Plati-'tudes
June 29, 2000
A weekly notes column penned by David Plati, who is in his 17th year as Colorado's Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations.
The quiet before the storm... only 46 days until the first athletic event of the 2000-01 season: women's soccer at Denver University on August 25...
TRIVIA QUESTIONS... CU -- What do Colorado, Oklahoma, SMU and Texas A & M have in common? Godfather -- (No more Coppola family trivia; many of you E-mailed in to tell me of my initial goof last week-but thanks for clearing it up). How's this: What scenes about a Corleone revenge were cut from the initial version of Godfather II?
McMAHON FIGHTING CANCER... Have you ever noticed that it's always the good guys who seem to come down with life-threatening illnesses? Such is the case with our co-defensive coordinator, Tom McMahon. Tom was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and has already begun chemotherapy treatments. I had never met Tom in person until he came to work for the first time at CU in January 1999. But colleagues such as Tim Simmons and Gary Ozzello, who were both at Colorado State when Tom was an assistant coach there, told me what a great guy he is and that I would enjoy working with him. And they were right; he's that rare combination of a person who can be intense when he needs to be, yet has a good sense of humor and takes things all in stride. That's his attitude right now, and he even cracked a few jokes Sunday night while we working up the news release. He was funny, yet you can tell his mode right now is to attack this disease all out because he wants to be a regular at work, prepping for the upcoming season, as soon as possible. It's another example in life of how bad things happen to good people.
SALAAM UPDATE... For those of you who have been wondering what's been going on with Rashaan Salaam, here's an update on CU's 1994 Heisman Trophy winning tailback. He is currently living back in San Diego, waiting to hear from a NFL team willing to give him another chance. He was waived by the Oakland Raiders (on the last preseason cuts in 1999) and also spent time on the Cleveland and Green Bay rosters. He's had some feelers from a couple of clubs, but nothing concrete yet. He had a full ankle reconstruction 18 months ago, and it no longer bothers him. He says he's in the best shape of his career, and is really positive about things and that his life is going really well. He's content with where he is, but would like one more shot at playing the game he loves the most.
HOOPS CONFERENCE SLATES DETERMINED... The Big 12 Conference has forwarded on to member schools the conference portions of the men's and women's 2001 basketball schedules (we'll be releasing both shortly, check back on this site or watch for them in the newspapers). The men and women both had brutal schedules to open the '99-00 season (road games plus the toughest home foes), but this year's slates are much kinder. Ricardo Patton's men open at Baylor on Jan. 6, then host Missouri (Jan. 10) and Texas A & M (Jan. 13). CU will host ESPN's "Big Monday" on Jan. 22, against Roy Williams' Kansas Jayhawks. Ceal Barry's Buffaloes open with four of its first six at the Coors Events/Conference Center, starting with Oklahoma on Jan. 3. After a two-game road trip at Kansas State (Jan. 6) and Oklahoma State (Jan. 10), Missouri (Jan. 14), Kansas (Jan. 20) and Nebraska (Jan. 24) visit Boulder. The men need to add one more non-conference game before their schedule is complete, but look for the women's this week.
BURTON TO WASHINGTON... Interesting how rumors float around about certain stories. Last week, Dave Burton, our associate athletic director for student services this past year (and long-time trainer from 1985-99 prior), announced his resignation from CU to accept a position at Washington. Some of the rumors out there that surfaced were ridiculous, and won't be repeated here. The truth of the matter is that Dave basically got to design his own job; merging what he always loved, the day-to-day contact with the student-athletes, with the opportunity on the administrative end to be a decision maker and a policy molder. Thus, he'll be Washington's associate AD for student support and its director of sports medicine. One of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet, he actually turned UW down twice before receiving an offer so sweet that he couldn't refuse it. How many people in this world would love the chance to write their own job description in a field of work they've dedicated their entire life to? But it took that kind of an offer to pull Burton away from a place he truly loved, and several relationships that he had built up over the years.
GOOD TIP... Buff fan Alan Volz wrote in to say that it might be a good idea to let people know that CU football and basketball broadcasts on KOA-Radio are available via the Internet. It's a good point, so those who are interested should surf the KOA site (www.850KOA.com) or check back on this site the week leading up to the first game. We will be doing a lot more on our own site regarding in-game statistics and such than we've ever done before.
COUNT CASOTTI CLASSIC... We hosted the 7th Annual Count Casotti Classic last Thursday, as we resurrected one of the most popular media day events for the first time since 1993. Designed to build some camaraderie between CU athletic staffers and the media, it was a fun day for all. I promised I'd run the standings for those who wanted to see where they placed, so perhaps if everyone knows we'll post agate every year, the level of play might improve. The Ridge at Castle Pines (6,490 yards, par-71) hosted the event. For those who like golf, this is a great track: the perfect combination of challenging holes with some that can be forgiving. Thanks to Brian Drees, the former Channel 7 sports anchor, who is RCP's Tournament Director, for making the day come off without a hitch (other than a stalled semi on I-25, but that's status quo). Incidentally, this is a public course, and its condition is immaculate; if you're looking for a place to hold a tournament of any size, give Brian a call at 303/688-0100. Fred Casotti, by the way, shot his handicap, 30. Not bad for someone who will be 77 in November.
| Staff Standings | ||
| No. | Name | Score |
| 1. | Brad Neher, Men's Golf | 35-34-69 |
| 2. | Ricardo Patton, Basketball | 38-38-76 |
| 3. | Dick Tharp, AD | 40-37-77 |
| 4. | Gary Barnett, Football | 40-39-79 |
| 5. | David Moe, Basketball | 43-39-82 |
| 5. | Mike Smith, Equipment | 44-38-82 |
| 7. | Blake Anderson, C-Club | 46-42-88 |
| 8. | Shawn Watson, Football | 50-41-91 |
| 8. | David Plati, AMR | 47-44- 91 |
| 10. | Bob Chichester, Admin. | 45-52-97 |
| 11. | Ceal Barry, Basketball | 49-49-98 |
| 12. | Fred Casotti, Historian | 52-49-101 |
| 13. | Vance Joseph, Football | 51-51-102 |
| 14. | Terry Dunn, Basketball | 51-53-104 |
| 15. | Ed Gow, Ticketing | 58-51-109 |
| 16. | Brad Sutton, AMR | 64-59-123 |
| Media Standings | ||
| No. | Name | Score |
| 1. | Bobby Anderson, KOA (a) | 38-38-76 |
| 2. | Eric Christensen, KCNC (b) | 41-40-81 |
| 3. | Steve McPherson, Denver Post | 42-41-83 |
| 4. | Mark McIntosh, KCNC | 40-44-84 |
| 5. | Lynn Howell, Denver Post | 42-43-85 |
| 6. | Greg Mills, KWGN | 49-37-86 |
| 7. | Kevin Krueger, KWGN | 45-43-88 |
| 7. | Brian Willie, KDVR | 48-40-88 |
| 9. | Jim Conrad, KWGN | 45-46-91 |
| 9. | Bob Kravitz, Rocky Mountain News | 48-43-91 |
| 11. | Jim Armstrong, Denver Post (c) | 48-44-92 |
| 11. | Mike Monroe, Denver Post (c) | 50-42-92 |
| 11. | Lee Larson, KOA | 47-45-92 |
| 14. | Dave Logan, KOA | 45-48-93 |
| 15. | Vic Lombardi, KCNC | 51-43-94 |
| 15. | Josh Mossman, AP | 48-46-94 |
| 17. | Greg Henry, Denver Post | 47-49-96 |
| 18. | Ryan Thorburn, Longmont Times-Call | 52-48-100 |
| 18. | Mike Stephens, KDVR | 52-49-101 |
| 20. | Gerry Mellman, Int J-N | 48-56-106 |
| 21. | Steve Hemphill, Longmont Times-Call | 58-52-110 |
| 22. | Adam Thompson, Denver Post | 69-69-138 |
a-media champion (0-15
handicap)
b-media champion (16-22 handicap)
c-media co-champions (23+ handicaps)
d-be kind, it was his first round of golf ever
THIS WEEK'S NUMBER... 13. That's the number of CU football games dating back to 1990 (or out of the last 120) that have taken less than three hours to play. In doing some research for this year's football media guide (due out around August 5, if I can get the thing done by next week), a new chart will indicate our longest and most recent shortest games. One thing is for sure, the by-product of the cable age on television has added anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to game times. Colorado's longest game ever was last year's overtime clash with Missouri (exactly four hours), surpassing the 3:50 it took to play the '96 Cotton Bowl (which, if you recall, ended in a freezing drizzle, in a gusting winds, no less). The quickest game in the last 30 years was on Oct. 7, 1978 in Boulder, when CU beat Kansas 17-7 in a game that took just 2:23 to play. Until 1991, the bulk of games were played in around 2:45, then a noticeable jump to the standard three hour affair. The average game time for CU last year? Three hours and 19 minutes.
TRIVIA ANSWERS... CU -- They are the only four schools to ever defeat Texas in six straight games. CU's streak is current, and the Buffs could become the first team to ever beat the Longhorns seven consecutive times when they meet this fall in Boulder (Oct. 14). That would be quite an accomplishment, considering Texas is fourth all-time in wins in the NCAA with 735. Godfather -- It showed up in later copies, but the initial Godfather II didn't show the scenes where Michael Corleone had tracked down and then killed Fabrizio, the man who planted the car bomb that killed his first wife in the original Godfather. Fabrizio had relocated to Buffalo, N.Y., and operated a small pizza joint; Fabrizio got it the same way, firebombed in his car. Bonus question-what was Michael's first wife's name? Here is it, spelled backwards: ainoloppA. And an earlier correction: I noted that Sofia Coppola appeared in I and III, but not in II; I have since learned she was one of the young kids on the boat Moshulu when it steamed past the Statue of Liberty. The name Moshulu is found nowadays on a stretch of highway, maybe 3 miles at the most, connecting two other highways in the southwest Bronx.
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"Plati-'Tudes" features notes and stories that may not get much play from the mainstream media; offers CU's take on issues raised by those who have an interest in the program; answers questions and concerns; and provides CU's point of view if we should disagree with what may have been written or broadcast.
Have a question or want to know CU's take on something? E-mail Dave at david.plati@colorado.edu, and the subject may appear in the next Plati-'Tudes.