John Rooke: Scattershooting

Saturday, May 07, 2011

John Rooke, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

Scattershooting…while wondering whatever happened to Chuck Wilson on Sports?

Mea culpa: I was wrong about the Boston Bruins. The B’s are moving into the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals with no power play, no true offensive snipers, average-at-best stick-handling and one red-hot goaltender. Is that enough to finally win a Cup? It appears that it should be enough to at least play for it…

Did you see the story where former Patriot linebacker Tedy Bruschi is going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro? What? Walking on water around here wasn’t tough enough to do? Bruschi will begin his trek up Africa’s highest peak next week to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project…

The Boston Celtics suddenly look every bit their age…and LeBron James suddenly looks like he knew what he was blathering about last summer…

Didn’t take long for UConn’s national championship train to come off the tracks…first, assistant coach Andre LaFleur leaves for PC. Next, Kemba Walker decides to go pro, which was expected. Now, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel has decided to transfer out of the program. The 6-7 forward from Dorchester, MA was a 6th or 7th man off the bench for the Huskies last season…but also recently was arrested on a marijuana possession charge…more housecleaning to come in Storrs?

And apparently, the brooms are out in the nation’s capital, as well…Georgetown’s Jerrelle Benimon has announced he will transfer, after guard Vee Sanford announced his departure last month, and Hollis Thompson declared for the NBA Draft. Looks like Hoya Paranoia is back…

No Rick Pitino for the Puerto Rican Olympic basketball team apparently, but how about John Calipari coaching the Dominican Republic National Team? Think we’ll find out that John Wall secretly holds dual citizenship in the near future?

Now the U.S. Justice Department wants to know why there is no playoff in the NCAA’s highest division of football. What? They don’t have enough to do already with national and state budgets being what they are? Yeah, let’s pick on college football – a sport that has perhaps the most relevant regular season of any sport out there…

Knucklehead of the week award goes to Steelers’ running back Rashard Mendenhall, for his controversial tweets surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden. Trying to clarify his statements, after the firestorm has already engulfed him in Pittsburgh and beyond, is a little like putting out the fire with a squirt gun…

Mendenhall’s tweets are also another example of why Twitter is really not a good idea for many pro athletes. Their PR firms and agents can’t filter their largely uneducated nonsense before they bend over and “moon the world.” And yet, we’re drawn to these musings like bugs are drawn to a zapper. We just can’t wait for the next accident…

Not for nuthin’…but speaking of hindsight, it is truly 20-20. You’ve heard that before, right? Apparently, so have the Patriots. Looking back on a couple of mock drafts from LAST YEAR for 2011, 3rd round pick Ryan Mallett was the top selection – overall – in one that I saw, and 2nd round selection Ras-I Dowling (cornerback from Virginia) was rated 16th, in the 1st round…

I’m getting the impression that the Red Sox are still a good team, but that they may lack an overall sense of urgency, or desperation, in order to be a championship team. Perhaps the players themselves simply know they’re good, but can’t (or won’t) play with a “dirt dog” attitude needed to win? Where have you gone, Trot Nixon…

Inflated ERA’s usually always result in trips to the disabled list…the latest examples this week are Bobby Jenks, and Dan Wheeler…

Comings and goings…here’s hoping that Jerry Remy returns soon to the Red Sox television booth after missing the past 10 days battling pneumonia…and best wishes to a real pro and good friend. Pawsox radio announcer Dan Hoard will leave the booth after this season is completed to take over as the radio play-by-play man for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. Hoard will also continue in his role as the voice of the Cincinnati Bearcats football and basketball programs…

Whatever DID happen to Chuck Wilson on Sports? A longtime fixture in local sports radio back in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, Chuck moved on from WEAN, WICE and WPRO in Providence to the ESPN Radio Network in 1993. He later joined up with XM’s Major League Baseball channel, and then returned to ESPN Radio in 2010. Chuck is one of the good guys in the business, and is being inducted into the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame next Thursday night at the West Valley Inn in West Warwick. For more information, visit http://www.rirhof.org...