Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Stadium expansion will have fly nickname


Duane and Lori Stueckle, longtime donors to all things BSU, will have their name grace the new stadium expansion when the Stueckle Sky Club opens in August. The new skybox, suites, loges will be a beautiful addition to Bronco Stadium, and they will have a phat nickname. Can't wait to watch a game from the S Club!



Ain't no party like an S Club party, indeed.

Bronco Stadium addition to be named... [Idaho Statesman]

With Long gone, Clady next lineman to go


The Miami Dolphins came to an agreement with Michigan OT Jake Long yesterday, sealing the status of the number one pick in Saturday's NFL Draft. More importantly to Bronco fans, the Dolphins' choice means former Boise State OT Ryan Clady will be the next offensive linemen to go off the board, maybe as high as the fifth pick.

“The sooner he went, the sooner I will get picked up,” Clady said. He said three teams have shown the most interest. "I’d say it’s been Kansas City, Baltimore and Denver."
The Detroit Lions are also said to be interested, provided Clady is okay with being moved to wide receiver.

The Chiefs, with the fifth pick, have shown a lot of interest in drafting an offensive tackle, and the Kansas City Star speculates that their next best option might be Clady.
Now, the Chiefs, who have a glaring need at offensive tackle, will have to shift their attention to the next tier of tackles — which includes Boise State’s Ryan Clady, Pittsburgh’s Jeff Otah and Virginia’s Branden Albert — if they decide to use that pick on a lineman.
Last year's No. 5 pick received $18 million in guaranteed money, which would buy Clady a whole lot of teriyaki.

Miami inks Long, so what about Clady? [Press-Tribune]
Chiefs will have to look elsewhere [Kansas City Star]

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Ryan Clady's Power Ranger alter ego


At this point in the run-up to the NFL Draft, teams know everything there is to know about the top prospects--except secret Power Ranger personas.

Fortunately, OBNUG can help with that. While doing research on Ryan Clady's MySpace page, we discovered the big guy's afternoon alter ego, and it sounds pretty awesome:

You are the Black Ranger, you are Zach. Your weapon is the power axe. You are the Mastadon.
Clady's Mighty Morphin' handle came from a simple MySpace survey. More journalists should employ such tactics.

Discovering Clady's other side could reap benefits come draft day. Who wouldn't want an athlete who can morph into a monster-slaying, prepubescent superhero? If the following video is any indication, the Dolphins might be pursuing the wrong guy.



Ryan Clady's MySpace [MySpace]
Which Mighty Morphin Power Ranger are you? [MySpace Quizzes]

WAC coaches define conference chasm


The WAC, maybe more than any other conference in America, has a great discrepancy between the teams at the top and the teams at the bottom. Boise State and Hawaii played in BCS bowls the past two years while Utah State and Idaho struggled to win a single game.

One of the reasons for this gap is the coaching, and Sporting News apparently agrees. The following is their ranking of non-BCS coaches.

1. June Jones, SMU
2. Gary Patterson, TCU
3. Pat Hill, Fresno State
4. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
5. Chris Petersen, Boise State
6. Todd Graham, Tulsa
7. Larry Blakeney, Troy
8. Dick Tomey, San Jose State
9. George O'Leary, Central Florida
10. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
...
20. Chris Ault, Nevada
30. Hal Mumme, New Mexico State
40. Derek Dooley, Louisiana Tech
47. Brent Guy, Utah State
49. Robb Akey, Idaho
50. Greg McMackin, Hawaii
Just to clarify, there are only 52 total.

Ranking the non-BCS coaches [Sporting News]

Brian Murphy doesn't get college football


Brian Murphy continues to amaze us. After belittling Bronco fans in his March columns, Murphy has turned his attention to taking the wrong side in the BCS/Congress debate. In his Statesman story over the weekend, the Murph claimed that there are more important things for the Justice Department to concerned about.

Mike Simpson, R-Ida. and co-sponsors Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, and Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., have decided that what Congress should be worrying about is the college football bowl system. Even in this period of persistent war, a collapsing dollar, a mortgage crisis, all-time high gasoline prices and troubled healthcare system what Congress should really be worrying about is the college football bowl system.

Huh?

"We can do more than one thing at a time," Simpson said, defending the bill. "It doesn't mean we're not doing other things."

Um, that's precisely what it means.

Leave it to Murphy to ignore quotes from his main source in order to keep on the path to his original point. Sure, there are other issues in this country, but the government is well aware of them and working hard to fix them. Simpson is right; a bunch of grown-ups can multi-task.

Besides, as a Boise State fan, Murphy should be thrilled about this bill. The Broncos are the poster child for fairness and equality, and their success is exactly why this kind of legislation is being proposed. Should it pass, Boise State will have an infinitely better shot at a national title.

The issue is not an issue solely reserved for college football because obviously college football cannot handle it. If left alone in the hands of Myles Brand and Co., the BCS will continue in its current inequitable state for years. College football needs outside intervention, and the best place to get it is in Congress.

Murphy needs to get off his soapbox and appreciate this great opportunity. Forget the energy crisis. Be glad that college football won't be broken forever.

Congress should be dealing with bigger problems [Idaho Statesman]

Monday, April 21, 2008

OBNUG Roundtable: Public Enemy #1


Public Enemy #1 has been a raging, ribald debate at OBNUG. The distinction of being the most hated villain for our website is not to be taken lightly, which has made the decision all the more difficult. Whoever wins will receive our scorn for the next 365 days, so we want to get it right.

Recently, a few of OBNUG's finest discussed the candidacy of our Public Enemy nominees. Here is that conversation:

kevanlee: Dan Hawkins, Sean Renfree, Colin Kaepernick, Robb Akey, Mike Prater, and Hal Mumme. Just seeing this list makes me rather upset. As a Boise State fan, these six people are some of the most despicable I have ever seen. A liar, a loser, a fink, a slanderer, a traitor, and a blowhard. What a group.

Picking just one will be a hard task, but at least we can't go wrong with any of these guys. The interesting thing is that each one of these candidates stands as a different burr to Bronco Nation. Some are threatening and some are annoying.

I'm leaning toward Kaepernick, Akey, and Hawkins. Kaepernick has the potential to absolutely ruin the lives of BSU fans this season, and he seems to have a hidden agenda to take down the Broncos. Akey is Idaho's coach, and he grows more and more intolerable every day. And I have a personal vendetta against "Hawk" for the way he left BSU.

Which crime is worse? Being a life-ruiner, being a cad, or being a Judas?

Nick: It's really too bad we are having this discussion this year instead of last. I mean, Kaepernick, Mumme, and Akey really all pale in comparison to the douchebaggery last year in Hawaii's duo of June Jones and Colt Brennan. For those reasons alone, I'm probably leaning against those three.

I'm also leaning against Hawkins. It's been two full seasons since he left, and although he did so in the lowest of fashions, some of Boise State's greatest moments have happened since then. If he were in the same conference or even succeeding at Colorado, I might find more contempt in my heart for him. Unfortunately, I just don't care enough.

By process of elimination, that leaves Renfree and Prater. I think it's a little premature to vote for Renfree. He hasn't even had a chance to not live up to his potential at Duke.

So that leaves Mr. Prater. The fact that he hired Brian Murphy is more than enough reason for me to dislike the guy. Fortunately, there are many more including the aforementioned debacle that he is on the radio along with his Vandal blood. Could KTIK get a less charismatic personality on the mic? I'd rather listen to a confused Paul J any day over the apathetic and uninspiring Prater.
Kenton Arthur Lee: I think that Dan Hawkins could still be Public Enemy #1, and here's why:

1) He's kind of a freak compared to Peterson. There is a huge contrast there.

2)I don't really like his kid, either. And I hope his kid doesn't succeed down there. He could have been awesome at BSU and then we wouldn't be having this quarterback controversy right now.

3) Not everybody knows the names of people on that list, but every BSU fan remembers Hawkins. I think more people identify with not liking Hawkins.
kevanlee: Maybe we would have been better off nominating the entire Hawkins family.

I agree, Nick. Robb Akey and Colin Kaepernick are very similar to WAC nemeses like June Jones and Colt Brennan. It seems like we will always have someone to hate in our conference, and that is the way it should be. That said, should they be considered less since they are merely iterations of past enemies? I don't think so.

Now to Hawkins and Prater. Hawkins has an interesting case because he has been out of the public scorn of Bronco Nation for a few years now, yet we all seem to still have a total distaste for the guy. That should count for something. Prater's offenses are evident, and he has the opportunity and power to seriously affect how Bronco fans get their news. The main reason I hesitate to support Prater's case is because his indiscretions are harder to quantify. That, and I can't find any good pictures of him.

Sounds like Renfree and Mumme are safe. Let's give Kaepernick a pass on this year's P.E.#1 since he will still be around to hate for a couple more season. That leaves Akey, Prater, and Hawkins.
Nick: In response to Akey, Kaepernick, and Mumme, it's not that they are past iterations of past enemies. It's that they pale in comparison to past iterations. Can you really take Akey seriously with a mustache like that? I feel like we would be giving too much credit to Kaepernick when he's really not done anything else. It's hard for me to hate Mumme too much when I get so much joy from watching him prance around on the sideline imitating a drunk Gary Busey.

I would not be opposed to Prater or Hawkins. I definitely had more hatred in my heart seeing Cody run around in Colorado's backfield and thinking about how he reneged on his verbal
commitment to follow Daddy to a guaranteed starting job leaving us into this never-ending cycle of trying to find a starting quarterback. I might be able to get behind that.
kevanlee: Hawkins or Prater, huh? The ghosts of our past or the bane of our present? The case for Hawkins is so completely different than the case for Prater that it is hard to even compare the two. On the one hand, you have a former coach who spurned a loving fanbase. On the other hand, you have a local media personality who roots for the local team's rival. Both are terrible people, but in different ways.

Who will it be? We might need to sleep on this one for a day or two. Keep your fingers crossed, Hawkins and Prater. We'll have our answer on Wednesday.

Akey loves his Vandal family



After the Idaho's Silver and Gold game last weekend, head coach Robb Akey couldn't have been happier with his players, er, relatives.

“I like the way this family is together at this point in time and that is going to be huge,” Akey said.
...and...
“We’ve got a family here and that is a great thing. We are able to get better at things over the course of the spring instead of trying to figure each other out like we were last spring.”

Akey is the Patrick Duffy to the Idaho Vandals' Step by Step family.

Silver wins spring finale [Govandals.com]