By Cody Lillich

You may be glancing at this story thinking why are we even mentioning golf? Well the act last weekend by the PGA’s Brian Davis goes well beyond golf and could apply to any sport.

We often see commercials about courtesy and honesty featuring athletes admitting they committed a foul/penalty, despite the infraction not being called by officials, but have we ever seen it done on the court or on the field? I know I’ve never seen it, and if something usually happens, the excuse is typically ‘well it’s okay if the referee/umpire didn’t call it.’ That argument may be true, but a move in the golfing world could serve as a huge lesson to fans, athletes and coaches everywhere.

Last weekend, Davis, who has never won a PGA tournament, was on a playoff hole after being tied with Jim Furyk at the Verizon Heritage Tournament in South Carolina. Davis’ shot went a bit off, hit some rocks, and landed in some sand near some reeds.

Davis’ shot after that is where he will be known as the face of honesty in a sport that needs a better image after all the Tiger saga.

On his backswing of the shot, Davis’ club barely nicked a reed, which is a violation of the PGA rules. Knowing he had done so, he called the PGA tournament director over to report it and to have it reviewed.

The PGA looked at the video and saw the rule stating a player cannot move a “loose impediment.” The two-shot penalty was enforced, basically taking the victory away from Davis.

If you think this honesty is just something over two shots, you’re very wrong. Furyk took away nearly $1.03 million from the victory, while Davis earned $615,000.

But Davis did not just earn the money from the victory but maybe he will turn some heads and give a real life example to athletes, coaches and fans to admit when you’ve done wrong. Davis’ self-report might have cost him his first victory and $400,000, but the class he showed and the respect he gained from the sporting world will be paying off for a long time to come.

By Cody Lillich

The weather has turned warmer, the mosquitoes will be here before we know it and that just means the talk over football will start up.

And the people in the NFL are meeting and changing up the rules… again.

Recently, the NFL voted 28-4 to change the rules of playoff games that go into overtime. Basically, if a team wins the coin flip, they can only score a touchdown to end the game. If they kick a field goal, the opposing team gets a chance to respond.

Buffalo, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Minnesota were the four votes against the rule change.

The rule has the chance of spreading to all regular season games as well with a vote expected sometime later this year.

There are some good and bad points I see to this rule.

I do understand the new rule was passed because all teams cared in overtime was winning the coin toss and getting into a field goal range where their kicker was “reliable” enough to win the game. Kickers have gotten very good with ranges expanding year-after-year but is it really the way you want to win a game and not let the opposing team a chance to respond?

I like that it takes away the “first-to-score-anything” mentality of overtime that is in place for NFL regular season games. However, I think the better thing for fans is for both teams to get the ball no matter what. If it’s tied after one OT, then play 2OT, and if it’s tied after that then go to 3OT. That is what fans want to see – two competitive teams in a battle to see who is better.

Give the fans what they pay for – a hard fought game – and if that goes 2OT or 3OT, oh well, they got more for their money and got to see the best in competitive football.

By Cody Lillich

I’ve written about it before and I am now forced to bring up the issue again. What forces a person to throw a punch deliberately during a game, of any type?

Last fall it was the Oregon football player LeGarette Blount slugging another player to kick off the football season. Now it is Baylor’s Brittney Griner going way too far in a basketball game against Texas Tech. During the game, the 6’8’’ Griner got her arms locked with Tech player Jordan Barncastle, when they both pulled away, Griner turned back around and punched Barncastle in the face.

Griner was ejected from that game and the bench clearing fiasco put a bad shadow over Big 12 Women’s basketball for the two schools.

As I’ve said before, anytime something like this happens it puts the player’s image in jeopardy and puts that sport in a bad light.

With the incident in football, it was not looked at lightly and the player was suspended for the whole season. Meanwhile, in women’s basketball at Baylor, Griner was only suspended for the regular-season finale game versus Texas and the first game for the Bears in the Big 12 tournament. That suspension came down from Baylor Athletics and was approved by the Big 12.

Is it fair? Some say yes, some – like myself – think there is something else being considered.

Are people looking at this case as if it would be different if a male threw a punch?

I have to disagree with Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey and their athletic administration. This punishment is a joke in my opinion. In the game against Texas, which Baylor lost at home, Griner sat away from the bench at the game but seemed to act like the banner child of women’s basketball signing autographs, and seemingly having a good time.

Punishment is meant to punish someone, not to have them exemplifying an athletic program.

The punishment should have been at least through the Big 12 tournament, maybe extending into the first rounds of the NCAA’s. The punishment could change and be extended, but I think that move is highly unlikely. The only thing that can change that is if the NCAA steps in.

And now that Big 12 administrative officials are not happy about the punch itself, expect some more fouls called when they might not have been called before for things like yelling, pushing, etc.

Bottom line is players need to act like the sport is their job, play with professionalism. Let’s stop this troubling trend, if the athlete is so inclined to punch, maybe they need to take up a form of martial arts and leave it off the court or field.

If there is one thing worse than politics it is that time after the football championship when schools make their coaching changes.

It seems the phrase coaching carousel may be an understatement – this year it could be the carousel, and a three-ring circus. With schools firing coaches due to poor performance or investigation, the process of replacing coaches is becoming complex.

The biggest flag this year is a question of commitment. Example One: USC’s Pete Carroll decides to abandon the team and accept the head coaching position of the Seattle Seahawks. Speaking of jumping ship on a team, outspoken and sometimes controversial Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin decides to take the job at USC. Is that really the image USC wants though? A coach who was controversial for his statements before the Tennessee –Florida SEC matchup.

Kiffin is a coach who had a great following in Tennessee, quite evident when he bolted from Knoxville after one season, to crowds of students protesting his exit from the Vols. Fans were not the only disappointed ones in Kiffin’s lack of commitment.

If anyone would know more about commitment and building a program at Tennessee it is Women’s Basketball Coach Pat Summitt, who has been with the Vols for 36 years – that’s 35 more than Lane Kiffin and tallied up 1,000 wins (that’s 993 more than Kiffin).

She told ESPN Radio that she was disappointed in Kiffin’s decision to leave UT and had “a great feel” about him leading the football team. She said the fans are really taking the move by Kiffin as a slap in the face.

The one major downside in a major coaching change will be the talent that may be lost. His decision will likely result in some recruits jumping ship from Tennessee and finding another school to play football.

Another three-ring circus can be found in Lubbock, who will have seen three people in the head coaching position within about three months.

This commitment issue comes on the athletic department’s shoulders. Tech named Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill as Interim Head Coach after Mike Leach was fired in December. McNeill had the support of current players and coaches since leading the team to an Alamo Bowl victory. Instead, Texas Tech Athletic Administration chose former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville to be their coach. Tuberville then decided to clean house at Tech, showing McNeill, who had been with the Red Raiders for ten years, and five others the door.

McNeill was reportedly offered another administrative deal in the Tech Athletic Department, but why would a coach or coordinator with his record just step aside while at the top of his game.

It shows that Tech was probably more concerned about a popular name giving their program more attention than just promoting a person from within who has stayed committed to the team for ten years in many coaching capacities.

The bottom line is that, football and coaching needs to improve its image and show that being committed to a program is a good thing. As seen this year, coaches are being perceived as just being money magnets, then bolting after a year or two on the contract. Coaches need to go to organizations to improve players and build them into better student-athletes – not to just boost their own ego and grab the headlines.

By Cody Lillich

It is that one day in fall where High School athletes nationwide sign on the dotted line to commit to a university, and when athletic departments get a gauge on the future of their programs.

Last week, athletes from around the country signed with Texas A&M in basketball, softball and men’s golf.

On Nov. 11 Men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon signed his 2010 class with three high school seniors from Texas and one from Louisiana. Some analysts are calling this class the best in the country, featuring Daniel Alexander from Dripping Springs, Texas, Keith Davis from DeSoto, Texas, Tobi Oyedeji from Houston, and Kourtney Roberson from Arcadia, Louisiana.

The new recruits will be towering over the court, with all four being at least six-foot-8-inches tall. Coach Turgeon said he prides on the fact of eyeing regional talent.

“These guys are great kids and come from great families,” he said. “This class has a great balance of length, skill and athleticism. It’s great to be able to keep Texas kids home and in the Big 12.”

Women’s basketball coach Gary Blair also inked one of the nation’s best signing class featuring two hoops standouts. Karla Gilbert is a hometown star on the A&M Consolidated High School team. Gilbert is playing volleyball and throwing the discus for the Tigers in her senior year. Gilbert will enter A&M as the highest-ever rated player in school history. She is rated the No. 9 overall prospect and the No. 1 post player in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz.

Coming in with Gilbert will be Kristen Grant from Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas. Grant is rated the No. 20 overall prospect and the seventh ranked shooting guard in the nation. She intends to major in biomedical science with hopes of attending veterinary school.

Softball coach Jo Evans has another high caliber class coming into Texas A&M in the 2010 year. She signed five high school seniors to her Aggie Softball team.

Coach Evans’ 2010 class also features all Texas talent, recruiting Emily Albus from Brenham, Amber Garza from Missouri City, Nicole Morgan from The Woodlands, Taran Tyler from Katy, and Cassie Tysarczyk from San Antonio.

Albus, Morgan, Tyler, and Tysarczyk all played on the Impact Gold travel team, while Garza played for the Missouri City Magic.

Coach Evans said this class ranks as one of the best she has ever signed to the program.

“This recruiting class is one of the best recruiting classes I have had in my 25 years of being a head coach,” Evans said. “This class has the ability to compete at the level of our 2008 class that featured three NCAA All-Americans and competed in two Women’s College World Series. They have a love for the game, work extremely hard and are great teammates. ”

National Champion Men’s golf coach J.T. Higgins also signed Gregory Yates from Mansfield to his squad.

Yates led his team to a third-place finish at the 5A State Championships last year and finished fifth place individually. At Mansfield, he is a two-time all-region and three-time all-district golfer.

“I chose Texas A&M because of its academic strength and strong history,” Yates said. “The school also has incredible facilities not only on campus but at the Traditions golf course. I also chose Texas A&M because of the golf team’s history. It is a great team with great players.

So glance at the list of signees to Texas A&M and you can see the future is bright for these sports picking up some high-profile high school athletes.

Aggie spirit was showed to the entire world ten years ago. Twelve Aggies had died in the Bonfire collapse; several others were injured in the worst tragedy to hit our campus.

In the dawn hours after the collapse, students and student-athletes spontaneously showed up to help move the logs to reach the injured.

Aggies lined the field to leave special tributes to their fallen classmates, from stuffed animals to class rings, students lined up to remember those lost.

The spirit of Aggieland showed their support in a massive Midnight Yell, where over 50,000 entered Kyle Field to show their spirit and honor those who gave it all for tradition.

And on game day at Kyle Field, as state and Aggie flags flew at half-staff, something you never see, a silent Kyle Field crowd. From then on, the Aggies played on the field for not only the 12th man but the twelve men and women lost in the collapse, winning the emotional game on a touchdown in the fourth quarter and a fumble recovery to win 20-16.

You may not like the Texas Longhorns because of the rivalry that exists but in that one week in 1999 they showed their spirit and heart, joining with Aggies to grieve.

The Monday before the football game, something that is rarely seen – two groups of fierce rivals joined as one.

Aggies stood side-by-side with Longhorns, in front of a stage with a massive State of Texas flag in the background, people held candles and remembered the fallen and injured together. It showed the schools were much more than Aggies and Longhorns – but more importantly they came together as Texans.

And one another image from the game itself is a sight that brought Kyle Field to its feet and some to tears. The Texas Longhorn band, instead of just boosting their school song or marching all over the field, dedicated their performance to Texas A&M.

They played “Amazing Grace” and held the Texas A&M flag in line with their own school’s flag and at the end stood silent, taking their flag down and hoisting the A&M flag high to honor the fallen.

It is images like those that really show the Spirit of Texas.

Here we are ten years later, and a week ahead that will be filled with many emotions. 2009 will mark not only ten years since the biggest tragedy on our campus, but also 100 years since the beginning of the tradition that lit up the College Station sky every November showing the burning desire of the Aggie Spirit.

Well it appears the pre-season polls have reared their ugly head yet again – this time in men’s basketball. Texas A&M was left off the major polls. I think sometimes these people have a Magic 8 ball on their desk and ask it for each team, maybe A&M got the “ask again later.”

Of course at the top of the Associated Press list is powerhouse Kansas, then Michigan State followed by our friends to the southwest. The next Big 12 team on that list is Oklahoma at #17. Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Missouri received votes in the poll. In the other major poll, the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll had the same top three and Oklahoma makes the list at #16. The same four schools ‘received votes’ except this time the order was Oklahoma State, Missouri, Kansas State and Texas A&M rounds out the list of Big 12 schools.

In the Big 12 Preseason Poll, Kansas won the vote, followed by Texas and Oklahoma. The Aggies came in at fifth, behind Kansas State. Other Texas teams, Texas Tech and Baylor were on the list as #9 & #10 respectively.

The non-ranking in the national polls could be a good thing. This way, when the Aggies hit the court, they only have to worry about one thing and one thing alone – winning, game-by-game – not having to win and worry about keeping that top 25 ranking.

The team will definitely have a chance to turn heads around the nation in the coming weeks. The 76 Classic in the opening weeks of the season could put the team against West Virginia, UCLA and Minnesota, to name a few. The Aggies also travel to the west coast for another key pre-conference matchup in the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series vs. Washington, the defending Pac 10 champion.

The Aggies will also host New Mexico inside the Toyota Center in Houston on Dec. 12.

And if you’re busy complaining about the lack of TV coverage in football there is plenty to absorb in basketball both in before and during conference play. Big 12 play opens at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Aggies have a big February in store, as they host the Preseason No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks at Reed Arena for ESPN’s Big Monday.

If there’s one thing that this team is counting on, that is to make the NCAA tournament. Coach Turgeon has taken the Aggies to the tournament three times in the last four years, and winning at least one game in each appearance.

So there will be time for this squad to prove themselves and turn heads in the poll selection process. They’ll also be continuing to building Texas A&M into a school that is not only known for football, but a basketball team that continuously rises through the ranks, no matter the preseason prediction in the Magic 8 Ball.