Neuqua Valley's baseball team claimed the No. 1 seed in its own sectional Wednesday.

The Wildcats, which won the AA state championship last year, top what's been called an insane field of competition. Insane, these days, doubles for difficult.

Without further deadpanned delay, here's the top 16 seeds:

1. Neuqua Valley
2. Downers Grove South
3. Lockport
4. Lincoln-Way East
5. Downers Grove North
6. Joliet Township
7. Benet
8. Naperville Central
9. Plainfield North
10. Naperville North
11. Hinsdale South
12. West Aurora
13. Providence Catholic
14. Romeoville
15. Wheaton Warrenville South
16. Waubonsie Valley

After learning that his Warriors would enter the state playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Naperville North Sectional, Waubonsie Valley boys volleyball coach Al Lagger didn't hide his disdain when The Heat Index asked him if that was a fair seeding.

"No (it's not fair)," Lagger said on Wednesday night. "We got kind of hosed by the suburban Prairie schools that don't see us play."

Waubonsie (13-10), which will host one of the four regionals, is the lowest seeded team in the Naperville area.

Naperville Central (21-4) is the top seed, Neuqua Valley (27-3) is No. 2, Naperville North (17-7) is No. 3 and Benet (19-10) is No. 4.

North coach Roger Strausberger said his team could have been a No. 2 seed in his mind, but being third is about right considering his team is carrying seven losses.

"Even though all of our losses were to good opponents, they were still losses," he said.

The IHSA will release the seedings on Thurdsay and the pairings on Friday.

The IHSA held its softball seed meeting for Class 3A/4A on Wednesday night. Naperville Central led local teams with a No. 4 seed, while Benet and Naperville North rounded out the top ten at No. 9 and 10, respectively. Here's the complete list according to our sources:

1. Plainfield Central
2. Lockport*
3. Downers Grove South
4. Naperville Central
5. West Aurora*
6. Plainfield South
7. Wheaton South
8. Hinsdale South
9. Benet
10. Naperville North
11. Neuqua Valley *
12. Downers Grove North
13. Plainfield North
14. Hinsdale Central*
15. Bolingbrook
16. Oswego East
17. Romeoville
18. Waubonsie Valley
19. East Aurora

Regional pairings will be announced this Friday at the IHSA website. What do you think about the seeds? Are any of the teams seeded too high? Too low?

The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference on Wednesday named Waubonsie Valley graduate Aly Kelley as its softball player of the year.

Kelley is a senior catcher at Saint Xavier University.

Kelley is hitting .338 on the year with 46 hits, 20 runs scored, and 33 RBI. She has a team-best six home runs this season as well as the most total bases (70) and highest slugging percentage (.515). Behind the plate, Kelley has been just as tough with 184 putouts and 25 assists with only three errors. Among active starters in the field, Kelley has the highest fielding percentage at .986.

Waubonsie Valley may be without its leading scorer for the remainder of the regular season. But that's good news considering the Warriors could have lost sophomore Vanessa DiBernardo for even longer than the 10 days to two weeks she's expected to miss.

DiBernardo, an all-state and Sun All-City midfielder, sprained a ligament in her right leg in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over St. Charles North. An MRI taken Wednesday came back negative for any further damage.

If all goes well, DiBernardo should be back on the field in time to help the Warriors defend their Class AA crown. Waubonsie begins its pursuit May 14 in the Plainfield North Regional.

The Warriors did get some good news earlier Tuesday when the NSCAA released its latest national rankings. Waubonsie (13-0-1) moved up to No. 4 after falling as low as No. 11 in the days after its 2-2 tie at Lincoln-Way Central. Normal Community is the only other Illinois team to crack the NSCAA rankings, coming in at No. 13. For the complete poll, click here.

I'm sure the Naperville North and Naperville Central boys volleyball teams are currently focused on Thursday night's crosstown match, but the forward thinking The Back Row broke down this weekend's Lincoln-Way East tournament on Tuesday.

Previously-ranked but always dangerous Naperville North and Lake Forest will go head-to-head in Pool A, Lincoln-Way Central and Naperville Central will meet Friday at 5:30 p.m. for the right to advance from Pool B, and Sandburg and Lyons will meet Friday at 5:30 p.m. to emerge from Pool D.

Brother Rice, which had lost three consecutive matches following Monday's defeat to Oak Park, should get back on track in Pool C against Oak Lawn, Joliet and Maine East.

As for the crosstown match on Thursday, I wouldn't even go if I wasn't essentially required by law. Yes, the Redhawks beat North at the Tiger Classic to break a 14-match losing streak. Yes, the Huskies evened the score in the first DVC match.

Nothing against the two squads, but watching rivals play is worthless in terms of evaluating the scene.

But hey, I guess that's the life.

Naperville Central senior Kara Wilson, the school's all-time goal scorer, told The Heat Index on Tuesday night that she will not play water polo when she goes to college next year.

"I decided not to pursue that," Wilson said after scoring four goals in an 8-5 loss to defending state champion Mother McAuley.

Wilson will play her final home match on Wednesday night against St. Charles East, her final regular season road match on Thursday at Sandburg and her final tournament on Saturday at the Stevenson Co-ed.

After that, Kara Wilson said she hopes her water polo career doesn't end like last season -- at the Neuqua Valley Sectional. She also said she is aware the clock is ticking.

"Yeah definitely," Wilson said. "I mean, after this year, I'm done. So it's kind of sad. So hopefully we'll end on a good note. I mean, last year was a tough way to end. My freshman and sophomore year it was great to go to state, so it'd be great if we could rally and just play really well at sectionals."

Neuqua Valley senior Dan Pawelski will play his college basketball at Loras College, Chicagohoops.com reported on Tuesday.

Head coach Greg Gorton and Loras College have scored a major recruiting coup, and have landed 6-8 Neuqua Valley star Dan Pawelski. Pawelski is coming off of a huge senior season which saw him tabbed as a 4th team All-State selection.

Loras College is a Catholic liberal arts school in Dubuque, Iowa. As a NCAA Division III program, it does not provide athletic scholarships.

Naperville North and Nebraska graduate Corey McKeon will attend the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rookie mini-camp on Thursday as an unsigned free agent.

McKeon is trying to become the sixth Naperville native to currently play in the NFL, three of whom in Chris Brown, Justin McCareins and Glenn Earl already hail from his father's North program . The others are Central grad Owen Daniels and Neuqua grad O.J. Oshinowo.

What makes the North program so good at producing NFL-caliber players, or is it just a coincidence?

Neither Naperville Central grad and NIU kicker Chris Nendick nor Naperville North grad and Nebraska linebacker Corey McKeon were picked at this past weekend's NFL draft.

So both will spend the next day or so waiting to hear from prospective teams about signing on as a free agent.

Check back in The Naperville Sun and on-line at either napersun.com/sports or napersun.com/heatindex for updates on the two local players.

It's impossible to predict the NFL Draft, especially the later rounds. Everyone agree?

When it comes to Naperville North grad Corey McKeon of Nebraska, he's equally unsure about who's interested in him the most. Dad -- North football coach Larry McKeon -- doesn't have a great feel either. That's expected.

Here's what they do know: 28 of the 32 NFL teams watched McKeon run a 4.5 40-yard dash and leap 36 inches in his vertical during his pro day at Nebraska this spring.

Narrowing the list even further, McKeon got calls from teams like Indianapolis, Washington, Philadelphia and the New York Giants. They mainly wanted to know how to get a hold of him Sunday, just in case. That's common at this stage of the game.

Here's what else: McKeon's not getting a lot of calls from teams who run a 3-4 defense. On the flip side, the Colts talked about scheme a great deal with McKeon, who sees himself fitting in as an outside linebacker who plays outside the box and drops in pass coverage.

By D.J. Wanberg
One of the things that make the NFL Draft fun to watch is the twists and turns that take place especially in the first round.

Dallas takes Arkansas' Felix Jones, a running back considered an early second round pick by some, allowing Pittsburgh to grab up Rashard Mendenhall at 23rd of the first round, the very next pick.

This allowed the Steelers to make one heck of one-two running punch with Willie Parker already an established star.

By D.J. Wanberg
Kansas City traded with Detroit for the 15th pick and selected Branden Albert of Virginia. That's a good pick for the Chiefs, but the Lions needed a running back. I can't believe Rashard Mendenhall is still on the board.

By D.J. Wanberg
The Bears addressed a major need. No running back can be effective if the o-line is poor.

Looks like Rashard Mendenhall is heading to Motown.

By D.J. Wanberg
Carolina selected Oregon's Jonathan Stewart over Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall?

By D.J. Wanberg
Denver needed an offensive lineman and took Ryan Clady of Boise St. with the 12th pick. Carolina is next and isn't looking for o-line help. Please help me welcome Chris Williams of Vanderbilt to the Chicago Bears in just a couple of minutes.

By D.J. Wanberg
Jacksonville and Baltimore exchanged first-round picks and the Jaguars also gave up two third-round picks and a fourth to get Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey. Harvey should be a productive starter in the NFL. But his draft stock had dropped according to a published report earlier this week.

Is he worth the price? Jacksonville was to draft 26th and I think they would have gotten the defensive end they wanted. Though Harvey is considered to be capable of switching to linebacker.

By D.J. Wanberg
Nothing but cheers when the Jets used the sixth pick of the first round to take defensive end Vernon Gholston of Ohio St. Jets fans will need to sit down. All this happiness might cause them to be light-headed.

By D.J. Wanberg
The New York Jets are on the clock and it appears like usual there are plenty of their fans at Radio City Music Hall. How loud will the booing from them be this year?

By D.J. Wanberg
Arkansas running back Darren McFadden is heading to Oakland to join JaMarcus Russell in the backfield.

But the Raiders will need to address later their defensive line, specifically defensive tackle as the defense allowed an average of 5 yards per carry last season.

By D.J. Wanberg
Atlanta just selected quarterback Matt Ryan of Boston College. If Michael Vick tries to return to the NFL when he gets out of prison, another team will have to take him.

By D.J. Wanberg
Virginia defensive end Chris Long was just selected as the second pick overall by the St. Louis Rams.

He's a great pick and will help the Rams'r poor defense. But an analyst on television said he's a sure bet for the Hall of Fame. His dad is Hall of Fame lineman Howie Long.

Please. Let the kid have a career first before Hall of Fame consideration.

Atlanta is on the clock. Do they pick Glenn Dorsey of LSU, considered by some to be the best player in the draft? Or do they fill their gaping hole at quarterback with Matt Ryan of Boston College?

The last time Waubonsie Valley faced Fremd was a pretty good night for the Warriors. Actually, "pretty good" doesn't come close to describing how they felt.

Powered by a hat trick from then-freshman Vanessa DiBernardo, the Warriors rolled to a 4-0 victory, claiming the first state team title in Waubonsie history.

The teams will go at it again in about five hours after the Vikings (9-1-1) held off St. Charles East for a 1-0 win in the second Naperville Invitational semifinal.

The Warriors (11-0-1) put their 43-game unbeaten streak (41-0-2) on the line in the final, which starts at 6 p.m. at Naperville Central.

Fremd reached the semifinals by winning a weather-ravaged Group C. The Vikings played only 18 minutes Friday night against Neuqua Valley before the game was halted by a storm. The match had already been rescheduled from Thursday when another storm ripped through the area.

The championship also gives Fremd coach Steve Keller a chance to gain some revenge against his alma mater. Keller graduated from Waubonsie in 1990.

The 3-0 score showed Waubonsie Valley won in lopsided fashion over Naperville Central on Saturday morning in the Naperville Invitational semifinals.

But even the Warriors know that single statistic did not tell the story.

"I just thank God for Clare (Hanold), player of the game," Waubonsie midfielder Bri Rodriguez said of the Warriors goalkeeper. "She made like three incredible saves and kept us in it in the first half. If it wasn't for those saves, we probably would have had to come back from (a deficit)."

By D.J. Wanberg
The NFL Draft starts soon and Bears fans only have a short time left to ponder who the team's first-round pick will be.

There's been a lot of media talk and ink devoted to how great it would be if Chicago picked local son Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois.

The Bears do need a running back. Cedric Benson isn't exactly racking up the frequent runner yardage. But I don't think it will happen.

First, Mendenhall will likely be gone by the time Chicago picks at 14 and two, I don't consider Bears management smart enough to admit they made a mistake in picking Benson. And picking Mendenhall would be admitting a mistake.

And the Bears need help with an aging and increasingly ineffective o-line.

Boise State's Ryan Clady likely won't be around by No. 14 and there's a good chance that will happen to Virginia's Branden Albert.

But from what I have read and heard is that Vanderbilt's Chris Williams should still be around and the Bears need to take the 6-feet, 6-inch, 309-pound tackle.

He has the most upside of any OL that should be around that time except he can be too much of a finesse player at times and needs to work on his strength.

But it's the right pick to make.
.

The Chicago Tribune cited on Friday an April 18 report on Chicagohoops.com that said Neuqua Valley forward Dwayne Evans now has a scholarship offer from Northern Illinois.

Evans, a 6-5 forward, is a long, athletic and highly mobile player on the basketball court. He is an outstanding rebounder and defender who is equally comfortable offensively both inside, and on the perimeter.

Evans is a prospect who is poised to see his recruiting stock soar this spring and summer on the heels of a strong sophomore season at Neuqua Valley High School.

The reason Morton is seeded fourth in Pool B for the Benet Invitational isn't because tournament director Amy Van Eekeren thought the Mustangs are one of the two weakest teams in the eight-team event that begins Friday night.

It's because information was scarce. Believe you me, I spent an hour longer than I wanted to searching for scraps for this post.

"I tried to do it as fair as possible," Van Eekeren said. "A couple people didn't send it in, so then we tried to look up their records online. Well, you know, not everything was up to date."

Morton (14-1) was undefeated its loss to Lyons Township on April 18. A Lyons player had this to say about Morton on the volleyballmag.com message board.

Morton isa great team. They were undefeated until we (LT) beat them. They are very scrappy and play very solid defence. Still a little wild in other aspects but they will provide a good game for anyone.

So be warned Neuqua Valley. The Wildcats (23-1) may be ranked eighth according to the Chicago Sun-Times and one of the favorites to win this tournament, but they better not play like they did on Wednesday when they play Morton on Saturday morning.

Waubonsie Valley had pushed Ian Krol well past 100 pitches on Thursday in Naperville, and the Neuqua Valley ace didn't return to the mound for the seventh inning.

The Warriors hadn't generated an extra-base hit, and already struck out 11 times. It was now up to Rob Skowronski to protect a 1-0 lead.

Trying to find conference standings in just about any sport, save football, can be incredibly frustrating. The DuPage Valley and Upstate Eight Conferences should take a cue from the East Suburban Catholic and maintain a working web page that is frequently updated with scores and all-conference lists. But I guess that's just wishful thinking on my part ...

Anyways, I wanted to get a better idea of where our teams stood in their respective conference races and after some digging around, here's what I came up with. Keep in mind this may not be a hundred percent accurate (games get cancelled, scores aren't reported, etc.) but it should give some idea where our team's stand. And right now, Central and Benet are in the best positions to make some noise.

Jordan Williamson showed up to Neuqua Valley's 10-6 win over Lake Park on Wednesday with good news.

Turns out, Williamson only suffered a severely bruised hand and not a broken one when he got hit by a pitch Tuesday.

The junior center fielder and leadoff hitter will return to the lineup as soon as he's pain free, which could take a few days still.

This week's featured hole (in the April 24 Sun) is No. 2 at River Bend Golf Club, a par 4 that plays at 404 yards from the back tees.

Head pro Mike Reilly had this to say about No. 2 at his course:

"A couple things about it that I like, one is from the blue tees you're still 400 plus. And depending on the wind, you're still grabbing a head cover for your second shot; you're still thinking about hitting 200 plus into (the green). Out of bounds left, a good bunker off the tee that's pretty much right in the way. It's really tough to get over it unless you're a huge hitter. And it's one of our biggest greens on the golf course, too, so you can have some monster putts out there.

"It was the original No. 1 in the old clubhouse days. It was really a tough starting hole then because right away you're facing a long par 4. It's well-treed, it's well-bunkered at the green. You walk away from there and put 4 down, it's a good number."

He's right about that. In the half-dozen or so times I've played River Bend, I can remember making par just once. It might not be the most intriguing hole on the course, but it will test your game, as Reilly says, especially if the wind is gusting.

Being picked at the last second by Wayne Grady to caddie at the Masters Par 3 Tournament is a priceless experience for 14-year-old Ross Murphy. (You can read about the Naperville resident's unbelievable luck in the April 24 sun, or here.) But the experience also could be had for those willing to donate enough to charity.

Ross' father, Dave, ran into someone on the course who filled him in.

"Seventh or eighth hole this guy comes up to me, and I don't know who this guy is," Dave said. "He's got an English accent. I look over at him and I say, 'That's my kid who's caddying,' and he says, 'I know.'"

Turns out the man is the regular caddie for one of the players in Grady's group. He wasn't on the bag that day because a corporate auction to benefit charity allowed someone else to have the job for the day. Dave asked how much it cost, and the man with the accent converted it from British pounds.

The total? About $30,000.

Dave was floored.

"I said, 'You're kidding me, right? My kid was just picked an hour ago to do this.' He goes, 'I know, that's what's so great about this story."

And if you want to get a glimpse of Ross Murphy after Grady's hole-in-one, click here.

Remember the Ian Krol for Jordan Williamson and Bryan Berryman for Ian Krol plan painfully detailed in today's print edition of The Sun?

Well, thankfully for Neuqua Valley, that merry-go-round between center field and first base may only happen for a few games, although very important games.

Williamson's X-rays came back negative Tuesday night, which means Neuqua's leadoff hitter and center fielder shouldn't have to miss the rest of the season with a broken hand.

Here's the catch: there was so much swelling, doctors scheduled a follow-up with Williamson at 3:30 p.m. today. Cross your fingers, Wildcats fans, for positive (um, negative) results on Williamson's check-up.

Neuqua coach Robin Renner remains hopeful that Williamson will be back in the lineup by Monday. In that case, here's the schedule Neuqua will face without him.

The Wildcats (12-3, 8-1 Upstate Eight Conference) have league matchups with Lake Park today, Waubonsie Valley on Thursday, St. Charles North on Friday and two more against rival Waubonsie on Saturday.

Currently, St. Charles North and Neuqua are co-leaders.

"I think the winner of the conference will have three losses," Renner said. "I think the team that has four losses will be second."

You know what he means. Neuqua can only afford two more league losses.

Stay tuned for more on Jordan's comeback.

While in Chicago this weekend for the WNBA's Rookie Orientation, Candace Parker took time out to talk to The Sun and WNBA.com.

Parker told her hometown newspaper that she missed a majority of Thursday's scheduled events, because she was shooting a commercial to help promote the WNBA.

Alongside her at the shoot? Detroit's Cheryl Ford and Indiana's Tamika Catchings, a former Tennessee star like Parker.

Now a rookie with the Los Angeles Sparks, Parker said the promo's scheduled to air during the NBA Finals. Boy how things have changed for the former Naperville Central star.

Here's what else Parker had to say at WNBA.com.

Naperville North graduate Samer Elshafei was named to the 2008 U.S. Men's Junior National Training Team as a middle blocker on Tuesday.

The Ohio State freshman was one of 19 players named to the team that will practice at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif, beginning in mid June. The team will be cut to 12 players prior to the NORCECA Under-21 Continental Championship, which will be held in El Salvador on June 30-July 5.

That tournament is a qualifier for the 2009 FIVB Men's Junior World Championship.

Little did we know that Benny the Bull is a violent menace to society that will not quit until thepolice, the Boston Celtics and now a Naperville dentist are all cast away in a sea of agony.

While I truly believe that bovine rage such as Benny's can't and won't remain cloaked in a red plush costume, I also think this latest claim from the tooth doctor is lame.

Don C. Kalant Sr., a Naperville dentist, claims in a lawsuit while attending a Bulls game the long-time mascot caused his right arm to become overextended while the mascot was giving him a "high five.

If you're not willing to give some serious dap, don't step to Benny the Bull.

Of course not silly, but everyone's favorite minor league baseball team in Joliet did offer Frank Thomas a contract on Monday. The Jackhammers have a "story" on the team website that details the "offer" the team made to the future Hall of Famer.

Playing off Big Hurt getting ditched over Toronto's fear that he would reach a certain number of at-bats and trigger a $10 million bonus, the Jackhammers have gone all out. If a free palatial imitation apartment in Joliet doesn't get the South Side home run king to return to Chicagoland, what will?

The JackHammers are making Thomas a generous offer. In addition to receiving his Major League (eight million dollars in 2008) salary and Northern League salary and a free apartment, the JackHammers will offer incentives in his contract similar to what he had in Toronto. Thomas will receive a bonus for each power category that he leads the Northern League in: (batting average, home runs and RBI). If Thomas wins the Northern League Triple Crown, he will receive an additional bonus.

So any minute now, I would expect this deal to go down. I mean, the Jackhammers sent contract over a fax machine for heaven's sakes.

This afternoon the JackHammers faxed a contract to Thomas's agent Jeff Borris of the Beverly Hills Sports Council. Thomas and his agent have not responded to the JackHammers. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Albeit clever, this is nothing but a publicity stunt. Which I just fell for big time.

Neuqua Valley's Dwayne Evans and Naperville Central's Drew Crawford played in the Read Deal on the Hill basketball tournament in Fayetteville, Ark., over the weekend for their club team Illinois Warriors.

Normally on the U16 team, Evans along with Young's Anthony Johnson was brought up to the U17 team for the championship game of the tournament after Hononegah's David Brown was injured.

Former Naperville North boys volleyball players (from left) Scott Anerino, Dan Miller, Casey Gioia and Karl Miller were among the six Huskies alumni that competed at the National Recreational-Intermural Sports Association men's volleyball Collegiate National Championships on April 10-12 in Dallas.

The above mentioned four, along with David Pociask of Northern Illinois and A.J. Kramer of Cornell who were also at the tournament, led North to a runner-up finish at the 2006 state finals.

Anerino helped Indiana placed second in silver in Division I-A. Dan Miller, who was named to the all-tournament second team, helped Purdue place third in Division I-AA. Karl Miller played for Illinois in the Division I national title game, but his Illini lost to Lakeland College. Gioia plays for the University of Miami.

The Red Line is a weekly feature about Chicago baseball, talking about what is going on both at the Addison stop in Wrigleyville and at the 35th Street station on the South Side.

So now that the Toronto Blue Jays have cut Frank Thomas, one has to wonder how the future Hall of Famer will end his career. The career home run leader in White Sox history was given his leave a day after complaining that he was being benched because Toronto didn't want him to get enough at-bats to trigger a $10 million bonus.

Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi said it was more about him hitting .167 through his first 60 ABs this year.

"I told Frank our decision is based on performance," Ricciardi said, "and his decision is based on not being able to be in the lineup.

The Jays are still on the hook for roughly US$8-million of Thomas's 2008 salary, whether or not he signs with another team.

Either way, Frank Thomas is available. The Big Hurt has a bat (and $8 mildo of Blue Jay dollars) and he certainly could be an asset for a playoff team despite being nearly 40 years old.

The Waubonsie Valley and Naperville North girls water polo teams are on deck for some serious competition this weekend at the Maroon and Gold Tournament.

Including the No. 12 Warriors, St. Ignatius has invited five teams ranked in the Illpolo.com media poll, including No. 5 Lyons Township (17-2), No. 8 Loyola (12-9), No. 9 Homewood-Flossmoor (9-6-1) and No. 10 New Trier (14-4-2). And since the tournament hosts are ranked third, that means this four-match tournament at UIC is a beast with six of the eight teams in the top 12.

North (8-15) is in the Maroon Bracket with Lyons, New Trier and St. Ignatius.
Waubonsie (13-7) is in the Gold Bracket with H-F, Loyola and Marian.

Illpolo.com posted an Excel file with the brackets for the boys and girls water polo state tournaments. The IHSA will officially release the pairings on Friday.

Here are the first-round matchups (with seeds) for the Neuqua Valley Sectionals. In the second round, the winner of the 1 vs. 8 game plays the winner of the 4 vs. 5 game. The winner of the 3 vs. 6 game plays the winner of the 2 vs. 7 games.

Boys

Naperville Central (1) vs. St. Charles East (8)

Waubonsie Valley (4) vs. Hinsdale Central (5)

Naperville North (3) vs. Hinsdale South (6)

Neuqua Valley (2) vs. St. Charles North (7)

Girls

Naperville Central (1) vs. St. Charles East (8)

Naperville North (5) vs. Hinsdale Central (4)

Waubonsie Valley (3) vs. Hinsdale South (6)

Neuqua Valley (2) vs. St. Charles North (7)

The Neuqua Valley softball team had its chances against No. 2 Lake Park in a 9-4 loss Wednesday, but the Wildcats couldn't get enough clutch hits to beat the undefeated Lancers.

The Wildcats finished with eight hits, but stranded at least one runner per inning, 12 overall and seven runners in the final three innings.

"We left too many runners in scoring position (seven) and we need to work on that," Neuqua Valley coach Michelle Schmidt said. "Our record doesn't indicate the talent we have. We haven't put it together yet, but there's still lots of games to play."

Welcome to the first installment of The Hole Picture, blog edition. As a supplement to Fore Sight, the weekly golf page and column in The Naperville Sun's sports section, we'd love to hear what you, the golfers think of the holes we feature. Is it particularly treacherous? Not as tough as it looks? A black hole for your golf balls?

First up for 2008 is No. 12 at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Head pro Mike Williams had this to say about how to approach it:

"The 12th hole offers several risk-reward options. The 562-yard par 5 is a double dogleg requiring proper placement of the tee shot, a thoughtful approach to the second shot and precision on the shot to the green. From there it's an easy two-putt on an undulating green!

"From the tee, players must decide whether to cut off some of the first dogleg by hitting their tee shot more than 200 yards over water, avoiding two bunkers in the landing area, or play it safe and be faced with a longer second shot. The second shot should avoid the mounding on the left and the water on the right and leave the player with a short iron to the green. Club selection on the third shot is critical, as the green is deep and selection can vary by as many as three clubs.

"Wind is always a factor at Bolingbrook Golf Club, and the 12th hole is no exception, with the prevailing winds coming into the player's face."

Is he right? As I have not played this course myself, I'm eager to here what those of you who have played it have to say. And what other holes on that track stand out in your mind?.

So it's no surprise defending state champ Waubonsie Valley was named to No. 1 seed in its own girls soccer sectional on Wednesday night.

Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley and Benet took the next three slots while Naperville North was the No. 7 seed.

Geneva was the fifth seed followed by Batavia at No. 6. Plainfield Central rounded out the top eight.

Would you have voted these seeds any differently?

CHICAGO - Standing near the edge of U.S. Cellular Field's foul territory, on the first-base side, Mick Doyle didn't want to sound like an ungrateful guest on Wednesday night.

"Don't get me wrong," the Notre Dame freshman reserve infielder said, "this is awesome to be out here, but I'm a Cubs fan."

The Benet graduate admits he's lost count, but Notre Dame's Web site lists 11 eleven relatives who graduated from the school, though Doyle pointed out that several others went to nearby St. Mary's.

"It's my dream school," Doyle said. "Just wake up, see the Dome, get to go play baseball. It's been great so far."

Doyle didn't play in Notre Dame's 5-4 victory over Northern Illinois on Wednesday night. The game, one that unfolded exactly one year after the shootings at Virginia Tech, was a benefit for a Northern Illinois scholarship fund.

Doyle has started seven games for the Fighting Irish (23-9-1) and is hitting .276 as mostly a bench player. The biggest adjustment Doyle has noticed is the velocity of the college game.

"I would just say that the speed of the game is definitely quicker, especially moving over to third base," Doyle said. "They call it the hot corner for a reason. Ball's on you a lot quicker."

Notre Dame expects Doyle to handle the learning curve, perhaps sooner than later.

"He's been a pleasant surprise," Notre Dame assistant coach Scott Lawler said of Doyle. "He's farther ahead of what I thought he'd be. I think he'll be our shortstop or starting third baseman (in) the future.

"He's an outstanding kid. He's gonna be one of our leaders."

The Heat Index has learned that Naperville Central was selected on Wednesday night as the top seed for the Neuqua Valley boys water polo sectional.

Neuqua Valley is the second seed, Naperville North is third and Waubonsie Valley is fourth. The bottom four are Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South, St. Charles North and St. Charles East.

The IHSA will officially announce the seeds on Thursday on its website. The pairings will be announced on Friday.

UPDATE: Illpolo.com has posted the seeds for the Neuqua Valley girls water polo sectional, and Naperville Central is the top seed. Neuqua, which beat Central on Monday night, is No. 2. Waubosnie Valley is No. 3, Hinsdale Central is No. 4, Naperville North is No. 5, Hinsdale South is No. 6, St. Charles North is No. 7 and St. Charles East is No. 8.

trav8587 posted this video last month that shows Justin McCareins having a bad day against the Baltimore Ravens. This Jets fan is not sad to see the Naperville North product back with the Titans.

The New York Jets at Baltimore: where McCareins' drops multiple passes that could have tied the game... glad he was cut.

Bad Kermit over at hirejimessian.com is betting that the Cubs will undearchieve in the run-scoring department this season and asks the question, "Will the Cubs score fewer runs than the Naperville Central Redhawks?" So far, the Redhawks are trailing 63 percent to 37 percent in the poll. What do you think? To vote, click here.

In recent months, Candace Parker has become the first women's player to give up a year of eligibility to enter the WNBA draft, led Tennessee to its second consecutive NCAA championship and been selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft.

This summer the Naperville Central graduate will play in the Olympics. The question Cosellout asks in a post The Big Lead linked to on Wednesday is, can Candace Parker get on the cover of Sports Illustrated?

Based on accomplishments alone, the prospects don't look too good, according to recent history.

One would have to go back nearly three full years, 10 bikinis, and one miniskirt before finding a female all by herself on the cover who was recognized for her athletic achievements (Danica Patrick in June 2005).

Neuqua Valley's ace, junior left-hander Ian Krol, finally made his first start of the season Tuesday. Krol dominated last year, and everyone expected more of the same this season.

Then St. Charles North showed up to Neuqua's field and made him earn it. Then they made him leave the game before his fourth full inning of work was under his belt.

Krol left Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the North Stars, having allowed seven runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He also walked three batters and hit two others, countering his seven strikeouts.

So what went wrong?

"They took more pitches. They were like, 'We're gonna make him throw strikes,'" said Neuqua senior catcher Geoff Rowan. "The first three batters, they kind of went free swinging. After that, they were like, 'Let's make him throw pitches, let's get by him.'"

The North Stars also proved tough when they were behind in the count.

"They knew that we were either gonna tail away or we were coming after them," Rowan said. "And they were just, 'Boom, right field.' They were just content with hitting singles."

But after all that, Rowan knows Krol will come back strong this year.

"I'm not worried about him," Rowan said. "He's one of those world-class pitchers. He'll be all right."

The IHSA announced on Tuesday the creation of a Sportsperson of the Year Award that will honor seven people each year "for their outstanding sportsmanship during interscholastic competition."

It took almost another two full sentences in the press release to plug the title sponsor.

There are five criteria listed that potential good sports awardees need to own, but three are boing so I will skip to the two that caught me eye.

-- Student shall not have EVER been ejected from a high school contest.

-- Student must have a minimum of a 2.5/4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

Nothing against all you C students out there, but I find it interesting that the IHSA is willing to dip that far down in the GPA scale just to find someone who hasn't been ejected.

Each school can nominate one student-athlete as long as that school participates in the IHSA's sportsmanship program.

What I think is important to make clear is that it is possible to book the Add A. Tude mascot for your next high school event for the low-low rate of $25. Silly mascots rule.

The entry deadline is May 16. The award will be given out June 2 along with $500 to the winners courtesy of the sponsorship deal. I guess it's a "scholarship" or something like that, but what's up with an amateur athletic body handing out cash?

CHICAGO - While piecing together Team USA, general manager Bob Watson must negotiate competing interests, those of the Olympic movement and the Major League Baseball franchises willing to loan out prospects this August.

The roster for the Beijing Games is expected to be revealed in July, and will exclude players who are on an active 25-man big-league roster. That would leave mid-to-high-level minor league prospects -- at least the ones who won't be needed or saved for a pennant race -- and perhaps a college pitcher with a power arm. One player who probably doesn't need to locate his passport: Roger Clemens.

"He's not on my radar screen," Watson, the former general manager of the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, said Tuesday during the U.S. Olympic Committee's media summit at the Palmer House Hilton. "Not because of his off-field issues (but) his last four or five outings in the big-league level - it was a real struggle for him physically.

"He took shots in his elbow and he had hamstring and groin issues...I would rather take (a) 28-year-old who's throwin' well and he's in good physical shape, even though he doesn't have the numbers and the credentials that Roger would have but I could depend on him. See once we go...there's no replacin' him and I don't want to play a man short."

A championship at the Streamwood tournament on Saturday, which included a second win over St. Francis, got Neuqua Valley into the Chicago Sun-Times boys volleyball Top 10 rankings for the first time this season.

The Wildcats, which have lost only to No. 4 Glenbard East, are now the highest ranked team in the Naperville area. Naperville North, which beat Wheaton North in three games on Monday to improve to 9-5, is 10th.

Naperville Central was second two weeks ago and sixth last week. The Redhawks are out of the Top 10 this week.

The latest softball rankings by The Chicago Sun-Times came out Monday and Central is no where to be found and I can't figure out why.

Maybe it's because through last week the Redhawks had only been able to play three games due to bad weather; but they still moved to 3-0 after Friday's convincing 4-0 victory over No. 7 Glenbard South and that should've been enough to at least put them on the "Others to watch" list.

The Redhawks improved to 4-0 with a 5-1 win over Naperville North on Monday.

Central is the real deal with picthing ace Natalie Wunderlich (4-0), who can win games on the mound and at the plate. In the game against South, the junior doubled in a run and gave up just three hits in a shutout. Sophomore Megan Silke, the younger sister of former pitching star Sara Silke, hit a solo home run in the game and can hit the ball well as can junior Erin Graham. The Redhawks also have excellent fielders in senior shortstop Lizzy Ploen and sophomore second baseman Jori Gonzalez. They are well- coached by 25-year veteran Andy Nussbaum (408 wins) and they have pitching talent besides Wunderlich. Natalie's younger sister Alyssa had some buzz surrounding her even before the season began, while junior Lauren Huber finished two years on the junior varsity with a 38-14 record.

Where's the love? Do you think the Redhawks deserve to be ranked? Or with just four games under their belt do they still have more to prove?

By D.J. Wanberg

I read my colleague Dustin Michael Harris' column in the Sunday edition of The Naperville Sun on the controversy surrounding the upcoming Beijing Olympics and like every good column, it got me thinking.

I've written previously about how I like the Olympics. It's a good diversion every four years from the house of ineptitude that Chicago professional sports can be.

But while I consider the Olympics nothing more than an entertaining sports festival, there have been and currently are many people, mostly with the International Olympic Committee, who couldn't or can't let go of the idea that a utopia of brotherhood, love and understanding is possible every four years which can't be touched by the world situation. And that attitude has come up regarding the upcoming Beijing games.

And for the most part they succeeded until the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were murdered in a terrorist attack. That changed the nature of the Olympics permanently.

Now that brotherhood, love and understanding comes with a security guard next to it holding a submachine gun with the safety off. The cost of Olympics security could run some countries for a year.

As for China, a communist dictatorship, being awarded the Olympics in the first place, I think of how the character Red Forman from "That 70s Show" used a two-word description to describe people he thought stupid. I can't repeat it because this is a family blog, but I think it fits the people who voted for China to get the Games.

But I'm not for boycotting the Olympics this summer, I don't want to make China mad because according to the U.S. State Department, U.S. imports from China grew 12% in 2007, bringing the U.S. trade deficit with China to $256 billion. I may need shoes this summer.

On a related Olympic note, Chicago is trying to get the 2016 Summer Olympics and trying to bring down a cone of immunity down upon the city for two weeks, magically making the city's problems go away. Reality check people - a total of 23 Chicago public school students have been murdered so far this year. Focus on making it safe for the children of Chicago to live their lives and then think about the Olympics.

After winning tournaments on Saturday, the Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central boys water polo teams will square off Monday night in the second top-10 matchup in a row for both the No. 10 Wildcats and the No. 2 Redhawks.

The Wildcats (12-4) went 4-0 at the Sandburg tournament, including a 9-8 win over No. 4 Sandburg in the title game.

The Redhawks (15-2) won their own tournament for the ninth time in 11 years, knocking off both No. 9 Mundelein and archrival and then-No. 2 Naperville North on Saturday.

North (18-5) didn't fall far in the illpolo.com media poll, switching place with Central at No. 3.

Illinois Prep Bullseye wrote on Sunday that Naperville Central guard Drew Crawford is one of six players who could break out this spring and summer. Roy and Harv weren't overly effusive with the praise, but did say that Crawford's club team Illinois Warriors would provide a schedule that will "fully maximize all of his strengths."

While others are much higher on Crawford than we are at this point, that does not mean that we think that Crawford isn't capable of being a terrific college player. He is long and athletic, plays with a high degree of energy, is an outstanding mid-range scorer and while he is streaky from beyond the arc, he undoubtedly has range.

The other players on the list were Seneca's Seth Evans, Lake Zurich's Connor Mooney, North Lawndale's John Taylor, Mundelein sophomore Ben Brust and D.J. Cooper of Chicago Hales Franciscan.

City/Suburban Hoops report named Crawford and Waubonsie Valley's Jelani Johnson to its Top 50 College Prospects list on April 5.

Neuqua Valley senior Chris Derrick shattered the national record for a high school only 5K race on Saturday at the 41st annual Arcadia Invitational, a prestigious track and field meet in California.

Derrick finished with a blistering 60-second last lap with the capacity crowd on its feet screaming to pass Illinois legend Craig Virgin on the all time list. Derrick took nearly 30 seconds off the the previous national record for a HS-only 5k -- 14:24.89 by Ryan Deak of Smoky Hill Aurora CO at Mt. SAC in 2004.

There is a seven-minute video at dyestat.com that shows highlights of the race.

Naperville Central's Evan Thayer won the mile and helped the Redhawks win the 3,200-meter relay on Saturday at the John Bell Invitational while recovering from a sinus infection the Sun-Times reported.

Thayer said he made his move with half a lap left and was running in about third place.

"I wanted to see what I had left and I went out slow," Thayer said. "I felt pretty tired but I wanted to work my way up and work through it. [Usually] you find that with 200 meters to go you're in a good position to race someone."

Saw this on Sunday afternoon while looking at the youtubes. Gatehousechicago posted the video showing the final rally of Benet's win over No. 10 St. Francis on Wednesday.

Naperville North all-state swimmer Jackson Hill told The Sun on Saturday that he signed a national letter of intent to swim at Boston University.

As The Heat Index reported in March, Hill also made visits to Purdue and Michigan State.

Hill said he signed the letter of intent on Wednesday, which was the start of the regular signing period for swimming and diving. Since he put the letter in the mail, BU coach Bill Smyth has not yet received it and could not comment per NCAA rules when reached by email on Saturday.

About a month ago, we learned that Neuqua Valley senior Chris Derrick was named to the IHSA All-State Academic Team and that Waubonsie Valley's Mark Homan, Naperville Central's Steve Couch and Benet's Sarah Clark were given honorable mention.

The IHSA let us know on March 18 that these athletes were amazing students, needing a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater after their seventh semester. On Friday, the IHSA let us know that again, seemingly posting the exact same notice.

If you look at the IHSA homepage right now, you can see both of the notices listed. But there isn't anything about the court case with the Illinois press the IHSA settled this week.

Wonder why this is hidden? The poster contest from this week is there, but not the only major announcement since the drug testing policy on March 17. Anyway...

I don't have screen grabs figured out yet, so while it lasts take a look at March 18 and see if there is anything different with April 11. Derrick, Homan, Couch and Clark are on both lists.

Maybe somebody took a semester off. Maybe somebody who works at the IHSA has kid who is a really smart athlete.

UPDATE: I just checked both the all-state team and the honorable mention list on both links and they identical. This seems to be a glitch.

Fresh off its three-game win over top-ten ranked St. Francis on Wednesday, the Benet boys volleyball team won its third game in a row on Friday with a two-game win over Evanston on Friday night.

Friday in a nonconference match against visiting Evanston, the Redwings found consistency of a positive nature as Bill Foran had 11 kills and two blocks and Mike Quigley added 10 kills to lead the hosts to a 25-22, 25-20 victory.

"Last week at Glenbard East [tournament], for some reason we did not play our game at all," Foran said. "We were slowing down the tempo. But we picked it up this week against St. Francis and now tonight. As long as we play like we can, we can beat anybody."

This is a good sign for the team that took a six-match win streak to the Springfest last week only to lose three of its first four games. Benet (12-5) showed the heart against St. Francis. Now the Redwings need to show this an every day thing.

Naperville North boys coach Kurt Johns told The Heat Index that the Huskies won their pool on Friday night in the 11th annual Best of the West water polo tournament.

Ranked second in the current media poll at illpolo.com, North swept its pool with a 10-1 win over Glenbrook North and a 12-4 win over Lake Forest. No. 3 Central won its pool with a 12-3 win over Hinsdale Central and a 8-7 win over No. 12 Glenbrook South.

Ninth-ranked Mundelein -- the champion at the Lake County tournament -- won the other pool on Friday and will face Central (12-2) at 9:40 a.m. on Saturday. The Huskies (16-4) play Mundelein at 12:40 p.m. and the cross-town rivals play for the third time this season at 2:40 p.m. in the final match of the championship pool.

Central won the first match 10-9 with a comeback that secured the title at the Naperville Quad on March 8. The Huskies won the second match, beating the Redhawks 8-7 in pool play at Fenwick's Dan Lynch Tournament on March 14.

At the Sandburg tournament, No. 10 Neuqua Valley beat Lane 14-8 on Friday night.

Somehow Naperville Central and Neuqua Valley managed to put on an exciting, well-played match that featured dramatic momentum changes and late-game heroics. Anybody who was outside Friday evening knows why I wrote "Somehow."

On-and-off rain and a strong wind whipping across the field from the south made it feel more like mid-February than mid-April. The teams didn't let that get to them as the Redhawks escaped with a 3-2 victory against the host Wildcats, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit only to lose in the final seconds.

Neuqua goalie Rachel Suther, who kept the Wildcats in the game with several big saves after Central had taken its two-goal lead, was disconsolate after a low shot by Kristen Hall rolled past her outstretched fingertips and into the net for the winning goal. While the teams exchanged postgame handshakes, Suther stood crying as teammate Kendra Collins tried to console her.

"If I was her I'm sure I'd take it hard, too, but there was no possible way it was her fault, " Collins said. "She's done nothing but good for this team every game this season."

Check out a full account of the game in Sunday's Sun.

Heavy rain forced a slew of cancellations across the Chicago area Thursday night. But that's not why Naperville Central didn't play its girls soccer game at Wheaton Warrenville South, which plays on artificial grass. Instead, a family medical emergency for one of the officials forced the postponement because another official could not be found in time. The teams will try again May 7.

If not Candace Parker, then who?

Tennessee coach Pat Summitt posed the question during the NCAA Tournament: "'Who is the best player in the world? Is it Candace Parker or is it (Australia's) Lauren Jackson?'"

Seattle selected Jackson No. 1 overall in the 2001 WNBA Draft. In 2004, she received a silver medal at the Olympic games in Athens, Greece. In 2007, she became the youngest person (26 years, 77 days) in the WNBA to reach 4,000 points.

All of that's possible for Parker, who's already matched draft status with Jackson. As for this summer's Beijing Olympics and Parker's rookie year in the WNBA, she'll be fine if her future follows her past. Right?

At Tennessee, Parker's numbers over three years stack up with some of the best.

She ended her career with 44 straight double-digit scoring games, helping her achieve the Lady Vols fourth-highest scoring average of all-time with 19.4 points per game - one position behind Chamique Holdsclaw's 20.4 mark.

Parker's 8.8 rebounds per game ranks tied for third with Holdsclaw. Parker's 275 blocks ranks tops along with her free throws made (526) and attempted (738).

Notre Dame blew a three-goal lead early on, and squandered another lead in the third period against Michigan in the Frozen Four on Thursday night. But the Irish, with Naperville's Teddy Ruth, got an overtime goal from Calle Ridderwall for a 5-4 victory to reach the national championship game for the first time.

In becoming the first No. 4 seed to advance this far, the most recent Irish victims have been Michigan State (3-1 in the regional final) and the Wolverines. Now they face Boston College in the final at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.

Perhaps the Notre Dame football team should take notice. The football Irish went 0-3 against those schools last fall, losing by a combined 96-28.

But as much fun as Ruth and the hockey Irish are having, they are still a long way from turning the campus from a renowned football school into a puck haven.

"We're changing the hockey culture here, which is great," said Ruth, who started Thursday night, but did not figure in the scoring. "I've had a lot of people coming up to me, congratulating me."

That should only increase if Ruth returns to South Bend carrying a national championship trophy.

If you read your Sun on Thursday you might have read a correction that ran on Page 2 that mentioned that an item in Wednesday's Prep Rewind should have read that Waubonsie Valley defeated Larkin.

It's always nice when the only piece of information that you provide is completely wrong.

This time it's true. The Waubonsie Valley boys volleyball team lost its first conference match on Thursday.

But, this time, don't take my word on it. Ask the Beacon News.

The 25-18, 25-20 loss to Bartlett makes Waubonsie 7-7 overall and 2-1 in the UEC. One loss early in the season won't keep the Warriors out of the title chase. But a couple more?

"We just said that it's up to them," said (Waubonsie coach Alan) Lagger about his team's potential

Naperville Central star Drew Crawford and Waubonsie Valley forward Jelani Johnson were named to the City/Suburban Hoops Report's Top 50 College Prospects list going into the summer.

Crawford, who was The Sun's player of the year as a junior, was ranked No. 20 on the list.

As versatile as they get; makes those around him better.

Johnson was All-City as a junior, and is one of the players The Heat Index thought might next year make the same leap Crawford made from standout to superstar.

The 6-foot-4 forward is No. 38 on the list. The City/Suburban Hoops Report seems to share our opinion of Johnson.

under-the-radar talent just scratching the surface.

So you know, Gurnee Warren guard Brandon Paul is No. 1 on the list. Also, City/Suburban Hoops Report called Downers South guard Malcolm Herron (No. 16), "the most overlooked player right now in Illinois."

Naperville native Mary DeScenza broke a 27-year-old U.S. record and won the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly at the World Short Course Championships on Wednesday in Manchester England.

DeScenza, who also set a meet record in the process, won the event with a time of 2 minutes, 4.27 seconds, eclipsing the American mark (2:05.65) of Mary T. Meagher in 1981. The previous meet record (2:05.11) was set by Jessica Schipper two years ago in Shanghai.

"I've been training so hard lately," Descenza said after her race on usaswimming.org. "This is my first personal American record so it's very emotional for me."

After a coming up just short at the 2004 Olympic Trials, what do you think DeScenza's chances of making the U.S. Olympic team are this time around?

AURORA - Waubonsie Valley could exhale around 6:52 p.m., when Chris Galovic walked off the mound to shake coach Dan Fezzuoglio's hand near the third-base line.

Waubonsie lost 26 games last year, and a few games just like this already this season. But with two on and two outs, and clinging to a one-run lead, the Warriors did not come undone.

You did it again!

Congrats Candace Parker on leading Tennessee to a second straight national title. All the awards, accolades and attention - you deserve it and make Naperville proud.

Good luck in the Olympics and in the WNBA.

Naperville - join us in congratulating Candace by selecting the comments link above.

Naperville North senior Jon Bunge told The Heat Index on Tuesday night that he visited Orange Coast College last week and that the two-year school in Costa Mesa, Calif, could be where he plays his college volleyball.

Bunge said he hasn't made up his mind where he will go, but a deicsion will be made soon.

"It's getting to that time," Bunge said.

The All-City outside hitter may not know exactly where he wants to play, but he's got a pretty good idea where in general he wants to spend his college years.

"Hopefully I go West Coast," he said.

After 19 years, Marty Gaughan has resigned from his position as Benet boys basketball coach, the school announced Tuesday, though he will remain in Lisle as assistant athletic director.

The job began to consume too much of his time, Gaughan said over the phone on Tuesday, and he will now be free to watch his son Brian, a graduating Benet senior, play Division III basketball next season at Loras College (Iowa).

Gaughan, 46, will be part of the search committee to find his replacement. He said he expects the school to name the new coach by early May. Look in Wednesday's print edition for more information.

By D.J. Wanberg

Whether it's a large group or not, there are those of us who love this time of year for a very special reason. It's time for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Play starts on Wednesday.

The Hockey News' big playoff preview came in the mail on Monday and as I read it I thought about who will be hoisting Lord Stanley's trophy at the end of August (Just kidding. But sometimes it seems the postseason will never end, even for hockey fanatics.).

My prediction is the hardware will stay in California. It will just travel north. I believe the San Jose Sharks will prevail. Joe Thornton has boosted that franchise since his trade from Boston like no player could before him on this Bay Area team.

Goalie Evgeni Nabokov has the third-best goals-against average in the NHL and the Sharks now seem to have the physical presence that they'll need in the playoffs and which was lacking in the previous postseasons.

Who do you think will win hockey's biggest event?

By D.J. Wanberg

I don't know why I'm so fascinated by the NFL Draft. Perhaps, I'm so desperate to make the playoffs in my fantasy football league, I want to get started on my research early.

As I was going through The Sporting News' draft preview, I saw in the inside linebackers section that former Naperville North star Corey McKeon 6-0 3/8, 235 pounds) is predicted to be a fifth-round selection.

TSN states that "McKeon is somewhat of an odd fit, because he lacks the great bulk of a traditional middle linebacker and also the elite athleticism of the NFL's shorter middle linebackers used in the Tampa-2 (defense). He grades out well on film, though. McKeon will likely be drafted lower than rated here (fifth round), but in time, will prove to be a solid starter."

There's only one thing left for Candace Parker to do before taking the court each game.

"We always say the Lord's prayer and then anyone else that wants to pray, we go over and I lead the prayer," Parker said Monday. "And we do our little pregame clap, you know. And then we sing on Sundays. It's just something we do."

Parker, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta Auguste proved it, too. During their one-on-one media sessions at the St. Pete Times Forum on Monday in Tampa, Fla., the four starters each busted out lines from R. Kelly's "I believe I can fly."

Yes, laughter was had by all.

The boys volleyball rankings published in Monday's Chicago Sun-Times triggered a few posts on the volleyballmag.com message board.

One poster in particular -- nvhsoh989 -- took issue with St. Francis still being in the Top 10 after Neuqua beat the Spartans at the Glenbard East Sprinfest on Saturday. And it didn't help that Naperville North moved up to No. 8.

how can they rank st. francis at 10 and not rank Neuqua when Neuqua beat Francis in 2?? i don't care if francis was missing players, they still had they're top players, and we (Neuqua) were playing without our starting setter and outside the entire tournament. we've now beat Nap. North and Francis, yet both are rated above us. hinsdale central loses to Oswego, and doesn't move down?? Sun-times deserves zero credibility.

CHICAGO - The crowd at U.S. Cellular Field chanted "Ozzie! Ozzie!" on Monday afternoon. The White Sox manger had jumped from the dugout in the third inning to argue balls and strikes with home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi and was promptly ejected.

"I'm here for my players," Ozzie Guillen said. "That's my job -- to protect them."

After a 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins, and feeling good overall about the club's 5-2 start, Guillen was notably restrained, opting to keep quiet and not criticize Cuzzi.

"One thing about this business," Guillen said, "if I say what I have on my mind, I might lose a couple days."

At this point Guillen's players still appreciate his willingness to cover them, and his ability to create a certain atmosphere around the organization.

"Ozzie's our leader," third baseman Joe Crede said. "He's a guy that really makes us feel loose out there, especially in the clubhouse and in the dugout. That's one of the biggest things that everybody, you know, rallies around."

How do you see the next six months playing out for Guillen and his players? How will the 2008 season end for the White Sox and their combustible manager?

The Waubonsie Valley girls water polo team won the third-place game at the St. Charles North tournament on Saturday, according to theillpoloblog.

The Warriors, which are ranked 14th in the new illpolo.com media poll, went 2-1 at St. Charles North, including a 12-9 win over Northside in the consolation final. Bailey Gucinski erupted for eight goals in that win.

Waubonsie goalie Megan McWhirter got some additional bragging rights with the shut out she posted against Naperville North and Huskies coach/her dad Andy McWhirter.

For the boys poll, go here. North and Naperville Central are still ranked second and third, respectively.

Naperville Central at No. 7 is the only Naperville-area team ranked in the Chicago Tribune boys volleyball Top 10 published on Sunday.

The Redhawks (12-1) will play Naperville North in DVC play on Tuesday, 10 days after ending a 14-game losing streak to the Huskies with their three-game win at the Tiger Classic.

The Chicago Sun-Times rankings will be updated on Monday. Central was seventh in last week's poll and the Huskies were ninth.

Update: Central is sixth in the new Sun-Times rankings and North is eighth.

Think Candace Parker's leaving Tennessee early? Abandoning, ditching even?

Think again.

"I've been at Tennessee for four years, so it wouldn't be me leaving early. It's me deciding to stay late," said Parker, explaining her take on next season. "Did I want to stay late or did I want to leave on time? That's the way I looked at it."

In other words, college is a four-year commitment. That's all the time Parker planned on giving to the Lady Volunteers, regardless of her athletic eligibility.

If Parker would not have redshirted her freshman year, her time in Knoxville would be up.

She did redshirt though and it bought her next year -- if she wanted it -- but she's ready for graduation and ready to move on just the way she planned.

After seeing the team she coaches rough her up for most of five games on Saturday, Benet boys volleyball coach Amy Van Eekeren was blessed with the salve of seeing her daughter's youth soccer team win.

When The Heat Index caught up with Van Eekeren a few minutes later, she offered to tabulate Benet's cumulative statistics at Glenbard East's Springfest. But she also offered some honesty, saying it didn't really matter what her team put on paper at the tournament in Lombard.

Her team had let her down.

The Redwings (10-5) entered the 10th annual Springfest on a six-match win streak, a stretch that included a championship at the Argo tournament last week and two wins in the bronze bracket of the Marist Invite the week prior.

Before and after the 25-16, 25-15 win over West Aurora, which gave the Redwings 11th place in the tournament, Van Eekeren said it was Benet's best players that had the worst showing on Saturday.

"We've not had a good day today," she said.

The Neuqua Valley boys volleyball team placed third on Saturday at the Glenbard East Springfest, and the Wildcats did it without two seniors who were suspended for violating team rules.

Neuqua coach Erich Mendoza told The Heat Index that setter Sean Harmon and outside hitter Collin Adler were suspended for all five games of the tournament on Saturday and Tuesday's match vs. St. Charles East.

Harmon and Adler will be allowed to play at the Streamwood tournament on April 12.

"They broke some team rules and they're being punished for it," Mendoza said. "That's all I can really tell you."

most1320 posted these videos on Thursday night, showing Naperville North's 42-41 loss in triple overtime at Wheaton Warrenville South. The only loss of North's state championship season gave the DVC title to the eventual 7A state runner-up.

I'm curious about the timing, but more curious about the poster, "most1320."

The videos were posted with the tags "Conroy WWSHS Football MSU." The Conroy part could be outgoing senior Dan Conroy, the kicker who booted the 41-yard field goal to put the Tigers up 20-13 with 5:43 to play. Note the score. 20-13...most1320.

Maybe it's nothing. Maybe a graduating kicker is talking smack on the internets.

In the wake of Thursday's match with Oak Park-River Forest getting scratched because the Oak Park bus was in an accident with "a drunk driver,"the Neuqua Valley girls water polo team has three home matches remaining on the schedule, and all three will be important benchmarks for the Wildcats.

Before 14th-ranked Neuqua plays the first of the Big 3, the Wildcats have two road matches against ranked teams: at No. 3 St. Ignatius on Monday and at No. 25 Naperville North on Tuesday. Then the fun begins.

When I got tickets for Wednesday night's Blackhawks vs. Red Wings game, the playoff push did not factor into the decision. The Blackhawks haven't been to the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2002, have only been in the playoffs four times since I graduated high school in 1995 and haven't been a factor since a few years before that.

I just wanted to have a good time. The Red Wings game was part of a five-ticket package and since my bookie my girlfriend is from the Detroit area, the choice was a no brainer. Now getting Celeste to buy the tickets as a present to me, that took some doing.

But looky looky, the Blackhawks are still technically in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot. Basically the Hawks need to win their last three games in regulation to get 90 points. Going into OT will kill the dream.

Those wins have to come tonight vs. NHL-leading Detroit, current-holder of the 8th spot Nashville on Friday and the Red Wings again in the season finale at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday.

Tennessee could not have picked a better time to prove it could win without Candace Parker.

While the nation's best player twice nursed a dislocated left shoulder in Tuesday's regional championship, two other heroes emerged for the Lady Volunteers.

As a team they locked down on defense, but it was seniors Nicky Anosike and Alexis Hornbuckle that stepped up in the nick of time.

At halftime, Anosike basically told the Lady Vols, "We're not going home. And the only way we can do this is with defense. And we have to stay positive."

Parker returned from rehabbing her shoulder and getting a sleeve put on it about 10 minutes into the second half.

Perhaps more importantly than her eight points after that point was her assist to Hornbuckle. The Lady Vols athletic shooting guard dropped a bomb on Texas A&M that gave them a five-point lead with 50 seconds to play.

Anosike grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, and Hornbuckle led the team with four steals, four assists and 14 points -- second only to Parker's 26.

The Final Four is set and if you thought all of this year's top seeds were good enough to go all the way, you were right. Unfortunately, the illustrious sports staff here at The Sun thought otherwise. I was particularly high on Louisville but after watching the North Carolina game, this post only seems like I was actually high when I wrote it.

Take a look at some of our Final Four picks and laugh, especially if you're Danny P or Patrick O and leading the Sun Bracket Challenge Standings with 259 and 255 points, respectively.

Arizona recently became the fifth state in the country to require all high school coaches, including faculty, to take and pass a coaching class.

With this move, Arizona joins California, Massachusetts, Oregon and Rhode Island in requiring this certification.

The NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching course, which was started in January 2007 as the signature course of the NFHS Coach Education Program, address the following subjects: educational athletics and the role of the coach, the coach as a manager, the coach as a teacher, the coach and interpersonal skills, and the coach and physical conditioning.

In Illinois, only non-faculty coaches are required to take a class called the ASEP. Should the IHSA become the sixth state to require this training of all coaches?

If this doesn't get you jacked up for Tennessee women's buckets, nothing will.