Though you may already be lying on a beach in Acapulco or hanging out in your hotel room in London, I'll be here tonight to bring you all the action. So follow along with me at our liveblog, or follow our updates on Twitter.

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Well, the once-magnificent Todd Roth got the start and picked up where 2009 left off, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in 2 1/3 innings.

But the big news is the lefty who entered in the seventh: Kyle Olson. Yes, that Kyle Olson, the punter/quarterback who stormed on the scene after transferring to Penn in 2008, and who, after Keiffer Garton got hurt, led the football team to this year's Ivy League crown.

Apparently, he plays baseball, too. At Fullerton College, Olson hit .310 while playing first base and pitching sporadically.

No word yet on whether he's assumed full LOOGY status; in two-thirds of an inning against Maine, he allowed one run on one hit.

Check the DP after Spring Break for a full story.

"We're not going to comment on the veracity of any particular blog or rumor, but the search is ongoing and will intensify during this month."

If you ask me, it's way too early to accept that.

I just talked to the Athletic Department and am awaiting an official statement, but to me this seems like an extremely premature and questionable report. I want to be clear that I am not questioning Zagoria's legitimacy or responsibility as a journalist, but without knowing his sources I'll say from what I do know that in this case it seems like the best information he could have is that Penn decided it WANTS Jerome Allen back but hasn't finalized anything.

That is the farthest they could possibly be in the process right now. They need to agree to a contract before they can make an announcement, and I highly doubt they've been negotiating contracts as Allen tries to wrap up this season with a strong finish. Yes, Allen and Steve Bilsky could have verbally agreed that they both want this to be the situation. Yes, Bilsky could have decided that his timetable is the Final Four. He may have even decided not to bother with interviewing other candidates (although Zagoria's trustworthy inside source merely said they "might" not interview outside candidates). All of those things could definitely be — and based on Zagoria's report probably are — true. But you cannot jump from that to a definitive statement that Allen will be the guy.

To think for one second that this is set in stone right now would be irresponsible. Not only is the contract not finalized, and probably not even past the initial negotiation stages, but it would be disadvantageous for Bilsky to say anything publicly until it's final. That's why I don't think he will end up releasing any sort of press release today in response to Zagoria's report.

All that said, today's events definitely mean that, in all likelihood, Jerome Allen will be your new full-time Penn men's basketball coach. Just don't count that chicken until it hatches.

"Not only alum [sic] have gone to AD Steve Bilsky, but boosters, donors, parents and players have pledged their unconditional support,” a source told the blog. “They might not even interview outside candidates."

After taking over for Glen Miller seven games into the season, Allen has gone 6-14, including an upset of then-No. 22 Cornell in February.

Make sure to check back at thedp.com as we pursue this story.

(HT Noah Becker)

Penn vs. Harvard

1. Rosen's comments: "I've always been on teams that have had a lot of success, and coming here I expected it would be the same thing," Rosen said last week. "That's not the case. It takes a lot more effort, more work, more commitment. It take a lot more of everything and it's been frustrating, but I think we've got a good foundation." ... On how he's stayed motivated on such a bad team: "By not letting it me bring me down, but embracing it and making me stronger for it," he explained. "That's been the key, taking the right attitude and working hard no matter what the circumstances."

2. One of his quotes in the story seems to imply that Darren Smith will be working out this summer and trying to return next season. After missing two full seasons with his knee injury, Smith would be eligible to apply for a fifth year if he proves that he needs the fifth year to do something academically as well. This usually entails something like taking on a second major or anything else that gives the player a legitimate academic reason for needing a fifth year before graduating. It's certainly something that's been discussed here and elsewhere in the circles of Penn basketball discussion, but I think the common opinion was that Smith wouldn't have a good reason to play a 5th year, especially considering the playing time constraints the team will face next year with a huge recruiting class.

3. The article mentions that Rosen has a 3.1 GPA in Wharton. I'm not in Wharton, so I can't judge that, but for someone with so much time tied up in basketball, it doesn't seem too shabby.

For those of you who have not already read the article, you can find it here. Spoiler alert: they kicked my ass. I am curious to hear reactions to the article.

I know it seems ridiculous to be positive about a 1-24 team, but I was truly impressed and believe everything that I wrote. From reading his quotes in the paper, coach Mike McLaughlin may sound trite and full of Crash Davis-esque cliches, but I came away from this practice extremely impressed with his -- and the team's -- demeanor and positive attitude. His optimism and kindness really aren't a charade, and I believe the players appreciate it. That doesn't mean he never gets angry, but he keeps it in check compared to predecessor Pat Knapp.

There was some material I gleaned through interviews that did not make it into the newspaper, but that I thoguht was interesting nonetheless. After being manhandled by the women, I asked their opinions on NBA commissioner David Stern's recent comments to Sports Illustrated that a woman could play in the NBA within the next decade.

"I definitely don't see it," senior Amy Donovan said. "I think that women are becoming much more athletic. They're definitely closing the gap and becoming much more skilled, and the game is getting better. But I just think if you took the best women's championship UConn team and put them against a lower-level men's Division I team, they wouldn't stand a chance, just because of the strength and athleticism."

While the women's game has evolved substantially in recent years -- and still has more room for future growth -- Donovan's statements were echoed by everyone I talked to. Instead, they said that people should respect the women's game for what it is, even if there are fewer high-flying, acrobatic dunks.

"I don't know, [the NBA is] such a high level, a special level, for gifted, athletic, tall, big, strong, physical [players]," McLaughlin said. "I don't know if I believe that as much. I think the women's game is special in its own way. If they don't achieve to play with the men, I don't think that's any drawback [on the women's game]."

The players said that there is evidence that women's basketball is starting to get more credit nationally, citing the increased Sportscenter coverage of UConn women's basketball and the recognition of 6'8" Baylor star Brittney Grimer's ability to play above the rim.

Still, the unspoken sentiment was that there is a certain limit to how close the women can get to the men, and based on the physiological differences between the genders, I have to agree.

"Men are always going to have the upper hand in athleticism" senior Sarah Bucar said. "I'm not a huge feminist or anything, I'm just looking at it the way it is."

When asked to assess Stern's comments, senior Caitlin Slover, who said that she doesn't watch the NBA because she is not a fan, nodded over to the men's team as it started practice.

"That would be like me going out and saying, 'I could guard Zack [Rosen].' It's not going to happen. Or [saying], 'I could guard Darren [Smith].' Well, Darren, he's pretty old and slow so that can happen," she joked. "It's just one of those things where men are so much more physically fit and stronger. I just don't foresee it."

Based on my performance at practice, I guess it's fair to say that all of those supposed male physical advantages didn't find their way to me.

The Quakers picked up historic defeat No. 24 thanks to tonight's 62-40 loss to Cornell at the Palestra. The 1995-96 squad, previously the losingest in school history, finished 3-23 (.115).

The Red and Blue (1-24) have three games remaining, so technically, they could finish with a .143 winning percentage, marginally better than that 95-96 team. But somehow, I don't foresee consecutive victories at Harvard, at Dartmouth and at Princeton.

Not a pretty welcome for first-year coach Mike McLaughlin. He'll be able to bring in his own recruits next year, of course, but it may take some time to turn this around.

*An earlier version of this post said that for the first time in the program's 31-year history, Penn would end the year winless at home. Only one problem, which my editor dutifully pointed out: The Quakers' lone victory this season was actually at the Palestra on Dec. 31, as they defeated St. Francis (N.Y.), 52-48. Thus, they finished the year 1-11 in friendly confines, and I owe McLaughlin and his players an apology. Penn has, however, tied a program record by losing eight straight at home; we'll have to wait until November to see if that continues.

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