Marcano made $1.7 million in salary so far and got a lifetime ban for betting $150,000 on baseball while with the Pirates, including betting on Pittsburgh. The worst part is this tidbit from the article:

Marcano bet almost exclusively on the outcomes of games and lost all of his parlay bets involving the Pirates, winning just 4.3% of all of his MLB-related bets, according to the league.

Saw Second Part of Dune this afternoon. Really Good movie and better than First Part IMO because this one is about the actual battle of Arrakis. Felt Austin Butler did a Great job in role of Feyd.

Jody Demling on one of the UofL sites is saying these matchups could be announced next week. Thats's a little earlier than it was announced last year, but not much.

We will presumably be on the road since we were at home last year, and obviously won't play Duke or UofL since they're already on the schedule.

So who do we want? UNC would obviously be the biggest matchup they could make, but they also had a home game last year.

They may not stick with everyone who had a road game last year getting a home game, but if they do, it would be among ND, Miami, NC State, Clemson, VT or BC. Or it could be one of the new additions (Stanford, Cal or SMU).

So far there have been 7 games played and 6 of the 7 winners have scored 10 runs. Only NC State didn’t score 10 and they scored 18. It’s really nothing but I thought it was kind of interesting.

With the portal being closed I assume Uconns players are stuck there if Hurley leaves....or is there a special circumstance exemption that they can use if a coach bolts?

** 4-star corner Dalen Penson confirms with CI that his only two summer official visits are to Georgia Tech (6/7) and Kentucky (6/22).

** 3-star corner Serious Stinson had been planning to officially visit Kentucky in June but tells CI that visit is off.

** Two offensive linemen who were going to officially visit Kentucky but are not going to are N-Kye Wynn (Michigan) and Jacobe Ward (Georgia). The sense I get is UK evaluated the big picture lay of the land and decided to invest time/energy in other guys.

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** Still on the docket to visit are Spike Sowells, Taren Hedrick, Darrin Strey, Bryan Auguste, Jermiel Atkins and Andrew Stargel.

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** Jayden Clark is still under evaluation, he missed his junior season with an injury and I think a lot of schools including Kentucky are eager to wait and see how he starts to come back from that.

** One person told me they believe Darrin Strey will ultimately come down to Kentucky and Illinois. Schools like Michigan State and Ole Miss are battling to get into a better position but don't have the length of relationship that UK and Illinois have with him.

** Hearing that Kentucky and Texas A&M are probably the two standout options for Taren Hedrick at the moment.

** Stargel picked up an Ohio State offer without the Buckeyes even knowing much about him. He's got a very strong recruiting profile and will be the toughest to land out of any of those guys.

** Hearing Kentucky is likely to land Spike Sowells.

** Kentucky's in the best shape for Auguste going into the trip.

** Get the sense UK may be more likely to take Atkins than Clark right now. But they are going to take as many good athletic tackle prospects as they can in this class.

Best guess on the final OL product this year would be C Sowells, iOL Kattus, OT Auguste, OT Stray, OT Atkins but that is not certain, just my read of the info I have.

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Check out who liked this post. Could mean nothing, could mean something.

Just noticed that he was a WR on Titans roster. Hadn't heard that before stumbling upon it. Went to Youngstown State and then signed as undrafted free agent.

Is he still hurt!? Engaged in summer workouts? Expected to play this season?

Any info would be great.

19-13? 9-9 in the SEC?

Was an assistant at UGA for a year and I thought he did a hell of job. I’ve followed his career since and he’s had some tough jobs but has always had good teams. I think he’s a hell of a coach. When UGA hired Kirby for football some fans didn’t like it because he had no experience. Two titles later we are on top. Give Pope a chance and if he can recruit the right players with NIL, UK will be back on top imo. Good hire!

Anyone excited for this? I'm pumped and have read a lot of good things about it. Scott and Cameron have both been wowed by this movie so that's a really good sign. There have been some turds in this franchise for sure (looking at you Alien 3 and Covenant). Alvarez has proven to be a good maker of horror movies and practical effects trumps cgi in this movie. Being a HUGE fan of the first two flicks and Prometheus, which has grown on me big time, I'm excited to be there on Day 1.
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When they need to fart and don't want to do it in a crowd over on one of the other boards?

I believe the three of them will be arriving on campus today, and then have freshmen orientation on the 10th. Looking forward to seeing these young men develop over the summer and leading up to the season. We have all made predictions of who will start and who want, but I believe these young men will get the opportunity to prove themselves, because I think Pope and his assistants will develop these kids as quickly as possible to give us some productive minutes.

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OREGON STATE BEAVERS Q&A SESSION:

* OSU HC Mitch Canham on turning their season around and improving on the road after some struggles early on… Started playing to win. We’re playing not to lose for a long stretch, not aggressive enough. Also found ways to loosen up the guys and have more fun. You have to do that when you’re on the road.

* Canham on getting acclimated to the stadium, surroundings at KPP… Just got here, so haven’t had a long look at it yet. He did note that the wind was whipping out to RF pretty good today, so he thinks star 2B Travis Bazzana is going to enjoy batting practice today and seeing how the ball travels… He did add, however, that he noticed Kentucky does a little bit of everything well, so he thinks the Beavers will have to play a little bit like the Cats.

* Bazzana on staying focused with all the MLB Draft hype and possibly being the No. 1 pick… It’s come easily. He’s got a passion for the game and a focus on winning that doesn’t allow that to affect him.

* Asked about “Lat” and “Kyle” being available this weekend, Canham said they will not. (I’m not too sure who those two are right now, so you guys may need to do some Google work while I’m here.). EDIT: Lattery was a mid-week starter/relief arm who had come back from injury and then experienced some more issues. Kyle Scott was expected to be their closer, but just hasn’t been healthy much.

* Canham on UK’s running game… Confident in the catchers as receivers and throwers, good at blocking the plate. If we do our job and mix our looks, be quick to the plate, we’re confident. If we don’t do that, we know they’re going to steal a lot of bases. Paying too much attention to that can really aid UK’s hitters at times, too. They know because they cause opponents some of the same issues.

* On trying to win a championship for a league that’s going away… Canham says they do it for their team and community more than the league. But he’s a native of that area, so it’s important to him. You can tell he’s kinda sad about it. Hopes that leadership around the country “gets this under control” and does the right things for student-athletes. Bazzana adds that winning a title could really leave the program in great shape no matter what happens with conferences, so that’s really important to them.

*****

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KENTUCKY WILDCATS Q&A:

* Kentucky HC Nick MIngione… Great week of practice, excited to get going.

* MIngione on OSU’s Bazzana… Beauty of the SEC is you get to compete against a lot of guys like this. Thinks the UK pitchers, after this weekend, will have faced just about all the great hitters at the top of this draft. Will have to respect him, but also attack him.

* UK 3B Mitchell Daly… A lot of competitors in that dugout. Total confidence in his teammates.

* MIngione on the OSU lineup… Multi-dimensional. They can bunt, run the bases, hit home runs, do a lot of things. Very similar to the UK lineup. Older guys, guys willing to do a lot of different things. When you get this deep into the tournament, chances are you have faced someone very similar to this. Prepared and confident to face whatever challenges OSU presents.

* Daly on hitting with Lopez in front of him, Nicholson behind him… Awesome having a guy like Ryan behind him with 20+ HRs. Looks to do anything possible to get on base in front of him.

* 1B Ryan Nicholson on betting on himself when he transferred here and overcoming a slow start to his season… Sometimes you have to go backward before you can go forward when you’re slumping. That’s what he tried to do prior to SEC play.

* MIngione on nerves… There’s a difference in having nerves — everyone will have nerves — but they won’t be scared. Talked about that in practice today. Had them act out a scene from “The Rock” today that may have had a little “colorful” language.

* MIngione on what their “X factor” would be… Margin of victory in these is so small. Reminded team today that they don’t hav to do anything different at all. Formula is pitching, defense, quality ABs, grinding out ABs.

* On preparing for an opponent they’re not overly familiar with like SEC pitchers… Daly says it’s a challenge, but the good part about that is they have to prepare for the Cats, too. It works both ways.

* MIngione says he hopes they’re building something where people expect this to be every May and June. There’s a “rhythm” to Lexington where March is NCAA Tournament, April is Keeneland, so why not make May and June “ours.”

* Nicholson said it’s always cool to go play at places across the SEC where the atmosphere is so good, and they’re hoping they can build that here with what that team is doing. Daly says he can sense that the fans are starting to feel like they’re a real part of it. Looking forward to the energy this weekend.

* MIngione on RP Johnny Hummel… Leaned on him a lot early in the season. Hit a rough patch. Feels better about where he’s at now. He’s rested and ready. Just rode the hot hand with Cam O’Brien last game.

* Daly on what his pitch would be to future players on why they should come here… There’s a true sense of family and faith and how to become a better man, a better friend, a better teammate. “It’s been an awesome experience here.” Says he was struggling the last couple of years, didn’t really know who he was. He’s been able to establish himself as a player and person. Nicholson adds that you should come here and build something. “You’ll be remembered for years and years to come.”

* MIngione on the success they’ve had this season and how it helps recruiting… Noted that they’ve got a guy who wants to commit right now, will have a talk with him later tonight, and it’s a guy who could go “anywhere in the country. He’s that good.” Says it’s because of what the players have done this season and the job of selling recruits when they talk to them. Minge has never had a discussion with this particular player, but the staff and players have done such a great job on him, they might have him committed.

played the SEC just once losing to Arkansas 5-4 a couple of months back … Tennessee just killed it today, and tho I hate them with a passion, the Vols are a good baseball team. I hope our Cats can git ‘er dun!!!

6 PM ON SATURDAY NIGHT (ESPNU)

9 PM (!!) ON SUNDAY NIGHT (ESPNU)

Its actually crazy this guy is somehow still a coach. Sure chin may drink but at least he recruits from time to time. In Flints whole tenure here i cant think of one lead recruit hes landed nor his prowess as an X and Os guy. Joel justice (who also is terrible) at least was hired to land bam. Bruiser just sits there and chews bubble gum as hard as possible. He should easily hit the bricks and hire tyler ulis as the assistant, you can actually see tyler help on the sidelines and is probably able to relate to the college kids and help them see things on a level of familarness. Tyler as well obviously knows offense and can help PGs see the floor better and coach them up on how to be a true floor general. Bruiser is getting paid to be cals buddy. He adds absolutely nothing and is being paid handsomely for it. How barnhart didnt demand his dismissal shows he truly doesnt know nor care about basketball.

In addition to Furphy and Kugel, they have now lost Elmarko Jackson for this season. I know they supposedly got the greatest incoming class/transfer portal ever, but I need the pundits to slow their rolls. They have practically shipped them the title already.

I could be wrong, but it was my understanding that West decommitted with the intent of joining the 2025 class at Ohio State. That has not yet happened. or at least it mas not been made public.

Does anyone know why he is not a Buckeye. Is OSU slow playing him? I know they have at least 1 RB commitment and several other highly rated targets.

Would definitely be a focal point of the 2025 class at UK and would have an opportunity to play early. Would not think Davis would scare him off, 2 completely different RB's and West will have competition no matter where he goes.

Any Thoughts?

Thanks

We are coming up on the 60 day hire mark for Pope and I believe that he is just now able to start working on his "master plan" so to speak. His first 45 days were non-stop, balls to the wall, with hardly anytime to think. He has done a phenomenal job putting together a staff and a roster. If I am correct, he is enjoying a little time away with the family and will return with all players on campus. Now he can semi settle in and start working his plan. I don't pretend to know the details of his long term plans but I can guarantee that the atmosphere around this program has changed and will continue to change for the better. For the first time, in a long time, I am excited about basketball. Hope everyone has a great day!

John Fanta

@John_Fanta

A source tells Fox Sports that Dan Hurley met with his players at UConn this morning and informed them he's been in talks with the Lakers. Hurley didn't want to hide the fact that this was real. The Huskies have a noon practice, and Hurley told his players it's business as usual for now.