Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Carvelli

West-Virginia-Pitt: My Apology to Jarrett Brown

Michael Carvelli — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:36:32 -0500

In my preview of the Backyard Brawl that I wrote yesterday, I took Pitt quarterback Bill Stull over WVU's Jarrett Brown.

In my reasons for this I said that time after time, "JB has broken down in big situations when the team needed him the most."

This line echoed over and over again in my head as the Mountaineers took the field for what proved to be their game-winning drive on Friday night.

After Stull nailed Jonathan Baldwin with a touchdown bomb and the Mountaineers took the field with about three minutes left, I looked at my buddy Seeks, who came over to watch the game, and said, "Do you think he [Brown] knows that everyone in that stadium thinks that he's gonna mess this up somehow?"

I was barely able to finish that sentence before he took a zone read to his left for a pretty impressive first-down run.

Then he hooked up with Alric Arnett for another first down and just like that, we were in Pitt territory. Then a strange thought popped up in my head: we could win this.

Two incomplete passes later and it looked like this was headed to be just another stalled comeback and we would end up losing the chance to win it in regulation and have to take care of business in overtime.

On third-and-10, Brown dodged and weaved through Pitt defenders only to come up a yard short, leaving them with, what might have been, the biggest play of the season on fourth down.

When a lot of people in the crowd were betting on them to come up short like they did the other two times that they went for it on fourth, Brown led the WVU offense to the line with a ton of poise and then he handed it off to Clarke.

I swear I just about had a heart attack when they measured the spot and when we picked up the first down, that was it, game over.

I immediately started thinking of how many more yards we needed to get before we would be in Bitancurt's range and I thought that if Brown and the boys could take it about 10 more yards, we'd be at the 25 (a 42-yarder) and that would be plenty enough for Bitancurt to put it through for the win.

Devine runs it seven, and Clarke takes it two more, and the special teams unit trots out onto the field led by our freshman kicker. The rest is history.

So, I just wanted to take this time to officially issue my apology to WVU quarterback Jarrett Brown.

I'm sorry for saying that you wouldn't be able lead this team to victory when it came down to crunch time and they were relying on you to lead them the rest of the way.

That final drive was great, you made a couple of huge runs and when it came down to big-time situations (the third-and-ten run and the fourth down conversion right after that) you showed a ton of poise and wouldn't let the play break down when a lot of weaker, less experienced quarterbacks would.

I'm sorry that I used Bill Stull's big comeback over Connecticut as a factor in me picking him over you in my position breakdown of that preview.

I forgot to look and see that you led WVU down the field on the game-winning drive against UConn before Devine busted off that big touchdown run.

So, the two fourth quarter comebacks between the two of you against the Huskies should've cancelled each other out.

All right, now that that's over with, that was the biggest win of the season without a doubt. Anytime you can beat a Top 10 team, it's great for the team, the fans, the coaches, and for recruiting especially.

But when that team happens to be No. 8 Pitt in the Backyard Brawl on Senior Night at a rockin' Mountaineer Field, it doesn't get any better.

2009 Backyard Brawl Preview: Oh, How the Tables Have Turned

Michael Carvelli — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:06:31 -0500

December 1, 2007. I can still remember it like it was yesterday.

As a lifelong West Virginia sports fan, this day was supposed to be the best day of my sports life. The day that I was finally going to see the Mountaineers punch their ticket to the first National Championship Game of my lifetime. They had moved up to the No. 2 team in the country after LSU lost to Arkansas the week before.

Making my way through the blue lot to find my usual tailgate spot, I couldn't help but feel a completely different buzz in the air that I had never experienced before. Once I settled in and started talking to some friends about the game, I began feeling a whole new kind of buzz. Let's just say it wasn't a good one.

It went from a "we're gonna go to the National Title game" buzz to a "maybe we're a little too confident and now I have a bad feeling about this" buzz.

But I mean come on, we're playing Pitt. Pitt.

They weren't even supposed to get to go to a bowl game this year. There's no way we can mess this thing up.

A few hours, two missed Pat McAfee field goals, and a half-mile walk back to the car later and my dad and I turned the radio on just in time to hear Rich Rodriguez (cough, cough, TRAITOR, cough, cough) saying, "It was just a nightmare, the whole thing was just a nightmare."

There's no other word that could describe, that's one thing that that jerk got right that night. The only thing I could say the whole trip home was, "How could this happen?"

Since that night, other than WVU's big Fiesta Bowl win a couple weeks later when the team rallied around our interim coach Bill Stewart to run through a much more talented Oklahoma team, things have turned about as close to 180 degrees as they could get as we head into the 102nd edition of the most intense rivalry in the Big East.

Like in 2007, it's still an unranked team trying to spoil a top-ten team's BCS chances, but now the Mountaineers are aiming to stop (s)Pitt from winning their first Big East title since 2004, when they were in a four-way tie with West Virginia, Boston College, and Syracuse.

So, in honor of the Backyard Brawl, let's break this bad boy down Dr. Jack style.

Quarterbacks:

If you would've asked me after the first two weeks of the season who I would rather have between Jarrett Brown and Bill Stull, I really might have laughed in your face before taking Brown. But as the year has unfolded, something has altered my way of thinking about this.

Over and over again, with the exception of the Cincinnati game a couple weeks ago, JB has broken down in big situations when the team needed him the most. He has 8 picks this year, and five of those came in their losses to Auburn (4) and South Florida (1).

Stull has thrown four picks all season and earlier this year led the Panthers back from a 21-6 deficit to come away with a 24-21 win.

With that said, the verdict is...

Edge: Pitt

Running Backs:

This week's matchup features not only two of the best backs in the Big East, but two of the top rushers in the nation.

Pitt's freshman running back Dion Lewis is ninth in the country with 1,291 yards while Noel Devine has run for 1,098 in his junior campaign.

First off, as a Mountaineer fan, just let me say that I am scared to death of what Dion Lewis is able to do. He has a great mix of speed and elusiveness. When he gets into the open field he is very, very tough to bring down. But, we'll be going more into why I'm so afraid of him in a little bit.

Devine is even faster and more elusive than Lewis. Now I know that this phrase has been overused for a few years now, but whenever Noel touches the ball, you know that there is a chance he could be taking it to the house.

Of all of the match ups involved in this game, this could be the most even of them all. But, in the end, I have to go with the back that has more experience.

Edge: West Virginia

Receivers:

Behind every great quarterback is a good group of receivers for them to throw the ball to. In this game, that's exactly what we have, two solid receiving corps.

West Virginia brings into this Backyard Brawl one of the most balanced groups of pass-catching threats that we have had in years. Junior Jock Sanders leads the group with 62 catches (2nd in the Big East). Senior Alric Arnett and sophomore Brad Starks have both started coming along as of late as well.

Pitt also brings into the game one of the most dynamic receiving duos in the conference. Sophomore Jonathan Baldwin and senior Dorin Dickerson have combined for 83 catches, 1336 yards, and 15 of Bill Stull's 18 touchdowns on the year.

Along with those two, Oderick Turner has continued to play well for the Panthers and Dion Lewis has also emerged a threat in the passing game.

Edge: Pitt (Barely)

Offensive Line:

Both offensive lines have done a relatively nice job protecting their respective teams.

The one big difference between these two units is experience. West Virginia's offensive line only brought back one starter from last season (Selvish Capers) and one guy who played a lot when center Mike Dent went down with injury (Eric Jobe).

Other than those two, the line starts a sophomore and two freshmen. And like you would expect with a line with that little experience, there have been a few bumps along the way.

Pitt's line brought back a sophomore, two juniors, and two seniors. With the players on the Pitt unit having their fair share of experience, they were able to come along a lot quicker at the beginning of the year and have done a great job giving Stull his time to pass, as well as opening lanes for Lewis to emerge as one of the nation's top backs.

Edge: Pitt

So after the offensive half of the breakdown, Pitt has the advantage 3-1. Not looking good right now.

Defensive Line and Linebackers:

Before the 2009 season started, the defensive line and linebackers was supposed to be the anchor of WVU's defense. With Scooter Berry and Reed Williams returning, a lot of fans expected for this to definitely be one of the team's major strengths.

Then, the worst thing that could happen to this group did happen. Berry and Williams both went down with injuries. Then they had to turn to Julian Miller, Chris Neild, and J.T. Thomas to lead the group.

And for the most part they've done a nice job of it. Throw in linebackers Ovid Goulbourne and Anthony Leonard and defensive lineman Josh Taylor and the Mountaineer's have ended up looking pretty good this year.

Pitt is going to bring to the game a group of defensive linemen that can only be rivaled by South Florida for the best group in the Big East. Junior Greg Romeus has the talent to go into the draft after this season and Jabaal Sheard can be thrown into that same group as well. Along with those two, you can throw in Mick Williams (defensive tackle) and the WVU offensive line are sure to have their hands full Friday night.

Like WVU, Pitt's linebackers have had to battle through injuries (Shane Murray and Adam Gunn). And like the WVU O-Line, Pitt's group of linebackers are pretty inexperienced.

The group has two sophomores, and a senior who is coming off of a broken neck. And by the way, that senior is playing linebacker for the first time.

Defensive Line Edge: Pitt

Linebacker Edge: WVU

Defensive Backs:

Well, West Virginia starts Keith Tandy at corner, and after watching him against South Florida a few weeks back, he needs to do a lot to convince me he should be out there.

However, even though the Mountaineers seem to have one of the weakest pass defenses in the Big East, if not the country (this coming from a fan who is just a little bit upset ), they aren't doing bad considering their best cornerback (Brandon Hogan) and one of their top safeties (Nate Sowers) as well as a few others that see time at DB, played quarterback in high school.

But that still doesn't excuse how much they've gotten torn apart this season by just about every quarterback they've faced.

Pitt came into the season with the top crop of defensive backs in the Big East, and they have lived up to that.

Elijah Fields and Dom DiCicco have two picks each and Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappel have played a great role in the pass defense.

Edge: Pitt

Special Teams:

Both of these teams have solid return games, but in the end it's West Virginia's abysmal coverage that influenced this pick.

HUGE Edge: Pitt

Coaching:

On one side you have Dave Wannstedt. Along with being the former coach of the Miami Dolphins, Wanny is known for sporting one of the greatest mustaches in all of college sports.

The other side is Bill Stewart, the man who gave all of Mountaineer Nation hope after the loss of both a national title and their head coach when he led the team to a Fiesta Bowl win.

I don't know how good Wannstedt is at motivating and giving speeches, but if you can watch Stew's speech before the Fiesta Bowl and not be ready to go out and win some football, you might not have a soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT22t5eSqbo

Go ahead and watch it, I'll wait....

Good stuff right. Well, but when it all comes down to it, Stew just doesn't quite measure up to Wannstedt as far as actually being a coach.

Edge: Pitt...Again

The Fan Factor:

The game is in Morgantown this year, which we all know means it going to be rowdy and there's about a 99.999 percent chance that there will be a fight if a Pitt student steps foot in the WVU student section.

We could be a little out of line at times, but when you put it all on the table, Mountaineer fans are and have always been extremely loyal to the team. This of course, is not supposed to take anything away from Pitt fans but this game is at home and I really believe that there will be a significant home field advantage this season.

Edge: WVU

Final Verdict:

The final score of the breakdown was Pitt coming away with the win 7-3.

When it's all said and done tomorrow night, I think that Pitt will come away with the win. They just have a better team this year and with the instability that the defense has showed up to this point, Dion Lewis and company could have a huge game.

Final Score: 31-17 Pitt

West Virginia's Jock Sanders' Long Road to Redemption

Michael Carvelli — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:43:35 -0500

Last season, West Virginia wide receiver Jock Sanders was named second team all-Big East after leading the team with 53 catches and seven touchdowns, while adding 462 yards (which was second on the team behind Alric Arnett's 466). Things were really looking up for the rising junior as the 2009 season approached.

At least it was until one February night, when his Dodge Charger was pulled over in downtown Morgantown. After being pulled over, the 5'8" slot man failed three out of four field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol level of 0.125. Jock was arrested for DUI, his second arrest of the year; prompting head coach Bill Stewart to suspend him from the team indefinitely.

As far as many Mountaineer faithful were concerned, WVU would have to try winning another Big East title and a fifth straight bowl game without one of their most dangerous pass catchers for at least a good chunk of the season.

This, however, was not a thought that went through Jock's mind.

He continued working hard to stay in shape and in March he entered himself into a university-sponsored substance abuse education program.

"He received glowing remarks." Stewart said. "He did a tremendous job and for that we're appreciative, as is the university."

At the beginning of August, West Virginia opened summer training camp, with a reinstated, more dedicated than ever Jock Sanders.

And when the Mountaineers took the field for their season opener against Liberty, Sanders was out there with them. "I was happy to see 60,000-plus fans screaming and that gets you excited;" Sanders said, "and when the game starts you tune that out and play the game and that's what I did."

Up to this point in the season, it looks like the February suspension and eventual second chance was the extra motivation the versatile Sanders needed to bring his game to the next level.

"My son plays baseball where he was training and when I would go to watch, people would come to me and tell me that he was maximizing every amount of effort anyone could." Stewart said.

He has already surpassed his career highs for catches and yards in a season, hauling in 58 catches for 555 yards and with 20 more catches this year, he will pass David Saunders and Shawn Foreman's record for most catches in a season in Mountaineer history. He also had a career game against Auburn this year, catching 12 passes for 115 yards in WVU's loss to the Tigers.

One thing that has always made Jock Sanders such a dangerous player is his versatility.

The past three years, he has been a prominent factor in the West Virginia running game, as well as the passing attack. As a sophomore, he carried the ball 48 times for 250 yards and before the Louisville game last week he had 12 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Then, late in the first half of the game last Saturday, running back Noel Devine came out of the game with an ankle injury.

Do I really need to tell you who came in for him?

Great guess. It was Jock Sanders.

Sanders had 12 rushes for 66 yards (both career highs) to help WVU preserve their 17-9 win over the Cardinals.

"We've got so many dimensions on this team that things can go either way." Sanders said. "I'm just happy to be back to help this team in any way that I can."

Friday night, the No. 25 Mountaineers are travelling to Cincinnati to take on the No. 5 Bearcats in a game that could have a lot to do with who will receive the Big East's BCS bowl bid at the end of the season.

Coach Bill Stewart has said that if Devine is not able to go on Friday, it is likely that Sanders will handle the bulk of the load at running back.

With this week's huge game against Cincinnati, Jock Sanders has a chance to continue what has already been an unbelievable season on his road to redemption.

When asked about Jock's journey back to the team after his suspension, coach Stewart said, "It's very nice to see in life when you get the opportunity to correct a situation that you work hard in it and with it and things turn out good."

Carvelli's Corner: Breaking Down Roy Halladay's Possible Destinations

Michael Carvelli — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:44:10 -0400

With the Major League All-Star Break officially behind us, it is now time that everyone is going to start looking ahead to the July 31 trade deadline and which teams will make moves to get themselves into position to bring home a World Series championship come October.

Every year there are always one or two huge names that everyone knows will make a big splash for their respective teams once the deals are made.

Last season, the trades for CC Sabathia and Manny Ramirez gave the Brewers and Dodgers the boosts that they needed to get up over the hump in the second half of the season. Both players didn't disappoint, as they led their teams into the postseason.

Ramirez had one of the better postseasons that I can remember of the past few seasons, whereas Sabathia put Milwaukee on his back to get them there but then struggled in the NLDS against the Phillies.

This season should be no different, as quite a few big names have been tossed around in trade rumors around the league. Oakland outfielder Matt Holliday, Pittsburgh second baseman Freddy Sanchez, and former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee of the Indians are just a few of the names that are the topic of these rumors.

But as many baseball fans probably already know, the biggest name on the trading block this season is Toronto starter Roy Halladay.

Halladay, who has emerged as one of, if not the best, starting pitchers in the game, is now officially on the trade market. Many teams are chomping at the bit for the chance to take home the belle of this season's trade deadline ball.

The teams that I think have the best chance of picking up Halladay are the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies, the St. Louis Cardinals, and Toronto's AL East rivals the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. However, one team that a lot of people aren't talking about that I think has a legitimate shot at getting Halladay is the Colorado Rockies—but I'll go more into that later.

So, without further ado (yes, I actually looked that up to make sure it was "ado" and not "adieu"), here is what I think those teams might need to give up to gain the services of Halladay come July 31.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Phillies seem like they could be a perfect fit for Halladay. They are in the National League and will be playing teams like the Washington Nationals more often in divisional play, instead of the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees, which will definitely help both Halladay's ERA and his win total.

Philly has a lot of quality prospects that they would be able to offer, but they do not really want to give up right-handed pitching prospect Kyle Drabek. I think that in the end, if they want to pull this trade off, it will probably cost them a couple of their top young pitchers (Carlos Carrasco and J.A. Happ) along with a hitting prospect.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Dispatch's Twitter page, the Cards are "still in the mix" for Halladay.

They will be a team that will work a little more to get him away from the other teams with more minor league talent. Their best offer would probably be something involving hard-hitting outfielder Rick Ankiel, along with young right-hander Jess Todd and another pitching prospect.

BOSTON RED SOX

With their rich, rich minor league system, the Sox are definitely one of the favorites to steal Halladay away from their divisional foe.

With young pitchers such as Michael Bowden, Justin Masterson, and—even though they will more than likely not be traded—Casey Kelly and Clay Buchholz, Boston has plenty of young arms to intrigue the Blue Jays to pull the trigger on this deal.

I think that if I had to make a choice right now as to where Halladay will end up, I would have to say that he, along with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, will be leading the Red Sox to an AL East championship.

NEW YORK YANKEES

The Yankees are a team that is always a major buyer when the trade deadline rolls around each year. It is apparent that they will not go away quietly in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, especially with Boston pursuing him.

New York could offer one or more of their talented young arms (Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Andrew Brackman), but other than catcher Jesus Montero and outfielder Austin Jackson, who they do not want to trade away, they are not terribly deep as far as young hitters go.

Plus who knows, maybe they could even get Toronto to take Chien-Ming Wang off of their hands.

COLORADO ROCKIES

My sleeper of all of these teams.

The Rockies would definitely love to bring Halladay back to his home state (where he already has a home) to try to keep them in contention for the Wild Card—and who knows, maybe even challenge the Dodgers for the NL West crown.

However, acquiring Halladay could come at a costly price for Colorado, as they would likely have to give up a young major league pitcher like Ubaldo Jimenez and maybe even third baseman Ian Stewart, along with some minor leaguers.

FINAL VERDICT

Like I said earlier, in the end I believe that Roy Halladay will end up in a Boston uniform come July 31, instantly making them the favorite to win both the AL East and the World Series.

**If you have any thoughts, feel free to look me up on Twitter at www.twitter.com/carvelli3, or you can e-mail me at MCarWV@aol.com

So, until next time, thanks for reading.

Turning The Page: A 2009 WVU Football Preview

Michael Carvelli — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:18:05 -0400

The 2009 season will mark the beginning of a new era for West Virginia University football.

With former quarterback Patrick White now playing for the Miami Dolphins and four of the starting offensive linemen from last season's 9-4 Meineke Car Care Bowl team gone, the Mountaineers could be in for one of the most interesting seasons in recent memory for the program.

The first order of business in the offseason for the Mountaineers will be, of course, finding a replacement for White under center. Senior Jarrett Brown solidified his spot as the starter after an impressive spring. Brown, who saw playing time in his sophomore and junior seasons, will lead an offense surrounded by a variety of talented skill players for offensive coordinator Jeff Mullens.

Brown will enjoy Mullens' more balanced offensive attack, as it will give him a chance to throw the ball downfield more often, something that the team did not do with White at quarterback.

As for the other players benefiting the most from the new wrinkles in the offense, 6'8" receiver Wes Lyons had a solid spring, catching six passes for 116 yards and two scores in the spring game.

Senior Alric Arnett could also be bound to have a huge season and is one of the more underrated receivers in the Big East. He led the team in yards last season (466) and was second on the team with six touchdowns.

Junior Jock Sanders, who also plays running back, and freshman Logan Heastie will also factor in nicely with the offense. Sophomore Tyler Urban is another pass catching threat that Brown will have to look to and gives the offense a dimension that it hasn't had in many, many years—a reliable pass-catching tight end.

But even with all of these targets in the passing game, the WVU offense will still, as always, be centered around a solid running game.

Returning in the backfield will be preseason First-Team All-Big East selection Noel Devine. The shifty junior finished last season with 1,289 yards and four touchdowns on the ground for the Mountaineers, numbers that should only improve in 2009. Brown will also factor in the running game as he has proved that he could be a reliable option on the ground.

Sophomore Mark Rodgers was the team's primary backup last season and will most likely keep that role this year. But redshirt freshman Jordan Roberts had a remarkable spring and could also be a factor in the offense, as could highly-touted freshman Tavon Austin.

With so much talent at the skill positions, it is tough to figure out why the Mountaineers are not being picked to finished higher than they are in the Big East this season. Well, the answer is pretty simple; they return only two linemen who saw significant action last season.

Senior Selvish Capers and junior Eric Jobe will anchor the line for WVU at the right tackle and center positions, while Don Barclay, Josh Jenkins, and Jeff Braun are expected to round out the starters up front.

With such an inexperienced line, a solid core of skill players might not be enough to get this Mountaineer team back into a BCS bowl game.

On the defensive side of the ball, coordinator Jeff Casteel will lean on 2008 Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP Reed Williams to lead a solid, experienced group that finished ninth in the nation in scoring defense last season (15.9 ppg).

Junior Second-Team All-Big East defensive end Scooter Berry will lead the WVU defensive line in the 3-3-5 stack defense along side of Julian Miller at the other end and Chris Neild at nose guard.

Williams, J.T. Thomas, and Pat Lazear lead a very strong linebacking corp that should be the strength of the defense this season.

Brandon Hogan, a former receiver turned defensive back, and Keith Tandy will likely start at the corners this year and hard-hitting sophomore Robert Sands returns at free safety, as well as Franchot "Boogie" Allen at the bandit and Sidney Glover at strong safety.

I think that the Mountaineers will finish at 8-4 or 9-3 in the second year of the Bill Stewart Era of WVU football. They should win most, if not all, of their home games, but could lose at home to Pitt, as well as tough road games against Auburn, South Florida, and Cincinnati.

Carvelli's Corner: The Kobe vs. LeBron Debate

Michael Carvelli — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:29:39 -0400

Do you see the look in Kobe Bryant's eyes?

If you watched Game One of the Finals on Thursday, you had to have seen this look because of the announcer's constant references to "how much he wants this championship."

While I was watching the game with a few friends, this sparked up the newest great debate between almost all NBA fans. "Who's better, LeBron or Kobe?"

Now, of course as a LIFE-LONG Cleveland fan—not one of those Cavs fans since 2003 that you see everywhere for some reason—I am going to side with LeBron on this one. This of course got me riddled with question after question from my friends, almost all of whom were on the Kobe side.

I will say that right now, if I have to pick between Kobe or LeBron to lead my team to a championship, I will take Kobe because of the fact that he's just a more experienced player and he has been there. But, other than the experience factor, three other things were thrown out as to why Kobe is a better player than "The King."

REASON No. 1: The Jumper

I have to give the point on this one to Bryant. Hands down, if I need someone to hit a jump shot or somebody to go to the foul line, even though James hit two of the most clutch free throws I have ever seen in Game Four of the Orlando series, I'm definitely taking Kobe.

Over his career, he has built himself as a great shooter that can hit from just about anywhere pretty consistently. Whereas consistency is the one thing that Bron can't quite find when he's shooting, whether it be mid range shots or foul shots. It's just not his strong point yet.

I do think that given time, he will develop a more consistent shooting game and will end up being a good shooter because of the steady increase that he has already shown throughout his career.

REASON No. 2: The Killer Instinct

This was something that I was a little on the fence before choosing a side. The first thing that they said was that LeBron is afraid to take big shots and passes to his teammates, whereas Kobe would take it because he is not afraid to do it.

Just because of the fact that LeBron is more unselfish than Kobe doesn't necessarily mean that he has no killer instinct.

Take Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals for example. When LeBron makes the pass to a wide-open Delonte West instead of taking it up for a tough shot, Kobe would've taken that shot.

He just has that feeling that when he gets in the zone nobody is going to stop him from doing whatever he wants to do when he gets the ball, and LeBron will be like this, if you just give him time. He is already starting to develop that mindset, but he is still in that phase where if he sees somebody that could have an open look, he'll let them shine.

But, when "The Black Mamba" gets that look in his eyes, he's going to make sure no one is stopping him, and everyone knows that. Just ask Courtney Lee.

REASON No. 3: The Rings

I absolutely cannot stand when somebody brings this up. The fact that people think that since Kobe has three championships means he is a better player than LeBron is crazy. The one word that makes this fact completely absurd to me is...SHAQ.

Ever since LeBron has been in the league, the closest things he has had to a dominant second option have been Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Maurice Williams.

Neither of these two can even hold a candle to the way that Shaquille O'Neal helped Kobe win three NBA Finals. Shaq was even so good that it was Kobe that was the Mo Williams to O'Neal's James in those three Finals.

The fact that Kobe had another superstar to help him win those championships is the main reason that I am not giving Kobe a point in this debate. LeBron has gotten his team to the Finals once, along with a trip to the Conference Finals with virtually no help compared to what Bryant got those three seasons.

I took Kobe's best of his three championship seasons (2001) and compared the stats of him and Shaq to those of LeBron and Williams from this season's playoffs.

That season Kobe averaged 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game; which resembles LeBron's 35.3, 9.1, 7.3 line this season. But, the difference was that Mo logged in 16.3, 3.2, and 4.1 a night, compared to Shaq's gaudy 30.4, 15.4, and 3.2.

Tell you the truth, I have a feeling that if you give LeBron James the best big man in the league (we'll say Dwight Howard), he would have a couple of rings on his finger right now, and would be on his way to beating Kobe for another one.

Another Carvelli's Corner coming up next week, any thoughts feel free to e-mail me at MCarWV@aol.com.

Derek Lowe Leads Atlanta Past Phillies on Opening Night

Michael Carvelli — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:14:27 -0400

When the Atlanta Braves signed Derek Lowe to a four-year contract this offseason, the organization was counting on the veteran right-hander to become the ace that this staff was looking for.

On Sunday night, he showed that he won't have any problems taking over that role.

Lowe pitched eight innings of shutout baseball while allowing just two hits in Atlanta's 4-1 win over the defending world champions on Sunday.

The Braves bats were alive early as they connected for three home runs in the first two innings off of Phillies starter Brett Myers. Brian McCann started the Atlanta slugfest with a two-run shot in the first, scoring Chipper Jones. Jeff Francoeur then drove the first pitch of the second inning into the left field bleachers. Two batters later, rookie center fielder Jordan Schafer became the 99th Major Leaguer to hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat to give the Braves a 4-0 lead, and all the runs that Lowe would need.

Lowe, who was 0-3 with a 8.44 ERA in his last three Opening Day starts, was very effective early, retiring the first seven batters he faced before giving up a one-out double to Carlos Ruiz down the left field line. The 36-year-old settled right back in after that hit, sitting down the next 10 hitters before allowing a single to Jimmy Rollins in the sixth, but that was all the farther he made it.

The Phillies did get one last chance in the ninth inning, however. Closer Mike Gonzalez started off the ninth by giving up a double to pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett, who advanced to third on a Jimmy Rollins flyout to Jeff Francoeur. Gonzalez went on to give up an RBI single to Jayson Werth and then walked Chase Utley before striking out Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez to end the Philadelphia rally, as well as the game.

Chipper Jones, who set a franchise record making his 14th Opening Day start, finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, while Jordan Schafer was 2-for-3 in his MLB debut.

Brett Myers took the loss for the Phillies, pitching six innings, scattering eight hits and striking out six.

West Virginia-Notre Dame: Mountaineers Face Another Big East Test Against Irish

Michael Carvelli — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:22:06 -0500

After a big win at home over No. 14 Villanova last Friday, the West Virginia Mountaineers are looking to record another key, Big East win today as they square off with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish are coming off a big win of their own, an impressive 33-point slaughter of No. 7 Louisville.

Over the past few years, a win over Notre Dame has been a rarity for the Mountaineers, as the Irish have won 13 of their last 14 meetings with the Mountaineers, including four of their last five in Morgantown.

A big key in tonight's game for West Virginia will be how well they are able to contain Notre Dame's All-American big man Luke Harangody. The 6'8", 255-pound defending Big East Player of the Year will have to shoulder much of the load for the Irish, as he has all season. The junior's 24.4 points per game are first in the Big East, while his 12.7 boards are second to Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair.

Notre Dame will also look for a solid outing from senior guard Kyle McAlarney. McAlarney, a 45 percent shooter from three-point range, will need to be on for his team to stay in the game against a WVU team that leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense (26.4 percent).

West Virginia will once again rely on the play of their top two scorers, senior Alex Ruoff and junior Da'Sean Butler.

Ruoff, who is averaging 15.9 points per game, is coming off a quiet game against Villanova. Though he only scored eight points in the win, he dished out a team-high five assists.

Most of the assists were to Butler, who hit for a career-high 43 points on 12-23 shooting. With that game, the junior from Newark, New Jersey became the first Mountaineer to score 40 points in a game since Lowes Moore scored 41 against Notre Dame in 1978.

To win today, the Mountaineers will not only need good games from those two, but will also need contributions from junior Wellington Smith, sophomore John Flowers, and freshmen Darryl "Truck" Bryant, Devin Ebanks, and Kevin Jones.

MATCH-UP OF THE NIGHT

WVU PG Darryl Bryant vs. ND PG Tory Jackson

Though he has been better as of late, Bryant has been known to struggle when put up against an experienced point guard. The Marquette and Louisville games are prime examples of this, in those two games "Truck" committed eight turnovers with just one assist.

2003 Steroid Fallout: Why The Other 103 Names Should Not Be Released

Michael Carvelli — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:28:22 -0500

On Saturday, an article in Sports Illustrated came out that said that New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was one of 104 players to test positive for steroids in 2003.

Just a few days later, Rodriguez admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-2003 in an interview with Peter Gammons.

This news shocked the entire sports world, and had many fans of our nation's pastime wondering that, if Alex Rodriguez was not clean—the man who was supposed to be the game's savior in these dark days of the "Steroid Era"—what other superstars could be guilty of this?

Now, many people are saying that the other 103 players that tested positive in the 2003 survey testing, which was supposed to be anonymous testing, should be revealed.

While it is true that Rodriguez should not be the only name thrown out, I am not sure if it is such a good idea that all of the names should be released.

Being a baseball fan my entire life, my favorite player has always been Randy Johnson. If they were to release all of the other names that tested positive and Johnson happened to be on that list of players, I would be heart-broken. Knowing that the player that I have idolized since I was five or six years old would go to those lengths would be devastating.

It is because of this that I believe, if the other names came out, a lot of fans would feel this way. So many people look up to these players, and if fans found out that even more superstars have used these drugs, it could be costly for the sport.

Now, it is possible that there are not a lot of big name players on this list, but I can assure you that it is definitely not one Alex Rodriguez along with 103 Gregg Zauns. It is much more likely that there could be at least a few more (I would say around 10-15) players that are household names.

It is clear that after this hectic week, baseball fans everywhere will now start to look a little more closely at who they pick out to be "heroes" because in these days of steroids and HGH, you never know what players are clean and which ones are not.

Just look at our "savior".

West Virginia Mountaineers Add Key Recruits to Class of '09

Michael Carvelli — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:16:58 -0500

After a 2008 season that finished with them winning the Meineke Car Care Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels, the West Virginia Mountaineers said goodbye to the winningest senior class in school history.

This class of 16 seniors, including quarterback Patrick White, won 40 games in their career for the old gold and blue.

However, head coach Bill Stewart, as well as assistants Doc Holliday and Chris Beatty, have been hitting the recruiting trail hard in hopes to find the next great Mountaineer. So far, they have done a great job of this as West Virginia's 2009 recruiting class is ranked 19th in the nation, according to Rivals.com.

The class consists of six four-star players, 14 three-stars, and two two-star prospects. Leading this class are Army All-American defensive back Michael Carter (Ely HS, Pompano Beach, FL) and Under Armour All-American wide receiver Logan Heastie (Great Bridge HS, Chesapeake, VA).

Carter, the No. 12 cornerback in the class of 2009, picked West Virginia over schools such as Miami (FL), Georgia, and Florida and displays impressive speed and superb skill covering receivers. The one thing that may prevent Carter from making it to the next level would be his 5'11", 154-pound frame.

Heastie will enter West Virginia as the No. 24 receiver in this year's class and chose to come to Morgantown over schools such as North Carolina and Penn State. The 6'2" receiver has great leaping ability and, like Carter, is very fast. He is able to use his large frame, along with his speed, to stretch the field and should give the Mountaineers the deep ball threat that they need.

However, he still needs to bulk up a little more before he can become a reliable threat across the middle.

Perhaps the biggest spot that the Mountaineers will have to fill is the quarterback spot left by, as Stewart calls him, "the greatest winner in college football," Patrick White. Recruiting coordinator Doc Holliday may have helped find the solution to the question many WVU fans are asking about who the man under center for them will be.

Eugene "Geno" Smith (Miramar HS, Miramar, FL), the No. 8 quarterback in the country, could possibly give Jarrett Brown a run for his money under center when the Mountaineers start the 2009 season

Like White and Brown, Smith is a dual-threat quarterback and can throw the football exceptionally well. When he gets into the open field, he shows great elusiveness and shows great zip on his passes, as well as a very quick release.

Also joining Smith in the 2009 class is his favorite receiver. Stedman Bailey, also from Miramar, signed with the Mountaineers on the same day that Smith did.

Bailey, also recruited by Doc Holliday, has shown very good hands and knows how to get open. His quickness and run after catch skills make him a perfect slot receiver for the spread offense. At 5'11", the only drawback for this very good prospect will be his size.

Last week, coach Stewart landed another big recruit when, with the help of wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway, the Mountaineers got a commitment from running back Tavon Austin (Dunbar HS, Baltimore, MD).

Like their current starting running back, Noel Devine, Austin is a very dynamic back who can make things happen when he gets into the open field. He shows terrific vision and runs harder than most 5'9", 156-pound backs would. Durability could be the only issue for Austin, but he can be a great fit into offensive coordinator Jeff Mullens' spread offense as both a running back and wide receiver.

This solid 2009 class is just a preview of what is still to come for an up and coming Mountaineer team, and hopefully there will be many great days ahead for WVU football.

Devin Ebanks Starting to Make His Mark at West Virginia

Michael Carvelli — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:37:10 -0500

On Nov. 14 of last year, highly-touted recruit Devin Ebanks had just made his decision to continue his basketball career for coach Kelvin Sampson at Indiana University. However, almost five months and a few NCAA violations later, Sampson was forced to resign as the Hoosiers' basketball coach.

Shortly after this, Ebanks decommitted and began to visit other schools to find out exactly where it was that he would be playing in the 2008-09 season. In April, Ebanks began visiting the schools highest on his list.

On April 11, the 6'9" forward made his first visit, to West Virginia University. Two weeks after that, he made his visit to Texas and in May visited Rutgers and national runners-up Memphis.

West Virginia assistant coach Larry Harrison told the Charleston Daily Mail that being the first school the recruit visited concerned the entire coaching staff. "We were the first of four visits," Harrison said, "and we asked ourselves, 'Five weeks from now, is this kid going to remember us?'"

After the visit to Morgantown, coach Bob Huggins and the rest of the Mountaineer coaches made the most of the two phone calls they were allowed to make every week. Huggins would call every Thursday, before he went on his next visit, and one of the assistants would make the other call on Monday right after he got back from the visit.

Then on May 18, the number nine recruit in the nation, according to Scout.com, made his announcement that he would be playing for the Mountaineers during halftime of the IS8 Spring Classic championship game in South Jamaica, NY.

Once in Morgantown, he was put on a weight program for the first time in his life. Ebanks, who was 185 pounds in his senior year of high school, entered his freshman year at 205 pounds.

On Oct. 12, Ebanks electrified the crowd at West Virginia's Mountaineer Madness, easily winning the dunk contest against teammate Will Thomas.

The regular season did not start out as well for the freshman, as he struggled in his first few games in a West Virginia uniform, averaging just 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds through the first six games of the season.

In the past week, however, Devin Ebanks has shown WVU fans the kind of player that he has the potential to be. On Saturday, Ebanks scored 10 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for his first career double-double against Cleveland State.

Last night in the Jimmy V Classic, Ebanks had another huge night, this one on the national stage against a ranked opponent. The freshman earned his second straight double-double, scoring 13 points and once again grabbing 17 rebounds in WVU's 68-65 loss to Stephen Curry and Davidson.

Ebanks has high goals for the Mountaineers this season, and he is also proving that he can be a key factor, not just this season, but hopefully for the next three seasons as well.

“A Big East championship is what we want,” he said. “From there we want to get to the tournament and hopefully do some things and get to the Final Four. That’s our main goal."

West Virginia Mountaineers Use Big Second Half to Down Cleveland State

Michael Carvelli — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:18:47 -0500

After trailing 25-21 at the end of the first half, the West Virginia Mountaineers outscored Cleveland State 32-18 in the second half to run away with a 53-43 win on Saturday at the WVU Coliseum.

With starting point guard Joe Mazzulla out with a shoulder injury and backup Darryl "Truck" Bryant playing just 12 minutes, Mountaineer coach Bob Huggins had to show off some of the depth that he has on his bench, with 13 players entering into Saturday's game.

Junior Da'Sean Butler led the way for the Mountaineers (6-1), along with freshman Devin Ebanks. Butler led the team with 18 points on a seven of 16 shooting performance and Ebanks put in his first career double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds.

With a layup at the 8:19 mark in the first half, senior Alex Ruoff became the 45th player in WVU history to score 1,000 points. The Florida native finished the game with five points, four rebounds, and three assists. "I think Alex Ruoff is a great example of what can happen when you work." Huggins told MSNSportsNet.com after the game.

The Mountaineers blocked ten Cleveland State shots, including four from sophomore John Flowers, two from Ebanks, and one from Ruoff, junior Wellington Smith, sophomore Cam Thoroughman, and freshman Kevin Jones - who also scored six points in his 15 minutes.

Coach Huggins' team showed improvement from the free throw line on Saturday. After missing all three attempts from the charity stripe, West Virginia 15 of 18 foul shots in the second half to finish the game at 71 percent, a lot better than the 48 percent they shot at the line in their last game against Mississippi.

The Vikings (5-4) were led by Norris Cole's 12 points and three steals. Reigning Horizon League Player of the Week J'Nathan Bullock was held to just eight points against the Mountaineers.

West Virginia returns to action on Tuesday as they will take on No. 22 Davidson, led by Stephen Curry, at Madison Square Garden as part of the Jimmy V Classic.

Steve Slaton Emerging As One of the NFL's Top Rookies

Michael Carvelli — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:29:54 -0500

After injuries made his junior season his worst season statistically in his college career, West Virginia running back Steve Slaton made the decision to skip his senior season and enter himself into the 2008 NFL Draft.

With the 26th pick of the third round, the 5-9, 203 pounder's wait was over as he was selected by the Houston Texans. Just like his freshman season at West Virginia, Slaton entered training camp as the third running back on the depth chart, this time behind veterans Ahman Green and Chris Brown.

As the preseason began, Slaton played well, running the ball 34 times for 138 yards. His play in the preseason moved him up in front of Brown on the depth chart and he went into the regular season as Green's backup.

In the first regular season game of his NFL career, Slaton started off slowly, running for just 43 yards on 13 carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the next week, he showed that he still had the explosiveness that he had when he played in Morgantown as he had his first 100-yard game of the season against the Tennessee Titans and scored his first career touchdown.

Last week, the Houston Texans made their debut on Monday Night Football, as did their rookie running back. Slaton continued to impress, this time in front of the entire country leading the Texans to a 30-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with his 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Slaton's 904 yards is currently third among NFL rookies and his eight touchdowns leads all rookie running backs. If he can continue playing at this pace, Houston fans could be seeing a future star in the making.

Future Looking Bright For West Virginia Mountaineers

Michael Carvelli — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:08:18 -0500

When former West Virginia head basketball coach John Beilein left Morgantown to coach at Michigan he said that he couldn't recruit top talent to Morgantown. Well, current coach Bob Huggins has proved Beilein that he was half right.

In Huggins' first season as head coach he was able to bring in the fourth best recruiting class of 2008, according to ESPN.com. This year's class is headed by Devin Ebanks, a lanky, Kevin Durant type of small forward, and also consists of forward Kevin Jones, guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant, and junior college transfer Dee Proby.

As if that wasn't enough to prove Beilein wrong, Huggins has picked up right where he left off with his 2009 recruiting class. The Mountaineers have already gotten verbal commitments from forwards Dan Jennings, Deniz Kilicli, and Roscoe Davis, and guard Dalton Pepper, as well as verbals from guard Noah Cottrill and center Storm Stanley in the class of 2010.

With all of this said, let's take a look at what the Mountaineer rotation will look like heading into the 2011 season, if all stays the same and no players leave early for the NBA.

Guards: Darryl "Truck" Bryant, Will Thomas

Forwards: Devin Ebanks, John Flowers

Center: Dan Jennings

Key Reserves: Deniz Kilicli, Noah Cottrill, Kevin Jones, & Storm Stanley

The 2011 Mountaineers could be a team that can go deeper off of the bench than any West Virginia team in recent memory. Once you add players like Pepper, Davis, Johnnie West, and Cam Thoroughman, it might not be much of a too much of a stretch to say that Huggins could rotate in all 13 players that will be on the roster.

If West Virginia can continue to bring players in the way that they have since the arrival of Coach Huggins, Mountaineer fans could be watching the beginning of a national powerhouse in Morgantown.

WVU-UConn: Mountaineers, Huskies to Square Off for Share of Big East Lead

Michael Carvelli — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:27:33 -0400

The Big East Network Game of the Week at noon on Saturday, Nov. 1 is between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Connecticut Huskies as they fight for sole possession of first place in the Big East Conference.

The Mountaineers are currently atop the Big East Conference, with a 2-0 record after winning their fourth straight game, 34-17, over the Auburn Tigers last Thursday. Their season record is 5-2.

The Huskies, with a record of 6-2 and 2-1 in the Big East, are fresh off a 40-16 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats. They will want to avenge last season's 66-21 loss at the hands of Pat White and company in Morgantown.

This year's matchup will be at Rentschler Field where the Huskies have won 11 straight games. The Mountaineers, however, have been defeated in this year's two road games.

Connecticut will be led by junior Donald Brown, the nation's leading rusher.

Regarding Brown, West Virginia's head coach, Bill Stewart said, "We’re going to face the best running back in our league. He has close to 1,400 yards in eight games," Stewart said. "Are you kidding me? We better be ready."

Brown has run the ball 235 times for 1,324 yards this season and has reached the end zone 14 times.

“He is just tough and relentless,” said West Virginia safety Sidney Glover. “He is physical the way he is stiff-arming people right now. It’s just another challenge for us on Saturday to hold him down and that’s what we’re working on.”

The Mountaineers have been running the ball well the past few games. Sophomore Noel Devine has 849 yards this season and has run for 100 yards or more in four games, including a career-high 207-yard performance over Auburn.

On Thursday night West Virginia proved that quarterback Pat White can pass the ball a little bit, too.

"We were on and Pat was on," Stewart said. "We threw the ball to Wes Lyons, he threw the crossing routes, and he really only made one bad throw—the throw to Dorrell Jalloh when he threw behind him—but it was the same play Dorrell scored on."

White's three touchdowns against the Tigers gave him 12 for the year and he is now just two away from tying his career-high of 14, which he threw last season.

Junior Alric Arnett of West Virginia hauled in a 44 yard touchdown last week for his third of the season and Dorrell Jalloh caught two of White's passes for scores.

"We’re clicking." Arnett said. "The game plan has pretty much been the same. We are going to throw the ball and run the ball. It’s just that we came out and we executed and everyone did their job."

The Mountaineer offense will need to do just that on Saturday, as they will be going up against a Huskies defense that ranks in the top two in the Big East in numerous defensive categories, including scoring defense, total defense, pass efficiency defense, interceptions, sacks, fourth-down defense, and red-zone defense.

West Virginia will take the field with a defense that has seemed to improve since the beginning of the season. Against the Tigers, the Mountaineer defense gave up 260 yards of total offense, but really put the clamps on the offense in the second half.

"I wouldn’t say that all of our kinks are worked out but we were up for the Thursday night game," sophomore linebacker JT Thomas said. "A lot of guys were ready to play but that is in the past. We have to get ready to go up to UConn and have a good outing."

Rays Show They Can Win Close Games in Boston Series

Michael Carvelli — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:21:39 -0400

The Tampa Bay Rays came into their series with the Boston Red Sox on Monday with just one win in the month of September, a 7-5 win over the Yankees. The Rays had all-star outfielder Carl Crawford on the disabled list and had just activated third baseman Evan Longoria from the DL.

As they went into the big series at Fenway, many people wondered if they would be able to finish their storybook season and win the AL East over the Red Sox who were just a one-and-a-half games back. People pointed to the team's abysmal batting average with runners in scoring position (.239), while others looked at their ability to come through in close games.

On Tuesday and Wednesday the Rays seem to have taken care of one of those two problems. Down 4-3 in the ninth inning on Tuesday, the Rays got a home run from first baseman Dan Johnson, who had just been called up from AAA earlier that day, off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon to tie the game at four.

Three batters later, catcher Dioner Navarro hit a double to left field to score Fernando Perez from second base to give Tampa Bay the lead. Troy Percival got Coco Crisp to pop out with a runner on third to end the game and extend the Rays' lead back to one-and-a-half games.

In addition, if you thought that Tuesday's game was exciting, nobody could've been ready for what happened on Wednesday. Both teams were only able to score one run off the starters, Josh Beckett and Andy Sonnanstine, and neither Boston nor Tampa Bay had much success against the bullpens either.

In the 10th inning, with the score still tied at one, Tampa Bay reliever Chad Bradford gave up a leadoff double to Dustin Pedroia and then intentionally walked David Ortiz. In most situations this year, you probably could've counted the Rays out, especially with Kevin Youkilis stepping up to the plate. However, Bradford got the Boston first baseman to ground into a double play and then got a groundout from Jason Bay to get out of the inning.

The Red Sox had opportunities to score in both the 11th and 12th innings, but the Rays' pitching came through. With two out in the top of the 14th inning, the Rays got two singles from Akinori Iwamura and Rocco Baldelli to bring first baseman Carlos Pena to the plate.

Pena took the 1-0 pitch from Mike Timlin over the Green Monster into the left centerfield stands to give the Rays a 4-1 lead. However, it wasn't quite over yet, closer Troy Percival gave up a double to Jacoby Ellsbury and then walked Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz to load the bases, once again giving Kevin Youkilis the chance to be the hero.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon brought in Jason Hammel to relieve Percival and gave up a sacrifice fly to Youkilis, but then got the next two hitters out to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 4-1 and a two-and-a-half game lead in the American League East as we head down the home stretch for the 2008 season.