Tuesday, July 15, 2008.

Halfway through July, the countdown has begun. The WAC Media Football Kickoff starts a week from today, and the Boise State-Idaho State game is a month and a half away. On Bronco Sports.com, there's now a preview of the 2008 BSU offense posted. Of course, it provides no hint as to who the starting quarterback will be, and you have to believe that is truly to be decided in fall camp. Meanwhile, BSU coaches have one chance to kick back and consume themselves with other things before the chaos begins--July provides them with their only vacation window. Such is life in the Division I-A fast lane.

Here's the factoid about this group that never gets enough notice: Chris Petersen goes into year No. 3 with exactly the same full-time staff he had in 2007. In fact, there's only been one change since Petersen took over and completed his first staff in early 2006. That was when Sean Kugler departed for the Buffalo Bills to become offensive line coach. And still there was continuity, as Kugler was replaced by Chris Strausser, who had been a five-year Bronco assistant before coaching at Colorado for one year with Dan Hawkins. The importance of that stability these days cannot be underestimated.

One clarification on my Sunday Sports Extra trivia the other night. There have been three former Bronco assistants who have ed as head men in the NFL: Rod Dowhower with the Colts in the mid-1980's, Dave Campo with the Cowboys earlier this decade, and John Fox, still going with the Panthers. I neglected to throw in the guy who's about to start: Jim Zorn with the Redskins. Geez, that's two clarifications in two months.

The new blue turf at Bronco Stadium will probably look green for awhile for Petersen after the Blue Angels get done with him. Everything will. Petersen will ride with the Navy's famed flight demonstration squadron a week from tomorrow over Twin Falls to promote the Magic Valley Air Show 10 days from now. Pete will remember this adventure--it's not for the faint of stomach.

There's a predictable flip side of the WAC's new ESPN contract that could bring upwards of $4 million a year to the conference, according to some reports. Yes, it's a lot better than the status quo ($900,000 a year). But imagine where those newfound funds might go, especially for the University of Hawaii. For obvious reasons, the Warriors are being affected like nobody else by this year's spiraling travel costs. Hawaii athletic director Jim Donovan says the school's charters to San Jose State and Idaho last season cost $85,000 and $125,000, respectively. The quote for a charter flight to the Fresno State game this year? How about $319,000? It's going to be really interesting to check out the college sports landscape two years from now.

Caves & Prater have browbeaten things like the Scott Slant, although not by name, for trumpeting two former Boise Hawks in the All-Star Game tonight. That's because Francisco Rodriguez and Geovany Soto each played a grand total of one game for the Hawks (Soto in 2002, going 2-for-5, and Rodriguez late in the 1999 season, getting a start--and winning). Okay, guilty as charged. But these are what we affectionately call the "dog days of local sports". Give me a hall pass on this one. Nobody's had more saves before the All-Star break in major league history than Rodriguez (38 for the Angels), and Soto's the hottest Cubs rookie in a quarter century. Enjoy.

The Hawks took advantage of a Tri-City meltdown last night to beat the Dust Devils, 8-5. A passed ball, a throwing error, and a wild pitch contributed to a pair of eighth inning insurance runs, and Boise improves to 15-12. The Hawks had to rally twice in this one, and all the while they were getting a solid bullpen effort. After a four-run Tri-City fourth, Jeff Beliveau and Tommy Mejia calmed the Dust Devils bats over the next four innings. But with the Devils down to their last strike, Mejia allowed two singles, bringing the tying run to the plate. He fell behind in the count with two balls to Pat Rose and threw another in on the fists. It didn't look good. However Rose, just trying to protect himself, inadvertently tapped the ball back to the mound--and Mejia threw him out to end it.

A couple former WAC basketball players of local note are ticketed for new addresses. The Statesman reports that graduated BSU center Matt Nelson has signed with Gandia Basquet, a second-division team in Spain's pro league. Nelson averaged 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds during the Broncos' WAC championship season. And former Idaho guard Mike Hall has landed with his former coach, George Pfiefer, at Division II Montana State-Billings. Hall canned a school-record nine treys in a win over San Jose State in January. This will be Hall's fourth team in four years.

Get ready to see Nick Symmonds heralded as an "Oregon guy" instead of an "Idaho guy" at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing next month. In the current Sports Illustrated, there's a double-truck photo of the 800-meter finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials two weeks ago, with Symmonds pumping his arms as he crosses the finish line. SI calls it an "all-Oregon finish", referring to Symmonds' college days at Willamette and his membership in the Oregon Track Club--along with Oregon Duck Andrew Wheating and Symmonds' OTC teammate Christian Smith. Maybe when NBC does one of those "up close and personal" segments, the Idahoan and the B.K. in Symmonds will be revealed.

This Day In Sports...July 15, 2005:

Considered the greatest golfer of the 20th century, Jack Nicklaus takes a final bow as he crosses the Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews. At the age of 65, Nicklaus wrapped up his final major with a birdie in the British Open, a tournament he won three times in his career. The Golden Bear won 18 majors overall.

(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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