Monday, June 30, 2008.

Dan Hinxman of the Reno Gazette-Journal gives us a window into the minds of WAC media for the 2008 football season. Hinxman revealed his picks for the WAC media poll over the weekend and put Fresno State first, Nevada second, and Boise State third. "Putting the Broncos anywhere lower than second is done with some trepidation, but Boise State was pretty average defensively last season (certainly by Bronco standards)," writes Hinxman. And it lost arguably its top three defenders--defensive end Nick Schlekeway, safety Marty Tadman and cornerback Orlando Scandrick."

The key to the season, says Hinxman: "BSU must replace four-fifths of its offensive line and will have its third starting quarterback in the last three seasons. Also, the book is still out on third-year coach Chris Petersen as a head coach/recruiter. He's mastered everything else, so there's no reason to doubt him here, but we just don't know yet. The third and fourth seasons should provide answers." There'll be more where that came from as the WAC Football Media Preview approaches in about three weeks. Just more ingredients for the Broncos' ol' chip-on-the-shoulder recipe.

But here's the deal on Nevada: the Wolf Pack is coming off the worst performance of the bowl season last year, its inexplicable sleepwalk in a 23-0 loss to the host team in the New Mexico Bowl. The Broncos are recovering from a bowl loss themselves, and there was some sleepwalking, but it was 41-38 to East Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl, with their two best offensive players essentially out of the picture.

Timing has been good for the Boise Burn, as they faced two of the West Division stragglers the past two weeks and won to recapture some lost confidence. Saturday night was reminiscent of the early season as the Burn jumped on a second quarter steamroller and blew past Tri-Cities, 52-34. Two guys who have been glue since the inception of the franchise, wide receiver Casy Allen and linebacker and special teamster Levi Madarieta carried the night. Allen caught four of Royal Gill's six touchdown passes, and Madarieta was Ironman of the Game with a touchdown catch, two rushing attempts, and nine kickoffs (ironically, no tackles). Now the Burn have a bye week before the competition gets more serious--the 8-4 Florida Firecats come in for Boise's home finale July 12.

It was almost the Prefontaine Classic revisited for Boise native Nick Symmonds in the 800-meter semifinals Saturday night at the U.S. Olympic Trials. On the same Hayward Field track that saw his eye-opening come-from behind win in the 2007 Pre Classic, Symmonds wove his way to victory in his heat over the final 100 meters to advance to tonight's finals. He's one more final lap kick away from the U.S.A. Olympic team that will head for the Summer Games in Beijing in August. Symmonds is one of those unique athletes who always has other runners looking over their shoulders--he's always layin' in the weeds.

As Mike Taylor becomes a part of the L.A. Clippers organization after becoming the first D-League player ever selected in the NBA Draft, he'll take with him all the things he culled from the best player in Idaho Stampede history. In an interview this spring at Hoopsaddict.com, Taylor said, "It was a great experience. Being it was my first year as a professional and being able to play behind a veteran like Randy Livingston I learned plenty. I learned how to play the pick and roll offensively and defensively, how to control the tempo of the game and when to best utilize my speed for the benefits of my teammates. I was all ears. The tutelage I received from Livingston paid off."

The Boise Hawks bounced back last night from their worst loss in almost four years. Yakima ran roughshod over the Hawks Saturday night in a 14-0 whitewashing. Boise got the Bears back in the finale of the three-game series, but they had to do it the hard way, rallying for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win, 5-4. One of the Hawks' big sticks was responsible for putting them in position. Rebel Ridling may not be just on the Northwest League's All-Name team for 2008 (I swear I wrote this before I saw the Statesman this morning). The former Oklahoma State star's looking like a NWL All-Star after a 2-for-4 night, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Ridling's now batting .415. The Hawks hit the road again tonight, opening a three-game series in Pasco against the Tri-City Dust Devils.

Former Boise Hawk Sean Marshall felt the wrath of the White Sox last night, a team eager to atone for the sweep they suffered at Wrigley Field a week earlier. Marshall, called back up by the Cubs last Tuesday, allowed home runs to Carlos Quentin and Brian Anderson, paving the way for the Southsiders' 5-1 win and a brooming of the Cubs in their three-game crosstown Interleague series. The Cubbies have lost four in a row for the first time this season. Marshall was making his second start in place of the injured Carlos Zambrano. The 25-year-old southpaw is now 0-2 with a 4.87 ERA.

The Gary Craner era ended at Boise State Friday, and the Marc Paul era is underway. It's unlikely this one will last 36 years like Craner's, but BSU appears to have a keeper as its new head athletic trainer. Paul has been head trainer at Nevada the past eight years. "It's a big challenge to replace Gary Craner, who I have a tremendous amount of respect for because of what he has done at Boise State and for our profession," Paul says. "But it is a challenge I am looking forward to." Paul is a 1995 graduate of Nevada.

This Day In Sports...June 30, 1998, 10 years ago today:

On an historic final day of June, all three players who are pursuing Roger Maris' 1961 single-season home run record blast round-trippers. The Cardinals' Mark McGwire, Artificially Big Mac, slugged his 37th homer, the most ever hit before July and equaling the 1969 record of Oakland's Reggie Jackson for most homers by the All-Star break. The Cubs' Sammy Sosa crushed his 33rd homer and his record 20th for one month. And in the Kingdome, Ken Griffey Jr. belted his American League-leading 33rd home run.

(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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