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(07/15/99 9:00am)
Tickets sales for the Women's World Cup broke even the most stratospheric expectations. ABC's jaw-dropping ratings for the U.S.-China finale was the highest rated soccer event seen on U.S. televisions. Murmurs of the formation of an America women's soccer league are no longer, having been replaced with published, front-page suggestions. U.S. media outlets -- including the television commentators, newspaper columnists, and sports magazines -- all leapt aboard the face-painted adolescent bandwagon, giving the Women's World Cup its due fanfare. But people should not be blinded by the nationalistic glory and face-painted hype. The United States is still not a soccer-loving country. Had China defender Fan Yunjie's header found its way into American netting in the first overtime period of the epic final, the white-knuckle, tear-jerking victory by the Americans could easily have been a disappointing one-goal overtime snoozer. Any low-scoring loss in the championship match probably would have ripped the voice box out of advocates as quickly as they found it. That silence would probably have more effect than the undying enthusiasm has today. Being FIFA World Champions for the next four years has a nice ring to it. But President Bill Clinton, during his halftime interview, alluded to the true victory in the glory of the stars-and-stripes. Title IX, he said, was the entity to which the level of American competition should be attributed. Although it continues to have a tumultuous legislative existence, its presence continues to find consistent rewards, such as the U.S. victory on July 10. Title IX might not be perfect, but the 1991 and now 1999 United States Women's World Cup soccer champions have proven that it works. Furthermore, the two championship teams have shown that, on a global standard, America is far ahead of its time, even if the legalese behind women's opportunity began in 1972 -- 27 years ago. Not ironically, the average age of the athletes on this year's championship squad is just under 27 years old. In China, it was widely recognized that most women didn't show interest in the Women's World Cup. The 16 teams present in the tournament show how under-appreciated women's athletics are throughout most of the world; the men's World Cup featured 32 teams and a plethora more that didn't qualify. Soccer will probably never achieve the love and appreciation in America that it enjoys in most other countries. But America has the best women's team in the world's most popular sport. The best women's team. The best integration of women into the athletic mainstream. The best women's opportunity. This is our crowning glory. And a little soccer enthusiasm happened to rub off in the meantime.
(04/07/99 9:00am)
While an age-old proverb says "You can never go home again," former Penn football player Mitch Marrow is proving that maybe you can. While the NCAA thwarted Marrow's attempt to return this year for a sixth season of football, it could not stop him from taking a job in the Athletic Department. Penn confirmed reports yesterday that Marrow will replace Larry Moneta as Penn's institutional eligibility officer, the administrator in charge of ensuring that all Penn athletes meet their academic eligibility requirements. Penn selected Marrow from a long list of distinguished applicants. "It was a rigorous process," Provost Robert Barchi said. "Thankfully, we got our man." Moneta told Penn's Athletic Department earlier this week that he will be leaving to take over the same position at the University of Minnesota. "I talked to my [Minnesota men's basketball coach] Clem [Haskins] who is a buddy of mine from high school and he told me they need me over there," Moneta said. "Apparently, someone from Gonzaga found out that Minnesota was hiring people to write papers for their players and then told the NCAA about it before the two schools' first-round Tournament game." The investigative reporting worked out well for the Zags, as they beat a short-handed Minnesota team en route to a trip to the Elite Eight. In Moneta's place, Marrow, a 1998 College graduate, will stand as an inspiration to all student-athletes. Although most College students receive their diploma in four years, Marrow felt such a connection with his professors that he worked out a way to stay at Penn for five years. "I really love this place," Marrow said. "Getting to take so many independent study classes for me was a huge boost to the quality of my education. I think Penn has a great History Department." While an undergraduate at Penn, Marrow was a member of the Quakers football team from 1993 to 1997. As a defensive tackle, Marrow demonstrated natural leadership on the field. A force to be reckoned with, he left Penn as its all-time leader with 25 1/2 sacks and 24 tackles for losses. "He would scare the piss out of the opposition's quarterbacks," Penn football coach Al Bagnoli said. "We would keep Port-O-Potties on the sidelines because they'd never make it to the locker room." In his fifth and final year of eligibility, Marrow led the Quakers to a 1-9 season. Marrow personally accounted for five of the losses, as Penn forfeited those games after the season due to Marrow's academic ineligibility. Among many awards, Marrow was named first team All-Ivy two years in a row. Capping off his amazing collegiate career, Marrow was selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. After suffering a knee injury during preseason workouts last summer, Marrow was sidelined for the entire year. Under contract, the 6'5", 280-lb. defensive lineman still earned a guaranteed $1 million in '98 for sitting on the bench. After a doctor's examination in February concluded that the lineman would need to undergo more extensive surgery, Marrow decided to throw in the towel. "Throughout my years I have had enough needles injected into me," Marrow said. "It just wasn't worth the pain anymore." Although saddened that Marrow had to end what was sure to be a prolific career, Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky was ecstatic after he learned that Marrow had accepted the job. "If he didn't take it, we didn't know anyone else who would," Bilsky said. "Boy, he was a great defensive tackle." Marrow will begin his duties this fall, working hand-in-hand with former Associate Athletic Director Dennis Elton Cochran Fikes. The one-time NFL roster member will be responsible for making sure that all student's participating in intercollegiate athletics at Penn comply with the NCAA's eligibility requirements as well as for keeping up-to-date with the latest rules. "I know a lot about what goes on at the campus," Marrow said. "Ya know, behind closed doors and stuff. I spent four, no, five years trying to get the whole eligibility thing right. I really can't wait to help others."
(04/06/98 9:00am)
The Penn baseball team fell to 4-4 in Ivy League play with four close losses to Brown and Yale. The Penn baseball team had four more Ivy League wins within their grasp, but it simply couldn't hang on. Couldn't hang on to any of them, that is. Three times in four games, the Quakers held respectable leads against Brown and Yale, and three times, they lost them. As a result, Penn lost all four games of its homestand, 14-12 and 10-7 Saturday against the Bears and 6-5 and 10-8 yesterday versus the Elis. The losses dropped Penn (7-11-1 overall, 4-4 Ivy League) one game back of Princeton, which took 3-of-4 games this weekend from Harvard and Dartmouth. "We're pretty frustrated," Penn shortstop Glen Ambrosius said. "We lost four close games. There's not much else you can say." The losses were especially disappointing considering Brown had won just two games entering Saturday's rainy doubleheader and Yale (11-10, 3-1 Ivy League) is supposed to be just the second-best team in the Red Rolph Division. "We can't hold a lead," Penn coach Bob Seddon said. "We haven't been able to since we started. Going into this game, we have been ahead by two or more runs six times in the last two innings and not held a lead." The Red and Blue should have won all four games, but yesterday's pair of losses was especially disheartening. The Quakers trailed 6-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning of yesterday's opener with Yale. Ambrosius led off the inning by hitting a towering fly ball to left field which was carried out of the park by the wind for a home run. Designated hitter Mark Nagata walked, and Penn's fifth batter Armen Simonian smacked a ball to deep centerfield for a long single on a ball which seemed certain to be an out. Yale centerfielder Ben Johnstone had successfully tracked the ball, but he dropped the catch upon colliding head-first with the fence. The umpire, near second base at the time, did not signal clearly, and Nagata was unable to advance past second, leaving Simonian with a long single. While Johnstone was down, Yale ace Eric Gutshall -- who pitched seven innings yesterday in a win over Columbia -- came in and shut down the Quakers, ending the inning with Penn still needing one run to tie. In the bottom of the seventh, Gutshall struck out the side to end the game. The loss may have also landed junior third baseman Shawn Spezio on the bench for the time being. In addition to struggling offensively throughout the season, Spezio's defense took a turn for the worse in yesterday's opener against Yale. Spezio committed three errors -- the only three Penn errors that game. Freshman Jim Mullen entered the game at the top of the seventh inning and also started the nightcap. In the second game, Mullen was flawless in the field and went 2-for-4 at the plate, with two clutch doubles late in the game. "I was just trying to put the ball in play," Mullen said. "That first at bat I was kind of nervous, but once I got to the second at bat I was pretty good." His second two-bagger came in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, putting catcher Dave Corleto across the plate with the game-tying run and sending the game into extra innings. In the top of the eighth inning, Penn centerfielder Drew Corradini faked catching a short fly ball, holding Yale's R.D. DeSantis on third. When the ball dropped, DeSantis -- the go-ahead run -- took off for home, but was easily nailed by Corradini for the second out. Joe Carlon put a close to Yale's threat by making a great move to his left to throw out Yale captain Tommy Kidwell. In all, the Quakers had four extra innings to score a single run to win the game, but in the top of the 11th, Yale scored two on a Chad Miller single to leftfield. The Quakers went one-two-three to close out the disappointing weekend. The Quakers entered Sunday's games frustrated, having dropped two winnable games to Brown. Pitcher Armen Simonian and the Quakers led 12-6 after four innings in the first game, but lost 14-12. In the second contest, Penn led 7-5 after five, but Anthony Napolitano collapsed after pitching two-and-a-third innings of flawless baseball, allowing five runs in Penn's 10-7 loss. This weekend's games were the first at Bower Field since last Sunday's brawling incident, and there were several added security measures. Fans were not permitted to stand along the playing-field fence, and signs and announcements were made to thwart profanity, barbeques, glass bottles and alcohol. Additionally, Allied Security provided guards and Athletic Department administrators were present during every game.
(03/30/98 10:00am)
The Penn men's baseball team used its bats to sweep four games from Columbia. "This is the only place you see [boisterous fan support] around the league -- and I'll tell you, it's great, because that's what home-field advantage is. These guys are on the edge of their seats, and we just want to give them a a good game, a good show and have some fun ourselves." Drew Corradini and the Penn baseball team helped give the Bower Field fans a good show yesterday-- completely dominating Columbia, 14-4 and 11-2. Those two wins capped a weekend in which the Quakers took all four games from the Lions, winning 13-2 and 11-2 -- outscoring Columbia 49-10 on the weekend. Not 15 minutes after Corradini made the above statement, however, a post-game scuffle involving players, coaches, parents and students erupted near the Bower Field gates. Several Red and Blue fans -- who had been seen drinking -- had been heckling the Columbia players throughout the day, including uttering several ethnic and homophobic slurs. Indeed, things deteriorated to such a point that the umpire had Penn assistant coach Bill Wagner warn fans not to throw objects onto the field after Columbia first baseman Andrew Pisano was hit with a projectile while tracking a foul ball. The heated brouhaha broke out after the doubleheader, when Columbia players heading toward Franklin Field to shower crossed paths with Penn fans, players and parents trying to leave Bower Field. According to several eyewitnesses, Columbia parents instigated the incident by yelling at the Penn students. Someone got shoved in the crowd, prompting Columbia pitcher Dan Brunello -- who had been singled out by the fans after getting shelled in the first game -- to jump in and try to prevent an altercation. Brunello was immediately restrained by Penn captain Joe Carlon. Several other players from both teams jumped into the scuffle, all trying to hold each other back. Coaches from both sides also jumped into the fracas, but ended up in the same role as the players -- as trying to settle things down only led to more heated tempers. In fact, Penn coach Bob Seddon was shoved in the back by the mother of a Columbia player. During the tussle, several Columbia parents complained about the lack of security, prompting an Athletic Department employee to call Penn University Police. It took police more than seven minutes to arrive at the scene, however, and the crowd had long since dispersed. The brawl was a sour ending to a great day of baseball, and Seddon said it was a "shame it had to end that way." Indeed it was. Penn put together four consecutive games of nearly perfect baseball to sweep Columbia in the Quakers' (7-7-1, 4-0 Ivy League) conference opener. "We hit the cover off the ball all weekend; we did almost everything right. We hit, we ran the bases, we played defense, we got good pitching," Seddon said. Saturday, Armen Simonian and Sean McDonald both went the distance, allowing just two runs each. Yesterday, two freshmen led the way, as Ron Rolph pitched four solid innings to pick up a win and Matt Hepler went six strong innings in the nightcap. "They threw strikes and that's the key," Penn catcher Dave Corleto said. "That's the big thing -- throwing strikes. That's all we need to do, because we're going to put runs on the board." Defensively, the Quakers made just three errors all weekend, even with younger players getting several innings of playing time in the late innings of yesterday's games. It was Penn's bats, however, that were the story. The Quakers smacked eight homers on the weekend, including three by Carlon. In the bottom of the third inning of yesterday's opener, junior Glen Ambrosius and designated hitter Mark Nagata hit back-to-back homers off Brunello. Thanks to this weekend, the Quakers team batting average rose 52 points to .309. Penn stole 12 bases, including six by Corradini and five by Ambrosius. "In Florida, teams ran blind against us. Now, we're running blind. If they're not holding us on at second, then we will steal third. If Corradini's there, Carlon's there, Ambrosius is there, they're gone," Seddon said. This weekend also marked the fact that Penn has finally settled on a starting lineup, with Shawn Spezio winning the starting spot at third and Kevin Johnson earning the rightfield spot when Simonian is pitching. The only spot that is potentially shaky is the third starting pitcher. For the second straight game, Ray Broome could only throw a fastball in for a strike, as he walked five batters in just three innings. In addition, he lobbed a bunted ball to first base, which allowed Columbia third baseman Gerard Galella to reach safely. "He had trouble throwing the ball all day. He had one pitch he could throw for a strike, and you can't win with only that," Seddon said. "Rolph is a freshman who we want to develop. Hepler is a freshman we want to develop, so you might as well go with them. I don't want to totally blow him out, but he's struggling." Bower Field resembled a dust bowl yesterday, as the team's new $3,000 sprinkler system, installed to wet the infield dirt, has yet to be turned on up-campus. The blowing dirt, however, was not nearly as disruptive as the Penn fans, whose heckling caused Galella to throw a practice grounder into the vocal section of fans. "I guess we won't be drinking here anymore," said one Penn fan on his way out of the stadium.
(03/23/98 10:00am)
Baseball will face West Chester today after being forced to practice inside because of rain outs. When it comes time for baseball practice, the make-shift nets come out and the batting cages are erected. The pitching machines are wheeled out of the closets, and the foamier-than-AstroTurf floor turns into an infield. The place is the Hollenback Annex, nestled between the ROTC's Hollenback facility and the Rhodes soccer field. The light-blue, aluminum-sided, pre-fabricated building (which encapsulates a training dome) has an expressway on one side of it, train tracks on the other and nothing that resembles the majesty of Penn's finer athletic facilities. Seven other teams -- men and women's soccer, men and women's track, softball and, in severe weather, men and women's lacrosse -- all share the indoor facility. At any northern school -- including today's foe, West Chester, who meets the Quakers at 3 p.m. on Bower Field -- indoor baseball practices come with the territory, especially when practices for spring sports open on February 1. This year, however, the weather has been dismal. According to senior centerfielder Drew Corradini, this is the first year in his career that the squad has been confined to the Annex after returning from its Florida trip. "It's frustrating," Corradini said. "You definitely don't get as much done as you can on the field, especially coming back from Florida, when everybody is rearing to go." The problems range from limited practice time to the suffocation of being indoors. Penn coach Bob Seddon says that the track teams get the facility from 2-6 p.m. everyday and when the inclement weather schedule takes effect, softball and baseball have just two hours -- 5-7 p.m. -- to share it. Since coming back from Florida, the baseball team took Monday off, practiced on Bower Field Tuesday and have been in the Annex ever since. "Obviously, it's a little tougher to simulate game situations," senior pitcher Travis Arbogast said. "At the same time, we get to work more on our fundamentals. It's crazy -- balls are flying all over the place -- but there's nothing you can really do about it." When senior Ed Kimlin quit the team at the beginning of the week, a giant monkey wrench was thrown into the pitching mix that has yet to be sorted out. Four games versus Wagner were rained out, and Tuesday's contest versus St. Joseph's is looking like it might suffer the same fate as well. All that leaves is today's single game against West Chester at 3 p.m. on Bower Field. "We were fortunate to throw off the mound at Bower Field in February," Arbogast said. "It's easier to throw off a dirt mound, and they have make-shift wooden mounds inside. There's definitely some adjustment that needs to be made." Despite all the frustrations and limitations surrounding these indoor practices, it is far better than before the Hollenback Annex was constructed in 1987. "For a number of years, we just had one court in the Hutchinson Gym, and we would try and beg for a second and move the curtain back," Seddon explained. "But then you'd have to leave after an hour, because intramural basketball needed the courts." With 30 baseball players and four coaches in one confined space, Seddon says that extra organization is needed to make the practices productive. "Everyone needs to put in a little extra effort, because it's easy to get a little lackadaisical," Corradini said. Inside, Seddon sets up practice with different stations, which includes batting, fielding and pitching, but excludes fundamentals like tracking fly balls and live pitching. "We needed those games this week to get into the groove," Seddon said. "We haven't played in nine days straight. We're going to do everything in the world to play [against West Chester]." It's not like Penn is alone in all this. Whatever the Quakers endure, so does every other northeast team. Described as a young team by Corradini, the Rams are having pitching problems, going 0-9 thus far this season, including a 12-4 loss to Cornell. The Quakers might not be having pitching problems, but getting their rotation squared away is going to be very tough to do with potentially one single game to be played between now and Saturday's Ivy opener at Columbia. Today, instead of using its traditional non-league, midweek, one-inning-per-pitcher rotation, staff ace Armen Simonian will see four to five innings in preparation for the weekend.
(12/11/97 10:00am)
The Quakers' former athletic director brought Penn into the Ivy League. While the Mitch Marrow incident raises questions over the ideals of academics and athletics, the man who led the University of Pennsylvania to accept the notion of the true student-athlete passed away five days ago. Former Penn Athletic Director Jeremiah Ford II died at the age of 87 December 6 in Rogers, Ark. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Ford had been living in a nursing home for the past two years. Ford will be remembered as the person who brought Penn into the Ivy League in 1954 despite Penn's nationally prominent athletic teams, including a top-ranked football squad. A baseball player and running back for the Quakers from 1929-31, Ford was hired by former teammate and Penn coaching legend George Munger to head freshman athletics and coach the freshman football program on February 1, 1938. He would last three years at that position before resigning to become a Master at St. George's School, a secondary school in Newport, R.I. In the summer of 1953, Ford returned to Penn to head the Athletic Department after sitting on the executive committees of the NCAA and ECAC, and heading the Ivy League Administrative Committee and the IC4A. Over the next few years, Ford led Penn through the biggest athletics overhaul ever seen in Philadelphia. While the Penn football team was leading the nation in attendance and consistently earning top national rankings under Munger, Ford was pushing a move toward academic ideals and redefining the student-athlete. In other words, Ford was busy bringing the Ivy League together under an official agreement, which the eight schools signed in 1954. Fireworks erupted between Ford and Munger because Munger did not agree with the decision, citing the fact that he graduated 90 percent of his players. The deal was signed, however, and Penn football went into a steep decline. In 1956, the Council of Ivy Group Presidents went into effect, bringing Penn and the other seven athletic programs to where they stand today. Ford is survived by his wife, Rita, and children, Jeremiah Ford III and Sally Knapp. Cremation is planned in Rogers, and no memorial service will take place.
(12/04/97 10:00am)
It was no surprise to Penn, but the Engineers nearly rode relentless defensive pressure to an upset victory. BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Penn men's basketball team already had a chance to experience a game without floor general Michael Jordan, but in last night's 75-73 win over Lehigh, the Engineers exploited that issue with 40 minutes worth of full-court presses and extended half-court defenses. Penn wasn't surprised by the constant pressure, nor was it a new phenomenon; Dayton and Evansville both were effective in pressing the Quakers at the San Juan Shootout last weekend. In Tuesday's practice, the Quakers ran their press break to death, but that didn't help in the first half. "We went over our press break [Tuesday]," Penn guard Matt Langel said. "Their presses are similar to our presses, so what we see every day in practice on our press break is pretty much what we ran against." The results from Lehigh's pressure were immediate. In the first 20 minutes of play, Penn turned the ball over 12 times (11 forced) and had the rock stolen eight times. "We pressured their guards well," Lehigh guard Steve Aylsworth said. "They couldn't find any openings because we closed down the middle." Once in their offensive set, the Quakers faced Lehigh's tough extended defense, which at one point in the second half kept Penn pinned to the mid-court line for 25 seconds until a Lehigh mistake resulted in a George Mboya layup. In Puerto Rico, the lack of Jordan made Penn look indecisive in its half-court offensive set. Penn again had more than its share of problems, but it looked more solid, even though panicking was an issue in key situations. The Quakers' .294 three-point shooting percentage was indicative of their impatience and desire for an "easy" three-pointer. Although Lehigh stepped up its foul shooting to make the game closer in the second half, Penn settled down to use more of the shot clock. The result was 31 Quakers shots in the second half, compared to 35 in the first. In the opening half, however, Penn had 12 more possessions stolen or given away. Fatigue played a part for Penn without Jordan in the lineup, as four Quakers saw over 30 minutes of game time, with Mboya amassing 27. But according to Lehigh coach Sal Mentesana, tired legs affected both teams equally, even though his charges weren't on the court for such long durations as the Quakers. "[Dunphy] changed the alignment once or twice," Mentesana said. "The press builds fatigue in other teams; it also builds in you. And when you're not deep and you're young, sometimes we get a little confused in it as well." Penn adjusted to the press in the second half by giving guards Garett Kreitz and Matt Langel the ball with some extra room in the low corner with which to work. Between the adjustment and Lehigh's fatigue, Penn easily broke 15 full-court presses in the second half alone. "We were trying to throw over the top and I think we did a better job in the second half," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "We talked about not catching it too deep in the corner and I think Lehigh did a good job of forcing that." Penn did not look smooth at any point with Jordan in street clothes on the sideline, even though Penn's offensive production in terms of putting points on the board was seven points higher than its season average. But Penn scored 100 points against the Engineers last year, and with Jordan's leadership to break the press and extended defenses, it might not have been as close.
(12/02/97 10:00am)
CAGUAS, Puerto Rico -- While the Quakers were being taken to school down low, they learned a lesson on their own: Penn's front court can be productive, even if dwarfed by opponents. Big things needed to happen for the Penn men's basketball team when its three opponents shut down the Quakers' perimeter game. Although big things didn't happen to the team, which lost two of its three games in the San Juan Shootout, it was clear that big man Paul Romanczuk can still provide a spark or even carry his team for a while. Penn was in familiar territory over Thanksgiving weekend, facing three teams which dwarfed the Quakers. The perimeter game worked best against Dayton, which had Ryan Perryman and his 24 points to personally thank for controlling the contest. In the following games, however, Washington State and Evansville almost completely shut down the perimeter, allowing just 8 of 33 three-point shots (24 percent) to fall. Before those two games, Penn averaged nine treys on 20 attempts. In those two games, Penn averaged four three-pointers on 17 attempts. For the first time this season, Romanczuk looked like Penn's go-to player. In the latter two games, Romanczuk bucketed 10 of 14 shots, totalling 27 points. "The team's looking for a spark off the bench right now, and I'd like to provide that," Romanczuk said. The 6'7" forward had a miserable night versus Rice in the season opener, missing all of his shots, and hitting at just 50 percent of his free throws. He also committed two fouls in 12 minutes of playing time. Romanczuk's performance versus Rice, however, was affected by a lack of practice time. The junior's stress fracture in his knee had completely healed just one week before. This past weekend, Romanczuk looked like he was at 100 percent, crashing the boards and being aggressive underneath in Penn's 71-60, opening-round loss to Dayton. In its one win, Penn was only able to get going on offense following Romanczuk points. Versus the Cougars, Romanczuk pumped his arms and shouted at the empty Caguas Municipal Complex following a layup and foul, which resulted in Penn tying the game in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Romanczuk banged his way inside for another layup to break a Quakers two-minute scoring drought. That sparked an 8-2 Penn run, which brought the team within one point of Washington St. At the end of the contest, it was the all-Romanczuk show. Down 65-64, Romanczuk forced a foul, and hit one to tie the contest. The Cougars followed with a wide-open layup. Then Romanczuk's aggressive offensive move on the other end of the floor led to a foul and two free throws, of which he bucketed one. Following a Cougars turnover, Romanczuk again got the ball on a Jed Ryan feed in the paint for a layup and foul, which he sank, for the game's final score in the Quakers 69-67 win. In the Evansville 90-66 disaster, Romanczuk was the only player who was productive. His 15-point effort was highlighted by a Romanczuk-to-Lamar Plummer-to-Romanczuk fastbreak layup. This past weekend was the first time the Quakers' perimeter game was shut down. Romanczuk filled the void well and showed that he is the player to go to when the outside game falters.
(12/02/97 10:00am)
Playing on a court which was in shambles, the Quakers went 1-2 over the break and finished sixth in the eight-team field. CAGUAS, Puerto Rico -- The Penn men's basketball team headed to Puerto Rico to get a taste of paradise, but after dropping two games in the San Juan Shootout, it tasted more like sour grapes. The Quakers were seeded sixth heading into the eight-team tournament and left as the sixth-place team, as coping with a lack of height proved too difficult a task. Not only did Penn drop two of three games, they also lost point guard Michael Jordan along the way. In the final play of Penn's 69-67 win over second-seeded Washington State on Saturday, Jordan rolled his right ankle and is now listed as day-to-day with a sprain. The Quakers (2-2) play Lehigh tomorrow night. Penn's worst game was its finale. The Quakers were simply dominated by the Evansville Aces, 90-66, in the consolation championship Sunday. Just four players accounted for 88 Aces points, most of them from layups and short-range jumpers, but Evansville's strength came from its four coaches, who easily picked apart Penn's offense and defense. "They must have scouted the first two games of this tournament, and did a great job at scouting," Penn forward Paul Romanczuk said. "That's a credit to their whole coaching staff?. When we were setting our fade screens, the whole entire (Evansville) bench was yelling out exactly what the play was." Evansville also pushed the ball on offense, taking advantage of its quick transition game. "We knew they pushed it foul line to foul line," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "We made a couple foolish mistakes and that cost us. We gave up a four-point play in transition." Then there were Penn's offensive problems. Guard Matt Langel stepped up to run the point along with freshman Lamar Plummer, who saw his first significant game action versus the Aces. Plummer bucketed 5 of 15 shots and went 3-of-10 from downtown, but committed no turnovers and dished two assists. As evidenced by Plummer's numbers, Penn's perimeter game was shut down by their Missouri Valley Conference foes. The Aces feat was not unique, however, as Washington St. and Dayton also squelched the Quakers offense in the previous rounds. For the tournament, Penn bucketed just 14 of 56 three-pointers (25 percent). After the first-round 71-60 loss to third-seed Dayton, the tournament's eventual runner-up, it was Paul Romanczuk who lifted his game for Penn down low, creating the spark needed to deal the Cougars a come-from-behind loss. In the final two games, Romanczuk, apparently back at 100 percent from his stress fracture, nailed 10 of 14 field goals for 27 points. It was the loss to Dayton that put Penn in the losers bracket and set the matchup with the Cougars. During the Shootout opener, guard Garett Kreitz was the man with the hot hand along with Langel, but the Quakers failed to get anything going in the paint offensively or defensively. Ryan Perryman, the Dayton power forward and Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, almost single-handedly destroyed Penn. Perryman scored 24 points, mostly on open layups or jumpers over the diminutive Penn defense. The Red and Blue came out flat in the first game, and didn't wake up until the end of the third quarter, when they went on a 13-2 run to put themselves on top, 48-46. Then Perryman made his biggest contribution. He scored an easy layup, and bucketed another quick layup after Kreitz had followed his first one with a 14-foot jumper. "Our guys were mature enough and smart enough to continue to go [down low]," Dayton coach Oliver Purnell said. "Because oftentimes, it's easy to get away from going down inside, and when Penn made their run we got rushed? and then we went right back to the well, and Perryman delivered." Against Washington St. on Saturday, Penn didn't get the lead until 3:13 left in the game on a Jordan 10-foot jumper from the key. The Cougars were the second-seeded team in the Shootout, and the greatest disappointment, defeating Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in the battle for seventh place. The tournament concluded with top seed West Virginia defeating Dayton 96-74. In the third-place game, Rice lost, 49-46, to a surprising seventh-seeded South Florida team, which upset Washington St. in the first round before losing to Dayton. Held in Caguas, a small town about 20 miles south of San Juan, the tournament drew about 100 people to its top games. The ramshackle facilities were an embarrassment: duct tape holding the backboards together, wide seams in the court planks, which gave a little when someone would step on them. Still, the San Juan Shootout was one of three tournaments held simultaneously on the island, including the Puerto Rico Shootout and the women's San Juan Shootout. Like all preseason tournaments this year, the San Juan Shootout utilized experimental rules, including a 40-second shot clock (instead of 35) and four 10-minute quarters (instead of two 20-minute halves).
(11/12/97 10:00am)
We here at Ivy Roundup are feeling shiny and happy. Not because we are looking forward to Cornell's newest phallic symbols (to take the place of Eric Wong), erected as tribute to Carl Sagan, but because we kicked some Princeton ass. Nothin' like a good old Princeton butt whuppin'. But enough about us, let's talk about who we needs? The Make-Over of the Week Perhaps needing a good make-over at the Clinique counter, or looking for a good book to read instead of watching the football game or simply to get out of those awful plaid pants and jackets and into some Penn clothing, the Princeton band members headed, tails between their legs, into the Bookstore before Saturday's epic encounter at Franklin Field. Instruments in hand, if you know what we mean, the Tigers' musically-challenged band blew their own horns. And blow they did. Not only did they manage to stop Homecoming traffic entering the Bookstore, but they belted out a rendition of "I Got Rhythm" which showed a complete lack of unison, tempo and, of course, rhythm -- much like their heroes' offense in the last 10 decades or so. Also similar to the on-field felines, the band didn't get far either. "They only came in to a certain point," one Bookstore official said. "People just looked at them." We at Roundup don't recommend looking at anyone from Princeton, let alone listening to them. Unable to cause any sort of significant disruption, the band even lost to the Penn Band -- and that should tell you just how asinine they really are. The Phallic Symbols of the Week "Carl Sagan, who explained the mysteries of the cosmos and popularized the idea of nuclear winter [and that is a mighty popular idea nowadays, isn't it?], died in Seattle at age 62?" or so read the obituary of a certain Cornell professor, even though it was written two years in advance of his death, with the dates left blank. Yet in recognition of looking to the stars over the course of his life, the bucolic city-state of Ithaca, N.Y., built a whole bunch of little obelisks for all the world/cosmos to see. Spread all over the cow pastures of upstate New York, these phallic symbols are supposedly representative of each planet in the solar system. Now before we jumped off a bridge in excitement for this noble project, we wanted to find out just how much involvement Cornell had in honoring the only professor to walk its campus but not have a nameplate on his door (they kept getting stolen). Actually, they had no involvement. Still they are on the model. From the obelisk representing the sun to the pint-sized George Washington Memorial representing Earth, it is 47 paces. If you want to invest 10 minutes of your time, you can walk from the sun to Pluto at a simulated rate of four times the speed of light, which is the also the rate at which Cornell's defense is giving up points this year. According to Sagan's widow, "By walking through it, we can bring ourselves to face our true circumstance in the universe, that we are part of the fabric of nature, not the center." Maybe that's why the largest phallic symbol in the model, Cornell's well-known McGraw Tower, is a four-hour walk from the "sun". The Build-Up of the Week The Quakers are coming to Cambridge, Mass., with only the Ivy title on their minds. Make that Ivy titles. The Penn gridders are ready to take on the Crimson, but according to one Harvard student, no one is going to show up. "No one really cares about athletics here," Ethan Drogin said. "I'm not really sure how many will show up." Thank God. The goalposts are safe. One group of people we know won't show up is the Sports staff of The Crimson. The staff, composed of five editors and two writers, bailed when we at Roundup challenged them in a post-game football contest. "I'm not sure if we have enough people," Drogin said. "We're still trying to see if there are enough who want to play." In other words, no one will be showing up for that game either. We at Roundup suggest hiring ringers from your business staff. Bribing the officials isn't a half bad idea, either. Regardless of whether the varsity team emerges with a victory and a share of the Ivy League title, at least one Ancient Eight football crown will find its home in West Philadelphia this season. The Tip-Off of the Week Princeton kicked off its winter season yesterday in spectacular fashion, getting drubbed by Texas, XX-XX in the first round of the Coaches for Caancer Tournament. According to coach Bill Carmody, the loss of Sydney Johnson took away the team's heart and soul, but that was no excuse for the following blunders: · Brian Earl getting drilled in the forehead by his own shot. · Putting coach Bill Carmody to asleep while the Tigers were on offense. · The Dictionary of the Week Here are the alternate definitions to the terms in the official 1997 edition of the Cornell Daily Sun (not to be confused with The Associated Press) Sports Dictionary. All terms have appeared in the rag this fall. · Stickwomen -- Cornell women. · Lightweight -- Eric Wong, or the Cornell Daily Sun Sports Staff. · Spikers -- Ithaca, N.Y., hair stylists. · Harrier -- Cornell women's legs in January. (See Stickwomen) · Sophomores -- Anyone on the basketball team. · Booter -- Freshmen after too many jello shots. ·EIcers -- Ithaca, N.Y., officials who make the roads slippery.
(10/20/97 9:00am)
Running and defensive back James Finn scored on offense and defense in Penn's 24-7 win over Columbia. NEW YORK -- Jim Finn is now stuck in football purgatory. The Quakers want him on offense, but they need him on defense. And as long as he puts up spectacular numbers, like he did Saturday in Penn's 24-7 win over Columbia, it seems Finn will be enslaved to play a Chuck Bednarik-esque number of downs on both sides of the ball. The junior scored touchdowns on both sides of the ball: an 18-yard interception return to put Penn on the board in the first quarter and a 15-yard rumble into the end zone with 26 seconds remaining in the third. "Our running game has not been as consistent as I would have liked, and it's been somewhat injury-plagued," said Penn coach Al Bagnoli on his decision to incorporate Finn into a large portion of the offense. "So we just had to make a decision? based on the lack of production to provide a spark and to establish a running game." Finn accounted for over half of Penn's points, but he was also prominent in Penn's error brigade. His best individual play, a 51-yard run, ended with a fumble. The mistakes, however, went both ways. Three of Columbia's four turnovers accounted for 21 points for the Quakers, including two interception returns that resulted in touchdowns. Penn's offense didn't even have to take the field. The overriding factor, however, was the success of the Penn running game, which on Saturday featured a two-faced attack for the first time in at least two years. Jason McGee (16 rushes, 63 yards) and Finn (24 carries, 138 yards) combined for a 201 yards as part of a season's best 203-yard team effort. The sudden revival of the Penn running game may have been a result of facing the Columbia defense, which is allowing over 200 yards per contest on the ground. Penn quarterback Matt Rader was sacked four times, but had enough time to avoid throwing an interception in arguably his best performance of the season. With the exception of blitzing situations, the Penn offensive line allowed both the air and ground attacks to prosper. "Sometimes I felt a little pressured, I felt they played really well," Rader said, "especially getting the running game going -- that's what we needed." Still, the Quakers only managed 10 points from its offense. That includes two more missed Jeremiah Greathouse field goals, both of which were short. Greathouse, who earlier this season claimed to be able to boot 60-yarders consistently, failed from 50 yards out, with the wind at his back, and from 44. Two more expected Quakers offensive opportunities were nearly missed, as punt returner Joe Piela muffed two punts, although one was expunged from the official stats due to a Lions penalty. Columbia, however, took advantage of Penn's first defensive mistake -- blown downfield pass coverage -- to score the first touchdown of the game. Lions wide receiver Armand Dawkins got behind Penn cornerback Piela on a post pattern from the right side for a 34-yard gain. The next play, Penn had good downfield coverage, but Columbia quarterback Bobby Thomason, who was in his first week back from a torn ACL in his shoulder, found tailback Norman Hayes in the right flat, who ran six yards up the right side for a touchdown. In the next series, the Quakers run reared its head as Finn, running right, broke free, ran across the field to the left sideline to the two-yard line, and in an effort to extend the ball into the end zone, fumbled the ball. Lions cornerback Roy Hanks stripped the ball loose and ran the ball back to the 34. Three plays later, Finn picked an overthrown ball over the middle and ran untouched 18 yards into the end zone. The Penn defense held Columbia for the rest of the game, but not without help from a Lions offense which committed three more turnovers and seven offensive penalties. "We thought we played well enough defensively to win the game," Columbia coach Ray Tellier said. "But we didn't have poise, we gave up two touchdowns on offense and we didn't make plays on offense." With the score 17-7 with just under three minutes to play, Roger Beckwith intercepted a Thomason pass at the seven-yard line and walked in to seal the Columbia coffin. After sitting out the past two weeks with a virus, Mitch Marrow finally made his way back to his familiar position at left defensive tackle. Despite having only one assisted tackle, his presence was felt in the Columbia backfield through his continual pressure on Thomason.
(10/08/97 9:00am)
Chelsea Hathaway chose, and Shelly Fogarty was forced, to drop intercollegiate basketball this year. The Penn women's basketball program took a hit this offseason, as sophomores Chelsea Hathaway and Shelly Fogarty, two players key to the Quakers rebuilding efforts, will not be rejoining the team for the 1997-98 season for academic reasons. Fogarty was the first to depart, after she was advised by the College of Arts and Sciences to take a year off from the University for receiving poor grades her rookie year, according to Penn women's basketball coach Julie Soriero. "It's a tough lesson for anyone to learn," Soriero said. "But for the team and all athletes, it's a good lesson that you can't put athletics first before academics." Fogarty had started 19 of the squad's 26 games at the small forward position. Hathaway's departure was not provoked by the University, but was her own decision made this summer, during which she played locally in a summer league. "It was my decision all the way," Hathaway said. "I thought I'd focus on academics." Soriero said Hathaway left her a voicemail toward the end of summer, announcing that she would not be returning. The two still have not spoken since. "I left a message," said Hathaway, who claimed she was surprised the coaches haven't tried to contact her. "I called before I got back to school, and nobody has called me back." The void left by Hathaway's quitting will have to be filled by freshmen. Two years ago, then-junior point guard Erica McCauley quit the squad, and senior Colleen Kelly had to move over from the shooting guard position to lead the offense. The result was a huge loss of offensive production from one of the Quakers' best shooters. With Hathaway at the point, Kelly was able to move back to her two-spot, and she ended up leading all guards with 14.2 points per game. Last year, Soriero had eight reportedly strong recruits commit to Penn, and one of them will be expected to fill the role. "She was the best athlete at the time," said Soriero, explaining why Kelly was moved to the point two years ago. "But it would not be fair in her senior year to change her role and responsibilities on the team." Competing to fill the gap are freshmen Liz Alexander, Amy Nolan and Erin Ladley. "[Hathaway] was a very good basketball player and it's always a pleasure to coach talented players," Soriero said. "To compete at this level, you have to show willingness, because athletics is an all-year commitment. "It takes commitment to make training and conditioning part of your lifestyle? We were surprised [that Hathaway quit], but no one really missed a beat." Hathaway started every game for the Quakers and averaged 7.7 points and 34 minutes per game. The 5'10'', Forest Hills, N.Y., native stole 41 balls and recorded 125 assists on the season. Those numbers, however, were countered with 107 turnovers and a shooting percentage of just 33 percent. In addition, Hathaway was the most penalized player on the Red and Blue, committing 103 fouls and disqualifying eight times in 1996-97. Last year's backup to Hathaway was predominantly Amy Tarr, who graduated, with Kelly filling in. This year, a freshman will get the starting nod, but Soriero says she changed the offense a bit to allow for more shared responsibilities, claiming that Kelly may still take the ball upcourt on occasion.
(09/29/97 9:00am)
Penn committed 11 penalties, turned the ball over three times and missed two field goals as the offense never came to form. LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Maybe the Penn football team should take up riflery or skeet shooting. For the second week in a row, the Quakers appeared to take careful aim and fire directly into their collective foot, as sloppy play and turnovers dominated their offensive game. Last week, Penn coach Al Bagnoli said that his charges were having a difficult time erasing the memory of last Saturday's loss to Dartmouth, where the Quakers literally gave away the game, committing six turnovers. James Finn's fumble on the opening kickoff did little to erase that nightmare, and the Penn mental errors increased exponentially from there. The first three Quakers possessions were three-and-out. But the more obvious problems for Penn came at the offensive line. Penn quarterback Matt Rader was sacked three times due to lack of support and the receivers' inability to get open. In addition, a Rader to running back Melvin Alexander handoff was botched, and Rader ended up having to scramble for a yard. In other words, the offense did not run smoothly, if it ran at all. The mental mistakes, however, took command in the second half, most of them in the form of penalties. The Quakers' first second-half possession started at the Bucknell 21 after the Bison fumbled a punt and were forced to cover it. But Penn's offense couldn't earn itself a first down, despite Alexander's six-yard rush on first-and-10. The Quakers would have to settle for a field goal. The next Penn possession, however, resulted in a touchdown, after picking up a kickoff fumble at the Bucknell 26. But even this four-play, 26-yard scoring drive was blemished. Rader tried to pass to sophomore Brandon Carson in the end zone on first-and-10, but the ball was thrown short and Carson couldn't hang on as the ball bounced off his back shoulder pad. Starting the next drive at the Bucknell 33, the Quakers field goal unit couldn't even keep their heads, as the line caused another false start, moving the attempt to a 33-yarder. Kicker Jeremiah Greathouse then missed it. "Everything looked OK," Bagnoli said. "You think you've got pretty good odds when you've got that kid kicking field goals for you, but he pushed the first one right and pushed the second one right." Again Penn had excellent field position at the Bucknell 25 following another interception, and again it was all for naught. In the first play from scrimmage, Carson first almost dropped the handoff on a reverse, and after running nine yards, fumbled the ball, which Bison safety Josh LaBrec picked up. To add insult to injury, Quakers tight end Steve Gross was called for one of Penn's three block-in-the-back penalties, which Bucknell, of course, declined. The Rader-Carson tandem again looked poor on the next drive, in which Rader tried to toss a ball over the front shoulder of Carson, again in the end zone. This time, Rader's launch could have been caught by anyone on the sideline, but not in the end zone. This pass, however, was set up by a false start at third-and-goal. The false start plagued the Quakers in 1996, and in this instance took a third-and-goal at the Bucknell three to a third-and-goal at the eight. Penn's offense, despite its problems in the third quarter, had finally sparked to life on the scoreboard, making it a four-point game. But that's when the offense aimed the bazooka at its foot. Penn's first fourth-quarter drive was a beautiful 74-yard, 7:21 romp downfield, only to be blown by another botched field goal. This one, however, was a chip shot -- 22 yards, barely longer than an extra point attempt. The Quakers should have scored a touchdown on that drive after Brian Bonanno caught a 26-yard pass in the end zone. Another illegal motion penalty, however, brought the whole play back five yards. "We're just making a ton of mental mistakes from kids who shouldn't be making mental mistakes," Bagnoli said. "It's just baffling me." The Quakers' offensive problems were most highlighted in its last-ditch effort to score in the final 1:29 of play. Bonanno caught a 34-yarder only to be called back for an illegal shift. Two plays later, illegal motion was called on the Quakers. Three plays after that, an illegal procedure flag was thrown when Rader simply wanted to spike the ball to stop the clock. "It gets to the point where you do a good play and you're looking on the field to see if there's a flag for a stupid penalty," Rader said. "We had a lot of big plays called back today." In that series, a Penn snap hit the turf, a short, virtually no-gain pass was caught by Bonanno inbounds so the clock stopped running and Rader was sacked for an 11-yard loss. "They were rushing pretty hard, but there's no excuse though," Rader said. "I got sacked, because they rushed only three people, and they ended up sacking me. We had six guys protecting me, and that shouldn't happen. At all." A flag was thrown on the sack, however, but Bucknell gladly declined Penn's illegal motion foul to end the contest in a fitting fashion.
(09/12/97 9:00am)
With more confidence in their quarterback, the Quakers will balance the attack. Fans in the lower stands won't be getting neck cramps watching the Quakers offense in 1997, but they will surely be looking to the clouds more often than last year. That's because the Penn football offense will have a much more balanced attack from 1996, when the ground game accounted for 70 percent of the offense. The receiving corps returns three wide receivers who all saw significant downs last season. And the man throwing to them, Duke transfer Matt Rader, has boosted the confidence of everyone involved with Penn's offense. "Hopefully, you'll see some big plays this year," third-year receiver John James said. "We'll be throwing the ball a little bit more. [Offensive coordinator Chuck] Priore is letting us go deep a little bit more -- hopefully, we'll put up some points." So, James, Alec Dafferner, Brian Bonanno and the rest of the receivers will be appearing in the box score a little more often than in 1996. "We come back with three guys? who had some production, but that was based on not being able to throw the ball that well last year," Penn wide receivers coach Rick Ulrich said. "But everyone's been challenged because we have a new quarterback, and we should get more production from everyone." Bonanno will be used more over the middle of the field, much like Mark Fabish was used last year. According to Ulrich, Bonanno will be "playing a little different position from the other guys." The last man on the two-deep chart is Brandon Carson, who until this point was merely the odd-man out from last year's quarterback shuffle. In an effort to utilize their skilled players -- something the Quakers did not do well in 1996 -- the coaches and Carson made the joint decision to have him catch balls instead of throw them. "He's probably athletically possibly one of the most gifted guys on the team," Ulrich said. "And we figured that this kid has got to play somewhere for us." Deeper on the charts are Lacey Walker and freshman Chris May. With freshmen rarely seeing significant varsity time, Ulrich pointed out that Penn specifically recruited talented receivers for the Class of 2001, who may challenge some of the veterans down the road. But who actually plays is not really a problem; finding a guy who can make big plays is. "We need guys who can come up consistently with balls thrown to them," Ulrich said. "Guys that aren't going to catch the ball and go right out of bounds, or guys that aren't going to catch the ball and fall down. Those were problems we had last year. That's probably what we lacked most last year -- guys who could get positive yardage after the catch." Ulrich says James has the best set of hands on the team. But a hand injury has hindered his efforts. To make matters worse, Bonanno and Dafferner are both coming off leg strains. At 6'1" and 240 pounds, James has above-average size for the Ivies and could become the receiving playmaker. James pulled in 15 receptions last year, averaging over 17 yards each. "I think I have good speed for my size," James said. "I'm not going to say I can run a 4.3, 4.4 (40-yard dash), but I worked a lot on my speed and my conditioning. I'm not going to say I'll fly by everyone, but I think I can run pretty well." Bonanno was more productive in 1996, catching 24 passes for 292 yards. Dafferner caught 17 for an 11.4-yard average. The three receivers combined for just three touchdowns. But the wide-outs won't be the only players catching the ball, as Ulrich says he hopes to spread the aerial action around a bit. He expects the tight ends to play a major role in the passing game and expects to involve the U-backs as well.
(09/05/97 9:00am)
Most players scattered themselves across the country to play in summer baseball leagues. Baseball players are "The Boys of Summer." So what does that make collegiate players who, in the Northeast, are confined to five-week long college seasons ending in early May? At Penn, and most other competitive schools, they keep the slogan by keeping on top of the game in summer leagues. Much like basketball, these leagues are formed all over the country, and Penn's athletes scatter themselves to participate in several of them. Unlike the hoopsters, however, summer ball is considered a key factor in how well a player will perform during fall practices and into the spring. "In two weeks, I'll be able to tell who played this summer," Quakers baseball coach Bob Seddon said. "It's going to show." Encouraged by the coaches and egged on by the need to stay in shape, a plethora of members of the Penn baseball team participated in the annual summer leagues around the country. The top leagues, according to Seddon, include the Jayhawk, Great Lakes, Alaskan and Cape Cod leagues. Armen Simonian, the 1998 Penn captain, played for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League, but, after being released last season, he could not find a team that would pick him up. "It's like trying to switch from one Ivy school to another," said Seddon, referring to Simonian's attempt to switch teams within the same league. "It's almost frowned upon." Although funded through corporate sponsorships, advertising and through the hometowns, the top leagues act more as a scouting combine for talented players. Returning Quakers captain Joe Carlon, Joe Corleto and Todd Mahoney all played for Twin Cities in the Illinois Wooden Bat League this summer, a league Seddon considers to be just below the top four on a prestige level. In terms of competition, though, it was probably just as tough. For instance, the starting shortstop of the College World Series runner-up Mississippi State played in that league, and, Seddon said, these leagues take players who are trying out for the USA National Team. Playing in a prestigious league is just a perk from what Seddon considers crucial summer play. For instance, senior designated hitter Mark Nagata played in the semi-pro Stan Musial League in Florida, where summer leagues aren't as popular as further north. Nagata says the competition is comparable to playing at Penn, yet the league includes players from top baseball schools such as Miami and Florida. "It allows me to play close to home so I can work and stuff," Nagata said. "There are good teams and bad teams. Some guys are there to stay in shape. Some younger guys are working and having fun." On the local front, the Amateur Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) is popular, as is the new up-and-coming Northeast League, which for the first time, took players from outside New England. But for the top leagues, rosters are filled by October or even September, with tryouts, if any, being held in the late spring for the summer a year later. Baseball News and Notes · Returning captain and starting shortstop Joe Carlon broke his wrist playing in the Illinois Wooden Bat League. Carlon broke the same bone in his wrist that Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners and former Penn shortstop Mark DeRosa did this year while swinging the bat in the minor leagues. Carlon is not expected to be at 100 percent at the start of fall practices, but his injury is not serious enough to limit his spring game. · 1997 Blair Bat (Ivy batting title) winner Mark Nagata tore cartilage in his knee, requiring surgery. Nagata should be back at full strength in time for fall ball. · Mark Nagata's twin brother Trent did not play in a summer league, but lost approximately 20 pounds and hopes to fill the hole in leftfield for the Quakers.
(09/03/97 9:00am)
Chances are that the ice in Hanover, N.H., will eventually melt after this winter. But new Penn women's crew coach Barb Kirsch won't have to wait for it this year. Leaving a successful Dartmouth program behind, Kirsch moved back to West Philadelphia to begin coaching at her alma mater. "I'm interested in getting back into a city environment," Kirsch said. "It's someplace a little more active than Hanover." Kirsch becomes the third women's coach in three years, following Angie Herron last season and Carol Bower the year before. Signed to a multi-year contract, it is apparent that the Athletic Department is looking to create some stability in a program that was rocked by a rift between members of the crew and Bower. Following a team meeting with Athletic Director Steve Bilsky, when the crew expressed its displeasure with Bower, the coach resigned and was replaced with Herron. Kirsch is coming from Dartmouth, where she did a nine-year stint as head coach, highlighted by bronze medals at the 1996 and 1997 Eastern Sprints. Her squad earned a bid to the NCAA Championships this past spring as well. "Getting Dartmouth to the level that I did -- two medals in a row -- is a challenging thing. But it's a lot of work, as it is anywhere. But I had the sense that that was as far as I was going to take that program," Kirsch said. Practices are set to start on Monday, after Kirsch met most of the freshmen early this week and met with the varsity crew last night. "The issue is how serious [the team] is in wanting the program to succeed," Kirsch said. "And they've given me an indication that they want that to happen. And that is what got me here more than anything else. "I would not have taken the job last year under those terms." Kirsch's philosophy puts individual experience ahead of team success. "The first thing we're going to do is talk about where we're going," Kirsch said. "I'm not going to talk about winning the [Eastern] Sprints this year -- we're going to talk about the experiences they have along the way, about the experiences they have as individuals. "My commitment is that they learn something personally throughout the year. And my belief is that if they're learning, they're going to succeed. And that level of success will be determined by the ability level of the group than by desire or work ethic or anything like that." With this move, Kirsch says she will have a larger recruiting base as well as improved facilities, including the recently renovated boathouse. "It's a bigger program here and there are more students on campus," Kirsch said. "And you've got water here year-round."
(08/29/97 9:00am)
Temple's Carol Kashow has replaced Linda Carothers as Penn's softball coach. After deciding not to renew the contract of longtime softball coach Linda Carothers, the Penn Athletic Department went shopping across town to find a replacement for the struggling program. It was at Temple University it found Carol Kashow -- an Owls coach since 1991 and head coach at Drexel beginning in 1979. On August 18, she signed on as just the second head coach in Quakers history. Carothers was the inaugural coach when the varsity program was created in 1974. Ivy League play began in 1980, and Carothers led Penn to its best season yet in 1981, 18-4 overall and undefeated in the league. But her overall record has been abysmal. Over her coaching career at Penn, Carothers was 201-323 (.384) and a mere 41-97 (.297) in Ancient Eight play. With her contract expiring after the 1997 spring season, the announcement was made in mid-May not to renew her contract. In August, Kashow signed a multi-year contact. Kashow acknowledges the fact that the softball program needs rebuilding, and Penn athletic director Steve Bilsky has made it clear that success is one of the things he sees on the horizon. "We are looking forward for some great things for her and the team in the near future," Bilsky said in a press release. Like Carothers at Penn, Kashow built the Drexel softball program from scratch. After taking the Temple job, Kashow built the Owls from a perennial middle-of-the-road team to a squad that finished second in the Atlantic 10 Conference in the past two years. In addition, three Kashow-led teams have finished in the top 20 in the Northeast region in the past five years. Despite being named less than two weeks ago, Kashow is busy getting accustomed to life at Penn and getting on with the business of rebuilding the team. "I've started a three-prong attack," said Kashow, describing her first few days on the job. "First, I need to get the things done that I need to get done -- meeting the people I'm going to be interacting with on a daily basis, such as the equipment people and the trainers. "Then I need to organize fall ball with the schedule that was left behind for me. And then, just like every program, I'm recruiting." One plus for the new coach is her relationship with Jen Strawley, one of the 1998 captains. Kashow first met Strawley at a softball camp in Princeton, N.J., and after being a camper, returned to become a junior counselor. According to junior Arlyn Katzen, this change was "a long time coming," citing that Carothers's inefficiency at practice hurt the team. "I think it was a talented team," said Katzen, referring to the 1997 squad. "But we didn't play to expectations, and it wasn't the players' fault. "Everyone's happy about the change. We'll have a better-run program and a better attitude." Assistant coach Gayle Remster also exited stage left with Carothers. But the squad hopes volunteer coach Susan Jacobucci sticks around. Penn baseball coach Bob Seddon, who served on the interview committee, also expressed "She was great," Katzen said. "Everyone is hoping that Sue will come back." Penn baseball coach Bob Seddon, who served on the committee which interviewed job candidates, also drew a favorable impression. "She has experience, she's worked in a city, she's local, but she's recruited nationally, and she's a fundraiser," he said. Seddon also expects he will be able to work easily with Kashow, a part of the job that is increasingly important. "I was very happy to be on the committee because I need to work with the softball coach," Seddon said. "It's difficult for us to get anything done unless the girls have it, too."
(06/12/97 9:00am)
The concert brought people from everywhere to the oldest two-tiered stadium in the U.S. It probably was the first time Penn students were missing from the libraries during an event at Franklin Field. But while the dust is still settling from Sunday's U2 concert, it appears that closing Penn's libraries and buildings near the stadium was the only thing that could warrant any significant complaint from anybody regarding the event. In other words: the 56,000-person event went about as smoothly as anyone running a 56,000-person event could have hoped. And despite the exorbitant ticket prices, the Athletic Department gladly pocketed between $100-200,000, Steve Bilsky said earlier this year. Not bad, considering the department entered the year with a $200,000 debt. But the first concert in America's oldest two-tiered stadium since the 70s benefitted much more than the Weightman Hall-dwellers. For the first time in ages, people from outside University City flocked to West Philly, packing the bars and restaurants for pre- and post-concert fun. Even the parking lot across from Annenberg got a piece of the action, as tailgaters began firing up their grills as early as 2 p.m. Add the scores of Penn students who traveled from their vacations back home to come to campus -- even those who live in cities which are on the tour -- and there was certainly a unique mix of people on this side of the Schuylkill. Philadelphia night life found its way to the University of Pennsylvania. So now the seed is planted in the fertile minds across the Penn campus -- can and will this happen again? That question won't be answered for a while, but don't be surprised if another big-name band decides to spend a night in Franklin Field. For all intents and purposes, this was Penn's first time hosting a concert -- the University was a rookie in the field, so to speak. Surely there were some glitches behind-the-scenes of the U2 show, but just as surely, those problems can be identified and solved. A summer show can be seen as merely a testing ground for one during the school year, with less people on campus to worry about. But now that the ceremonial leap into concert hosting has been made, perhaps the University can begin to make up for one of the sore spots on the Penn social scene -- a lack of concerts. A Philly Quick Fix For Fly(ers) It's possible that everything donning the Orange and Black is destined to suck. Princeton. The Flyers. The Baltimore Orioles might want to consider changing their mascot and colors. But what about the orange-and-black-clad Flyers fans? The Detroit media and fans joined in the national claim that Philadelphia sports fans are the worst kind. Truth is, they're right. It's not the attitude, the loudmouths, the condescending nature of Philly fans that is appalling -- Flyers faithful are the prototypical bandwagoneers. It wasn't that long ago that the city had a certain buzz ringing throughout its narrow streets back when the Phillies were headed for the World Series. Now only a select handful of people even care to read up on them. The Sixers: same problem. So when the Flyers show a mistake-prone defense and intimidated goaltenders, the scapegoats were found and sent to the lion pit. And just as quickly as Stanley Cup fever hit Philadelphia, it vanished -- the only trace is SEPTA, who hasn't changed the flasher on the front of its buses. If the Flyers become an abomination next year, you can bet that attendance problems will make the CoreStates Center look as empty as a Sixers game. So why not go for the quick fix? Pat Kroce tried it for two years with the Sixers -- touting Jerry Stackhouse and Allen Iverson as players who will bring about a "revolution." Good thinking, Pat. So now that Flyers coach Terry Murray said his team choked, his bags have been all-but packed. Another quick fix for the impatient Philadelphia sports fan. Another huge mistake. But $10 million should be fine for Phillies' prized top rookie, J.D. Drew. Another quick fix, that is a sure bust: only 60 percent of the first picks in the top three rounds make it to the majors. Only 17 percent become an all-star even once.
(06/01/97 9:00am)
The Penn baseball squad dropped its second playoff game in as many years. West Hartford, Conn. Penn and Princeton played their second Gehrig playoff in as many years, after Cornell took two games from Princeton in their four-game series, and Penn lost its continuation of a suspended game against Columbia. Both teams finished the regular season with identical 10-10 Ivy League records. Penn took three of four games from the Tigers during the regular season to earn home-field advantage, but the one game the Quakers' dropped was to Princeton ace Tim Killgoar, who held the Quakers to one run in the final game between the two squads. So it wasn't surprising when Killgoar took the mound on May 7. Over seven innings, the sophomore southpaw allowed just six hits and three runs over seven innings. More impressively, Killgoar held Penn's three, four and five hitters -- Armen Simonian, Mark Nagata and Jeremy Milken -- hitless. Nagata, the Ivy League batting champion, would get the only hit from those three batters -- a double in the bottom of the ninth against Princeton reliever Brian Volpp. "Killgoar's good," Penn coach Bob Seddon said. "He's tough. He's off-speed a lot. He's won five in a row, he's 5-1 in the league. He's legit." The only Quakers batter to look good against Killgoar was captain Joe Carlon, who went 3-for-3 from the plate, despite sustaining an ankle injury in the fourth inning. The shortstop caught a ball from Penn first baseman Russ Farscht, but was forced to tag Princeton's Matt Evans out at second and was unable to turn the double play. On the tag, however, Carlon's foot got caught and twisted under the sliding Evans. Carlon played through the injury, however. "You can't come out of a game like this. It would hurt, but it wasn't a career-ending injury or anything. I just rolled my ankle, and there was a little pain," Carlon said. But with such limited offense, it was the baserunning mistakes that killed the Quakers. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Carlon stepped up to bat with one out and the bases loaded. Carlon ripped a single to leftfield to drive in two runs, but Oliver Hahl tried to make it from first base to third on the play. The Tigers on the left side of the playing field had no trouble catching Hahl in a rundown shortly after leaving second. The result was two outs and a man on first. Third baseman Glen Ambrosius would ground out to Killgoar to end the inning. The second mistake was much worse. Down 5-3 with no outs and men on first and second in the bottom of the eighth, Ambrosius put down a perfect bunt off Volpp. However, freshman Kevin McCabe froze at second base, and was an easy out at third for Evans charging in from first. Simonian then hit into a double play to end the inning. "With a man on first and second with no outs, we really expected to score a run. And when we didn't, it really took the wind out of our sails," Carlon said. That play was a catalyst for the destruction of the Penn defense. In the top of the ninth, Penn would give up six more runs to put the game way, way out of reach at 11-3. Reliever Travis Arbogast beaned three batters to lead the bases, and A.B. Fischer, who relieved Arbogast, beaned yet another in a season-ending debacle. By the time Nagata led off the bottom of the inning with his double, all hopes had faded. So the Quakers are now forced to look toward next year, which will display a lot of competition in several positions. For starters, the pitching staff will be completely revamped. Of the four Quakers graduating, three of them -- Mike Greenwood, Alex Hayden and Fischer -- were all starting pitchers in the past two seasons. While Simonian will return as the staff ace, Seddon also mentioned that Arbogast could be moved up into the starting rotation. Junior Ed Kimlin has shown he can pitch in the Ivies, but the rest of the staff, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen could be made of of freshmen. Several current Penn pitchers could have suited up for their last game despite not graduating, as Seddon hauled in eight pitching recruits this year. Also returning from taking a year off from school is Sean McDonald, who saw a lot of action in relieve and during midweek games last season. In addition, the entire infield could stake claim as the most experienced in the Ancient Eight next year, as the Quakers will be returning everybody. The only position lost outside of the pitching staff is leftfielder Jeremy Milkin, who takes with him a slew of RBIs. Several Quakers will go abroad to play summer ball. Simonian will be living at Ohio State, where he'll play for Columbus of the Great Lakes League. Carlon could play in the Alaskan League, and if not, he will join catcher Dave Corleto in the Illinois Bat League. · Princeton faced Harvard in the Ivy League Championships May 10 and 11 in Cambridge, Mass. The two teams split the opening games of the best-of-three series, Princeton took the first game, 2-1, before falling in the nightcap, 4-2. The deciding game on May 11 was an embarrassment to the Orange and Black. Killgoar would pick up the loss for the Tigers, but the Crimson exploded for 20 hits, including a second-inning grand slam to cruise 22-4. Not since 1974 has Harvard had a 30-win season, as the Crimson finish out the season 30-13, 18-2 in the Ivies.
(06/01/97 9:00am)
The Penn baseball squad dropped its second playoff game in as many years. West Hartford, Conn. Penn and Princeton played their second Gehrig playoff in as many years, after Cornell took two games from Princeton in their four-game series, and Penn lost its continuation of a suspended game against Columbia. Both teams finished the regular season with identical 10-10 Ivy League records. Penn took three of four games from the Tigers during the regular season to earn home-field advantage, but the one game the Quakers' dropped was to Princeton ace Tim Killgoar, who held the Quakers to one run in the final game between the two squads. So it wasn't surprising when Killgoar took the mound on May 7. Over seven innings, the sophomore southpaw allowed just six hits and three runs over seven innings. More impressively, Killgoar held Penn's three, four and five hitters -- Armen Simonian, Mark Nagata and Jeremy Milken -- hitless. Nagata, the Ivy League batting champion, would get the only hit from those three batters -- a double in the bottom of the ninth against Princeton reliever Brian Volpp. "Killgoar's good," Penn coach Bob Seddon said. "He's tough. He's off-speed a lot. He's won five in a row, he's 5-1 in the league. He's legit." The only Quakers batter to look good against Killgoar was captain Joe Carlon, who went 3-for-3 from the plate, despite sustaining an ankle injury in the fourth inning. The shortstop caught a ball from Penn first baseman Russ Farscht, but was forced to tag Princeton's Matt Evans out at second and was unable to turn the double play. On the tag, however, Carlon's foot got caught and twisted under the sliding Evans. Carlon played through the injury, however. "You can't come out of a game like this. It would hurt, but it wasn't a career-ending injury or anything. I just rolled my ankle, and there was a little pain," Carlon said. But with such limited offense, it was the baserunning mistakes that killed the Quakers. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Carlon stepped up to bat with one out and the bases loaded. Carlon ripped a single to leftfield to drive in two runs, but Oliver Hahl tried to make it from first base to third on the play. The Tigers on the left side of the playing field had no trouble catching Hahl in a rundown shortly after leaving second. The result was two outs and a man on first. Third baseman Glen Ambrosius would ground out to Killgoar to end the inning. The second mistake was much worse. Down 5-3 with no outs and men on first and second in the bottom of the eighth, Ambrosius put down a perfect bunt off Volpp. However, freshman Kevin McCabe froze at second base, and was an easy out at third for Evans charging in from first. Simonian then hit into a double play to end the inning. "With a man on first and second with no outs, we really expected to score a run. And when we didn't, it really took the wind out of our sails," Carlon said. That play was a catalyst for the destruction of the Penn defense. In the top of the ninth, Penn would give up six more runs to put the game way, way out of reach at 11-3. Reliever Travis Arbogast beaned three batters to lead the bases, and A.B. Fischer, who relieved Arbogast, beaned yet another in a season-ending debacle. By the time Nagata led off the bottom of the inning with his double, all hopes had faded. So the Quakers are now forced to look toward next year, which will display a lot of competition in several positions. For starters, the pitching staff will be completely revamped. Of the four Quakers graduating, three of them -- Mike Greenwood, Alex Hayden and Fischer -- were all starting pitchers in the past two seasons. While Simonian will return as the staff ace, Seddon also mentioned that Arbogast could be moved up into the starting rotation. Junior Ed Kimlin has shown he can pitch in the Ivies, but the rest of the staff, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen could be made of of freshmen. Several current Penn pitchers could have suited up for their last game despite not graduating, as Seddon hauled in eight pitching recruits this year. Also returning from taking a year off from school is Sean McDonald, who saw a lot of action in relieve and during midweek games last season. In addition, the entire infield could stake claim as the most experienced in the Ancient Eight next year, as the Quakers will be returning everybody. The only position lost outside of the pitching staff is leftfielder Jeremy Milkin, who takes with him a slew of RBIs. Several Quakers will go abroad to play summer ball. Simonian will be living at Ohio State, where he'll play for Columbus of the Great Lakes League. Carlon could play in the Alaskan League, and if not, he will join catcher Dave Corleto in the Illinois Bat League. · Princeton faced Harvard in the Ivy League Championships May 10 and 11 in Cambridge, Mass. The two teams split the opening games of the best-of-three series, Princeton took the first game, 2-1, before falling in the nightcap, 4-2. The deciding game on May 11 was an embarrassment to the Orange and Black. Killgoar would pick up the loss for the Tigers, but the Crimson exploded for 20 hits, including a second-inning grand slam to cruise 22-4. Not since 1974 has Harvard had a 30-win season, as the Crimson finish out the season 30-13, 18-2 in the Ivies.
