Recent Posts

• Playoffs or No Playoffs? The Ongoing BCS Debate

  Sports September 14, 2009 at 12:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  Chris DeMarco, Staff Writer Would a playoff system result in Bowl Championship Series busters Boise State and Utah advancing to the National Championship Game? It might. Over the last four years, undefeated Boise State and Utah teams have shocked heavily favored Oklahoma and Alabama, respectively. In both of those seasons, both Boise State and Utah were the only undefeated teams left standing, but yet did not have the opportunity to play for a national championship. A playoff system would be an interesting concept for college football. The current BCS system just does not cut it. Lackluster teams not in the top 10 have no business playing in the BCS games. Conferences should not have automatic bids into the BCS games either. There is no reason a lackluster team from the ACC or the Big East should be any way involved in the BCS. In previous years, we have seen multiple teams playing in the BCS games that were ranked outside the top 10 in 2008 with 19th-ranked Virginia Tech and 12th-ranked Cincinnati, and 2007 with 14th-ranked Wake Forest. Only the top-rated teams should be eligible for the BCS. It would not be that hard to have a playoff in college […]

   

• Better Watch Out, Your Redskins Might Sue You: Economy Hits Redskins Season Ticketholders

  Sports September 14, 2009 at 12:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Chris DeMarco, Staff Writer For someone who already despises the Washington Redskins, like myself, they will have another reason to dislike the Redskins and owner Daniel Snyder. Everyone in the sports world knows that Snyder was a horrible owner, but now we find out he has no heart. Over the last two years, the economy has gone from bad to worse, and we all have felt the repercussions in big ways. Apparently, there are some Redskins season tickets holders, who pay a ridiculous sum of money in the first place, and now they find out because of the bad economy, they can no longer pay for the season tickets. They try to back out of their lengthy contracts with the team and end up getting sued. In most cases, these fans are being court ordered to pay more than two times the amount they were paying in the first place. In The Washington Post’s two-part story, we see certain circumstances in which the financial burden cripples them. A grandmother, who backed out of the agreement due to financial reasons, was ordered by the court to pay close to $66,000 and is close to bankruptcy. It is completely despicable. Why are […]

   

• In My Own Words: The Pilot, The Life of a Mason Student Athlete

  Sports September 14, 2009 at 12:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  Fernanda Bartels, Broadside Correspondent Being a student-athlete is not easy. We have to work our classes and homework around practice, weight lifting, team duties, rehabilitation, icing, stretching and a to-do list that never seems to end. When I finally take a breath, I used to start questioning myself: Why do I spend all my time and energy playing volleyball? The answer came to me a few years ago during a match. One of my teammates hit an incredible ball crosscourt on an angle that I thought was impossible to be reached. We got the point. I looked at her and she had a delightful smile on her face. All my teammates were celebrating like there was nothing better in the world than that point. The feeling that I had that day was worth all the hard work, the sweat left on the court and the hours dedicated to volleyball. On that play, I realized that I practice for those moments. Another situation during this season reminded me of the reason why I play volleyball. In our first match of the season against American University in the D.C. Volleyball Challenge, our head coach Pat Kendrick spoke to us before the game, […]

   

• Bringing the High Heat and Heavy Metal

  Sports September 14, 2009 at 12:10 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Two years ago, baseball writer for ESPN Insider Jerry Crasnick argued that the best closer debacle was between J.J. Putz, formerly of the Seattle Mariners, and current Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. Closers are known for two things: saves and heavy metal music. They have a reputation of instilling fear in opposing batters. The ideology behind winning ball games seems to be that teams must find reliable closers, ones that have the mentality of pitching in the ninth inning and ending games with a handshake with their catchers. Trevor Hoffman, who pitched with the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, and Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera are currently the only two players to have reached the 500-save club. Yet, most of today’s current closers did not originally start their careers picking up saves. Many pitchers became closers after converting from a starter. Rivera was one of them. Joe Nathan of the Minnesota Twins earned his first save as a member of the San Francisco Giants in 1999. Nathan did not get his second save until 2004, a year after he was traded to the Twins. By then, he was already a […]

   

• Friday's Forecast: Women’s Soccer vs. Long Island Blackbirds

  Sports September 14, 2009 at 12:09 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Overview: The women’s soccer team returns to the pitch on Friday to take on the Long Island Blackbirds. George Mason University opened the 2009 season with three wins, their first 3-0 start since 1993, but dropped their first game against the Pennsylvania Quakers. Mason is 2-0 at home so far this season. Mason: The team is led by senior forward Kelly Keelan, who has two goals and two assists entering this past weekend’s two games in Williamsburg. Although she spent part of the season as the goalkeeper, Keelan led Mason with seven goals and 14 points last season. This season, she has fully committed herself as an offensive player. Redshirt junior midfielder Omolyn Davis is off to a good start with a team-leading three goals. Davis transferred from Lindsey Wilson College, located in Kentucky, and sat out last season due to NCAA regulations. Freshman forward Tiana Kallenberger will be one of the key pieces to Mason’s future. Long Island: The Blackbirds started the season 4-0 and have yet to allow a goal from the opponents. The Blackbirds defeated the San Francisco Dons and San Jose State Spartans to capture the University of San Francisco Odwalla […]

   

• Mason Downs Retrievers in Straight Sets

  Sports September 14, 2009 at 12:09 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Assistant Sports Editor Coming off a three-match sweep in the Patriot Invitational, the women’s volleyball team showed that their early season success was no fluke. On Wednesday night, George Mason University traveled to Catonsville, Md. and dismantled the UMBC Retrievers 25-18, 25-21, 25-15. Mason’s success came down to two players: sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Bohman and junior middle blocker and opposite hitter Holly Goode. Bohman was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. She has already tied the school single-match block total, accomplishing the feat by making 11 total blocks against Cornell in the Patriot Invitational. In addition to the CAA weekly recognition, she was named the Best Hitter of the Patriot Invitational. Bohman continued her defensive hot streak Friday night by recording a team high four blocks for the game. In addition, she bolstered the team’s attack column by registering an attack percent of .571. This was accomplished by smashing four kills without making an error. Goode compiled 12 kills over the game, making the best of the 23 chances she had during the night. Most notably, she was responsible for garnering 15 of Mason’s total 53 points during the match. Former CAA All-Rookie […]

   

• Minor League Report

  Sports September 14, 2009 at 12:08 pm Comments are Disabled

  Tim Blank, Broadside Correspondent Former George Mason University pitcher Mike Modica had a rough outing this past Monday. Pitching for the Class-A Tri-City Valley Cats, Modica, an 11-game winner for Mason last year, pitched two innings and recorded two strikeouts, but gave up two hits and an error in the 4-2 loss to the Aberdeen Ironbirds. Pitcher Shawn Griffith is putting up some good outings for the Class-A Auburn Doubledays after being called up last week. In his 23 appearances, Griffith, an electric relief pitcher, is 2-2, with a 0.60 ERA. In his recent outing against the Jamestown Jammers on Monday, Griffith pitched two innings and recorded a strikeout while giving up a hit and a walk. Jordan Flasher of the Class-A Lowell Spinners could not ask for a better start to his minor league career. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and has 13 strikeouts to go with eight walks. First baseman Justin Bour is currently batting .267 with four home runs and 23 RBIs for the Class-A Boise Hawks. Finally, Mason’s single-season and all-time home run leader Scott Krieger continues his stellar performance for the Helena Brewers in rookie league. Krieger has a .251 batting average with […]

   

• Love, Sex and Breaking the Ice: "Dating Doctor" Keeps it Real

  Lifestyle September 14, 2009 at 12:07 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor Ever told someone to be a “fat penguin”? Probably not. For most people, talking like this would earn them a fair share of strange looks. For Dave Coleman, it is what he does for a living. Affectionately known as the “Dating Doctor,” Coleman has spoken to over two million people, spending his career helping men and women around the world deal with issues of relationships, dating and sex. Last Monday, Coleman brought his wealth of expertise to George Mason University. He spoke to a crowd of nearly 100 people for two hours, addressing everything from how to maintain long-distance relationships to why “friends with benefits” never works. Rather than giving a lecture, Coleman brought humor and entertainment. Instead of being corny and out of touch, Coleman won over the crowd with his striking personality and down-to-earth style. Most of the evening’s lighter moments came during the audience participation phases. Coleman gently heckled the crowd, rewarding correct answers with treats, and in one instance, an entire bag of candy. “It was refreshing and interesting,” said senior conflict analysis and resolution major Lillie McVey. “The program brought forth students’ sexual desires and embarrassment in a comforting way.” The […]

   

• Mason Gets Naked: One Student’s Love Affair with All-Natural Juice

  Lifestyle September 14, 2009 at 12:07 pm Comments are Disabled

  Evan Benton, Staff Writer Once upon a time, while watching CNN (actually, it was most likely VH1 or NFL Network) I heard the unmistakable sound of a large truck backing up outside my window. Getting up with a groan, I walked over to my window and saw an enormous truck with the word “NAKED” emblazoned along its side. After parking awkwardly in a space much too small for its size, the driver exited the vehicle and began to unload box after box of similarly-titled boxes.  What was in the boxes? Bottles of juice. That was almost a year ago, but I still remember leaving my room in a furious rush of curiosity, wondering what in God’s name “naked juice” was supposed to be, and why they were putting it near food. I found out that NAKED is a brand of unadulterated, all-natural and organic juice.  And the truck driver proved to be a good spokesman for the Santa Monica, Calif. company, giving me a free shirt (albeit grossly oversized) and a nice green hat. Both having the word NAKED boldly written on the fabric proved to be great attention-getters. The One-Stop Patriot Shop in Chesapeake offers a wide spectrum of […]

   

• No Impact Woman: Broadside Talks to Director Colin Beavan’s Wife

  Lifestyle September 14, 2009 at 12:06 pm Comments are Disabled

  Josh Hylton, Staff Writer No Impact Man is a new documentary that portrays the life of a family in New York City who attempt to live for one year without having any negative impact on the environment. Recently, Broadside had a chance to speak with Michelle Beavan on her experiences. Broadside: What was the idea behind this year-long project? My husband, Colin Beavan, he writes books for a living, and in 2006 he really wanted to write about global warming. He wanted to change his focus, and so he came up with this idea about trying to live in New York City for a year without making any environmental impact, any negative environmental impact. He asked me if I would join him because he wanted to write a book about it, and so that was the genesis of the whole thing. It began with the book basically. Considering how much impact each human being does have on the environment, what was the breaking point for you? What was it that made you and Colin decide that doing this was a good idea? Colin came up with the idea in late 2006, and I had recently seen An Inconvenient Truth. It […]