Bears backfield getting crowded

The soon-to-be Missouri State Bears got a boost at running back last week when former Georgia Bulldog Michael Cooper enrolled. He left the Bulldogs in March in search of more playing time. He's got a chance to do that at MO State.

Cooper redshirted as a freshman and should have two years left for the Bears (I have not seen confirmation of this).

The 5-foot-11, 215-pound tailback was Georgia's leading rusher in 2003 when he made eight starts and rushed for 673 yards (4.3 ypc, long of 46 yards) and six touchdowns. But Cooper missed most of spring drills in 2004 with recurring migraine headaches and had just 70 yards on 29 carries last season. He played in just four games and didn't have a start. His only carries after the third game of the season came during UGA's 62-17 win over Kentucky.

Cooper didn't look to get more playing time in '05 and decided to transfer. Bears coach Randy Ball told Art Haines on Sports Talk that Cooper was visiting his girlfriend in Wichita and noticed a number of people wearing SMS shirts and hats (perhaps during the Missouri Valley Conference's softball tournament). That led to a phone call from Cooper to see if the Bears were interested in a tailback.

Ball said the last call he got like that was at Western Illinois. The back was Aaron Stecker.

The former Dawg will join what is becoming an increasingly-crowded MO State backfield. Lee Baker has joined SMS after one season at Middle Tennessee State. He was listed as a wide receiver at MTSU despite a 5-foot-7, 184-pound frame.

Baker spent two seasons at Coffeyville Community College and will have one year at MO State.

Baker had decent numbers for the Blue Raiders, appearing in 10 games and finishing third on the team in all-purpose yardage. He rushed for 257 yards (4.1 avg) with four scores and a long of 31 yards. He also caught 20 passes for 118 yards (5.9 avg).

Baker could also help out on special teams after returning 14 kicks for a 19.3-yard average.

Another newcomer in the mix is Ramel McIntosh (pictured below, courtesy of The Southwest Standard, scoring in the spring game), who led the Bears with 83 yards and two TDs on 17 carries in the spring game. He comes to MO State from Glendale (Ariz.) Community College. Numbers on McIntosh are hard to find, though he was named Player of the Week for the WSFL after toting the ball 26 times for 258 yards and four TDs in a 49-23 win over Phoenix College.



This trio joins Brandon Taylor (267 yards in '04), who had 12 carries for 63 yards in the Maroon and White game, and Steve McCord (no info found on him...yet), who carried once for 45 yards in the spring game.

You obviously can't replace a Cody Pratt (1179 yards, 12 TDs) with one guy. A combination of Cooper, McIntosh, Baker, etc. will help.

That depth should allow Ball to redshirt incoming freshman Orlando Slider, a speedster from Waynesville who looked solid at last week's Grin Iron Classic IV. He's not just a straight-line runner - as some suggested - showing a couple of wicked moves to evade tacklers. Plus, he's got breakaway speed. A year of seasoning will do him - and the Bears - some good.

New logo woe

You won't find many people more excited about Southwest Missouri State University's name changing to The Missouri State University. You won't find many people more ready to huck their antiquated "SMS" gear for a fresh new wardrobe. I was absolutely aped about seeing the new Missouri State logos - done by Keith Prejean and Prejean LoBue, the innovator of the much-loved "Cauliflower Bear."

Then, I saw the new marks.



Gah.

I couldn't even bring myself to vote in the News-Leader poll. Pick a favorite? There are no favorites here.

Greg Onstot and the folks at University Advancement have wisely tried to keep as many things as they can the same during the transition: Same colors, same bear logo, etc. They've also - wisely - kept folks away from "MSU," at least for the time being, lest others think we're talking about Michigan State, Mississippi State, Montana State, etc.

But I don't get dropping the very-recognizable "SMS" typeface for this new, generic look. Whey not drop an "MSU" on us, like so:



They could at least keep that same lettering in some of the new logos. The block "M" is a lot tighter with the current block "M":



And adding "University" to almost everything gets a little ridiculous. It's really superfluous.

I really don't like bagging on this because I think Greg Onstot - who certainly has his detractors on internet message boards - really wants to do the right thing. He has a great passion for SMS, er...MO State.

And Prejean does great work. Just look at Cauliflower Bear or check out his web site. And to be fair, I do like the Carrington Hall logos, to be used in non-athletic applications.



But the rest of this stuff just doesn't excite me.

I don't think it's befitting of The Missouri State University.

Fare thee well

The article didn’t catch me off-guard, but it sure did leave me sad.

We’ve known for weeks now that the Springfield Spirit was no more. The Jr. “A” hockey team was staying in the North American Hockey League, but headed for Wasilla, Alaska. The vote that makes the move official took place recently and was unanimous. The ownership group will remain the same, apparently - including Grant Wistrom. The team is expected to be known as the Mat-Su Spirit.

I love this quote from Marty Brickey: “The Springfield Spirit is extremely excited to be moving to Wasilla ... we look forward to introducing our team to the fans.”

Just don’t get attached to them, guys.

The “Spirit” program - which came to Springfield as the St. Louis Sting - doesn’t have the best reputation, and with good reason. Coaching changes were frequent - a few coming midseason - and the locker room was apparently built with a revolving door. Nobody stayed around long and it looked like quite a few wanted out.

But it’s hard to say good riddance. As a hockey fan, I will miss having the Spirit around. There is a chance that junior hockey will return to the Ozarks at some point, perhaps in the Jr. “B” WSHL. In the meantime, this is a golden opportunity for the soon to be Missouri State University Bears.

There is no competition for dollars now. Corporate sponsors and fans who had to divide their dollars between the Spirit and Bears now have just one hockey option. If SMS, excuse me, Mo State works this right, it will be a major boom for their program.

They’re off to a good start signing WebSportsRadio.com to broadcast at least 28 of 33 regular-season games on the web. I likely won’t listen to it, but any publicity you can get for your team is great.

“The web site will be arranged so fans can go straight to the re-broadcast without knowing the outcome first,” Vice President and co-founder Dan Lee says in a press release on WSR’s web site. “We will also provide player rosters, profiles, pictures and stats that will add to the listening enjoyment during the game. There are a lot of advantages to doing a game via the net as opposed to radio, and we plan to bring as many as possible into play.”

Sounds intriguing.

A tentative schedule is also up on WSR’s web site. Exhibition games with SLU are set for Sept. 10 and 11. The first broadcast should be Saturday, Oct. 1 when Missouri State locks horns with Missouri in Jefferson City. I’ve never been on a Bears hockey road trip before. This one would be a good one to start on.

The regular season home opener is slated for Oct. 14 against McKendree College at 6:50 p.m. Home opponents of interest include Kansas Nov. 9-10 and a return visit from MissZoo Feb. 10-11.

Oh, and Marty. You seem like a nice guy, but that was a bad move not thanking the Springfield community for the support they've given the team the past few seasons. There are a lot of people who cheered for that team, billet families who opened up their doors to host players and sponsors who helped make this thing work. A lot of people in Springfield gave their spirit to this team. A "Thanks" on your way out the door would've been nice.


Next up for Briggs Stadium, tackling the new Missouri State logos - aka "What were they thinking?"