Rich's sometimes disjointed rambling

Possibly the most annoying baseball broadcaster (unless you are a White Sox fan) is Ken "Hawk" Harrelson . If you are a Twins fan like myself, he just grinds on you. Harrelson's trademark is a short and sweet, "He Gone" when a White Sox pitcher strikes out an opponent. Watching the Twins and White Sox on Wednesday, he said it twice in the top half of the ninth inning. In the bottom half of the ninth, with the Twins leading 4-3 and the White Sox threatening with two runners on base with two outs, Minnesota closer Joe Nathan struck out Nick Swisher to end the game. What's Harrelson's comment? A long pause and a very quiet, "and the Twins win 4-3." I wasn't quiet. In fact, I screamed at least five times, "HE GONE ... COME ON, HAWK, SAY IT, SAY IT!!!!" If my dog Sam didn't think it before, he thinks it now. "This man, whom I depend on, is absolutely crazy." He might be right. If that is the case, then maybe, &quo

University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman announced on Tuesday that head wrestling coach Steven Suder is resigning his position at UW to pursue other interests. Suder has served as head coach of the Cowboy wrestling program for the past 19 years, and was also a former Cowboy wrestling letterman from 1975-79. “Coach Suder has been a part of our athletic program for over two decades as a coach and student-athlete, and we thank him for all his many years of service,” Burman said in a release. “Before returning as head coach, he was an outstanding wrestler here at UW . We wish him, his wife Deanna and his family all the best.” In a released statement, Suder said he has been blessed to have had the opportunity to come back and serve as the head wrestling coach at UW for the past 19 years. “I have worked alongside some great people during this assignment. In my opinion, everything is in place for this program to climb back up and challenge for championships and Top 15 nati

The University of Wyoming women’s rodeo team might have company at the College National Finals Rodeo ( CNFR ), after all. The UW men’s team -- mired in fifth place in the regional standings just two weeks ago, 495 points out of the final qualifying spot for the college finals -- continued its late-season surge last weekend at the Northeastern Junior College ( NJC ) rodeo and took over sole possession of second place in the Central Rocky Mountain Region ( CRMR ). Led by Jason Hubbard, an agriculture junior from Wheatland who won the tie-down roping title, the Cowboys scored 435 points to distance themselves from Lamar Community College ( LCC ), NJC and Eastern Wyoming College ( EWC ) in the tightly-bunched regional standings. Heading into the final rodeo of the season, the 59 th Laramie River Rendezvous, which begins Friday at the Cliff and Martha Hansen Livestock Teaching Arena near Laramie, UW holds a 185-point lead in the chase for second place. Only the top two teams in each of

Wyoming head wrestling coach Steven Suder added some much needed depth to the Cowboys 197 pound weight class, with the signing of Alfonso Hernandez from Blackfoot, Idaho. Hernandez will enroll at UW for the fall semester of 2008. Hernandez was a two-time state champion at 197 pounds, placed fifth as a sophomore and took third at the Junior Nationals in Virginia Beach, VA. He is ranked sixth in the nation by intermat .com and collected 106 wins in high school, all this after beginning his wrestling career as a freshman. Hernandez was a four-time letterwinner in wrestling, three-time letterwinner in track and a two-time letterwinner in football at Blackfoot High School. He will graduate with a 3.7 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. “Alfonso is a great addition to a very good recruiting class,” Suder said. “A National Honor Society student who just happens to also be ranked sixth in the nation in his weight class is a special thing. Alfonso hasn ’t wrestled very lon

No Wyoming football players were drafted over the weekend in the NFL Draft, but a pair of former Cowboys will try to stick with the San Diego Chargers. Punter Billy Vinnedge and tight end/H-back Wade Betschart both signed free agent contracts Sunday with the Chargers. As of Sunday night, they were the lone former Cowboys to sign with a NFL team. Cornerbacks Michael Medina and Julius Stinson are waiting for that opportunity. Vinnedge and Betschart join former Cowboys, wide receiver Malcom Floyd and quarterback Casey Bramlet, on the San Diego roster. Bramlet was picked up last week, likely as a "camp arm." Other former Cowboys currently on NFL rosters include kicker Aaron Elling (Cincinnati), cornerback Derrick Martin (Baltimore), offensive lineman Adam Goldberg (St. Louis), linebacker Patrick Chukwurah (Tampa Bay) and safety John Wendling and defensive lineman Corey Mace (both of Buffalo).

Trevor Brown, Jr./ NCAA Photos Wyoming redshirt freshman Aaron Johnson of Laramie putts Saturday during the second round of the Mountain West Conference Championships in Tucson, Ariz. Johnson finished with a 70 on Saturday to pace the Cowboys. Cowboy golfers improve at MWC, but can't move up TUCSON, Ariz. -- Another day of improved scores for the Wyoming Cowboy golf team on Saturday at the 2008 Mountain West Conference Men’s Golf Championship produced another frustrating day of non-movement in the team standings. Wyoming fired a third and final round score of 294 (+10), their best of the championship, yet still finished in eighth place of nine MWC squads. UW’s three-round total was 888 (+36), after adding their first two rounds of 299 (+15) and 295 (+11) to Saturday’s tally. The Cowboys were one of only two schools to improve their team scores with each round, eventual league champion C

In case you are wondering, Wyomingsports .org is temporarily down. We're in the process of switching web provider and hopefully will be up soon. This is an attempt to do more things on the site, including advertising, that I couldn't do on my previous site. I apologize for being down. I just updated a couple of stories earlier in the day as I didn't know it would be down. At any rate, thanks for bearing with me.

Did you check out the latest Sports Illustrated with a feature on Nebraska football? It was about how the program has now gone to "heck" and a handbasket , after all of the glory years under Tom Osborne. Now that Osborne is the athletics director, he hired Bo Pelini as head coach and they are trying to get the program back to where it was and how to make Nebraska residents proud again. It wasn't too bad of a story until I realized I really didn't care. So, in light of that, here's the Nebraska football joke of the day: "A Nebraska football fan called the hospital saying, "My wife is having a baby, what should I do?" The nurse asked, "Is this her first baby?" The Husker fan replied, "No, this is her husband."

The end of last season spoiled Rockies fans. What a finish to the regular season and what a postseason. With a young, exciting team, the future is beyond bright. So why does this 9-11 start give me (and possibly you) a little uneasy feeling in the gut? I'm not worried about players such as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki not hitting the ball very well 20 games into the season (.163 batting average). I'm not worried about a starting pitching staff or even middle relief struggling at times. What worries me is not being able to close out games. Manny Corpas , who came on to become a dynamite closer last season , has blown three saves so far this year. In less than a season last year, he blew just two games. And it doesn't seem like he is giving up a scratch hit or two to blow those leads. He's getting crushed in the tune of a 6.55 earned run average. If Corpas doesn't blow those games, the Rockies are 12-8 and no one is really talking much about a team struggling. I'

We made it back in one piece late Monday afternoon from Las Vegas after competing this weekend in the International Team Dart Championships from the Riviera Casino and Hotel. It was a quick weekend trip but a successful one for myself and my wife, Teresa. I finished seventh in my 501 singles division and Teresa and I finished ninth in our cricket doubles division. Approximately 7,000 soft-tip dart players from all over the world are competing in this annual week-long event. We competed in singles and doubles, with the four-man team events beginning on Monday. The tournament extended a streak of placing at least in one event in every tournament that I have competed in (since 2002, minus 2007), so I am happy about that. The players who beat me finished second and third respectively and both matches went down to the final dart or so. What I am especially proud of is that Teresa was able to place at Team Dart for the first time (her second tournament). It was a fun and tiring experience.

So, did you see all 22 innings of the Rockies-Padres game last night and this morning? I will say that I saw the bottom of the 22 nd inning, with the Rocks winning 2-1. I actually didn't start watching until the 10 th inning. From that point on, I'd watch two or three innings , fall asleep, watch a couple of more innings, fall asleep, watch a few more innings, fall asleep. You get my drift. I tried, but after midnight, it was a chore to stay awake. I completely missed the top of the 22 nd inning when the Rockies took the lead. I woke up just in time for the bottom half of the inning to begin. It's hard to believe that a game can last 22 innings. Imagine that if we had trouble staying awake, how about the players performing, especially with all of the pressure of an extra-inning tie game. And the umpires, six hours of standing. I guess they all deserve a hand. The question, however, remains: Were the players that good in keeping it tied, or that bad in not getting the

A quirk in the schedule has me missing Saturday's Spring Game. I'll be in Las Vegas competing in the International Team Dart Championships. I know, poor, pitiful me. Normally, the tournament is at the end of the month, but for some reason officials moved it up two weeks. It will be a short trip -- Friday through Monday -- but it should be a lot of fun. I've competed in the tournament every year but last year since 2002 and have placed in an event in each year. The soft-tip tournament draws about 6,000-8,000 of the best dart players from across the world (although a majority are from the U.S.) There is an international team competition between the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and sometimes England (they prefer steel-tip darts). That can be fun to watch because they are all very good. In fact, many of the European players are professionals and are paid to compete in the tournament. Anyway, I'll try to get an update on the Spring Game sometime Saturday on Wyomingsports

Apparently there are reports that former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is moving to Minnesota. When asked why, he said after retiring that he wanted to get as far away from professional football as possible.

It's a little sad to look out at the outfield fence at Cowboy Field. Pine trees still populate the background, but just not as many as there used to be. If you look at the picture, trees like the one by the foul pole were lined up directly behind the scoreboard and ran to the other foul pole in right field. The trees that you see behind the scoreboard are much further north. It was part of the beauty of the once proud field. A pine beetle disease has forced several trees to be cut down, leaving a majority from left-center field to right-center field. A couple of smaller trees appear to have planted, but it just doesn't look the same. Hopefully in the years to come, all of the trees will return. Maybe the current Rangers will enjoy seeing their rebirth when watching their kids play in 30 years. One can only hope.

Fomer tennis star Andrea Jaeger will lecture Wednesday as part of the University of Wyoming Graduate School's Distinguished Speaker Series. Jaeger will speak at 1 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room with a one-hour presentation, titled "A Call to Service -- I Will Be There." Jaeger will share her approach to the importance of public service, the fulfillment in helping others and the success of the Little Star Foundation, which she co-founded in 1990 with fellow humanitarian Heidi Bookout . Jaeger rose to stardom on the women's tennis tour in the early 1980s, winning 12 singles titles and reaching No. 2 in the world rankings before major shoulder injuries forced her into retirement in 1987, at the tender age of 21. After winning 13 U.S. national junior championships, Jaeger turned pro in 1979 and immediately emerged as a top challenger to Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, the tour's top stars at the time and two of the greatest players in women's ten

The University of Wyoming Cowgirl tennis match against Colorado State has been rescheduled for Friday in Fort Collins. The match will begin at noon at Fossil Creek Park. The match was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was moved due to the inclement weather moving in to the area. The Cowgirls are currently 10-11 overall and 1-6 in the MWC conference heading into this weekend’s match.

The last few years I have had little reason to get excited about the NBA. I pay attention about as much as I need to. I know what's going on; I just don't care anymore. I especially don't care if the Nuggets make the playoffs (they did because of Monday night's loss by Golden State). I just haven't been able to get behind this team. Now Carmelo Anthony is arrested for DUI Monday morning. Anthony has repeatedly showed his lack of maturity, his lack of common sense and his lack of class. His latest incident just shows that he is not a sports hero, he is not a role model. Yet, he'll probably be given another chance. I'm not saying that a person doesn't deserve opportunities to turn his life around; we all make mistakes. Learning from your mistakes, however, is part of life. That is apparently th e part of life Anthony doesn't understand. And that's a shame. Tuesday update: Anthony read a short prepared statement before practice, apologizing to the

At left, receiver Darion Donnelly, 80, congratulates Chris Johnson on a big block on safety Quincy Rogers. There were a few offensive highlights Saturday for the Cowboys in their scrimmage in the IPF . The best play of the day, however, came on a reverse pass from wide receiver Travis Burkhalter to quarterback Chris Stutzriem . Unfortunately, there was a penalty on the play (away from the ball) and it didn ’t officially count. Possibly the best part of the play was the crack-back block by receiver Chris Johnson on safety Quincy Rogers. “Coach is always telling us between a 10-yard play and a touchdown, receivers have to block down field . I felt like I had to do my job,” Johnson said with a smile. “Unfortunately, he (Rogers) caught the wrong end of it and I caught the right end of it.” Earlier in the scrimmage, Rogers was called for penalty for a late hit near the wall on Johnson. Although they are good friends off the field, Johnson said Rogers had it coming. “Me and Quincy talk a

So Matchbox Twenty cancels playing at Frontier Days this summer because of rodeo cruelty. No big loss. Matchbox Twenty and Rob Thomas in particular peaked about five years ago. I wasn't planning on buying their new CD and I wasn't planning on attending the show. I say bring Alice Cooper and Cheap Trick. Now, there's a show.

Wyoming spring football will be featured in an eight-part series to be televised on The Mountain West Sports Network (The Mtn.) beginning Wednesday, April 16 through Wednesday, June 4. The Mtn. will televise the Cowboys on its “Reaching the Peak” series. The shows will air at 7:30 p.m., Mountain Time each Wednesday. The first seven episodes will be half-hour programs, with the eighth episode being one hour in length. “We have enjoyed working with The Mtn. crew throughout spring football practice,” said Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn. “This provides us a great opportunity to showcase our young men, coaches and facilities. We hope fans will enjoy getting a behind-the-scenes look at Cowboy Football.” The University of Wyoming is the only Mountain West Conference football team that The Mtn. is featuring this spring as part of its “Reaching the Peak” series. In addition to the Wednesday night telecasts, the shows will be repeated at various times throughout the months of April, May and June.

The Cowboys first spring scrimmage scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. has been moved to the Inside Practice facility. Too much snow and a little too cold. Oh well, the Cowboys, their coaches and especially the media are enjoying the Indoor Practice Facility. I didn't want to stand out on the cold, anyway. This next story might come from the "wish we had one too" department. A Colorado State football story in the Fort Collins Coloradoan describes the problems the Rams had, especially their wide receivers, in fighting the cold and wind . Here's the think: http://www.coloradoannews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080411/CSUZONE05/804110317/1006/SPORTS

This is scary. Check for your Driver's License . . And remove it! I definitely removed mine. I suggest you all do the same. Now you can see anyone's Driver's License on the Internet, including your own! http://www.license.shorturl.com/ I just searched for mine and there it was...picture and all! ThanksHomeland Security! Go to the website, and check it out. It's unbelievable!!! Just enter your name, city and state to see if yours is on file. After your license comes on the screen, click the box marked'Please Remove'. This will remove it from public viewing, but not from law enforcement. Please notify all your friends so they can protect themselves, too. Believe me they will thank you for it.

So the Nuggets beat Golden State on Thursday night, 114-105. The win gives them a one-game lead for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West over the Warriors with three games to go. Denver owns the tie-breaker with GS, so essentially it's a two-game lead. Just win two more games and get it over with. Maybe then, I'll be interested in the NBA playoffs. What do we have, until June sometime before we get to the finals? I can hardly wait.

Baseball, like many sports, can all be about timing. Locally, that was evident on Wednesday when the Laramie Rangers Prep team (ages 13-14) was scheduled to open the season at Cowboy Field against the Fort Collins Hawks. The new developmental American Legion team is a member of the Fort Collins Baseball Club, thus the early start for local baseball. For much of the day, it appeared that the weather would be OK for baseball. At 3 p.m., it was still 50 degrees. But the game by then was postponed because of the weather forecast -- snow and lots of it. By the 6:15 p.m. scheduled start, it was snowing. Of course, by Thursday there was about 10 inches of the wet stuff on the ground. It was a good preventive move to not play. The Rangers Prep team will try again on April 19 when they host the Fort Collins Storm in a doubleheader. Hopefully, it will be spring by then. Look for a little preview of the Rangers Prep team sometime next week on Wyomingsports .org and coverage of all three Laramie

I sit here procrastinating. Not that I'm not doing a little work, I'm avoiding going outside to shovel the sidewalk. You get to the point where you think it is time to put away the snow shovel; you know better in early April, but the idea is an attempt to make it spring. I especially don't enjoy shoveling the snow at this time because it is so wet. Or should I say, my back doesn't enjoy it. Another idea to will spring again is to just watch TV -- baseball and The Masters are on. I can pretend I am ready to hit the driving range a few times before I venture out on the course. Maybe next week. Of course, I'm a baseball nut (I purchased the MLB Extra Innings package on Direct TV), so there is plenty of baseball to watch, except for the fact that the Rockies-Braves were snowed out and the Twins-White Sox were rained out. I guess we're not alone with bad weather. I think I'll just wait for the warmer weather to melt the sidewalk. My back will thank me.

I know this will absolutely hurt Wyoming basketball fans, but BYU's Trent Plaisted has decided to enter his name in the upcoming NBA draft. Plaisted , however , will maintain his college eligibility by not hiring an agent, leaving open the option to return for his senior season with the Cougars. If you recall, former Wyoming guard Jay Straight did the same thing before coming back for his senior season with the Cowboys. The three-time all-Mountain West Conference selection averaged 15.6 points and 7.7 rebounds a year for BYU. "I have decided to put my name in and pursue my options with the NBA at this time," Plaisted said in a release. "I am not signing with an agent because I want to leave open the possibility of coming back for my senior season. Playing professional basketball is definitely a goal of mine and we have a very good team here at BYU , so either way I think my options are good." By making himself eligible for the draft, Plaisted can be invi

Three former Wyoming linebackers -- Luke Chase, Sean Claffey and Brandon Haugen -- were recently named to the 2008 National Football Foundation National Honor Society Class. A total of 439 players nationally from 226 schools were named to the society and Wyoming was the only Mountain West Conference school represented, as well as one of 15 teams nationally to have three players selected. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be a starter or a significant contributor in one's last year of eligibility , achieve a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average throughout one's entire course of undergraduate study and meet all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.

Reading the Rapid City Journal online this morning (I'm originally from the Black Hills), I noticed a story about the Belle Fourche American Legion baseball team had voted to quit Legion for the year and play in Teener ball because all but one of their players were 16 years old and under. That sparked an interest because I go back to my playing days (before aluminum bats) when I played Teener ball. For those who aren't aware of Teener baseball, it was (and I guess still is in some parts) a league similar to Junior Babe Ruth. Teener baseball is sponsored by the VFW and is for kids 13 to 16 years old, while Legion baseball has an age range of 15 to 19. That's what we played in the Black Hills at the time. I had no idea the league was still around. Evidently, it is but barely. Belle Fourche would be the only West River team (that's South Dakota jargon -- the state is divided by the Missouri River, hence, West River-East River). My curiosity got the best of me, so I G

WNBA star Becky Hammon , a former Colorado State player and Rapid City native, has an interesting choice to make this summer. Although she is an WNBA all-star, she was left off of the 29-player opening roster (12 make the squad) for the U.S. women's basketball team for the upcoming Olympics. She can play in the Olympics, though, for Russia. She has opted to give that a shot. I'm sure 20 years ago an American player wouldn't even consider the option, but times have changed. Russia isn't exactly viewed as the enemy these days -- at least like during the Cold War. And it is hard to fathom somebody of Hammon's stature in U.S. women's basketball not at least making the original cut of 29. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to make. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. Here's an AP link to the story: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/04/09/news/top/doc47fc577c2dc08661563940.txt

Where do you start when describing the men's title game on Monday night? It easily was one of the more enjoyable games to watch in a long time. Memphis might have been the most talented team and the Tigers played like it for much of the way. The Jayhawks , behind the outstanding coaching of Bill Self, however, had the experience and made the plays down the stretch and again in overtime for the 75-68 victory. Memphis led by nine points with a little over two minutes left and TV commentator Billy Packer made the comment that Kansas should start fouling. Self did and as if turned out, it was a brilliant move. Two things had to happen, though, and they did for Kansas. Memphis had to miss some free throws and the Jayhawks had to make a couple of 3-pointers. Both happened . The Tigers missed 4 of their last 5 attempts and Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining tied the game. Kansas seized the momentum and controlled the OT period. Rumor has it that Oklahoma State, S

When you're trying to at least stay competitive, one out of two is bad. That's what happened on my bracket on Saturday. Going from worst to first wasn't going to quite happen in my pool, but if I would have gotten my way, I would have made a pretty impressive showing in the end. Thanks Kansas. Or should I say, thanks for nothing North Carolina. I picked the Tar Heels to beat the Jayhawks and then win it all with a victory over Memphis. Of course, that was bracket-speak . In the real world, I did predict that North Carolina and Memphis would probably win close games. I was 0-for-2 there. Memphis did win, but dominated UCLA for the most part and Kansas routed North Carolina. So much for thinking that with four No. 1 seeds playing for the first time in history, they would be good games. It just goes to show you that anything can happen and usually does. I might as well miss on my title-game prediction as well. I predict Memphis edging the Jayhawks for the championship. Th

She was already an All-American in Cowgirl fans' eyes and now senior Hanna Zavecz is an All-American in the eyes of the Associated Press. Zavecz was recognized by the Associated Press by earning Honorable Mention All-America accolades this week. Earlier last month, she was among four individuals to be selected as a regional finalist to the 2008 State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team. A 6-foot forward, from Melbourne, Australia, Zavecz led the Cowgirls several categories, including scoring (13.9 points per game), rebounds (6.1 rpg ), assists (3.6 aspg ), steals (1.6 spg ), blocked shots (1.6 bpg ) during the 2007-08 season. She shot .408 (561-of-1375 (.408) from the field, .703 (468-666) from the free throw line and .332 (146-440) from beyond the arc. She also ranked among the Top 15 in the MWC in several categories as she finished second in blocks, fourth in assist/turnover ratio, fifth in assists, seventh in scoring, 11 th in steals and 12 th in rebounding. Zavecz

It's official (for the most part). The Wyoming Cowboys and Texas Longhorns will play in Laramie in the 2009 football season. University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman and University of Texas Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds announced on Friday that the Cowboys and Longhorns have agreed in principle to a three-game football series beginning in 2009. The series will begin with Wyoming hosting Texas in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. “We are extremely excited to bring one of the premier football programs in the country to our fans,” said Burman in a press release. “Texas possesses as rich a tradition in college football as any team in the country. They have captured four National Championships including their most recent BCS Championship in 2005. We believe this game will be the biggest game in the history of War Memorial Stadium. “We do not as yet have an executed contract in place, but we have come to terms on all the major points of the agreement and both DeLoss Dodds

The Wyoming at UNLV football game has shifted from Saturday, Nov. 15 to Thursday, Nov. 13 and will be televised by CBS College Sports Network beginning at 7 p.m. MT. That gives the Cowboys 10 television games this fall. The only games not currently scheduled for TV are the North Dakota State game and the Tennessee contest. The Tennessee game's time is still to be determined and chances are the game will be picked up for broadcast. The UW - UNLV announcement also means that all 36 Mountain West Conference games will be televised. The 2008 schedule now features a minimum of 49 telecasts. The Mtn . will televise 30 games, CBS College Sports Network thus far is scheduled to broadcast nine contests and VERSUS will air eight games. The MWC anticipates additional television and kick time information for non-conference road games once those conferences finalize their schedules this summer.

As of now, all four Wyoming quarterbacks are in the running for the starting position this fall. Of course, that is technically speaking and probably politically correct talk from the Wyoming coaching staff. There will officially be a front runner named, likely on Monday. Head coach Joe Glenn said that offensive coordinator Bob Cole wants to come up with a depth chart soon, as the team nears the halfway point of the spring season. "Bob told me Saturday, let's sit down and really evaluate where we have been, and what is going on at the quarterback spot," Glenn said on Wednesday. "Then maybe we can pencil down a depth chart." Glenn said that all of the quarterbacks have had a chance to work with the first and second string offense, so it has been good competition. “Bob had a team meeting with the offense and he loves the attitude and effort out of our quarterbacks,” Glenn said. “They are competing at a very high level. Dax ( Crum ) has brought in a very spir

UW head wrestling coach Steven Suder announced Thursday the hiring of former volunteer assistant coach Travis Shufelt to full-time assistant coach. Shufelt will become the number two assistant while Ben VomBaur will be elevated to the number one assistant. The change in coaching staff was spurred by the resignation of former associate head coach Matt Johnson to pursue other opportunities. “We had a pretty good idea of what we were going to get when we added Travis as a volunteer assistant coach two seasons ago,” UW head coach Steven Suder said. “When he arrived, we got a lot more than we expected and we are glad to give him this opportunity and reward him for his efforts.” Shufelt will enter his third season with the Wyoming coaching staff for the 2008-09 season. Shufelt was an All-American and a captain at The University of Nebraska. At 149 pounds, Shufelt was a four-time National Qualifier and a two-time Big 12 runner-up. As a junior he was the Las Vegas Invite Champion an

The Wyoming coaching staff decided to add a little hitting this spring. On Wednesday, the hit of the spring camp might of come when redshirt freshman strong safety Brian Kuhtz met sophomore running back Darius Terry head on … as in head on like a Mack truck. “Those were two young dudes were getting busy there, a couple of young bulls” Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said with a smile. Kuhtz is a solid young specimen, at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. Glenn said he gave the special teams problems last year as a redshirt. He should do the same on the field this season. “I think he’ll come in handy on special teams, covering kicks. He just needs some experience,” Glenn said. “He’s a big guy who can run and he is an all-around athlete. I know he has a future here.” *** That hit certainly got the Cowboys going. There’s been no lack of excitement in the now five completed spring practices. “Bob Cole is the difference,” Glenn said. “His personality, his persona, his relationship. he has made my job a lot

First of all, you always hate to see good kids leave. Eric Platt and Travis Nelson are good kids. Wyoming head basketball coach Heath Schroyer , however, has to do what he feels is best for the program. If he tells both Platt and Nelson that their roles will be diminished next season and they want more, they have every right to look elsewhere. This is part of college basketball. It's not the first time a coach comes in and decides to make personnel changes. It won't be the last. All you can do is wish Platt and Nelson good luck in their future, and as Cowboy fans, look to see what direction Schroyer goes. He now has two scholarship options and probably a third if Bienvenu Songondo's bad knee means he is through. Schroyer needs a young point guard to back up Brandon Ewing for one year and then take over. My guess is he will also look at a wing and an athletic forward/center who fits his style of play. Regardless, it will be a different Cowboy team next fall.

The University of Wyoming finalized its 2008 football schedule on Tuesday. The Cowboys will play seven home games for the first time in about 20 years, including their first three contests. Wyoming opens with Ohio on Aug. 30, followed by home games with Air Force and North Dakota State. Other home games will be against Bowling Green, Utah, San Diego State and Colorado State. The CSU game will be the 100th edition of the Border War. Wyoming will travel to BYU, New Mexico, Tennessee, TCU and UNLV. “This is as good a schedule as we’ve had since I’ve been at Wyoming,” said UW head football coach Joe Glenn in a press release. “We play seven home games, which gives our fans a great chance to see the Cowboys play in War Memorial Stadium -- seven at 7,220. All of our home games are on Saturday afternoons, and that is fantastic for our fans. I think that is when college football should be played. We begin the season at home and begin conference play at home. And I love finishing the season at h

If this looks a little different, then it is. I switched because this was free and the other costs too much. I'm still the same. What, me worry?