40 Acres Sports

Hello! My name’s Joanna Castillo and I’m happy to be joining Bevo Sports as, basically, a UT Baseball correspondent. I may post on other things from time to time but baseball will be my beat. I went to UT and graduated ’round about the time that Brian and Matt were in Kindergarden. I think. So, yes…that means I’ll be the old lady of the gang. I’ve been running a baseball page dedicated to Longhorn baseball since 1995: Joanna’s Longhorn Baseball Page. I’ll still post my long rambling stuff there. I’ll try to post short reports here, though, ’cause I know the vast majority of the folks who come here probably don’t have quite the same keen interest in the sport that I have.

Why baseball? I’m not sure. I used to listen to Dodger games on the radio with my grandmother in New Mexico when I was a wee tyke. I’ve always liked baseball as a result. So, blame her. A friend offered me his tickets for a Regional tournament here in Austin in 1988 or 1989 and I had a blast. I’d been to…oh, I dunno…10 or 15 UT baseball games before that. And, I’d watched happily on TV when they won the CWS in 1983. But, the experience of that Regional grabbed me and held on tight. I got season tickets the next year. And, I’ve kept them. I’m guessing I’ve seen roughly 90% of the games played at Disch-Falk field since then. That’s a lot of baseball. And, I love it. And, I hope I can share some of that love with you.

Report on the first two games of the Missouri series coming shortly.

Hook ’em!

Former Longhorn [tag]Ramonce Taylor[/tag] wasn’t drafted in last weekend’s NFL Draft, but his playmaking ability should get him at least a shot at making some NFL team. If the NFL doesn’t work out for Taylor, he could be headed towards the Arena Football League. Dallas Desperados coach Will McClay said his team would consider Taylor if he didn’t land with an NFL team.

There’s certainly a lot more money in the NFL, but the Arena League could be perfect for Ramonce. He’s got the versatility to play either running back or wide receiver and of course return kicks as well. Since AFL players must play both offense and defense, his athleticism and experience as a high school cornerback should prepare him to play on the other side of the ball.

The kid has definitely made some bad decisions, but for some reason I’m still rooting for him to get things figured out. Whether his shot comes in the NFL or the AFL, hopefully Ramonce makes the best of it.

NCAA rules panel approves longer 3-point line, pushing the line back a foot to 20 feet, 9 inches.

Taylor Teagarden put on DL with elbow pain again. Was having a good season at the plate too. (via).

Longhorns receive no penalties from NCAA for latest APR figures. Football team is above average.

[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] wasn’t drafted last weekend but he’s got enough talent that he could earn a spot on an NFL roster if things break right for him. Things have started out pretty good so far, this week Selvin was picked up by the Denver Broncos who then subsequently waived Cedric Cobbs:

After signing former Texas running back Selvin Young today, the Broncos waived Cedric Cobbs, a seldom-used tailback.

Young, an undrafted free agent, was an oft-used reserve tailback for the Longhorns the past two years. A strong, physical runner, the 5-foot-10, 207-pound Young wasn’t drafted primarily because he doesn’t possess great speed.

“We had mixed feelings,” said Young’s agent Major Adams, who also represents Tennessee and former Texas quarterback Vince Young. “In one sense you want the honor of being drafted, but at the same time you want to go to a situation that’s going to be the best fit for a player. We picked Denver because the Broncos showed the most interest.”

Cobbs release paves the way for Young to head into camp as the team’s third string back. The team’s number two back is undrafted second year back Mike Bell so he’s even got a chance to be the number two guy.

If he can get in there and run hard, hold on to the freaking football, and make an impact on special teams he definitely has a shot of making the team. The Broncos have a history of turning backs into stars, this is probably the best imaginable situation for Selvin to be going into.

The San Antonio Express-News has some quick notes on the how the NFL Draft went for teams from the Big 12. Texas had seven players selected including and coming in with the second most was the Nebraska Cornhuskers. And of course Texas A&M had zero, which puts them in some fine company:

The Aggies were one of only eight schools in BCS-affiliated conferences to draw a blank in the draft. Others were Indiana, Northwestern, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Duke and Kansas. A&M hasn’t had an offensive player picked in the first round since 1994.

At least for Northwestern, Vandy, UNC, and Duke they can claim they’re academic powerhouses.

I guess since the Cotton Bowl game won’t actually be in the Cotton Bowl anymore they’ve got to try anything to get some extra revenue to upgrade the stadium for one game a year. The latest idea? This Sunday people will be allowed to bring their dogs down on to the field to dump on the 50 yard line.

“Petsmart presents Texas’ largest dog park. A once in a lifetime opportunity to have dog owners and their dogs run free on the Cotton Bowl field. From 1-5pm on May 6 the Cotton Bowl will be open for dogs of all sizes to stomp, scamper and swish across the most historic playing field in Dallas.”

All kidding aside, I think it’ll be pretty cool just to get to go down on the field. Maybe you and your pooch can take the frisbee and reenact Vince Young to Billy Pittman for the TD. My mutt would spend the entire time trying to Bomar dogs five times her size.

More details

CNNSI 2008 mock NFL draft has Limas Sweed as possible top 10 pick. Might depend on what kind of 40 time he can run.

Ramonce Taylor getting interest from Cowboys & Falcons. Hopefully he goes somewhere where he can focus on football and stay away from trouble.