Huskers to Become Pill Poppers

Here’s how it works. You swallow the pill and it could possibly save your life. The Nebraska football team is taking technology from NASA to monitor the body temperatures of their players.

The capsules, which are swallowed like any other pill, house coils, circuits and a battery. The capsules transmit a low-frequency radio signal that varies with a patient's body temperature, and the information being picked up by a hand-held recorder.

The pill measures core body temperature as it passes through the digestive system, and it typically stays in the system 20 to 36 hours.

During workouts, a trainer scans players with a device that resembles a television remote control and records the core temperature. If a player is overheating, the device sends a warning signal.

"We're just trying to maintain a proactive approach, especially in the summer months when the humidity and heat index begin to build," said Husker head coach Bill Callahan. "You can't be too careful, in my opinion."

Callahan said that about a dozen Nebraska players would try the capsules this summer.

Bring Out the Brooms

Seattle finished a three game sweep of the Angels with a 6-2 win that was sparked by a three run 5th and a complete game, four pitch performance by pitcher Felix Hernandez.

The sweep put the Angels 2.5 games beneath the Mariners in last place and also put Seattle 4 games behind the Rangers for first. Standing between the Mariners and the Rangers are the Oakland A’s, Seattle’s next opponent.

Both the Mariners and the A’s have won 8 of their last 10 games and in my opinion have more talent than the first place Rangers. There is a great chance that one of these two teams will win the division which makes this series all the more important. If Seattle can take two of three or get a sweep here then they will be sitting pretty good.

While Seattle and Oakland are battling it out the Rangers will be hosting the White Sox for a four game series. The AL West Standings could look very different by the end of this week.

AL West Standings
W L Pct GB
Texas 34 29 .540 --
Oakland 32 31 .508 2.0
Seattle 31 34 .477 4.0
LA Angels 27 35 .435 6.5

Sooners One Game Away from Omaha

Oklahoma defeated Rice, 11-5, on Sunday afternoon to even the series in the Super Regional and force a final game on Monday at Reckling Park in Houston.

The winner of Monday’s game will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

OU also lost their opening game in last weekend’s NCAA regional and played with their backs against the wall the rest of the weekend. OU knocked out Houston, TCU and Wichita State twice to win the regional.

With Sunday’s win over Rice the Sooners are 5-0 in elimination games this post season. Here’s hoping the trend continues tomorrow.

Mariners Going for Sweep

Richie Sexson, Ichiro Suzuki and Adrian Beltre all went yard yesterday to give Seattle a 12-6 win over the LA Angels. It was the second win in the three game series with the Angels setting up the possibility of a series sweep today and securing a third series victory in a row for the Mariners.

Sexson’s homer was a 5th inning grand slam. It was his second of the season, in all the Mariners totaled 16 hits.

The win also put the Angels firmly under the Mariners feet in the division standings and a series sweep would widen that gap by another game.

There is also the possibility that the Rangers will lose two today to the Boston Red Sox which would close the gap between the Mariners third place spot and the Rangers who are in first place in the division.

Mariners Take Two of Three from Twins

Even though the Mariners lost 7-3 to the Twins they still took two of three from Minnesota giving them their second series victory in a row. This current streak has moved Seattle to just 5.5 games away from the first place Texas Rangers who left the Mariners a gift by dropping a game last night to Kansas City.


The big story in this last series was the play of Minnesota’s Joe Mauer who went 9-for-12 and reached base 13 times in 15 plate appearances during the three-game series. He drove in four runs, scored four times, had three walks and reached once on an error. In three days, he raised his batting average from .354 to .379, tops in the major leagues.

Despite the Superman like performance by Mauer the Mariners were still able to win two of the three games.

Up next for Seattle is a California trip and a chance to move up in the AL West standings. The Mariners will play at LA before going to Oakland and could very well see themselves in second place by the end of the trip.

Everett Walks Off another Mariners Win

Since nearly getting swept by the Rangers in a four game series the Seattle Mariners have taken three of four from the Royals and will now win a three game series against the Minnesota Twins thanks to an eleventh inning walk off home run by Carl Everett late last night or early this morning depending on where you live.

Seattle won the first game of this series with Minnesota 4-2 on Tuesday and then game two 10-9 last night giving the Mariners the series before game three is played this afternoon.

The Mariners have won six of their last seven games and are a game out of second place in the AL West. Now, if the Rangers would just start tanking it in like they normally do.

NBA Finals Preview

I have to be honest, I never heard an NBA Finals scenario featuring the Miami Heat against the Dallas Mavericks before the play-offs began. Most prognosticators were screaming Pistons/Spurs rematch. Both Detroit and San Antonio fizzled out but I’m not sure that we don’t have the two best teams in the finals.


There are lots of interesting match-up in this series starting in the backcourt. I don’t think the Mavericks have a player on their roster that is in Dwyane Wade’s category. Wade most definitely gives the Heat a backcourt advantage and whoever gets assigned to guard him will struggle. He just makes shots that no one is supposed to make. On the flip side for the Heat, Jason Williams is very streaky and at times can hurt you more than he helps.

In the frontcourt Shaq proved against Detroit that he can still be the most dominant player in the NBA. The only problem is that he either can’t do it every night or he won’t do it every night.


For all the problems that Dwayne Wade poses for the Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki does the same thing against the Heat. His athleticism and ability to score inside or outside is going to be a nightmare for Miami on defense. Couple that with the diversity that Josh Howard brings for the Mavericks I say that the frontcourt becomes a wash with free throw shooting giving an advantage to the team that shoots best from the foul line. Not music to Pat Riley’s ears.

It was the Mavericks bench that was the difference in the Western Conference Finals. Jerry Stackhouse may be the best bench player in the play-offs.

The Heat also have veteran experience both with players and with coaches. It appears that Miami has a small advantage in the series but you have to think that this is the Mavericks year. They just seem to be a team of destiny. I’m taking the Mavericks to win the NBA Championship in six games.

Catching Up

Work took me away for the last three days so I am way behind on my sports thoughts.

Sooners Advance to a Super Regional

OU finally made the Sweet 16 in something. After losing their opening regional game to TCU the Sooners bounced back by beating Houston on Saturday and then TCU and Wichita State on Sunday to force a “win or go home” game with Wichita State on Monday night. Oklahoma won that game 7-6 sending them to the Super Regional in Houston to play the Rice Owls in a best of three series this weekend.

The first game is scheduled to start at 7:00 Saturday night.

Mariners on another Streak

Seattle didn’t sweep the Royals like I thought and even said they would but they have won five of their last six games. Solid pitching and good defense has been the key to the Mariners new streak. I still think this team can make a run at the AL West title.

Okay that’s not everything in the world of sports but I’m tired and I’ll get back to full time blogging later in the day, starting with my NBA Finals preview.

Sooners Bounce the Frogs

Yesterday OU sent the Houston Cougars home from the NCAA baseball tournament, today it was the TCU Horned Frogs sent packing 15-6 advancing OU to the regional championship against Wichita State.

OU must beat the Shockers twice to advance to a super regional next weekend. The first game is tonight at 7:00. If the Sooners win they will play Wichita State again tomorrow night at 7:00. If OU loses tonight then the Shockers win the regional and the season is over for the Sooners.

Sexson Leads Seattle in Royal Rout

Over their last three games the Seattle Mariners have outscored their opponents 30-6. Their latest offensive outburst came Saturday night when the Mariners blasted the Royals 12-1.

Richie Sexson led the offensive charge for Seattle by hitting a pair one of two run homers. Sexon finished 2-3 for the night, knocking in 5 RBI.

With two games left in this series with the Royals the Mariners need to continue to take advantage of their situation. Saturday night’s win along with losses by the Angels and the Rangers lifted Seattle out of the AL West cellar and only five games out of first place. Hopefully the Mariners can close that gap a little more over the next few days.

Mariners Blank the Royals

I’m telling ya Seattle fans. The Mariners could be on a five game winning streak come Monday. They have won two in a row including last night’s 4-0 win over Kansas City and they still have three games in three days against the Royals.

Jose Lopez and Raul Ibanez (former Royal) hit back to back home runs to start the seventh inning and provided all the run support Jamie Moyer would need. Moyer pitched his first complete game since May of last year in what could have been the best pitching performance in his twenty year career allowing just two hits.

The bad news is that Texas beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 meaning that Seattle doesn’t make up any ground on the first place Rangers.

Sooners Drop NCAA Opener 5-6

OU had a 5-3 lead over TCU going into the 9th inning and couldn’t hang on. The frogs scored three runs and walked away with a 6-5 win putting OU in the loser’s bracket.

This is a bad loss when you consider that TCU and Wichita State are both in this regional and are more than solid teams. OU has no room for error and will have to go through both teams, needing to beat one of them twice, to win the regional.

The Sooners held on to beat the #2 seed Houston Cougars 8-6 today and will play the loser of tonight’s Wichita State/TCU game at 1:00 tomorrow. The Cougars have been eliminated from the tournament.

Does God Care Who Wins a Baseball Game?

USA Today ran an interesting article on the Colorado Rockies this week. It stated that the entire organization has become Christian based, from the front office where execs pray with each other to the clubhouse that is void of pornographic material and foul language.

The “change of ownership” was sparked in December 2004 after pitcher Denny Neagle had been charged with soliciting a prostitute.

"God gave us a challenge right then and there," club President Keli McGregor says. "You always say you want to do the right thing, but often in this business we warp our values and do less than what's the right thing."

Colorado released Neagle three days after his arrest and the Rockies vowed to go after character from that point on and it seems to be working. The Rockies are off to their best start since in 11 years sitting at 27-26. A vast improvement from a team that finished tied for the worst record in baseball last season.

Rockies pitcher Jason Jennings says: "They do preach character and good living here. It's a must for them, and that starts from the very top. But we're not a military group. ... Nobody is going to push their beliefs on each other or make judgments. We do believe that if you do things right and live your life right, good things are going to happen."

2007 Big 12 Draft Prospects

Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune released his top 12 2007 NFL draft prospects from the Big 12. The only one I have an issue with being in the top 12 is Sepulveda. I realize the kid can boot the ball out of the stadium but I have to think that Iowa State receiver Todd Blythe or Missouri linebacker Dedrick Harrington are better NFL prospects. I would also have OU linebacker Rufus Alexander top 5 and Texas safety Michael Griffin top 3.


Here are Matter’s top 12
12. Daniel Sepulveda, punter, senior, Baylor
11. Red Bryant, defensive tackle, junior, Texas A&M
10. Brian Daniels, offensive guard, senior, Colorado
9. Rufus Alexander, linebacker, senior, Oklahoma: A likely pick for the Big 12 preseason defensive player of the year, Alexander (6-1, 230) should be the next Sooners linebacker to reach the NFL.
8. Martin Rucker, tight end, junior, Missouri
7. DeAndre Jackson, cornerback, senior, Iowa State
6. Tim Crowder, defensive end, senior, Texas
5. Mason Crosby, kicker, senior, Colorado
4. Michael Griffin, safety, senior, Texas
3. Adam Carriker, defensive end, senior, Nebraska
2. Justin Blalock, offensive tackle, senior, Texas
1. Adrian Peterson, running back, junior, Oklahoma: Expectations couldn’t be higher for the early favorite for the 2006 Heisman Trophy. Peterson should be a top-five draft pick if he decides to leave Oklahoma early. Heck, he would have been a top pick the last two years if he had been eligible for the draft. An ankle injury held him to seven starts last fall, but Peterson (6-2, 215) still rushed for 1,108 yards - more than any other Big 12 running back. Reports that the San Francisco 49ers have already fashioned a No. 28 jersey aren’t to be believed.

To see Matter’s comments on all 12 players check out his article.

Mariners Take BP in Arlington

Seattle blasted the Texas Rangers Wednesday afternoon with 14 runs on 18 hits. It was the kind of offensive performance the Mariners have needed to get their confidence going.

Seattle lost two of their three games with the Rangers but thanks to Wednesday’s offensive outburst the Mariners outscored Texas 18-13 for the series. Wednesday’s performance was lead by Raul Ibanez who went 2-4 with 4 RBI including a three run home run.

"Raul's three-run homer gave us a lift and from there we pecked away and found some holes," manager Mike Hargrove said. "So much of this game is confidence. We haven't had a lot of confidence-building the last six, seven days."

Confidence is key and the Mariners have a great opportunity to build on this win and move up in the division standings. While Oakland hosts the Twins and Texas visits the White Sox the Mariners will be at home for a four game stand against the Royals.

I fully expect Seattle to be on a five game winning streak by Monday.

Athlon is Picking the Sooners in 06

Believe it or not football season is just over two months away and the reputable publications are coming out with their pre-season rankings. Athlon has put out there Top 25 with Oklahoma at the top picking the Sooners to win their 8th National Championship. Here is a snippet of what the magazine had to say about the 06 Sooners.

Flying in under the radar come the Oklahoma Sooners. After an uncharacteristically sub-par season, it’s out of sight, out of mind — but not for long. Due in large part to a ruinous rash of injuries in 2005, there are 22 players back who drew at least one starting assignment last fall, compared to only 17 with starting experience going into last season. OU won six of its last seven games, including a 17–14 victory over sixth-ranked Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. In addition, the 2006 Sooners welcome back their top passer, rusher, receiver, tackler and sack man from ’05.

Athlon’s Pick: National champions

Athlon’s Top 25

1. Oklahoma
2. Notre Dame
3. USC
4. Ohio State
5. Florida
6. West Virginia
7. Texas
8. California
9. Auburn
10. Louisville
11. LSU
12. Clemson
13. Michigan
14. Miami
15. Georgia
16. Iowa
17. Florida State
18. TCU
19. Oregon
20. Tennessee
21. Virginia Tech
22. Texas Tech
23. Utah
24. Arizona State
25. Nebraska

Checking In on Texas Tech, Again

Better late than never! RD from the Cheap Seats and Double T Ranch was able to answer my questions regarding the Texas Tech Red Raiders spring football practice and the upcoming season.

Thanks RD for the response.

Who will be the next 4,000 yard passer that Mike Leach plugs in?

Most likely, it will be Graham Harrell, a redshirt sophomore out of Ennis, TX, and probably the best overall talent they've started at the position in the Leach era. The major difference between him and some of the other quarterbacks Tech has started in past years is that Harrell actually has arm strength enough to stretch the field. What remains to be seen over the next year will be if he can make the quick reads that Leach's offense demands.

What is the biggest question that Texas Tech needs to answer this spring?

Can they find defensive linemen that can give them a consistent pass rush? Texas Tech was near the bottom of the country in sacks last year, and never seemed to give opposing QBs much trouble.

As for an answer, the defensive linemen were impressive in the spring game, particularly DT Dek Bake, but we'll have to wait and see whether they can get pressure on a conventional offense.

What will be the biggest position battle this spring?

Both Safeties were really up for grabs with the departure of Vince Meeks and Dwayne Slay. Strong Safety is still TBD, but it looks like Joe Garcia locked up the Free Safety spot.

On offense, Shannon Woods, who was supposed to take over for Taurean Henderson, is basically hanging onto his job by a thread because of his mediocre play and Kobey Lewis's excellent play. If Woods doesn't improve drastically over the summer, he may lose his job.

Kicker has also been a point of contention, as it has been for the last 3 years with Alex Trlicka and Keith Toogood battling for the starting placekicking duties, but I wouldn't trust either one if the game was on the line.

Who is an unknown player that will emerge as a star this spring?

A lot of defensive players that may be in starting spots in 2007 or 2008 got a chance to star in the scrimmages and Red-Black game due to injuries to starters, particularly LBs Kellen Tillman, Brent Slaughter, and Calen Shearer, and CB LaShawn Vation. (Personally, I'm in favor of starting a lot of these guys since our starters were bad last year, but apparently the coaching staff thinks they're still too green.)

As for the people who might actually play this year, Dek Bake is beginning to emerge as a DT that can stuff the run and play the pass, and Kobey Lewis may have played himself into the RB spot.

What will it take for the Red Raiders to reach the Conference Championship game?

Unless the rest of the defensive starters recover from their injuries over the summer and improve their games or they play some of those freshmen and sophomores that are actually starting to look like bonafide defenders.

It looks like Tech is going to be stuck in that 2nd place/3rd place holding pattern for another year.

Mariners’ Skid Reaches Five

Seattle lost another game 2-0 Monday (that’s four times this season) and were shut out for the seventh time this season. That mark leads the majors if you are keeping track.

Here’s the problem. The Mariners pitching staff has a collective 4.74 ERA which isn’t that astronomical when you consider that number includes Bobby Livingston (18.00 ERA) and Clint Nageotte (27.00 ERA).

Seattle also has eight players batting .250 or better for a total of 465 base hits on the year. They just can’t seem to turn base hits and solid pitching into wins consistently.

In Monday’s loss to Texas, Mariners’ starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn gave up only sic hits in seven innings and allowed no walks. The Rangers scored their runs when Mark Teixeira went yard in the sixth scoring himself and Gary Matthews Jr.

Seattle had five runners reach base, just one less than the Rangers, and left the field with a goose egg on the scoreboard. Rune support, or lack of, is killing Seattle. The Mariners had a chance to make up a game on division leading Texas and got a gift from the Royals who beat second place Oakland on Monday. Instead they lose their fifth in a row and find themselves in the division cellar.

The season is still young but opportunities are dwindling.

Mariners Get Swept by Twins

Seattle has now lost four games in a row after getting swept by the Twins in a three game series. The Mariners lost the three games to Minnesota by a total of seven points.

Eddie Guardado, Sunday’s starter in the 4-3 loss summed up the series like this.
“It’s embarrassing! Not just for me, but the entire team. I think today we should have killed those guys, even with their best pitcher going. This three-game series absolutely was not good baseball."

The Mariners are now five games behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the division and will start a three game series at Texas today. It’s time to step up M’s! Tanking it in against the Twins gives Seattle no chance of catching Texas this week but winning the series can put them back in play with the Royals waiting next.

AL West Standings
W L Pct GB
Texas 26 24 .520 --
Oakland 23 27 .460 3.0
Seattle 22 30 .423 5.0
LA Angels 21 29 .420 5.0

Sooners Rout Pokes Will Host Regional

The Sooners baseball team had a pathetic showing in the Big 12 Tournament but released a fair share of frustration on little brother Oklahoma State in a 21-6 seven inning run rule Saturday night. The 21 runs marked a Big 12 Tournament Record for most runs in a single game.

"I am really proud of our student athletes and the way that they came back and fought today," said OU head coach Sunny Golloway. "I don't think that there is any question that yesterday was a disappointment. We really fought hard today and gained some much needed momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament."

OU will start NCAA Tournament play in Norman on Friday. The Sooners are hosting a regional on campus for the third time in school history.

OU coach Sunny Galloway had this to say about hosting the regional.

“This was a dream and goal of the 2006 team in the fall before the season started and now that it is secured, we look forward to our next goal of getting to Omaha. Our team saw signs of what a regional atmosphere in Norman could be like when we played in front of a packed house versus Texas and Rice at L. Dale Mitchell Park this season and hope our fans will turn out in similar fashion during next week’s action.”