www.roanoke.com

-Interesting column from Ed Hardin of our sister paper, the Greensboro News and Record, on FSU feeling like an outsider in the ACC and why that’s difficult for people in North Carolina to understand. He talked to the guy who runs Warchant.com, Gene Williams. “A lot of it is driven by fear,” Williams said. “But it’s almost unanimous. The support is overwhelming. In a poll on our website, 95 percent said they’d be in favor of moving to the Big 12.”

-Must be nitty-gritty time in college baseball. Yesterday we had a feature on Tech pitcher Joe Mantiply; today we spotlight UVa’s Shane Halley.

-We have our first sacrificial lamb thanks (in large part) to Pujols’ struggles. Angels fire hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, who’d been with the club for 13 years.

-Now we know why Kobe Bryant never played at Duke: Never took charges, never will.”I learned from my predecessors, man,” Bryant said Tuesday. “Pippen had a [messed] up back taking charges. Bird had a [messed] up back taking charges. I said, `I’m not taking charges.’ I figured that [stuff] out at an early age.”

-The 2012 college football Hall of Fame class is announced:

PLAYERS
Charles Alexander, LSU TB (1975-78)
Otis Armstrong, Purdue TB (1969-72)
Steve Bartowski, Cal QB (1972-74)
Hal Bedsole, USC WR (1961-63)
Dave Casper, ND TE (1971-73)
Ty Detmer, BYU QB (1988-91)
Tommy Kramer, Rice QB (1973-76)
Art Monk, Syracuse WR (1976-79)
Greg Myers, Colorado State (1992-95)
Jonathan Ogden, UCLA OT (1992-95)
Gabe Rivera, Texas Tech DT (1979-82)
Mark Simoneau, Kansas State LB (1996-99)
Scott Thomas, Air Force S (1982-85)
John Wooten, Colorado OG (1956-58)

COACHES
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee (1992-08)
Jimmy Johnson, Oklahoma State & Miami (1979-83)
R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M (1989-02)

-If you’re wondering why Frank Beamer isn’t in the Hall yet, here are the requirements: A coach becomes eligible three years after retirement or immediately following retirement, if he is at least 70 years old. For an active coach to become eligible, he must be at least 75 years of age. All coaches must have coached for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.

-Thanks to everybody yesterday for the feedback on the spam filter. Glad it seems to be working better.

-Non-sports question: Can you remember the first movie that scared you?

NAME THAT TUNE
Albert’s always sincere, he’s a sensitive type
His intentions are clear, he wanna be well-liked
If everything is nothing, then are we anything?
Is it better to be better than to be anything?
And Albert’s vision is blooming uncontrolled
All his wings are slowly sinking
The world begins to disappear
The worst things come from inside here
All the king’s men reappear
For an eggman, on and off the wall
Who’ll never be together again

As we mentioned yesterday, the July 5-8 Greenbrier Classic got another huge boost when Tiger Woods committed to play in the event. Pretty impressive that this event has essentially gone from the D.A. Points Invitational to luring Phil and Tiger in two years.

-Florida State’s president makes a case for the Seminoles to stay in the ACC, for whatever that’s worth.

-Coach K says this summer’s Olympics will be the last one he’ll coach.

-AP writer is riled up because some people hate Danica. My problem with Patrick has nothing to do with how she races. I think it’s pretty hypocritical to make millions off racy TV commercials and then tell people not to view you as a sex object. It’d be like Agassi saying, “Come on, guys. Why are you always writing about my image?”

NAME THAT TUNE
Ohio was a riverbank
A ten speed laying in the weeds
Cannonball off an old rope swing
Long, long summer days
Tennessee was a guitar
First big dream of mine
If I made it, yeah, that’d be just fine
I just wanted to play, I just wanted to play

The Big 2 for Monday:

(1) The ACC meetings open in Florida under speculation that Florida State might try to depart the league in search of more loot.

The chairman of the school’s board of trustees, Andy Haggard, started it all with comments critical of the new ACC/ESPN contract that he later tried to clarify: “All I tried to say was I think Florida State needs to keep an open mind,” Haggard said Sunday morning. “If the Big 12 or the SEC or any other conference wants to talk, we have an obligation to listen. If the Big 12 calls, should we hang up the phone? No. I’m not saying take it. I’m saying listen to it. Listen to what they have to say. … My only point is to listen to anybody who wants to talk — especially in these economic times.”

Florida State’s president says his school is “committed” to the ACC. But as Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi writes: [I]f we’ve learned anything in recent years about institutions of higher earning switching conferences, it is this: Without fail, they all say they are steadfastly committed to their current league only until another league offers them more money.

And right now FSU could sure use some more money. Spetman announced a $2.4 million budget shortfall in the athletic department last week that sent shock waves through Seminole Nation. In college football’s arms race, Seminole fans envision the Gators and other SEC schools purchasing F-22 Raptor fighter jets while they are still going to battle with tomahawks and bows and arrows.

More than ever, Florida State fans feel they are a football school hopelessly trapped in a basketball league.

(2) The Texas Rangers are an incredible baseball team. Just look at that bottom third of that lineup they trotted out last night in a 13-6 whuppin’ of the Angels: Nelson Cruz, Mike Napoli, Mitch Moreland. Are you kidding me? Cruz has averaged 28 homers over the past three seasons. Napoli’s hit at least 20 bombs every year since 2008, including 30 last season. Moreland hit 16 last year in 464 at-bats.

It’s enough to wear out even Cy Young contenders like Jered Weaver, who entered last night’s game with a 5-0 record and 1.60 ERA and left it 5-1 with a 2.83 after giving up eight runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3.

We haven’t even talked about their pitching. Anybody still think Yu Darvish (5-1, 2.84) is going to be a bust?

Long season; I know. But you watch teams like the Yankees get shut down by a washed-up Kevin Millwood yesterday and you wonder how anybody’s going to have anything for Texas.

NAME THAT TUNE
Where I come from isn’t all that great
My automobile is a piece of crap
My fashion sense is a little whack
And my friends are just as screwy as me
I didn’t go to boarding schools
Preppy girls never looked at me
Why should they I ain’t nobody
Got nothing in my pocket

FUN WHILE IT LASTED: The Salem Red Sox saw their seven-game home winning streak snapped with a 5-2 loss to Potomac on Thursday in front of 2,551 at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

KEYES’ ROLE: The Nationals (13-17) took the lead for good in the second inning on a three-run homer by Kevin Keyes, who added an RBI double in the fifth. The Sox (17-14) outhit Potomac 8-6 but left nine runners on base.

ON THE RISE: Sox left fielder Brandon Jacobs went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a walk and his seventh steal of the year. He has five multi-hit efforts in his past nine games and has raised his average to .291 after an uneven start.

“I caught myself early in the year trying to do too much,” said Jacobs, rated the No. 6 prospect in the Boston system by Baseball America. “I’ve kind of just settled down at the plate and stayed calm and thought middle-of-the-field, other-way approach.”

NO WORRIES: Jacobs hit 17 homers in 115 games at Low-A Greenville last year but has just one so far this season. Not that this has surprised him.

“To be honest, I’ve never been a power hitter,” said Jacobs, 21. “I had seven home runs my senior year of high school; I’ve never hit for power. Last year, the 17, I wouldn’t say it was a shocker, but it’s something that’s not going to come too often.”

WALL BALL: Sox centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts – a very rough offensive night by his standards – but provided one of the top Salem highlights in the eighth inning.

Bradley got turned around on Randolph Odulber’s deep drive, but he recovered to make a leaping, fully extended catch before crashing into the wall.

“We’ve got to work on going back on some balls,” manager Billy McMillon said with a smile. “No, in all seriousness, he’s very advanced defensively. He saves us a ton of base hits and keeps runners from advancing with his strong arm.”
The crowd gave Bradley a nice ovation. But, as Jacobs put it: “That’s Jackie Bradley. That’s routine.”

ON DECK: The Sox embark on a seven-game road trip beginning with today’s 7:05 p.m. game at Myrtle Beach. Salem’s RHP Matt Barnes (1-0, 1.50) is scheduled to oppose Pelicans RHP Nicholas Tepesch (1-2, 3.62)

So if you’re looking for an ACC game between now and 2027, turn to ESPN. Good chance you’ll find it there or on one of ESPN’s other platforms. The league and network extend their partnership 15 years for a reported $3.6 billion.

-Andy looks at what the deal means for football here.

-Under the new deal, ESPN will now broadcast an additional 30 ACC men’s basketball games. The increase is mainly due of the addition of Pitt and Syracuse, and the ACC’s move to an 18-game conference schedule, which begins next season.

—

We’ll have to wait a little longer for a resolution to the Cody Journell case. As Andy reports, today’s preliminary hearing has been continued to May 21.

—

Congrats to William Byrd grad Jennifer Hoover, who takes over the Wake Forest women’s basketball job after one year at High Point. Hoover is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in Demon Deacons history.

—

Saw that 65-year-old Billy Martin of Stuart won last week’s race at Franklin County Speedway. Take that, Jamie Moyer.

—

Staying in Franklin County, Doughty reports that FCHS and Virginia receiver Raymond Keys will fly out of Roanoke this morning for a tryout with the Green Bay Packers.

—

The SalemSox are hot. After sweeping yesterday’s wet double-header with Potomac, they’ll go for their eighth straight home win at 7:05 tonight.

—

The Caps force a Game 7 in their series with the Rangers after a 2-1 victory last night. The winner-take-all affair will be played Saturday in New York.

–

NAME THAT TUNE
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
and the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear a waterfall
In the night the stormy night
she’ll close her eyes
In the night the stormy night
away she’d fly
and dreams of…

WET WHIPPINGS: The Salem Red Sox swept a doubleheader from the Potomac Nationals on Wednesday, finishing a 10-0 victory in Game 1 that had been suspended on Tuesday, then winning 6-2 in the rain-shortened nightcap in front of 1,632 at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

COYLE PLAYS FOIL: Second baseman Sean Coyle homered in his first at-bat in both ends of the doubleheader, adding a no-doubt fence-clearer to the inside-the-parker he legged out on Tuesday. The second bomb nudged the Sox toward an early 6-0 lead in the nightcap.

JBJ ARENA: Jackie Bradley Jr. continues to rake and get on base. He combined to go 3 for 5 with a home run, a double, two walks and four runs scored in the two games.

The former South Carolina star raised his average to .378 and, with a Carolina League-leading 24 walks, is reaching base in roughly 50 percent of his plate appearances.

SLAMMIN’: Travis Shaw’s second inning grand slam in the nightcap was his first homer of the year. He finished 4 for 8 in the twinbill to boost his average to .375.

MOUND DOMINANCE: Miguel Celestino and Keith Couch combined on a three-hitter in game 1. Celestino allowed only one hit through four innings on Tuesday; Couch (4-2) went the distance once the game resumed to get the win.

WHAT GOES AROUND…: Pete Ruiz, a tough-luck loser on a night he pitched brilliantly in the last homestand, picked up the win in game 2 by facing just one batter. His whiff of Justin Bloxom ended the top of the fifth and stranded three Potomac runners. With the game official, the tarp came out – and wouldn’t be removed.

Brandon Workman appeared to record the final out four batters earlier when he struck out Wade Moore, but Moore reached on a wild pitch. Workman, who fanned eight in a strong effort, walked the next three batters as he battled the wet conditions, prompting the call for Ruiz.

NOTES AND NUMBERS: The Sox have won seven straight home games, their longest such streak since August of 2000…Brandon Jacobs went 3-for-3 in the second game…New Sox outfielder Matty Johnson went 2-for-3 with a double in game 2 — his first appearance at home.

ON DECK: The Sox close the three-game homestand with a 7:05 p.m. game Thursday, featuring Salem RHP Ryan Pressly (2-0, 7.06) against Potomac RHP Matt Swynenberg (2-1, 3.77).

“Good riddance!”
“We didn’t need him anyway!”
“Hope he blows out a knee!”

It’s not everybody. Not even close. We should start by acknowledging that. But it amazes me that a decent-sized chunk of fan bases — everywhere — becomes a bunch of seething jerks when a player decides to transfer and/or chooses to sign with a different school than the one they root for.

And we wonder why some athletes don’t treat fans as nicely as they used to.

I saw some of this yesterday, when the news broke that Dorian Finney-Smith is leaving Virginia Tech. I see it every February, too, when the big recruits make their decisions. I just don’t get it. These aren’t race horses you curse as you rip up your losing tickets. These are humans. They have a right to choose where they go to school — even if it’s not yours.

By all accounts, Finney-Smith is a good guy. He just wants to play somewhere else (and, if you read between the lines, it becomes pretty clear that his mom had something to do with the decision). Not sure how that makes him a villain.

—-

(I’m the “sidearmer” on No. 6)

“Hey, Josh, hit two more. Then we’ll talk.” — Marshall McDougall.

Nah, just kidding. Congrats to Josh Hamilton. Four home runs last night, tying the major league record. The man’s story continues to fascinate.

—

“And Kemp steps out. The dreaded infield fly was buzzing around his face, and he had to wave it away.” — Vin Scully, last night. Be sure to listen to this guy as often as you can, while you still can. American treasure.

—

See you at the businessman’s special today, with some extra baseball added. Last night’s game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth with the Sox up 6-0. They’ll resume it at 11 a.m., and the regularly scheduled game will follow.

—

NAME THAT TUNE
If you guys get this I’ll be very impressed. In honor of Cole Hamels (sorry, RP):

I’m workin’ out at the gym, a cake boy walks in
And all the girls step to him
And I’m trippin’ ’cause I’m hard as nails
And he’s lookin’ like a smoker from hell
Spandex suit, pink deer-foam boots
And a backpack full of juice
And all the girlies start rubbin’ him, and lovin’ him
Other cake boys huggin’ him
Takin’ off his shirt, the cake boy had no guns
So don’t throw ‘em up, son
His walkman radio was playin’
(Cause you gotta have cake) That’s what the tape was sayin’

ALL WET: Wednesday’s game was suspended by rain in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Red Sox leading Potomac 6-0. It’ll resume at 11 a.m. Wednesday, with the regularly scheduled game to follow.

WELCOME BACK: The Sox returned from their seven-game road trip with a bang, batting around in the first inning to plate six runs and knock starter Adam Olbrychowski from the game. The uprising started with back-to-back homers by Jackie Bradley Jr. and Sean Coyle.

INSIDE JOB: Fans might not have seen a whole game, but they did see a baseball oddity. Coyle’s home run was an inside-the-parker – the first at Salem Memorial Ballpark in three years.

Coyle’s deep liner hit off the bottom of the wall and ricocheted past Potomac centerfielder Michael Taylor.
“When you hit a ball and you think it might hit a wall, there’s always that temptation to kind of pull up and watch it,” Coyle said. “But I was just trying to run hard out of the box.”

Waved around third by manager Billy McMillon, Coyle just beat the relay home for his first inside-the-parker — “other than playing AAU ball with no fences back home,” he said.

NOTES: Bradley’s homer, his third, was an opposite field shot…Michael Almanzar doubled in his first two at-bats…The rain was a tough break for Salem starter Miguel Celestino, who was cruising toward his third win. He allowed one hit and fanned two but didn’t get the required five innings in…McMillon said he was still sorting out Wednesday’s pitching situation. The scheduled starters were Potomac LHP Robbie Ray (0-0, 10.38) vs. Salem RHP Brandon Workman (2-0, 2.76).

You guys started commenting on it as I was in meetings and en route the ballpark — and David Teel had it first among scribes, I’m pretty sure — but Berman has also confirmed that Dorian Finney-Smith has requested his transfer from Virginia Tech. I’ll post a link to Berman’s story when it’s up; I know he’s been making calls on it. (Update: Here it is.)

Finney-Smith was the highest rated recruit of last year’s freshman class and, while inconsistent as youngsters are known to be, showed flashes of great promise. Big loss for new coach James Johnson, who was hired in large part because of the continuity he could bring.

We’re hitting that time of year where debate around here slows down (read: there’s no college football or hoops). So here are a few things that interest me:

1) The Salem Red Sox return home today to open a three-game series with Potomac. Tonight’s game, weather permitting, is at 7:05. Tomorrow’s game is 11:05 a.m. — the glorious “businessman special,” as they used to say. This will mark the first year I go there to work rather than pay to get in, but I’ve got a pretty good history of being at the day games.

2) Cole Hamels gets a five-game suspension for purposely throwing at Bryce Harper. The good thing about the unbalanced schedule is that the Nats and Phillies will meet again in less than two weeks, starting May 21 in Philadelphia.

3) Every first round playoff series in the NBA has either been swept or is led by a team 3-1. Would love to see them just strip one whole round from the postseason, increasing the difficulty of making the playoffs and enhancing the urgency of the first round, which would become the conference semis. Will never happen, though.

4) Another overtime game in the Caps-Rangers series, won by New York 3-2. The Rangers lead the series 3-2. Game 6 is tomorrow night in Washington.

5) If you’re into lacrosse — I’m not, despite my Old Line State roots — there’s a special on ESPNU tonight called “There and Back: All-Access with Virginia Lacrosse.” This is part 1, so I’m guessing there’s a part 2.

6) The Big 12 agrees to a huge TV deal with ESPN and Fox. So I’m guessing you can expect Cowherd to start talking Iowa State football soon.

7) John Marinatto, only the third Big East commissioner in the league’s history, resigned Monday. The league’s presidents asked him to — probably because under his leadership, the conference underwent a strange yet massive overhaul.

8. Terrell Owens is scheduled to appear on “Dr. Phil” today to “set the record straight” with three women who contend he is behind on payments of child support.

9) Chubby’s was closed when I took my family over there Sunday in search of the highly touted Williamson Road cheesesteak, which we have yet to try. (Reviews that piqued my interest here.) The sign on the door said they’ll reopen Wednesday. So my suggested schedule for Wednesday: Chubby’s + SalemSox businessman special + Caps game/Orioles-Rangers/Rays-Yankees = life is good.

THIS OR THAT
-Bryce Harper or Cole Hamels?

NAME THAT TUNE
-Something a little different today:

They met on the dance floor in the old high school gym,
He fell like a rock, she kinda liked him.
And his heart beat like thunder, as they moved cross the floor,
When the music was over, she slipped out of his arms, and out the door.
Yeah a man loves a woman, but he can’t understand,
Why she’s sad when she stares, at the ring on her hand.
Or she sits in some club, where the long shadows fall.
Drops a coin in the jukebox, not the phone on the wall.