Posted by Block-C Staff

Here be the links and such

• Trevor Booker has been selected for the USA men’s basketball team to play for us this coming July in the World University Games.  Trevor Booker: Huhmerrican.
• Tim Bourret did a pretty bang up job on the 2008/09 Clemson Athletics Year-In-Review.  More like Tear’s-In-Review… amidointhisrite?!?!?  WAKA WAKA.
• While most of the spotlight is on the QB battle between WILLY KORN and Kyle Parker, The Post & Courier tells us not to count out incoming freshman Tajh Boyd, who has his sights set on the starting spot. SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
• That Noel Johnson kid out of Fayetteville, Georgia is choosing between Clemson and LSU and will probably be doing it today.  We really need a guy like this.  Thankfully we can pick up one of the pieces that Southern Cal dropped.
• If you’d have been reading and posting in the forums, you’d be on top of this post.  You’d tell me, “Willy Mac, you fool.  I know this already!”  Then we’d probably share an awkward laugh and halfway miss a high five as my ego takes a crushing blow… We even talk golf on the forums.  Go ahead and give it a try if you haven’t signed up already.  If you’re having problems signing up, shoot us an email.  If you’re a lurker, go ahead and feel free to post!

Posted by Willy Mac

While you were looking at Sporno, I was filling up with unleaded Clemson news (because the leaded tears up… plorp blerg no joke here bad idea Thanks to PenthouseTiger for the link).

FOOTBALL!

• Pro day for the 2008 seniors is set for today and stuff should get moving sometime early this morning.  All of our seniors that you’d expect to be there will be as will Courtney Vincent.  Good luck to all you guys.
• The Greenville News released a pretty good article on Deandre McDaniels in this mornings paper.  Check it out here.

“[Kevin] Steele, the Tigers’ newest defensive coordinator, said McDaniel reminded him of Bryant McFadden, the former Pittsburgh Steelers corner who last week signed with the Arizona Cardinals, and former Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter.“

• Dabo Swinney will be throwing out the first pitch at the opening game for the Greenville Drive on April 13th.  Very cool.  It’s kind of nice that we’re building a relationship with the Drive and I hope it only grows because every game I’ve been to at West End field has been awesome.
• We’ve offered to South West Dekalb running back Kendrun Malcome.  Small article on it here.
• Heather Dinich is in Clemson for a few days and even had some thoughts on yesterdays practice. The main bullet point is that Jacoby Ford looked poised to be a leader and a player for next year.
• Eric Sprott from Upstate Today wrote a pretty good article on DaQuan Bowers and his wanting to take it to the next level in 2009.  I heard things.  Good things.
• Dan Brooks was at Clemson’s practice yesterday, furthering the worst kept secret in the Clemson sports buzz as of late.  Unsubstantiated rumors have Brooks already working hard with Joey Batson on a new diet plan for the defensive line.

Various Artists Megamix

• There’s a fund that has been started in honor of Adam Becker, a Clemson forestry graduate student that was killed in a hunting accident this past Saturday.
• Clemson junior Kyle Stanley is competing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend.
• “We’re Autobots. We’re from Cybertron, a planet far from Earth.”… and we’ve come to Clemson to enjoy your robotics competition.
• It just amazes what our ag department comes up with.  Rotting peaches to help fight fungus?  Really?

Block-C Tailgate

Tomorrow a few of us are meeting up before the baseball game at the Esso around 5pm.  Come on out and enjoy some good times.  Then we’ll swing over to the game and watch Clemson hopefully dismantle Elon.  I’m going to try and set up shop on the wood porch outside if the weather isn’t too bad.  If not, look for me near the big screen.  Check out the official thread for more information.

Posted by Willy Mac

Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day.  Sorry if we just keep pumping out repetitive news posts, but we’re working behind the scenes for next season.  In the mean time, here’s what we got:

Basketball up first

• Keith Lipscomb is calling our game with Michigan the toughest first round game to pick in the tournament.

“Clemson versus Michigan. Trying to figure out which team is going to show up — on both accounts — is what made it hard for me to pick a winner. Clemson just hasn’t been the same since it destroyed Duke.“

• ESPN and EA Games have simulated us going to the Sweet Sixteen only to lose out to Syracuse in a close one.  At least the computers still love us.
• Really, we can’t do basketball coverage the justice that The OP can give you.  They’re just really good at this stuff.  We’d like to highlight a few of their links including their Wednesday morning links, their find of a video journal documenting the Tigers’ plane ride to KC, and their attention to detail with this article.  Seriously, he’s tracking planes here people.
• Silly Gamecock fans.  I love when I hear Gamecocks say things like, “Oh we could take Clemson now;” “We deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament;” & “Wait till next year.” … and the next year, and the next year… look, Cubs fans pretty much have cornered the market on that phrase, so find some new material you hacks.

Foobaw and recruiting

• Ms. Dinich reminds us that all of our vicariously lived hopes, dreams, and aspirations rest on one group with in our team.
• JC Shurtburtt (that last name, just happened) gives us a heads up that we’re the front runner for a DE/OLB recruit Neiron Ball who lives in Jackson, Georgia.
• Update: Check out this interesting story over at Dr Saturday entitled, “Dissecting Dabo” (Thanks to tmac9wr for the link).

Biz Markie palate cleanser

Baseball

• Remember the chimp that beastmoded that old lady last month?  Well, Clemson played the role of the ape and Presbyterian played the geriatric patient as we stomped a mudhole in them and walked it dry yesterday.
• We’ve got USC Upstate at 6:30 tonight at home.  I just might go.

Forums

• We’ve opened a new “Beats and Brews” sub-forum in the Main Street Forum. Upon further review, it actually hurts us to divide into subforums right now seeing as we’re so small. Such topics included are Your top three liquors, Allman Brothers, & something else we can’t list on the main page have been moved back to the Main Street forum.
• Babes forum alert: Malin Akerman
• We’re taking suggestions for next year’s shirt for football season.  We’re going to start taking orders here soon. We’re also taking suggestions on how to make things better.  Please tell your friends.
• Behold, the Reebok Court Victory Pump II’s in Clemson colors…

Posted by Willy Mac

Well, we’ve been swamped with work (that or the importance of work now that it’s not football season has taken a drastic tip of the scales) and got a little sidetracked this weekend and today. Here’s what I’ve thrown together for you.

Baseball up in this piece

• Break out the brooms because We swept Wake Forest this past weekend.  Check out the write ups for the first and second games from double header action on Friday and the game yesterday.
• We face Presbyterian tomorrow at home at 6:30 and USC Upstate on Wednesday at the same time barring inclement weather.

Hoops

• As you know we’re a 7 seed facing 10 seeded Michigan this Thursday at 7:10 PM in Kansas City.  Dick Vitale is picking us over the Wolverines.
• The Block-C forums are trying to get a rumor mill started with this thread about turmoil with in the team.  It’s a lot better than this fucking thread about American Soccer.  Yeah I’m hatin’ on soccer BooArmstrong, whatchoo gon’ do?  Nuthin’.  NUTHIN’.

Recruiting

• Okay, we screwed up.  Not too bad apparently, but bad enough to get noticed as you can tell from this article covering self reported violations.  Somewhere there’s a Gamecock that mailed out a letter that’s just beaming with pride.  If you’re reading this, that better not be your best shot. I’m just saying that it’s nothing compared to the fireworks show that’s about to go off in Columbia when the Gamecocks get investigated for some of the worst kept secrets in the SEC/Upstate and it’s going to be awesome.  I can’t wait till people really find out why those coaches jumped ship.
• Here’s a pretty good article on Clemson football commit DeAndre Hopkins.  It has to do more with his recent basketball career, but it’s still worth a look none the less.
• Has Bryce Brown committed yet?

Straggler links

• Congrats Jacoby: You’re one of the fastest players in college football.  Now do something impressive.
• Originally found by Chili, but I just had to share this 8-bit hip hop with ya’ll.

Posted by Chili

ESPN’s hacky gimmick du jour involves asking fans to craft a Mt Rushmore of athletes for their states, and I thought I’d take time to point out that we were on this gimmick way before the Worldwide Leader. Check out this EKR from a couple years ago, MT. KORNMORE. It should tide you EKR fans over for a while.


HELPING A FORMER TIGER

In a follow up to a story we told you about a couple of weeks ago, former Byrnes High and Clemson player Steve Durham had been wheelchair bound due to cancer and was relying on the efforts of his former coach Harold McManus to raise money for a wheelchair accessible van to keep him mobile. We are happy to report that, thanks to the efforts of his friends in the Byrnes and Clemson communities, Steve has gotten his van. Check out the story here.


BASKETBALL

A couple of articles on Clemson’s basketball team, the first on how the offense travels through Trevor Booker. (Unrelated note, I hope to hell he sticks around for his senior year, it’d be great having two Bookers on the court.) The second article is sort of arbitrary and deals with whether or not Clemson’s ranking is justified. As the article points out, unlike football, we have the luxury in basketball of having a tournament at the end to suss out who’s rankings are justified and who’s aren’t.


RECRUIT HONORED

As mentioned in the forums a couple days ago, Clemson’s top incoming basketball recruit, Milton Jennings, was named to the McDonald’s All-American game roster. He’ll suit up for the East team. He is Clemson’s first Micky D’s AA since Sharone Wright in 1991. Congrats to Milton. We look forward to seeing what he can do on the court next year.


FOOTBAW

RF365 looks at Clemson football’s early enrollees, OL J.K. Jay and DE Mallicah Goodman.

Ed McGranahan looks at Cullen Harper’s herculean task of boosting his NFL draft stock at the combine. Best of luck to him.