Wizbang Sports

Why Some Big Named MLB Players Aren't Playing

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:02:36 -0500

Major League Baseball Players Union is officially looking into why some big name players haven't been signed, reports ESPN.

Now gee, let's look at the players who are out there and the real reasons for why they're not being signed.

Barry Bonds Goes on trial for perjury June 27. Duh.

Roger Clemens Do we even need to go here?

Kenny Lofton Rickey Henderson, Part Deux. I can almost hear Kenny crying like Richard Gere, "I got nothing! I got nowhere else to go!" Go away to a golf course somewhere, Kenny.

Jose Mesa Just what every team needs: A six-fingered reliever who blows 3-run leads in the 9th with a flat fastball. Pass.

Mike Piazza His knees are as worthless as his linguini arm, yet he insists on playing catcher. And his power is kaput. Italian Stallion no more.

Sammy Sosa Sammy can still hit 'em out, all right. To the tune of a .240 average, if you're lucky. No thanks.

Sean Green Sorry, but the league has enough powerless, left-handed hitters. Ones who are a lot cheaper, too.

Shea Hillenbrand His talent is only overshadowed by how much talent he thinks he has over everyone else. Can you say, "clubhouse cancer."

Finally, my favorite:

David Wells Last seen drunk off his ass and ordering a 24-pack of maple bars from the place he was nicknamed after: Krispy Kreme.

There. I just saved thousands, if not millions in lawyer fees for MLBPA.

Now they can go back to doing something productive. Like, oh say, finding ways for its players to avoid cooperating with investigations.

Now This Kid's a Packer Fan!

Tue, 06 May 2008 19:02:28 -0500

After 5 long years of wearing it every day--yes, really, every day--David Witthoft, 11, of Green Bay, WI, is retiring his #4 Brett Favre jersey. Story here.

In case you're wondering, yes, his mom claims to have washed the jersey every single of the 1,581 days in a row he wore it. Near the end, the jersey barely came down to his belt line!

Now I remember wearing my Fred Biletnikoff #25 Raiders jersey a lot back when I was a kid. I could even name every single Raiders player by jersey number or by the position they played, and I thought I was a pretty big fan of my team.

But David, I must bow to your greatness. You're one cool, Favre/Packer-lovin' little dude!

Much cooler than my fellow freaky Raider fans.

UCF Baseball Coach fired because of his alleged harassment of equipment mgr.

Mon, 05 May 2008 19:32:29 -0500

Jay Bergman was an institution at UCF where he had been baseball coach for 28 years. From the Orlando Sentinel-

The University of Central Florida fired baseball coach Jay Bergman because he was accused of sexually harassing a team equipment manager, a university source has confirmed.
Bergman used a bat to simulate raping equipment manager Chris Rhyce in early March, said the university source and two other sources with knowledge of the allegation. The university source asked for anonymity because he is not authorized to speak for UCF.

The three sources said Rhyce told the university in a written complaint that he was held down on the field, fully clothed, by a baseball staff member before a March 7 game while the players watched. Bergman was said to have grabbed a bat and shoved it toward Rhyce's buttocks.

Bergman coached for almost 26 years at UCF.

File this under embarrassing ways to taint or destroy a long career. The UCF Baseball field is named for Bergman.

I'm inclined to believe the allegations. Bergman was suspended for one game in 2006 for inappropriate behavior towards one of his players. The lawyer for Bergman is denying what happened (of course), and the school is clamming up. (of course) Go to the link and read the Orlando Sentinel article to form your own opinion.

Tim Tebow's Spring snip break

Mon, 05 May 2008 18:13:37 -0500

The University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner sure does interesting things when away from school.

During spring break, Tebow added a new facet to his fame. In an impoverished village outside General Santos City in the Philippines, Tebow helped circumcise impoverished children.
On the Friday of a weeklong trip to the orphanage his father's ministry runs in Southeast Asia, Tebow assisted with the care of locals who had walked miles to the temporary clinic that the ministry helped organize. More than 250 people underwent medical and dental procedures, some of them from "Dr. Tebow," who has no formal surgical training.

"The first time, it was nerve-racking," he said. "Hands were shaking a little bit. I mean, I'm cutting somebody. You can't do those kinds of things in the United States. But those people really needed the surgeries. We needed to help them."

Tebow didn't plan on operating that day in the Philippines -- his job was to preach to the hundreds of people before they had teeth pulled or cysts removed. But as the day rolled on, he grew curious about the three Filipino doctors and his friend, UF graduate and aspiring doctor Richard "R.B." Moleno, in the bus-sized vehicle that served as a mobile hospital.

Tebow started as a helper and gofer, holding tools and running errands for the medics. By afternoon, he was asking questions and looking for more active ways to help. And by the end of an exhausting day, he was wearing gloves and a mask, wielding surgical scissors, finishing off stitches with a snip.

The patients were too young to ask Tebow his medical background. What would the parents say if they knew about his other sideline, pardon the pun? Free medical care is free medical care I guess.

Anthony Kim wins Wachovia; Youngest PGA Tour winner in 6 years

Mon, 05 May 2008 07:40:42 -0500

Kim is 22 years old, American, and been playing the PGA Tour since 2007. From AP-

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Knee surgery prevented Tiger Woods from attempting to defend his Wachovia Championship title. Anthony Kim didn't disappoint fans at Quail Hollow Club looking for Tiger-like brilliance.
In a near flawless performance Sunday, the 22-year-old Kim became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in six years. Following monster drives with flagstick-hitting approach shots and steady putting, Kim shot a 3-under 69 to cruise to five-shot win over Ben Curtis.

The former NCAA freshman of the year at Oklahoma won't turn 23 until next month. But he dominated a star-studded field by finishing with a 16-under 272 total, three shots better than the previous tournament record held by Woods.

"I'm a little bit numb right now, but that walk up 18 was the best feeling of my entire life," Kim said. "I'll never forget that feeling. I had chills going up and down my spine. I want to recreate that as many times as possible now, so I'm really going to work hard."

Kim earned $1,134,000 and became the youngest winner since Sergio Garcia won his third PGA Tour title in the 2002 Mercedes Championship.

Kim brought memories of Garcia, but for a different reason, when he strolled to the first tee Sunday with a four-shot lead and no PGA Tour wins. Garcia blew a six-shot lead at Quail Hollow in 2005 and lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh.

Anthony made it look easy yesterday, he was never seriously challenged. With his win, Anthony becomes one of the VERY small group of Americans under age 30 with a PGA Tour title to their credit.

Kim had a solid enough rookie season in 2007, finishing 60th on the money list. It will have to be seen if he can make this year's Ryder Cup team. He was 24th in points before the Wachovia Championship.

Note- Can the golf media give winners credit this weekend. It's absurd to report the name of the golfer who won a tournament in a news story only after you first mention a player who wasn't even in the field. AP's golf and auto racing reporters last weekend must be using the same style book.

Chicago Bears RB Cedric Benson arrested

Mon, 05 May 2008 07:35:40 -0500

Another NFL off season, another NFL player in trouble with the law.

AUSTIN, Texas - Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson was charged with failing a sobriety test while operating a 30-foot boat, then resisting arrest before being hit with pepper spray and dragged ashore by officers.
Benson faces charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest after the incident Saturday night on Lake Travis, Travis County Sheriff's Department spokesman Roger Wade said Sunday.

Benson was released from jail early Sunday on a $14,500 bond. The charges are class B misdemeanors, each punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. A call to Benson's agent was not immediately returned.

Benson was operating the boat with 15 passengers aboard when he was stopped by a Lower Colorado River Authority officer for a random safety inspection. He failed a field sobriety test on the officer's boat and was uncooperative when the officer tried to take him ashore, the authority said.

Players getting arrested for DUI or being intoxicated are regular occurences. The only reason Benson stands out, is because he did it while boating. Leave it to NFL players to find many different ways to get in trouble with the law.

Clint Bowyer 'steals' NASCAR race at Richmond

Sun, 04 May 2008 13:07:15 -0500

There was a wild finish at last night's race.

RICHMOND, Va. - Richard Childress always tells his drivers that luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity. Clint Bowyer proved the boss right on Saturday night.
Bowyer was a surprise winner at Richmond International Raceway, stealing a win that first seemed destined for Denny Hamlin, then Dale Earnhardt Jr. Neither made it to Victory Lane, though, because of a wild ending that saw three drivers denied the trip Bowyer made to Victory Lane.

*****

Hamlin, the hometown favorite, ran away with the race and led a record 381 of the 400 laps in search of his first Cup victory at Richmond. Nobody came close to challenging him until a leaking right front tire allowed Earnhardt and Kyle Busch to catch him.

The two drivers split Hamlin as they moved past him, with Earnhardt emerging as the leader with 18 laps to go. Hamlin's tire finally failed with eight to go, and NASCAR accused him of intentionally bringing out the caution that regrouped the field and gave Busch a chance to race Earnhardt for the win.

The two staged a strong battle for the lead when the race resumed, but contact between the two cars in turn three sent Earnhardt into the wall.

*****

Bowyer used the opportunity to slide past both Earnhardt and Busch and into the front for the first time all night. Bowyer then held off Busch on a final restart to score his first Cup victory of the season, second of his career.

Here's the video of what happened between Earnhardt and Busch last night.

I watch next to no auto racing these day. Back in the 70's before I went in the military, I followed NASCAR quite a bit. These days my auto racing is pretty much confined to the Indy 500.

Clint Bowyer won last night's race, he didn't steal it. Hamlin's car quit on him, fine. Busch and Earnhardt tangled with each other putting the kibosh with both these driver's chances. Bowyer crossed the finish line first, he's the winner. Memo to AP- Drop the 'steal shit'

For did Al Unser 'steal' his 4th Indy 500 win in 1987, when Mario Andretti who was running away with the race for 180 laps, had his race end due to electrical failure?

Did Richard Petty 'steal' the 1979 Daytona 500 after Cale Yarborough and Donny Allison collided on the final lap? That was the race with the famous fight afterwards that also involved Donnie's brother Bobby.

I don't remember anyone saying those races were stolen. The difference between A. Unser and Richard Petty versus Bowyer is that they were stars and Bowyer isn't. So Bowyer gets slighted in his moment of triumph by it being said he stole the race. What a bunch of bull crap.

The only reason I'm writing this, is the 'Morgan Pressel had the US Open stolen from her' meme that is still floated by the golf media. Remember the 2005 US Open and Birdie Kim's bunker shot that won the tournament? The way you here it today is that Morgan had it stolen from her. Let me point out a few salient facts.

1- Pressel finished 2 shots behind Kim.
2- Pressel finished tied for 2nd with fellow amateur Brittany Lang.

So even if Birdie hadn't holed out, and made bogey or worse on 18 like almost the entire field did that day, Morgan still would have had to go 18 holes in a playoff with at least Lang, and possibly Kim also.

Yesterday's broadcast of the LPGA tournament in Oklahoma, mentioned Lang's 2nd place finish in 2005. For a change it was nice to hear the media remember someone tied Morgan that day.

Note- The golf media has another meme going about the 2005 US Open also. That Lorena Ochoa lost it. Lorena hit 2 balls in the water at 18 on Sunday, finishing with a quadruple bogey 8 and 7 over par for the tournament. If Lorena scored what most of the field did on Sunday at 18, bogey she would have finished 4 over. Now if Kim had finished bogey too like the media wishes, how can they say both Ochoa lost the 05 Open and Pressel had it stolen from her? Ochoa's 4 over tops Pressel's 5 over. The two memes are contradictory.

Bowyer was opportunistic, Kim may have been lucky the hole got in the way of her ball. When it is all said and done, they are the champs. No member of the media can take that away from them. Give them the respect they are due. For once in Kim's case, and twice in Bowyer's, they beat the best at their sport.

Triumph and Tragedy in Louisville

Sun, 04 May 2008 12:35:02 -0500

My bride and I have just returned from our annual pilgrimage to Churchill Downs. We have only missed one Derby weekend since we met; last year my daughter graduated from college and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.

We avoided the awful weather watching the races from the Oaks Day Member Party inside the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs.

This of course means that our last Derby saw Barbaro dominate the field and a convincing buzz started about a likely Triple Crown winner in the making. The buzz ended tragically when Barbaro went down at the Preakness and after an eight month fight to save him was finally put down.

Before the weekend of racing started, a rendering of a statue of Barbaro was unveiled. The statue and the ashes of the great horse will be memorialized at Churchill Downs. The memories of Barbaro did not end with the statue ceremony however.

In an under card race on Friday before the Oaks, the first ironic twist of the hazards of thoroughbred racing occurred.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Two years after Barbaro's catastrophic breakdown, trainer Michael Matz watched another one of his colts break down in a race at Churchill Downs on Friday.

Chelokee, a 4-year-old colt, took a misstep on the sloppy track and fractured his right front leg, veterinarian Larry Bramlage said. The horse was running in fourth place over a sloppy track when he was injured at the top of the stretch of the Alysheba.

"That's amazingly very similar to what Barbaro had, only in another leg," Bramlage said.

Chelokee had won the inaugural "Barbaro Stakes" last year at Pimlico.

It has been over 55 years since a trainer won the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby in the same weekend. Larry Jones decided to take the risk. He scratched his heavily favored filly Eight Belles from the Oaks to enter her in the Derby. She would be the first filly to run the historic race since 1999.

Friday was a rainy mess and track conditions deteriorated quickly. No doubt this contributed to several late scratches.

This left Jones with all his hopes on Proud Spell in the Oaks; she did not disappoint. Proud Spell took the lead at the furlong pole and never looked back cruising to a five length victory over Little Belle.

In spite of heavy favorite Big Brown in the Derby field, whispers started that Eight Belles may have a shot at an upset. Big Brown had drawn the outside position in the gate. No horse had ever won the Derby from the far outside gate position.

Going into the final turn, Eight Belles was doing exactly what Jones had wanted. She was trailing Big Brown closely on the outside in third and fourth place respectively and clear track to the finish line.

The sprint to the line started. Both Big Brown and Eight Belles quickly passed leaders Bob Black Jack and Cowboy Cal. The day would belong to Big Brown as he pulled away from the pack winning by five lengths with a time of 2:01.

Then almost a quarter mile from the finish line, tragedy struck again. Far past the finish line few of the 157,000 + at Churchill Downs immediately noticed the filly collapse.

Eight Belles jockey Gabriel Saez felt something wrong but it was too late.

``After we passed the wire, I stood up,'' Saez said in a statement. ``She started galloping funny and I tried to pull her up, but she went down.''

The injury was bad, very bad. Eight Belles had broken both from ankles. She was euthanized on the track.

The Kentucky Derby remains the most exciting two minutes in all of sports but these recent tragedies will ignite more talk of "at what cost?"That discussion is fair and probably needed but let's clear a few points before the discussion starts:

Thoroughbred horses at this level are not abused. These are superbly conditioned and maintained world class athletes. These are million dollar investments and every possible care is afforded them.

Horse racing fans are not like fans of blood sports like cock fighting. I can assure you that not one person of the 157,770 at Churchill Downs found any joy in watching that filly being put down.

Minnesota Vikings place DE Kenechi Udeze on reserve list

Sun, 04 May 2008 07:57:35 -0500

In case you don't remember, Udeze was recently diagnosed with leukemia. From AP-

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings want Kenechi Udeze to focus on his fight against leukemia and not worry about his financial situation.
The defensive end was placed on the reserve-non-football-illness list Friday, coach Brad Childress announced. That makes him ineligible to participate in the 2008 season, but guarantees him his $807,500 salary for the year. Udeze revealed two weeks ago that the cancer was in remission, and that his older brother has matching bone marrow for a pending transplant.

"He can focus on getting well. He's done a great job with that so far. He's been positive. He's been upbeat," said Childress, who praised owner Zygi Wilf for the decision.

Since the cause of Udeze's illness is not football related, the Vikings were under no obilgation to pay his salary for 2008.

Udeze signed a five-year contract as a first-round draft pick out of Southern California in 2004 and will be a free agent next March. Once the season is over, Childress said the Vikings will revisit Udeze's status.

A very nice humanitarian gesture by the Vikings ownership and management. As a fellow cancer survivor, I wish Udeze good luck in his battle against leukemia. My half sister Patty is also a leukemia survivor.

Triumph and tragedy at the Kentucky Derby

Sat, 03 May 2008 19:34:09 -0500

The most exciting two minutes in all of sports was raced today.

Big Brown backed up his trainer's boasts with an explosive finishing kick and won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday -- a day marred by the fatal breakdown of the filly Eight Belles.
The unbeaten Big Brown took charge when the 20-horse field turned for home. Under the urging of jockey Kent Desormeaux, Big Brown cruised to a 4 3/4-length victory to become the seventh unbeaten Derby winner with his fourth consecutive win. The last one was Barbaro in 2006

Big Brown made it look easy today with a convincing victory. Now it has to be seen if the horse can win the Triple Crown. There hasn't been a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

Here's the video of the 2008 Kentucky Derby.

After the race was over, one horse had to be put down.

The cheers for the winner's decisive victory were cut short when Eight Belles, the runner-up, was euthanized on the track minutes after the race when she collapsed with two broken front ankles.

What a terrible thing to happen on horse racing's biggest day of the year. Eight Belles collapsed on the back stretch after the race was over. What happened today brings back memories of Ruffian and her tragic end.

Some may say Eight Belles was raced too hard, but these are fragile animals as Barbaro reminded us just recently.

Move over Michelle Wie

Fri, 02 May 2008 07:38:35 -0500

The 2007 AJGA Player of the Year is among the leaders after the first round of the Semgroup Championship. From the Tulsa World-

BROKEN ARROW--Vicky Hurst, a 17-year-old high school senior from Melbourne, Fla., got a sponsor's exemption into the SemGroup Championship and isn't squandering the opportunity.
After nine first-round holes, Hurst was 3-under par and had a two-shot lead on the field. She settled for even par, but her score -- posted despite sinister wind gusts -- was still good enough to lead you to believe the kid was born on a golf course,

Which Vicki almost was. Back to that later.

Vicki is at present playing her rookie year on the Duramed Futures Tour. At present, Vicki is #1 on that tour's money list. If you think Vicki has played the LPGA pros a great many times before the Semgroup, think again. Vicki, who has had a very impressive amateur record, is only playing in a LPGA event for the second time on a sponsor's exemption. How many sponsor's exemptions has Michelle Wie gotten since 2002? Like 30?

Hurst is just one part of the wave of Korean-American girls who will soon be influencing US Ladies Professional golf. Vicki's Mom Koko, who caddies for her daughter but not this week, was born in South Korea. I think we'll be hearing alot of more of Vicki, Kimberly Kim, Jenny Shin, and others in the years ahead.

The rest of the Tulsa World article is below the fold.

LPGA Tour adds China stop to 2008 Tour schedule

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:59:22 -0500

The limited field event will take place on a weekend between events in Hawaii and South Korea. From LPGA.com-

Haikou, China, 29th April 2008 - The China Golf Association (CGA), Grand China Air, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and IMG today jointly announced that Grand China Air will title sponsor the LPGA's first ever event in China, the Grand China Air LPGA, to be played from the 24th to 26th October, 2008 at the Haikou West Golf Club in Hainan's capital, Haikou.
It is the first LPGA tournament to be played in China and the tournament was specifically developed by the CGA, the LPGA and IMG, as a platform for Grand China Air to promote their brand around the world as they look to expand into international markets.

Sixty-three of the world's best players will compete for a purse of US$1,800,000. The player field is made up of the top 51 ranked available players on the LPGA Official Money List as of the 14th of September, 2008, and 12 invited players to be decided by the CGA, Grand China Air and IMG.

The new tournament was a poorly kept secret for months. While covering the Stanford International last weekend, the husband of one prominent tour player confirmed to me the China tournament would be added to the 2008 tour schedule.

The LPGA is truly an international tour. Interest in women's professional golf seems stronger outside the US than within. Therefore it makes sense for the LPGA to increase the amount of tournaments it plays world-wide. With China on board now, how long will it be before events are played in Australia, Abu Dhabi, India, or somewhere in South America? Not long in my considered opinion.

Ryan and Hound Dog are also blogging on this news.

Pat Riley steps down as Miami Heat Coach

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:26:12 -0500

This comes less than a month after the team had one of its worst seasons ever. From the Sun-Sentinel-

MIAMI - Last place and the Hall of Fame will be the final two stops of Pat Riley's coaching career.
In a move that took days of deliberation but was hinted at months in advance, Riley announced today he is stepping down as coach of the Heat to concentrate fulltime on what had been his dual role as team president.

The announcement was made at an afternoon news conference at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Assistant coach Erik Spoelstra was named Riley's replacement. Spoelstra has been with the franchise for 12 seasons.

Born Nov. 1, 1970, Spoelstra becomes the youngest current NBA coach, 69 days younger than Nets coach Lawrence Frank.

In September Riley gets inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, an honor he deserves.

Riley quit coaching the Heat once before in 2004, but came back the following year. As long as the Heat are as bad as they are, Riley won't be coaching them again. I get the distinct impression Riley can't stand constant losing. On the other hand if the team looks destined for a title, he'll step back in. Look what happened with Stan Van Gundy in 2005.

Right now the Heat are a long way from winning anything. They have one certifiable star(Wade) who at the same time is brittle. After that, the team doesn't have much. Miami is in for a rebuilding project. I wonder if Riley has the patience to see it through as team President.

The NFL Draft's Biggest Losers

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:41:55 -0500

1.) The audience at the Draft booing guys who get picked.

Or maybe they're doing that Arsenio Hall "whoopin'" thing, heck if I know. I'm too white, too old and probably too Republican to tell the difference.

In the end, it sounded too much like booing, so you get my vote for biggest losers.

Not to mention you spent a decent New York City spring day indoors at Radio City Music Hall. Combine that with the aforementioned booing and you're exactly 1.7 points smarter than Forrest Gump.

2.) ESPN....for THREE frakkin' hours of pre-Draft gobbledy-goo.

3.) Mel Kiper, Jr. This man's career (and hair) seemingly revolve around one weekend every year. Baffling.

4.) Coors Light. I really like some of the versions in this series coach/guys in audience spots. This time? Not so much.

5.) Chris Berman. Why? Because his ego is only slightly smaller than his bald spot.

Finally, there's really nothing dramatic enough on Draft Day to make you go "wow! I'm glad they didn't choose him!" moments to warrant all this trumped drama and analysis. That all comes later.

Just ask Ryan Leaf.

Blaze Evaluation: 2008 Full Mock Draft (April 27)

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:14:20 -0500

1. Michael Beasley PF 6-9 235 KSU Fr.
2. Derrick Rose PG 6-4 195 Memphis Fr.
3. OJ Mayo SG/PG 6-5 210 USC Fr.
4. Eric Gordon SG 6-4 220 Indiana Fr.
5. Jerryd Bayless PG 6-2 182 Arizona Fr.
6. Brook Lopez C 7-0 260 Stanford So.
7. Danilo Gallinari SF 6-8 210 Italy
8. Kevin Love PF/C 6-9 260 UCLA Fr.
9. Nicolas Batum SG/SF 6-8 210 France
10. Donte Greene PF 6-11 226 Syracuse Fr.
11. DeAndre Jordan C 7-0 240 TX AM Fr.
12. Anthony Randolph SF/PF 6-10 220 LSU Fr.
13. Russell Westbrook SG 6-4 187 UCLA So.
14. JaVale McGee C 7-0 237 Nevada So.
15. Joe Alexander SF 6-8 200 W. Virgina So.
16. D.J. Augustin PG 5-11 175 Texas So.
17. Darrell Arthur SF/PF 6-9 230 Kansas So.
18. Kosta Koufos C 7-1 252 Ohio St. Sr.
19. Roy Hibbert C 7-2 270 Georgetown Sr.
20. Raymar Morgan SG/SF 6-7 210 Mich. St. So.
21. Chase Budinger SG/SF 6-7 215 Arizona So.
22. Serge Ibaka PF 6-10 220 Congo
23. Robin Lopez PF/C 7-0 255 Stanford So.
24. Chris Douglas-Roberts SG 6-7 200 Mem. Jr.
25. Ryan Anderson PF 6-10 235 Cal. So.
26. Brandon Rush SG/SF 6-6 210 Kansas Jr.
27. Alexis Ajinca PF/C 7-1 225 France
28. Mario Chalmers PG 6-2 180 Kansas Jr.
29. Bill Walker SG/SF 6-6 230 K-State Fr.
30. Nathan Jawai PF/C 6-10 280 Aus.

I've recently posted some Alexis Ajinca scouting video on my new blog. To keep track of basketball around the world (add see Ajinca in action) come check me out at BlazeBasketballBlog.