Blogging with the Devils

Matt Spencer

Steve Noworyta, the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league director, spoke too soon when telling a Pennsylvania newspaper that Arizona State outfielder Matt Spencer had signed with the team.

Days later, Spencer has still not put his signature on a contract. Part of Noworyta’s mea culpa had him describing negotiations between Spencer and the Phillies by saying, “They were close.” It’s unclear how much should be read into his use of past tense.

If he signs, Spencer will likely report to Class-A short-season Williamsport (Pa.).As a result of this development, this blog entry from Wednesday has been corrected.

ASU has compiled its 2008 baseball roster, which currently consists of returning varsity players.

Pitcher Josh Satow, a 28th-round pick of the Seattle Mariners, and outfielder Mike Jones, who went in the 42nd round to the Chicago White Sox, are listed. Outfielder Jarred Bogany, a transfer from Louisiana State who had limited playing time this season, is not.

Po’u Palelei

Massive offensive lineman Po’u Palelei, considered a potential contributor for Arizona State as a true freshman, did not qualify academically and will spend the fall at Mesa Community College, Scout.com is reporting.

“Because of my grades and my test score, I’m (going to) grayshirt and take classes at Mesa Community College,” the 6-foot-5, 335-pound Palelei told the Web site. “I’m taking three classes there, and as long as I get at least all ‘B’s in those courses and get a good score on my test, I’ll be on scholarship at ASU in the spring.”

Palelei — a product of Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, Nev., who was a 2006 U.S. Army All-American — is the highest-rated of the five offensive linemen the Sun Devils signed in February. Urgency was not necessary with Palelei, however, as the offensive line is one of ASU’s deepest positions.

Two other 2007 recruits, cornerback Omar Bolden and defensive end James Brooks, have been spending their summer working to secure eligibility. If he makes the grade, Bolden figures to make a push to start at the CB spot opposite Justin Tryon.

As for the ‘08 recruiting class, ASU is still awaiting word from quarterback Sean Renfree of Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep. Renfree, believed to be the Sun Devils’ top QB target, is reportedly also considering Georgia Tech, Oregon State and Stanford.

Two more drafted Arizona State players, second baseman Eric Sogard and shortstop Andrew Romine, are off to professional baseball.

Sogard, a second-round pick of the San Diego Padres earlier this month, agreed to terms on Tuesday and will report to the team’s Class-A squad in Eugene, Ore. Romine, a fifth-round pick of the Anaheim Angels, signed for a reported $125,000 and will join the club’s advanced rookie-league team in Orem, Utah.

Undrafted senior utility players Joe Persichina and C.J. Retherford signed free-agent deals with the Chicago White Sox and are playing for the Great Falls, Mont., rookie-level team.Five Sun Devils have signed pro contracts. Pitcher Brian Flores agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last week.

Five drafted ASU players remain unsigned: outfielders Matt Spencer (Philadelphia, third round) and Tim Smith (Texas, seventh round), pitchers Scott Mueller (Baltimore, 21st round) and Josh Satow (Seattle, 28th round) and outfielder Mike Jones (Chicago White Sox, 42nd round). Satow and Jones will likely stay in school.

UPDATE: Sogard’s signing bonus was for more than $500,000.

Brian Flores

It has been an eventful week for Brian Flores.At the College World Series, the left-handed pitcher made consecutive starts for Arizona State: a one-inning effort in an ASU loss against Oregon State, and six frames in an extra-inning setback to UC Irvine that eliminated the Sun Devils.

On Thursday, Flores signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who chose him in the 13th round of the draft earlier this month.

On Friday, he had about $800 in baseball gear stolen from his car, including player gifts from the CWS that cannot be easily replaced.

However, the burglary did not diminish the excitement of a new baseball chapter for Flores, a New Mexico Junior College transfer who was 11-2 with a 3.89 ERA in one season at ASU. He will report to the Hudson Valley (N.Y.) Renegades, a Class-A affilliate.

“I really wanted to start playing (professionally),” Flores told the Carlsbad (N.M.) Current-Argus. “I can always go back to school and finish. I won’t be able to play baseball forever. I wanted to start playing (professionally) this year. I am ready to go play.”

Not to worry; Sun Devil Stadium is still standing.

Arizona State’s football coaches are frustrated at news that at least one rival school is telling recruits that they should not play collegiately in Tempe because “the stadium is falling down.”

Look, I know that this type of recruiting is part of college sports, but to the coaches currently using this tactic: Knock it off. Sun Devil Stadium is not “falling down,” and the story that precipitated the line, Garin Groff’s report in Sunday’s Tribune, says nothing of the sort.

However, ASU had a successful recruiting day on Monday, as Internet services reported that two players, defensive lineman Zeb Togiai of Phoenix Desert Vista High and cornerback Josh Jordan of Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, orally committed to the Sun Devils.

That gives ASU three known committments in the 2008 class. Desert Vista tight end Steven Figueroa stated his intentions to play for the Sun Devils earlier this month.

The final Directors Cup standings are expected to be released on Wednesday. ASU was 17th in the previous standings, and a national title in women’s track and College World Series appearances in baseball and softball should push the school close to the top 10.

ASU’s marketing department has been attempting to secure a national-anthem singing appearance by “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks during the 2007 football season, preferably at the Thanksgiving-night contest against Southern California. Sparks, you might have heard, is the daughter of former Sun Devil and NFL defensive back Phillippi Sparks.

Baseball coach Pat Murphy said on Monday that he is confident he will have a new assistant coach hired by Sunday, the first day that in-home visits with recruits are permitted.

Finally, from time to time, I’ll use this blog to alert fans of good stuff by other writers. The first honoree is Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Ted Miller, who makes a case that the Pac-10 is the best conference in the nation.

First, the name change. This is no longer a College World Series blog; as promised, it has transformed into an Arizona State athletics (primarily football and baseball) blog that I will contribute to regularly. I hope you liked what you read while the Sun Devils were in Omaha, and please continue to make this space a part of your daily ASU sports routine.

Also, Rocky Laguna has summed up the CWS experience in his final “Captain’s Log” entry. I’ll be honest — when college athletes do a special-event diary for a newspaper, they usually take a minute or two to verbalize thoughts to a reporter or one of the school’s sports information directors, who in turn type something up.

However, Laguna was fired up to document the Omaha trip. He pounded out his own entries on a laptop computer, and they required little editing. The words you see are truly his. It was a treat for the Tribune to have him as a part of our CWS coverage.

Pat Murphy

In a season-wrap session with reporters at Packard Stadium on Friday, Arizona State baseball coach Pat Murphy called his search for an assistant coach an “emergency situation.”

Assistant and recruiting coordinator Henry “Turtle” Thomas has left for the head-coaching job at Florida International. Murphy wants to fill the job by July 1 because that is when recruiting visits begin.

“You can’t lose a day of time, not as competitive as recruiting is these days,” Murphy said. “You have to be in houses as soon as it’s permitted.”

Two coaches are allowed to visit players’ homes. Assistant coach Andy Stankiewicz normally goes on the recruiting trail, and Murphy said that assistant Tim Esmay will fill the second role if a new aide is not hired by July 1.

Murphy said that he has a short list of candidates, but he has also been “inundated” with calls from prospective applicants since the Sun Devils were eliminated from the College World Series on Tuesday.

Another item on Murphy’s immediate agenda is continuing to raise capital for improvements to Packard Stadium.

Some donors have made verbal commitments, but no renovation timetable exists. Additional lighting, shade for grandstand seats and a new press box are badly needed, and Murphy would like to add an area — in the spirit of Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park — that highlights ASU’s baseball tradition.

It is no secret that ESPN was not pleased with Packard’s press accommodations during the super regional against Mississippi. Considering the network pays the NCAA a hefty rights fee to televise the baseball tournament, that could potentially harm ASU’s chances of hosting future regionals.

“ESPN and the NCAA are well aware that our stadium has to be improved in order to host,” Murphy said. “But (school president) Michael Crow and (athletic director) Lisa Love are smart people. They know.

“I’m confident that things will move in the right direction — maybe not in the timetable that I want them to — but they’ll get done.”

Senior utility players Joe Persichina and C.J. Retherford are about to sign free-agent contracts, Murphy said. Outfielder Rocky Laguna has another year of playing eligibility but might return in a student-coaching capacity next season. Laguna, by the way, plans to write one more installment of his “Captain’s Log,” summing up the recent CWS experience.

Pitcher Tommy Rafferty, a right-handed transfer from Angelo State, underwent surgery for a broken ankle during the spring but should be ready for 2008. Left-hander Jeff Urlaub is out for all of next season because he will still be recovering from elbow ligament-replacement (Tommy John) surgery.

At least 12 Sun Devils will play summer ball.

ASU’s team will be honored at Chase Field before Saturday’s game between the Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles. Murphy will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

This year, the record for hit batsmen at the College World Series was not just broken. It was obliterated.

The old mark of 36 was surpassed when Arizona State’s Rocky Laguna was plunked in the 10th inning of the Sun Devils’ loss against UC Irvine on Tuesday. Going into this weekend’s championship series between Oregon State and North Carolina, 47 batters have been hit.

Earlier this week, Dave Yeast, NCAA national coordinator for baseball umpires, issued a statement saying that the Division I baseball committee would review individual hit batsmen rulings by umpires as part of a general review of the CWS.

ASU coach Pat Murphy is a member of the committee. He said that a big reason for the rise in batters getting hit is that teams have made it a component of their strategy.

In Omaha, frustrated pitchers and coaches have suggested that some batters — especially those from UC Irvine, plunked by 117 pitches this year — were deftly moving their bodies in ways that precipitate contact with an incoming pitch.

“It’s something you can put into your program,” Murphy said. “The rule will not be interpreted the same every time, so why not put it in, and for the 50 percent of the time it’s not interpreted right, you’ve got a base. But kids come to school to learn to play baseball, not how to trick the system. And some programs are winning by tricking the system.

“People are pitching in to win at this level, and players rolling or leaning into pitches is wrong. You have to earn your hit by pitches.”

Arizona State has a full dugout of players honing their skills on diamonds around the world during the next two months.

First baseman Brett Wallace and catcher Petey Paramore are on the USA national team that will compete in the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro and the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands.

Outfielder Ike Davis, third baseman Matt Hall and pitchers Derik Olvey and Joey Parigi get the once-in-a-lifetime experience of playing in the Cape Cod League in Massachusetts. Pitcher Mike Leake was also invited, but opted to rest after a heavy workload during the season. He and closer Jason Jarvis will remain on campus to work on their hitting, as both could eventually contribute as position players.

Pitcher Josh Satow will stick around ASU for the summer, a sign that the 28th-round pick of the Seattle Mariners plans to return for his senior year.

Also playing this summer are outfielder Ryan Sontag (Virginia), pitchers Jason Mitchell, Dustin Brader, Adam Bailey and Joe Hatasaki (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and catcher Kiel Roling (Danville, Ill.). Infielders Raoul Torrez and Greg Bordes are looking for a league to join.

Todd Raleigh

A search firm representing the University of Tennessee contacted Arizona State’s Pat Murphy in regards to the school’s vacant head baseball coaching position.

But it is apparent that, from the beginning of the week, Todd Raleigh of Western Carolina was UT athletic director Mike Hamilton’s guy.

Word out of Knoxville on Thursday, after a press conference to announce the hire, was that Hamilton interviewed Raleigh on Monday night in Atlanta. He invited the coach and his family to Knoxville on Tuesday to talk further.

On Wednesday, around the time ASU’s charter plane was leaving the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., for the Valley, Hamilton offered Raleigh the job, and it was accepted. At 5 p.m. (Arizona time) on Wednesday, UT announced that a press conference had been scheduled, and shortly afterward, news outlets in Tennessee were reporting that Raleigh was the new coach.

Interestingly, UT opened the checkbook for Raleigh, who took Western Carolina to two NCAA tournament appearances (2003, ‘07) in eight years at the school. He will earn $155,000 annually in base pay, plus another $120,000 in bat, apparel and TV/radio contracts.

The total haul is substantially more than 18-year coach Rod Delmonico (about $190,000 a season) earned before his firing earlier this month. And it is slightly ahead of the $272,000 in base pay Murphy earns, though the ASU coach can receive additional money via performance and academic incentives.

Raleigh made $81,000 a year at Western Carolina.