OU scores early on Buffs; assistant to hire

Colorado broke out the road map last season to recruit and it paid off as the Buffs scored commitments from all over the country. That success has them right back on the road, looking under rocks everywhere for more players, according to Adam Munsterteiger of BuffStampede.com.

And developments were looking promising for 2008 as hyped quarterback prospect Landry Jones out of New Mexico was ready to decide between Oklahoma and CU.

This was the next building block to go with the most recent class, especially everyone's All-American tackle, Ryan Miller out of Columbine.

Then the news broke -- Jones picked the Sooners (see picture to the right)

Now honestly, the Buffs can't compete with OU on many levels but CU should be attractive for the excitement brewing in Boulder, Boise State's success which was stoked into a fire by Buffs' coach Dan Hawkins, and the opportunity to play early. All of that proved insufficient reasons, however, for Jones to come to CU to compete with Cody Hawkins, Matt Ballenger and Nick Nelson.

Yes, the Sooners are all that glitters, high profile and have the court evidence of having rolled off some successful QBs (Josh Heupel, Jason White and even, to some degree, Paul Thompson) and big seasons but remember this, some touted names have also gone to Norman and went broke -- Tommy Grady (prep All American to nobody to Utah Ute) and Rhett Bomar (your-money-for-nothing-and-your-chicks-for-free guy now playing at some small school in the weeds in Texas).

Jones would have had to prove himself superior to Cody Hawkins to play but as I've been told by those in the know in recruiting, great talents always believe themselves the best. Confidence is not an issue.

If the Buffs could have added a player of Jones' stature to the position and early in the recruiting cycle, it would have been another significant moon step towards a move back into an old neighborhood -- the top 25.

A tough spring loss for the Buffs' brain trust and architects. Jones may not know this but he'll have significant competition at OU. He does have the talent to win out and show the Buffs what they almost had, sort of like Carson Palmer, who once reportedly picked Southern California over CU, or Casey Clausen, who went for the Tennessee orange over the black and gold of the Buffs.

There will, however, be fallout for the Sooners as incoming freshman Keith Nichol is thought to be an impact player and Joey Halzle, a junior college transfer, is also an under-the-radar find.

After Jones arrives on campus, expect one transfer.

Obvious is obvious

Not saying Jeff Bzdelik is a done deal as the next head basketball coach at Colorado but heard the team is practicing saying his name like they're learning a foreign language. Buzz-deli-ick. Bzzzzzzzzzz-dell like the computer-ick. Biz-del-ik. The Buffs are also wondering if they are going to have to salute come practice and go through actual practice drills or something.

It will be heartwarming when these poor orphans finally get a daddy. Athletic director Mike Bohn is trying to find the perfect man who will encourage, discipline, love, get his kids involved in sports and even shoot around with them.

Hallway gossip

A story in the Sporting News brought up an old name in Kevin O'Neill, who once was a top assistant at Arizona and head coach at Tennessee and Northwestern. Currently collecting checks in the NBA as as assistant, TSN gave credit to O'Neill as a premier defensive tactician and recruiter (look at the names he lured to UA), leading me to wonder how brilliant a hire he could be as an assistant on the Colorado staff, if the money was decent at all. Why would he do such a thing? If Jeff Bzdelik is indeed Buffs' athletic director Mike Bohn's honey bunch, then O'Neill could really score his bank account in a few years agreeing to an alliance with one promising coach. It would also be the vitamin B-12 shot in the arm for recruiting that CU needs for advancement in the mean streets of the Big 12.

Did you hear

Future Kansas State basketball impact player Michael Beasley lit it up at the McDonald's All-American game. Wildcats' coach Bob Huggins appears to be on the up-and-up so far in Manhattan and is doing an impressive job getting that program back to being a player on a national level.

New rule being passed down, not by the NCAA, but by coaches everywhere -- buy your buddies pizza, beer, whatever but don't be going Moving Guy and hurtin' the team! Poor Kenny Wilson will never hear the end of it.

Arkansas is not dumb. They're trying but they may not be pretty enough. Maybe that one over there, Kentucky, is for Texas A & M coach Billy Gillispie. The Aggies boss is a wanted man, how sweet it is, and while he might secretly have a thang' for the Hogs, he likely wants what few can have, the Wildcats.

Washington State didn't make it to the Final 4 but they did something almost as good -- keeping coach Tony Bennett. The man has to prove he can recruit but if he does he's smart enough to win a lot of games in Pullman. Big victory for the Cougars' administration and fans.

Call me ugly -- again, if you must, but political correctness is just something I don't get nor tolerate. What country do we live in? We, as a nation, jam violence and overt sexuality down our children's throats but some guy, not using all the discretion he should, gets emotional in a moment and we overreact to that mild stupidity as if it were fact and are suddenly looking to line up the firing squad. Are those comments really hateful or just a case of a mouth off the leash. Trust me, if the worst anyone is going to call me is "crafty" then count me in because I can share so much more that's been said about me and no one ever got fired over it. I've even been called far worse in letters here. Hey, back in the day, even had a boss repeatedly call me a fag on one job before I, well, body checked him when he tried to kick me. And I'm guessin' but not confessin' that I've called others worse than "crafty" once or twice in this life, although never the things others have spewed my way.

The backyard

What a deceitful punk new Broncos' cornerback Dre' Bly is, wouldn't you say? Guy gets traded out of a dump named Detroit to one of the better organizations in pro football, acts like he is Champ Bailey, infers he is not excited about being in town (he'll deny it now) and now that he gets a contract extension worth, according to ESPN.com, $ 33 million, he's good to go. Giddy up! Dude might be an above-average defensive back but his first act as a Bronco, well, he gets panned. What a fraud. Can hardly wait for the spin coming -- "oh man, I was always excited about coming here, you know? It was all about the media distorting like they do, stirring it up, you know? My teammates will see, I'm amped to be gettin' paid, um, I mean, being a Nugget, or Rockie or Bronco, whatever. What city do they play in again?"

Is there a more dysfunctional team in the NBA than the Nuggets? There are coaches doing so much more with so much less than George Karl has in Denver. What happened to Allen Iverson? Marcus Camby? And why is Carmelo Anthony dogging it everywhere but scoring the ball? Nene is back roughing it up but this group needs some tough love. Sorry, but you can't ignore the signs. See that road sign? Divorce, 12 games. Someone's leaving town. Maybe not Karl, yet, but someone. The front office has seen enough and the money man, Stan Kroenke has too, to warrant some serious punishment.

Rockies' management is selling it again, how good this team will be, sans pitching I will add. Yet the Sporting News has that powerhouse of a franchise ranked 25th out of 30 teams this season. Oh, don't me wrong, I love the potential of the positional players and think Colorado could be exciting to watch but unless Jeff Francis wins 20, Aaron Cook proves healthy and top-of-the-rotation quality and newbie Jason Hirsh busts out, this will be another little brother team.

To make up for ripping those poor home boys, here's some pictures for you. After looking at them, I'm thinking I have to try to grow a 'stache like Cook or go even more grand and get some Todd Helton-esque facial hair.

Trippin' the news

Talk about losing the golden ticket -- check this out. To be so close to the throne and then to drop the ball and lose the right of succession has to be a devastating business defeat. Wife says "game over."

Have to ask, what kind of chump lawyer did former major-league pitcher Ugueth Urbina hire? The man is rich and famous and got justice served to him. That doesn't happen in the United States, it just doesn't. Money talks, truth walks. Oh yeah, Urbina will get housed because the trial was in Venezuela. Guy lives in the wrong country for being powerful and getting a free legal pass.

And we wonder why those in power, especially some athletes, continue to get in legal hot water. For those not paying attention in class, it's call e-n-a-b-l-i-n-g. At the risk of offending here, lawyers, by rule, well, not the most moral, decent people (read, whores). Once again, money talks, truth walks, buy the t-shirt.

Want a glimpse into a mind of a winning athlete? One of the best ever at his position in his sport? Even if it is hockey, which makes me want to hit the snooze button, this is interesting. Here it is, on the house. What caught my eye was Dominik Hasek's intensity and high standards as well as how he defines success.

LeBron James, apparently, ain't all that, according to some. Good read on the "why."

For you Chicago Bears' fans, get over it. If linebacker Lance Briggs wants out, quit holding on to wait you can't have and help the brother achieve the goal, which is getting out of town, especially if Washington will consider coughing up the sixth overall pick in the draft. That's a no brainer. Briggs is outstanding but he's not a future legend. At no. 6 in the annual talent grab, the Bears could do something good, especially for that weak offense, like possibly packaging a future first-round selection and some other high picks this year for some cat who played quarterback down the road in South Bend, Indiana or a wide receiver everyone is slobbering all over, Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech.

Check it out if you haven't yet -- CU sports information director Dave Plati is back writing. Look for his digging on Buffs' Steve Rosga, one fantastic talent out of Minnesota and Clint Moles, a huge tackle out of Florida, right here. Wonder if Rosga can help me increase my explosion off the couch and to the refrigerator with some training. As for Moles, all I know is I count him, Ron Woolfork, Spencer Colter and Kanavis McGee as high school coaches now.

Truth