Thursday, May 14, 2009.

It takes a long time for ESPN.com to weave through all its spring football wrapups and get to the WAC. But it's finally there. Nothing unexpected from Graham Watson. Boise State favored, with Nevada the No. 1 threat. Watson has props for Idaho, though. "This is the year Idaho is going to make its move," writes Watson. "It might not be a big move, but it will be a move in the right direction. The Vandals finally have their full complement of scholarships and several players back from last year's health issues. There are talented players on the Idaho roster, and if the lines can improve, Idaho could easily get itself out of the cellar of the WAC." This will be Robb Akey's third year in Moscow--that stability is news in itself. The Vandals are trying to reverse a cycle that has seen them lose 26 of their last 29 games.

How does Grandpa Hawk sound? Grandma Hawk, for that matter. Dan and Misti Hawkins are grandparents, and there's a new baby Bronco in the fold. Former Boise State linebacker Tim Brady and his wife, the former Brittany Hawkins, are the proud parents of Jaxson Hugh Brady, born on Tuesday. Not sure about the first name, but the middle name Hugh is a nod to Tim's late grandfather, the founder of Idaho Sporting Goods. The first photo of Jaxson was taken by Uncle Cody Hawkins, the former Bishop Kelly quarterback who now calls signals for his dad at Colorado. Cody is in town for the birth and is also working out with old buddies at BK, including Kyle Cefalo, his successor as Knights quarterback, and his brother, Uncle Drew, now a wide receiver at Boise State. Cefalo is now a teammate of Cody's with the Buffaloes, having walked on at CU as a wide receiver.

Cody Hawkins was on Idaho SportsTalk yesterday discussing his junior year and the prospects for Colorado football. This is a pivotal year for the Buffs, who haven't had a winning season with the Hawkins family in Boulder. The schedule sets up nicely, though, with Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska all visiting CU--and no Oklahoma game this year. The non-conference slate is favorable as well, with Colorado State, Toledo, Wyoming, and West Virginia on the docket. Cody, acknowledging his shortcomings in size and athleticism, says he has to do what he's always done: "be tough, smart, and a good leader."

I was in Taco Bell Arena the night last November when Boise State senior guard Tasha Harris crumpled to the floor with an ankle injury against Washington State. Not pretty. With star guard Jessica Thompson already redshirting due to injury, the Bronco women's course was altered for the winter. Now comes word that the NCAA has granted Harris a sixth year of eligibility. Coach Gordy Presnell's outlook on the 2009-10 season has brightened accordingly. Harris was first-team All-WAC in 2008 when BSU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 14 years. She was then named preseason WAC Player of the Year last fall.

The lazy, hazy, crazy days in the Palouse when Tim Floyd was resurrecting the Idaho basketball program in the late 1980's seem very long ago now. The water is looking hot at USC, where he coaches now. Yahoo! Sports reports that Floyd paid a go-between $1000 to get O.J. Mayo to play for the Trojans. Mayo stayed just one season before declaring for the NBA Draft and now stars for the Memphis Grizzlies. If the allegation is proven to be true, it would be considered a major NCAA violation for USC, which is already being investigated for improprieties in both basketball and football (the Reggie Bush issue).

It wasn't the 2005 Dontrelle Willis, the one who was runnerup in National League Cy Young Award voting. But it looked better than the 2008 Willis, the one who plummeted all the way to Class A. The former Boise Hawk made his season debut last night for Detroit in a game that would eventually go 13 innings, with Minnesota beating the Tigers, 14-10. Willis was lifted in the fifth inning after allowing four runs, two of them on a first-inning homer by Justin Mourneau. The D-Train's problematic control was okay--he walked two batters. Only once in his final five starts last season did Willis not walk at least five. But he did not record a strikeout last night.

"This is our Fiesta Bowl." Not a surprising statement from Boise State men's tennis coach Greg Patton this week on Idaho SportsTalk. The Broncos are in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second time ever, and they play No. 3 Ohio State this afternoon in College Station, TX. The Buckeyes are 33-1, so we can pigeonhole them with the 2006 Oklahoma football team for purposes of this event. The keys for BSU are the doubles point and the four-through-six positions in singles. Says Patton: "We have three guys at the top who are just as good as anybody in the country." That would be Clancy Shields, Kean Feeder and James Meredith, all ranked in the top 100 in college tennis (Shields is 24th).

The College of Idaho opens pool play today in the NAIA Women's World Series, led by pitcher Jody Zillner of Emmett and slugger Heather Dixon out of Borah. The Coyotes' first game is tonight against Martin Methodist of Tennessee--then they're right back at it tomorrow morning versus Bethel of Indiana. The 23rd-ranked Yotes also face Virginia-Wise Saturday afternoon; if they win their pool, they advance to a double-elimination tournament beginning Monday with eight other teams. This is C of I's second straight trip to nationals.

This Day In Sports...May 14, 1981:

The Boston Celtics top the Houston Rockets, 102-91, to claim Game 6 of the Finals and win the NBA Championship. The Celts' Larry Bird, in his second NBA season, went 7-of-10 in the second half--finishing with 27 points and 13 rebounds. The MVP of the Finals, though, was Boston's Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell. Although it was the Celtics' 14th NBA title, it was the first for any member of that Boston team.

(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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