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  • West Virginia's travel troubles as member of Big 12

    By Aaron Trevino

    Throughout the 2012 football season, new addition West Virginia had no problem traveling more than 1,000 miles on numerous occasions to take part in Big 12 play.

    Now that football season is over and other seasons that require more travel are now in full swing, the school is faced with travel problems. Twice already the Mountaineers have had a Saturday game, Sunday flight back home, Monday practice, just to have to hop on a plane Tuesday to make another game on Wednesday. West Virginia is asking the Big 12 Conference for accommodations so that they could play a Saturday game and then stay the night Sunday to play a game on Monday.

    This would make sense because it would reduce travel costs along with the amount of time and energy that student-athletes would spend away from their academic obligations, which many athletic programs across the nation seem to neglect. It seems as though this issue is miniscule, which, in my opinion, it may well be. But it does raise the question of whether the Big 12 should be obligated to make accommodations for a school that knew what it was getting into upon coming into the conference.

    The situation at hand is a true testament to the fact that the days of playing an in-state rival or a rival from the same geographical region are long gone. Maybe with the departure of West Virginia from the Big 12 Conference, other teams closer to or within Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas may find a move to the Big 12 more appealing.

  • Longhorn legend Cat Osterman announces retirement

    By Christian Corona

    Former Longhorns pitcher Cat Osterman announced her retirement from competitive softball Tuesday. 

    The four-time All-American is the only player in college softball history to win National College Player of the Year three times. After setting Texas school records in career ERA (0.51), wins (136), shutouts (85) and no-hitters (20), Osterman moved on to professional softball, winning a pair of National Pro Fastpitch championships and an Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Athens games.

    “As I turn 30 … I’m announcing I will hang up my cleats after this 2013 NPF season,” Osterman tweeted Tuesday, her 30th birthday. “Thank you again everyone for the love and support. I’m blessed. Looking forward to making my last season a good one!”

    The only player to ever have the country’s best ERA in three different seasons, Osterman struck out 14.4 hitters per seven innings during her Longhorns career, an NCAA record. She fanned 554 hitters as a freshman in 2002, an NCAA record at the time, before she broke it as a junior and senior. Osterman held opposing hitters to a .095 batting average during her career and recorded
    2,265 strikeouts.

    When Osterman focused on playing for the U.S. Olympic softball team in 2004, Texas went 24-25, the program’s only losing season in the last decade. Osterman tossed 14 and two-thirds scoreless innings in the 2004 Olympics en route to helping the U.S. win gold.

    Osterman, who led the NPF with a 0.72 ERA last season, is currently an assistant coach at St. Edward’s University under former Texas teammate Lindsay Gardner. Osterman and former Longhorns running back Ricky Williams were each inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
    in February. 

    Texas had only played five seasons of varsity softball before Osterman arrived. The Longhorns lost both of their games of the only trip to the Women’s College World Series before Osterman led them to the WCWS three times — where they were knocked out by UCLA before the national title round each time — and have not been back to Oklahoma City since.

    “She has been the most iconic softball athlete at the University of Texas as well as in the state of Texas,” Longhorns head softball coach Connie Clark said. “We are extremely proud of her and her representation of
    our program.”

  • NHL: Get ready for a photo finish in the Western Conference playoff race

    By Will Korn

    As I predicted at the start of the season, the NHL playoff race is intensifying daily. In the Western Conference, the standings have been a discombobulating roller coaster every day for the past two weeks. Things in the Eastern Conference are slightly more stable. Most teams have 7-8 games remaining on their regular schedule. Regardless, here’s a look at the insanity that is the playoff race. This week I’m focusing on the bottom two seeds in the West as well as the ninth and tenth place teams.

    7) Minnesota Wild (22-16-3, 47 points)

    They’ve been a little inconsistent (3-6-1 in their last 10) since that steal of a trade they made with Buffalo right before the trade deadline. New winger Jason Pominville is trying to find his role with a team that already features several other large wingers who have a nose for the goal (see Koivu, Parise, Clutterbuck, Setoguichi, etc).  They have had a pretty consistent offense all year, as they have been able to avoid long goal droughts.  That is a testament to their four-line depth and balanced scoring, which bodes well for a deep playoff run.  They are, in my mind, the darkhorse team in the West right now and if they get hot could challenge any team in the west.

    8) Detroit Red Wings (20-15-7, 47 points)

    The Wings have scraped together 47 points this season. They are noticeably worse without Hall of Famers Tomas Holmstrom and Nick Lidstrom anchoring the club. They are talented for sure, but they have lost that intimidating edge they used to wield, especially on their home ice at “The Joe.” If they don’t move up in the standings, they’ll be in for nasty meeting with the Blackhawks in the first round. Jimmy Howard will need to be flawless for them to have a chance. Good luck!

    9) Dallas Stars (21-17-3, 45 points)

    They have been playing incredibly inspired hockey since their flurry of trades a couple of weeks ago. The insertion of young and hungry legs has really improved their game in all areas of late. Rookie 21-year-old winger Alex Chaisson has proven to be a golden nugget for the Stars this late in the year, providing tireless legs and a hot stick.  They have a brutal schedule ahead of them – exclusively playoff contenders from here on out.  They might not get in this year, but they have a bottomless pool of talent waiting down in Cedar Park, Texas.

    10) Columbus Blue Jackets (19-16-7, 45 points)

    They just don’t go away.  Picking up winger Marian Gaborik obviously has helped their offense, which is starting to heat up suddenly. Their MVP is unquestionably goalie Sergei Bobrovski, who boasts a .932 save percentage and a 2.01 GAA. That’s top five in the league and Vezina Award-worthy in my book (except for the unfortunate fact that Columbus is a mid-level market team that could miss the playoffs). Still though, they will be neck and neck with Dallas and Detroit all the way to the end.

  • Texas closer Corey Knebel reinstated after brief suspension for violation of team rules

    By Peter Sblendorio

    Junior closer Corey Knebel has been reinstated to the Longhorns’ roster after being suspended for Texas’ three-game weekend series against Kansas due to a violation of team policies.

    “The coaching staff feels that Corey responded in the correct way to the punishment and we hope this experience will prepare him for his future career in baseball,” head coach Augie Garrido said. “The players and coaches trust the fact that Corey will adhere to the rules of the team from this point forward.”

    Knebel is 3-2 with seven saves this season and has recorded 2.00 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 27 innings. He has not pitched since April 7 against Oklahoma, when he gave up three runs in the eighth inning to the Sooners and picked up a blown save and the loss.

    The right-hander will get his first chance to return to the hill on Tuesday when the Longhorns take on Texas-Pan American. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

  • Lakers move on without Kobe Bryant, hope to earn postseason spot with win over Houston

    By Diego Contreras

    Summer 2012 is starting to feel like a long time ago for the Los Angeles Lakers. A team that once looked so promising, and looked to be in perfect position to make a run at an NBA Championship, now finds itself in a position it didn’t expect. 

    The Lakers have one remaining game on the schedule, a home game against the Houston Rockets, and a win ensures a playoff berth. But for this particular Lakers team, what happens in this calendar season doesn’t matter as much as what happens moving forward.

    The Lakers are filled with looming questions, and large ones at that.

    Dwight Howard is still a free agent come summertime, and though it’s likely he stays in Los Angeles, the question becomes whether or not he actually will, or if he’s the franchise player the Lakers want to build around. 

    Pau Gasol has been logging quality minutes for the Lakers, but he’s only a few weeks removed from talks of him potentially requesting a trade in the summer. And with a team like the Lakers that has so many problems, Pau is one of the few remaining tradable assets. 

    Earl Clark is an unrestricted free agent this coming summer. With his emergence it’s fair to assume he’ll have a few teams asking for his contributions, and does a Lakers franchise that’s already in luxury tax purgatory pay Clark what the market could potentially demand?

    What about Steve Nash and Metta World Peace?  

    And, lastly, what about Kobe Bryant?

    The five-time champion that has been the face of the franchise for the last decade. The champion who’s future seems very unknown at this point. I have no doubt Bryant will return to the game of basketball. He’s too competitive to not try to finish his career on his own terms. But what will he look like when he does return? And how will his final chapter read?

    It’s probably still too early for doom and gloom in Hollywood. But in a city known for its storytelling, the way this one plays out might affect the story of the Lakers for a few years to come.

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