Varsity Blog

Ed Thomas remembered

2009-06-26T16:38:00Z

Colin Dunlap | Friday, June 26, 12:49 p.m.

The man in the photograph above is named Ed Thomas.

Sadly, he's dead. As you have probably read by now,Thomas, a highly decorated high school football coach at Aplington-Parkersburg High School in Iowa was shot and killed by a former player on Wednesday.

About a year ago, I spoke to coach Thomas and wrote a story on him just after a tornado ripped through his town and school, devastating both. You can read it here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08188/895092-365.stm

In the few days since coach Thomas was killed, there have been countless tributes to him penned by columnists and reporters and produced by television people. Here are links to some of those (the first is his pregame speech prior to the first home game after the tornado ripped apart his hometown):

(Please visit the site to view this media)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31525308/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Kirk Ferentz reaction: http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=iowa&media=130005

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090624/SPORTS08/90624026/1001/NEWS

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090625/NEWS/906250371/1001/NEWS

One on one with Matt Clement

2009-06-26T13:50:00Z

Mike White | Friday, June 26, 10 a.m.

You'd have to agree that Matt Clement's story certainly is an interesting one. He retired as a major-league baseball pitcher only a few months ago. On Monday night, he was hired as Butler High School's new boys' basketball coach.

He is a 1993 Butler graduate who always used to say that coaching basketball would be his ultimate goal when he was finished with baseball. I spent some time with Clement at his Butler home the other day for a feature story in Sunday's newspaper. But newspaper stories can't go on forever. Clement had some interesting things to say that didn't make the story. Here are a few subjects Clement talked about:

On who impacted him the most during his major-league career: "The first was Trevor Hoffman, just as far as his work ethic, how hard you have to work to be good at something. You don’t know how hard that guy works. The second would’ve been Greg Maddux. I only got to spend one year with him and I don’t know if I learned everything I could’ve learned from him. But the stuff that goes through his head, how he figures things out was unbelievable. He just shows you how good you have to be mentally to be successful at the game.

"The best thing about Maddux was how humble he was. He was crazy, just with his some of his antics and different things he did. But he never wanted any credit for anything. If he helped you, he’d say, ‘Don’t tell the paper I helped you. Just say you did it.’ I’ve been around so many superstars with so many different attitudes. This guy could’ve had the biggest attitude, but he had the smallest one and he helped me so much just on how to pitch."

On Manny being Manny. Clement played a few seasons with Manny Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox and has a Ramirez autographed jersey on a wall in his house: "Everyone knows Manny. I love Manny. He was one of the hardest working guys I ever played with. I might be one of the few people to talk good about him, but he's a guy who would come to the field early to work. He had his moments. I think where he gets misunderstood is he makes about two bone0headed plays a year. Then all of a sudden, all of his bonehead plays over the years come up.

"But I liked him. The first two years I was in Boston, he was batting, like, .180 in May. But he acted the same way as if he were batting .300. I loved how even-keeled he was. He was always the same person whether he hit a home run or grounded out. He was never beating on walls and screaming. You get what you get with Manny, but if I had to pick one person that I played with who I needed to win a game, it would absolutely be Manny."

On the places he played and what he likes about living in Butler: "During the season, I loved the places I played. But places like Boston and Chicago were just crazy. No matter where you went, people talked about the season. But I’ve always enjoyed myself here in Butler. I like the change of seasons. Football season is one of my favorite seasons. I like the fall. A lot of places I could’ve lived, there wasn’t a fall. There was summer and a winter."

On his days playing basketball at Butler. He was a starting point guard on the 1993 team that made it to the WPIAL Class AAAA championship: "I’ve always supported the programs at Butler and I’ve always said being a basketball player was one of the coolest times of my life. The teammates I had, the winning we did – it’s always been something I really enjoyed. Obviously, basketball is my first love."

On high school sports now and when he played: "I think what is kind of cool and unique about me is I played in 1993 when the coaching styles were a little more ‘knock you over, drag you down, beat you up.’ I was perfect for that mold. I think from 1993 to 2009 things have changed. If you beat kids down enough, parents will be in there saying you’re hurting kids’ emotions. I think one of the things that I bring to the table is I lived through that change and was a competitor through that change."I’d like to say kids are the same, but times have changed. I was nuts back then. Hopefully, I have about 10 kids who are as nuts as I was. But when you talk about what kind of style I’ll have as a coach, I think the one thing you have to bring up is we’re going to play defense. The No. 1 focus of what we’re going to do is play defense. We’re going to have some fun. We’re not going to try and win games 28-20, but our offense is going to be determined by what we have on offense. If I say we’re going to shoot 3-pointers, and we don’t have the players to shoot 3-pointers, then we’re going to lose."

On his passion for being "prepared": I don’t do things for a joke. When I go into something, I’m dead serious about it. My biggest issue (he laughs) is I never want to feel like I’m not prepared enough. When I played, I’d study films, run extra and do whatever I thought I needed to be prepared. One thing I promise you [about coaching] is that we will never ‘not’ be prepared. My conscience doesn’t let me not be prepared. If I had one worry (he laughs again), it’s that if there are 300 films to watch for a game, I’ll try and watch all 300 of them. That’s how I operate. If you play professional sports, you have to go above and beyond just what is expected – and I plan to bring that same attiude into coaching."

State championship baseball blog

2009-06-12T13:43:00Z

Mike White | Friday, June 12, 9:35 a.m.

Blogging from state baseball championships at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona.

SOUTH FAYETTE VS. BRANDYWINE HEIGHTS - CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP

8:55 p.m. - FINAL SCORE !!!!!!! Brandywine Heights wins, 4-1. South Fayette got runners to second and third in the seventh, but didn't score.

8:45 p.m. - Looks like it might be over. Brandywine Heights scored twice more and now leds, 4-1, heading into the seventh inning. South Fayette has only two hits off Kyle Stoudt.

8:28 p.m. Brandywine Heights takes the lead again. After a walk, Cory Prutzman had an infield hit. A double by Kyle Ziegler brought home the go-ahead run and South Fayette coach James Barton lifted Haviland for Zack Fettig. Caleb Erb flied out to right and SF right fielder Ryan Ross threw out the runner at home trying to score. 2-1 B. Heights after five.

8:13 p.m. - IT'S TIED!!! Moments before the start of the Penguins-Red Wings, South Fayette scored. Zack Fettig led off with a triple in the top of the fifth. After Lane Ramage grounded out to the pitcher, Matt Curl executed a perfect squeeze bunt to score Fettig and tie the score, 1-1.

8:05 p.m. - South Fayette pitcher Haviland and Brandywine Heights pitcher Kyle Stoudt have matched each other through four innings. Both have allowed only one hit and both have four strikeouts. The difference in the game is an error by South Fayette in the first inning. It led to the only run. Brandywine Heights leads, 4-0.

7:59 p.m. - South Fayette coach James Barton has said hitting has been a problem for his team this season. That problem has popped up again. South Fayette has only one hit in the first 3 1/2 innings and trails, 1-0, heading into the bottom of the fourth.

7:54 p.m. - Haviland seems to be getting into a groove. He has now retired eight in a row. But South Fayette still trails, 1-0, after three. South Fayette's Ryan Ross made an excellent catch of a fly ball in the bottom of the third.

7:41 p.m. - End of two innings, and it's still Brandywine Heights, 1-0. South Fayette's Haviland is topping out with his fastball at 87 m.p.h.

7:24 p.m. - Brandywine Heights got an unearned run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Kyle Ziegler led off, reaching on an error by South Fayette third baseman Chris Darby. He stold second and scored on Kyle Stoudt's single. South Fayette starter Dillon Haviland threw 27 pitches in the first inning. It wasn't that he struggled throwing strikes. Brandywine Heights batters fouled off a number of pitches.

7:02 p.m. - First pitch just moments away. Does anyway in South Fayette care? The Lions have about 100 fans here. Brandywine Heights might have 103. Crowds haven't been very good all day. Makes you wonder how much interest there really is in the state baseball championships.

7:00 p.m. - Bullets are good for Brandywine Heights, but not for the Pittsburgh City League. Huh? Well, yeah. Brandywine Heights' nickname is Bullets. That used to be the same nickname for Brashear, ever since the school was formed in 1977. But Brashear eventually changed its school nickname (I think about 10-15 years ago) to Bulls. The Pittsburgh Board of Education thought "Bullets" sent a bad message. What would you call Brandywine Heights anyway? The Winers?

6:55 p.m. - PIAA never lets teams in the title games take infield practice. Don't want to mess up the field. And want to keep games moving.

6:50 p.m. - Just received word Dillon Haviland will start for South Fayette. I think that means a win for South Fayette. Hey, the PG is 2-0 in picks so far today.

6:35 p.m. - Interesting in the press box. Lineups have been handed out. For South Fayette, one is for Dillon Haviland pitching. The other is for Zack Fettig.

6:30 p.m. - The big question in the pregame is South Fayette's pitcher. Will Dillon Haviland start? Or will it be Zack Fettig? Haviland has pitched two PIAA games - a no-hitter and a two-hitter. Fettig was the winner in the other one. Coach James Barton had said he would watch both pitchers warm up and make a decision.

SERRA VS. CAMP HILL - CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP

2:46 p.m. - IT'S OVER. Camp Hill wins its second consecutive championship with a 7-3 victory.

2:42 p.m. - So much for Serra's comeback. Camp Hill scored four runs in the top of the seventh. Serra brought in reliever Brandon Sandusky, but Camp Hill hit him hard also.

2:29 p.m. - Serra pitcher Oliver Girman seems to have settled down after the first few innings. Serra was three up, three down in the bottom of the sixth. 3-3 heading into the seventh.

2:24 p.m. - Ol "mo" seems to be on Serra's side. The Eagles have momentum after holding Camp Hill without a run in the top of the sixth. 3-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth.

2:18 p.m. - SERRA HAS TIED IT!!!!! Serra got three runs on five singles in the bottom of th fourth and the game is now tied, 3-3. Tyler Kugler, Alain Girman and Chris Miller all had RBI singles.

2:05 p.m. - Looking at the list of PIAA champions in the program brought back a memory. Did you know there were no PIAA baseball championships until 1977? And did you know Penn Hills was the first WPIAL team to win a baseball title in 1978? But the most interesting part of the Penn Hills story is who coached the Indians. Their coach is now a prominent coach in WPIAL football. It was none other than Neil Gordon, who has coached at Penn Hills and Shaler for 22 seasons. Just a little trivia for you.

2:03 p.m. - To the bottom of the fourth and it's still 3-0 Camp Hill.

1:45 p.m. - Certainly not the most exciting game here. But hey, there is a tiny amusement part next to Blair County Ballpark. I can wath go-carts and the ferris wheel go round.

1:44 p.m. - It's looking like the WPIAL is going to be 0-2 after the first two games. Camp Hill leads Serra, 3-0, at the end of three. Serra got its first hit in the bottom of the third - an infield single by Ryan Caldwell.

1:38 p.m. - Serra pitcher Oliver Girman has a 9-1 record. It's looking he might end up 9-2.

1:35 p.m. - Camp Hill is starting to break things open. Back-to-back RBI singles and it's 3-0 Camp Hill in the top of the third.

1:07 p.m. - Interested to see this Camp Hill team. They are defending PIAA champ and only two losses this year are to Class AAA and AAAA teams.

1:05 p.m. - Not a good start for Oliver pitcher Oliver Girman. Walked the first batter, who later scored on a single by Matt Spiegel. To the bottom of the first, Camp Hill leads, 1-0.

1:02 p.m. - First pitch.

CHARTIERS VALLEY VS. ABINGTON HEIGHTS - AAA CHAMPIONSHIP

12:03 p.m. - Abington Heights reliever Peter Doggett got a strikeout and groundout to end the game. Final: Abington Heights 3, Chartiers Valley 2.

11:58 a.m. - Char Valley has scored again. It's 3-2 with runners on first and third two outs. New pitcher for Abington Heights, Peter Doggett.

11:53 a.m. - Char Valley has scored. 3-1 with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

11:45 a.m. - Abington Heights' uniforms make the Comets the Penn State of these championships. Their jerseys are plain white with "Comets" on the front. Look almost like a T-shirt. But they will probably soon have a PIAA gold medal hanging around their necks. Bottom of the seventh and A. Heights still leads, 3-0.

11:39 a.m. - End of six. Abington Heights still leads, 3-0. Char Valley loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but relief pitcher Cory Spangenberg worked out of the juam, getting Luke Horew to fly out to end the inning.

11:29 a.m. - Update from colleague Colin Dunlap at the state softball championships in Shippensburg. Shaler lost to Parkland, 5-1. Shaler was the only WPIAL team in the finals. Shaler took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but it was downhill from there.

11:21a.m. - Three workers are now painting a wall in between the first and second levels on the left-field line.

11:19 a.m. - Tony Castellano hit a long home run to left-center to give Abington Heights a 3-0 lead.

11:08 a.m. - Abington Heights' Cory Spangenberg, who homered in the second inning, just drove one to deep center that Char Valley's Ken Terpack caught at the wall. End of 4 1/2. Abington Heights still ahead, 2-0.

11:03 a.m. - Another baserunning blunder costly to Char Valley. Andy McIntyre got the Colts' first hit, an infield single. Then he was picked off first base by the catcher, who threw to first and got McIntyre in a rundown. Four innings complete, Abington Heights leads, 2-0.

11:01 a.m. - Update from colleague Colin Dunlap, who is covering the PIAA Class AAAA softball championship in Shippensburg. Shaler is losing to Parkland, 3-1, after four innings.Colin also reports the town of Shippensburg has a definite manure smell to it. Funny. I reported the same thing on this blog at state track at Shippensburg.

10:47 a.m. - So what if there is a state championship baseball going on here. Doesn't mean Blair County Ballpark maintenance crew has the day off. There are actually two workers in the left field bleachers doing some work on a wall with a putty knife while the game is going on. Nice.

10:46 a.m. - Char Valley got a baserunner in the top of the third when Ryan Landy walked and stole second. But Abington Heights' Mills got a groundout to end the threat. 2-0 A. Heights, end of three, and Char Valley still doesn't have a hit.

10:40 a.m. - One swing by Abington Heights' Cory Spangenberg and it's 2-0 Comets. With one runner on, Spangenberg hit a home run to right-center over the 375 sign.

10:31 a.m. - Char Valley got a runner to second base with two outs in the bottom of the second, but Luke Horew was picked off by - get this - THE CATCHER!!!! Matt Mortell made an excellent throw to pick off Horew. End of second inning, still 0-0. Neither team has a hit yet.

10:23 a.m. - Char Valley right fielder Mike Perhosky just made a nice catch of a line drive to end the top of the second. No score.

10:18 a.m. - End of one inning, no score. Abington Heights pitcher Steve Mills is only 4-1 and has an ERA above 4.00, but he had two strikeouts in the first.

10:15 a.m. - Dangers of the job. Post-Gazette photographer Pam Panchak just came close to getting beaned with a foul ball while taking photos in the stands. By the way, fans are suupposed to give foul balls back to the PIAA in these games. Pam flipped the ball to another fan. Don't know what the fan did with it.

10:05 a.m. - Good to see the place filled up a litte. I'd estimate 500 fans here now.

9:45 a.m. - Just talked with PIAA assistant director Bob Lombardi. He said the PIAA strategic commitee has yet to meet to discuss the six classification idea for football. The idea is supposed to be voted on at the July PIAA meeting.

9:40 a.m. - Blair County Ballpark (home of Altoona Curve) is a great place for these games. But it looks almost desserted this morning. 10 a.m. starts don't exactly draw a ton of fans.

9:25 a.m. - First game starts at 10 a.m. Chartiers Valley vs. Abington Heights. It's cloudy here, but PIAA officials say weather will be fine for the day.

Trinity's Ken Wilkins talks about Michigan commitment

2009-06-09T19:44:00Z

Mike White | Tuesday, June 9, 4:10 p.m.

Pitt fans might fret the Panthers losing another WPIAL football player from the class of 2010. But it's hard to win over a recruit when he has "dreamed" of going somewhere else for years.

Trinity linebacker-defensive end Ken Wilkins announced at a news conference today that he had made a verbal commitment to the University of Michigan. Wilkins is the second WPIAL player to choose Michigan in the past few weeks. The other was Hampton linebacker-defensive end Jordan Paskorz.

Wilkins met this weekend with Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, assistant Greg Gattuso and administrator Bob Junko, a former Pitt assistant. But they couldn't change Wilkins' mind.

"They [Michigan] have always been my favorite team growing up," Wilkins said. "Playing there has kind of been a dream for me. Of course I'm someone who wants to follow their dreams."

Wilkins said he had nothing against Pitt. He just liked Michigan better.

"I liked the comfort level I had with Coach [Rich] Rodriguez and [assistant coach] Tony Gibson," Wilkins said.

When asked what position he will play at Michigan, Wilkins said, "It's a position called 'quick end.' It's kind of a linebacker and defensive end."

Wilkins had more than 20 scholarship offers. His finalists were Michigan, Pitt, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia. He said Michigan and PItt were his top two choices.

On why he committed early, Wilkins said, "I just feel we're going to have a good team this year and I didn't want any more pressure on me or the team than there needed to be. I knew Michigan was the right place for me. Why hold off and led anything build up?"

Wilkins is 6 feet 3, 245 pounds and said he has run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.

The word on Wilkins? Well, a good source at Trinity who knows the football program well said Wilkins is talented, but isn't as athletic as Andrew Sweat, a Trinity linebacker two seasons ago who is now at Ohio State. "He doesn't have the agility that Sweat had," the source said.

Going (football) camping? The PIAA says be careful

2009-06-09T15:13:00Z

Colin Dunlap | Tuesday, June 9, 11:13 a.m.

POSITION OF PIAA REGARDING CONTACT FOOTBALL CAMPS

It has been reported to the PIAA Office that certain contact football camps have been advising potential campers that PIAA cannot enforce its By-Laws barring participation in contact football camps, clinics, drills, Practices, Inter-School Practices, Scrimmages, Contests, or similar contact activities outside the PIAA-defined football season if the student athlete attends a camp outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This statement is incorrect. Students participating in such contact activities will lose athletic eligibility in the sport of football for a period of one year from the date of such participation.

ARTICLE XVI, SEASON AND OUT-OF-SEASON RULES AND REGULATIONS, Section 2, Rules and Regulations, subsection C, Football, of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. ("PIAA") By-Laws, provides in relevant part as follows:

Article XVI

Season and out-of-season

Rules and Regulations

* * *

Section 2. Rules and Regulations.

* * *

C. Football.

The following sport-specific rules modify the provisions otherwise set forth in this ARTICLE. To the extent any other provision in this ARTICLE is inconsistent with this Section, this Section controls.

1. A student who participates in organized contact football camps, clinics, drills, Practices, Inter-School Practices, Scrimmages, Contests, or similar contact activities outside the PIAA-defined football season shall be ineligible to participate in interscholastic football for a period of one year from the date of such participation.

* * *

The loss of eligibility of a student-athlete that participates in organized contact football camps, clinics, drills, Practices, Inter-School Practices, Scrimmages, Contests, or similar contact activities outside the PIAA-defined football season applies equally to any student that will be entering grades 7 to 12, inclusive, and who desires to participate in interscholastic football at a PIAA member school. The loss of eligibility is not restricted to participation in contact camps located within the boundaries of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Just as students who receive financial compensation for playing in a sports Contest in another state still violate the rules relating to amateur status, students do not escape the "no contact" restriction by doing so in another state if they desire to participate on a football Team of a PIAA member school.

Girls basketball coach(es) hired

2009-06-08T14:10:00Z

Colin Dunlap | Monday, June 8, 10:10 a.m.

Two WPIAL schools filled girls' basketball coaching vacancies. Trinity hired Jackie Kotchman, who starred at the school in late-1970s. Fox Chapel hired Meghan Meabon, who was formerly the coach at General McLane in Erie and played at North Catholic and Edinboro.

You might remember Meabon by her maiden name --- Meghan Miller.

Wilt the best ever from Pennsylvania?

2009-06-08T13:35:00Z

Mike White| Monday, June 8, 9:45 a.m.

The high school sports web site www.maxpreps.com did an interesting thing recently, picking the best high school basketball player ever from each state. Kevin Askeland did the story and some of the choices might surprise you.

The winner from Pennsylvania was Wilt Chamberlain, who played at Overbrook High School in the 1950s.

It's hard to argue with Wilt's selection, although some from the younger crowd might pick Kobe Bryant (Lower Merion High School). The selections had some critieria. The player had to play in the NBA. Also, the player had to do significant things in high school. The story brings up Bill Russell and how he wasn't much of a factor on his high school team.

Another interesting choice is Ohio. Maxpreps picked former Boston Celtic great John Havlicek as the best player from Ohio. I'm sure the younger crowd would go with LeBron. Here is the link for the story. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=1e2043a7-e250-de11-a973-001cc494dda6

But what do you think? Is Wilt indeed the best player ever from Pennsylvania? Or better yet. Let's localize things. Who is the best player ever from the WPIAL?

And who is the best ever from the City League?

It makes for interesting discussions. You can tell us your thoughts on the "comments" section of this blog.

Hempfield's Perry gains attention

2009-06-05T14:28:00Z

Mike White| Friday, June 5, 10:35 a.m.

Hempfield basketball player Nate Perry is opening some eyes on the AAU basketball scene.

Perry, a 6-foot-3 junior guard at Hempfield High School, had a good showing recently at Bob Gibbons' Tournament of Champions in North Carolina. Gibbons is a nationally-known talent scout who has run All-Star Sports scouting service for decades. He is one of the most respected scouts in the country and his Memorial Day weekend tournament always attracts many top AAU teams and players.

Perry played for the Basketball Stars of America team and was selected to the all-tournament team, along with some other top players around the country. Perry averaged 23.5 points in the tournament and had 10 3-pointers in one game against the New England Playaz. That game was played at Duke's fabled Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Perry was the WPIAL's third-leading scorer this season with a 25.7 average. He already has verbally committed to Coastal Carolina, a mid-major Division I school. But the way Gibbons sounded, Perry might be able to play at a higher level.

"Nate Perry was terrific at our tournament. I think he's a major-college prospect," Gibbons said.

Interesting stuff. I've known Gibbons for two decades, ever since he used to help pick players for the old Dapper Dan Roundball Classic. He is terrific at judging talent. His opinions and ratings are trusted by many college coaches.

Perry plays on the same AAU team as Sewickley Academy guard Tom Droney. Gibbons rates Droney as only "a mid-major prospect." More interesting stuff.

Ricketts and father talk about Penn State commitment

2009-06-04T01:21:00Z

Mike White| Wednesday, June 3, 9:35 p.m.

Fourteen years ago, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley sent a recruiting letter to Tom Ricketts. Ricketts was 3 years old at the time.

Bradley knew Ricketts' father, Tom II, and sent the letter as a joke. Fourteen years later, Bradley recruited the younger Ricketts for real - and got him.

The younger Tom Ricketts, who will be a senior lineman at North Allegheny High School, made a verbal commitment to Penn State tonight. He called Bradley on the phone and made his commitment.

Both Ricketts and his father talked tonight in a phone interview about the letter from Bradley and laughed about it. They have the letter framed in their home. Ricketts will sign a letter of intent with the Nittany Lions in February.

Ricketts is the second top WPIAL offensive lineman to commit to Penn State in the past two days. Yesterday, it was Fox Chapel's Miles Dieffenbach. Dieffenbach's decision was a slight blow to Pitt. The Panthers were his top choice until the past month, and the Panthers thought they had a good chance to get him. What hurt the most was Dieffenbach's tie to Pitt. His father, George, is Pitt's womens tennis coach.

Ricketts' decision might have been even a bigger blow to Pitt. Ricketts father, Tom II, was a standout lineman at Pitt in the 1980s. His mother, Sandy (Albright) Ricketts, was a standout swimmer at Pitt. The parents have season tickets to Pitt football games. Ricketts' great grandfather was Charles "Doc" Hartwig, who was a first-team All-American at Pitt in the 1930s.

But the youngest Tom Ricketts wasn't swayed by the family tree. Pitt was his other top choice, but he really started to feel strongly about Penn State after visiting the school in April.

"Penn State has always been my secret favorite," Ricketts said. "Growing up, Pitt was a favorite, too. But just looking at the opportunities given to me, Penn State was the best thing for me. ... This past week - and maybe even a little less than that - I was pretty sure Penn State is where I wanted to go. The past three days, I said, 'This is where I need to be.' I love the campus, the coaching staff, everything about Penn State."

More from young Tom about his commitment: "Really, it's just about the best fit for me - as a student and player. Maybe as Tom Ricketts' son, it might have been best for me at Pitt. But as Thomas Ricketts III, Penn State is where I need to be."

Ricketts also had Florida State, Maryland and Stanford on his final list, among others. He played offensive guard last year, but will play offensive tackle this season at North Allegheny.

Ricketts' father said he never tried to sway his son to Pitt or any other school and said he was "excited" about his son's decision. "Of course I would've loved to see him go to Pitt, but of course I knew the situation he would've been going into. He would've kind of been walking in my shoes or my shadow, I guess. He would've had to deal with that. There are so many opportunities out there for him. He made his own decision."

When the elder Ricketts came out of Franklin Regional High School, his final two choices were also Pitt and Penn State.

"I just think he wanted to do his own thing and I respect him for that," said Ricketts, the father. "I praise him and hope he does well. I think he picked a great school."

The younger Ricketts said he feels bad for his parents because he said they will probably take more ribbing about his decision than he will.

"But it will just be fun stuff from people," said Tom Ricketts, the father.

The younger Ricketts runs the 40-yard dash in 5.0 seconds and has room to put on more weight and muscle. He has added about 15 pounds since last season. He also is a good student with a 3.3 grade average.

While the decisions of Ricketts and Dieffenbach were blows to Pitt, Penn State now has commitments from five players in the WPIAL class of 2010. The others are Canon-McMillan linebacker Mike Hull, Sto-Rox quarterback Paul Jones and Penn-Trafford offensive lineman Luke Graham.

None of the five are considered among the top 25 players in the country. None are a Terrelle Pryor type. But they all had a number of Division I offers and have potential.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said a few years ago that he wanted to build a fence around Western Pennsylvania and keep top recruits here. But there was no fence in the past, there is no fence now and there will be no fence in the future. Some years, Pitt gets more WPIAL players than other years. Things go go in cycles. Pitt certainly hasn't gotten all of the best WPIAL players in recent years, but Coach Dave Wannstedt have gotten their share of WPIAL players, including some who were offered by Penn State. Anyway, if you can win on the field, who cares where the players come from?

Some Pitt fans, though, are fretting Penn State getting five players from the 2010 WPIAL class - and Bradley recruited all five of them. Some Pitt fans are blaming assistant coach Greg Gattuso for not getting Ricketts. But he didn't recruit Ricketts. Assistant David Walker recruited Ricketts. Gattuso doesn't recruit all of Western Pennsylvania for Pitt. Only parts of it.

There is always a chance some of the recruits could change their minds, especially if Pitt has a good season. But Ricketts said there is "no chance" he will change his mind. Dieffenbach pretty much said the same thing.

Things might not get better for Pitt in Western Pennsylvania in the near future, either. Some other top players from the WPIAL might go elsewhere. But the world is not ending for Pitt just because Pitt isn't getting WPIAL players. The days of Pitt living off the WPIAL are long gone. There just aren't enough top players in the WPIAL any more for Pitt to live off this area.

That said, it would certainly help Pitt if they get at least maybe half of the top players in the area. And losing ones with strong ties to Pitt hurts even more.

It is becoming more and more imperative that Wannstedt win on the field this season.

High schooler on cover of Sports Illustrated

2009-06-03T21:36:00Z

Mike White| Wednesday, June 3, 5:40 p.m.

Got an email yesterday from Sports Illustrated that contained a press release concerning the subject of the magazine's cover story this week.

The subject is a high school sophomore.

Bryce Harper is a 10th-grade baseball player at Las Vegas High School. The headline next to Harper's picture on the SI cover reads "Baseball's Chosen One." Years ago, SI had a similar cover with the same words. It was for LeBron James.

It seems some are questioning why SI would put a high school athlete on its cover. But why not? The kid is a heckuva story. He is 6 feet 3, 205 pounds. He hit a home run 517 feet as a 15-year-old. He hit another one 500 feet in a home-run hitting contest at Tropicana Field. His pitches have been clocked at 96 miles per hour. He had 11 home runs, 67 RBIs and hit .590 as a freshman.

What's the big deal with putting a high school kid on Sports Illustrated's cover? It certainly made me want to look at the story. "Baseball's Chosen One" might have been a little strong, but the kid does sound like a phenom.

Some say SI is putting undue pressure on the kid. But high school sports are becoming more and more publicized nationally. Because of the internet, people in Massachusetts now can find out the top high school basketball and football players in California, and vice versa. People seems to like reading about high school superstars.

The kid will be fine with all the SI publicity - but only if he has the right guidance at home. But reportedly Harper's parents might want him to get his GED so that he can get out o fhigh school and play baseball against better competition. That's not good. Nowadays, high school kids can get enough competition with off-season AAU and all-star tournaments. Plus, let the kid be a high school kid. Anyways, baseball isn't like basketball. If the kid is a pitcher, he better be careful he doesn't overuse his arm by the time he gets out of high school.

So really, it's no big deal for SI to put a high school kid on the cover. Isn't the magazine's job to bring us interesting stories? This kid certainly sounds like one.