Welcome back to another edition of "WVU's Where Are They Now?" - the weekly column that is your one-spot-stop to catch up on news that your former Mountaineers have made during the previous week. I scour the Internet for news, blurbs, and other tidbits about what former Mountaineers are up in life outside of Morgantown.
This past week, Pat White got a new job, and David Carpenter got promoted. It's exciting news for both players and for Mountaineer fans everywhere. Len Pasquarelli earns a reward from me after he published a story concerning Steve Slaton. Finally, Joe Alexander impresses in Atlanta. This week, an entity, not a player, earns our Former Player Tweet of the Week. I don't have a Marc Bulger It-May-Or-Not-Be-News Item of the Week because all of the reported 'news' that I read this week about Bulger just said the same thing that I told you last week: that Bulger could return to the Ravens as Joe Flacco's backup QB.
The Players
Pat White- The team that White signed with already has an established starting quarterback, Chris Greisen. Joshua Lobdell of the the Inquisitr says that White will more than likely backup Griesen to start out. Marty Schottenheimer and his staff will design a set of plays that are tailored to fit White's game and they will feature him as a change-of-pace QB. Lobdell observed that the UFL differs from the style of the NFL in that the offenses tend to "be a little freer to try new and exciting things." No doubt that since the Destroyers and the UFL consider White to be the highest-profile signing of the league's short history, it's not a stretch to imagine that White will not lack for playing time as a member of the Destroyers.
David Carpenter- The former Mountaineer pitcher was called up from AAA Oklahoma City to the the Houston Astros this past week. Carpenter recently made the switch from catcher to pitcher and had been dominating in his relief appearances only giving up one run in 19 innings pitched with the OKC Redhawks. He had his first relief appearance for the Astros on Thursday night, pitching one scoreless inning with one strikeout. He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and traded to the Astros during the past offseason.
Joe Alexander- I wrote earlier this week that Alexander worked out for multiple teams prior to the NBA Lockout in an attempt to returning to an NBA roster after spending an All-Star season in the NBDL. At the time of that writing, Alexander was in the midst of a workout with the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have a PF position open, and after an impressive camp, Alexander could be the one to fill it (once the NBA Lockout ends of course). Hawks Head Coach, Larry Drew, had some good things to say about Alexander.
"When I think about [Alexander] when he came into the league, he was predominantly a jump-shooter and he took a lot of threes," L.D. said. "He hasn’t taken one three since he’s been here in camp. Down low when he has the ball he really looks to finesse and then muscle his way to the basket. I think with him picking up a little weight and getting stronger I think he has pretty much solidified who he is, and that’s a four."
Steve Slaton- As Slaton has sunk to the bottom of the Houston Texans depth chart behind the NFL's leading rusher for last season, Arian Foster, his chances at playing time could be limited this upcoming season to kickoff and punt returns. However, there are many teams that feel that a healthy Slaton is a viable starter. I've written on this site that there several routes Slaton's immediate future could take: stay where he is as a 3rd string back for the Texans, try to battle his way up the depth chart (probably not going to happen), or get traded. Len Pasquarelli of Sports Xchange reported this week that he has a source saying that Slaton would be open to a trade once the NFL Lockout ends. For that, Mr. Pasquarelli earns this coveted award
via t0.gstatic.com
Former Player Tweet of the Week (Kind of):
This Tweet of the Week comes from the Virginia Destroyers. I think it's self-explanatory.
This is the interactive part of the column. I don't see every Tweet from every former Mountaineer, so if you see a Tweet from a former Mountaineer that you think is worthy of the Tweet of the Week, send it to me @WVUPros. It can be anything funny, inspirational, or newsworthy. If I use your suggestion, I'll be sure to mention you in that column!