PaperGate?

Much has been written about the embarrassing episode at USF involving one of its more prominent athletes, Bulls’ senior linebacker Ben Moffitt. USF marketed him as “Linebacker. Leader. Husband. Father.” According to his estranged wife, USF could have included: “Sham student.” Mrs. Moffitt says she wrote “every single paper he has ever written in five years at USF.”

Right now that remains a “She said, she repeated” matter. Student privacy laws preclude official comment. And details. And that’s understandable.

But wouldn’t it be interesting to see what grades those papers received, especially if they were, indeed, written by someone who didn’t attend any of the courses?

Hyde Park Rapist

So, Bobby Joe Helms, the “Hyde Park Rapist,” is being released. Again. After serving most of the past 22 years in prison and a treatment center.

Three points.

First, his plea deal plus discipline problems plus a violation of his treatment-center release lengthened his stay from his original 10-year sentence. Even still, that’s less than 1.5 years per (12) rape and (4) attempted rape.

Second, psychiatrists have determined that Helms is no longer a danger.

Third, how can they be so sure? Has he been spayed?

City Council Fallout

Sure, we’re still three years out, but wherever there’s a lame-duck office-holder, there’s successor speculation.

In the case of Tampa, where Mayor Pam Iorio is in her second — and final — term, there’s no lack of could-be contenders for City Hall 2011. Any list would surely include incumbent City Council members, most of whom have been taken aback by an Administration they consider communications challenged and high-handed. Among the more prominent could-be’s are the respected tandem of John Dingfelder and Linda Saul-Sena.

In that mayoral context, it’s instructive to note what the last month has wrought.

Dingfelder morphed into John Edwards channeling William Jennings Bryant in his defense of minority workers targeted for job loss through privatization. It looked like populist grandstanding to everybody but those minority workers, many from East Tampa. And it inspired the less-than-nuanced signage: “No justice, no peace.”

Saul-Sena, whose normal mien is that of cultural and environmental elder, turned embarrassingly juvenile in her one-woman protest-snit of IKEA’s light-green agenda. That it was, in effect, more environmental foe than friend. And that, if it didn’t re-think its Adamo Drive site plan, she would go YouTubing to humiliate it. All this, despite the fact that the Council had previously signed off on IKEA’s store plans by a 6-1 vote.

So, what this last month has wrought is this:

South Tampa’s Dingfelder can say he’s not just a “neighborhood” guy to the affluent with developer and zoning issues, but that he also cares about the little guy in East Tampa. It will resonate.

Saul-Sena’s YouRube behavior will still haunt her. One trial balloon deflated.

No Ire Of The Tiger

Can we leave Tiger Woods alone?

He’s the best golfer ever and one of the world’s richest athletes. He’s also scandal free, which is a lot more than can be said about many of his prominent athletic contemporaries. He’s even married to the mother of his child.

But because a part of his lineage, which is actually more Thai than anything else, is African American, he’s expected in some quarters – the usual quarters – to be a racial spokesman. His Foundation work is never enough. They want him to convert his fame into a forum and morph into a pitchman for black grievance.

The most recent example was the flap over his friend Kelly Tilghman, who is a broadcaster for the Golf Channel. She chose an insensitive and ill-advised way of underscoring the point that today’s young golfers have very little chance of beating Woods. Tilghman’s Golf Channel partner, Nick Faldo, had facetiously suggested that they all “gang up” on him. Tilghman over-the-topped that with: “Lynch him in a back ally.”

What? Wince? Of course. But a racist mortal sin requiring serious sanction, if not Tilghman’s head on a stake?

Woods knows Tilghman well enough to differentiate racist from reckless. He moved on after having accepted an apology. Ironically, those to whom the comment wasn’t aimed — the racial hustlers, professional antagonists and career victim-card players — wouldn’t.

Urso Does It His Way As UT Aims For National Three-Peat

Ah, the popping of leather, the pinging of aluminum.

Can spring be far behind?

If it’s the second week of January, it must mean another collegiate baseball season is officially afoot. And at the University of Tampa, this is a big deal.

And not just because of that nifty, aesthetically landscaped, 2-year-old venue at Cass and Boulevard – the one with the protean downtown skyline as outfield backdrop.

“It’s always exciting,” says affable head coach Joe Urso, 37, the National Coach of the Year for 2006-07. “Come late December, you enjoy the break, and then you can’t wait for Jan. 10. But even more so this year. No (Division-II) team has ever won three straight. So this is the biggest challenge.”

When Urso addressed his team, which is ranked number one in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper pre-season poll, he underscored the unique challenge that faces the Spartans as two-time defending NCAA D-II national champions.

“The history of this program is special, and the last two years have been special,” he told them. “But this team hasn’t won a game yet. There’s a long process involved to stay on top. There’s work to be done.”

And, arguably, enough talent to do it.

“We have stronger starting pitching, and we’re a stronger defensive team,” assessed Urso. “Team speed is good; the bullpen a question mark. We have more doubles power than home run power.”

UT actually returns four starters, including slugging first baseman Jose Jimenez. The pitching is led by lefthander Kevin Ferguson, last season’s Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Urso, now in his eighth year, is the architect of a national powerhouse that has sent an unheard of 13 players to the pros the last two years. During his tenure, eight of his players have been first team All-Americans. His recipe for success is more simply put than implemented: just recruit good players who are good kids who can handle high standards. Really high standards. He’s notably proud that the team earned a 2.99 GPA last semester.

A cursory look at an intra-squad game was illustrative.

If Up With People were sinewy athletes, they would look like this. An Anglo-Latino-African-American mix that was well groomed and deferential to their coaches. No mullets, no dreds, no earrings, one well-trimmed beard, no unnecessary one-handed catches, no hot-dogging. Utterances of encouragement in English and Spanish. Fundamentals were the clear order of the day.

Urso elaborated.

“What’s really important is playing the game the right way,” he explained. “Like executing bunt plays. We demand perfection on the basics.”

Image Matters

Urso is old school off the field as well.

Players must sign an agreement that they will go to every class every day or personally answer to Urso. And how they represent the university out in the community matters.

“We don’t just look at the athletic side when we recruit,” said Urso. “I know I’m a stickler about certain things, but ultimately we put faith in our young men and give them enough control. There’s mutual respect.”

And outsiders notice.

“The coach is wonderful, and the team is absolutely great,” gushes Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. “They have been in my office to receive special proclamations for their wins. These young people are outstanding athletes and students and deserve a lot of praise for a job well done.”

More than a third of this year’s players are from the Tampa Bay Area, with a sizable contingent from South Florida, including Jimenez out of Miami Pace HS. The sprinkling of out-of-staters, including New Jersey starting outfielder Junior Mejia, come from as far north as Wisconsin and Massachusetts and as far south as Panama, the home of shortstop Jesus Barroso.

Ferguson, the All Star pitcher, hails from Port St. Lucie (via Brevard Community College. Returning starters Paul Cruz (outfield) is from Brandon (Hillsborough CC) and (catcher) Nolan Brannon from St. Petersburg (Hillsborough CC).

“We go after the top guys in our area – high school and junior college,” explained Urso. “We generally stay away from the first-or-second-round-draft-pick types. But we don’t back off just because they’re ‘D-I’ guys. We also recruit the state, to be sure. In fact, this season we potentially have a majority of our starters from South Florida. And we recruit (less than blue chip) ‘grinders’ too, because experience tells us that good kids will overachieve.”

C areer Crucible

That experience includes Urso’s own as a player, one not gifted with a prototypical major league skill set.

At 5’7″ and 160 lbs., the Tampa native learned early that shear talent would never be enough to get him to the Big Show. He did all the little things right. After helping lead Plant High School to a state championship in 1988, the scrappy second baseman became a four-year starter for UT and was twice named first team All-Sunshine State Conference and All-South and second team All-American.

He was a career .332 hitter who held the NCAA record for runs (258). He still holds the UT record for walks and ranks second in doubles and sixth in stolen bases. He was MVP of UT’s national championship in 1992.

He was signed by the Los Angeles Angels and played, coached and managed in their system for seven years. In 1997 he confronted his career crucible. He could take a promotion as a utility player to AA or stay on at single-A Lake Elsinore (Calif.), where he was successful on the field and popular in the community. Angels’ management proudly referred to him as the “Mayor” of Lake Elsinore.

He chose to stay with Lake Elsinore as coach, mentor and manager. “It was time” he recalled, “to change to a new dream.”

Now Urso, married and the father of two young sons, says he has a “great situation” at his alma mater.

The professional dream, he stressed, is “done.” That still leaves the possibility of bigger, better-paying D-I positions, but Urso’s not exactly looking. UT is unique. The Spartans are big time with a D-II mislabel.

“I’ve been contacted, and I’ve looked into some things,” he acknowledged. “As with any profession, you never want to settle, but, honestly, it would have to be a perfect fit. This is one of the best baseball jobs in the country.”

In any language.

Brandon High Loses A Match, Wins More Respect

Brandon lost.

In wrestling circles, that’s downright oxymoronic. It comes with a national record of 459 consecutive dual match victories. Until last week, Brandon High School hadn’t dropped a match in more than a generation.

Actually, the year was 1973.

As in Watergate, the Arab oil embargo and a U.S.-Vietnam cease fire.

The year “The Godfather” won big at the Oscars, and George Foreman became heavyweight champion for the first time. Secretariat ran away with the Triple Crown, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs and the Miami Dolphins completed an undefeated season by beating the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl.

And the year Brandon High last lost — to Bradenton Manatee — until last week.

What the Eagles didn’t lose was the record – no school in any sport can even approach it – or the first-class reputation that was synonymous with “The Streak” that stretched across more than three decades.

There was palpable disappointment, shock and tears after the jolting loss. But nobody pointed fingers or blamed officials. Nobody threw a temper tantrum or trashed-talked the victors from Homestead South Dade HS. Brandon was as first-class in defeat as it had been in all those victories across all those years. Good sportsmanship didn’t take a hike when “The Streak” came to a stunning, screeching halt.

Brandon wrestling is known nationally — and even internationally — as an elite program with an old-school work ethic, peerless standards and unrivaled commitment to excellence. That won’t change.

Locally, Brandon wrestlers are known as winners on and off the mat. They are legitimate student-athletes whose names never show up in the wrong places. They are a source of immense pride to the Brandon community and comport themselves accordingly. In a number of cases, the tradition has been passed from father to son.

And keep in mind; this was not a match that was regularly scheduled. For years Brandon coach Russ Cozart has been going out of his way to host the “Beat the Streak” tournament that brought in out-of-county and out-of-state challengers. By soliciting better competition, he virtually assured defeat at some point — something that might not have happened for another three decades with only Hillsborough County competitors.

Brandon High. Now 459-1.

But word has it that Brandon isn’t hurting for new goals. Something about an unprecedented eighth straight state championship this year.

Congratulations, Coach Cozart and the Brandon High Eagles. Nobody has competed better.

Rudy-mentary?

Reportedly, Democrat Phyllis Busansky is considering a run for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office. Republican Buddy Johnson is the incumbent.

“There needs to be more integrity in the process,” Busansky has noted, “and I don’t see it.”

Item: A recent sample ballot mailed to more than 200,000 registered Hillsborough Republicans included the name of “Rudi” Giuliani.

Reportedly, Busansky is closer to a decision.

Primary Punch

As this state’s Jan. 29 Florida primary draws nears, this much — despite months-long, Cassandra-like warnings to the contrary — seems evident. Yes, our Florida primary votes will matter and, no, no Florida voter will be “disenfranchised.”

Big, momentum-assuring lifts await the primary winners of the nation’s pre-eminent swing state, one that is a demographic microcosm of the United States. And don’t be surprised if the infuriating “boycott” gets parsed even more this month. Florida is that important.

As to the seating of delegates, does anyone actually expect the conventions to determine the nominees? Not even those nostalgic for smoke-filled-room cabals think so.

Thus, the nominees will be known beforehand and will come to the conventions for their coronations. And they will have the most clout when it comes to making sure that all delegates are seated in Denver (Democrats) and Minneapolis (Republicans).

It’s called self-interest, something that political candidates with an eye toward the general election are well schooled in.

Show Biz

Going on line is, among other things, a societal portal, a window of cultural confirmation. The headlines of the hour are illustrative – from “Trump Trashes Angelina Jolie” to “Ladies’ Laser Parties All The Buzz.”

And before touching a mouse, you can’t help but notice the “Hot Searches.” They are right above the headlines of the hour – in this case, “Are Girl Scout Cookies A Scam?” and “Does Your Diet Look Like This?” The Hot Searchees this day are Billy Zane, Gene Simmons, Nicole Richie and Mike Huckabee.

Maybe we should be inured to such context in a celebrity culture. Or maybe it’s actually a good sign that an erstwhile, dark horse presidential candidate had enough star-power wattage to bump Britney Spears from the “Hot Searches” short list.

Or maybe it really is all show business.

Charlie Wilson’s Irony

There are a lot of reasons to see “Charlie Wilson’s War,” the movie with a pocketful of Golden Globe nominations. But the performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman may be the best. His portrayal of a cynically pugnacious CIA operative was amazing. And this, mind you, is the same actor who won an Oscar last year for his portrayal of Truman Capote. How’s that for range?

One caveat: “Charlie Wilson’s War” is top heavy with geo-political irony. It hangs over much of the movie like celluloid black crepe. Once the Mujahadeen had demoralized the Soviets and chased them out of Afghanistan with U.S.-supplied arms, they didn’t exactly beat them into ploughshares. As we well know.

Media Epiphany?

The media, as we know, loves a good, pre-scheduled news event, one that lends itself to photography and video. Put it on an assignment sheet weeks, months or even a year in advance and know you’re guaranteed a nice story package.

But they’re not all elections, city council showdowns, shuttle launches and summit conferences.

Just asking, but isn’t it time to re-evaluate the newsworthiness and resultant front-page coverage accorded the annual cross-diving ceremony that is part of the Epiphany celebration in Tarpon Springs?

Unless, of course, somebody wants to do an investigative piece on what happens under water.