And You Think You Know Your Tradecraft Well

You have to check out the draft-day tracker that Major League Baseball provides. The scouts' reports are priceless. Believe it or not, they write that a certain pitching prospect reminds them of Mike Maroth, and another of Curtis Leskanic. I'm sure if you're an avid fan you'll realize that emulating either a 21-game loser from 2003 or an oft-injured fastballer is not something your team wants if it wants to be a contender. Still, if you're a baseball junkie, you'll like this stuff.

And, yes, let the speculation begin. Princeton's Will Venable was drafted on the 15th round. With Venable, Princeton basketball is a strong favorite to win the Ivies. Without him, the Ivy race could be most interesting indeed. Let the speculation end here too: unless we hear otherwise, Venable is staying put. We haven't read that he's a super prospect the way we did about Chris Young (former Tiger center) or about B.J. Syzmanski (whom the Tiger football team is in danger of losing). As a result, it would be a surprise if Venable were to sign a pro baseball contract, thereby forfeiting his Ivy hoops eligibility because of the Ivy rule that if you're a pro in one sport, you can't be an amateur in another.