Metal Jackets announce AAA affiliate

The Motor City Metal Jackets have announced their affiliation with the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, a AAA organization based out of Troy.

Grizzlies' club president Terry Bishop, Metal Jackets owner Kenji Yamada and all related organization personnel have worked hard to building a successful affiliate program within the Metro Detroit area and look forward to great mutual success this 2010-11 season and beyond.

Bishop offered the following statement:

I am pleased to officially announce the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies formal affiliation with the Motor City Metal Jackets of the NAHL. The Grizzlies will be the only youth program in the Detroit area to have official ties with a Jr team. With this partnership with the Metal Jackets we are also expanding into AAA hockey at the Bantam Major, Midget Minor and Midget Major levels.

The new teams will be called the Motor City Metal Jacket Grizzlies and will compete in the NAPHL. The AAA organization will be run by the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies Director of Hockey Terry Christensen.

The expansion into AAA and the affiliation with the NAHL will give a growth path for our boys that no other organization in youth hockey can give. The three new AAA teams will skate out of the Troy Sports Center, which will be a major plus for our A/AA teams. We plan on several joint "skill" sessions monthly where our A/AA and AAA teams will share ice and coaching staffs.

Hawai'i pulls off another stunner to reach WCWS

Down to their final out of the season, the Rainbow Wahine of Hawai'i pulled off one of the most stunning wins in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.Trailing 4-3 with two outs and a runner at first base in the bottom of the seventh inning, Jenna Rodriguez smashed her second home run of the day. It landed just inside the left field foul pole for

This year's super-regionals are now on the books. Here is the final Big Board (on which you can click to enlarge). Note also the little tributes I did to each victorious team using their respective school colors!


In the day's most dramatic moment, Hawai'i's Jenna Rodriguez hit a two-out, two-run walk-off homer, her second long ball of the day, to give the Rainbow Wahine a shocking 5-4 win over national No. 1 seed Alabama in the decisive game of the Tuscaloosa super-regional.

Joining Hawai'i in the Women's College World Series will be:

Missouri, who closed out Oregon today;

Florida, who finished off Arizona State, 5-2; and

UCLA, who eliminated Louisiana-Lafayette via two straight run-rule victories.

The Women's College World Series begins Thursday.

Here's the Big Board (which you may click on to enlarge) at the end of Saturday's play...


Florida (over Arizona State) and UCLA (over Louisiana-Lafayette) each won its opening game in shortened, run-rule fashion.

Alabama and Hawai'i have split the first two games of their series, setting up a decisive Game 3 on Sunday.

Georgia has finished off Cal to make the Women's College World Series.

Arizona has defeated BYU, 10-2, sending the Wildcats back to yet another World Series.

Missouri has taken the first game from Oregon in their series.

Hawai'i stuns Alabama to force game three

In a game full of drama, the Rainbow Wahine of Hawai'i held off hard-charging Alabama 8-7 in game two of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional Saturday, snapping the nation's longest winning streak at 28 games.Hawai'i, for the second time in four seasons, has forced a decisive game three in NCAA Super Regional play on the road against a Southeastern Conference power. The Wahine lost game three at

Bama routs Hawai'i 8-0 in Super Regional action

Pitcher Kelsi Dunne completely shut down the Hawai'i bats in game one of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional Saturday as Alabama run-ruled the Rainbow Wahine 8-0 in a five inning rout.Dunne improved to 30-4 on the season with a complete game 2-hitter in the first game of the Super Regional. Hawai'i was shut out for the sixth time this season. The Wahine now must win or go home, as game two begins at

Beyond Petroleum

Tuscaloosa Super Regional postponed til Saturday

Game one of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional between Hawai'i and Alabama has been postponed until Saturday.The opening game of the best-of-3 series was set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Central time today, but was delayed at first by lightning and later by rain and thunderstorms. After a four-hour delay, the game was officially rained out.Game one is now set to begin at noon Eastern time Saturday (11 a.m.

Amazing story from the Concordy

You should definitely read the story about former Union hockey player Tim Schwarz and his journey as a student-athlete over the past four years. It is truly inspiring and one of the best stories I've ever heard and been a part of. Check it out on Concordy.com. Oh, and the photo you see on the website was taken by myself... it's my first official photograph. Mark that one up for the resume!

Also, check out the Top Ten moments in Union Athletics in 2009-2010 chosen by yours truly. Even though Men's Hockey did not claim the top spot they did claim the #2, #3, and #10 spots. Check it out here.

Dutchmen announce Class of 2014

Union Head Coach Nate Leaman announced that he will be adding eight student-athletes to his roster next season. There will be five forwards, two defensemen, and a goaltender joining the Dutchmen for their 2010-11 campaign. Five of the players are from the States, while the other three a hail from Canada. These guys have some big shoes to fill after the likes of Mario Valery-Trabucco, Jason Walters, and Mike Schreiber have all graduated.

The five forwards are Daniel Carr, Matt Hatch, Cole Ikkala, Josh Jooris, and Kevin Sullivan. The two defensemen are Mat Bodie and Mike Ingoldsby. Troy Grosenick is the lone goaltender.

I am very excited to see all of these guys take the ice in Union uniforms, but I am most interested to see Mat Bodie, the younger brother of Kyle Bodie. From what I have read the younger Bodie is a tremendous offensive defenseman and will make an immediate impact. There is a very high chance that he will be starting lineup once the opening of the season comes around. Ingoldsby sounds like a great blueliner as well and should compete for playing time in his first season. Grosenick sounds like a solid goalie, but will probably have to wait for his senior year to see any real playing time as it seems Keith Kinkaid's position in between the pipes is pretty solidified.

Offensively, it sounds like Leaman has recruited a diverse bunch of players. I think all could make an impact in their first season in Schenectady, but it should be interesting how true freshman like Carr and Sullivan adapt to the college game. And I'm going to call it right now... I think Cole Ikkala will be a fan favorite in his four years. With a last name like that and a gritty style of play he should draw some praise from the Union faithful.

For more on the Class of 2014 check out Union Athletics.com and Ken Schott's Blog.

It's been a long day of softball, and here's what the Big Board looks like at the conclusion of Friday's play (you may click on the graphic to enlarge). Washington has just closed out Oklahoma, 4-0 in Game 3, after the Huskies took a 3-0 decision in Game 2. Thus, Washington will be returning to the Women's College World Series to try to defend its NCAA title from last year. Note also that the Alabama-Hawaii opener was rained out, with the teams scheduled to play two on Saturday and once on Sunday, if necessary.


Tennessee was the first team to qualify for the Women's College World Series, holding off a late charge from Michigan to win Game 2 of the teams' super-regional series, 4-3.

It's been a good showing thus far for the SEC, as Georgia routed Cal 7-0 in the teams' super-regional opener earlier today.

The Pac 10 isn't doing too badly either, with Arizona edging BYU, 2-1, to take the lead in their series.

Ferris' Stevenson Earns All-Region Honor From Daktronics

Ferris State University senior pitcher Kayle Stevenson picked up some much-deserved recognition for her softball exploits during the 2010 campaign.

The Holland native, who prepped at West Ottawa High School, was named a member of the 2010 Daktronics, Inc. All-Midwest Region Softball Second-Team earlier this month. Stevenson, the talented left-handed pitcher who was a solidifying force for the team, in general, and the pitching staff, in particular, earns a nice honor at the close of her softball career.

Stevenson finished with a 12-6 record and a 1.98 earned run average this spring. A two-time All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pitcher, Stevenson tossed five shutouts for the Bulldogs in 20 games.

Also of note, Wayne State standout Casey Hanes earned Daktronics Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year honors while teammate Alison Allen was named Daktronics Midwest Region Player of the Year. That is evidence enough of the banner season that Wayne enjoyed on the softball this season under long-time head coach Gary Bryce.

Sports information directors voted on the honors.

Daktronics, Inc. All-Midwest Region Second Team

Pitchers

April Ehlers (#7) Northern Kentucky P 5-10 Jr. Greenville, IN (Floyd Central)
Logan Hursey (#18) Ashland P/DP Jr. Zanesville, OH (John Glenn)
Kayle Stevenson (#8) Ferris State P 5-5 Sr. Holland, MI (Hillsdale)

First Base

Jennifer Berlet (#5) Hillsdale 1B 5-9 So. Walton, IN (Lewis Cass)

Second Base

Rose Broderick (#14) Northern Kentucky 2B 5-7 Sr. Cincinnati, OH (Oak Hills)

Third Base

Meaghan Baurer (#10) Missouri-St. Louis 3B 5-4 Sr. Glasford, IL (Illini Bluffs/Illinois Central)

Shortstop

Jessica Farris (#23) Northern Kentucky SS 5-5 So. Independence, KY (Simon Kenton)

Catcher

Brittany Omelanchuck (#19) Wayne State (MI) C 5-11 Fr. Brooklin, Ontario

Outfield

Christine Holthus (#9) UW-Parkside OF 5-2 Jr. Elgin, IL (Burlington Central)
Jaci Messmer (#9) Findlay OF 5-10 Jr. Forest, OH (Forest)
Stephanie LeClair (#3) Wayne State (MI) OF 5-9 Sr. Kitchener, Ontario

Designated Player

JaCee Ellis (#8) Missouri-St. Louis DP 5-7 Jr. Frankford, MO (Bowling Green HS)

Utility Player

Emily Schwaeble (#21) Northern Kentucky P/OF 5-6 Fr. Cincinnati, OH (Colerain)

Shoring things up

Yeasterday BU received a commitment from, Norfolk native, Garrett Noonan. He is a punishing defenseman, standing 6-1 205. He is the last D-man to be part of the 2010 recruit class. 

Last season he played for the Vernon Vipers, the same team fellow recruit Sahir Gill was on. The Vipers recently won the RBC cup (Canada's junior A championship).

Noonan is a "stay at home" defenseman, who is a low scorer with only two goals and sixteen assists in all of last season. But he did have four goals in the playoffs. He will likely be like Eric Gryba. Noonan only registered 60 penalty minutes on the season

"Noonan was one of the players that stood out for me at the Viper training camp last August, and he has had a solid rookie season. This won't sound like a compliment, but the thing about Noonan is you don't always notice him. While he doesn't always turn up on the scoresheet, he rarely gets caught making bad decisions. He's not flashy, but he is effective and always seems to make the smart play."-Vernon Morning Star, Terrier Hockey Fan Blog

In 2009, Noonan was on the Catholic Memorial team, which won the Super 8 Championship. Noonan was the team leader in points with 25 points.       

WAC neutral-site baseball tourney a poor draw

Some have asked whether a neutral site would work for the Western Athletic Conference Softball Tournament.If the sport of baseball is any indication, the answer is a resounding NO!The first two days of this week's WAC Baseball Tournament in Mesa, Arizona, have been an economic disaster and a major embarrassment as the tourney has been played in front of thousands of empty seats. It is all but

Will both Ricketts sisters end up in the WCWS?

Hawai'i and Oklahoma were supposed to meet each other in late February during the prestigious Cathedral City Classic softball tournament. In fact, in the preseason, we named that matchup the No. 2 game to watch in the 2010 season.Unfortunately, the game was rained out earlier this season. The main focus of that potential Wahine vs. Sooners game was the fact it was going to pit two of the game's

Gostisbehere commits to Union

I picked this information up on the USCHO.com message boards. According to the message boards and Florida Jr Panters.com defenseman and Flordia native Shayne Gostisbehere will be joining the Dutchmen in either the fall of 2011 or 2012. He is a offensive-minded defenseman who has is currently playing at the South Kent School and was recently drafted by Waterloo in the second phase of the USHL draft.

My guess is that he will play his senior season at South Kent and then a year of juniors to bulk up and perfect his game. At this point he's too young and too small to compete at the NCAA Division I level. Maybe if he puts on around 20 pounds he can be like a Mike Schreiber type: a smaller defenseman with great offensive abilities.

Alpena franchise sold, heading south

The North American Hockey League has announced that its Board of Governors has approved the transfer of ownership of the Alpena IceDiggers membership and its relocation to Corpus Christi, Tex., for the 2010-11 season.

The team will play its home games out of the 7,400-seat American Bank Center in Corpus Christi.

“Not only is Corpus Christi an ideal fit for our league, geographically, but it’s also home to a first-class facility and passionate hockey fans,” said NAHL commissioner Mark Frankenfeld. “What’s more, it’s backed by a local ownership group and management team that are committed to both the players’ and community’s success.”

Pat Dunn, who boasts varied experiences in hockey both as a player and in the front office, is excited that hockey will remain in Corpus Christi.

“We couldn’t be happier to be a part of the North American Hockey League and everything it has to offer its fans, players and respective communities,” said Dunn. “Corpus Christi is a great hockey town and we’re excited to showcase some of the best young players in the world as they work their way to the collegiate and professional ranks.”

Corpus Christi is the fourth NAHL team to call Texas home, joining the yet-to-be named Amarillo club, which was introduced to the league last week, the Texas Tornado and Wichita Falls Wildcats.

“The addition of Amarillo and now Corpus Christi bolsters our already strong presence in the South and creates even more exciting rivalries for our fans and our players,” said Frankenfeld. “All four of these markets are supported by tremendous ownership groups that are committed to seeing hockey flourish in the Lone Star State.”

The IceDiggers, who were owned by Stephen Marks of the Alpena IceDiggers Corporation, played five seasons in Alpena after relocating from Toledo, Ohio, after the 2004-05 season.

In Alpena, the IceDiggers qualified for the playoffs three times - their best season came in 2006-07 when they fashioned a 37-20-5 record, good for 79 points and a second-place finish in the NAHL’s North Division - and moved over 30 players onto NCAA programs.

Stanley Cup and Cheesecake 2010 - Stanley Cup Finals Edition

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers

What an interesting final. Lots of storylines and interesting facts here. For one thing, a longstanding trend will be broken, as either team has won it all in a loooong time; 35 years for the Flyers, nearly 50 for the Hawks. In fact, each of these teams was swept the last time they made it to hockey's biggest stage. You know the TV networks gotta be loving it, with two of the nation's biggest cities represented and a chance at boffo ratings (if the people in those cities have any damn sense).

Now, the Blackhawks...I gave them a good chance of being here since the end of last season (though I did have a stint there where it was looking, at least to me, that it was the Canucks' race to lose). But the Flyers? I've enjoyed their misfortune all season...from their hilarious goaltender troubles to their having to squeak into the playoffs with a shootout win on the season's last day. Still, I had to hand it to them when they continued their season-long mastery over New Jersey in the first round. They ended up playing fellow Eastern Conference red-headed step children Boston and Montreal, as even-money a trifecta as you could hope for, to advance to the finals. Now here they are, and you gotta give them credit for it.

To be honest, once the Penguins ignominiously bowed out, I wasn't sure I'd even keep doing hockey previews the rest of the way...but historical affection for the Blackhawks and, more importantly, disdain for the Flyers won the day. I'm glad it did, because I LOVE this image!

Considering the roll Chicago has been on, I can't imagine the Hawks having too difficult a time with the Philly, who frankly just aren't used to seeing the type of competition they'll see this weekend. The hockey fan in me wants to see a long, entertaining series...but the Penguins fan in me, the fan who hates the Flyers with the burning intensity of a thousand suns, wants to see them swept and humiliated. Even considering this series going longer than six games leaves way too much to chance for my liking...but I ultimately don't think that'll be a concern. Blackhawks in five, meaning they'll win on home ice and we'll have to hear that awful Fratellis song about a thousand more times. Annoying, yes, but better than seeing the Flyers win.

(Hey, I got through this entire post without even once mentioning Maid Marian! I guess I've finally moved on! The thought of Daniel Carcillo and Scott Hartnell's names on the Stanley Cup will do that to you.)

THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: The NCAA super-regionals (two-out-of-three series to determine the eight participants in the Women's College World Series) began tonight, with two match-ups. Below is what our annual College Softball Blog "Big Board" looks like at the end of the day (you can click on the board to enlarge it).


Tonight's two games had remarkably similar story lines, with two of the highest seeded teams -- No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Washington -- losing, to Tennessee and Oklahoma, respectively.

Both Michigan and Washington lost by five runs, the Wolverines by 5-0 and the Huskies by 6-1.

Michigan and Washington each got two hits. The pitching gems were turned in by Ivy Renfroe for Tennessee and Keilani Ricketts for Oklahoma (the younger sister of former Sooner Samantha Ricketts).

----------

From Thursday morning:

Articles on the Michigan-Tennessee series are available from the Detroit Free Press and The Tennessean. The Seattle Times has an article on the Washington-Oklahoma match-up.

Dayton Bombers

"On March 30, 2009, it was announced that the Bombers would not be playing during the 2009–2010 season. Despite the arrival of the International Hockey League's Dayton Gems, the Bombers had not folded nor planned to relocate yet, and continued to aim towards securing additional investors and season-ticket holders to play in Dayton once again for 2010-11. However, on June 25 of that year, the Bombers owner turned the team's membership back to the ECHL, citing lack of a suitable business partner or re-entry plan."

Four NAHL teams draft for the future

The North American Hockey League conducted its annual draft yesterday and all four Michigan-based teams took part.

ALPENA ICEDIGGERS
1st round, 11th overall – Joey Sanchez, F, Chicago Mission
2nd round, 34th overall – Marc Biggs, F, Dallas Stars
2nd round, 36th overall – Robbie Hall, D, Chicago Mission
4th round, 81st overall – Alex Rosado, F, Alliance
4th round, 82nd overall – Cody Bisbing, F, P.F. Chang’s
5th round, 102nd overall – Greg Johnson, D, Dallas Stars
6th round, 118th overall – Joey Parizek, F, Ohio Blue Jackets
7th round, 131st overall – Tyler Lovejoy, D, Pittsburgh Hornets
8th round, 144th overall – Tyler Perpich, F, Novi High School
9th round, 156th overall – Daniel Swink, F, Lansing Capitals
10th round, 166th overall – Alex Grupe, D, Pikes Peak Miners
11th round, 175th overall – Forest Mudgett, F, Alliance
12th round, 184th overall – Scott Relf, D, P.F. Chang’s
13th round, 190th overall – Jonathan Drago, G, Ohio Blue Jackets

MICHIGAN WARRIORS
1st round, 21st overall – Joey Suleskey, D, Rochester High School
4th round, 90th overall – Ian Miller, F, Compuware
5th round, 108th overall – Nolan Valleau, D, Novi High School
6th round, 123rd overall – A.J. White, F, Compuware
7th round, 136th overall – Joseph Ferriss, F, Novi High School
8th round, 148th overall – Ryan Trenz, D, St. Louis Jr. Blues
9th round, 159th overall – Patrick Gregory, F, St. Louis Jr. Blues
10th round, 169th overall – Travis Carto, F, Davison High School
11th round, 178th overall – Robert Mantha, F, Little Caesars

MOTOR CITY METAL JACKETS
1st round, 14th overall – Brennan Knoblock, G, Pickering Panthers
3rd round, 61st overall – Michael Marconi, F, Philadelphia Jr. Flyers
5th round, 104th overall – Colt Smelstor, D, Green Mountain Glades
6th round, 120th overall – Aaron Scheppelman, D, Victory Honda
7th round, 133rd overall – Conor Clancy, F, P.F. Chang’s
8th round, 146th overall – Colin Greeley, G, Victory Honda
9th round, 157th overall – Ross Kovacs, D, Russell Stover
10th round, 167th overall – Michael Lant II, D, Dallas Stars
11th round, 176th overall – Joey Ballmer, G, Kalamazoo Eagles

TRAVERSE CITY NORTH STARS
1st round, 20th overall – Ken Babinski, F, Midland High School
2nd round, 45th overall – Tyler Marble, G, Traverse City North Stars
3rd round, 67th overall – Zachary Dorer, D, Lansing Capitals
4th round, 89th overall – Eric Fragoso, F, Detroit Catholic Central
5th round, 107th overall – Drew Mayer, F, Honeybaked
6th round, 122nd overall – Matt Zaremba, F, Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks
7th round, 135th overall – Robert Wiener, D, Lansing Capitals

Steve Nash Sells Vitamin Water on Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Dearest Canucks fans,

I hope you're finding other awesome things to do now that our beloved orcas are playing golf. Yes, I do. I hope that the devastation you suffered lingered only briefly, and that you've found replacement activities that will sustain you through another long offseason.

Yes, I know there's been some Canucks news, but I'm a married man, y'all. My wife begs me all the time to take a little break from the Canucks, and annually, I acquiesced... for a small portion of the offseason, right at the beginning of it. I figure another week and I'll be in her good books.

In the meantime, I have sunk my teeth completely into Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns. Have you? I hope so, because not only is Steve Nash a super great guy and one of the best point guards in the NBA (not to mention the best Canadian basketball player ever), but he's hilarious. Case in point, the above interview with Space Ghost.

I know how it works. A lot of Vancouverites are still choked at the NBA for the way we were treated. Don't be. In terms of ignorance and mismanagement from the top down, the NBA's head offices are not that different from the NHL's. Don't blame the players, don't blame the game. Blame the blundering, managerial consortium--a staple of both sports--that royally effs things up for fans of the sport. And while you're blaming them, look past them like you do with the NHL, and watch some incredible basketball.

The Phoenix Suns are very entertaining. Amare Stoudemire is a beast. Steve Nash breaks a piece of his face off during every game and still plays the next one without complaint. Last night, the Phoenix bench--a full, five-man unit--literally beat the Lakers starters by themselves. That's unheard of, and you missed it.

Stop missing it. Fall in love with the BC-born mega-athlete who makes seeing-eye passes and hawks Vitamin Water at every turn. And do it now, because he's playing the best basketball of his career.

Love it or hate it, PowerPoint shapes strategy-making

It’s a staple presentation tool in most businesses. It’s been banned as a productivity killer. It’s even been recently criticized by a U.S. military General as “dangerous” for over- simplifying sophisticated problems of warfare.

Say what you like about PowerPoint, the computer software that presents business cases like a slide show, but one researcher at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management says that such critiques ignore the ways the technology is used to shape idea generation and build corporate strategies.

“It’s easy to say that PowerPoint is taking over and that’s terrible … but what I observed is that the day-to-day use of PowerPoint is much more complex,” says Sarah Kaplan, a Rotman professor of strategic management who studies strategy making in uncertain environments.

An eight-month examination of strategy making at a telecommunications company showed Prof. Kaplan that PowerPoint was more than just an omnipresent tool.

• It allowed for greater collaboration because more people had access to PowerPoint documents;
• It affected the parameters of the discussion (depending on what information was included, or excluded from the PowerPoint slides);
• It even shaped the influence individuals had in the strategy-building process (those with less facility using the technology lost status, those who possessed the “deck” of PowerPoint slides had greater power).

By studying the daily use of PowerPoint in strategy making, it was possible to see how meanings were negotiated through PowerPoint use, as a means for both collaborative efforts to generate ideas and cartographic efforts to divide up territories and pursue individual or group interests.

“This is not the first strategy-making technology. Before PowerPoint, there were 35mm slides and viewgraphs,” Prof. Kaplan points out. But because PowerPoint is easily available to anyone with access to a computer, it “has radically changed who can participate. It has the potential to democratize strategy-making!”
The complete study is available here.

The Best To-Do List You'll Ever Make

By Rick Broida

Ever get to the end of a day and feel like you didn’t really accomplish anything? Or, worse, discover that the really important tasks didn’t get done? I think this happens when we have too many distractions, too much miscellany pulling us in different directions all day.

I’m a big believer in to-do lists, but beware the Dark Side: a list that’s too long will seem overwhelming, and may actually do more harm than good. (”Ahhh! I’ll never get all this done!”)

That’s why I’ve become a religious practitioner of the three-item to-do list! Here’s how it works:

1. Each morning, starting with a small, blank sheet of paper, write down three important tasks that need doing.
   
2. Do the first task. Cross it off.
3. Do the second task. Cross it off.
4. Do the third task. Cross it off.
5. Crumple up your to-do sheet and throw it away.

I find this entire process immensely satisfying. For starters, a three-item list seems very manageable. Doesn’t matter how busy I am, I know I can accomplish at least those three things.

What’s more, it may sound silly, but drawing a line through a completed task feels really good — much better than clicking a checkbox in Outlook or an online to-do list. And at the end of the day, crumpling up that sheet makes me feel accomplished — even if I have 10 other tasks that didn’t get done.

I’ve also found that this lowers my overall stress level. It makes the day seem less…insurmountable. Try it every day for a week and see if you don’t become a convert.

Hawai'i meets Alabama in Super Regionals

Game times and television networks have been established for this weekend's NCAA Super Regional matchup between Hawai'i and top-seeded Alabama.The best-of-3 series will get underway Friday at 5:30 p.m. Central time (3:30 p.m. PT / 12:30 p.m. HT) with the opener televised live on ESPNU. Game two of the series begins at 4 p.m. CT Saturday and will be televised on ESPN. A third game will follow 30

NAHL Entry Draft today at 2:00 pm EST

Let's See if We Can Really Leap This Sharp-Tooth Swimming Beast

As some of you may know, I am now a weekly columnist for the Quick. You can click on this here fancy hyperlinked sentence to read last week's column. And then you can probably type in my name to further delve into my illustrious columning (new word! so hot!) career. The fact that I have bamboozled a print publication into letting me sully their product each week combined with the fact that I lost my zeal for blogging about the Mavs means that this blog has become the internet equivalent of Richardson Square Mall. Tumbleweeds rolling depressingly past an airbrushed t-shirt and cell phone accessories kiosk and the lone remaining anchor store, Sears. It's always the Sears that is the last to go. Berkner High School alum, that joke was for you! Holla back, Rams!

So I've been thinking of using this blog, until the Cowboys come back and take a big steaming dump on our football hopes and dreams of a hometown Super Bowl, to just write down the things that Belo clearly will not publish because they have good judgment. Probably not sports related. Most likely me just bitching about things like water heaters and the price of artichokes. I don't expect many people to read this. This blog is pretty much just a slightly more hygienic version of the people who repeatedly try to explain Lost to sprinklers outside the downtown library.

And to prove this point, I would like to issue the following warning: be really careful about taking valerian root before you go to bed. You see, me and sleep have a very volatile relationship. I love sleep. Sleep is pretty ambivalent about me. I have to set the mood and dress up and make everything just right to make sure sleep comes over. So from time to time, I have taken valerian root to encourage sleep. It works sometimes. But with alternately bizarre and awesome side effects.

It causes dreams that range from sort of scary to full-on, intensity in 10 cities level kickass. Usually, I only remember bits and pieces of my dreams. I was so excited when I woke up this morning that I hit record on my Blackberry to ensure that no detail of my two distinct dream cycles was lost. I present to you, unedited, last night in AmandaCobra's Valerian Dream Explosion:

Dream 1:

I was hired by the big belt sander lobby. I was a belt sander lobbyist, hired to travel the country proclaiming the virtues of belt sanders. I didn't really know a lot about belt sanders but I learned.

But then as I traveled the country, I learned that pretty much anyone who needed a belt sander in their lives was already solidly on Team Belt Sander. Those who weren't on Team Belt Sander weren't really on the fence because, well, they didn't need a belt sander and didn't know why I was wasting their time.

So once I realized that, I also realized that all the time that the Big Belt Sander lobbyists were paying me to preach the gospel of Belt Sanders, I could instead just go to amusement parks. So I did.

But then I got caught after a few months. Instead of losing my job and causing my lobbying group much embarrassment, we worked out a deal where I would travel the country in an Airstream trailer and sing folk songs in the style of Woody Guthrie about belt sanders to appeal to the working man.

This turned out to work surprisingly well and Bruce Springsteen and I recorded a duets album all about belt sanders. Then I woke up.

Dream 2:

Noted comedian Steve Harvey and I were hired by a very downmarket motel chain to travel across the country on a very special mission.

(Side note: Why I gotta be traveling on all these missions in all my dreams? It is very tiring. Can't I just rest for a little bit?)

You see, this motel chain was so low-end and podunk that they had failed to replace any of their in-room telephone books since 1975. Yes, there are many holes in this dream's logic. Why did no one notice this error until 2010? Who uses telephone books anymore? Who hires me and Steve Harvey for this job?

Well, the company's plan was as follows: Steve and I were given a master key which opened every door to every room at every motel in their chain, which is a horrible idea. I would open the door and using my cat-like dexterity and speed, I would sneak into the room while Steve Harvey distracted and entertained the room's occupants with a short stand-up set. While they were distracted I would replace their old 1975 phone books with new phone books.

Overall, Steve and I made a great team and most people never even noticed the switch. Based on this dream, I would highly recommend any cross-country trip with Steve Harvey. He is a wonderful travel companion.

Also, valerian root is kind of badass.

YOU'RE YELLING ABOUT HAMBURGERS! JUST STEP BACK AND LET THAT SINK IN.

In the Bible, some Biblical person (probably Jesus, he’s allll up in that book) said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Similarly, when a new franchise expands into North Texas and a blog posts something about it, so too shall the trolls descend. I like to read D Magazine’s blog, FrontBurner. It breaks up the monotony of my work day and even though I’m not cool enough to play Words with Friends with the editors and I can’t afford anything they advertise on their site or in their print product, I’d like to think that I am still a loyal reader. So imagine my surprise when all attempts on my part yesterday to read FrontBurner were met with the dreaded “System Error” message. Oh well. I guess Words with Friends really was the death of them.

So I headed over to Unfair Park to catch up on their news. “Oh huh, they’re putting an In-n-Out Burger in Firewheel Mall in Garland? That’s right by my grandma’s house. Weird. Well, back to living life.” Imagine my surprise when FrontBurner returned to life this morning, adrenaline needle still dangling from its’ heart, and told me that it had briefly crossed over where dead pets and grandparents live because of their story about In-n-Out Burger. Really? To their credit, they appear to have broken the story. Rather they broke the story which appeared to return the favor quickly thereafter. I clicked on the story and saw that there were 106 comments. Wow. I rubbed my hands together, excited to jump headlong into a thread that was sure to touch on everything from the chain’s above-par treatment of their employees, how they would maintain their freshness standards so far outside their distribution area, their religious founders, maybe some new secret code words for ordering off-menu treats? Oh boy, this is gonna be good!

Fuck. I should have known. Because it’s the goddamned internet. So of course, I get 106 comments worth of suck. Let me break down the 106 comments left on the Great In-N-Out Burger Thread:

(These numbers are approximate)

“In-n-Out Burger isn’t that good/Whataburger is better” - 45 comments
“In-n-Out Burger is fucking awesome/Whataburger sucks/Sonic sucks/Red Robin sucks/I’m from California” – 74 comments
“I GO TO CALIFORNIA A LOT! IT’S FAR AND I TRAVEL!!!!! BUT I’M BEING CASUAL WHEN I MENTION THIS!” – 39 comments
“Garland sucks/Southlake is better” – 19 comments
“Nuh uh, Garland is awesome! Rich people live here!” – 3 comments
“Food, Inc.” – 1 comment


Let me first say that I’m happy for D Magazine that they got lots of hits and comments and traffic. It appears it was a crippling amount. Kind of like when so many people show up to your birthday party and buy you so many birthday drinks that you end up puking into a shoe of unknown ownership. But why can’t people handle their shit when given the ability to comment on a blog? It’s a story about an f’ing burger franchise opening and you people are yelling at each other and name calling? Alright, I’m going to draw a line with chalk. Anyone who likes hamburgers from In-n-Out, step over to the left. Anyone who doesn’t like them, step over to the right. Guess what, there’s good news and bad news. Taste is subjective which means neither one of you are right and neither one of you are wrong. It does, however, mean that any of you who made more than two comments about whether or not a particular chain makes good hamburgers are, pardon the phrase here, dillweeds of the highest order. Chillax. Seriously.

If you’ve never had an In-n-Out burger and therefore have no opinion, I have nothing but great news for you. You can form an opinion sometime in the near-ish future when the first In-n-Out in Texas opens in Firewheel Mall in Garland. You would have known that yesterday but people on the internet had to yell about hamburgers and immigrants and stuff so you had to wait until today. Sorry.

The 'Nucks

They were my pick to reach the finals in the west, but it just didn't happen. Still, enjoy this illo, Canucks fans, and remember that the new season is only four months away!

Schreiber, Wakita, and Sillery also sign pro contracts

According to Union Athletics.com, senior captain Mike Wakita, senior goaltender Rich Sillery, and senior assistant captain Mike Schreiber have signed pro contracts. Wakita has will be staying in the states while playing for Missouri in the Central Hockey League, while Schreiber will be heading out to Hannover, Germany in the 2nd Bundesliga League. Both players were intregal parts to the Dutchmen defensive corps over their four seasons. While Schreiber was the quarterback of Union's offense, Wakita was a bone-crushing defensive defenseman. Sillery has signed a contract with 1,000 Islands of the Federal Hockey League after playing a limited role in his four years in Schenectady. The trio joins Jason Walters as Dutchmen to sign pro contracts this week.

Hutchins re-signs with Edinburgh

Former Union standout Jeff Hutchins has resigned with the Edinburgh Capitals of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Last season Hutchins was third on the team with 63 points and led the team with 188 penalty minutes. For more on Hutchins and the Capitals check out ECAC Hockey.com.

Jets gearing up for CSHL Draft Saturday

Lately, the annual Central States Hockey League Draft has been hit or miss for the Metro Jets.

In the 2007 draft, the team had nine draft picks make the team the following year, but then in 2008, just three were on the opening night roster.

Last year, 10 players made the cut, including starting goaltender Ian Mercer and forward Jon Wickersham, with the latter being named one of the team’s captains early last season.

When the 2010 draft takes place this Saturday in suburban Chicago, Jets officials are banking on finding players that can step right in next fall and make an impact at Lakeland Arena.

“Like last year, we are out to find guys that are primed and ready for the junior level,” stated Jets GM Butch Wolfe. “We saw several of these types of players at our pre-draft camp two weeks ago and I hope some of those players are still available when we pick. We think if we can get the right pieces in place that we should have a successful season.”

This will also be the first Metro draft for new coach Jeff Bond, who was hired earlier this spring.

The draft goes 20 total rounds with the first eight rounds being devoted to each team picking from their local region (75 miles from home rink). The Jets share regional space with the Flint Jr. Generals and Michigan Mountain Cats (new to the CSHL next season after acquiring the Motor City Chiefs franchise) and even a little with the Toledo Cherokee.

“It all comes down to us doing our homework and knowing what players are out there and willing to come play for us,” added Wolfe. “I believe our head scout, Tim Ross, has done a tremendous job for us and after this weekend, we’ll have more work to do in filling out our roster.

“It’s a challenge, for sure, but it’s one we can definitely handle. We’re optimistic we’ll get some solid hockey players in the draft.”

Mercer photo by Andy Grossman

Seguin, Hayes win CHL awards

The Canadian Hockey League announced Saturday ten national award winners for the 2009-10 season including two players from the Plymouth Whalers in forwards Tyler Seguin and Ryan Hayes.

Winners were presented with their awards at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium on Saturday afternoon, as part of the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup festivities.

Seguin was named the Jack Link's Top Prospect of the Year. He is the number one ranked player for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft as determined by NHL Central Scouting. He finished the OHL regular season tied for first overall in league scoring with 106 points including 48 goals and 58 assists in 63 games for the Whalers, with a plus-minus rating of plus-17 and 54 penalty minutes.

An 18-year-old from Brampton, Ont., he recorded 29 multi-point games and tallied five hat-tricks, captained Team Orr at the 2010 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and was named the OHL's Most Outstanding Player.

Hayes followed up winning the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy as the OHL's Humanitarian of the Year by being named the Home Hardward Humanitarian of the Year for the CHL. He led the Whalers organization in his third OHL season with 54 official community appearances representing participation in nearly a quarter of the team’s total community events. This season Hayes took on a leadership role for the Whalers in the “Friends of Jaclyn” program that supports the non-profit charitable organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors. He also showed extensive participation with Special Olympics Michigan at their annual hockey tournament cheering on the participants, passing out the medals, and staying afterwards to pose for pictures and sign autographs.

Seguin and Hayes are the first Whalers to win a Canadian Hockey League Award since James Wisniewski was named the CHL's Defenseman of the Year in 2003-04.

Other Whalers who have won CHL awards include David Legwand (1997-98) and Bryan Berard (1994-95), who both won the CHL Rookie of the Year Award, while Berard also was named Best Defenseman in 1995-96. Pete DeBoer was named CHL's Coach of the Year in 1999-00, while Rob Zepp was named the CHL's Scholastic Player of the Year in 1998-99. Pat Peake captured the franchise's first CHL award when he was named the CHL's Player of the Year in 1992-93.

Winsdsor Wins Memorial Cup Championship

This has nothing to do at all in any way with BU hockey, but since there was nothing else going on I thought that would put in.

Windsor Spitfires forward Adam Henrique (left) celebrates his goal with teammate Justin Shugg against Brandon goalie Jacob De Serres. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

The Windsor Spitfires, a junior hockey power house, destroyed tournament host the Brandon Wheat Kings 9-1 in the Memorial Cup Championship game. This is the second year in a row that Windsor took the  cup and some might consider the Spitfires the Montreal Canadians of major junior hockey.

Windsor jumped out a one lead in the first and never looked back. Adam Henrique was able to sneak a shot through Wheat Kings goalie Jacob De Serres leg pads and Windsor spit fire at Brandon the rest of the night, and never looked back.

With 17 seconds left in the first period, the Spitfires took a two goal lead as Eric Wellwood found the back of the net.


After a successful penalty kill, Windsor electrifying, Taylor Hall scored on a Spitfire power play. After that game, Hall was named tournament MVP. At this point the game was over.


The Spitfires went on to score three  more goals in the second period and they would pick up three more in the third frame. All in all it is obviously clear that Windsor was the better team tonight. So like the plane did back in World War II, the Spitfires took care of business. Final score Windsor nine, Brandon one.

Hawai'i pounds Red Raiders to reach Supers

Hawai'i slammed five more home runs Sunday and got another fine pitching performance from Stephanie Ricketts to beat Texas Tech 7-1 and win the NCAA Stanford Regional to advance to next week's Super Regionals.The five home runs were all of the solo variety and things started with a bang when freshman Kelly Majam hit her nation-leading 29th to begin the game for Hawai'i.After leaving the bases

Costly late error dooms Fresno State in loss to UCLA

A costly sixth inning error broke a 2-2 tie and led to four unearned runs as 5th-ranked UCLA came from behind for a 7-2 win over Fresno State Sunday in the NCAA Los Angeles Regional championship game.Bulldogs pitcher Michelle Moses was pitching her third game in three days and was throwing a masterful 2-hitter into the sixth inning. In fact, she'd only allowed one single since the second inning

All spots in next week's super-regionals are set. The super-regional bracket is available here. Following is a compilation of game articles on the teams' clinching of their respective regional titles.

Alabama

Arizona

Arizona State

BYU

California

Florida

Georgia

Hawai'i

Louisiana-Lafayette

Michigan

Missouri

Oklahoma

Oregon

Tennessee

UCLA

Washington

Hawai'i, Fresno State on verge of Super Regionals

Video recap of Fresno State's two wins SaturdayVideo recap of Hawai'i's win SaturdayToday could become an historic day in Western Athletic Conference softball as two WAC teams have a chance to reach the NCAA Super Regionals with victories.No. 16 national seed Hawai'i and Fresno State have both reached the Sunday championship games of their respective NCAA regionals. Hawai'i (46-13) needs just

BYU is the first team to reach next week's super-regionals, after knocking off East Carolina earlier today to win the Austin, Texas regional. Tomorrow will be a busy day, with the other 15 regionals being concluded to fill out next week's super-regionals.

In the 15 remaining regionals, each of the nationally seeded teams (one per region) are still alive, except LSU, in the Baton Rouge region. Here, Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas A&M remain. ULL just needs to win once over the Aggies to advance, whereas A&M must beat the Ragin' Cajuns twice.

Bulldogs win again, reach NCAA regional final

After eliminating St. Mary's to begin the day, the Fresno State softball team put an end to San Diego State's season too. And in the process, the Bulldogs advanced to an NCAA Regional championship game for the third consecutive season.Fresno State (41-20) scored four first inning runs and held off San Diego State 4-3 to reach Sunday's championship game of the NCAA Los Angeles Regional. There,

Melloh's gem leads Fresno State to NCAA win

Morgan Melloh picked up her 90th career victory as Fresno State beat St. Mary's 6-0 to end the Gaels' season and advance in the Los Angeles Regional at Easton Stadium.Melloh returned to the site of last year's NCAA regional where she had one of the best games of her career. In the same regional in 2009, she struck out 16 in a win against UNLV. Today, the strikeout number was 12 as Melloh

Wahine beat Stanford, advance to regional final

Hawai'i stormed to an early 6-run lead Saturday and held off the host Cardinal 6-3 to advance to Sunday's championship game of the Stanford Regional.The Rainbow Wahine got a bases-loaded double from Alex Aguirre in the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead. The margin grew to five runs in the second inning when Melissa Gonzalez smacked a 3-run home run.In the top of the third inning, senior

Hawai'i uses big fifth inning to beat UC Davis

Hawai'i took advantage of walks and a costly UC Davis error to score four unearned runs with two outs in the fifth inning and run-rule the Aggies 10-2 Friday.It wasn't the home run hitting display some expected, but it was effective nonetheless as the Rainbow Wahine advanced in the Stanford Regional winner's bracket, where they will meet Stanford on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinal narrowly

Fresno State falls to Aztecs in pitcher's duel

It was billed as a pitcher's duel between a pair of All-West Region pitchers and it was just that until two outs in the sixth inning.Just one strike away from heading to the seventh inning tied 0-0, Fresno State's Michelle Moses ran into trouble. Moses allowed three runs with two outs in the sixth inning and that was all San Diego State would need in a 3-2 win over the Bulldogs.Eva Sahatdjian, a

Walters to play in Sweden

According to Ken Schott, senior forward Jason Walters has signed a contract with Vasteras of HockeyAllsvendken in Sweden. Wally is one of the all-time great players in the history of Union Division I hockey, and is the all-time leading DI scorer in Union's history with 115 points. I'm sure he will tear up the Allsvendekn league and work his way up to higher level European hockey.

For more on the signing check out Ken Schott's Blog.

Boileau Update

It looks like Union Athletics.com has tricked me by reporting that junior Stephane Boileau won the William B. Jaffe '26 Award. When looking back on the site this afternoon it said that he won the Junior Scholar-Athlete Award, not the Jaffe Award. This does bring down some speculation if Boileau is returning next year, but I'll still look into the rumor a little more.

Also, Boileau received ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors. He was named a First Team All-District selection for the at-large program. Stephane is also eligible for Academic All-American honors. For more on Boileau go to Union Athletics.com.

Boileau is an extremely valuable player on the ice and is the type of player that is needed on any team. He's great at faceoffs and brings a ton of energy to the ice. He always gives 110%, which sometimes gets the better of him. I really hope these rumors are false, and Stephane comes back to put up big numbers next season.

Late Evening Updates

Because there are so many games, I will be focusing at this stage on upsets. Thus, if you're a fan of a nationally seeded team (one per regional), then it's a no-news-is-good-news situation.

One team for whom the news isn't good is Texas, the one national seed (No. 7) in its region (edited to correct Texas's seed number). The Longhorns have already been eliminated from this year's tournament, falling first to BYU and then to East Carolina.

Morning Notes

More articles on the NCAA tournament from around the U.S. (and beyond), with the bulk of the regional action starting today...

Lubbock Avalanche Journal (on Texas Tech)

UCLA Daily Bruin (on UCLA)

Mobile Press Register (on Alabama)

Canadian Press (on University of Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie)

Howdy Ho Mighty Mo

Arsenal FC

Bulldogs, Wahine begin NCAA quest today

Both Hawai'i and Fresno State open NCAA Tournament play today at 3 p.m. Pacific time in the state of California.The No. 16 national seed Rainbow Wahine (44-13) meet Big West Conference champion UC Davis (26-27), one of two teams in the NCAA field with a losing overall record. That game will be played at Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium (Palo Alto, Calif.) in the Stanford regional. A pair of

Valery-Trabucco and Boileau honored at senior dinner

At the 2010 Union Athletics Senior Appreciation Dinner tonight senior forward Mario Valery-Trabucco and junior forward Stephane Boileau each won the William B. Jaffe '26 Award. I don't know what the award is for. But, one thing that alarms me is why Boileau was honored if he has one more year of eligibility. Again I'm not sure if this was a "senior only" award, but there were rumors circling around a few months ago about Boileau leaving Union before his senior season. I haven't been able to get any info on the matter, but I'll keep looking.

Also, senior laxer Tim Schwarz was honored at the dinner as he was given the Award for Community Service and Community outreach. In his first to years in Schenectady Tim was a member of the Union College Hockey team in a minimal role. For the past two seasons Schwarz has been a member of Union's Lacrosse team where he has been a faceoff specialist. I had the privilege of living down the hall from Tim last year, and he is truly a great guy. He's an extremely nice and out-going individual who is always up for a good conversation about anything. I've never had a class with Tim, but I've heard that he is a tremendous student.

For more on the dinner check out Union Athletics.com.

Henrik Named Sporting News Player of the Year

Re-igniting the Hart Trophy debate, Henrik Sedin has been named The Sporting News Player of the Year. As Puck Daddy points out, this award has predicted the Hart trophy winner 8 out of the last 10 years. And, since it's voted on by NHL players, coaches, and executives, it almost guarantees Henrik the Ted Lindsay award, which is voted on by the NHLPA.

Over the next couple days we at Pass it To Bulis will be taking a closer look at the Hart trophy race and, specifically, why I think Henrik Sedin should win.

The Austin, Texas regional begins tonight, with Texas hosting Iona, East Carolina, and BYU. The Austin American-Statesman has a preview. The 15 other regional sites begin play on Friday.

In anticipation of the Michigan regional, AnnArbor.com has a feature on Wolverine slugger Dorian Shaw.

Finally, ESPN.com's Graham Hays previews the overall tournament.

Eight WAC players earn NFCA all-region honors

Eight Western Athletic Conference softball players, including five from Hawai'i, were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region teams this morning.The players from Hawai'i were joined by players from Fresno State, Boise State and New Mexico State on the All-Region squads.Four players were first-team All-West Region picks: junior first baseman Hoku Nohara of New Mexico State

Mighty Mo

I didn't draw this (I can't draw) but this is the most offensive drawing of Muhammad that I could find to properly honor the very first Draw Muhammad Day.

uh-oh, another offensive drawing just hit my radar...