Army West Point Athletics
Black Knight Blog - April
February 01, 2009 | General
The Black Knight Blog is a new initiative provided by the Office of Athletic Communications to offer Army fans an even more in-depth look into the everyday happenings here at West Point. The intent of this blog is to keep readers informed with a light, personal touch that will further enhance the fan experience. Please enjoy and send any comments, questions or concerns to tracy.nelson@usma.edu. We welcome as much feedback as possible!
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Monday, May 4
Good afternoon Black Knight Blog Readers! Please forgive the late entry today. We've been patiently* waiting for the internet to work for several hours now, and I've had to log on to post this via a wireless card that is a hot commodity this afternoon among everyone in the office. This whole "internet is down" thing can be a frustrating situation to deal with when working in a job that requires releasing and accessing information at a moment's notice. Especially on a Monday, in the season of year-end honor roll and other deadlines. But, we know the Academy information management gurus are working as hard as they can on it. Gotta keep that "most wired" reputation credible! Thankfully I (Annie Holliday) haven't had too many tasks today that require internet research, but it definitely has forced me to submit the blog after 3 p.m. Let's hope the office police are lenient and don't write me up for circumstances beyond my control.
In case you missed it, the big news from the weekend was Army Men's Outdoor Track & Field dominating the competition at the Patriot League Championships, and winning their 17th title! Mark posted a great wrap up as well as a thorough photo gallery, so check them out if you haven't already. The women reportedly gave a great showing in spite of some injuries and other issues during the season, finishing 4th, and I hear things look promising for next year. Track and Field will continue to compete throughout the month, with many athletes having qualified for the IC4A and ECAC Championships next weekend, as well as NCAA Regionals the weekend of graduation.
I've been through this a few times now and every year I am surprised at how quickly this month flies by. It doesn't help this year that graduation is a week earlier. But it sure is exciting to watch the cadet-athletes you've gotten to know over the years walk across the stage, get their diplomas, and be commissioned as 2LTs. They work so hard in all aspects of academy life and it really is awesome to be there and witness the culmination of their four years at West Point. This year I will again watch the bar pinnings of the seniors from the club team I volunteer with. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I watched my first bar pinning ceremony, but this past week I found out one of those '05 guys - now a Captain - has returned to West Point to work in the admissions department. Time does fly! Anyway, if you are among the many proud parents, family members and friends coming to the area for Grad Week, surf on over to the main USMA site and read the Graduation Week Guide to get all the details about the events going on.
Have a great week Black Knight fans and until next time, Go Army!
*which is highly debatable at this point, given that it is many hours after I first composed this blog entry!
Friday, May 1
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Happy May Day everyone! I can't believe we're already through April. It doesn't seem that long ago that we were gearing up for the 2008 football season, and now we're neck deep in preparations for 2009. A very sore Brian Gunning with you on this dreary day at West Point.
Like Bob mentioned yesterday, I moved into a new apartment yesterday and lugged all my furniture from the old place to the new one yesterday. I want to give Shak a special thank you for coming out to help me. I also had some help from two other friends who were absolute machines. Without the three of those guys, I would have been in trouble. Now that everything is moved, if anyone wants to come over and unpack, I'd be happy to let you help.
The big event in the athletic department today is the Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championship going on at Shea Stadium. Unfortunately, the weather isn't quite as good as we hoped. The rain has held off for the most part, but it's not a good day to get a tan. With possible thunderstorms in the forecast, my only hope is that they get the 10,000-meter run in. Mark was telling me that they spent about 30 minutes talking about this at the coaches' meeting last night. The conclusion was that if the race was less than half over and interrupted by lightning they would have a re-start later today. If it was more than half over, they would run a re-start tomorrow. How about that? Those runners could complete 24 laps (9,600 meters), a storm hits and they have to do it all over again the next morning. I never understood distance running. Heck, I never really understood any kind of running. I had what one of my high school basketball coaches called "game speed." I think his quote was, "Gunning, when we run sprints, you look absolutely pathetic, but we get in a game and you're fine." Maybe if he would have let me shoot threes during sprints I would have been okay.
In a completly unrelated note, I had a little brush with fame yesterday. I was in a meeting about some technology issues, and one of the people there from the company we talked with was Jack Lengyel. For you movie buffs, you may remember him as being played by Matthew McConaughey in "We Are Marshall." Mr. Lengyel was the head football coach at Marshall in 1971 after the tragic plane crash that took the lives of nearly the entire team and coaching staff in 1970. He also went on to become the athletic director at Navy. I worked at Marshall from 1998-2000, but never got a chance to meet him while I was there.
For you fans of the movie, I did work a lot with Keith Morehouse (the boy in the movie who was the son of Gene Morehouse, the radio broadcaster and SID who was killed in the crash), who was our television broadcaster for football and one of the local sports anchors. I also had the good fortune to meet Red Dawson and Nate Ruffin during my time there. I didn't get to know them very well, but it was an honor just to meet them.
I was only in Huntington for two years, but it doesn't take long to understand the feelings surrounding that horrible event. It wasn't just the team and the university that suffered, but the whole town. Just about everywhere you go you'll meet someone who was directly affected. I worked there during a special time in the football program's history. In the two seasons I was there we went 25-1, won two MAC titles, two Motor City Bowl championships, beat Clemson in Death Valley and had two NFL quarterbacks on the roster. Chad Pennington was the starter those two years, and Byron Leftwich was the back up. That's pretty good depth at the quarterback spot. Even with all the success and big wins during that time, in an on-line poll we did, the 1971 win against Xavier (the one shown in the movie) was voted as the biggest win in the program's history.
I always struggle when people ask me about the movie because I don't want to ruin it for them. While the storyline is generally true, they did take some creative license with some things. If anyone wants to see the actual historical events, try and get your hands on a copy of "Ashes to Glory." It's a documentary that not only covers the plane crash (I'm not going to lie, the first hour is tough to watch), but also the football program's rise to national prominence. I always found it amazing that the seniors on their first I-AA national championship team in 1992 were all born in 1970.
That about does it for me today. Like I said, we're already deep into preparations for the 2009 season and the opponent section of the media guide isn't going to do itself.
Speaking of the 2009 season, just a reminder that season and individual game tickets are on sale. There are season-ticket packages priced as low as $99 and mini-plans to fit everyone's budge. Check out the ticket page for all the information.
Here's hoping they get that 10,000-meter run in.
GO ARMY!!
Thursday, April 30
Guilty as Charged
So, I woke up this morning with every intention of writing today’s edition of the Black Knight Blog as soon as I got into the office. I figured I would provide a brief recap of last night’s activities at the WPDH Hudson Valley Baseball Classic, and go from there.
The Athletic Communications Staff gathered for its daily 9 a.m. meeting and I mentioned in the meeting that I was going to be working on the BK Blog. I looked back at my AC team and noticed a couple of curious glances cast my way. I quickly learned that Tuesday past was my actual scheduled day for the BK Blog, and of course, I had missed my entry. Fortunately, I brought in bagels today so I guess I was subliminally ahead of my fine. When I glanced at the April schedule, I looked closely for my (Bob Beretta) scheduled dates and for some reason, the day after the HVBC resonated with me as one of my scheduled days. Well, fortunately for Brian Gunning, I was wrong. Why was that a fortunate thing for Gunny? He is actually moving into a new apartment and was more than happy to move one day back in the rotation until tomorrow, so I could squeeze back in today. So my mindlessness is a benefit to someone, I guess. My apologies to all that were waiting patiently for Tuesday’s entry that never came. Stop by the office today for a bagel on me.
I wanted to publically thank everyone that had a hand in putting on last night’s WPDH Hudson Valley Baseball Classic. By all accounts (at least all those that I’ve received), it was a smashing success. All the folks at the Hudson Valley Renegades, our friends at WPDH and Marist College and, of course, all of our other sponsors played a large role in putting on a quality night of free entertainment for residents of the Hudson Valley. I’d also like to publically thank the West Point Military Police Color Guard, the West Point Glee Club and the West Point Parachute team for making last night’s pregame activities truly special ... and the helicopter flyover was a very nice surprise.
I’d also like to publically thank my outstanding staff, all of whom played large roles in last night’s events, particularly Ryan Yanoshak, Annie Holliday and Jeff Hellion from our marketing department. Those three individuals were invaluable in the days leading up to last night’s Classic and were even more indispensable last night. Thanks, guys.
What a perfect night for baseball it was ... temperatures in the 60s, two quality teams and more than 3,700 people in attendance 3,700!!!. That is an unfathomable number for a college baseball game on an April evening in the Northeast. I can’t imagine that anyone that attended last night’s event will not return for the fifth annual WPDH Hudson Valley Baseball Classic in 2010. For those of you who couldn’t join us last night, mark your calendars now, it is fast becoming one of the highlight events of the entire academic year here at West Point. When the Classic debuted in 2006, I had hoped we’d draw 1,000 to the game. We drew over 2,000 that night and set another attendance record on Wednesday.
Our sports calendar here at West Point is beginning to wind down for the academic year 2009-10, with just a precious few teams still in competition. The baseball team is chief among them, on another late-season run under head coach Joe Sottolano. For fans that have not seen this team play yet, do yourself a favor and make your way to Doubleday Field some time in the next two weeks. These guys are awfully fun to watch. It doesn’t matter if they are on offense or on defense, they play the game the right way. And can they ever rake. When you are batting .336 as a team and have already set the single season school record for home runs with a host of games remaining in the season, well, you must be doing something right. And that ball that Joey Henshaw hit last night into the thick Fishkill air, well, I think it just landed somewhere near the Connecticut state line. My goodness, that was a shot. Between that bomb and the 500-foot shot Kevin McKague hit earlier this year against Navy, I can’t remember two longer homers that I’ve seen hit by any college player.
Well, gotta run to another meeting. Enjoy the spring weather, and stop by Doubleday Field in the next two weeks to cheer on the baseball team as it competes for another Patriot League championship. I’ve got a feeling you might be paying to see some of these guys play sometime down the road.
Until next time, be well and Go ARMY!!!
Wednesday, April 29
Baseball Time
Good morning, Army fans. Mark Brumbaugh at the keyboard today.
Please forgive my boss for skipping out yesterday. I'd joke about trying to teach him to remember his responsibilities, but I think he has about 10,000 (that's where I stopped counting, at least) and he was here in building 639 well into the night getting ready for today’s Hudson Valley Baseball Classic. A lot goes into putting on special events such as the HVBC, so hopefully Brian Gunning's blog from the game tonight will make up for Tuesday.
I’m certainly looking forward to this evening’s contest. This will be my first trip to Fishkill, N.Y. and my first to the home of the Hudson Valley Renegades, Dutchess Stadium. I spent a summer interning with the Batavia Muckdogs, also a New York-Penn League team, so it will be neat to see the home of another team.
I remember when the Renegades came through Batavia in 2006. Everyone was wondering how Renegades outfielder Josh Hamilton, then just known as that huge prospect that ruined his career with drugs, would do. As I recall, there wasn’t anything too impressive from him, but he didn’t do too bad either.
Fast forward to the 2007 season, I got to see Hamilton in action again. This time, I was interning with the AAA Durham Bulls and Hamilton was with the Louisville Bats. Working up from short season A-ball to Triple-A is quite the accomplishment in itself, but Hamilton was actually with the Bats on a major league rehab assignment. Of course in 2008, he put on that show in Yankee Stadium in the Home Run Derby. Good story.
Special events like the HVBC are always fun since it is pretty much “all-hands on deck” for our office. My role for this is to be the chauffeur for the Cadet Glee Club.
A full preview of the events will be/is (depending on when you are reading this) on the front page.
The other big event I am looking forward to is the Patriot League Track and Field Championships. For the third consecutive week, West Point is hosting a Patriot League Championship. Luckily golf was in the middle of my two sports, men’s tennis and track.
The tracksters will be competing on Friday and Saturday, which unfortunately are the only two days in the whole 10-day forecast with rain. Booooooo! They’ll compete hard rain or shine, though (as long as there is no lightning). Remember, rain is only a problem if you forget your poncho, so come on out anyways!
Baseball and lacrosse will also be in action on Saturday.
Don’t miss your chance to catch the last of the Army spring sports action. Summer will be here before you know it!
Go Army!
Monday, April 27
Once again, denied. Ryan Yanoshak here with you and I guess for the foreseeable future since I wasn’t selected in the NFL Draft, again. I spent the majority of the weekend at the Patriot League Golf Championships at the West Point Golf Course and had both of my cell phones ready but on vibrate of course. Alas, no call.
Of course, maybe the Flyers need me more as a shutdown defenseman. Or, I can be Rangers coach John Tortorella’s Director of Leave The Fans Alone.
No worries, though, I happen to have a great job I love and this weekend again reinforces how fortunate all of us who work in collegiate athletics are.
The good news first as always. The baseball team clinched a share of the Patriot League Championship by winning three of four games at Lafayette with a tremendous power surge. BB has all the details here but Army will be home the next two weekends, first with NJIT and then with Holy Cross in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Army is the No. 2 seed after tie-breakers with Bucknell hosting Lafayette in the other semifinals.
The Army women’s tennis team won the Patriot League again, for the 10th time to be exact. The Black Knights’ ousted Bucknell 4-1 and will await word on its NCAA opponent this week. Details here.
While the Army golf team didn’t win the league title, they did play very well on the way to a third-place finish. Army led after the first two rounds but Bucknell maybe revenge for tennis? put together a great final round to win the championship. Matt Krembel and William Park earned All-Patriot League honors and head coach Jimmy Ray Clevenger shared Coach of the Year honors. Coach Clevenger, Col. David Albee, Gene Uchacz and a host of others put on a great event this weekend and should be commended for running a first-class tournament.
The Army softball team won its final regular season game. And while it wasn’t enough to earn a Patriot League playoff spot, it was a victory and a heck of a way for Coach Flowers to end his coaching career. A slew of former players, staff and administrators were on hand to honor the coaching legend following the contest. The Coach has the details here.
And all that was Sunday. Check out the site for the full weekend recap.
Another great event is coming up this week. The WPDH Hudson Valley Baseball Classic is Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, N.Y. We are hoping for a record crowd for this free event. That’s right, free. Outstanding baseball, the parachute team, actual singing of the national anthem, color guard, full team intros, a slew of promotions, post-game fireworks, pre-game children’s clinic and it’s all free. You need a ticket to get in but the tickets are free and available at both Army and Marist and at businesses throughout the Hudson Valley. Check out our page here for all the details.
Don’t forget about our on-line auctions either. New items are being added all the time.
That’s it for me, need to be available in case the phone rings.
Go Army!
Friday, April 24
Hello Black Knight Blog readers. Tim Volkmann here, coming to you live from Lewisburg, Pa. as Army is taking on Bucknell in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament. The Black Knights are seeded fourth and will be looking to knock off the top-seeded Bison.
For a preview and complete game notes in preparation of today’s game, click here.
I am going to try to supply you, the reader, unprecedented Black Knight Blog coverage later today by bringing you live, updates, scores and commentary from today’s game. While it won't be like the full blogs that we usually do during a lot of our home games, I'll do my best to give you the basics about what is going on.
Oh and if you don’t feel like following along with my updates and want to watch the game live, CBS College Sports will be broadcasting the game. Knight Vision’s own Dennis Trapani has also made the trip to Lewisburg and will be broadcasting the game live back to the Hudson Valley on 1390 WEOK AM and 1340 WALL AM. Live stats will also be available on www.PatriotLeague.com.
Don't forget to keep hitting refresh/reload on your browser to get the latest updates from the game.
And here we go...senior captain Zach Jansen just led the Black Knights onto the field carrying the American Flag...it is a beautiful day for lacrosse - sunny and 70 degrees ... Brooks Korvin scoops up a rebound after a Bucknell save and buries it from close range - 1-0 Army ... Army had hit two posts on its first two shots before coverting their first goal ... Bucknell's Austin Winter scores while falling into the crease - Score Tied 1-1 ... Jason Peyer comes from behind the Bucknell goal and scores from the left side - 2-1 Army (4:28 1Q) ... Bucknell evens it on a 10-yard bouncer by Charlie Streep - Tied 2-2 (1:37 1Q) ... Bucknell adds another goal in transition - 3-2 Bucknell (:22 1Q) ... end of the first quarter ... Peyer bounced a shot home from 15 yards, unassisted - Tied 3-3 (11:08 2Q) ... Tim Brandau snatches a high pass from behind the goal out of the air and scores a Bucknell goal - 4-3 Bucknell (2Q 6:51) ... Bucknell changes their goalie, pulling PL Goalkeeper of the Year Nick Sciubba for Matt Antonelli ... Sean O'Sullivan sends a low laser home from the right side off an assit from Andrew Maisano - Score Tied 4-4 (2Q 1:50) .... halftime ... Bucknell scores a goal off an Army turnover at 13:$5 but Matt Poulos wins the ensuing faceoff and bounces home a goal from 8 yards away only seven seconds later - Score Tied, 5-5 (3Q, 13:38) ... Kevin LoRusso strikes on a 10-yard lefty bouncer in transition - 6-5 Army (3Q 9:06) ... Tom Palesky makes his 10th save of the day for Army ... Tyler Oates bounces home a low bouncer from 12 yards away off an assist from Rob McCallion for the first two-goal lead of the day - 7-5 Army (3Q 3:37) ... Bucknell answeres back on a goal by Perry Menzies - Army 7-6 (1:53 3Q) ... Bucknell evens the score with a goal as the third-quarter expires - Score Tied 7-7 (3Q 0:01) ... end of the third quarter ... Peyer bounces home his third goal of the day from eight yards away on the right side on a ball that just eluded Sciubba (who came back in at the 9:06 mark of the third quarter) - Army 8-7 (4Q 12:18) ... Bucknell knots it back up for the seventh tie of the day on a goal by Austin Winter - Score Tied 8-8 (9:47 4Q) ... Bucknell goal - 9-8 Bucknell (2:58 4Q) .... Bucknell goal - Bucknell 10-8 (0:29 4Q) ... FINAL SCORE: Bucknell 10, Army 8.
Thanks for following along...Army's season finale is next Saturday, May 2, against Penn in Michie Stadium. Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 23
Good morning, this is Mady Salvani reporting to you for Thursday. I have been busy reading Tracy Nelson’s blog, which is tremendous, on yesterday’s activities, and it is tough for me to follow such a great writer.
I headed over to the Mess Hall yesterday around noon so I could take a few photos of Army’s Corps Squad winners at Coach K Teaching Character Through Sport awards ceremony. Tracy was already seated at one of the ODIA tables. At the head table with the Superintendent was Coach K to a lot of fans, but I know him simply as Mike. Also in attendance was former Army basketball coach Pat Harris, who played for Mike.
Since I have been working at West Point prior to computers (in the days of the typewriter), I was here when Mike was Army’s basketball coachfrom 1975-80. At that time our offices were right next door on the second floor in Bldg. 639 where men's soccer along with track and field are located today.
Mike’s wife Mickie played first baseman on our ODIA slow pitch softball team a few summers. We were just a bunch of women who enjoyed playing ball and there wasn’t any great athlete among us. I could throw and hit to whatever field I wanted, but couldn’t run. Defensively they never knew where to hide me in the field because I could not gauge a fly ball. So I was the right fielder who backed up the center fielder, who threw like a girl, and I would race over behind her after she caught a fly ball. She would toss the ball to me and I would throw it home and a few times came closing to throwing a runner out. I also played catcher but had a fear of being trampled at the plate, so that part of my career was shortlived. Mickie unfortunately broke her finger following a hard throw from a new shortstop, so we had to play basketball without her. But she was busy attending Mike’s games at Army Field House. My office teases me because I call him Mike, while everyone else says Coach K, but I knew him when and he has not changed. I always get a nice greeting him and he was nice enough to pose for a few shots I needed to take of winner Alma Kovaci (volleyball) for the Coach K Teaching Character Through Sport.
A recent article announced the death of Army football great Doc Blanchard. I am not old enough to have watched him on the gridiron during his glory days at Army, but I felt I knew him because over the years I have had to do a lot of research on the Touchdown Twins Blanchard and Davis. I had several chances to meet Glenn Davis over the years. He was very accommodating posing for photos (I never asked for that, I was busy taking them), or signing autographs. As a matter of fact in my office is a signed photo by Blanchard and Davis in an old black-and-white photo with Red Blaik. My co-workers tell me they are going to steal it and sell on E-Bay, and though I am not the most observant person, I would know it is missing because I look at that photo every day.
I met Doc Blanchard a long time ago following a home football game reception in Hollender Center. Davis and Arnold Tucker were among the former players returning that weekend, which included a special unveiling at Coach Blaik’s gravesite in the West Point Cemetery.
Television crews were at the gravesite trying to get interviews with Davis and Blanchard. Davis allowed it but, Doc did not want any part. At the reception I went up to Doc Blanchard and asked if he would join Davis and Tucker for an interview with a few media. His answer was no and that he was not interested because he was headed upstairs to get something to eat, but luckily for me Doc’s former teammate Joe Steffy (1987 College Football Hall of Famer and Outland Award winner) was there. He turned him around after saying something like “come on Doc, it won’t hurt to go with her.” He did and I walked alongside of him as proud as a peacock and smiling from ear to ear. Unfortunately that day taught me to carry around a camera all time as I lost out on a perfect opportunity to have take a photo of the “Touchdown Twins.”
Enough of my reporting of the past, but in my new goal to become more modern, I plan to twitter at the Patriot League Softball Tournament in a couple of weeks. I do know what it is because I first read about it on the internet and it amazes me how young people today want to know everything just as it happens. Me, I can wait because many times the info is not always positive. I will now become a Twitter or will be twitting soon now I just have to ask my young co-workers how to do it.
Wednesday, April 22
From Coach K To Coach E
I feel like I start off these blogs with an apology for being late more times than not. I’m going to work on that in the future! Tracy Nelson with you this afternoon, and I promise you, I have a couple of pretty legitimate reasons for my tardiness.
While there are some days when I feel like I don’t leave my desk because I’m busy writing, designing or just crossing things off my list of things to do, there are other days when I feel like I don’t see the office much. That is not the case very often, but today is one of those days ...
It started with my very first visit to the Mess Hall. I lied. I’ve been there before, but only traipsed through when it’s been empty and just looked like a bunch of tables and chairs perfectly aligned. Today, however, I was lucky enough to represent my office at the Coach K Teaching Character Through Sport awards ceremony. This was the third installment of the awards and first that I have been lucky enough to attend. Aside from the fact that I grew up a Duke fan and everyone in my household worships Coach K a 1969 West Point grad basically from November through April every year. It was an honor to be in his presence, but even more impressive to see the talent and character that was celebrated at such a ceremony.
I guess Coach K was in the area for a few different stops over the span of a couple of days, one of which included a couple of book signings in NYC of his new work “The Gold Standard” based on his 2008 run with Team USA to the gold medal. He spoke a lot about his time with Team USA during his remarks this afternoon. It was a three-year process getting that team whipped into shape. I can’t imagine working with individuals with a lot of money and even bigger egos and getting them to play as a unit. It takes a special kind of person to do that, and Coach K did nothing but credit the cultivation of his leadership skills while at West Point. If I took one thing away from his talk this afternoon is that being a leader starts with giving time. If you take the time to get to know your constituents or peers on and off the field, court, ice, etc. then you will build trust and confidence, which are two essential elements of being a standout leader.
Two different types of leaders were honored this afternoon the coach and the player. Among the best college basketball coaches of all time, Coach K emphasized the importance and responsibility of a coach to teach leadership. He said something that really made a lot of sense you need a leader when the action is going on. A coach can talk all he or she wants during a timeout or halftime, but a leader needs to step up once the action begins to carry out the coach’s message. Along with honoring two individuals from the company athletics and completive club levels, corps squad athletics got its turn. Among the finalists were head coaches Alma Kovaci (volleyball), Brian Riley (hockey) and Joe Sottolano (baseball) all three superb choices and excellent coaches. At least I know that all three are exceptional for our office to deal with, which makes our jobs a lot easier! I was very happy when Alma Kovaci was named the winner - and for good reason. In just her second year as a head coach, she led the Black Knights to a remarkable 26-4 record last fall and earned a share of the regular-season Patriot League title. Her passion and ability to light a fire in her players is obvious at each practice and every match. Well deserved, Alma!
I am constantly in awe of the cadet-athletes that we have the privilege to get to know in this line of work. I’ve spent time elsewhere, but the kids here at West Point are really unique and special. Two of the best were finalists this afternoon in Liz Lazzari from volleyball and Zach McKelvie from hockey. I had the pleasure of working with Liz for her final two years with the volleyball program. Not only was she an absolute standout on the court, she was the clear-cut leader of that team and the engine that just made it run. That’s a talent that you can’t teach and Liz just had the gift. It’s people that her that you wonder, “why wasn’t some of that talent dust spread around to the rest of the low-lifes like myself?!” While I didn’t have the opportunity to work with Zach, our very own Ryan Yanoshak has covered hockey for the last two years and can’t say enough good things about that cat. To my understanding, he played through injury and was one of the finest defensemen to suit up in recent memory. A captain his senior season, Zach was selected among the nation’s elite to compete in the Skills Challenge at this year’s Frozen Four in D.C. He didn’t just compete because that’s not what West Point kids do. Nope, instead he won and was named the fastest skater at the event. For that and many other reasons I’m sure, Zach took home the Coach K hardware, but certainly not without some stiff competition. Congrats to Zach and Liz two of the best of a pretty elite bunch!
Straight from the Mess Hall I was off and running to the spring football wrap-up press conference. It’s a rare day that I wear heels and, let me tell you, I’m regretting the decision as I sit her barefoot typing this blog. My feet are killing me! The press conference ran along the same lines as our weekly football conferences in the fall, only this time it featured first-year head coach Rich Ellerson in the spotlight. I felt like I went from one engaging speaker to the next when going from Coach K to Coach E. He was fantastic! For anyone that has a Knight Vision subscription, it’s worth checking out the archives or at the very least reading the transcripts that Tim Volkmann and Mark Brumbaugh are feverishly typing up right now. In just one sitting, you just get the feeling that not only is he an eloquent speaker, but also has a ridiculous football mind. Also, he’s realistic and knows that change isn’t going to happen overnight. Not that you can put in a lot of weight in my opinion, but I think we’re headed in the right direction. I look forward to more press conferences this fall if today was any indication! Be sure to check back momentarily to www.goARMYsports.com for a wrap-up, quotes, post-spring guide and more.
Phew, I feel like I’ve written a novel, but there was just a ton going on today! Now I leave you with perhaps my favorite quote of the day. On a day like this one, there was some serious competition. Usually I just sit around listening to my colleagues chirp! I can’t say that it’s completely verbatim, but it went a little something like this ...
“You are so lucky to be attending the only school in the country that really teaches leadership. Navy and Air Force may think that they do. They don’t. They teach kids how to sail and fly.” - Coach Mike Krzyzewski addressing the Corps of Cadets
Tuesday, April 21
Good afternoon Black Knight blog readers! Annie Holliday with you today. Even with the rain this morning and forecast for later, your Army Baseball team will be taking on Binghamton today at Doubleday field at 3:30, so check back later this afternoon and follow along with the live stats.
Hopefully a few people will head up to the game and relieve the congestion in our parking lot. Here at ODIA we've been patiently watching the construction occuring on the building's exterior and roof, but the efforts of those workers has meant a big loss of marked spots for folks to park in. Some days it doesn't seem very bad, but other days... you wouldn't believe the creative parking schemes people come up with! The garbage men can just forget about trying to get their big truck in here to empty the trash bin. There was hardly room for me to back my car out of the lot earlier today. It's definitely to the point where you debate running an errand because you might very well lose your spot near the building. I had to make that choice today (making some other driver very happy I'm sure) but when I got back I got in a good workout as I hiked a quarter mile up the Howard Road hill back to the office.
Spring has sprung and I know I'm looking forward to catching some softball action this weekend. The weather is going to be gorgeous and hopefully the Black Knights take advantage of the sunshine and good spirits on senior day to get some wins for Coach Flowers' final home contests, as well as secure a spot in the league tournament. Be sure to follow along on KnightVision or live stats! And Mady is in the blog rotation this week so I am sure she will give you a good preview of what's to come with these games.
Well, Tim announced this morning that the office three hole puncher has definitely died. So I'm off to procure a new one! The exciting life of an office assistant. At least this time I don't really have a parking spot to lose!
Until next time, Go Army!!!
Monday April 20
You Just Never Know
Good Monday afternoon everyone! Brian Gunning with you today from a rainy West Point. After a tremendous weekend weather-wise, we're not off to a good start here in the Hudson Valley.
For those of you who read my basketball tiebreaker blogs and thought they were convoluted, go check out the lacrosse page. The team qualified for the Patriot League Tournament this weekend after Lafayette beat Lehigh, 9-8. Now, not only was the outcome important, but the margin was also crucial. If the Leopards could have put one more goal on the board and won by two, they would have made the postseason. If Lehigh would have won, they would have qualified. In essence, they knocked each other out of the conference tournament, which allowed Army to take the No. 4 spot. If my memory serves, Tim had mentioned that it was coming down to the fifth tiebreaker. If you stop and think about it, Army needed every goal it scored against Lehigh and Lafayette this year. Had they lost to the Mountain Hawks by two goals instead of one, no shot at the conference championship. Be sure to check out the Knight Vision feature on lacrosse this week. It will chronicle the crazy week the team had from being down 8-3 and on the verge of elimination against Lafayette to its 7-0 run to win the game and then playing the waiting game and getting exactly the outcome they needed.
That's a great lesson for anyone who coaches or has kids playing sports. You always need to put forth your best effort and never give up because you just never know. Had a player not gone 100 percent to pick up a ground ball that eventually led to a goal, maybe that score never gets on the board, and then the team would be sitting at home watching this weekend instead of traveling to Bucknell for a chance to win the tournament and go to the NCAAs.
The baseball team is on a similar path. Army started the season 1-3 after the first weekend of the conference season and were 3-5 after the first two weekends. Things were not looking great, but the boys rallied to take 3 of 4 from Navy and then sweep four from Lehigh. Army is now tied for first and will win its second straight regular-season title if it finishes one game better than Bucknell this weekend.
It was that kind of a week. Even my favorite pro team got into the act. On Friday, the Cubs were down a run in the bottom of the eighth. One man on and Alfonso Soriano at the plate. Fonzie was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and had looked absolutely clueless at the plate up until the pitch he hammered out to give the Cubs the lead and the win. Same thing on Saturday. Aramis Ramirez was 0 for 5 until he hit a two-run walkoff in the bottom of the 11th. Had either one of those guys mailed it in because they were having a bad day, a two-out-of-three weekend would have been an 0-fer.
There are countless other examples (you Celtics fans should ask Paul Pierce about that free throw) of teams catching a break, or making one play that everyone calls lucky. People talk about luck, but one of my mentors once told me that luck is when opportunity meets preparation. That's all about working hard and making sure you're ready for your chance. I think the lacrosse team will have that mindset this weekend. They got an opportunity, now they'll prepare to take advantage.
Games and events like this week remind of why I love sports. Every shot, every at-bat and every play can make the difference between winning and losing, getting a chance to compete for a championship or going home.
Getting off my soap box for a minute, football fans should be on the lookout for the post-spring wrap up this week. I'm putting the finishing touches on that document which should be ready for Wedensday afternoon when Coach Rich Ellerson will hold a press conference to talk about his first spring at West Point. The press conference will be shown live on Knight Vision beginning at 1 p.m. You have to be a Knight Vision subscriber to watch it in its entirety.
That'll do it for me today - I'm going see if I can find the video of the Kevin Dunn to Mike Wright pass at the end of the Tulane game in 2007.
As always, GO ARMY!!!!
Friday, April 17 - Part II
Hello Black Knight Blog readers. Tim Volkmann coming to you with a special second edition of today’ Friday blog. Since I forgot my turn in the rotation on Monday (they say memory is the first thing to go - looks like I owe more donuts), I felt I owed it to everyone to try and make up for it with a special report from the road.
I am currently sitting in my hotel room in Durham, N.C. as the Black Knight lacrosse team prepares to take on Duke tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally by CBS Sports College Television, so check your local cable package to see if you’ll be able to watch tomorrow’s showdown live. If not, there will be live stats available via Gametracker at www.goDUKE.com.
Check out my complete game report and notes here.
My alarm went off bright and early this morning as I had to be at West Point for the team’s 6:30 a.m. departure for Stewart Airport in Newburgh, N.Y. to catch our flight south. One of the unique opportunities we have as members of the West Point Athletic Department is taking advantage of flying Military Air. Instead of having to show up at an airport three hours ahead of time, check the entire team’s luggage and go through security like a normal trip on a commercial airline, the busses pulled onto the runway and parked right next to a huge Air Force C-130 (Hercules I believe is the nickname of the plane, but I’m not positive).
(FYI click here to check some of the pictures I snapped before and during our flight.)
2nd Lieutenant Adam Fullerton and Cadet manager A.J. Cox were “volunteered” to make the 15-hour drive in a medium sized moving van with all of the players’ equipment on Thursday, so no one had to worry about carrying any luggage onto the plane. All the guys climbed through the back cargo door and strapped themselves into the “seats” and got ready to get going.
I was lucky enough to snag the open seat up in the cockpit, right behind the two pilots, the flight engineer and the navigator. What an awesome ride. I love flying as it is, but to be able to watch take-off from the cockpit of a C-130 was one of the coolest things I’ve done since working at West Point.
It was amazing how little runway the plane needed to take off and land. When the four huge turbo-prop engines fired up (FYI earplugs were all the fashion this morning), you could feel how much power the plane had. The ride was surprisingly smooth too. We cruised at about 25,000 feet on a day where there wasn’t a cloud in the sky so you could see for miles.
The crew, which had flown up that morning from Youngstown, Ohio, was great to talk to during the flight. I sat closest to the navigator and he showed me how they preset specific spots on the map into the flight computer and just follow them down to their destination. He had a small laptop with Windows on it (just like the one I am typing this blog on right now) that he used to see everything, as well as a radar screen where you could see everything on the ground. There were an amazing amount of switches and knobs in the cockpit. I wanted to ask what they all did, but that probably would have taken longer than the flight.
Well, its almost time for dinner, so I’ll wrap this up. The first picture is the plane on the runway (the props are actually spinning in the picture, my camera phone makes it looks like they aren’t). The next two were of the guys loading into the back of the plane and the third (sorry it is a little blurry) you can kind of see how everyone was strapped into the back. The fifth one was my view from the cockpit.
Check back tomorrow for a complete wrap-up of the game. GO ARMY BEAT DUKE.
Friday, April 17
Going for the Championship
Good morning blog readers. With just three days rest from my Sunday-Monday baseball live blogging, Mark Brumbaugh here adding to the blogosphere once again.
I wonder if Al Gore envisioned things like an Army-Navy baseball live blog when he invented the Internet. I love the fact that the discussion ranged from I’m an astronaut following along in a space shuttle simulator’ to talk about Milan Dinga sitting in ketchup at Torches in Newburgh.’
I guess that’s what happens when you let Army-Navy fans on the Internet. The passion Army-Navy contests bring out is second-to-none, so you are going to have some interesting things to read when they are able to connect from all around the world.
On a recent show, Stephen Colbert referenced the parable of four blind men walking in the jungle and falling in a pit with an elephant. One man grabs the leg and thinks it’s a tree, one grabs the tale and thinks it’s a snake, one touches the side and thinks it’s a wall and one touches the tusk and thinks it’s a spear. Essentially, the men cannot agree on what is in the pit since they are unable to see the entire elephant.
I couldn’t help but think of that story during Monday’s blog. I thought I knew and understood the importance of Army-Navy. But an astronaut following in the space shuttle simulator? A retired general from the Marines? Cadets in the library? Parents and staff on the other side of the world? Seriously? Pretty cool.
Another Army-Navy matchup may be in the works for Sunday as the Patriot League Men’s Tennis Championships are currently under way. No. 4 Bucknell and No. 5 Lehigh are currently battling on the Malek Tennis Center courts. No. 3Army will be facing No. 6 Lafayette at noon, some come on out West Pointers!
If Army beats Lafayette, they will most likely have a rematch with Colgate on Saturday at 2 p.m. Colgate barely took a 4-3 win from Army in Hamilton earlier this season, so I’m hoping the result will be different at Malek this time around. Navy is undefeated in Patriot League play, so they will be looming if the Black Knights advance.
Navy claimed the “star” in men’s tennis a few weeks ago, but as anyone who watched the lacrosse game Tuesday night knows (or left at halftime): don’t count out Army until the contest is over.
Seniors Phil Muhawi and Sean Harris will be looking to earn one more title and get one more win over Navy. Speaking of the Army seniors, check out this fine article Eric Bartelt wrote about Rick Houghton. Injuries have kept him off the court but Rick has been a model cadet by excelling in the classroom and continuing to help and support his teammates on the court. As much as I love statistics, there is no denying that some of the biggest contributions one can make cannot be quantified.
If you can, come out and cheer on the Black Knights. Baseball, softball, lacrosse and women’s tennis are all in action this weekend in various locations, as well. Otherwise, we’ll have all the scores here at www.goarmysports.com.
I’m going to head back to the tennis courts, so . . .
GO ARMY! BEAT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE!
Thursday, April 16
Spring Has Finally Sprung
Well, it’s taken a while, but it finally feels like spring around these parts. It seems like winter lasted forever and the first few weeks of spring around here, weather-wise, were miserable, to be kind. But with temperatures expected to reach the mid-70s by Saturday and the New York Yankees finally set to officially open their new home today, all is right in the world, at the least in the world of a New York baseball fan.
Bob Beretta with you this sunny Thursday morning. Not sure what the weather is like from wherever you are reading today’s edition of the Black Knight Blog, but it might as well be 85 and sunny around here today. The temperatures have struggled to get out of the 40s this spring and the wind has been unbelievable. I should know as I have spent the better part of the last three weeks out in the elements on our “press block” at Johnson Stadium. We have been attempting to raise the funding to build a legitimate press box at Army’s pristine baseball facility for several years, but other matters have taken priority. It’s always enjoyable to be outside in the elements beneath golden sunshine, but when the cloud cover is thick, temperatures hovering around 40 and the winds whipping to 35 miles per hour, well, let’s just say the thrill of the outdoors is short-lived, even if the Army team is winning.
So, here we are midway through the month of April and it’s hard to believe, but our spring season is already winding down. The lacrosse team ended its Patriot League regular-season schedule with an exhilarating comeback defeat of Lafayette on Tuesday, the men’s tennis team will host the Patriot League Tournament this weekend and the baseball and softball squads are heading into the stretch runs of their respective conference slates. Our golf team will host the Patriot League Tournament here at the West Point Golf Course next weekend, the women’s tennis team will look to capture its fifth consecutive conference crown next weekend and the Patriot League lacrosse tournament will also be held next weekend. In the blink of an eye, the spring season will be part of the history books. But that seems to be the case every year. By time the weather finally warms up and allows you to start thinking spring, it’s almost summer.
We have a rare “off-day” in terms of Army competitions today, but that hardly means all is quiet on the Athletic Communications front. We’re working on a myriad of initiatives, ranging from post-spring football reports, to football marketing collateral pieces, to planning for the Patriot League tournaments West Point will host, to planning for the WPDH Hudson Valley Baseball Classic on April 29. Personally, I’m immersed in many of the things above, as well as future football scheduling, future football television rights negotiations, corporate sponsor relations, Army Sports Hall of Fame selection committee meetings, video board operations rights and a host of other marketing endeavors. Never a dull moment. But’s that’s the beauty of athletics administration. If you’re looking for a slow-paced career, this profession is not for you.
I’m just hoping to steal away a few minutes in order to enjoy the sunshine and maybe grab a peak at the opening ceremonies to Yankee Stadium later today. Spring has finally sprung, after all. It’s been a long time coming, to be sure.
Wednesday, April 15
Good morning. Ryan Yanoshak at the keyboard this a.m., sending apologies for the lapse in dates since our last BK Blog. No excuses but it was a holiday weekend and the unpleasant weather scrambled some schedules.
Hopefully we are back on track and fines will be paid and wonderful blogs from The Rook (still trying out nicknames on Mark) on Sunday and Monday and T-Nel last night helped fill the void.
In case you opted for Idol instead of the Army web site, you missed a pair of great performances. The lacrosse team used a huge 7-0 run in the fourth quarter on the way to a 13-12 win over Lafayette. Touchdown Timmy V has all the details here. The golf team had its best showing of the spring yesterday as well, finishing third at the Peacock Invitational. The Black Knights actually tied for first in the15-team, 18-hole tournament but came in third after utilizing fifth-man scores. Sophomore Matt Krembel won the event with a two-over-par score in very challenging conditions. Details here.
Misc.: Zach McKelvie won the fastest skater competition at the Frozen Four Skills Challenge over the weekend and helped the East defeat the West ... Hope you checked out the site over the weekend as the Black Knights won four of six competitions with Navy. Army took 3-of-4 in a great baseball series and the men’s track and field team posted another win against the Mids ... Baseball at Marist at 3 p.m. and softball hosting Central Connecticut State today at 4 p.m. at the Army Softball Complex ... Items continue to be added to the on-line auction site. Check it out here ... The WPDH Hudson Valley Baseball Classic is just two weeks away. It is a wonderful event that is free of charge. You do need a ticket though and can learn more here ... Those pesky tax things are due today too and now is a probably a pretty good time to stop procrastinating.
Enjoy the sun. Go Army!
Friday, April 10
Good morning and TGIF to all of you! Tracy Nelson joining you on this lovely Friday morning. The sun is shining (for now) here at beautiful West Point, which is a far cry from the SNOW flurries that we got a few days ago. If I see one more snow flake this year, I might be out of here and looking for a job in the south! Growing up in Western New York, I saw my fair share of snow so you would think that I would have smartened-up and gotten a job outside the blustery northeast by now ...
So, things have been pretty busy around here as you have read in this week's blogs. Of course there is a lot of excitement and anticipation as the weekend approaches and there is plenty of Army-Navy action to be had. With track, lacrosse and baseball all taking on the Mids, it's a golden opportunity for Army to gain some ground in this year's series against "the other" service academy. I, for one, will be sticking around West Point to take in Army's four-game Patriot League baseball series against the Mids. Not only should it be an entertaining series, but it's also a pivotal one as the Black Knights look to keep pace within the PL standings and make the 2009 tournament. Last year, the BKs went down to Annapolis and came back with four wins under their belt. No pressure, but that would be the ideal turnout for this weekend's action as well!
Today should be a pretty leisure day for me here in the office. The spring is such a great time to get caught up on some things that seem to fall by the way-side during my busier seasons. It’s not to say that others aren’t busy at work as we speak. Gunny is feverishly coming up with a flip card for today’s football spring game. The “rosters” and format have been set for the annual Black/Gold showdown, which will take place at 5 p.m. tonight at Michie Stadium. It’s the public’s first chance to check out new head coach Rich Ellerson’s schemes and systems, so definitely a must-attend event for anyone in the area. Bob Beretta will probably head out here soon to oversee the set-up of a mini version of Army’s Black Knights Alley, which underwent an overhaul with great success last fall. Starting at 3:30 this afternoon at Gate 3 of historic Michie, fans young and old will be treated to live music, inflatables and even an autograph session with the BKs new field boss from 4-4:30 p.m. Bring your gear and come on out rain or shine!
Touchdown Timmy Volkmann just took off to catch the lacrosse bus down to Baltimore for Saturday’s game. The 87th Star Game of the Army-Navy lax series will be played at 11:30 Saturday morning at M&T Bank Stadium home of the Baltimore Ravens. It’s the first time that the series will be played on “neutral” turf, although it’s my opinion that Baltimore is a little too close to Annapolis for my liking ... I use the word “neutral” loosely. Safe travels to the team and anyone else traveling down to cheer on the BKs. I wish I could be there as well, but a little visit from the Nelson family is in store for this weekend, so the lax team will have to go on without the usual in-game blogger. They might actually be happy about that, since I am 0-4 with a couple of OT losses when blogging for lax this spring. I’ll be there in spirit Saturday, so hopefully that doesn’t jinx anyone. Texting of score updates would be greatly appreciated (insert subtle hint: Jen Murphy, Matt Renner and Blake Reid)!
As I said, my mom and brother are coming to town this weekend and we finally figured out that this will be the first visit since I entered the “professional” world when I haven’t had to work a slew of events! Needless to say, I’m excited to actually sit back and enjoy baseball as a fan this weekend! It’s also nice when guests visit West Point because I see it as the perfect excuse to go out to eat, show off the gorgeous WP grounds and usually hit up the Woodbury Commons. Not that I need visitors to do any of those things on a regular basis, but I don’t feel as guilty doing so since I see it as my duty that guests have a good time! I can’t wait for baseball, shopping and even an Easter brunch at the Thayer (which will probably equal my calorie intake for two weeks in one sitting) on Sunday. I’ll be sure to report back on its deliciousness in my next blog entry. Stay tuned ...
Speaking of Easter, I just got back from a little run to the PX (Post Exchange) with marketing assistant Scott Robson. One of the many advantages of living here on post is that I have privileges to shop at the PX, Commisary (grocery store) and a few other perks like the gas station, etc. Scott and I pretty much cleaned out the Easter candy area of the PX in order to get ready for Sunday’s highly anticipated Easter Baseball Hunt at Doubleday Field. Click here for complete details, because honestly, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned egg hunt with a little baseball twist!?
Before I sign off, I should remind Army softball fans that this weekend’s series against Holy Cross up in Worcester, Mass., has been moved due to inclement weather forecasts. Rather than the traditional Saturday-Sunday Patriot League weekend, the teams will now play doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday instead. I know one lady that is very excited about that fact! This means that Mady (aka the office paparazzi) can brave the impending weather and take some shots up at tonight’s spring game at Michie. Dress in layers, coach!
I would be remissed if I didn't wish head coach Paul Peck and his women's tennis team luck at Bucknell this weekend as well. They are currently on an incredible run of 18-straight wins and haven't lost a Patriot League regular-season match since 2002. To say that Army has dominated the conference in recent years would be the ultimate understatement. However, it's no secret that Bucknell has gotten much better in recent years and should present Army with its toughest
