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FRONT PAGE CAMPUS & COMMUNITY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES SPORTS OPINION BACK PAGEThe Badger Beat with Charlie Viana
I killed the Yankees
Moving to New England not only killed the Yankees, but it rejuvenated the once jinxed Red Sox.
Coming from Long Island to go to school in Vermont and being a diehard Yankee fan, 2003 was scripted perfectly for me, except for the outcome of the World Series. Defeating the Red Sox in game seven of the ALCS with a walk off home run by Aaron Boone, it didn’t get any better than that. Losing to the eventual world champion Marlins hurt a little, but hey, you can’t win it all every year.
This is where it all went down hill. The curse of the Bambino seemed like it was going to last forever, until 2004 came along. The Red Sox hadn’t won The World Series in 86 years, and there was nothing better than reminding Red Sox fans about that.
Yankees blew a 3-0 in the ALCS to the Red Sox; the Red Sox win the World Series. Could it possibly get any worse? The answer is: yes.
The Yankees from 2004 till this year made the playoffs every year but lost in the ALDS each of the years. To add insult to injury, the Red Sox come back again in the ALCS this year, this time to beat the Indians, get to the World Series, and defeat the Rockies to win it again.
What else is there to say to a Red Sox fan, except the 26 championships the Yankees have accumulated over their illustrious existence? The answer is nothing.
The Yankees haven’t won it since 2000 and next year they will be without their skipper Joe Torre, who led them to four championships in five years. I hope my destruction of the Yankees didn’t have anything to do with running Joe out of New York.
Having nothing to say and having to hear all about 2004 and now 2007, it might be safe to say that I have killed the curse of the Bambino, and perhaps created my own curse on the Yankees.
So what I guess it comes down to is I am apologizing to the Yankees and their fans, because since I invaded Red Sox country in 2003, things just haven’t been the same.
Rugby Takes Number Eight Seed
The last time was about 12 years ago. It is something that most people at Johnson probably never knew about, the last time that Johnson’s Rugby team made the playoffs.
Being the eight seed in this year’s playoffs meant the team would have to travel down to play number one seed Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I.
Not only was this year’s playoff game a huge building block for the program’s future, it also had special meaning to one of Johnson’s players. Senior Roger Berard blew his knee out in 2003 when he was a member of Endicott College’s football team, when they were playing Salve Regina.
The team was expecting about 20 JSC students to cheer them on in Rhode Island. “This year we have a very strong fan base,” says junior veteran RJ Fleming.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The badgers suffered a 40-5 loss to Salve Regina., on Saturday Oct. 27.
With the loss, this year’s success in the fall only makes the future for Johnson State Rugby look that much brighter.
“Expect more players, all of ourloses were very close and we made a name for ourselves,” says junior Dave Marcucilli.
“This year’s team is the best team I ever played for at Johnson, and I hope to build for years to come,” junior Chaz Perry says.
Being a club sport, rugby does not get the recognition or accolades that other varsity sports at Johnson receive. Instead of taking coach buses to away games, they pack 25 guys on the team into vans. This being said, no one questions the passion and pride that these young men display for their sport.
“We have been playing together for so long and we never had such a strong veteran upper class. It makes it a lot easier to put rookies into the game with this group of veterans,” says the senior Berard.
This year’s team finished with a 2-3 overall record and locked up the number eight seed in the New England Rugby Football Union Division IV playoffs. There are 16 teams that are in the division and the top eight teams make the playoffs.
Johnson welcomed a new coach to the program this year, John Sweeney, a former player at Johnson.
“Bonding between players and a lot of credit goes to our coach,” Marcucilli adds about the success of this year’s team.
This year’s rookie class has had a lot of experience, a lot of them playing in high school, which the veterans acknowledge as a key part of their success.
“This year’s rookies are so dedicated. We as veterans have so much respect for their dedication and it makes our job so much easier out there on the field,” Perry adds.
“We have a really good rookie class to take over the program. Anyone who comes onto the team will be lucky to have players like that,” says Berard
“Everyone on the team works really hard. There were 20 guys at practices this year, the most since I have been playing here,” Fleming says.
Johnson’s best year prior to this year’s playoff team came in the spring of 2006. Johnson went 6-1 and won the Preston Cup, which is a tournament that involves Johnson, Lyndon State, Castleton State, and Green Mountain College. In the fall team plays five games, and in the spring it is more tournament oriented, which the guys call the “fun” season.
A Hard Road for the Badgers
In the North Atlantic Conference quarterfinals for men’s soccer, number one seed Castleton beat the Badgers 2-0 on Sunday, Oct. 28 at Castleton, ending the season with a loss for JSC, despite some outstanding work between the pipes by junior keeper Andy Lane.
The game was scoreless for the first 76 minutes, and then Castleton put one past Lane, who recorded seven saves.
Less than three minutes later, Castleton added an insurance goal to preserve the 2-0 victory, ending the Badger’s season.
The Lady Badgers also closed the season with a loss, this one at the NAC quarterfinals at number one seed University of Maine Farmington on Saturday, Oct. 27, when they lost to Farmington 6-1.
The lone goal for the Badgers came from junior Staci Cutting 81 minutes into the game, preventing a shutout. Freshman Jenna Wulfson played the first 68 minutes in goal, posting seven saves. Freshman Emma Porrett made two saves after taking over for Wulfson.