Monday Grab Bag: Coach Boyle Stays Hot on the Recruiting Trail

I'm back from vacation in Tampa (... or will be once this damn plane lands).  One of the many reasons for my trip was the opportunity to visit my 17th Major League Baseball stadium - Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.  It's far from the nicest place to watch a game - it's a hateful dome, fer crissakes - but I got to spend Mother's Day with my Mom, and watch Longoria patrol third from less than 50 feet away.  Not too shabby.

Now, safely returned to Colorful Colorado, I'm focusing on a new basketball recruit, honors in track and field, and another Husker running afoul of the law.

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Monday Grab Bag: A Poor Send-off

Saturday's loss to Oregon St didn't change anything.  Had CU won, they'd still be playing the Beavers, again, on Wednesday.  It does, however, add doubt to the equation, doubt that hadn't been there prior to Saturday afternoon.  The whole situation actually mirrors last season, when the Buffs went into the Pac-12 tournament fresh off of a deflating loss to OSU.  Hopefully, history continues to repeat this week in Vegas.

Today in the bag, I'm talking a rough Saturday on the hardwood, national championships, and the World Baseball Classic.

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Monday Grab Bag: The Banana Stand is more dependable than gravity

I announced this Friday afternoon, but I'll reiterate today: the 2012-13 Massive Basketball Preview will be up tomorrow morning.  I'm in furious edit mode, as I desperately try to tame the 11,000 word beast, but I'm confident that it'll be ready for release within the next 24 hours.

May God have mercy on my soul.

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Today in the bag, I'm talking Cross Country, the basketball scrimmage with SMU, a 4th Buff entrant into the NBA, the happenings in Eugene, and my weekly notes from the world of football.

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Quick Post: The finals go on without Jenny Barringer

Buff Nation's best hope for an Olympic medal crashed out before even reaching the final.  Jenny Barringer Simpson, one of the best runners in CU's storied history, struggled in her semi-final run of the 1,500m yesterday, and ended up finishing last in the heat.  She was the defending world champion in the event, and her early exit was almost as big of a shock as her winning run last year was.

For her sake, she doesn't take any opportunity to place blame, saying "I have no excuse. [...] I have nothing. I'm in great shape and I feel good. You just have to earn every single step, and I think I thought about the final before I had earned it."  

Warning bells were already going off in my head Monday during her qualifying heat.  She was behind the lead pack for almost the whole race, and had to essentially sprint the final lap to even sneak into the semi's. A friend of mine who follows these things blamed tactics, but it's always worrying to see that kind of performance in the opening round.

It's a shame for Jenny, but she'll be back.  Her win at the 2011 World Championships makes her a national figure, and her career has plenty of races left in it.  I'm sure sometime over the next four years she'll run a race or two that will make everyone forget about London.

Tuesday Grab Bag: It's semi-officially summer

Mark it down, it's summer.  With Memorial Day come and gone, the seasons have changed.  Kids aren't in school, baseball is in high gear, and I'm starting to get days off of work again; solstice be damned, it's summer now.  I shall celebrate by staying inside and watching Sunday's spectacular Game of Thrones episode again.

Today in the bag, I'm talking Bolder Boulder, peeking at the baseball world, and touching on the NBA playoffs.

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Monday Grab Bag: Los Gringos fall on their face

 Not too much on my radar over the past weekend, but enough to fill an abbreviated bag.  There's international soccer, interleague baseball, and a Buffs Olympic sports title to discuss today.

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Monday Grab Bag: It's Tuesday, and I'm back edition

I'm back from California, and rearing to go!  I'm sure there's plenty of Buff news to dissect...what's that?  You say that since it's the middle of May essentially nothing is happening?  Hrmmm... I guess I'll have to talk recruiting news and pointless coaching rumors.  Additionally, I'll touch on the Bulls being awesome.

On with the bag...