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Monday, May 8, 2017
NFL writers—and bloggers on fan sites—bide their time in May and June with breakdowns of their teams’ post-draft 53-man rosters. We know what the Dallas depth chart looks like at quarterback: Dak Prescott and Kellen Moore. Period. The Cowboys and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan have given Moore another vote of confidence, but that doesn’t mean the team’s fans get it. Tyrone Starr of TheLandryHat.com writes, “To say that the jury is still out on whether he could fill in for two to four games would be kind. Is Moore capable of keeping the ship afloat if need be? Also, with no current threat to him in the form of a third quarterback present, where is that competition?” Well, on that last point, Kellen doesn’t need competition to push him. The former Boise State great is the ultimate self-motivator.
Former Bronco Rees Odhiambo, despite coming off a rookie year devoid of big moments, has a newly-opened open door to compete for a starting spot in Seattle. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times penned a post-draft review of the Seahawks depth chart yesterday, noting that coach Pete Carroll said Thursday Mike Glowinski, last season’s starter at left guard, is moving to right guard. Therefore, it appears, the left guard spot is a battle between Odhiambo and Luke Joeckel, at least for now. Odhiambo didn’t make his NFL debut until November. Joeckel was signed as a free agent from the Jacksonville Jaguars in March. He’s coming off season-ending knee surgery last October.
Jeremy McNichols, Thomas Sperbeck and Jonathan Moxey were at Tampa Bay’s rookie minicamp over the weekend, and one photo from the gathering was a hit locally. It showed Moxey defending Sperbeck, with the ball headed toward Sperbeck’s hands (it looks like he made the catch, but you never know). It was no doubt a scene seen often at Boise State practices the past four years. Both players got good marks from Bucs beat writers.
McNichols was not a participant, as he heals from his post-Combine shoulder surgery. He told Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com he’s expecting to be back on the field in July in time for training camp. “It’s hard just having to watch everybody, but at the same time I’ve just got to trust the process and get back when I can,” said McNichols. “It’s like all mental preparation. I’m in the playbook a lot, trying to get down the plays as soon as possible, just learning.”
The Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, NC, played tough at the Wells Fargo Championship. The course brushed Troy Merritt aside at cut time on Friday, but Nampa’s Tyler Aldridge managed a two-under 70 in the second round to make the cut in what was only his seventh event of the 2016-17 PGA Tour season. Aldridge was saddled with a three-over 75 yesterday that ended with a double-bogey and a bogey. He finished in a tie for 52nd, earning $17,314.
Sadi Henderson picked up perhaps the biggest individual victory of the season by a Boise State trackster Friday night, winning the 800-meter premiere race at the Oregon Twilight meet in Eugene. Henderson outdistanced a field that included several professional runners at historic Hayward Field as she ran an outdoor career-best 2:04.10. It topped her own school record and was the fifth-fastest women’s 800 time in Mountain West history.
On the diamond, Senior Day for Boise State softball ended with a two-run walk-off home run yesterday from Izzy Serrano, one of only two four-year seniors on the Bronco squad. The blast gave Boise State an eight-inning 7-5 victory over Nevada and a series win against the Wolf Pack. And the College of Idaho baseball team posted a tense 2-1 victory over host British Columbia yesterday, with Borah High grad Miles Bigelow striking out Austen Butler with the tying runner at second base to win the NAIA West Grouping North Division Championships in Vancouver, BC. The underdog Coyotes advance to the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round for a second straight year, traveling to one of nine Opening Round sites for games May 15-18 (they’ll find out which one on Thursday).
Our former Boise Hawk of the Day has to be the Chicago Cubs’ Javier Baez. If only for his pain tolerance. In the bottom of the third against the Yankees last night, Baez fouled a fastball off the top of his foot and immediately dropped to the ground, writhing in the batter’s box. He stood up while attended to by trainers, gathered himself, and hit a home run deep into the left field bleachers at Wrigley Field to tie the game 1-1. He later delivered a run-scoring single that helped the Cubs rally to tie it again 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth. Then Baez lasted nine more innings. Alas, the Yankees beat the Cubs early this morning, 5-4 in 18 innings.
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May 8, 2012, five years ago today: Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton turns in one the greatest hitting performances ever. Hamilton became the first player in almost nine years—and only the 16th in major league history—to hit four home runs in a game. Not only that, all four of them were two-run shots in a 10-3 win over Baltimore. Hamilton’s other at-bat produced a double, giving him a 5-for-5 night. He had 18 total bases in the game, an American League record.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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