Horrocks to the Jags

Another Commodore signs with an NFL Squad--this time it's Theo Horrocks to J-ville.

Buggs, Gatewood Sign

Marcus Buggs heads to Buffalo, and Curtis Gatewood goes to the 'Skins. Best of luck to both--

Tinsley Down to Two

4 star prospect, Brad Tinsley, has narrowed his decision down to Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. The article is linked here, but is for rivals insiders only. We are not allowed to copy/paste, but Tinsley does say it is a dead heat between Vandy and Wake.

If Vandy can ink Tinsley, it has to be, with all due respect to the 1968 class, the best recruiting class in Vanderbilt history.

Goff Taken in 5th Round

It's no wonder the New York Giants won the Super Bowl last year. They have superior management--the latest stroke of front office genius came early Sunday afternoon when New York selected Jon Goff with its fifth round pick.

The Dores have produced a high number of NFL draft picks over the last few years. It's a testament to the coaching staff's ability to develop less heralded recruits from high school. Chris Williams is the perfect example. He came to Vanderbilt weighing 240 pounds; he left Vanderbilt as a quick footed 315 pound NFL Franchise tackle.

For anyone keeping score at home, the Dores sent 3 more players to the draft than Alabama. Worth noting.

Chicago Commodores?

Yesterday, the Bears selected Chris Williams with the 14th pick of the NFL Draft. Today, the Bears take the Duke of Earl in the 3rd round (7oth pick).

(Title Courtesy: Ronnie Roudini).

Dores take Game 1 from Cats

Pedro's 8th inning clutch double provides the winning run.

Priorities

Chris Williams is postponing his honeymoon for the NFL Draft. The DD backs this.

Diamond Dores On a Roll

The Dores defeated Belmont last night 10-7 to improve to 30-11 on the season. The win marks their 11th in the last 12 games. The Dores host a three-game series with Kentucky this weekend.

Taylor, Goulbourne Move Up In Top 150

Jeff Taylor, who was unranked in the previous Rivals top 150 rankings, moved up to #52 in their newest release. Lance Goulbourne moved up from 88 to 70. Tchiengang is at number 87.

If the Dores land Tinsley (94), he will be the fourth 4-Star Top 100 baller. Unprecedented stature in 'Dores recruiting.

Dores Win Intrastate Showdown

9-8. De La Osa goes yard for the 11th time this year.

Taylor a Starter?

Some experts think Taylor will start right away.

The Stud Recruit tells the City Paper he can "score a bunch of points."

Dores Land Taylor

Jeff Taylor, one of the top unsigned recruits in the 2008 class, committed to Vanderbilt yesterday and intends to sign a LOI this week. This is great news for the Dores and adds to a solid recruiting class. Taylor is 6-7/205 and averaged more than 30 ppg in his senior season. VU also hopes that stand-out guard Brad Tinsley will chose the Dores in the next few weeks. If Tinsley comes our way, he'll round out about the best class we've ever seen.

Goulbourne/Tinsley

An interesting article from SI.com on Lance Goulbourne's transition from tennis to basketball.  In related news, Brad Tinsley includes Vanderbilt as he narrows his schools list to four. 

Corey Smith, Player of the Year

Corey Smith, who is playing in Finland, was named the Player of the Year in the All-Finnish Korisliiga Awards.

Corey Smith is a Daily Dore favorite. Vandy fans will always remember the last second layup to beat Wichita State, his backdoor layup and free throw against N.C. State (Part One, HERE), and when he whooped up on Renaldo Balkman. Corey was the enforcer, and it's great to see him doing well overseas.

Housekeeping

Vandy game suspended in 7th inning last night. The 'Dores, down 5-3 to the Auburn, will finish today, then play game 2.

The 'Dores will kick off the football season on ESPNU, against Miami (OH).

In hoops news, Vanderbilt and Illinois will play a home-and-home series, starting next year. Stallings and Weber are longtime pals.

Basketball Signing Season Underway

With Lance Goulbourne and Steve Tchiengang already committed, CKS and co. look to sign fellow Top 100 recruits, Jeff Taylor and Brad Tinsley.

Tinsley has cut his list to Oregon, Wake, and VU; most gurus believe the decision will come down to OU and VU. Taylor is down to Vandy and Texas.

If VU scores both prospects, it may be the greatest recruiting class since 1968 (Steve Turner, Chris Schweer, Glen Butler, and Tom Arnholt).

Mo Patton says the signing period has started slowly, but nobody expected Taylor or Tinsley to sign right away.

Two Stories

The New York Times picks up on Snedeker's emotional run at the Masters.

Patriots Football Weekly says that Earl Bennett will make a good pro.

Diamond Ds Down Western Kentucky

The Commodore pitching staff combine for a 4 hit performance in a 5-1 win over Western Kentucky.  The win pushes the streak to 7 games; this DD writer is thrilled to see that the Diamond Dores are back on track.

ESPN's Extensive Profile of George Smith

A wonderful read on the former gunshot victim turned Senior Captain. It's a fantastic story, and thanks to ESPN for giving it its due.

ESPN On Coach Sisk

ESPN gives a nice shout out to Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, John Sisk. Sisk has done an excellent job since coming to Vandy and his programs allow CBJ to recruit athletes instead of bodies.

Dores Extend Winning Streak

The Commodores beat up on in-town rival Lipscomb, using 5 pitchers en route to a 8-1 win.  The win extends the 'Dores streak to 6 in a row.  After a game at Western Kentucky tomorrow the 'Dores have a weekend home series against Auburn.

Macias named SEC Baseball Player of the Week

A large performance in the sweep of MSU merits Macias with Vandy's first SEC POW of the season.

More on Snedeker

A recap of Sned's weekend at golf.com and a video that reveals the emotion of The Masters.

Gatewood a Sleeper

Interesting article about defensive ends who might move to outside linebacker in the NFL. Gatewood would likely play OLB professionally:

"Gatewood is a player who has a fantastic combination of size and speed. He is a natural pass rusher who has the burst to close and a variety of moves to get past the offensive linemen. Also, his quickness, explosiveness and acceleration make Gatewood deadly off the edge. By becoming a 3-4 outside linebacker, Gatewood has the ability to become a threatening pass rusher off the edge. He may never turn out to be a full time starting linebacker, but he should find a home as a situational pass rusher."

Snedeker Falls Short in Augusta

After a beautiful eagle on the second hole, Snedeker looked prime for a Sunday Showdown. Unfortunately, he stumbled through the front nine and was out of contention by the turn.

Snedeker had a tough day after 3 rounds of fantastic golf. It was hard not to compare his tournament to a Vandy football game with Sunday being the fourth quarter. Snedeker handled the setback with ultimate class. A great guy with a great future.

'Dores Sweep Bulldogs

The Diamond 'Dores complete the sweep this afternoon, holding off the Bulldogs with the bases loaded in the 9th inning.

In other news, Brandy Snedeker is still in the hunt at Augusta.

Dores Top Dogs

With 31 runs on Friday and Saturday, the Dores take the weekend series from the Dogs.

TSN On Chris Williams

A good read on the imminent first rounder.

CFN Ranks Earl at #9

It seems that 9 is the universal number for Earl in the WR Rankings. CFN is the next to place him there.

Diamond 'Dores Pick Up the W

The 'Dores used 5 pitchers and held Austin Peay to one run while posting 8 runs on 12 hits. The win marks the second in a row and hopefully has the team back on track before the weekend series against Mississippi State.

(The DD likes the throwbacks)

Will Rough Start Catalyze a Trip to Omaha?

ESPN's Chris Low considers whether Vandy's surprising stumble out of the SEC gates will benefit the 'Dores in the long run. Coach Corbin makes an interesting point: when you win, you don't learn. Hopefully, the early conference season adversity will propel the 'Dores to a second half surge.

Odds and Ends

Brad Tinsley's visit to Vandy coming up, Tom Richardson applies for the Toledo job, and JeJuan Brown may return to the SEC.

All: HERE.

Back On Track?

Sure hope so. The Dores dispose of the Hilltoppers, 5-1.

In SEC Hoops news , Ben Hansbourough will transfer out of Mississippi State, and Alabama's squad is completely falling apart.

Dallas Scout Video on Vandy Pro Day

Nothing too specific but it's a 3+ minute video worth watching.

'Dores Swept in Oxford

The 'Dores were swept for the first time since 2006 by the Rebels this weekend in Oxford. A few DD writers attended the game yesterday - the Rebels offense proved too much. One bright spot for the 'Dores was the back-to-back home runs hit by Pedro and Flash. Sunday and weekend recap here.

In other news, Shan Foster wins the Lowe's Senior Class award.

Good Nugget on Pedro and Diamond Dores

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3327181&name=ncaa_baseball

Good Guys Beat Up MTSU

The Dores sweep the season series against those clowns from the outskirts.

Fantastic Article

The Sports Business Journal has an extensive article on the dissolution of the Athletic Department and the subsequent ascension by all of Vanderbilt's teams. A great read.

Articles on Captain Smith

The Tennessean and City Paper published stories this morning on George Smith's career coming full circle. For those of you who forgot, Smith was a gunshot victim three years ago. Today, he's a captain of the Football Squad.

Pedro Returns, but Dores Fall

Dores lose 12-8 to Southeastern Missouri State (que?).

Football Team Elects 2008 Captains

The captains for this year's squad are Reshard Langford, Bradley Vierling, and George Smith.

On Keegan

When the DD heard the surprising news about the KB defection, our initial worry was that his coach-hat-wearing father pioneered the decision. Yesterday's report in the Tennessean and today's continued stories served as confirmation.

The DD would be shocked if Mr. Bell has not orchestrated this entire hoopla. We don't mean to throw him under the bus, but it just doesn't pass the smell test. Keegan seemed to love playing here, and now all the quotes about his transfer come from his father, the mouthpiece. We wish Keegan the best in the future and hope he can fulfill the NBA prophecy that his father has set out.

The DD will miss Keegan's entertaining style of play.

Two quick ancillaries:

1) Keegan and AJ had a special rapport. They were roommates, AJ spent his Christmas holidays with the Bell family, and they had a clear connection on the court. The DD does not fear another defection--AJO is in prime position for continued stardom and sitting out a year would be foolish--but we hope that Keegan's absence does not have an adverse effect on the Frozzie.

2) From an optimistic standpoint, perhaps the Dores are set to land Tinsley and/or Taylor. The DD hopes the writing was on the wall that Keegan would play behind $ Beale for two more years and develop in the shadow of one of these future stars.