PLATI-'TUDES... Remember me?
A notes and comment column penned by Associate Athletic Director David Plati, who is in his 22nd year as the Buffaloes director of sports information:
Welcome to Plati-?Tudes... I know, I know, about 100 million births worldwide have occurred since the last P-?Tudes, but I’ve as in love, the best things are worth waiting for. Okay, THAT was lame; my apologies to my dwindling fan base, but at least these Pulitzers are always free!
TRIVIA QUESTIONS... CU?Colorado has opened Big 12 men’s play with four wins in its first six games; how many times have the Buffs have won at least four of its first six league games since opening 5-1 in the 1973 Big Eight campaign? Seinfeld?Lawrence Tierney had one cameo as Alton Benes, Elaine’s father, in the second season; he had two fairly memorable cameos is two popular 1980’s comedies. Hints: one involved a sweet roll and the other baseball.
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I’M NOT THE ANSWER ANYMORE AND AM GLAD!... Up until this year, the answer to the obscure trivia question of, “Name CU’s last basketball SID to win at Oklahoma State” was myself; thankfully, I am no longer the answer as the correct one now is current BB SID Andrew Green, as the Buffs won in overtime in Stillwater, 80-78, on January 21. That marked the first time since 1980, when I traveled with the team to three league contests, including OSU. Now guys, stop making me the answer for the same question at Kansas (last win in Lawrence: 1983). This is an extremely exciting team to watch, so let’s start packing the Coors Events Center, as these kids deserve it!
ROBY ON FIRE... A good note conjured up by grad assistant SID Erich Schubert: in noting that CU sophomore Richard Roby rhymes with Kobe, as in Kobe Bryant, he quickly figured that Roby had scored 81 points in his last three games, which helped him earn back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Week honors. Bryant, of course, lit up the scoreboard for 81 points last Sunday against Toronto. Roby has led Ricardo Patton’s Buffaloes to a 13-3 record, including a 3-2 start in league play with two road wins at Missouri and Oklahoma State. The last time the Buffaloes won in both Columbia and Stillwater in the same year? We hadn’t yet landed on the moon?you have to go back to the winter of 1969, or CU legend Cliff Meely’s sophomore year.
SIRIUS HAS THE BUFFS... Sirius satellite radio carried all of CU's football games last fall and is broadcasting several basketball games as well. It selects home team broadcasts of games from around the nation; upcoming contests featuring the Buffs and the tentative Sirius channel include: January 28 vs. Kansas State (Ch. 147); February 5 at Iowa State (Ch. 143); February 18 at Kansas State (Ch. 146); February 22 at Nebraska (Ch. 118) and February 25 vs. Missouri (Ch. 181).
THERE’S A VOID AROUND HERE... Most of you know we lost long-time golf coach Mark Simpson to complications due to lung cancer on December 5. I think I can speak for everyone in athletics when I tell you that there is a definite void around the place; Mark was a social creature, almost always with that smile and laugh of his, looking at the bright side of things. He was Mr. CU to many of us, staunchly defending the University through that mostly manufactured ordeal over the last two years.
“I got to thinking and I truly realized that I do have a dream job,” Simpson said at his national Hall of Fame induction last January. “One, I get the special privilege to work with young 17- and 18-year olds and help mold them as people and golfers; two, I love the University of Colorado and no matter what you’ve heard about CU these last months, ninety-eight percent of what some perceive about us just isn’t true. It is truly a special place, and I’m fortunate enough to coach at my alma mater. And three, I get to coach and teach the game of golf.”
The turnout for Mark’s memorial was tremendous, with somewhere around 1,200 people attending the service at the Coors Events Center, including two-thirds of the players he coached in his tenure (about 85 of 129). For more on Mark’s career, refer back to the home page on CUBuffs.com and click on the icon in the upper right corner.
KLATT UPDATE... Quarterback Joel Klatt, who had his college career ended by an illegal vicious helmet-to-chin hit in the Big 12 Championship game (by Texas’ Drew Kelson on a blitz while UT was ahead by 67 points). Joel is finally feeling normal again, some seven weeks after the hit, which was penalized; but that’s all anyone could do. There are no collegiate fines, but NFL people I know told me that hit would have merited a big one had it taken place on a pro Sunday. It is a shame that a classy player like Joel, who Big 12 officials praised as being the epitome of class (and no trash talking like some players on some teams), had to see his career end prematurely in such a manner. And some would argue, including myself, that if Colorado had the services of an experienced Klatt in the bowl game, that the Buffs would have defeated Clemson in the Champs Sports Bowl. That was a tough chore for junior James Cox to be thrown into the fire, having not played any really meaningful minutes in 19 games and behind a depleted offensive line due to injuries and attrition. Klatt has resumed working out and still aspires to either be drafted or sign with as a free agent with the pros.
IS DENVER GUNNING FOR NO. 1 AGAIN?... Every year, The Sporting News, one of the most underrated sports publications in my opinion, selects a metro area as the tops for the year in sports. Denver has been honored twice by the publication in the last decade, and could nail down the hatrick for 2005-06. Cities eligible for the honor must have a professional team in the four major sports (thus, Los Angeles can’t win) and claim at least one Division I college football and basketball team within 30 miles. So right now you obviously have the Broncos reaching the AFC title game, with the Nuggets leading and Avalanche in the hunt for their division titles. CU claimed the Big 12 North Division in football, and DU will likely make a run at a third straight NCAA hockey title (while both are ranked 1-2 in the nation in skiing). The Rapids reached the MLS Western Conference championship game, and the Crush and Mammoth are also expected to be solid again as well. What about the Rockies you ask? Well, true they did finish last in the NL West, Cliff Clavin will tell you that a little known fact is that Colorado did have the best record in the division after June 1.
MAROLT... Remember when former CU ski coach and athletic director Bill Marolt returned to U.S. Skiing as its president back in 1996, his goal was to return the program to the pinnacle it had achieved when he left as its head coach in1984. Well, don’t look now, but last month U.S. skiers finished 1-2-4 in the giant slalom at Beaver Creek, the first time three American men had ever finished in the top five. It looks as if Bill has the people and support in place for the U.S. to make a lot of noise next month in Turin. And of course, former Buff Jeremy Bloom will make his run at the gold in mogul skiing as well.
CONGRATS II... To Drew Goodman (Fox Sports Net), who was named Colorado Broadcaster of the Year for the fourth year in a row, as well as to Jim Nantz (CBS) for winning the national honor. Two good guys here, all! Few may know this, but Nantz was good friends with CU’s late golf coach, Mark Simpson; Jim obviously is one of the top PGA Tour announcers ever, but he has affection for the college game from his days as a member of the University of Houston team.
SOMETHING TO PONDER... NBA legend and great Bill Russell to Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla: “There is a great need in our society to criticize everything. Nothing is ever good enough in America. We’re all ticked off.” Bill’s a good man?I was his and Rick Barry’s statistician for NBA games in several western cities for TBS telecasts in the mid-1980s, and he summed it up well. It’s also ironically close to something I teach in my journalism class as well as point out to our student-athletes?something Bryant Gumbel said: “We have become a nation of critics,” referring to the media in regard to the ’88 Olympics. “We set up situations that make it impossible for someone to succeed.” This is especially true this week with the Broncos falling one game short of the Super Bowl?they may not have made it, but wasn’t the ride fun?
EMBREE ON WEATHERSPOON... Former Buff tight end Jon Embree, teammate of the late Anthony Weatherspoon, recently penned this Email after Spoon’s memorial service:
“To All Buffs: I want to let everyone know about Spoon’s funeral. It was very special. You should all know that it was standing room only which I'm sure was a great comfort to the family. The Buffs were represented by Brad Robinson, Jim Smith, Joe Garten, Neil Schlesener, Coach Mac (Bill McCartney) and myself. The family wanted to let everyone know how much it meant to have heard from so many of his teammates and to tell you guys thank you for your prayers and support that was provided to his wife and kids.
“Now we need to FINISH this up, there are things I'm asking that we get done. First and foremost is the family needs $6,000 for expenses in moving back to California and to off set some of the funeral expenses... and right now we are about $4,000 short. Let's give what ever we can and let's continue to be creative in ways to get this done. The account to the family is at Wells Fargo: Benefit Memorial Fund for Anthony Weatherspoon # 6349085354; or you can mail to his widow, Jackie, at 131 Darby Court La Habra CA 90631; if you send to the account, it is tax deductible.
Many answered the call as Jackie wanted me to express her thanks for all of the gift certificates and items sent to the family over Christmas.”
PLATYPUS AWARDS... I know I surveyed those on my list last June, so that doesn’t really apply anymore; my bad, as they say (who said that first anyway?). So, the Platypus Awards will return later this summer with your input, but in the interim, here are my Top 10 CU Athletic Plays/Moments of 2005 (in no particular order):
--CU hangs on for 78-76 win over Nebraska in home game finale for women’s basketball head coach Ceal Barry;
--Mason Crosby’s 47-yard game winning field goal to beat Colorado State 31-28 in season opener;
--Edward McGlasson shooting a school record 63 (8-under) in second round of PING-Arizona Intercollegiate, breaking a 38-year old record by Hale Irwin;
--McGlasson winning the Tunica National Invitational in November in rotten weather and dedicating the win to Mark Simpson;
--The Buffs are the first No. 11 seed to advance in the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament, topping No. 6 Texas in the first round;
--The October-November combined run of football, volleyball, women’s soccer and cross country that produced 13 wins against no losses and two Big 12 championships;
--Mike Bohn hired as Colorado’s fifth permanent athletic director (April 12);
--Football claims its fourth division title (over the last five years), the same number Oklahoma and Texas have won in the Big 12;
--Renee Metivier’s dominance in both indoor and outdoor track.
--Crosby becomes first CU placekicker to earn first-team All-America honors (and is the runner-up for the Groza Award);
MAL DEANS... Some of your may have read in the local media about the death of Mal Deans, a former professor at CU’s School of Journalism (he died in December at the age of 83). Mal was one of a kind; he had a love of sports, especially baseball, and was an old school, old-fashioned hard news reporter. He taught reporting classes at CU, and I was privileged to have him on two occasions (and no, not the same class twice!). Upon learning that he had passed away, I was curious to see what, if anything, I had saved from his classes in and old file of papers, tests and such. Sure enough, of the maybe 50 things in that file, almost half were from Mal’s classes. As I relayed to his widow, Sue, he had a way of offering constructive criticism in a manner that tore apart what you had written, but at the same time built you up as a person/reporter.
One in particular was an assignment I had on election night in 1982. In looking back, I must have felt like Ralphie from The Christmas Story when I turned in my assignment about why it took so long to tabulate the ballots in Denver’s 399 precincts; I had even discovered lack security and managed to swipe a ballot (spare) from the storage room. Sure fire A, I thought, I’m getting that Red Rider BB Gun that Ralphie highlighted for his school paper. “Not so fast my friend,” I can hear Lee Corso saying if he had the chance to assess my paper: I received a 54. He carved that thing up like a holiday turkey, but allowed me a rewrite and gave me plenty of advice; I scored a 92 with the second try and he averaged the two scores for a tolerable 73. But you should see the time he put in grading the initial effort; a full-page of typed comments accompanied more red ink with corrections and analysis than in Lincoln, Nebraska on the seven-page story I submitted. That’s how much he cared.
MEDIA GUIDE COMPLAINTS... Well, as expected, the 2005 football media guide had complaints rolling in about what happened to the rest of the guide (a reminder that the NCAA instituted a mandatory maximum 208-page count for all guides began last fall). I had to trim 284 pages, almost all of it history and records, not to mention leaving out bios of all staff members other than the AD and coaching staff. Of course, we get the complaints, not the members of the AEC committee that ignored the research and proposals from SID’s in forwarding on this legislation for approval. Here’s a very eloquent letter from CU grad Mike Greer on the subject:
“Dave... I just wanted to send you a quick note, telling you how deeply saddened I was to read that the media guide size (content! was being mandated by the NCAA. It goes without saying that you and your staff have always produced an incredible guide, and not one page was not worth reading. It's a shame, but unfortunately a symptom of society as a whole, when high achievement is punished, and controlling bodies decide that excellence should not exceed average, at best.
The CU Football Media Guide has always been present at our Watch Parties and has settled many a perplexing question or even a little friendly wager. I'm sure the same quality will be present in this year's guide, despite the misguided policies being forced upon you and your staff. At our freshman send-off party, we pondered the future of our beloved mascot, as I'm sure in a stretch, that same organization could find something offensive about pretty much any symbol!”
Kindest Regards, Michael Greer (CU 82, Co-leader, Rochester/Western New York Alumni Club)
By the way, the size of the NCAA Football Records Book was 591 pages last year. This legislation obviously didn’t apply to the NCAA since that book isn’t sent to prospects, but how would they feel if they had only 208 pages to present the history of college football? There is no way they could include everything without shortchanging the book’s main two audiences?the media and college football SID’s.
If I could re-grow a hair for every time I had to refer to 2004 guide for something that I couldn’t put into the 2005 edition, I’d look like one of the Fab Four in 1965.
This did not affect most of the other sports, though we did have to trim a few pages to bring both basketballs in line with the legislation, of which I will work hard to try and overturn before my days as an SID are through!
SMITH MOVIN’ ON UP... Congrats to Kyle Smith (?96), who moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., in October as he became an Assistant Attorney General with the state if Wyoming. He’s be working with the state parks as well as the military department. Congrats, Kyle!
MORE CONGRATS... to former CU SID student and grad assistant Patrick Gleason, who has been named full-time public relations coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. Patrick, who toiled for the Buffs for five years as well as working as a summer and game day intern with the Denver Broncos, worked as a PR intern for the Ravens for the 2005 season. The club hired him on a full-time basis beginning this past January 17. A life-long Coloradoan, he’s making the adjustment to east coast living; he’d better like seafood!
I can now brag that I have three former student assistants in the NFL, with Zak Gilbert and Adam Woullard working together at the Green Bay Packers; throw in the talented Brendan McNicholas, teamed with another former standout student, Damen Zier, at the Colorado Avalanche, so that’s five in the pro ranks to join many who have gone on to direct and assist college programs. And another veteran, Robbie Winston, is a ticket honcho for Kroenke sports, including the Nuggets and the Avalanche; he just decided to go into a different side of the biz (as did Michelle Resnick, who started with the Colorado Eagles and is now a season ticket rep for the Nugs and Avs). You would brag, too; these are some of the hardest working students that I’ve had here, and all shared one thing in common: focus on what they wanted to do for a profession either before or very early in their college careers. (Plus, there are many others who have served as a interns and game day workers, so I haven't forgotten you, either)!
KUDOS TO ADAM WOULLARD... Speaking of Woullard, the former CU sports info grad assistant made the big time in Sports Illustrated in late July. Adam, who could definitely could pass initial inspection as an outside linebacker, often gets autograph requests in his job as public relations coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. It’s a combination of his football player-like looks as well as being a “Packer in Packerville.” A kid printed out the press release announcing Woullard’s hiring last year and tracked him down to sign the release. Now that’s fan support! Check out the whole story at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/peter_king/07/29/diary.july29/index.html.
CU-CSU FOOTBALL FEATURED IN NATIONAL BOOK... The CU-Colorado State football rivalry, as well as an in-depth look at CU’s live buffalo mascot, Ralphie IV, will be featured in an upcoming publication: Rivalry Saturday. Rabid college football fans Dave Hollingsworth and Steve Waite took in 18 games in 14 weekends, including last year’s thrilling 27-24 Buff win over the Rams. The book was released last summer; for information or to place an order, visit https://ssl1.gmti.com/jackson/forms/rivalsaturday/.
ALUMNI C-CLUB GROWING... Assistant AD Bill Harris is glad to report recently that membership in the Alumni C-Club, which had 350 dues-paying members when he took over in 2001, has almost tripled its number of members and stood at 1,018 as of January 20. Bill, who starred on the gridiron for the Buffaloes from 1961-63, has set an aggressive goal of 2,000 at some point this calendar year. So any lettermen out there who do not belong, now’s a great time to jump on board?give Bill a call at 303-492-5065.
COOL VIDEO CLIP ON CUBUFFS.COM... For those who haven’t seen the YOUR TEAM video clip on our website yet, click here to check it out: http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/buffclub/index.htm.
HANCOCK BOOK WEBSITE... As I mentioned in my previous ?Tudes (like, in what seems 500 B.C.), Bill Hancock, the former PR man for the Big Eight Conference who moved on to the NCAA and has been one of the lead men in planning Final Fours, has a book out this August entitled Riding With the Blue Moth. It chronicles his journey as he came to grips with the passing of his son, Will, the Oklahoma State assistant sports information director who perished with nine others in a private plane crash east of Denver on January 27, 2001. The book now has its own website: www.ridingwiththebluemoth.com. Check it out!
HESSLER UPDATE... Former CU quarterback John Hessler, injured in a hit-and-run accident (by two illegal aliens) on October 19, 2003, continues to improve and recently enrolled at the Center for Persons With Disabilities here in Boulder. He resides part-time in Boulder, and on weekends with his brother. He no longer is dependent on a wheelchair for mobility, as he can use a walker. John was the honorary captain at last September’s CU-CSU game, joining CU’s four captains for the coin toss at midfield. His family reports that he is doing well, and he is in good spirits. I had the opportunity to have lunch with John and his mother last October, and surprised him with a special guest?Coach Mac! His short term memory is getting better, but he’s sharp when it comes to remembering games and other things from long ago.
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THE P-?TUDES MAILBAG... Here are some recent questions or comments I’ve received that could have some interest to all, so here we go:
Q: Why are we so willing to move the CSU home game to Denver?
A: I’ve also heard that we are supposedly caving to CSU interests in this one. Well, that simply isn’t true?remember, CSU has a say in this series as well, much as we do with any other non-conference opponent. What we are not willing to do is play a game in Denver at the expense of a sixth home game in Boulder; that simply will not happen. As I have stated before in this column, scheduling is a tricky thing; if the CU-CSU game in Denver becomes in perpetuity, which leaves three non-league games to schedule every year. Home-and-home series, like the ones recently announced with Georgia (2006, 2010) and Minnesota (2011, 2012) and ones already set with Arizona, Arizona State, Florida State and North Carolina, account for two of slots each year, leaving that third slot. You can’t always buy a home game, and top opponents want return games; that was the foundation for the CSU games in Boulder the last two years. While true that we basically make the same for a game in Denver that we do at Folsom Field, we come out well ahead when playing a game in Denver in lieu of a road game anywhere.
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THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM... A big one in this case?the recent $165 million donation by oil & natural gas tycoon Boone Pickens to Oklahoma State. Guess that confirms the arms race in the Big 12 South is still going strong, and kudos to the Cowboys, who have one of the classiest athletic departments I’ve ever come across. A friend of mine wondered, though, if he could write off his heating bill as a donation to OSU?!
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM II... A couple of bowl games came under fire for questionable officiating, none more so than the Alamo Bowl with Nebraska-Michigan. Some talking heads questioned if the referees from the Sun Belt Conference deserved to work a game of that level, they were intimated, etc. I say bunk to that?was the CU-Clemson bowl game officiated well? The answer is yes?by a Sun Belt crew. The challenge facing professional and college football referees now is instant replay. That ESPN Sunday night crew on NFL games lives to analyze replays down to the last molecule (and just think, we get Theismann on Monday nights now). But the big problem most see in the college game is it has become a race for a team to get a play off before word comes down from above for the previous one to be reviewed. The Mountain West has it right?let the coaches throw a red flag when they want a review, just like in the pros. But I’d like to see one twist?if you throw it and you’re right, you don’t lose a timeout or a challenge.
WEBSITE OF THE ?TUDE... This site is pretty darn cool if you’ve never checked it out: www.fightmusic.com. Be warned, a snarling Nittany Lion greets you, as a Penn State fan apparently put the site together. But whoever did it, did an excellent job; there are nine CU band clips contained on the site, and similar numbers from well over 100 schools.
MY BROTHER’S SEINFELD-ESQUE EXPERIENCE... Many of you know my brother is well established in the music industry, and he recently traveled to Iceland to produce a local Reykjavik band. What follows is a tale he calls, “The Muffin.”
“Iceland is a fairly remote place, so a number of things are a bit different to say the least ... though some things are quite similar to NYC, among them the cafes. Iceland is pretty serious about their coffee and espresso, and I have to say it is excellent. Their cafes also have the usual assortment of morning-baked goods - croissants, breads, and cakes. They also have muffins, though they seem to be of the prepackaged, Sara Lee style - far too uniform of shape and bland looking to possibly be baked in the back of the shop. I didn't even think of getting one, as the local breads are pretty amazing.
After we finished our work, the group of us - which consists of the band, Bowie guitarist Earl Slick (who came along for the ride as a co-producer and writer) and myself - left Reykjavik for a two day excursion into the country to see some of the sights of Iceland - among them glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, Viking huts, and wildlife (as in farm animals - there isn't much else on the mainland).
We stopped at the geysers yesterday afternoon, the geysers being the underground hot springs that get as hot as 480 degrees and erupt every 15 minutes or so. They are an awesome sight. Next to the geysers was a hotel with a restaurant, as well as a combination Esso station and souvenir shop ... and that was it for miles in any direction. The restaurant looked a little fancy, but we went in anyway as it was the only place to eat. It was the middle of the afternoon, and we were the only patrons. A waitress from Germany seated us and gave us menus. I figured it would be expensive, as most things in Iceland seem to be ... and sure enough sandwiches were around 1,100 Kroner (nearly $20). I wasn't that hungry anyway, and I saw a muffin on the menu - a relative bargain at 290 Kroner - so I went for that, figuring a muffin in a restaurant such as this might be kind of interesting - who knows what they're baking up back there.
The waitress brings out a little fork - much like a salad or shrimp fork - that was wrapped in a small green napkin, and sets it before me. We all laugh and called it 'the muffin fork,' as we figure it has to be a mistake. A few minutes later two female sous chefs bring out the sandwiches for the others - petite salmon roll ups with a delicate looking lettuce inside, on small pieces of brown bread with a fennel sauce drizzled to one side, much as you'd expect from a restaurant on the upscale side.
I start to think my little muffin fork might not be an accident.
Next comes the head chef, wearing a hat over a foot tall. He comes to the table bearing one small dish. It's a muffin - cut in half, with a small garnish of a single strawberry cut in razor thin slices, and a drizzle of strawberry sauce off to one side in a nice little pattern. He presents it with a slight bow. It's hysterical, because it looks exactly like a Sara Lee muffin - they just took out of the wrapper ... yet the chef brings it to our table himself as if it were his prized cr?me brulee or tiramisu. The chef leaves, and of course we begin to laugh hysterically. It tastes fairly average - it's a yellow muffin, basic yellow cake, with square chocolate chips on the top - but hey, what do I know about Icelandic muffinry? Perhaps it's his special secret recipe, and my NYC-jaded taste buds just don't get it.
We finish up, we go to look at the geysers, and then we stop into the Esso/souvenir shop. Gas stations in Iceland are similar to the ones at home in that they have little shops with typical convenience store items - basic groceries, drinks, magazines, etc. They also have a small selection of baked goods - prepackaged muffins among them. I say to the others 'hey - let's see if they have my muffin here!'
And they did ... a pile of them, individually wrapped, with the exact same square chocolate chips.”
THIS WEEK’S NUMBER... 13. That’s the number of years since the state of Colorado last hosted the NCAA Ski Championships, but the 53rd annual event returns to the Centennial state this March in Steamboat Springs. The western schools get a trial run at the site over the next couple of weekends, as Nordic competition is set for January 27-28 and alpine races on February 3-4. The main feature of the latter? The first-ever collegiate night ski races (at least in the west); the slaloms will be run at 5 and 7:30 p.m. each night, as Howelsen Hill has lights. Cool!
TRIVIA ANSWERS: CU?Believe it or not, just twice, both under Ricardo Patton’s watch. The Buffs opened 6-0 in 1997, finishing second with an 11-5 mark behind Chauncey Billups. Seinfeld?In 1981’s Arthur, he was the customer at the counter in the diner who kept demanding Liza Minnelli to bring him his roll; and in 1988’s Naked Gun, he was the manager of the California Angels.
“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.