Frogs Visit Mormons This Weekend; Caffeine and Alcohol Not Making the Trip

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TCU's weekend series with 20-18 BYU starts tonight, actually, because silly Mormons wont play baseball on Sunday. Frogs send ace Kyle Winkler to the mound tonight with his 7-1 record and 1.38 ERA. The Friday starter is once again projected to be team anti-ace Erik Miller, whose 3-6 record with 4.54 ERA aren't quite as impressive as Winkler. However, according to the gofrogs.com preview, Miller is a left handed pitcher, so maybe he's trying something new. Couldn't hurt, could it? Saturday's start goes to the super dependable Steven Maxwell, who is 5-0 with a 2.90 ERA. BYU counters with RHP Taylor Cole (3-3, 2.98 ERA) on Thursday, RHP Chris Capper (3-2, 3.65 ERA) on Friday, and the dreaded and feared TBA takes the hill on Saturday.

BYU is also going to be without 4 players tonight, including starting outfielder Ryan Bernal, because they were suspended for 3 games after a post game fight with some New Mexico players. If there's one thing I've learned about BYU in my years following their sucky existence, it's that they are hot heads and have a hard time keeping their cool when they're getting their asses handed to them- this just further illustrates my stance on that. In their defense, you'd have some pent up rage issues too if you had multiple wives to deal with, or in the case of the unmarried ones, you'd have pent up rage too if you'd never ejaculated in your entire life.

In all seriousness, though, we definitely need a sweep. I say that pretty much every weekend, but I figure our chances for a regional hosting site are done, so it's time to focus on winning the conference again and beating down the lousy Mountain West baseball competition (especially crybaby Mormons). Oh, and for those who want to watch, all 3 games are being broadcast live on BYU-TV, so you can watch baseball in between commercials about how bad you are for drinking, having pre-marital sex, and using tobacco products.

Other Frogs in the NFL Draft.

#winning.

After spending the entirety of the off-season focusing on Andy Dalton's draft status, it'd be hard to blame anyone if they overlooked the fact that TCU could potentially have a record setting 10 players selected over the weekend. Of course, we toss around words like "unprecedented" for a reason; namely because the chances of all ten of these guys being picked up are about as good as bucknasty's chances of not telling Baylor fans how he REALLY feels about them Friday night in September. However, the fact that all ten of them will at least merit some serious discussion as the Draft stretches on speaks to the caliber of athlete Patterson and Co. have been producing over the years. Here's a quick run down, in descending order of logical draft status.

Marcus Cannon. Projected Round: 2-4.

• In news that was at one point too shockingly ludicrous to be true, it has now come out that Marcus Cannon has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and will begin chemotherapy this week to take care of his illness. Of course we all wish Marcus the best and his long term health is far more important than any NFL paycheck he was due to receive. The good news in all of this is that lymphoma is very treatable, Marcus is expected to make a full recovery and will be more than capable of pursuing his career at the next level. The bad news is that the news came out this week and not next. Of course that's the selfish way to look at it, but its true that this will not help his draft stock as several mocks have downgraded him as many as 3 rounds after the announcement. Marcus will likely have to sit out his rookie season while recovering from chemo which will clearly scare away some GMs as they wonder if he will ever live up to his potential. However, even considering the treatment and missed year, many believe Marcus can bounce back and be as productive as he ever would have been, and it just takes one NFL decision maker to believe in him. He has way too much potential to be completely overlooked. I did some hasty Google research regarding NFL players and lymphoma and it definitely would appear that Marcus contracting the disease at such a young age and at this point in his career is a rarity, but hopefully he will power through it and give others who may fall into his same situation in the future hope. I have a feeling he's going to make 31 NFL GM's look pretty stupid down the road. Let's just hope Sandra Bullock isn't involved in the inevitable movie adaptation of his story of perseverance.

What the Mocks are Saying:

• Sporting News: Cleveland Browns, Third Round.
• CBS Sports, Chad Reuter: Pittsburgh Steelers, 31st overall.
• Pat Kirwan: Seattle Seahawks, 57th overall.
• Walter Football: Dallas Cowboys, Fifth Round.

Jeremy Kerley. Projected Round: 4-5.

• Ah, Kerley Fries. Definitely going to miss that guy. Even though he didn't have the impact this year as he did last in the return game, Jeremy is still being viewed as one of the best return men in the draft, and after showing good hands in the Senior Bowl, certainly helped his stock in the receiving game as well. Kerley recently took part in ESPN the Magazine's "King for a Day" feature which, for whatever reason, had him and several other NFL prospects travelling to Brooklyn to take part in whatever it is that ESPN does with this thing. So, at least you know his name is going to be out there. Kerley definitely fits the mold of a slot receiver and, as with any white or slot receiver heading into the draft ad infinitum, will be labeled as a "Wes Welker type." Kerley will definitely be a special teamer to begin his post-TCU career, but hopefully he will be able to transcend that label, especially when you consider the new rule changes are going to make return specialists a rare breed.

What the Mocks are Saying:

• Sporting News: San Francisco 49ers, Fourth Round via trade.
• Walter Football: Dallas Cowboys, Sixth Round.

Jake Kirkpatrick. Projected Round: 6-7.

• Even if you take into account my hasty research into the NFL success of former Rimington Award winners, I still don't get why Kirkpatrick's stock isn't any higher. Does the best center in the country really deserve to almost fall out of the draft completely? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what the knock on him is. He's well sized, was in sync with his QB all of last year, and is very athletic. So what gives? He is definitely one of those situations where I sincerely hope the draftnicks are wrong.

What the Mocks are Saying:

• Sporting News: San Francisco 49ers, Sixth Round.
• Walter Football: Detroit Lions, Fifth Round.

Jimmy Young. Projected Round: 6-7.

• Jimmy Young is a guy who, had he been a Senior a couple of years earlier, probably would've been a third round pick at worst. Unfortunately for Jimmy, he was log jammed in a receiving corp that was as talented as any in the country. But following a strong Rose Bowl performance where he caught 5 balls for 57 yards, he definitely thrust himself back into the spotlight. At 6'0", 204, Tax has enough size to make it at the next level, as well as fantastic hands. Still, I'd say he is properly rated as a 6th or 7th round choice.

What the Mocks are Saying:

• Sporting News: Green Bay Packers, Sixth Round.

Wayne Daniels. Projected Round: 7.

• Wayne has kind of been the unsung hero of the current crop of TCU draftees, but I wouldn't necessarily expect him to be shut out of the weekend. Following in the shoes of Chase Ortiz, Jerry Hughes and, dare I say his name, Tommy Blake, Wayne had a lot to live up to and while he may not be garnering the draft hype of those before him, he should still be a solid NFL prospect. As expected, he will make the switch to an OLB and will likely fall into the lap of some lucky 3-4 team with a late, late round pick.

What the Mocks are Saying:

• Sporting News: Pittsburgh Steelers, Seventh Round.

All five of those guys have a very legitimate shot at being drafted at some point this weekend and, combined with Dalton, would tie the TCU record of six draftees set in 2001. If any of these remaining four get their name called, add it to the huge pile of records this class has broken already. It bears mentioning that had Tejay Johnson decided to pursue an NFL career, the record would be all but broken, but good on him for putting that speech therapy degree to good use as it appears he is very passionate about it.

Cory Grant.

• If there was such thing as an unsung hero on last year's team, I'd have to suggest that Cory Grant was it. Even after losing his partner in crime Kelly Griffin, Grant never missed a beat and stuffed opposing runners all year. At 6'1", 316 he's of very good size for an NFL DT and would likely want to end up playing for a defense that uses a four man front. Given the lack of smoke surrounding his status, I'd venture a guess that he's probably looking at the free agency route, though.

Bart Johnson.

• I want Bart Johnson to get drafted and become an NFL star as much as anyone on this list, if only for the press conferences. How do you think all that deer stand talk would go over in liberal San Francisco? The potential comedy is limitless! Believe it or not, Bart actually projects as a 7th rounder which, considering he caught a pass in just about every game he put on the purple, makes a lot of sense. He'd clearly be a possession guy and wouldn't be on the field every down, but I think he can be a contributor. (insert Wes Welker comparison here).

Colin Jones.

• Jones is another guy who came on very strong this past year after sitting out his junior season with an injury. A hard hitting safety, Jones turned a lot of heads in his pro day with that ridiculous 4.31 40. Of course, just because you're fast doesn't mean you'll become a great NFL player, but that should have at least generated enough buzz for some team to give him a look in free agency.

Jason Teague.

• The last member of the 2010 team attempting to take his game to the next level is Jason Teague, who is member 1A of the unsung heroes of last season. He may not have put up big tackle, break up or INT numbers, but there's a reason for that: No one was dumb enough to throw to his side. Seriously, halfway through the season there had been fewer than 10 attempts to his side, and I'm not sure how much higher that number reached. Teague absolutely locked down his side of the field and while I'm not trying to suggest he's Deion Sanders or anything, I think he's going to be a fantastic pickup for some team looking for help in the undrafted free agent market.

So there you have it, that should cover everyone. It's going to be tough to say goodbye to most of these guys considering they comprised a significant portion of unarguably the greatest TCU team ever, but it will also be a lot of fun to follow their careers at the next level. Draft coverage starts tonight at 7:00PM on ESPN with Round 1, continues Friday at 5:00PM with Rounds 2&3, and concludes with Rounds 4-7 on Saturday at 11:00AM. Could be the last NFL activity you see for a while so I suggest you tune in. Go Frogs.

Morning Dump

Baseball:
TCU basketball team's task at hand is winning at TCU Star-Telegram

Gill Lebreton article Star-Telegram-kinda

Football:
NFL draft interviews with Antoine Hicks and Curtis Clay Sport DFW

Athletic Department:
Notes on a scorecard GoFrogs.com