Where are they now? Mike Gansey

Mike Gansey was a key component of West Virginia's sweet 16 and elite runs in 2005 and '06. Like a typical white guard, Gansey was a lights out three point shooter, but unlike a typical white guard, Gansey constantly hustles and played respectable defense. Suprisingly, Gansey went undrafted after graduatinf from WVU in 2006. He played in the summer league for the Miami Heat, but did not make the team's final roster after suffering a serious staph infection. After a season in Italy, Gansey is currently playing for the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA's Developmental League.

Forza New Jersey?

In the opening round of the Confederations Cup in South Africa, the United States was defeated 3-1 by defending World Cup winners Italy. Two of the Azzuri's goals were scored by Giuseppe Rossi, a native of New Jersey. The question must be asked, why is Rossi, an American citizen who was born and raised in the United States, playing for Italy? Situations like this are common in international soccer. Manchester United's Owen Hargreaves, a Canadian with British parents, chose to play for England over his native Canada. However, Hargreaves can be forgiven, as Canada is highly unlikely to qualify for a World Cup in the forseeable future, so playing for England was his one chance to play on the biggest stages. Freddy Adu is currently in the U.S. side and was born in Ghana. However, Adu emigrated to the U.S. at a young age and became an American citizen, so his choice of teams is perfectly legitimate. In contrast to these two cases, Rossi's choice of teams is nefarious. Rossi could've made a real difference playing upfront for the U.S. team that is almost always assured of World Cup qualification due to the weakness of CONCACAF. Italy's team may have a brighter spotlight and better chances of winning trophys, but aren't national teams supposed to be about representing your country?

MLB Umps: Does your incompetence know no bounds?

The officiating in all pro sports has come under criticism lately, but while NBA refs such as Nova's own Tim Donaghy can at least claim that they are fixing games, MLB umps are simply incompetent. Friday night's Phillies/Red Sox game was a new low for the league. In the bottom of the 11th in a tie game, Phillies' pinch hitter Gregg Dobbs hit a drive over the right field foul pole, seemingly a walk-off homer. However, umpire Jim Joyce had different ideas, and called the ball foul. (The fact that this loser has the same name as a a great Irish author is a travesty in and of itself). The league has recently instituted a rule that instant replay can be used in plays such as this, so one would think that a potential game changing play such as this would be the perfect oppurtunity to use instant replay. But Joyce would have none of it, claiming he was sure it was foul so he didn;t need the replay. How is it humanly possible to be that arrogant? Are the ups really that afraid of being proved wrong that they won't allow replays to be checked? Joyce obviously got cut from his high school baseball team and now wants to take it out on major leage players, that's the pnly plausible explanation.

Where are they Now? Jason "Apollo" Fraser

Jason Fraser (class of 2006) entered Villanova with very high expectations. As a high school player, he was a McDonalds All-American who was very much on NBA scouts' radars. In a national tournament, he once outplayed LeBron James head to head. Unfortunetly, his Villanova career was derailed by injuries; he underwent seven surguries during his four years, icluding two on each knee. Sfter graduating, Fraser initially played professionally in New Zealand; where he had some success but continued to be hampered by injuries. Jason is currently playing for the legendary Harlem Globetrotters, and displaying some newly found ballhandling skills.

Mediocre Middle Reliever of the Week: Rheal Cormier

Every week this blog will be featuring a mediocre middle reliever; this week we look at the legendary Rheal Cormier. In a career spanning from 1991-2007, Cormier was living proof that there's no Canada like French Canada. Cormier's began in St. Louis, and included stops in Boston, Montreal, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. His best season was 2003 with the Phillies, in which he posted a 1.70 ERA. Cormier continues to be an important role model for crafty French Canadian lefthanders everywhere.