Hard times at the top

Xavier's Stanley Burrell is not happy. Thanks to Joanna Shapes of The Hatchet for bringing the story to my attention.

If the A-10 Tournament started today...

-#1 Xavier (25-4, 13-1)
-#8 Dayton (19-9, 7-8)/#9 Saint Louis (16-13, 7-8)

-#4 Richmond (16-12, 9-6)
-#5 St. Joseph's (17-10, 8-6)/#12 George Washington (9-15, 5-9)

-#2 Temple (17-12, 10-5)
-#7 Charlotte (16-12, 7-7)/#10 Rhode Island (21-9, 7-8)

-#3 Massachusetts (20-9, 9-6)
-#6 LaSalle (14-15, 8-7)/#11 Duquesne (16-12, 6-9)

OOC opponents: What they've done, part one

This is the first in a series of updates we'll do throughout the season on the non-conference opponents the men have faced. RPI rankings are courtesy of Ken Pomeroy.

The non-conference teams GW has faced are currently a combined 21-23.

Mount St. Mary's
Record: 2-4
RPI: 245
Best Win: Loyola (MD) (199)
Worst Loss: American (271)
Conference: Northeast
Conference RPI Rank: 28 out of 31
Analysis: Mount St. Mary's lost four in a row to start the season, but the Mount has won back-to-back contests heading into tonight's home matchup with Long Island (108). The non-conference schedule still has big games against Winthrop (72) and at Oregon (11). Mount St. Mary's has not finished higher than #230 in the RPI rankings since 1999 (171).

Boston University
Record: 2-6
RPI: 269
Best Win: Harvard (143)
Worst Loss: Manhattan (252)
Conference: America East
Conference RPI Rank: 27 out of 31
Analysis: The preseason favorites in the America East Conference snapped a six-game losing streak with a seven-point win over Harvard on Tuesday night. Two of BU's losses have come to teams ranked in the top 100 of the RPI, while three have come to teams ranked between 101 and 200. The Terriers still have road games at Massachusetts (34) and Holy Cross (44).

Maryland-Baltimore County
Record: 6-2
RPI: 42
Best Win: Morgan State (77)
Worst Loss: at Lafayette (251)
Conference: America East
Conference RPI Rank: 27 out of 31
Analysis: The Retrievers had won three-straight before falling at Wichita State (113) by nine on Tuesday night. Aside from the win over Morgan State, UMBC hasn't beaten anyone with an RPI ranking higher than 160. The Retrievers still have games at West Virginia (61), against Hampton (83), and at Ohio State (39).

UCLA
Record: 6-1
RPI: 10
Best Win: vs. Michigan State (19)
Worst Loss: Texas (3)
Conference: Pacific 10
Conference RPI Rank: 2 out of 31
Analysis: The Bruins are off to a fast start despite a number of injuries. UCLA fell at home to Texas by two last Sunday night. Next up is Davidson (130) in a semi-home game in Anaheim, CA on Sunday. The rest of the non-conference slate is relatively easy before Pac-10 play starts; the conference is currently rated as the second-toughest in the nation in terms of RPI.

Auburn
Record: 4-2
RPI: 128
Best Win: at Alabama State (82)
Worst Loss: at Tulane (166)
Conference: Southeastern
Conference Rank: 8 out of 31
Analysis: The Tigers have two wins against teams currently ranked #332 or worse. Auburn got blown out by 29 points against West Virginia in a semi-home game in Birmingham, AL on Wednesday night. The Tigers still have a home game against Xavier (7) looming at the beginning of January. Other than that one, four of the program's five remaining non-conference opponents have an RPI of 215 or worse.

Maryland-Eastern Shore
Record: 1-8
RPI: 308
Best Win: Stony Brook (316)
Worst Loss: at Iowa (229)
Conference: Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference RPI Rank: 26 out of 31
Analysis: UMES' 39-point loss at GW last night was the seventh in a row for the program whose best finish in the RPI since 2004 is #318. The Eagles visit Old Dominion (114) on Saturday and travel to Nebraska (164) at the beginning of January.

Linda Bruno to resign

Just heard that Atlantic 10 Commissioner Linda Bruno is resigning her post at the end of the season. Link and more information to follow shortly. Thanks to Julian Gompertz for the heads up.

Update, 3.52 p.m. - Here's the official press release as sent out by Brad Bower, GW's Sports Information Director:

A-10 COMMISSIONER LINDA BRUNO ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Linda Bruno, the fourth commissioner in the history of the Atlantic 10 Conference, today announced her resignation, effective June 30, 2008. Bruno was named commissioner on June 14, 1994.

"After almost a decade-and-a-half with the Atlantic 10, I've decided it's time for new challenges," said Ms. Bruno. "I look back on the past 13 years with pride. The league has made tremendous strides, both on the field of play and off. We have strengthened our membership, strengthened our commitment to excel, and strengthened the future of the Atlantic 10."

During her tenure, Ms. Bruno strengthened the Atlantic 10's membership with the additions of Charlotte, Dayton, Fordham, La Salle, Richmond, and Saint Louis; negotiated two television contracts with ESPN - the most lucrative and extensive packages in league history; was among the first to sign a contract with College Sports Television; added women's rowing, men's and women's outdoor track & field, and women's lacrosse to the Conference's championship slate; and created officiating bureaus for baseball, field hockey, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball to better serve those Atlantic 10 programs.

She also headed the Atlantic 10 as it evolved into one of the prominent basketball conferences in the country. Since 1994-95, the league has earned multiple berths to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament 11 times, including five bids in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Bruno also was responsible for securing the 2001 (regional) and 2006 (first and second rounds) NCAA Men's Basketball Tournaments to Philadelphia, and the highly successful 2007 A-10 Men's Basketball Championship at Boardwalk Hall marked the first of a two-year association with the Atlantic City ( N.J.) Convention & Visitors Authority. She also began the Commissioner's Honor Roll, which recognizes all Atlantic 10 student-athletes with a 3.5 GPA or better.

"On behalf of the Council of Presidents and the entire Atlantic 10 Conference, I want to thank Linda for her many years of service and commitment," said Xavier University President Fr. Michael J. Graham, President of the Presidents Council of the Atlantic 10 Conference. "Linda's leadership through the expansion process helped solidify the foundation of the Atlantic 10. Her insight on national issues has been unmatched and her efforts over these past 13 years have and will continue to go a long way in ensuring the future success of the league."

I remember California

The extended vacation in California following the UCLA game was pretty cool. For starters, we got to meet Adrian Grenier of Entourage fame. From left to right, that's Ben Solomon, star photographer for The Hatchet, WRGW's Paul Marmaro, Grenier, me, and Andrew Alberg, Sports Editor of The Hatchet. We're all big Entourage fans, so it was a thrill to run into him in Santa Monica.

Pauley Pavilion was interesting. It's old and certainly in need of some renovations, but the sense of tradition was unlike anything I've seen in my many college basketball travels. The fan base was creative and enthusiastic throughout the game, even after GW emptied its bench midway through the second half. Despite the loss to Texas the other night, I can't see anyone beating UCLA in the NCAA Tournament if they're healthy.

We also made a trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the UCLA-USC football game on Saturday afternoon. Having never been to a college football game, I had no idea what to expect as we snaked our way through Los Angeles traffic. Throughout the contest, with some 90,000 fans dressed in either red or blue and going wild, I couldn't help but wish GW had some sort of football team or a serious rival.

It was interesting to see how important athletics are at UCLA. All around the campus, there are signs proclaiming that the Bruins are the first program to 100 NCAA titles. There are also a ton of mentions on the school site. At GW, aside from a few balloons on the day of a game, one would have difficulty knowing that the school even has a sports program.

I know it's difficult to compare these situations because GW and UCLA are very different schools in many ways, and it's a lot easier to draw fans when you average more than one national title per year, but it doesn't seem right that athletics struggle so mightily in Foggy Bottom. Although the fan base is small, there are certainly a number of rabid Colonials fans. It's sad that the Bruins' track and field complex seats more people than all of GW's athletic facilities combined.

I think the following question needs to be asked: how important are athletics to GW? It shouldn't be the top priority, nor should it be in the top five, but it should matter. There are plenty of good schools (Stanford, UCLA, and Michigan, just to name a few) that are able to balance athletics and academics. While GW is different for a number of reasons, it's clear that more needs to be done. Here's to hoping changes are somewhere in the near future.

Around the A-10

Through the first couple weeks of the season, here's how the Atlantic 10 has fared on the men's side:

Wins: Mount St. Mary's (GW), Boston University (GW), Columbia (Fordham), North Carolina A&T (Saint Louis), Detroit (Saint Louis), Cal Poly (Massachusetts), Northern Illinois (Massachusetts), Yale (Massachusetts), Florida Atlantic (Rhode Island), Brown (Rhode Island), High Point (Charlotte), Appalachian State (Charlotte), Howard (Duquesne), Winston Salem State (Duquesne), Binghamton (St. Bonaventure), Fairleigh Dickinson (St. Joseph's), Maine (Richmond), East Carolina (Richmond), East Tennessee State (Dayton), Southeast Missouri State (Xavier).

Losses: Missouri (Fordham), Pittsburgh (Saint Louis), Northern Iowa (Massachusetts), Boston University (St. Bonaventure), Maryland-Baltimore County (LaSalle), Syracuse (St. Joseph's), Memphis (Richmond), Norfolk State (Richmond), Miami (OH) (Xavier), Tennessee (Temple).

A few things that stand out:
-Xavier's loss at Miami (OH) is unacceptable. The overwhelming favorite to win the conference, the Musketeers even appeared at #19 in Sports Illustrated's preseason poll. How did they respond? By losing to a team picked to finish second in the East Division of the MAC. I'm not disrespecting the Redhawks; Miami (OH) isn't a bad team. It's just that if Xavier is going to exist on the national level this season, these are the games they have to win.
-The Atlantic 10 is 0-4 against teams from the six major conferences, plus Richmond's loss to Memphis. If there are going to be multiple NCAA Tournament bids for the A-10, this will have to change.
-20-10 is still pretty good, regardless of the competition. The best winning percentage for the A-10 over the last 10 years was .587 (84-59) in 2003-2004, when both Xavier and St. Joseph's reached the Elite Eight.

We'll keep an eye on this throughout the next month and a half.

Nowhere to go but up

Only a story like this could bring me out of my slumber.

Morning roundup: Bonds bonanza

-Barry Bonds finally did it. Check out the cover of the New York Post featuring the 'sultan of syringe.' Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams are in agreement on the issue. As he always seems to do, Mike Lupica says it best.
-Kudos to Hank Aaron for being a class act.
-A Mets fan caught number 756. Things got bloody in the fight for the ball.
-Mike Backsik of the Nationals gave up the historic blast. His father was once in the same situation.
-The Yankees continued the slugfest at the plate, and it carried onto the field. Joba Chamberlain was as good as advertised in his first major league appearance.
-The Red Sox looked bad in a 10-4 beatdown at the hands of the Anaheim Angels of Anaheim. Three months ago, Boston's lead over the Yankees was 14.5 games. Now it's down to five.
-The Boston Globe reports that Wily Mo Pena has cleared waivers.
-This is one of the many reasons why a moose should never pilot a vehicle.
-Jake Peavy hasn't surrendered a run in 19 innings.
-Brady Quinn is signed, sealed, and delivered to training camp in Cleveland.
-Longtime assistant Dino Gaudio will take over for the late Skip Prosser at Wake Forest.

Red, white, and two

Playing for Panama, J.R. breaks U.S. hearts.

Gone too soon

ESPN's Dick Vitale sums it up better than I ever could. My thoughts are with the Prosser family and Wake Forest.