Making your mind up

by Barca Blog - Well, I decided to scrap the new way of doing "Around the Web" via the blog... and went back to the old traditional way of just having the links posted on the front page (middle column) of VUcommodores.com. Also, the archive will be posted here.

I know, I haven't done a good job of making my mind up lately... which leads us to the video of the day. I should have just listened to this group's advice from the start.

Around the Web - Thursday, July 16

Men's basketball guard John Jenkins talked with Maurice Patton about being the only freshman on the squad this year.

"Everybody's been helping me out," Jenkins told The Tennessean. "I've been cool with the whole team.

"I just think of myself as an upperclassman. I don't think of myself as a freshman. Mostly, the key is staying focused all the time."

In NBA Las Vegas Summer League action last night.... Derrick Byars had one point, rebound and steal in Denver's 77-70 win over Washington, while Matt Freije contributed two rebounds in eight minutes in Portland's 87-82 loss to Houston. Shan Foster is the only Commodore in action tonight as Dallas takes on Cleveland at 9 p.m. CT. Keep track of these 'Dores during summer ball here.

Update from the Cape... Russell Brewer is now tied for the league lead in saves with seven after he recorded the final three outs of Chatham's 6-4 victory over Falmouth. Grayson Garvin also threw a scoreless inning in relief for Falmouth, allowing no hits while striking out two. Follow the 'Dores this summer here.

Sonny Gray was charged with his first loss as Japan defeated Team USA, 8-7, in 11 innings. Japan took advantage of back-to-back errors to score the winning run. In two innings of work, Gray allowed one unearned run and two hits while striking out three.

Through nine holes at Turnberry this morning, Brandt Snedeker is 1-over with a bogey at hole number 5. He's grouped with Thomas Haylock and Branden Grace. Follow the British Open here. And check out Joe Biddle's column on how Snedeker adjusted his game to earn back-to-back top-5 finishes.

Christina Wirth did not play in Indiana's 84-74 victory over Chicago. The Fever extended its franchise record winning streak to 10 in a row (seventh longest in WNBA history).

In his AJC blog, Mark Bradley lists Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson as one of top 15 coaches in college football.

Chris Low of ESPN.com points out that Vanderbilt's the only team in the SEC without a football bye this year.

Finally, Vanderbilt Athletics' second Hall of Fame class will be announced next Tuesday. The event will be available live online in Commodore Nation All Access.

Make sure you check out the latest stories on our official site, VUcommodores.com.

Around the Web - Wednesday, July 15

Update from the Cape League... Caleb Cotham made his first appearance of the summer for Brewster Tuesday, throwing three innings of one-hit relief while striking out seven to pick up the win against Wareham. Also, Russell Brewer earned his sixth save (tied for second in the Cape) in Chatham's 4-2 victory over Hyannis.

The Shelbyville Times-Gazette has an update on Jonathan White, who is currently playing for San Francisco in the Arizona Rookie League.

Vanderbilt golfer Hudson Johnson recapped his junior season -- which included winning the Hummingbird Intercollegiate -- with his hometown paper, The Longview News Journal. In the article, Johnson also mentions about his goals for his senior year.

"I would like to win at least two more tournaments next year," Johnson said. "In my freshman year, we qualified for the NCAA Championships as a team. That was a great experience and I would like to get back there."

Derrick Byars had four points, a rebound and an assist in his debut with Denver in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League last night. The Nuggets will take on Washington tonight at 9:30 p.m. CT. Also, Matt Freije and Portland will face Houston at 9 p.m. CT. Keep track of these 'Dores during summer ball here.

In WNBA action, Indiana will try to extend their franchise-record nine-game winning streak against Chicago at noon CT today. Wirth recorded season-highs in rebounds (3), assists (2) and minutes (11:48) in the Fever's last outing, a 83-54 victory over the Sky.

Brandt Snedeker will tee off in his second British Open Thursday at approximately 5 a.m. CT. He will be grouped with Thomas Haylock and Branden Grace in the first two rounds at Turnberry. Follow the action here.

Finally, in keeping with the spirit of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Chris Low from ESPN.com came up with his SEC All-Star teams.

Around the Web - Tuesday, July 14

Former Commodore Amani Floyd (Track & Field) is making an impact in the classroom. Floyd is mentoring students at an inner-city high school in Mississippi... and her teaching results have been extraordinary. Read More

Sonny Gray pitched five and a third innings of scoreless relief to lead Team USA to an 8-4 victory over Japan Monday in game three of the 37th Annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championships. Gray only allowed one hit while striking out five and walking none to move his record to 2-0. He lowered his ERA to an astounding 0.60 for the summer in 15 innings of work (only one earned run allowed).

Brandt Snedeker talked with ESPN.com about this week's British Open (Watch Video). Snedeker has been red-hot of late with back-to-back top-five finishes.

Tony Barnhart (Mr. College Football) weighs in with his thoughts on the predicted order of finish for the SEC East this season.

Jon Solomon (Birmingham News) thinks Vanderbilt's David Williams is missing from a list of the most powerful people in the SEC.

Shan Foster had a good shooting night in Dallas' 95-90 loss to Phoenix yesterday in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. Foster scored 13 points, going 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 behind the arc. The Mavs return to the court Thursday vs. Cleveland.

Matt Freije debuted with Portland, contributing five points, three rebounds and a steal in 12 minutes against Toronto. The Trail Blazers next game is Wednesday vs. Houston.

Derrick Byars will play for Denver in Vegas after spending last week with Indiana in the Orlando Summer League. Byars and the Nuggets open with San Antonio today at 9 p.m. CT.

Keep track of these 'Dores during summer ball here.

Around the Web - Monday, July 13

Brandt Snedeker finished tied for second (-17) after playing 36 holes Sunday at the John Deere Classic. It was Snedeker's second straight top-5 finish. The former Commodore recapped the final day of action with PGAtour.com.

Snedeker will now turn his attention to the British Open, which takes place this week at Turnberry in Scotland.

David Boclair of The City Paper caught up with Sonny Gray via email during Team USA's trip to Japan. In five appearances for USA this summer (four in relief), Gray is 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 9.2 innings.

Pedro Alvarez went 1-for-2 with an RBI single for the United States in the MLB Futures Game Sunday in St. Louis. The World team won the game though, rallying with four runs in the final inning to defeat the U.S., 7-5. (shortened to seven innings due to rain). MLB.com posted a cool video of Alvarez mic'd up during the All-Star festivities -watch here.

Shan Foster and the Dallas Mavericks will return to the court today to face the Phoenix Suns at 5 p.m. CT in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. Also, Matt Freije and Portland will open up league play against Toronto at 7 p.m. CT. Follow the action here.

Around the Web - Sunday, July 12

Rising sophomore pitcher Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) pitched one inning of scoreless relief to help Team USA beat Japan 3-0 in game one of the 37th Annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championships in Matsuyama, Japan.

Shan Foster didn't play in Dallas' 98-95 loss to Houston last night in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The Mavs will return to the court Monday to face Phoenix. Also, Matt Freije and Portland will open up league play tomorrow as the Trail Blazers are scheduled to take on Toronto. Follow the action here.

Brandt Snedeker is in contention at the John Deere Classic, entering Sunday tied for fourth at eight-under, only five shots of the lead. Snedeker, who finished fifth at the AT&T National last week, fired 67's in the previous two rounds. The former Commodore spoke with PGA.com about the excitement of being in the mix for another win.

"It's great. Last week I felt like I played really well at AT&T," Snedeker said. "I never really had a chance to feel like I was really close to breaking through with a really good round. I finally played good on Sunday.

"This week I sort of have been right where I was -- took off last week. I feel really great about my game, especially this week going into next week at the British Open. It's just nice to be in the mix again and know where my game is."

With 36 holes scheduled for today, anything can happen. Follow the action here.

Around the Web - Saturday, July 11

Rising sophomore golfer Marina Alex missed the cut at the 2009 U.S. Open. Alex finished tied for 127th.

Derrick Byars had four points, three rebounds and an assist in Indiana's 68-54 win over Orlando Friday afternoon in the NBA Orlando Summer League. Byars logged 18 minutes off the bench, his longest stint of the week. The Pacers finished league play with a 5-0 record.

Shan Foster started in Dallas' opener last night against Milwaukee in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The former Commodore ended up with two points, four rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes of action. The Bucks won the contest, 65-59. The Mavs will take on Houston Saturday night at 9 p.m. CT. Click Here to follow the action.

The Indiana Fever extended their franchise-record winning streak to nine games with a 83-54 victory over the Chicago Sky Friday night. Christina Wirth recorded season-highs in rebounds (3), assists (2) and minutes (11:48) for Indiana. The Fever will return to the court Wednesday to host the Sky.

Finally... don't forget to vote for Memorial Gym over Williams Arena in CBSsports.com's Arena Wars.

Vote for Memorial Gym

by Barca Blog - CBSsports.com has a summer series called Arena Wars. This week Vanderbilt's Memorial Gymansium goes up against Minnesota's Williams Arena (both venues feature a raised court). Make sure you vote for Memorial as the better game experience!

CBS columnist Gary Parrish chose Memorial saying, "I have been to Memorial Gymnasium and I can tell you with a degree of certainty that it is one of the neatest arenas in college basketball. ... The design is pleasantly strange. And the levels seem to be stacked on top of each other to the point where it looks intimidating from the floor and sounds really loud from anywhere. Bottom line, I dig that place."

Around the Web - Friday, July 10

The second day of the U.S. Open is underway at Saucon Valley Country Club. Follow rising sophomore Alex Marina's round hole-by-hole here.

USA Baseball suffered its first loss of the summer Friday, falling 7-1 in an exhibition with Budo University in Chiba, Japan. Rising sophomore pitcher Sonny Gray struck out the only batter he faced to get the final out in the top of the ninth.

Tampa Bay's David Price outdueled Toronto's Roy Halladay Thursday afternoon to lift the Rays to a 3-2 win. Price was coming off the shortest stint of his MLB career, but responded by holding the Blue Jays to only one run in six innings to move his record to 3-3 on the season.

"I just wanted to go out there and be myself," Price told the Tampa Tribune. "I don't want to know if a guy can hit an inside fastball or if it's 110 mph when I throw it, just make him prove to me that he can hit it. Every pitcher is different. I might throw 94 and so might somebody else, but it's not the same. Nobody's fastball is going to be the same.

Ever wonder where Vanderbilt's baseball players live during summer ball in the Cape? Find out in this article, which includes comments from rising sophomore pitcher Grayson Garvin.

Christina Wirth and the Indiana Fever will travel to Chicago tonight for a 7:30 p.m. CT tipoff. It's still early in the season, but Indiana has the second best record (8-2) in the WNBA and lead the Eastern Division by three games over Washington. Wirth is averaging five minutes per game in her rookie year.

Derrick Byars will conclude his week at the NBA Orlando Summer League today when Indiana faces Orlando at 2 p.m. CT (free webcast). Byars did not play in the Pacers 91-88 win over Boston Thursday night.

The NBA Las Vegas Summer League gets underway today. Shan Foster and the Dallas Mavericks open with Milwaukee at 9 p.m. CT tonight.

"One of the things coach (Rick) Carlisle talked about yesterday is coming out here and just playing your game, doing what got you here," Foster told WFAA-TV. "For me, that's what it is, making shots, playing great defense, being a great teammate, being a leader out there, and just playing hard."

Matt Freije will also play in this league for Portland, but the Trail Blazers first game isn't until Monday night against Toronto.

Finally, have the college football itch? Well, find out who will be calling the action this year. Here's a link to ESPN’s 2009 college football game and studio announcer assignments.

Around the Web - Thursday, July 9

Jim Wyatt has a good piece on the friendship that evolved between Jay Cutler and Steve McNair. Cutler recalls how McNair went out of his way to prep him for the Senior Bowl in January, 2006.

"Mac met with me on two occasions, and he would have stayed there with me all day, as long as it took for me to learn the offense," Cutler told The Tennessean. "I'll never forget that, and that just shows you the type of guy he was."

Rising sophomore golfer Marina Alex will tee it up in her first U.S. Open today at 1:31 p.m. CT. Follow her hole-by-hole here, and keep up with her latest blog.

You can track Derrick Byars (Indiana Pacers) in the NBA Orlando Summer League all week long. Byars only played in four minutes of Indiana's 95-79 victory over Utah Wednesday. The Pacers will next face Boston Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. Watch a free webcast of the action here.

Chicago Bears wide receivers coach Darryl Drake talks about how he's been impressed with Earl Bennett during OTA practices. Drake points to Bennett's confidence level as the key.

Tampa Bay pitcher David Price rebounded from some recent struggles on the mound by limiting Toronto to just one run on six hits while striking out seven before exiting the game after six innings (still in progress, Rays lead 3-2 in 8th).

Cleveland Indians pitcher Jeremy Sowers was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Cape Update... rising sophomore Grayson Garvin pitched three scoreless innings in relief Wednesday, but Falmouth still fell to Bourne, 3-1. For updated stats on all the Commodores playing in the Cape, click here.

Around the Web - Wednesday, July 8

Chris Low of ESPN.com takes a stab at the most pivotal road games for each SEC team this football season.

You can track Derrick Byars (Indiana Pacers) in the NBA Orlando Summer League all week long. Byars contributed three points, three assists, two rebounds in Indiana's 91-88 triumph over Oklahoma City Tuesday night. The Pacers will next face Utah Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT. Watch a free webcast of the action here.

Around the Web - Tuesday, July 7

You can track Derrick Byars (Indiana Pacers) in the NBA Orlando Summer League all week long. Indiana will face Oklahoma City Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT. Watch a free webcast of the action here. Byars didn't play in Monday's opener.

Joe Fisher gives a Cape League baseball update on Taylor Hill, Jack Armstrong, and Russell Brewer in his 104.5 morning update. Listen

Jeremy Sowers will take the hill for Cleveland tonight against the Chicago White Sox at 7:11 p.m. CT. Sowers is winless in three starts vs. Chicago this season and has never beaten them in six career tries.

Pedro Alvarez will get to play in the XM All-Star Futures Game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis this Sunday. The event will be held two days prior to the MLB All-Star game at the same venue. According to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, the former Commodore is looking forward to competing on big stage.

"I got to go to the All-Star Game in New York last summer," Alvarez said. "That was pretty cool, and I can't imagine what it's going to be like to be on the field. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll get to meet Ozzie Smith, that will be unreal. I'm excited to see what the atmosphere is like."

SEC's red-hot rivalries

by Barca Blog - Chris Low of ESPN.com thinks Vanderbilt/South Carolina should be on the list of hottest rivalries in the SEC entering the 2009 football season.
Read More

Snedeker British Open-bound

by Associated Press

WASHINGTON D.C. — Brandt Snedeker earned a spot in the 2009 British Open on Sunday in the AT&T National.

Snedeker got there because he was the leading player among the top five at Congressional who hadn't already qualified.

"Floored and excited," said Snedeker, whose closing round of 67 was just enough to earn him a tie for fifth at 7-under 273.

Snedeker wasn't even aware that he had qualified when he left the course at Congressional Country Club. He missed eight weeks earlier this year with a rib injury and had been planning to play the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee during the week of the British, which takes place at Turnberry in Scotland in two weeks.

"My golf game was in bad shape before I got hurt," Snedeker said. "The first time I felt healthy, I didn't know what to think about coming back out. People gave me the sympathy vote last week when I made the cut - first cut I'd made in a while, and it ticked me off. I don't want sympathy. This week, I felt like I proved to everyone and myself that I can get back to where I was."

For more information about the British Open, click here.

Around the Web - Thursday, July 2

Chris Low from ESPN.com takes a quick look at both hope and concern for the 2009 football squad.

Maurice Patton of The Tennessean gives an update on Sonny Gray's summer with Team USA. In the article, Gray receives some high praise from Elon Coach Mike Kennedy, the pitching coach for USA:

"(Sonny) has electric stuff. He pitched at 94, 95 (mph). He has a lot of life on the ball. The ball moves, cuts, runs. He's got a live arm.

"He's got great stuff, a great arm, and his makeup is such that you want that type guy around."

One of Kevin Stallings mentors, Vergil Fletcher, passed away Tuesday. Stallings played under the legendary coach at Collinsville High School in the late 1970's. Fletcher won a remarkable 747 games during his 30+ year career at Collinsville and was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004.

"(Vergil) was easily, by far and away, the most influential nonfamily member of my life -- not only then, but still today," Stallings told the Belleville News. "I wanted to coach because of him. I thought, 'What a cool existence it would be to go through life and impact people like he impacted me.'"

Stallings reflected on Fletcher in these two articles:
Vergil Fletcher remembered
A brilliant teacher of life

Finally, an update on former Commodore Ryan Mullins, who pitches for Double-A New Britain... and Vanderbilt's Russell Brewer picked up a win for Chatham in the Cape last night.

Lott Trophy feature on Benoist

by Barca Blog - Check out this article on Vanderbilt senior linebacker Patrick Benoist, who was recently named to the 2009 Lott Trophy watchlist. At the end of each season, the Lott Trophy is awarded to the nation's top defensive player who has had the biggest impact on his team both on and off the field.

Around the Web - Tuesday, June 30

by Barca Blog - I'm on the road today for an SEC meeting in Birmingham, so here are some quick links to articles from around the web... most deal with early looks at the 2009-10 SEC basketball season.
Bakich quickly settles in
SEC basketball revives itself
SEC coaches see progress coming
SEC MBB Coaches Press Conference
Positive buzz returns to SEC preseason

Around the Web - Monday, June 29

As posted below, VU pitcher Sonny Gray threw one inning of relief in USA's 20-3 romp over Canada last night.

Vanderbilt baseball assistant coach Erik Bakich is expected to be announced as Maryland's head coach on Monday.

Professional golfers Brandt Snedeker and Luke List both made the cut at the Travelers Championship. Snedeker finished tied for 47th while List ended up tied for 63th.

Mike Organ of The Tennessean looks at Christina Wirth's transition to the Indiana Fever and the WNBA.

Colorado Rockies pitcher Casey Weathers is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, but took the time to give an update on his health in an article by the Tri-City Herald. Weathers is expected to be sidelined for all of the 2009 season after suffering the injury in October 2008.

Pitcher David Price allowed only one run in 6.1 innings to to lead Tampa past Florida 5-2 Sunday. Price was coming off the worst outing of his young career a week earlier when he surrendered 10 runs, five earned, in 4.1 innings in a loss to Philadelphia.

"I just pitched better today (against Florida)," Price said. "I got runners on and I was able to pitch out of it. That's what you have to do. You have to be able to continue to throw up zeroes and get our offense back out there."

The New York Times College Sports Blog previews the Commodores' upcoming football season.

Finally, Mike Dodd and Nate Davis of USA Today give a position-by-position breakdown of the Chicago Bears roster, which features five former 'Dores.

Around the Web - Saturday, June 27

Pitcher Jeremy Sowers had his best performance of the season Friday to lead Cleveland to a 9-2 win over Cincinnati. The former Commodore allowed only two runs and six hits while recording six strikeouts in seven-plus innings -his longest outing of the year. He was 0-5 with a 6.82 ERA in seven starts coming into the game.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction to work deep in the game and be efficient with my pitches," Sowers told MLB.com.

Indians reliever Jensen Lewis also pitched one scoreless inning, but was optioned to Class AAA Columbus after the game.

"Jensen has the heartbeat for this job, he has the guts for it, and he has the mind for it," Manager Eric Wedge told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He needs to go down and get more consistent with his command."

Around the Web - Friday, June 26

Sonny Gray had a good outing last night against Canada in his first appearance since making Team USA's final roster. Gray was able to get USA out of a bases loaded jam when he entered the game in the eighth, and then retired the final three Canadian batters in the ninth to seal the 12-4 win. An interesting note -- Gray also came up to the plate in the eighth -- something he didn't do as a freshman last year -- but struck out swinging.

Last night was just the third time in 28 years that the SEC didn't have any players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Here's a list of SEC players that eventually went in the second round:

Jodie Meeks, Kentucky -- by Milwaukee
Marcus Thornton, LSU -- by Miami, traded to New Orleans
Nick Calathes, Florida -- by Minnesota, traded to Dallas

Other notable draftees: DeMarre Carroll (Missouri, former Vanderbilt) and Toney Douglas (Florida State, former Auburn) were chosen at the end of the first round, while Patrick Beverley (former Arkansas) went in the second round.

Pedro Alvarez homered in his second straight game for Double-A Altoona Thursday... and also received news that he will be playing in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star festivities in July.

Maurice Patton of The Tennessean reported that Chris Nickson was released by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

Duke guard Elliot Williams is transferring for family reasons, and the Memphis native has Vanderbilt listed as one of four schools he's interested in according to the Commercial Appeal.

Finally, I'll close with two videos in tribute of Michael Jackson. If you're around my age, you probably remember exactly where you were when you first saw the video/making of Thriller... or when he executed the Moonwalk during Motown's 25th Anniversary Special. Most of us have a connection with the King of Pop from our childhood that will live forever.

The first clip is of the Jackson 5 performing "Never Can Say Goodbye"



The next video features one of my favorite MJ songs called "Working Day and Night" from the Off the Wall album. Some YouTube wiz put together some of his greatest music video clips over this audio track.. good memories.