Lack of Defense Snaps PawSox Five Game Streak

PAWTUCKET, Rhode Island. The Pawtucket Red Sox ended not only their own winning streak, but also the Syracuse Chiefs losing streak as they were defeated        6 – 3 by the Chiefs Wednesday night at McCoy Stadium.

The game looked to be a potential pitching duel as PawSox starting pitcher Andrew Miller and Ross Detwiler (2-0) for the Chiefs, kept it scoreless until the PawSox offense would come alive in the bottom of the third.


Colleen Casey
Despite the loss, Andrew Miller threw
a solid six innings for the PawSox

After a walk from Luis Esposito, back to back singles from Jose Inglesias and Yamaico Navarro would bring Esposito around the bases for the first run of the game. Inglesias extended that lead during the next at bat on a sacrifice fly to right field from Josh Reddick.

The Chiefs (6-7) were quick to respond in the top of the fourth, with a walk and a stolen base by Brian Bixler to put him in scoring position. Then an RBI double by Seth Bynum brought Bixler across the plate to place them on the board.

Relentless, the PawSox (8-6) pushed their lead to 3-1 with a fourth inning RBI single by Esposito to score Daniel Nava.

The fifth and sixth innings remained scoreless for both teams, leaving the game at 3-1 PawSox going into the seventh.

In the top of the seventh, the PawSox replaced Miller with Tony Pena Jr. (1-1) in relief, but their defense could not hold up. With a fielding error to put Corey Brown on base and a homerun to leftfield by Jhonatan Solano, the Chiefs tied up the game in the first two at bats to make the score 3-3. The Chiefs would finish their at bats in the lead with a single and a stolen base from Roger Bernadina followed by a single to right field by Bixler that scored Bernadina.

That inning, the Chiefs would also place a call to the bullpen bringing Henry Rodriguez to the mound, but the PawSox spark had diminished.

Syracuse would go on to score two more in the top of the eighth, on a two run homerun by Chris McConnell to end the game with a score of 6-3.

The PawSox will conclude this homestand against the Chiefs tomorrow before hitting the road for the next eight games. Brandon Duckworth (1-0, 0.77) is expected to face Garrett Mock (0-1, 3.85) with the first pitch scheduled at 12:05 p.m.

My Final Project

Even though I am minoring in journalism, I have fallen in love with the other end of the news world. You know the person within an organization that is either begging journalists to cover their team or yelling at them for talking to them? Well, that's who I want to be. With that said, I am hoping to create a media kit for the New York Yankees. It will be written for a journalist who has no idea about the Yankees and given to them on the first day of spring training. This kit will include the following:

• Yankees Organization Overview
• History
• Statistics
• Partnerships
• Yankee Fact Sheet
• Owner Bio
• Manager Bio
• Team Bio’s (will include stats)
• Pitchers
• Catchers 
• Infielders
• Outfielders
• 2010-2011 Transactions

Along with this, I will hopefully be doing play by play and color for a softball game with Colleen Casey.

A Week inside the Yankees Dugout

One, Two, and Three: Check. Four and Five will have to wait

To what do we owe the New York Yankees disappearance from the World Series to: Pitching? I think so! Well with a few newcomers on the rise, the Yanks have the potential for a stronger rotation. The only problem being that manager, Joe Girardi, now has a hard decision on his hands: Who will be his fourth and fifth starters? If you think it will be 20-year-old Manny Banuelos, who just recently threw 2 2/3 shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox, you are wrong! The the only rotation he will be starring in is in the Yankees minor league system for now. With that said, it looks like the remaining candidates are…drum roll please…

                                   Ivan Nova,            Freddy Garcia,    and Bartolo Colon.

Nova and Garcia have been favored for the final two roles from the beginning; however, they can’t sit Colon in the bullpen just yet.  In a game against minor leaguers last week, he went what would be six innings, allowing no runs and scattering just four hits. His true test will come next Monday, when Girardi will see what he can do in a game against major leaguers. Until then, nothing is confirmed.

 

espn.com
Jorge Posada

 It Ain't Over till Girardi Says it is

espn.com
Russell Martin

I believe many people would agree that Jorge Posada has been the only other Yankee, besides Yogi Berra, to create a dynasty behind the plate. I mean, if a five time all-star and four-time World Series champ is not considered to be one of the greats, then I don’t know who is. Nevertheless, much like Berra’s 1963 World Series appearance, Posada’s last as catcher seems to have been in 2009. For the past few games, former Los Angeles Dodger, Russell Martin has been behind the plate leaving Posada to serve as the team's designated hitter (DH). Could this mean that his catching time has expired? On Thursday, Yankees manager, Joe Girardi made that answer clear. 

"I expect him to be our everyday catcher. So what is that? Is it 120, 110, is it 125 games? It’s somewhere within that range. He has not really shown me anything physically right now that won’t allow me to play him every day.''

Since December, Martin has been recovering from surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee, but is expected to be a healthy replacement for Posada. Another fan of this switch is former Yankees and Dodgers manager, Joe Torre. Torre who started Martin for three seasons with the Dodgers, feels that he “could be a good surprise for the Yankees.” As for Posada, it looks like he will remain at DH until his contract expires at the end of this season. 

A Battle for Leadoff

espn.com
Derek Jeter, Jeff Gardner, and Nick Swisher

                              

As opening day is fast approaching, there looks to be another case of Girardi’s uncertainness with a Yankees’ order. Earlier this week it was the pitching rotation, now the question mark is with the first two spots in the batting lineup. Should or should not all-star shortstop Derek Jeter bat leadoff is the dilemma! Last season, Jeter sat at the top of the order 138 times and hit second in only 18 games. So, why continue to mess with routines you ask. Well based on the 2010 season statistics, manager Joe Girardi, is teetering between him and leftfielder Brett Gardner. Gardner who led the Yankees in on-base percentage last year, had twenty-five of his 477 at bats from leadoff as he spent the majority of the season in the ninth spot. Girardi has placed Gardner at leadoff and Jeter more often than not during spring training, but a third name has been mentioned for the two spot. With his performance and familiarity with batting second, rightfielder Nick Swisher could be a possibility. For now, Girardi will continue to weigh his options while we fans are forced to wait for opening day.





FOLLOW UP: Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova

A Minor Setback for the Emerson All-Star

Running to your position with a college team branded across your chest is a unique experience that not every athlete will have the opportunity to encounter. For this reason, there is stiff competition to grab a spot in this elite sports world, but even then, nothing is guaranteed. Starting lineups and rosters can always change making even the slightest difference in performance a career breaker in certain situations. Unfortunately for the athletes, this can easily make an injury become their worst nightmare.

emerson.edu

With fifteen years of softball under her belt, Connecticut native Kelsey Tuthill walked onto the Emerson College softball team ready to compete for a starting role. After surpassing expectations and taking the Lions to the 2009 NCAA tournament, she found herself in a new battle with the one thing that had always been on her side: her body. In only a matter of one year, constant shoulder and elbow pain threatened her well-earned role with the Lions, but with patience and rehab she is ready for the 2011 season.

Tuthill, who began her exceptional softball career in T-Ball, found her niche on the mound at the ripe age of 9. With the support from her father, Mike Tuthill, she instantly fell for everything the position entailed but especially the competitive aspect. Having her older sister, Emily, as a catcher and her younger sister, Whitney, who shared the mound, Tuthill feels that there was always enough sibling rivalry and motivation for her to improve. “My main supporter has been my dad, but mentally wanting to be better than Whit has always been a big motivation for me,” laughed Tuthill about her continuing rivalry with her sister.  

Tuthill’s hard work paid off as she went on to be a four-year letter winner at CT Suffield Academy and was named to the Western New England Prep School Softball Association (WNEPPSA) All-Star team her senior year for her exceptional offensive and defensive play. However, even with this recognition, she was never given the chance to fully prove herself and own the circle. That was until two years ago, when she decided to continue her softball career at Emerson College. Nobody could have imagined that she would accumulate a .333 batting average and impressively sit down 212 batters with a 1.09 ERA as a rookie to the college game. Not even head coach Phil McElroy could have anticipated her standout performance on the mound and powerhouse action at the plate. “With Kelsey, I wasn’t sure what we were going to get, but I knew that if we got her we were going to win a lot of games,” said McElroy.

emerson.edu

Sure enough, the 5’7” freshman quickly became the driving force for the Lions' 2009 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title win. While she dominated the mound, she also helped herself out with her bat ending the season with a .423 slugging percentage and 17 RBI’s.

Aside from her performance on the field, McElroy believes she brought a lot more to the Emerson squad. “When she came in, she brought back a lot of respect for the game that we were missing,” said McElroy in speaking about Tuthill as a player and team leader.

At the end of the 2009 season, only good things looked to be in Tuthill’s future as the Lions' ace. Then during preseason workouts, her body began to fight back causing the basics of the game to be difficult tasks. Instead of competing with the pitching staff for playing time, Tuthill was now left to compete with her own body. “In many ways I did not feel like the pitcher I know I am capable of being. My ball didn’t have the movement it used too and my stamina was greatly diminished. I wasn’t able to pitch two games in a row anymore,” said Tuthill of her capabilities last season.

The undiagnosed injury allowed her to throw only 77.7 innings during her sophomore season, which was less than half of the time she had spent on the mound in 2009. Regardless, Tuthill’s statistics were still among the best in the conference but that was not good enough for her.

Throughout the summer and fall, Tuthill spent many hours in the training room to strengthen her arm and be as effective as she was her freshman year. Now with her junior season arriving, she is more than ready to prove herself again and establish a new role with the Lions.

Though she has appreciated everything that comes with being a pitcher, her injury has made her reevaluate the player she is now, “I understand my limits a little better than I did. If it hurts I know I need to take a second, whereas my freshman year I would go all out and deal with the repercussions later.”

During spring break, Tuthill and the Lions will begin the 2011 season in California with a slew of ten games.

Teamwork on the Sidelines

There's nothing like witnessing live action between two teams unravel as your eyes are glued to the television. This in-the-moment experience brings an excitement and rush that keeps you coming back for more, game after game. However, following a fast-paced basketball game could be difficult for someone who does not regularly watch sports. On the other hand, for those of us who are avid sports fans, we tend to want more information beyond what is happening on the court. For these reasons, there are individuals referred to as commentators in the sports reporting world. The play by play announcer gives the audience who and what and the color analyst gives them how and why. In this industry, every personality duo is different but their ultimate goal is the same: to effectively communicate the game while sufficing both the knowledgeable and clueless sports fans.  Nevertheless, in order to keep the audience from hitting the mute button, they must work together to hit the mark with content and timing. In some cases, if one is slacking, the other must do their best to pick them up as sportscaster, Mike Patrick was forced to do on Saturday.



espn.go.com
Elmore (left) and Patrick (right)

At 4pm EST, the North Carolina men’s basketball team hosted the Boston College Eagles on ESPN with Patrick as the play by play announcer and Len Elmore as the color analyst.



AP Photo

 Prior to tipoff, the duo discussed the two teams’ first outing and established a good segway into the game with the Boston College “mindset.” Then once the game began, Patrick went pass to pass giving good descriptions to make the game easy to follow. He allowed the game to breathe when it was necessary and brought the excitement level up naturally. In the beginning of the game, Boston College had the ball and was clearly unaware of the shot clock. Patrick took hold of the moment by counting down the time and setting Elmore up perfectly. With no bite, Patrick added his own explanation for the commotion as they put the ball in the hoop at the buzzer.  With every play, he gave credit where credit was due but also wasn’t afraid to point out what the team and/or player could have done differently.



AP Photo

During the second half, Patrick continued to keep the audiences’ attention with the tone of his voice. The Eagles’ Reggie Jackson sunk a three and it seemed as though the shot had placed them in the lead, but the score was 41-28 North Carolina. It was instances like those that kept me tuned into the game despite the sloppiness of both teams’. When Boston College came back with minutes to go, Patrick explained every replay and often provided his input as to which way the calls would go. In contrast, Elmore waited until there were seconds left to offer his knowledge to the audience, often trying to talk over the play by play.

If Patrick had been the only announcer and only “clueless fans” were watching, this might have been perfect commentary. However, he wasn’t the only announcer and more background information was definitely needed for such a slow-paced game.  At times, Elmore would come in and do his job, but for the majority of the game he left Patrick to fend for himself. Elmore would be set up for a perfect background insert and either he would leave a long pause or Patrick would fill in the information himself. Then at the end of the game, Elmore was suddenly revived and would not stop talking. When there is a two point game and time is running out, the last thing the audience wants to hear is a bunch of statistics all at once.

As Patrick, I would have tried to fix the camaraderie at halftime. Realizing Elmore was so off would have forced me to say something. As Elmore, I would have taken advantage of the set up’s from Patrick and offered justifiable information to back up his play by play. By doing that throughout the game, there would have been no need to ramble at the end.

 

AP Photo

With a final score of 48-46 North Carolina, Patrick’s enticing play by play gave me the feeling of a good game and ultimately saved this commentary performance. His terminology was understandable and he knew when to leave the game alone. Whereas Elmore lacked in all areas, Patrick’s content and timing made this rather miserable game enjoyable to watch.

Boston College and Northeastern Bring an Aggressive Faceoff to the Beanpot Title

BOSTON -

At 7:38 p.m. (EST) the puck dropped to begin the 2011 Beanpot Championship game between the defending champs, Boston College and Northeastern University in Boston's own TD Garden.

Despite past title games, both teams came out strong giving early hints of an extremely aggressive and defensive game. Four minutes into the first period, BC had a two men advantage as the Huskies Luke Eibler and Drew Ellement were sent to the box with penalties. However, BC couldn't take advantage of the power play the game remained scoreless.

After being called offsides, the Eagles Tommy Cross slides one in the net to make the score 1-0 with 10:48 left in the first period.

The Price of Success

blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com

Football legend, Mike Ditka, once said, “Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.” With many years as a player and National Football League (NFL) head coach under his belt, Mr. Ditka knows a thing or two about what solidifies success with anything in life. Growing up always involved in sports and having the difference between right and wrong embedded in my brain, I can also vie for this statement both on and off the field. My only question is, why don’t professional athletes, specifically football players, feel this way as well? Everyone comes from different upbringings, but based on where they are today, they had to understand right from wrong at some point. So, why would some athletes like, Santonio Holmes, Ben Roethlisberger, and Michael Vick, to name a few, choose to turn their heads away from those morals now? Is it their status and who they are that make them feel as if they are invisible? Or, is it because the NFL and franchises value their money over disciplining them for their actions? In the instances of Roethisberger and Vick, there seems to be a combination of the two.

gcobb.com

Throughout the years, misbehavior and misconduct by professional football players have seemed to become more and more common.  Yet, the discipline for those actions have become less and less. At most, they will pay a fine or receive a few games suspension, but nothing that would force the player to seriously sit back and question themselves. While I was watching the super bowl this weekend, I couldn’t help but wonder how someone accused of sexual assault twice in one year could be playing for the greatest title in football. After failing to learn his lesson the first time, Ben Roethlisberger was accused of assaulting another woman during this past off season. All charges were dropped so it was up to the NFL to punish him, and they did. Roethlisberger was suspended for the first six games of the season, but they didn't stick by it; his suspension was later reduced to four games.  From an organizations standpoint, what does this say about the Steelers? Roethlisberger is a decent player; I will give him that, but is his ability worth the organizations reputation? This has not been the only time Steelers and NFL have swept this kind of misbehavior under the rug to protect a star player. In 2006, former wide receiver Santonio Holmes was arrested with charges of domestic violence, which were dismissed with the NFL’s promise that he would receive counseling.  Then two years later, the super bowl MVP was pulled over and caught with three marijuana-filled cigars. What was his punishment? He was suspended for the New York Giants game the next day and returned to work the following day.    

uncoverage.net

The only players forced to face their consequences are the ones that find themselves in jail, but they can only be held behind bars for so long. Once they are released, it is up to the NFL to decide whether they continue to play or not. In the case of Michael Vick, they felt he had served his punishment and allowed him back into the league. Yes, that’s right! Despite torturing and killing numerous dogs in the game of dog fighting, Vick was slapped on the wrist and offered a two-year $6.8 million contract by the Philadelphia Eagles. Not bad for someone let out of prison three months earlier. When I first heard the news I instantly thought of Donovan McNabb. How was this fair to a player who has easily maintained a clean record? He may have foiled the 2005 Super Bowl with nerves, but he had worked hard to get to that point in his career. Nevertheless, Vick’s reputation on the field granted him a second chance and soon took over McNabb’s spot. For Vick, this was a blessing but for the Eagles’, this was out of character. The image and atmosphere surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles is not one that would add dog killers to their roster. Vick is another gifted player but when will the NFL realize they are not running a high school football league? These players are grown men with big paychecks who are old enough to know what is right and what is wrong. The truth is that if this had been an average person with an average job in the same situation, there would have been no second chances. It would also would have taken them much longer than three months to find a job for not even a tenth of what Vick was paid.

The franchises and NFL will do anything for their own success and money even if it means signing a dog killer and protecting their star players from the law. Being fully aware of this fact, the players have no worry or shame in misbehaving from time to time. Not only do they have the money to buy their way out of it but they know people will be fighting for them. Basically, it all comes down to Mr. Ditka’s statement and the value of success for both the players and teams. If the Steelers had won the Super Bowl this year, could Roethlisberger honestly consider that success? On the other side of the coin, how much longer can the NFL protect these men until something extremely serious happens?

The Game in the Press Box

That very moment the referee steps to center court and tosses the ball into the air for tip-off, the clock starts and opposing teams begin their battle on the court. The events that occur between that first scramble and when the buzzer goes off could ultimately make or break a team’s season and dream for a national championship. Either way, there is a story to be told after those forty minutes of play. With an audience eager to listen, a new game quickly begins in the press box. The object of this game?  Which journalist can get their readers the best seat in the house.  

sanfranciscosentenial.com

In the competitive world of sports journalism, the goal is to make the reader feel as if they were at the game themselves. The angle and form of story is up to the journalist. Once the players have laid out the framework, it is the journalist’s job to paint a picture for the audience in the most effective way possible. The key is to take the reader into the locker room and into the minds of the athletes to provide them with the inside scoop using any surrounding drama to their advantage. Generally, those emotional aspects are portrayed in developed or “feature” game stories rather than the boring “hard” news story. The following three articles, have both their strong and weak points; however, they have one thing in common: a feature-like twist. Whether it is a big rival game, cinderella win, or a snapped losing streak, giving more than just statistics can either go a long way or take away from the game.

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Back on January 30^th, the St. John’s University men’s basketball team hosted number three Duke in non conference action and stunned the country with their first win over a top five team since 2000. With the Blue Devils 21-1 at that point, ESPN’s Kieran Darcy took advantage of the opportunity. He begins the article titled, “Heads-up effort has Johnnies sky-high” with an image of Dwight Hardy running out the clock and head coach Steve Lavin high-fiving his St. John’s team. Turning the attention to the stands, Darcy acknowledges the shock that took over the “sell-out” crowd and adds a statement from St. John’s forward, Justin Burrell, which may or may not have been needed. After four paragraphs of color, Darcy mentions the final score and transitions into the more statistical portion of the game without letting the excitement fade. The addition of interviews by both coaches and star players, Hardy and Burnell keep the attention nicely. As much of a shock this game was because of Duke’s record, Darcy played up St. John’s performance giving credit where credit was due.

John Elitis AP

A rival matchup is another perfect opening for a feature game story, and there is no better thrill than when the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies are on the same court. For Brent Zwerneman, his article published in the College Station Bureau was a beat story but a different one at that. In “Longhorns win a laugher,” he begins by capturing the Aggies disappointment in their growingly weaker team and 69-49 loss. Though he did not provide the reader with as much color as Darcy, he made up for it later in the article. Zwerneman’s interview with the Aggies coach, Mark Turgeon followed up his beginning statements about the game perfectly. For a not overly colorful and statistical game story, it worked.

Dennis Nett / The Post-Standard

With a four game losing streak, Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orangemen seemed to be the midst of a mid-season crisis when more controversy arrived prior to their game against UConn last week. An anonymous poster on a message board had falsely accused Scoop Jardine and two other teammates of point shaving. Though all accusations were put to rest after the person apologized, Jardine was clearly shaken up during the game, and Fox’s Jeff Goodman made sure to get to the bottom of it. From the beginning of his article, “Irate Syracuse Snaps Skid,” Goodman addresses Jardine’s off performance but never completely hits the highlights of the game. Even though the moral of the story was that Syracuse squeaked out the win against sixth seed UConn and Jardine was in the clear, there was more to be told.  

Just like a team on the court, a feature story requires five players: color, statistics, detail, interviews, and emotion. The team that fails to pick up one another generally loses.

A Light in the Tunnel for the "Selfless" Hero

Back in the early 1900’s, sports journalism was built around the athlete and focusing solely on their “selfless” heroism. Now over a century later, this focus has slowly changed and that “selfless” athlete seems to be no more. Though, have those individuals become extinct in the sports world, or do the current voices of the mass media forget about them? Either way, once in awhile there is a reroute back to what this industry was based on and the “selfless” hero gets recognized.

ESPN College Game Day feature profiles typically consist of the unique story of a college athlete who has in one way or another impacted their teammates, fans, or sport. This week the unlikely hero was Kevin Laue, the 6-11 230lb Manhattan College sophomore center, who has seen time in 19 games this season and is one of the Jaspers’ top dunkers. Yes, current stars like Jared Sullinger give this performance every game. So what makes Laue a “selfless” hero and worthy of this feature you ask? Well in 2009, the California native became the first one handed scholarship Division I basketball player. 

Born with the umbilical cord wrapped twice around his neck and left arm, doctors were forced to amputate his hand and the rest is history. Laue put in the time proving his natural ability for the game and all he needed was a chance to take it to the next level.  Jaspers’ head coach, Barry Rohrssen, opened the door to that opportunity. “Kevin is a source of motivation for many people. We wanted him to understand that if we did give him a scholarship that that wasn’t the sealing. It was for him and countless other people,” said Rohrssen in the heartfelt three minute segment. He was correct.  Not only is Lure an inspiration to his teammates, but also to the Jaspers community.  Parents of children with one arm are encouraged by Laue and have continued to look to him for support.  

ESPN discovered Laue in 2009 when he received the scholarship to Manhattan College and  acknowledged his achievement on ESPN First Take. For them, it was a follow up story as Manhattan would face Marist College earlier today. For me, it was a breath of fresh air and an instance of great journalism. The journalists presented this story in a way that gave me a personal interest in watching the game.

At noon today, the Jaspers tipped off against the Red Foxes and won 60 - 59 on a buzzer beater half court shot by Michael Alvarado. With this example of remarkable journalism in mind, I couldn’t help but wonder, was this a coincidence or could this be a reminder to all of the sports world that the “selfless” hero truly is the heart and soul of this industry?