It's logical we start with Pat White's comments about playing baseball at West Virginia.
The Heisman hopeful quarterback has been an ambassador for the University. He stepped up to say his quarterbacks coach, Bill Stewart, should replace Rich Rodriguez. Eventually, that's the move the athletic department made.
Stewart had told White he should try to play baseball and joked with reporters at Big East Media Day that White didn't because he couldn't hit a curveball. White later told Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York the following:
"In my knowledge of West Virginia baseball, there's not been many players of my race on his team. [Coach Greg Van Zant's] not too high on it. Every player I've talked to doesn't like him. He's not a well-liked coach, but I guess he has tenure so they never got rid of him. They're not successful at all."
Those are some heavy words and a heavy accusation for someone who is a stranger to controversy. West Virginia has no black players listed on the 2008 roster, according to the athletics Web site, but West Virginia isn't the most diverse of states. Van Zant has been at West Virginia for 15 seasons, but that doesn't discredit White's statement.
This is a very sticky situation for West Virginia, which is gearing up for a pivotal season. The development of this in the coming days and weeks should be interesting. Will White say anymore? Will Van Zant respond?
White will have to face the media daily in just a few days, so we'll see.
As a side note, White had a successful prep career in Alabama before heading to Morgantown. In fact, he chose college over a $400,000 contract offered after being selected in the fourth round of the 2004 draft by the Angels. In 2007 he was selected by the same club in the 27th round. This year the Reds picked him in the 49th round.
Sour grapes in the Orange state?
Jim Leavitt was fired up at media day and Greg Auman down at the St. Pete Times got it on tape.
First Leavitt took a stab at Rich Rodriguez, saying West Virginia became far less beatable when RR went to Michigan.
"[Stewart is] probably better than Rodriguez. I'm worried about him. We beat Rodriguez. We haven't gotten this guy. This guy worries me. I wish Rich would have stayed. But he didn't, so we'll have to go play Michigan now."
Then he moved on to the ACC's raid of the Big East.
"In the history of college football, one of the great stories is what Mike Tranghese did during that whole period of time ... the ability to hold and in some ways strengthen the Big East, while the other three schools seem to have watered down, I have to be honest with you, on the national scene."
While he's completely accurate about Tranghese, he's a little off in the second half of that statement.
Boston College was ranked as high as No. 2 this season -- that's pretty prominent on the national scene. The future of Boston College isn't really clear, which has to be troublesome, but to say they watered down might be a stretch. Will they waterdown soon? It's possible.
Virginia Tech has played in two BCS games and have appeared in two of the three ACC title games. I would argue there's been no watering down.
What he should have said is "Miami and the ACC have been watered down more than a rice patty since the conference tried to shut us down four years ago."
Leavitt has a good ball club and has a lot to be excited about. But he should probably ease up on the jabs and figure out how he's going to win a pretty stacked conference with his team.
The breakdown
According to the media, here's how it will end up:
1. West Virginia (22) 189
2. USF (1) 149
3. Pittsburgh (1) 128
4. Rutgers 110
5. Cincinnati 98
6. Connecticut 97
7. Louisville 69
8. Syracuse 24
There will be plenty more about the Big East to come.
--AA
Comments (13)
Great Leavitt quotes -- when did you talk to him? Seems like I've seen those quotes somewhere else ...
Pat Whites comments need to be taken in context.
Van Zandt isn't alone in not having blacks on his baseball team. To begin with, there has been a well documented trend by the black athlete away from baseball and towards both football and basketball over the last 20 years.
As an example, at the start of the 2007 MLB season, African-Americans made up only 8.4 percent of the players in MLB. In 1975, they accounted for 27 percent.
To compound matters, WV does not have a large African-American population to begin with (3%). So Van Zandt is competing for a scare resource outside his own state.
WV does have a very strong "One WVU" initiative which includes billboards and radio ads (PSA's) touting racial diversity at the university. This "One WVU" initiative was actually the product of WV soccer coach Marlon LeBlanc.
White does have one thing right, Van Zandt has not been successful and is not well liked by his players. But to make this a racial issue isn't any more fair than calling out Georgetowns John Thompson for not having more Caucasians on the Hoya B-Ball squad.
BNG --
All fair points. I just think we have to be cautious in writing off PW's comments, only because they're pretty serious allegations. If they're true, then I trust WVU would swiftly take action.
Then again, how can you prove any of this?
Let's assume it's true. PW is in a tough spot. I'm sure part of him doesn't want to discuss it because it casts a negative light on the Uni. But at the same time, why should he stand for such treatment? Nobody should.
Let's assume it's false. Why would PW do such a thing? He has a solid track record in his time there. Sour grapes because Van Zant didn't want him on the team for non-racial reasons?
This is really sticky...
Adam,
Don't assume coach VZ didn't want Pat White on the team, he'd be a fool not to. White was selected by the Angels in the 4th round of the 2004 draft, again byu the Angels in 2007 and again this past 2008 draft by Cincinnati.
I think Pat's comments were more an indictment on Van Zandt's unpopularity with his own players. The observation that there are no African Americans on the squad was probably meant to further support Pats lack of desire to join the team.
Van Zandt can be called many things, and he has been by numerous players and former players, (There's even a website started by a former player where Van Zant is vilified), but perusing that web site you'll see no mention of Van Zandt being a racist before yesterdays comments.
If there's a university in the country more sensitive to racial accusations after Calvin Magee's assertion against Larry Aschebroke, and after the dredging up of the unfortunate comment/advice that got Bill Stewart fired from VMI in 1996, well, I'm not aware of it.
Guys, as an ASU man, one of the few programs in the country that is ahead of its basketball teams (although with Herb Sendek, it might be getting as close as it ever has), look at all of the rosters in college baseball. Remember baseball coaches only have 11 scholarships to spread around to 20 or so guys, so most of them have to "pay" for the priveledge of playing. I do not know anything about the WVU coach, but I can say that most inner city athletes could not afford to be college baseball players, and since most the smaller towns in America are basically football crazy....
As the major leagues take more and more college players and get them into the majors faster, you might see a small change in the racial make-up of college baseball, but not much.
Exactly what I was thinking Paul. I went to a bunch of baseball games at VT, and each team might have one African American, if that. Most of the time, African Americans who get drafted out of high school go right to pro baseball (think VT running back Kenny Lewis). But, if you look at the majors, less than 10-percent of the players are African American, this is down from more than 25-percent in the 1970s. Most of the major leaguers are white, Latino, Hispanic or Asian.
I'd like to know more of why Pat White would run his mouth like that. Did he actually ask Coach Van Zandt if he could try out for or join the team? Was he rejected? If so, then maybe his comments are OK. If not, then add Pat White to my list of reasons to hate WVU.
From what I've heard, coach Pastilong has asked Greg Van Zant not to comment. There are plans to involve coach Van Zant in a more public way in the "One WVU" initiative.
Having said that, it's well known around WVU that former coach Rodriguez was not even willing to listen to discussion about his players doing anything but playing football. Coach VZ would have had no reason to approach Pat White until this season.
This is Pat's senior year at WVU with a Heisman trophy still a possibility, Pat White would be insane to risk injury playng collegiate baseball for an "also ran" program. At least Jarrett Brown could look forward to going deep in to the NCAA playoffs with the basketball program, pat would have been looking at maybe helping the baseball team finish with a winning record.
But Jana, why would you "Hate" based on Pat White making an observation that there aren't many African Americans on the baseball team? Isn't that just a little over the "top"?
And here I am hearing that it's WVU fans who are the ones who take their athletics a little too seriously.
I wouldn't consider his comments just an "observation." I would consider them calling the WVU baseball coach a racist. He also put down the baseball team, his fellow student athletes. I didn't say I hate Pat White, I said it's another reason to hate WVU.
Face it, the way that most Mountaineer fans look at it (at least what I've seen), right now Pat White is to WVU what Jesus is to Christianity. Crazy, I know, but I've been around enough 'Eer fans to know that's how a lot of them feel.
I don't take athletics too seriously, which is why I get so mad at WVU fans. So many of them run me down and my school down if and when our football team doesn't win. I shouldn't wear my VT shirt because we lost? That's ridiculous. I'm proud of my education, having good sports teams to watch was just an added benefit.
Most WVU fans I know live and die by how their sports teams do; never once have I heard any of them say how proud they are of their school's academic reputation or the education they received. Maybe I'm just not a big enough fan, I've never cried over sports. There are much more important things in life to cry over.
Fair discussion. I'm out for the weekend (NASCAR race!)
Either way, this will be a moot point soon. Mark it.
Have a great weekend.
Jana wrote:
"Face it, the way that most Mountaineer fans look at it (at least what I've seen), right now Pat White is to WVU what Jesus is to Christianity."
Wow, talk about "projecting".
Jana,
The lack of Blacks-Americans (not all blacks are of African decent...ask a Jamaican) in baseball is as much an economic thing as anything else, the better black athlete can make more faster in football & basketball. I would say that if Griffey, Jr. had stayed healthy and it was he and not Barry (I am majoring in baseball) Bonds who was breaking the home run record, I think it would have helped "spread the gospel of the game of baseball to the black community better, but the bottom line here, and we have gotten away from it is, why were these statements made in the first place. Nothing against White, but I tend to believe the initial statements, before the spin doctors get there. I know nothing about the WVU baseball coach & program. Obvioulsy, assuming there was legitimacy to the feelings, if not the actual accusation, there is a big problem. I will be curious to see how it goes down.
Keep us informed B&G.
Great article about PW's comments by Dave Hickman in todays Charleston Gazette:
http://sundaygazettemail.com/Sports/DaveHickman/200808020425
Great article about PW's comments by Dave Hickman in todays Charleston Gazette:
http://sundaygazettemail.com/Sports/DaveHickman/200808020425