Carter shows his wares in Pack win

Did we get a glimpse of the near future when David Carter coached the University of Nevada basketball team down the stretch of its win against Virginia Commonwealth Friday night at Lawlor Events Center?

Nevada coach Mark Fox was ejected after technical fouls less than 20 seconds apart and the Wolf Pack trailing. Nevada came back to win 71-70.

Fox lauded Carter in the post-game press conference and insisted he's not going anywhere soon but that Carter would do a good job as his replacement. Certainly if Fox were to leave, Carter would be the local and popular choice. He has nothing left to prove as an assistant, and he's just as responsible for the Wolf Pack's success as Fox or Trent Johnson. He needs to get his own gig sometime soon.

I don't expect Fox to leave until Armon Johnson and Luke Babbitt leave, but you never know. Fox's name comes up every time there is an opening at a top-level school, and sooner or later, there is going to be one that appeals to him.

What about Oregon of the Pac-10? Ernie Kent will likely be fired at the end of this year. Oregon is getting a new arena, and what better way to drum up interest in the program than to hire a new coach. Fox would be a good choice. He already recruits the Pacific Northwest well, and he'll get a shot at even better players if he were at Oregon.

- And, while we're on the subject of the Wolf Pack, the youngsters better start playing better at home or else Nevada could face an early exit from the WAC Tournament.

If Nevada holds onto second place, the team could face either Louisiana Tech, San Jose State or Hawaii in the opening round. Tech split the season series, while Nevada swept Hawaii. Nevada beat San Jose State on a recent road trip and still has a game left with the Spartans.

- Friday's Dayton-Spring Creek game was very physical throughout. The game never got out of hand, but the Spartans' Brett Pickett should have been ejected when he drilled a Dayton player and picked up an intentional foul. As Pickett walked toward mid-court, there were traces of a smile on his face. Totally classless.

- I'm so sick of steroid talk. I wish it would go away. Commissioner Bud Selig talks about how angry he is with Alex Rodriguez, but that's like the pot calling the kettle black.

Why didn't Selig release the names of the other players who flunked tests the same year at Rodriguez. Isn't Selig just as guilty as the players for keeping the identities under wraps?

Selig has stood by and let this stuff happen. He needs to do a better job of policing the sport, and the individual teams need to stop the inmates from running the asylum.

I've said this before and I'll say this again. Until somebody proves to me that steroids or human growth hormone helps your hand-eye coordination, then just let this stuff go. All steroids or HGH does is help you hit a ball farther when you connect. That's the rub. You still have to connect, and I don't see anybody hitting over .370 very often.

You have a testing policy in place, and I would say a 50-game suspension for the first offense is certainly fair. It should be 100 games for the second offense and the third offense should be banishment from baseball.

I know it would cost money, but I say that drug testing should be done weekly. It's the only way to stop this stuff. If baseball needs to hire more personnel, then do it. If you aren't willing to take proper steps to deal with problem, then quit whining about it in the media,

- Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling 775 881-1281