Red Raiders Blogs

Texas Tech passed the midpoint of spring practice with its scrimmage Saturday. One of the players who made the biggest impression during the first half of spring was outside linebacker Chris Payne, a junior transfer who played in nine games last season, mostly on special teams. That’s partly because Payne plays a spot where the expected starter, Terrance Bullitt, is limited while coming off surgery. But Payne’s play is just as big a reason. Last week, outside linebackers coach Mike Smith said Payne was the highest-grading player in his meeting room day-in, day-out, because he plays smart ......

After a busy week dealing with most everything else, I got back out to Rip Griffin Park for practices Saturday and Sunday. What a difference a week makes. The Red Raiders this weekend, for the most part, were much sharper and cleaner in a lot of aspects of the game during scrimmages. Of course, there were errors, but most of them came when hitters pressed pitchers to make plays, field bunts, and throws actually hit the runners going down the line. There was one inexcusable drop on an easy fly in center. But there were also spectacular plays made by shortstop Tim Proudfoot, sliding deep ......

I wasn't sure we were in the right place when our Avalanche-Journal staff pulled up to Grande Communications Stadium in Midland on Saturday afternoon. The air was filled with the tantalizing smells of the kind of smoky BBQ I've come to know and love during my time in West Texas. We're not talking a couple hot dogs being cooked on a mini charcoal grill. This was full-blown tailgating, campers lined up in droves with thousands taking in the game-day atmosphere, complete with bouncing castles and cooperative sunshine. The thing was, this wasn't a game. It was a scrimmage, a glorified ......

The Avalanche-Journal has learned Texas Tech Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt was in Dallas on Wednesday interviewing a number of candidates for the women's basketball head-coaching vacancy. Exact names have not been divulged, although there were reportedly six candidates being spoken to. Tech has been without a women's basketball coach since Saturday when Kristy Curry resigned her position in favor of Alabama. Although rumors have circulated about candidates for the past several days, no one has confirmed talks with Tech. Gary Blair said he was contacted by Marsha Sharp this weekend, ......

Payments to former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe totaling nearly $5 million included both a bonus for negotiating a multiyear TV-rights deal and a severance package after he stepped down amid conference turmoil, reflecting the high stakes of college-sports realignment. The payments, which appeared in conference tax documents recently made public, also included part of Beebe's salary for the 2011-12 fiscal year and retention bonuses, Beebe said. To read more, please click here...