The annual Western Athletic Conference Media Day is Tuesday and Wednesday at the Hilton Hotel in Salt Lake City.
The media and coaches poll will be released then and I don't expect many surprises. Boise State will be picked to win again, and I expect Nevada to be tabbed anywhere from second to fourth.
I picked Nevada third behind Boise State and Fresno State. I will always pick Boise State until somebody can unseat the Broncos, and that's not going to happen this year.
Nevada still has plenty of firepower returning, but will have to replace talented linemen like Dominic Green and Greg Hall. The good news is that Ken Ackerman, Alonzo Durham, John Bender and Mike Gallett are back. Nevada does get Luke Lippincott back for a sixth season. He'll team with Vai Taua, Brandon Fragger, Michael Ball, Lampford Mark and Courtney Randall to gIve Nevada the deepest backfield in the WAC if not the West Coast. It will be interesting to see if Chris Ault can give the stable of backs enough work to keep everybody happy.
My biggest concern with the Pack is its pass defense which was the worst in the conference a year ago. Linebackers Josh Mauga and Jerome Johnson have graduated. Kevin Basped and Dontay Moch are both back after posting double-digit sacks last season.
• Golf fans have another ticket outlet for the 11th annual Legends Reno-Tahoe Open Aug. 3-9 at Montreux Golf & Country Club.
You can now buy your tickets at Scolari's. The Northern Nevada stores are selling day tickets and season passes for $17.50 and $60, respectively. For Scolari cardholders, the cost would be $12.50 and $55. Tickets for the event also can be purchased on line at www.LegendsRenoTahoeOpen.com
"We're happy to announce that Scolari's has continued its support of the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open by selling our tickets again this year," said John Sande III, chairman of the Reno-Tahoe Open Foundation in a statement. "This partnership helps make the tournament more accessible to people both in and outside of our community and also serves as a reminder that tournament week is quickly approaching."
• The future apparently looks bright for former Nevada point guard Ramon Sessions, who is getting some serious interest from the New York Knicks. Sessions could be in line to earn about $5 million per season. Sessions has come a long ways since his days at Nevada. His shooting has improved, he can defend a point guard or shooting guard and he has the ability to drive the ball.
My fondest memory of Sessions was when he hit an off-balance one-hander with the shot clock running down to help Nevada beat Gonzaga in the Battle of Seattle. Nevada won the game despite the fact Nick Fazekas fouled out with five minutes left in the game. Much could hinge on whether Nate Robinson returns. Robinson is said to be growing less and less fond of the Knicks each passing day.
• This next item goes under both "Disturbing" and "Money Hungry" lists. As you all know, the weather has been in the 90s and low 100s the last three or so weekends.
A junior softball tournament was held at the new Golden Eagle Softball Complex in Sparks. Apparently, the complex has a rule that teams can't bring in coolers to the complex. So despite the brutal weather, Sparks Park & Rec personnel confiscated cooler after cooler over the weekend, forcing teams to empty out containers holding softballs so they could put water in them. The other alternative was to buy individual bottles of water for $1.50 a pop when we all know you can buy a case for less than $4. Even my umpiring partner was threatened with expulsion from the park if he didn't remove his container, which carried just two bottled waters.
Totally ridiculous.
Teams are paying $450 to play in the tournament. In this kind of weather, people need to stay hydrated. It becomes a health issue.
Why would Bullys, which runs the snack bar at Golden Eagle, be selling alcohol at these events? It's fine to sell alcohol during the week when the adults are playing or at an adult tournament. And why does the City of Sparks, which runs the complex, feel the need to force fans to use their snackbar? To top it off, service is slow at the snack bar much of the time because they open just one window.
It will be interesting to see if the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association let's that happen when next year's state tournament rolls around.
Donnie Nelson of the NIAA said he was unaware that Golden Eagle sells alcohol during youth events.