Today we will begin with some Kyle Parker projections. After the struggle Friday against Wake, maybe this has some truth. ESPN's Heather Dinich shares her opinion on Kyle Parker's future in her blog, and it paints a bleaker picture of Parker's pro baseball future than can be seen by simply looking at the numbers. Granted, I cannot vouch for the source opinion, but there is another (alleged pro, as I cannot confirm) opinion that confirms some of our football coaches' views that KP has as good or better chance to stand out at the next level as a football player.
While I am not going to dog Kyle, him falling to the 4th round will leave a definite decision for the young man. There is no doubt that Parker can pound a baseball and has been a standout for this program since he arrived on campus. The big (NFL) question for him lies in his size. There is no question that his arm strength is good enough for the next level and you have to think that another 2-3 seasons at CU would improve his accuracy. I think he has ample speed for a "pocket passer", so whether or not teams will tame a chance on a "shorter" QB is the final question to be answered. Certainly Drew Bries has killed it the past few years and may have delt a blow to the absolute need to be 6'5" to call plays in the League. You can bet we will be interested in seeing how KP ends this season and whether he will be in pads or a batting helmet this fall.
If I were betting right now, I would expect to see the talented two-sport star running down the hill in September. However, I don't think anyone would argue with his decision to go after a pro baseball career after only two full academic years at CU, especially if he is a first or second round pick. This almost guarantees hella jack for a man in his early-20's.
Speaking of baseball, Clemson continued its up and down year against Wake. We expected a sweep going into the weekend and were sorely disappointed after losing 2 of 3 to a bad Wake squad. Clemson hosts FSU this weekend and will make an appearance in the ACC tourney following the year. After witnessing the effort this year out of this team, I personally am not really expecting too deep of a run out of a team that cannot take advantage of opportunities while shooting themselves in the foot night after night. Surely this season will create some talk of JL's future in T-Town as we really blew a lot of great opportunities.
Dr. B brought up some good news earlier in the week that has been readily discussed in many news outlets this week (including the P&C). I was definitely highly encouraged when rumors of this deal first surfaced at the end of last week/over the weekend, but will remain cautious until we see the money. IF this deal is finalized, the ACC has made its best deal in years and will secure enough cash to possibly fight off any suitors for the conference's teams.
I still am not exactly thrilled with the conference (especially their preference for schools located along Tobacco Road), but will reserve final judgment until we see the final result. Hopefully everyone realizes that Fox played the biggest role in this deal with the conference falling into the right place at the right time. For the present, though, I will put aside my distain for my Alma Mater being treated as a second rate citizen as a charter member of its conference and be at least pleased that the (alleged) deal that (may be) on the table vastly eclipses our initial monetary goals by staying with ESPN.
In other news, it looks as though Murphy Holloway may very well end up a Gamecock when the smoke clears. Garnet and Black Attack as well as a few other outlets are reporting that this could very well be the deal. Nice job Mississippi. In your attempt to screw over Holloway and keep him out of Clemson, he may be around to kick your ass sometime in the future. If it happens, don't look for pity from this board. It appears as though you have lost yet another bball player to another SEC squad, and all because of a few Internet rumors and a little stupidity within the AD. Good luck to Holloway as he moves home to be with family but we are still a little disappointed here at STS that he won't be in orange at old CU.