ACC Matchups: November 1st

Miami (FL) (5-3, 2-2 ACC) vs. Virginia (5-3, 3-1 ACC) - Miami and Virginia both have been odd teams so far this season. Virginia is rolling on a 4 game win streak, now at 5-3. They are the ultimate comeback team in the NCAA right now. Miami is also 5-3 and coming off of a big win against Wake Forest. Both teams need this win to be competitive in the wide-open Coastal Division.
Key Stats:
-Cedric Peerman, RB Virginia - Now among the rushing-leaders in the ACC with 541 yards and 7 touchdowns, including over 100 yards in three of his last fours games.
-Virginia has won the last two match-ups (2006, 2007), including a 48-0 romp last year.
Virginia 21 Miami 17.

#15 Florida State (6-1, 3-1 ACC) vs. Georgia Tech (6-2, 3-2 ACC) - Florida State has played remarkably well all season, excluding their ugly loss to Wake Forest early in the season. Their offense is clicking, and quarterback Christian Ponder is mastering former NC State coach Chuck Amato’s offense. Georgia Tech fell last week to Virginia and looks to rebound, but probably won’t here.
Key Stats:
-FSU has scored more (254) than double the points they have allowed (116)
-Antone Smith, RB Florida State - Leads the ACC with 11 rushing touchdowns, 5.0 yds/carry
-Bobby Bowden, Florida State coach, is 13-0 against Georgia Tech
FSU 28 Georgia Tech 24

Clemson (3-4, 1-3 ACC) vs. Boston College (5-2, 2-2 ACC) - Clemson is still trying to touch ground after a crazy season so far. This matchup will not be any easier. Boston College looks to improve its ACC record in an interesting matchup. Clemson has not won since blowing a 1st half lead against Maryland three games ago, while Boston College lost their second game of the season to North Carolina last weekend.
Key Stats:
-Chris Crane, QB Boston College - Has only 7 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions this year
-Clemon's "star" running backs, James Davis and Chris Spiller, combined with the rest of the Tiger's backfield for only 21 yards on 23 yards against Wake Forest two weeks ago
Boston College 17 Clemson 14

Duke (4-3, 1-2 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (4-3, 2-2 ACC) - After losing two straight ACC games, Duke rebounded with a win against SEC foe Vanderbilt last week, while Wake Forest lost 16-10 to Miami. Suprisingly, Duke has fielded a competitive team this year, led by quartback Thaddeus Lewis, who has 10 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions
Key Stats:
-Riley Skinner, QB Wake Forest - Only completed 3 passes for 57 yards last week against Miami, and has been less than impressive recently.
-Wake Forest only has 5 takeaways in the last four games, compared to 15 from their first three games of the season (When they were ranked at #14)
Wake Forest 21 Duke 17.

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Greg Oden injured (again) out for 2-4 weeks

In his first professional game for the Portland Trailblazers, the high-touted 2007 NBA Draftee, Greg Oden, was injured within the first 13 minutes of the first quarter, ESPN reported.

After finally recovering from a season ending micro fracture knee surgery before the start of the 2007-2008 NBA season, Oden was prepared to get back into the game of basketball. His hopes were cut short quickly, when he fell on LA Lakers' Derek Fisher's foot, Tuesday night. MRI results showed the Oden had a mid-lateral foot sprain.

Oden was supposed to be the saving grace of the Trailblazers' franchise, and the centerpiece of a young and up-and-coming franchise. Gifted with a 7'0" body and a nice scoring touch, Oden was predicted to be the next great NBA center, within the ranks of Wilt Chamberlin and Bill Russell.

There was much controversy on who the Blazers would choose with the #1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Greg Oden or the Texas phenom, Kevin Durant? Oden was an obvious choice, because the possibility for a franchise center rarely comes about.

At Ohio State, Oden averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds a game, and led the team with blocks, while leading the Buckeyes to a National Championship berth. While Durant put on a show for the Texas Longhorns, he was considered a guard/forward stud that is very common to find in NBA Drafts, while Oden was a towering, and extremely safe pick.

Is it really the safest pick now? Durant went on to lead the former-Seattle Sonics with over 20 points a game and practically sweeping the Rookie of the Year votes. Oden has played a total of 1 quarter, and hasn't scored a point (0-4 field goals and 0-2 free throws) since leaving Ohio State in May of 2007.

It is really hard to say whether injuries will continue to falter Oden's career, or if he will be in top shape soon down the road, and dominate like many experts believed he will. But for Blazer fans right now, eerie feelings of the 1984 draft. The Trailblazers opted for 7'1" Sam Bowie over the sensational kid from North Carolina: Michael Jordan.

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Ken Griffey, Jr. Is Up For Sale

Ken Griffey Junior. A name that is recognized by most, if not all baseball fans as one of the greatest to play the game. His lively spirit coupled with his incredible skill set makes him a player to be remembered. The 13-time All Star will not be playing for the Chicago White Sox next year as they have announced that they will not attempt to re-sign him. Although Junior's numbers have trailed off in recent years due to his many ailments and injuries, he can certainly still hit the ball with some pop.


As the season is now over with the Phillies winning the World Series last night, teams will start to look towards next year. Junior is still a solid option for a starting outfielder who will put up 80-90 RBI's and 15-20 HR's a year. Not to mention the 10 Gold Gloves he has won. And oh yeah, the All Century team in the 1990's is a decent accomplishment I guess. Straight up, the man can play baseball.


As Griffey is still a viable option, there will certainly be some interest in him this off-season. Some teams that could have some possible interest in the left-handed Griffey are the Twins, Astros, Cardinals, Dodgers, Braves, and Brewers. The Brewers could have some serious interest in Griffey if they cannot re-sign Mike Cameron who is being looked at by the Yankees. Although Griffey will probably not make another All-Star team unless he has an incredible off-season, he is a solid option for an everyday CF and is a great addition to any clubhouse. Plus, his experience cannot be forgotten and will be good for any team looking to get an edge in the playoffs.

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Texas Longhorn's star will return for senior season

The leading Heisman Trophy candidate in most people's minds has already decided that he will be uniform next year as a collegiate player, and not a professional.

Junior Quarterback Colt McCoy, who has led Texas to a 7-0 record this season, with big wins over Oklahoma and Missouri, told reporters he would be back for a senior season. His stellar play has led to Texas topping the first BCS Poll this season.

McCoy has thrown for 1895 yards, 19 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions, while having an unbelievable completion percentage of 81.2%.

In the eyes of many professional scouts and college fans, McCoy is college football's best quarterback prospect for the 2009 NFL Draft.

While I love the idea that McCoy plans on coming back for a senior season, I do not agree with the timing of the statement. Avoiding the question may have led people on to believe that McCoy would be declaring for the draft, but it would not be set in stone. By coming out and saying, mid-season, that he would be back for his senior year puts a strong feeling in many peoples minds.

He has not factored in the off-season pressures of money and fame by NFL Coaches and Scouts and possibly family and friends. Over the past decade, more athletes and coaches are going against their word and jumping ship.

We saw it when forward Luol Deng told media before his freshman year that he would be at Duke for all four years. By the end of his freshman campaign, Deng had declared for the draft. We saw it in the NFL when former-head coach of the Miami Dolphins Nick Saban repeatedly told reporters that he would not be accepting the job offer from University of Alabama. Weeks later, Saban was being introduced at Tuscaloosa bearing the crimson and white.

Former-Arkansas and current-Oakland Raider running back Darren McFadden told media last year that he was probably going to declare at the end of the season, around the same time that McCoy came out with his decision. Arkansas struggled in SEC competition the rest of the season, and if it wasn't for an upset of LSU, they probably would have had a very sub-par season.

All I am saying is that Colt McCoy should have waited until the end of the season to make a very important decision. His team is fighting for a National Championship, and he is a major part of it. The professional leagues will be there, and I absolutely agree with his decision to stay at school to get a degree. Lets just hope he keeps his word.

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San Francisco 49ers fire Head Coach Mike Nolan

The San Francisco 49ers front office decided that they had seen enough of Mike Nolan as their head football coach and made a swift decision on Monday afternoon to get rid of him after the first 7 games of the 2008 NFL Season.

Nolan, who has coached the 49ers the last 4 years, compiled a 18-37 record and never brought the franchise back to prominence like many thought he would. Although Nolan has improved the team significantly from the one he inherited, he did not provided a winning team quick enough.

Assistant Head Coach Mike Singletary will take over as interim-head coach and guide the team for the rest of the season.

When Nolan first took over the helm of the 49ers, many thought it would be a great move for both parties. He proved his worth as a Defensive Coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens and was a hot coaching prospect. Even though he brought revolution to the franchise, including professional clothing, he was unable to capitalize and make the right decisions.

From the beginning, Nolan was given the 1st round 1st pick of the 2005 draft. That draft was especially important for the direction of the franchise, and looking for a quarterback the 49ers went with Utah product Alex Smith. There was lots of discussion about whether or not former-USC QB Matt Leinart would declare for the draft or not, after having an amazing year and winning the Heisman award.

Leinart did not declare and opted for his senior year, so Nolan was left to choose Alex Smith over the likes of Jason Campbell and Aaron Rodgers. Smith started from the beginning and took a beating, while Campbell and Rodgers were given time to learn the offense and the professional game. Smith never did prosper into the quarterback many expected him to be, and was benched at the start of the 2008 season for J.T. O'Sullivan.

The other major move that has affected Nolan's tenure was the signing of former-Buffalo defensive back Nate Clements to a 8-year, $80 million contract that included $22 million in guarantees. While I agree the 49ers needed to get some help on the defensive side of the ball, they overpaid for a corner that is good, but not the best in the league like they are paying him.

The drafting of Alex Smith and the signing of Nate Clements may not have been entirely on Nolan's shoulders, they are the main reasons why he is out of a job right now. Hopefully, we will see Mike Nolan to rebound with a coordinator job somewhere and, down the road, another head coaching job. He certainly brought class to a league that definitely needs it with the likes of Michael Vick and Adam "Pacman" Jones.

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Welcome to Rounding the Bases

Thanks for visiting the official blog for WMUC's new up-and-coming Sports Talk show called, "Rounding the Bases". The show is every Tuesday at www.wmucsports.com from 6-7p.m. My name is Chris Eckard and I am a Co-host along with Jason Murphy.

Hopefully either Jason or I will be posting a small bit on our feeling on the current sports stratosphere daily on this website. Feel free to give comments and suggestions, we greatly appreciate them. If you miss our show, you can click on the link under "Weekly Podcasts" and either listen online, or download it your computer or mp3 player by right-clicking, "Save Link As". If you have any problems listening, feel free to contact Jason or me.

Also, feel free to subscribe to this blog, as well as join our Facebook group, "Rounding the Bases": http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=43394681194&ref=ts. Questions and comments can be directed to us personally at: rounding.the.bases.wmuc@gmail.com (General), ceckard@umd.edu (Chris) or jmurphy3@umd.edu (Jason).

Thanks for reading, and I hope you can tune in every Tuesday, 6-7p.m.

-Chris Eckard, Co-host of Rounding the Bases

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