Bugs Bunny changeup...

that is what former University of South Carolina star center fielder Marcus McBeth calls his change up. The Oakland A's just added him to their final 40 man roster---as a releif pitcher. Yes I said pitcher, you may remember him as a 6-foot-2, 195-pound outfielder. McBeth was considered by many as the best defensive center fielder in college baseball as a junior. I am sure McBeth never thought when he was a fourth-round pick of the Oakland A's in the 2001 draft that his pro debut would be as a pitcher but after inconsitent batting things like this happen.

While he's not guaranteed a spot on the A's 25-man regular-season roster, McBeth will get a shot in spring training to make the team. If not, he likely would be sent to the Class AAA Sacramento River Cats. McBeth has a fastball he can throw in the low to mid-90s along with a devastating change-up. He is working on a slider. McBeth had 25 saves and a 3.07 ERA in 70 1/3 innings last year. Baseball America this month ranked him as the No. 8 prospect in the A's organization.

Also did you guys see where USC is ranked number 3 in the Pre-Season College Baseball Poll (Clemson is number 2 and Rice is number 1)....should be a interesting 2007.

Memphis on my mind...

You may remember that LOHD wrote a blog about Kevin Kolb (pronounced "cob") who is the QB at Houston. {It can be read here.} He was my sleeper pick for the Heisman but we all know how that turned out. But he still puts up big numbers and the offense is much like Texas Tech. Highest score wins. So the USC defense and offense will have their hands full for the game but the main thing is not to give up like they did vs Mizzouri last year.

Kolb is the real deal...His career statistics are insane -- 12,578 passing yards; 82 touchdowns; 60-percent completion percentage. He has claimed nearly every school passing record. His 49 consecutive starts rank fourth all time among Division I quarterbacks, behind some familiar names: Georgia’s David Greene (52), Rivers (51) and Marshall’s Chad Pennington (51). Kolb is the C-USA career leader in total offense with 13,424 yards, good for fourth on the NCAA all-time list. After throwing 15 interceptions last season, Kolb has thrown for 27 touchdowns with three picks for the NCAA’s second-best touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Here lies the obstacle to USC claiming victory in Memphis.

If Fred "I pulled my hammy" Bennett, Stoney and the Captian can step up and not allow a big play then USC should win this game. And just knock the passes down....too many tip passes caused us some "L's" this past season. Also put pressure on Kolb....i.e blitz. If Nix and the 'D' allow Kolb to stand around in the pocket and pick his targets it could be a long evening with Memphis blues. With that said the offense has to put up numbers too....big numbers which I know Spurrier can do.

So with all that being said....who is going to Memphis to watch the game?

Follow up on SC Recruiting...

To follow-up on a previous article on LOHD.

I mentioned how the current SC recruits have a certain "wow" factor in a previous post you can read here.

Well, ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill has South Carolina rated as the number 5 Top Recruiting Football Class for 2007.

Having commitments from 7 out of the top 150 players does wonders not to mention a few out of that 150 are still looking at SC (i.e Carlos Dunlap, DE -- rated number 9 in the country and the number 2 DE).

Tom Luginbill's Top Five 2007 Classes as of 12/20/06

1. Notre Dame
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Florida
5. South Carolina

Let's look at Football Attendance...

USC ranked 19th in attendance in the nation, averaging 75,630, according to NCAA figures. The Gamecocks were sixth among Southeastern Conference schools, with Tennessee (105,789) leading the way.

Michigan led the nation in attendance at 110,026. Clemson University was 15th, averaging 81,000.

Expanding the stadium would help...

Shrimp eating champion of the world

Dev- 15 shrimp in 30 seconds

LJ- 11 shrimp in 30 seconds

check www.summerofdev.blogspot.com for the video in the future.

Damn it Dev, give Riley back her sweater

Showering in Bacon really pays off

Merry Christmas, you can open your eyes now

Good week for USC Recruiting...

Last week, Rivals.com had Clemson's class ranked 14th in the nation, one spot ahead of South Carolina. Scout.com had Clemson 15th and USC 23rd, while ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill gave USC the edge because of the "wow factor."

The decisions of Barnes and Garcia will affect the rankings, both have the "WOW" and analysts believe USC will jump past Clemson in the final rankings. Scout.com ranked Barnes No. 47 and don't forget Garcia a top 10 QB recruit.

Last week was a great week for USC. They landed six more commitments to the list of recruits, and the Gamecocks are expecting more prospects to join the fold this week.

Earlier last week, athlete Pat Dimarco, defensive lineman Donte'e Nicholls, linebacker Alonzo Winfield and wide receiver Mark Barnes all committed to the Gamecocks. On Sunday defensive back Sam Pope (6-foot-1, 195 pounds) of SW Mississippi JC and tight end Mat Williams (6-4, 230) made their pledges. The big name was Barnes, a top 50 recruit in the nation. He can play either side of the ball and will have an immediate impact.

USC will add two commitments this Tuesday from Ocala, Fla., teammates defensive back Antonio Allen (6-1, 195) and wide receiver Dion Lecorn (6-0, 205).

Sad to see Cade Thompson leave but with Mitchell, Smelly and Garcia....I think it was wise for him to go. A good luck to Doughty, who left the team to go pro......not sure about that but we shall see.

Things are going good and Def. Coor. Nix removed his name from the UAB job search last week so it seems 2007 is shaping up nicely.....