The RamRoll

AROUND THE HORNS: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
8-27-09
By Chris Kowalczyk

This is going to be like that scene in Major League, where Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker) is announcing a Cleveland Indians talk-radio show and says, “If you hadn’t noticed, and judging from the attendance, you haven’t, the Indians have managed to win a few games.”

For many Ram fans, once the school year ends in May, VCU Athletics hibernates in some woodland cave. If there was any summer where that wasn’t true, this would be the one. In fact, there was so much stuff VCU-related stuff going on in the sports world, I wrote a column about it. Here’s the Around The Horns version of “In Case You Missed It.”

DRAFTING, VCU STYLE
Not one, but two Rams were drafted into professional basketball this summer. Quanitra Hollingsworth, who wowed us as a 16-year-old freshman in 2005 and later led VCU to its first NCAA appearance, was the ninth overall pick of the WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx. In 27 games with the Lynx, ‘Q’ is averaging 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.

Eric Demarqua Maynor spent his entire senior season setting records, so why not earn one more distinction as a parting shot? The Utah Jazz selected Maynor with the 20th overall pick in the NBA Draft on June 25. It’s the highest any VCU men’s basketball player has been drafted. Maynor could be seen recently gallivanting around the hinterlands of the Northwest and as tweeting like somebody was going to take it away from him.

Also, if you were not aware that Maynor was drafted, you have either been backpacking in the Amazon all summer or have joined the seminary. Seriously.

WE LIKE US SOME ALL-STARS AT VCU
A summer of firsts! After suffering through a miserable 2008 season, Brandon Inge rocketed out of the gate with the best first half of his Major League career, hitting .268 with 21 homers and 58 RBI. Inge was not amongst the initial All-Star selections, but won the final spot on the American League roster via fan vote.

But Inge wasn’t done. The slugger was also picked for the nationally televised home run derby… where he promptly failed to homer. No worries Brandon, we’re burning the tapes as we speak.

As of this writing, Inge and the Tigers were leading the American League Central Division by 4 ½ games.

There are currently three former Rams on Major League Baseball rosters (as well as a few in the minors). That could change if Scott Sizemore continues on his current career path. Sizemore, a Detroit Tiger farmhand, was promoted to AAA Toledo after hitting .307 with nine home runs and 33 RBI in 59 games for AA Erie. A short time later, he was selected for the MLB Futures Game, an All-Star contest for some of the league’s top prospects.

The tougher competition at AAA hasn’t slowed Sizemore either. Since the promotion, the Virginia Beach native is hitting .307 with seven dingers and 27 RBI. Do I smell a September call up? I think I do.

IN OTHER NEWS, VCU HAS ALSO AQUIRED THE ST. LOUIS RAM FOR A PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER
A number of prominent VCU alums were caught up in the big league shuffle this summer. On Aug. 6, Jason DuBois, the Rams’ all-time leader in home runs, was dealt from the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate Iowa, to the New York Mets AAA squad at Buffalo. At the time, DuBois was hitting .302 with 11 home runs and 50 RBI.

DuBois has played in 86 major league games, but none since 2005. Last season he hit 25 homers in 76 games for the Iowa Cubs. That is not a misprint.  The man can flat out hit. The Mets are a M.A.S.H. unit and out of contention. There’s got to be some at-bats on the roster for this guy.  Now, if someone was willing to distribute ‘We want DuBois’ shirts at Cit Field, we’d be onto something.

Another Major League trade brought one Ram closer to home. Cla Meredith, formerly of the San Diego Padres, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on July 19 for infielder Oscar Salazar. Meredith, in his fifth MLB season, is 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA this year.

Proving that trades happen in other sports as well, former two-time CAA Player of the Year Dominic Oduro was traded from the New York Red Bulls (shameless advertisement at play) to the Houston Dynamo in late May. Since the trade, Oduro has four assists in 12 games.

SUMMER OF SANDERS
The legend grows. While you were away, Larry Sanders was invited to both the Nike Summer Camp in Phoenix June 28-July 1, as well as the LeBron James Skills Camp in Akron, Ohio a few days later. Recently, Sanders was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50. In addition, Sanders was recently seen saving puppies from a burning building, rescuing Timmy from the abandoned mine and curing polio.

Sanders’ presence at both camps, as well as his play last season, has caught the attention of scouts and other prognosticators. Sanders (look away Larry, nothing to see here), is getting some first round NBA Draft buzz for next season. Of course A TON can change over the next year, but it’s hard to ignore a 6-foot-11 guy with the wingspan of the Golden Gate Bridge.

STAY OR LEAVE
We love Joey Rodriguez here. He’s gritty, tenacious and has played a huge role in VCU’s success the last two years. But Rodriguez provided a little slice of Brett Favre drama this summer, when he announced he was transferring out of VCU to attend school closer to home. However, by the end of May, there were rumblings that Rodriguez was having a change of heart.
Rodriguez later told Mike Litos of Virginia Sports Now that the departure of Head Coach Anthony Grant caused him to react too quickly.

“I was sold on leaving no matter who they brought in because I was so frustrated.” Rodriguez said. “I was going off emotion; I wasn’t thinking right.”

No harm no foul. Shaka Smart announced on May 28 that Rodriguez, who led the CAA in 3-point efficiency last season, would rejoin the team.

Maybe it’s the Around The Horns curse, similar to the Sports Illustrated or Madden curses. We kicked off our Around The Horns coverage with a lengthy feature on Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach Bill Courtney. However, after a little over a month and a half on the job, Courtney accepted a position on Seth Greenberg’s staff at Virginia Tech.

Surely, some VCU fans were upset, but we’re told Virginia Tech’s offer would be tough to refuse. Moreover, Courtney’s a great guy who is always looking out for what’s best for his family. We wish him well. Mike Jones, a former Georgia and Richmond assistant, was named as Courtney’s replacement.

BIG WINS, BIG STAGES
John Rollins picked up his third career PGA Tour victory when he won the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open with a score of 17-under par. The win included a career-best 62 in the second round for Rollins, who has collected nearly $12 million in prize money since turning pro. I continually kick myself for ignoring my grandfather’s attempts to teach me golf as a kid. John Rollins has won three tournaments and has made $12 million. So, Tiger Woods has to have made like what, $11 billion?

A week later, Rollins fired a third-round 68 and vaulted into the top 15 at the PGA Championship. Rollins eventually finished 24th.

Also performing on the big stage was former VCU Men’s Tennis All-American Frank Moser. Moser and partner Chris Guccione reached the second round of the doubles draw at Wimbledon in June. A month later, Moser teamed with Benjamin Becker to reach the doubles final of the ATP World Tour’s Los Angeles Open.

With all that action, who needs the regular school year? It’s an exciting time to be a VCU fan right now. Not only are student-athletes achieving unprecedented success during their time as a Ram, but many are moving on to prominent careers as pros. Like me.

Questions or comments? Contact Chris Kowalczyk at aroundthehorns@yahoo.com