Nice midweek performances by Mizzou diamond sports yesterday...Led by freshman 3B Jonah Schmidt, Mizzou Baseball beat SMS in Springfield by a rain-shortened score of 8-4. Meanwhile, Mizzou Softball swept SLU by football scores of 7-6 and 14-0.
I find it very amusing that the NCAA doesn't actually keep track of individual scoreless streaks on the D1 level (but they do on D2, etc.). So nobody really knows if Aaron Crow's 42.2 consecutive scoreless innings is actually close to a record or not...I say if he has one more scoreless outing, we just give him the record.
The Trib talks transfers! Dave Matter interviews DeSmet's Munir Prince, who came to Mizzou via Notre Dame, while Steve Walentik talks about what it would take to get Ben Hansbrough to choose Mizzou the second time around (and so does the P-D...and PowerMizzou).
Dave Matter also talks further about Jeremy Maclin, the nation's best D-E-E-P threat.
Here's a link I missed from a few days ago: the KC Star has a nice piece on former Blue Valley High CB Trey Hobson, who's locked into a pretty tight battle with Castine Bridges and others for the starting spot opposite Carl Gettis. Actually, while we're at it, another forgotten link: the P-D's profile of Chase Patton.
Christopher is the only starter among the linebackers who has avoided the injury bug so far this spring. Weatherspoon was limited in Tuesday's practice with a torn labrum he suffered in Saturday's scrimmage.
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Reserve Andrew Gachkar is already out for the spring after being diagnosed with a blood clot earlier this year. Starter Van Alexander went down on the final play of Tuesday's practice and was carted off the field.
"I blew the whistle, practice was over, I thought he was doing a forward roll. Then, he didn't get up," Pinkel said. "I think it's just a twisted knee."
Adding to all that is the dismissal of Marquis Booker from the program and Connell Davis' decision last week to quit the team.
"It doesn't look like he's coming back," Weatherspoon said about the possibility of Davis re-joining the Tigers.
The status of Alexander and Weatherspoon is to be determined, though Spoon says he expects to be ready to go full tilt by Saturday at the latest. But for now, Luke Lambert and Redmond could line up alongside Christopher as starters with Gettys and two walk-ons as reserves.
Alright, alright, you twisted my arm...one more forgotten link: Big Head reacts to the news (from Chad Ford) that Leo Lyons is leaning 50/50 toward jumping to the pros, and as you would expect, it's not altogether pretty. I realize that without Lyons, we'll manage to be even smaller and worse at rebounding (and scoring) next year, and that's a bad thing...but I honestly just can't get myself worked up about this. It really is starting to seem like any positive impact he makes on the court is offset by his seemingly morose personality off of it (well, on it too). If he's so miserable that he just can't take it here anymore, that's fine. We'll deal.
Finally, the Missourian has a nice feature on Mizzou gymnast Alicia Hatcher and the road she traveled to get here.