A Bronco's reaction to a Bulldog's joy

Fresno State won the College World Series. How are Bronco fans supposed to deal with that?

For the most part, there are two sides to the fence. On one side resides those who cheer the success of every WAC team because it brings respectability and notoriety to the conference, and by extention, to Boise State. Those on the other side of the fence are staunchly selfish, decrying success of conference rivals because of the mere fact that they are conference rivals and therefore deserve a full measure of hatred and contempt. Chances are good that most Bronco fans reside on one side or the other.

Fresno State's national championship would be simple to debate if it were as black-and-white as, say, the Bulldogs' football game against Wisconsin. However, the baseball title is an entirely different beast for a couple of reasons.

1. Boise State has no baseball team. This would seem to make the decision significantly easier. If Boise State has no baseball team, the reasoning might go, then Boise State fans have free reign to root for whomever they choose.
2. Fresno State's national championship is being considered a historical blow for the little guy so much so that it may overshadow the historical blow that the Broncos laid in the Fiesta Bowl. How can a Bronco fan justifiably be happy about that?

The grayness of the issue leaves a lot of room for fan interpretation, but choosing sides has also been an interesting matter in the local media. On the Press-Tribune website, they put up a "breaking news" link to the story of the Bulldogs' championship. The Idaho Statesman website had absolutely no mention of it. Oddly enough, the voice of reason in this whole ordeal has been none other than Tom Scott.

It's being called one of the more remarkable stories in the history of college sports. ESPN's Erin Andrews calls it "a movie". Fresno State became the lowest-seeded team ever to win the College World Series, beating Georgia, 6-1. It's being treated like Boise State's Fiesta Bowl upset, and the Bulldogs' national championship is indeed a monstrous accomplishment. 

But to be sure, 10 years from now a slew of Americans will be able to tell you who won in Glendale on New Year's Day 2007 (and how it happened), while precious few will be able to tell you who won the 2008 College World Series.

And therein lies the beautiful rub. Showing appreciation for the Fresno State baseball team is harmless when you consider the historical staying power of their championship. It's not that sports fans are unable or unwilling to remember a small school's victory. It is that they are unable or unwilling to remember a baseball victory. The Fiesta Bowl (and college football in general) is far more memorable than any measure of college baseball no matter how unprecedented, unique, or captivating.

Congratulations are certainly in order for Fresno State on their incredible achievement, and Bulldog fans should certainly enjoy the limelight while it lasts. But for those Bronco fans concerned with the long-lasting effects of a "win for the ages," keep in mind that all of the hubbub will be forgotten in a matter of time.

All it will take is a kickoff.

Broncos ranked by Rivals.com

Thanks to an alert reader, we found out that Boise State has been ranked #35 in the country by Rivals.com. Their countdown, which began appropriately enough at the bottom with Utah State and Idaho, has been going on for weeks now, and we had been anxious to see where Rivals would place the Broncos. And really, we can't complain. If BSU started the season at #35, there would have a good opportunity to move up into the top 25 in just a few weeks' time.

The Rivals preview was pretty standard, but it surprised us with its thoroughness. A George Iloka mention? Hailing the virtues of Vinny Perretta? Knowing who Brandyn Thompson is? We half expected an ESPN.com-style fluff piece featuring a follow-up of Ian Johnson's marriage and a take on the strong cornerback duo of Orlando Scandrick and Kyle Wilson.

But Rivals really stole our heart with this line:

If we've learned one thing the past 10 seasons, it's never to doubt Boise State – no matter what issues the program faces.

You can say that again. Although, if one were to learn two things from the past 10 seasons, the other might be that Fresno State never finishes ahead of the Broncos. Perhaps it will take Rivals 11 years to learn that one.

Boise State preview [Rivals.com]

Friday: Links with possiblities

Story of the day:

Phil Dailey on the Fresno bandwagon? [Dailey's Bottom Line]

The local media is starting to turn in their preseason WAC ballots, and the transparency of the Idaho Press-Tribune affords us the luxury of peering into Phil Dailey's thought process. Playing a prominent role in Dailey's thoughts: the Hawaii Bowl.

I think you have to give Fresno State the nod, after all, the Bulldogs won their bowl game over Georgia Tech, while Boise State blew it against a not-very-good East Carolina team in the Hawaii Bowl.

Dailey has Fresno State at the top of the WAC, with Boise State at number two. Right behind them? Louisiana Tech. A gutsy call, but we like our local media members to think outside the box.

I’m a big Derek Dooley fan and I think he’ll have his team ready for the WAC after non-conference tilts against Mississippi State, Kansas and SE Louisiana.

We'll give you two guess who the teams at the bottom are.

Other links:

Reggie Larry does not hear his name called [Yahoo!]
He may still have a chance to catch on with a team this summer

BYU snags two recruits that had BSU's interest [Daily Herald]
When you factor in Mormon missions, the Cougars can have 'em.

IPT recaps preview mags [Press-Tribune]
And in the process, saves us $14.95.

Tom Scott weighs in on stadium expansion [Scott Slant]
Scott: The south end zone will be a horseshoe by 2013.

J Bates snidely rips Brian Murphy's blog [J's Blog]Nice to know we're not the only ones who notice these things.

Weekend series on Montana's D-1 hopes [Missoulian]

Idaho gets the spotlight today. Enjoy it while it lasts, Vandals.

South American vacay for Dan Hawkins [Longmont Times]
"It's Rio De Janeiro! It's the Amazon River! It ain't intramurals!"

San Jose State preview [Saturday Soundoffs]
If anyone cares.

LaTech logo change changes nothing

The new LaTech logo is here and it is...exactly the same as the old one. See for yourself:

NEW OLD

In a sense, we are kind of relieved. The traditional LaTech logo is a classic, and we were a little worried that the modern, edgy version was going to be some sort of interpretation of a Bulldog cooking Creole cuisine or Derek Dooley wrestling with the state of Louisiana. Thankfully, taste won out.

Yet while the "T" logo may have remained the same, not all Tech paraphernalia avoided the Queer Eye treatment. Here's the new Bulldog logo, which at least looks better than this and this.

According to a Yahoo! story, the dog design is supposed to represent "the class, discipline and competitive strength that embodies all of (LaTech's) teams and student-athletes." Don't know about that, but we do think the logo looks an awful lot like Otto, the dog from the Beetle Bailey cartoon.

Last but not least, the Bulldogs created an entire "LaTech font" based on the "T" in their traditional logo. We're still trying to decide if this is nerdy, exciting, or a waste of resources. We're leaning toward the latter.

LaTech reveals new athletics logos [Yahoo!]

Thursday: Links with losing

Story of the day:

Fresno State: national champion [Sports Network]

The Fresno State baseball team completed a surprising run to the finals of the College World Series by defeating Georgia and winning the whole thing. How refreshing that a collegiate sport have a tournament to decide the national championship regardless of school size or conference affiliation.

The school became the lowest seeded team to win an NCAA championship in any sport. It was a fourth seed at the Long Beach Regional, and began its unlikely run there, knocking off 11th-seeded Long Beach State and sixth-ranked San Diego. In the Super Regional, Fresno State won two of three against third- ranked Arizona State to reach the College World Series.

Fresno State went on to beat fifth-ranked Rice, eliminate second-ranked North Carolina and staved off elimination three times in the same tournament, ending with a 47-31 record.

We've joked that Boise State could replicate Fresno's success if they had a baseball team of their own, but after reading the unlikely and amazing road they took to the championship, we're not so sure that the Broncos could do that. (Just kidding; the Broncos could do anything!)

Congratulations, Fresno State.

Other links:

The Statesman joins the Peak radio curiosity [Murph's Turf]
Better late than never, we guess.

The Big Lead's take on superconferences [The Big Lead]

OBNUG's take on superconferences: yes.

With the 49th pick in the NBA Draft, the Warriors take... [Press-Tribune]
Reggie Larry? One can certainly hope so.

Revised ESPN Top 25 [ESPN.com]
Still no Boise State. Send it back for more revisions!

"You have the lightest blue eyes": a Dinwiddie interview turns awkward

The Winnipeg Sun might very well be known for a lot of good things, but we doubt that interviews are one of them. A staff reporter sat down with former BSU standout and current Winnipeg Blue Bomber QB Ryan Dinwiddie to discuss, well, whatever popped into her head apparently. The interview included the following questions:

Q: Do you have any pets?
Q: What hobbies do you have?
Q: If people were to find you doing anything on an off day in Winnipeg, what would it be?

Ryan Dinwiddie, you are now off the Pabst Blue Ribbon Hot Seat.

Still, softball questions were far from the strangest part of the interview. That distinction falls to the awkward, uncomfortable topic of Dinwiddie's beautiful eyes.

Q: Have your eyes always been the focus of attention? Because you have the lightest blue eyes most people have ever seen. They're like Husky eyes.

Uh...next question please?

Our conclusion is that the Winnipeg Sun was not actually interviewing Dinwiddie, but rather helping him fill out his Match.com profile. Hard-hitting Canadian journalism at its finest, eh?

Ryan Dinwiddie Q & A [Winnipeg Sun]

Wednesday: Links with virtue

Story of the day:

Still waiting for BSU radio announcement [Idaho Radio News]

Last week, the Statesman got everyone's hopes up with a giant hint toward a Bronco radio announcement on Friday. Five days later, we are all still waiting.

Kevin Godwin, Peak's head honcho, made it seem clear that we would know something by now. Dragging this decision on is only further souring the whole radio ordeal in the minds of Boise State fans.

It’s interesting to set a public deadline… then miss it by several business days. KBCI says there are four finalists - and the last candidate was interviewed last week. The four candidates have experience from college to NFL levels.

What we don’t know is who it will be… or when we’ll find out.

We're not the only ones getting antsy, either. Channel 2's website had a story up about the long wait. Fight Fight BSU discovered a possible reason why the decision is taking so long. And Rush Limbaugh's face on the KIDO website has a pained, anticipatory expression.

At any rate, we are still anxiously looking forward to some sort of announcement...and anxiously waiting by our phones should Peak try to call.

Other links:

ESPN's Schlabach does bowl predictions [ESPN.com]
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl, here we come!

Schlabach does conference predictions, too [ESPN.com]

BSU apparently is not BCS bowl material

More bowl predictions [Bleacher Report]
Not sure whether or not to be excited about the GMAC Bowl

Blue Turf Towel guy surrenders [Statesman]
This has the makings of a gripping Law and Order episode