OU alumnus leads Diamondbacks to World Series

by Laurie Duffy
Staff Writer

As a general rule, Major League rookies have a hard time adjusting to new positions. Bob Brenly, a 1977 graduate of Ohio and former baseball standout for the Bobcats, adjusted to his job as Arizona Diamondbacks manager by leading them to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

A Coshocton native, Brenly played four seasons for the Bobcats and was named All-American after breaking Mike Schmidt's record of 10 homeruns his senior season.

Brenly played nine seasons in the major leagues. Most of that time was with the San Francisco Giants. He began his coaching career with the Giants shortly after retiring from baseball.

Ohio baseball coach Joe Carbone said Brenly knows the game of baseball very well and produces results because of the respect he garners from his players.

"Bob does a great job dealing with the personalities at the Major League level," he said. "The players speak highly of him and he always has the team ready to play."

The Diamondbacks finished with a regular season record of 92-70 and won the National League pennant. They lead the championship series against the Yankees 2-1.

Women's basketball picked fifth in preseason poll

Ohio women's basketball coach Lynn Bria had no idea what the Mid-American Conference preseason basketball poll looked like until someone mentioned it to her before she walked into MAC Media Day last week. It was then she learned her Bobcats were picked to finish No. 5 in the East Division.

Bria, however, said the poll does not hold much bearing on the way the season will end or which team will be MAC champions.

"I don't think any of us coaches really get into rankings, because you just never know what is going to happen," she said. "This conference is so much better than it was, so even your home floor isn't a guaranteed win."

Kent State, the 2001 MAC Tournament champion, placed first in the East Division rankings. Miami, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Ohio, Marshall and Akron followed. Toledo tallied 28 of 45 first place votes to lead the West Division teams.

Toledo and Kent State faced each other in the last six MAC Championship games with Kent, winning in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2001.