• Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade were at their best again yesterday morning during the annual CVS Caremark Charity Classic pre-tourney press conference. Aside from the usual comic relief the two Rhode Island pro golfers announced another strong field. Truth is that this June is a really tough month for the PGA guys to get away so they stacked the women’s roster. I am personally looking forward to the chance to meet Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam. One of the most consistent golfers to ever pick up a club Annika also “gets” it when it comes to playing in a charity event. Expect her to be competitive while keeping it light for the fans and media
• The Ball for Action kick ball team held its first practice/scrimmage on Saturday. I hadn’t played in about 25 years so I was a bit rusty but I quickly picked up the concept of kicking a ball and running around the bases. Trust me it is no more complicated than that. Time will tell how we will do against many of the “pro’s” that are as dedicated to the PKL as Tom Brady is to the NFL. They kept saying things like “you couldn’t do that if we were playing Brooklyn rules” and “use the shelf” when describing how to catch the ball. We may struggle to win but my early goal is to make the all-star game (yes there is an all-star game)
• I want to say thank you to anyone that stops by The Cheap Seats for a quick read but I don’t want to hear it if you are a member of the grammar police. I write scripts for a living not novels. The great Ted Nesi has set high standards for this website so I can understand your frustration in my lack of writing skills. Just know that even as a man approaching his mid 50’s it’s still a work in progress for me.

• I hate to toot my own horn but I predicted that Will Middlebrooks would be a good Major League baseball player. In fact I told a buddy of mine just two weeks ago to keep an eye out for the young third baseman. In all reality a third grader playing tag at recess could have told you Middlebrooks was on the brink of doing good things on the next level. It looked like he was hitting off of a tee here in Triple-A Pawtucket and for the most part facing the Kansas City rotation IS just like hitting off of a tee so his torrid start should not be a huge surprise. Speaking of tooting horns, props to JP Smollins for grabbing Middlebrooks just a week before his big call up. CNNSI.com actually picked up on the story and used his quotes as part of their fantasy player preview article.
• The biggest thing I miss from my reporting days is getting out into the community to meet people face to face. I also miss the sometimes sweet swag that schools give you for showing up. Sure they are usually the left over extra smalls or the XXXXXL tee shirts but the gesture is much appreciated. Luckily most of the schools around here don’t forget about the lonely anchors back at the station. Sara Hogan has had quite a haul of late. So if you see me proudly wearing a skin tight CCRI softball jacket around town you know why.
• I made it through my ten day cleansing program and all of my organs still seem to be working. The diet/running program is still in full effect. A co-worker of mine asked how much weight I’ve lost. Truth is instead of a scale I just use my eyes. You know the look in the mirror right before the shower test. Right now I am in between the 60 year old dude on Survivor and Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (now that I think about it he was like 60 when he did that movie…I might want to rethink this program)

I’m hardly to the first person bring this up or have these feelings but I’m really starting to worry about the recently retired generation of NFL football players. I am saying this in the wake of yet another head scratching death to a hard hitting former star. Junior Seau apparently took his own life Wednesday by shooting himself in the chest. The most appalling stat that jumped off the page to me is that Seau becomes the eighth member of the ’94 Chargers, who lost Super Bowl XXIX to the 49ers, to die at a young age.

We still don’t know if Seau’s behavior has anything to do with concussions suffered during his 20 year career but the recent trend of guys being, at the very least, a bit unsteady after they hang up the helmet is rising at an alarming rate. Were the 80’s and 90’s simply the un-perfect storm of super freak athletes like Seau playing with inferior equipment? Was that generation simply taught the wrong technique? Did guys have less concern about their own wellbeing?  All of these questions will once again go under the microscope as the NFL looks for answers in hopes of avoiding another tragic loss of a former player.

I have to admit I have never met or interviewed Seau. In fact I can’t remember actually seeing him play in person. I remember when I was a kid that he was in my NFL All-Stars magazine that I read about 100 times. I guess the one Seau memory that continues to come to mind is him holding back Ryan Leaf during the QB’s infamous blow up at a reporter. More proof that Seau was just as impressive out of his uniform, than he was wearing his helmet and pads.

• The really cool thing about being the in TV business is all the different people that you get to meet along the way. I haven’t done much reporting the last couple of years but I still enjoy getting out into the community and telling a story or two. This morning I caught up with local surfer Zack Bastain who’ll be a Cardi’s Hometown Hero in the coming weeks. I won’t give away the story but let’s just say that I came away inspired and I won’t be complaining about anything in my life for the foreseeable future.
• I hate the White Sox. Let me rephrase that, I really hate the White Sox. Growing up a Twins fan I was preconditioned to hate the southsiders but the late 90’s through the mid 2000’s really ramped things up. Ozzie Guillen, 1,700 different uniforms ( they wore red today against… the Red Sox. Come on man!), three true fans in the Chicagoland area, A. J. Pierzynski, and Hawk Harrelson. It was tough to see Boston beat up on Minnesota but I felt better when they followed with a beat down of the ChiSox.
• Day Three of my body cleanse program. I have to admit that I feel better already. The hardest part will be giving up most sugars, alcohol, pizza, and pasta for the next 24 days. My goal is to one day see at least one of my abs again but losing the double chin would be a nice consolation prize. When you start looking like Jiminy Glick it’s time to pick up some better dieting habits.

• I don’t like to bring politics, religion or race into my sports shows but the Twitter firestorm brought on by Joel Ward’s game winning goal in game seven is too appalling to ignore. I heard about the tweets and sadly was not surprised. I still kind of shrugged it off until the Bruins got involved and released a statement. At that point I decided to see for myself the ugly ignorance that still plagues a small part of our society. (see for yourself if your interested http://chirpstory.com/li/6781) Keep in mind these tweets are not coming from the good ole boy connection in the deep south, most are from young people right here in the northeast. The late great Joe Paterno used to say “youth is a disease, but it can be cured.” I’m not sure we’ll ever find a magic potion strong enough to cure the deep hatred and complete lack of human compassion that took over Twitter last night. In fact one of the most shocking tweets comes from a local student athlete who is so sure of themselves and their ignorant point of view that their picture, name and jersey number are up for all to see. Sadly that person isn’t the only one that completely exposed him/herself as a bigot. (Good luck in future job interviews, this internet thing is not going away anytime soon) I understand being young, ignorant and in some cases sheltered, but when me and my friends were stumbling through our youth we stayed out too late, drove too fast, and thought we were smarter than everyone. The thought, let alone the action of calling someone out for their skin color never crossed our minds. Again, it’s a small sample from a large fan base but a great hockey series has forever been sullied by the voices of those soulless morons.

• On a lighter note my grandma called me fat and I’ve now gone into full blown diet mode. True story, I walked into her house last week and she said “oh, you’ve put on some weight” I mean can’t a guy put on a little man poundage in the face? Anyway, I’ve also once again made the gym my second home. This leads to the lesson of the week. Do not under any circumstances put a $10 bill into a vending machine. I became light headed in the middle of my workout last night and in full desperation mode coughed up a ten spot for $2 protein nuts. All well and fine until I found out the machine didn’t have $8 worth of change in the reserve bin. So if you’re looking for $3 in nickels and dimes, I’m your guy

• After a week in my home state of Minnesota I am still trying to knock out the cob webs and get ready to dive head first into baseball/golf/softball season. I admit I was completely cut off from all things sports except my constant checking of my fantasy baseball team. The good and bad news is that nothing really changed during my seven day sabbatical. Bobby Valentine still looks like he’d rather be putting on make up in an ESPN dressing room, the Bruins are back in their comfort zone on the brink of elimination, and most still think the Patriots will be an active trade partner come draft day.

• Another thing that hasn’t changed is how well the Bryant lacrosse team is playing. Some guys are simply winners and Bulldogs head coach Mike Pressler is exactly that. He won 69 games in five years at division III Ohio Wesleyan before bringing Duke to national prominence while winning 153 games in 16 years in Durham. His winning touch is now being felt in Smithfield. Bryant is in the national rankings for the first time ever and will take on Robert Morris for the NEC regular season crown later this week. I am no lacrosse expert but Pressler has to be considered one of the better coaches to grace the college game.

I admit that I thought where there’s smoke there was definitely fire in the case. Turns out Bryce Cotton isn’t going anywhere. Good for him, PC and coach Cooley. Here is a statement Cotton released today.

 “I am fully committed to our basketball program and I am excited about the direction the program is headed in.  I am looking forward to continuing my education and graduating from Providence College.”- Bryce Cotton

It used to be zoo keepers assistant but the job now on top of my “I’d never want to do that” list is head coach of a Division I men’s basketball program. Sure the money is nice but having to dance around NCAA rules and the middle men that are becoming more prevalent by the day would be enough to make me run headfirst into the nearest wall.

Players leaving programs for a fresh start is as old as the peach basket but transferring has become so frequent this offseason that schools need to hire general managers to keep track of players coming and going.

 The latest news to hit Friar Nation is the report that Bryce Cotton has asked for his release in hopes of transferring to another school. PC and head coach Ed Cooley have called it speculation but the source seems to be a good one. The report was posted on areacodesbasketball.com, which happens to be run by Chad Groth. At the end of the Cotton story it says Bryce will “look at his options after the school year and be advised by his mentor Chad Groth.”

That brings us back to the middle men that seem to be running the game. You either get on board like Kentucky head coach John Calipari has with World Wide Wes or you head to a directional school somewhere in the middle of the country where the term “Student Athlete” doesn’t come with a snicker and an eye roll.

Ed Cooley knows the game and although he’d no doubt like to hold on to some of his veterans, he’s still in position to reload with a crop of young talented guards. In the meantime we’ll wait and see if the Cotton report unfolds into a PC press release similar to the one we go last week on Gerard Coleman.

• The NCAA basketball season ended with a bang. Kansas making the title game gave my bracket a faint but noticeable heartbeat. Enough to bring me from 70 something in standings to a 38^th place finish. I didn’t win any money but I am eagerly awaiting my free haircut from Fresh Clips salon and shampoo artistry. From a local standpoint two former Ocean State coaches landed on their feet at two struggling mid-majors. Jim Baron wasted no time in getting back into the game. Baron takes over a Canisius team coming off of a five win season. It’s a good fit for Baron, who can rebuild programs and the fact that he’s semi-famous in western New York from his playing and coaching days at St. Bonaventure. Keno is more of a wild card. He was a one hit wonder at Drake after taking over a roster built by him and his dad Dr. Tom. He was way too much of a players coach at PC, which quickly led to the program getting away from him. Central Michigan isn’t exactly a hoops haven but we’ll truly find out how good of a coach/recruiter he really is.
• The “new” Nike NFL uniforms created quite a buzz from fan bases throughout the league, until people saw them. Pro teams, unlike some college programs, did a good job of sticking with tradition. Other than the Seahawks, only the feel of the uniform will be different. In Nike’s own words the uni’s will have“shrink wrap tightness” to them.
• Big thanks to Slick Willie and the Globetrotters for stopping by the station last week. No matter what city or what situation they’re in, it’s always pure entertainment. Slick didn’t even play basketball with us. In fact he worked with us for a day and as you might imagine, craziness ensued. Check it out. 

            http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/providence/globetrotter-   wreaks-havoc-at-wpri-tv

• Vincent Council announced today that he plans to return for his senior year as opposed to entering the NBA draft. In other news the surface of the sun plans to be hot tomorrow. Did I miss something? Is Isiah Thomas still a General Manager in the NBA? Don’t get me wrong, Vincent is a better than average player but how in the world did he think of himself as a legit prospect in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory? In fact I just scoured the internet and failed to find one mock draft that has him getting selected in this or NEXT seasons draft!  His return will indeed strengthen a PC back court stockpiled with talent, but with super recruit Kris Dunn set to the join the fray the question is this. Will Council even be the best point guard on the team next season?
• Major props to CCRI. We may have missed out on March Madness with the Big Four schools in Rhode Island but the community college guys nearly brought home a national title. More important to the players is the amount of exposure they got during their run through the bracket. Hundreds of NCAA coaches from all divisions were on hand to watch the festivities. One kid that is sure to get a fair share of Division One looks is Desmond Williams. The freshman from Connecticut was a solid scorer throughout and poured in 41 points in the national semifinal. Maybe his path will end up being a lot like the one taken by his older brother Jordan Williams. Jordan tore it up in high school but flew under the recruiting radar until eventually landing at Maryland. After two short seasons with the Terps he was taken 36^th overall by the New Jersey Nets.
• For nearly a week co-workers have been stopping by the sports office to weigh in on Tebow. “Why would they trade for a crappy quarterback?” “Did you see the Statue of Liberty Tebowing?” “I don’t like it but green really brings out his eyes” I honestly don’t have an answer or a really strong opinion on the second biggest storyline of one of the craziest off seasons in NFL history. As a Tebow lover I am happy that he’ll rattle Mark Sanchez’s cage and get a shot under crazy Rex Ryan. As a journalist it’s like Christmas and the Fourth of July wrapped into one left handed Ah Shucks little box of joy. For at least two weeks a year I can spend seven straight days talking about something other than the new-look 4-3 defense.