Monday Grab Bag: Unlike some other Olympics, I can host with an English accent

Thank God July is almost over.  These past few weeks have crawled by, leaving me wishing for autumn in the worst way.  August promises to bring with it football, a basketball trip to Europe, the beginning of the home stretch in baseball, and the better part of the Olympics.  While it's not technically fall, August at least lets you see a little of the light at the end of the hot summer tunnel.

Today in the bag, I'll be talking Olympics, Buffs in the NBA's Summer League, and the lead-up to fall football camp.

Additionally, I encourage you to check out the final entry in Ryan Thorburn's freshmen interview series.  Last up is Josh Scott, on the verge of making the most anticipated freshman debut in over a decade.  The team will start their European swing early in August, so expect a ramp-up of hoops discussion a little earlier than normal.

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Quick Post: Charleston Classic bracket finalized

The final missing piece to the scheduling puzzle has been put in place.  The Charleston Classic bracket was announced today, and CU has drawn Atlantic-10 power Dayton in the first round.  The Buffs and Flyers will tip-off the tournament at 12:30 on November 15th.  Opening round coverage will be on ESPN3.

Also in the top-half of the bracket, Baylor and Boston College will play for the right to face the winner of the CU/Dayton game.  Murray St, Auburn, Charleston and St. John's reside in the bottom half of the bracket.

Of course the plum in the pudding is the potential second round matchup with Baylor.  There's plenty of bad blood between the Bears and Buffs, and the Tournament game last March did nothing to diffuse the situation.  It's high time that CU finally gets some revenge on those cheating assholes, and November will serve just fine.  Hopefully, CU will slip past Dayton, and get another bite at the Waco apple.

Quick Post: Opening night set

The 2012-13 men's basketball schedule is tentatively complete.  The missing piece?  The Terriers from Wofford University.  Boyle's Boys will tip-off against the Southern Conference power on November 9th.

Honestly, Coach Boyle could've (and has) done a lot worse for his opening night opponent. Wofford has been in the Tournament as recently as 2011, and is a whole hell of a lot better than Ft Lewis (CU's opening night opponent last season).

The challenge from Coach Boyle and the rest of the team is to make the Wofford game a sellout. I figure, if Buff Nation can squeeze out 7,925 for an opener against a D-II opponent last season, than a full 11,064 to greet the defending Pac-12 champions should be no problem come November. Everyone better plan on getting their tickets as soon as they come on sale.

Below is the tentative schedule, with times yet to be determined (ripped from the BDC article). Feature home games include: Air Force (Nov 25th), CSU (Dec 5th), UCLA (Jan 12th), Stanford (Jan 26th), and Arizona (Feb 14th).

Nov. 9 -- WOFFORD
Nov. 15-18 -- Charleston Classic (opponents* TBA)
Nov. 25 -- AIR FORCE
Nov. 28 -- TEXAS SOUTHERN
Dec. 1 -- at Wyoming
Dec. 5 -- COLORADO STATE
Dec. 8 -- at Kansas
Dec. 12 -- at Fresno State
Dec. 21 -- NORTHERN ARIZONA
Dec. 29 -- HARTFORD
Jan. 3 -- at Arizona State
Jan. 5 -- at Arizona
Jan. 10 -- USC
Jan. 12 -- UCLA
Jan. 17 -- at Washington
Jan. 19 -- at Washington State
Jan. 24 -- CAL
Jan. 26 -- STANFORD
Feb. 2 -- at Utah
Feb. 7 -- at Oregon State
Feb. 9 -- at Oregon
Feb. 14 -- ARIZONA
Feb. 16 -- ARIZONA STATE
Feb. 23 -- UTAH
Feb. 28 -- at Stanford
March 2 -- at Cal
March 7 -- OREGON
March 9 -- OREGON STATE
March 13-16 -- Pac-12 Tournament, Las Vegas

(UPDATED) Monday Grab Bag: Penn St gets the ban-hammer

On top of the continuing problems with the economy, 2012 has seen the Colorado community beset with weather and tourism issues, a series of painful wildfires, and now a senseless tragedy at the Century Theaters in Aurora.  My heart goes out to the victims of Friday morning's atrocity, and I pray that Colorado never again has to deal with this type of pain.

Overall, it has been a tough year for the state.   Sports make for a convenient escape, and this state needs one more than ever.  Hopefully, this fall will provide plenty of opportunity to invigorate this state's psyche.

Below the fold, I'll be talking about the Penn St sanctions, the superlative swingman added to the CU roster, and my Sox falling off the table.  

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Monday Grab Bag: The Ghosts of Buffs Past and Future

The countdown to football has dipped under 50 days, and baseball is back from its lengthy break.  Slowly, but surely, summer is ending.  It's odd, when I was a kid, summer used to go by so quickly, and I never wanted to see it end.  Now I can't wait for fall, where temperatures are "normal" and the sporting world is vibrant and alive.

A trio of Buff-related items awaits below the jump.  I'll be talking the latest CU Hall of Fame class, the end of the Pac-12/Big-10 scheduling cabal, and the potential of a final "throwback" game in Balch Fieldhouse.

It's also worth you time to check out Thorburn's latest freshman interview, this time featuring Wesley Gordon.

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Monday Grab Bag: The worst sporting week of the year

What is the best week of the sporting year?  Some would say Super Bowl week, others late October and the World Series.  There are numerous acceptable answers; personally, I'm all over the Tournament's first week in March.

Regardless of your personal sporting preference, however, there can be no debate over what is the worst week on the sporting calendar.  This very week, centered around Baseball's All-Star break, leaves American sport fans without any contests of consequence at the height of summer.  The paucity of competition is so heinous that it drives many to trick themselves into caring about meaningless media side-shows like the God-forsaken Home Run Derby.  Let me say that again, people willingly tune into a schlock-fest featuring Chris Berman.  That borders on a war crime!

Not satisfied with the misery already laid upon the American public, MLB has outdone themselves by allowing the typically 3-day break to balloon into a fourth evening.  You'd think that, by now, I'd learn to anticipate this garbage, and schedule a much deserved vacation...

At least there's the latest edition of Thorburn's freshman interview series to occupy my attention for a while.

Today in the bag I'll be talking about the brewing QB battle set for CU's fall camp, baseball's first half, and almost-history from the world of tennis.

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Monday Grab Bag: The faintest whiff of basketball news

Another Monday, another excellent freshman profile from Ryan Thorburn.  This week, he's talking with Sterling, CO's own Xavier Talton.  Combined with an article from last week where Thorburn talked to Josh Scott, you get the feeling that the trio of Colorado freshmen have a passion for hoops in the state, and want to make sure the CU program stays in the national conversation for years to come.  Exciting stuff, make sure you check it out.

Today in the bag, I'm touching on one other basketball note, the Euro Final, the Dwight Howard soap opera, and another win for Tiger.

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