Youngstown State University needs to work on their costume a bit for this weekend.  The Penguins will host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Halloween.  Coach Jon Heacock has unfairly taken alot of criticism for the costume not being at its full potential yet, but promises to work on making the proper alterations needed for Halloween success.

The Penguins (4-3, 2-2) are coming off of a 27-8 loss at Southern Illinois.  The South Dakota State game marks this years Homecoming and YSU Hall of Fame Induction.  The Jackrabbits are undefeated in conference play and stand at 6-1 overall.   

You probably read the first paragraph of this game preview and said,  What?  A writer defending Coach Heacock?  I am.  Let me tell you why.  The coach of a football team does not miss a tackle, he puts a player in position to make a tackle.  If the player misses the tackle it should not fall back on the coaches.  A coach does not snap on punts or field goals, he does not fumble, throw interceptions or miss blocks, players do.  All a coach can do is prepare a team for what they can expect to see by breaking down hours of film, installing a gameplan, and teaching that gameplan in a very short period of time.

Last week against Southern Illinois, I went to the weekly Monday press conference and listened to Heacock outline his plan to the media: 

•  Objective #1 was to stop All-American RB Deji Karim.  Check.  Karim had an average game by his standards and finished well below his season averages.
• Objective #2 was to pressure Saluki QB Chris Dieker.  Check.  Dieker leaves the game with a shoulder injury but felt pressure while he was in there.
• Objective #3 was to attack the defense, get after the linebackers (two of them were also All-Americans), and move the ball without turning it over.  Check.  YSU had success moving the ball and put themselves in a position to score more than once in a first half where they came away with zero points.

Ultimately, a standup coach takes the blame in a loss.  That same coach also deflects the praise back to the players in victory.  Heacock follows this trend, he is a standup guy.  At this weeks press conference, I mentioned that it seems this YSU team is snakebitten.  It is not an insult, just a feeling.  Bad luck is something you can’t coach against.  Two special teams plays cost the Penguins 10 total points.  Heacock remarked, “We practiced punt team more than anything else during the bye week.  Apparantly, we did not work on it enough.  You can’t have a punt blocked or a 2-yard pass go for 86 yards.  In three-and-a-half minutes we went from being in a dogfight to being down 14 points.”

Lay off of him already. 

Moving forward, things will not get any easier for YSU.  Another Top-10 ranked school is on the agenda for this week.  South Dakota State (6-1, 5-0) is ranked #9 and coming off of a huge road win last week at Northern Iowa.  The Jackrabbits are a very physical team.  They do not give up many points and Heacock called them the best defensive team in the conference.  Redshirt-Freshman Thomas O’Brien was 26-37 against Northern Iowa for 285 yards and a pair of TDs.  He was not sacked, a credit to the Jackrabbits O-Line.  Kyle Minett rushed for 105 yards and caught four passes for 39 more.  YSU will have to stuff the run and get pressure on O’Brien to be successful on defense this weekend.

Alignment has been an ongiong problem for the YSU defense.  When asked how the defense can still have alignment issues 7 weeks in, DL Mychal Savage (pictured) responded.  “They change the things that we see, so we have to change what we do.”  Makes sense to me.  The things a coach sees on film are not the guaranteed cliffnotes to a victory.  Teams DO change the things they do on both sides of the ball every week. 

Kickoff is set for 4:07 and the weather looks decent with mostly cloudy skies and 55 degrees.

Penguin Notes

• YSU is 4-4 all-time in Halloween games, 47-19-1 on Homecoming (19-8 at The Ice Castle), and 5-5 all-time against South Dakota State. 
• South Dakota State won last years meeting 40-7.
• Donald Jones 11 catches against Southern Illinois again tied a school record.  Jones tied the record earlier in the season.
• Senior Aaron Pitts had his best game ever against Southern Illinois with 102 yards on 7 receptions.
• Junior Na’eem Outler also had his career best effort with nine tackles against Southern Illinois.

Sonic Boom is the first KISS studio album in 11 years.  The last studio album, Psycho Circus, featured the original KISS lineup of Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons, and Paul Stanley.  Criss and Frehley are gone again.  Wearing the Catman makeup is Eric Singer, who was acive with KISS in the Mid nineties.  Donning the Spaceman garb is Tommy Thayer.  Criss left due to declining health and Frehley got pissed about opening for Aerosmith saying that KISS should never open for anyone.

Thayer replaced Frehley in 2003 and has received mixed reviews on imitating Ace.  Some fans are whining that Thayer is nothing more than a Frehley clone as he is copying solos note-for-note.  But let’s face it, if Thayer was doing original solos, there would be a much larger outcry for his lack of respect. 

The Tommy Thayer imitating continues on Sonic Boom.  Thayer’s solos are definitely Frehley inspired and unoriginal.  Again, what KISS is shooting for with Sonic Boom is a return to their trademark sound, so is Thayer and the band doing the wrong thing?  I feel it HAS TO be this way.  Poor Vinnie Vincent can tell you all about being original on a KISS studio album as he was run out of town for his efforts on Lick It Up.

On “Russian Roulette”, Thayer’s solo sounds nearly identical to Frehley’s in “Rock & Roll All Nite”.

Paul Stanley produced Sonic Boom and proves he still has the pipes on “Modern Day Delilah”.  Gene Simmons does his usual egotistical sex-driven tune on this album as well with “Nobody’s Perfect” with a lyric after the refrain of ‘but baby, I’m close’.

The Sonic Boom package, exclusive to Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, also includes a bonus disc of older KISS classics re-recorded by the current lineup.  “Heaven’s On Fire” never sounded better than it does on the extra disc.  The package also includes a bonus DVD of concert footage from an appearance in Argentina in 2009.

Overall, the Sonic Boom package offers great value.  You get a new KISS studio album, a partial greatest hits remake by the current lineup, and a short DVD.  The band is supporting the package with their Alive 35 tour coming soon to a city near you.

I give the effort an A- rating.

The Youngstown Phantoms played better than they did Friday, but not good enough to win in dropping their fourth consecutive game, 3-1, to Tri-City.  The loss marks the third consecutive home defeat for the Phantoms.

Steven Bolton made his first start of the year in goal for Tri-City and turned in a great performance stopping 31 of 32 shots to log his first victory for the Storm.

Tri-City struck first on a power-play goal from Maxwell Tardy, as he bat Phantoms goalee Jordan Tibbett at the 5:47 mark in the first period.  Tardy also scored a power-play goal on Friday.  The goal by Tardy, his fourth of the season, gave Tri-City the 1-0 advantage.  Picking up assists on the goal were Brett Moehler and Jaden Schwartz.

Youngstown was able to respond with 3:44 left in the first period  when Adam Berkle connected on an even-strength opportunity.  Berkle was assisted on his goal by Nick Czinder and Taylor Holstrom.  The teams would head into the locker rooms tied 1-1.

Just 20 seconds into the second period, Radoslav Illo scored to put Tri-City ahead 2-1.  Illo was assisted by Josh Berge and Anthony DeCenzo.  It was also Illo’s second goal in two nights in an unwanted recurring theme for the Phantoms.

At the 7:50 mark of the second period, Moehler tallied to put the Storm up 3-1.  For Moehler, it was his third goal of the two-game series.  Moehler was assisted by Schwartz and Nate Jensen on the even-strength chance.

There was no scoring in the third period.  Youngstown got almost twice as many shots off in the game and seemingly improved on the penalty-killing holding Tri-City to just 1-of-5 conversions on the power-play.  The Phantoms were 0-2 with a man advantage.

Next weekend, the Phantoms are back on the bus, this time headed to Fargo, North Dakota for a two-game series with the Force.  The Friday and Saturday contests start at 7:05 and can be heard on AM-1240 with Matt Gajtka calling the action.  You have to hear Gajtka, he sounds like a seasoned NHL announcer with obvious passion for the game.

Special teams errors and a Freshman QB proved to be the difference in Southern Illinois 27-8 victory over Youngstown State University (4-3, 2-2).  The Penguins outworked the Salukis (6-1, 5-0)  in the first half yet found themselves in a 14-point hole at the break.  A couple of bad snaps on special teams and one bad play on defense worked into a 17-point swing in favor of Southern and YSU could never get back into the game. 

Youngstown State came out fired up and stuffed the Salukis high-powered offense in three plays.  The Penguins then took possession on their own 20 following a punt and moved the ball all the way to the Southern Illinois 25-yard line before failing to convert on third and fourth down and less than a yard to go.

Southern Illinois took over at their own 25 and drove to the YSU 33.  Chris Dieker was sacked by Andre Elliott setting up a 3rd-and-11 and the Salukis got called for a penalty on the next play.  The third down play was unsuccessful and YSU forced a punt which Saluki Punter Scott Ravanesi rolled to the 6-yard line.  After picking up a first down on a Brandon Summers to Donald Jones passing play, the Penguins had the ball out past the 20-yard line where the first quarter would come to a close locked in a scoreless tie.

Southern Illinois blocked a YSU punt after a high snap and pounced on the loose ball at the YSU 2.  On a second-and-goal from inside the one, Saluki FB Jon Goode powered his way into the end zone to put Southern Illinois in front 7-0.  Starting QB Chris Dieker did not come out for the drive as Southern Illinois sent true freshman Paul McIntosh out.  It was later learned that Dieker had a broken collarbone and is out indefinitely.

After a Penguin punt and a penalty, Southern Illinois took the ball on their own 10-yard line.  On a third-and-six yards to go from their own 14, the Salukis struck big.  McIntosh found Joe Allaria for an 86-yard touchdown, and just when it seemed the momentum was swinging the Penguins way, they found themselves down 14-0.  McIntosh filled in brilliantly for the injured Dieker and finished the game with 133 passing yards and 12 rushes for 81 yards.

The Penguins then got a good kickoff return from Dominique Barnes out to their own 44, but a penalty brought the ball back to the 11-yard line.  Behind six Summers completions and the emergence of Freshman Jermaine Cook’s running, the Penguins moved the ball all the way to the Southern Illinois 12-yard line.  The offense went numb in the red zone again.  Stephen Blose came out to attempt a 25-yard field goal, but the snap was poor and the kick never had a chance.  At the half, it was all YSU (at least it seemed that way), yet they trailed 14-0.

Southern Illinois scored again in the third quarter on a 3-yard run by Deji Karim.  The Salukis started the drive at the YSU 45 after a poor punt by Ben Nowicki.  The TD by Karim, the weapon Coach Heacock said the Penguins needed to neutralize most, was one of his few shining moments in the game as the YSU defense did well containing him all day.

Southern kicker Kyle Dougherty added a pair of field goals  of 44 and 45 yards to complete the Southern Illinois scoring.

YSU got on the board when Summers found Senior Aaron Pitts for a 56-yard hookup.  Pitts had a tremendous game for the Penguins finishing with 7 catches for 102 yards.  The TD made the score 24-8 with a successful two-point conversion.  Donald Jones again tied the school record with 11 catches in a game, the second time he has done so this season.  Jones finished the contest with 11 grabs for 96 yards.

Brandon Summers (pictured) finished the game with 45 passing attempts, a career-high.  He completed 30 of those attempts for 296 yards.  He also finished the game with a touchdown and two fourth-quarter interceptions.  Unfortunately, Summers was also sacked 4 times and finished the game with -41 yards rushing.

The Penguins need to win their final four games to have any shot at all at the postseason.  The task will not be easy as they host South Dakota State (6-1, 5-0), a 24-14 winner at Northern Iowa,  next weekend.  The Penguins then head to the evil dome that is home to Northern Iowa to face another great team.  I’m sure that Coach Heacock will tune up the special teams problems that hurt YSU in the loss to Southern Illinois knowing that you cannot give good teams like this extra reasons to win football games.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  The campaign was originally created to advise women to be alert for early detection of breast cancer so that it may be more easily treated.  When you see a woman driving a car with a pink ribbon, it may not mean she has had to battle the cancer, but rather is well aware of the risks of not getting checked.  This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the campaign.

Here are some stories from other great sites:

• Josh Q. Public takes a look at Sidney Crosby’s performance from Friday night in which he did some things in a game that he had not done yet.
• Sharapova’s Thigh presents the weekly fantasy football updates that you need to know.  So far, the Thigh has won me two games I would have lost this season with on-point advice.
• Fansided posts some videos of the Top-10 college football mascots that can’t be trusted.
• My Sports Rumors lays out the picks for NFL games in Week 7. 
• The Cage Doctors take a look at some MMA fighters who are too pretty to be MMA fighters.  Gina Carano is on the list.
• Sports Rubbish finds the unruly Phillies fans at it again as they try to set a guy in a tree on fire with roman candles.
• Detroit4Lyfe has Jim Carrey giving the Detroit Pistons some tips for their defensive woes.  The Pistons have been giving up 113 points per game.
• Style Points has the story on Michael Vick recently being spotted in a South Philadelphia CVS store buying dog food.
• Fanhouse weighs in on the feud between ESPN and Deadspin where rocks are seemingly being tossed in both directions.
• Gunaxin reveals the 7 rules that every sports movie lives by.
• Predominantly Orange lists the ten best things to do when your team is on a bye week.
• Major League Jerk posted LeBron James saying the one person he would most like to dunk over is George W. Bush.
• No Guts, No Glory lists Lane Kiffin’s foolproof steps for wowing recruits.
• Guyism unveils the newest weird name in college sports – Just-in’love Smith of the Siena Saints Basketball Program.
• NESW Sports has video of LeBron James swatting Rajon Rondo in a recent preseason basketball game.
• Not Qualified To Comment lists reasons why the Bengals’ Cedric Benson is making excuses before the Cincinnati vs Chicago game this weekend where Benson will face his old mates.
• Babes Love Baseball says that Nick Swisher better get it going soon as he is currently muired in an 0-11 slump.

Power-plays and penalty killing go a long way at any level of hockey.  Tri-City won the battle of both Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Youngstown Phantoms at the Covelli Centre.  For the Phantoms, it extends an unwanted losing streak to 3 games.  Brett Moehler paced Tri-City with a pair of goals and an assist en route to being named the First Star of the game.

Tri-City  got on the board first when Brett Moehler scored on the second Storm power-play at 14:02 of the first period.  Moehler was assisted on the goal by Jaden Schwartz and Maxwell Tardy. 

The Phantoms answered with 4:21 left in the first period with a power-play goal of their own to tie the contest at 1-1.  Luke Eibler capitalized on the one-man advantage with a slapshot just beyond the left faceoff circle.  Eibler was assisted by David Donnellan and Joe Zarbo.

The Phantoms were awarded a penalty shot at 17:52 of the first, but Brett Gensler was stuffed by Tri-City goalie Carson Chubak.  However, on the faceoff the Phantoms broke fast into the Storm zone and took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Richard Young, his first of the year.  Young was assisted by Ben Paulides. 

The first period would end with Youngstown leading Tri-City 2-1.  Both teams were 1 for 3 in power-play opportunities in the initial stanza. 

At 12:29 of the second period, Tardy got a power-play goal for Tri-City assisted by Schwartz and Moehler to tie the game at 2.  The same line earlier combined for a power-play score. 

The Phantoms reclaimed the lead with :29 left in the second period.  Luke Eibler picked up his second goal of the evening.  Eibler’s goal came just ten seconds into a Phantoms power-play and he was assisted on the score by Andrej Sustr to put Youngstown in front, 3-2, which is how the second period would end.

With 13:28 left in the game, Radoslav Illo tied the game at 3 with yet another power-play opportunity for Tri-City.    For Illo it was his fifth goal on the season. 

Just 2:03 later, Cody Murphy scored for Tri-City to give the Storm a 4-3 lead.  Murphy was assisted by Tyler Pistone and Rick Pinkston on the even-strength goal.  The goal was Murphy’s first on the year.

The Phantoms had a couple of opportunities late in the game but were unable to capitalize.  Moehler had an empty-net goal, his second on the evening to  push the Tri-City margin to 5-3, which would also end up being the final score.

Coach Bob Mainhardt commented on the unsuccessful penalty killing which ultimately spelled doom for the Phantoms.  “It was bad.  It was really bad.  Every team that plays us look like the Edmonton Oilers of the 80’s on the power-play.”  Mainhardt also commented that he was happy his team played hard until the end and had a chance to win, but was disappointed nonetheless.  “I think some of our younger guys are ready to step forward and assume bigger roles.  Right now our veterans are just not getting the job done.”

Tri-City Forward Brett Moehler had a big game with a couple of goals and an assist.  “I’ve been close the last couple of games and hit the post a couple of times.  I’m glad I could finally get something in and help my team win.”

Phantoms President Alex Zoldan likes what he sees in his first-year club and thinks the Ursuline – Mooney game may have hampered attendance.  “I believe in my heart that the people will really make an effort to get here and take in a game.  We were in this one until the end and our guys played hard.”

The Phantoms (2-3-1) and the Storm (4-1-1) will hook it up again Saturday night at the Covelli Centre.  The puck drops at 7:15 and if you can’t make it to the game then you can catch all of the action with Matt Gajtka on AM-1240.

Jerry Slocum has been coaching basketball at Youngstown State University for five seasons.  His program has made many leaps forward in that span of time.  A new state-of-the-art weight room, a clubhouse atmosphere in the locker room, and putting his recruits on the court with a little experience will all be telltale signs of YSU basketball’s forward progress.  Slocum is just a cool guy.  I cannot say enough good things about him or the way he processes information.  The guy is a genius of this sport and I think that YSU will make it to the big dance in March under his guidance very soon.  YSU fans take notice, we are lucky to have him here and the fruit of his hard work will become visible this season.

Paneech:  In your five seasons, you can finally put your stamp on this team as they are all your recruits playing with some experience.

Slocum:  I don’t think there is any shortcut to look at that.  Experience is what it is.  What comes first, the chicken or the egg?  Are you good without any experience?  I think you have to go through a process to get it.  Once you have that experience process in place, you start building towards winning.  Last year we had seven new guys, I thought it would come quicker than it did, but by February, we had a pretty good basketball team.  That kind of excitement has led into the Spring and the Summer.  Now we are into early Fall, and we are pretty excited about where we are.  You are what you experience, and I think that the experience we have gained will show this season.

Paneech:  Only losing two players from last year and having all this experience back you have to really be excited with the returning talent, the cupboard is stocked for the future too.

Slocum:  We have a tandem with three of the five with Dallas Blocker, Dan Boudler, and Eddie D’Haiti that I think will really play out and be a positive factor for this team this year.  When this class goes, everyone is going to look and say you lost all of these seniors.  We are going to have Ashen Ward return at the two-guard spot.  You are gonna have both three-men back.  You are going to have Damian Eargle back at the four, and Eddie [D’Haiti] coming back as a five.  We have alredy gotten verbal commitments from some kids, so in my mind, we have got the classes where we want them, we have got the kids coming up that are learning from the older guys and there is just a good attitude and symmetry that the group has taken.

Paneech:  Who is the team to beat in the Horizon League this season?  Did you take offense to being picked 7th in the preseason poll?

Slocum: I think there are two teams that are a cut above with Butler and Wright State.  Then there are four or five teams in the next tier, and I would put us in that group, anywhere between three and seven.  I maybe took a little bit of offense to being picked seventh.  Our league doesn’t respect us.  It’s like I say to our guys – respect is earned.  In the last two years we have finished fourth and sixth.  Did I think we would maybe be in that fourth spot?  Yeah, I thought so.  I think we finish third or fourth.  Being picked seventh shows that the league doesn’t have alot of respect for us and the pressure comes back on us to prove it.

Paneech:  Who are your go-to guys with five seconds left in a game, who takes the shot?

Slocum:  I think there are two guys that are pressure shooters and pressure players for us.  I think a bunch of guys can make the shots.  The two guys who can create a shot, follow their shot, and then maybe pitch it to a shot are DeAndre Mays and Vytas Sulskis.  Both of those guys are guys who can find a way to pick us back up with a big shot. 

Paneech:  When it happens, and it will someday, how big of a shot in the arm will it be for this program to appear in the March Madness brackets?

Slocum:  Obviously, it’s a dream that we all have.  To me, it wasn’t as much of a dream as it was a reality to achieve.  I think we are headed in the right direction.  Everybody talks about how you only have to win three games at the end of the year to get in, and I believe that to be true also, but, in the same breath, you have to be able to get to the end and have the confidence.  The way we finished last year should carry over into this year.

Paneech:  Is your group healthy?

Slocum:  Right now, we are healthy.  Every Fall, we do a little bit of a different approach to get our guys ready.  I’m not a big guy on coming in at 100%  top shape.  I think progressively, we get there.  Across the country, some guys get pushed too hard before their bodies are ready to take that kind of a pounding.  Right now we are healthy, and I am cautiously optimistic about our health.

Paneech:  Have you gotten comfortable with Youngstown as your home yet?

Slocum:  We love the valley and Youngstown.  My wife is a nurse at a local hospital.  This is home.  We enjoy the area, we enjoy Mill Creek Park, we enjoy all of the different things that are unique to Youngstown.

Paneech:  I am a fan, yet there are detractors.  Do you care about criticism or is it just accepted as part of the job?

Slocum:  It is what it is.  If you let those people govern you or disturb your thought process, then you don’t focus on your job and doing it the right way.  We knew when we got here that it would be a great challenge for us.  We knew that the recruiting hadn’t been what it should’ve been relevant to the Horizon League.  We had to learn Youngstown and how to recruit for YSU and the challenges of recruiting in a state with the MAC.  I don’t lose any sleep from all of the people that say things behind my back, or to my face about this criticism or that criticism.  I know that right now, the infrastructure of our program is higher than it has ever been and I know that our talent level is better.

Paneech:  How fun is it to play schools like Xavier, Kent, and Pitt?

Slocum:  I think it is fun for our guys.  In the time since I have been here, we have really changed our profile relevant to our schedule.  When you play schools like Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, Xavier, and Kent, it gives our guys the chance to play the best teams in the country.  It also gives you a measuring stick to get ready for your conference play.  We will contnue to do that while I am here.  I think it is a great recruiting tool and it allows our guys to dream a little bit.

Paneech:  Talk to me about riding a motorcycle and the trips you take.

Slocum:  I ride a Honda.  My wife doesn’t have a motorcycle, she just rides with me.  It really started in my youth.  I had motorcycles until I was 23 or 24 when we had our first child.  I went away from them for about 25 years.  Now that the kids are gone, I have picked it back up in the last ten years.  It gives us a chance to go and travel and we love being on the road.  We rode to the very top of Nova Scotia.  Next year, we are planning to go to South Dakota.

Paneech:  If you were asked to coach the Olympic Basketball Team, who would be your starting five?

Slocum:  Obviously, your top two guys would be LeBron and Kobe.  Kobe is probably the hardest working guy in the game.  My big guy would have to be Howard because he is so agile.  Bosh and Garnett would be there too.  The point guard spot would probably be Chris Paul. 

One Word Answers

Best All-Time Coach At Any Level:  Dean Smith.

Favorite Flavor of Handel’s Ice Cream:  (long pause)  Black Raspberry.

Mountaineer or Cedar Point?   Cedar Point.

Restaurant In Youngstown That You Have To Get To:  MVR Club.

Favorite Holiday:  Christmas.

Best Boxer At Any Weight Class:  Kelly Pavlik.

Favorite Group Of All-Time:  The Who.

A Short Description Of This Year’s Team:  Mentally Tougher.

Least Favorite Chore To Do At Home:  Clean Up The Dog’s Poop.

Can The Cavs Win This Year?  Yes.

Favorite Fruit:  Peaches

Best Movie Ever Made:  Patton.

I would be hard-pressed to find any YSU sports fan who would not be rooting for Cindy Martin to turn the YSU Women’s Basketball Program around in the next couple of years.  This is only her second year on the job and she has basically assumed responsibility of keeping air in a tire that has been flat for awhile.  To talk with her, one can easily buy into her philosophies and hands-on approach.  After a 3-27 season, Martin thinks that this year’s team will not only be better, but has set a goal of finishing sixth or better in the Horizon League to asssure a first-round bye at the conference tournament.  I had the pleasure of meeting Coach Martin for the first time this week.  She was very open and discussed the meat and potatoes of women’s basketball with me.

Paneech:  With one year in the books, how do you feel about this teams chances of improving on a 3-27 season?

Martin:  I feel great about our chances for improvement.  I’m excited to have five returning players who know our system, know what is expected, know the drills, know what we want on the court and off the court, in the classroom – and they [five returning players] are doing a tremendous job of teaching the new players the system.  From that standpoint, I think we are going to win more games and from an improvement standpoint, I think we already have improved.

Paneech:  Can we expect to see you suit up if one of your six healthy players gets hurt?

Martin:  (laughs) I’m retired buddy.  I wish I could play my coaching staff.  We have got to go with what we have.  I am a card player and believe that you play the hands that you are dealt.  This is our hand and we have to play it to the best of our ability.  More than anything, we are trying to restructure our practice plans to make sure we are getting the most out of our healthy players, as well as, making sure that they are working on skills and cohesion, but not overdoing it. 

Paneech:  Who is hurt, who is healthy?

Martin:  We have got eight right now that would be able to play if it was a game, with two of the eight being very, very limited.  Kaitlin Rohrs and Kaitlyn March would both be very limited.  Our six healthy players are Boki Dimitrov, Rachael Manuel, Macey Norton, Makala Gasparek, Brandi Brown, and Kenya Middlebrooks.  The other three players (Shea Johnson, Maryum Jenkins, and Melissa Thompson), we are not sure about, two of them might have season-ending injuries. 

Paneech:  What are the goals for 2009-10?

Martin:  Our biggest goal will be to finish in the top six of our conference.  If we can finish in the top six, we will get a bye, which obviously in our situation would be the best thing to position ourselves.  If we don’t get that bye, it is going to be extremely difficult to win out.  We are trying to think positively, all we have to do is beat four other teams head-to-head if you look at it like that.

Paneech:  How did your first full year of recruiting go?

Martin:  Our recruiting went great!  My assistant, Bernard Scott, is our recruiting coordinator and does a fantastic job of leading our effort.  We signed seven girls that are all here on our roster.  One of the girls, Tieara Jones, has to sit out due to transfer requirements.  I’m very happy with the talent we were able to bring in.  The dilemma is that four of the six we brought in (minus Tieara Jones) are injured and we have to get them back in. 

Paneech:  I know you consider yourself a perfectionist.  How hard is it to do things perfectly at practices this early in the season?

Martin:  I think that is where I can never lower my standards, like going from three hours to two hours or from five-on-five to three-on-three.  We’re trying to change some of those parameters, but where we can still expect our girls’ skill level to be on point.  I don’t expect us to play perfect, basketball is a game of mistakes.  The team that can recover from those mistakes the fastest, and makes the fewest, is usually going to win the game.  I am a perfectionist, but I understand that it is not going to be perfect and a little sloppy at first.  What we are shooting for is that by January, we have a polished product on the floor.

Paneech:  How is this working when you can’t even have a five-on-five drill in practice because you only have six healthy players?

Martin:  We can’t unless my coaches are out there.  I have actually talked to a few girls on campus about coming and trying out for us.  If a student is in good academic standing, and can contribute to this team in a positive way and can play the game, they would be considered to make this team.  We are trying to find a few more and if the possibility of adding players to the roster exists, we would consider that.  We are also looking for a couple of guys, you are allowed three, we have one, to give us practice minutes.

Paneech: Who is the team to beat in the Horizon League this season?

Martin:  I think there are three or four.  I think Green Bay is always going to be good.  I think Cleveland State is exceptionally good this year, Butler is bringing alot back and should be very good.  Those are probably the top three in my opinion.  Night in and night out you don’t know who is going to be good.  I feel the Horizon League has teams from top to bottom that can outplay each other on any given night.  There are upsets in our league, you rarely see one team dominating. 

Paneech: Talk about your two seniors (Kaitlyn March and Rachael Manuel):

Martin:  I think they are going to have great years.  Rachael is really improved.  She spent the whole Summer here with Makala [Gasparek] and every single day that I would come into the office they were either coming or going to the gym or the weight room.  I think Rachael’s skills have gotten better in the post, we are letting her shoot the three this year which will be a new twist, to let our post step out and shoot the three.  Kaitlyn March is really having problems with her shins and her playing time will be limited.  We need points and production from her in those minutes that she does play.  She should be able to give us 15-20 minutes at the most because of what her physical limitations are.  We will play her as we need her because she is one of our best shooters.

Paneech:  With a normal sized roster, if a couple of players are shooting poorly, a coach can bench them.  With six players on the roster right now, you do not have that luxury, how will you handle that situation when it arises?

Martin:  I don’t think we will be able to do much during the games.  Our job is to practice for that situation.  If we are having an off night, here are some sets we can run, or here is how we can tweak our defense to create more stops and open the break opportunities.  If our half-court offense isn’t working, you have to do something to pick up the tempo.  The girls know they will be called upon to play 30-35 minutes.  If someone is having a bad night, someone may have to step up and play 40 minutes.

Paneech:  Walk me through a day in the life of Cindy Martin – start to finish:

Martin:  Well, I am committed to taking better care of myself this year, so I  wake up at 6 a.m. and am usually here and working out by 7.  After a workout and a shower, I try to get in the office.  We have a set staff meeting at 10 every morning.  We meet from 10-11 to talk about the team, recruiting, scheduling, and planning.  From 12-1, I try to watch film from the day before and my 12-1 is nothing more than me trying to get ready for practice or talking to a student-athlete to prepare them for something we may want from them on that particular day.  By 1 we are on the floor for practice.  This schedule helps me and my staff to have a regular schedule.  I’m normally done working by about 9 o’clock at night.  Sometimes I am here in the office until 6 and will go home to make calls.  Sometimes I will go home and watch film.  I think it is important to not always stay here and make recruiting calls and watch film.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal Of The Day:  Dinner.

Favorite Board Game:  Chess.

Best Musician Out There Right Now:  Keith Urban.

Favorite Vegetable:  Broccoli.

More Important, Free Throws Or Threes:  Free Throws.

Best Show On TV:  Grey’s Anatomy.

Greatest Female Basketball Player Ever:  Jennifer Azzi.

Ultimate Vacation Destination:  Jacksonville, FL to see my family.

Favorite Holiday:  Christmas.

Browns or Steelers:  Neutral.  I’m a college fan, we have the Gators back home and the Jaguars, so I am very neutral here.

One Word To Describe This Years Team:  Fiesty!

Youngstown State University will remain in a must-win position for the rest of the regular season.  This week, the Penguins have a tough task in traveling to Carbondale, Ill. to face the Salukis of Southern Illinois.  The Salukis started the year with a nailbiter loss at Marshall (31-28) but have been perfect since in compiling a 5-1 record.  Last week Southern Illinois got a huge road win against then #2 ranked Northern Iowa.  After that win the Salukis have climbed to #3 in the polls.

Youngstown State Coach Jon Heacock knows that Southern Illinois is a tall order.  “They have a very good and tough team of veterans.  They play very disciplined football and don’t beat themselves.  They do a great job of protecting the ball.  Deji Karim is the best running back we will see all year, and that includes Dion Lewis of Pitt.”

Deji Karim is averaging almost 160 yards per game on the ground for a fantastic run offense powered by a mostly senior offensive line.  One of the strengths of the Saluki offense that Heacock pointed out was that if a team chooses to stuff the box and try to take away the run, that QB Chris Dieker will step up and beat you.

The Southern Illinois Defense is led by Sr. All-American LB Brandin Jordan.  Despite missing a game this season, Jordan still leads the Salukis in tackles with 39 in just five games.  Korey Lindsey (Jr., CB) and Mike McElroy (Jr., FS) have combined for 9 interceptions in six games.  The Salukis have 13 starters that are Seniors.  Youngstown State only has 12 Seniors on the team.

For YSU, the bye week yielded an extra seven days of preparation, as well as, a chance for the team to heal up those small, nagging injuries.  To look at the season so far with a 4-2 overall record is nice on paper until you look at who the next three games are against.  This week @ Southern Illinois.  Next week – Home against South Dakota State, and November 7 @ Northern Iowa.  You could go from being 4-2 to being 4-5 if you play poorly.  The Youngstown State team I saw in the first half of the Western Illinois game last week would beat any of the above three mentioned future-games.  However, the team I saw in the second half would struggle to win against anybody.  If Coach Heacock has indeed de-emphasized the things that did not work this season and enhanced the things that did work, YSU should be a dangerous team the rest of this season.

YSU CB Brandian Ross said at Monday’s weekly press conference that there is no extra pressure on YSU to win.  “We can’t afford to lose, we don’t want to lose.  If you are a true competitor it doesn’t get any better than this.  You want to play the best of the best every week and thats what we are getting ready to do.  We don’t look at it as pressure to win.  We want to play football.”

Brian Mellott, a Penguins Senior offensive lineman, wants to use last years 33-0 beating at the hands of the Salukis as motivation.  “Last year they came in here and beat us.  It was embarrassing, not only for the football team and university, but also for the whole town.  We are in a great position with our last five games against five great teams.  We will find out alot about Youngstown State Football 2009.”

For Youngstown State to be successful, they are going to have to turn in a great performance against the most complete team they have faced since Pitt.  Brandon Summers has to have a sound game and not try to force passes against a defense that knows how to keep momentum for halves, not drives.  Kevin Smith and the young offensive line need to move the ball to assist the potency of a strong passing game.  The entire defense must line up ready to carry out assignments and responsibilities.  The easy ones, at least in my eyes, are done.  These last five games are going to all be challenges starting at the top of the mountain with Southern Illinois.

Kickoff is set for Saturday at 4:00 EST at McAndrew Stadium.  The weather forecast is calling for perfect Autumn conditions of partly cloudy and 50 degrees.  The game can be heard on AM-570 with Bob Hannon, Dick Hartzell and Dave Sess starting their coverage at 3:30.

Penguin Notes

• YSU holds a 10-9-1 series advantage over Southern Illinois.
• This is YSU’s final visit to McAndrew Stadium as the new Southern Illinois facilities are set to open for the 2010 season.
• Since 1975, YSU is has a 24-3 record after a bye week.
• Saturdays game at Carbondale will be Coach Heacock’s 100th as YSU Head Coach.

When I predicted the New Orleans Saints to win the Super Bowl this season I was heckled and ridiculed.  Sunday, in a game that was termed a showdown of two NFC powerhouses, Drew Brees had has way for most of the contest in a 47-28 blowout over the New York Giants.  With the win, the Saints improved to 5-0, the first time thhey have started a season with five victories since 1993.

In the game, Brees was 23-30 for for 369 yards and four touchdowns.  More impressive than the statistics were the throws he made.  Anyone who saw the game would agree that Brees was razor sharp, especially in the first half, as he consistently abused the Giants with precision passes that could only be thrown in a small window for completions.  Brees almost broke his own franchise record of 17 consecutive completions, but came up short with 15.   

If you analyze the depth of skill position players the Saints have, the combinations of who is on the field at the same time is limitless.  At running back, Pierre Thomas will be the workhorse and Mike Bell will spell Thomas at times.  The most recognizable Saint, Reggie Bush, will be used in greater frequency at some point this season when a defense feels like shutting down everything else.  Heath Evans is a true fullback who can get the ball around the goal-line as he did against the Giants.

At wide receiver, there are so many quality choices.  Marques Colston, a no-namer that got the Saints booed for selecting him on Draft Day out of Hofstra a few years ago, is a tall guy who runs great routes and has great hands.  Robert Meachum and Lance Moore are both healthy at the same time.  Devery Henderson is an undersized gamebreaker who poses the big threat.  Throw in Jeremy Shockey at TE, and you have the most complete core of receivers in the NFL.

The Saints defense only has to play sufficiently to get victories.  This offense has the potential to go down as one of the best in NFL Football history, and I would not be surprised to see Brees re-write the record books this season.

The only team being compared to New Orleans in the NFC is Minnesota.  The Vikings are a well-rounded team on both sides of the ball.  Keep this in mind though, Brett Favre started 7-1 in New York last season before his old bones started to ache.  Will Tarverius Jackson be enough to make Minnesota better than New Orleans?  I think not.