With Major League Baseball setting new attendance records every year, complaints about the game having a supposed dip in popularity ring hollow. Major League Baseball remains immensely popular. Imagine what it could be like if college baseball got the same kind of coverage and following as college football gets?

Alas, we know that's not the case. The only time any sizeable chunk of America pays attention to college baseball is mid June when the College World Series begins in Omaha. What fans (and network TV) miss prior to that is something that can be pretty darn entertaining. And if more guys like Stephen Strasburg were playing, it would be even better.

That's not the case of course, due to the fact that more than half of the best young talent never plays an inning of college ball. More prospects than not go directly from high school into the low levels of the professional ranks - many to be swallowed up and never to be seen nor heard from again. The ones that do successfully climb the ladder normally take five or six years to resurface.

Unlike football and basketball, baseball remains a sport beholden to its "farm" system, developed by Branch Rickey back in the 1940's. Unlike football and basketball, young, promising baseball players are actually discouraged from going to college, where they can grow as people AND athletes. Instead, professional baseball continues to draft high school kids and lure them from home (and often times from previously signed letters of intent) with hefty signing bonuses - figuring that money can more than make up for a lifetime without a college education. You know the argument: I can get the money now, or I can earn it over the course of my lifetime, later. Hmmm.

Too few have the foresight to look past the dollars and into the immediate AND distant future. In the immediate future, it's been well documented that going to college is actually the FASTER path to the Major Leagues. Players like Strasburg spend far LESS time in the minors, and reach the big league (where the real "life changing money" exists) before the high schoolers that are still struggling up that ladder, one arduous rung at a time. Ex-college players have a tendency to catch on sooner and establish themselves in the show longer as well. Last summer, I studied the box scores for all the games played over the first weekend in July. Of all the middle infielders who started games that weekend, only TWO American born players did NOT go to college. (One was named Jeter. The exception that proves the rule.) College players are more used to big crowds, pressure atmosphere, and everything that goes with being in the show, including the business side. In short, they are far more ready for all they are getting into.

As for the distant future, learning and growing in a college atmosphere, whether a player stays long enough to earn his degree or not, as immeasurable benefit to a young man. Where do you think Strasburg would learn more - spending three years of being tutored by Tony Gwynn, or six years with six different minor league managers, who if they put their heads together couldn't match Gwynn's expertise on the game?

If a family is facing financial hardship, then it's understandable why they would opt to take the immediate money that professional baseball offers. If not, then it's hard to fathom why any player would choose six years of beating the bushes over three or four years on campus.

On the other side of it, it remains baffling why professional baseball continues to thumb its collective nose at what could be a ready-made farm system. The pros spend millions every year on bloated farm systems that may or may not actually produce big league ready players - while they complain about the huge salaries they have to play players. It's sort of astounding that someone has not stood up, pointed at pro football, and said 'Hey, look at them. They're the most popular sport in the country and they do it by having the colleges operate as their farm system. And they don't spend a dime doing it!...Umm, why don't we do that?'

In order to become the owner of a team, you very likely had to be a great businessman first. Yet continuing to operate a large and often ineffective farm system like baseball does doesn't make good business sense.

We can only hope that someday that changes. In the meantime, we can continue to enjoy watching players like DJ Peterson at New Mexico and not be surprised when he bursts onto the national stage in a year or two. The Mountain West has produced a lot of high quality major league talent, from "Mr. Padre" himself, Tony Gwynn, to Bud Black, Matt Williams, Mark Grace, Ryan Ludwick and newcomers like Addison Reed and Jordan Pacheco. The list goes on, and it will continue to grow, despite the obstacles the college game faces.

Over the past few seasons, defending conference champion New Mexico has assumed the role of league favorite. Early in the season, it didn't appear to agree with them. The Lobos have righted the ship however - as has been the custom under head coach Ray Birmingham - and after the sluggish start that cost them their spot in the national rankings, preseason No. 21 by Baseball America, Birmingham's team has found its stride, both at the plate AND on the mound. After winning their sixth straight weekend series with a sweep of newcomer Nevada, New Mexico is back in the Top 25 at No. 24 with a record of 24-16, 14-4 in conference play. They now have a three-game lead in the league standings heading for the home stretch.

But this race is far from over. Second-place UNLV, sporting a glistening 27-12 overall record (11-7 in league play) and boasting the league's best NCAA RPI, comes to Lobo Field this weekend. The Rebels just finished off their first series victory over San Diego State since 2007, and still have a shot at catching New Mexico.

Rebels coach Tim Chambers has said he feels that a strong second-place finish in the conference should earn his team an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. But he knows that the experts out there who evaluate these things for a living will only give the league a second bid if it's truly warranted. In other words, the Rebels have to finish with a flourish in order to lock that up.

Ironically, the last time the MW failed to get at least two teams into the NCAA tournament was 2008 - the same year that current MW newcomer Fresno State won the College World Series. Every year since, the MW has landed at least two teams in the NCAA tourney. San Diego State, led by No. 1 MLB draft pick Stephen Strasburg, led the MW party of three to the NCAA tournament in 2009, joining regular season champion TCU and tourney champ Utah. New Mexico crashed the NCAA party in 2010 with an at-large bid and earned the league's automatic berth in 2011 and 2012 by winning the conference tournament, joining TCU in NCAA postseason.

This weekend's series between New Mexico and UNLV in Albuquerque will set the tone for the remainder of the regular season as teams vie for seeding in the MW Championship and potential at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos (72), Rebels (67) and third-place San Diego State (74) currently hold the top three NCAA RPI ratings, one of the factors in determining an at-large berth, in the league thanks to some key non-conference wins early in the season. While those three teams may be the current favorites for the Conference's automatic spot in the NCAAs, don't count out fourth-place Fresno State, fifth-place Nevada or sixth-place Air Force. In two of the past four seasons the No. 6 seed in the MW tournament has earned the league's automatic bid (Utah - 2009; New Mexico - 2011) and don't think Bulldog fans have forgotten how quickly their 2008 squad turned into Cinderella wearing a pair of glass slippers all the way to the CWS in Omaha.

The final MW standings will not keep any team out of this year's conference tourney, but they will determine seeding and which two teams earn a first-round bye. Those final standings may also help determine if the MW can remain a two-bid league come NCAA tourney selection time.

And there's this one: Baseball Hall of Famers who've gone on to win more than 300 games as the Head Coach of their alma mater. That may be the shortest list of them all. In fact, Gwynn might be the ONLY member, after registering his 300th win as Aztecs skipper earlier this season. The late great Robin Roberts won 286 games as a Major League pitcher, and 262 games as the head coach at the University of South Florida, but you'll be hard pressed to find many - if any - other members of Baseball's most hallowed club who have even considered coaching in college.

Gwynn not only considered it, he lobbied for the opportunity before the ink was dry on his MLB retirement papers following the 2001 season. After serving his apprenticeship on Jim Dietz staff in 2002, he took the reins of the Aztecs program in 2003. Now in his 12th season on the mesa and still in recovery from a serious health scare, Gwynn says he remains committed to the program and is in this for the long haul. That fact alone makes "Mr. Padre" unusual.

"I've always thought of myself as being unusual," Gwynn said. "I did things at the big league level that were considered unusual, and then when I got this job, nobody thought I would be here this long. My passion for it has really grown. My admiration for it has really grown. I'm perfectly happy doing what I'm doing right now. You always have to weigh what opportunities are going to be out there in the future. I'm 52, and if I ever wanted to do something (in coaching) at the big league level, my clock is running out on that. As I sit here, that's perfectly fine. I'm perfectly happy doing what I'm doing."

This year's Aztecs are fueling Gwynn's desire to win even more at the college level. They finished last weekend's series at Air Force one game behind New Mexico in the Mountain West race after taking two of three in Colorado Springs. After playing a challenging non-conference schedule, they are squarely in the thick of the conference race...and will be a big factor come MW tournament time.

"We're still a young team," Gwynn said. "And sometimes we still have those young team moments that drive coaches crazy, but for the most part it's been good. This year more so than any other since I've been here, the juniors and seniors are really taking ownership of this club - and the other guys have followed. We really haven't had to remind them of things like, hey, we're going out on the road, this is a business trip.

"But the guys who play every day are mostly sophomores and freshman," he continued. "I keep harping on us being a young team because the guys who play the majority of the time are relatively young guys, and they follow the juniors and seniors lead. It's really been a good mix this year." The progress within the program is what keeps Gwynn motivated.

"I hate not getting to where I think we should be yet," he added. "You want to finish the job. I haven't finished the job yet, so as far as I'm concerned, this is where I want to be."

His health remains a concern. He missed a lot of time in the Aztecs dugout last season while he recovered from off-season surgery. He was diagnosed with cancer of a salivary gland and had both lymph nodes removed prior to the start of the 2012 season. He missed several road trips last season, but was strong enough to make the Mountain West championships in Las Vegas. That's changed this year.

"I'm feeling good," Gwynn smiled as we watched batting practice prior to game two of the series with the Falcons. "I've been able to make almost every trip. I didn't go to Arkansas...that's the only one I didn't go on because I was getting treatment, but so far so good. I've been here for every game. The team's progressing pretty good, they're maturing right in front of my eyes, and I'm happy. I kind of think we are where I thought we'd be."

One week earlier on the same field, New Mexico's Ray Birmingham picked up his 1,000th win as a collegiate head coach. Gwynn was asked if that could be a milestone that he'd someday shoot for.

"I hope so," he laughed. "I love doing what I'm doing. My love for the game hasn't changed. I like the college environment because we do a lot of teaching and that's what I really like." He paused. "Yeah, if I could stay around long enough, I'd love to win 1,000 games. The track record of the guys who have coached here before me, they all coached 30 years, so I got 18 more years to go. If I can last that long, then maybe I could win 1,000 games."

On Saturday, the country watched a classic battle on the hard court between New Mexico and UNLV, as the Cherry and Silver captured or the Mountain West's automatic NCAA tournament berth. The win jumped New Mexico to No. 10 in the country and earned them a No. 3 seed. UNLV earned a No. 5 seed with a favorable draw and equal opportunity to make a deep run.

But this is Las Vegas. There's always something more. Much more.

Less than a mile from the Thomas and Mack Center, Ray Birmingham's Lobos were trading hard knocks with Tim Chambers' Rebels in the second game of what had already become a key MW three-game baseball series. New Mexico had taken the first game on Friday to put a halt to UNLV's 10-game winning streak and give the landslide preseason Conference favorite a leg up very early in the Conference race. New Mexico was ranked in the Top 25 to start the season for the first time in school history, but a sluggish start to the season had dropped UNM out of the polls and they lugged a sub- .500 record with them to Vegas.

Meanwhile, the Rebels were flying high. The 10-game win streak included an impressive three-game sweep at nationally-ranked power Stanford, which propelled UNLV into the national rankings at No. 21 and to the top of the MW leader board heading into Conference play.

The stage had been set. It was step up time for the visitors, and a chance to make a big time early season statement for the home team.

Predictably, there's no quit in any Ray Birmingham team. Twice UNM came from behind on Friday night, and eventually a Josh Melendez double put the Lobos ahead for the first time in the top of the 10th inning, and New Mexico captured Game One, 3-2. That shifted the burden back to UNLV to step up and show some bounce back in Game Two, especially after the Lobos took a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. The series - and an early jump on the conference race - appeared to be theirs.

Not quite. Mark Shannon's two-run homer, just UNLV's second long ball of the season, in the bottom on the eighth capped a five-run outburst and led the Rebels to a critical 8-7 win, knotting the series at a game apiece.

Then came Sunday. And DJ Peterson time.

The Lobos' All-America third basemen picked a good time to have yet another of what have become semi-routine days at the office for him, clubbing a pair of home runs to move his season total to 10 in just the first month of the season. His three-run shot in the third inning and a grand slam in the sixth helped Peterson rack up eight more RBI and sent UNM to a 12-7 win and that key MW opening series victory.

The win moved the Lobos to 2-1 in the Conference, and improved their overall record to 8-10. Not where they wanted to be at this point, but well within striking distance of the 30+ wins this program is expected to gain now. UNLV - which bounced back again on Monday night to defeat BYU at home behind a great pitching effort from the versatile Shannon - now sits at 16-5 and just that single game behind the Lobos, Nevada and San Diego State. Don't sleep on the Aztecs. They took two of three at Fresno State and share the Conference lead after the first week. UNLV travels to San Diego State this coming weekend. The best news? UNLV and New Mexico will meet again on the diamond in Albuquerque on April 26-28 in what will probably be an even bigger series by that point in the season.

A nationally relevant rivalry between New Mexico and UNLV already exists on the basketball court. These two powerful programs are led by big time coaches and have aspirations that stretch far beyond conference championships. It certainly appears that the baseball rivalry may be heading in that same direction. Chambers' team is very young - the same way Birmingham's Lobos were in 2011 when they stunned the country and won the MW tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. New Mexico has already arrived on the national stage. There's nothing standing in the way of a UNLV baseball resurgence that could take them there as well and help push MW baseball into the national spotlight as well.

A sell-out crowd filled the Thomas & Mack on Saturday to watch the UNM-UNLV hard court match-up. Let's hope most of them took the time to watch a little baseball as well. It's a great time to be a Lobo ... AND a Rebel.

That first year in 2011 was dynamic. UNLV began with the best start in program history through 21 games, going 17-4. They ended up being nationally-ranked for the next three weeks. Led by All-Conference pitcher Tanner Peters, UNLV posted 33 wins, including victories over ninth-ranked TCU, 11th-ranked UC Irvine and 14th-ranked Arizona. The accolades rolled in, including Peters being named a third team All-American and freshman closer Zack Hartman picking up Freshman All-America honors.

The bar had been officially raised. But expectations are a funny thing. You welcome the recognition, but the weight can be cumbersome if you're trying to grow. Growing was exactly what Chambers and his coaching staff knew they still had to do.

So when the 2012 season rolled around, and everyone was expecting bigger and better things, UNLV tiptoed into the fray with the coaches knowing that an encore was going to be much more difficult to pull off than the opening act.

Peters had left for professional baseball, and in his place was a group of peach fuzz-faced recruits. Chambers' second UNLV team was an uncomfortable mixture of his new recruits - many with ties to CSN - and upperclassmen who remained from the previous staff. They didn't always mesh on the field. There were occasional flashes, but nothing that was sustainable. It became a very young team that was reliant on numerous first- and second-year players. Not the exact recipe for success.

They were eliminated early from the conference tournament they were hosting, finishing the season with a 26-31 mark and very little momentum going into 2013.

Fast forward to February 2013. The Mountain West preseason coaches' poll came out and the Rebels were picked to finish fifth in the six-team conference.

"We understand why," said Rebels assistant coach Kevin Higgins. "The coaches remember the last thing they saw, and they didn't see much from us by the end last season."

It wasn't just momentum that was missing at the beginning of the season. Key contributors like Academic All-America performer Trevor Kirk were gone, along with shortstop Danny Higa and outfielder Trent Cook. And their replacements were going to be very young. Again.

The rebuilding job would have to center on young guys like sophomore Erick Fedde, who had finished his rookie season with a 6-5 record, 3.59 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched - earning Freshman All-America honors. And Chambers got a lift when slugger Brandon Bayardi turned down an offer from the Minnesota Twins, who had drafted him in the 36th round, to come back for his senior year, trying to match or even improve on his stellar performance of .361 batting average, 7 home runs and 53 RBI last season. Hartman is also back hoping to post numbers even better than his 3-1 record and seven saves from 2012.

While the changes in the 2013 UNLV team aren't as dramatic, they are significant, and less than a month into the new season, very successful. The Rebels opened the season taking three of four games from SEC member Tennessee. After rolling through the Rebel Classic last week and beating Hawai'i on Monday night, UNLV has now won six games in a row as they prepare for a trip to nationally-ranked Stanford, packing a 10-3 overall record and a good deal of confidence. The Rebels played five games in five nights through the Classic and extra game with the Rainbows, a challenge that would tax every pitching staff in America. These Rebels were up to the challenge.

Fedde is already 2-0 with a stellar 2.00 ERA. Freshman pitcher Kenny Oakley has already picked up his first win along with his first MW Pitcher of the Week award after hurling seven shut-out innings against Gonzaga. He's also 2-0, with a 1.17 ERA. And so it goes...so far.

Sophomore Joey Swanner leads a group of youngsters that have been sensational, hitting .340. The Rebels boast a team batting average of .323 during their hot start, while holding opponents to a .236 mark. That's a recipe for long term success.

"We're very young and that's exciting and scary at the same time," Higgins said. "They're going to make mistakes, but we like that they are aggressive mistakes, things you can learn from. We may boot a few balls, but then they'll make a great play and turn things around.

"We're going to go as far as our seniors take us," Higgins continued. "Just like most teams. So far, those guys have been tremendous."

While Bayardi has started the season predictably, hitting .377 through 13 games, fellow senior Mark Shannon is pulling double duty. After going 3-for-5 against Hawai'i on Monday night, Shannon is hitting .382. And oh, by the way, he also pitched seven innings against the Rainbow, yielding just one run on three hits. Has a player ever been named MW Pitcher AND Player of the Week in the same week?

And oh, what about those pre-season prognostications about now?

"We have used it as something of a rallying cry," Higgins acknowledged. "But in the end, it doesn't matter a bit, because it's all about what you do on the field and especially what you do in the conference tournament. That's how we will be judged, so that's what really matters."

A different kind of MW baseball season has now begun. It's out with the old - in the form of the dynasty that was TCU baseball, and in with the new, in the form of the 2008 College World Series Champion Fresno State Bulldogs who arrive for the 2013 season. And while the Bulldogs bring some pedigree with them to their new conference, they don't show up and instantly become the new sheriff in town. The reigning King of this Hill remains Ray Birmingham's New Mexico Lobos. The question that will be answered this season is how comfortably these Lobos will wear the crown as opposed to fighting to capture it in the first place.

For the first time since 2006, TCU does not enter the season as the pre-season favorite in the Mountain West. Now that they've move to the Big 12, the team that unseated the Frogs last season - and likely would have been this year's pre-season favorite even if TCU was still around - is New Mexico, ranked in the Top 25 at the start of the year for the first time ever.

There's ample reason for excitement around Lobo baseball, even after they dropped two of three to Oklahoma State to start the season. Birmingham returns Co-MW Players of the Year in Mitchell Garver and DJ Peterson (who won the league's Triple Crown last season.) Both are on national Player of the Year watch lists for this season. The Lobos also return All-Conference performers Alex Allbritton (SS), Josh Melendez (OF) and Josh Walker (P). They appear loaded and ready to pick up where they left off last season.

So what will Birmingham, a master of motivation and preparation, do now that he can't play the underdog card anymore? Ever since he took the UNM job in 2008, he's been able to plaster "TCU Horned Frogs, MW Champs" on his locker room wall and point to it when he needed to grab his team's attention. Ray's Lobos have always had the evil empire in Fort Worth to take aim at, the team they both loathed and wanted to be like at the same time. Now that the plaque on the wall notes that UNM is the defending champs, Ray needed a new ploy.

He didn't take long to ID one. A slightly doctored photo made the rounds on Twitter a couple weeks ago, one that featured the Lobos midfield dog pile after they won the 2011 MW tournament, taking place with the huge TD Ameritrade Park shot as the background. The pic was tweaked to create the illusion that the celebration had - or more directly, WILL - take place in Omaha next time around.

Omaha - sight of the College World Series - is Birmingham's one and only goal for his team. Conference titles are great. UNM has now won two in a row. But trips to the CWS are what make a program elite, and elite is all that Birmingham will settle for.

Come conference time, the Lobos will have to contend with a talented San Diego State squad that will have Head Coach Tony Gwynn for the full season, and has 11 experience arms on the staff to make things tough on opponents. Michael Cederoth, who won his first start against nationally-ranked University of San Diego on Friday, has the makings of the next Aztec superstar pitcher. Nevada - last season's WAC champs - are also entering the conference. Fresno State will be tough again, and UNLV will be much improved. No one can sleep on Air Force, as several teams learned last season. The Falcons made a big leap and nearly snuck into the conference tourney. If opening weekend is a true indicator, the MW race could be a tight one. The Aztecs swept the three-game series from No. 25 USD, while UNLV took their opening series from SEC power Tennessee.

Non-conference scheduling - sometimes OVER scheduling - has always been a source of pride for Birmingham. He'd take his team anywhere at any time to play anyone. Two years ago, New Mexico played the toughest schedule in the country, and their regular-season record reflected the anticipated struggles. Then they up and took out TCU to win the conference tourney for the second of three straight trips to the NCAA tournament.

Playing good teams in the non-conference is helps good teams great, so it was no surprise when Birmingham began loading up the schedule. This season he set up a season opening series with Oklahoma State to test his team and his inexperienced pitching staff right out of the gate. A narrow 4-2 defeat (on two unearned runs late in the game) cost them on opening night, and the Pokes pulled out a gut-wrenching, 13-inning, 15-14 win in game two, when UNM blew a 14-6 lead. But the Lobos showed the fight we've come to expect from a Birmingham team in bouncing back to clobber the Cowboys 9-1 in the series finale to take some momentum into the second week's trip to south Texas to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Iowa and Oklahoma. Still on the docket are match-ups with Nebraska, Arizona State, UC Riverside and Texas Tech. Anyone, anytime, anywhere.

It's gonna be a fun ride this season.

The obvious winners in the decisions by Boise State and San Diego State to remain in the (1) Mountain West are the schools themselves. Yet the conference benefits as well from having the Broncos powerhouse football program remain in the league. The Aztecs football program is not yet where Boise State's is, but as defending conference tri-champs, they're certainly an important component to the quest for "elite" conference status. With these "non-subtractions" the league can now potentially hold a conference championship game.

This is a win for conference newcomer (3) Nevada - which can now continue its heated rivalry with the Broncos AND grow its annual battle with UNLV. Part of the reason (4) Fresno State, (5) Utah State and (6) Hawai‘i agreed to move to the MW was a chance to test themselves against the powerhouse program Boise State has become. Now they get to do just that.

There are big winners away from the football field as well. Start with (7) Steve Fisher and his SDSU basketball program - one of the best in the nation. It would have been a major step backward for Fisher's program to be left to compete in the not-all-that-Big West Conference. The path to March Madness is much smoother when you compete in a power conference like the MW. Add in (8) Dave Rice and UNLV and (9) Steve Alford and New Mexico. That threesome represents one of the very best groupings in college basketball. Thankfully, it won't be broken up.

Non-revenue sports also reap a benefit. For instance, SDSU with (10) Tony Gwynn at the helm is working to become one of the Conference's best baseball programs. It already plays a stout California-based non-conference schedule, so staying in a better league is a benefit to its postseason goals as well. And after having lost his nemesis in TCU to the Big 12, New Mexico baseball coach (11) Ray Birmingham certainly didn't want to see Gwynn's Aztecs leave the league too. Ray wants to play the best and SDSU represents that. Plus, no Lobo baseball season would be the same without that loooooong bus ride to The Mesa every spring.

Finally, (12) fans in the region will get to continue to see a geographically-based, super competitive conference that has nothing but upside moving forward. Better bowl game partnerships, the potential for a conference football title game, more and more teams in March Madness - and it won't be long until an MW school is back in the College World Series. It's all good.

Like I said a "win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win" situation for everyone.

First, I want an automatic bowl tie in for the champion of the Mountain West Conference with the Fiesta Bowl, starting with the 2014 season. This just makes sense. The game is being left out of the tie-ins with the soon-to-be-former BCS conferences. The Fiesta will get two "at-large" teams. So I ask: Will a Northern Illinois be a better draw than the MW champ? Of course not. Let the MW champ face an at-large team and watch the conference profile grow.

Before that could happen, I want more "BCS" level schools to come play MW teams on OUR turf. More games like Nebraska at Wyoming (the 2011 game was a great event), Texas at New Mexico (Lobos played both UT and Texas Tech on the road this season), Kansas State at Colorado State, Notre Dame at Air Force (coming fall of 2013!), USC at UNLV (LA vs. Vegas...awesome) and maybe Oregon AT Fresno State. We get games like this way too seldom. The MW teams have to travel 80% of the time, often times for long distances. Make it a 50-50 sort of arrangement and the MW schools would come out on top a lot more often. And the profile will grow.

I want a shiny new on-campus football stadium for Colorado State and a bowl game for Denver's Sports Authority Field. They play lots of bowl games in places with weather worse than Denver, and there's plenty to do in the football crazed Mile High City.

Staying with that theme, I want a holiday college basketball tournament to return to Pepsi Center in Denver. The return of "The Mile High Classic" circa 1989, could feature Colorado, Colorado State (for a possible second meeting each season, the first being their annual on-campus game in early December), Nebraska (now coached by former CSU head man Tim Miles) and say, Oklahoma State. If the atmosphere at the CSU - CU game in Boulder is an indicator, there is an appetite for more quality college hoops along the front range. Add in the fan fervor from Nebraska and the basketball history of Okie State, you'd have a smash hit.

I want pre-season college baseball tournaments in places like Fresno, Las Vegas and Albuquerque that bring some of the nation's best programs west. Entice some of the powerful teams from Florida and the east coast to come to MW territory for some early season tests. If the SEC and ACC schools won't venture out to play MW teams, the conference RPI will never get to where it should be.

I want a trip to Omaha for the College World Series - via bus ride of course - for Ray Birmingham and the New Mexico Lobos baseball team. Come to think of it, I want to see Tony Gwynn take the San Diego State Aztecs to Omaha, too. (My guess is they would fly...) I also want to see Mike Kazlausky and the Air Force Falcons play in the MW tournament. They deserve it.

I want baseball programs brought back at Colorado State and Wyoming. I know, it's about money and weather....but hey, we made it work when I was in school. It could work now, too. It's working at Air Force, by the way.

Finally, I want a period of quiet calm on the realignment front for Commissioner Thompson and everyone in the MW offices. They deserve it, too.

Is this asking for too much????

Hawai'i, Fresno State and Nevada officially become the newest members of the Mountain West on Sunday, but introductions are largely inessential. The Warriors (football only), Bulldogs and Wolf Pack are not only familiar with the MW landscape, they are, in many instances, tethered by well-rooted rivalries and long-standing coaching connections.

To wit:

First-year Fresno State football coach Tim DeRuyter, an Air Force graduate, not only played for the Falcons but spent a total of seven years at the Academy during two separate stints as a position coach and defensive coordinator.

New Hawai'i football coach Norm Chow spent 27 seasons as an assistant at BYU before the former MW member opted to join the independent ranks last season.

Nevada's Chris Ault, the only active FBS coach in the College Football Hall of Fame, has faced every team represented in the 2011-12 configuration of the MW at least three times since joining the Wolf Pack staff in 1976.

"Today we officially welcome Fresno State, Hawai'i and Nevada as members, ushering in a new era for the Mountain West," said Commissioner Craig Thompson. "The addition of these fine institutions helps position the Conference for a bright future, and we look forward to the contributions that Bulldog, Warrior and Wolf Pack student-athletes, coaches, fans and administrators will make to the success of the Mountain West."

Here's a look at each of the three institutions and a sampling of their athletic successes:

Fresno State

Football: The Bulldogs have failed to garner a bowl bid only twice since 2000. Fresno State went to four straight bowl games from 2007-10, with two of the contests coming against MW members Colorado State and Wyoming. Prior to DeRuyter's hire, the Bulldogs' two previous coaches --- Jim Sweeney and Pat Hill --- posted a combined winning percentage of .607 and won three conference titles.

"We're really excited about our first year in the Mountain West," said DeRuyter, a linebacker at Air Force from 1982-84. "Having some personal history in this conference, I know about the excellent programs and the excellent coaches in this league. We know this is going to be a tremendous challenge, but we're excited about it and we're looking forward to it."

Men's Basketball: The Bulldogs have won two conference titles, participated in one NCAA Tournament and two National Invitational Tournaments since 2000. Many believe second-year coach Rodney Terry has put together one of the program's top recruiting classes in years, a group led by 7-foot, 265-pound incoming freshman center Robert Upshaw, ranked No. 55 nationally in the 2012 ESPNU Top 100.

Women's Basketball: Fresno State is coming off a 2011-12 season in which it won a conference title, earned its fifth straight NCAA Tournament bid and won 28 games for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs started four underclassmen last season, including guard Ki-Ki Moore, the WAC Player of the Year.

Baseball: Fresno State, the 2008 national champion, won its seventh straight WAC title this past year while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.

Softball: The Bulldogs have participated in 30 of the last 31 NCAA Tournaments and won the 1998 national title. The Bulldogs have played in more NCAA Championships than any other Division I program and rank third all-time in tournament victories with 89.

Men's Tennis: The Bulldogs enter the Mountain West having won two consecutive league titles while earning three straight NCAA Tournament bids.

Hawai'i

Football: Hawai'i became just the third non-automatic-qualifying conference team to play in a BCS bowl in 2008 when it faced Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Warriors were the only FBS team in the nation that year to finish the regular season undefeated. Hawai'i has appeared in a bowl game seven times since 2002, posting six winning seasons and four campaigns with double-digit victories.

"I think (the transition to the MW) is going to be extremely tough and that is what I am trying to impress upon our players, that this is a step up," Chow told the Maui News. "The schedule is extremely challenging, the non-conference games are as tough as the conference games, but if you are in this profession, you get in this profession, you enjoy challenges, and you enjoy the week-by-week work that goes with those challenges, so we are all very excited about it."

Nevada

Football: The Wolf Pack, who finished the 2010 season ranked No. 11 in the nation, have appeared in seven consecutive bowl games. The program's history includes 14 conference titles and since 2005, Nevada has had one losing season and six campaigns of seven or more wins.

"We're excited to be jumping into the Mountain West and to be part of such an elite group," said football head coach Chris Ault. Ault enters his 28th season with a win percentage of 68.5 percent (226-103-1).

Men's Basketball: The Wolf Pack won the WAC regular-season championship with a mark of 13-1 last season en route to making their fifth appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. Nevada has posted eight 20-win seasons since 2003-04, while earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament four times.

Women's Basketball: Nevada has won at least 17 games five of the last seven seasons, twice advancing to the National Invitation Tournament.

Baseball: The Wolf Pack, who won a share of the regular-season conference title in 2012, have won 30 or more games six times since 2000, while winning two league titles and making two NCAA postseason appearances.

TRACK & FIELD HEADLINES

• SDSU's Whitney Ashley enjoys memorable homecoming after winning NCAA title.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• Phase 1 of facelift for Lobo Field gets go-ahead.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• New Mexico getting wealth of experience in new assistant coach Edwina Brown.

• JC All-American guard transferring to Colorado State.

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• Wyoming's Shyatt will make teaching a priority this summer under NCAA rules change.

GENERAL HEADLINES

• Utah State anxiously awaiting official inclusion in Mountain West.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

After Horned Frogs catcher Josh Elander and outfielder Kyle Von Tungeln were selected by the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies, respectively, on Tuesday, fellow junior Kevin Allen was the first MW player taken on Wednesday when the right-hander was drafted in the 23rd round (703rd overall) by the Kansas City Royals. In his first season at TCU, the second-team All-Conference selection is 5-2 with a 2.97 ERA, posting 43 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings.

TCU junior right-hander Tyler Duffie was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 27th round (845th overall) before Jason Coats, a three-time first-team All-MW selection, was taken by the Chicago White Sox in the 29th round (891st overall). Duffie has pitched 9 1/3 innings this season without allowing an earned run and surrendering just three hits while striking out eight batters. Coats, who was taken in the 12th round by the Baltimore Orioles a year ago, is TCU's career leader in doubles (69) and ranks second in hits (304), RBI (202) and total bases (496). The senior outfielder was batting .326 with six home runs and 45 RBI before being lost for the season with a knee injury late last month.

Senior Kaleb Merck became the sixth TCU player taken in this year's draft when he was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 33rd round (1,000th overall). Merck returned to action in 2012 after being sidelined by injury last year, when he was a 43rd-round pick by the Texas Rangers. The right-hander, who is 1-1 this season with a 3.63 ERA, has posted five saves this season while limiting opposing batters to a .202 average. He has 24 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings.

A second MW player was taken by the Twins on Wednesday when UNLV junior outfielder Brandon Bayardi, a first-team All-MW selection, was drafted in the 36th round (1,090th overall). Bayardi, who recorded a team-high batting average (.365) this season, also led the Rebels in RBI (53) and home runs (7) while ranking second on the team in hits (74).

Fresno State, which will officially join the MW on July 1 and had four players selected on Tuesday, produced two more picks on Wednesday when senior right-hander Gene Escat was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 23rd round (702nd overall) and senior second baseman Patrick Hutcheson was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the 29th round (888th overall).

Juniors selected in the draft are eligible to return to their respective teams if they do not sign prior to the July 13 deadline.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• TCU senior outfielder vows to go down swinging as team preps for Super Regional.

TRACK & FIELD HEADLINES

• Olympic-bound Boise State decathlete Kurt Felix set for NCAA Championships.

• Pair of Horned Frogs anxious to get a jump on the competition.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Former CSU quarterback Caleb Hanie is one play away from replacing Peyton Manning.

• Legend of former Wyoming standout "Freight Train" Lawrence Gaines lives on, but his whereabouts remains mystery.

• Ex-Colorado State tight end Joel Dreesen confident he can take game to another level with Broncos.

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• UNLV's Augmon says Hall of Fame induction 'stands right alongside winning the national championship.'

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

Elander, a catcher who has started all 60 games this season and is batting .316, was taken by the Atlanta Braves with the 21st pick of the sixth round (209th overall). One of two MW players named to the 2012 Capital One Academic Division I All-American team, Elander leads the Horned Frogs with 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 21 attempts.

Von Tungeln, an outfielder who is batting .301 with 10 doubles, five triples and a pair of home runs, was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round (408th overall). A second-team All-MW selection, Von Tungeln has driven in 24 runs this season while stealing 12 bases in 17 attempts.

Meanwhile, New Mexico junior right-hander Austin House, who helped lead the Lobos to their second consecutive MW Tournament title, was taken by the Oakland A's in the 14th round (439th overall). A unanimous first-team All-MW selection, House leads the league in innings pitched this year with 111.2. He finished the 2012 campaign with an 8-5 record in 16 appearances, posting a 2.74 ERA while striking out 91, the third-highest total in the Conference.

Fresno State, which will officially join the MW on July 1, had four players selected on Tuesday, including junior right-hander Justin Haley (6th round, Boston Red Sox, 211th overall); senior right-hander Taylor Garrison (7th round, New York Yankees, 247th overall); senior right-hander Cody Kendall (8th round, Texas Rangers, 276th overall); and senior left-handed pitcher Thomas Harlan (13th round, Pittsburgh Pirates, 406th overall).

Nevada, which will also join the MW on July 1, was represented in the draft by junior catcher Carlos Escobar, who was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 15th round with the 464th pick overall.

The draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 16-40. Coverage begins live at Noon ET on MLB.com. Juniors are eligible to return to their respective teams if they do not sign prior to the July 13th deadline.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• Coats' injury deals TCU big blow at crucial time.

• Pitcher Preston Morrison has taken command for Frogs as freshman.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• New CSU coach Ryun Williams wastes little time in assembling staff.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Nevada QB Cody Fajardo gets invite to Manning Passing Academy.

• Wyoming safety Luke Ruff named to 2012 Lott Award watch list.

TRACK & FIELD

• For TCU sprinter Charles Silmon, the gains have far outweighed the pains.

• Cowboys sign one of Colorado's top sprinters.

• Practice helps makes perfect for three members of Wyoming women's track team.

MEN'S GOLF HEADLINES

• Rams will head to Kentucky bidding for second straight trip to men's NCAA men's championships.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• SDSU's Gwynn looks to get back to the ballpark.

SOFTBALL HEADLINES

• Former Olympic standout Lisa Fernandez has eye on Fresno State softball opening.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Work ethic formed early by former CSU player Greg Myers has served him well away from game.

• Rehab is part of the regimen for pair of CSU offensive tackles.

• Wyoming looking to get its running game in gear during spring practice.

• Cowboys are encouraging linebacker Devyn Harris to bring the noise.

• Ex-Rebel not finished with leading the charge at UNLV.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• UNLV pitcher and his mother taking the fight to cancer.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• At long last, former UNLV great Linda Frolich to be enshrined in school's hall of fame.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• Young Boise State squad is coming of age in second half of league play.

• Max Yon is making a splash as freshman guard with Air Force basketball team.

• Cowboys looking for a cure to recent second-half shooting woes.

• UNLV's Stanback ailing, but refuses to use sore knee as crutch.

• Beat-up Aztecs would be happy with healthy outcome versus Wyoming.

• Journey back to playing almost complete for New Mexico grad assistant Dairese Gary.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• BCS postseason plans: Call it a plus-one. Call it a playoff. Call it a concession. Call it a lollipop.

• BCS executive director preaching patience as playoff talks continue.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• Sophomore center has had major impact on altering way opponents attack TCU.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• Former Lobo looking to parlay defensive versatility into spot on Colorado Rockies' roster

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• There's a whole lot on line for Lobos as they gear up for rematches with Aztecs, Rebels.

• Players from Down Under have wasted little time rising to top for Boise State.

• It's not just another game on schedule when NCAA Tournament seeding is at stake.

• Falcons' junior guard Kyle Green throws open the door when opportunity knocks.

• Colorado State looks to cure road woes at Boise State.

• From Flava Flav to the Rebellion, a rejuvenated fan base inspires the Runnin' Rebels.

• Aztecs' rebuilding year has turned into a bridge to somewhere.

• Investment in coach's approach to defense has paid dividends for Cowboys.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• San Diego State coach and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn undergoes cancer surgery.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• Neither New Mexico coach Yvonne Sanchez nor her brother intended to chase coaching careers.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• UNLV's Mike Moser provides perspective on Saturday's showdown with San Diego State.

• In world that's neither fair nor necessarily easy, SDSU's Tim Shelton is beacon of light.

• Rebels coach Dave Rice ready to do battle with new opponent: Autism

• Cut by his high school team, DeShaun Stephens is getting grip on game at SDSU.

• Wyoming will be facing a new challenge in rematch with New Mexico.

• Pierce Hornung's absence underscored his value to Colorado State.

• Wyoming's coaching staff had hand in resurrecting Lobos during 1980s.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Eleven MW players receive official invitations to the NFL Combine. Here's the list.

• New Lobos offensive coordinator will tailor system to players.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

• Wyoming freshman Woodward feeling a flow on the hardwood.

• Clements reaping the benefits of hard work at SDSU.

OTHER MW HEADLINES

• Steady and spirited wins the race for New Mexico softball coach.

• Lobos hosting the nation's best in indoor track & field.

• UNM learning from last season's highs and lows heading into 2012 baseball season.

• UNLV baseball looks to local prep talent.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

Regardless of who wins Saturday's men's basketball showdown between No. 12 UNLV and No. 22 San Diego State, the outcome will not affect the bond forged between Rebels' assistant Justin Hutson and Aztecs' assistant Tony Bland.

Two former San Diego State men's basketball players are reunited in San Antonio as Malcolm Thomas signs with the NBA's Spurs. Former Aztec Kawhi Leonard was acquired by San Antonio after being selected by Indiana in the first round of this year's NBA draft.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

Colorado State football coach Jim McElwain continues to build his staff by adding former Alabama and Clemson assistant Billy Napier.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen promotes assistant Robert Prince to serve as the team's offensive coordinator following the departure of Brent Pease.

University of Hawai'i football coach Norm Chow has tabbed former San Diego State assistant Thom Kaumeyer to serve as the team's defensive coordinator. Kaumeyer orchestrated the biggest defensive improvement in the country as San Diego State leaped from 95th in total defense in 2002 to eighth in 2003.

Hawai'i punt returner Scott Harding, a 25-year-old true freshman, is named to the Football Writers Association of America's Freshman All-America team. Harding hails from Brisbane, Australia. Hawai'i will join the Mountain West next season as a football-only member.

UNLV's football team will play seven home games next season after adding Northern Arizona to its 2012 schedule.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

Rebel baseball team shows eagerness to get the 2012 season started.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

MW FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• Jefferson's status for Army game is up in air.

• Defensive struggles forcing Lobos to adjust on the run.

• Christensen: TCU game is 'huge.'

• Boise State once again making wishes come true.

• Rebels not running for cover in advance of visit from Broncos.

OTHER MW HEADLINES

• Lobo men's hoops set to stage coming-out party at the Pit.

• For UNLV assistant MBB coach, career path was never in doubt.

• Colorado State plans to hit the court running.

• Lobos flourishing in soccer, cross country.

• Cowgirls' Joe Legerski wants returning starter Chaundra Sewell to shoot more.

• San Diego State celebrates Halloween with intrasquad baseball game.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

• 2009 No. 1 Draft pick and Mountain West Pitcher of the Year Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State) made his 2011 season debut with the Washington Nationals on Sept. 6. Strasburg, who spent the past year recovering from Tommy John surgery, ended up throwing five shutout innings and allowed two hits before leaving the game with a 3-0 lead. He struck out four hitters and walked none, averaging 11.2 pitches per inning.

• Also from the MW all-conference Class of 2009, reliever Addison Reed (San Diego State) was called up on Sept. 2 by the Chicago White Sox. Reed made his MLB debut on Sept. 4 at Detroit, throwing 1.2 innings of relief.

• Former 2008 all-Mountain West reliever Andrew Cashner (TCU) was activated from the 60-day disabled list by the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 4. The Cubs plan to use caution in using Cashner over the end of the season.

• 2007 MW Player of the Year Jordan Pacheco (New Mexico) was called up by the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 6 and made the most of his major league debut that night. Pacheco, who played mostly catcher for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox all season, started the game at third base and recorded two singles and two RBI in the 8-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

• 2006 MW Pitcher of the Year Danny Ray Herrera (New Mexico) was picked up by the New York Mets on Sept. 1 from the Brewers to complete the teams' mid-July trade for reliever Francisco Rodriguez. Herrera has made three relief appearances since the move to New York.

 No rest for Wyoming runners

 Wyoming cross country talks about preseason training (video)

Soccer

 UNLV expects to replace, not rebuild in women's soccer

Volleyball

 CSU's Katelyn Steffan learning to play on left side for volleyball team

  Behind the Scenes with UNLV Volleyball (video)

 First-year coach Cindy Fredrick is getting the UNLV volleyball program in shape

 Wyoming Volleyball set to open the season (video)

Miscellaneous

Summer Buzz about the UNLV Rebels

A look around the new-look Mountain West in men's basketball

TCU turns into frequent arms supplier for major leagues

UNLV's Sandrine Nzeukou makes the first cut for Cameroon national women's basketball team

 Memory of the 8 Memorial Run/Walk to be held on Sept. 16

Volleyball

 Six freshmen give New Mexico depth in 2011

 Words of Westman: UNLV sophomore to blog during the 2011 season

 Colorado State's Tom Hilbert still tweaking lineup

 Colorado State settling several issues during preseason camp

Women's Soccer

 Wyoming coach Danny Sanchez is confident the Cowgirls are hitting their stride

 Wyoming Cowgirls add an international flavor to the roster

 Boise State uses exhibition match to assist former Bronco

 Lobos dedicate season to George Montoya

 New Mexico Soccer watching its steps

Summer Baseball

 New Mexico's Trey Porras continues hitting ways as TCL's batting champ

Summer University Games

• New Mexico's Phil Anderson and fellow Canadian Lee Daigle upset No. 2 tennis seed in China

• Wyoming's Francisco Cruz is playing well for Mexico in World University Games

• Former CSU All-American to compete at World Championships

Miscellaneous

• Gentler approach working for Air Force coaches Matt McShane, Andrea Williams and Mike Kazlausky

• Former Wyoming sprinter Afiya Walker wins national title in home country

• UNLV's Sandrine Nzeukou provides updates from her workouts with the Cameroon women's basketball national team

• TCU women's basketball player Starr Crawford shares her thoughts about the upcoming season

• SDSU's assistant softball coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz helps USA Softball claim World Cup

• Utah's running back tandem of Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata is likely to spell double trouble for opposing defenses.

• BYU's veteran offensive line is making the team's quarterback competition even tougher to sort out.

• Not surprisingly, the passing game, directed by senior quarterback Andy Dalton, has been the most impressive aspect thus far of TCU's fall camp.

• Former Notre Dame head coach and ESPN analyst Lou Holtz tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Mark Anderson that Bobby Hauck was the right hire for the Rebels.

• SI.com's Andy Staples and Stewart Mandel take a peek at the future and see a non-BCS team playing for the national championship.

Home Away From Home

New Mexico held its first workout in full pads in Ruidoso, N.M., the first practice the Lobos have ever held away from campus.

"It was a physical practice and what you would expect on the first day of pads," said head coach Mike Locksley. "We are a few thousand feet higher than Albuquerque, so the altitude training was great. It will take us a few days to adjust, but it will be very beneficial in the long run. We were able to keep our normal practice routine and had a good workout."

Junior quarterback Brad Gruner, who volunteered for special teams duty last season when he did not make the quarterback two-deep, impressed for the second straight day. Known for his ability to run, Gruner has shown improvement in the passing game.

The Lobos have 3 1/2 practice fields at their disposal at the White Mountain Athletic Complex.

Utah's Kinneberg, TCU's Winker help USA reach gold medal game

Under the direction of Utah coach Bill Kinneberg, the USA Baseball National Collegiate team finished 5-1 at the V FISU World University Baseball Championships, falling 4-3 to Cuba in 10 innings in the gold medal game on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Kinneberg, who had twice served as the National Team's pitching coach, as well the organization's director of Athlete Development Program, led Utah to its first Mountain West Conference title in 2009.

TCU pitcher Kyle Winkler, who made a school-record 19 starts this year in helping the Horned Frogs capture the Mountain West Conference title and a berth in the College World Series, was the only MWC player selected to the National Team. In six appearances spanning 12 2/3 innings, Winkler struck out 14 while allowing three earned runs on nine hits.

UNLV sophomore Travis Trickey, a highly regarded linebacker coming out of Round Valley High in Springerville, Ariz., has been moved to fullback. It's a move that has become something of a trend with the Rebels thus far under first-year coach Bobby Hauck. Linebackers Brett Rather and and Anthony White were earlier moved to fullback.

And So We Meet Again

When the Baltimore Orioles faced the Indians on Tuesday night in Cleveland, the starting pitchers needed no formal introduction. Rookie Jake Arrietta started for the Orioles, while Justin Masterson, who is in his third major league season, took the mound for the Indians. Arrietta (TCU) and Masterson (San Diego State) squared off during MWC action in 2006. The Aztecs won, 6-0, with Masterson pitching a complete-game four-hitter.

Let the Best Man Win

The battle for the starting quarterback spot rages on at BYU, where junior Riley Nelson and widely heralded freshman Jake Heaps appear to be playing for keeps. During Tuesday's workout, Nelson completed 4-of-6 passes for 63 yards and three touchdowns. Heaps was 10-of-11 for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Heaps' lone misfire resulted in an interception at the 1-yard line by senior cornerback Brian Logan.

Four's Company, Five's a Crowd

The 2010 Jacksonville Jaguars roster includes no fewer than four players from San Diego State. Three of the former Aztecs -- Russell Allen, Freddy Keiaho and Kirk Morrison -- are linebackers. Wide receiver Kassim Osgood was a Pro Bowl special teams player with the San Diego Chargers before joining the Jaguars in the offseason. Former SDSU defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer serves as Jacksonville's assistant defensive backs coach.

Center of Attention

Colorado State redshirt freshman Weston Richburg, who was positioned at guard on Monday, found himself at center with the first-team offense on Tuesday. Coach Steve Fairchild and offensive coordinator Pat Meyer are looking for the best candidate to replace three-year starter Tim Walter, currently with the Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, freshman tight end Crockett Gillmore has been moved to defensive end, where the Rams have been hit with injuries.

Air Force Men's Hoops Loses Schafer

Air Force beat writer Frank Schwab of the Colorado Springs Gazette reports that Sammy Schafer, a starter for the Falcons' men's basketball team before suffering a concussion last season, has applied for an administrative turnback from the Academy and will take a year off from basketball. Schafer, a 6-foot-11 center, started the first three games of his sophomore season last year but missed the last 28 games because of headaches resulting from the concussion. He was averaging 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds before being injured.

Meanwhile, Air Force and Colorado, which earlier had agreed to play a two-year series in men's basketball beginning next year, have agreed to extend the series to four years.

Other News from Around the Conference

• Even though he's viewed as one of the most dangerous kick returners in the nation, TCU's Jeremy Kerley, the MWC Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year, is also tough to cut off at the pass.
• The hope is that second-year coach Michael Locksley will take New Mexico's football program to new heights. It would appear the process is underway -- literally.
• For San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley, the time has come to take off the kid gloves. Now a junior, the Aztecs coaching staff is expecting more --- and so is Lindley.
• If Wyoming football coach Dave Christensen is certain of one thing, it's that Oliver Schober will play this season -- as a 23-year-old true freshman.

The Horned Frogs' dramatic run through the College World Series - going 3-2 to become the first team to win three games in its first CWS appearance since Georgia Tech in 1994 - capped off a season in which TCU won MWC regular-season and tournament titles while shattering numerous program and MWC records.

Here's a quick look at a just a few of the Horned Frogs' accomplishments in 2010:

• Became the first team in Mountain West history to win an NCAA super regional and advance to the College World Series.

• Extended TCU's league record for MWC regular-season crowns with its fifth consecutive title.

• Freshman lefthander Matt Purke led the nation with a perfect 16-0 record, establishing a new TCU mark and tying the MWC record for single-season victories.

• In addition to establishing new program records in virtually every statistical category, TCU set new MWC team single-season benchmarks for wins (54), hits (811), doubles (178), home runs (101), total bases (1,338), at-bats (2,427), earned run average (3.55), opposing batting average (.252) and innings pitched (607.2).

TCU and Florida State will square off against each other in the first game of the 2010 tournament, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. CT on Saturday. The contest will air live on ESPN HD. The Horned Frogs are the first team in the 11-year history of the Mountain West Conference to advance to the Men's College World Series. Joining TCU and Florida State in their half of the bracket are UCLA and Florida. The Bruins are the tournament's sixth national seed, while the Gators are the tournament's third national seed. They will play game two on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

A potential match-up with Florida would pit TCU against the only other institution in the nation to play in a BCS football game, reach the Men's College World Series and win a national championship in another sport during the 2009-10 academic year. The Horned Frogs captured the NCAA title in the coed sport of rifle, becoming the first all-female squad to accomplish the feat, while the Gators are the national champs in women's swimming and diving. Last year, TCU, Florida and Texas were the only three institutions to finish in the top 10 in football and reach the super regionals in baseball.

The second bracket of the eight-team field will begin play on Sunday, June 20. That side of the bracket includes No. 1 national seed Arizona State, Oklahoma, Clemson and South Carolina. The entire Men's College World Series will be televised live in high definition on the ESPN family of networks.

Two of the nation's top pitching staffs will be going head-to-head when the Frogs and Longhorns take the field. TCU's starting rotation of Matt Purke, Kyle Winkler and Steven Maxwell is a combined 35-2 this season and leads a staff that ranks seventh nationally with a 3.48 ERA. Texas hurlers have compiled an NCAA-leading 2.44 ERA in 2010, led by starters Taylor Jungmann, Cole Green and Brandon Workman, who are a combined 30-5.

A few other notables regarding the TCU-Texas series:

• This weekend's series features a re-match of the 2009 Austin Super Regional, where TCU forced a third game with eventual College World Series runner-up Texas.

• The Horned Frogs and Longhorns each went 3-0 in their respective regionals last week. TCU outscored its three opponents (Lamar, Arizona, Baylor) by a composite 36-8 margin, while Texas was a combined 19-3 against Rider, Louisiana-Lafayette and Rice.

  

• TCU and Texas are two of three teams nationally (Florida) to have a football team finish in the top 10 and a baseball team reach the Super Regionals for two consecutive years.

• Both teams enter Friday's action with Top-25 rankings (Texas - No. 3; TCU - No. 6) and identical 49-11 records.

• TCU is riding a 10-game win streak entering the weekend, and ranks among the Top-20 nationally in nine offensive categories: doubles (170/4th); doubles per game (2.83/4th), slugging percentage (.566/6th), hits (750/9th), batting average (.345/10th), scoring (8.9/13th), runs (535/14th), home runs 990/14th) and home runs per game (1.5/18th).

• The two programs have met 276 times on the diamond with Texas leading the series 218-56-2.

Action gets underway at 2 p.m. CT Friday at Texas' Disch-Falk Field, with ESPN2 broadcasting the game. First pitch for Saturday's contest is scheduled for Noon CT and will air on ESPN. If necessary, a third game will be played on Sunday, beginning at 3 p.m. CT, and will also be televised on ESPN.

Buster Olney breaks down Strasburg's numbers on Tuesday, while Adam Kilgore reveals the 21-year-old's choice of intro music. Jaysen Stark dubbed Strasburg's debut as historic, while Gene Collier called it a masterpiece and Wayne Coffey believes it more than exceeded expectations. Columnist Thomas Boswell enjoyed the party, as did thousands of Nationals fans, according to Dave Sheinin. Nothing will ever be the same, writes Tyler Kepner.

New Mexico, who earned a No. 3 seed, takes the field first today at 4 p.m. PT with its Fullerton Regional opener vs. No. 2 seed Stanford. In Game 2, No. 1 seed Cal State Fullerton will host No. 4 seed Minnesota at 8 p.m. PT. ESPNU will air the entire Fullerton Regional live.

TCU, who is hosting its second straight NCAA Regional, will take on No. 4 seed Lamar tonight at 7 p.m. CT, following the first game of the Fort Worth Regional between No. 2 seed Baylor and No. 3 seed Arizona at 2 p.m. CT. The entire tournament will be streamed live by www.GoFrogs.com, TCU's official athletics Web site.

One of the many benefits to having a television network devoted solely to the Mountain West Conference is the ability to air programming produced by its member institutions.

Such is the case with the 2010 baseball schedule.  The Mtn.-MountainWest Sports Network will produce a minimum of 11 contests this season, including every game of the 2010 Conoco Mountain West Conference Baseball Championships.  In addition, BYU-TV and the TCU Film/Television/Digital Media Department have made the commitment to produce a combined total of 26 games and provide this programming to The Mtn. for broadcast on a live or tape-delayed basis.

All nine MWC member institutions have this opportunity under the new television deal that took effect with the start of the 2006-07 academic year.  In addition to live events, institutional contributions to The Mtn.'s programming schedule have included coaches' shows and behind-the-scene features.  This has provided baseball and other Olympic sports with more television exposure than ever before in the 11-year history of the Mountain West Conference.