Tuesday, May 12, 2009.

Followup on my Sunday Sports Extra segment: conventional NFL wisdom says Ian Johnson wouldn't be a potential kickoff or punt returner for Minnesota. You have those questions about size and durability--Johnson's now 5-11, 212 pounds, and took some serious shots during his sophomore and junior seasons at Boise State. But why couldn't Ian adapt that role in the NFL? We need only use Chris Carr as a case study. Carr also went undrafted after a stellar career with the Broncos. Size? Carr, about to enter his fifth NFL season after signing as an unrestricted free agent with Baltimore, is 5-10, 180--about where he was in his BSU days. Durability? Carr broke a collarbone midway through his senior season at BSU, but there he was returning kickoffs for the Raiders the following year.

The obvious difference going in is experience, as Carr is Boise State's career leader in punt return average at 19.8 yards per runback (though he was only full-time in that role as a senior). Carr also saw significant duty as a kickoff returner. Johnson, on the other hand, returned just four kickoffs during his BSU career. And the only punt return he's credited for was actually the blocked punt he registered in the season opener against Idaho State last year. And that brings us full circle. Whatever special teams role the Vikings suggest for Ian--that's the one he embraces.

Former Boise State standout Chris O'Neill, an undrafted free agent who signed with Oakland, made a good first impression at the Raiders' minicamp over the weekend. On Saturday, he made the "catch of the day". And according to Raiders.com, "[Oakland coach Tom] Cable said the two most impressive undrafted free agents in camp were Boise State tight end Chris O'Neill and Brigham Young linebacker David Nixon, although he'll further evaluate on film." As if it makes any difference, offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, the one-time USC head coach, attended the same high school as O'Neill: Miramonte in nearby Orinda. Only about 40 years apart. By the way, former BSU star Drisan James participated in the minicamp on a tryout basis. James was on the Raiders' practice squad in 2007.

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen may have been walking on air after his Terrapins beat Nevada 42-35 in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl last December. But Friedgen was pretty large when he was in Boise for bowl week. He wasn't as big as he had been, though--and he was much bigger than he is now. In October, Friedgen weighed 401 pounds when he went on the Medifast diet. Since then he's eaten five small meals a day on the plan and has lost 86 pounds. At 62 years old, Friedgen says he knows it's crucial for him to get it under control now. Though he'd like to lose 150 pounds, his immediate goal is 100.

The NBA has always been emotionally wrenching for George Karl. So much so that he's taken a couple sabbaticals from the bench over the years. Today is Karl's 58th birthday, and now he might be at the pinnacle of his career. Already 12th on the NBA's all-time victories list, Karl finally has the chemistry he's coveted with the Denver Nuggets and has them on the cusp of a Western Conference Finals showdown with the Lakers (Dallas survived last night, 119-117, to extend their series with the Nuggets).

During his last break from the game, Karl was a familiar face in Boise; he was a regular at Taco Bell Arena during son Coby's freshman year and half of his sophomore year at Boise State before accepting the job in Denver. Karl's long had roots in Idaho. His wife (now ex-wife) was from Nampa, and he used to spend a lot of quality time in McCall. These days Karl seems as peaceful as Pilgrim Cove.

No better time to check in on the hottest former high school baseball player from the Treasure Valley than when he's named California League Player of the Week. Borah High grad John Gaston is the honoree in the long-season Class A circuit after batting .610 with 14 RBIs and four home runs last week. Most importantly, three of the homers came in the same game, the second time he's accomplished that feat this season. Gaston, a seventh round draft pick by Houston last year out of the University of Arizona, is playing for the Lancaster JetHawks in the Cal League. This hot streak is a far cry from his first pro season--Gaston hit just .193 with two homers last summer in short season Class A. This year he's batting .304 with nine homers.

Rocketman 5000, the senior writer and relentless researcher at Bronco Country.com, notes that Boise State has shattered school records for Top 25 rankings in one school year (eight with the previous record four) and Top 25 finishes (five, topping the previous mark of three). And the Broncos are among the nation's leaders in conference championships with four (football, wrestling, gymnastics and men's indoor track). But with that said, BSU may not win the WAC Commissioner's Cup. Rocketman predicts the race for the conference all-sports trophy against Nevada and Fresno State will come down to the Broncos' ability to defend their WAC men's track and field title (they're not favored to do so) and not finish last in women's track this week at Utah State.

This Day In Sports...May 12, 1970:

Ernie Banks, "Mr. Cub", hits his 500th career home run in a game against the Atlanta Braves. Banks hit 512 homers all told--still one of only 25 players ever to go over 500. He led the National League in dingers twice: in 1958 and 1960. Banks loved the game; you can still hear him saying, "Let's play two!"

(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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