Finally, finally, finally spring is here. And as staffer Ryan Pritt said the other day, diamonds are a sports writer's best friend.
Baseball diamonds.
I figured, after the way the college basketball season ended in the Mountain State, you guys might want some stickball news.
First, let's catch up with Alex Wilson. The former Hurricane High standout pitcher made his way through the Boston Red Sox organization and is now with the Detroit Tigers.
The problem is a sore right shoulder has prevented Wilson from a fast start. According to reports from Michigan, the right-handed reliever is running out of time to make the opening-day roster.
Wilson threw a bullpen session on Monday, according to manager Brad Ausmus, and felt good afterward. He was scheduled to throw another Thursday. Yet he's isn't scheduled to pitch in a game until Sunday.
Meanwhile, if you've been wondering about former WVU star Jedd Gyorko, well, there's good news and bad.
The good news is Gyorko, who was struggling in San Diego after signing a huge contract, was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. (The second baseman is owed $32 million through 2019. The Cardinals are taking on $26 million and the Padres the rest.)
The better news is Gyorko was in line to start early in the season after Jhonny Peralta suffered a ligament tear in his left thumb. Peralta is expected to be out two to three months. The bad news for Gyorko, though, is he's once again struggling at the plate. After hitting just .247 in 2015, he's batting .200 this spring in 30 at-bats with one double, no homers and no walks. Many are now penciling in Aledmys Diaz as the starter.
Another former WVU player and state native, David Carpenter, recently signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay after being cut by the Atlanta Braves. He split time last season with the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals.
Oddly, the Braves cut Carpenter after pitching one scoreless inning in spring training.
"He's a guy who has some experience," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "It's a little confusing why he's available, but we'll take a chance on him ... he's got a big arm. He could help us and put himself right in the mix here."
A righty who averages around 95 miles per hour on his fastball, Carpenter apparently has a good shot at making the Rays' opening day roster.
Then there's former Marshall righty Dan Straily, who is competing for the final bullpen spot with the Houston Astros.
Straily got a boost of confidence lately when his fastball hit 94. On Monday, he allowed four hits and one run on a sacrifice fly while striking out three batters in two innings against the Nationals. It was his best outing in a spring in which he's allowed 15 hits and eight earned runs in eight innings.
Straily, 27, is trying to make the team as a long reliever. He's out of options, which means the Astros would risk losing him on waivers if he doesn't make the opening day 25-man roster.
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A couple Big 12 football coaches have been quite outspoken this spring.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy expressed to CBS Sports what's been reported here: Texas' Longhorn Network is a failure.
"If we don't eliminate the Longhorn Network and create our own [Big 12] network, [Texas is] going to continue to have issues with this league," Gundy said. "You don't have a Big 12 network; you have a network within the league that people consider a failure."
Oklahoma president Dave Boren was the first to publicly suggest the LHN be dismantled for the good of the conference.
"I appreciate what Boren is doing," Gundy said.
If you think that was outspoken, though, check out what Texas football coach Charlie Strong uncorked. According to the Austin-American Statesman, Strong was speaking to his school's faculty council. He broke down his roster to the gathering and pointed to the latest recruiting class, ranked No. 11 nationally by 247Sports.
"What's going to happen when we flip this thing?" Strong asked the gathering. "Where are we going to be then? You think about what we're doing right now; what's going to happen when we really get it turned?
"They might as well move out of the way, because we're going to steamroll everyone. That's going to happen."
Hmm. Even in a state where everything is big, those are very, very big words indeed.