Ruckdad

Okay above - I don't like it when trivia questions get thrown around when I am out of town. You guys are making me look bad. I believe the answer to your last question is 1. Eugene Seals 2. Houston Oilers 3. Bum Phillips

I was at that game as as well. There was also the game against Western Kentucky when he was coming back from an injury. He played a horrible game, but made a 30 footer at the buzzer for the win as the fans spilled onto the floor. I also went to a game in Ruston against La Tech that went triple overtime that Matt played a pivotal role in. Overall, he is one of, if not my most favorite Cardinal of all time.

He was one of the most excellent human beings I have ever met. I was a student at the same time he was, and several of the most memorable games I have been to involved him. I know we went to the tourney the year after he was done, but I really wished we could have done it a year earlier so Matt would have had that opportunity.

Keith Veney - He walked into the building and was in range. And he didn't mind putting the ball up either. It was a shame that he transferred.

Here is a interview with the coach of his AAU team. [Hidden Content] RoHawk Co-Founder Daryl Richardson Speaks Ask the average American what summer means to them and you will get a wide array of answers; baseball, back yard barbeques and vacation are some of the common responses. To some, summer has become synonymous with basketball. Not just basketball but AAU, Travel, Select or any other name given to competitive amateur basketball. South Texas basketball is growing and one of its major players is San Antonio RoHawks co-founder, Darryl Richardson. Ball Boy: When and why did you start the RoHawks? Coach Daryl Richardson: We started in 1996. Ed Johnson, co-founder, and I started the RoHawks because our sons wanted to play summer basketball. We were both in the military at the time so we just found a group of military kids and threw them together and started playing. BB: Since your organization has been around a while, what is your outlook on the south Texas basketball scene? DR: South Texas is kind of unique from the standpoint of how everyone else plays. I look at south Texas as neighborhood basketball. The first time we went to the nationals, back in 1997 in Salt Lake City, I remember coaches coming up to us asking where our players come from and we’d tell them from San Antonio and primarily from the same high school. We were shocked to find out that at 12 years old some teams were comprised with players from up to 75 miles away. To me, that is the biggest difference with south Texas basketball in that our teams usually have players from the same city, same area and most of the time the same high school. That is why I call it neighborhood basketball. BB: So generally most of the San Antonio teams are local kids and kids from the same school districts? DR: There have only been 2 or 3 teams over the last 10 or 11 years that I know of that actually had a real well rounded mixture of players from different areas of the city. I generally get kids out of Judson. I’m more diverse this year but most of my players come from Judson or the North East school districts. BB: Speaking of players, do you have any standouts on your current rosters? DR: Yes, we have some really good players. One of them is Charlie Harper. Charlie plays the 2 and 3(shooting guard and small forward) for us and is getting some solid looks from colleges. He is a do everything guy. He is 6-5 and can shoot and when he plays within himself he makes great decisions. He should do really well for Coach Val at Madison High this upcoming season. Another standout we have is Dominique Williams. He is a 5-11 true point guard out of Sam Houston High. Dominique is an energizer. He is a great defender with a good mid-range game. The kid has everything from start to finish. Both, Charlie Harper and Dominique Williams, have an offer on the table from a Division 2 school and numerous other schools are interested in them. BB: Over the past decade, you have undoubtedly have had some great ones. Who is the best player that you have had? DR: That is a tough one. I can not name one greatest because we have had some great players that do different things. Brandon Thomas who went to UMASS, Patrick Britton who went to Rice and Trent Paisted who went to BYU are probably the greatest RoHawks. My son, Dominique Richardson was my greatest guard and he has started at the point at St. Mary’s since his freshmen year. BB: How many players have the RoHawks helped go to college? DR: Since our first graduating class of 2000, we have helped 35 players go on to college. BB: AAU basketball is embraced in some places and shunned in others. How have the RoHawks been accepted? DR: Well, here in this area, you have a lot of coaches who like AAU from the standpoint that football is king in Texas so if a kid gets exposed to basketball it helps the basketball programs. With the basketball coaches that I deal with, I have never had a problem with access to gyms or players. I actually have a lot of coaches in the area who recommend their players to play to me. I was in the fraternity as a coach for the UIL so I have not seen any resistance, only support. I have seen both sides of the picture. BB: Do the RoHawks have any girls’ teams and what is your take on the girls’ basketball scene? DR: South Texas Girls basketball is underrated. There is some real good talent but the catch to it all is that no one has really pushed the situation and tried to get the girls out of the local area. Coach Harper (RoHawks Girls basketball coach, Charles Harper) is one of the first to take girls outside the area to Houston and Dallas and other places. He comes from the east coast where girls’ basketball is more of a priority; he is from Virginia and the Boo Williams territory. Some girls’ coaches were afraid to go past Georgetown and play in my opinion. Our girls also just got sponsored by Adidas through a tournament in Houston. The Adidas rep saw the talent and noticed our roster was full of 13 and 14 year olds playing in the high school division. We are expanding our girls program but additional gym space is hard to come by. We have so many kids trying to join that for the first time we have had to turn kids away. The ones that are fortunate enough not to have been turned away are benefiting greatly. At a recent RoHawk basketball practice, no less than 4 teams played on 4 different courts under one organization. Talent was evident as young boys practiced their cross-overs and the girls ran precise sets while older boys abused the rim with eye popping dunks. Coaches Daryl Richardson and Ed Johnson were doing what they have been doing for years. First it was for our country and now it is for the youth of our country; their SERVICE is greatly appreciated.

I completely agree Dennis - If the team wins then people will come watch regardless of where the recruits are coming from. Look at Oklahoma - the majority of their kids are from Texas, but those Okies come out every Saturday to watch those kids play. If Lamar fielded a team of 22 kids from Mexico, and they were winning, the stands would be full.

If you had asked this question a few months ago, I would have said 100%. But now I am disenchanted by the whole thing. THere hasn't been any announcement after there was plenty of speculation that one was forthcoming in the summer or early fall. There was no mention of football at the last Regents meeting, and I just don't get the feeling that the powers that be are really committed to doing it. I said less than 50%, and that's only because I don't see why they would add women's soccer, build a softball field and refurbish the football fieldhouse, the press box and Cardinal Stadium unless they were bringing football back. I hope that there is an announcement, but right now, I'm not holding my breath.

I have tickets for Friday and Sunday - He's killing me.

There's no such thing as a permanent manager

This was way overdue - and at least they get some compensation for him.

Let's see he spent eight years as the GM of the Phillies, got the raw end of the Abreu deal, the Scott Rolen deal and never made it to the Playoffs. Good hire, Drayton!

Should have traded him when there was a market at the deadline. The Red sox sure could have used him as a quality set up guy instead of that gas can Eric Gagne.

Rumors around Houston have the assistant Phillies GM - Ruben Amaro as the new man.

All of a sudden the Supersonics are happy to have gotten the second pick!

I'm still going to that game. Although I probably could get a premium for those tickets.

Man - I am a huge Astros fan, and I went the entire weekend without watching an inning of Astros baseball. They are completely unwatchabe at this point.

Ahh - to be on th eSouth Plains in late August - where you can go outside in the mid afternoon and not drown in your own sweat!

That's a [retty good list. Mine is much shorter. Astrodome Minute Maid (Enron) Vincent Beck Stadium (Beaumont Golden Gators) Coors Field (Rockies) Doubleday Field - Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY

And the person in charge of acquiring players is Tim Purpura. Garner can only work with what he is given. Now, by no means is Garner the second coming of Whitey Herzog, but did he stop being a good manager after the playoff runs of 2004 and 2005.

I am in favor of letting go of Purpura, but I don't think that Garner needed to leave just yet.

You know - anything is possible. If guys like June Jones and Jerry Glanville get started again at smaller schools, why not a bigger name at Lamar. A guy like that may like the idea of a challenge where there really aren't any expectations to speak of.

Casey is playing tomorrow in the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Championships. This will be aired on NBC starting at 3:00 central. Should he advance to the finals he earns a chance to play at next year's Master's. Tune in and cheer him on!

He will get the start on Saturday night.

I wasn't trying to compare the trades by players on the DL, I was just pointing out that fact. There's no doubt that WIlly T has outperformed anything he had done with Houston, but I would still rather have Pence in the outfield, and Willy T doesn't cure our lack of a quality lead off guy since he cannot take a walk and his OBP is less than .375. He has only scored 59 times. Taveras is never going to be a great player. Bucholz is 6-4 with a 4.25 ERA mainly out of the pen. I really hoped we could keep Hirsh, but he hasn't shown a lot yet either, 5-7 with a 4.81 ERA, and done for the year with a broken leg. But - with all that being said - the trade still looks bad in hindsight.

And all those runs were earned!