Feedback & Support » .November 12 Theres no rain yet bu

TAMPA, Fla. -- Charlie Strong is confident he can lead South Florida to new heights.The former Texas and Louisville coach was formally introduced Thursday as a proven winner capable of transforming a program thats never won a conference championship into one that competes for national titles.Strong was fired last month after three losing seasons at Texas. No. 25 USF signed him to a five-year, heavily back-loaded $9.8 million contract that also will enable the 56-year-old to collect much of the more than $10 million the Longhorns owe him over the next two seasons.It really wasnt a hard decision on coming here, Strong said during a news conference held in the midst of what essentially was a pep rally for cheering students and fans assembled to welcome the fourth coach in school history to campus.We all have a vision of where wed like to take ourselves, the coach added. We all have a vision of where wed like to take this program.Strong inherits a team that went 10-2 this season under Willie Taggart, who left last week to become the new coach at Oregon. The Bulls will seek a school-record 11th victory in the Birmingham Bowl, where theyll face South Carolina.Coach Taggart built an unbelievable program, a program that has a solid foundation. Now its up to me to build on this foundation, continue to keep the program in the spotlight, Strong said. Theres no reason why we cant compete for championships year in and year out.Texas went 16-21 under Strongs watch. He takes over a program at USF that was launched from scratch in the mid-1990s and rose as high as No. 2 in the nation in 2007 before declining steadily over the next five seasons.Though Im disappointed in the record, Im very grateful for the opportunity I had at the University of Texas. We built a program and put a foundation in place that will allow them to have great success in the future, similar to what coach Taggart has done here, Strong said.It was a great experience for me, it was a great experience for my family. It was a great experience for our staff, and its one I will never regret, the coach added. But those days have passed, and its time to (move) on.Taggart won two games 2012, his first season in Tampa, and appeared to be on the verge of losing his job at the American Athletic Conference school when a 1/3 start dropped his overall record to 7-21 last year. The Bulls have gone 17-4 since, with their only losses this season coming against Florida State and AAC champion Temple.Strong talked to Taggart about the prospect of taking an assistants job at Oregon, as well as the position the ex-Bulls coach left behind.I told him I want to be the head coach at South Florida, said Strong, who won two Big East championships at Louisville while going 37-15 over four seasons with the Cardinals.Strong, a one-time Florida assistant who helped Urban Meyer win a pair of national championships with the Gators, said he will recruit players who will graduate, as well as compete for championships.He demands the best on the field, in the classroom and in the community. ... He coaches players and develops people, university President Judy Genshaft said.We are all eager in anticipation of what USF football will become, athletic director Mark Harlan added, and we believe this future is in excellent hands.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. Fake NHL Jerseys ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Fake Adidas NHL Jerseys . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. http://www.cheapnhlcustomjerseys.com/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. NHL Jerseys From China . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. Wholesale NHL Jerseys Online .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. October 28 Welcome to the world of modern travel, where everything goes via the Middle East. Even the route from Cape Town to Perth. On a map, it seems the best way to get from one to the other is along a straight line through the southern hemisphere. On an airline schedule, thats not possible. Instead, I will spend nine and a half hours going up to Dubai and then ten and a half hours going down. Add the changeover in Dubai and it means a full 24 hours of travel, and with the time differences, I will arrive two days after I left. Say what?October 29 I think today is Saturday but Im not really sure. I feel trapped in a time warp I dont understand.October 30 Touch down in Perth around 2am. Decide to normalise by sleeping and then force myself to get to the series launch around midday. Its a public event, at Elizabeth Quay, which is also set-up for Diwali festivities. A decent-sized group of people has come to see the Australian and South African teams, and the players are introduced individually. Most get a cheer - David Warner and Dale Steyn louder than the others - but when Dane Vilas walks out, there is complete silence. Poor guy.October 31 Welcome to the world of modern sports media, where the press conference is the most common method of communication. We have no fewer than nine interviews here. Australia put up six players in an open media session, South Africa three. Our heads are swimming with quotes. The most interesting things to come out of the day are Usman Khawajas views on diversity and the Australian fascination with Temba Bavuma. At 1.61 metres, Bavuma is among the shorter sportsmen around and has to field several questions about how he has adapted his technique to his height. Bavuma seems a bit bewildered by the attention but answers the questions as carefully as he can.November 1 The race that stops Australia will be run today, and though Im not in Melbourne, its still a big deal. Im familiar with showstoppers like this - we in South Africa have the Met in January and the Durban July (you know when) - but the Melbourne Cup is a little different. Across Australia, people dress up as though they are at the venue itself, and at 3pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, time stands still. I havent quite got used to the time zone yet, and around noon Im heading to the WACA, wondering why the streets are deserted. When I realise the gun is about to go, I get a move on and get there just in time to pop my head into the guards hut and see the end of the race.November 2 The day before a big Test series is a usually a frenzy of last-minute previews. We wind down with a traditional barbeque at a local journalists home. Our hosts daughter is doing a project on the Democratic Republic of Congo and I offer to help. How often do you go back to Africa? she asks me. I live there, I tell her, as her eyes widen in disbelief.November 3 South Africa stumble through the first day on a pitch with better bounce and carry than I have seen in months. Later we all stumble around on a walking tour, organised by Tourism Western Australia. The idea is to roam the laneways to discover how Perth is Melbournising, and stop at bars along the way. Our guide has the remarkable ability to talk to us while walking backwards. She doesnt lose her step once, not even on St Georges Terrace, said to be the windiest street in the southern hemisphere. At our second and last stop, our holiday-making UK colleague Andrew McGlashan joins us.November 4 Theres an awful feeling when Steyn goes down, clutching his shoulder, with a look on his face worse than when he left the field against India and England last summer. I suspect its serious but first need to turn attention to the remarkable comeback the rest of South Africas attack are staging. At the end of the day we discover Steyn will be out of action for at least six months.November 5 It is due to be 37 degrees today, so I choose a simple T-shirt-style dress to wear. When I arrive at the WACA, at the gate the media use (which is also the members gate), security staff stop me. My dress is too short. The members dress code dictates that dresses must sit no more than 5cm above the knee. Im quite sure mine is not shorter than that, but they disagree. After a protracted discussion - during which one woman is told shee isnt allowed in because the straps on her top are too thin - I am admitted but told not to leave the press box through the day.dddddddddddd Inevitably I have to and am warned a second time. Another journalist tweets about it and a social-media storm erupts.That evening I see Steyn waiting for an Uber in the city centre. He has just got off a train from visiting his uncle in a suburb about 40 minutes away. He admits his shoulder is very sore and says he is resigned to a lengthy period on the sidelines and that he is not going to try and rush back. He will leave Perth tomorrow night, so wont see the result, which looks headed South Africas way.November 6 I pick a dress that extends to my ankles today, but my colleague Melinda Farrell doesnt. She also bares her shoulders. She is reprimanded at the gate, and now that the rest of the press pack know about the issue, another social-media storm erupts. To the WACAs credit, their stadium manager visits us and apologises profusely. He assures us we both look fine.November 7 I wear pants today but am stopped at the gate yet again. No thongs allowed, says the staff member. I present the media argument again. I am let in. This time, both Melinda and I receive an email apology from the WACA CEO. She says the members code will be reviewed and the ground wants to bring about change. We didnt enjoy the attention over our choice of clothing but were pleased weve achieved something. South Africa have too - the series lead. Given how far they had fallen last summer, their dominance is unexpected.November 8 Hobart is the only destination on this tour that Ive not been to before, so I am particularly looking forward to being there. Its Australias second oldest city and one with an extensive convict history. Ive just finished reading Alex Haleys Roots, and I want to find something similar but Australian. Ive been recommended For the Term of his Natural Life by Marcus Clarke and I make it my mission to track it down - if I can ever feel my fingers again; its cold in Hobart. November 9 I was warned to expect less than summery conditions in Hobart but I didnt anticipate a wind so icy it threatens to freeze the blood in my veins. Not to make this all about my wardrobe but I need more clothes. Cricket Tasmanias digital-media manager, Michelle Cooling, offers to lend me some. Among them is a Hobart Hurricanes hoodie. Shes got a fan for life.November 10 Still havent managed to get to a bookshop but I am enjoying learning about the local food. Melinda takes me to Mures, a seafood establishment on the harbour, where we splash out on all the regions delicacies. Oysters done four ways, scallops, white fish, even a dessert of chocolate tarts. Its definitely among the best meals Ive ever eaten.November 11 A cannon being towed by a Ute rolls past on my morning run, headed to the Anzac Parade. Its Remembrance Day. The colonial history is more marked here than anywhere else in Australia Ive seen, especially in the architecture. The Queen Victoria Clock Tower, now home to the General Post Office, was built by public subscription and has become one of my favourite landmarks.November 12 Theres no rain yet but Australia are drowned anyway. Vernon Philander rolls back the years and takes 5 for 21. Its an even better performance than on his debut. After suffering torn ankle ligaments last season, he seems to have regained confidence and become even better than what we thought was his best. As I leave the ground, I see the Australian team bus, driven by Nathan Lyon, pull up next to Philander, who is walking to the South African bus. Lyon rolls down the window and congratulates Philander. Sportsmanship is still alive.November 13 The expected rain is finally here, and as the day progresses, it only gets heavier. When we arrive at the ground, the teams have not even turned up. We know its only a matter of time before play is called off. It happens at 2pm. I squeeze in a trip to the Hobart Book Shop and pick up a copy of Clarkes book. Im reminded that this time last year I was in Bangalore, covering the washout that was AB de Villiers 100th Test. Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain. ' ' '