Quick programming note: for those of you who lost sleep last night because you were dying to read the Tuesday 'Beyond the Box Score' piece, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that one. The good folks at Corn Nation responded so quickly to the Q&A that we went ahead and posted that yesterday (it was intended for Thursday) and moved BTBS to Thursday. So there you go. Now go get some sleep.
It's official, Mizzou fans. Your month is over. Texas Tech is the new flavor of the month now, having pulled the Chuck Klosterman Special, moving straight from underrated to overrated*. That's right, in Mark Schlabach's latest way-too-early-to-mean-anything bowl projections, Texas Tech is now in the Sugar Bowl, while Mizzou has been relegated to the Holiday Bowl. Because Texas Tech's defense improved last year, you know! (Never mind that Tech was two opposing QB injuries--against OU and UVa--away from possibly being 7-6 last year with that "improved defense"...but I digress...) Luckily, these things mean less than nothing...
* Pretty sure Klosterman was the first one to come up with that concept...first one I noticed, anyway.
A few recruiting tidbits from PowerMizzou: East StL's Terry Hawthorne has shifted his attention from Mizzou for the time being--his latest Top Three has replaced the Tigers with Texas Tech (he must read Schlabach's work). Maybe that's a temporary thing, maybe not. Still plenty of stud WRs on the table, though. Houston area WR Ja-Mes Logan, who could certainly qualify for stud status in the future, is excited about his Mizzou offer and quickly includes us in his fave five. Meanwhile, out-of-nowhere AR QB Ashton Glaser impressed Mizzou coaches enough at the Springfield camp to garner an offer and, being that his only other offer has come from Arkansas State thus far, I'd say Mizzou has a pretty good chance with him, no?
This may qualify as the weirdest Mike Dearmond article I've ever read:
Joe Stalin and the Russian politicians dolls. George Bush and the U.S. presidents dolls. Hey! There is a Kansas City Chiefs doll. A Texas Longhorns football doll.
Then you see it.
Black and gold, the stubby little figure of a football player bears the name Daniel and the No. 10. You just have to have it. No matter the $45 cost. So you can show it to Chase Daniel and Chase Coffman — he’s doll four of five — back in Columbia.
"From Russia?" Coffman says. "Wow!
"People are recognizing what we’re doing. But I didn’t expect it would be in Russia."
Coffman, Daniel, Danario Alexander, Jeremy Maclin — all returning Tigers looking to improve on a 2007 season in which MU finished 12-2 with a Cotton Bowl victory and final No. 4 national ranking — all got a kick out of the Mizzou Matryoshka.
Even if it was last year’s model.
Inside the Daniel doll is former running back Tony Temple. Inside Temple is former wide receiver Will Franklin, now with the Chiefs. Inside Franklin is tight end Coffman. Inside Coffman is a tiny doll bearing the No. 1.
"That’s hot!" said MU safety William Moore, who wears that number.
Unfortunately for Moore, the last doll bears the name Jackson on its back, for reserve tailback Jimmy Jackson. And that completes the all-offense Mizzou Matryoshka.
"We’re used to it," said Moore, who leads a defense that returns 10 of 11 starters.
For the second year in a row, Chase Daniel will be a 'coach' at July's Elite 11 Camp in Aliso Viejo, CA. Hopefully Blaine Gabbert (or Blaine Dalton...or whatever other QBs we sign this year) will succeed enough in the future to receive the same honor.
Mizzourah addresses the rumors and urban legends!
Kyle Gibson: Pitcher for the US (Collegiate) Baseball Team. It's not the US Olympic Team (that's for professionals not on somebody's 25-man roster), but it's the team that will compete in next month's World Championships. The Missourian has more. Congrats, Kyle!
Finally, speaking of the Olympics, Mizzou will have the much stronger a presence at the Olympic Trials--Lori Halvorson, Jill Granger, Ted Harris and incoming freshman Lisa Nathanson are the four Mizzou Swimmers who have qualified for a chance to make the team heading to Beijing. The trials are this coming weekend.