Sports

• MLB Best and Worst Signings and Trades

  Sports February 2, 2010 at 6:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor It Takes Two to Close After exhibiting a reluctance to spend money last offseason, many teams have taken a different route this winter, signing relief pitchers – not even the premium guys – to multi-year contracts. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signing Fernando Rodney for two years and $11 million to consolidate the back-end of the bullpen poses a challenge for Brian Fuentes. Despite picking up a career-high and major league-leading 48 saves, Fuentes blew seven save opportunities and had his lowest strikeout rate in his career. The Rodney acquisition may signify the Angels’ distrust in Fuentes holding the closer incumbency without a little competition. With the Detroit Tigers last season, Rodney converted 37 of 38 saves. Known for his mid-90s gas, Rodney saw his groundball rate swell to 57.9 percent with his effective changeup. Yet, in spite of the positive aspects from 2009, Rodney still struggled with his control. He walked 4.88 batters per nine innings (BB/9), an improvement from 6.69 BB/9 in 2008, but in addition to a plunge in his strikeout rate, his strikeout-to-walk ratio actually decreased as well. Rodney’s role for 2010 is undetermined since Fuentes will likely reprise his […]

   

• New Faces, New Impact

  Sports February 2, 2010 at 6:16 pm Comments are Disabled

  Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer The men’s volleyball team started their season last Saturday against Lees-McRae College. The Patriots finished last season with a 14-16 overall record and a 5-7 conference record. With new faces and a changed lineup, the team looks to be as strong as ever. “We are going to be a more evenly balanced team than we were last year,” said Head Coach Fred Chao. “We won’t be necessarily as big, especially in our outside hitter’s slots, but I think the quality of the volleyball players that we are going to have in those positions is going to be very good.” Senior outside hitter Luke Maloney and junior outside hitter and libero Eric Lucas are key players on the court. “[Maloney and Lucas] are our best overall volleyball players,” said Chao. “We are going to need them on the court on whatever capacity” said Chao. Lucas switched his position from libero to outside hitter for this season. He was the starting libero last season, leading the team with 309 digs, the highest single-season total in school history and the second-best total of all time. After having a great season in 2009, Maloney enters his last season at Mason. […]

   

• Gateway to Fame: Steroid Users in Jeopardy

  Sports February 2, 2010 at 6:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Chris DeMarco, Staff Writer The past decade of baseball has been deemed the “Steroids Era” of the game. Over the past four years, the game’s writers have had a very difficult decision to make in regards to one of the faces of that era. Four years ago, Mark McGwire became eligible for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was unable to receive the required 75 percent, getting around 23 percent each year. This begs the question: should those who have taken steroids deserve to be elected into the Hall of Fame? I believe so, and numerous other respectable writers in the game believe so as well. For as long as I have followed baseball, steroids seemed to have been involved in the game. In the case of McGwire, he took steroids that were deemed “legal” and took them during a time in baseball in which drug testing was not mandatory. Steroids do not always make you hit the baseball better or help you play in the field. They do not enhance your hand-eye coordination, which many argue that the most important skill needed to be successful in the game. All they do is make you bigger and buffer. […]

   

• Wildcats Pounce on Patriots: Patriots Hold Their Own Against Experienced Teams During Basketball Games in Puerto Rico

  Sports December 1, 2009 at 4:42 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor Since the team’s run in the 2006 National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four, the George Mason University men’s basketball team had not played an opponent ranked as high as the fifth-ranked Villanova Wildcats. While many were expecting them to put up a relatively weak showing with a young team against a strong, experienced team in Villanova, the Patriots came to Puerto Rico and appeared to be in complete control of the game until the final seconds, losing on a 3-point shot with 15 seconds left in regulation. Mason opened with a strong showing, maintaining ball control and time of possession throughout the first half. Showing his clock awareness, sophomore guard Andre Cornelius held the ball with great shot clock awareness, making shots as the clock ran out from the 2-point area to deep beyond the 3-point arch. Consistency in free throw shooting also led to a controlling lead. Led by junior guard Cam Long, who made all of his six free throws, Mason went 27-of-37 at the line in the game. Lack of ball control led to Villanova making runs in the second half. Mason’s aggressive game speed got the best of them as they […]

   

• The French Connection: Freshman Midfielder Achieving Soccer Dreams the Other Way

  Sports December 1, 2009 at 4:41 pm Comments are Disabled

  Donald O’Mahony, Staff Writer Skipping senior year of high school, being away from family, living in another country and speaking a different language for a chance to play soccer requires commitment and a strong passion for the game. For some, this decision would be difficult, but for freshman midfielder Derek Markheim, the choice could not have been easier. Markheim spent the last two years in France with the youth academy at Amiens FC, a professional soccer team currently in the third division. For him, this was an opportunity to work towards his childhood dream. “A manager saw me at a tournament I was playing in,” said Markheim. “He came up to me and said he thought I had what it takes to make it with his club and asked if I wanted to go to France.” Although the decision was easy for Markheim, his parents were not as immediately enthralled with the idea. “It was hard for them, but they knew how badly I wanted to be a [professional] player,” said Markheim. “They were willing to let me chase my dreams.” At first, the biggest struggle for Markheim was living in a country with no knowledge of the language. “The […]

   

• In My Own Words: Final Four: Setting Up for the Excitement and Looking for Closure

  Sports December 1, 2009 at 4:40 pm Comments are Disabled

  Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer We concluded our regular season schedule with a victory against our rival, the James Madison Dukes. We finished the regular season with a 21-8 record and qualified for the CAA Tournament as the third seed. Today, we look to prolong our season as we face the second-ranked Delaware Blue Hens at Virginia Commonwealth University. The winner in our match and the winner in the matchup between the top-seeded VCU Rams and the William & Mary Tribe will face off in the conference championship tomorrow. With our season reaching its end, we have been reflecting about our team and where we stand in the conference playoffs. I am proud to say that we are not the same team as we were in August; we are more confident and mindful of the game. These strengths were built with a lot of sweat, hours in the gym and time on the court. I am also proud to say that we have been playing our finest volleyball since I came to George Mason University. During the spring and all throughout the season, we had one goal in mind. Our goal was to make it to the tournament. This year, the […]

   

• Inside the Locker Room: A Closer Look at the Cleveland Cavaliers

  Sports December 1, 2009 at 4:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  Cody Norman, Staff Writer There is just something about multi-million dollar athletes that cause people to mistake them for superhuman beings with fat pockets and big heads. I was given the unique opportunity to explore the depths of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ locker room before and after the game on Saturday night Nov. 14 against the Utah Jazz. I discovered that the exact opposite was true of these professionals. They’re just people like you and me. 5:45 p.m. I arrived at the Quicken Loans Arena and took a walk down to the court. While standing courtside, Zydrunas Ilgauskas finished his warm-up, and prior to returning to the locker room, “Z” stopped to acknowledge each and every fan that called his name from the bottom row of the arena. He spent several minutes signing autographs and posing for pictures with Cavaliers fans and even a few Jazz fans along the way. I was impressed with Z’s willingness to laugh and joke with his fans after 11 years of being in the league. He was and still is a true class act. 6 p.m. Head Coach Mike Brown typically speaks to the media for about 90 minutes before the opening tip. The Cleveland […]

   

• Tough Turkeys: Giving Thanks to an Established Free Market

  Sports December 1, 2009 at 4:36 pm Comments are Disabled

  1. Compared to the other holidays, where does Thanksgiving rank in terms of your favorites? 2. What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? 3. If there was one piece of turkey left, and you and another person wanted it badly, what would you do to get it? Kelsey Bohman 1. First 2. Mashed potatoes 3. Trade one of the bread rolls Tiana Kallenberger 1. First 2. Mashed potatoes and gravy 3. Push my sisters out of the way or have a dance off with them Ryan Pearson 1. Second 2. Fried chicken 3. I probably would pay him for it. Probably spot him a five for that

   

• Get to Know Your Opponent

  Sports December 1, 2009 at 12:50 am Comments are Disabled

  Going from a 9-18 season to reaching the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament to winning the championship the hard way, the George Mason University women’s volleyball team will face another tough opponent in the Iowa State Cyclones. Recently jumping two spots to fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, the Cyclones have an impressive résumé to show for in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. While this season was a turnaround season for Mason, Iowa State successfully reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season with a school-best 25 wins in 2009. Last season, the team reached the regional final before falling to the Texas Longhorns. The Cyclones are competing at a high level with Big 12 Coach of the Year Christy Johnson-Lynch. The Cyclones are equipped with three All-Conference First Team players, including the two-time Big 12 Libero of the Year Ashley Mass, who led the conference with 537 digs. Junior outside hitter Victoria Henson finished third in the conference with 4.13 kills per set. Whereas Mason is comprised of dispersed talent, the Cyclones’ players are concentrated in the midwest region. Despite the difference in makeup of the team, both Mason and Iowa State share some similarities. As […]

   

• The Saga Continues

  Sports November 29, 2009 at 5:34 pm Comments are Disabled

  The women’s volleyball team will travel to Ames to take on the Iowa State Cyclones in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The match will start at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4. Coming off a conference championship win over the VCU Rams, Mason faces a tough challenge in the seventh-seeded Cyclones, who finished second in the Big 12 conference. Mason, the only team in the Colonial Athletic Association to have qualified for the NCAA Tournament, will look to continue their journey into the midwest with the CAA Player of the Year Holly Goode and Coach of the Year Pat Kendrick.