Tom Brennan
University of Vermont
The dean of America East coaches who retired in March of 2005, the last four seasons at Vermont for Tom Brennan were seasons for the record books. In 2005, UVM won its third straight America East Championship and made another trip to the nation’s premier collegiate sporting event, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
On March 22, 2005, 13th-seeded Vermont stunned fourth-seeded Syracuse, the Big East champion, 60-57, in Worcester, Mass. for its first-ever post season victory and the school’s first-ever win over a ranked team. Although UVM lost in the second round to Michigan State, an eventual Final Four participant, in Brennan’s final game at Vermont the Catamounts effort captured the attention of the region as well as the nation as the Cinderella team of the entire NCAA tournament.
In 2004-05, UVM won a school-record 25 games (25-7), led the America East from wire-to-wire for its second-ever regular season crown, and became the third school in league history to win three straight conference titles. The win in the NCAAs was the first by an America East school since 1996. Vermont sold out all 13 home games at Patrick Gym (3,266 capacity) and won every home game for its first time in history. The Cats also set a program record with a 15-game winning streak including a 13-0 start in conference play.
Brennan wrapped up his career as the winningest coach in Vermont history with 263 victories. Hired in April of 1986, he announced in November 2004 that the 2004-05 campaign, his 19th at Vermont and 24th overall as a head coach, would be his last.
In 2003-04, Vermont went 22-9 and hosted the America East title game for the first time. In the first-ever nationally televised basketball game in the state of Vermont, the Catamounts topped Maine, 72-53, in front of a sellout crowd at Patrick Gym.
This came after the winter of 2002-03 when Vermont, in its 103rd year of basketball, won its first-ever America East Championship to earn its first trip to 'The Big Dance'. Brennan's Catamounts began this extraordinary run in 2001-02 when they went 21-8 and won the school's first-ever America East Regular Season title.
The four historic ‘banner’ years capped a complete turnaround of men's hoop at Vermont under Brennan. UVM won just 14 times in his first three years while in his last four, they won 89 times. Also after never posting a 20-win season, the Catamounts have won 21 or more games in four straight seasons.
Brennan was also honored as America East Coach of the Year three times, in 1992, 1998 and 2002, and the NABC District I (New England) Coach of the Year on two occasions, 1992 and 2002.
A very popular public speaker, he has formerly co-hosted the successful and popular morning drive-time radio show, 'Corm and the Coach', which aired statewide in Vermont. And he was also a College Basketball Sports Analyst for ESPN from 2005 through 2009.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
BENSON CALLIER this Sun. night, Aug. 16th!
Yes, the 2008-2009 Vermont Frost Heaves MVP will be heard live from the stations of Radio Vermont; WDeV FM (96.1, 96.6 & 101.9) and AM (550) at 9:20 PM.
DoN'T miss it!
DoN'T miss it!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Peter Robert Casey (Sept. 13th)
Peter Robert Casey possesses an incurable love for the game of basketball. A former player and assistant coach at the high school level, Peter keeps his head in the game largely through written word and social media marketing engagements. His work has appeared on many online hoops outlets, including SLAMonline, Bouncemag.com, ESPN The Magazine, and Collegehoops.net. He has consulted for MYHoopsLink.com, New Heights NYC, JDBasketball, and Blue Ribbon College Basketball.
JD Hamilton (Sept. 6th @ 10:10 PM)
J.D. Hamilton is in his sixth year at the NCAA serving as Assistant Director of Statistics. He serves as media coordinator for the Division I Men’s College World Series and Football Championship and a member of the Division I Men’s Final Four Media Coordination team.
http://www.ncaa.org
http://www.ncaa.org
David Kull (Sept. 6th @ 9:20 PM)
David Kull is the Senior Deputy Editor in charge of Major League Baseball coverage on ESPN.com. Kull, who’s served in this role since 2005, manages the best team of baseball writers in the country, including Jayson Stark, Buster Olney, Jerry Crasnick, Peter Gammons, Rob Neyer, Tim Kurkjian and Keith Law. Kull has worked for ESPN.com since 1996, only a year after the Web site was launched as ESPNET SportsZone. He initially worked on the Web site in Bellevue , Wash. , before transferring to Connecticut in 1998. Kull grew as an Oakland A’s fan in San Jose , Calif. , and graduated from the University of California , Davis , where he played one year of football. Kull also coaches the varsity baseball team at The Master’s School, a small, private Christian school in West Simsbury , CT. He lives in Simsbury with his wife and three kids, two boys and one girl.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Courtesy of the Times Argus (Varsity)
Varsity blues: Magazine's life is over
http://timesargus.com/article/20090811/SPORTS/908110317/1004/SPORTS
http://timesargus.com/article/20090811/SPORTS/908110317/1004/SPORTS
Courtesy of the Burlington Free Press (Vermont Mountaineers)
NEWPORT, R.I. — Troy Scott smashed a key three-run homer and the Newport Gulls topped the Vermont Mountaineers in Game 3 of the New England Collegiate Baseball league championship series, claiming the title with a 12-6 win Monday at Cardines Field.
For the Gulls, it’s their first NECBL title since 2005 and fourth overall. The Mountaineers, after a 20-19 regular season and the third seed out of the Western Division, were aiming for a third crown in four seasons. It marked the second time that Newport defeated Vermont in the league finals.
Monday, Scott, who finished with five RBIs, drilled a Scott Kaminsky fastball over the right-center field to give the Gulls a 5-4 third-inning lead.
The Gulls extended their lead to 7-4 in the fourth inning on Tim Smalling’s RBI triple and Alex Kaminski’s RBI single.
Vermont’s Clay Jones led off the fifth inning with a solo blast and Nick Martinez’s RBI single sliced Newport’s lead to 7-6.
From there, the Gulls tacked on six runs in the seventh inning, including Scott’s fifth RBI of the game, to swell the lead to 12-6.
Before Scott’s three-run homer in the third inning, Vermont capitalized on a poor Newport fielding to plate three runs for a 4-2 lead.
Vermont stormed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping North Adams and Holyoke to earn its fourth championship-series appearance in five years.In the championship series, Newport claimed Game 1 with a 7-3 home victory. Sunday, the series shifted to Montpelier and the Mountaineers evened the series after rallying in the bottom of the ninth inning for two runs in a 4-3 win.
Martinez led Vermont during the postseason with five multi-games.
For the Gulls, it’s their first NECBL title since 2005 and fourth overall. The Mountaineers, after a 20-19 regular season and the third seed out of the Western Division, were aiming for a third crown in four seasons. It marked the second time that Newport defeated Vermont in the league finals.
Monday, Scott, who finished with five RBIs, drilled a Scott Kaminsky fastball over the right-center field to give the Gulls a 5-4 third-inning lead.
The Gulls extended their lead to 7-4 in the fourth inning on Tim Smalling’s RBI triple and Alex Kaminski’s RBI single.
Vermont’s Clay Jones led off the fifth inning with a solo blast and Nick Martinez’s RBI single sliced Newport’s lead to 7-6.
From there, the Gulls tacked on six runs in the seventh inning, including Scott’s fifth RBI of the game, to swell the lead to 12-6.
Before Scott’s three-run homer in the third inning, Vermont capitalized on a poor Newport fielding to plate three runs for a 4-2 lead.
Vermont stormed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping North Adams and Holyoke to earn its fourth championship-series appearance in five years.In the championship series, Newport claimed Game 1 with a 7-3 home victory. Sunday, the series shifted to Montpelier and the Mountaineers evened the series after rallying in the bottom of the ninth inning for two runs in a 4-3 win.
Martinez led Vermont during the postseason with five multi-games.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Courtesy of USA Today (UFC 101)
By Sergio Non, USA TODAY
PHILADELPHIA — Middleweight champion Anderson Silva's killer instinct turned out to be alive and well after all — it just needed someone willing to risk it.
Heavily criticized after failing to knock out or submit his last two opponents, Silva answered all questions about his killer instinct with a one-punch knockout of former light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin just 3:23 into the first round of their bout Saturday at UFC 101.
AS IT HAPPENED: UFC 101 play-by-play
Fighting in the 205-pound division for the second time in his career, Silva outclassed his opponent from the opening bell. Griffin tried to use feints with his hands to set up kicks or straight punches early, but Silva simply bobbed, weaved and taunted his opponent while waiting for openings. He put Griffin on the mat twice with punches before throwing a short, straight right hand that caught Griffin on the chin and dropped him for good.
The decisive victory came after months of criticism leveled against Silva for a perceived lack of aggression while cruising to wins over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, neither of whom tried to outstrike Silva on the feet as Griffin did. UFC President Dana White said he was embarassed by Silva's decision victory over Leites at UFC 97, in April.
Silva praised Griffin for going toe-to-toe on the feet. "It's a different kind of fight," Silva said through a translator. "Forrest stood there and tried to exchange."
Griffin quickly left the cage before the official decision was announced, and did not appear at the post-fight news conference. He has done the same thing after previous losses, White said.
"We've seen it before with him," White said. "He's an emotional guy. He came into this fight very confident that he was going to beat Anderson Silva. ... He might be in Georgia by now. He ran out and I haven't seen him since."
In the evening's main event, lightweight champion BJ Penn re-asserted his dominance over UFC's 155-pound division with a fourth-round rear-naked choke of Kenny Florian.
Penn dominated every phase of the fight. He beat Florian to the punch consistently and appeared to get the better of almost every exchange in the clinch. Penn stuffed all of Florian's takedown attempts and succeeded in his only one. Once the fight hit the ground, Penn quickly climbed Florian's back and gradually worked in the choke that forced the challenger to tap out.
Penn viewed the win as redemption, following the defeat to St. Pierre.
"After you get a loss like I had, it's very important to come back," Penn said. "I really wanted to come back and show everybody that I am a fighter."
Saturday was Florian's second attempt at winning UFC's lightweight belt. He lost a five-round decision to Sean Sherk in October 2006.
In other action:
• Ricardo Almeida outgrappled Kendall Grove for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision. Grove tried to use his greater height and reach to outstrike Almeida and punish him with knees in the clinch, but Almeida persisted with takedowns and eventually put Grove on the ground, where he dominated positions throughout. Grove only threatened once, with an armbar that came close to stretching Almeida's arm completely, but the eventual winner twisted free.
Almeida, a highly decorated competitor in jiu-jitsu and submission grappling, said his initial plan was to try to match Grove's striking, but the size difference convinced him to take it to the ground.
"The later the fight went, the difference got to me," Almeida said. "I wanted to stand with him more, but I had to go with my bread and butter."
• A controversial stoppage cost Amir Sadollah his first fight after winning Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. Johny Hendricks, a two-time NCAA Division I champion in freestyle wrestling, floored Sadollah with an uppercut within the first 30 seconds and drilled him in the head several times, but Sadollah appeared to be reaching for a takedown as referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the fight. Most of the audience booed as the replay was shown.
• Aaron Riley won a unanimous decision, winning every round 10-9 over fellow lightweight Shane Nelson on all three judges' scorecards. Riley mixed up his strikes early, dropping Nelson to the canvas at least once, before settling in with a diet of takedowns to stifle Nelson for 15 minutes.
• Point Pleasant, N.J., native Kurt Pellegrino used his wrestling to keep Josh Neer grounded for most of their fight, which opened the pay-per-view card. Pellegrino took down Neer early in each round and simply ground away at him for long stretches with short elbows and small blows to earn the unanimous decision. Neer failed to generate much offense until the final 20 seconds, when he elbowed Pellegrino repeatedly to open a cut, but far too late to help him on the scorecards.
Results from the preliminary fights:
• Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision
• John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision
• Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision
• George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via 2nd-round kimura
• Jesse Lennox def. Danilo Villefort via 3rd-round TKO (stoppage due to cut)
PHILADELPHIA — Middleweight champion Anderson Silva's killer instinct turned out to be alive and well after all — it just needed someone willing to risk it.
Heavily criticized after failing to knock out or submit his last two opponents, Silva answered all questions about his killer instinct with a one-punch knockout of former light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin just 3:23 into the first round of their bout Saturday at UFC 101.
AS IT HAPPENED: UFC 101 play-by-play
Fighting in the 205-pound division for the second time in his career, Silva outclassed his opponent from the opening bell. Griffin tried to use feints with his hands to set up kicks or straight punches early, but Silva simply bobbed, weaved and taunted his opponent while waiting for openings. He put Griffin on the mat twice with punches before throwing a short, straight right hand that caught Griffin on the chin and dropped him for good.
The decisive victory came after months of criticism leveled against Silva for a perceived lack of aggression while cruising to wins over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, neither of whom tried to outstrike Silva on the feet as Griffin did. UFC President Dana White said he was embarassed by Silva's decision victory over Leites at UFC 97, in April.
Silva praised Griffin for going toe-to-toe on the feet. "It's a different kind of fight," Silva said through a translator. "Forrest stood there and tried to exchange."
Griffin quickly left the cage before the official decision was announced, and did not appear at the post-fight news conference. He has done the same thing after previous losses, White said.
"We've seen it before with him," White said. "He's an emotional guy. He came into this fight very confident that he was going to beat Anderson Silva. ... He might be in Georgia by now. He ran out and I haven't seen him since."
In the evening's main event, lightweight champion BJ Penn re-asserted his dominance over UFC's 155-pound division with a fourth-round rear-naked choke of Kenny Florian.
Penn dominated every phase of the fight. He beat Florian to the punch consistently and appeared to get the better of almost every exchange in the clinch. Penn stuffed all of Florian's takedown attempts and succeeded in his only one. Once the fight hit the ground, Penn quickly climbed Florian's back and gradually worked in the choke that forced the challenger to tap out.
Penn viewed the win as redemption, following the defeat to St. Pierre.
"After you get a loss like I had, it's very important to come back," Penn said. "I really wanted to come back and show everybody that I am a fighter."
Saturday was Florian's second attempt at winning UFC's lightweight belt. He lost a five-round decision to Sean Sherk in October 2006.
In other action:
• Ricardo Almeida outgrappled Kendall Grove for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision. Grove tried to use his greater height and reach to outstrike Almeida and punish him with knees in the clinch, but Almeida persisted with takedowns and eventually put Grove on the ground, where he dominated positions throughout. Grove only threatened once, with an armbar that came close to stretching Almeida's arm completely, but the eventual winner twisted free.
Almeida, a highly decorated competitor in jiu-jitsu and submission grappling, said his initial plan was to try to match Grove's striking, but the size difference convinced him to take it to the ground.
"The later the fight went, the difference got to me," Almeida said. "I wanted to stand with him more, but I had to go with my bread and butter."
• A controversial stoppage cost Amir Sadollah his first fight after winning Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. Johny Hendricks, a two-time NCAA Division I champion in freestyle wrestling, floored Sadollah with an uppercut within the first 30 seconds and drilled him in the head several times, but Sadollah appeared to be reaching for a takedown as referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to stop the fight. Most of the audience booed as the replay was shown.
• Aaron Riley won a unanimous decision, winning every round 10-9 over fellow lightweight Shane Nelson on all three judges' scorecards. Riley mixed up his strikes early, dropping Nelson to the canvas at least once, before settling in with a diet of takedowns to stifle Nelson for 15 minutes.
• Point Pleasant, N.J., native Kurt Pellegrino used his wrestling to keep Josh Neer grounded for most of their fight, which opened the pay-per-view card. Pellegrino took down Neer early in each round and simply ground away at him for long stretches with short elbows and small blows to earn the unanimous decision. Neer failed to generate much offense until the final 20 seconds, when he elbowed Pellegrino repeatedly to open a cut, but far too late to help him on the scorecards.
Results from the preliminary fights:
• Alessio Sakara def. Thales Leites via split decision
• John Howard def. Tamdan McCrory via split decision
• Matthew Riddle def. Dan Cramer via unanimous decision
• George Sotiropoulos def. George Roop via 2nd-round kimura
• Jesse Lennox def. Danilo Villefort via 3rd-round TKO (stoppage due to cut)
Courtesy of the Burlington Free Press (Libby Smith)
Libby Smith
LONDON, Ky. -- Former Essex H.S. and University of Vermont golf star Libby Smith posted her first top-10 finish on the Futures Tour in three seasons when she finished eighth Sunday at the Falls Auto Group Classic.
Smith shot a 2-under 70 Sunday in earning her first top-10 finish since the 2005 season when she finished in a Futures Tour career-best tie for sixth at the Jalapeno Futures Golf Classic in McAllen, Tx.
Smith earned $2,202 with her three-day 6-under total of 210, which was five shots back of winner Mina Harigae.
LONDON, Ky. -- Former Essex H.S. and University of Vermont golf star Libby Smith posted her first top-10 finish on the Futures Tour in three seasons when she finished eighth Sunday at the Falls Auto Group Classic.
Smith shot a 2-under 70 Sunday in earning her first top-10 finish since the 2005 season when she finished in a Futures Tour career-best tie for sixth at the Jalapeno Futures Golf Classic in McAllen, Tx.
Smith earned $2,202 with her three-day 6-under total of 210, which was five shots back of winner Mina Harigae.
Courtesy of the Times Argus (the Vermont Mountaineers and the 25th Enduro at Thunder Road)
Vermont Mountaineers
By KRIS MARTIN CORRESPONDENT - Published: August 10, 2009
MONTPELIER — Nothing like stretching it out the hard way. The Vermont Mountaineers survived to play another day, defeating the Newport Gulls 4-3 in game two of the New England Collegiate Baseball League finals. The teams are now tied 1-1 in the best of three series with a champion to be crowned tonight in Newport.A little suspense, some anxiety and a whole lot of controversy will be what the game is remembered for. Rarely does a dropped third strike provide a walkoff outcome, but with the game tied 3-3 and tensions already running high thanks to a tight strike zone, Nick Martinez swung and Ethan Paquette crossed the plate as Martinez scampered to first base and the ball squirted away from Newport catcher Mike Melillo.Melillo, believing that Martinez had fouled the ball off was obviously upset at the umpire's call and the frustration led to a bizarre exchange between the two teams, as players and coaches rushed the field to exchange hostile barbs. Newport manager Mike Coombs was ejected and will be unavailable for game three tomorrow due to a mandatory one-game suspension from the league."It was definitely a unique strikeout," Martinez said. "I've never even been up in a situation like that before in my life. I was waiting for a fastball, and instead I got the slider, a good pitch to strike me out on, one I'm usually a bit anxious for. We almost had a bit of an argument right there in front of home plate. We're a great hitting, great all-around team. As soon as Jayson walked I knew it was a tie ballgame and I wasn't trying to be a hero. I just wanted to hit the ball on the ground and force them to make a play on it."Fortunately for the Mountaineers, Newport reliever Matt Brantham had some trouble finding the strikezone in the ninth, walking three straight batters after Steven Felix doubled to lead off the inning. Mountaineers catcher Jayson Hernandez worked his way to first base via the walk to tie the game at 3-3, setting up Martinez' walkoff strikeout."We hit the ball good today but just couldn't get that clutch two-out hit," Hernandez said. "The first two strikes I took, I just froze up, I didn't pull the trigger. The umpire was consistent all game with a really tight strike zone. We'd work it to two strikes and then bust them inside on the black for the punchout but we just weren't getting it. Fortunately for us, neither were they."Vermont starter Brad Altback pushed through five and two-thirds innings, striking out five and walking three, with Newport's Will Roberts going six innings with five strikeouts of his own. The Gulls' Aaron Westlake contributed a monster homerun to lead off the top of the second inning, and it would stand until TJ Middlestaedt managed to drive in the Gulls' second run when he tripled in the eighth, driving in Greg Garcia. The Gulls added a third run on a Westlake sacrifice fly.Vermont got back in the game in the bottom of the eighth, with Martinez picking up an RBI on a fielder's choice and Jantzen Witte driving home Kevin Vance with a single."I thought Newport played their tails off," Mountaineer manager Troy Moock said. "They got a great start and did everything they needed to do in order to win. They shut us down two or three times with the bases loaded. Brad kept us in it and Andrew Benak and Kevin Vance were solid out of the bullpen. The kids won this one on emotions; they didn't want to go home. It's not how they envisioned the summer ending, and they're still playing one game, one pitch a time. We kept pressing and didn't give up."The three-game NECBL championship series wraps up tonight in Newport.
25th Annual Enduro @ Thunder Road
By TOM HERZIG CORRESPONDENT - Published: August 10, 2009
BARRE — Bill Davis, a 44 year-old mechanic from Monson, Mass., drove a 1985 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a $5,000 payday in the 25th M&M Beverage Enduro 250 Sunday in front of a packed house at Thunder Road.
...
The Enduro, a full-contact, no caution-flag event that blends country fair demolition derbies and Talladega nights, started 120 cars, many of which were overheating before the start, in three-wide formation. The track was filled to the point that the leaders reached the back of the pack within a quarter lap at the drop of the green flag.
Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon lasted 32 laps. Seventy cars were still running after 110 laps. With 170 laps left, 44 cars were still ticking and the pace was quickening. In the waning laps, 29 cars were left.
Mike MacAskill of Williamstown won the 50-lap Allen Lumber Street Stock feature that served as preview of the mayhem that was to follow in the Enduro. MacAskill did it the hard way after starting at the tail end of a 39-car field. It was the first win of the season for the second-year driver and the second of his career.MacAskill slipped underneath David Whitcomb at the finish line to complete lap 47 just before the fifth yellow of the race (the red flag was out four times) setting up a three-lap shootout between himself, Whitcomb, Tommy Smith and Tucker Williams.
By KRIS MARTIN CORRESPONDENT - Published: August 10, 2009
MONTPELIER — Nothing like stretching it out the hard way. The Vermont Mountaineers survived to play another day, defeating the Newport Gulls 4-3 in game two of the New England Collegiate Baseball League finals. The teams are now tied 1-1 in the best of three series with a champion to be crowned tonight in Newport.A little suspense, some anxiety and a whole lot of controversy will be what the game is remembered for. Rarely does a dropped third strike provide a walkoff outcome, but with the game tied 3-3 and tensions already running high thanks to a tight strike zone, Nick Martinez swung and Ethan Paquette crossed the plate as Martinez scampered to first base and the ball squirted away from Newport catcher Mike Melillo.Melillo, believing that Martinez had fouled the ball off was obviously upset at the umpire's call and the frustration led to a bizarre exchange between the two teams, as players and coaches rushed the field to exchange hostile barbs. Newport manager Mike Coombs was ejected and will be unavailable for game three tomorrow due to a mandatory one-game suspension from the league."It was definitely a unique strikeout," Martinez said. "I've never even been up in a situation like that before in my life. I was waiting for a fastball, and instead I got the slider, a good pitch to strike me out on, one I'm usually a bit anxious for. We almost had a bit of an argument right there in front of home plate. We're a great hitting, great all-around team. As soon as Jayson walked I knew it was a tie ballgame and I wasn't trying to be a hero. I just wanted to hit the ball on the ground and force them to make a play on it."Fortunately for the Mountaineers, Newport reliever Matt Brantham had some trouble finding the strikezone in the ninth, walking three straight batters after Steven Felix doubled to lead off the inning. Mountaineers catcher Jayson Hernandez worked his way to first base via the walk to tie the game at 3-3, setting up Martinez' walkoff strikeout."We hit the ball good today but just couldn't get that clutch two-out hit," Hernandez said. "The first two strikes I took, I just froze up, I didn't pull the trigger. The umpire was consistent all game with a really tight strike zone. We'd work it to two strikes and then bust them inside on the black for the punchout but we just weren't getting it. Fortunately for us, neither were they."Vermont starter Brad Altback pushed through five and two-thirds innings, striking out five and walking three, with Newport's Will Roberts going six innings with five strikeouts of his own. The Gulls' Aaron Westlake contributed a monster homerun to lead off the top of the second inning, and it would stand until TJ Middlestaedt managed to drive in the Gulls' second run when he tripled in the eighth, driving in Greg Garcia. The Gulls added a third run on a Westlake sacrifice fly.Vermont got back in the game in the bottom of the eighth, with Martinez picking up an RBI on a fielder's choice and Jantzen Witte driving home Kevin Vance with a single."I thought Newport played their tails off," Mountaineer manager Troy Moock said. "They got a great start and did everything they needed to do in order to win. They shut us down two or three times with the bases loaded. Brad kept us in it and Andrew Benak and Kevin Vance were solid out of the bullpen. The kids won this one on emotions; they didn't want to go home. It's not how they envisioned the summer ending, and they're still playing one game, one pitch a time. We kept pressing and didn't give up."The three-game NECBL championship series wraps up tonight in Newport.
25th Annual Enduro @ Thunder Road
By TOM HERZIG CORRESPONDENT - Published: August 10, 2009
BARRE — Bill Davis, a 44 year-old mechanic from Monson, Mass., drove a 1985 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a $5,000 payday in the 25th M&M Beverage Enduro 250 Sunday in front of a packed house at Thunder Road.
...
The Enduro, a full-contact, no caution-flag event that blends country fair demolition derbies and Talladega nights, started 120 cars, many of which were overheating before the start, in three-wide formation. The track was filled to the point that the leaders reached the back of the pack within a quarter lap at the drop of the green flag.
Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon lasted 32 laps. Seventy cars were still running after 110 laps. With 170 laps left, 44 cars were still ticking and the pace was quickening. In the waning laps, 29 cars were left.
Mike MacAskill of Williamstown won the 50-lap Allen Lumber Street Stock feature that served as preview of the mayhem that was to follow in the Enduro. MacAskill did it the hard way after starting at the tail end of a 39-car field. It was the first win of the season for the second-year driver and the second of his career.MacAskill slipped underneath David Whitcomb at the finish line to complete lap 47 just before the fifth yellow of the race (the red flag was out four times) setting up a three-lap shootout between himself, Whitcomb, Tommy Smith and Tucker Williams.
MATT DOHERTY
Head Coach Matt Doherty is entering his 17th season of coaching, seventh as a head coach, with eight NCAA Tournament berths, seven conference titles, a Final Four appearance and the 2001 Associated Press National Coach of the Year award.
He has also coached 21 players that have gone on to the NBA.
Doherty was named the head men's basketball coach at SMU by Director of Athletics Steve Orsini on April 24, 2006. Doherty is the 19th head coach in SMU history and is one of most heralded coaches ever to come to the Hilltop. Doherty's first season on the Hilltop energized the program. The Mustangs broke ground on the $13-million, 43,000 square-foot Crum Basketball Center, unveiled a million-dollar scoreboard/video board, played on national television a
program record six times, and signed a recruiting class ranked as high as 24th nationally.
On the floor, the Mustangs improved their RPI rank by more than 60 spots from the previous season while finishing with a 14-17 record. The squad allowed the opponents just 62.7 points per game, which was the third-best scoring defense in SMU history. The season also included a seven-game winning streak which was the longest since 1999-2000 and an 11-3 start that was the best since 2000-01.
Doherty came to the Hilltop after spending the 2005-06 campaign as the head coach at Florida Atlantic, where he led the Owls to a 15-13 season that included a 14-6 record in Atlantic Sun play, the best in school history. The 15 wins were also five more than FAU had managed in the year prior to his arrival.
Doherty possesses a dynamic basketball background that includes coaching at the highest levels as well as affiliations with some of the best teams, coaches and players in the game's history.
As a player, Doherty earned national recognition as a collegian at North Carolina, where he played in 129 games from 1980-84 under legendary coach Dean Smith. Doherty was a starter as a sophomore on UNC's 1982 National Championship team that went 32-2, playing alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy. In all, North Carolina won at least 28 games in each of the four seasons Doherty starred as small forward and garnered three ACC regular season and two
ACC Tournament titles, as well as four NCAA Tournament appearances. Doherty became only the second player in ACC history to post 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a career. In his four years, North Carolina went 117-21 (.848). As a senior, Doherty received the Jim Tatum Award, which is given to the UNC student-athlete with the most outstanding achievements in his or her sport while constructively participating in the community. He graduated in four years and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1984.
He began his coaching career in 1989 with a three-year stint as an assistant at Davidson College. He then moved on to Kansas, where he spent seven years as an assistant with Roy Williams and one of the nation's top programs. During his time in Lawrence, the Jayhawks went 202-42 (.828), posting an average of 29 wins per season. Doherty recruited eight McDonald's All-Americans and coached five All-Americans and eight future NBA players. Those recruits included Jacque Vaughn, Raef LaFrentz, Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden, Kirk Hinrich and Nick
Collison. Kansas would win six conference championships and play in the NCAA Tournament in each of Doherty's seasons, reaching the 1993 Final Four.
In 1999, he was named head coach of Notre Dame, and guided the Fighting Irish to their best season in a decade. In just one season, he turned around a team that was without a 20-win season since 1988-89. By the time the year ended, the Fighting Irish had finished with a 22-15 record, defeated five ranked opponents and played in the championship game of the NIT. That season, Doherty led Notre Dame to a pair of victories over defending national champion
Connecticut. He also coached future NBA players Troy Murphy, Ryan Humphrey and Matt Carroll.
Following his extraordinary season in South Bend, Doherty was named the head coach at North Carolina, his alma mater, in 2000. In his first season at UNC, Doherty led the Tar Heels to a 26-7 record and was named Associated Press National Coach of the Year. The team won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season co-championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UNC earned a No. 1 ranking during the season and two Tar Heels,
Brendan Haywood and Joe Forte, were tabbed All-Americans and became firstround NBA draft choices. Doherty capped off his first year by putting together one of the top-five recruiting classes in the nation.
Doherty's reputation as one of the nation's top recruiters continued in his second season at North Carolina, when he signed Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants, all of whom would play instrumental roles on North Carolina's 2005 National Championship team. In his final year at North Carolina, Doherty's team won the Preseason National Invitation Tournament and was
ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation before advancing to the NIT following the season.
After his time in Chapel Hill, his basketball success made him a natural as an analyst, a role he has served for ESPN-plus and CSTV in various capacities since 2003. Doherty has also worked as a scout for the NBA's New York Knicks.
He was born Matthew Francis Doherty on Feb. 25, 1962 in East Meadow, N.Y. He and his wife, the former Kelly Propst of Concord, N.C., are the parents of Tucker (June 1997) and a daughter, Hattie (September 1999).
He has also coached 21 players that have gone on to the NBA.
Doherty was named the head men's basketball coach at SMU by Director of Athletics Steve Orsini on April 24, 2006. Doherty is the 19th head coach in SMU history and is one of most heralded coaches ever to come to the Hilltop. Doherty's first season on the Hilltop energized the program. The Mustangs broke ground on the $13-million, 43,000 square-foot Crum Basketball Center, unveiled a million-dollar scoreboard/video board, played on national television a
program record six times, and signed a recruiting class ranked as high as 24th nationally.
On the floor, the Mustangs improved their RPI rank by more than 60 spots from the previous season while finishing with a 14-17 record. The squad allowed the opponents just 62.7 points per game, which was the third-best scoring defense in SMU history. The season also included a seven-game winning streak which was the longest since 1999-2000 and an 11-3 start that was the best since 2000-01.
Doherty came to the Hilltop after spending the 2005-06 campaign as the head coach at Florida Atlantic, where he led the Owls to a 15-13 season that included a 14-6 record in Atlantic Sun play, the best in school history. The 15 wins were also five more than FAU had managed in the year prior to his arrival.
Doherty possesses a dynamic basketball background that includes coaching at the highest levels as well as affiliations with some of the best teams, coaches and players in the game's history.
As a player, Doherty earned national recognition as a collegian at North Carolina, where he played in 129 games from 1980-84 under legendary coach Dean Smith. Doherty was a starter as a sophomore on UNC's 1982 National Championship team that went 32-2, playing alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy. In all, North Carolina won at least 28 games in each of the four seasons Doherty starred as small forward and garnered three ACC regular season and two
ACC Tournament titles, as well as four NCAA Tournament appearances. Doherty became only the second player in ACC history to post 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a career. In his four years, North Carolina went 117-21 (.848). As a senior, Doherty received the Jim Tatum Award, which is given to the UNC student-athlete with the most outstanding achievements in his or her sport while constructively participating in the community. He graduated in four years and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1984.
He began his coaching career in 1989 with a three-year stint as an assistant at Davidson College. He then moved on to Kansas, where he spent seven years as an assistant with Roy Williams and one of the nation's top programs. During his time in Lawrence, the Jayhawks went 202-42 (.828), posting an average of 29 wins per season. Doherty recruited eight McDonald's All-Americans and coached five All-Americans and eight future NBA players. Those recruits included Jacque Vaughn, Raef LaFrentz, Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden, Kirk Hinrich and Nick
Collison. Kansas would win six conference championships and play in the NCAA Tournament in each of Doherty's seasons, reaching the 1993 Final Four.
In 1999, he was named head coach of Notre Dame, and guided the Fighting Irish to their best season in a decade. In just one season, he turned around a team that was without a 20-win season since 1988-89. By the time the year ended, the Fighting Irish had finished with a 22-15 record, defeated five ranked opponents and played in the championship game of the NIT. That season, Doherty led Notre Dame to a pair of victories over defending national champion
Connecticut. He also coached future NBA players Troy Murphy, Ryan Humphrey and Matt Carroll.
Following his extraordinary season in South Bend, Doherty was named the head coach at North Carolina, his alma mater, in 2000. In his first season at UNC, Doherty led the Tar Heels to a 26-7 record and was named Associated Press National Coach of the Year. The team won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season co-championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UNC earned a No. 1 ranking during the season and two Tar Heels,
Brendan Haywood and Joe Forte, were tabbed All-Americans and became firstround NBA draft choices. Doherty capped off his first year by putting together one of the top-five recruiting classes in the nation.
Doherty's reputation as one of the nation's top recruiters continued in his second season at North Carolina, when he signed Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants, all of whom would play instrumental roles on North Carolina's 2005 National Championship team. In his final year at North Carolina, Doherty's team won the Preseason National Invitation Tournament and was
ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation before advancing to the NIT following the season.
After his time in Chapel Hill, his basketball success made him a natural as an analyst, a role he has served for ESPN-plus and CSTV in various capacities since 2003. Doherty has also worked as a scout for the NBA's New York Knicks.
He was born Matthew Francis Doherty on Feb. 25, 1962 in East Meadow, N.Y. He and his wife, the former Kelly Propst of Concord, N.C., are the parents of Tucker (June 1997) and a daughter, Hattie (September 1999).
ERIC BERRY
Chief Executive Officer (eberry@nsnsports.net)
Eric has been involved in sports his entire life. As a youth he played hockey, soccer, baseball, flag football, basketball and competed in everything from checkers to Punt, Pass, and Kick.
A three sport athlete at Lyndon Institute from 1981-1985, Eric played football, basketball, and baseball while attending Lyndon. At LI, he led his team to the Division II semi-finals at the Barre Auditorium. It is the only team Lyndon Institute has ever sent to “The Aud” in its basketball history. Eric continues to hold the record for most assists and steals in a single season at LI and is the all-time leader in total assists as well.
He went on to play basketball at the collegiate level at Lyndon State College and enjoyed great success under mentors Darrell “Skip” Pound and Tim Kelly. He feels he was able to become a good player because of these two individuals dedication to his development. Eric scored nearly 500 points in just his senior year at Lyndon and was named the team MVP and won the Michael Tessier award, given to the player who most exemplifies heart, character, team play, and intensity. He won that award in his junior year as well.
After college Eric became the freshman basketball coach at Lyndon Institute and eventually went on to coach at the varsity level. In 2000, Eric took the jump to college basketball and was named the head coach at Lyndon State College. In his first season he guided the Hornets to the Mayflower Conference Championship and to the National Championships, the only basketball team to achieve that honor in school history. Eric brought two more teams to conference championships while reaching the Final Four in each of the other seasons at Lyndon State. For six straight seasons the Hornets averaged 16 or more wins.
After the 2006 season Eric decided to take a leave of absence to spend more time with his family. Eric is married to Meridith Root Berry, a 1997 graduate of Lyndon State and has two children, a daughter Jade and a son Camden.
While looking forward to some time “off” Eric and some friends came up with the idea of Northeast Sports Network. It has always been Eric’s goal to find a better way to promote area athletes and its hard working coaches.With 20 years of broadcast experience Eric looks forward to finding new ways to bring sporting events and information to you with the latest, cutting edge technology.
Eric won first place in the Associated Press’ News Contest/Sports Feature category for his effort depicting the rivalry between St. Johnsbury Academy and Lyndon Institute in 2001.
Eric has been involved in sports his entire life. As a youth he played hockey, soccer, baseball, flag football, basketball and competed in everything from checkers to Punt, Pass, and Kick.
A three sport athlete at Lyndon Institute from 1981-1985, Eric played football, basketball, and baseball while attending Lyndon. At LI, he led his team to the Division II semi-finals at the Barre Auditorium. It is the only team Lyndon Institute has ever sent to “The Aud” in its basketball history. Eric continues to hold the record for most assists and steals in a single season at LI and is the all-time leader in total assists as well.
He went on to play basketball at the collegiate level at Lyndon State College and enjoyed great success under mentors Darrell “Skip” Pound and Tim Kelly. He feels he was able to become a good player because of these two individuals dedication to his development. Eric scored nearly 500 points in just his senior year at Lyndon and was named the team MVP and won the Michael Tessier award, given to the player who most exemplifies heart, character, team play, and intensity. He won that award in his junior year as well.
After college Eric became the freshman basketball coach at Lyndon Institute and eventually went on to coach at the varsity level. In 2000, Eric took the jump to college basketball and was named the head coach at Lyndon State College. In his first season he guided the Hornets to the Mayflower Conference Championship and to the National Championships, the only basketball team to achieve that honor in school history. Eric brought two more teams to conference championships while reaching the Final Four in each of the other seasons at Lyndon State. For six straight seasons the Hornets averaged 16 or more wins.
After the 2006 season Eric decided to take a leave of absence to spend more time with his family. Eric is married to Meridith Root Berry, a 1997 graduate of Lyndon State and has two children, a daughter Jade and a son Camden.
While looking forward to some time “off” Eric and some friends came up with the idea of Northeast Sports Network. It has always been Eric’s goal to find a better way to promote area athletes and its hard working coaches.With 20 years of broadcast experience Eric looks forward to finding new ways to bring sporting events and information to you with the latest, cutting edge technology.
Eric won first place in the Associated Press’ News Contest/Sports Feature category for his effort depicting the rivalry between St. Johnsbury Academy and Lyndon Institute in 2001.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Vermont Mountaineers
Comeback Game 2 4-3 walk-off win; tying this NECBL Championship Series.
Third and deciding game tomorrow at Newport.
Third and deciding game tomorrow at Newport.
Tiger Woods
(courtesy Yahoo! Sports)
Tiger Woods overcame a three-stroke deficit at Firestone for his second straight win. He has 70 victories, three behind Jack Nicklaus.
...
Woods left himself some 170 yards over the water, and his 8-iron landed near the pin and rolled back a foot away. Harrington hit from the collar of a bunker over the 16th green, but his delicate flop shot from behind the green came out hot and went into the water.
He wound up with a triple bogey and closed with a 3-over 73 to share second place with Robert Allenby, who had a 66.
The par-5 16th is the most famous hole at Firestone, given the nickname “The Monster” years ago by Arnold Palmer.
“I took 6 and 8 the last two days, so I certainly think it was a monster,” Harrington said.
Woods, who has won the Bridgestone Invitational seven times in 10 starts and has never finished out of the top five, closed out his remarkable afternoon in style with a 6-foot birdie putt.
It was the 70th victory of his PGA Tour career, three behind Jack Nicklaus in second place. Sam Snead (82) holds the record.
“We locked horns pretty good,” Woods said. “I made a couple of mistakes. Paddy was being consistent, grinding it out, doing all the right things. Unfortunately, 16 happened. But it was a great battle all day.”
It was every bit of that.
Woods won for only the sixth time in his career when trailing by three shots or more, a deficit that didn’t last long.
He hit his approach into the par-5 second hole just over the bunkers to 25 feet to make eagle, and two more birdies was enough for him to take the lead after only five holes. From the right rough on the ninth fairway—a rare miss on the front nine—Woods hit to 7 feet for a birdie that gave him a 30 and a two-shot lead.
Harrington, a three-time major champion with a tough mind, kept grinding away with pars and regained a share of the lead with his first birdie of the day on the 11th. And when Woods made consecutive bogeys, Harrington found himself with a one-shot lead heading for the homestretch.
They took 30 minutes to play the first two holes, were timed throughout the round and put on the clock at the 16th. It didn’t help when both of them found trouble off the tee—Woods hooked his tee shot into the left rough and had to lay up well short of the pond; Harrington pushed his tee shot into the trees.
Harrington tried to punch a 5-iron around a fairway bunker, but wound up in the collar on the back slope of the bunker. From there, his third shot sailed over the green.
“I rushed my second shot chipping it out and didn’t hit a good shot, and obviously left myself in trouble,” Harrington said. “I had an awkward fourth shot. I had to go after it, and probably rushed that a bit, as well. That was the end of that.”
Woods could not have imagined while standing in the left rough that he would be three shots ahead on the 17th tee. Harrington made such a mess of the hole that he hit five straight shots without losing his turn.
“Tiger did play particularly well,” Harrington said. “I said to him afterward, ‘We’ll do battle many more times again.”’
Woods won this one, as he often does at Firestone.
Hunter Mahan, who shot 66 and tied for fourth, looked up at the leaderboard early in his round and saw that Woods already had erased a three-shot deficit after four holes.
“That’s what he does,” Mahan said. “He could play this course left-handed and do well.”
A short time later, Camilo Villegas left the clubhouse and passed by the British-based Sky Sports broadcast crew watching on TV. Woods and Harrington were on the 12th hole.
“What are you watching for? You know what’s going to happen,” Villegas said with a smile.
No one could have imagined the way it turned out, only the guy holding the trophy when it was over.
Tiger Woods overcame a three-stroke deficit at Firestone for his second straight win. He has 70 victories, three behind Jack Nicklaus.
...
Woods left himself some 170 yards over the water, and his 8-iron landed near the pin and rolled back a foot away. Harrington hit from the collar of a bunker over the 16th green, but his delicate flop shot from behind the green came out hot and went into the water.
He wound up with a triple bogey and closed with a 3-over 73 to share second place with Robert Allenby, who had a 66.
The par-5 16th is the most famous hole at Firestone, given the nickname “The Monster” years ago by Arnold Palmer.
“I took 6 and 8 the last two days, so I certainly think it was a monster,” Harrington said.
Woods, who has won the Bridgestone Invitational seven times in 10 starts and has never finished out of the top five, closed out his remarkable afternoon in style with a 6-foot birdie putt.
It was the 70th victory of his PGA Tour career, three behind Jack Nicklaus in second place. Sam Snead (82) holds the record.
“We locked horns pretty good,” Woods said. “I made a couple of mistakes. Paddy was being consistent, grinding it out, doing all the right things. Unfortunately, 16 happened. But it was a great battle all day.”
It was every bit of that.
Woods won for only the sixth time in his career when trailing by three shots or more, a deficit that didn’t last long.
He hit his approach into the par-5 second hole just over the bunkers to 25 feet to make eagle, and two more birdies was enough for him to take the lead after only five holes. From the right rough on the ninth fairway—a rare miss on the front nine—Woods hit to 7 feet for a birdie that gave him a 30 and a two-shot lead.
Harrington, a three-time major champion with a tough mind, kept grinding away with pars and regained a share of the lead with his first birdie of the day on the 11th. And when Woods made consecutive bogeys, Harrington found himself with a one-shot lead heading for the homestretch.
They took 30 minutes to play the first two holes, were timed throughout the round and put on the clock at the 16th. It didn’t help when both of them found trouble off the tee—Woods hooked his tee shot into the left rough and had to lay up well short of the pond; Harrington pushed his tee shot into the trees.
Harrington tried to punch a 5-iron around a fairway bunker, but wound up in the collar on the back slope of the bunker. From there, his third shot sailed over the green.
“I rushed my second shot chipping it out and didn’t hit a good shot, and obviously left myself in trouble,” Harrington said. “I had an awkward fourth shot. I had to go after it, and probably rushed that a bit, as well. That was the end of that.”
Woods could not have imagined while standing in the left rough that he would be three shots ahead on the 17th tee. Harrington made such a mess of the hole that he hit five straight shots without losing his turn.
“Tiger did play particularly well,” Harrington said. “I said to him afterward, ‘We’ll do battle many more times again.”’
Woods won this one, as he often does at Firestone.
Hunter Mahan, who shot 66 and tied for fourth, looked up at the leaderboard early in his round and saw that Woods already had erased a three-shot deficit after four holes.
“That’s what he does,” Mahan said. “He could play this course left-handed and do well.”
A short time later, Camilo Villegas left the clubhouse and passed by the British-based Sky Sports broadcast crew watching on TV. Woods and Harrington were on the 12th hole.
“What are you watching for? You know what’s going to happen,” Villegas said with a smile.
No one could have imagined the way it turned out, only the guy holding the trophy when it was over.
RSN: Keep the Faith
... 5 1/2 out; and scoreless in 2 games
Pitching is 'not' the issue; hitting is ...
Keep the Faith!
Pitching is 'not' the issue; hitting is ...
Keep the Faith!
Josh Hamilton
a non-story, in my not so humble opinion.
He admitted to his superiors the events of that January evening immediately following.
"Christian" or not, it is evidence of what one night can do to your reputation.
He admitted to his superiors the events of that January evening immediately following.
"Christian" or not, it is evidence of what one night can do to your reputation.
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