Bleacher Report - Articles by Phil Friend

Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion: Boston Celtics Still Alive

Phil Friend — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:18:16 -0400

Those words, infamously said by former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, have received much discourse for Boston over the course of these playoffs.

During Boston's first 11 playoffs games, I have had roughly 15 heart attacks, a number I didn't come remotely close to last year. But like Chris Farley's character in Bill Swarski's "Superfans" I keep going and going, living and dying with each possession.

It is somewhat bittersweet seeing these Celtics. They perservere, perservere and do it every game, showing what it takes to be a champion. I only say it's bittersweet because Cleveland is going to blow the eff out of whoever wins this series in five games or less.

But for right now, I'm enjoying all of these little moments that make sports so special. When Glen "Big Baby" Davis knocked down that 21-foot jumper at the buzzer, I ran around my apartment just like he did on the court (minus running into the kid).

Every single shot in these playoffs have meant so much. Ray Allen's three-pointer to send the game into overtime, seemlessly running as Brad Miller chased him—I'll almost remember that play more than when he lit up Sasha Vujacic on the lay-up last year.

But I try to keep all of this in perspective, forget about Cleveland and enjoy these moments that make sports so awesome. Boston has been a dead-man walking ever since Game One of the Bulls series but keep finding ways to win.

When they trotted out Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, Rondo, Davis, and Eddie House in double overtime in the most important game of the season, that's usually where they bust out a big, massive FAIL sign. But they keep plugging away.

The C's are overmatched..Pierce and Allen can't do it by themselves. But they've gotten help from all over the place. Rondo was unbelievable against Chicago. Even before Sunday night's game-winner, Davis had been growing up right before our eyes. Same with Perk. Sixteen points, 19 rebounds. Who knew he had it in him?

Sure, Perk and Davis aren't near KG's level, and weren't even valuable starters until this year. But it's safe to say that Perk, Big Baby and Rondo learned a lot from the Big Three that couldn't possibly be learned anywhere else.

And that's the heart of a champion. And that's why the Celtics are very much alive in these playoffs. Cherish these moments, C's fans.

Can Ball State Make the BCS? Round Two

Phil Friend — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:33:00 -0500

Cardinals fans definitely got their wish last Thursday when TCU's BCS hopes came crashing down in a loss to Utah.

Like I said last week, it really was a lose-lose situation for the Cardinals. We still had four non-BCS teams ahead of us, and now it's down to four with Utah, Boise State, us, and unfortunately, BYU.

Let's break it down.

Here is our dream scenario.

1. Nov. 22 becomes Hail to the Cardinals Day.

This is a very big day in the history of Ball State football. Utah and Boise State's best chances to lose fall on this day. Nevada plays Boise State while Utah takes on BYU. What that would do is likely put us as the No. 1 non-BCS team (unless BYU got a HUGE bump), and we'd get an automatic berth. I creamed my pants just thinking of this possibility. Nov. 22 feels like a LIVE BLOG! Day.

2. The Big East champ is ranked No. 17 or lower.

I've read many, many different interpretations of the BCS rules, but this is my understanding. If one of the BCS conference champions is ranked No. 17 or lower and a non-BCS team is ranked higher than that, then that non-BCS team gets an at-large berth.

So let's say only one of those teams falls on D-Day. If Cincinnati wins the Big East and only gets to 17, viola, the Cardinals should be in.

3. Many, many teams lose more games.

And by teams, we specifically mean Ohio State. I've got to be honest, I'm not fully sure how OSU losing helps us, although everyone keeps saying that. I presume that would mean they get a third loss and thus wouldn't be eligible for the BCS. But who knows? Feel free to fill that part in.

But most important, just win out, baby. Let the "cards" fall where they may.

Mark Schlabach Is a Master Researcher: False

Phil Friend — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:09:00 -0500

This has been talked about quite a bit on BSUFans, and it's probably worthy of an entire post. On today's main college football page at ESPN.com, the lead read is Mark Schlabach's "On The Mark" column, and he addresses the three non-BCS schools that are undefeated (Utah, Boise State, and Ball State).

(Note 2: "On The Mark" is cheeky and easy to make fun of, but then again, my columns at my newspaper are called "Phil"osophy, so I will be quiet. At ease.)

The thesis of his argument is that the only team worthy of getting a BCS bid is Utah—which is weird because they're the only team that's had the close games. I'm sorry, didn't Toledo beat Michigan at Michigan as well? And didn't Ball State shut out Toledo, 31-0, at their place? I think so. These arguments were left out in his pro-Utah stance.

Let's decipher this doozy.

"The Tar Heels and Panthers have done more to deserve a BCS berth than Ball State, Boise State, or Utah."

Are we talking about the same Pitt team here? The same Pitt team that lost to Bowling Green? Does either Pitt or North Carolina have as impressive a victory as Boise State over Oregon? A quick check shows the answer is no.

This team is three weeks removed from losing to Rutgers by 20. A week ago, it took FOUR OVERTIMES to beat a terrible Notre Dame team. Another note, Schlabach: Pitt beat traditional doormat Buffalo by 11 points.

Woo! You're right, they're way more worthy. And in case you didn't notice, Louisville sucks. So that means nothing.

Pitt's best win, South Florida, isn't that much more impressive than Navy, Mark—not enough to make it the entire thesis of your column. Pick some better teams next time.

However, I do not have as strong an argument for North Carolina. Maybe we'll see them in the Orange Bowl and decide once and for all.

I enjoyed this comment as well.

"No. 14 Ball State, known more for its canning jars and alumnus David Letterman than football, also is a perfect 9-0."

Ooooh. Someone either knows how to use Wikipedia or is in fact a jar connoisseur—which is a possibility, I guess. Maybe he's visited the Ball Jar Museum. Free tours! Learn all about Ball Jars here. This is surprisingly detailed.

One more comment from Schlabach.

"If the Cardinals win their last three games and finish 12-0, they would certainly be deserving of a date in the Motor City Bowl."

Well if, that wasn't the fist-up-the-you-know-what compliment of the night, I don't know what is.

Cardinal Roundtable: Ball State-Miami Preview

Phil Friend — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:36:00 -0500

(Cripes...this past week flew right by. I can't believe it's GAMEDAY! already. What we have is another great opportunity to make ourselves famous with what should be a great performance against Miami—and most important, shut up people like Mark Schlabach, who sucks at life. I'll tackle that column in a bit but let's just say TSBB isn't happy. The phrase I use to describe Miami is "sneaky bad." Because when someone says "Miami," most people automatically think, "Ooooh, they're good." In fact, this year, they are atrocious.)

Let's get it on...

1) Ball State has three games standing in the way of being undefeated for the regular season. Two of the games are against upper echelon MAC teams in Central Michigan and Western Michigan. This Tuesday's contest pits the Cardinals against 2-7 Miami. How concerned about a "trap game" are you for the Cardinals?

Not in the least bit about this game. One of these days, that comment is going to bite me in the ass. But let's face facts. Yes, I know Miami is our rival and anything can happen. I've made many bold proclamations about blowouts and been wrong. But Miami is terrible. Atrocious. The aforementioned "sneaky bad."

If we want to attain our goals, this better not be a trap game. But from what I've seen so far from both schools, I don't think this is a trap game at all for the Mighty Bird.

It wasn't that long ago when it was Ben Roethlisberger's junior year and some people thought we'd hang around because of the rivalry. We lost, 49-0.

Think about that.

2) The BCS standings released on Sunday put the Cardinals at 14th. How have your hopes for a BCS berth changed over the last week or so, with Ball State's victory, their move up in the polls, and teams ahead of them dropping?

Mine haven't changed at all. As I've said all along, let's focus on us, go undefeated, and let the chips fall where they lie. To quote Mr. Dewey Cox, it's a long, hard walk. If we make it to the BCS, it'll be awesome. If not, I won't be disappointed. I'm not gonna go on BSUFans and fire off an unbelievable rant about how we got screwed.

Unfortunately, our schedule isn't very good, and we happened to be having the once-in-a-lifetime season in a year in which there are two other non-BCS schools who are also very good and have the rep to go along with it. Don't get me wrong, I'm hoping, wishing, wanting, but I try to stay realistic.

But that doesn't mean I haven't been checking out hotels in Miami or estimating mileage for the drive ;).

3) With the emergence of Louis Johnson on Wednesday, the Cardinals are not only talented, but also very deep at the wide receiver position. Who on the offensive and defensive side of the ball do you expect to have a monster game on Tuesday?

Oooh, predictions. My pre-game Helmet Stickers go out to MiQuale Lewis on the offensive side and Brandon Crawford on the defensive side.

Lewis has been over 100 yards the past few games, but we haven't "heard" heard from him like we did in, say, the IU game. This feels like a 150-plus, three-TD game for him. It hurts a little in that we'll call off the dogs, so we can't get 150 from Lewis and 350 from Nate, but whatever.

Defensively, hopefully we'll pin our ears back and get to Miami's backup QB a few times, and if it does happen, it'll be Crawdaddy.

4) What Miami player would you like to see suit up in Cardinal and White?

No one on their roster really stands out to me. I have been saying wideouts the past two weeks because we're missing an elite one, but it almost feels like none of the receivers we've played against are even as good as Briggs Orsbon.

So I'm gonna go with kicker Nathan Parseghian. He's got the bloodline (descendant of Ara Parseghian), and he's been quite the kicker this year: 18-of-18 on extra points and 13-of-15 on field goals, including 6-of-7 from 30-39 yards and 2-3 from 40-49. Feels like an upgrade to me.

5) What do you expect from the Cardinals and RedHawks in this midweek contest? Does Ball State walk away 10-0 for their best start in school history, or does Miami shock the world and shake up the BCS standings on their home turf?

If Miami shocks the world, I will run the streets of Frankfort naked. Luckily, only about 10 people live in this town. But I think the Cardinals run away with this one easily, 52-7. These predictions won't be so brash in the next two weeks.

6) BONUS QUESTION ASKED BY ME TO ANSWER MYSELF: What were your thoughts on the Northern Illinois game?

My first reaction was: Brady Hoke (and Stan Parrish), you sandbagging son of bitches. Myself (and quite a few others) have wondered what exactly was wrong with the BSU offense. Why aren't we scoring points at a furious pace? Why does it seem lackadaisical?

Well, I think we saw why. We're saving it all for this four-game stretch run. 45 against Northern Illinois (and it could've been more). That's the best defense we'll see, and we got 45. The possibilities are endless against the remaining three teams.

The sandbagging idea was actually my brother's. He sent me a text during the game saying that he felt like we've definitely been holding back. And to quote Maximus, "On my command, unleash hell."

Welcome to Ball State football.

Mid-American Conference Football Redefined.

Over The Pylon
Ball U Nation

Ball State Cardinal Roundtable: Western Kentucky

Phil Friend — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:29:00 -0400

(Every week, The Sixth Ball Brother and the other two Ball State sports blogs, Over The Pylon and Ball U Nation, participate in a Cardinal Roundtable, where we attempt to answer the key questions concerning this coming week's opponent. This week, it's Western Kentucky.

You can click on their answers at the bottom of this. This week's questions come from Alan at OTP—and you know me.)

1) So...Western Kentucky. Are you remotely worried about this game?

The only thing that really piques my interest is their schedule. They've played an extremely difficult one and won't exactly be worried about hosting a Top 25 team. It reminds me of Ball State last year when it became clear we weren't going to be intimidated going into someone's huge stadium and competing with them.

I also worry about their version of the "Wildcat" formation, in which running back Dexter Taylor takes the direct snap like the old Single Wing offense. Pretty crazy, and I'm looking forward to seeing it in action.

2) The first half against Toledo was simply brutal to watch. Is that slow start cause for concern as we go forth to Bowling Green?

Look, nobody's perfect. Every undefeated team has had some random temporary roadblocks, close calls or slip-ups. At the moment, I'll just say it's a blip on the radar screen.

We have had a little bit of trouble scoring in the red zone, but maybe I'm too confident in our team in that I expect a touchdown every single drive. This is the new Ball State (cue Jo Ann Gora voice).

3) This game has the potential to be a stat padder for some of the Cardinals and a chance for some younger guys to showcase what they can do. Who would you like to see get more reps than normal?

I'd like to see Nate reach the 400-yard mark with five touchdowns. He hasn't had the big, gaudy stat-like games yet. That being said, he hasn't had to because MiQuale has been unbelievable.

And I'd like Briggs Orsbon to be on the receiving end of this big game. I really like the kid. No wonder Purdue tried to steal him away from at the last second (although he says this isn't true, I want to run with it, haha).

4) What's the best thing you took away from the Toledo game? Conversely, what's the one thing of concern you took away from the Toledo game?

The best thing is our defense. Wow. I am officially on the bandwagon with these guys. The Cards have been hampered so much in the past by the lack of defense, that it's unbelievable seeing guys fly around like this. And I've never seen a defense with this many playmakers.

Concern...Hey Ian McGarvey, make some field goals!

5) The term "mid-major" and "BCS buster" gets thrown around a lot. Of the non-BCS teams ranked above the Cardinals, are there any you think the Cardinals couldn't beat?

I'm not sure we'd beat BYU. I almost think that the Cougars are going to make it to the national championship game.

It would definitely be a shootout for sure, somewhere in the 52-49 range. But I think the Cards would beat or stay within a point or two of the others. Our offense is too good.

6) Is there a player on Western Kentucky you'd like to snap up and switch shades of red and white?

I'm biased because I saw way more of Dexter Taylor in high school than one should, but that kid is a legitimate threat. No one could touch him in high school.

If anyone knows how to use him correctly, it's his high school coach, Kevin Wright, who is now Western Kentucky's offensive coordinator.

I would bet the house we're going to see A LOT of the Wildcat formation (or Single Wing, whichever you prefer depending on your age). Hopefully the defense is up to the task.

7) There's been quite the chatter this week about rankings and what they mean. Who is your Top 5 so far this season? More importantly, who do you have playing it out in the BCS Championship game?

Well, my preseason national title game was Missouri vs. Ohio State, so that's not going to happen. But I'm still sticking with Missouri. That team's sick.

The thought of Alabama making it to the title game makes me want to puke because I hate Nick Saban so much. This looks like another LSU year where they'll pull rabbits out of the hat again. So I'm going LSU-Missouri.

If USC makes it to the NC game, I'm going to go nuts. We had to listen last year about how USC was the best team in the nation, blah blah blah, but didn't make it.

Hey, you guys had the worst loss out of everyone in Stanford. And you have it again this year in Oregon State. Sorry 'bout cha.

Over The Pylon
Ball U Nation

Cardinal Roundtable: Ball State-Toledo (Four Days Late)

Phil Friend — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:25:00 -0400

(Yes, yes, I know, I haven't posted anything for a week. I have my reasons, but I will try to get back on the horse in an attempt to bring the best possible news. Anyway, I missed last week's version of the Cardinal Roundtable, but here's how I would've answered them if I had done it on Thursday. The other two participants are Over The Pylon and Ball U Nation. Enjoy.)

1. One of the biggest questions going into the Kent State game was how Ball State would be able to replace Dante Love. How well do you think Ball State was able to replace him?

You can't replace your top playmaker on a dime and expect everything to stay the same. Maybe at an Alabama, but not at Ball State. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I was worried about our last three games and how missing Dante could hurt us down the road.

But it almost seems as if Nate could make Myles Trempe and Briggs Orsbon superstars in his own right. Trempe is slowly starting to make a heck of an impression on me.

2. One of the weak spots in this year has been the run defense. How much do you think this will hurt Ball State as the season progresses?

I'll cheat here since we saw what the defense did in the Toledo game, but man this defense's improvement has been freakin' ridiculous. I've never seen a Ball State defense play as well as it did against Toledo. Never in my lifetime. They made the Rockets look ridiculous. But as we keep saying, the truest test will come against Central.

3. Brady Hoke is starting to get mentioned for other jobs. Assuming he leaves, who would you like to see replace him?

Well, obviously Stan Parrish would be the ideal fit. The question is, does he want it? If he were to leave with Brady wherever he goes next (and it's probably a safe bet Brady leaves when Nate does), I really have no idea who'd replace him. Maybe Lee Corso?

4. If you could save one Toledo player and make him a Cardinal, who would it be and why?

When we did this question earlier about which MAC player we'd want, I chose Toledo's ball-hawking safety Barry Church, and I still stand by that one.

5. One of the biggest playmakers for Ball State was supposed to be Darius Hill, but he has been all but invisible in all but the Northeastern game. What do you think is the problem, and is it correctable?

It's kind of weird in that he has ALWAYS had a case of the butterfingers, yet no one ever talked about it until this year. I think it's more noticeable because Ball State is, in fact, 6-0.

For all the hype he gets, he sure drops a lot of footballs and I've got to think that scouts notice it. But I wouldn't trade him for too many tight ends in college football. His size and ability to get open underneath are pretty solid.

Over The Pylon
Ball U Nation

Ball State Creeping Up the College Football Polls

Phil Friend — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:46:00 -0400

I will apologize for the lack of TSBB Morning Quarterback, but I didn't get to see too much of the game and I was way busy yesterday.

But let's talk about what's going on in the polls. The Ball State football team is 29th in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches' Poll!

There's a considerable separation between 25th and 29, but hey, we're four spots way from the Top 25.

Most important, the Cardinals are 17 spots from the proverbial Top 12.

In the AP poll, the others receiving votes are: Maryland 46, Michigan State 42, Kentucky 40, Ball State 38.

Coaches' poll: Northwestern 98, Michigan State 88, Kentucky 86, Ball State 43.

So close, yet so far.

Cardinal Roundtable: Indiana

Phil Friend — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:22:00 -0400

(We're back once again with the Cardinal Roundtable with the other two kids who do the whole Ball State Cardinals sports blog thing, Over The Pylon and Ball U Nation. OTP provided this week's questions. Enjoy.)

1.) So it's Indiana week. Do you see this game as a rivalry? If no, why not. If so, why?

Well, it's kind of like the Yankees-Red Sox thing circa 2003. It's not a rivalry unless you can actually beat the other team. We're still looked at as the red-headed stepchild—and more or less, rightfully so. The sting of the 2006 game still lingers with me and we were never really in last year's matchup.

So, no, I don't see this as much as a rivalry. The Mighty Bird is 0-4 against IU lifetime. But if there's ever a year we need to beat them, it's this year.

2.) What player on Indiana's team concerns you most?

I'm not going to be all supercool and pull someone random out of the hat. It's certainly Kellen Lewis. The Cards have never stopped a running quarterback ever, and if you remember, Lewis has his coming-out party against us in 2006. No one could tackle him, it's like he was wearing PAM.

In order to win this game, Ball State will basically have to have one or two spies on him at all time. No one else on this team remotely scares me besides Marcus Thigpen. And thankfully, there's no James Hardy this year. And if the defense has improved like we all believe, we'll find out Saturday.

3.) Bill Lynch. Thoughts?

When I think of Bill Lynch, I remember that he drove our program into the ground. He never went after elite prospects and we were getting players that were choosing between us and the University of Indianapolis. Really? And you want to win a MAC title that way?

Here was Bill Lynch's offensive strategy: run, run, pass, punt. Ugh. And in 2001, when we were a quarter away from getting to the MAC title game, we pissed down our leg against Northern Illinois. My first two years at Ball State, I experienced the 21-game losing streak, as did OTP and maybe Ball U Nation too (I don't know when he matriculated there).

But it appears he's actually getting pretty good prospects in this year's recruiting class, so I ask: Where the hell was this at Ball State? But he's a great guy, one of the nicest guys I've ever talked to. And I can't say enough about Joey, a class act all the way around.

4.) What one player on Indiana's roster do you want to snap up for Ball State and convert to good instead of evil?

I pulled the "Dan LeFevour so he could be on our bench thing" last week, so I wont' do it again. But I will stick to the defensive side and say Greg Middleton. It never hurts to have more quality athletes on the defensive side, especially in the MAC, and he did lead the nation in sacks a year ago. He'd tear the MAC up, for sure.

5.) Since it's IU Hate Week, what is the one thing you dislike most about the IU football program?

I don't know if there's anything I hate specifically, in all honesty. The only thing that rubs me wrong is the fact that IU fans are delusional in that they view their program as far superior to ours. And that's certianly not the case.

All four games have been relatively close, so it's not like they're Kansas State beating us 76-0. I don't know where they get the idea that they're a lot better than the kids in Muncie. Especially on the football field.

Here's everyone else's answers:
Over The Pylon
Ball U Nation

Better Know a College Football Blogger: Akron vs. Ball State

Phil Friend — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:34:00 -0400

(Welcome to this week's installment of Better Know A College Football Blogger. This week's guest is Mike Rasor, who is all things Akron sports. He blogs about the Zips on "Rasor on the Zips" and the budding lawyer took some time to answer a few questions in our little niche in the blogosphere.)

THE SIXTH BALL BROTHER: The one person who scares me is quarterback Chris Jacquemain. What makes him such a threat, and is there anyone else who should concern Ball State as well?

RASOR ON THE ZIPS: Chris Jacquemain shouldn't be scaring anyone until he puts together a few good games in a row. Most Zips fans still know him as the guy who was a focal part of the team's greatest weakness in 2007: the passing game. Can he be a good MAC quarterback? Absolutely. Is he the "scary" part of Akron's offense now? No.

TSBB: Alright, maybe I was wrong about Jacquemain. He lit me up in NCAA Football 09 so maybe my opinion came from there. Who should the Ball State defense be most concerned about?

ROTZ: Haha. NCAA Football's rankings are a little out of whack. I would be concerned about the running game. It should definitely be an entertaining offensive shootout.

TSBB: The Zips are coming off a huge BCS win over Syracuse. Ball State has never beaten a BCS opponent. Tell us what it's like.

ROTZ: Great question. The best part, for me, is watching the reaction from the opposition. N.C. State's coach berated Akron's recruiting tactics in 2006. Beating Syracuse was like delivering a death blow to a suffering animal on the side of the road. Fun, but not quite an upset. With Nate Davis, you guys will feel the exhilaration against Indiana next week.

TSBB: I remember the Chuck Amato outburst. Wasn't he saying something like you guys can take anyone and they cannot? That's not right but I can't remember. I just remember his point being completely ridiculous. No question there, I guess. Just a comment.

ROTZ: MAC teams are allowed to take non-qualifiers (guys who couldn't play NCAA football after their senior year of high school). ACC schools are not. It's a lame excuse, because with taking these risky players comes pitfalls as well as benefits. Amato was on his way out, and didn't feel like being classy as he left.

TSBB: How good is Akron's running game? You mentioned on your blog that there is a lot of talent at the running back position. Who's your pick for a breakout game?

ROTZ: Akron is super-deep at running back. You have an Ohio State transfer (Dennis Kennedy), a University of Miami transfer (Andrew Johnson), and a guy who just scampered for more than 100 yards last week (Alex Allen). The Zips are almost guaranteed to have one guy who's hot each week. I think Johnson is due for a big game.

TSBB: The Cardinals are seven-point favorites as they march into the Rubber Bowl. Fair or unfair?

ROTZ: Quite fair. Ball State looked fantastic against Navy. Davis is a big-league passer, and the Zips' secondary is questionable. I think Akron will cover, but the spread is certainly a fair representation of the teams' accomplishments so far.

TSBB: What kind of environment can Ball State expect on Saturday?

ROTZ: The Rubber Bowl is entering its final year of existence. The atmosphere is probably similar to most MAC stadiums. The fans are friendly and respectful (as long as you aren't from Kent State). Ball State fans should definitely tailgate and feel free to visit some Zips tailgates, too.

TSBB: After our big, nationally televised victory over Navy and with Indiana looming the following week, this Akron game has "letdown" written all over it. I'm not concerned about that (Kellen Lewis' running concerns me more), but what will Akron have to do to pull off this "upset?"

ROTZ: The Zips' offense does not concern me. It's the defense that could give up 500 passing yards or 300 rushing yards on any day. Akron needs to get a couple turnovers and hope to lock down in the red zone. Giving up three points instead of seven will win the game for either team.

(You can read my answers to his questions here.)

Navy-Ball State: Can Middies' Defense Support Explosive Offense?

Phil Friend — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:21:00 -0400

Ball State fans, welcome to the first installment of "Better Know A College Football Blogger." In no way did I steal the idea for the name from The Colbert Report. I would never do that. I'm a master of originality.

Anyway, today's guest is The Birddog, who is smart enough to not use his real name. He runs the Navy sports blog, also named The Birddog, and he was kind enough answer a few questions for our niche in the blogosphere.

THE SIXTH BALL BROTHER: There's been some talk on our message boards that Navy fans feel that we were much more inferior to Navy. But our total offense running and passing nearly matched the 524 rushing yards you guys tallied, yet everyone seems to forget that. What are Navy fans saying about last year's game?

Point these people out to me so I can smack them. I'm not sure who thinks of Ball State as an inferior team, let alone "much more." Maybe Ball State isn't as "name brand" of a team, but I would think that's a lesson that should have been learned last year. There certainly aren't any columnists predicting Navy to go 12-0, even if they are kind of playing the homer card.

If Navy fans aren't in awe of Ball State's offensive output from last year's game, it's because they developed one hell of a callus when it came to bad defensive performances. Kind of like the way my wife lost the ability to smell anything after changing so many diapers.

You have to remember that EVERYONE put huge numbers up on Navy's defense. Navy singlehandedly added a million dollars to Joe Flacco's signing bonus and made Giovanni Vizza look like the second coming of Dan Fouts. Duke, Notre Dame, North Texas, and Delaware averaged 52 points per game against the Mids. That makes Ball State's 34 look downright reasonable!

That said, Ball State is almost certainly the most talented offensive team on Navy's schedule this year. Wake Forest comes pretty close, but the Cardinals have the big-name playmakers.

The only people thinking Ball State is "inferior" are alumni who still think Navy should be playing Penn State and Michigan every year the way they did in the '60s. Everyone else that lives in the now realizes that this is one hell of a game.

TSBB: How much should we be worried about Shun White? 348 is a huge number, and since we haven't been able to stop the run since I stepped foot on campus in 1998, what will White tally?

Shun White is good. I remember watching a Navy game a couple of years ago with my brother (an Auburn fan). When Shun White took the field, my brother pointed him out and said, "Hey! He actually looks like a running back!" He easily noticed the difference between Shun and all 5'6", 168 pounds of Reggie Campbell.

Shun is strong and fast, and he was our conference 200m champion last spring. But as good as he is, he won't come close to 348 yards ever again.

Towson completely sold out to stop the fullback last week. Navy's coaches expected this and told Shun before the game that they were just going to keep feeding him the ball until Towson decided to take it away. They never did. Shun's 19 carries in that game are about what a slotback might expect to get in three games in this offense.

Assuming that Ball State's coaches actually, you know, make adjustments after giving up 200 yards to one guy in a half, White won't have quite as ridiculous a performance.

TSBB: The quarterback from last year, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, is still injured and not playing. What seems to be the presiding opinion on Jarod Bryant?

Jarod played the second half of last year's game after Kaipo's knee was injured at the end of the first half. He did a good job running the offense. He's actually a better runner than Kaipo. Jarod doesn't have the same kind of straight-line speed, but he has quicker feet and does a better job between the tackles.

Kaipo is more likely to hit the home run ball, but Jarod is the guy who will consistently get you an extra yard or two the way he puts his head down and finishes runs. He's a good enough runner that when Kaipo is healthy, Jarod will be playing slotback in addition to being the No. 2 quarterback.

What really makes Kaipo the No. 1 quarterback, though, is his grasp of the offense. When Paul Johnson was the offensive coordinator at Hawaii, the Rainbows won the WAC title in 1992 with a quarterback named Michael Carter. Carter just happened to be Kaipo's offensive coordinator in high school, and he installed Paul Johnson's offense. Add in a year at the Navy prep school, and Kaipo's been running this offense for almost a decade.

Since repetition means so much to option quarterbacks, it's understandable why the guy who's had the most reps is the starter. While Jarod struggled at times last year making option reads and running the offense, he spent all spring as the No. 1 quarterback while Kaipo was hurt. He won't be Kaipo, but he'll be better than last year. As long as he doesn't fumble—which has been a nasty habit—the offense should still click.

Oh, and there are some people who think that Jarod is a better passer than Kaipo. I have no clue as to where they get that idea, because it isn't close to being true. It doesn't really matter, though, since Navy's passing success usually depends on the offensive line—and I'm not sure how good they are yet.

TSBB: Does the triple option feel the same with Paul Johnson gone and Ken Niumatalolo in?

It's the same offense. Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper both played quarterback under Paul Johnson at Hawaii and have been coaching the offense with him off and on for 15-20 years. It's what they know.

It'll probably evolve a little bit differently as time goes on, and we're all curious to see how Jasper calls games. But when you see Navy's offense line up on Friday night, it'll look the same as it did last year.

TSBB: Besides White, who else is going to have a field day on Ball State's defense?

It all depends on the defense. If the coaches decide to focus on White, Eric Kettani should have a good day at fullback. Kettani had 100 yards in the second half of last year's game. When the offense is really clicking, though, the ball gets distributed pretty evenly.

TSBB: What's your prediction for the game?

I apologize for being wishy-washy, but I hate making predictions. There's no question that both teams are going to get their yards. I'd like to think that Navy's defense is better than last year, especially the front seven, so hopefully the absolutely insane 262 rushing yards that Ball State put up in the 2007 game won't happen again.

On the flip side, Nate, Dante, and Darius are all back and have one more year of experience under their belts.

Nate Davis wasn't sacked in last year's game. If that happens again, then he'll pick Navy apart. If Navy can actually put together a competent blitz package or two and get off the field once in a while, Navy's offense should be able to keep pace. Then it becomes a question of turnovers, which probably favors Ball State. We'll see.

* You can check out my answers to his questions here.

Ball State QB Nate Davis Is Awesome

Phil Friend — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:23:00 -0400

That's the only thing that really needs to be said. The Ball State junior quarterback, who by the way has an unbelievable cannon arm on NCAA Football 09, was named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List.

I don't think too many of us Cardinal faithful are surprised by this, but to paraphrase a Fatboy Slim song title, we've come a long way, baby. (This was also the slogan for Virginia Slims cigarettes in the 1980s, but I digress).

When I was a freshman at Ball State in 1998, Brian Conn was our quarterback—Brian freakin' Conn. There's a chance he might have been the worst Division I starting quarterback in the history of the NCAA. He shared the spot with someone for awhile, and sadly enough I can't remember who.

Davis joins four teammates on watch lists.

Walter Camp Player of the Year Award: Nate Davis, QB

Butkus Award: Bryant Haines, LB

Mackey Award: Darius Hill, TE

Rotary Lombardi Award: Robert Brewster, OT, and Darius Hill, TE

Maxwell Award: Nate Davis, QB

Outland Trophy: Robert Brewster, OT

Ray Guy Award: Chris Miller, P

The most likely person to win is Miller, but we'll see.

Ball State Links: The Two-Week Disappearance

Phil Friend — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:25:00 -0400

Sorry for the nearly two-week disappearance. As I've said before, this is partially why I was reluctant to start this in the first place, because I tend to be lazy. So I will continue to make excuses for why I haven't posted anything. But today's a new day, and I really want to try to make daily posts. Hopefully, I actually do this.

Alright, on to the links!

The dude over at VanDelaySports.com, who is supposed to be the MAC authority, predicts Ball State to be the MAC champion, a 10-game winner, and peaking in the Top 25 by season's end. (Fantasy College Blitz)

Congratulations to Nate Davis, who is on the Maxwell Award Watch List. (Ball State Daily News)

Here's a story about the three athletes Ball State has already got verbals from for next year's recruiting class. (The Star Press)

As I mentioned before, Ball State is No. 41 on Sporting News' top 50, and here's the brief writeup. (Sporting News)

Here's ESPN's Ball State team preview for this fall. (ESPN.com)

The New York Times does a pretty thorough breakdown of the Mighty Card. (New York Times)

The Ball State women's basketball team will play Indiana in the Preseason NIT on Nov. 14 at Assembly Hall.

Pretty interesting story on Ian Nielsen, who will be a member of the baseball team next year. (South Bend Tribune)

Former men's basketball player Skip Mills will be playing in Poland's top division next year. (Indy Star)

Former men's volleyball player Robert Pulliza is now the head coach of Arkansas' women's volleyball team. (Baxter Bulletin)

Mitch Rodrigue, who was supposed to be on Ball State's staff this year, has now landed at the University of South Alabama. (Al.com)

Good story here about women's basketball coach Kelly Packard. (The Star Press)

If you were looking for a breakdown of responsibilities in the athletic communications department, here you go. (Ball State Daily News)

Ball State Links: Does Anyone Else Hate Comcast DVR Problems?

Phil Friend — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:50:00 -0400

I know I was pretty harsh the last time I discussed Comcast, but I should've considered the possibility it was a rogue DVR box. However, my second DVR box has decided to play tricks on me less than two weeks after I got it.

I went to watch PTI after I got off work tonight, and all I got is pitch black on the screen. So, I think, maybe something happened with a few recordings. So I went back to ones I had DVR'd two weeks ago....yup, they're all pitch black.

All you have to do is unplug the box, and plug it back in and the recorded shows play. BUT....all of my guide information is gone. And because the box sucks, it takes about two or three days to get the guide caught up.

This means my plans to record shows tonight will not record in a timely manner. I know what you're thinking, Phil, quit whining. However, when you pay $13.99 a month to have the DVR box, is it really too much to ask to have one that works at full capacity? Whatever. Okay, here we go.

My old colleague at WCRD, "Sugar" Shane Wilkinson, recently became the director of volleyball operations at Ohio State University. And his hometown paper was kind enough to do a story on him. (Princeton Daily Clarion)

Another Ball State grad, Kyle Stark, magically found his way into the Pirates personnel department. Keep Bryan Bullington in the big leagues! (The Star Press)

New Era Scouting ranks the Ball State football team second in the MAC. (New Era Scouting)

There are some new hires in the Ball State athletic department. (Ball State Daily News)

Dean Anna hit a home run in his first professional at-bat. (Register Guard)

A story on Ball State swimmer Eric Hercamp. (Seymour Tribune)

A brief scouting report on former BSU pitcher Ben Snyder (The Baseball Analysts)

Women's golf recruit K.C. Cain is currently leading the Girls State Junior Meet. (Ball State Sports)

Ball State University: Links to Cardinals News

Phil Friend — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:43:00 -0400

Not too much going on here, kiddies. If you want to know what's going on in my world, here it is—I hate Comcast.

I didn't even want to get it in the first place, but I couldn't get DirecTV because I wasn't allowed to get it at my apartment complex. So I'm stuck with Comcast and their "awesome" DVR player.

The guide is impossible to navigate and the worst part is...oh, my DVR doesn't record the audio on half the things I record. Sweet.

So my frustration with that is at an all-time high. Hopefully, this situation will be resolved in a timely manner. Not that any of you care.

Today's video...Vince McMahon gets RickRolled on Raw last night...awesome!

From the paper that employs one of this site's loyal readers and commenters is a story on former Ball State coach Tim Buckley, who, in case you didn't know, is now an assistant coach at IU. (Aurora Beacon-News)

I have absolutely no clue who runs this Web site or what credence there is to it, but the Ball State football team is ranked No. 41 preseason. (MBCC)

The Star Press' Doug Zaleski blogs about some MAC love from a Rivals national football writer. (The Star Press)

Here's a story on Kyle Heyne and Dean Anna getting drafted by the Padres with a little bit more information. (Ball State Daily News)

Justin Cabbagestalk, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman from Florida, committed to Vanderbilt instead of Ball State. Boo. (St. Petersburg Times)

Not a surprise here, but the Ball State men's and women's teams finished pretty low in the Reese and Jacobs Trophy races for athletic excellence. (The Star Press)

Eddie Griffin at the Red Zone Report ranks Nate Davis and Darius Hill No. 2 and No. 5 in the "best 2009 draft prospects outside the BCS." That's a lot of love for these two kids. Let's hope he's right! (The Red Zone Report)

Ball State Big Scoop: Women's Basketball Assistant Coach

Phil Friend — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:59:00 -0400

I wonder how it is with other women's college basketball teams, but The Star Press treated the retaining of Lisa McDonald like the hugest scoop in the world. The story even had the "citing of anonymous sources." Seriously, can't we save that stuff for huge stories?

This is not as huge of a story as it is being made out to be. Look, I understand Lisa has been here for seven years, but people treat her like the Second Coming who was screwed over for the job. I don't see it that way one bit. She wasn't "screwed over."

Kelly Packard has a pretty solid reputation and I don't see why Packard would "fall flat on her face if she did not keep McDonald," as lovely Star Press commenter sue babe likes to tell everyone. I guess the jury will remain out.

Let's just save the anonymous sources for bigger stories, as opposed to a women's basketball team that has made the NCAA Tournament, um, never.

Ball State Sports: Former Volleyball Coach Gets New Job

Phil Friend — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:20:00 -0400

Congratulations are in order for Heidi Zickgraf, who was an assistant under Randy Litchfield before all parties were let go on that terrible December day.

Zickgraf was named the Delta volleyball coach this past week at her alma mater. The Eagles have Penn State recruit Darcy Dorton coming back, so a state championship isn't out of the realm.

Funny story about her: I was doing a story on volleyball recruiting, and Zickgraf and the rest of the staff said they wouldn't recruit anyone under 5-foot-8. Well, Zickgraf is about 5-foot-3 and played collegiately at the University of Illinois.

So I asked her, Isn't that a little weird on your part, considering a Big Ten school recruited you? And not only that, she played significant minutes. Her response: "Yeah, probably." Cool.

And if you wonder where I stand on the Munciana/Ball State debate: I'm with Litchfield...if the program recruited strictly from Munciana, it wouldn't be very good. (The Star Press and BSU Daily News)

I probably should've included this with the baseball post, but three players, Wayne Bond, Jr., Kyle Heyne and Zach Dygert, received All-MAC honors. Bond and Heyne were First Team selections and Dygert was Second Team. (Ball State Sports)

Looks like Bryan Bullington is starting to get things turned around. (The Star Press)

One of Ball State's sports information directors, Brad Caudill, recently won an award. Congrats! (Ball State Sports)

College Baseball: NIU Steals One From Ball State

Phil Friend — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:40:00 -0400

Hey, so the NIU-Ball State baseball game was on Friday, and I never posted it. I am a failure and I suck at life.

After taking a 6-0 lead the first time around and losing 13-7, the Cardinals were able to one-up themselves Friday.

They took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth with closer Kyle Heyne...and the Huskies scored three runs to win the game and advance onto the consolation bracket semifinals, 6-5.

Eastern Michigan ended up taking the MAC title. This was such a weird thing to see, considering the Eagles and Cardinals were so even. The Cardinals finished the season with a 28-25 record.

Lastly, congratulations to Matt Stoeklen, who made the All-Tournament team. He went 5-10 in the tournament with two home runs and five RBI. He also homered in back-to-back games in the tournament.

Ball State University: Amazin' Baseball

Phil Friend — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:04:00 -0400

The Ball State baseball team was just cruisin' along, no big deal, easing into the MAC Tournament, and then...BAM, a six-game losing streak that nearly put the Cardinals on the outside looking in.

And on Sunday, things looked bleak, trailing 6-3 after seven innings.

But, Frank Viola, the Cardianls scored seven runs in the eighth inning to beat Toledo, 11-8, and clinch a No. 5 seed in the MAC Tournament.

Today, the Cardinals will face the No. 4 seed, dreaded Northern Illinois. You may recall, about 11 days ago, the Huskies took a doubleheader from us. According to the Daily News, Tyler Pritchard will get the starting nod. He's 3-6 on the year.

And last but not least, if you're interested, you can watch all the games online for free!!

Ball State's game starts at 4 p.m. Will I be watching? No, unfortunately. A Clinton Prairie-Lafayette Central Catholic softball sectional title game calls my name at 5 pm.

But I will be there in spirit. GO CARDS!

Kelly Packard: New Ball State Women's Basketball Coach

Phil Friend — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:45:00 -0400

I am not surprised, but certainly The Star Press probably is, that assistant coach Lisa McDonald was passed over for the Ball State University head coaching position. Kelly Packard, who graduated from Anderson University in 1990, was named the head coach Monday.

Previously, she was the head coach of the Colorado Chill of the National Women's Basketball League and an assistant coach at Colorado State.

Her resume looks very impressive. In her two seasons as the head coach of the Chill, they finished 34-12 overall and won the league championship both years.

She was also part of a CSU staff in 1999 that went 33-3 and finished No. 5 in the national rankings and a Sweet 16 appearance. She was also a part of the Women's NIT selection committee and site coordinator.

According to The Star Press, she will receive a five-year contract worth $150,000 annually. That's some serious change right there. She was named to Anderson's Hall of Fame in 2002 and was the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder when she graduated.

If you're interested, there's a meet and greet Tuesday night a Beef O'Brady's from 6-7 p.m.

At this point, it certainly sounds like a great hire. I'm interested to hear what The Star Press' Greg Fallon will have to say tomorrow.

I'll have more on this tonight or tomorrow. Hopefully, I can get an interview with her. I'll keep you updated.

Discussing the Daily News' "Of The Year" Awards

Phil Friend — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:34:00 -0400

I thought I'd spend some time today discussing the Daily News' selections for the paper's end-of-season awards. And above, feel free to watch the highlights from the Ball State-Nebraska football game.

Anyway, here they are:

Player of the Year - Nate Davis

Well, it was certainly a better selection than the fan's vote for POY, which was...Julie DeMuth? Davis, of course, would've been my vote since he's the face of the Ball State athletic program. He had an unbelievably awesome year, setting absolutely ridiculous pass records. The career records should be obliterated by the time Davis leaves, whether he leaves after his junior or senior year. He still needs work on his deep ball, but his best deep ball will be talked about in a second.

Play of the year - Paige Esford's second one in hole on consecutive days

I will be honest, the consecutive hole-in-ones is very, very impressive. But, maybe this is because I have a bias to the big sports, Davis' touchdown pass to Love in the Nebraska game has to be the play of the year, right? I mean, that play is just sick. I love (no pun intended) how Davis just threw it up in the air..not only that, it was a 65-yard pass ON THE MONEY with two Cornhusker defenders draped on Love like white on Rice. It's about 1:28 into the video up top. You can even hear the collective moans from Husker Stadium when Love catches it.

Coach of the Year - Joel Walton

My only problem with giving the men's volleyball team awards is that there are only 50 teams in Division I-A men's volleyball. So when we're ranked No. 15 or so, I always try to take that with a grain of salt. But the Cardinals were pretty solid this year, coming within a game of the Final Four. Of course, in the three OSU games, we didn't even crack the 22-point mark in three games. But I don't know who else there would be, so I can agree with Joel Walton.

Freshman of the Year - Kolbrin Vitek

No qualms here. Vitek is 6-1 with a 5.08 ERA. While that number is a little higher than I would like, he has 63 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. Also, opponents are hitting .299 against him. Yuck.

Quote of the year - Joel Walton

"[The first game] was expletive, expletive, expletive, holy expletive. We need to do something better expletive," Walton said. "We did a good job working our way back into the match after a really crappy start, but we're going to play some great teams, and we are going to have to get off to some better starts and not have to work so hard just to finish matches."
- Joel Walton, about his team's 17-30, 27-30, 30-28, 30-25, 15-13 win against Lewis on Jan. 25.

I can't argue that, I love curse words.

Top five games of the year:

Top five games of the year:
1. Football vs. Navy
2. Men's basketball vs. No. 5 Georgetown
3. Men's volleyball vs. No. 7 UCLA
4. Football vs. No. 24 Nebraska
5. Soccer vs. Miami (MAC Tournament semi finals)

My lack of familiarity with soccer v. Miami hinders me here, but overall, I have no problem with this list. In terms of national coverage, I'd probably slide the Nebraska game into the three spot here. The Navy game was unbelievable. Definitely a game we shouldn't have won but we pulled it out. You could also make the argument that we should've won the Nebraska game, so it evens out. Men's basketball against Georgetown, would've been nice had more than 3,000 people showed up. If anything, it shows that people don't care who we play, they'd rather see quality basketball. Like in 2001, after the Maui experience, there were 9,000 in the stands for our home game against Elon..freaking Elon. So there. So many great things about the Navy and Nebraska games.

Ball State Basketball: Come on, Melvin..really?

Phil Friend — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:41:00 -0400

Another day, another unfortunate story coming out of the men's basketball program. Two days after we were spurned by Tyler Kock, freshman Melvin Goins has decided to leave the program.

He started 26 of Ball State's 30 games last season, and ranked third on the team in scoring (8.0). He led the Cardinals in assists (69), steals (52) and turnovers (77). Goins was actually demoted from starter to backup in the team's last three games.

He's the third Cardinal to defect since the season ended, joining Rashaun McLemore and Deontay Twyman. When the rumors of Goins, well, going, first came about, I quickly dismissed it at heresy because he played such a vital role for us.

So what do we do with it? Do we sit on it for another year or go the Juco route? Well, things are so shitty* with the program right now that we might as well save it for another high schooler next year.

*I believe in Billy Taylor and his ability to coach, don't take that the wrong way. It's just frustrating to have to sit through all this and wonder if we're ever going to be relevant again.

While you can make the argument that Goins wasn't that great of a shooter or didn't know how to "pass the rock" he was a freshman last year. Newell wasn't anything as a freshman and looked what he turned into. Those things are coachable and the leaving cycle hasn't changed for us. Will it ever? I don't know. Butler is light years ahead of us right now, something none of us saw coming 10 years ago.

Hard saying where he will end up. Thoughts?

Ball Sate Basketball: Tyler Kock breaks our hearts

Phil Friend — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:11:00 -0400

It's a sad day in Ball State-land as Winchester junior Tyler Koch has pledged his allegiance to.....Wright State.

Where do I start? How about the fact that WSU coach Brad Brownell should have been coaching here in the first place instead of BSU hiring Ronny Thompson. Not only has he taken away one of our targets, he came into ECI and swapped him away. Whether or not we all disagree on the current perception of the men's basketball program, it don't look pretty to the outside observer and probably one of the drawing points that led Koch to WSU. Unfortunately, Koch is the type of player that could've help resurrect the program.

While I won't beg and plead like I did for Paul McIntosh...it's another missed opportunity.