Get Off the Shed! Matty's Rantings and Ravings

This is going to be a fun week at the CMSB, as we bathe in the afterglow of a job well done with the Maine State Football Championships last Saturday (more on that later today). Today we are going to start something I want to start doing every Monday from here on out, bitching about things that irritated me over the weekend. I warn you now, I am generally a cranky person, so be forewarned.

1.UNH comes back to beat UMaine, again.
Once again, the Wildcats came back to beat the Black Bears, this time 27-24, and once again, they maintain control of the Brice-Cowell musket. If you look at the stats, there is no way in hell UNH should have won this game, and that has become a recurring theme with the Black Bears this season. I know they changed their offensive scheme half-way through the season, but they lost many a winnable game this season (UNH, Albany, Delaware stick out to me) and blew a lead in seemingly every game. I hope this was a building year, and the fruits of the labor for this young team show up next year, but it was sad to see a guy like Mike Brusko, who has done so much for this team, end his football career in Durham. (By the way, Mike has an open invite to write for the CMSB whenever he wants, and an open invite for the Weekend Warm-up)

2.Jovan Belcher makes a huge play in Pittsburgh/KC game, nobody gets to see the highlight
I love NFL Network. Love it. I specifically pay Directv for my television service for the right to watch it, and it is the number 1 of 5 reasons I have Directv over local cable (by the way Giants fans here in Maine, enjoy not seeing your team on Thanksgiving night. No, you may not come over to my house and watch it. Unless you bring a keg). With all that said, UMaine alum Jovan Belcher, an undrafted free agent who is now playing key minutes for the Kansas City Chiefs, made a HUGE defensive play on Rashard Mendenhall in overtime, forcing a Pittsburgh punt. The Chiefs subsequently drove down the field and won the game. Now, would you like to guess how many times I saw the Belcher play in highlights on ANY show? One. Guess who showed it? NFL Network. Know how much of Maine gets NFL Network? Not a hell of a lot. (Belcher is from West Babylon, NY and I know TW is a big deal out there, too). We are going on 5 years of this pissing match between TWC and the NFL. Enough is a enough. If Comcast and the NFL can reach a deal, there is no excuse for TW and the NFLN not to have the hatchet buried. NFL fans are losing out big time here, and now that the NFL Network has all of its studio shows in HD and it has the most comprehensive postgame show, people are getting shafted. (In fairness, ESPN does a great job with their Monday night postgame, but since Primetime went off the air, their Sunday night postgame is lacking badly). Get with the ballgame, TWC.

3.Ken Rosenthal and his Mike Lowell rumor from Sunday night..
This is biggest crock of obvious I have ever seen. I despise Rosenthal anyways, as his weekly segments with Dale and Holley are usually an adventure in cell phone coverage and background noise (you know you are going to be on the air, how about you block off 20 minutes so that you can be in a quiet area with some cell coverage, or use a land-line, Captain Unprofessional). Gee, the Red Sox would like to unload Mike Lowell? No friggen way!!! They'd even pay half of his contract? You mean teams aren't lining up to pay Lowell full price when he can barely move? SHOCKING!!! Here's a rumor I will break right now, "Red Sox would deal David Ortiz if some team pays his entire contract". Can I get a headline on MLB Trade Rumors, too? Jesus Jumped up Christ.

4.To the New York Jets and (Most of)Their Fans (Not Named Javier Gorriti)...
Pray to everyone that Mark Sanchez has a career as good as Ken O'Brien, because at this point, that would be as much as you can expect. Maybe this week Rex Ryan can cry in pne of his phone calls to pump up fans. Jack-asses. There was nothing more satisfying to watch your pitiful band of crap leave Foxboro with their tail tucked between their legs. Enjoy your top 15 pick this offseason, perhaps you can get someone as impactful as Vernon Gholston again.

5.Dear Celtics, Stop Sucking
Many of you know I don't like the job Doc Rivers has done over the years, and I am convinced they won the 2008 title in spite of him, not because of him. Friday night, he was once again out-coached by Stan Van Gundy, which is the coaching equivalent to losing a poker game to Art Schlichter. This team has way, way too much talent to be losing games at home. No way a game against the Knicks should come down to the buzzer. Maybe it's early, maybe they are doing the San Antonio Spurs-type sleepwalk through the regular season, but something is not clicking right now. Ubuntu my ass, how about coaching some offense and stop pissing off the refs so that this team can actually get a key call at some point.

UMaine's Turcotte Named First-Team All-American

UMaine sophomore fullback/tailback Jared Turcotte was named Preseason First-Team All-America today by the Sports Network. The Lewiston native was the only sophomore in the nation to be selected to any of the Sports Network's preseason teams. This is Turcotte's second preseason All-America honor, having been named a second-teamer by Consensus Draft Services last month.

Turcotte is coming off a redshirt-freshman year, which saw him lead the team in rushing yards(625) and receptions(25). He also finished the season with eight total touchdowns.

This marks the second-straight season that a UMaine football player has been named to the Sports Network's First Team. Former standout Jovan Belcher was named to the list in 2008.

UMaine opens the season at home on Thursday Sept. 3rd...when they take on St. Cloud State.

The official release can be found here.

Cosgrove to throw at Fenway

UMaine head football coach Jack Cosgrove will be throwing out the first pitch at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon. It is "Maine Day" at Fenway Park, where the Red Sox pay tribute to all things Maine...with the exception of black flies and coffee brandy.

Cosgrove will be one of many Maine dignitaries being honored that day. Originally from the Boston area, Cosgrove played and has been coaching at Maine for the majority of the last 30 years.

Meanwhile, UMaine opens their season on Thursday Sept 3rd, hosting St. Cloud State. Game time is 7pm.

Read the full release here.

Remember that The CMSB will have full coverage of Maine Day at Fenway Park Sunday, including audio interviews and photos. Matty will also be Tweeting from Fenway, and you can follow The CMSB on Twitter to take part in the fun.

UMaine Promotes Two Coaches

In a story that the CMSB broke back in March, UMaine head football coach Jack Cosgrove announced changes to his coaching staff today. Joe Rossi and Kevin Cahill both received promotions.

Rossi will move up to the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach. Rossi takes over for Robb Smith, who now coaches at Rutgers. Rossi has been with Maine for the past two years, coaching the defensive backs/special teams. Before coaching in Orono, Rossi spent six years at Thiel College, in PA. He was the defensive coordinator there for four of those six seasons.

Cahill will take over special teams duties, while still overseeing the runningbacks. This will be Cahill's second year in Orono. He coached at Murray State before heading to Maine.

No word yet on who will coach the defensive backs.

You can read the entire release here

More Preseason Awards for UMaine

Already ranked 15th in AnyGivenSaturday.com's preseason poll, UMaine's football team received more good news from Athlon Sports. The magazine puts the Black Bears at number 17 in the preseason. Athlon's rankings can be found in its preview magazine, which comes out in the summer. The AGS poll can be found on its website.

Also, three members of the team have been named preseason All-Americans. Consensus Draft Services announced that sophomore fullback Jared Turcotte was named to the second-team. Senior QB Micke Brusko and senior linebacker Mark Masterson were put on the honorable-mention list. Congrats to the three for making CDS's list.

UMaine starts the season on Thursday, Sept. 3rd at home, against St Cloud State.

You can read the entire release here.

Former UMaine Player signs with Pats

Former University of Maine standout Brandon McGowan signed with the New England Patriots today. Fear the Black Bears!

NFL Draft Thoughts

Matty has some questions about the NFL Draft, but you will have to head on over to the sister site to read them. Why, you ask? Because Matty is a jerk who enjoys making people click on links, that's why. He also asks why there was no love for the CAA in this year's draft.

Chris Gennaro Owns Us

You may remember last week when UMaine kicker Chris Genarro's blog was highlighted here on the CMSB. Well, Chris has a new blog entry up, and he devotes a paragraph or so to us. The highlight was not the shout-out, or the fact that he mentions we have had Mel Kiper, Jr on as a guest, or his interactions with Jovan Belcher, but the fact he mentions that his blog's Facebook Fan Site has more fans than ours. An excerpt...

"I can respect that they were trying to get the word out about my blog but whose blog is really more popular? According to Facebook, which everyone knows is the answer to the meaning of life, I am more popular. I have 51 fans to CMSB's 30 fans. So in light of this recent discovery I think it would be fitting to give a shout-out to the excellent, well-done, creative, professional, informational but less popular CMSB. Hopefully this might get you a couple more fans."

Well played Chris Gennaro, well played.

We have also added Chris's blog to the "Friends and Lovers" section over on the right, as requested, so be sure to check it out often, because UMaine football will be here before you know it. (The CMSB will also be at Maine's spring game on May 2nd at 10 AM, which I would suggest many people attend. There is a slot machine place in Bangor now and all, if you needed another excuse to watch college football in May)

Oh and for the love of god become a fan of the CMSB on Facebook. We can't be getting verbally b*tch slapped by a kicker.

UMaine Kicker Chris Gennaro Has Quite the Blog

Stumbled across this tonight in my internet travels, I laughed, I laughed some more, and then I felt really glad I never played college football. The Blog is linked below, make sure you give it a good read. We will try and have Chris on at some point to talk about it.

http://www.backupkicker.blogspot.com/

Thursday Morning Quick Hitters

The Maineiacs season is officially over, after being swept out of the first round of the playoffs. Drummondville beat Lewiston by a combined score of 38-9. That may actually be a record.

The Celtics fell to the Orlando Magic 84-82 with Kevin Garnett still playing restricted minutes. Big night from the perimeter for Orlando, hitting 10 three’s.

UMaine AD, Blake James up for the same position at a school in Florida.

John Smoltz took the mound for the first time yesterday, throwing a fastball-only 40 pitch session. The next session is planned for Friday.

Bill Belichick and staff attended the UConn Pro Day yesterday.

Don’t forget…Full coverage of UMaine Pro Day today on thecmsb.com…Plus, Matty will be on The Big Jab later this evening to break it all down.

UMaine Might Not Play Florida St After All

According to UMaine football media contact Doug DeBiase, the UMaine/Florida St game is looking like it won't be happening. However, the good news is that UMaine may have another D-1 opponent lined up, and it will be within driving distance.

"As of now, we are still under contract to play Florida State. However, it's looking more likely that we will play Syracuse next season. I have no other details at this time", said DeBiase.

There are rumors going around the Florida St/Miami message boards that ESPN is trying to finagle another FSU/Miami opener on Labor Day, which may or may not have prompted this move. Nice to see ESPN controlling the schedules for college football teams.

More on this as it develops, more than likely we will see the change once the UMaine 2009 schedule comes out. Get your Maine to Syracuse driving directions ready...

Matt Alkire from Scouts.com Talks Northeast Recruting and CAA

Matt Alkire, the Northeast Recruiting Analyst for Scout.com and the co-founder of Scouts Notebook, joined Matty to talk about the happenings from signing day, talks about players and where they went, and points out some of the programs in CAA who had good classes. He also touched on Army and a couple of players they have coming in.

Belcher Runner-Up For Buchanan

Eastern Washington's Greg Peach won the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in FCS. UMaine's Jovan Belcher was the runner-up. Congrats to the winner and everyone who was nominated.

UMaine Nabs First Recruit

The CMSB has learned that the University of Maine football team got their first verbal commitment this week from defensive end Michael Cole of North Brunswick, New Jersey. He was on the radar for much of the Big East, including Rutgers, UConn, South Florida, and Pitt, and was also on other CAA school's radars as well, but Maine won out. He was ranked in the Top 100 Defensive ends in the country by ESPN's scouting service. Signing day is Feb 4th.

You can find more on the 6'3, 270 pounder here and here

Update 10:14 a.m. Fri: Northeastern has offered Cole a scholarship as well, but Cole will stay with UMaine

Stay tuned to the CMSB for updates.

UMaine Loses QB

UMaine Quarterback Adam Farkes is leaving the program for personal reasons. That's according to the Portland Press Herald, who site a University Press Statement.

Farkes started the 2008 year as the starter, before injuring his shoulder in October in a win against Delaware. He had 9 TD's and 6 picks before the season-ending injury. There was a very good chance he would be the starter in 2009.

Mike Brusko is the obvious choice to be next season's number one. He led the Bears into the playoffs following Farkes' injury. He doesn't have the best arm, but is a serious competitor.

It may also give Chris Treister a chance. Treister, who played at Portland High, has three more years of eligibility, and will get a true opportunity if Brusko struggles in the pocket. Don't count out Jack Cosgrove recruiting a young athlete as well.

The Season Never Ends!

The games may have finished, but the season is heating up. You're probably asking what the hell is wrong with me? I'm serious though...it's recruiting time baby!

I have been addicted to recruiting for about six years now. Not a day goes by without me checking scout.com or rivals.com to see what is new with my Mountaineers. And now UMaine fans can have a sneak peak as well. ESPN.com has really jumped into recruiting, with prospect updates for both the FBS and FCS. So sure enough, there is a section for the Black Bears.

The one thing to remember with recruiting is that nobody is a guarantee. I have seen five-star recruits fizzle out, while FCS kids continue to reach the NFL. However, kids are rated for a reason, and many do live up to the potential.

So, again...if you want to follow a partial list for UMaine, here is the link. You may have to click the considering box.

Matty on the PM Jab

The EIC, Matty, was on the PM Jab today talking UMaine football and the BCS. Listen below.

We Will Have a Correspondent in Cedar Falls!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Central Maine Sports Blog will have a live correspondent with the UMaine football team at Northern Iowa. Danks will be heading out with the team on Friday morning and will be our eyes and ears in Cedar Falls. This also means we will have a live blog from Cedar Falls on Saturday evening. Oh yes, the Central Maine Sports Blog is going places. Even if it is Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Not So Fast! UMaine In the 2008 FCS Playoffs!

The UMaine Black Bears, ranked 20th in the sports network poll, have been selected to play in the FCS Playoffs. The chances were thought long at best, as a loss to UNH yesterday looked like it put the Bears out of the running, but apparently the selection committee was impressed with UMaine's schedule. Coach Jack Cosgrove was asked after the game Saturday if the officiating cost his team a playoff spot, and he said,"I believe these things balance out, it always does." Well, it balanced out today. UMaine will play 10-2 Northern Iowa on Saturday Novemeber 29th at 5:05 P.M.