Eagles Perched High In ACC Standings

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Is Boston College legit? That’s the question I cannot believe I am asking myself.

As of April 11, the Eagles are 22-11 overall and sit atop the Atlantic Division of the ACC with a 9-6 record.

Read the latter part of that sentence again.

Earlier this season, BC took 2 of 3 from Florida State in Tallahassee. Those weren’t one-run games, either. The Eagles pounded Seminole pitching to win the last two games of the series, 14-6 and 12-5, respectively.

St. John’s High product Garret Smith (pictured), a sophomore, has been a two-year starter for BC. The 6-foot, 207-pound shortstop went a combined 3 for 9 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Eagles in the April 11 doubleheader against Wake Forest (a 23-2 and 4-2 BC sweep). Smith’s hitting .298 with a homer and 28 RBIs. He has also scored 24 times. Defensively, he’s just as solid with a .954 fielding percentage (he’s committed seven errors in 33 games).

JB MacDonald has been stellar in the starting rotation. He’s 4-3 with a 2.70 ERA. MacDonald has allowed just 21 runs – 17 of them earned – in 56-2/3 innings. He has 46 strikeouts to just 20 walks.

In Game 1 against Wake Forest on April 11, MacDonald threw a complete game, allowing two runs on just three hits. He struck out four and walked just one.

While it’s still early – conference tournaments don’t start until the end of May for Division 1 – the Eagles have proven that grit and determination can certainly lead to a team hanging tough with the elite of the conference.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the May 1-3 series against Miami (Fla.) when the Hurricanes come to Chestnut Hill. Right now, the Eagles are better on the road (14-6) than they are at home (5-3), however you can chalk that up to the fact that they play many of their early games down south due to the New England weather.

So, to answer my question: Yes. For now, anyway. There's still plenty of baseball to be played, but it's certainly fun to see a team up north sitting atop the standings of the ACC.

Any more room on the BU bandwagon?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Well, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the biggest college hockey fan in the world, but during the NCAA tournament, I've been pulling for the Boston University Terriers with a little help from FFS Staff members Jim Ingram and Josh Bremberg.

I was at the Northeast Regional with Jim and Josh in Manchester, N.H., to watch BU beat Ohio State, and have been simply amazed with BU's skill -- now that's obvious everyone tells me-- and how it seems to come through in the clutch.

Tonight's championship game against Miami (OH) took the cake, however. Trailing, 3-1, late in the third period, the Terriers put together one of the greatest late-game comebacks I've ever seen, in any sport. BU, after pulling its goalie, scored two goals in a 41-second span (the equalizer with 18 seconds left in regulation) to send the game into OT.

Mind you, nothing is ever impossible but down by two goals that late, the driver was already warming up the bus and some BU fans were already sobbing (if it was you, it's OK to admit it).

Just simply mind-boggling is the only way I can describe that comeback. Lucky? Definitely. Amazing? Hell, yes.

If something like that can't get you fired up, then you're not a real sports fan and you probably shouldn't be reading anything on fanfanaticsports.blogspot.com

Regardless of who ended up winning, that final minute of play in the third period is one I'll never forget. Neither will BU or Miami (Ohio).

In OT, both teams had great scoring chances, but the Terriers delivered the final blow with a goal that deflected off a defenseman and high into the air and over the goalie and into the net to send the BU faithful into a frenzy.

It was a fitting ending to an amazing comeback for the top-seeded Terriers. 

I hope the BU bandwagon has room for one more fanatic now!

College Hockey awards handed out in DC

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Hobey Baker  Award:

The Friday night in between the national semifinals and the national championship is always awards night for NCAA Men's Ice Hockey. As expected, Boston University went away as the big winners.  Matt Gilroy, BU's sensational senior defenseman, took home the coveted Hobey Baker Award.  For those who don't know, the Hobey Baker is hockey's version of the Heisman Trophy. Gilroy now has the chance to put the cherry on top of one of the best careers in BU history with a win tonight in the National Championship.  He is now a three time First Team All American, a Hobey Baker winner and an all around good person.  His main competition for the award was teammate Colin Wilson and Northeastern goalie Brad Theissen.  While Thiessen did have a great season, and career with the Huskies, Colin Wilson was the one who was giving him more competition.  Ultimately, character is a huge consideration in the award, and no one in the country has more character than Gilroy.  Gilroy was a walk on forward his freshman year and was on the verge of being cut by Jack Parker due to too many right handed forward.  In an attempt to make the team, Gilroy suggested a shot at defensemen and the story really takes over from there.  Gilroy is the first Terrier to win the award since Chris Drury in 1998. 

First Team All Americans:  

East First Team

G Brad Thiessen, JR, Northeastern (Aldergrove, BC)

D Matt Gilroy, SR, Boston University*# (North Bellemore, NY)

D Zach Miskovic, SR, St. Lawrence (River Forest, IL)

F David McIntyre, JR, Colgate (Pefferlaw, ON)

F Viktor Stalberg, JR, Vermont (Gothenburg, Sweden)

F Colin Wilson, SO, Boston University (Winnipeg, MB)

West First Team

G Alex Stalock, JR, Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth (So. St. Paul, MN)

D Ian Cole, SO, Univ. of Notre Dame (Ann Arbor, MI)

D Jamie McBain, JR, Univ. of Wisconsin (Faribault, MN)

F Louie Caporusso, SO, Univ. of Michigan (Woodbridge, ON)

F Aaron Palushaj, SO, Univ. of Michigan (Northville, MI)

F Ryan Stoa, JR, Univ. of Minnesota (Bloomington, MN)

College hockey Rookie of the Year:

Boston University takes home yet another award.  Keiran Milan, the 19 year old Edmonton native, who's sensational play has led the Terriers to the National Championship takes home a huge piece of hardware this weekend.  He currently has a 27-2-3 record, an NCAA record for a freshman goalie, an .891 winning percentage, best in the country for 2009, and a 1.85 GAA.  

From all accounts, I am a BU Terrier homer.  I am OK with that, but I can also be critical.  I didn't just pick them to win it all because of my affiliation with the club.  I picked them because they have the best team in the country, and apparently College Hockey experts agree with me.  

I hope you all enjoy the championship game tonight and check out my post game review tomorrow morning.

Have a happy Easter!

Top college players should avoid attending the NFL Draft

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Don't get me wrong. I love the National Football League (NFL), but come on. The NFL now is expanding the number of players it invites to the draft in New York on April 24-25 to at least 10, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Apparently they usually invite six players that they think will be top picks, but now they want more players sweating it out in the green room. This is all about television and the NFL, not the players.

I can't help but think about in 2005 when QB Aaron Rodgers was suppose to be a top-10 pick, at worst, and then after every pick, there would be that annoying camera zooming in on his face --he looked like he was going to lose his lunch. Rodgers' downright terrible experience continued until the Green Bay Packers finally rescued him -- with the 24th overall pick, mind you -- and put a slight smile on his face. It was more like a relieved look than anything, he just wanted out of that room.

So the NFL wants to invite at least 10, including players with compelling stories? Are you serious? You need these kids live at the draft to get their story out there? What about doing a feature or profile on one or more of these players before the draft and then air it during the draft to break up the dead air when Mel Kiper's birds nest hair piece steals valuable minutes away from the athletes who will be experiencing one of their best days of their lives.

But no, there will be at least one defenseless player -- and it could be more since the draft is so unpredictable -- who will be stuck in the green room with his family and be tortured by those relentless cameras. It's like the Alligator Man at the carnival, everyone wants to see him, but imagine what's going through Mr. Alligator's mind when everyone's laughing at him.

I love the draft probably more than most, but watching a player in the green room and then when he comes out to shake commissioner Roger Goodell's hand and puts on the hat and holds the jersey of the team that drafted him is not the most exciting part of the day for me. It's just hearing the announcement of who your favorite team selected, that's where the rush of a fan comes into play.

Plus, in New York, even if you're taken by the Jets, that guy is going to get booed right off the stage, anyway. Have they ever liked one of their picks?

Attention players: Stay home and enjoy this experience with your family and don't be subjected to the torture the NFL Draft inflicts on you if you're not selected in the top 10 of the draft. 

The wait in the green room doesn't appear to be as fun as waiting to get on a ride at Disney, does it? 

Also, don't get laughed at like the Alligator Man does. 

Lack of Coverage for the Sake of Tradition

By Matt Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I just wanted to get this out there this morning because this has been eating away at me for two days now.

A couple days back I wrote a Masters prediction with the hope of following some of the golfers I listed on TV. With all of the hype to the 2009 Masters Tournament, you would think a golf fan would be able to watch most of it on TV live. I understand that ESPN wouldn't dedicate 10 hours of programming to the Tournament, but doesn't golf have its own channel, The Golf Channel, to show early portions of the first couple of rounds of tournaments. They do it all the time.

At first I was thinking that it had to be a money thing, but it's not. The Chairman of the Masters, Hootie Johnson, pictured above, wants the tournament to stay with tradition and not be seen on live TV. I understand that back when the the first Masters took place there was no such thing as a TV, well there has been for a long time now. This year actually is the most live coverage there has ever been for this event, and it's pathetic. The fans could only have watched riveting live golf between 4:00pm and 7:30pm on both Thursday and Friday. Oh yeah, that's after 75% of the golfers were done for the day. This is an increase in coverage from a few years back when they refused to let the first two rounds be televised at all.

The tourney brass has thrown the fans a bone though, the ability to watch holes 11, 12, 15, and 16 on the internet. WOW four holes, thanks Chief. Speaking of the internet, pgatour.com has a great tool on its site called "Shot Tracker". Shot Tracker allows you to track any golfer's shots, distances to the hole, what the type of lie the golfer has, and other cool features in case you can't watch on TV. Yet again, Johnson has dropped the ball and does not allow pgatour.com to use this feature, or even there own leaderboard. When clicking on leaderboard on there site it instantly brings you directly to the Masters site, talk about controlling everything. This is one of the four Majors in golf and it seems as if the brain trust of The Masters, Hootie Johnson, doesn't want you to see it because of tradition.

FFS needs your help!

By the Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The site has been live now for nearly a month, and everyone here at FFS has been having a great time getting this up and running.  Now the staff is excited to start taking us to the next level.  As I mentioned in the title of this blog, we need the help of our loyal fans.  Please provide us with feedback on the following items and anything else you can think of:

1. The look and feel of the website

2. The quality of content

3. The quality of our staff

4. Overall likes and dislikes

5. Other sports we should be covering

6. The new slogan

We're trying to build a site that is fun and informative for you to visit on a daily, or hourly, basis. Over the next few weeks, we'll be unveiling the Fan Fanatic Sports logo.  Along with that we'll be providing our loyal readers with all new FFS merchandise.  You'll be seeing t-shirts, hats, beer steins and window clings.  All of this leads up the our move to our permanent site location.  This week we bought the domain name www.fanfanaticsports.com.  All of your input will help us build the new and exciting site.  

From all hear at Fan Fanatic Sports, we thank you very much for your support.  Please let us know what we can do better and remember, "We're not your ordinary fans!"

Have a great Easter and Passover weekend

National Championship Preview: The year of the Terrier

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

If you didn't tune in for the 2nd national semifinal last night, then you missed one hell of a hockey game.  The Vermont Catamounts gave the top seeded Boston University Terriers more than a run for their money.  The Terriers quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to a beautifully tipped shot by Colin Wilson and another by Jason Lawrence.  Many a BU fan thought the game was over from there.

Boy, were they wrong.  The Terriers couldn't stay out of the penalty box, so the Catamounts played the majority of the 2nd period with a man advantage.  Vermont answered with three straight goals in the 2nd period thanks to BU's freshman goalie Kieran Milan.  Milan looked like he was ready to wilt under the pressure at times.  He let in two soft goals during the game, one of which was unacceptable.  Freshman Vinny Saponari tied the game with 1:21 left in the 2nd period to get BU back on the right track.  

The 3rd period was one of the most exciting periods of hockey I've seen all year, regardless of the level.  Vermont showed the Terriers time after time they weren't the least bit intimidated by them, or by the stage.  Vermont scored their 2nd power play goal of the game with about 11 minutes left.  From there, the Catamounts started to make BU fans nervous.  With just under 6 minutes left in the game, Chris Higgins scored his 14th goal of the season on an odd man rush. Higgins was attempting to pass the puck to Jason Lawrence for a quick snap shot, but the puck was deflected of a Vermont defender and went in the net.  The goal was reminiscent of the game winner two weeks ago versus New Hampshire with 15 seconds left. From there, BU took over the game.  With 4:41 seconds left in the game Colin Wilson was in the right place on a deflection right in front of Vermont's goalie Rob Madore for the his 2nd goal of the game and the ultimate game winner.  

It was a phenomenal game to watch, and the single most important player in the game was Hobey Baker finalist Colin Wilson.  The sophomore, most likely headed to Nashville after the season, was by far the best and most electric player on the ice.  

The first national semifinal of the night was somewhat of a blowout.  The first period was a tight, well played scoreless period between Miami (Ohio) and Bemidji State.  Miami dominated much of the game and scored 3 of their 4 goals in the 2nd period.  Miami did an amazing job of crowding the Beavers passing and shooting lanes.  Every time a Bemidji State player tried to bring the puck up the ice, a Red Hawk defender was there.  Not only did Miami play well on the defensive end, they also had 37 shots on net.  An amazing barrage, that if not for Bemidji State freshman Matt Dalton, would have been even more of a lopsided end.  

Miami does have a tall task Saturday night.  They're playing a Terrier team that withstood a tough game they could have easily lost.  BU's goalie can now relax and settle down because he knows his offense can help bail him out if necessary.  BU can't take the Red Hawk's lightly either as they've looked so impressive since the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Prediction:  4-2 Boston University.  I've called it all along.  They have too much talent not to win this game.  They have the best offense in the nation, 3 solid defensive parings and the best goalie in the nation.  

Make sure to see my championship game review on Sunday morning.