John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud

Saturday, November 12, 2011

John Rooke, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

Thinking Out Loud…while wondering whatever happened to former Friar Abdul Mills…

• It’s plain to see. The entire Penn State fiasco is based on one, inalienable “right.” The right for greed to take over from common sense and human decency…

• I have one emotion that stands out from them all in the aftermath of the news blitz from State College, PA this week – sadness. I’m sad for the victims, sad for the coaching legend that will be forever tarnished, sad for those who could have done more to perhaps prevent this from happening, but did not…

• However, can we please remember one thing here? The “lynch mob” mentality being portrayed in the aftermath by some (including talk show hosts) only feeds the frenzy. Grand jury testimony is only one side of the story. It’s bad, no doubt…and horrifying…but let’s see the complete picture before we hang the perpetrators. We have a process for a reason…

• One more thought about the Penn State tragedy. The players did not perpetrate this. The program – the institution itself – might have, but the individuals on the field Saturday did not. The students who attend the school, while perhaps misguided, are not wrong to show their emotions. Remember that, while you remember the victims…

• Which football power is the next to fall? My money is on someone from the “we’re better than all of you” SEC. No one – league or team – can stay on top forever. See the SWC of the late 1980’s, early 1990’s…

• Are you ready for this? The next name to come up in conference “realignmentpalooza?” San Diego State. Yup. If no BYU to the Big East, don’t be shocked if the Aztecs accompany Boise State into the Big East’s new “West Division” for football. It’s being discussed…

• Speaking of Big East realignment, “I’s” are being dotted, and “T’s” are being crossed for several schools ready to join. The current recruiting violation story at Central Florida is slowing the process somewhat, but indications are the Big East has knowledge of the isolated incidents within the football and basketball programs…

• Houston may be the hidden gem in all of this conference gobbledygook. The Cougars have tradition in basketball (remember the Phi Slamma Jamma days of the ‘80’s? If you don’t, look it up) and a current program on the rise. Football? They just hung 73 on Tulane…points, that is…

• Player worth watching? Try junior running back Jordan Brown at Bryant. He leads the nation (Football Championship Subdivision) in rushing at more than 162 yards per game, and was just named to the Walter Payton Award “Watch List,” for the nation’s outstanding offensive player at the FCS level. The 6-3 Bulldogs host St. Francis Saturday at Noon…

• I know Friar fans can’t wait until next year for the Ledo-Dunn-Fortune Class of 2012 to lace ‘em up. And while these players could make an impact THIS year on the team, let’s remember that the Big East normally eats its’ young. Without another big man to add to the mix, the roster next season has a hole that will be exploited in this league…

• The first college basketball game aboard a US aircraft carrier (Michigan State and North Carolina on the USS Carl Vinson) was a hoot to watch. Awesome to think the area that held the basketball court, the teams and fans normally holds up to 72 fighter jets…

• Ok, so I’m slow. But I watched “The Green Lantern” this week, and loved every minute of it. I know a lot of people don’t like the superhero movies being made, but to me – as a child of the comic book era – the movies give new life to some great storytelling and imagination. And the special effects? Wow…

• Really? Washington Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos has been kidnapped in Venezuela? Another sign that somewhere, aliens are looking in on us and shaking their heads at the human race…

• Former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette is back in the bigs. After nine years away from the game, running a sports academy (among other things) in western Massachusetts, the Baltimore Orioles hope he can develop a contender within the AL East…after finishing last 4 straight years, with 14 straight losing seasons. Who thinks he can do it? Anyone? Anyone?

• Albert Haynesworth – after being released by the Patriots this week – says he’s “excited” to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. I believe that. He’s excited to still have a paycheck, and excited that there is a team out there willing to continue his perpetrating a football fraud…

• If you’re looking to point fingers, point them at the Patriots’ play-calling of late. Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski are getting hammered over the middle, and unless you want to witness live decapitation in the NFL, the Pats need to figure out a way to loosen up opposing defenses…

• This week’s sign that the Apocalypse is near…Rex Ryan plays a Patriots’ fan in an upcoming Adam Sandler movie…

• Congratulations to Cranston's Robert Allen, who beat out 154 runners for a first-place finish in the NJCAA Division III men's cross country Championship this past week in Holyoke, MA. Allen is a 2010 Cranston West graduate, and helped CCRI to an 11th-place team finish...

• I lost a friend this week, when Jerry Grande passed away at the young age of 58. Jerry bravely battled cancer for seven months, and all the while would only talk about upcoming Friar road trips he wanted to make, the future of the team, and he’d always ask how my son (a LaSalle student) was doing. He coached softball at LaSalle, in addition to being a true Friar Fanatic. Rest in peace…

• Abdul Mills played guard for PC from 1999-2002, had back surgery and finished his collegiate career at Division II Nebraska-Omaha. After playing in Europe, he won a USBL championship in ’07, and has taken part in several NBA camps and workouts along the way. Mills reports he and his family are currently doing well, and he’s still playing, in Mexico…

• This week’s mailbag question comes from Zackary in Waltham, MA: “Where the heck has Jermaine Cunningham been?” Zackary – Cunningham (LB/DE) hasn’t even been on the sidelines for the Patriots the past two weeks, inactive as a “healthy” scratch against the Steelers and Giants. Not a good sign for a team that struggles to find a way to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Not a good sign for the player, either…

• Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to [email protected]. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @jrooke0722…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...