Barlow commits and other links

New York DE Brandon Barlow verballed to Addazio Monday. He's been at BC's camp, so the staff should know what they are getting in him.

Another reminder that baseball needs a permanent home and a better surface for dealing with wetness and rain: our series with Duke will be played in Delaware.

BC basketball target Mike Edwards is now getting attention from Michigan.

According to an ESPN study using wins and salary, Addazio is one of the better bargains in college football.

Former Eagle Tony Sanchez hopes to make the most of this season with the Pirates. Although it looked like he might start the season in Triple A, injuries to other catchers and a strong spring could help him start in the majors this year.

Finding space for the Indoor Practice Facility

BC's Strength & Conditioning Center renovations were a nice move. In the recruiting arms race it is always important to have the latest, greatest, biggest and best. So on the S&C front we are keeping up with the Joneses. The lingering issue remains the permanent indoor practice facility. It is a huge, needed project that is never mentioned by BC. I think the costs, political capital and the lack of space are all issues. But it will have to be done within the next ten years and probably should be done within the next five. I don't think donors would be an issue. BC always manages to rally support for important initiatives. I think the space and political issues are intertwined.

The minute BC announces a project in Newton or Brighton, it gets tied up with town-gown redtape. Although I don't think it would be as disruptive as a dorm, the idea of a "Football Practice Facility" would be the ultimate "not in my backyard" project for our neighbors. To avoid problems, my suggestion is to keep it simple and close to the current football facilities. In my master plan, the Beacon St. Garages are expanded and the practice facility is placed on the top level. As you can see from the image, this would encroach on Shea and the current baseball fields. In this plan the new baseball complex on Brighton would have to open first.

Obviously my end goal is the facility, but the added benefit of this plan is that it expands the number of parking spots. Let me know your thoughts. Where would you put the indoor practice facility? It is bound to be a political hot potato, but it doesn't have to be. BC could do it, with some smart planning and good uses of space.

Could Boston (and BC) host an Olympics?

I know BC has to sell its soul to the neighbors just to get a Thursday night ESPN game, but with the Olympics on every night, I've been wondering should Boston put a serious bid together for a future games? The city could join with a New Hampshire resort to host the Winter Games, but I think the Summer Games would be ideal. The Olympics are an infrastructure nightmare, but Boston could pull it off precisely because of all the colleges in town. The city also benefits from having an international airport, plenty of hotel rooms and decent public transit. Think about, BC alone could potentially host basketball and/or boxing at Conte. Field Hockey could be played Alumni. BC could also host softball. I assume the Marathon would use the Boston Marathon's route and run right by campus.

Fenway would probably host all the baseball events. Gillette could host soccer. The Garden could host gymnastics and/or basketball. And most local colleges could get in on the sports we only care about during the Olympics: badminton, wrestling, weight lifting, etc.

The three things Boston would need would be a Track & Field Stadium, a Swimming & Diving Center with significant spectator seating and an Olympic Village. But instead of building three "white elephants" a Boston bid could follow the lead of my current hometown of Atlanta. Atlanta built a Olympic Stadium and converted into a baseball stadium. They turned the Olympic Village into dorms. The Aquatic Center was built on Georgia Tech's campus and then renovated to remove some of the stands.

I am sure UMass Boston would gladly "host" the Village in exchange for new dorms. Many local schools would gladly take a brand new swim complex. The tricky Boston venue would be the Olympic Stadium for Track & Field. The only current complexes near the city that might have the space to convert to an Olympic Stadium and then convert back to a more appropriate permanent space seem to be Alumni, Harvard Stadium and Nickerson Field. Would any of the schools be willing to go through four to six years of building and reconfiguring just for the honor hosting the Opening Ceremonies and getting a face lift to their current stadium? I think BC would pass. I don't know about the politics or logistics at the other schools.

Just because Boston could be a good host doesn't mean it ever will. To secure the Games, you need a major driving force. The Fenway Sports Group would seem like a logical leader, but my guess is that they would rather invest in sports and events that have a more predictable and immediate return on investment.

For now I guess it is just blog fodder but certainly let me know what you think.

Are we going to get any good news this summer?

2010 basketball recruit Danny Lawhorn decommitted -- get this -- via facebook. Given the basketball staff's track record, I am sure they will fill the void appropriately.

A few Brighton residents sued the city in an effort to halt the renovations of the Brighton campus.

Expansion news and other links

There will be baseball in Brighton! Most of BC's expansion received approval yesterday. The main hang up remains some of the dorms on the former seminary land. Overall this is good news for the school. Now it wasn't part of the approval or expansion plans but someone better start sketching out ideas for exclusive football practice facilities (indoor and outdoor). Why you ask? It might not be a sticking point with Spaz, but it will be with a future coach (just like it was with TOB and Jags). Getting the idea in the queue now while all this other construction and planning takes place makes sense. In ten years there might not be an inch of campus left to put it on.

For those who missed it, here is the school's official release on the McGovern promotion.

Hockey East awarded Scott Clemmensen their Unsung Hero honor. Clemmensen continues to play well for the Devils.

The women's basketball team is now 5-1 in the ACC.

The Beanpot starts Monday and BC's opening round opponent is long overdue for some Beanpot glory.

Matt Ryan parlayed his rookie season into a few endorsement deals including one with Axe. It makes me fill a bit old when a BC QB is pitching products that skew to a demographic younger than me. Come on, Matt, endorse a minivan and I'll be all over it!

One of BC's last targets is headed to Iowa. Can't blame him though as it is hard for an offensive lineman to commit to a school without knowing his future position coach.