Ever wanted to crawl inside Milton Bradley’s head and have a look around? Be careful, it probably is a dark and scary place.

The great experiment that was Milton Bradley’s career with the Chicago Cubs could be over. The Cubs suspended Bradley last month for “conduct detrimental to the team” for the remainder of the season. For the Cubs, it will be a costly move. They signed Bradley last winter for three years and $30 million because they needed a left-handed bat to balance their lineup. The thought was that Bradley could put up similar numbers to what he did in Texas the year before (.321 average, .436 on-base percentage, .563 slugging) and protect the rest of the Cubs’ right-handed power hitters who were exploited by the Dodgers in the National League Division Series last October. Bradley did not do nearly so well on the North Side of Chicago, hitting .257 with a .378 OBP and .397 SP in 124 games for the Cubs.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry explained his reasoning for suspending Bradley.

“Recently, it’s become intolerable to hear Milton talk about our great fans the way he has,” Hendry said. “We pride ourselves on having the greatest fans in baseball, so at this time we felt it was best to send him home for the rest of the season,” Hendry told reporters.

The thought was more like a dream from the very beginning. Now it’s a nightmare. The rationale behind signing Bradley was flawed in the first place. Bring in a blowhard whose only real talent is with the bat and put him in right field in one of the hardest places to play in the league with a manager known as a hothead on a team full of hotheads. Not to mention he had not played 100 full games in the outfield since 2004 and had done it only six times in the nine previous years.

It was a pipe dream. With a short fuse.

And now it has exploded.

It was bound to happen given Bradley’s volatile history. Buster Olney from ESPN breaks down the Bradley’s history of blow ups here. Here is Olney’s summary:

Spring 2004: The Indians trade Bradley after a series of disagreements with manager Eric Wedge.

June 2004: Bradley is ejected by an umpire, has to be restrained by Dodgers manager Jim Tracy and then throws a bunch of baseballs on the field on his way to the clubhouse.

September 2004: Bradley picks up an empty bottle that was thrown by a fan, approaches the stands and has to be calmed by teammates; he rips off his jersey on his way back to the dugout and is pulled off the field by coach Jim Riggleman. The Dodgers suspend him for the final five games of the season.

June 2007: After a series of internal incidents, the Athletics finally get fed up with Bradley and designate him for assignment.

September 2007: Bradley performs well for the Padres, but in a game on Sept. 23, umpire Mike Winters speaks words that are later deemed inappropriate by Major League Baseball — words for which Winters is suspended — and Bradley reacts angrily. As that confrontation plays out, Bradley suffers a season-ending knee injury as he is restrained by manager Bud Black.

Pretty impressive list, huh? I thought this was pretty good, too:

Have you ever tried to break a baseball bat over your knee? Not so easy.

To be fair to Bradley, apparently there has been some extenuating circumstances regarding his unhappiness in Chicago. The problem about this particular piece of information, though, is that neither the media nor the Cubs knew anything about it. It took Bradley’s mother, Charlena Rector, to explain the actions of her son. Bradley is a 31-year-old man, does he really need his mother to explain his actions? Given his history as an iconoclast, would it really matter what the excuse was? If the reports about his kid are true then it is sad. However, most people learn early in their professional careers that if you cannot keep your personal life and your job separate then it will be difficult to ever function as proper employee should.

Bradley operates with a chip on his shoulder. Check out this video from “Best Damn Sports Show” after the run-in with umpire Mike Winters in 2007.

Seems like a surly guy, huh?

The MLBPA was considering filing a grievance on Bradley’s behalf, though it later came out that the outfielder would accept his suspension and fade into the shadows … for now. We’ll see.

The sports writers of the nation are alive with the Bradley issue. Rob Neyer of ESPN’s Sweet Spot has two blog posts on it here and here. Al Yellon from Bleed Cubby Blue dishes on it here. Nick Friedell is not surprised. Ed Nickow from ChicagoNow has a haiku.

For my own part, I created a slideshow of some of Bradley’s greatest moment in bombast history.

Somebody tell David Wright that he needs to play nice on the jungle gym.

All right, now that is funny. You know what is not funny? This:

Yeah. That was a Matt Cain 94 mph heater to David Wright’s dome on Aug. 15. The Mets’ star third baseman received a concussion, a trip to the hospital and a couple of weeks on the disabled list.

The new ‘do is the Rawlings S100 batting helmet (check out the Billy Mays-like pitchman from HomeRunMonkey below . . . three-year warranty? I’ll take five). Rawlings and the MLB have distributed six of these super-lids to each major league team and will be forcing all minor league players to wear them next year.

David Wright always has been cooler-than-thou. He can hit better, he can field better and gosh darn it, people like him. It is a cruel joke the baseball gods played on the man, turning him from a guy this cool:

into this guy:

“If it provides more safety, then I’m all for it,” Wright told the Associated Press before trying it in a game. By the middle of last week, Wright had switched back to his old helmet. It’s not clear how much of his decision was based on fit and how much was due to the ridicule he received.

In a line from the Philadelphia Inquirer: Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster wore it and said it felt like “my own bobblehead day.”

I actually would love my own bobblehead day, but alas, sports journalists usually do not merit their own emoticons on the grand scale of the baseball viewing public. Perhaps luminaries such as Vin Scully or Harry Caray (men whose heads were built to bobble) — or our own Rob Bradford — but not so much for the rest of us.

plusequals:

Who knew?

Anyway, the helmet may be atrocious, and the thought of watching a team full of minor leaguers wearing them seems like a cruel jape on the fans (like those old magnetic baseball or football games where you hit the switch and the little players just kind of shook on the board). But really, I am all for safety as well. It would be a shame for one of the rising superstars in the baseball world to have his career truncated by a hit-by-pitch/concussion, especially while the sport is still searching for the new level of post-steroid-era star to carry the torch. For a while, it seemed that the successors to the Mark McGwires, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiros, Sammy Sosas et al. were going to be the Wrights, Ryan Brauns, Evan Longorias and Ryan Zimmermans of the world. If Wright is ever going to be the same (especially considering his swing does not really fit with the dimensions of the Mets’ new Citi Field) then there becomes a gaping hole in the up-and-coming major league superstar class that will be tough to fill.

Though, we know what that is like in Boston, don’t we?

The funky-looking Rawlings S100 may be the wave of the future, which is good or bad depending which side of the aesthetic vs. utilitarian argument you fall on, but it is not the first time that baseball players experimented with helmets for better protection. In 1978 Dave Parker tried a few looks after he fractured his cheek and jawbone when he collided with Mets catcher John Stearns. First he tried the hockey mask look before going to the football helmet look, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ equipment manager.

Oh, and who could forget the Ellis Valentine half-jawbone football-style helmet?Even in the 1970s, these men were not at the height of fashion, though it does make for an interesting chapter in the pantheon of quirky baseball lore.

Now, if players do not want to end up like the “Saturday Night Live” sketch from the mid-1990s where Mike Myers plays the hyper hypo Phillip tethered to the monkey bars with his goofy red helmet and Nicole Kidman, they might want to consider going the Flight of the Conchords route and getting a hair helmet.

Boston College head coach Frank Spaziani joined Steve DeOssie, Greg Dickerson and Jon Meterperel on the Dennis & Callahan Show to preview the upcoming season. Coach Spaz and the boys joked about honey-do lists, information sources and DeOssie’s ability to jump back onto the field (or on the sidelines?). 

Highlights from the conversation are below.

Click here for the full audio version.

Coach, what are your nerves like the day before your first game running the helm at Boston College?

Well, I think it’s the normal apprehension, making sure all the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted and, you know, what I did I think of what didn’t I think of, blah, blah, blah.

I got a lot of great assistants helping me out, so we are ready to go.

Was there ever a point throughout this preseason or throughout this whole process since January, when you were hired, when you felt overwhelmed?

No. Never. I think there’s two ways to go with new jobs; you’re either overwhelmed or energized and I was the latter.

Coach, so far in the preseason and training camp overall with a guy like Mark Herzlich going down, how has your defense been able to step up? How have the guys reacted to his absence?

Well, you know, Steve, you played. There is a reaction and we’re going to miss these guys but it’s life, it’s sports, it’s whatever it is. But, you know, certainly going to miss him but we’ve got to go on. We’ve got to play Saturday at two o’clock and when it gets down to it, you know, you’ve got to do it, you’ve got to move on and make the best of it and somebody’s got to pick up the sword and move forward.

Who are your most pleasant surprises over the last month in camp?

Well, we’ve had, a lot of the younger guys, you know, this class that we had coming in they look like they are real prospects and a lot of the younger guys that have had to step up have done a good job. But the biggest surprise has been how well everybody’s adapted to the new staff, the players and making progress. I mean, we’re getting better everyday, believe me, we have a long way to go, but we are getting better everyday.

You look at the two-deep (depth chart) coach and there is redshirt freshman and true freshman. It’s all around that two-deep and I know that might be daunting for some coaches but you feel that you are well armed because have Gary Tranquill running your offense and you promote Bill McGovern to run the defense, what does that mean for your team?

Well, first of all, Gary is a Hall of Fame coach. He might be one of the best football coaches I have ever been around. Well, he certainly is, let me say that. He’s one of the best coaches in the country. He’s been through a lot of things and if there is anybody who can handle the issues over there on offense it’s Gary. I mean he’s not going to be thrown off-kilter by anything we have over there. 

And Billy, I’ve worked with Billy for 10 years, you know, the system’s in place and, you know, Billy’s getting his chance to do what he can do.

Deossie wanted the gig, I think.

Well, he’s uh. . . we’ll let him play. . .

How do you see the ACC stacking up this year? It’s going to be pretty good competition this year across the board.

Well, the thing about the league is, well, you know, we had our conferences meetings down there early on, and this year a lot of the teams have better quarterback situations. Not us withstanding. But, most of the teams have quarterbacks coming back, they’ve played for a while and usually that’s a good sign for a league.

You talked about the quarterback situation. Does that keep you up at night and how do you think it sorts itself out over the next few weeks and the first part of the season?

Well, a lot of things keep me up at night and that might be the 1:30 or two o’clock feeding but it’s going to sort itself out. We have young men there and they each have redeeming qualities and we would have hoped that it would have been a little clearer right now but that’s not the case, so we have to play and see how it sorts itself out and hopefully these guys will separate from one another and we will be a little more solid at that position.

You’re going to start Justin Tuggle tomorrow. . . first career start, redshirt freshman. . .

We are?!

Is that the word? You tell me. You tell me. My sources indicate.

Sources?! You’re talking to the source!

What we have is that either Dave (Shinskie) or Justin (Tuggle) is going to start the game and Mike (Marscovetra) is going to plan. I mean, that’s the plan right now. And, once again, it’s a game and, you know, we have to win. So, we are going to do what’s best for the team but we have to keep in mind that winning is what’s best for the team.

Hey, Uncle Dave Shinskie, you mention him. If he does start tomorrow it will be his first snap in seven years. What do you like about him?

First of all Dave is, obviously, Dave has some maturity on him. He’s been around the block a little, done some things. And, he has the skills, he has the physical talent to be a quarterback at this level. Once again, what he hasn’t done is taken snaps and we have to find that out about him. Unfortunately he missed a couple scrimmages so the evaluation process was set back a little.

Coach, your take on what happened in Tampa yesterday and your predecessor with coach Jags being let go by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday?

Well, let me just say this, I don’t really have a take on it but my thoughts are with Jeff and his family because anytime you have that anxiety or that kind of turmoil, it’s your personal issues and your family that need to be addressed first.

Fair, unfair, that a guy like Rahim Morris calls him a guy that wasn’t a details guy or a guy that wasn’t precise? Did you see anything like that in your time with him at Boston College?

Well, once again, the situation with Boston College and the situation at Tampa . . . I’m not at Tampa. All I know is that we won a lot games here at Boston College with Jeff as the head coach.

Tom O’Brien’s (N.C. State) Wolf Pack lose last night to South Carolina 7-3. I talked to you early and you thought it would be a pretty high scoring game. What do you think went wrong for them?

That’s what happens when you predict. That’s why you guys do what you do and that’s why I did what I do.

I know for the ACC, it’s a pride thing. They had a stat last night, SEC 237 wins, ACC 114 wins head-to-head. What does that tell you?

I don’t know what that tells me. Master of the obvious, that the SEC has won more games than the ACC. It’s all individual basis and it’s all about what’s happening now and sports and that’s why you play them. I don’t read much into it really. I don’t have time to. Once again it’s great for the fans, it’s great for the media. Gives you something to talk about, right?

How about, who’s starting at outside linebacker for me?

Dominick LeGrande? There’s some young guys at linebacker though?

There certainly are. I had to write letters to all their parents to get permission.

We saw that also Herzlich was on campus again this week. Any good word out of that camp there?

Yeah. Best as I can determine just talking with Mark is that everything is going just like they want, they get the results that they want. He’s getting some of his treatments here and he’s going to be around the squad as much as his doctors allow. And, that’s great for us and more importantly great for him.

He’s a special kid and a special player and he’s certainly redefined that position for us over there beyond my wildest imagination. We’re just hoping that the best can come out of the whole deal and we will see him back in uniform.

CHESTNUT HILL – One of the best lines from the 1995 movie Four Rooms comes in the fourth of the four rooms when Quentin Tarantino’s character says “those who make declarative statements are more likely to look foolish in retrospect.”

Not that Boston College head coach Frank Spaziani fears to look foolish, it is just that when it comes to his quarterback situation, he deigns to make any declarative statements.

With Saturday’s season opener against Northeastern looming, Spaziani has yet to name his starter and there is a good probability that we will not know until the first snap is taken.

In the conversation are three very different types freshman: 25 year old former minor league baseball player David Shinskie, redshirt freshman Justin Tuggle and true freshman Mike Marscovetra. Shinskie has complicated the discussion from last week (when it looked like a Tuggle versus Codi Boek battle) by coming back from a cracked rib to practice this week. He has been taking reps in practice along with Tuggle.

“We’re still deciphering it. Hopefully Uncle Dave (Shinskie) will be out here practicing again and he can get a good practice in and it will be Tuggle and Uncle Dave and Marscovetra third,” Spaziani said. “Now, who’s going to start the game? One of those three guys is.”

The guess is that Tuggle and Shinskie will both play significant amounts against Northeastern as the coaching staff looks to separate the two on the depth chart.

“We’ve scrimmaged and now we put guys in the game. We hoped that they would have separated themselves but that hasn’t happened. So now the next place to separate themselves is on the field,” Spaziani said.

Shinskie told reporters today that his side is “still a little tender” but that he is ready to go. When asked if was pushing himself for the opener he offered and enthusiastic yes.

“Oh my god. I had to do it, I don’t care what kind of pain I was in. If I had to take six ibproufen instead of four, I was going to do it. Even my highschool coach called me up and told me ‘get out there.’ So, it was very important, you know, just to be able to stand on the sidelines, you know,” Shinskie said. “Just to be out there is something that I really want to do.”

 Outside the quandary at quarterback, there is a buzz around the Citadel on Chestnut Hill. The offense, now with a solidified depth chart at every other position, is excited to get the ball rolling. Spaziani seamed pleased with the progress they have made during the last week.

“They’re making progress every day. Offense is doing really well. They’ve got to be ready to go and they will be ready to go. Now, are they going to be as good as they’re going to be? No,” Spaziani said. “They’ve got a ways to go but obviously we get a quarterback that we’re solidified in that position, that’ll help.”

 With the dynamic sophomore duo of Montel Harris and Josh Haden at running back and captain wide receiver Rich Gunnell poised for a big senior season, there is reason for excitement. But the real reason for the buzz is the fact that the Eagles are returning four of their five juggernauts on the offensive line and the fifth (red-shirt freshman Emmett Cleary) is a titan at 6-foot 7-inches and 297 pounds. Boston College has a history of good offensive linemen and the beasts in the trenches are throwing around the “O-Line U” tag line to help describe this years bunch.

“What people are kind of expecting, kind of saying — O-Line U. A lot of people are starting to say this is turning back into O-Line U. With the four returning starters that we do have, just with the size up front, being able to move people around up front, goes back to the old offenses, just the old offensive scheme, being able to move the ball around the field,” Junior right guard Thomas Claiborne said.

Claiborne, like some of his offensive teammates, exuded confidence, flashing sneaky smiles at the thought of pummeling opposing defenses. Tuggle, for one, shares this sentiment.

“The guys in front of you are veterans, they’ve been around and they help you out as much as they can. And they’re the solid O-Line U. Everyone knows about them all around the country, it’s good to know that you got five guys in front of you who are ready to protect you each and every play,” Tuggle said.

Joining Claiborne and left guard Cleary are two All-ACC Preseason Team members are junior left tackle Anthony Costonzo and senior center Matt Tennant. Hulking junior Rich Lapham, all 322 pounds of him, mans the right tackle position. There is a lot of size and experience to like.

“So, it helps,” Spaziani said. “The more experience you have the better off you are because you can’t coach experience.”

Harris’s eyes lit up when talking about the big boys in front of him. 

“Real confident. A lot of offensive line coming back from last year, we are able to relax more and be comfortable on the field, so, it should be fun this year,” Harris said. “Thomas Claiborne. Every play before he tells me to follow behind him cause he’s going to throw me a block.”

So, with the bedrock offensive line and talent at running back, it is understandable that Spaziani does not seem too worried about who will start at quarterback against Northeastern, a team not normally known for its football prowess (2-10, 1-7 in CAA play last year).

“The reason it’s vague (the quarterback position) is because we don’t have one. We don’t have one yet so it doesn’t make a difference in my mind. I know everybody wants it, who is it, make a decision. It it was going to make a big difference we would make a decision but it’s not going to make a difference,” Spaziani said.

With two games against lesser out of conference opponents at home to start the season (Northeastern then Kent State on September 12th) Spaziani has time to sort things out under center, whichever flavor of freshman he decides to go with.

Reporters love Twitter. It is a way to break news and promote stories. For sports journalists it provides a way to stay in touch with the fan base and let personalities shine through outside of the normal realm of the beat. Real time updates with a little flair? Sign us up.

Along with other social media tools, Twitter has blown up this year, increasing its membership to as much as 15 million earlier this year. As such the college and professional ranks are having to come to grips with the Tweeterpocalypse. The NFL just released its social media policy, which states that coaches, players and personnel are “permitted under league policy and with club permission to use social media on game day during specific time periods before and after games.” That “window” exists 90 minutes before kickoff until after the post game player interviews.

For the most part, this policy extends solely to persons associated with the NFL. Yet a handful of teams, including the Patriots, have restricted what members of the media can tweet during practice. The purpose of this is to keep injury and game-plan related information from leaving the practice field into the internet ether where any opposing scout / coordinator can pick it up and use it for an advantage. Also, for a league that is doing its best to guard its image, restricting player tweets is another way to keep the dirty laundry in the hamper. Even innocuous tweets, such as Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie’s jibe at the team’s food spread, have been met with negative reactions (Cromatie was fine $2,500 for his remarks and probably told to keep his trap shut in the future).

This is a policy that most players can probably get down with, excepting the truly outspoken such as Bengals receiver Chad Johns. . . err, Ochocinco, who has threatened, via his twitter account, to travel with his mariachi band if he cannot tweet during games. It is understandable that players like social media. It is a way for them to bypass the traditional media and bring information and opinion straight to the fans and prevent them from feeling they are being misquoted or misconstrued (whether or not they actually are) and provide an outlet for their often exuberant personalities.

This is not just about the control of information though. Yes, The Hoodie would love to keep a death grip on all information leaving Patriots camp, but the reality is that the NFL needs the media to promote their brand and optimize revenue streams. 

This was almost the exact same thinking when the Southeastern Conference announced its controversial social media policy earlier this month. The initial policy, now twice revised, was so broad that it restricted just about every type of social media interaction from SEC football games, presupposing fans and bloggers pictures and tweets in the process. The backlash was immediate, mostly from mainstream media sources outside of the SEC/ESPN/CBS partnership that the policy was trying to protect. The revisions in the policy have since left the fan and most media outlets more leeway concerning social media policies while still protecting video clips (though most bloggers will likely object or ignore the restriction to putting the clips on their sites) but the SEC’s proactive approach towards the restrictions is likely just the tip of the iceberg in the social media. For a audio good interview from SEC Associate Commissioner of Media Relations Charles Bloom, go here. For an an opinion on the ACC social media policy, check out Heather Dinich’s July column for ESPN.com.

Their idea is simple enough: protect content. The television and radio contracts that college and professional sports have drive revenues and the leagues, understandably, want to push eyeballs towards their partners. At the same time, with the rise of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, they might be missing out on a huge part of their branding opportunities concerning social media. The goal is to go “viral” and get the internet buzzing, thus bringing more eyeballs that would normally not see your product to your website or their nearest television.

It’s not just the leagues and their personnel that are coping with the new Twitter news cycle. Last month the story broke that reporters at ESPN will not be able to break stories and opinion through Twitter but rather through the more traditional sources of the website and television for news. Ken Fang from FangBites has the memo from the policy in an August 4th blog post along with some interesting commentary on the ESPN Twitter blackout. The conclusion is basically the same as it is with the SEC and NFL policies: protect our image, protect our content and thus protect our revenue streams.

The ESPN policy has another tangible benefit. Now that the news craving public knows the restrictions on ESPN reporters it makes it less likely that some wahoo out there will try to create a fake Twitter account and tweet erroneous reports under a respected journalist’s name (such as the incident earlier this summer when someone tried to break a “story” with a fake WEEI Twitter account).

Social media is still in its infancy and it is going to have to have a significant adjustment period before the mainstream media and various sports leagues learn to coexist. In the end what drives that relationship is what drives all other media relationships: the bottom line. The fight to protect copyrights, protect content and keep noses clean is just the beginning. With every new website and innovation the debate will be transformed. For now though? The fight has just begun.

CHESTNUT HILL — The quarterback carousel at Boston College continues. After their fourth intra-squad scrimmage of camp the Eagles are not yet ready to determine the primary man underneath center come the season opener September 5th against Northeastern.

Head Coach Frank Spaziani has an interesting dilemma. The probable front-runner, 25-year old Dave Shinskie, is on the shelf with a cracked rib. His absence had redshirt freshman Justin Tuggle and junior Codi Boek leading the offenses in the final tune-up of camp.

At the start, it was Tuggle who was the star. Running the firstteam offense, Tuggle started off on fire, going 7-10 for 115 yards in the first half. The crowning moment was a nifty 41-yard touchdown bomb to top receiver Rich Gunnell on the first drive of the game.

But it was downhill from there. He did not complete a pass in the second half, going 0-9 with erratic passes sailing over or bouncing to intended receivers. Yet Tuggle has placed himself in the quarterback discussion, which was not a sure thing at the beginning of camp.

“In the beginning of this whole debate he was somewhere else on the ladder and he took a licking he come back ticking, right? He could have went two ways and he went the positive way. So that means a lot and he made progress,” Spaziani said. “Tuggle has made a lot of strides, a lot of strides and you’ve got to project. But he has made strides.“

Boek ran the second-team offense and had his moments mixed with embarrassments. He fumbled the first snap of the scrimmage on the exchange from center and later had a tipped pass at the line intercepted by junior Domik Scafe. Boek finished the day 7-9 for 94 yards with the interception and a touchdown. The score was more a product of red shirt freshman Clyde Lee’s 45-yard burst through the secondary after a catch on a short crossing route than on Boek’s prowess, but the junior will take what he can get.

“Codi, showed some flashes, showed some flashes,” Spaziani said.

Spaziani would probably like to see Shinskie step up and take the job, but until the trainers clear him, the coach’s hands are tied.

“If you’ve got a solidified one, then the second gets less reps. It looks to me now with talking to [offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill] that we’re probably going to have to play two quarterbacks,” Spaziani said.

Here are the other lessons we learned from Wednesday’s scrimmage. 

Defense Still Looking For Its Leader

The other big news on campus for the day was the return of star middle linebacker Mark Herzlich to campus. Herzlich, a Butkus Award finalist for the nation’s top linebacker last year, was diagnosed with cancer in his leg and will miss the entire year. He plans on finishing his degree this fall and looks forward to a comeback next year.

As much as he and the rest of the BC team looks forward to his return,, his absence this year leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the Eagles’ defense. Senior captain Mike McLaughlin is still out and sophomore incumbent Will Thompson has been nursing injuries, leaving the duties to true freshman Luke Kuechly. Like the offense, the situation is not ideal but Spaziani will work with what he’s got.

“Plus we have the middle linebacker nowhere to be seen yet. The quarterback position is more solidified than the middle linebacker,” Spaziani said.

Kuechly recorded three tackles during the scrimmage.

“Once again you’ve got a true freshman over there and Will Thompson’s been out. That’s a big order for a guy to do, true freshman quarterbacking the [defense],” Spaziani said. 

Ground Game Will Have to Carry the Load

If there is anything set on this team, it is the running back position. Sophomore Montel Harris, coming off a team freshman record 900 yards last season, will be looked upon to carry the load. Yesterday he got the bulk of the carries with 12 attempts for 53 yards and a touchdown. He also fumbled once.

Behind him, fellow sophomore Josh Haden is coming off a 479-yard freshman campaign. Haden logged six attempts for 26 yards on the day.

With injury and inexperience bogging down both sides of the ball, the ability of this dynamic duo to put up big numbers (and stay healthy) will be a huge factor in determining how much success BC is going to have this fall. 

Defensive Line Looking to Step Up

It is tough to lose your top defensive players to the NFL and come back the next year with any semblance of firepower. With B.J. Raji in Green Bay and Ron Brace up the road in Foxborough, the Eagles are looking for players to step up.

Yet, injuries are once again an issue, forcing Spaziani to move senior Austin Giles inside to nose tackle and patch around from there. The move is probably not permanent but, like so much else, in the short term it is a matter of necessity.

“We always focus on the quarterbacks here but there are a lot of other uncertainties over there on defense. [Kaleb] Ramsey not practicing, [Nick] Rossi not practicing,” Spaziani said.

Who needs to step up?

“Everybody,” Spaziani said. “We need Ramsey to step up, we need [Damik] Scafe. Scafe has been a part-time player. Ramsey has not played at all, suddenly Rossi has helped us over there but, you know, he being injured and stuff.”

Junior Brad Newman, a career second-unit man, looked decent in the scrimmage, logging two sacks on six tackles. He, among others, will be relied upon in the regular season to help make up for the losses to the pros and the injury ward. 

Adventures In Special Teams

Redshirt freshman punter Gerald Levano had an up-and-down day. He looked good placing the ball inside the 20, spiking two directly on the 13-yard line, yet did not show good distance when kicking from his own end zone. On two attempts he had trouble clearing the 50-yard line and did not look good in the process.

On the same note, the extra-point attempt on Gunnell’s touchdown was blocked by sophomore cornerback Donnie Fletcher. Spaziani said that Thursday’s practice would focus on the kicking game while the rest of the week will be devoted to finalizing the depth chart and tuning up for Northeastern.

The List Is Dead! Long Live The List!

Really, this is getting old. The List is driving me crazy. It is death by 104 paper cuts seasoned with lemon juice and sea salt. It is like Steve Carell getting his chest waxed in The 40 Year Old Virgin, slow and agonizing ripping of flesh … 104 times.

You know what list I am talking about. It is THE List. The 2003 MLB “anonymous” steroid test results list.

Now it appears that the list has met its match: The MLB players union and the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. According to the Associated Press, the federal appeals court ruled “that agents had no right to seize baseball’s anonymous drug-testing results from 2003.”

So, the players union has won. Theoretically, so has baseball. The union now has control over the list, which leads one to believe that it will be destroyed in the very near future — barring and appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, that is. Now, can this madness end?

The guess here? Probably not. Whoever has been leaking The List knows the names that are on it. You can shred paper, set fire to servers and blow up databases, but outside of a Men In Black style neutralizer, I am not yet aware of a way to wipe the contents of a person’s brain. The names on The List have been oozing out, so the thought is that there are journalists out there who know who the leak is. Presumably, these journalists will press this source for more names, whether the source legally controls The List or not. If I knew the source, I would do the same thing. It’s good journalism.

Good journalism aside, the appeal court decision is a step in right direction. Whoever the leak source is, it seems they have a vendetta against the game of baseball (not just the MLB, but the entire game, Little League on up). The slow trickle has been wicked. It has been cruel. What it really comes down to is: Do we really want to know? I can understand how players in the big leagues who stayed clean and members of the media (who thrive on this stuff — right, Mr. Ortiz?) want the list out. Players want to know who beat them because of the juice, journalists want to see more juice in their paychecks and breaking big stories is the way to do that.

But, what about the fan?

I think the fan wants it to go away. Just look: Mannywood lives on. Sox fans still love Big Papi (especially after last night) and Yankee fans do not care, as long as their team is winning. For

the passionate fan, The List from six years ago is an annoying history that keeps popping up its ugly head and a media fixation that takes away from what they love: the game of baseball.

So, as of today, The List is dead. But, do not be surprised if it turns out to have the half-life of a particularly persistent zombie. It will jump out of the grave, bite a couple heads off and be put back down by the zombie-killing wing of the players union.