Quick Post: On Shane Callahan

As if the Fall Practice, Good News Sunshine Express wasn't enough in and of itself, the 2014 outlook for the Buffs got even rosier yesterday afternoon when it was announced that OL Shane Callahan is immediately eligible to play this fall.  Callahan, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Auburn, had been in camp with CU up to this point, but didn't know whether he'd be able to play in 2014, as, under normal circumstances, he'd have had to sit out a transfer year.  Luckily, and thanks in no small measure to Auburn, the NCAA granted a transfer waiver due to Shane moving closer to home for family reasons, and the Buffs suddenly have depth in the trenches.

Callahan is immediately eligible!  From: the BDC

This is big news for the still developing Colorado O-Line.  Callahan, a class of 2012 recruit out of Parker, was a 4-star prospect when he spurned CU for Auburn and former Buffs O-Line coach Jeff Grimes.  But Grimes isn't with the Tigers anymore, and Callahan, after a redshirt season, was lost in depth chart hell, practicing with the 3rd team on last season's national title runners-up.  Over the offseason, I started to hear rumblings that Shane was coming home to the Centennial State, but mostly put them out of my mind, since I didn't figure that the waiver was a realistic possibility.  Thankfully, that's not the case, and Callahan, after two years of SEC competition and coaching, is now a seductive option to help protect a very young quarterback. Oh, and he'll have three years to play three.  Huzzah!

Excitement aside, don't immediately assume that Shane is an anointed starter.  4-stars or no, he's still got to earn his spot. Offensive terminology will be a hurdle, and anything can happen in the heat of fall camp; position battles are fickle bitches, after all. But it's hard not to get excited when an in-state recruiting miss comes home.  That he was able to take advantage of the NCAA, an organization that usually only seems intent on leeching off of their wards, makes the whole situation even more appealing.


Welcome aboard, Shane!

Monday Grab Bag: I am Groot

I AM Groot!

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Quickly, before I get to the bag, it looks like the men's basketball non-conference schedule for 2014-15 was leaked on CUBuffs.com.

The key additions from the last time I saw an update are:

• Drexel on opening night, 11/14
• Lipscomb on 11/30
• San Francisco on 12/3
• Northern Colorado on 12/13

Not a lot of red meat there, as, beyond the Drexel game, the adds are all potential RPI 250+ squads.  The Northern Colorado game will make for a cool story, as Coach Boyle has them on the schedule for the first time since leaving Greeley for Boulder, but the rest are *shrug* worthy.  I'll have more schedule analysis up later this week, when I imagine things will be finalized and made official from CU, but, for now, my take is that this is underwhelming, at best.

One final scheduling note, it looks like the Auburn game has been set for an 11PM tip-off time, as part of ESPN's tip-off marathon.  You may want to get a jump on reserving Tuesday, November 18th off from work, as the Buffs will be playing into the early morning for that one.

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Today in the bag, I'm talking college football, pro football, and one of the worst bullpens in the majors (nope, not the Rox).

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: We're not last!

No time for chit-chat, right onto the bag!

Today in the bag, I'm talking Pac-12 media polls, Frank Thomas in Cooperstown, and a little site news.

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Monday Grab Bag: Mid-July sucks

We're just under 40 days away from the Rocky Mountain Showdown! I'll cop to being mildly excited, if only because there's nothing else to draw my attention between now and then.  Fuck CSU, and all of that.

Overall, I'm cautiously optimistic about the Buffs this year. Not enough to lose me head and starting making bowl trip plans, but I honestly enjoyed the measured improvement shown in 2013, and look forward to what Coach Mac and crew have in store for 2014. Another year like last, and I may actually be able to look my friends from other Pac-12 schools in the eye from August through October.

Media day isn't for another two weeks, and fall camp won't start until August 1st, but it's important to mention that football is right around the corner.  What else do we have to think about as July slowly melts away?

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Today in the bag, I got BREAKING NEWS and a little on the British Open... Woof, it's been a quiet week...

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Monday Grab Bag: The return of the worst week in sports

Welcome, once again, to the worst week in sports.  The Major League Baseball All-Star game, annually, announces itself as deserving of an entire week of focus, and then proceeds to bore the nation to tears through a glorified round of batting practice and a main event no more important than a random spring training game.  Even for me, a devout follower of the religion of baseball, this week is impossibly difficult to get through.

The question that I've been hearing more and more over the past few years is "how do we fix it?"  You can't, stop trying.  The reasons behind the existence of this non-event were: 1) to create a new source of revenue for the league during the Depression, which eventually evolved into 2) provide a showcase for out-of-town stars that fans rarely got to see.  80 years later, baseball no longer needs the revenue, and fans can see out-of-town stars whenever they want, thanks to nationalized television packages.  There's no longer a point. Just name a team, hand out some bonus checks, and keep the season moving.

But, that's too logical and forward thinking for baseball, so expect them continue to wring the stone in search of water.  Meanwhile, more and more fans of the game will stop watching, and the sport's infrastructure will become more and more irrelevant. *sigh*  Baseball, as always, is timeless to a fault.

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Today in the bag, I'm talking the conclusion of the World Cup, NBA free agency, and fundraising at CU.

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Monday Grab Bag: #TargetSale

Apologies for the lateness, but I'm a little distracted today.  The MLB All-Star rosters were announced over the weekend, which, in and of themselves, usually warrants little more than a yawn from yours truly.  This year, however, the AL has decided to wade into battle without their single greatest pitching asset: White Sox ace Chris Sale.

Yes, that Chris Sale.  He of the 8-1 record on a sub-.500 team, who just happens to lead the league in ERA+ (188) after posting a 96/16 K/BB ratio and a .87 WHIP over the first half. "Oh, but he missed a month on the DL!"  Who cares?  No one has been as dominant in the AL, even having missed five or so starts.  Chris Sale strikes FEAR into the hearts of AL hitters, in a way no one since Randy Johnson has. But, sure, let's make everyone vote to get him to Minneapolis.  *sigh*

This shit is so dumb.  The old line from pundits is always "well, who would you send home, then?" Anyone, everyone.  If Chris Sale is not a clear All-Star, then there is no longer a need to have an All-Star game.  The mere idea that this testament to all that is good with professional pitching is being forced to pander for votes is offensive.  The American League should be so lucky to have Chris Sale represent them. (Yes, I'm crafting the statue now.  It will be bronze, and no one will be able to get hits off of it, either).

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Today in the bag, I'm talking the USMNT's loss to Belgium, the quarter final results from Brazil, and the possible end of an era in the NBA.

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Josh Fortune is a Buff!

The news broke quickly yesterday afternoon: the herd is getting larger.  As CBS's Jon Rothstein first reported, Coach Boyle has decided to spend the open scholarship left in the wake of Spencer Dinwiddie's jump to the professional ranks by bringing in former Providence Friar swingman Josh Fortune.

The newest Buff: Josh Fortune!

A 6-5 two-guard, originally from Kecoughtan High School in Virginia, Fortune played a key role on a Providence squad that finished 3rd in the Big East this past season.  He started all 38 games as a sophomore, averaging 8/3/2 in the process.  Key to CU's purposes going forward, he's known as a shooter (check out this video from the Big East Tournament), and improved greatly on the defensive end as the season wore on.  By the time February and March came around, he was one of PC's better players, averaging over 12 points per game in the lead up to the NCAA Tournament.  He looked to continue to be an important part of the Friar rotation moving forward, which is why his decision to transfer raised a few eyebrows in Rhode Island.

Fortune reportedly chose CU over offers from other high major schools like Cal, Purdue, Minnesota, and Virginia.  Despite early rumors that he was interested in playing closer to home, it looks like Josh was particularly keen on moving for "professional reasons."  To that end, Fortune's mother told BuffStampede.com's Ryan Koenigsberg that her son was especially impressed with Colorado's recent reputation of developing guards. Certainly, with Coach Boyle's guard-oriented system, and an ongoing need for perimeter scoring, a player of Fortune's mold has a golden opportunity to thrive in Boulder.

Josh's message for the fanbase is "get ready, because I'm coming," but BuffNation won't see immediate dividends from this addition.  As a traditional transfer, Fortune will have to sit out the coming season due to NCAA rules. After that, however, the young guard will have two years of remaining eligibility. This is the long-term addition that Coach Boyle has always stressed that he's looking for, and it marks an important step in future roster construction.  With Askia Booker's graduation only a season away, look for the Virginia native to fill that soon-to-be-vacated shooter's role.

Uh oh, 3-goggles.

In the mean time, Fortune gets to play the Carlon Brown role from 2010-11 - back before the former guard earned his place in CU lore. Brown helped that famous Burks-Higgins-Relphorde-Knutson team excel through a strong work ethic in practice, and it paved the way for even greater success the following season when Carlon took the court. In that vein, I expect that Josh will be a behind-the-scenes practice dynamo who can help the roster by making his presence felt on the practice squad.  By the time he finally takes the court in 2015, he will already have made an impact on the roster, and be in a position to play a key role in the continued success of Colorado Basketball.

Welcome to Boulder, Josh!