Alternative title, “A Prude Grows In Waterbury.”

A sportswriter who is actually happy about the decision by the NCAA to mandate the length of media guides.

This guy seems to think that it will bring back the good old days of media guides solely as information for media types — just stats and information to pepper in their column or discuss in a broadcast.

He uses Pitt’s 2004-05 Basketball Media Guide as the example:

An annual report does not require 440 pages, which is what Nebraska’s 2004 football media guide contains. An annual report doesn’t include a picture of four scantily clad co-eds with P-I-T-T etched on their tank tops. You’ll find that on page 25 of Pittsburgh’s 2004-05 basketball media guide. You’ll also find a different foursome in the same outfits on page 26.

While the media may be in favor of such photos, they’re a long way from necessary for the media. But hey, if you’re a 17-year-old looking for a place to play, such a photo just might push you to Pittsburgh.

The NCAA recognized this and at least tried to even the playing field a bit. The nation’s big schools routinely produce monstrous media guides, but the likes of Toledo and Fairfield aren’t capable financially of putting out 300-page guides. Now everybody has the same amount of space in which to get their message across.

Not surprisingly, a lot of schools are unhappy about this. They’ll have to find a way to cut pages. Pitt (hate to pick on the poor Panthers) probably could do without the four-page bio of Mark McCarroll. Four pages on Mark McCarroll? UConn devotes seven pages to Jim Calhoun, who certainly has accomplished a lot more than McCarroll.

Any SID needing help in cutting pages need only consult the media about their, ahem, media guides. This is how it usually goes among sportswriters when the media guides are handed out:

We’ll take one to keep in our cars. That one stays intact. We’ll take a second and proceed to rip out extraneous pages. By the time we’re done, the UConn football and basketball media guides are 100 pages or so and much easier to take on road trips and haul around in a computer bag. Let’s face it, we don’t need the two pages describing all that Hartford offers (who knew that could take up two pages?) and another two pages describing Springfield, New York, Boston and Providence.

For purely informational purposes only, here’s where you can find the, ahem, offending photos (PDF, pgs 28 & 29). It’s part of several pages devoted to the Oakland Zoo and the game atmosphere of the Pete.

Hate to break it to Ed, but the photos are likely staying and the stats will be the things disappearing. He complains that the media guides shouldn’t be about selling the school to recruits. Tough. They are and that still won’t change, page restrictions or not.

Keep this name in mind: Aaron Miller. We might be hearing it again in the future (via Fanblogs).

Offensive tackle Aaron Miller, who started 10 games as a true freshman last season, has left the University of Kentucky football team for personal reasons, coach Rich Brooks announced yesterday.

“We certainly will miss Aaron as a football player, but our first concern is for him, and we wish him well,” Brooks said. “He will not be with us this fall, but we are hopeful he will rejoin us at a later date.”

Miller was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team by The Sporting News and was UK’s Most Outstanding First-Year Player as chosen by the coaches.

Now I don’t know what the “personal reasons” were, but I am assuming he will eventually be trying to go back to a college. Keep in mind that Pitt offensive lines coach, Paul Dunn, served in that same role at Kentucky. Pitt would be a logical destination if he transfers.

A little speculative, but we are in June.

It would appear that reality should be hitting Carl Krauser.

Pitt point guard Carl Krauser, while displaying a crisper peformance than he did a day earlier, managed only three points on 1-of-3 shooting and added three rebounds, three assists and two turnovers in his team’s 97-81 loss. He was guarded mainly by former Marquette guard Travis Diener and ex-Illinois guard Luther Head.

That’s not even going to get him taken on a flyer at the end of the second round.

I actually feel bad about this. It is what he wants, and I think he can make it to the NBA at some point.

He isn’t ready, though. He has to be more consistent, and control things more. This is also a very deep draft for point guards. He is way down on the list. Next year, he should be considered one of the top 10 point guards.

Obviously if he comes back it really helps Pitt. Pitt will be better with him next season than without. Losing 2 starters is tough enough. Losing all 3 of the most productive and experienced players would put Pitt in the bottom half of the Big East for sure.