Tuesday, April 22, 2008.

Idaho Stampede coach Bryan Gates said before opening the D-League Playoffs last week that in a one-game series, the key is simply to make your shots. The Stampede got away without doing that last Friday. But not last night. After a 40 percent night in their win over the L.A. D-Fenders, the Stamps were saddled with a 41 percent performance in Game 1 of the D-League Finals, a 95-89 loss at Austin. They can be thankful this is a best-of-three series. Idaho was just 4-of-23 from three-point range, with veteran star Randy Livingston going 0-for-7. Gates said the winner of the first game in a three-game playoff series usually wins it all. Now he has to convince the Stampede he was wrong.

The issue from the get-go last night for the Stampede was supposed to be the inside game. That is Austin’s strength, and the Stampede are making do in the post without Lance Allred and Mouhamed Sene. But Cory Violette held his own against L.A.’s Jelani McCoy last Friday, and the Bishop Kelly grad was the bright spot for the Stamps last night, scoring 20 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Local props also to the ever-improving Jason Ellis, as the former Boise State standout had 15 points and nine boards as he and Violette battled the Toros’ Ian Mahinmi, on assignment from the San Antonio Spurs, and Darvin Ham. Game 2 is obviously now a must-win for the Stampede Thursday night at Qwest Arena.

Many draft watchers had long pegged Ryan Clady as the No. 5 overall pick by Kansas City in the NFL Draft this Saturday. Now you see more mock drafts pitting Clady against fellow offensive tackle Chris Williams of Vanderbilt for the No. 8 pick, which belongs to Baltimore. If it were to be based on the infamous Wonderlic test, the former Boise State star would be at a distinct disadvantage. Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune was able to access some results of the Wonderlic, on which a person of average intelligence should supposedly score a 20. Clady registered a 13, while Williams came in at 32. Quarterbacks Matt Ryan of Boston College and Brian Brohm of Louisville also scored 32. But take it for what it’s worth. According to a website called Macmirabile.com, Dan Marino had a 14 on the Wonderlic in 1983.

If I had told you last August that Idaho linebacker David Vobora would be drafted ahead of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan in the 2008 NFL Draft, you would have said what? Well, The Sporting News predicts Vobora going to Kansas City in the sixth round this weekend—and Brennan to San Francisco in the seventh and final round. Brennan has suffered a series of setbacks since first round projections were floated over a year ago—by June Jones, among others. The first cliff was the Sugar Bowl disaster New Year’s Day, the 41-10 loss to Georgia. The next was a hip injury suffered during practice leading up to the Senior Bowl. Brennan says he’ll be 100 percent for training camp after undergoing successful surgery for a torn labrum two weeks ago. And training camp will be a challenge, wherever it may be.

Idaho’s Silver & Gold Game last Friday was one of those affairs for which it’s hard to draw conclusions. The Vandal offense has sliced and diced the UI defense more often than not this spring, including six touchdowns in the spring finale, so what does it all mean for the quest to obliterate last year’s 1-11 season? Truth be told, the No. 1 defense shut out the No. 1 offense in the second half of the game, so maybe the issue is with the second unit. Depth is a concern defensively. If Princeton McCarty is any indication, it’s not a problem at the running back position. McCarty is looking like Deonte Jackson’s primary backup after bolting for 124 yards and four touchdowns on just 14 carries.

Tim Mooney, the former Albertson College (now College of Idaho) baseball coach, has come back to his roots. Mooney, a University of Idaho baseball player before the Vandals dropped the sport about 25 years ago, has returned to his alma mater to head up athletic fundraising. That includes marketing, promotions, media relations and more as the school tries to raise $35 million to renovate the Kibbie Dome. Mooney comes from across the border at Washington State, where he was associate athletic director of development the past four years and Cougar baseball coach the four years before that. He spent 14 years building the Coyotes program before going to WSU.

I have no reason to doubt Boise State golf coach Kevin Burton when he says Bronco standout Troy Merritt made NCAA history last Saturday by winning the Ping Cougar Classic at BYU. Burton told me in the store last night no Division I golfer has ever won four tournaments in a row like Merritt has. “Tiger Woods never did,” said Burton. Woods played at Stanford in the mid-90’s. Meanwhile, BSU’s Luke Shields has been named WAC Player of the Week in men’s tennis for his two straight sets victories on the Broncos’ Senior Day Sunday. It’s the eighth time Shields has won the award in his career and the second time this season. He was also honored twice as a junior, once as a sophomore and three times as a freshman.

Our former Boise Hawk of the Day is Ronny Cedeno, who had a very discouraging 2007 season after starting for the Cubs two years ago. It’s getting tough for Lou Piniella to keep Cedeno out of the everyday lineup. The 25-year-old infielder is a reserve—and now, a spot starter—for Chicago and is hitting .350 with six RBIs in only 20 at-bats. Last year he had an average of just .203 and spent much of the season in Triple-A. Cedeno started at second base against the Pirates Saturday and Sunday and went 4-for-9 with three ribbies. Last night he got the start at shortstop and was 1-for-4 with a two-out, two-run single in the Cubs’ 7-1 rout of the Mets. Cedeno played on the Hawks’ 2002 Northwest League championship team, though he batted only .218.

Congratulations to Voice of the Coyotes Mike Safford Jr., who returns to the KTIK airwaves this summer as the Voice of the Boise Hawks. Safford had taken a couple seasons off to start a family. Now that it’s started, Safford is back. He’s been working at College of Idaho for seven years. Even though he’s been away from the Hawks for two years, he’s remained a tremendous chronicler of the comings and goings of Boise alums climbing their way to the majors.

This Day In Sports…April 22, 1876:

The first game in National League history, with Boston defeating Philadelphia, 6-5. The winning pitcher was Joe Borden, who was rewarded with a then-unheard of $2000 a year salary. When he failed to live up to expectations, Borden was forced to moonlight as a groundskeeper to earn his pay.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 1350 KTIK/The Ticket. He also handles color commentary on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football.)

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