Congratulations Corky
So imagine that you hire a guy to add shutters and planter boxes to your home, only to find out that he is an active major league baseball player.
Not only that, but he has homered off of Greg Maddux.
And stole home.
The only possible person to fit that description is Corky Miller.
The 37-year-old catcher is in his 16th professional season, including part of 11 seasons in the big leagues, but the overwhelming majority of his time has been spent in the minors. As a result, “professional athlete” has not been his only occupation.
“I’ve done everything – you name it,” Corky told me. “I’ve been a chef, I’ve laid concrete, I’ve laid floors, I’ve done some woodwork, I’ve done construction, and this year I made exterior shutters and planters with a buddy of mine in Chicago as well as doing some baseball lessons for the local teams. When you spend more time in the minor leagues than the big leagues, you have to have an off-season income.”
Last Friday, Miller played in his 1002nd minor league game before learning two days later that he was being promoted from Louisville to Cincinnati to replace the injured Ryan Hanigan. When Corky starts against the Cubs on Tuesday night, he’ll be playing in his 200th major league game and his first in 933 days.
“This call-up is special because I haven’t been up here in two years,” said Miller. “I worked pretty hard this off-season knowing that Ryan and Devin (Mesoraco) were going to be in the big leagues but I had to be ready in case something happened.
“That’s 200 games over 11 seasons. It’s probably not a big feat for a lot of guys. Hopefully it winds up being a couple more than that.”
Miller has played for five major league teams – Cincinnati, Atlanta, Minnesota, Chicago (AL), and Boston – but has spent the bulk of his career in the Reds organization including a franchise-record nine different seasons with Triple-A Louisville. On April 6th, the Bats gave away Corky Miller bobbleheads.
“My son says that his favorite team is the Louisville Bats,” said Miller with a laugh. “I’ve spent nine years there and having a bobblehead was kind of the icing on the cake.”
Miller’s major league highlights include a two home run game vs. the Cubs as a rookie in 2001, and that home run off of Maddux in 2002.
“Everybody brings that up,” said Miller. “It was just another homer at the time, but I’m sure I’ll tell my kids about it when he’s in the Hall of Fame.”
The bulky catcher also stole home in his 10th major league game.
“It’s my only stolen base period,” Corky told me. “There were runners on first and third and we had the squeeze play on. I think that Omar Daal was on the mound at The Vet in Philadelphia. He picked up his leg and I broke for home thinking that the batter was going to lay down a squeeze bunt and Daal threw over to first. By the time I slid home it wasn’t even close. What stands out in my mind is that we won the game 2-1. I was fast back then. After you catch about a thousand games in the minor leagues you get kind of slow.”
I got to know Corky in 2006 when I was a broadcaster for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and he was one of our catchers. On Monday in the Reds dugout, I asked him the following question: “Of the 750 players that are currently active on major league rosters, do any of them appreciate being here more than you do?”
“I don’t know about that, but I appreciate it big time for me and my family,” said Miller. “Just getting another chance to be around this atmosphere with these guys – especially with the quality of ball club that we have. Hopefully I’ll be around at the end of September and get to watch what’s going on.”
In other words, he’s in no hurry to hang shutters.
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Harrison Adds Reputation And Rings To Bengals Defense
Bengals defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry is like a lot of us: He learned that five-time Pro Bowler James Harrison had agreed to a contract with Cincinnati on Friday while surfing the internet.
“ProFootballTalk.com,” said Gilberry with a laugh. “That’s where I get my NFL news – that and Ian Rapoport who I follow on Twitter. I was excited because at first, they were reporting that the talks weren’t going well and he wasn’t leaning towards here and then the next thing you know we had signed him.”
Andrew Whitworth was at a Reds game on Friday night when he got the news, and the Bengals left tackle said that he expected it.
“I was pretty confident that it was going to happen,” said Whitworth. “It seemed like a good fit and one that made sense for us and for him.”
Harrison is likely to replace Manny Lawson as the “Sam” or strong side linebacker in the Cincinnati’s 4-3 defense. It’s different from the role he played in Dick LeBeau’s 3-4 scheme in Pittsburgh, but Harrison’s new teammates are confident that Mike Zimmer will find a way to make good use the veteran’s skills.
“People keep coming up to me any saying, ‘Man, are you happy that you don’t have to play that guy in the division anymore?’” said Whitworth. “And I tell them, ‘No, because now I’m going to have to deal with him every day at practice when Zimmer is coming up with some concoction in the way that they’re bringing him.’ I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of fun, and I’m sure Zimmer is excited about having another little piece to add to the stuff that he does.”
Gilberry is a good example of Zimmer’s ability to maximize a player’s ability. The six-year veteran joined the Bengals in week three last year after he was released by Tampa Bay and he had an immediate impact in Cincinnati. Wallace finished third on the team with 6.5 sacks, forced a fumble, and recovered three fumbles including one that he returned for a touchdown against the Eagles.
“I think he’ll be fine because he has a lot of talent,” said Gilberry. “If Coach Zimmer can get me to play at that level in a short period of time – James Harrison will have a full off-season so the sky is definitely the limit for what Coach Zimmer can do with him.”
At the age of 35, Harrison isn’t likely to be the dominant force that earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008. But ESPN’s AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley makes a compelling case that the former Steeler will add a mean streak to the Cincinnati defense.
“What the Bengals never had on defense was an edge, or at least I never sensed one,” wrote Hensley. “That won’t be the case now with Harrison, who is carrying a chip on his shoulder as large as a Primanti Brothers sandwich (or whatever the Cincinnati equivalent would be). Harrison carries grudges. Just ask the Baltimore Ravens who once cut Harrison and got some of his best efforts each season.”
While the Bengals don’t necessarily agree they lacked “an edge” on defense, they welcome Harrison’s tough-guy persona.
“He has a little swagger to him,” said Robert Geathers. “I think that will help us a lot.
“I think that everybody goes about their business in different ways. With James, obviously some of the things over the years you can see with your own eyes. We’ve been a top defense over the last few years, so I think we have nastiness in us.”
“We have a couple of guys in here that play that way and hopefully he can enhance it and bring it out of some other guys,” said Gilberry. “I think he’s going to bring a lot of attitude – definitely a lot of veteran leadership. I’m excited to get him in here and get to working with him.”
“I grew up a Steelers fan so I’ve watched him a lot,” said Devon Still. “I think he’s a player that goes out there and gives it his all. He’s definitely a big impact player.”
Harrison joins the Bengals with 64 sacks, 29 forced fumbles, and 5 INT on his resume – not to mention two Super Bowl rings.
“He’s been to the top and any time you can add a guy like that to a locker room that hasn’t – we’re young, we’re talented, but we haven’t been there,” said Whitworth. “It’s a great leadership thing, it’s a great example thing, and it’s something that we can all learn from.”
“It will be good to have another veteran guy and a guy that’s been where we want to go,” said Geathers. “He’s been to Super Bowls and he knows how to get there.
“He’s definitely one of the great defense players that I’m going to be fortunate enough to play with.”
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Jones Hopes For “Monster” Second Season In Cincy
In two games as a rookie against Pittsburgh, Marvin Jones never got leveled by Steelers linebacker James Harrison. Still, the Bengals wide receiver is happy that he won’t have to face the five-time Pro Bowler again after Harrison agreed to a two-year deal with Cincinnati on Friday.
“Shoot, he’s a monster,” Jones said with a laugh. “Whenever you add a monster to your defense you can’t go anywhere but up.”
But even without Harrison, the Bengals defense was among the best in the NFL last season. The Cincinnati offense, on the other hand, has considerable room for growth in 2013 and Jones hopes to have a significant impact.
After being drafted in the fifth round last year, the former Cal standout had a limited role in the first 11 games of the season – in part because of a knee injury that kept him out of three games. But following a late-season injury to fellow rookie receiver Mohamed Sanu, Jones moved into the starting lineup and finished strong. In the Bengals final three games against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston, Marvin had 13 catches for 144 yards including his first NFL touchdown against the Ravens (see the highlight here).
“I felt good about my rookie season,” said Jones. “I got some experience and was in on quite a few plays. Obviously there are things that I can improve on and I think that will come with maturity and being comfortable out there. But I think that I finished strong and I want to build upon that.
“Now there are no nerves where you’re like, ‘Oh man, what is going to happen?’ I have a year within this offense, I know all of the positions very well, and I’m familiar with Andy (Dalton).”
Following his first NFL season, Jones took three weeks off before beginning a Monday-through-Thursday training regimen. The highlight of his off-season was a vacation to Central America.
“I went out to Belize,” said Jones. “That’s where my fiancé’s grandparents are from, so we went out there for about 10 days and did everything – swim, blue hole, hiked the Mayan ruins, snorkeling, and zip lining. It was a pretty full vacation and I proposed to her while we were there as well. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than that.”
Now that he’s taken care of the engagement ring, Marvin has his sights set on a Super Bowl ring, and the 23-year-old was happy to be reunited with his teammates when the Bengals returned to town for off-season workouts this week.
“The first thing you do is smile and laugh when you see everybody again,” Marvin told me. “It reminds me of the first day of school.
“In college you have like, a week-and-a-half or two weeks off and then you’re right back in the thick of things. At this level, you can go on vacation and do other stuff and then you’re like, ‘Dang, now what do I do?’ It was fun but I was definitely ready to come back here and get back at it.”
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Still and Thompson Ready For Action After “Redshirt” Year
If the NFL played by college eligibility rules, the Bengals would probably have the best group of “redshirt freshman” in the country.
Due to a knee injury, last year’s top draft pick Dre Kirkpatrick – the 17th overall selection – was limited to 43 defensive snaps at cornerback all season.
Second round pick Devon Still, the former Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year, was inactive for the last eight games of the regular season and the Wild Card playoff game after veteran defensive tackle Pat Sims returned from the injury list. And third round pick Brandon Thompson, one of the most powerful defensive tackles in last year’s draft, only appeared in three games all year due to the team’s depth on the defensive line.
Additionally, fifth round pick Shaun Prater, who flashed NFL potential at cornerback before suffering an August knee injury, missed the entire season.
That means four of the Bengals top seven draft picks last year are almost like additional members of this year’s upcoming rookie crop.
“In a sense it was a redshirt year,” said Still. “It definitely wasn’t what I expected. It definitely humbled me and let me how hard I have to work to stay on the field.”
Still and Thompson will definitely be in the mix for more playing time this year following the departure of Sims as a free agent to the Oakland Raiders.
“Now that Pat is gone, it opens that door wide open for a third man in the rotation on the inside of the defensive line,” Still told me. “I’m going to go as hard as I can to get that spot.”
“Even before Pat left, I came in thinking that I had an opportunity,” said Thompson. “I want to come in, play hard, and work myself into a role.”
Both defensive linemen say their first year with the Bengals was beneficial even though much of it was spent on the sidelines.
“It was tough, but I had to do my role which was to watch and learn,” said Thompson. “Hopefully I can use what I learned last year to have a great year. Having a year under my belt to learn the system and find out where I fit in really helps me out.”
“When you’re going against eight and nine year veterans, they have their technique down pat,” said Still. “You have to hurry up and learn as much as possible. Now we have an understanding of how the season goes and what the coaches expect from us.”
Still spent five years at Penn State (including a redshirt season) and Thompson spent four at Clemson. That meant their first off-seasons as professionals were a welcome break.
“I’ve never had this much time off before – especially coming from college where everything was such a routine,” said Still. “It’s been quite an experience to be able to travel, spend time with family, and do things that I haven’t been able to do during the last five years when I was in school.”
“This has been the most time that I’ve had off in years,” said Thompson. “I really enjoyed it. I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends and that’s what really matters. I also had a lot of time to train and work on my craft.”
With the Bengals returning to town this week for off-season workouts, the bulk of their vacation time is history, but the second year defensive lineman say they are ready to get back to work.
“There’s a huge opportunity now that Pat left the team,” said Still. “Me and Brandon want to work as hard as possible this off-season to prove to the coaches that we belong on the field and we can make an impact on the defensive line.”
“I’m very eager for my second season,” said Thompson. “I get to show the coaches what I can do and I’m ready.”
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Winn Has Prominent Backer As Draft Approaches
It you want to see former UC standout George Winn flash an ear-to-ear smile, all you have to do is mention a certain helmet-haired NFL draft expert.
“Mel Kiper,” said a grinning Winn. “Every time he mentions me it’s something positive.
“I get excited every time he gives me a shout-out. I really appreciate it.”
The ESPN analyst has been singing Winn’s praises in recent interviews previewing the upcoming NFL draft.
“A guy that I think will be a great 5th or 6th round pick — you’re always looking for that next Alfred Morris — is George Winn at Cincinnati,” Kiper told reporters. “George Winn, for me, is a very underrated player who I thought definitely showed the capability of being a guy who can contribute in the National Football League as a nice late-round pick.”
Morris, who is listed at the exact same size as Winn (5’10”, 218), was selected in the sixth round by Washington last year and had a sensational rookie season, setting the Redskins’ single-season rushing record with 1,613 yards.
“It’s a privilege to be compared to someone who had that great of a season.” said Winn.
The Redskins’ rookie – who played college ball at Florida Atlantic – saw his draft stock dive when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. Of the 44 running backs that ran in 2012, 33 posted faster times.
Winn also posted a disappointing 40-yard dash time at the combine as he ran a 4.75.
“I had a tight hamstring at the combine,” Winn told me. “The couple of weeks I had to prepare before my Pro Day helped me to improve the strength and health of my hamstring which really helped me run a better 40.”
In his March 13th Pro Timing Day at Cincinnati, Winn improved his time in the 40-yard dash to 4.53.
“They say it doesn’t matter much and you shouldn’t put much emphasis on it, but if it wasn’t that important they wouldn’t have us doing it,” said Winn. “So it’s clearly important.”
Winn took part in the Bengals workout for local prospects on Tuesday at Paul Brown Stadium, and since he grew up near Detroit, George will participate in a similar workout with the Lions on Wednesday. What is he hearing from NFL scouts?
“They like my running style, how I pass protect, they like my special teams value, so I’m pretty excited,” said Winn. “I’m excited to get out here and prove what I can do.”
One year ago, nobody would have expected NFL teams to have George Winn on their draft boards. In his first three years with the Bearcats, George never carried the ball more than 40 times in a season. But following the departure of All-Big East running back Isaiah Pead, Winn had a monster season in 2012, carrying 243 times for 1,334 yards and 13 TD.
“It’s surreal,” said Winn. “To come from where I came from and to be where I am now is amazing. It’s a blessing.
“I always go back to my freshman year when I was dead last on the depth chart. I started at the very bottom and worked my way up to the top.”
And if you believe Mel Kiper, Winn isn’t finished climbing.
“You think about what George Winn is physically, and moving forward, I think he can hold up in this league,” Kiper told reporters. “He’s five-foot-10-and-a-half, almost 220 pounds, and played a lot faster than (his 40-yard dash time). I think he’s got a chance to be a guy that could help your football team.”
I pointed out to Winn on Tuesday that Mel Kiper is a great guy to have in your corner at draft time.
“He definitely is,” George agreed with a laugh.
Has Winn met the nation’s most famous draft analyst?
“I haven’t,” said Winn. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to thank him a lot.”
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Dalton Prepares For Third Year By Studying Top Pair
When the football season ends, my wife and I catch up on the TV shows that we never have the opportunity to watch in the fall.
In case you’re interested, we’re currently watching season three of Breaking Bad. Wow! It’s definitely on the short list of my all-time favorite shows.
Judging by his Twitter feed, Andy and Jordan Dalton are Homeland viewers in the off-season:
Homeland…we are hooked @jjdalton5 instagr.am/p/UwTCzmtOHD/
— Andy Dalton (@andydalton14) January 21, 2013
But Carrie Mathison and Nicolas Brody are not the only on-screen duo that the Bengals quarterback has been watching. Dalton has spent much of his off-season studying fellow QBs Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.
“I’ve watched a lot of Green Bay’s offense and I’ve watched a lot of the Saints’ offense because they have two of the best quarterbacks in the league,” said Dalton. “To see what they’re doing – how they’re getting their completions and how they’re scoring their touchdowns, and what mistakes are they making. Are they forcing the ball on their interceptions…are they taking chances…what are they doing?
“I’d love for my career to end up like their careers have ended up. You want to study those guys and see what they’re doing right. Not only mechanics-wise, footwork, whatever it is, but also offensively what are they doing. Our offenses are similar – we’re doing a lot of the same stuff that they’re doing – it’s just how they’re putting points on the board.”
The Saints and Packers finished in the top five in the NFL in scoring last year (Cincinnati was 12th), but Dalton says he didn’t spend much time studying the league’s top scoring team – New England.
“I would say that Tom Brady and I are a little bit different,” said Dalton. “The way that I play I would consider it to be more like a Drew Brees or an Aaron Rodgers – whether it be body type because I’m not 6’5” – and (the Patriots) do different stuff offensively than we do. Obviously they do a lot of good stuff, but I think the makeup of their team is a little bit different as well.”
Like Dalton, Aaron Rodgers is listed at 6’2”. Brees, on the other hand, is generously listed at 6’0”.
“It’s funny, before the draft I visited the Saints and they had Drew Brees and Chase Daniel,” said Dalton with a grin. “They said I might be too tall to play there at 6’2”.
It’s interesting to compare Dalton to Brees. Andy’s statistics are far superior to the numbers that Drew posted in his first two years as a starter in the NFL.
Dalton: 629-for-1044 (60.2%), 7067 yards, 47 TD, 29 INT, 83.9 passer rating
Brees: 525-for-882 (59.5%), 5392 yards, 28 TD, 31 INT, 73.1 passer rating
Brees took a quantum leap in his third season as a starter in San Diego, leading the Chargers to an 11-4 record while posting a passer rating of 104.8 and going to his first Pro Bowl. Dalton hopes to take similar strides in 2013 even though he isn’t ready to call himself an established veteran.
“I’ve played quite a bit so I don’t know what the term is that you use, but I’ve been around for a while and I think I’ve earned some respect,” said Dalton. “I’m excited for this year.”
One reason for Andy’s excitement is his familiarity with his receiving corps. He’ll enter his third season with A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham, Andrew Hawkins, Brandon Tate, and Ryan Whalen and his second year with Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Orson Charles.
“I know how guys run routes,” said Dalton. “I know what to expect from them, what type of person they are, and what type of worker they are. We’ve got a great group that works really hard and it’s going to be nice to have everybody healthy at the same time.”
“There’s a big difference in confidence level,” said Marvin Jones. “We have all of these young receivers that have experience now. We’re ready to be a great force in this league.”
“It’s huge that there’s not a whole lot of teaching now,” said Dalton. “It’s perfecting what we were doing.”
That includes continuing to find ways to utilize A.J. Green’s unique gifts. Dalton did not throw Green a pass in the first half of the playoff loss in Houston, and only connected with A.J. once in a home loss to Pittsburgh.
“A.J. got a lot of cover two to his side,” said Dalton. “They tried to take away some of the vertical throws and things like that. With the type of player that A.J. is, we’re going to see that a lot. The big thing with him is moving him around and finding ways to get him the ball.
“With a guy like A.J., the term ‘open’ is a little bit different. There are times going back and looking at the film where I still probably could have thrown it to him on certain routes and different things where I tried to work somewhere else. It just comes down to being smart with the ball and knowing when you can take those chances and when to move on.”
Those are undoubtedly some of the lessons that Dalton was hoping to learn by watching Rodgers and Brees in the off-season. I asked Andy if it was his idea to study those two quarterbacks or if it came from the coaching staff.
“They’ve suggested it, but I was going to watch regardless,” Dalton told me. “Those are two of the best quarterbacks in the league and you try to take little things from what they’re doing. I think it will help me out.
“I think I’ve figured things out a little more. I’ve watched a lot of tape and I’m ready to get back playing again.”
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How A Bearcats Mom Prevented A Signing Day Switch
If sophomore-to-be Ti’on Green becomes an outstanding running back for the University of Cincinnati, Bearcats fans have his mother Leticia to thank.
Green verbally committed to Cincinnati in October of his senior year at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, FL, but by National Signing Day the following February, Ti’on was wavering.
“My signing day announcement was broadcast live on Bright House Sports because I won the (Central Florida) Player of the Year award,” said Green. “I was about to sign on the dotted line with USF and my mother moved the paper away and said, ‘No. I will not let you ruin your life. Get out and see something new and meet new people. Get out of Florida and get away from home.’ She’ll try to deny that she did that. You really can’t tell on TV because you just see her slide her hand, but she moved the USF paper right out of the way.”
“He was teetering and leaning toward South Florida for a minute, but my heart said Cincinnati,” said Leticia Strickland. “So I put the Cincinnati paper a little bit above South Florida and he went from there.”
“I had the Cincinnati paper on the left side and USF was on the right,” said Green. “As I went to sign the paper for USF, my mom slipped it out of the way. If you watch it on TV, it looked like we practiced it, but she moved it and gave me a little smile.”
“I just felt like Cincinnati is where he needed to be,” Leticia told me. “I didn’t have anything against South Florida; I was just more at peace with Cincinnati.”
Although Tommy Tuberville was not UC’s head coach when Green signed with the Bearcats in 2012, he’s happy that Ti’on – and Leticia – chose Cincinnati.
“Eddie Gran is one of the better running backs coaches in the country and he likes him,” said Tuberville. “He likes his stamina. This is a tough sport for a running back and what we’re going to ask him to do is be very physical in carrying the ball, blocking, and protecting the quarterbacks.”
UC fans got a limited look at Green as a true freshman last year as he carried 16 times for 72 yards (4.4 ypc), including a 2-yard touchdown vs. Miami. But following the graduation of All-Big East running back George Winn, Ti’on will be in the mix to get significant carries in 2013 along with Ralph David Abernathy IV, and incoming junior college standouts Rodriquez Moore and Hosey Williams.
“I like Ti’on but there’s going to be a lot of competition there,” said Tuberville. “I think Ralph probably came out (of spring practice) as the number one running back, but he’s not the type of guy that’s going to be able to take on linebackers on the blitz on every down. So he’s not going to be an every-down running back.”
“We’re going to run the ball under this coaching staff and I don’t know of one back who can do it by himself,” said Green. “Whatever my role is, I’m just going to step up and do my best to help the Bearcats be successful.”
“I was so proud of him his first year because he went from being a superstar who carried the ball on pretty much every play to having a limited role,” said Ms. Strickland. “He was so positive and had a good spirit. I’ve always taught him to stay humble and when your time comes, to handle business. He’s carried that attitude and I’m a true believer in what’s meant to be.”
As a high school senior, Green showed his talent by carrying 194 times for 1824 yards (9.4 ypc) and 21 touchdowns. Now he looks forward to learning the finer points of his position from Coach Gran who has sent numerous running backs to the NFL including Rudi Johnson, Ronnie Brown, and Brandon Jacobs.
“He’s a phenomenal coach,” said Green. “He sits you down and breaks down the offense as simply as possible so that you’re able to understand it. His track record is crazy but he doesn’t mention it one time. He treats everybody equally and gives everyone a fair chance to showcase their talents.”
“The biggest thing for Ti’on is consistency,” said Gran. “Each day you have to pay attention to the details and the little things and that’s my job as a coach – to get him to do that. Once he decides to do that, he’s going to make a really big contribution to this football team.”
“”He’s got to mature a little bit and he knows that,” said Tuberville. “He hasn’t played that much – especially on this level.”
But Green will get his chance. Ti’on still has three years remaining to make an impact at the school – he claims – that his mother ultimately selected.
“Maybe he took it that way, but he still had the last say,” said Strickland.
“I don’t regret it at all,” Ti’on told me with a grin. “I love it here.”
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Tommy Tuberville Shares Masters Memories
Tommy Tuberville has been the SEC Coach of the Year at two different schools, has a 7-3 record in bowl games, led Auburn to six straight victories over archrival Alabama, and coached the Tigers to a perfect 13-0 season in 2004.
That’s an impressive resume.
But it you’re a golf fan like me and excited for the start of The Masters, then this might be the most interesting Tuberville factoid of them all: He’s golfed at Augusta National.
“I have some friends who are members and I’ve had the chance to play quite a few rounds,” Coach Tuberville told me on Wednesday. “Just being able to walk around that course knowing that Jack Nicklaus hit a shot from here…or play Amen Corner…or play the 16th hole and try to hit it in the middle of the green and watch the ball roll down toward where they always put the pin on Sunday.
“I’ve had a chance to stay in Butler Cabin, eat in the clubhouse, and go to the Crow’s Nest where the amateurs stay – it’s been a lot of fun just for the history of it.”
So inquiring minds want to know: What’s his best score at Augusta?
“I’ve never broken 80,” said Tuberville. “I’ve been pretty close to it – probably 81 or 82. The course is wide open – it’s not like some of these courses where you have to hit an iron off the tee to keep it in the fairway. The biggest challenges are the undulation in the fairways where you never have a flat lie and then the slick greens. If you just hit the ball on the green, there will probably be several times where your caddy will say, ‘You’ve hit the green but there’s no way you can get it in the hole from there in four putts.’”
Hold on a second. Has Tuberville actually four-putted on one of Augusta’s greens?
“I’ve five-putted,” Tommy said with a laugh. “The first time I played there, I hit a good drive on the first hole and my caddy said, ‘Whatever you do Coach, keep it below the pin. Don’t hit this shot above the pin.’ Well I hit what I thought was a good shot, but it was a little bit thin and rolled about 15 feet past the hole. My caddy kind of grunted and shook his head. I got up to the green and I had a 15 foot downhill putt and he said, ‘You’re going to end up in the sand trap.’ I just barely touched the ball and it rolled right into the trap.”
With that story in mind, Tuberville says that the winner this week will be the person that hits his approach shots to the most favorable areas on the green to putt. Since Tiger Woods is the popular pick to win, I asked Tommy if he would choose Tiger or the rest of the field?
“I’d take the field,” said Tuberville. “Tiger is not the Tiger of old even though he’s won a few times this year. Years ago I would have taken Tiger over the field, but there are so many good young golfers now that can hit the ball longer than him and putt. Tiger is putting as well as he’s ever putted, but I still say there are a lot of other guys that are putting just as well.”
After spending a few minutes discussing his experiences at Augusta National, I figured I would drop a little local knowledge on the Bearcats new head coach and asked Coach Tuberville if he knew that the coveted Masters’ green jacket is made at Hamilton Tailoring in Cincinnati.
“That’s very interesting,” Tommy said with a grin. “That will be a good trivia question for me to use with some of my buddies that are golfers.”
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A Look At The Time Jim Boeheim Outcoached Me
According to the NCAA Division I record book, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim ranks second in all-time wins with 920.
He actually has 921.
When I was a young TV sports anchor (with hair!) at WTVH-5 in Syracuse, I did a weekly segment called “Dare Dan.” Each Friday, I accepted a challenge from a viewer(s) to compete against him, her, or them in their sport/game/adventure of choice.
There were normal challenges like golf, tennis, whiffle ball, etc…but I also competed against a dog at catching Frisbees (I won), and I took on 27 residents of a senior citizens home in “Simon Says” (and lost to three of them).
My final “Dare Dan” before leaving Syracuse for a job at Fox 19 in Cincinnati was a basketball challenge from Syracuse’s Hall of Famer: I coached a team of young girls against a squad coached by Jim Boeheim.
Enjoy!
After graduating from Syracuse, I covered Coach Boeheim’s teams for the first 10 years of my broadcasting career and – like nearly everybody on the Syracuse beat – got yelled at a few times. But I’ve always considered him to be a tremendous coach and learned a ton about basketball from hosting his radio show and watching his practices.
I’m thrilled that he’s going to his fourth Final Four and hope to continue my streak of being there for each of them.
In 1987, I was seated two rows directly behind Bobby Knight when Indiana beat the ‘Cuse 74-73 on Keith Smart’s game-winning jumper with :04 remaining. I was working on the Syracuse radio network as a post-game talk show host and with time winding down, I snuck to the edge of the court with my audio recorder in hopes of getting immediate reactions from the Syracuse players if they won the title. As it turned out, I was the first person to interview Smart moments after “the shot” before being shooed off the court by security.
By the way, for those who think that Coach Boeheim only plays a 2-3 zone, he actually went to a box-and-1 on Steve Alford on Indiana’s final possession (despite Billy Packer’s on-air call of man-to-man).
I’ve always thought it was a brilliant move by Boeheim as Alford never touched the ball in the final 28 seconds…unfortunately for SU fans, sometimes great coaching decisions don’t work out.
I moved to Cincinnati a few months before Syracuse returned to the Final Four in 1996 and couldn’t believe my luck when it looked like the Orange would face the Cincinnati Bearcats in the national semifinals (another free trip to cover a Final Four!) But Cincinnati was upset in the Elite 8 by Mississippi State and SU faced – and beat – the Bulldogs in the semifinals instead. I did make it to the Meadowlands as a ticket-buying fan, only to see Rick Pitino’s Kentucky team with nine guys that eventually played in the NBA beat the ‘Cuse for the title 76-67.
The 2003 Final Four is my favorite memory as a sports fan. I made the trip with my wife Peg (also a SU grad), and it was a basically a college reunion set in New Orleans. Not only did we see dozens of friends that we hadn’t seen in at least 10 years, but our team won!
Some of those college buddies verbally abused me for not wearing orange to the semifinal win over Texas, so I found the perfect shirt on Bourbon Street for the championship game against Kansas.
I haven’t worn that hideous shirt since, but I would love to break it out next Monday in Atlanta.
I can’t make it to the semifinals this time, but if Syracuse plays for the national title on Monday, I am determined to be there.
I would not want to miss Jim Boeheim going for his second national championship and his 922nd career win.
Make that #923.
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McClung Hopes Senior Season Is Big Hit
When the Syracuse Post-Standard did a story in November about SU’s hard-hitting safety Shamarko Thomas, they illustrated it with this photo of him leveling Bearcats wide receiver Anthony McClung.
What wasn’t mentioned in the caption is that McClung made the catch for a Cincinnati first down.
A week later, Temple’s Vaughn Carraway hit McClung so hard that the school’s media relations department immediately sent out the following Tweet:
Vaughn Carraway just leveled Anthony McClung on that last reception, but was flagged for unnecessary roughness. Bearcats @ the Owls 20.
— Owlsports_com (@Owlsports_com) November 10, 2012
Allow me to point out that McClung held on to the ball for a 29-yard gain with a 15-yard penalty tacked on.
I have no idea if UC’s new head coach Tommy Tuberville has seen video of either of those receptions, but he’s watched enough of McClung at practice to know that the Bearcats wide receiver doesn’t have “alligator arms.”
“He’ll catch the ball across the middle,” said Tuberville. “That’s what really separates a good receiver.”
“When the ball is in the air, I feel that it’s mine,” said McClung. “I can’t control what happens after that. All I try to do is look the ball in and make the catch for my team.”
Unlike Tuberville, McClung has definitely seen the video of his gutsy catches after some gruesome collisions.
“Sometimes you get goose bumps and say, ‘Wow that really happened,’ ” McClung told me. “But during the game, you have so much adrenaline going that you don’t really feel it.”
After having 49 catches for 683 yards and 6 touchdowns as a sophomore, McClung battled a series of injuries last season and saw his numbers drop to 34 catches for 539 yards and 2 TDs. To his credit, Anthony played with pain and appeared in 12 of 13 games.
“I pulled my quad, hurt my groin, my knee – there were a lot of different things,” said McClung. “But I’m a tough guy. I always want to play for my team.”
Now the senior-to-be is healthy again and it shows. In Cincinnati’s first scrimmage this spring, McClung finished with 4 catches for 151 yards and 3 touchdowns, and in Saturday’s second scrimmage held at Paul Brown Stadium, Anthony led all receivers with 7 grabs for 92 yards.
“He’s deceptive,” said Tuberville. “He’s one of those guys that doesn’t show up, doesn’t show up, and then all of a sudden makes big plays.
“I’ve been very impressed with him. He works hard and never says anything.”
McClung might not say much to his new head coach, but he’s very talkative to the less-experienced receivers that Cincinnati will be counting on this season.
“He’s been a great leader in the room,” said receivers coach Blake Rolan. “The kids listen to him and that makes my job easier. They’ve been trained well in the past and won a lot of games and he understands what it takes.”
“They ask me a lot of questions,” said McClung. “When I was younger I used to look up to great receivers like Armon Binns, D.J. Woods, Vidal Hazelton, and Kenbrell Thompkins. They were leaders to me and now I have to fill that role and be the leader to the younger guys.”
“He’s a quick learner,” said Rolan. “He studies the game and it means a lot to him.”
Following the departures of Thompkins and tight end Travis Kelce, McClung appears likely to be Cincinnati’s number one receiver in 2013.
“I trust him to get open, and he trusts me to get him the ball,” said quarterback Brendon Kay. “The more reps we get together, the better we’ll be as a duo.”
“I have a great opportunity with two great quarterbacks,” said McClung. “Hopefully we’ll win a lot of games. But even if I’m not the number one guy, I want to play a role and make plays when my number is called. The bottom line is that we want to win the league title outright this year.”
Well-stated from a guy who will go over the middle to get to the top.
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Dan Hoard
