WHO SAYS TUESDAY IS NO FUN?

Memorial Day weekend is considered to be the unofficial start to summer. This year, it’s even more unofficially official because this weekend marked the end of official competition for all VCU Athletes. By the way, hats off to track and field athletes Quina Fortune, Julia Anyaugo and DeAngelo Wilson, who all had outstanding seasons come to an end this weekend.

Also, in case you didn’t see, both Scott Sizemore and Quanitra Hollingsworth were traded in the last few days. Jim Leyland apparently decided that 63 at-bats was enough of trial run at second base by Sizemore for the Tigers. Sizemore was hitting .400 at AAA before he was called up and didn’t hit in 63 at-bats in the bigs this year, so obviously the guy can’t hit (try to pick up the sarcasm).

Meanwhile, Hollingsworth was shipped from the Minnesota Lynx to the New York Liberty on Friday. ‘Q’ never really found a role in Minny. Hopefully she will be able to secure more playing time with the Liberty.

I am in love with this Jimmer video. It’s not because I’m some kind of Jimmer fanboy, although I do enjoy watching the guy light it up. It’s just that the original Nintendo effects are so darn clutch.

OUCH
Baylor softball player fouls a ball off of her face. That’s going to leave a mark.

MEMORABLE LINKS FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

I’m sure you guys are going to get your smartphone out on the golf course and read these links. You haven’t fooled me. I know you’re out there, using a mysterious sick day to swing that four-day weekend. I’m not hating. Just don’t chuckle your way over to the sand trap and think that you got one over on anybody.

This didn’t get much pub, but these are actually pretty significant rules changes by the NCAA. Basically, after a few years of saying that it would be too expensive to paint an arc under the basket in which a player cannot take a charge, the NCAA has finally relented. This is an easy and necessary fix. Referees were always stuck in an awkward spot, trying to determine a player’s location under the basket when attempting to take a charge. Additionally, the women’s 3-point line will be moved back to match the men’s (20’9”). For real basketball players, this isn’t really a big deal. For staff hoopers like myself, that extra foot feels like a city block.

Nice story in the TD the other day on Quina Fortune. I wrote about Quina a while back, but it’s worth another read. It’s actually a pretty remarkable story. She’s been through a lot, but has been strong and resilient.

Apparently, the folks at Tropicana Field are a little sensitive. Considering that they draw miserably, they might not want to bounce fans for wearing “Yankees Suck” t-shirts. And the Yankees do suck.

Ever wonder what Shawn Bradley is up to?

FORMER RAM WADING THROUGH PROFESSIONAL WATERS

2010 VCU grad Lanto Griffin has been playing golf professionally since November.

In his first professional golf tournament in November, Lanto Griffin earned a tidy sum of $938.33. That might not be enough to merit driving around with a giant check in the backseat, a la Happy Gilmore, but it was enough to make the 22-year-old VCU alumnus proud.

Just six months later on May 5, the 2009 CAA Golfer of the Year was making his first PGA start and taking aim at a share of a $6.5 million purse at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. All in all, it hasn’t been a bad start to life as a professional for the 2010 VCU graduate.

Griffin spent the winter and spring playing the Hooters and eGolf Tours, smaller, non-PGA affiliated professional tournaments, but fired a 65 during an 18-hole qualifier May 2 to earn one of four at-large spots into the Wells Fargo Championship. It was the realization of years of hard work for the Blacksburg, Va. native.

“They gave me a 2011 Mercedes courtesy car for the week. There were 40,000 fans there every day. It was pretty nuts. It’s one of those things where you always dream about playing in one,” Griffin said.

TEAR DOWN THAT WALL (SERIOUSLY)

WEDNESDAY QUICK HITTERS

Paul Woody takes a look at local hero Brandon Rozzell’s four years at VCU. (Few days old, but whatever).

VCU’s Academic Progress Rates (APR) were released recently. Field Hockey and Women’s Tennis are killing it in the classroom. Nice job, ladies.

Tonight is Eric Estrada Night at the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ game at The Diamond. I expect to see all of you there.

THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS

Darren Rovell of CNBC posted this today. This is Auburn’s expense report from the BCS National Championship Game. It’s pretty mind blowing for us college athletic types. And we thought we spent some money at the Final Four. Turns out that was peanuts.

GRADUATION…SWAG

Really nice video here from VCURamNation.com, which gave Joey Rodriguez, Brandon Rozzell and Ed Nixon a camera to use during graduation. Special guest appearances in this video by Larry Sanders, Shaka Smart, Anthony Grant, Darius Theus, the back of Troy Daniels’ head and others.

MORE SKEEN

Here’s an interview that Hoops World did with Jamie Skeen at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Pretty tame by Jamie’s standards. I was hoping for some crazy story about how he was eating deep dish pizza and got a phone call that told him he had been invited to the combine, only he had pizza sauce all over his hands and couldn’t answer his phone. That type of thing.

BONUS
Here’s also an interview with Hofstra product Charles Jenkins

ALSO
Luke Hancock of George Mason is headed to Louisville.

SKEEN AT NBA COMBINE IN CHICAGO

SIZEMORE MATTERS