatile inside-outside game that has NBA scouts touting him as a potential mid-first round pick.
Best backcourt: Memphis. Marshall's DeAndre Kane is the conference's best guard, but nobody has more perimeter versatility or firepower than Memphis. Joe Jackson is a pure point guard, Crawford is a capable shooter, distributor and defender and Antonio Barton has deep range. The wildcard is junior college transfer Geron Johnson, a promising but well-traveled talent with a history of legal problems.
Best frontcourt: Memphis. How many teams in any league, let alone Conference USA, have three pro prospects in their frontcourt? Thomas is the headliner, 6-foot-8 big man Tarik Black is overdue for a breakout season if he can apply himself on the glass and stay out of foul trouble and top recruit Shaq Goodwin is still raw offensively but very, very athletic.
Best recruiting class: Houston. The Cougars needed a talent infusion in advance of their move to the Big East next fall, and James Dickey's incoming class achieved that. He landed forwards Danuel House and "Chicken" Knowles, both top 50 recruits and Houston-area products. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Knowles will not be eligible until the 2013-14 season.
Coach on the rise: Danny Manning, Tulsa. In five years as an assistant at Kansas, Manning helped put eight big men in the NBA and built a reputation as one of the premier big man coaches in the nation. Now he takes over a Tulsa program that is need of a talent infusion yet is capable of reemerging on the national scene.
Coach on the hot seat: Ben Braun, Rice. Braun appeared to be making progress in year four at Rice before six players transferred this offseason including star Arsalan Kazemi and promising big man Omar Oraby. Now Braun has a depleted roster and a massive rebuilding project on his hands entering his fifth year at Rice.
Three must-see games: 1 Memphis at Battle 4 Atlantis, Nov. 22-24 (Tigers' matchup vs. VCU highlights opening round of 2012's best preseason tourney); 2. Louisville at Memphis, Dec. 15 (This rivalry game will also be a league game next season) 3. Marshall vs. West Virginia, Dec. 5 in Charleston (Games like these are the ones Marshall must win a few of to contend for an at-large bid)

FACTS AND FIGURES
New coaches: Danny Manning, Tulsa (Had been assistant at Kansas); Larry Brown, SMU (Had been retired NBA coach); Donnie Tyndall, Southern Mississippi (Had been coach at Morehead State); Jerod Haase, UAB (Had been assistant at North Carolina)
Regular-season winner last season: Memphis
Tourney winner last season: Memphis
League RPI rank in each of past 3 seasons: 2011-12: 9th ; 2010-11: 8th, 2009-10: 11th
NCAA bids the past three seasons: 6 (Memphis (2), UTEP, Houston, Southern Miss, UAB)

More conference previews from Yahoo! Sports:

Missouri Valley (No. 11): Improvement on defense could lead to a big season for Creighton; Can another NCAA contender emerge behind Creighton?

CAA (No. 12): Old Dominion's 'Mission Possible' is to make the best of challenging season; Drexel aims to avenge last year's snub, snap 16-year NCAA tournament drought

MAC (No. 13): New Ohio coach Jim Christian is back in his comfort zone; Akron hopes to avenge last year's MAC tourney title game loss

Horizon League (No. 14): An unlikely Florida recruiting pipeline has sparked Youngstown State's revival; Valparaiso won't sneak up on anybody this season

Ohio Valley Conference (No. 15): Isaiah Canaan talks about coming back to Murray State, his most famous shot and how Hurricane Katrina altered his life; Murray State, Belmont poised to continue league's run of recent success

Ivy League (No. 16): Princeton's Ian Hummer excels at a school he has adored since childhood; Ivy League Capsule Preview: Harvard is still a title threat despite cheating scandal

Patriot League (No. 17): C.J. McCollum bypassed the NBA and returned to Lehigh to fulfill a promise to his parents; Expect another spirited two-way battle between Bucknell and Lehigh

MAAC (No. 18): Mitch Buonaguro enters important year optimistic Siena can climb back into contention; Next step in Manhattan's stunning turnaround could be league title

Southern Conference (No. 19): Trading soccer for hoops has paid off for College of Charleston star and Great Britain Olympian Andrew Lawrence; Davidson is loaded for another run at a league title, NCAA bid

WAC (No. 20): Will the beleaguered WAC survive as a basketball league beyond next season?;WAC Capsule Preview: Utah State hopes to rebound from frustrating 2011-12 season

Sun Belt League (No. 21): In likely his final season at North Texas, Tony Mitchell wants to leave a legacy; Middle Tennessee State vies for the NCAA bid it narrowly missed last year

Summit League (No. 22): In the small town of Brookings, S.D., Nate Wolters is a reluctant superstar; South Dakota State looks like the clear favorite

NEC (No. 23): Oft-overlooked Shane Gibson hopes to go from hidden gem to stardom; NEC Capsule Preview: Three-way battle for league title could hinge on LIU Brooklyn suspensions

Big Sky (No. 24): New stars must emerge for Weber State to succeed without Damian Lillard;Montana remains the favorite despite Will Cherry's injury

Big West (No. 25): With San Diego State on its way, Big West teams are investing in hoops to avoid being left behind; Revamped Long Beach State takes aim at another Big West title

Atlantic Sun (No. 26): Humble, unassuming Torrey Craig leads South Carolina Upstate's resurgence; Which team will capitalize on Belmont's departure?

Big South (No. 27): Unwanted in high school, guards Saah Nimley and Arlon Harper are now powering Charleston Southern's resurgence; Coastal Carolina hopes home is sweet this March

Southland Conference (No. 28): Pat Knight's epic rant had unintended benefits for Lamar; Oral Roberts assumes the role of instant favorite in its new league

America East (No. 29): Stony Brook basketball draws inspiration from baseball team's College World Series run; Early departures drain league of some of its top talent

MEAC (No. 30): Rush of publicity from Missouri win has long-lasting impact at Norfolk State; Savannah State seeks NCAA bid to cap remarkable turnaround

SWAC (No. 31): Mike Davis prefers challenge of winning at Texas Southern to torture of taking a year off; Balanced league will crown new champ this year

Tags: , Conference USA, frontcourt, Memphis, NCAA tournament, , perimeter, talent, ,
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Hockey Canada clears Nail Yakupov to play in KHL

29 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy Hockey, General

Last week we reported a story about Nail Yakupov and his problems securing an international transfer card that would allow him to play in Russia for Neftekhimik of the KHL. The IIHF reacted quite angrily, and the next day the organization announced that all of the pending transfer cards have been approved. But this was not the case at all. Hockey Canada on behalf of Sarnia Sting, the club Yakupov was assigned to just before the lockout was announced, blocked Yakupov's transfer card.

[Nicholas J. Cotsonika: Collusion question goes to the heart of NHL lockout]

Yakupov himself Tweeted that he would play again for Neftekhimik soon. His father publically stated, "my son will not go to Sarnia. Even if he is (disqualified from the KHL), he will continue training in Nizhnekamsk."

Vladislav Tretiak of the Russian Hockey Federation and Bob Nicholson of Hockey Canada discussed the matter during the IIHF congress in Tokyo, Japan this week. A round of negotiations was also scheduled for Friday of this week. And now we have a resolution.

From Hockey Canada:

"Hockey Canada and the Russian Ice Hockey Federation have announced that the OHL has determined that Yakupov had no independent legal advice when, at the age of 17 years old, he signed his contract with Sarnia. His release goes into effect immediately."

The KHL issued the following statement on its website:

"Thanks to a constructive dialog and joined efforts of KHL president Alexander Medvedev, Russian Hockey Federation Vladislav Tretiak and Hockey Canada President Bob Nicholson, an agreement has been reached regarding forward Nail Yakupov's play for Neftekhimik. Kontinental Hockey League points out the flexibility and the understanding of the Edmonton [Oilers] and the Sarnia [Sting] hockey clubs during the negotiation process. Nail Yakupov may resume playing for Neftekhimik on Monday, October 1 in a game against Dynamo Moscow."

Yakupov will face off against Alex Ovechkin and Dynamo Moscow on Monday. But this was an unpleasant situation for all involved. A number of years ago the Sting were reportedly involved in a legal battle with the Colorado Avalanche over where certain players may be assigned, even winning an injunction against the Avs, prompting Colorado to settle with the OHL club for $26,000. It is unclear from the KHL statement if any compensation has been paid to resolve this matter.

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Tags: federation, , Hockey Canada, , , , , , Russian Hockey Federation, Sarnia Sting, , Yakupov
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Nail Yakupov locked out of Russia by Hockey Canada?

26 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy Hockey, General

In two games with Neftekhimik Nizhnekams of the KHL, Edmonton Oilers rookie Nail Yakupov had zero points and was a minus-1.

So maybe they won't miss him if Hockey Canada is able to keep the No. 1 overall pick in last summer's NHL Draft out of Russia during the lockout.

The KHL announced on Tuesday that Yakupov is "temporarily" unable to play for Neftekhimik because of an IIHF investigation into his transfer to the League.

The KHL's Director of Sports Event Management Dmitry Kurbatov told Sportbox.ru that Yakupov temporarily cannot play in Russia until the IIHF determines the legitimacy of his transfer:

"The IIHF initiated this whole process," Kurbatov said. "Currently the IIHF is determining the legitimacy of Yakupov's transfer to the KHL. His current status in the NHL, the AHL and the KHL is raising questions. While the investigation is ongoing, in accordance with the Regulations we cannot allow a player to play in our league. I hope this problem will be resolved in the coming days."

The move by Hockey Canada not to approve the ITC comes from Sarnia, it appears, as the Edmonton Oilers officially assigned Yakupov to play there. It is unclear whether this was done before or after Yakupov's agent Igor Larionov negotiated for the Oilers to allow Yakupov to play in the KHL.

(Buzzing The Net, Yahoo! Sports' Junior Hockey Blog, has more on the Sarnia angle.)

Yakupov has also been very vocal as far as where he wanted to play. This move by Hockey Canada may now trigger KHL's reaction that could affect a lot of young Russian players who want to play in Canada.

Almost every player drafted in the CHL from Russia has a contract with a Russian club. Players who are playing in the Russian Junior League — the MHL — actually have KHL contracts. That means that these players will need their clubs to agree to allow them to play in Canada.

[Related: Goal of the year candidate from the KHL]

The move today was done for the benefit of the CHL, not the player involved. Any move by the KHL and the Russian Hockey Federations to restrict the movement of juniors will be done for the benefit of the KHL.

That just means that players will suffer in the end.

Here is the IIHF statement on the matter:

Nail Yakupov has played two games for the KHL Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk without an approved International Transfer Card, ITC. The ITC was not signed by Hockey Canada and was thus not approved by the IIHF. Playing without an approved ITC following an international transfer request is a breach of IIHF transfer regulations.

At this time, being that Hockey Canada did not approve Nail Yakupov's ITC, his case is in appeal procedures. Until appeal procedures are complete and a decision regarding his transfer to Russia is made, an ITC will not be approved or denied by the IIHF.

In accordance with IIHF regulations the IIHF has sanctioned the Russian Ice Hockey Federation with a fine of 5.000 CHF and informed the RHF to withdraw the player from further competition in order not to risk stronger sanctions, including sanctions (suspension) of the player, pending the final decision of the IIHF's appeal procedure. In accordance with IIHF regulations, the Russian Ice Hockey Federations has seven days (1 October 2012) to respond to Hockey Canada's appeal.

I asked the IIHF for further clarifications:

Q. Is not signing the ITC the same as not approving it?

IIHF: According to IIHF regulations the member national association has seven days to sign or not approve an ITC. The same time is given to respond to an appeal. It's the same time that now RHF has to respond to Hockey Canada's appeal. "Signing" is the same as "approving".

Q. Has the IIHF taken any steps to contact Hockey Canada?

IIHF: IIHF has contacted Hockey Canada who has submitted all relevant information to the IIHF. The documentation is part of the ongoing appeal process.

Q. And what were the reasons given?

IIHF: The IIHF does not disclose any reasons during the appeal process. Hockey Canada may, if they wish to, give the reasons when approached.

To close this out, here's a recent quote from Yakupov himself:

"How could they assign me to Sarnia if I am already in Nizhnekamsk?! I said right away that I will not play in the AHL if there is a lockout, I want to play adult hockey!

"Even before the lockout I was invited to Neftekhimik. Of course I agreed right away: to play for the home club is my long time dream. So I didn't have any other options where to go.  I bought tickets and flew to Nizhnekamsk right away.  And I can't play in the OHL because of my age. I don't think the League would change their rules because of one person."

For now, he sits and waits to find out where he'll play.

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Oregon bolsters its frontcourt again by adding Rice transfer Arsalan Kazemi

24 Sep
2012
by in General, NCAA Sports

Oregon had only three players taller than 6-foot-6 on its 2012-13 roster as recently as a month ago.

Now frontcourt depth could go from one of the Ducks' glaring weaknesses to one of their greatest strengths.

Two weeks after promising 6-foot-11 junior college transfer Waverly Austin transferred to Oregon after he couldn't get academically eligible at South Florida, the Ducks have also reportedly landed Rice transfer Arsalan Kazemi. The 6-foot-7 senior has been one of Conference USA's top interior players the past two years, averaging 15.2 points and 11 rebounds as a sophomore and 12.1 points and 10.3 rebounds last season.

Kazemi reportedly will petition for a waiver to play right away next season rather than sitting out the customary one year penalty. It seems like a long shot the NCAA would grant that waiver request unless there's compelling evidence not publicly available yet, but the possibility of having Kazemi next season certainly is intriguing for the Ducks.

Add Kazemi to next season's roster, and the Ducks could have a formidable frontcourt foursome featuring him and returning star E.J. Singler at power forward and Austin and former Wake Forest transfer Tony Woods at center. Singler would also be able to slide down to small forward at times, which is probably his more natural position.

Even if Kazemi can't get eligible this season, he and Austin would make a strong starting duo in 2013-14. Austin was rated as the fifth-best prospect among junior college players last season by JucoRecruiting.com after averaging 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots for Palm Beach State College.

The addition of Austin and Kazemi shows why Oregon coach Dana Altman typically keeps a scholarship or two open in order to bolster his roster late in the summer if a transfer of note becomes available.

Two years ago, Oregon landed Jay-R Strowbridge at the end of the summer, and he emerged as a key contributor in his lone season with the Ducks. Last year, it was Woods who came aboard late and ended up starting all 28 games. Oregon tried to get involved with highly touted Xavier transfer Dez Wells last month, but the Ducks will gladly settle for Austin and Kazemi as consolation prizes.

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Tags: , Arsalan Kazemi Oregon, Ducks, , frontcourt, , , , , , Waverly, Waverly Austin
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How the NHL helped Jaromir Jagr play for his Czech League team

21 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy Hockey, General

Jaromir Jagr made his debut with the Czech League's Kladno Knights on Wednesday, picking up an assist in a 3-2 defeat at the hands of H.C. Slavia. He was joined by fellow NHLers Tomas Plekanec, Jiri Tlusty, Marek Zidlicky, Roman Cervenka, and Vladimir Sobotka.

But the debut of this band of Czech talent almost didn't happen. The morning of the game, the players' transfer cards had still yet to be approved, and they began to worry that they might have to sit the night out. That would have been a nightmare, considering the thousands upon thousands slated to come watch.

A majority owner in the franchise, Jagr took to the phones in an attempt to prevent the crowd from shouting "What, no Jagr?" And he was able to do so, thanks to some eleventh-hour cooperation from the NHL brass. From the New York Times:

To expedite the process, Jagr had made a late phone call Tuesday to his former Rangers teammate Brendan Shanahan, who is now an N.H.L. vice president.

"I have to say thanks to Brendan Shanahan who helped me a lot," Jagr said. "Shanahan did a great job and put Gary Bettman and Bill Daly on the phone, and eventually we were able to play."

There's a lot to discuss in this short section. First, it's definitely interesting to note that Bettman and Daly personally helped to resolve the transfer card issue ahead of the game.

That seems especially generous, considering the beating the NHL is taking over its treatment of the players.

"I think the anger and frustration comes from knowing what the owners are capable of under the guidance of Gary Bettman," Ryan Miller told the Globe & Mail Friday, perhaps insinuating they were capable of murder most foul.

And agent Allan Walsh feels the league is just stewing over the player exodus. "NHL hates it that players playing in Europe... NHL wants players sitting at home," he tweeted.

But if the NHL were truly as spiteful as some are saying, wouldn't it have made more sense to cackle at the issue and wash its hands of it? Why, this act of cooperation seems downright... nice.

Granted, the alternative could have led to a massive PR debacle, had it gotten out. It would have made the NHL look spiteful and small, for one.

Then this story would have this header instead:

Additionally, it would have supported the transfer card controversy Dmitry Chesnokov discussed on Tuesday, which was subsequently denied by the IIHF.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly also distanced the NHL from this issue. When asked how much of a role the NHL plays in the IIHF decision on transfer cards, he responded, "None, either directly or indirectly."

Unless Jaromir Jagr is asking to be done a solid.

Follow Harrison Mooney on Twitter at @HarrisonMooney

Tags: brendan shanahan, Czech League, , , , , , , phone,
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Nail Yakupov, other NHL players facing IIHF transfer card controversy in Europe

18 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy Hockey, General

As the NHL locked out its players, Nail Yakupov, taken first overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, flew back to his home town of Nizhnekamsk and agreed to a contract with the local KHL team, Neftekhimik.

He was scheduled to be in the starting lineup in Neftekhimik's next game in Nizhni Novgorod. But that's likely not going to happen, because the IIHF is refusing to issue Yakupov's transfer card to the KHL club.

It's something that could affect other NHL players trying to spend the lockout in Europe.

An IIHF transfer card is needed for any player participating in any tournament under the IIHF umbrella. It is sort of a permit to play. The KHL and every hockey league in Europe is under the IIHF umbrella. The KHL had its run-ins with the international hockey governing body before, when the IIHF either refused or delayed issuing transfer cards, like in the case with Alex Radulov. On certain occasions, these tensions led to KHL threatening to leave the organization.

"The IIHF is not allowing Yakupov to play. The transfer card has not been sent from Switzerland (the IIHF headquarters)," Neftekhimik director Rafik Yakubov told Sovetsky Sport's Pavel Lysenkov.

"I can't even imagine what this is related to. Perhaps the international hockey federation doesn't want to feud with the NHL and is waiting when they receive an approval from there. The negotiations are ongoing and we were told that there will be no requests. So, Nail cannot play against Torpedo. He is already in Nizhnekamsk, practicing with the team and is ready to play even tomorrow."

Lysenkov is reporting that Igor Larionov, Yakupov's agent, had an agreement in place with the Edmonton Oilers to allow Yakupov to play in the KHL for the duration of the lockout.

But now Yakupov has to wait.

The NHL is not a member of the IIHF, but has a great deal of power bossing the international governing body around. Rene Fasel rarely goes against NHL's wishes, and it is not surprising the IIHF is possibly waiting for NHL's official permission to issue transfer cards to NHL players allowing them to play in Europe during the lockout.

No one will officially confirm this within the IIHF, but it is possibly the case that this is yet another way the NHL can stop players from playing altogether. The IIHF's leadership is weak to make independent decisions.

(Asked how much of a role NHL plays in IIHF decision on transfer cards, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an e-mail to Yahoo! Sports: "None, either directly or indirectly.")

The large scale of the IIHF's ineptness is that apparently Yakupov is not the only one without the transfer card. Czech media outlets are reporting that none (!) of the NHL players who have signed deals in Europe in the last few days have received their transfer cards. Not Jaromir Jagr nor Evgeni Malkin nor Sergei Gonchar nor Ilya Kovalchuk. We are awaiting confirmation of this, as the time difference with Europe is such that it is tough to get answers.

But again, this whole story is not surprising. The IIHF does not want to get into a feud with the NHL even though, as I mentioned, the NHL is not related to the IIHF in any way.

UPDATE: Szymon Szemberg of the IIHF provided the following information in the hopes of clarifying the process and explaining some of the delays:

Whenever a club has signed a player to personal contract, the club that has recruited the player must start the international transfer card (ITC) procedure. Most likely, a professional club either has a card in the club office or acquires one from its national federation.

An ITC needs three signatures -- outgoing federation, ingoing federation and the player -- to be approved by the IIHF; and when it has the three signatures, the IIHF immediately approves the transfer, informing the relevant parties that the player is cleared to play.

The IIHF never stalls or delays any transfers. As soon as it has the three approvals, the player is good to go.

Example: When Atlant Mytishi wants to recruit Andreas Engqvist from the Montreal Canadiens, they take the ITC card and have the player and the Russian hockey federation sign it. After that they send it to Hockey Canada (as Montreal is in Canada) and HC checks with NHL Central Registry about the player's contractual status. If the player is not under a valid and binding contract, NHL CR gives HC the OK to sign the ITC. HC, if it is time pressure, scans the ITC and e-mails it as an attachment to the IIHF.

The very second the ITC arrives at the IIHF with all three signatures, the IIHF informs RHF/KHL/Atlant that the player is eligible to play. So the IIHF is never in a position to stall or delay anything.

In the regulations, it says that the outgoing federation has seven days to approve the ITC. The reason is that it sometimes it takes time to determine the players' contractual status or the player's old club must be given time to clear certain things, whether the player has honored all his obligations. If the outgoing federation does not approve within seven days, the IIHF immediately contacts the federation asking and asks for reason why. If the federation has no reason, the IIHF approves the transfer.

So when Yakupov left for the CHL it was the other way around; Sarnia started the ITC process and Neftekhimik/Russian HF were given seven days to sign the ITC.

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Brandon McCarthy discharged from hospital with sense of humor clearly intact

11 Sep
2012
by in Fantasy Baseball, General

Oakland A's pitcher Brandon McCarthy was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon and the transfer was met with another confirmation that brain surgery hasn't affected his sense of humor any.

Last Wednesday's surgery to stabilize a skull fracture suffered when McCarthy was hit by a line drive off the bat of Erick Aybar apparently hasn't affected his libido, either.

WELL IF BEING DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL ISNT THE BEST TIME TO ASK ABOUT THREESOMES THEN IM FRESH OUT OF IDEAS [McCarthy tweeted]

McCarthy's off-color joke, which he fired off as he left the California Pacific Medical Campus in San Francisco, had been retweeted nearly 4,000 times at the time of this blog post.

And lest she let her husband build any fantasies that involve calling in a reliever — or all of the Twittersphere's laughs — Amanda McCarthy responded with a hilarious tweet of her own.

I WILL strike someone with a brain injury [she asserted]

Don't worry folks, it's all just a lot of good fun from the best husband-and-wife comedy duo in the sport. Their back-and-forth over the social medium is one of the big reasons why so many baseball fans — and not just those from Oakland  — are pulling for McCarthy as the 29-year-old attempts to recover from this awful injury.

It should be noted that it's not like McCarthy can't be serious when he needs to be, either. The team's official release about the pitcher's condition included a nice thank you to doctors, nurses, teammates and fans as well as McCarthy's stated wish to return "to baseball and our normal lives in the weeks and months ahead."

There is no current timetable for McCarthy's return, but it almost certainly won't come in this year's regular season or postseason. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that McCarthy cannot do any strenuous rehab or exercise until his skull has completely healed and McCarthy isn't expected to leave the Bay Area for at least three weeks.

One thing's for certain, though: We're going to be privy to the funniest comeback of all time, thanks to the McCarthys' 1-2 comedy punch on Twitter. Keep 'em coming.

Want more baseball fun all season long?
Follow @bigleaguestew, @KevinKaduk and the BLS Facebook page!

Tags: , Amanda McCarthy, Brandon McCarthy, California Pacific Medical Campus, , Hospital, , , sense, sense of humor, ,
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SMU’s latest high-major transfer is ex-Villanova big man Markus Kennedy

19 Jul
2012
by in General, NCAA Sports

Markus Kennedy found one of the few ways possible to remain in the Big East after leaving Villanova.

The 6-foot-9 big man will transfer to a Big East school not yet a member of the league.

According to ESPN.com's Dave Telep, Kennedy plans to enroll at SMU, which means he'll become eligible just in time for the Mustangs' Big East debut during the 2013-14 season. The rising sophomore also considered Tulsa and Boston University before settling on the Mustangs.

The addition of Kennedy is further proof that an aspect of new SMU coach Larry Brown's strategy to make the Mustangs competitive in the Big East is to make the school a destination for high-major transfers. Brown previously added former Illinois guard Crandall Head and thought he had ex-Arizona guard Josiah Turner committed before the former five-star recruit opted to turn pro instead.

It's no surprise Kennedy chose SMU over his other suitors considering his extensive ties to the program. Kennedy had a prior relationship with SMU video assistant Jay Duncan, a former Villanova graduate assistant, and knew Brown well from the time he spent around the Wildcats program last year.

Although Kennedy alone certainly won't transform SMU into a Big East-caliber program,  he'd be another key cog in the Mustangs' rebuilding process.

Kennedy averaged 3.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15 minutes per game as a freshman, but he could be ready to have a breakout season by 2013 if he improves his body and game during his year sitting out.  Either way, he'll be a nice frontcourt pairing with Class of 2013 7-footer Jordan Dickerson, who committed to SMU this week.

Tags: Big East, , , , Kennedy, , Markus Kennedy Markus Kennedy, , , SMU, the Big East, the Mustangs,
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