Who will be back?
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
June 7, 2007

An appointment at the dentist, while potentially painful, fails to compare.

Such is the life of a college baseball coach on draft day.

With a handful of draft-eligible juniors and scores of high school stars potentially being selected today or Friday, Virginia baseball coach Brian O’Connor’s patience will be tested on a new level. The draft starts at noon and the first six hours of the two-day, 50-round event will be televised on ESPN2.

Sure, the Cavaliers have lost valuable pieces to their puzzle with eligibility remaining in the past through the amateur draft, such as Ryan Zimmerman and Mark Reynolds, but the face of the program, one way or the other, will ultimately be determined by the decisions of Major League Baseball teams.

“It is a big day. It truly impacts our current players and our recruits,” O’Connor said. “It can have a lasting effect on our program.”

Sean Doolittle, the 2006 ACC Player of the Year and three-year star on the mound and at the plate, has justifiably drawn the most attention of the current crop of draft-eligible juniors. Other potential picks, including outfielder Brandon Guyer and pitcher Michael Schwimer, remain intriguing possibilities.

The same can be said for the fourth-year players already holding degrees, but the biggest concern for O’Connor lies with the numerous members of his recruiting class.

Devin Mesoraco, a high school catcher from Punxsutawney High in Pennsylvania, has been considered a sure-fire first-round selection by most scouts despite his hefty asking price.

“There are a number of recruits that are very highly thought of in the draft,” O’Connor said, “and I believe that they are committed to coming to school, but a couple of them may have an opportunity that they need to seriously consider.”

The draft, however, remains a mystery for most.

Doolittle, a 39th-round selection by the Atlanta Braves coming out of high school, knows first-hand that the information, or “rumors,” as he put it, is meaningless.

He has been listed as high as No. 3 in mock drafts and completely disregarded in others.

“I know there are teams interested in me with their first-round picks and with their sandwich picks between the first and second rounds, but the one thing about a draft is that it is so unpredictable,” said Doolittle, who hit .301 this season and won eight games on the mound. “At this point, I am not getting my hopes up because I don’t really know what to expect.

“The plan is to let a team make the decision on my future [as a pitcher or hitter], and it looks like I will be in a pretty good situation. I always have the pitching in my back pocket if they take me as a hitter.”

Doolittle and his fellow juniors have leverage, which ultimately drives up their asking price. If he is not compensated accordingly through a signing bonus, the players could return to Virginia for a fourth season and the opportunity to graduate.

“There are a lot of different ways to look at it,” Doolittle said. “If returning to UVa is what can be labeled as the worst-case scenario, then I am in a really good spot because that wouldn’t be that bad at all.”

Guyer, who missed Virginia’s final two games with a dislocated shoulder suffered against Oregon State on Saturday, feels the same way.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said Guyer, who hit .370 with 50 RBI. “I can go play professional baseball or come back to the University of Virginia and play my fourth year here.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario. I am hoping for the best and if the draft doesn’t work out, I would enjoy coming back here.”

Guyer received positive news Wednesday regarding his dislocated shoulder - he will not need surgery. Luckily, the injury was not to his throwing arm and he said his range of motion has quickly progressed.

That, however, does little to ease the pain for Virginia’s exit from the NCAA Tournament.

“It was killing me to watch those guys put it all on the line, knowing that I couldn’t be a part of the team,” Guyer added. “Even though the replacements for me and the other injured guys played great, it was still really hard seeing this team not make it out of the regional.

“We had a great season but we just couldn’t overcome some adversity at the end.”

That was compounded on Wednesday when the players met at Davenport Field to turn in their equipment prior to heading in opposite directions.

“I would say it was pretty similar to my freshman year when we had guys leaving like [Jeff] Kamrath, Kyle Werman and Scott Headd,” Doolittle said. “Last year, we were in a similar situation losing a regional at home that we thought we could win, but we didn’t lose the core guys that we did this year.

“It was pretty tough saying goodbye to guys like Tim Henry and seeing guys like Ryan Hudson leave the locker room for the last time.”

The day was not a complete disaster.

“We talked about a lot of the good things that we did this year,” Doolittle said, “so it wasn’t all bad. We really had a great season.”

 

Mines changes role in NFL bid
Seeking Bears spot, U.Va. wide receiver moves to tight end
Thursday, Jun 07, 2007 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Patrick Estes switched positions after leaving the University of Virginia and earned a spot on an NFL roster. Another former U.Va. starter, Fontel Mines, hopes to do the same.

Mines played wide receiver for U.Va., catching 68 passes for 737 yards and five TDs in his four seasons under coach Al Groh.

That was about 20 pounds ago. The 6-4 Mines now is a rookie tight end competing for a job with the Chicago Bears, who list him at 244 pounds.

"I can't really tell you the chances I have of making the team," Mines said by phone from Chicago, where he's been training at the Bears' practice facility. "I'm just trying to improve myself every day and listen to these veterans."

Mines' position coach at U.Va. was John Garrett, who had played and coached in the NFL. So when they sat down after last season to discuss Mines' future, the former Hermitage High star listened closely.

"I said, 'Do you want to play pro football?' " recalled Garrett, now the Dallas Cowboys' tight ends coach, "and he said, 'Yes.'

"So I said, 'I believe your best chance is to put on some weight and go as a receiving tight end.' "

Garrett considered Mines an ideal candidate for the move.

"He's smart, he's tough, he has excellent hands," Garrett said. "I thought he'd be able to grasp it mentally, and he has a strong enough and big enough lower body . . . that he'd be able to make the transition to blocking."

Mines was bypassed in the NFL draft, but the Bears signed him to a free agent deal early last month after he impressed at their rookie camp.

"He did a super job," Bears coach Lovie Smith told reporters. "He really came out of nowhere and really got our attention."

Garrett said: "That's always a good start when you get the attention of the head coach."

Estes, a Benedictine High graduate, played tight end at U.Va. He's now a 6-7, 310-pound offensive tackle with the San Francisco 49ers.

Like Mines, Estes did not redshirt at Virginia. Had he done so, Estes might well have been shifted to tackle by his senior season. Had Mines redshirted, he might have ended up at tight end before his U.Va. career was over.

"It's one of those instances where you kind of grow out of your body for your position," said Mines, known for his blocking prowess at Virginia.

Others who have successfully switched from wideout to tight end include Bears veteran Desmond Clark, who starred at receiver for Wake Forest.

"It's becoming very common," Garrett said.

Mines' times in the 40-yard dash were slow for an NFL wideout. For a tight end, though, he's fast, and "I think with his receiving background, he's going to make a good transition," Garrett said. "He fits the mold, and if he could make the [Bears'] practice squad, I'd be thrilled."

An anthropology major, Mines earned his degree last month. He missed graduation at U.Va., however, because it conflicted with a Bears minicamp. Training camp opens late next month, before which Mines will come home for a stay with his family.

The decision to skip the ceremony in Charlottesville was "very, very difficult," Mines said. But he and his mother discussed his options at length and ultimately agreed that staying in Chicago would enhance his chances of making the team.

Mines' competition at tight end includes former University of Miami star Greg Olsen, the Bears' first-round pick in April. Small world, huh? Greg's brother Christian played quarterback at U.Va. when Mines was there.

"I knew of Greg, and I'd seen him a few times," Mines said, "but I never really got to sit down and talk with him till we got here."

 

Hoover makes 'family decision'

Jennifer Hoover understands why her departure from the University of Virginia might have generated some speculation, but there's a logical explanation.

Hoover, known as Jenny Mitchell when she was a star player at William Byrd High School, left her post on the UVa women's basketball staff in April to return to the University of Memphis as an assistant coach.

Hoover, named one of the 50 greatest women's basketball players in ACC history and still the leading career scorer at Wake Forest, had been on Debbie Ryan's staff at Virginia for four seasons.

Part of Hoover's motivation was the possibility of employment for her husband, John, in the athletic department at Memphis. He had stayed at home this past year to look after their infant daughter, Maggie.

When they met, he was an assistant women's coach at New Mexico Junior College and annually works basketball camps with his father in Indiana.

Hoover would have preferred to leave Virginia at a more successful point, but the Cavaliers did win 19 games last year before their WNIT run came to an end at Wisconsin in the quarterfinals. She didn't view UVa as a sinking ship.

"No, not at all," she said. "I love Debbie to death, the girls also. I e-mailed them before they went to Africa [for a recent exhibition tour]. Hopefully, this year, they'll be able to make the [NCAA] tournament again."

The difference could be 6-foot-3 Aisha Mohammed, a transfer who was injured while representing Nigeria internationally last summer and missed the 2006-2007 season.

"She's very, very athletic and unbelievably strong," said Hoover, who was able to get involved with Mohammed through junior-college connections she and her husband had cultivated.

At Memphis, Hoover will be reunited with head coach Blair Savage-Lansden, a fellow Tigers assistant in 2002-2003.

"She and her husband have twin daughters; we're really good friends with their family," Hoover said. The Tigers have "really struggled and this is an opportunity to get this thing rolling. Bottom line, it was a family decision."

Cavs nervous

Events of the past week have reduced the certainty that Virginia will lose its top two run-producers, All-ACC outfielder Brandon Guyer and pitcher-first baseman Sean Doolittle, to baseball's amateur draft starting today. Both are juniors and have the option of returning to college in 2008.

It has become evident throughout the spring that scouts view Doolittle as more of a position player than a pitcher, but concerns may have been raised when he went 1-for-15 in four NCAA tournament games. Guyer, on the other hand, might be viewed as a physical risk after sustaining a dislocated shoulder in UVa's first NCAA game.

"I don't think [Doolittle] is going to be back because I think he's going to go pretty good in the draft," coach Brian O'Connor said. "Depending on the severity of [Guyer's injury], it could affect his draft status. I hope for the kid it doesn't. As much as I want him back, I don't want him back because he got injured."
 

Where's the love/respect for ACC football?
Frank Dascenzo : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Jun 7, 2007 : 12:01 am ET

If ACC football is on the rise, why is (1) Virginia Tech somewhere near 12 or 15 in most preseason polls, (2) Florida State cannot be found until near No. 25 behind Boise State and South Carolina, (3) there's nobody from North Carolina -- not even reigning conference champ Wake Forest -- and (4) there are two Big East teams considered among the top 10?

See what happens when the Deacs play in the Orange Bowl.

A variety of forecasts find the same old suspects hanging around No. 1 and some new faces. I have a comment or two for you.

* The easiest part is this: Southern California is No. 1 going into this season. I know the Trojans lost to UCLA a year ago, but so what. The Bruins are on the rise.

* Michigan gets its first four games at home -- see what happens when they call your stadium "The Big House" -- and should win the Big Ten.

* LSU plays host to Virginia Tech on Sept. 8. You think ACC commissioner John Swofford will be keeping an eye on that one?

* Wisconsin is a team you don't want to play. The Badgers' Bret Bielema lost only to the Wolverines last year in his first season.

* Are you wondering why West Virginia gets such high props every year? True, Rich Rodriguez is a darn good coach and the Mountaineers score plenty, but they allow plenty. Steve Slaton and Patrick White will be among the early Heisman lists, but you know how many Heisman Trophy winners WVU has had? Try zero. QB Major Harris finished third behind winner Andre Ware of Houston and Anthony Thompson of Indiana in 1989.

* Florida's football coach still is Urban Meyer, and he isn't leaving. Chris Leak, however, already has left -- sophomore QB Tim Tebow will take over -- and do you really think the Gators can repeat in football, too?

* Louisville's football coach is not Bobby Petrino. He bolted for the Falcons, where Michael Vick might be a considerably larger challenge to tutor than Brian Brohm. Still, if you doubt the Cardinals, go ask Jim Grobe what he thinks.

* Texas will be back. In case you were wondering, before Mack Brown arrived in Austin, the Longhorns hadn't finished in the top 10 since 1983.

* Any team that beats Pete Carroll's team is a good team. And UCLA is a good team, good enough to deserve its early preseason attention.

* As for Oklahoma, remember the Sooners lost to Boise State. It was painful but not nearly as much as losing Adrian Peterson.

* One checklist I saw said, "Auburn is Auburn," whatever that means. My guess is the Tigers will beat somebody they're not supposed to and lose to somebody they're not supposed to. By the way, Auburn plays five of its first six at home. The road game? Sept. 29 at Florida.

* Virginia Tech will become America's Team this fall. Whether that means America's best team will depend largely on that trip to Tiger Stadium on Sept. 8, where visitors are usually underdogs.

* Now here's one that ACC football fans will love. Rutgers, with coach Greg Schiano and running back Ray Rice, generally are ranked higher than any ACC team except the Hokies.

* Ohio State, I haven't forgotten you. My only question is: Have the Buckeyes forgotten Florida? I'm talking football, not basketball, darn it.

* TCU still is the best team in the Mountain West, which guarantees little when BCS plays into the picture.

* Tennessee has talent but couldn't beat Penn State in a bowl game a year ago, a Penn State team that lost three times in the Big Ten and once to Notre Dame.

* Boise State likely will remain a top-20 team, which shouldn't surprise you any more.

* California always gets on somebody's preseason list as a team capable of shocking somebody. Do you still believe that?

* South Carolina arrives in Chapel Hill this fall, which means Steve Spurrier and Butch Davis get to chat a bit before kickoff. Are you photo people ready? The Gamecocks have played decent defense in Spurrier's first two seasons.

* Notre Dame, minus Brady Quinn, might be in for a four- to five-loss season.

* Texas A M always is worthy of Top 25 preseason attention but seldom top 10.

* The Georgia Bulldogs won the close ones last season, one reason to rank them. The other is they finished up with wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

* Arkansas had two straight losing seasons before getting much better (10-4), but the Hogs did lose their final three games.

* Penn State should use the bowl win over Tennessee, and Anthony Morelli's arm, to remain a ranked team.

* Floirda State has some new assistant coaches, Chuck Amato among them, but the Seminoles aren't what they used to be.



 

Portis apologizes for dog-fighting comments
Redskins RB says he researched the topic
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published on: 06/06/07

Ashburn, Va. — Clinton Portis says he shouldn't have made light of the dog fighting investigation involving Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

"A couple of weeks ago, when I made those comments, I didn't understand the seriousness behind it," the Washington Redskins running back said Tuesday. "I didn't know it would affect that many people, didn't think what I said was that offensive. But after doing research and seeing how serious people take this, I shouldn't have made the comments."

In the May 21 interview with WAVY-TV in Norfolk, Portis and teammate Chris Samuels ridiculed the fact that dog fighting is considered a crime. In the interview, Portis said of Vick: "It's his property; it's his dogs. If that's what he wants to do, do it."

Portis said he has since done research on the subject and saw people crying over two humpback whales trapped in a river near San Francisco. He said he even wondered if he was being watched on a hidden camera when a woman sitting next to him at an airport spread a blanket and put down a bowl of water for her dog.

"I had no idea the love that people have for animals or didn't consider it when I made those comments," Portis said. "I'm not even a pets man. I've got a fish — that's the easiest thing to keep up. I've never been into dogs, never dealt with dogs, don't like playing with dogs. But at the same time, there's a lot of people who are crazy over pets."

Portis initially tried to calm the furor by issuing a statement that he does not condone dog fighting. Samuels followed by saying he was wrong for joking about the subject. The Redskins, who received complaints as well, issued an apology on behalf of the players the next day.

By then, however, the damage had been done, and Portis had become a poster child for those unaware of the brutality of dog fighting.

Portis said Tuesday he'll be more judicious before offering an opinion that might come back to haunt him.

"From now on, I don't comment on nobody," Portis said. "My life is the only thing I can control."