Brian Falati's Top 10

2013 National Signing Day Champions- The Alabama Crimson Tide

brianfalati — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:22:49 +0000

After the season (and last four years) they’ve had, it is somewhat expected that the Alabama Crimson Tide would be able to recruit top-notch players. Coach Nick Saban has applied his process to recruiting as Alabama tops the list for 2013.

With four five-star and 13 four-star prospects, Alabama is looking to be just as competitive in 2013. Five-star prospect linebacker Reuben Foster, whose creative Auburn tattoo certainly made an interesting statement, has surely had the most colorful road to national signing day (this including the tattoo and taking an unofficial visit to Alabama during his official visit to Auburn, and thus recommitting to Alabama).

Still, Foster is sure to be quite the force for the Tide. A No. 16 recruit overall, Foster will fit right in at Alabama. His size, quickness, and ability to tackle is essentially the tenacious defensive qualities that Alabama is known for having. I predict that Foster will play a big role in Alabama’s defense in the future.

Gaining four-star defensive end Dee Liner (what a fitting name, might I add) in the home stretch help put the Tide on top.

So, what does all this mean for the season to come?

It means Alabama’s chance for yet another National Championship bid is looking to be more and more attainable. With a more mature defense that is sure to be a lot more stingy in years to come, Alabama shows no sign of stopping the process.

2012 National Champions- Alabama Crimson Tide

brianfalati — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:56:54 +0000

The players who comprised Alabama’s roster Monday had nothing to do with the Crimson Tide’s gut-wrenching loss to Notre Dame in the 1973 Sugar Bowl, nothing to do with a similarly tough loss in the 1975 Orange Bowl and nothing to do with the other three losses in its six previous tries against the Fighting Irish.
Ask coach Nick Saban, and he’ll go one step further. This year’s team had nothing to do with last year’s national championship or the one Alabama seized in 2009.
His conversations with the team about this very subject were recounted constantly throughout the 2012 season. There was a similar message conveyed before Monday’s BCS National Championship.
“He told us we haven’t done anything yet,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “The legacy was going to be determined by the end of this game.”
These players — recruited exclusively by Saban’s staff and groomed in a program where expectations were re-established as “national title or bust” upon their enrollment — had everything to do with avenging those haunted shortcomings to the Fighting Irish and enhancing the mystique of one of the greatest eras in Crimson Tide history.
And they did it without a hint of drama.

Alabama’s 42-14 victory on a breezy Miami night at Sun Life Stadium was a recreation of the runaway train routs that filled the space between its nail-biting thrillers against LSU, Texas A&M and Georgia.
It’s the first time any team has won consecutive titles during the BCS era. The last time a team won the BCS title game by 28 or more points was 2005, when USC routed Oklahoma, 55-19 in the same stadium. The last team to win three titles in a four-year span was Nebraska (1994-97).
Yet it remained a challenge to find anyone from Alabama’s team to say it was a dynasty — better known as “the D word” among Crimson Tide players who refused to acknowledge it before or after Monday’s dominant performance.
“This one feels great,” senior defensive end Damion Square said. “It’s unique. It’s this one, down in South Florida. The one in New Orleans, that was in New Orleans. I’m going to take all of these to heart.”
For some Crimson Tide players, such as quarterback AJ McCarron, who etched his name next to more records with yet another outstanding championship game performance, it was their third title.
For sophomore safety HaHa Clinton-Dix — who was all over the field in one of the best games of his career — and a number of other underclassmen who embraced elevated roles in 2012, it was the second.
For true freshmen such as wide receiver Amari Cooper and running back T.J. Yeldon, who shined Monday much like they did throughout the regular season, it was the first.
By the logic Saban applied throughout the year, this national championship was this particular team’s first and only. And it wasn’t any easier than the previous two.
“People talk about how the most difficult thing is to win your first championship,” Saban said. “Really, the most difficult is to win the next one because there’s always a feeling of entitlement.
“The commitment that these guys made two days after the we played LSU in the national championship game to be a team, to set a goal to accomplish something of significance is really special for what they were able to accomplish.”
Notre Dame, rejuvenated under third-year coach Brian Kelly after decades of mediocrity, helped make this championship victory appear to be the easiest of the three. The Fighting Irish were frazzled in every aspect of the game — running routes too close to the sideline, missing tackles, muffing punt returns — and the Crimson Tide was there to pounce on every opportunity.
It took the Alabama less than 3 minutes to strike first. It was the kind of drive that would replicate itself three more times during the Crimson Tide’s dominant first half.
McCarron loosened up the Notre Dame defense with a 29-yard pass to Kevin Norwood before he let Eddie Lacy and the Crimson Tide offensive line do the rest. Lacy ran through a gaping hole up the middle to score a 20-yard touchdown.
“I could feel it in warm-ups,” said McCarron, who threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns. “I always feel like if I hit my first pass, it’s going to be a good day.”
Six minutes later, the Crimson Tide did it again. Set up by more of Lacy’s running, McCarron found a wide-open Michael Williams in the back of the end zone with a 3-yard pass to cap a 10-play, 61-yard march down the field.
After ending a first quarter that saw it outgain Notre Dame 202-23, Alabama extended its lead to 21-0 on the second quarter’s first play with a 1-yard Yeldon touchdown run. The Crimson Tide capped the half with a 71-yard drive that ended with a whirling Lacy landing in the end zone after he caught and ran with an 11-yard McCarron screen pass.
It was 28-0 before halftime against a team that allowed more than 20 points just once all season.

“That’s how we practice,” linebacker Trey DePriest said. “It’s an everyday thing. We go against our offense and you see what they just did.”
McCarron’s third-quarter touchdown pass to freshman Cooper went for 34 yards and put him alone at the top among Crimson Tide quarterbacks with 48 for his career. It also capped a 97-yard drive and staked Alabama to its biggest lead of the game, 35-0 — an advantage that was sliced on the ensuing drive by Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson’s 2-yard touchdown run.
The McCarron-Cooper battery hooked up one more time in the fourth quarter for a 19-yard touchdown — one of the final marks on the Crimson Tide’s history-altering night.
“We’ll take a couple of days to celebrate this,” Saban said. “Then it will be time to start building toward next season.”

Andy Murray finally wins a grand slam! 2012 US Open Champion!

brianfalati — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 02:13:35 +0000

His considerable lead, and a chance at history, slipping away, Andy Murray dug deep for stamina and mental strength, outlasting Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set U.S. Open final Monday.
It had been 76 years since a British man won a Grand Slam singles championship and, at least as far as Murray was concerned, it was well worth the wait.
Ending a nation’s long drought, and snapping his own four-final skid in majors, Murray finally pulled through with everything at stake on a Grand Slam stage, shrugging off defending champion Djokovic’s comeback bid to win 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.
”Novak is so, so strong. He fights until the end in every single match,” Murray said. ”I don’t know how I managed to come through in the end.”
Murray already showed he could win on a big stage by winning the gold medal in front of a home crowd at the London Olympics last month. But this was different. This was a Grand Slam tournament, the standard universally used to measure tennis greatness – and the 287th since Britain’s Fred Perry won the 1936 U.S. Championships, as the event was known back then.
Murray vs. Djokovic was a test of will as much as skill, lasting 4 hours, 54 minutes, tying the record for longest U.S. Open final. The first-set tiebreaker’s 22 points set a tournament mark. They repeatedly produced fantastic, tales-in-themselves points, lasting 10, 20, 30, even 55 – yes, 55! – strokes, counting the serve. The crowd gave a standing ovation to salute one majestic, 30-stroke point in the fourth set that ended with Murray’s forehand winner as Djokovic fell to the court, slamming on his left side.
By the end, Djokovic – who had won eight consecutive five-set matches, including in the semifinals (against Murray) and final (against Rafael Nadal) at the Australian Open in January – was the one looking fragile, trying to catch breathers and doing deep knee bends at the baseline to stretch his aching groin muscles. After getting broken to trail 5-2 in the fifth, Djokovic had his legs massaged by a trainer.
”I really tried my best,” Djokovic said.
No one had blown a two-set lead in the U.S. Open title match since 1949, and Murray was determined not to claim that distinction.
When Djokovic sent a forehand return long on the final point, Murray crouched and covered his mouth with both hands, as though even he could not believe this moment had actually arrived. The 25-year-old Scot removed his sneakers, grimacing with each step as he gingerly stepped across the court. Djokovic came around to offer congratulations and a warm embrace, while ”Chariots of Fire” blared over the Arthur Ashe Stadium loudspeakers.
Murray was one of only two men in the professional era, which began in 1968, to have lost his first four Grand Slam finals. The other? Ivan Lendl, who just so happens to be Murray’s coach nowadays.
The lack of a title for Murray, and for his country, has been the subject of much conversation and consternation in the United Kingdom, where the first of what would become tennis’ top titles was awarded at Wimbledon in 1877.

Bama dominates Michigan 41-14.

brianfalati — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:35:50 +0000

ARLINGTON, Texas — Replace and reload, nobody does it better than Nick Saban. The master manipulator is not just a mere molder of men, he’s a professional developer who’s seen more NFL talent pass through Tuscaloosa than are likely on the Cleveland Browns’ roster at the moment.
The question coming into the Crimson Tide’s opener was supposed to be if this was another 2010, a rebuilding year following a title with multiple starters to replace. Clearly everybody overlooked Alabama’s media guide, which has a dedicated page explaining “The Process” by which Saban turns water into wine. We should have known, he’s just that good.
“The expectation that we have and the standard we want to play to in business or in sports is about who you are,” Saban said. “You know, it’s good to look good. It’s good to wear the jersey. But it’s the guy in it and the character that you have and who you are that probably makes the biggest difference.”
Just ask Michigan, which got throttled at Cowboys Stadium 41-14 on Saturday night. There was a fleeting hope that the Big Ten favorite and highly ranked team would be competitive but instead it was the conference’s 10th straight non-conference loss against a top five team.
Forcing a three-and-out was the flicker, three straight touchdowns in the 1st quarter was the door slamming shut in what would be another SEC rout in Dallas to open the season.
At every turn the boys from down South were bigger, faster and simply dominant. Alabama at one point had scored 70 straight unanswered points dating back to the Auburn game last year. Prior to a Denard Robinson 71-yard pass before halftime, Alabama had more yardage off interceptions than Michigan had total offense.
Wave after wave, the Tide come at opponents and only in rare occasion have they failed to overrun for a win — Saban’s merely 56-12 during his time in Tuscaloosa. Running backs Eddie Lacy and Jalston Fowler were nice but true freshman T.J. Yeldon looked special in rushing for over 100 yards in his first ever collegiate game, the first time a freshman has ever topped the mark in the storied program’s history.
“We like to reward players for doing a good job. So if we have four guys that are quality players at that position, we would like to give them all an opportunity to play,” said Saban. “We want to have as many play as deserve to play because the can contribute to the success of the team and hopefully we’ll create roles for those guys and they’ll get those opportunity in the future.”
In other words, he’s got an embarrassment of riches.
Several other underclassmen took reps, filling the spots of veterans during key snaps against Michigan. A year ago there were several doing the same behind NFL draft picks. So it will likely continue given the program’s success on the recruiting trail.
Replace and reload.
Saban showed he can do it again to open the season and in doing so made the Tide as much as a title favorite as last year. Is there an it factor with this team? It may be too early to tell but throttling the No. 8 team in the country seems like an impressive way to start the season.
What was made abundantly clear Saturday night in the heart of Texas is that there will not be another 2010, when the Tide slipped back to the pack ever so slightly after winning the BCS national championship. Consider it lessons learned as the game’s best coach moves on to the next opponent.
“I think we had a really, really good offseason and that was maybe something we didn’t do in 2010. We learned a lot from that year,” center Barrett Jones said. “He really prepared us both mentally and game plan-wise for this game. He’s the best coach in the country and that’s why.”
The penalties will be corrected, the offensive line should get sharper and the secondary will age. That Alabama could be — well, is — the best team in the country at the start of the season despite a few flaws bodes well for a trip to Miami to defend their crystal ball. The team has another stiff test in a few weeks when they travel to Arkansas. Despite looking competitive on paper, it’s hard to doubt Saban won’t have his troops ready for whatever crosses their face
“Everybody’s bought in and understands our purpose,” linebacker Nico Johnson said. “Everybody is hungry and I think we’re more hungry than we were last year coming into the season. We want to go out and create an identity for this team.”
Meanwhile, Michigan will head back to Ann Arbor in search of one.
“Obviously we didn’t play Michigan football and that is something that bothers our team and bothers our coaches,” a dejected Brady Hoke said. “We’ve got a lot of things to correct.”
There’s plenty of time for the program to evolve and grow after suffering significant losses along both lines. National title probably wasn’t realistic but the Rose Bowl, and a much longed-for Big Ten title, remain in reach. The Wolverines can still be a good team, it just can’t be the best.
That’s Alabama under the calculating, demanding eye of Saban. There’s no need to worry about the Tide slipping back to the pack this season, it’s time to ponder how good they can be.

Federer wins his 7th Wimbledon.

brianfalati — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:39:18 +0000

Roger Federer played one of the best tactical matches of his illustrious career to win a record-tying seventh Wimbledon singles title Sunday. Federer defeated Andy Murray, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, by dominating with pin-point serving, aggressive returning, purposeful rallies and an attacking mind-set that saw him finish at net twice as often as he averaged for the rest of the tournament.

Federer weathered an early storm by Murray and benefited from a real storm later that closed the roof early in the third set, earning his 17th Grand Slam title and recapturing the No. 1 ranking in the world.

Federer will automatically surpass Pete Sampras next week as the owner of most weeks at No. 1, and he is guaranteed the top seed at the Olympics in a couple of weeks. Oh, and he also qualifies for the ATP Tour championships in London in November.

Federer’s first assignment was to deal with the kitchen sink that Murray (and by default, all of Britain) had thrown at him to begin the match. Murray broke Federer’s opening service game and was pummeling his forehand, extracting six errors in two games. Federer fought his way back to 2-2 but dropped serve again at 4-4 after nearly taking one of Murray’s bullet-like forehands to the head. Two forehand errors later, and Murray had the break that would lead to the first set.

There may have been cause for concern at this stage, as Federer was 3-5 in major finals when dropping the first set. But all five of those losses were to Rafael Nadal, who might have been hitting the beach instead of forehands on this particular Sunday afternoon.

Following the first set, Federer would not get broken again for the rest of the match and increasingly the points would be fought on his terms as he began the process of unlocking the patterns of play that favored him the most. The only real chance Murray had was a pair of break points at 4-4 in the second set, but a backhand hit long and a Federer overhead winner quickly put those two opportunities to rest.

Federer ultimately broke Murray’s spirit at 3-2 in the third set when he came back from 0-40 to force 10 deuces and eventually break serve on his sixth break point. Federer broke serve more than any other player in the tournament (38 times) and converted 42.7 percent of his break chances over all. That is in stark contrast, for example, to his last three Wimbledon losses, in which he won only 3 of 22 break points (13 percent).

Federer’s favorite first-serve tactic was to initially pull Murray off the court with a wide serve on both sides to create holes and force a weak return that he could then control from the middle of the court with his forehand. In the deuce court, Federer made 26 of 34 first serves out wide (76 percent), winning the point 22 times (84 percent). Only twice out of 26 points did Federer have to hit a backhand as the first shot after the serve with this play, but Murray was pulled so far out of court that Federer was able to win both of those as well.

Federer was a perfect 14 of 14 when he made his first serve down the T in the deuce court, using it as a secondary surprise tactic after hitting enough serves out wide to make Murray think it was going there again. Only once in four sets did he go down the T in the deuce court with a first serve when he was behind in the score (2-2, 0-30, first set).

Federer’s favorite first-serve location in the ad court was out wide, where he made 20 of 31 (64 percent) and won 15 points (75 percent). Federer mixed more in the ad court down the T, making 19 of 27 (70 percent) down the T, winning 13 of these points (68 percent). The middle serve gave no angle for Murray to initially hurt Federer, and once again he had to hit only two backhands as the first shot after the serve – but he lost both of these.

Federer was always ahead in the guessing game of serve location and faced only seven break points for the match, yielding two of them. The roof was also a factor with Federer’s serve, as he averaged 120 miles per hour on his first serve with it open and 125 m.p.h. with it shut.

Returning serve was also a front-line battleground for Federer to seize early control of a point. The most obvious area was running around Murray’s second serve directed to his backhand to attack it with his bigger forehand. Federer ran around 17 of Murray’s second serves and crushed a forehand return, and even though he won only 7 of those points (41 percent), it sent a very aggressive message to Murray. Federer also hit three return winners for the match to Murray’s one.

Federer also directly came forward with an approach shot off six of Murray’s second serves, winning three points (50 percent). It’s a shock tactic that disrupts rhythm and timing as much as wins points. It was exactly the right mix to help win 4 of 12 break points for the match (33 percent).

Once a rally progressed past the initial two shots, Federer was always looking for a way to turn a backhand into a forehand in the ad court. Federer hit 14 forehand ground stroke winners and seven backhand ground stroke winners, but it was his run-around forehand in the ad court that did most of the damage. Nine of his 14 winners were hit from standing in the ad court, where he was able to freeze Murray by opening up all angles of the court to potentially hit the winner. In trying to cover everything, Murray ultimately covered nothing.

As much as Federer dominated with serving returning and rallying, he was even more lethal when he ventured forward to the net. Federer averaged 8.8 approaches per set in his six matches leading up to the final, but he almost doubled it to 17 in the final.

Federer won 53 of 68 points (78 percent) coming forward by either hitting a normal approach; serving and volleying; chipping and charging; or sneaking in behind a drop shot.

While many players would panic after losing the first set of a Wimbledon final, Federer became more focused and stuck to the high percentages patterns that delivered victory against the overwhelming crowd favorite.

Alabama Crimson Tide- 2012 College World Series Softball Champions!

brianfalati — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 22:56:49 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Alabama softball team claimed its first national championship in program history as it downed Oklahoma, 5-4, Wednesday night at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.

“First, I just want to say thank you to everybody involved with the tournament,” Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said. “It was a heck of a run for us, a dream-come true for everybody at Alabama, and I’ve got to congratulate Oklahoma on a heck of a year. I definitely think they’ll be back.”

With the win, Alabama won the best-of-three series against the Sooners, 2-1, and finished the season, 60-8. The Crimson Tide becomes the first school from the Southeastern Conference to ever win a national title in softball. Oklahoma ends their season with a 54-10 record.

“For us, I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Murphy added. “It’s been a long time coming. It’s just been an incredible nine or ten days here in Oklahoma City, and each game just got better and better and better. I’m just thrilled with the championship.”

All-American sophomore pitcher Jackie Traina earned the win and finished 42-3 on the season. Traina, who was named the WCWS Most Outstanding Player, threw a complete game four-hitter, giving up four runs and striking out six batters. The 42 wins for Traina are a school record and are tops in the nation. She also broke the single season school record, posting 361 punchouts on the year.

The Tide overcame two rain delays, including a three hour delay to start the game and a three-run deficit to earn the win. UA tallied three of its four runs in the fourth inning after the second delay.

Oklahoma used two home runs to race out to an early three run lead after three innings but the Tide plated four in the fourth. Sophomore Kaila Hunt scored the first run for Alabama on a wild pitch and then the Tide scored three more, all with two outs.

Senior Amanda Locke ripped a single through the left side to score senior Kendall Dawson. Junior Courtney Conley then hit a double off the wall to score Locke. Conley finished off the scoring by racing to the plate on a throwing error on a Jazlyn Lunceford at bat.

UA scored its fifth and final run when Traina hit a liner into right to score senior Jennifer Fenton, who started the inning with a bunt single.

Oklahoma hit a seventh inning home run to pull within one, but Traina fanned USA Player of the Keilani Ricketts for the final out of the game.

Dawson tallied two of the seven hits for the Tide as the first four hitters atop the Alabama lineup each collected hits.

Junior Kayla Braud, Fenton, Locke and Traina all earned WCWS All-Tournament team honors. Traina led the Tide with a .400 (6-for-15) average over the course of the tournament, pacing the squad with a home run and six RBI. Fenton and Braud each collected eight hits while Locke batted .333 with a home run and five RBI.

Alabama reached the 60-win mark for just the third time in school history. The 60 wins in 2012 are the most since the 63 wins in 2005.

Year of the Bears!

brianfalati — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 22:51:55 +0000

FOOTBALL: 10-3 • Alamo Bowl Champs • Heisman winner
MEN’S BASKETBALL: 30-8 • Elite Eight
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: 40-0 • National Champs • Player & Coach of the Year
BASEBALL: 49-15 • Big 12 Champs
• Baylor’s 128 (and counting) combined wins in the four major sports (FB/MBB/WBB/BASE) are an NCAA record for a single season (129-26, .832 winning percentage)
• Baylor’s 80 wins in football and men’s and women’s basketball are NCAA record for a single season (80-11, .879 winning percentage)
• Baylor is the only school in the nation with all four major sports nationally ranked (FB 13/12, MBB 9/8, WBB 1/1, BASE 6/6)
• Baylor is one of two schools nationally (Florida) to have every sponsored sport advance to postseason (all 19 BU teams)
• 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III
• Baylor is one of three schools nationally that boasted a bowl-winning football team and men’s basketball team in the Elite Eight (Florida, Ohio State) – Baylor is the only school nationally with bowl-winning FB, Elite Eight MBB and Final Four WBB
• NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Women’s Basketball, Equestrian (NCEA Hunter Seat)
• FINAL NATIONAL RANKINGS: FB (12th coaches, 13th AP), MBB (8th coaches, 9th AP), WBB (1st coaches, 1st AP), BASE (tbd, currently 2nd coaches, 4th B.A.)
• NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Robert Griffin III (FB), Brittney Griner (WBB)
• NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR: Kim Mulkey (WBB)
• Baylor was combined 40-0 in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball from Nov. 1 to Jan. 16.
• BEST IN TEXAS: Baylor was a perfect 19-0 in men’s and women’s basketball, and 41-6 in the four major sports vs. in-state opponents (5-1 in FB; 10-0 in MBB; 9-0 in WBB; 17-5 in BASE)
• Baylor is one of two schools nationally that had both MBB & WBB reach the 2012 Elite Eight (Kentucky).
• BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS: Women’s Basketball (regular season, postseason), Baseball, Men’s Golf individual (Joakim Mikkelsen)
• BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Robert Griffin III (FB), Brittney Griner (WBB), Josh Ludy (BASE)
• BIG 12 COACHES OF THE YEAR: Kim Mulkey (WBB), Steve Smith (BASE)
• Women’s basketball recorded nation’s first-ever 40-win season (by men’s or women’s program)
• Second Elite Eight appearance in last three seasons in men’s basketball (one of 6 schools)
• 10 wins in football and Alamo Bowl win over Washington
• Big 12-records 24-game overall baseball winning streak and 18-game conference winning streak
• School-record 30 wins in men’s basketball
• NFL DRAFT: 5 NFL Draft picks in 2012, most of any Texas school and more than every Big 12 school but Oklahoma (7) / 2 first-round picks (4 first-rounders in last two years – second only to Alabama with 8)
• First national No. 1 ranking in Baylor baseball history, third Big 12 Conference Championship
• Perfect 10-0 record vs. Texas & Oklahoma in FB-MBB-WBB
• Director of Athletics Ian McCaw named 2012 AD of the Year finalist by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal/Daily
• Baylor set home average attendance records in FB (41,368), MBB (7,914), WBB (8,563) and SB (1,014).

2011-12 WINNING STREAKS BY 4 MAJOR SPORTS

• 40-0 streak in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball from Nov. 1 to Jan. 16.

FB: 6 games … current (third-longest active FBS streak)
MBB: school-record 17 games (started 17-0)
WBB: 40 games … current (nation’s longest active)
BASE: school- and Big 12-record 24 games

• Advanced to semifinals at NCATA national championship, lost to eventual national champion Oregon

• Second outright Big 12 title in 89 years
• Big 12 Awards – Josh Ludy (Player of the Year), Steve Smith (Coach of the Year), Nathan Orf (Newcomer of the Year)
• NCAA Waco Regional champions
• School-record 24-game winning streak – second-longest streak in Division I in 2012
• Big 12-record 18-game conference winning streak; 18-0 start best in Big 12 history
• Bears were No. 1 for two weeks in Collegiate Baseball poll – Baylor’s first-ever No. 1 ranking

• Second Elite Eight appearance in three seasons (one of 6 schools)
• School-record 30 wins and 12 conference victories (also school record)
• Finished season ranked No. 8 in final USA TODAY/ESPN and No. 9 in final AP Top 25 polls

• Won second national championship in seven years
• First team ever to win 40 games
• National Player of the Year (Britney Griner)
• National Coach of the Year (Kim Mulkey)

Alabama cruises to SEC Softball Title: Secures #2 Seed in NCAA Tournament

brianfalati — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:39:54 +0000

The Crimson Tide never trailed and was only briefly threatened en route to its fifth SEC tournament title.

Alabama destroyed Florida 10-1 this afternoon to complete the SEC regular season/tournament championship sweep for the second time in three years.

A 6-run third blew the game open. Jazlyn Lunceford and Kendall Dawson both hit 2-out home runs accounting for the final five runs of the inning.

Amanda Locke was the winning pitcher after coach Patrick Murphy rested ace Jackie Traina.

Junior Seau’s Death a tragedy- Is CTE the cause?

brianfalati — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:38:56 +0000

Junior Seau, a homegrown superstar who was the fist-pumping, emotional leader of the San Diego Chargers for 13 years, was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning. He was 43.

Police Chief Frank McCoy said Seau’s girlfriend reported finding him unconscious with a gunshot wound to the chest and lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. A gun was found near him, McCoy said, and police were investigating the possibility that Seau’s death was a suicide. Police said no suicide note was found and they didn’t immediately know to whom the gun was registered.

UCLA Neurosurgeon Dr. Neil Martin says over the years, numerous hits can lead to the progressive degeneration of the brain, a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

It starts with behavioral and mood disorders like depression. It can include thoughts of suicide, loss of impulse control or flair ups of temper

Pat Summit retires

brianfalati — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:54:08 +0000

Pat Summitt, who won more games than anyone in NCAA college basketball history, stepped down Wednesday as coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols, less than eight months after revealing she had early-onset dementia.

“I’ve loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role,” the 59-year-old Hall of Famer said in a statement issued by the school.

Longtime assistant Holly Warlick will take over for Summitt, who will become head coach emeritus.

A news conference is scheduled for Thursday at the school.

When the Lady Vols lost in a regional final to eventual national champion Baylor, Warlick’s tears were a telltale sign of how draining the season had been, and also that it likely was Summitt’s last game.

“She is an icon who does not view herself in that light, and her legacy is well-defined and everlasting,” athletic director Dave Hart said. “Just like there will never be another John Wooden, there will never be another Pat Summitt. I look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role. She is an inspiration to everyone.”

Summitt will report to Hart in her new role while assisting the program she guided to eight national titles since taking over in 1974.

Tennessee said that Summitt’s responsibilities will include helping with recruiting, watching practice, joining staff meetings, helping coaches analyze practice and games, and advising the Southeastern Conference on women’s basketball issues and mentoring players.

“Pat’s vision for the game of women’s basketball and her relentless drive pushed the game to a new level and made it possible for the rest of us to accomplish what we did,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “In her new role, I’m sure she will continue to make significant impacts to the University of Tennessee and to the game of women’s basketball as a whole.

“I am thrilled for [Warlick] as this opportunity is well deserved, and Pat will be a huge asset to her moving forward,” he said.

Warlick, a three-time All-American who played for Summitt, was her assistant for 27 years.

Warlick said she was thankful for all Summitt has done in preparing her for this opportunity as her coach, mentor and friend.

“We will work as hard as we possibly can with the goal of hanging more banners in Thompson-Boling Arena,” Warlick said.

Last season, while Summitt devoted more attention to her health, Warlick took the lead during games and handled postgame interviews, while the entire staff handled recruiting and practices. Even so, Summitt still managed to put on her trademark icy stare a time or two during the tournament.

“As I’ve said many times, Pat Summitt is a pioneer in basketball,” Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Her amazing career accomplishments are among an elite group of leaders. Very few people leave a lasting legacy in their chosen professions and coach Summitt has done just that at the University of Tennessee and in women’s basketball.

“She raised the level of commitment, pride and notoriety of her sport. I am honored to call her a friend.”

Summitt’s diagnosis came during one of the Lady Vols’ most disappointing stretches — by Summitt’s lofty standards, anyway. Tennessee hasn’t won a national championship since 2008 and hasn’t even reached the Final Four, which ties for its longest such drought in program history.

Tennessee’s five seniors were part of the team that lost in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament, the only time in school history the Lady Vols had bowed out on the first weekend.

Those seniors promised they would win a ninth national championship this season — not just for Summitt, but as center Vicki Baugh put it, ” … for everyone who has Alzheimer’s.”

They couldn’t make it back to the Final Four, losing to Baylor and Brittney Griner, a player Summitt couldn’t convince to come to Knoxville.

Summitt’s career ends with a 1,098-208 record, 16 regular-season Southeastern Conference championships, and 16 SEC tournament titles.

During her time, Tennessee never failed to reach the NCAA tournament, never received a seed lower than No. 5 and reached 18 Final Fours.

“Words cannot adequately describe the extraordinary career that Pat Summitt has had in the world of basketball,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “She is a model of class and courage, and I don’t think that enough can be said for just how much Pat has accomplished in building and elevating women’s basketball to its current heights.”

Her impact reaches beyond wins and losses. Every Lady Vol player who has completed her eligibility at Tennessee has graduated, and 74 former players, assistants, graduate assistants, team managers, and directors of basketball operations are currently among the coaching ranks at every level of basketball.