Saturdays at McGuirk

Sometimes you have to have something taken away before you can really appreciate it.

That’s why this football season is so important to me.

During my time at UMass, I supported the team and went to at least three games a season. I enjoyed every minute of it, but there was this general feeling of apathy I wasn’t prepared for. Students didn’t care, there was very little marketing, and the label of I-AA seemed to take something away from the experience.

I remember telling my friend Mike that I would rather see the basketball team win the NIT Championship than the football team go the distance. It didn’t matter as much to me. It was simply a buffer sport before basketball season.

Then I graduated

For the past two falls, my interest in this team has grown exponentially. As I became further detached from life in Amherst I realized that I had taken Saturdays at McGuirk for granted. Now, for the first time since 2001, it looks like I’m not going to make a game – unless they go back to Chattanooga.

I think the Minutemen have a shot, and I hope all of the early hype doesn’t put a jinx on them. However, a No. 3 ranking, a junior quarterback that is already getting consideration for the Walter Payton Award, and a linebacker that might be the best in the FCS are all reasons to be excited.

While the Maroon and White continue in a positive direction, I am starting to realize that there are a lot of people that are just like I was. They want lights, they want a better stadium and, more than anything else, they want to move up to Division IA.

I personally just don’t care anymore.

After reading Mark’s column on Sunday, I started thinking about the amount of people that care more about the visible status of the team than the team itself. “Fans” are demanding changes, but the team is already an impressive product.

UMass has an identity on the football field, and I believe it works on this level and will work on the next – if there is a next. It’s a strong defense and a grind-it-out offense, and Coach Don Brown is the perfect front man for that style.

I envy all of you that get a chance to see this team out in Amherst. Enjoy the tailgate – even though it has a time restriction now – and fill that place up again.

I’ll get my fill of college football at a few CU games this year. Problem is, whenever I’m at Folsom Field on a football Saturday, I’m always wondering what the UMass score is.

I text friends between downs and try to figure out what’s going on via two staple responses: “You don’t want to know” and “Looking good.”

I typically stand out in the crowd, too. I wear my UMass hat, shirt and jacket and sit with my group of CU friends in the student section.

I’m the maroon dot half-paying attention in a sea of gold.

Let’s get this thing started

Oh yea baby — it’s football season.

The 2007 Walter Payton candidates were announced, and not only does the Colonial Athletic Association have four on the list … one of them is UMass’ own Liam Coen.

Yes, he’s only a junior — one of four on the list.

Here’s the article from The Sports Network. Here’s the official release from UMass media relations.

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The CAA has its first game tonight when William & Mary takes on Delaware at Zable Stadium in Williamburg. As much as this game means for all of us new CAA fans, it means a whole lot more to Commissioner Tom Yeager.

Apparently he’s been working on getting football in the CAA since 1985.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote an article about the CAA taking on football and got some insights from the man on top and Andy Talley, head coach of Villanova. I like what he had to say:

“When we were in the Yankee Conference, and we went to the Atlantic 10, the upgrade was terrific, and I think the same thing applies as we move into the CAA,” Talley said. “The upgrade is tremendous. It’s obvious they wanted a football league. You have an opportunity to develop a nice TV package and have a lot of exposure in the East. We have a commissioner who wants to do this thing well and has. Everything I’ve seen so far has been positive.

For some reason, Linda Bruno never got “this thing.”

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USA Today had an article on Championship Subdivision teams (I-AA) playing Bowl Subdivision teams (I-A) and the payouts and issues that come with these games.

UMass is mentioned at the bottom. Apparently Boston College is giving the old Maroon and White $225,000 to come to the dump in Chestnut Hill. There is nothing better than paying a CS team to come in and kick your ass.

Here’s the article.

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Seacoast online has a CAA preview, and UMass is No. 1.

I love it.

Here’s the article.

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The UMass field hockey team won its first home game of the season — 1-0 over Sacred Heart. Cher King had the game’s only goal.

Check out the official release.

The Olde UMass Try

The Patriot Ledger — one of the two big South Shore papers. The other is the Brockton Enterprise — put together a nice article on the UMass football team and its upcoming season.

As in other articles, the Ledger appears to have a few quotes from media day — especially the vintage “live in the past, die in the present” line from Coach Brown. Other than that Paul Kenney, the author, put together a nice piece and is the first to dive into a cliché I have been using as a joke with my friends for years.

Giving a “UMass Effort” (we used to call it the “Olde UMass Try” but close enough):

Last year’s Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year also defined what he proudly refers to as ‘‘UMass Effort.’’

‘‘We still believe this is a tough game for tough people. And by ‘UMass Effort’ I mean going hard and playing fast all the time. Aggressive. Our philosophy around here is to have players who like playing aggressively and attack people. After all, when you go into battle you want to be aggressive. I want to see intensity. If they’re doing that we can fix all the rest of the stuff. We want guys who play fast and love to play the game.’’

I also like what he did with the transfer situation. He got a pretty good quote from coach, but I’ll let the article speak for itself.

Brown is putting a lot of emphasis on speed this year. One must wonder if he’s still having nightmares about Appalachian State and that pesky Armanti Edwards.

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The UMass field hockey team (0-1) has its home opener against Sacred Heart (1-1) at 6 p.m. EST. It will be the first home game for new head coach Justine Sowry.

Gametracker – I had no idea they had this for field hockey, but that’s pretty sweet.

To begin, a loss

Well, the 2007/`08 UMass athletics season started with a loss, but it was close.

The UMass field hockey team fell to Syracuse 1-0 in the first athletic event of the season. Local goalie Becky Letourneau put together a solid game for the Minutewomen with four saves.

It was Justine Sowry’s first game as head coach for UMass. She replaces Patty Shea, who coached in Amherst for 10 years. She did not have her contract renewed after last season.

Here’s the UMassAthletics.com article, and here’s what Syracuse had to say.

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The Boston media finally decided that its state university was deserving of some football coverage — imagine that.

The Boston Herald had two articles about the UMass football team, both written by Rich Thompson.

Here’s his Colonial Athletic Association rundown, and here’s his five questions for the team, which I think is a pretty damn good article.

Now what about the Boston Globe? Is Amherst still too far away for you guys?

Is the phone still too far away?

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Here’s an article about three of the Duquesne basketball players that sat out last year and will play this upcoming season.

Stuard Baldonado is a particularly interesting part of this story. He missed last year due to academics and because he was recovering from a gunshot wound at the infamous party where five Duquesne players were shot.

From Baldonado:

“There never was a moment last year when I thought I might never play again,” said Baldonado, who has regained the 20 pounds he lost following the shooting and is back to his playing weight of 225. “I was thinking it will take me a lot of recovering to come back. I was thinking I’m a tough guy … I knew the hard work it would take for me to recover. I have regular motion of my shoulder now, and it doesn’t bother me.

“I’m still out there hitting, banging around, so I feel like I’m still the player I was. I still got that toughness in me.”

Wow, the Dukes are going to be a handful this year.

Welcome to Worcester

Very slow day on the sport’s front, but I did find some stuff in the Worcester Telegram in regards to the football team.

Carl Setterlund did an outlook piece on the Maroon and White and got the same quotes from Coach Brown that every other paper got. Essentially, Brown has been playing the “forget about last year” card over and over and over again.

Let’s hope it works.

Here’s the article.

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James Carven, a redshirt freshman for the Maroon and White, is briefly mentioned in this article by Bill Doyle.

Not too much else to report, so I’ll just let it speak for itself.

Open Practice

Hey UMass fans, this is your team.

By Mark Coogan

Believe it or not, Fall and football are right around the corner, and Minuteman fans have pigskin fever.

From internet message boards to the boardrooms of Boston people are busy talking about UMass football. But for the most part that buzz doesn’t include the Minutemen’s chances for a return trip to Chattanooga, the newly formed Colonial football conference in which the school now plays, or the prospects for another sold out game at McGuirk this year.

No, it seems that most people would rather talk about the chances for securing funding for facility upgrades, when and if the Big East will extend an invitation, and the prospective attendance for a game against Directional Florida in November of 2014.

The announcement that the university has initiated another FBS/I-A feasibility study combined with another round of conference migration rumblings coming out of the Big 10 and the ever present hope that UMass makes the “big time” has fueled yet another wave of UMass to I-A talk.

While a proponent of an upgrade if the proper situation ever materializes, I find the constant debate to be disheartening and tedious. I’m glad that so many UMass fans are passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated to the concept of big time football on campus, but where is that passion and dedication to the current Minuteman football program?

Mark Whipple and Don Brown have established the school as a powerhouse on the FCS landscape. As JuCo transfer punter Brett Arnold said recently, “This is the place to be in I-AA right now.” Yet, attendance and support pale in comparison to t he other power schools at this level. The relatively few UMass fans that made it to Tennessee for last year’s championship found themselves a splash of maroon in a sea of Mountaineer yellow. One got the feeling during last year’s playoff game against UNH that it may have been the first time many current students stepped foot into McGuirk. Do these people realize what they’re missing by waiting on the sidelines until UMass starts playing “real” college football?

This year’s team features excellent returning receivers in J.J. Moore and Rasheed Rancher, a power and speed duo at running back with Tony Nelson and Matt Lawrence, a defense that features I-A All-American transfer Jeromy Miles and a quarterback who led the team to the national championship in only his sophomore year in Liam Coen.

The team goes into the season voted as the 3rd best team in all the land, features three I-AA All-Americans in Jason Hatchell, Matt Austin, and Brad Listorti, and will play another challenging schedule that includes a trip to Chestnut Hill to battle the hated Boston College Eagles. There is plenty to get excited about when thinking of the upcoming season.

Yet to scan the Internet message boards, people seem more inclined to talk about potential stadium renovations and projected TV revenues. The I-A goal is fine, but let’s make sure to support the current team equally as much. Putting overwhelming energy behind the program now will only propel the upgrade dream.

I-AA to I-A Cinderellas Boise State and Marshal have had success because they were able to carry over the huge enthusiasm that was already there well before I-A was even a thought. Those fans knew there was quality and entertaining football being played by the Herd and Broncos no matter what silly label the NCAA had attached to it. A returner weaving through tackles to bring a punt all the way back or a defensive back leaping to unthinkable heights to pull do wn an interception gets the heart pumping whether you’re watching in a Big 10 stadium or on a Pop Warner field.

I think a basketball coaching legend from rural Indiana said it best:

“I would hope you support who we are, not who we are not. These six individuals have made a choice to work, a choice to sacrifice, to put themselves on the line 23 nights in the next 4 months to represent you, this High School. That kind of commitment and effort deserves and demands your respect. This is your team.”

No doubt Norman Dale would argue there is no better place for Minuteman fans to dream their I-A dreams than sitting in the stands of McGuirk Alumni Stadium this fall.

“Open Practice” is a Sunday column written for Between Mullins and McGuirk by one of its readers. If you are interested in writing, send an e-mail to BobMcGovern@gmail.com.

Two more UMass recruits

Pretty slow Friday, but I did catch wind of a few recruits I haven’t heard much about.

Once again Adam Zagoria, a staff writer at the Herald News in West Paterson, N.J., has the scoop on some players UMass is eyeing. Apparently the Minutemen are trying to package Kevin Jones and Mookie Jones — no, they’re not related.

Here’s the UMass-pertinent stuff:

Kevin (Jones) and Gerard said Seton Hall, Rutgers, UMass, Miami, Kansas and UCLA were also involved, and that Kevin could take unofficial visits to Seton Hall and Rutgers.

And then…

Many schools — including Kansas, Miami, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Georgetown and UMass — are also trying to recruit Kevin as a package deal with Mookie Jones of Peekskill (NY) High (left). The two are not related, but are close friends.

Here’s the article. Hopefully this isn’t one of those Olivier Lamoureux package deals. You know, where only the lesser player comes and then leaves after making less than zero impact.

Here’s Zag’s stuff, this guy has a knack for this stuff.

Rhymer getting love, Chaney heading to UF

NBA.com did a little write up on the Virgin Islands’ national basketball team, which is anchored by former Minuteman Kitwana Rhymer. He’s listed as one of the team’s strengths.

Here’s the article.

By the way, I had no clue that Kit was 29. Isn’t that how old Jackie Rogers was during his senior year?

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Looks like the Allan Chaney saga has come to a close.

According to Scout.com, Chaney has given a verbal commitment to the University of Florida. Go here and scroll down to the bottom.

Well, at least Travis Ford knows talent when he sees it.

Guobadia volunteers for Scranton lacrosse team

Laxpower.com reported that Efosa Guobadia, a former UMass lacrosse player, will join the University of Scranton men’s lacrosse team’s coaching staff as a volunteer assistant for the 2008 season.

Guobadia was a backup goalie for the Minutemen and switched to defensive midfield as a senior. He was a member of the 2006 team that went to the National Championship and lost to Virginia.

Here’s the article.

Good luck to you Efosa — go make a name for yourself (it’s pronounced EE-fosa GOO-bod-ee-uh).

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Somewhat random article, but the Huntington, W.Va Herald-Dispatch reported that Mark Whipple, a former UMass football coach, was watching (and enjoying) a Marshall Thundering Herd football practice.

Here’s the article.

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The Atlantic 10 has hired Kelly Webb as its assistant director of compliance.

Webb will essentially be in charge of the National Letter of Intent program and the coaches’ certification exams.

Here’s the A-10’s release.

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UMass officially announced that it will upgrade the current softball facilities for the 2008 season, which I think is fantastic. Elaine Sortino has a great program, and it deserves the very best.

The UMass softball team is one of the most dominant forces in the Atlantic 10 — in any sport. Hopefully the upgraded facility will help the already-impressive recruiting.

Overtime with Scott Neas

A Q&A with Mullins Center Operations Manager Scott Neas

For the first of many (I hope) Q & As that I’m going to conduct for this blog, I decided to do a brief (four question) interview with Scott Neas, the operations manager of the Mullins Center. Neas’ job is to overlook changeovers at the Mullins Center — most notably the change from basketball to hockey and vice versa.

He also makes sure concerts are set up correctly and basically ensures that UMass’ state-of-the-art area runs up to snuff.

Along with his Mullins Center contributions, Neas is also a alumni of the UMass Rugby Club and won the Doc Lawrence Award his senior year — an award given to the player that best represents the image of the team.

Neas is one of the underrated people in Amherst and has always been a hard worker, a solid teammate and a great friend.

Here’s what Scotty says:

How long have you been working at the Mullins Center?

I’ve been working there for almost eight years.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen?

When I saw James Maynard Keenan (the lead singer of Tool) in tighty whities on stage during the Tool concert.

What’s the best sporting event you’ve seen?

When UMass beat UConn in basketball in the final seconds in 2004. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Me too)

What is a memorable changeover that was either crazy or incredibly long?

During the first double changeover that I ran, we had four hours to change from the basketball setup to hockey — we did it in two hours and 45 minutes.

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“Overtime” is the name for any and all Q & As done for Between Mullins and McGuirk. If you have any possible interviewees or would like to share your input, e-mail BobMcGovern@gmail.com.