* Nine years ago I was among the late September Ray Jay crowd of 67,000 who witnessed USF’s 21-13 win over West Virginia that helped propel the Bulls of Jim Leavitt to a national ranking of No. 2 a few weeks later. That, and a 23-20 road win at Notre Dame under Skip Holtz in 2011 are arguably the biggest wins in USF history.
This year the Bulls have an opportunity for another signature win–this time one that could also impress Big 12 officials scrutinizing expansion candidates. The Ray Jay date is Sept. 24; the opponent, Florida State, is a top-5 pre-season pick in both the AP and the Coaches Polls.
BTW, USF is the pre-season pick to win the Eastern Division of the American Athletic Conference and is coming off of Willie Taggert’s first winning season and bowl-game appearance as Bulls’ head coach. If it doesn’t happen Sept 24–in front of a packed, rocking Ray Jay–a program-defining, big-time win will likely not be part of Taggert’s legacy.
In short, USF, a team with a reputation for unfulfilled potential, really needs a statement victory to separate itself from other non-marquee AAC members. But it can’t afford to overlook Syracuse–in the Carrier Dome–the week before.
* It’s called the Ponle Acento campaign, and it’s been a long time coming for Major League Baseball. Ponle Acento is Spanish for “put the accent on it.” In short, it’s about MLB’s Latino players having their uniform names properly spelled–with accents and tildes (~) included. It would represent linguistic accuracy–and cultural respect.
* The Rays continue to do their due diligence on a new stadium site. The pragmatic approach is reflected in what they say–about location, business-community involvement and interactivity with fans.
It’s also reflected in what they prudently don’t say. As in, downtown St. Petersburg is not where a regional MLB franchise–one that must contend with a transit-challenged, asymmetrical marketplace–will stay.
* Re: 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and his conscience-driven decision to sit out pre-game national anthem protocol. It’s his right. Leave it at that.