Diamondback Blogs

It’s eight o’clock here in College Park, and with Terp men’s basketball season done with, I figure I might as well hit the blogosphere. Usually I’d be watching Prison Break right now, but the writer’s strike assured that we’d get a shortened season.

Anyway, TV isn’t the real reason I am posting that. That’s not what this blog is for. At first I was going to write an entry about how sick to my stomach Tom Gordon makes me, but then I remembered, pro sports isn’t the point of this blog, either. So…I settled upon this food for thought…

What I want to know is whether I’m imaginative or boring for successfully picking all four number one seeds to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament? I did pick all four No. 1 seeds, and I feel pretty good about myself and my place in my “just-for-fun” pool. But when I have told people about this, they’ve laughed at me. Why? I just don’t understand. Isn’t picking something that’s NEVER happened before a risk? Daring. Bold. [Insert another synonym here]. Someone even called me lucky. I was like, “What??!! How is that lucky?”

So, what are your thoughts on this? Am I risky or boring for doing this? Post those comments below!

Saturday’s spring football was way too early. The 10 a.m. weekend start just isn’t acceptable for a college student operating on four hours of sleep per night during the school week.

Regardless, it wasn’t a bad day of practice at all. Sophomore Michael Katz and I covered the practice for The Diamondback, and we watched some pretty interesting drills.

New offensive coordinator James Franklin is an intense guy. In one drill, the offense was attempting to score on the defense in a small circle, almost like some sort of gladiator game. Every time the offense scored, all the other offensive players had to run into the circle and celebrate - or face Franklin’s wrath. Numerous tired players got screamed at for their lack of enthusiasm.

Afterward, the team worked on some goal line formations, with the offense scoring on eight of nine plays, including offensive guard Jack Griffin grabbing a fumble in the end zone.

“You ain’t gonna take that from Jack! Not from Jack!” sophomore linebacker Adrian Moten joked on the sideline.

USC transfer sophomore safety Antwine Perez (yes, a new spelling of Antoine/ Antwan/ Antwane / Anton/ Antwone) was particularly impressive in the drills, coming through with some hard hits. Perez should fit in well as senior J.J. Justice’s replacement. Justice was at practice for a while, joking around with his old teammates and talking some football.

Incoming freshman wide receiver Kenny Tate from DeMatha High School was also around, soaking in the scene that he will be joining in the summer.

Finally, around 1:30, I finished up my last interview with running backs coach John Donovan. Not having ate all day, I grabbed some Panda Express on my way through the Stamp Student Union before collapsing in my bed.

By that point, I didn’t even have enough energy to celebrate a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

ajosephdbk@gmail.com

The ending of tonight’s Terrapin baseball game against No. 19 Clemson can be summed up in one word: crazy.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning with runners on first and second base and no outs, senior centerfielder Nick Jowers put a quality bunt down the third base line. Clemson pitcher D.J. Mitchell attempted to bare-hand the bunt, bobbled it and threw it to first base to try and get Jowers out.

But Mitchell’s throw went over the first baseman’s head and towards the wall down the right field line. The lead runner, A.J. Casario, scored easily making the game 2-1. Suddenly, the Clemson players going after the ball put their hands up, signaling the ball was out of play.

The umpires made no signal and the second runner, Gerry Spessard, along with Jowers came around to score giving the Terps a brief 3-2 win.

As Clemson players argued, the umpire went to check on the ball. Somehow, a Maryland player had left his warm-up jacket lying next to the wall in the exact spot where the overthrown ball arrived. Amazingly, the ball found it’s way inside the pocket of the jacket, meaning it was out of play and the Terps had only scored one run on the play.

With Spessard on third and Jowers on second, still with no outs, the Terps couldn’t get the ball out of the infield and lost 2-1.

More on this game and the entire weekend seires Monday, but needless to say this was the most frustrating and most unbelievable Terps loss this season.

akrautdbk@gmail.com

Even though the Terrapin women’s basketball team and Duke aren’t playing each other, and aren’t even in the same NCAA tournament region, the bad blood between the rivals has been evident at Comcast Center this week.

After the Blue Devils beat Murray State in their first-round game Sunday night, coach Joanne P. McCallie apparently didn’t appreciate the hostile treatment her team received from Terp fans who remained in the arena after the Terps’ win over Coppin State.

She even went so far as to make a snappy remark about the Maryland fanbase’s collective IQ.

So at today’s press conference, a reporter asked the Terp contingent of senior forwards Crystal A. Langhorne and Laura A. Harper and coach Brenda F. Thomas “Why do you think your fans dislike Duke so much?”

The usually soft-spoken Langhorne was quickest to respond.

“It’s Duke. Come on now,” Langhorne said. “I don’t know, maybe it started with men’s basketball–you know everybody hates Duke. I mean it’s not just Maryland, everybody does. I think it just festered into our little program too, just went to the women’s side.”

Harper offered slightly less inflammatory follow-up remarks, and F. Thomas just shook her head and unsuccessfully tried to stifle her laughter.

When Duke tips off its second-round game against Arizona State on Tuesday night at 7:22–with the Terps playing Nebraska 30 minutes after the conclusion–it’s a safe bet there will be plenty of early-arriving Terp fans in attendance rooting for the Sun Devils, and heckling the Blue Devils, and it might be fun for you to join them.

Come on now. It’s Duke.

schimmeldbk@gmail.com

Next time you, the Terp fan, wants to criticize Duke, consider these facts.

Trinity College, a small Methodist University in North Carolina, was looking to move in the late 1800s. Washington Duke, a devout Methodist tobacco farmer who hit it big after returning from the Civil War with next to nothing, wanted them in Durham. So he outbid the city of Raleigh to get Trinity to move to his hometown, Durham. A little more than 30 years later, his son, James Buchanan Duke– by then one of the wealthiest men in America, gave a large endowment to the university and it changed its name to Duke to honor the late Washington Duke.

So next time you want to hate on Duke, remember the man who made your passion possible.

All this is obviously relevant because I visited the Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum in Durham this afternoon while I was trying to kill time before the Terp men’s lacrosse game at UNC. (All of the information above was courtesy of my brilliant tour guide, Jennifer.)

I learned a lot about “bright leaf” tobacco cultivation, saw a model Liberty Bell made out of tobacco and hung out with this cool animatronic tobacco farmer.

It’s a great night for lacrosse in Chapel Hill, and thanks to the P.A. announcer here, fans are well aware of Duke’s losses in men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse this afternoon. Both announcements got loud ovations from both Terp and Tar Heel fans.

There was no mention of James Buchanan Duke.

edetweilerdbk@gmail.com