Posts by John Radcliff at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Now that the depositions are underway in the WVU vs. Rich Rodriguez case, we are finally starting to learn a few things that weren't apparent. For instance, we didn't know how little Rodriguez's attorney, Marv Robon knows about sports. More to the point, how little he knows about who is coaching where.

At one point Pastilong testified that Texas A&M had a problem when its football coach was given his own Web site, leading to his dismissal. "You mean Bobby Knight?" Robon asked. Bobby Knight? He was a basketball coach. Latest stop at Texas Tech, not A&M. And he was fired at Indiana.

Not satisfied that people knew the depth of his lack of fandom, Robon continued.

"Do people blame Mike Parsons for Bobby Huggins leaving?" When he was corrected and told that Huggins was the current coach, Robon dug himself in deeper. "Attempt to leave?" he asked.

Once again, real life proves itself far funnier than anything I could ever make up. I'm sure he meant former West Virginia basketball coach John Beilein. And being a West Virginia fan, I heard a lot of things about assistant AD, Mike Parsons and the loss of Beilein. His name was also mentioned quite a bit during the Alabama-Rodriguez fiasco. Keep in mind that what I just said is 100% rumor. But the rumor goes that wile both Rodriguez and Beilein were at West Virginia, they went to Ed Pastilong on more than one occasion to complain about Parsons. Most likely about facility issues and Parsons lack of concern.

It hardly seems important at this point, as Pastilong and Rodriguez made only sparse contact over his last eight months.

In Rodriguez's final eight months, Pastilong seldom had contact with the coach other than in social settings and was not involved in negotiations, which were done through Team Rodriguez's agent, lawyers and financial experts while the WVU legal team and President Garrison and Walker handled the Mountaineer side.

Was it really only four years ago that the Big East was in danger of losing it's BCS status? Miami and Virginia Tech left in 2003 and Boston College in 2004. The conference sent Pitt, one of several 8-4 teams in the Big East to lose to Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. And there wasn't much reason to think the conference was going to get better any time soon. The conference was written off by the media and the blogospher didn't even bother to poke fun.

But something happened last week that most of us didn't even notice. The Big East was granted a spot in the BCS through 2013.

The reason is simple: no one noticed the news. No one questioned the Big East's place at the adult table. The reaffirmation wasn't even a note in BCS meeting coverage. "It was quiet,'' Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said Tuesday. "The way I like it."

You'd never make it as a blogger Mr. Tranghese. You need to rub it in someones face every once in a while. The least you could do is hold up one of those foam we're #1 hands. Or one of six, I guess. How bout a little woot-woot? Oh fine!

Despite the picture on the right, you can't just point to West Virginia and say their two BCS bowl victories and three straight top ten finishes are the reason. But I won't argue with you if you do. It really has been the improvement of several teams in the Big East that has brought the conference back to respectability. Louisville was expected to be one of the better teams in the conference. And mostly, they've come through. But the real surprise has been the improvement of South Florida, Rutgers, and Cincinnati. And more recently, Connecticut.

While the conference still isn't flooding the first round of the NFL draft with players, it is putting a lot more teams in the top 25. Sure, some coaches have left for "greener" pastures. Others like Greg Schiano and Jim Leavitt have made commitments to their schools that don't involve contracts. There's a balance, and certainly enough rising programs and programs that are there to keep the Big East respectable. At least until the Big 11 10 decides to add another team. Wankers.

There's nothing quite as annoying as a reformed smoker. They always walk up to you while you're having that one cigarette you set aside in the day for me time. Telling you how to fix your life by quitting. I'm sure it's true, but there's a time and a place for that kind of talk. And this isn't it.

Oddly enough, the International Olympic Committee might be having these same exact feelings following reformed steroid peddler, Victor Conte's latest interview.

"The Olympics are a fraud. It's all about money," Conte told BBC Sport. "Those who control the money, control the anti-doping policies. They are still inept to this day."

Yup, this is the same guy that served jail time for conspiracy to distribute and money laundering. And to be honest, he sounds a lot like Jose Canseco if you watch the video portion of the interview. I'm not knocking the guy. If he's out to clean up drug testing in sports, I'm all for it.

He did meet with former Anti-doping Agency head,....wait for it....Dick Pound. And gave pointers on how his operation worked. And he isn't afraid to call out Olympic officials in general.

"I have been told by Olympic officials that there have been positive drug tests that have been covered up," he revealed. "They (the officials) have direct knowledge of this and at some point this information will come out

I hope, unlike Jose Canseco, he doesn't start dropping names (oops!). It's enough that he inform officials about how to get around their testing practices. Even if he is exaggerating just a little, Conte doesn't paint a pretty picture of the competence of drug testing in Olympic and professional sports. And given recent events in baseball, it's not hard to believe. It will be interesting to see a response from the IOC or any professional sports. Or if any respond at all. I would like to know the sports I follow are clean. Even if that meant a reduction in performance. And if you see me off smoking a cigarette by myself, how's bout you give me a few minutes peace.

Rodriguez might not be such a jerk after all! I'm just kidding. Nothing will ever justify the way things have gone down between Rodriguez and West Virginia. It's been one stinking mud slinging mess that hasn't benefited either party. Suggestions of racism that probably aren't true. West Virginia fans shredding Rodriguez along with a slew of youtube's taunting Rodriguez. And of course, the WVU administration enslaving Rodriguez. Hell, I just want the season to start just so we can get out of this silly off season.

But it's hard not to look at the new contract signed by West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins, and not wonder how screwed up the lines of communication are at West Virginia.

Yet, the deal was a surprise even to some who shouldn't have been stunned. That's because WVU's administration -- continuing to be battered by the Heather Bresch bogus degree scandal -- did this deal behind the backs of its athletic leaders. It was a spin move right out of a Joe Alexander post-up. The WVU athletic staff had no knowledge of the "lifetime" contract talks until WVU Athletic Director Ed Pastilong finally was informed about it 24 hours before the dog-and-pony show to announce it.

The Bresch thing, if you don't know, is about Governor Manchin's daughter receiving a masters degree from West Virginia without earning it. The whole story is best read here (language warning). Back to my point though, who's in charge of the athletic department if the athletic director doesn't know a coach is getting a raise?

West Virginia's president, Mike Garrison, probably wanted to make a splash in his first year. But I doubt this is what he was looking for. He's single handedly ushered out the most successful football coach in Mountaineer history and has 80% of the faculty calling for his resignation over the Bresch scandal. Not bad for just over seven months on the job! And now leaving the athletic department in the dark about contract negotiations. It's been a bad year off the field for West Virginia. A little house cleaning might be in order before it works it's way onto the field. My suggestion would be to start at the top.

I did this last year, so it seems only fitting that I would do it again.

And it wasn't even close. Louisville had five players drafted, while Pitt and West Virginia had three apiece. Rutgers, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Connecticut had two each. And for the first time since 1975, Syracuse did not have anyone selected.

That's 19 players drafted. And any way I slice it, that's just not all that good for a BCS conference. Looking at the distribution of what rounds the players were taken, it was pretty well spread out over the entire draft for the Big East. But that doesn't make it feel any better. It's especially bad if you look at a team like West Virginia that has had three 11 win seasons in a row along with three straight top ten finishes. They've had exactly four players drafted in the last three years. And Chris Henry and Pac Man Jones the year before that. So we won't even go there.

The ACC? Yeah, that conference we've been quietly laughing at after Miami, Va. Tech, and Boston College left. Yeah, they had 33 players drafted this past weekend. The coaching must really suck over there or something.

Pac 10? Oh, they had 37 players drafted. SEC? 35. Big 10? 28. Big 12? 27. Hell, C-USA had 11 players drafted! Patriot League? Never mind.

Even more upsetting for West Virginia fans, two players left early for the NFL and weren't drafted. Those two being Darius Reynaud and Johnny Dingle. Yeah, sorry folks. Those Dingle-Berry photo's won't be happening anymore. Those are definitely two players the Mountaineers could have used this year, though. I'm not saying that their stock would go up any with one more year of college. But it sure wouldn't go down.

Louisville will have the most holes to fill as well. You don't replace Brian Brohm, Harry Douglas, and Art Carmody. I know there are others, but those three were special at their positions. West Virginia won't be far behind with the loss of Slaton and most of the secondary and defensive line. Rutgers, well we don't know how bad it is because we haven't seen anyone but Ray Rice run the ball. The rest of the conference should be fine. And that's not a good thing if you think about it.

I have a list in my head of the 10 most impossible things. And on it near the top is Jason Gwaltney playing for West Virginia again. Laugh if you will, but it looks rather possible now.

"We'd welcome him back, sure,'' Stewart said. "If he can get his eligibility back, after all he's put into it, everybody deserves a second chance. But understand, it's all about chemistry. And Jason or anybody else in our program will have to follow all of our guidelines as far as going to class and being accountable. If he does all of that, certainly we'd welcome him.''

That's a lot to ask if you consider Jason's past with the Mountaineers, coach. You sure you don't want to tone that down a bit? West Virginia does need someone for short yardage situations. But still, is it worth it? I mean....well....what conversation took place in order to make this possible?

(phone rings)

WVU: Hello?

Jason: Hey baby!

WVU: Oh, it you! I thought we settled this last time!

Jason: Now come on baby. You know you're the only one I've ever been serious about. All those Community Colleges? That was just so I could get back to you.

WVU: But...

Jason: Now look! I really need you in my corner this time! Don't worry your pretty head about anything. Daddy's back and he's going to make everything right. I got myself squared away and I'm going to be everything you thought I was in 2005. You remember 2005 don't you?

Maybe like you, I go back and forth on what to make of these Olympics. Admittedly, it's fun to pile on China as the 2008 summer games approach, and more specifically, as the torch makes its way around the globe. There are a lot of truths about China that are coming to light that otherwise seem to have been ignored by the media and the public in general. And I think that's a good thing.

But at the same time, I have the feeling that maybe politics and national interests should be left behind. Maybe the focus should rest squarely on the competition of the best athletes in the world at their particular sport. And that everything else should be secondary. Then I run across a piece of history on what kind of signals you send when you allow a militaristic state host the Olympics. Like, let's say, Germany in 1936. Left unchecked, we found that they were capable of sending the world into chaos. And in that light, the protests surrounding the carrying of the Olympic torch are not only appropriate, I would argue that they are necessary.

But hey, I'm a sports blogger. I'm getting way outside my realm here. I'm supposed to point out the subtle ironies of life to everyone and stomp on the grave of the main stream media while typing away in my parents basement. Right? And to that end, I point out that the torch relay didn't start until the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Never before had a lighted torch been relayed from a Greek temple in Olympia to an athletic competition, let alone by thousands of runners trying to keep it from being extinguished.

Hmmm ... if ever a propaganda machine was set in motion, it was the Nazi effort to show the world a united, technologically superior Germany. The first television broadcast was the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympics. I have no idea what China has in store for their opening ceremonies, but I'm sure it will be spectacular. Maybe no new technologies will be introduced, but I'm sure it will be choreographed down to the smallest detail imaginable.

Obviously the Nazi inauguration of the carrying of the torch need not besmirch this tradition of unity. But it is ironic that China would not be in nearly as intense a PR war if not for the German initiation of the torch carrying tradition. China has named the carrying of the torch the "Journey of Harmony." And to this point it has been anything but. And I can't help but laugh every time I think that they have the Nazis to thank for it.

I hated this guy so much while he was at Louisville, I take great joy in knowing that I will never have to write about him again. And by hate, I mean respect if you look at what he did the last three years to West Virginia.

WHAT NFL SCOUTS ARE SAYING

Pro Football Weekly Ranking the Quarterbacks

Brohm – Pop gun arm incapable of drilling NFL throws into tight NFL windows – I can envision him now getting picked off left and right trying to hit the deep out on the next level. Cannot throw on the run. Marginal athleticism - struggles to evade the rush. Pushes the ball and accuracy consequently suffers.

PROBABLY GETTING DRAFTED..

Even after that assessment, will probably go in the late first early second round.

GUY WHO WATCHED HIM FOR THREE YEARS IS SAYING

If all you knew of Brian Brohm was his performance last year, then I would say most of the above is spot on. However, there is a reason he was considered a top five pick if he would have come out for the draft after his junior year. He really is that good. And Louisville really was that bad last year. Most everyone will point out to you that a large part of the problem last year was that the defense put the offense in bad positions by letting teams score at will on them. And that's certainly true. But he didn't get a lot of help from the offense either. The rushing game got scary bad to nonexistent through the meat of the schedule. Harry Douglas was hurt in the middle of the season, and Mario Urrutia wasn't Mario Urrutia. Despite that, he completed 65% of his passes for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. Pop gun arm or not that's pretty good. Last year wasn't an easy year for Brohm, but he took it all in stride and did everything he could to help the team win.

His numbers and Louisville's record in 2006 and 2005 speak to what he is capable of when surrounded with adequate players. And while he might not have the OMG! skills that impress everyone leading up to the draft.

Does anything really surprise you anymore? Me neither. But still, if you're a journalism or communications student at Penn State have we got an offer for you. Now you can study Joe Paterno and his interaction with the media starting this fall. Which means you should probably get real familiar with the word "brains", and study all the Night of the Living Dead movies for self defense purposes if you plan on getting close to the subject.

As far as the class goes, I'm going to suggest to you that you stay guarded against believing schools like Temple, Youngstown State, and Florida International ever have a chance of winning anything other than sportsmanship awards. Because over his time as coach of Penn State, Joe has been known to build up the opposition in his press conferences well beyond what any knowledgeable college football fan would believe. Some people refer to that as lying. But in Joe's case, that's just Joe being Joe.

And speaking of Joe being Joe, you might find out that Joe is kind of renaissance man in your studies. Football coach (obviously), but more importantly, the dude can twirl!

Human rights violations, genocide in Darfur, poor air quality, these are just a couple reasons why China has come under scrutiny in the lead up to the Summer Olympics. And China is trying very hard to make the Beijing Olympics their coming out party. But with every step forward they make, they take two steps back.

So what did they do now? Yep, pirated video games on the Official Beijing Olympics website.

New York-based games developer Cadin Batrack claimed in a blog posting that "the Olympics stole my game". Batrack highlighted what he claims are strong similarities between his Snow Day game, and a game on the Olympics website titled Fuwa Fight the Winter Clouds.

A trip over to Mr. Batrack's blog post will give you a good idea as to the very minor differences between the two games. And really, if you're going to steal something you probably don't want to put it on what will probably be one of the more popular websites in the world as the games get closer. While the game was removed from the Olympics website this morning, there are still two other games Batrack claims are stolen from fellow game developer Ferry Halim. Yeah, in case you didn't know it software developers get mad when you steal their work.

And in a humorous twist of irony, the Beijing Olympic Committee is threatening severe penalties on anyone that pirates any of the "intellectual property" located on the site.

The Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee threatens harsh penalties under Chinese law for anybody who pirates its intellectual property, such as the official Olympics cartoon mascots that appear in the Fuwa game. These include confiscation of income generated by the illegal use, as well as a fine of $7,000 or up to five times any illegal income.

We'll let you know when the committee's trail date is set for. But please don't hold your breath.