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The Setonian
Sports

Men's Basketball | Jumbos reflect on difficult 1-8 NESCAC season

February 18

      When you play in conference, because the teams know each other so well, and because a lot of the coaches are mainstays, you're scouted a lot better and so teams are able to exploit your weaknesses. So in our conference games, opponents were able to exploit our biggest weaknesses, be that our transition defense or inability to keep the dribbler out of the middle our ability to lock into a one-dimensional offense. Whatever it might be for a particular game, teams were able to exploit that. The one game that I thought we played well and to our potential was the Cal Lutheran game. They were a very good team and we played well as a team, and we played great defense and we got the offensive input we needed from everyone. But that was the last time we played forty minutes of solid basketball. We're still essentially a young team. We had six juniors, but everyone was sort of playing a new role on the team. We had two of our three freshmen who played significant minutes for us. Other than Aaron and myself, no one was used to playing major minutes at this level and that really hurt us. That really hurt us in game situations because you can't simulate game intensity, unfortunately. That was a big thing. We just didn't play defense, and that's what the season really boils down to. If you don't find ways to get stops against good teams you won't win, regardless of how many scorers you have or how well the offense is playing. Losing Matt was huge. Matt is a great point guard and will be next year. He's also our only natural point guard. When he went down, the two replacements that filled his shoes, neither one of them had played point guard in high school. So to expect them to step in to a role they had never done before is a lot to ask, and understandably they struggled. So losing Galvin isn't an excuse for how we played, but it had an effect on the offensive side of the ball because it was a lot harder to get into the flow of our offense. This was a crushing season for me personally and for the team, obviously. Positively, we can look at the fact that we got the year of experience for all of the guys that weren't really expected to contribute before. They were forced into larger roles. We got some playing time out of freshmen that we didn't really expect. In terms of game experience, we gained a lot. And we stuck together as a team, regardless of all the trials that we went through, and the losing and not being able to get over the hump. We're still a great team, we're still great friends. There was never any finger pointing after games when the season was going down the drain. There's going to be a lot of changes. There has to be. We've won two conference games in two seasons. It's just not acceptable. Coach Sheldon doesn't find that acceptable, the rest of the coaching staff doesn't find it acceptable and I, as a captain, don't find it acceptable. There's going to be a lot of changes in both the things we do on the offensive and defensive side of the ball and just what we expect from people in the off-season. Everyone needs to go into the off-season with a commitment to them selves to get better. Hopefully, everyone's on the same page and I think they will be. The bottom line is that no one likes to lose. No one likes to go through a whole season where you don't play well, so keeping that in mind, that'll be all the motivation I will need as a captain. I can say 'think back on last season and how that made you feel, and what you're going to do to make us better for next year.' Beyel We did struggle with some of the little stuff. There was little things, concentration things and mentally we weren't focused for all 40 minutes of NESCAC games. It felt like every game we played we had a five or ten minute stretch where we just had a complete mental lapse where we wouldn't be guard on our man, we wouldn't be up on the wings, we wouldn't rebound, we wouldn't crash. It just seemed like there were a couple times where we would just zone out and we wouldn't have our intensity. I think those lapses are what killed us because we played even with a team, and go up, and we let them back into it, and go down ten, and then they would beat us by ten. I don't think there was ever a game where we played to our full potential, but we played pretty well at Cal Lutheran. I think that if we could have kept that up we would have had a much better second half to the season. For those of us coming back as seniors, it's our last year, so obviously that's a huge motivator. Also, it's good that we have a bunch of guys coming back. This year we didn't have many people used to starting and we had to work on that. Next year we have almost everyone coming back. Now, all the young guys that had to contribute this year will know what it takes to play in league games and play a long season. Personally, I plan on having a little different approach in terms of conditioning. But teamwise, we're still going to go with the lifting and playing pick-up. There isn't a whole much else we can do. When everyone is going their separate ways in the summer, its hard.

The Setonian
Sports

Inside MLB | Royals build with coherent plan under Moore

February 18

    The Kansas City Royals have experienced so many lows in the last decade that it is almost unfair to declare one specific event the nadir of the organization. But if a choice must be made, it would have to have been during the team's spring training of 1999.     After four consecutive losing seasons during which the organization had tried desperately to find starting pitching via every possible avenue, 37-year-old Mike Piechnik was given a non-roster invitation to spring training. Although Piechnik had never played professional baseball in his life -- he had made his previous career as a Canadian fast-pitch softball pitcher -- he nonetheless was given the opportunity to audition for the Royals, whose front office at least considered having him pitch in the 1999 season. Unfortunately, Piechnik balked every time he came to the plate, and the clever experiment died a quiet death.     There are no Mike Piechniks at the Royals' training camp this year. Although the rotation still consists of Gil Meche, Zach Greinke and an assortment of interesting hopes and dreams, the desperation that brought Piechnik to spring training has largely evaporated. The Royals have recognized that their ineptitude will not be cured easily and are in the midst of a long and deep rebuilding process. They will not contend this year or next year or maybe not even the year after that. The "something, anything to save this ballclub" mentality that led to Piechnik and the infamous Jermaine Dye-for-Neifi Perez trade in 2001 has been replaced by a coherent plan under new general manager Dayton Moore.     The Royals have committed money to the draft, the first step on the road to building a cheap team in a mid-size media market. They have signed their share of Scott Boras clients, who generally come with high price tags. In 2006, they drafted Luke Hochevar with the first overall pick. His signing bonus cost the Royals $3.5 million. Mike Moustakas was drafted in the first round in 2007 and received $4 million. The Royals paid Eric Hosmer, the third overall pick in 2008, $6 million. The organization is not being stingy in the one area that can give it cost-effective returns and is looking to build a solid base for success in the future.     Moore, the man behind the Royals' future, worked in the Atlanta Braves' organization before interviewing for the Boston Red Sox' GM opening in 2005, subsequently withdrawing his nomination and replacing Royals GM Allard Baird in 2006. Baird, who now coincidentally enough works as an adviser for Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, was responsible for trading away Dye, Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran. The Royals posted three 100-loss seasons under Baird's six-year watch.     Moore came in and talked the talk. He said he took the job because he had been handed complete autonomy and control over player personnel by ownership. He said the team needed to get younger and do a better job building from within. Moore has certainly walked the walk, especially with his drafting and building of a deep farm system.     But Moore has not been able to get out from under the old Royals malaise. The Royals finished 75-87 last season, fourth in the AL Central. For a young rebuilding team, it wasn't a terrible showing. The team has serious problems, however. Only four hitters posted a double-digit value over replacement player (VORP) last season. One of those four, Mark Grudzielanek left the team in the offseason; another was rookie Mike Aviles with an unsustainably lucky .325 batting average. The team posted a collective .320 on-base percentage, good for 12th in the league.     Any good general manager goes out and targets his weaknesses, and Moore swore up and down that the Royals would make moves to improve their on-base percentage -- but then traded for Mike Jacobs. Jacobs' career OBP is .318 and he has power but no eye to speak of. He also has a sizeable platoon split that renders him nearly useless against lefties and is only average defensively.     Competing for playing time at DH and first base are youngster Billy Butler and prospect Kila Ka'aihue. Butler posted a very respectable .291/.353/.456 line last season for the Royals. Ka'aihue led the minors in walks, splitting time between the Double-A and Triple-A, and has extreme raw power. He earned himself a September call-up to the majors, where he did not look out of place. Between Butler, a solid right-handed bat, and Ka'aihue, a potential lefty powerhouse, it seems that the Royals should be all set at first base and DH for the 2009 season.     For some reason, Moore saw it fit to throw in another left-handed bat and add weight to his bottom line. Jacobs makes $3.25 million, which is enough money to sign at least one over-slot draft pick in the 2009 entry draft, but he is not a piece of the Royals' future. For a team that didn't keep its superior players in Dye and Beltran, it's highly unlikely that they would keep a one-tool first baseman for millions of dollars. The only things that he will manage to accomplish in his brief tenure with the Royals will be smacking roughly 20-30 dingers, posting an OBP barely above .300 and taking away from the development of Ka'aihue and Butler.     It's no wonder that the team hasn't made the playoffs since George Brett led the 1985 Royals to their first and only World Series title. The trade for Jacobs shows a lack of strategic planning. A guy that hit 32 jacks last year was available for the low, low price of one lightly-used Leo Nunez and $3.25 million. Moore pulled the trigger seemingly without considering how Jacobs fit into the Royals' future. That's a good way to make sure that your team doesn't reach the playoffs for another 25 years.

The Setonian
Sports

Jumbos win third straight game

February 17

    The women's basketball team (20-3, 7-2 NESCAC) extended its win streak to three games last night, taking down the Lancers of Worcester State by a score of 58-47 in its last game of the regular season.     While the score was close through the game's opening minutes, Tufts started a 10-2 run at 12:32 to take a 19-9 lead. But the Lancers stormed back, knotting the score at 19 apiece with 3:22 left to go in the first period. Thanks to junior forward Julia Baily, however, who chipped in with the next seven straight Jumbo points, Tufts entered the break with the lead and never looked back.     Baily led the Jumbos in scoring with 21 points, going 8-for-12 from the floor and converting on all five of her free throw attempts. She also led the team with six rebounds and contributed an assist and three steals in her 35 minutes of playing time. The 21-point performance shot Baily into the team lead in points scored this season, with 284, as former leader sophomore Colleen Hart, the team's starting point guard, scored 10 points in the game to bring her season total to 279.     As a team, the Jumbos didn't shoot with incredibly high efficiency, hitting only 23 of 60 field goal attempts for a mark of 38.3 percent, and 20 of Tufts' 23 baskets were scored by the starting five.     Nevertheless, the Tufts gained another win to eclipse the 20-win mark for the second straight year, relying on a strong defensive performance to give them the victory. It was the sixth time this season Tufts held its opponent under 50 points. The Lancers were 16-for-44 from the floor for a percentage of 36.4. No Lancer recorded more than 10 points or three field goals.

The Setonian
Sports

Inside Pro Cycling | California dreaming: Tour of California is a comeback show for big names

February 12

    In just one day's time, scenic California will play host to the biggest cycling race held in the United States: the Amgen Tour of California (AToC).     In its fourth year, the nine-day AToC is shaping up to be more hotly contested than ever before. One of the biggest races of the early season, the AToC will have special meaning in 2009 as it helps kick off a year already marked by big comebacks. In addition to pre-race favorites like Team Astana's two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer (USA) and 2008 Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre (Spain) of Cervélo TestTeam, four other important contenders will be looking to get their seasons started with a bang.     American Tom Danielson of Garmin-Slipstream once showed the potential to develop into Lance Armstrong's successor. In 2005, Danielson won the now-defunct Tour de Georgia and took seventh in the Vuelta a Espana. The next year, he took second and sixth in those same races, respectively, as well as eighth in the AToC. Since then, however, Danielson has been plagued by nagging injuries and various illnesses that have left both him and his fans disappointed. After regaining his health and confidence by adding more races to his schedule last season, Danielson looks poised to crack the top ranks of the sport once again, and the AToC will be his first test in 2009.     Also on the start list is Italian Ivan Basso of team Liquigas, who returned to competition late last year after a two-year suspension for doping. Having won the Giro d'Italia in 2006 and stood on all but the top step of the podium at the Tour de France, Basso is one of the foremost stage racers in the world and one of the most threatening riders on any challenging mountain stage. Like Danielson, Basso did race last season, but only in the closing months of 2008, and the 2009 AToC could be his opportunity to make a new and cleaner name for himself.     American Floyd Landis is also on his way back. Landis won the 2006 Tour de France, but after a failed doping control for synthetic testosterone, he lost his title and was suspended for two years. Although Landis never admitted to cheating and has, in fact, fought to overturn the ruling against him for the duration of his suspension, he has been out of the sport until now. Winner of the inaugural edition of the AToC in 2006, Landis is no stranger to the roads that he will be covering over the next week. And if there is anyone that has something to prove in the peloton this year, it is Landis.     Finally, there is, of course, Armstrong. While he already suited up this year at the Tour Down Under, Armstrong hasn't yet had a chance to show just how good he still is. The real question, though, will be whether or not he is competing to win, as the possibility that he is only there to support teammate Leipheimer is very likely. Although Armstrong does not have the advantage of having competed in the AToC before, his résumé simply speaks for itself, and when Lance wants to win, he usually does.     The simultaneous return of all four of these accomplished racers to the professional scene guarantees that the 2009 AToC will be one of the most exciting yet. The list of favorites for the overall classification goes on, however, and includes team Saxobank's Frank and Andy Schleck (Luxembourg); Columbia-Highroad's George Hincapie (USA), Michael Rogers (Australia) and Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg); Garmin-Slipstream's Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie (USA); and Rock Racing's Tyler Hamilton, the American professional road race champion.     Clearly, the start list for the tour is incredibly deep, and the competition would be fierce regardless of the course. But the race organizers did not want to be left out of the excitement, so they have put together what promises to be a grueling race that should not disappoint.     As usual, the AToC will open with a prologue, a short individual time trial that will determine who wears the leader's yellow jersey on the following day's Stage 1. Unlike previous years, however, this year's prologue will not be a climb but rather a pancake-flat 2.4-mile course that should result in absolutely blistering speeds. Look for time trial specialists like Saxobank's Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland), Bissell Pro Cycling's Tom Zirbel (USA) and American professional time trial champion Zabriskie to really light up the pavement on the opening day tomorrow.     As for the rest of the course, the word on everyone's lips is "climbing." With the exception of the time trial on Stage 6, every single stage features some amount of climbing that could shatter the peloton and determine the final outcome. Although the course has changed markedly from previous years, it still includes many of the climbs for which the race is famous, like Stage 3's 1,930-foot Sierra Road climb. Any given day could prove to be the most crucial.     But if climb after climb after climb is not enough to shake up the overall classification, Stage 6's Solvang individual time trial (ITT) should do the trick. The 15-mile course is similar to previous years, and if those editions are any indicator, this year's ITT will not be overlooked by the main contenders. Last year, Leipheimer entered the ITT with just a 13-second lead over Cancellara, but with a convincing win, he extended his overall lead to 49 seconds and held it all the way to the finish.     Even the final day could factor into the overall outcome. With the 11.7 miles and 21 switchbacks of the 4,200-foot Palomar Mountain standing between them and the finish line, none of the yellow-jersey hopefuls will be able to rest until they finally cross the line in Escondido. And that's not to mention the three other climbs on the menu for Stage 8. Going up?

The Setonian
Sports

Track and Field | Jumbos hope BU will be theirs at Valentine Invitational tomorrow

February 12

    The track and field regular season for Tufts features a number of low-key meets. But with the Valentine Invitational at BU kicking off this weekend for both the men's and women's teams, one thing is clear: It's time to gun it.     As the last meet before the championship season, which commences Feb. 20 with the New England Div. III Championships, the Valentine Invitational serves as an opportunity for teams to improve times and position themselves for upcoming meets.     "We really go out there and whether you're the top guy or the last guy, you're really just trying to run a PR," men's coach Ethan Barron said. "In some cases, that's a qualifier, in some cases it's a better seed time, and in some cases it's just a personal record for yourself, but we always just go out after that."     "Once you're in the heat of the championship season, you're getting the best competition in New England," women's coach Kristen Morwick added. "If you make a top heat, you're pretty much going to have a good performance. This is more just like to position ourselves better for the championships, and if NCAA qualifiers come out of it, it's a nice bonus. We're more looking at ‘how do we configure things over the next couple of weeks?' This is the last week to better our performances."     The Valentine meet has historically featured solid showings from the Jumbos, who last year alone produced five NCAA provisional qualifiers and broke a 15-year-old school record between the men's and women's teams at the event.     "It's kind of developed into one of the premier meets on the East Coast," Barron said. "You get a lot of top-end [Div. I, Div. II, Div. III] talent, and just the combination of all that gives the meet an atmosphere that really helps people step it up."     "It's just better competition," Morwick added. "People fly in from all over the country to compete at this meet."     For the women, who took home a national championship in the distance medley relay (DMR) last winter, the meet will mark the debut of two relay teams that the Jumbos hope will qualify for Nationals in the 4x400 and the DMR. The 4x400 team will be made up of senior Halsey Stebbins, junior Logan Crane and sophomores Kaylee Maykranz and Andrea Caruth, while the DMR squad will likely include Stebbins, senior tri-captain Jackie Ferry and sophomores Stephanie McNamara and Amy Wilfert. For Morwick's team, the emphasis will be on performing well in these two events.     "We're not racing some people in open events so that if they're in relays, they come in fresh for relays," Morwick said. "I think we're trying to focus on relays to get better qualifying times. I think both those relays could hit [an NCAA provisional qualifier] this weekend."     The men, on the other hand, will head into the meet with a different outlook, with emphasis placed on succeeding in open events rather than on the relays.     "We'll hopefully try to run a couple of relays this weekend, but I don't think our relay teams are finalized in any way yet," Barron said. "There's so much left to the season as is. I mean, guys can earn a relay spot or lose a relay spot depending on how they run from this point on.     "A lot of our relay legs will be coming back off of other events and not running them fresh," Barron continued. "We hope to run some season bests, but the national qualifier is a tough mark to hit."     And while BU may be the perfect place to compete for some of the Jumbo runners, for others, it is less than ideal; the combination of the Terriers' facilities and the sheer size of the meet can prove problematic for athletes in certain events.     "It's not great for the field events," Morwick said. "With a lot of Div. I schools, our kids will only get three jumps or three throws … [Freshman high jumper Dayorsha Collins] last time sat around a lot between jumps."     Instead of partaking in the Valentine Invitational, several members of both the men's and women's teams will head down the Red Line to Cambridge to compete at MIT, as the Engineers boast a setup considerably more conducive to success for the field event specialists and sprinters.     "[MIT is] a far superior facility if you're a sprinter or a jumper or a thrower," Barron said. "Our [field events specialists] and our sprinters are getting a great opportunity at MIT as well. We've had a lot of school records and qualifiers in the field events come out of the MIT track."

The Setonian
Sports

Gideon Jacobs | The Pooch Punter

February 12

Roger Federer's dominance was just another part of my childhood, a given. It was as predictable as gravity, as perfunctory as another school year, as constant as my mother's love. I never questioned it, tried to explain it or put it into context. I merely accepted it as fact: Everyone was playing tennis and this guy was playing another sport entirely.     As such, I've been thrown into a beginning-of-real-life crisis. Roger's consecutive Grand Slam final losses to Rafael Nadal on grass, and now hardcourt, have left me feeling totally unsettled. I felt like I did when my dad got too old and slow to beat me in one-on-one. Or when I found out my sister, the straight-A student of the Jacobs family, actually lost the fourth grade reading competition. It's hard to see chinks in the armor of your heroes. And when you do, it shakes your foundation.     When Fed's forehand flew long and Rafa fell to the floor in ecstasy, I got the feeling in my stomach that you get when you're running downstairs too fast and miss a step. The mighty — my mighty — had fallen. Fed lifted the "thanks for playing" silver plate, and I felt lost.     I was forced to accept, for the first time in my tennis-aware life, that the guy playing the best tennis in the world was not Roger Federer (I was fresh out of the womb when Pete Sampras won his first Slam). And is there really any doubt of that?     When Rafa won Wimbledon, the Fed loyalists were deeming it a fluke. Nadal was an unstoppable force for the entire tournament. His game was so unaware of itself. It was so innate, intense and quick that it made a then-26-year-old Federer look, dare I say it, old. I'm not saying Federer looked bad in the five-set thriller at the All England Club; in fact, most "experts" contend he played well. I'm just saying Nadal looked good; he looked historically good.     So, when Federer took his fifth US Open title in September (he didn't have to face Nadal, who lost in the semifinals), the Fed loyalists assumed order was finally restored in the universe. That the world, once again, was subject to the laws of tennis:     Section 1: Roger Federer is the best ever.     Corollary A:  He doesn't lose on grass or hardcourt.     But last week it happened again, and this time, it can't be called a fluke. Nadal was physically worn down by his intense hardcourt schedule in preparation for the Aussie Open. He was visibly not as fresh as he was during his masterful run at Wimbledon. But he did what all the greats do, what we've seen Federer do time and time again; he willed a win.     And with this victory, it's becoming increasing clear that Rafael Nadal is the greatest talent a tennis court has ever seen. Yes, the greatest ever. This isn't something that I can back up with stats, records or achievements (yet); but as my fellow columnist David Heck pointed out last week, it's just something that you see and feel when you watch Rafa play. We are talking about athletics at its most basic and fundamental form. And Nadal is, right now, in his current athletic build and state of mind, the best there has ever been. For a long time Federer looked like a man among boys; right now, Nadal looks like something else entirely.     I hope I'm wrong about this. I have always loved Roger, the champion of my childhood. And maybe he can pull a "Rocky in Russia" and make that now hugely important statement of beating Nadal on the clay of Roland Garros. Maybe he can take back the Wimbledon crown, repeat at the Open and reassert the previously mentioned "laws of tennis." But maybe he can't. Maybe the predictable dominance, the "Reign of Roger," and my childhood along with it are truly over. And if they are, well, that just plain blows.

The Setonian
Sports

Derosa nominated for Concannon Award

February 12

Sophomore forward Tom Derosa was among five NESCAC players named yesterday as semifinalists for the ninth Joe Concannon Award, given annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England from Divs. II and III and presented by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. Derosa, who leads the men's hockey team with 12 goals and 20 points, joins fellow conference semifinalists Amherst senior defenseman Jeff Landers, Middlebury senior forward Jamie McKenna, Trinity senior defenseman Chris Diozzi and Conn. College junior Brett Moore on the list.

The Setonian
Sports

The A-Rod fallout: what could it mean?

February 11

Baseball fans around the country awoke Saturday morning to a shocking report from Selena Roberts and David Epstein of Sports Illustrated that cited four sources who alleged that Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for steroids while with the Texas Rangers in 2003.

The Setonian
Sports

Women's Squash | Jumbos close regular season with Brown loss

February 11

In its last regular-season matchup, the women's squash team took a thrashing from the nationally ranked No. 9 Brown Bears. But with Nationals on the horizon, the Jumbos have picked themselves up by the bootstraps to train, condition, and scrimmage in their brief break before the Howe Cup this weekend.

The Setonian
Sports

Women's basketball comes in second in first Northeast Regional poll

February 11

In an early indicator of its likelihood at landing an NCAA Tournament bid, the women's basketball team drew the No. 2 spot in the first NCAA Northeast Regional poll, which was released yesterday. The weekly poll is used by the NCAA selection committee at season's end to help allot Pool C at-large bids to March Madness. If the Jumbos do not win the upcoming NESCAC Tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid, the rankings suggest they are in prime position to earn an at-large bid for the second year in a row. Two other NESCAC schools joined the Jumbos in the poll. Fresh off its victory over Tufts Saturday afternoon, nationally ranked No. 9 Amherst took the top spot behind the strength of its sterling 20-1 in-region record. The only team to beat the Lord Jeffs this year was Bowdoin, which came in fourth in the regional poll. National No. 16 Tufts' appearance in the poll stems from the team's 17-3 record against the 18th-toughest schedule in the nation this season. The Jumbos have played all four of the teams who join them in the top five, posting wins over Bowdoin and fifth-ranked Eastern Conn. and losses to Amherst and third-ranked Brandeis. Tufts has two more regular season games left before the first round of the NESCAC Tournament tips off on Feb. 21.

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