Lack of baseball might hurt

[Lotus]

Nathan Newman
Pro-style quarterback
Houston (Houston Christian), Texas

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 186 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.81 seconds

Audibles: "We turned the reins of the offense over to Nathan and he has done a great job of handling everything. He is developing into a very good quarterback." -former Houston Christian coach Kirk Thor

Schools of interest:
Baylor, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Stanford, Texas A&M, Tulane, SMU, TCU

[No Cal Pony]

If the kid wants to be a qb, playing FOOTBALL, lack of baseball shouldn't hurt. What'll hurt is going against the likes of nd, and stanford. We stack up just as good, if not better, than the rest.

Go Ponies!

[HFvictory]

The kid is a highly rated pitching prospect and if not drafted will probably go to a school that he can play both sports. Baylor seems to be in the lead simply because of the baseball team.

[No Cal Pony]

If the kid is a baseball player, then we don't need him. Maybe the same case for your froggies. Also, why would baylor lead? stanford blows waco out. They'd probably let him play both, plus stanford education and connections vs. baylor. No brainer there.

Go Ponies!

[Mike Damone]

If the kid is a baseball player, then we don't need him. Maybe the same case for your froggies. Also, why would baylor lead? stanford blows waco out. They'd probably let him play both, plus stanford education and connections vs. baylor. No brainer there.

Go Ponies!

Ummmm, I don't we're in any position to tell guys we don't need them if they want to play baseball. There is a very, very long list of guys (especially QB's) playing two sports that were very successful players.

[HFvictory]

If the kid is a baseball player, then we don't need him. Maybe the same case for your froggies. Also, why would baylor lead? stanford blows waco out. They'd probably let him play both, plus stanford education and connections vs. baylor. No brainer there.

Go Ponies!

I was just giving you who is leading per some of the recruiting websites. I agree about Stanford, but apparently Baylor is currently his leaning. TCU would love to have this kid.

[No Cal Pony]

frogman, thanks for any heads up. I do not mean any direct disrespect to you. Obviously the kid doesn't get it if he'll pick baylor over stanford.

Mike. Maybe you feel we are in no position to say what is what, but I believe different. This tact hasn't worked for us in the past, why should it start now. We need a player who wants to come play football. Not figure where his head is at. Plus, what "very, very long list" are you talking about. Don't mean to be rude, but please. Get real.

Go Ponies!

[Roach]

If the kid is a baseball player, then we don't need him....

Huh? If he's a good baseball prospect, chances are that means he has a pretty good arm. And we don't want that in a QB prospect? Not sure I get the logic on this one.

[davidsmu94]

Right we dont' need a player like John Elway, those baseball players/football players just cannot cut it at SMU

[No Cal Pony]

You folks are missing my point. First, SMU doesn't have a baseball team. Don't look for it to happen soon, as we don't have the money. Second, we need kids who want to come play FOOTBALL. Kids who want to come and play and win. Third, yes, maybe a kid who is good in baseball might have a good arm, but there are no guarantees. It is tough enough to figure out a kid just on one sport, let alone two. It does give some additional indications, but not every time. We still need kids to come to SMU to play FOOTBALL. We need them to come for what we are and what we have, and what can be.

davidsmu. Get real with a reference to Elway. My stepbrother played with and later against Elway in high school, both football and baseball. Elway was a rare individual, but the reality was that he loved baseball, but his heart was FOOTBALL. He was a driven person. To attain his goals, he began his quest in high school. And remember too that Elway played basketball and (I think for a year or two) volleyball. The guy was just a phenomenal athlete. I don't see in looking at this kid as he is shaping up as the next Elway. Remember Elway was All-American, All-Pac-10, Runner up to the Heisman. Maybe if you know the kid and his Dad, you can find out his intentions.

Let's move on. He doesn't seem to care about us, let's look at the kids who are.

Go Ponies!

[Mike Damone]

frogman, thanks for any heads up. I do not mean any direct disrespect to you. Obviously the kid doesn't get it if he'll pick baylor over stanford.

Mike. Maybe you feel we are in no position to say what is what, but I believe different. This tact hasn't worked for us in the past, why should it start now. We need a player who wants to come play football. Not figure where his head is at. Plus, what "very, very long list" are you talking about. Don't mean to be rude, but please. Get real.

Go Ponies!

Just off the top of my head....

In the Dallas area...Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, and Drew Henson
Mentioned previously...John Elway
Went/go to Texas......Heisman winner Ricky Williams and Cedric Benson
Matt Mauck of LSU
Hiesman winner Chris Weinke
Heisman winner Bo Jackson
Deon Sanders
Brian Hunter
The Fields kid at Okl. St. who threw 7 or 8 td's against us last year

I guess you wouldn't want any of them because they're not focused on one sport?

Then you can talk about Heisman winner Charlie Ward and Julius Peppers who played basketball. Kenny Lofton of the Yankees was a solid sixth man for Arizona's 1988 final four team. Arkansas QB Matt Jones started some games last year on their basketball team. Nobody seemed to complain when we wanted the Thornton kid from St. Mark's, or Byron Eaton.

And then, the thousands of kids that play football and also participate in track and field.

I don't think any school should rule out a prospect that is athletic enough to excel in more than one sport. Why in the world would you want SMU to narrow our choices even more, especially when many of them are the best of the best?

Why don't you "get real" and realize that every player I mentioned above, and there are more, played for major division I football programs. If those coaches/programs didn't have problem with it, I don't see how we would be in a position to.

[Stallion]

Don't forget SMU's own Daniel Hernandez who won the Soccer "Heisman" and placed a Vodoo Curse on our kicking game which has last until this day when Cavan refused to let him play two sports.

[No Cal Pony]

Damone, thanks for the "just off the top of your head" list. Gee, you really showed me. I never realized that ALL THOSE players existed. And I see that so many of them attended a school such as SMU. Now that you blew your statement out of your behind, AGAIN, look at my point.

Yes, maybe the coaches would not mind But, my fellow Pony fan, we DO NOT HAVE BASEBALL. Get it? Unless, you dig deep into your pocket, it won't be coming soon either. Get a grip. I understand this, why don't you?

Also, AGAIN, look at your "long" list. Notice a pattern? With the rare exception, like Elway, they all went to large state schools, with lots of $$, big athletic budgets, and are part of the bcs conferences. Does this fit SMU?

I do not advocate just out of hand ignoring a possible athlete, but I do find it not the mode we need to follow given the state of other programs at SMU. To point, SMU no longer has a track and field team. We once used this combo with footballers. It is all fine and great, but now that option is gone. And for SMU to chase a kid that may leave because the football isn't working out, or his heart was baseball, We cannot afford to play that game too much. Note how it hasn't worked out too well for SMU. Heck, even here in NC the top QB prospect at unc just backed out, leaving unc without their top recruit. Could SMU afford this to happen? No is the answer. At least unc can rely on being in the ACC, and draw from a level that easily gives them access to athletes we cannot compete for at this time. (Plus an athletic budget of about $42 million.) On your list you mention Peppers, a unc grad. Yes, he played another sport, but FOOTBALL was, and still is, his sport.

The point is to help our programs. If the kid wants to play two sports the SMU offers, great. Note the part about SMU offers. If the coaches don't mind, great, but don't try to compare our program with the likes of stanford, michigan, florida st., ut or the like.

I am not against the situation, but feel that what SMU really needs are football players ready to come to SMU to play football. And that list of athlete is still way longer than your list could ever hope. Because again, if you want to bring up Elway, he still was ready to follow football all the way, or maybe you missed his induction into the FOOTBALL Hall of Fame.

Go Ponies!

[Mike Damone]

The point is to help our programs. If the kid wants to play two sports the SMU offers, great. Note the part about SMU offers. If the coaches don't mind, great, but don't try to compare our program with the likes of stanford, michigan, florida st., ut or the like.

Thanks for clearing up your position on this. You previously had stated that you didn't want any kid that didn't want to JUST PLAY FOOTBALL. You said you didn't want a kid that would come and figure out which he one he liked more. That would rule out players like a Charlie Ward, Matt Jones, or Julius Peppers. That would rule out players like Ricky Williams or Cedric Benson, who played minor league baseball while in college. And that would rule out players like Byron Eaton and the Thornton kid.

We need a player who wants to come play football. Not figure where his head is at.

[No Cal Pony]

Mike, you can choose to READ a post, or just pick out parts you think you may (and don't seem to) understand. Sorry for you.

Mike, you wrote:

Thanks for clearing up your position on this. You previously had stated that you didn't want any kid that didn't want to JUST PLAY FOOTBALL. You said you didn't want a kid that would come and figure out which he one he liked more. That would rule out players like a Charlie Ward, Matt Jones, or Julius Peppers. That would rule out players like Ricky Williams or Cedric Benson, who played minor league baseball while in college. And that would rule out players like Byron Eaton and the Thornton kid.

This quote from you shows to me that you cannot understand another post. Besides, what are you trying to prove? Do you feel better about yourself? Or are you some tcu troll?

I want the best players for SMU. I am realistic about that type. Are you?

Go Ponies!


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