Is Tennessee’s latest recruiting “scandal” really a scandal at all?

Let’s say you’re a die hard fan of BlahBlahBlah College’s football team.  You’ve also got a Facebook account.  BlahBlahBlah College happens to be recruiting a blue chipper named Joe Quarterback.  It just so happens that Joe Quarterback has a Facebook account.  See where this can lead?

In case you’re a little foggy on the matter, let me get you up to speed: the NCAA considers it a violation for fans to utilize social networking sites or email in hopes of swaying a recruit to play for their school.  You see, the rapid advance of technology has created potential recruiting violations that the NCAA couldn’t have dreamed up as recently as the early 90’s. THE MACHINES WILL OWN US ALL SOME DAY SOON.

But here’s the slippery slope in all of this:  if you’re a fan who’s accused of drifting into this gray area, what recourse do you have when the slings and arrows start flying from your own fan base?  That’s the position a Tennessee fan named Ben Stancliff finds himself in today.

The letter below was posted on the website of the Alex Anderson Show earlier today and was allegedly written by Stancliff. It was supposedly sent to current Southern Cal quarterback Jesse Scroggins a few years back. Here goes:

I know you are struggling with your decision. I just want you to know I wish you well wherever you play, but my heart will break for you if you announce Trojan. We love you in Tennessee. You would be our hero.

Some quarterbacks have two year careers and make it, but the odds are against it. Look at Tee Martin, he played for two years won a National Championship at Tennessee and then couldn’t make it in the NFL. He had all the tools. What was the deal? He wasn’t developed enough to play at that extremely high level. He’s in coaching now and good for him. DJ Shockley decided to follow a very talented QB in David Greene to UGA. David Greene started all four years and set SEC passing records. Shockley had a senior year to show what he could do and was everything that the league was looking for at the time. A Michael Vick type guy who could throw. Shockley, despite having a very good senior year, had to wait until the 7th round before his name was called. He will be battling with a pretty good QB in John Parker Wilson for the 3rd string job. All I am saying is think.

But I watch you and I think you do what it is you do as good as it’s ever been done. But you need first team reps for all four years to really develop into an elite QB prospect and be ready for the NFL. Chaney put Drew Brees into the NFL and look at him now. Your skill set reminds me a lot of Brees.

I just don’t want you to make a decision based on distance when it could effect your entire career– your life even. Yes USC has developed great QBs, but the man who had a large part in those guys and their heismans is in Knoxville leading the Orange. We will be winning National Championships sooner or later. If you decide to be a Vol, it will be sooner. Great Recruits will follow you to Knoxville. It’s a family here. And that family doesn’t end with the team. We are part of one big family — The Big Orange Nation. And we love our athletes, we love our coaches, but most importantly we love our Quarterbacks. Hell, I hear all the time about random vol fans on a message board that have sat down with Monte Kiffin over a beer and talked football. He loves to talk football. He’ll talk you ear off, but as fans, we eat it all up!!! We love Lane Kiffin and the brass he has brought to this battle.

We are realistic though, none of us exppects to go out and dominate under Kiffin’s first year, but 7 wins and a decent bowl would be a great first step to greatness. Then in year two, we’d have you under center and you will never experience anything else in life as great as walking to the huddle on your first play and the screams for you are so loud you can’t even call the play. You are a warrior so I know you’ll be stone faced, but you’ll be smiling inside. Running through the T is something that we hold sacred here in Tennessee (I’m in Nashville and yes the fans here are just as rabid and loving as the ones up in and around Knoxville.

We are really in it with two receivers that are ranked in the Rivals 250 that have all but said they want to be Vols if you are going to be their quarterback. You know who they are you talk to them all the time. Jac told me he was gonna kick your butt if you put on anything but an orange hat. (J/K On that one) We’lll cry for a while, then try to understand why, and then it’s WTF do we do now? mode. Because without you. It’s going to be hard on this great family. We will still watch your career in earnestness and wish you the very best — see you’re already part of our family. (some will hope that you ride the bench behind Barkley and then Ride the bench behind that 5 Star guy they signed one year behind you.) But most of us will love you and want well for you. That’s just the kind of people that live here in Tennessee. I’m sure your mom’s family knows something about that.

The SEC is the undisputed greatest conference in the land. We just signed a $2.25 billion deal with ESPN to ensure that every single SEC conference game is broadcast on TV. You will be on TV. Scouts will see you lead us to greatness. What a story. Most guys in the business of covering college football are in bed by the time the West Coast games come on, if they are even broadcast. That’s huge.

The UT campus is nice. Knoxville is one of the greatest places on Earth to go to school. WE are all a family. I hope I see you on campus sometime so I can shake the hand of a man that is getting set to play big time NFL ball. You got it in you, bro, you just have to take advantage of all your opportunities. Work your hardest whatever it is you are doing. At Tennessee You will get first team reps your freshman year and there is a real possibility of winning that starting QB job. The longer you do it at a high level, the better your chances are for the millions that come with playing at the next level. We love you. (DoubleAShow.com)

You’ll notice that there’s nothing posted on the site that directly ties Stancliff to the letter. It was apparently brought to the Double A Show’s attention by former Rivals.com writer Kevin Scott. However, there are screen shots of Stancliff’s Facebook wall that do appear to show him interacting directly with a recruit.  The player in question is Dunwoody, GA linebacker Justin King, who recently committed to Tennessee:

At this point let me share the fact that I know Ben Stancliff. Well, I don’t know him personally in the “He’s been my wingman during frequent trips to the club” kind of way. Actually, I know the guy in a “We have semi-frequent interactions on Twitter” kind of way. So while what I’ve posted above looks pretty damning, everyone knows that, much like Pappy O’Daniel, I’m a forgive and forget Christian.

That’s why I give the benefit of the doubt to my Twitter followers, because dammit, that’s just the loyal kind of son of a bitch that I am. You see, unlike Jim Jones, I won’t force my followers to drink poison Kool-Aid. Instead, I will provide them a forum with which to tell the world their side of the story. That’s exactly what I’ll be doing with Ben Stancliff later on this evening, so stay tuned.

Do Auburn’s quarterback plans include geography wiz Tate Forcier?

ESPN’s Joe Schad caught up with Tate Forcier this week and got the scoop on his transfer plans. Here’s a snippet:

Former Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier explained Tuesday why he never enrolled at Miami and also outlined some schools he’s interested in.

“I just didn’t feel comfortable and wanted to be closer to home,” Forcier said. “Miami is completely on the other side of the country. It would have been fun playing there. But I just wanted to be closer so my parents can afford to come to the games.”

Forcier announced be was transferring to Miami but never returned to the campus.

Forcier said he is in the process of setting up visits to other schools.

“I’m looking into Auburn,” Forcier said. “I’m definitely interested in USC, San Diego State, Montana, Kansas State and University of San Diego. I have to lay everything out and figure out my visits.” (ESPN.com)

If you’ve come across the Forcier family’s web site, the unbelievably goofy QBForce.com, then you know Tate is from San Diego. I can see how playing at Michigan might have created some hardships for him in terms of distance.  After all, it was tough not having a family member close by whose shoulder he could cry on when Denard Robinson passed him on the depth chart.

So if travel costs for his parents are a factor then I can see how Miami would be out of the question. But then Forcier drops Auburn as a school he wouldn’t mind attending. Hmmmm, Auburn is 2,000 miles  from San Diego as opposed to Miami being 2,700 miles away. Not that much of an improvement.

I wonder if Forcier’s conversation with his mom about this whole thing went something like this:

Tate: “Mom, I’m not going to Miami after all, it’s just too far away.”

Mama Forcier: “Thank God, it’s clear across the country, and we just want you closer to home. You know I hear such good thinks about San Diego State and they’re just down the street.”

Tate: “Actually, Mom, I’m looking into Auburn.”

Mama Forcier: “Auburn? Honey, I’ve heard of them, but refresh my memory on where they are.”

Tate: “In the United States.”

Mama Forcier: “No, Tate, I mean what STATE is the school in.”

Tate: “Oh yeah, my bad. They’re in Georgia or Alabama or one of those states right around there.”

Mama Forcier: “Uh huh.”

While Forcier might be interested in Auburn, I would be surprised if the feeling is mutual. With Heisman winner Cam Newton having departed, there is indeed a void at the quarterback position for Auburn. But Forcier will be required to sit out the 2011 season if his transfer destination ends up being a Football Bowl Subdivision school.

That’s why rumors persist that recently departed NC State quarterback Russell Wilson might be in Auburn’s immediate future. Besides being a superior quarterback to Forcier, Wilson is eligible to play right now.

But wherever Wilson goes, it will cost him due to the fact that he’s currently playing minor league baseball, as pointed out by Keith Jarrett of the Asheville Citizen-Times:

On their only scheduled off day for the next two-plus weeks, Asheville Tourists players spent Tuesday going to the pool, taking it easy and getting caught up on their sleep.

Second baseman Russell Wilson went shopping for a football team.

The former N.C. State quarterback spent Monday night and much of Tuesday at Auburn because he is considering playing football there this fall with his final year of college eligibility.

And it’s a decision that would cost him some money.

A fourth-round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 2010 draft, who received a $250,000 signing bonus, Wilson would have to give some of that back if he left the Tourists before the end of this season to play college football.

“It’s a significant portion he would have to return,” said Marc Gustafson, the Rockies’ senior director of player development. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

Let me head the bellyachers off at the pass right here who’ll say, “Auburn will just make up the difference for him.” It’s damn near June and there’s still no proof of a $180,000 money trail leading from Auburn to the Newtons. Sorry, if the NCAA hasn’t dug up a pile of cash that big by now, it ain’t ever gonna happen.

ESPN’s Albert Lin = America’s #1 College Football Fan

I think by now we’ve all had time to digest the insane lack of sensitivity that ESPN.com writer Albert Lin showed yesterday. For those of you who haven’t gotten wind of it, in a Rumor Central post yesterday, Lin not only reported the death of Alabama offensive lineman Aaron Douglas but in the VERY NEXT PARAGRAPH discussed how that impacts the Crimson Tide depth chart.

Of course, ESPN.com went into full damage control mode after Lin’s piece went up. An apology was issued later in the afternoon:

Today, if you Google the name “Albert Lin,” here’s a sampling of what you’ll find being said about him:

In the span of a few hours, Lin went from being a semi-obscure ESPN.com writer to the current title holder of “World’s Most Insensitive Prick.” Bet he didn’t see that coming when he was eating his Toaster Strudel yesterday morning.

But instead of piling on the guy, I’m going to try to understand his motivation. Is he a cold, heartless a-hole with little or no regard for human life? Or might he be a college football writer who’s so laser focused on dissecting the ins and outs of rosters that he doesn’t care why players are being promoted?

Granted, being that obsessed with college football isn’t a great thing either, but at least it’s a half notch below being the World’s Most Insensitive Prick. If this is the dynamic at work, Lin probably does have compassion for the family and friends of Aaron Douglas. It’s just dwarfed by his insatiable desire to report on roster changes.

I’m guessing this isn’t the first time that Lin has gotten into hot water because of his need to put college football first, it just happens to be the most public instance. In the past, I can almost guarantee he’s been involved in a conversation that went along the lines of the following:

**phone rings**

Albert: “Hello.”

Papa Lin: “Dammit Albert, I’ve been calling you for 30 minutes, why didn’t you answer your phone?!?”

Albert: “Come on, pop, the Gameday crew was making their picks. You know I couldn’t miss that.”

Papa Lin: *sighs loudly* “Look Albert, I have some bad news. It’s your mother, she’s taken a turn for the worse. The doctors say she might not make it through the weekend.”

Albert: “Dad, I’m sorry, could you repeat that? Lee Corso was just putting on the Georgia Bulldog mascot head. That guy is so crazy.”

Papa Lin: “DAMMIT, ALBERT, YOUR MOTHER IS DYING!!! GET DOWN HERE NOW!”

Albert: “Wow, dad, calm down. I will be down when I can.”

Papa Lin: “What did you just say?!?”

Albert: “I said I’ll be over when I can. Look, the Northwestern game is about to start, then there’s the Arkansas game on CBS. You know my Saturdays, it’ll be midnight before I can break away.”

Papa Lin: “If you’re not over here in 30 minutes then you’re out of the will.”

Albert: “Will? I didn’t know I was even in it. What do I inherit?”

Papa Lin: “My autographed copy of “Bootlegger’s Boy” by Barry Switzer.”

Albert: “I’ll be right over.”

The Larry King-ish Stream of Consciousness Column for 4/28

In this edition of the LKSOC we discuss the never ending butthurtedness of USC faithful, the NCAA’s slow play with UNC, a flawed Knicks roster and douchebag Boston Bruin fans:

◊ USC fans are still tossing rocks from in front of a glass house

Have you noticed that lately when a college football program outside of Los Angeles has even a hint of trouble, USC fans use that as an opportunity to start bitching again about how bad the NCAA stuck it to them over Reggie Bush? It’s become a veritable rite of passage with those folks.

You heard their chorus of bellyaching over Cam Newton’s troubles at Auburn. “Cam didn’t know what was going on? Well Reggie didn’t either! Set us free! SET US FREE!!!”

Now we have the train wreck at Ohio State that was wrought by Jim Tressel’s inability to be forthcoming with the NCAA. And that means that the butthurtedness of Trojan fans and the program’s biggest media supporters has been kickstarted once again. In their eyes, what’s going on in Columbus means the NCAA pretty much has to play nice with USC in regard to its appeal:

Homerism is homerism, it’s a basic tenet of college football fandom these days. But it’s hilarious how it creates a huge blind spot in regard to how fans view their own programs.

The company line amongst USC fans has pretty much evolved to this: our coaches did nothing wrong, Reggie Bush was railroaded by a slimeball criminal and programs like Auburn and Ohio State are where the true evil in college football resides. Homerism, it’s a beautiful thing.

It’s a given in the eyes of the most butthurt USC fans that Auburn paid the Newton family $180,000 to come win the school a national title. That’s despite the fact that no paper trail has been produced, you know, like the paper trail that Lloyd Lake produced in regard to the money that flowed to the Bush family.

Therefore, what USC fans (and any other fan who throws around the “Cam took $180K” line) are doing is making an assumption based on wrong doing that wasn’t proven but only speculated about. That’s a “Where there’s smoke there’s gotta be fire” mode of thinking.

Hmmmm, fire where there’s smoke, okay. Let’s say there’s a college football program that was stuck in the mud for a decade. From 1991 to 1999 this program averaged five losses a season. Then it hires a has been NFL coach who hadn’t actually recruited a college football player since 1983. Within two years, that program is on the road to being a world beater.

I just described the situation USC was in during the 90’s and what happened once Pete Carroll was hired. Now when a program rights the ship that quickly and starts winning national titles, it could very well be a case of a sleeping giant awakening. Or, if you’re looking for fire where there’s smoke, it could be an indication that a coaching staff cut a lot of corners to get that good that quickly.

To a USC fan, the notion that Pete Carroll may have been a little Ron Meyer-ish in the way he rebuilt that program is flat out batshit nuts. But is that because the homerism-generated blind spot prevents Trojan fans from even entertaining the notion that something might not have been on the up and up with USC?

So Trojan fans will continue to throw rocks at the programs they believe to be infinitely more nefarious than their own. But it’s pretty damn funny that those rocks are being thrown from the porch of a glass house.

◊ Staying on the subject of teams in hot water

Dan Spears of the Wilmington Star News had a fascinating take on why the NCAA is taking its sweet time in dealing with North Carolina football:

Granted, the NCAA’s investigation of the Tar Heels is exponentially more complicated than that of the higher-profile Buckeyes. There are more players involved, two separate issues with which to deal, involvement from the N.C. Attorney General’s office and the death of a key figure in the controversy, sports agent Gary Wichard.

But to this point, nearly a year since allegations of improper benefits and academic misconduct first became public, the NCAA has still yet to issue UNC a formal letter of inquiry or a notice of allegations.

It’s almost as if the Tar Heels’ file gets buried further toward the bottom of a mountainous pile of paperwork the moment somebody else’s transgressions come to light. (Wilmington Star News)

So the giant mess Tressel has created might actually make Butch Davis look better by comparison.  Hey, if you’re North Carolina, you’re looking for lenience any way you can get it.

◊ The Knicks roster really is a train wreck

Back in the mid-80’s, the Seattle Supersonics put together a roster that included Dale Ellis, Tom Chambers and Xavier McDaniel. That’s not one, not two but THREE guys who would’ve preferred gouging out their own eyes rather than passing the basketball.

In 1986-87, the trio led Seattle to an unremarkable 39-43 record in the regular season before a remarkable playoff run propelled the team into the Western Conference finals, where the Lakers were waiting with a broom. The next season, Seattle improved to a 44-38 team but was taken out by the Nuggets in the first round. After that campaign, Chambers was traded away to Phoenix.

Each member of the trio averaged 20+ ppg in each of those seasons but didn’t even have a 50-win campaign to show for their efforts. As a result, those Sonic teams told a cautionary tale of what happens when too many alpha dogs are brought together on the same roster. And apparently it’s a tale that the New York Knicks have never heard.

Hey, I understand that Knicks GM Donnie Walsh had to make a splash and he did just that by pairing Carmelo Anthony with Amare Stoudemire. But while its not the extreme case that Seattle was back in the day, there are still not enough basketballs in play to satisfy both Anthony and Stoudemire.

I hear you screaming that the make up of the Heat is no different with LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh toiling together on that roster, but you’d be wrong. No player in the league has better court vision than LeBron, who’s more than willing to give up the rock to an open guy. Compare that to Carmelo, who sucks in the ball like a Dyson and doesn’t part with it. Add the fact that Amare demands an awful lot of shot attempts himself and you see why New York’s pairing of stars doesn’t mesh quite as well as the one Miami has put together.

It would’ve been interesting to see the Knicks at full strength against the Celtics in the first round of these playoffs. Without the injury bug, New York would’ve put up much more resistance than it did. But over the long term, there’s a dynamic at play here that just won’t work. Like Seattle’s trio of scorers did back in the day, this version of the Knicks will entertain a lot of people. It just won’t bring home any championship hardware.

◊ Reason # 3,638 why pro sports crowds are Doucherific

What happens when a guy in a Montreal jersey goes to the bathroom at TD Garden during a tense series between the Canadians and the Bruins? A NSFW video is generated:

Cartoon Lou Holth is a lot more spry than Real Life Lou Holth

Why didn’t any of you tell me about this one? It seems a few months back, Lou Holtz lent his voice talents to the Disney Channel cartoon series “Special Agent Oso.” I only stumbled across this gem because my kid has taken a shine to Oso.

The premise of the series is that Oso, who happens to be a talking stuffed bear who doubles as a secret agent (you can’t make this crap up), goes around teaching kids new skills. This might include anything from learning to tie shoes to figuring out how to make a bed. Strangely, Oso is as dumb as a box of rocks, so he and whichever kid he’s helping are walked through the task by a digital assistant named Paw Pilot.

The voice of Oso is provided by Sean Astin, and in the clip below he helps a kid named, you guessed it, RUDY learn how to throw a football. Holtz does the voice work for, you guessed it, UNCLE LOU:

Let’s be honest, Lou’s line “Nothing wrong with that, Otho, no wunj ever drowned in sweath” is ten times better than anything he dropped in that train wreck “The Blind Side.” Also, I’m sure the folks at South Carolina, where he made his last coaching stop, were really thrilled about a Cartoon Lou in 2010 being dressed in Notre Dame attire. I guess in the cartoon world his time in Columbia never happened.

Cartoon Lou’s route running also seemed to be less a reflection of the current Real Life Lou and more an imitation of 1988 Tim Brown. Hell, if Real Life Lou had that much bounce in his step right now he’d still be on a sideline somewhere yanking facemasks the way he did to Huntley Bakich.

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