Giving Thanks

This year there is no reason for River Hawk fans to look far. Thanksgiving is the time of the year where people look for a reason to give thanks to. Suddenly things that fans may not be thankful for are willing to give thanks to them on this day.

This year River Hawk fans have a great reason to be thankful. After seeing the success of many of the teams in the fall, and the expectations for success in the winter, many are thankful to be a part of River Hawk nation.

This was a year which ‘Hawks fans saw personal and team records broken, playoffs reached, and championships won. Just about every program in the Northeast-10 would see UMass Lowell on the schedule, and have to be concerned with that game.

Fall 2009 saw the usual success from the Field Hockey team. Despite the fact that they were not able to win the National Championship the Field Hockey team still had a successful season. This was a year that brought about two games with at least eight goals. The team also saw a record eight points scored in a single game by one player.

The ‘Hawks made it a storybook season by defeating Stonehill, a team that swept them in the regular season, in the National semi-finals on their own home field with a game winning goal by Samy Macy in the final minutes.

In Costello there was another successful season giving ‘Hawks fans a reason to be thankful. The women’s volleyball team produced a season that has fans thankful there are fewer empty spaces in the school’s trophy case.

‘Hawks fans witnessed a 10-4 regular season record at home from the Volleyball team. This was a great omen to UML hosting the Northeast-10 tournament. The ‘Hawks made sure that the Northeast-10 Championship was not leaving Costello Gym that weekend as they won their first NE-10 Championship. This also earned the team an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament, and Head Coach Karen McNulty head coach of the year honors.

One thing ‘Hawks fans did not see for much of this season was a goal against the UML women’s soccer game. The ‘Hawks women’s soccer team created a stretch of 12 consecutive games over a month long span without giving up a goal. This stretch also created a Div II record for senior goalkeeper Jamie Gillis, earning her a spot on faces in the crowd of Sports Illustrated.

After starting the season 1-2 the ‘Hawks would not lose another game until the second to last game of the regular season. This would earn UML a spot in the NCAA East regional tournament.

Fans should give thanks to be at the school at the time of this milestone. Any sports fan loves to mention how they were there for any historical moments, let alone 1,333 consecutive minutes of one.

The fall season produced many occasions which students at UMass Lowell could be thankful for. The fall programs set a standard that winter and spring looks look to keep up with, and give fans more reasons to be thankful.

Make UMass Lowell tradition friendly

UMass Lowell athletics have had a lot of success over the course of the past few years. Despite this success it always seems as though there is something missing. The missing factor does not seem to be on the field, but off the field. One thing that seems to be void from any of the River Hawks teams is the traditions that other schools made famous.

This is not in any way a negative piece on the fans of UMass Lowell. ‘Hawks fans have proved their loyalty and support over the years. The fans at UML proved to be a factor, and made themselves noticed at hockey games at home and on the road last season.

The one thing that Umass Lowell does not do is extend the celebration and party every game of every sport. The enjoyment of a college sport does have to last only between the start and conclusion of a game.

In regards to athletics students have a lot to be proud of. Whether it’s a field hockey team that is always in title contention, a women’s soccer team that refuses to allow a goal, a basketball team that can easily roll off 13 straight wins, or an Ice Hockey team that can beat any big name program.

Many college programs have traditions where there are large tailgate parties before every game. One school that made this famous is Ole Miss University. The famous tailgating on the Grove as a 10 acre plot is used as a tailgating area in Oxford, MS before every football game. Another famous tradition is at Auburn University where fans line up hours before the game to cheer and applaud the players as they arrive.

Obviously Lowell does not have a 10 acre area to tailgate, but it is more the idea of celebrating Lowell athletics, and making every game something fans can devote a portion of their day to, and not just a last second idea if there is nothing else going on.

There have been ideas used to get fans ready for the upcoming home opener of the hockey season. The River Hawk Road Show has built excitement in the students for their matchup Oct. 23 against Colgate at the Tsongas.

Along with the Road Show, UMass Lowell is hosting a Hockey First Night event hours before the home opener. The event ill include a rally along with music, and a BBQ to prepare the fans for the game.

These are great ideas to get the fans motivated and excited for the upcoming game. The only way it would make it better is ideas like this such as a rally or cookout before most games. This does not mean just the school has to set up the plans, but any group of people who want to celebrate UML athletics. Make the few hours before a game an event along with the game.

This school already has a great, loyal student fan base. UMass Lowell has far more enthusiastic fans than Stonehill could find, and far more intelligent fans than “the Zoo” at Amherst could provide. All that the Blue Fan Group or any students at UML would need to do is start the party well before the game, and then they can keep the victory celebrations going well after the game.

After Further Review

Fans already anticipated a high level of intensity during the weekend series between the ‘Hawks and the defending National Champion Boston University Terriers. That intensity multiplied when Tim Benedetto, the referee from the Hockey East Championship Game, was seen officiating this game.

This left many fans questioning why Benedetto was allowed to call the first game between the ‘Hawks and Terriers after the infamous “no goal” call last March. The truth is that the referees for games are assigned well in advance.

“This is a decision that is made near the beginning of September for games around this point in the season,” said Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna. “The only restriction we may have is if an official is unable to make trips to teams further away such as Maine or Vermont.”

With Lowell not that far out of reach Commissioner Bertagna has no intention of going out of the way to keep Benedetto away from the Tsongas Arena.

“He [Benedetto] has been one of the top referees for many years here, and we are not going to forget that because of one issue,” Bertagna said. “Mr. Benedetto feels bad about the way that things went, and regrets what happened that game.”

The single issue, a questionable call back of a goal in the Hockey East Championship game, may require the blame to be spread on other areas aside from Benedetto. With all NHL reviews going to an office in the Toronto Headquarters, the TD Garden did not have sound in their replay booth.

If a similar situation should arise, and there was still no audio replay was available, Bertagna mentioned the use of video replay from networks covering the game such as NESN.
Also in defense of the decision made by Benedetto was a rule in place which states that if the referee has intention to blow the whistle, but is unable to, play will stop as if the referee blew the whistle.

“The rule was put into place from a conference tournament game a couple years ago between Boston College and New Hampshire,” Bertagna said. “When New Hampshire goalie Kevin Reagan lost his helmet, play should have been stopped, but no whistle was blown.”

While these are good steps towards any issues for the upcoming games it still makes UMass Lowell fans question why there could not be audio replay from NESN used against Boston University.

There is still question as to way a man who was seen running to his car after the Hockey East Championship game would be used for the rematch. This is in no way saying that Benedetto should be banned from any UMass Lowell or Boston university games. The fact that he is one of the longest tenured referees in Hockey East shows he is a credible official. It does seem odd to use him the very first game between Boston University and UMass Lowell though.

With all the things that happened Commissioner Bertagna wanted River Hawk fans to realize that he knows there is still anger about what happened.

“I understand that the city of Lowell is still upset about what happened in March,” Bertagna said. “Hockey East is doing everything to make sure it does not happen again.”

Be that as it may, this may not be closure for River Hawks fans, and having to see Benedetto in the first rematch with the Terriers served as nothing but a painful reminder being rubbed in.

Hockey East Media Day

Although he may have not said it word for word Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna made the announcement that all eyes were on UMass Lowell this upcoming season.

The 2009 Hockey east media day was held at the Legends Restaurant in the TD Garden Friday. This gives anybody invited a chance to gather media guides, lunch and information about each team in the conference this upcoming season. It was a very casual situation as the coached and players of all teams were happy to talk to reporters, and describe their team’s expectations and plans for the upcoming season.

A common theme of the events that afternoon seemed to be the UMass Lowell River Hawks hockey team. The ‘Hawks were the talk of Hockey East after their successful season last year, and bringing back 21 players for this upcoming season.

Reporters were given the chance to meet with players and coaches from all of the Men’s hockey teams, and several Women’s hockey teams in Hockey East. During this time ‘Hawks head coach Blaise MacDonald always had a swarm of reporters around him. Coach MacDonald was constantly asked about the high expectations for the team and how they planned to handle the pressure this upcoming season.

After lunch the announcement was made as to where each team was ranked in the Coach’s Polls. Boston University received six of the ten possible first place votes from the coaches of Hockey East. Those votes along with their 84 total points give the Terriers the top ranking in Hockey East.

The other four remaining vote went to UML and Boston College, who each received two. The ‘Hawks earned the second place ranking because they received 79 points compared to the 76 points for Boston College.

Commissioner of Hockey East, Joe Bertagna, pointed out to those in attendance that the River Hawks will not be able to sneak up on any teams this season. He also explained how this will be an interesting season to see if the ‘Hawks can live up to the expectations that many experts have for them.

The hockey team was not the only part of UMass Lowell that received honor and recognition during media day. Bob Ellis received the Joe Concannon Hockey east Media Award. Ellis was recognized for his years as the play-by-play commentator for UMass Lowell Hockey. This will be the 26^th season which Ellis will call the games for the ‘Hawks.

Not even a faulty microphone could prevent Ellis from giving a great speech thanking many who helped him over the course of his career. Ellis described how radio was the cause of his passion for hockey as he used to listen to Rangers games over the radio.

After discussing how he believes that Hockey east is the best conference in the league Ellis concluded his speech with a phrase that will be heard constantly on campus, go River Hawks.

Even though there has not been a regular season game played, it is clear that there is a lot of focus on UML this season. From the ice to the booth the theme of this year’s media day was UMass Lowell.

Quack Attack is Back Jack

It has not been a well kept secret that Hard Knox Sports is an Oregon Ducks fan even from across the country. All the professional level jokes about Joey Harrington and Kellen Clemens can be easily ignored. There will always be the excuse, "If Dennis Dixon did not tear his ACL in 2007 they would be at least Pac-10 Champs."

This year did not look like a great year for the Ducks though. Boise State embarrasses them on the Blue Turf, LeGarrette Blount suspended for the year after a cheap shot, a squeak by Purdue. But today gave a big reason for all fans to Yell-O as the Ducks destroyed the California Golden Bears 42-3 in front of the Autzen Zoo.

Everything looked good from the defense shutting down Heisman hopeful Jahvid Best to just 55 yards, Jeremiah Masoli and Ed Dickson linked telepathically for 148 yards and three touchdowns, and those amazing throwback uniforms.

Between this win and snapping Utah's 16 game win streak the week before the sky is the limit for the Ducks. Cal is temporarily out of the picture, USC is once again not the invincible force they were supposed to be, and the sexy sleeper that was Oregon State became a flop. The Pac-10 is up for grabs.

The Ducks do have challenges in the next three weeks with UCLA and Washington, who defeated USC. After that it is a Halloween night in the Autzen Zoo against USC. With the way the team has looked after the last two weeks, Chip Kelly will not have any reason to give any more fans their money back. Look for celebrations in many different colored jerseys in Eugene.

What a Drag

After a yearlong wait stemming from a monsoon and other complications that ruined the event last year, Hard Knox Sports finally got the chance to attend the IHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

Held over the course of a three-day weekend, the Amalie Motor Oil New England Nations showcase the top drivers in the International Hotrod Racing Association.

The event is a must see for all fans. The New England Dragway provides fans more then just racing. Fans are able to just go through the pits and talk to the drivers and crewmembers (as long as they are not trying to drive their car. That is frowned upon).

The owners of the New England Dragway set up the perfect weekend for race fans. Nothing could ruin this weekend.

Almost.

Mother Nature decided to be a cranky old lady, and make this journal a tough one to write. Not even Mother Nature can stop hard Knox Sports though.

Friday

5:30 p.m.: Stuck in traffic on 495 with a little rain. Not a good start to this weekend, but that is ok it just means the week has nowhere to go but up….hopefully.

6:20 p.m.: Heavy traffic finally comes to an end just past Haverhill. This has to be a sign of good things to come.

6:45 p.m.: finally off of the highway and just a right turn away from reaching the New England Dragway.

6:52 p.m.: Apparently the GPS location of New England Dragway Corp. does not lead tot the dragway. Curse you Tom Tom.

7:03 p.m.: Now at the New England Dragway. Now the best weekend ever can begin. Already off to a good start by talking to a cool older man named Bob from South Carolina about everything from soup to nuts.

7:20 p.m.: talking to shareholder Doug Adams, the rest of the events for the night were called off due to rain, but racing would resume Saturday morning. Adams is one of those men who know everything that goes on at the track. If he says there will be racing, then there will be racing. Saturday calls for only a few showers. No problem, this great weekend can begin tomorrow.

11:30 a.m.: The thought of racing, and a few drinks to go with it, encourage sleep. More to talk about tomorrow.

Saturday

9:00 am. Woken up by the sound of track dryers. That has to be a good sign. Drying the track means cars are about to get on.

9:17 a.m. Not so fast my friends. Rain picks up again. Blow Dryers outright leave.

9:28 a.m. Doug is spotted with a disgusted look on his face. That is never a good sign. He informs everyone in the camping area there is a large band of rain coming. This will cause more delays.

9:29 a.m.: Trying to stay optimistic. It is supposed to be the best weekend.

10:00 a.m.: An announcement was made. Rain should stop in a couple hours and racing should be a go by about 2:30. Whew. Not to kill time until then.

10:45 a.m.: To kill time took a road trip with others around the area. Viewing lovely scenic New Hampshire.

11:06 a.m.: Trying to find a restaurant, and ended up taking a wrong turn at a nudist colony. Could not make this up. Dave wanted to explore more, but it seems logical that a nudist colony is not much of a party site in a cold rain storm. A side note that Dave was in the bag at this point.

11:52 a.m.: A shameless promotion to Newick’s Seafood in Dover, NH. Amazing food, cheap beer, and a check error in the customer favor made it the best seafood experience in sometime.

2:12 p.m.: After lunch, and an alcohol run, news spread that another rain continued delaying racing a little longer. Might as well take advantage of this newly acquired beer.

4:30 p.m.: The wait for more racing lead to an announcement that racing was postponed again until tomorrow due to another band of rain. Even with no racing still chances at having fun.

4:40 p.m.: Took advantage to go down to the pits and talk to the drivers, and receive free merchandise from sponsors. The New England Dragway knows how to treat fans, and make them feel like priority number one.

4:55 p.m.: The great part about IHRA racing is the drivers and crew members always look forward to talking to fans, and keeping them updated. Top Fuel driver Bruce Litton’s crew held a makeshift press conference describing how they prepare for the race when they had no chance to qualify.

5:20 p.m.: Sponsors keep promotions and contests going to let the fans know they are not forgotten. Even with no racing at NED fans still have plenty to do. Always an important feature mentioned in future columns.

8:30 a.m.: After waking up from an alcohol induced sleep that also caused a huge gap in this journal, a new joy was found as there were blue skies.

9:30 a.m.: Engines fired up for racing within the hour. Those who wait are rewarded….with amazing racing.

10:30 a.m.: First race underway. It was everything that could be dreamed of. A redneck discovery of Christmas.

10:37 a.m.: One of the cars loses a tire, and hits the wall. While this will normally get the crowds going crazy and loving every minute it does cause another delay, which just reminds all fans of what they just went through this weekend. No big deal. Back to racing in a few moments.

12:07 p.m.: Another delay due to an injury in the pits, and a lack of another ambulance. Even the slightest delay gets fans a tad fidgety.

12:20 p.m.: A bit of an interesting sight. Snowmobile drag racing on an asphalt surface. Basically racers going 150 miles per hour on a snowmobile with no snow underneath. Try and figure that one out physics dept.

12:33 p.m.: The main event. Top Fuel Racing. A division where 300 miles per hour will not guarantee any driver one of the fastest eight times.

Despite Mother Nature being a cranky old puss for most of the weekend, The New England Dragway and IHRA Nationals were a great time. Much applause goes out to the owners, and crew members who did everything they could to keep the fans into the event.

If the weekend was that successful with minimal racing, it can only mean one of the most exciting events when the weather conditions are ideal.

Aged to Perfection

In the sports world 40 has become the new 30. In a profession where 30 means over the hill and 40 means it is time to go many athletes are not willing to accept that rocking chair and retirement home just yet. Others want to prove that after many years in retirement they can still be an important part of any team.

Doing this caused many fans to think that these athletes are tarnishing their legacy by holding on to long. The Brett Favre saga for the past two years is perfect example. Bouncing back and forth between never wanting to play again, and coming out of retirement to play with a new team put a sour taste in the mouths of many who worshipped the ground that Favre used to walk on.

Fans now are replacing memories of great accomplishments Favre made with the headaches cause by Favre retiring every other month. The only thing Favre has been sure about in the past two years is that he is comfortable in his Wrangler jeans.

Another elderly quarterback talking comeback is Jeff George. The number one overall pick of 1990 announced wanting to return despite not playing in an NFL game since 2001. It seems tough to believe that the 41 year old can make a team now, but could do nothing better then be cut from a practice squad for the past eight years. Perhaps an eight year vacation will give him a fresh arm. If George is smart he will stay on the couch because only he and journalist Jason Whitlock believe he has a chance back in the NFL.

Over on the diamond another retiree has been on a mission to prove not only he can come out of retirement, but be as effective as ever. Pedro Martinez wants to show the baseball world that just because he has not been able to stay healthy for an entire season this decade does not mean that he should call it quits.

Despite shoulder and elbow problems Pedro still wants to prove that he can do it, and is getting a chance with the Phillies because of his decent stint with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The only problem for Pedro this year has not been father time, but Mother Nature, with two games rain delayed so far.

One of the more interesting stories involving a crafty veteran is Theo Fleury. Now 41 years old Fleury announced that he is clean, sober, and looking to play in the NHL for the first time since the 2002-2003 season. As if a 41 year old hockey player is not tough to sell, it did not get any easier when Claude Lemieux made the same attempt last year with the San Jose Sharks and scored one point in 19 games. It is also tough to believe Fleury is sober seeing how he made this announcement several times during his career.

Fleury has shown success as an owner of a concrete sealing business, and the partial owner of the Calgary Hitmen with Brett Hart and Joe Sakic. Fleury would be better off to follow the recent steps of Assistant General Manager Mark Messier and look into hockey from the executive standpoint.

Give them credit, these old athletes are tough, and are not just willing to be cast aside. But sometimes desire is just not enough to make any veteran athlete the same as they were in their prime. Just wait until Charles Barkley decides he wants to play basketball again.

Fury continues to dominate at home

The story of home sweet home continued to be true for the Fury as they defeated the Metro West Colonials 35-6 Saturday afternoon at Leicester Community Field. The win gives the Fury four straight wins at home. At Community Field the Fury are 3-0 this season and averaging 37 points a game.

The Fury made up for having minimal time on offense the week before against the Outlaws. The Fury posted 28 points in the first half to put the game out of reach for Metro West.

"I was very proud of the way that we played in the first half." Said Head Coach Chris Chambers. We were a little sloppy in the second half, but we did build a big lead early and showed our strength."

After missing entire quarters the previous week, Ryan Minns made up for lost time and a game without a passing touchdown with four passing touchdowns against the Colonials. The only problem for Minns was Colonials defensive back Brandon Lovelace who scored Metro West's lone touchdown Saturday.

One of Minns main targets was Matt McRae. McRae recorded 69 yards receiving including two touchdown receptions. Along with two touchdowns by McRae the other touchdowns through the air came from Willie Bates in the third quarter, and Fran Collins on a close sideline catch in the second quarter.

The running game proved to be just as effective as the passing game. The offensive line created holes for the core of running backs to get through with ease against the Colonials.

While the offense was making up for lost time from their game last week, the defense proved that even with the amount of time on the field last week there were no signs of let down.

For the second time at home this season the Fury defense hold their opponent without an offensive touchdown. The other game was the home opener against Weymouth.

The front seven of the Fury got through the offensive line of the Colonials with ease causing pressure and several sacks by Torry Rovinelli, Harry Ingels, Adam Ingels, and Jesse Atocha. Atocha also recorded in interception against Metro West. The highlight of the defense was the sleeper hold tackle made by Cookie Smith to end the first half.

"The way that we played defensively was spectacular," said Chambers. "We got turnovers, got the ball back to our offense frequently, and that was what we were looking for."

The Fury looks to finish the regular season at home with an undefeated record at home against the North Shore Generals on September 19. Before that the Fury next take on the Middletown Spartans at Middletown on August 29.

Mass Fury vs. CT. Gamblers

Milton Smith is carried off the field after returning an interception for the game winning touchdown against the Gamblers.


It was a story that was fit for a Sports Movie. Al Michaels could almost be heard asking if everyone believed in miracles.

After enduring many issues over the course of the first half, the Mass Fury hit the jackpot in the fourth quarter and overtime and walked off winners over the Connecticut Gamblers 20-14 in overtime at Plainfield, CT.

In the first half the Fury came out with plenty of aggression, the only problem was it was not all channeled at the Gamblers. Issues with questionable calls from questionable referees lead to high tension between players on the sideline. Between the Gamblers, the referees, and themselves it was like taking on three card sharks at a poker table.

"We are going to see calls from referees that we do not agree with sometimes," said Coach Chris Chambers. "We still have to find a way to work around them, and I think we did that in the second half today."

Despite the turmoil the Fury found themselves down by only 14. One of those touchdowns off a lucky pass that was tipped by Eugene Miller. The Fury were nowhere near out of this game.

The second half showed the classic tale of two different teams as the Fury came out with a vengeance. They were united and focused all there energy on the Gamblers and the score.

After a scoreless third quarter the Fury made a statement with a 23 yard Touchdown reception by Fran Collins off a perfect ball from Ryan Minns. The PAT by John Carpenter cut the lead in half 14-7.

The Fury had one last chance to tie the game up with less then a minute left. A 21 yard pass by Minns to Eugene Miller in the endzone looked as if it may have been broken up. But the football gods returned the favor to Eugene from the earlier tipped pass. The ball landed on Miller's chest in the end zone for a touchdown. Another PAT by Carpenter tied the game 14-14 with nine seconds left.

"That was a tale of two different teams," said Chambers. "It was a rough three and a half quarters, but I think we saw what this team can do when they are together."

The Fury proved they were not just going to accept a moral victory against the Gamblers. They wanted to hit the jackpot.

In overtime Cedrick Crawford proved to be the ace up the Fury's sleeve. His 33 yards rushing in overtime set the Fury up for a Field Goal attempt by Carpenter. Carpenter's kick looked like a game winner, perfectly down the line, but was inches too short.

This did not mean the Fury busted out against the Gamblers though. They were able to cash in a victory on the Gambler's first drive. An interception by Milton Smith lead to a walk off win for the Fury. They overcame the odds to put up a score of 20-14 that even blackjack would not be able to beat.

It was a lesson to all who watched. No matter what the situation is or how bad it looks, never say that it is over. As long as this team is together, anything is possible.

The Fury next play the Outlaws on Saturday Aug 15 at Leicester Community Field. Another chance to see if the Fury can wi

Even Colleges make Stupid Decisions

After a week long hiatus due to a broken computer Hard Knox Sports is back. Sorry to keep all waiting but this hiatus produced great topics.

Regarding the previous post on the Oregon Duck new uniforms many debates were created regarding whether or not those are the worst. After many debates, arguments, and shoving matches it became obvious this topic had to be broken up into several leagues. Today starts with college football.

Hard Knox Sports presents the ten worst college football jerseys ever. For the record Oregon is just too good to be on here.

10.) The Florida Gators Orange Shoulder-They may be champs now, but they were chumps in these jerseys. The University of Florida looks like they ran out of blue fabric to make all their jerseys so they settled on using spare orange pieces of orange fabric to finish a jersey. Not even Tim Tebow can make these good.

9.) Oregon State "bib" jerseys-People complain about Oregon University but at least they did not have horrible random areas of color like the bibs on Oregon State. Unless the nickname of the team is the Rugrats no one should look like they are wearing a bib on the football field.

8.) Notre Dame alternate-The Irish green uniform should be a classic for the Fighting Irish, but it never is. Maybe it is that the jersey seems to go along with big losses. No matter what the jerseys leave Irish fans wanting to upchuck something of a similar color.

7.) Minnesota M shoulders-The Golden Gophers laid a golden egg with these duds. It looks like a heartrate that should be flatlined. The only bright spot of these is it got me to ignore these golden beauties.

6. tie) Cal and West Virginia yellow jerseys-Speaking of Golden. Both teams have a decent blue jersey and choose to wear these cheery canary yellow alternates. Especially Cal. If you are the golden bears, wear gold...not sun yellow.

5.) Clemson-No matter how many ways they wear their uniforms, Clemson can not find a good way to mix orange and purple. Orange helmets with purple pants and jerseys, all orange with purple outlines, nothing fits. It is like comparing grapes to oranges, just too different.

4.) Syracuse-Another jersey with a case of identity crisis. Is it supposed to be old time kind of look, or a new age version. Either way it is just plain awful, like the performance of the Orange. When I see this all I think is road construction on 495.

3.) Idaho-While the jersey may not be that bad, they need to be high up on the list for the idea of a butt logo. All jokes are far too easy to make on this one. Hard Knox Sports will leave it at this. Gives their opponents an easy target to kick when they lose horribly.

2.) Florida A&M-Terrible on so many different levels. The only thing orange goes with less than purple is pea soup/puke green. The FAMU spread out across the jersey looks like a horrible attempt to try to spell famous on their chest. Poor spelling or not these jerseys are some famously bad ones.

1.) Iowa State-Rated worst jerseys not just because they look bad, but they are a horrible attempt at ripping of the football jerseys at USC. the excessive amount of stripes and gold MC Hammer pants should make the Trojans want to beat the Cyclones by 50 every year on week one in college football. The only way Iowa State could be worse is if they kept the idea to replace the helmets with facepaint and a red wig. Of course that idea was already taken.

That is all for now. Stay tuned for the next list of horrible sports jerseys.

Jersey Boys

The University of Oregon revealed their latest trendy uniforms for the upcoming football season. For those who sighed in relief that they were finally toning down their jerseys....guess again.

The Ducks will be using five different jerseys, four different pairs of pants, and four yes four different helmets.

They just could not be like other teams and have just one helmet. They decided the white and awful yellow helmet they used along with the traditional green was not enough. They nixed the less then mellow yellow helmets with a black helmet, and the retro looks like no one has a color TV style of gray and silver.

The new silver helmet to this look is a story by itself is it tries to create a somewhat chain linked look. It is either chain link or static like. static fits better with the black and white TV joke above.

The other big change is that the Ducks are not unique enough with the diamond plated shoulder pads. The only way to stand out even more is to replace the diamond look with the new winged shoulders.

Whether you love them or hate them Oregon does do a good job at getting the sports masses to talk about their look. while other teams just have outright awful looking uniforms (more on this topic another post) Oregon can be awful yet creative at the same time.

Gold Glover

Monday finally brought the conclusion to the U.S. Open golf/swimming tournament. While congratulations have to go out to Lucas Glover for holding on to the lead without the need of a canoe, it also feels as though sympathy and condolences need to be given out.

The fact is that many people are going to remember this tournament for a couple things besides Lucas Glover holding the trophy, and a bunch of websites using the cheesy line "fits like a glove."

The first thing everyone is going to remember is the opportunity that Phil Mickelson had and could not win for his wife who is battling breast cancer. Many though Phil was either going to win or struggle this weekend. Until late bogeys in the final round he had that chance to win.

It is nothing against Glover winning. With the exception of a few players such as Tiger, and maybe Rocco Mediate or David Duval, every fan and casual golf person was pulling for Phil to win his first U.S. Open this year. any other week and Glover winning would be a nice story, just not this week.

The other issue behind it the fact the weather will be remembered more the Glover's name by many. There is nothing a person hates more then a wet dreary day when they want to play golf. It gets even worse when the golf fans have to watch and pray for no more rain at a major championship. Bethpage Black is an amazing course, and it would have been even better to see it without reservoirs by the greens.

On a slightly lesser note it may not help Lucas Glover that the headline just below him for the day was the retirement of former Pro Bowl Defensive Tackle La'Roi Glover. Glover retires after 13 seasons with six Pro Bowls and 87.5 sacks. Might not take too much attention away from Lucas Glover (no relation), but still needed to be mentioned.

Despite all these other issue Hard Knox Sports would like to tip our hat, and give a long golf clap to Lucas Glover for winning the U.S. Open at a course that was considered to be one of the toughest by all except for Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben shot an 81 on the difficult course a week before the U.S. Open. See, yet another story taking away spotlight from Lucas Glover.

Never too soon to trade

Less then a day from the conclusion of the NBA Finals the basketball form of the hot stove has already begun. several trade rumors surfaced about as well as claims for free agency. It is true there is no such thing as the off season anymore.

The Amway Arena barely emptied out before Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu decided to file for free agency according to his agent. Lou Babby, Turkoglu's agent, claims he does not see any reason why not to leave. Apparently the thought of staying with a team that just reached the NBA Finals and is returning many talented players including a healthy Jameer Nelson.

Over to the rumor mill there have been reports that the Boston Celtics trying to trade away their talent to any team. Chad Ford reported the Celtics spoke to the Memphis Grizzlies about a trade including Ray Allen or Rajon Rondo for the 2nd pick in the draft.

Another rumor involved Allen and Rondo for Amare Stoudamire and Barbosa. This is a case of premature panic button mashing. Losing in a game seven to the eventual Eastern Conference Champions without Kevin Garnett calls for a breakup of the now Big Four.

Also on the rumor mill is Shaq to Cleveland for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovich. This reported no chance/great chance deal would be a great deal for Cleveland, but there is no logic reasoning behind Phoenix taking two overpaid players who have been relegated to bench time on a team with one solid player.

With all the trade rumors and just over a week to the Draft the NBA found a great way to keep their league near the top of the headlines at Sportcenter.

Mass Fury

An article for another blog I started about the Mass Fury. Be sure to check it out at www.MassFuryFootball.blogspot.net

The Mass Fury are back and looking to prove that there will be more of that same success they had in previous years. After kicking off their inaugural season in NEFL AA action with a record of 8-4, the Fury expects to continue their winning ways no matter what league.

After having easy success in the A league for many years the Fury have no intention of changing their winning ways. The second season in AA will not be the same as their inaugural year though as they divisions changed around this season. The Fury finds themselves in the tougher division of AA, but that does not concern the team.

“This is the toughest division of AA, but that is not a concern for the team,” said Head Coach Chris Chambers. “We plan to be a tough team in this tough division.”

Along with improvements to the division, the Mass Fury believed they made improvements to their own team. What was considered one of the weaker aspects of the team in previous years, the running game looks to be a strong point this season.

“The running game used to be a problem. We would average around 50 yards a game,” said Chambers. “This year I think we have made improvements and can now beat any defense anyway.”

The passing game looks to be as strong and dominant for the Fury as it has been in previous seasons. With the ability of Ryan Minns, the record holder in passing yards in a regular season, the passing game of the Fury looks to pick up where the left off. The passing game and style of Minns has led Coach Chambers to refer to his style as a solid, Doug Flutie like, ability.

“We do run a complicated offense, and he is able to perform well, and handle this offense easily,” said Chambers. “I think that this team is capable of throwing for 200 yards a game easily, and able to throw 300 or 400 yards without much problem.”

On the other side of the ball the defense looks to make sure that they never give another team the same chance to throw for 300 yards. Always known for a stingy defense the Mass Fury look to keep that reputation this year, and continue to be one of the top defenses in the NEFL.

“We have always been known for a strong defense, and one of the top scoring defenses in the area. There is no reason that will not be the same this year,” Chambers said.

Although the first game of the regular season is not until July the Fury will kick off the year at home with a preseason game on June 20. Fans are encouraged to attend, and see the talents of a solid core of local talent.

Don't Drink the kool-Aid

Now that the Red Sox are 8-0 against the Yankees this season, it seems as though everyone is talking about how the Bronx Bombers need to hit the panic button. As much as I enjoy seeing the Red Sox win eight straight against New York, I am not going to take this as an automatic title for the Sox.

Even though they are 8-0 the Yankees are only two games back of first in the AL East. If Thursday night's game put the Bronx Bombers eight games back then there still would not be a big reason to celebrate. After all: It is still JUNE!!!

8-0 in June is nice to talk about, but with 10 games left between the two teams and a whole three plus months of baseball before the playoffs it does not mean much. It will be more impressive if they can go 4-0 against New York in October.

Schedule Release

Mark the dates on the calendar, or just pick up one of those magnetic schedules. The 2009-2010 schedule was released for the UMass Lowell Riverhawks Hockey team on June 4. The ‘Hawks will have 17 home games this upcoming season and two tournaments as they look to earn their first Hockey East championship, and first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996.

UMass Lowell opens up the regular season in the city that screams hockey, Omaha, Nebraska. The ‘Hawks will be a part of the Ice Breaker Tournament taking on St. Lawrence on Oct. 9. They follow that up against either Army or Nebraska-Omaha the next day.

As if Nebraska was not a nice enough place to play hockey UMass Lowell travels to Alabama to take on the Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville on Nov 13 and 14. UAH played two games at the Tsongas Arena two years ago, losing both to Lowell

The first home game of the regular season for the ‘Hawks will be Oct. 23 in a non-conference game against Colgate in a rematch from last year. The other non-conference opponent playing in the mill city will be Princeton in the final two games before Christmas in Dec. 11 and 12. UML is 3-0-0 all time against Princeton.

Lowell has a tough stretch in November which thy play three games in less then a week. After a Saturday afternoon game on Nov. 21 against Merrimack the ‘Hawks travel to Providence on Nov. 24 for a Tuesday night game followed by a home game the day after Thanksgiving against Maine.

The River Hawks get their first chance at revenge early as they take on Defending National champion Boston University, the team that beat Lowell in the Hockey east Title game, in a home and home series on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.

Before Lowell takes on the Terriers they begin their conference action against Northeastern on Oct. 24 at the Tsongas Arena. After a dramatic win in overtime against Northeastern in the Hockey East semifinals the schedule makers wanted to create the possibility of the Huskies and River Hawks playing against each other four times in the regular season. Therefore, Lowell and Northeastern will both be a part of the Dartmouth Tournament held at Dartmouth University on Jan. 2 and 3. Along with the two teams from Hockey East will be the host, Dartmouth University, and the College of the Holy Cross.

After the Dartmouth Tournament the ‘Hawks will finish the season with 17 straight games against Hockey East opponents. This stretch includes three games against Boston College, and a weekend series at the University of Maine.

UMass Lowell ends their regular season with a weekend series at home against Vermont. The last time Lowell and Vermont met was the first round of the Hockey East tournament when the ‘Hawks upset the Catamounts with a two game sweep at Vermont.

The schedule will be tough, but for a team in Hockey East that is expected, especially when that team was one goal away from winning the hockey east Championship. The River Hawks look to overcome this tough schedule, with lots of traveling early in the season, and take another shot at winning Hockey East and reaching the NCAA tournament.

With three more regular season games at home then last year look for support from the students and fans to be bigger this year then the record amounts set last season.

Lowell: Soaring with Pride

Welcome to all incoming students to UMass Lowell. A school thriving with winning sports programs as of late. Norman, OK Athens, GA and Columbus, OH have nothing on the Mill City. After the success that many of the teams at UMass Lowell had last season there is much to look forward to this upcoming year.

UMass Lowell started off strong in the fall with winning season from several programs. Despite big changes in the coaching staff, the Men’s soccer team brought back several players from a team that went 7-0-1 in their final eight regular season games.

The team reached the East Region Championship game last season, losing to Dowling in 2OT. New head coach Bryan Scales looks to bring this team further into the postseason.

The women’s soccer team reached the conference semi-finals of the Northeast-10 tournament last year, and just missed out on a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. The team looks to improve upon their 8-5-5 record from last season, and be on the opposite end of the NCAA tournament selection. They have the ability to.

The UMass Lowell field hockey team also has high expectations, following a 2008 season which saw them in the Division II Championship. Winning and success has not been an uncommon situation for the UMass Lowell field hockey team.

After a 20-5 season and their fourth championship game in six seasons, including one Championship, Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk and several returning players look to make it five championship game, and yet another title.

With a 15-17 record last season the volleyball team reached the Northeast-10 tournament, but lost to Merrimack 3-0 in the first round. The team is losing one senior, and looks to use that veteran experience to a championship season.

Over at the Tsongas the hockey team will look to continue the success they had last year. The River Hawks reached the Hockey East Championship game for only the second time losing to eventual National Champion Boston University 1-0 on a controversial call.

With the team losing just three seniors the River Hawks return many big name players including their top seven scorers last season. That with the top goaltenders Carter Hutton and Nevin Hamilton UMass Lowell is a team that is going to be considered a team to look out for this upcoming season.

In the winter the Men’s Basketball team started last season off with a bang, playing an exhibition game at eventual Final Four team UConn. Although the River Hawks would be defeated they went on to finish the regular season with a 21-8 record, including a 13 game winning streak. The team would reach the NCAA tournament losing to Merrimack. With a lot of young talent, this team appears to be going nowhere but up.

The stretch of playoff runs continued in the spring as the baseball team reached the Northeast-10 playoffs after a 25-21 record. The team looks to use leadership and veteran talent in the upcoming spring.

The upcoming year has lots of potential for UMass Lowell athletic programs. If the teams can reach the success that they found last year or higher, this will be the best school to see in sports. What makes it even better is that Lowell does not need blue turf or an acorn for a mascot to be successful in sports.

Chosen One?

This week's cover of Sports Illustrated featured 16 year old Bryce Harper, a top baseball prospect who can hit home runs over 500 feet, and throw a 97 mph fastball. Harper is now consider the most exciting prodigy, and will have a lot of major league eyes watching him.

Be careful what you wish for.

While it can not be ignored that the numbers this "prodigy" has put up is remarkable, this cover has put a lot of pressure and eyes on Harper, who still has years before he is even eligible to try to play professional baseball.

To put this much pressure and establish that this 16 year old is going to have a career in baseball or bust could be putting too much on him. At 16 Yours truly still thought he was going to have a career as a game show host. Of course Hard Knox Sports did not have the high heat, and could not hit the long ball.

There is no guarantee that this fame, and belief will either make or break their chance at a professional career. While the spotlight and pressure of the Sports Illustrated cover as a teen did not seem to stop players like Lebron James from having a career, there is always a chance of becoming the next Todd Marinovich.

Of course there has to be concern in his health putting an end to this prodigy talk quick. It is always said that in baseball the next pitch or swing can be the last a player ever sees. Having the possibility of the Sports Illustrated Cover jinx on top of that may make this tougher.

This is not saying that Harper will be a bust, and not fulfill his prodigy talk. But it does not make sense to just declare a guy a prodigy when they have a test in Algebra or Biology class second period. Let him get time in the professional level before deciding that he is going to be the next superstar.

Panic Button

This is not how it was supposed to go. It seems as though everyone in and out of the NBA organization had the Finals set back around Christmas. Those plans were only validated when Kevin Garnett went down with a knee strain against the Jazz. Somebody forgot to tell the Orlando Magic and the Denver Nuggets about these reservations.

Denver can be considered an exception (possibly) to beat the Lakers. Not just because Denver is a different team with Chauncey Billups, and they finally got rid of Iverson. The main reason is the Lakers have shown everyone their flaw that they can be a soft team that simply takes off games.

Even in the second round of the playoffs against Houston the Lakers just looked like they did not care about certain games. Well the series is tied at two and game five is tonight. Let's see how much they care.

Back East the time for crisis and panic has come quicker for the Cavs. The team that was supposed to simply destroy every team they face in the playoffs, and they did in the first two rounds, can not figure out how to stop Dwight Howard. A last second shot by Lebron James is the only thing that has them not playing golf for the rest of the summer.

The first thing Cleveland should do is try to make it a 5 on 5 game and not 5 on 1. Besides Lebron no Cleveland player can be proud about what they have done or said this series.

Mo Williams did a great job with the guarantee of a series win. No stutters or mumbling or backtracking at all. Of course it would help if the second best player on the team could help Lebron and make a three pointer, and not force Lebron to have to score over 40 points a game.

There is no reason to doubt that the Cavs or Lakers will come back and win their series. To be honest if at least one of those two does not win I will be stunned. But changes and adjustments are going to have to be made. Pau Gasol is going to need more then 10 shots tonight and not allow Denver to make 20 offensive rebounds. Let's see what happens.

Controller Abuse

Sunday produced a sport fan's dream as there were so many options to watch over the course of the day. The early afternoon gave everyone the desire to have at least three different televisions. While the Sunday matinee of the Red Sox is always a treat in these eyes, especially when they comeback and win like they did in a 12-5 victory, there were so many other options this Memorial Day weekend.

While the IRL has become a sport that barely receives recognition from SportCenter for any other race the Indianapolis 500 will always be discussed. Even the mst casual fan of racing seems to put the race on, and tries to recognize famous drivers. One of those famous drivers managed to win, and give fans a somewhat feel good story.

Weeks ago Helio Castroneves was facing tax evasion charges and possible jail time. Helio was acquitted of charges and took advantage of his freedom by winning his 3rd Indy 500. In a society that has become guilty until proven innocent it was good to see an athlete not be guilty of a crime, and come back to their winning ways.

At the same time Game four of the Western Conference Finals in the NHL took place. This seemed to be the most promising of the two series left in the NHL. Most of that promise was taken away as the Red Wings just beat up the BlackHawks 6-1 in Chicago. It seems almost a guarentee now that it will be a rematch between Detroit and Pittsburgh.

The one break for my TV is that the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte was postponed due to rain. The longest race in NASCAR will take place tomorrow. More on that later.

The nightcap provided the shocking story to stay that way. After a monumental upset on Wednesday, and a really close possibility of the same thing Friday the Orlando Magic upset the Cavs 99-89 on Sunday to take a 2-1 series lead. The Cavs were crowned Eastern Conference champs back in March, and now are a last second shot from being down 3-0. Time to hit the panic button in Cleveland? Seems better then any other time.

Great day for sports fans, let's hope for a lot more of these days this summer.