Tim Polzer: Rumors & Facts - Who's on VYPE's Preview?

Folks are Talking About VYPE's Baseball/Softball Preview Not sure why, but I've never taken more calls, e-mails and faxes about an upcoming VYPE issue as I have regarding our Baseball & Softball Preview. I've had many suggestions for which players and teams should appear on our cover and inside features. We'll have three versions for Collin County, Greater Dallas and Greater Fort Worth-Denton. Who will those cover players be? Can't tell you yet. But keep an eye on VYPE.com/DFW for our cover release and our great magazine on free racks soon. Obviously some fans will be happy, while others are disappointed. But remember, you can look forward to more baseball and softball content in upcoming issue of VYPE and on VYPE.com/DFW. Burkhead Joining Crowded Huskers Backfield? Plano running back Rex Burkhead expects to get a try at running back for Nebraska next season, but he may be facing some stiff competition. David Oku, rated as the best remaining all-purpose back, recently moved from Midwest City, Okla to Lincoln, Neb. Is Oku planning to sign with Nebraska? Huskers boosters have been saying that coaches promised Burkhead he'd be the last running back signed. Does this mean that Huskers coaches may ask Burkhead to work out at safety? Too soon to tell, but keep an eye on it. McCoy-to-Shipley, Part II? Texas fans are anxiously anticipating another big year from the pass-catch combination of Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley in 2009. The roommates have become popular fodder for the likes of ABC's Brent Musberger and ESPN's Lee Corso. All of the above may get another dose of McCoy-to-Shipley beginning in 2011. Obviously Colt and Jordan will have left the 40 Acres by then, but the Longhorns have an inside edge in recruiting another McCoy-Shipley combo in Case McCoy and Jaxson Shipley. Chase, Colt's brother and Graham quarterback, has already committed to Texas for 2011. Jaxson has yet to commit, but don't think his brother's positive experience at UT won't carry some heavy weight in making his college decision. Of course, now that Jaxson and dad/coach Bob Shipley, have moved to Brownwood, we'll have to make some long-distance calls to keep up with his catches. Ursuline Dynasty Possibly the most overlooked local high school sports dynasty? Can anyone find me a more impressive streak than Ursuline's 19 straight TAPPS state soccer titles? The Broader Role of a High School Coach The recent hires of head football coaches in Coppell and Grapevine got me thinking about how different coaches are viewed at the high school level. Every year we watch professional teams fire one coach and hire another. The successor is almost always a direct opposite type of coach in demeanor and expectations. We hear phrases like: "The Cowboys need a coach who is a disciplinarian," or "After tiring of Avery Johnson's firm rule, the Mavericks are in need of a 'players' coach." Isn't it great that we don't hear that at the high school level? Sure, some coaches lose their job because they run an undisciplined program. Others are sent packing because they take discipline a step too far. But when school district search committees begin interviewing candidates for high school head coaching positions, their priorities run much deeper. They are looking for a coach who is organized, can manage a staff of assistants, drive his players to excel on the field and in the classroom, and be a teacher of young men and women. Of course, winning will help keep boosters happy, but there's so much more to coaching at the high school level. Isn't that refreshing? Tom Brady Marries Giselle So I hear that Tom Brady married his longtime girlfriend Giselle Bundchen. While tabloid stories of pro athletes marrying super models may make a lot of fans' eyes roll, Brady is not one of those athletes dying for the limelight. I'll never forget standing a foot away from him during the postgame interview session following his first Super Bowl win in 2002. The country was still nervous and shaken following the horrors of Sept. 11, and here was a kid who began the season as the Patriots' backup quarterback accepting the Super Bowl XXXVI MVP award following New England's upset of St. Louis. Brady was like a kid - a cool kid - giving his teammates and coaches all the credit. I could easily picture him in a Junipero Sierra High School uniform. Fast forward to 2005, same scenario, except Brady was addressing the media after helping the Patriots win their third Super Bowl in four seasons. He was the same team-first player, who thankful, but not amazed at his success and his team's achievement. So if Brady hasn't changed since then, I'm guessing Giselle must be one heck of a great girl. Editor's Note: Tim Polzer writes on Dallas-Ft. Worth area high school sports -- and more -- every Friday on VYPE.com/DFW.