Final Football Edition of Trojan Talk Tonight

2 PM, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010
BARRY MCKNIGHT (b_mcknight@yahoo.com)

After eleven football shows and several barrels of peanuts consumed at our table at Santa Fe Cattle Company, the schedule shows that this is the last Trojan Talk featuring solely football coach Larry Blakeney! He and I will be on the air amidst dozens of the Trojan Nation (including, hopefully, you), bushels of peanut shells, and lots of your phone calls to talk about Troy football from 7p-8p tonight on the fine stations that comprise the Troy Sports Network and online at troytrojans.com. We'll get your questions and comments, as always, toll-free at 1-866-736-5889 and on our Troy Facebook page as well! What's the outlook for the regular-season finale at FAU? What led to Troy's win last week vs. WKU? What are the bowl hopes and plans for the Trojans? I can ask those questions, but we'd rather hear it from you tonight!
That does NOT mean, however, that we're done with Trojan Talk for the year! Men's basketball coach Don Maestri and women's coach Michael Murphy will be on the show through the end of the regular season, starting next week, and we usually have a bowl preview edition of Trojan Talk near the holidays with Coach Blakeney!

Finally, here's some audio highlights from Monday's weekly press conference prior to FAU week: Head Coach Larry Blakeney, QB Corey Robinson, WR Jerrel Jernigan, LB Xavier Lamb, and RB Chris Anderson. Go Trojans!

Let Us Be Thankful For These and All Our Many Blessings

Tale of the Tape, November 26, 2010
Alyson Gramley, ATC
Contact me: adgramley@troy.edu

WOW! It's already Black Friday...seems like yesterday we were gearing up for pre-season football camp and now I'm in Starkville, MS, for the fifth basketball game of the year! There have been some up's and down's along the way since I've last contributed to the blogs. In my defense, I've been extremely busy with my real job. With that said, it has been a record year in the Injury Department, both with football and basketball. Hopefully that department will be among the many others depleted with all the after-Turkey Day shopping going on today!!

Indulge me in "Reasons Alyson is Thankful This Year" if you will (not in any particular order):

Reason #1: Improved Modes of Travel-We traveled over to Starkville on Thanksgiving Day on one of my many reasons for thanks: a sleeper bus! The Men of Troy started utilizing this method of transportation a few years back and I can't imagine making a long trip in any other fashion. Since I immediately seem to fall asleep when the bus is put in drive, the horizontal possibilities on the sleeper bus are much more favorable than those on a regular "seated" charter bus. Now, don't get me wrong, the satellite TV and internet are added bonuses!

Reason #2: Life's Lessons Learned in Spectacular Places-I've been around the sun seven times as the basketball athletic trainer at TROY, and over 14 times all together as a member of the Trojan Athletic Training Team. I've been to Europe, The Bahamas, The US Virgin Islands, Texas, Alaska, Miami, and almost everywhere in between, all in the name of TROY! That is an amazing statement by itself. And in all those years, I've had my share of winning and losing. Thankfully, however, there has been more of the former than the latter! I have learned one profound thing about myself in that time: I don't like to lose. In a recent philosophical debate with some of the basketball media staff, I made the comment that "winning is easy, it's the losing that's hard!" They didn't necessarily agree with me. Maybe I'll explain my point in another blog one day.

Reason #3: Health- Although my job relies on the presence of un-health of active individuals, I've been blessed with reasonable personal healthiness. I am consistently trying to increase my physicalitythrough jogging and the like, recently to my detriment. I am currently harboring a little shoulder thing acquired in my plight to acheive "INSANITY" with some co-workers. It was a fun time had by all and we definitely did some insane things in the workouts. Unfortunately my right shoulder couldn't keep up with Level 2 of Insanity...I'll eventually heed some of my own advice and work through it, but for now there are others that need attention.

Reason #4: Extended Family- I have an exceptional travel partner on this trip, my daughter. Since my "real" family was spread about and our travel plans had us on the road for Thanksgiving this year, I was able to bring Mere's along for the trip to Starkville, MS, with my "other" family. My Trojan Family has been almost as important to me as my Gramley Family and both are equally a tad dysfunctional at times! The Holiday Season reminds us all to be thankful for our friends and family. I am truly thankful for the many blessings I've been granted in the "Awesome Family and Friends" department!

When my dad says the blessing at meals in our house, he always says "Let us be thankful for these and all our many blessings." It was what his mother said when she blessed our meals! Remember to be thankful every day, not just on the Thanksgiving Day.

In closing, here's a few Alyson-ism's:
Be thankful for wins when we get them and the lessons learned when we lose.
Be thankful for health when we have it and for Athletic Trainers, like me, when you lack it.
Be thankful for your family regardless of how dysfunctional it may seem.

Thankful, as always...
Go Trojans!!
Alyson

Happy Thanksgiving from Cincinnati

IN THE ZONE
Thursday, November 26, 2010; 7:30 pm
Travis Jarome (email)

Before I start, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and at this time of the day, I hope each of you were able to enjoy the day. Although we were not able to enjoy with our immediate family, the Trojans women's basketball team was able to enjoy the day with our second family - each other.

Today started off like any other on the road, a nice early wake-up call followed by breakfast in the hotel. I can honestly say, and head coach Michael Murphy made the same comment, that this breakfast reminds us of the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. The girls were able to enjoy a variety of foods; including a heathly helping of fruit.

After breakfast, the team boarded the bus to the Cintas Center - which is on the campus of Xavier University - and is only five minutes from where we are staying, the Kingsgate Marriott on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Walking into the area, it became apparant quickly that we were now in the best arena we would play in all season long. The arena is huge, seating over 10,000 with LED boards throught and a huge scoreboard (digital) mounted over the court. Walking around the concourse while the team was practicing was an eye-opening experience with the Hall of Fame area on one side, the X-Store in the middle and pictures throughout on the walls. The arena was complete with suites and each concession stand had no less than 2 flat screen televisions mounted above for the patrons.

After a nice practice session, the team came back to the hotel to change and get ready for our Thanksgiving team meal. We traveled to an Italian restaurant named Buca di Beppo for a nice Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy, bread and dessert. You couldn't ask for anything better when you are away from home.

The Trojans take on fifth-ranked Xavier (3-0) tomorrow afternoon at 2:05 pm (EST), a team that was a basket away from the Final Four last season. And for those that don't understand how close they were to the Final Four, a missed lay-up and a foul sent the Stanford Cardinal to the national championship in which they were dismantling UConn in the first half, before the Huskies were able to pull away in the second half. THAT IS HOW CLOSE THIS TEAM WAS TO THE FINAL FOUR!!

This will be the first meeting between the two schools in their respective history and can be heard by clicking here.

I also need to mention a special thanks to Cincinnati-natives Mike Frigge and Tony Ferrante in the Troy University Athletic Department, who prepared me for the trip here and gave pointers throughout.

Friday night in Starkville, Saturday afternoon in Troy

5:10 PM, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25 2010
BARRY MCKNIGHT (b_mcknight@yahoo.com)


After a great Thanksgiving meal with the family and a little TV, it was back at it Thanksgiving night, preparing for a busy next four days, including two Trojan basketball broadcasts and a hugely important Troy football game.
I'll be trying to negotiate my way around Tuscaloosa on Friday during the Iron Bowl on my way to Starkville, MS, where the basketball team closes out a four-game road stretch against the unbeaten Mississippi State Bulldogs. Tipoff is scheduled for 6pm from Humphrey Coliseum, with air time on the Troy Sports Network from IMG College set at 6:30 Friday night, with myself, Taylor Bryan, Mike Mote, and Michael Buchanan. The over-the-air broadcast will be carried by 94.7FM in Troy and 560AM in Dothan, plus online coverage at troytrojans.com.
Then, after the game, straight back from Starkville, a little sleep, then on to Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy for Senior Day, where the Troy Trojans close out the regular-season home schedule against the WKU Hilltoppers at 2:30.We'll broadcast it on the radio beginning at 12:30, on the Troy Sports Network and online at troytrojans.com as well.
Sunday will be spent preparing for Monday night at Sartain Hall for the (hopefully) triumphant return of the Trojan hoops squad for a home matchup against the UAB Blazers. Tipoff is at 7pm, air time is at 6:30 on 94.7FM in Troy and 560AM in Dothan, plus online coverage at troytrojans.com, again!

It's Monday, so this must be San Antonio

3:30 PM, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010
BARRY MCKNIGHT (b_mcknight@yahoo.com)

The Trojan basketball squad is bunked at the historic Menger Hotel (everything in San Antonio's downtown is evidently "historic"), which is directly across the street from the historic Alamo, which is very cool for a guy like me who enjoys history. A reference as to where I'm blogging right this very moment: if I opened my room's window on the second floor and spit my gum as hard as I could, it'd hit the right side of the Alamo as pictured here:The reason why Troy basketball is here is to win an intercollegiate basketball contest against the RoadRunners of the University of Texas-San Antonio tonight. Troy has lost two in a row --to Alabama and Georgia State (both on the road)-- and sits at 1-2 early in the year. UTSA is 2-1, and neither school has a win over a D-1 program, so we don't really know what to expect from either side!
Troy practiced on Sunday at the training facility used by the San Antonio Spurs, which was fairly incredible. We got a tour of the facility after practice, and senior guards Vernon Taylor and Regis Huddleston checked out Tim Duncan's locker (which was immaculate) and his shoes (which were not). Regis is sitting at Antonio McDyess's locker and pointed out that Dice, like Regis, is a Mississippi guy; I asked if McDyess was from Meridian, as I remembered, but was quickly corrected: "He's from Quitman, man. Quitman.."
Media relations wizard Taylor Bryan makes his on-air debut for the 2010-2011 season on the radio coverage tonight. Tipoff is set for 7pm Central time, with our air time set for 6:30 on 94.7FM in Troy, 560AM in Dothan, and online at troytrojans.com. Then Troy prepares for a Friday game at Mississippi State!
It's been a crazy schedule for me recently, but it's always great fun to follow the Trojans!

Trojans in Ft. Myers before heading home

In The Zone
Sunday, November 21, 12:03 pm
Travis Jarome (email)


It is gameday here in Ft. Myers on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, makes you wish this was an outdoor sport. But not to worry, Alico Arena is a beautiful setting in its own right. A nice qaunt gymnasium on the back side of campus, along with tennis, softball, baseball and the aquatic center. It was just five years ago that I was down here for another athletic trip, and boy has the campus grown - not only in buildings but students as in 10 years it has gone from 2500 to 12,00 students - and the athletic department has gone from NCAA Division II to a perennial power in the Atlantic Sun at the NCAA Division I level.




The team got a chance to get out of the hotel a little bit on Saturday after a long day of traveling on Friday after practice. After a spirited practice at a local high school on Saturday afternoon, the team and staff headed over PF Changs for a great team dinner. After dinner, everyone walked around the Gulf Coast Town Center - which I would be remise if I didn't mention how big it is. The place has stores that are usually separate from each other, all closed off and makes one big shopping center.



In the middle of the shopping center, there an older gentleman singing songs from Elvis to Fats Dominio to Christmas to recent hits to a big crowd gathered in the courtyard. It was an experience that if you enjoy just sitting listening to music, would be one you wouldn't soon forget.


After listening to the music, myself, Jennifer Wasson and Michael Murphy walked over to Rita's - an Italian Ice establishment. Once there, we went through a tasting period in which were informed that during the summer months anytime anyone buys Alex's Lemonade, then a donation is made to the child for whom it is named for to her cause (young lady with cancer).


But anyway, back to today, the Trojans and Florida Gulf Coast tip at 2:05 pm (EST) at Alico Arena in a game that will be a test for the Trojans. Florida Gulf Coast is among the nation's leaders in three-pointers made per game, however TROY has always been among the nation's best in three-point field goal percentage defense.


Until next time, check back with TroyTrojans.com after the game; and for live updates, links are available on TroyTrojans.com to watch and listen.

Troy-South Carolina sports conversation

2:55 PM, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2010
BARRY MCKNIGHT (b_mcknight@yahoo.com)


It's about time for a shameless plug for my "other" job, as the sports-talk co-host on the Budweiser SportsLine on SportsRadio 740, WMSP-AM, in Montgomery. We'll have some interesting pre-game conversations Thursday leading into Saturday morning's Troy-South Carolina game with the Gamecocks' radio play-by-play voice Todd Ellis scheduled to stop by at 8:05am and Troy's own Larry Blakeney at 9:35am. It'll be the Trojans' third trip to Columbia and we've always enjoyed the atmosphere; I like "Also Sprach Zarathrustra" and the fire extinguishers at the entrance and, not only do I respect their mascot choice (and its Hawaiian shaka sign, left), but I like the Rooster Crow they play at Williams-Brice after a big play, although I hope they don't get a chance to play it much Saturday. If you can't listen in on WMSP's blowtorch radio signal, you can listen online at sportsradio740.com!