“Unfortunately, we were the guinea pigs that had to suffer going to a bowl that people didn’t think we deserved to go to….Fortunately, the ACC is changing things so it won’t happen again.” — Boston College guard Josh Beekman (source ESPN)

Last year, Boston College’s football program had to be thinking whether or not joining the ACC was in their best interests after being banished to the blue field of the MPC Bowl in Boise despite a 9-3 overall and 5-3 league play. After that experience, BC’s next order of business was to place a call to Greensboro and suggest changes in bowl placement that may have already been on league official’s minds.

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On Wednesday, Tar Heel pitching ace Andrew Miller claimed the Roger Clemens award and thereby anointing him the best college pitcher in 2006. Miller beat out Rice’s Eddie Degerman, Washington’s Tim Lincecum and Houston’s Brad Lincoln. He has now earned first-team All-America honors from every major national outlet and was the #6 draft pick in the 2006 MLB draft.

“I was almost certain it would be somebody else. I didn’t think I had a chance with the numbers the others guys put up. I would never have thought this could happen. To win an award with Roger’s name on it is special. He talked to us all about baseball earlier and it was really an honor to talk with him.” — Andrew Miller on winning the award

You can click here to view Andrew Miller pictures.

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Coach Elliott Avent

Only a month after taking a game away from Texas and sending the defending national champions packing early, NCSU head coach Coach Avent has now taken away their pitching coach Tom Holliday.

Where Holliday goes, programs win. As a head coach, he is 281-150. As an assistant, 1446-527. He has over 30 years of coaching experience and in 2005, Collegiate Baseball named him as the “Pitching Coach of the Year”.

“I’ve known the Holliday family for many years, and they will make a great addition to the Wolfpack family. Tom is a great coach, he has been a good friend, and he and Kathy have done a fabulous job in raising two outstanding sons. This is a real coup for NC State University.” — NCSU head coach Elliott Avent

It will be very interesting to see what Coach Holliday is able to do with pitching ace Andrew Brackman (pictures of Andrew Brackman).

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(Photo of Coach Avent by Peyton Williams/NCSU)

NCAA president Myles Brand has been cracking down on “diploma mills”, that is high schools or other schools who give students a high school degree that’s worth less than the paper it’s printed on. There were some obvious target, like “virtual” high schools, but the NCAA delivered a zinger today when it put Oak Hill Academy (yes THE Oak Hill Academy) on its list of high schools where it will no longer, after Fall 2006, recognize their students as being NCAA eligible.

This is the Oak Hill Academy that is in the top of the nation of producing basketball stars. Jerry Stackhouse, Carmelo Anthony, Jeff McInnis, Steve Blake and UNC’s new star Tywon Lawson.

“Its embarrassing to be on the list with some of those schools…Twenty-two schools in the whole country, and we’re one of them. To me, it makes the NCAA look like it’s not credible.” — Oak Hill Academy head coach Steve Smith

I have every reason to believe Oak Hill will clear this up, but if they don’t, it will virtually end their prominence as a basketball powerhouse. Afterall, who would want to go to Oak Hill if they had no hope of going to a NCAA powerhouse like UNC or Duke?
You can read more at the NY Times.

I was photographing the 2006 Men’s ACC tournament this year and as usual, it was a circus. Someone sent me the below photo after seeing me in the background. Even in the carnage, I was able to snap this photo of JJ Redick and Coach K.

Here are also some photos from the ACC Championship.

But without further delay, my moment of fame:

JJ Redick (pictures) had a parting punch with UNC alum Stuart Scott during the NBA draft.

After the photo op with NBA commissioner David Stern, Redick’s next order of business was to zing ESPN mouthpiece, and UNC graduate, Stuart Scott.

You can read more at the News and Observer.

With Carter-Finley Stadium approaching its 40th anniversary, Tim Peeler at gopack.com is asking fans to contribute to the top 7 games of all time played at Carter-Finley.

From July 1 until August 1, www.gopack.com will conduct a poll to see which games Wolfpack fans believe were the best seven games ever played at Carter-Finley.

You can read more and learn more about voting for your favorite games on gopack.com.

UNC Freshman Tim Federowicz (pictures) was named 1st team freshman all-American by the publication Baseball America.

Scoring 12 homes runs this season, he etches his name in the UNC records books as the 3rd most home runs by a freshman.