It is no secret that I think Heather Dinich is doing a fine job over at ESPN.com.  She covers ACC football on her blog, and after rubbing elbows with the ACC coaches for the spring meetings, she has put together her current power rankings.  It is really early for stuff like this, but it is also a lot of fun at the same time.  Especially if you are an NC State Wolfpack fan, whom Heather has pegged as her number two team in the entire ACC, behind only the Hokies of Virginia Tech.

Heather, Wolfpack Nation would like to thank you for not being like a lot of the other “journalists” around the country who take every chance they can to pile on the Pack.  While I think you are quite optimistic about my beloved Wolfpack’s upcoming season, it is nice to see them being portrayed in a positive light and as an up and coming beast.  Can you start the Russell Wilson for Heisman campaign for us?

NC State men’s basketball coach Sidney Lowe landed another big time recruit yesterday in DeShawn Painter.  Our good buddies (I have no clue if they even know we are alive) over at Wolfpack Hoops have the details.  This does not come as a surprise to me, and haters be damned because Sid is doing a terrific job bringing in recruits.  This coming season is looking better and better each day to me.

Big tip of the hat to Heather Dinich for emailing me about this article at StarNewsOnline.  Okay, Heather did not email me, but she did link to the article in yesterday’s ACC Lunchtime Links.  Great read on Wilson, who wants to play both football and baseball professionally.  At 5′11″ tall, playing QB in the NFL will be a tough task, but if anyone can do it it just might be Russell Wilson.  The more I hear of this kid, the more I like him.  You will not find a guy more grounded than Wilson, as displayed in this interview by our good buddy Joe Ovies over at 850 the Buzz.  When do we start the Heisman campaign?

NC State fans know Andrew Brackman pretty well, as he was a two sport star during his time in Raleigh.  New York Yankee fans will one day know the kid’s name pretty well themselves.  The sports betting guys will learn to love him also. The Yankees took Brackman with their first round pick in the 2007 draft.  When they did so, Brackman was experiencing elbow pain, which lead to him getting Tommy John surgery later that year.  Just to make sure he would not see any time on the diamond in 2008 he went ahead and had an appendectomy.

Now Brack is back, however, and he is working on getting back into form.  Andrew is a big kid, going for 6′10″ and 270 pounds.  With a high 90’s fastball that he can reach back and get triple digits on from time to time, Brack can overpower batters.  He can also fool them with his curve, choosing either the conventional style or a knuckle curve.  Brack is developing a changeup, and when he masters it look out.

While he is not expected to contribute to the big league club this year, Brack is on the 40 man active roster.  Baseball America pegged him as the number three prospect in the Yankees’ system, and they think that with his athletic ability that he surpasses other tall pitchers in his ability to be consistent with his delivery and his “aptitude” of the game.  If you check out Brack’s stats so far this season, you will not be overly impressed.  He touts a 5.23 ERA through four starts.  In those four starts he has only logged 20.2 innings, but of course he is on a tight pitch count to open the year.  His K/9 is sitting at 8.9, but his B/9 sits at 3.5.  Credit much of that to rust; Brackman did miss about a year and a half of time due to his injuries.

So while Brack sits here on April 30th with a record of 0 – 2, a 5.23 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP, you should still take notice of him.  At age 23, he should begin his climb towards the Majors this season.  So if you live in Charleston, go see him pitch for the RiverDogs before it is too late.  I do not expect him to be there too long.  I also do not expect him to be called up this year, and if he is it will be late in the season.  Brack should have zero impact on the 2009 fantasy baseball season.

This morning we learned of the passing of Kay Yow, who succumed to cancer at the age of 66.  It will be a sad day for Wolfpack Nation.  Yow was, and still is, an inspiration to many and she personified what it means to persevere in the face of one of life’s most dreaded diseases.

While it is commonplace for sports bloggers to rail on ESPN, I must commend them for their segment on Sportscenter and for the good work that they do with the V Foundation.  The interview with Pat Summit this morning was not only moving, but was a perfect display of the values and ethics that are embedded in competitive athletics.

Go here for a great timeline of Yow’s life.

Go here for a great piece by the AP on ESPN.com.

In short, Kay Yow will be deeply missed.  She leaves Earth a better place because of the life that she led, and she leaves behind her a legacy of kindness that touched more people than we can possibly fathom.

For those that wish to donate to the Kay Yow fund, part of the V Foundation, go here.

It’s not John Wall, he’s in the 2009 Class, but NC State did add a point guard to it’s recruiting mix. They inked yet another Georgia product in 6′0″ Ryan Harrow, out of the 2010 Class. There isn’t a lot out there on Harrow, but he plays on the same AAU team as fellow Wolfpack target Lorenzo Brown. Georgia seems to have become a hotbed of talent lately, and adding Harrow only helps the case for Brown, who I expect to be in a Wolfpack uniform when he begins his college career. The other Georgia guy, 2009 target Derick Favors, has stated that he won’t pick a team until the end of his senior season.

Thanks to Arlen for tipping us on this one.

It’s no secret that I’m a big Salma Hayek fan. I’ll never forget when I first saw her in From Dusk Till Dawn, and she’s been a favorite ever since. Now we have yet another reason to like Salma, she is a Wolfpack fan. Or at least she was caught doing the stupid little thing with her hand that so many Wolfpackers enjoy. Big thanks to Joe Ovies for pointing this out.

There is more Salma on The Sports Idiot here and then again here.

UNC 84, NC State 70

I’m officially fed up with this year’s Wolfpack team.  I don’t know what the problem is, but I’m beginning to think NC State has a bunch of coddled babies on it’s team.   Last night’s game showed me just how little these players care.  If it wasn’t taking plays off on defense or offense, it was their unwillingness to even attempt to help out their teammates in times of need.  In the first half, when things were going good, they looked like the cohesive unit that they should be.  They played hard, and executed on offense.  Well, until UNC took the lead, that is.

more after the jump Continue reading ‘Frustration Boils Over’

The stage was set perfectly for the Wolfpack of NC State to let the nation know that they mean business this year. It was the feature game of the ACC/Big 11 “Challenge” on Wednesday night, on ESPN at 7, and it also marked the start of Jimmy V week on said network. Before the game there was an introduction by Coach K, who once again reminded us why we used to like him and how good he was to the revered Jimmy V. Then there was the replaying of the famous 1993 ESPY speech, in which Jimmy V accepted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, and reminded us all of what is important in life. I can’t watch that speech without getting chills up my spine, and I’m not sure if it’s always at the same part of that epic monologue. This time it was when Jimmy V spoke about wanting to come back in 1994 and give the award. After watching that replay of the speech, I remembered once again why he was/is so loved and why his players would have run through mountains for him. Shit, I would have run through a cinder block wall last night. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the same affect on this version of the Wolfpack.

My thoughts on last night’s debacle after the jump… Continue reading ‘Michigan State 81 NC State 58′