• I spent most of my first full day in Houston taking in softball action yesterday, and as was noted in today's top post, the enthusiasm was remarkable.

• During the 10-inning game between Humboldt State and Lock Haven, I couldn't help wondering if softball pitchers ever get tired. There I was, sweating through my shirt in the stands, and these women are tossing inning after inning without any change in velocity or effectiveness. I never thought the game was going to end and if it had gone 20 innings, my guess is both hurlers would have still been tossing well. How is that possible?

• I wasn't able to decipher much of what was happening on the golf course - it's a difficult sport to watch unless you hop in someone's bag and do 18 with one group. What I can say is that all of the players seem to be able to hit the ball where they want, which is something that has never worked for me.

• After shooting 7-under par to finish second at the South regional, Florida Southern's Jude Eustaquio is doing his best to come in first at the national championship. Eustaquio shot 7-under par in the first round yesterday and is leading Josh Order (Grand Valley State) and Will Wilcox (Clayton State) by three strokes. Wilcox and Clayton State shot 7-under par as a team and leads Belmont Abbey by five strokes.

• Nova Southeastern is still leading the women's golf tournament after two rounds, extending its lead over four-time champ Rollins to seven strokes. Ferris State is 17 strokes off the pace.

• Over on the tennis courts, BYU-Hawaii cruised to its 87th consecutive victory with a 5-0 win over Drury. Elwen Li and Maggie Deng swept past Mouna Sabri and Khrystsina Tryboi, 8-0. In singles play, top-ranked Li clinched the match for the Seasiders by knocking off Laure Piquemal.

• I'm not sure, but Abilene Christian senior Aina Rafolomanatsiatosika may have the longest last name in the Festival. Twenty letters is hard to beat, but unfortunately for Rafolomanatsiatosika, ACU lost to Francis Marion, 5-4.

• By the way, that Abilene Christian-Francis Marion match lasted four hours and eight minutes. That's a long time when it's 157 degrees outside and the humidity level is 412 percent.

• West Florida's Patrick Bateman won a three-set thriller last night over Henning Ruenz (Concordia) to lead the Argonauts to a 5-4 victory. All of the other matches had finished before Bateman-Ruenz, so all eyes were turned on the No. 5 singles match. Who says tennis isn't a team sport?

• The Ferris State softball team didn't feel the need to rest after its 2-0 victory over Francis Marion yesterday. The Bulldogs came back to Memorial Park last night, where student-athlete events are being hosted following competition. While half the team played volleyball, others competed in ping pong, cornhole and switched off between XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. The festivities will continue tonight, as all of the games will still be available during a screening of Bob Barker's favorite move - Happy Gilmore.

• Head coach Keri Becker was thrilled to see her team having fun and says the Bulldogs will continue to soak up all that they can during their time in Houston.

• An impassioned game of ping pong took place yesterday, as some of Division II's leadership took a break from watching to try their hands at competition. Division II Vice President Mike Racy and Pfeiffer University President Charles Ambrose took on Metropolitan State President Stephen Jordan and Director of Athletics Joan McDermott in a best-of-three bonanza. Jordan, who chairs the Division II Presidents Council, teamed with McDermott to beat Racy and Ambrose, the former chair of the Presidents Council, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9. A rematch is slated for the 2009 Winter Festival. No word on whether the DII higher-ups will be playing Madden on the XBOX tonight - Racy sounded tired.

• Women's lacrosse action begins today, and Limestone senior captain Marissa Pesce shared a wonderful post with us last night to discuss her excitement about being here. The smallest school in the national semifinals, Limestone has an overall enrollment of 750 students. When compared to the other semifinalists - Adelphi (4,201), C.W. Post (8,472) and West Chester (12,800) - the Lady Saints are out in the suburbs.

• Finally, the NCAA News is publishing a daily newspaper from Houston. To read yesterday's content, click here to see the online copy.

• In case you missed it, today's top post shares some highlights from last night's opening ceremonies at Houston's Downtown Aquarium. Included in the post are interviews with Ferris State Director of Athletics Tom Kirinovic, St. Edward's softball coach Amy Coulter, West Florida golfer Federico Damus, Valdosta State tennis player Otto Lenhart and Metropolitan State President Stephen Jordan, who chairs the Division II Presidents Council.

• There was some outstanding dancing last night, but most interesting was that student-athletes from different teams got their boogey on together. You have to love that.

• The only Division II player on the U.S. Women's Developmental Team, C.W. Post senior Mallory Poole took time out of her night to share some thoughts in a guest blog about the trip to Houston and the opening ceremonies at the Downtown Aquarium. C.W. Post is seeking its second straight national championship in women's lacrosse.

• While the opening ceremonies were held last night, competition actually began yesterday morning, as the Division II Women's Golf Championship got underway. First-time participant Nova Southeastern shot 4-over par and currently holds a one-stroke advantage over four-time champion Rollins. Fredrika Hakansson (Nova Southeastern) and Heather Burgner (Florida Southern) are tied atop the individual leaderboard at 1-under par.

• Yesterday afternoon, NCAA President Myles Brand and Stephen Jordan were on hand at Houston's City Hall to join Mayor Bill White, who proclaimed this week "Division II National Championships Festival Week."

• I guess nobody asked this white tiger how he felt about Division II. It seems like he just wanted an invite to the buffet line upstairs.

• For each of the next three days, more than 1,500 elementary and junior high school students will take part in youth clinics aimed at educating kids about the importance of fitness, education, teamwork and healthy habits. Each participant will have a chance to be part of "Team Awesome" - a life-skills curriculum that will inspire and educate youth on how to be awesome and confident in all facets of life. To learn more about the event, listen to this podcast with NCAA intern Kat Krtnick, who planned the clinics.

• The DII Festival gets going in full force this morning as the remaining five championships begin play. The first round of the men's golf championship started at 7:30 and the women's tennis round of 16 began at 8. Softball action begins at 10 and the second round of the women's golf tournament resumes at the same time. Men's tennis action will begin at 1:30.

• In 1996, Methodist won the first-ever Division II Women's Golf Championship. The Monarchs went on to win again in 1998 and 1999 before Division III got its own championship in 2000. Methodist has won each DIII crown since and when play began at Centennial Oaks Golf Club in Waverly, Iowa yesterday, the Monarchs were going after their 11th consecutive national championship. Last year, Methodist finished an all-divisions record 88 strokes ahead of second-place DePauw, but it looks like 2008 may prove to be more of a challenge. After 18 holes, Methodist leads Southwestern by just two strokes.

• My excitement this morning is likely to be surpassed only by my excitement this evening. I am currently en route to Houston, site of the Division II National Championships Festival. Tonight, I will attend the opening ceremonies before spending the rest of the week watching six national championships decided in one location. We will be sharing all of the action from NASAville, and will offer photos, podcasts, videos and student-athlete guest posts throughout the week.

• In case you missed yesterday's Monday With Myles podcast, NCAA President Myles Brand discusses his own excitement about the DII Festival.

• Did you catch the coast-to-coast performance form Ohio State goalie Stefan Schroder on Saturday? Schroder made a save, cradled the ball and took it all the way down the field to beat his Cornell counterpart and put the Buckeyes ahead, 1-0. You have to watch the video to believe it.

• Syracuse junior Katie Rowan set a school and NCAA tournament record with eight assists and 13 points in a 21-9 victory over Towson in the first round of the women's lacrosse tourney on Sunday.

• Is there anything better than a well-played baseball game? Last night, I watched Toronto and Cleveland play nine scoreless innings and couldn't have enjoyed it more. What's the fascination with the homerun?

• Maybe that's why I'm so jazzed about watching some college softball this week. I love when pitchers dominate and each of the eight teams competing for the Division II title this week is going to have an ace that shuts down opposing offenses. For instance, Humboldt State's Lizzy Prescott is 44-11, has nearly 400 strikeouts and tossed two shutouts on Sunday to get her team to Houston. Barry's Amber Jack is 30-2 with a 0.56 ERA this spring and C.W. Post's Samantha Yodowitz is 30-6 with a 1.59 ERA.

• Florida State all-American catcher Buster Posey got out from behind the plate yesterday and played all nine positions on the field in a 10-0 victory over Savannah State. Posey was also solid at the plate, blasting a grand slam, his 16th homer of the season.

• There was a lot of noise yesterday about O.J. Mayo and potential violations during his seven months at USC. There's not much to say about the situation at this point, but if the allegations prove true, I would suspect that the penalties would be harsh for USC. Unfortunately, if there was wrongdoing by Mayo, there's not much that can be done to penalize him, as he will still be eligible to play professionally and earn millions of dollars next year.

• Scott Brosius played 11 seasons in the Major Leagues, collecting 1,001 hits, three World Series rings and more than $22 million in career earnings. What's he doing these days? Coaching Division III baseball. After retiring in 2001, Brosius returned to Linfield College to complete his degree the following year. The former Yankee third baseman then spent five years as an assistant coach with the Division III program before taking the reins this spring. Things have gone well thus far, as the Wildcats are 30-10 and will play in the NCAA regionals this week.

• The first round of the Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship was played this weekend - four games were played Saturday and four were played yesterday. I was intrigued by Saturday's results, not necessarily because of Navy's upset victory over fourth-seeded North Carolina, but because all four losing teams scored seven goals.

• To keep it going, Notre Dame beat Colgate in Sunday's first game, 8-7.

• Another interesting note is that Ohio State advanced to the quarterfinals, beating Cornell on Saturday, 15-7. Although Ohio State is one of the top athletics programs in the country, this is only the third time the Buckeyes have made it to the NCAA tournament and first time in the quarterfinals. Lacrosse has officially moved to the Midwest (Notre Dame has been winning for a while) - how long until teams from California are consistently making the field?

• This year's field did include five teams from Maryland (Maryland, Loyola, Johns Hopkins, UMBC, Navy) and five teams from New York (Syracuse, Cornell, Colgate, Hofstra, Canisius).

• Paul Goydos doesn't have an endorsement deal, so while turning in a second-place finish at The Players Championship this weekend, Goydos proudly wore the hat of his alma mater - Long Beach State. Go Dirtbags!

• Bonnie Richardson was the only one from her team to qualify for the Texas 1A track and field state meet, but was still able to bring home the overall team title for Rochelle High School. On Friday, Richardson won the high jump, placed second in the long jump and finished third in the discus. The next day, she won the 200 meters and came in second in the 100. Richardson totaled 42 points in the five events, more than enough to edge Clifton High's 36 points. Still only a junior, it seems that Richardson will be a heavily sought after prospective student-athlete in the next few months.

• Richardson's feat marked the first time a female scored enough points on her own to win the Texas state title. About 30 years ago, Frank Pollard did the same thing for Meridian High School, marking the only time a male student-athlete has done that in state history. Pollard went on to play football at Baylor and for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

• The Wheaton (Massachusetts) men's lacrosse team raised more than $1,800 for the family of Wesley lacrosse coach Christian Zwickert, whose 19-month-old son Collin suffers from cerebral palsy.

• The UCLA women's water polo team claimed its fourth straight national championship yesterday, beating USC, 6-3. Seniors Gabrielle Domanic, Brittany Rowe, Courtney Mathewson, Jillian Kraus and Kamaile Crowell all finished their careers with four national titles. It was the 101st overall national championship for UCLA.

• Western Oregon was just one victory away from earning a berth in the Division II Softball Championship this week, but the Wolves couldn't get past Humboldt State, losing 1-0 on Saturday and 9-0 yesterday to see their season come to an end. Western Oregon received national attention two weeks ago, when senior Sara Tucholsky was carried around the bases by a Central Washington player after tearing her ACL between first and second.

• I got an e-mail last night from Chrissy Lewis, a field hockey and rugby student-athlete from Vassar who represents the Liberty League on the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Chrissy brought to my attention the story of Lilly Jacobson, a sophomore who plays baseball at the college. Jacobson didn't play for the Brewers last season, but missed the sport she'd played her whole life and elected to tryout this fall. Her talented earned her a spot on the team and in limited action this season, is 1-for-4 at the plate. She hasn't logged any innings on the mound, but there's always next year.

• If you saw your life flash before your eyes on the field of play, would you ever return? Iowa pitcher Brittany Weil hasn't given it a second thought. Just before the start of last season, Weil was drilled by a line drive during practice, and although she escaped with her life, she struggled to relearn basic communication skills. One year later, Weil is 25-12 with a 1.09 ERA while leading the Hawkeyes to the postseason.

• This morning, I learned about Chris Culver's story while watching the news. A high school baseball player from Maryland, Culver was hit directly in the face by a fastball last week and stopped breathing immediately. The first person to reach him was opposing coach Dan Taylor, who performed life-saving CPR in the batter's box.

• With stories like the ones above, can we ever accept competition taking place without someone trained in CPR on the premises?

• Former Kansas track and field student-athlete Jen Widerstrom will join American Gladiators next season as "Phoenix." After a brief stint rowing for the Jayhawks, Widerstrom signed on with the track and field program and quickly excelled. During her senior season in 2005, she set the school record in the hammer throw.

• The National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship begins this afternoon with four matches at the Avery Aquatic Center at Stanford. With a perfect 30-0 record, UCLA is the field's top-ranked team and opens against eighth-seeded Pomona-Pitzer, the lone Division III institution in the competition. No. 2 Stanford will play the tournament's only East Coast squad in No. 7 Marist.

• When Stanford hosts Boston U. in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship today, freshman Hilary Barte will be looking for a big point at No. 1 singles. Barte, who had been ranked among the top 500 players in the world prior to enrollment, kept her amateur status and decided to go to college. Now ranked No. 3 in the country, Barte is hoping to lead Stanford to a national title.

• I think Mike White needs to know that his story in Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette made me cry. If you read it, you'll probably cry too. White shares the tale of 18-year-old John Challis, a kid dying of cancer. On April 24, the frail 5-foot-5 teenager was permitted to pinch hit in a high school baseball game and you know what? He got a hit. John doesn't have much time left - doctors actually expected he would be gone by now. But he still dresses with the baseball team, and last fall, he was permitted to take a couple of snaps with the football team he used to play on. John won't ever be an NCAA student-athlete, but his inspirational story has inspired classmates and opponents that are headed on to compete in the collegiate ranks. His impact will reverberate throughout his own community, as well as others, as his legacy will continue to live on even after he dies.

• I'm not the only one who thinks the verbal commitments between coaches and eighth graders are absurd. In fact, an eighth grader who verbally committed to USC last spring didn't play all that well during his freshman year in high school, and his coach thinks the pressure may have gotten to him.

• When Ohio State took to the football field for the first time in 1890, the Wolverines of Michigan were not on the opposing sideline. In fact, the Buckeyes played their first-ever game against Ohio Wesleyan on May 3, 1890, in front of about 600 fans. Almost 125 years later, the two schools don't play one another anymore, but they are celebrating their history. Last weekend, pep bands, cheerleaders, coaches and university presidents took part in a ceremony on the Ohio Wesleyan campus to commemorate the game that took place so long ago.

• Congratulations to Fresno State softball coach Margie Wright, who became the first coach in her sport to win 1,300 career games. The Bulldogs are 47-9 this season and Wright is 1,300-455-3 during her career, which has included 23 years at Fresno State and a national title.

• Boston College ice hockey standout Nathan Gerbe has elected to leave school early, signing a three-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday to forgo his final year of eligibility. Gerbe led the Eagles to the national championship last month and was the runner-up for the Hobey Baker Award. You can't fault Gerbe for taking the seven-figure deal offered by the Sabres, but it's interesting to see the differences in contracts provided to elite basketball and football rookies as opposed to the top hockey rookies.

• The Division III lacrosse tournaments begin this afternoon on campus sites across the country. In the men's tournament, five first-round games will be played today and eight second-round contests will commence on Saturday. Since 1999, Salisbury, Middlebury and Cortland State have won all of the possible titles and each of the three programs received a bye into the second round this year. Salisbury is the only undefeated team in the country with a perfect 18-0 record.

• The women's tournament also begins today with first-round action, although there will be nine games instead of five. Just like its men's program, Salisbury's women's team is undefeated and received a bye to the second round. The 20-0 Sea Gulls are led by senior Sue Ackermann, who enters the postseason with 160 goals and 140 assists for her career. Ackermann was named Capital Athletic Conference player of the year for the second consecutive season and hopes to lead Salisbury to its first-ever national championship in the sport.

• Our conversation about verbal commitments is beginning to heat up. A lot of the comments have been pretty impassioned, so don't hesitate to weigh in.

• There was an interesting story in the Indianapolis Star the other day, comparing the Purdue baseball program to the Chicago Cubs. I know what you're thinking: can there really be two baseball teams within 100 miles of one another with that much misfortune? The answer is yes. While the Cubs haven't been to the World Series since 1908, the Boilermakers haven't won a Big Ten title since 1909. Currently in second-place with a 17-7 conference record, Purdue is in the mix for the elusive league crown this spring. We'll keep tabs on Purdue as it tries to break its streak before the Cubbies.

• Let's get back to Cortland State for a second. The Division III program had a huge weekend and we've yet to discuss it. On Saturday, both lacrosse programs won conference championships to earn bids to their respective NCAA tournaments. The women's team beat Brockport State, 14-13, while the men thumped Geneseo State, 19-6. On Sunday, the Red Dragon baseball team beat Brockport State, 12-5, to win the SUNYAC championship and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. On the same day, the softball program turned in a 3-1 win over Buffalo State in the league championship to also qualify for the NCAA tourney. Two weeks ago, the men's track and field team won the conference title.

• It's a big day in Indiana, and RibFest is still a few months away. In case you haven't turned your television off ESPN in the past 48 hours, Indiana and North Carolina will host their presidential primaries today. Politics are important, so everyone in those states should make sure to go out and vote, but then come back to the Double-A Zone and discuss whether the Hoosiers or Tar Heels have a richer college basketball tradition. Dean Smith or Bob Knight? It's our primary question of the day.

• If you missed yesterday's Mondays With Myles, click here to take a listen. NCAA President Myles Brand discusses some of the inspirational stories we've heard about in the past couple of weeks.

• Division III guru Pat Coleman made a good point in the comment he left on Friday's java. While discussing my experience coaching against the Indiana School for the Deaf, I neglected to mention that Gallaudet University is an institution for the education of the deaf and hard-of-hearing located in Washington, D.C. We did discuss Gallaudet in this September post, but it's such an important school, we should highlight it again. A member of Division III, the Gallaudet Bison compete in the Capital Athletic Conference.

• The Washington-St. Louis women's volleyball team delivered signed volleyballs to the St. Louis Children's Hospital last week. The defending DIII champs split into two groups and visited more than two dozen patients.

• Since 1997, someone with the last name Dombrowski has played soccer at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. And yes, the Dombrowskis are related - all five are brothers. Beginning with Scott (1997-2000), a brother has been on the UWM roster for the past 11 seasons. Chad (1999-2002), Tighe (2000-03), Neil (2002-05) and Zeke (2004-07) have led the Panthers to a 136-80 record during the 11 years, but next season's team will be Dombrowski-less. There are three more children (two sons) in the family, but the oldest son is in eighth grade and can't play for UWM until 2012.

• Although cycling isn't sponsored by the NCAA, the sport dominates the Lees-McRae campus. One out of 10 students on the Elk, North Carolina campus competes on the cycling team, which is favored to win the Division I collegiate championship this weekend. Despite its small student body (600 students), Lees-McRae competes in the NCAA's Division II. It is believed to be the only NCAA member to be named after two women - Suzanna Lees and Elizabeth McRae.

• High school senior Jack Trotter has committed to play basketball at Stanford, but the 6-foot-9 post player won't be on scholarship next season. A preferred walk-on, Trotter spurned scholarship offers from UC Davis and St. Mary's to head to Stanford, where his brother and sister are students and many family members graduated. An academic standout, Trotter boasts a 4.2 weighted GPA.

• Congratulations to Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith, who received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree at the University of Kentucky commencement on Sunday. Smith's foundation donated more than $2.3 million to programs for underprivileged children in the Lexington area during his 10-year stint at the helm of the Kentucky program.

• Did anyone tune into ESPN on Saturday night to check out the Division I Men's Volleyball Championship final between Pepperdine and Penn State? There was a sold-out crowd on hand to watch the Nittany Lions win their first national title since 1994, when they became the first school outside of California to win it all. Senior Luke Murray saved the best game of his career for last, as the setter recorded his first-ever triple-double with 63 assists, 12 digs and 11 blocks in the victory. Junior Matt Anderson was named the tournament's most outstanding player and joined Murray, Max Holt and Max Lipsitz as Penn State's representatives on the all-tournament team.

• It was the fourth national title for Penn State in the last 14 months. The athletics program has also won championships in women's volleyball, fencing and men's gymnastics during that stretch.

• Speaking of volleyball, check out the comment left by "Katie" on Friday. A college volleyball player, Katie said this about student-athletes being paid: "I got a scholarship and that's enough for me."

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was featured on a Double-A Zone podcast in February, shared a special commentary about the Olympics with the Los Angeles Times today. Abdul-Jabbar discusses the proposed boycott of the 1968 Games with what we're hearing about the Beijing Games 40 years later.

• The Kentucky Derby is one of the nation's biggest sporting (and gambling) events, and there's no doubt that two of the most exciting minutes of the year happened at Churchill Downs between 6:04 and 6:06 on Saturday evening. After Big Brown won the first leg of the Triple Crown, second-place finisher Eight Belles had to be put down on the track after breaking both of her ankles after finishing the race. As exciting as horse racing can be, should we actually be racing these animals?

• Duke has earned the top seed in the Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. Last year, the Blue Devils lost in the championship game, but how have they had such success after the scandal that rocked the campus and country two years ago? It seems remarkable that Duke has returned to the top of the lacrosse world so quickly.

• Georgetown has been one of the best lacrosse teams in the country this spring and senior captain Matt McBride has had a lot to do with that success. Interestingly, McBride hasn't played one minute for the Hoyas this season. After suffering his third concussion in last year's season-opener, McBride had to hang up his game spikes and has been unable to resume his playing career. That doesn't mean he hasn't been integral to the program's success, and Sports Information Director Mex Carey chronicles that impact in his piece about McBride on the Georgetown Web site.

• Northwestern earned the top seed in the Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship and is shooting for its fourth straight national title.

• It was a good weekend for Wildcat athletics, as the softball program won a share of the Big Ten championship by beating Michigan State on Saturday, 6-1.

• After work yesterday, I headed over to Bishop Chatard High School for our junior-varsity baseball game. I usually go directly to the field after work on most days that I'm in town, so nothing was unusual about yesterday's 5 p.m. activity. What was unique, however, was the team in the opposing dugout - we played against the Indiana School for the Deaf. Although we won 14-3, I was interested to see how the language of baseball and the simplicity of sports translated to our opponent. There wasn't anything to choose from the signs we gave to our hitters at the plate and the signs the ISD coaches relayed to their players. Catchers still put down one finger for a fastball and two for a breaking pitch. Although the volume of the game was lower, I would argue that ISD's players were cheering for their team just as loud - the only difference was that they had chatter going with their hands.

• Fifteen coaches and players were elected to the College Football Hall of Fame yesterday, including Lou Holtz, Troy Aikman, Thurman Thomas and Don McPherson.

• You might recognize McPherson's name from his days as a standout quarterback at Syracuse, or you might know the former Heisman candidate for his January Double-A Zone podcast. At this year's NCAA Convention, McPherson took time to discuss his role in hazing prevention on college campuses.

• If you don't think student-athletes are tough, you should probably meet Stanford's Alicia Follmar. At last weekend's Penn Relays, Follmar was tangled up during her leg of the distance-medley relay and fell to the track. After the fall, Follmar was spiked in the forehead by a trailing runner and began bleeding. Despite the injury, she picked herself up and maintained her third-place position while bleeding all the way through the run.

• I didn't know this - apparently nobody did - but Tennessee standout Chris Lofton battled his way back from cancer during the off-season. Apparently, Lofton had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from one of his testicles following the Volunteers' Sweet 16 loss to Ohio State last spring. Lofton battled back to lead Tennessee to a school-record 31 victories this season while becoming the most prolific three-point shooter in SEC history.

• Tears welled in my eyes yesterday as I watched a video featuring Elms softball catcher Gina Gilday. I wasn't emotional because Gilday doesn't have any legs, but rather because she hasn't let her disability get in the way of her outstanding success. Gilday came off the bench as a defensive replacement in both ends of a doubleheader sweep of Johnson State last Saturday, and has become an integral part of a team that is 19-15 this season.

• Have you seen Adam Frey's blog? In March, the Cornell wrestler was in a car accident that would change the course of his life. While Frey miraculously survived the messy wreck, the tests he took that day at the hospital revealed something he hadn't expected - cancer. Two days after the diagnosis, Frey began writing a blog, allowing people to follow along with his every move and his battle with chemotherapy. The response has been tremendous and the content is as inspirational as it comes.

• On Tuesday, we wrote about the wonderful display of sportsmanship exhibited by Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman, who carried Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky around the bases after she tore her ACL after hitting a homerun. There has been a great deal of conversation about whether or not a men's team would have done the same thing. I tend to believe that the same goodness that propelled Holtman exists in both male and female student-athletes. Are we making a big deal out of this because it occurred in a team sport, and we don't expect sportsmanship as much as we do in sports like golf and tennis, where student-athlete are responsible for counting strokes and calling balls in or out?

• I've been inspired a number of times this week, and the stories have reminded me of everything that's good about intercollegiate athletics. Are there certain qualities inherent in student-athletes that allow them to be so inspirational?

• More than $30,000 was raised for the Connor Senn Memorial Fund on Tuesday night, as the Ohio State men's soccer team took on Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew in an exhibition match. While the pros beat the college kids, 4-1, there were a lot of smiles around the pitch, as the record-setting figure was raised in memory of Senn, who collapsed during a 2001 Ohio State match and died later that night. In the seven years since the memorial game was established, more than $130,000 has been raised for the scholarship fund.

• Last March, we discussed the prowess of St. Joseph's (Long Island) pitcher Jennifer Martinez, who tossed a pair of no-hitters on the team's spring break trip. Now a senior, Martinez is setting all sorts of Division III records this season. Last week, Martinez set a divisional record with 24 strikeouts in an 11-inning win over New Jersey City. The 24 punch-outs shattered Martinez' previous record of 21. The career strikeouts record was also set in that game, and after she picked up 30 in a doubleheader on Sunday, Martinez now has 409 for her career. In three seasons with the program, Martinez has thrown four perfect games, 10 no-hitters and struck out 20 or more 10 times.

• Soccer pioneer Gordon Bradley died Tuesday following a battle with Alzheimer's. After a professional playing and coaching career, Bradley took over the men's program at George Mason and retired in 2000 with a 183-113-35 record. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1996.

• Benjamin Dato had all intentions of finishing his high school soccer career, but all that changed when a football coach saw him kick prior to his sophomore year. Dato gave up soccer, went on to punt for Fordham and on Sunday was signed as a free agent by the Baltimore Ravens. This isn't the first former soccer player to make a mark kicking footballs, but it's certainly a unique story in sports. Can you think of any other examples of someone excelling in one sport and making a late, successful switch to another sport at a high level?

• You have to love when things come full circle, and nowhere is there a better example than with the Baylor women's basketball program. Last week, head coach Kim Mulkey announced the addition of a new assistant coach - hall of famer Leon Barmore. Coach Barmore spent 20 years at the helm of the Louisiana Tech basketball program, winning 576 games, going to nine Final Fours and claiming the 1988 national championship. Mulkey was an assistant on the 1988 team and also played four years for Barmore at Tech from 1981-84. I recently finished reading Mulkey's book "Won't Back Down," which I will review for Champion Magazine, and it's clear she truly respects and idolizes Barmore. Two hall of famers on one bench could spell trouble for the rest of women's basketball.

• We never discussed Tyler Hansbrough's decision to return to North Carolina for his senior season. When announcing his return, Hansbrough said: "I am returning to school for my senior year as a Tar Heel and will not be applying for the NBA Draft. I love playing at North Carolina and still have big dreams to realize here, including graduating...I love my collegiate experience and want to finish my four years here, then move on to my next dream of playing in the NBA." It's likely that Hansbrough wouldn't have been an early pick in the draft, but he would have caught on somewhere. What do you think of his decision to return?

• New Jersey City pitcher Baldwin Vargas struck out 14 batters in a win over Rutgers-Camden on Sunday, the most K's by a Gothic Knight since 1949. Vargas may have been making his final college start for NJCU, but it looks like he has a professional career ahead of him on the diamond. Last June, he was selected in the 43rd round of the MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox.

• Over the weekend, the Western Carolina women's track and field team won the Southern Conference championship while the men's program finished second. Both teams won league titles during the indoor season under the tutelage of head coach Danny Williamson, who has led the Catamounts to 11 SoCon titles during his 19-year tenure. Williams was named women's coach of the year, his 24thsuch honor at Western Carolina.

• Keeping with the Western Carolina theme, softball player and Double-A Zone guest blogger Lauren Ross had a big day for the Catamounts yesterday. In a doubleheader sweep of Winston-Salem State, Ross was 4-for-5 at the plate with three homers and seven RBIs. With 84 career RBIs, Ross now holds the school record in her junior year.

• For the first time since 1996, the United States will compete in field hockey at the Olympics. The Americans beat Belgium 3-1 on Sunday in the final of an Olympic qualifier to earn the berth. Team captain Kate Barber was a three-time national champion at North Carolina and was the 1995 ACC player of the year. Tiffany Smith, who won a national title with Old Dominion in 2000 and was the Honda Award winner in 2002, was the tournament's top scorer with six goals.

• Did you listen to yesterday's Mondays With Myles podcast? Dr. Brand discusses the NCAA Gender Equity and Issues Forum and why we still have work to do in ensuring that equal opportunities exist for both male and female student-athletes.

• I also had a chance to speak with Denee Rivera-Barracato for our Campus Connection feature. An assistant director of athletics and senior woman administrator at Adelphi, Denee made a presentation at the Forum yesterday discussing Hispanic female student-athletes and some of the challenges facing that demographic. She offers a condensed version of her presentation on our podcast.

• Make sure to vote in this week's Double-A Poll, which asks if female athletes should steer clear of endorsements that emphasize their sexuality instead of athletics prowess. The early results are pretty tight, so make your vote count.

• I moderated a session yesterday afternoon titled "Marketing Strategies for Women's Athletics." We had a dynamite panel, including AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer, T-Time Productions President Theresa Moore and Columbia Director of Athletics M. Dianne Murphy. We discussed a lot of pertinent issues with regard to marketing women's athletics, and the overall sentiment from the panel is that the sporting events must be fun. Yes, the competition matters, but if people don't enjoy themselves when they come to a game or match on campus, they won't come again. I agree with the panelists - look at how many people attend minor league baseball games. If something is marketed well, potential is infinite.

• The college sports community lost a special man yesterday, as former Illinois State men's basketball coach Will Robinson died at the age of 96. When he accepted the post at Illinois State in 1970, Robinson made history by becoming the first black head coach in Division I history. After his coaching career was complete, he went on to a successful career as a scout for the Detroit Pistons.

• For the first time since 1970, there weren't any Alabama players selected in the NFL draft. When one of the most storied programs in football history doesn't have any players selected, and Division II and III players were picked as high as the fifth round, it kind of makes you think about how many good players there are all over the country, regardless of division.

• Once a student-athlete, always a student-athlete. Former Western Michigan football player Micah Zuhl will spend most of the next year competing in Ironman triathlon events, but "Zuhl's Pursuit" has little to do with his own health and physical fitness. Along with former Western Michigan football player William Miller, Zuhl launched a campaign to help those living with cancer in Southwest Michigan. The duo will travel across the country this year to raise awareness and $500,000 for Gilda's Club Grand Rapids, which provides support for cancer victims in 27 Michigan counties. The pair is attempting to raise the most money in Michigan history for this type of cause.

• For the next two days, I will hear from some of the foremost athletics administrators in the country at the 18th annual NCAA Gender Equity and Issues Forum. I first attended this event in New Orleans three years ago, and have learned a great deal each time I've come. There are some great panel discussions taking place throughout the next couple of days and I will share details in tomorrow's coffee.

• Since I'm in Boston for a couple of days, I get to reconnect with some old college teammates, and we'll go out for dinner tonight. Every time we get together is a blast, but we never talk about the games we played. When we reminisce, wins, losses, hits and strikeouts are never part of the equation. Four years later, those aren't the things we remember about our student-athlete experience, although at the time, we wanted to win more than anything in the world.

• How about the NFL draft this weekend? While you may have been cheering for players from your favorite schools, I was fastidiously checking the draft board to see if FCS, Division II and Division III players were making the jump to the professional ranks. I wasn't disappointed - Tennessee State's Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was the first non-FBS player selected in the draft, going 16th overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco was taken two picks later by the Baltimore Ravens.

• Five Division II players were selected in the draft, including Grand Valley State's Brandon Carr, Northwest Missouri State's Xavier Omon, Washburn's Cary Williams, St. Augustine's Alex Hall and Bentley's Mackenzy Bernadeau. You may remember Omon from his ridiculous performances in the Division II national semifinal last fall, when he ran for 292 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Grand Valley State.

• Don't think Division III players can hang in the NFL? Think again. Wheaton (Illinois) defensive end Andrew Studebaker, no relation to the car, was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round. Two picks later, Mount Union wide receiver Pierre Garcon was taken by the Colts.

• Want to see if your favorite team is doing well in the classroom? Now you can. The NCAA honored 712 Division I teams last week with public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores. The teams recognized posted APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.

• College kids are smart, and they recognize that it's getting more and more expensive to go to college. Students at Wesleyan (Connecticut) have decided to create an endowment for funds not used by campus groups each year - monies that have typically just gone over to next year's budget. The students hope that the endowment can eventually grow enough that it can replace some student fees. How's that for foresight and fiscal responsibility from 18- to 21-year-olds?

• After an absence of more than four years, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden announced the return of the bearcat, or binturong. The Bearcat is also the official mascot of the University of Cincinnati. University President Nancy Zimpher touted the strong relationship between the university and the zoo. Feeling creative? You can enter a contest to name the baby bearcat - the deadline is April 30. If you do choose to submit a name, let us know what you put forward.

• How about Alia Sabur? The Guinness Book of World Records named the 19-year-old Long Island native the world's youngest professor. Sabur, who has been temporarily teaching at Southern University, accepted a permanent position at Konkuk University in South Korea. The academic phenom earned her doctorate from Drexel in materials science and engineering. It's great that Sabur is so accomplished at such a young age, but do you think she's missed out on something special by not experiencing college with her peers?

• Christine Brennan wrote a nice story in USA Today about the impact Danica Patrick has had on young girls wanting to follow in her footsteps. "I would consider my daughter one of the best drivers in her series," said proud father Raul Martinez. "It doesn't matter boy or girl, it's the best driver who wins. Just like what Danica did. End of story."

• Indiana State basketball student-athlete Laura Rudolphi has been named the College of Business Dean's Honors Scholar for having the highest GPA in the school. On the court, Rudolphi led the Sycamores with 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Off the court, she earned a 3.98 GPA and was a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Selection.

• A couple of months ago, we shared the story of former Baylor softball standout Cristen Vitek, who was fighting a life-threatening illness in the hospital. The pitcher who struck out an NCAA-record 28 batters in a 16-inning complete game victory over North Carolina returned to the field on Wednesday night, throwing out the first pitch at Getterman Stadium in an emotional pregame ceremony. Could there be better news?

• Want to see a college football locker room? Click on this link and watch 5 minutes and 40 seconds of brilliance from Harvard's gridiron gang. Of special note is the vocal performance by fullback Noah Van Niel, who happens to be an operatic tenor. Van Niel sings the first verse of "God Bless America" and is joined by his teammates afterwards. It's a special scene and I've now watched it three times.

• Speaking of Harvard football, guest blogger Carl Ehrlich will share a post later today. Perhaps Carl will share some thoughts on Noah and the locker room scene at a later time.

• We've discussed whether or not beach volleyball will ever be an NCAA-sponsored sport, but at this time, it's still classified as an emerging sport. Either way, there are a lot of college kids playing beach volleyball, so a collegiate championship is conducted outside the NCAA's purview. Last weekend, Texas totaled 14 points to claim the national team title, finishing just ahead of San Diego. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics continues to look at beach volleyball and other sports to increase future opportunities for female athletes.

• Just a follow up on our top post from Tuesday - Trinity (Connecticut) dominated Eastern Connecticut State that night 17-2, improving to 28-0 overall. I played both of those teams twice each season during my college years and Eastern Conn was always the team to beat. If Trinity can beat the Warriors that badly, they are absolutely a contender for the Division III national championship.

• If Webster's had pictures, a smiling photograph of Tabitha Yim would be adjacent to the definition of resiliency. Since 2001, the Stanford gymnast has suffered a broken leg, a fractured toe, a knee injury, a hamstring problem, a partially torn Achilles tendon and a completely torn Achilles one day after finishing fourth at the 2004 Olympic trials. Now a senior, Yim was the Pac-10 all-around champion this spring and is a contender for individual national titles in the all-around and balance beam disciplines. The national championship meet begins today and Yim is hoping to lead Stanford to its first-ever title in the sport.

• Valorie Kondos Field has been the head coach of the UCLA women's gymnastics team since 1990. Her biggest fan? John Wooden. Although Wooden has suffered through a tough stretch with his health recently, he is hoping Kondos Field can lead the Bruins to their sixth national title in the sport. "If Val's team performs to their abilities this week, that would put a smile on my face," Wooden said. Kondos Field says if she'd never met Wooden, she might not even be coaching right now. Instead, she has the support and friendship of the greatest college coach of all-time.

• How long has baseball been around? Well, the Cubs won their 10,000th game last night. If Chicago had won 100 games a year for 100 years, it would total 10,000 wins. A billy goat told me that hasn't happened, so we can recognize that baseball has been America's pastime for a long, long time.

• The Columbia graduate program in sports management is hosting a sports ethics symposium tonight at the NFL headquarters in midtown Manhattan. Speakers include award-winning sports journalist Robert Lipsyte, CSTV co-founder Chris Bevilacqua and St. John's Director of Athletics Chris Monasch. Kudos to Wesley Harris for spearheading the effort.

• We're a couple of days late, but congratulations to Danica Patrick for winning the Indy Japan 300 on Sunday and becoming the first woman in a century of open-wheel racing to win an event. While I'm confident that auto racing will likely never be a collegiate sport, it's important to note the progress women have made across athletics in general. What worries me, however, is when female athletes pose provocatively in magazine spreads after finding success in competition. We all know sex sells, but do female athletes have a responsibility to stay away from endorsements and other displays that promote their sexuality instead of athletic prowess?

• Legendary Arkansas cross country and track and field coach John McDonnell has announced he will retire following the 2008 outdoor season. One of the most successful coaches in NCAA history, McDonnell has led the Razorbacks to 42 national titles, more than any coach of a single-gender sport in the history of collegiate sports. Kenyon swimming coach Jim Steen has won 47 national titles while spending the past 32 years at the helm of both programs.

• Brandeis head baseball coach and Centor-Mentor Pete Varney picked up his 600th career victory on Monday in a 6-0 victory over UMass-Dartmouth. Coach Varney becomes the 28th Division III coach in history to reach the milestone and third to do so this season. After Tuesday's loss to Amherst, Varney now boasts a career record of 600-361.

• On Monday afternoon, three teenagers fainted while practicing synchronized swimming in a Washington state pool. The three members of the Seattle Synchronized Swim Team were resuscitated, thanks in large part the preparedness of the head coach and other trained professionals on site.

• The campuses of Duke and North Carolina aren't but a few miles apart, but the bitter rivals don't do much together. That will change this summer, when student-athletes from both universities launch a joint program in Vietnam. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils will work alongside host-country college students and conduct sports clinics for children ages 11-15. The concept of "Coach for College" was developed by former Duke tennis student-athlete Parker Goyer.

• Members of the Westminster Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted a field day earlier this month, instructing, officiating and playing with fourth-graders from Wilmington Elementary School in a variety of sports.

• We can't go too long without some sort of Lauren Ross note. The Western Carolina softball standout has launched a Web site featuring her vocal stylings. Lauren and bandmate Casey Melvin have been singing together for about a year and a half. Word out of Cullowhee is that Lauren will be submitting a guest blog soon.

• The Faculty Athletics Representatives Association developed a statement of purpose that reads: "The official faculty voice ensuring balance between academics and athletics for the benefit of student-athletes at more than 1,000 NCAA colleges and universities."

• I thought yesterday's Mondays With Myles podcast was pretty interesting. Dr. Brand discussed the similarities between athletics and academics boosters and suggested that there's not much difference between people like Phil Knight and T. Boone Pickens, and those who give millions and millions and dollars to support the academic side of the campus community.

• Who watched Regis and Kelly this morning? If you did, you may have seen New Jersey City assistant softball coach Crystal Vargas performing with artist Kat DeLuna. Vargas, who plays bongos and drums, has been a percussionist since the age of five. In addition to her musical talents, Vargas was a standout softball player at Rutgers and has been a member of the Puerto Rican national team since 2003. When she's not coaching, playing or performing, Vargas is teaching criminal justice at her old high school.

• The Post men's golf team recently won its third Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championship and will be making its fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Northeast Regional. Head coach Pete Stevens recently returned to Post from Iraq, where he served with the U.S. Army.

• Special Olympians got a thrill a couple of weeks back, when the Texas A&M-Commerce football team spent time coaching and teaching as part of the Hunt County Special Olympics.

• It's been a rough year for Hartford tennis, as the men's and women's teams have combined for just seven points this spring. Both teams have failed to win more than one match in a given meet and unless the women pull a miracle against Albany today, Hartford will have gone 0-for-the-season. While the Hawks have certainly struggled, they're probably having a lot of fun along the way, as head coach Mike Raymond is one of the most enthusiastic and dedicated guys around. Raymond spent the past three years as an assistant at Allegheny and during his undergraduate days at Western New England, was a member of the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

• Former Colby track and field standout Dan Vassallo finished 24th overall in yesterday's Boston Marathon. Vassallo completed the course in 2:25.10, a 5:32 pace. More than 25,000 runners competed in the marathon.

• Tragedy struck the Newton, Massachusetts community last week, as high school cheerleader Lauren Chang suffered collapsed lungs and died after being knocked in the chest during competition. This isn't the first time we've heard of serious/fatal injuries in the world of cheerleading, and it seems that we should probably look closely at how to prevent this in the future.

• While it was the right bet to think I was sleeping in New York during the Midwest earthquake on Friday morning, Marta forgot to take one factor into account - my wife. At 5:30 a.m., I got a call from my wife, who was still in Indianapolis and understandably shaken by the event, as well as the tremors. So while I wasn't in the fray, I was alert for the festivities.

• Not only that, but I was tired. I didn't get back to my parents' place in Queens until 1 on Friday morning after a historic evening of New York baseball. For all those who were wondering, despite having Yankees-Red Sox tickets courtesy of my older brother, I did elect to start the evening at Shea Stadium, where Brandeis alum Nelson Figueroa tossed a gem against the Washington Nationals. I watched Figueroa into the top of the fourth, before hopping on the 7 train to the N to the 4, where I was deposited in the Bronx in the top of the sixth. It was quite an experience to sit in both stadiums, in their final seasons, looking at the new parks in the background.

• Yankee Stadium had more than 50,000 fans inside, so while it wasn't a 5.2 quake, there was a lot of shaking going down in the Bronx.

• If I had been a bit more ambitious, I could have caught some Division III baseball action prior to the Mets game. Staten Island swept St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) in a Thursday afternoon doubleheader while Merchant Marine won a slugfest over Lehman on Kings Point, 16-14.

• I still can't get over how well Fig is pitching - it's thrilling to see a Division III player excel in the big leagues. There are others making waves as well - former Wheaton (Massachusetts) outfielder Chris Denorfia is starting for the Oakland A's, and yes, all-star Mets closer Billy Wagner went to Ferrum, a Division III school in Virginia.

• Last week, we discussed whether or not college coaches should recruit kids like Donte Greene, who bolted early for the NBA after just one season at Syracuse. In yesterday's Los Angeles Times, Bill Plaschke saddles up to the same question, wondering how someone like Kevin Love can put his name in the same sentence as guys like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. "They left their legacy on the court and off the court as well," Love said. "I want to continue to do so." With just eight months on campus, is it possible to leave a legacy?

• California senior Tim McNeill won individual national championships on the pommel horse and parallel bars this weekend, giving him five individual titles in his career.

• Despite McNeill's performance, Cal would have to settle for a fifth-place team finish, coming in behind Oklahoma, Stanford, Illinois and Penn State. The Sooners won their eighth national championship and third in the last four years.

• Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton and Stanford gymnasts Sho Nakamori and David Sender are all on the United States national team. The three could find themselves in Beijing at the end of the summer.

• Happy Patriots Day! I used to live in Boston and it's a big day in Beantown, where the Boston Marathon takes place before the Red Sox play at 11:05 a.m.

• Former Bowdoin standout and Olympic champion Joan Benoit Samuelson finished 90th out of 124 runners at yesterday's United States Olympic marathon trials. Samuelson, who was honored with the NCAA's Top VIII award a few years ago, finished in 2:49.08, setting an American record for the 50-54 age group.

• Friend of the Double-A Zone Pat Kindig sent along a note from Ohio State last week, as the Buckeyes were celebrating the winter success of their student-athletes - in the classroom. Ohio State student-athletes boasted a 3.1 cumulative GPA last semester, above the overall student body mark of 2.95. Forty-eight student-athletes finished the semester with a perfect 4.0.

• Brown wide receiver Paul Raymond could find his name on the back of an NFL jersey sometime soon, but professional football isn't what he was thinking about when he decided to attend the Ivy League institution. "When I made the decision, I was thinking more of having a good background in terms of having a good degree," Raymond said. "The N.F.L. wasn't on my mind."

• The New York Times story on Raymond filled us in on what his former teammate Nick Hartigan is up to. Hartigan, who was one of the leading rushers in the Football Championship Subdivision during his career, was featured on the Double-A Zone just two days after we launched the blog. The Rhodes Scholar made it to training camp with the Jets in 2006, but was cut before the summer was over. Hartigan's doing just fine, however, as he is presently a student at Harvard Law School.

• Buck Dawson, the first executive director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, died earlier this month at the age of 87. Dawson was a champion for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo, helping thousands of student-athletes realize their dreams in the water.

• We need extra coffee this morning in central Indiana. Many people at the NCAA National Office had a rude wake-up call at 5:37. The bed shook, the windows rattled, we had ourselves a genuine Midwestern earthquake. Josh Centor, however, slept soundly in New York.



• Earthquakes happen about once every 15 years in Indiana. Strangely, so do 22-inning baseball games. Even stranger, technically they both happened on the same day! (The Colorado and San Diego game ended after 1 a.m.)



• We're at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The economy is tanking. Food prices have reached an all-time high around the world and three members of Congress want the Justice Department to investigate the BCS. When issues like this surface, there always seems to be some confusion over the NCAA's role. Just to clarify, the NCAA has nothing at all to do with the BCS.



• Earlier this week we asked if blue-chip recruits are worth it to programs if they only play for one year. Kevin Love announced he's leaving for the draft. What do you think?



• The Northern Illinois and Notre Dame baseball teams played Wednesday in White Sox stadium to raise money for a memorial scholarship fund. About 4,600 fans showed up for the game.



• The Olympic stadium opened in China and there's an interesting debate going on at the BBC Web site. Most of the debate surrounds the design and not the politics. One commenter said, "It looks like a giant pile of grey spaghetti, ready and waiting just in case Gulliver decides to drop by for lunch."



• In other Olympic news, a mom from Washington, D.C. could qualify for the triathlon team this Saturday. Unlike most athletes of her caliber, she's decided to train at home to stay with her family, rather than moving to a more conducive environment. What a great example for her kids!



• Barack Obama discussed the impact basketball made on his life with Bryant Gumbel. In the interview Obama said the game helped him identify with his race. "Here was a sport in which we were dominant. All those things, I think, contributed to the idea that there's something special about this."

• Artificial turf could kill you (or at least cause severe neurological problems). Two football fields in New Jersey, The College of New Jersey's Lions' Stadium Field in Ewing and Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, were closed this week because health officials found dangerous levels of lead in the turf fibers. Seriously, lead. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the problem, but according a trade group there are more than 3,500 synthetic fields across the country. You can reduce the risk, officials say, by wetting the fields to reduce the amount of lead dust, which could be fatal if inhaled.



• Georgia State will add more women's sports, a football team and a marching band in 2010.



• The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has launched a voluntary pilot program to test the body chemistry of elite athletes. The program requires regular measurement of the athlete's blood and urine. Twelve athletes are currently enrolled in the program. "I'm anxious to let people know 'Hey, look, I'm clean. I'm the athlete you should be behind,'" track athlete and pilot member Bryan Clay said.



• A recruit at the University of Florida broke the school's crystal BCS trophy, while snapping photos of Tim Tebow's Heisman. No word if Ohio State is also considering the high school senior, who was described by his high school coach as a "bull in a china shop."



• Major League Baseball received an "A" for its record of diversity hiring. The grade was the highest ever awarded to the league, but it hasn't come without controversy. According to the report, the amount of black players has decreased to its lowest point in two decades. The drop prompted comment from Jackie Robinson's widow. "I'm very disappointed by that fact," said Rachel Robinson. "Competition from other sports is certainly a big factor, but there are many factors. We've got to work on it in terms of getting younger children playing, into the game, and getting communities behind the programs, like the RBI programs and the academies."



• Spring football has reached its highest point ever, according to an annual survey of the 66 Bowl Championship Series-affiliated schools conducted by USA Today. The survey found that 105 high school athletes entered early, up from 69 last year. While the NCAA does not have any legislation preventing the practice, NCAA Vice President for Membership Services Kevin Lennon says the 16 core course rule, which goes into action in August, could prompt many high school athletes to plan ahead. "So now you're talking about having to take 16 core courses in seven semesters, so if you're considering (leaving early), it's clear you have to start (the process) when you're a freshman," said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for membership services. "I don't have a sense if fewer students will do it with the change to 16, but you've got to start early."

• One year ago today, the campus of Virginia Tech was forever changed, as a gunman opened fire and killed more than 30 people on a Monday morning. We'll never forget this senseless massacre, but have we learned enough from it? Are our campuses any safer today than they were one year ago?

• I'm surprised there haven't been more thoughts regarding yesterday's top post. Do blue-chip prospects leave programs worse off than they found them?

• Pope Benedict XVI is on American soil for the first time in his papacy, and the head of the Roman Catholic Church is going to spend some time at a pair of Major League Baseball stadiums. There are few venues that can hold the crowds that want to worship with the Pope, so tens of thousands will attend mass at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. and later in the week at Yankee Stadium.

• Sheila Johnson played three years of tennis at Arizona State from 1963-65. Forty-three years later, Johnson is back on the college courts, finishing her eligibility with a bang at the age of 60. Johnson earned a scholarship to Grand Canyon University and despite being the oldest college tennis player in the country, is 11-6 in singles and 7-10 in doubles. Johnson is the latest in a line of older student-athlete gracing the fields of play - 59-year-old Michael Flynt spent the fall playing football at Sul Ross State and 53-year-old John Wilson is on the Penn State-Altoona baseball team. At 60, Johnson is the oldest of the three, but is also having the most success.

• In Sunday's playoff loss to the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers forward Sean Avery reverted to unsportsmanlike means to try and give his team an edge. During a power play, Avery turned to face New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur and began waving his stick from side to side. The NHL quickly adopted a rule to prevent this from happening again, but it turns out the NCAA already had something in its rulebook that would stop this type of behavior. Rule 6-29-a states that "waving of arms in front of a goalkeeper by an opponent is interference."

• One week from Saturday, all of Northern State's student-athletes will participate in the university's annual Day of Champions and will engage in a variety of projects to give back to the Aberdeen community. A few of the projects include painting the grandstands and washing tents at the county fairgrounds, assisting with park restoration and painting, landscaping and removal of trees at the Adjustment Training Center.

• Last Saturday, Western Carolina pitcher Lauren Ross celebrated her 21st birthday in fashion, tossing a five-inning no-hitter in an 8-0 win over the College of Charleston. Ross struck out seven.

• While discussing the attendance of the Georgia Tech baseball team at pitcher Michael Hutts' funeral in a staff meeting yesterday, we began wondering if the team would have been able to travel to pay their respects if Hutts hadn't been from Georgia. The answer is yes. Rule 16.6.1.3 says that "The institution may pay transportation, housing and meal expenses for parents (or legal guardians) and the spouse of a student-athlete and for the student-athlete's teammates to be present in situations in which a student-athlete suffers a life-threatening injury or illness, or, in the event of a student-athlete's death, to provide these expenses in conjunction with funeral arrangements."

• I caught this headline yesterday while surfing the Web: "Georgia Tech cancels game to attend pitcher's funeral." Unfortunately, student-athlete deaths happen far too frequently, so it wasn't the death part that stopped me in my tracks; it was the image of 30 college baseball players seeing one of their best friends buried. I could feel that emotion, and it must be devastating for all of those kids. Michael Hutts, a 21-year-old pitcher who was also on Georgia Tech's dean's list, was found dead in his apartment last Friday.

• Jacob Priday is a pretty good baseball player. The Missouri senior went 5-for-5 in a 31-12 victory over Texas on Friday, hitting four homers and knocking in nine runs. Missouri tied a school record with 26 hits and pitcher Aaron Crow improved to 8-0. Impressive performances all around, but 31 runs against Texas? How is that possible?

• Michael Beasley declared for the NBA draft yesterday, which is clearly not a surprise. Beasley will probably be the first pick in the draft and will be an immediate millionaire. But what about those misguided underclassmen who declare and don't get drafted? Just because you declare doesn't mean you're going to get signed or make millions. More than 20 underclassmen have already declared for June's draft, and while not all have them have given up their eligibility by signing with an agent, many will see the process through to the end. There are only 30 spots in the first round, where the money is guaranteed, so what are all these kids doing? Here's an example: Louisville forward Derrick Caracter has declared for the draft after averaging 16.9 minutes and 8.3 points per game this season. Is he better off going pro or trying to mature - academically and athletically - at the college level?

• Newsday had a nice story on Nazareth volleyball player Frank Leahy, who was a second-team all-American this past season. Leahy, who is already the school's all-time assists leader, is halfway through a six-year physical therapy program at Nazareth, and plans to give back to athletics throughout his professional career.

• Nebraska will play its spring football game on Saturday - good luck finding a seat. Not only is the event sold-out, but tickets are going for nearly $100 a pop. Why are people so interested in games that aren't real and don't count for anything? I like football as much as the next guy, but $100 for a spring game? What's the rationale?

• Right up there with Easter, Passover, Earth Day and April Fools Day, Tax Day is marked by Americans all across the country. In fact, more people recognize this non-denominational day than any other all year long. I hope everyone fully enjoys their April 15 today, and remember, April 16 is just one day away.

• I've got the quandary of all quandaries this Monday morning. After throwing a gem of a game on Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, Brandeis baseball alum Nelson Figueroa will get the ball on Thursday night in Shea Stadium against Washington. It turns out that I will be in NYC Thursday and actually have tickets for that night's Yankees-Red Sox game. My friend Max, who also played baseball at Brandeis, is going to the Boogie-down Bronx with me for the Yankee game, but I'm now wondering if we make the switcheroo to watch Figueroa throw against the Nationals. I've been to a number of Yankees-Sox games, but never seen Nelson throw in a MLB game, just an alumni game. Perhaps I could start out at Shea for three innings, watch Figueroa throw, hop on the 7 train to Grand Central and switch to the 4 uptown to the Bronx and get the last three innings of the Yankee-Sox game. Any thoughts?

• Speaking of Yankees and Red Sox, did you see the story about the construction worker who buried a Boston t-shirt in the foundation of the new stadium? The Red Sox enthusiast was trying to curse the new stadium and his co-workers didn't find it amusing. I'm sure there are plenty of these types of stories out there - do you know any from the collegiate ranks?

• It's kind of crazy to think that the Yankees spent time and money digging that shirt out of the foundation, especially when I'm sure there are other things already buried on site. Superstition has always played a big part in athletics - are there any superstitions you know of that are a bit off the wall?

• The Divisions I, II and III Management Councils are meeting in the NCAA national office today. We will provide updates from the meetings during the next couple of days. Remember, the NCAA is a membership-driven organization, and the Management Councils are near the top of the structure, with athletics directors, commissioners, faculty athletics representatives and senior woman administrators making up the rosters.

• I spent the weekend outside Chicago, where I made a presentation at the SEME Central conference at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management yesterday. During the presentation, I recorded a live podcast with SEME executive director and Georgetown associate dean Matt Winkler. The two-minute conversation (listen to podcast) tells you all about this impressive sports/events/ marketing experience.

• Were you in Lawrence, Kansas yesterday? You must have been, because there were about 50 million people at the national championship parade. Actually, Lawrence police estimated the crowd at 80,000, which is still a ton of folks. I'm not sure the Yankees, Patriots, etc. get that many people for championship parades. What does that say about the passion people have for intercollegiate athletics?

• Tiger finished second at the Masters this weekend, coming in three shots behind winner Trevor Immelman. It's really quite amazing to think about how Tiger has transformed the sport of golf - we actually expect him to win every single time out. Finishing second at the Masters is a huge weekend for any other golfer, but for Tiger, second is one spot behind where he's supposed to be. Is that fair?

• Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver missed the cut at Augusta National, as did the other two amateurs in the field. Weaver will get back to tournament action this coming weekend at the ACC Men's Golf Championship.

• Michigan senior Kevin Porter won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Friday night, earning the nod as college hockey's best player. Porter edged Boston College standout Nathan Gerbe for top honors.

• Gerbe probably doesn't care too much, however, as he scored two goals to lead BC over Notre Dame on Saturday to win the NCAA men's hockey championship. Th