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http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/expert40/157232 I am not sure that many of y'all realize this, but it is exactly 10 weeks, from today, until the beginning of College Football Season, when teams such at NC State and South Carolina kick it off underneath the Thursday Night Lights on ESPN. Who am I kidding? Plenty of y'all know about that. And to celebrate our 10 week countdown until the beginning of the sport that we all love so much, I thought I'd do a reverse "Top" list, starting today with the Top-10 Coaches in college football. Next week I'll do another list, but as this is a countdown, the list will be a "Top-9" list. What the heck! I'll go ahead and give y'all a schedule to whet y'all's appetite so you know what's coming. College Football Countdown Top-10 Coaches Top-9 Defenses Top-8 Offenses Top-7 Quarterbacks Top-6 Conferences Top-5 Running Backs Top-4 Bowl Games Top-3 Heisman Candidates Top-2 Teams in College Football Top-1 Game of the Year Alright, now that y'all know what's coming in the weeks ahead as we make our way towards August 28th, let's get on with the first list. This list of Top-10 Coaches in college football is something I've put a lot of effort into in so much as Mythical National Titles won is not the only barometer of what makes one coach better than another. Winning percentage is something that should be taken into consideration. Where the coach has coached in his career is something that should be taken into consideration. How stable a winner is his program? Are their scandals and skeletons in this coach's closet? If there is, that has to be taken into consideration. Do they fluctuate from year to year, or does the team "reload," as it were, and prepare for another year of success? If the coach has won, has he done so with "his" players, or the players the "other guy" left him? Mythical National Titles do not make the coach. But they certainly don't hurt. Before we get to naming the names, here are a few names who aren't on the list: Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, Charlie Weis, Les Miles, Dennis Erikson, Greg Schiano, Steve Spurrier, "Fat" Phil Fulmer "The Great Pumpkin," Jeff Tedford, Jim Grobe, Mike Leach, Bret Bielema, and Sly Croom. All of whom are great coaches, just not the Top-10. Bowden and JoePa? Bowden hasn't been any good since Richt left, and JoePa stopped coaching circa 1988. Charlie Weis? What the hell has he done but win with He Who Shall Not Be Named's guys against a ridiculously easy schedule that's built for ten wins a year if Notre Lame is just mediocre and then gets blown out in BCS Games he doesn't even belong in? Argue against that logic, Tarnished Domers. Erikson just missed the list, but I don't buy ASU until they knock off USC and win the Pac-1 outright. That's my same argument against Tedford. That and his QBs just suck once they hit the NFL. It's science. Schiano? Call me when you win your conference. Same with Leach and Bielema. Jim Grobe is a good coach in a difficult situation and just missed the list, but I need some consistency in the program before he's Top-10 material. Sly Croom, same thing. As for Darth Visor, yeah, he beat us last year, but without Florida's athletes, the shine has rubbed off his ego, just a bit, hasn't it? Fat Phil also just missed the list. He had a mini-resurgence last year, but again, I don't know if I buy it. His squad has been mediocre against the decade so far. And they don't win many bowl games under The Great Pumpkin. Okay, for those fans of schools that employ the above coaches who are cursing my name right this very second, feel free to leave your remarks. But please, unlike Charlie Weis does, I would ask you to watch your mouths and be respectful in your disagreements. There may be children reading. sportingnews 6/26/08

http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=1478 LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri announced changes to his staff Thursday, including the hiring of Michigan State head coach David Grewe (GREW-ee) as the Tigers’ associate head coach. Grewe, 32, a former assistant under Mainieri at Notre Dame, will serve as LSU’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. Mainieri also announced Thursday that volunteer coach Javi Sanchez, 26, has been promoted to full-time assistant coach; coordinator of baseball operations Will Davis has been promoted to volunteer assistant coach; and former LSU pitcher Kyle Beerbohm has been appointed undergraduate student assistant coach. Sanchez will serve as the Tigers’ primary hitting coach and supervise the baserunning, and he will work extensively with the LSU catchers. Davis, 24, will coach the LSU outfielders, as well as handling several other on-the-field duties yet to be determined, and he will continue to serve as director of the Paul Mainieri/LSU Baseball Camps. In addition, Davis will continue to serve as the staff liaison with the LSU Baseball Coaches’ Committee (booster club) and as the staff liaison with all former LSU baseball players. Beerbohm, a senior on LSU’s 2008 College World Series squad, will assist Grewe in working with the Tiger pitchers, as well as provide a valuable left-handed throwing arm for batting practice. Mainieri said he is in the process of accepting applications for Davis’ former position of coordinator of operations. All of the hirings are pending approval of the LSU Board of Supervisors and must be in compliance with the university’s employment policies. Grewe’s hiring not only reunites him with Mainieri, but also with Sanchez, who played catcher at Notre “I believe this is a very positive step for our program,” Mainieri said, “because we will continue to have the same great chemistry on our staff that we had this season during our run to the College World Series. We’ve all worked together, we’re familiar with one another and we share the same views on how to manage a successful program. TigerRag 6/26/08

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080627/SPORTS030102/806270361/1079 The man acting as Jamont Gordon's agent said late Thursday night that going unchosen in the NBA Draft may make him "better off," but wouldn't discuss if he and Gordon had made any agreements that would jeopardize his eligibility for any potential return to Mississippi State. Gordon, the 6-foot-4 junior Bulldog guard, watched and waited as 60 picks in the Thursday draft were made without him being chosen. But Charles Grantham, who is acting as his agent, said shortly after the conclusion of the draft that teams had inquired about Gordon as a free agent. "In some sense, it may work out to his advantage," the New York-based agent, Charles Grantham, said. "We have about six teams who have called already who may want to give him a shot to what's open. It's not all bad. He didn't get drafted, but essentially he's a free agent at this point." Grantham said earlier in the week that he and Gordon had not signed paperwork making him an official client. "It's not signed yet but will be shortly," he said Tuesday. "I think you could say it's done." Grantham wouldn't comment on the particulars of his agreement with Gordon late Thursday. Typically, a player loses his eligibility under NCAA rules when signing with an agent. About the possibility of Gordon wanting to return to school if eligible, Grantham wouldn't comment. "I haven't talked to him about that," he said. "I would have to defer." Gordon didn't return a voice mail left shortly after the draft. Neither did his trainer, Jerry Meyer, or Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury. Gordon has sent signals that he was looking ahead to his professional future for some time. Gordon skipped the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando in May, saying at the time that he was hearing he could be a first-round pick. Gordon told The Tennessean earlier this week that he hoped to stay in the first round with its guaranteed contracts. Grantham projected an early to mid-second round selection, as did many Internet mock drafts. clarionledger.com 6/27/08