Wednesday, June 3, 2009.

The advent of af2 in 2007 has brought some interesting stories as the Boise Burn have weaved their way through arena ball. But there's been nothing that matches the return of Joe O'Brien, a former Boise State All-American. O'Brien was arguably the most popular player on a 1994 BSU squad that remains one of the school's most memorable. The Broncos rebounded from a 3-8 season to reach the Division I-AA national championship game, and O'Brien, a defensive end, was at the team's core. He later went into coaching and rose as high as assistant head coach at Montana State--then it all unraveled on drug trafficking charges. Part of O'Brien's road to healing is a date in Qwest Arena Saturday night as an assistant with the af2's Central Valley Coyotes.

O'Brien was yanked out of his post at Montana State and ended up imprisoned, spending two years and four months in federal custody before being released in 2006. It was a very sad postscript for a guy who had been the face of the 1994 group. I held the mic on the turf at Holt Arena after BSU's stunning 32-31 loss to Idaho State in October, when O'Brien guaranteed that the Broncos would not lose again that season. They didn't until meeting Youngstown State in the I-AA final, finishing 13-2. O'Brien was on Idaho SportsTalk yesterday and said his dream remains induction into the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame. He has his degree, so there's nothing I'm aware of in the rules that says he couldn't be elected. It's all about timing, which appears to be improving all the time for O'Brien.

As for on-field Boise Burn business, Terrance Sanders has been named af2 Ironman of the Week for his performance in last week's 51-40 win over Amarillo. As a defensive back, Sanders had an interception, his sixth of the year, which is fine. But as a kickoff returner, he took two runbacks in for touchdowns and had another called back by a penalty. Sanders now has five touchdowns on kickoff returns in nine games this season--the Burn as a team had only six in their first two seasons combined.

Well, here we are. Exactly three months from Opening Night in Bronco Stadium. The past three summers, Boise State coaches have tried to keep fans from looking ahead, preferring to concentrate on the importance of the openers against Sacramento State, Weber State and Idaho State. It's funny what happens when the season begins with a team like Oregon. Now it's all about not forgetting the merits of Miami of Ohio and Bowling Green and Tulsa--and the fact that in the WAC era BSU hasn't ever played Fresno State in September, when the Bulldogs seem to play a lot better. But the Ducks loom large. As ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman says in picking BSU at the top BCS-buster candidate this year, the rest of the Broncos schedule "is good...if Boise beats Oregon. If not, the Broncos could win the rest, going 12-1, and still not be a top-15 team."

Last week we talked about Rivals.com ranking Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore in the top one percent or so of all FBS college football players. Rivals had Moore at No. 100 as it started its countdown. So in what percentile is Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli? Now, Matt Hayes of the Sporting News has his list of the Top 25 college football players in the magazine's daily online edition. And he rates Masoli as the No. 8 player--not quarterback, but player--in all the land. "More of a run threat last season, watch how he develops in the passing game in Year 2 under new coach Chip Kelly," writes Hayes. Masoli is the fourth quarterback listed, behind Tim Tebow of Florida, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, and Colt McCoy of Texas.

An old Bronco versus old Sneakers on the clay of Roland Garros. Former Boise State All-American Wesley Moodie and men's doubles partner Dick Norman of Belgium are set to face Bob and Mike Bryan of the U.S. in the semifinals of the French Open. The Bryan brothers, reigning U.S. Open champions, were members of the Idaho Sneakers of World Team Tennis in the franchise's second-to-last season in 1999.

One regret the Boise State women's softball team has this season is a rainout back on March 1 in Seattle against Washington. Had that not happened, the Broncos would at least be able to say they played the national champion in BSU's inaugural year in the sport. The Huskies won the national championship last night, beating Florida 3-2 at the Women's College World Series. The Pac-10 has now won 21 of the 27 WCWS titles.

The latest on former Boise Hawk Troy Percival is that he may not be retiring after all. Following his fourth trip to the disabled list in just over a year, a discouraged Percival headed back to California to talk with his family about his future. Now the St. Petersburg Times reports the Rays closer is using his time at home to get his arm back in shape for a possible return. Percival, who turns 40 in August, is eighth on the career saves list with 358. Oppoents have an all-time batting average of .188 against him, the lowest any pitcher in major league history with 400 or more appearances.

This Day In Sports...June 3, 1971:

Only 22 pitchers in major league history have thrown more than one no-hitter, and on this day the Cubs' Ken Holtzman became one of them. Holtzman threw a second no-no in a 1-0 win in Cincinnati. His first had come two seasons earlier against Atlanta at Wrigley Field. By the way, another one of those elite 22 is former Idaho Vandal Bill Stoneman from the same era. Stoneman tossed no-hitters for the Montreal Expos in 1969 and 1972.

(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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