Daily Swarm

BEESBALL NOTES
The whole Eli Manning rigging the NFL draft is not new. Even one of our own in beesball held out. Check out this article:

The Phillies, after losing J.D. Drew in 1997, faced a similar dilemma in 2001. Mark Teixeira, a power-hitting third baseman from Georgia Tech, may have been the best player at number four. But Teixeira was a Boras client, and Boras told the Phillies he wouldn't sign. So the Phillies happily "settled" for Gavin Floyd - who was only there because Tampa Bay thought both Floyd and Teixeira too pricey and took Middle Tennessee State's Dewon Brazelton at number three. Brazelton may have been cheaper, but his ERA at Triple A is over 6.00.

Speaking of Mark Tiexiera, here is a Q&A with fans with a writer from the Dallas Morning news:

Q: Mark Teixeira has pretty much been struggling with the bat all season. Adrian Gonzalez did a great job when he was up in the majors. Does Teixeira need to spend some time in the minors getting back on track? I’m also a little concerned about how injury prone he seems to be.

GRANT: The Rangers are concerned about his injuries, too. The problem with "freak’’ injuries actually goes back to his last year at Georgia Tech, when he fractured his ankle and missed most of the season.

Those injuries -- a neck strain in spring and a rib cage strain earlier this season -- haven’t helped him get on track at the plate. But that’s not the only reason. Scouts think the slight uppercut in his swing has become much more pronounced. All those factors have led to the slow start.

But as mentioned in previous questions, this is the season to allow him to work through all those problems in the majors while Adrian Gonzalez can have the year to try to master Triple-A pitching. That way, whatever ends up happening -- whether Teixeira moves to the outfield or one of the two gets traded -- can only benefit the Rangers long-term.

SHANTRELL MOSS - LADY HOOPSTER / TRACK STAR
She will be coming to GT. Nice story on her and her drive to succeed in the classroom.

... Moss, who will run track and play basketball at Georgia Tech, will be remembered as one of the best athletes in Pompano Beach's history.

Moss, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Class 3A-2A-1A Girls' Basketball Player of the Year for 2003 and 2004, averaged 33.6 points per game. She was part of the Tornado track team that won a state title and she was the MVP of the golf team.

A member of the National Honor Society, Moss is hoping to study biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech and would like to eventually become a cardiologist. She was a member of the French Club and was active in Teens Against Tobacco Use and Students Against Destructive Decisions.

For Moss, being involved in extracurricular activities and studying to keep up her 3.9 GPA was a big part of her athletic success....

WAKE FOREST ATHLETES STILL HAVE TO PAY $16,000 PER YEAR
Wow, I guess a scholarship ain't what it used to be.... at least at Wake Forest. Interesting article pointing out how the beesball team will have a hard time getting competitive again without new facilities and a different 'ship structure.

...Wake Forest, a team stocked with players required to pay an annual bill of at least $16,000 - and often much more - to play baseball on scholarship...

PROTECT YOUR BORDERS
That is the theme of college recruiting. "Close the borders". All big colleges are trying to do that with the best in-state athletes, including in Georgia. There is a reason why Tennessee has not returned to their glory days - part of which is that they are having a hard time reaching into the state of Georgia and picking off the players they want. Here's a story on the state of Texas and their football talent being recruitied by out of state schools.

According to Max Emfinger -- leading high school football recruiting guru -- 15 of the top 100 high school senior football players ranked nationally, reside in Texas. Of the other 49 states, 10 reside in Florida, 10 in California, nine in Georgia, six in Louisiana and five each in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Thus, 70 of the 2005 top high school football recruits come from nine states.

Certainly GT is estabishing a solid base from Texas in both hoops and football. Chris Bosh and now Jeremis Smith and others in football as well. GT is certainly recruiting better in the state of GA but UGAg is doing a better job. But each year Coach Gailey gets better with guys like Calvin Johnson and Coach Hewitt just landed Alade Aminu from Stone Mountain and of course we were close with Randolph Morris.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS DAVID DUVAL
He had a room reserved for the Memorial, but never showed up. Here's a story from GolfWeb on the MIA. They are now guessing he won't make a showing until August.

RECRUITING - HOOPS
Short article on Amir Johnson, a 6'9" recruit interested in GT. He is from Los Angelas:

When asked about recruiting, Johnson said there are a few schools that he’s interested in that are showing him interest. “Louisville, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, North Carolina and Arizona are the schools I’m thinking about,” Johnson said. “I want to leave, get away from home, and I’m looking for a good environment.”

. Looks like grades could be an issue:

Johnson said that before really thinking seriously about recruiting he needs to think first about academics. “Before thinking about which college, I’m trying to get to college. I’ve raised my GPA to a 2.5 and I’m taking the SAT for the first time in June. I’ve been studying with a tutor and I think I’ll do well.”

Sounds like Louisville, UNC and Syracuse are more his favorites though.