Ice Knights hope to regain momentum

So far this season, the Ice Knights have skated themselves to a record of 5-3-1. The team has been unable to put together a full, 60-minute game this year, but they have shown the skills to prove that they’re a sound hockey team. Despite an excellent start, the Ice Knights couldn’t make the 60-minute effort to put away the winless SUNY Cortland Red Dragons when they faced off on Nov. 21. Geneseo took a disappointing loss that will no doubt come back to haunt them in the conference standings at the end of the year. Despite solid pressure on offense through the first 30 minutes, unnecessary penalties and the inability to finish against a hungry team resulted in a loss. With that loss, the Ice Knights have proven that if they don’t come out and play hard every night, they can lose to anyone.

After the loss to Cortland, the Ice Knights showed their potential as a team. With a rematch of last season’s SUNYAC Tournament finals, Geneseo won a 2-1 battle on the road with the 2013-14 SUNYAC champion SUNY Oswego Lakers on Nov. 25.

Handing the Lakers their first loss of the season, senior forward Tyler Brickler and sophomore forward Connor Anthoine each scored goals to lead the Ice Knights to victory. With all the goals being scored in the final period, the Ice Knights showed their ability to defend and counter a high-flying, fast-paced Laker attack. They played 60 hard-fought minutes, something they couldn’t do against Cortland.

If the Ice Knights took the attitude and determination they had against Oswego and used it against Cortland, they would’ve probably blown Cortland off the rink. The win at Oswego proved that the Ice Knights have the skills to beat anyone.

Geneseo ended a three-game road stand with a trip to Nazareth College to take on the Golden Flyers on Tuesday Dec. 2. While attempting to come out with a winning re cord on the road trip, the Ice Knights once again fell short with a 1-1 tie—the first tie for Geneseo since 2012. Although it’s not a loss, the Ice Knights could’ve taken another step in the right direction with a win. The inability to fire on all cylinders as a squad led to a draw with a very mediocre Nazareth team.

With home games against SUNY Fredonia on Friday Dec. 5 and Buffalo State University on Saturday Dec. 6, the Ice Knights must use the home ice advantage they have been unable to harness thus far this season. There is no doubt that head coach Chris Schultz and company will prepare one game at a time, like they have done all season. If the Ice Knights fail to earn wins at home at these two games, it may doom them when it comes to playoff time.

If the Ice Knights can earn two wins at home and find their stride, they can take off and will find themselves in the same spot they were last year—with a chance at the SUNYAC conference title.

Away from home, Ice Knights land in Geneseo

Going to an Ice Knights’ game is a tradition. The home-ice advantage created by students at the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena is particularly notorious around the SUNYAC conference. There wouldn’t be integrity and tradition in Geneseo hockey if it weren’t for its fans. Oftentimes, however, fans know very little about the players themselves. Just like everyone else, they are members of the Geneseo community. Unlike the rest of their peers, however, they get to go out and to lead the way to one of the most booming atmospheres on campus.

Stemming from all corners of this side of the northern hemisphere, the individual journeys these guys have taken to get to Geneseo are extremely unique. Every player has a story.

Raised in Winter Springs, Florida, junior forward David Ripple started playing hockey when he was young. With the lack of youth ice hockey in Florida, Ripple started playing a little differently than most.

“I played roller hockey until I was 11,” he said. After roller hockey, Ripple took to the ice knowing that it was his only way to seriously play competitive hockey. He noted that it took him about two or three weeks to get accustomed to the ice.

After spending 2007-2010 playing junior hockey in Jacksonville, Florida, Ripple joined a junior hockey team in Wisconsin. “It was the first time I lived in [snow],” he said. “It was like negative temperatures every day.”

After learning how to adjust to the cold in Wisconsin while playing for the Coulee Region Chill, Ripple took his talents to Geneseo. Along with playing hockey, Ripple helped to start a Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter here on campus. He leads Bible studies—talking about how the Bible can be referenced in correlation with sports. After Geneseo, Ripple will look to possibly join the United Hockey League and watch his beloved Boston Bruins.

Being born and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, junior defenseman Matt Hutchinson started playing hockey at a young age in his driveway. Upon his arrival to Geneseo, Hutchinson noticed many differences. “There are no mountains here,” Hutchinson said. Despite being from Canada, he says the environment at Geneseo hockey games is like nothing he’s seen before.

“The building was filled during warm-ups,” Hutchinson said about the Nov. 22, 2013 game against SUNY Oswego. “It was unlike anything else.” Hutchinson and the rest of the Ice Knights will never forget that night. “I still haven’t watched the game film,” he said.

In his spare time, Hutchinson is a volunteer in the Geneseo Fire Department. “Being from Canada, I got jived a little bit [at first],” he said. Now, he has found a new love for firefighting and is thinking about pursuing a career in professional firefighting after his time here at Geneseo. Working in the International Student & Scholar Services Office as well, there is always something going on for Hutchinson. “I appreciate free time,” he said. “Free time is extremely valuable.”

The Ice Knights are more than a tradition here at Geneseo. They are a group of guys that want to come out and to win a championship for the fans. Every one of them wants to leave the same legacy here: they aim to be good guys, to be role models for the local youth and to have fun. “We’re students too,” Hutchinson said.

Head coach Chris Schultz takes trips around the United States and Canada for recruitment every year. “Academically, [Geneseo] sells itself,” he said. Schultz gave credit to building relationships with recruits to his assistant coach Kris Heeres, who won two consecutive SUNYAC Championships as an Ice Knight in his playing days. Schultz calls Heeres a “warrior” when it comes to recruitment.

The Ice Knights are undefeated thus far in away games. Their next game will be at SUNY Cortland when they take on the winless Red Dragons on Friday Nov. 21.

Out of Bounds: Immorality continues to plague NCAA

The NCAA has once again been caught red-handed, deep in another scandal as of Nov. 5. Files were released in a court case against the NCAA, revealing controversial emails stating that the NCAA was unsure if it even had the jurisdiction to impose sanctions on Pennsylvania State University after former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 out of 48 counts of sexual abuse of minors. In emails following the announcement of the sanctions that would be imposed on Penn State, NCAA administrators bickered back and forth about the actual flaws in t case regarding the sanctions. In a response to an email sent by NCAA Vice President of Academic and Membership Affairs Kevin Lennon to former NCAA Vice President of Enforcement Julie Roe concerning the points of potential flaws in their case, Roe called the sanctions “a bluff.”

The emails continue to go back and forth, stating that Penn State would not question the NCAA’s actuality of jurisdiction because Penn State was, according to Lennon, “so embarrassed that they would do anything.”

The Penn State sanctions were lifted back in September with an agreement to pay a $60 million fine to the NCAA, which would be used as a fund for sexual abuse survivors. In an effort to get all of the money spent in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Sen. Jake Corman uncovered these controversial emails in a file released in court.

I believe the days of the NCAA as we know it are coming to an end. The institution is losing its credibility and jurisdiction with every mishap it has had over the past few years. The NCAA has made self-inflicted wounds that prove it does not possess the ability to properly manage collegiate athletics. With all of its public blunders, the NCAA has begun to provide the facts that are building a court case that will be one day be used against it to dismantle its authority.

Who or how college sports choose to manage the almost $1 billion per year of revenue the NCAA generates is up to whoever chooses to pursue the organization in this inevitable trial. When it happens, college sports will change as we know it.

The final straw has been drawn in the tolerance of the general simplemindedness of these NCAA officials in the rising amount of doubt regarding their intent to represent the NCAA core values of “the highest level of integrity and sportsmanship” as a governing body.

Ice Knights disappoint in home openers

The Ice Knights started off the season well, overpowering an under-matched SUNY Morrisville squad two nights in a row. On Friday Nov. 7 and Saturday Nov. 8, however, Geneseo fell to SUNY Potsdam 2-1 and SUNY Plattsburgh 7-4. The Ice Knights fell in a close battle against Potsdam with nearly 5,000 fans in attendance for their home opener.

“I think we had a false sense of play,” head coach Chris Schultz said in an email interview. “Too many individuals were trying to do things they aren’t capable of doing.” Geneseo was outshot 35-30 and clearly could not keep up with the Potsdam’s level of play. Junior goalkeeper Nick Horrigan––who played on his toes with a notable sense of urgency the entire game––stopped a total of 33 shots. Despite poor and lazy defense, Horrigan played an excellent game.

“Nick is playing with confidence and our team believes in his abilities,” Schultz said. “He will give us a chance to win every night if we learn how to play defense correctly”

After their tough home opener, the Ice Knights came out looking to bounce back against Plattsburgh. Just like the slick, alternate white jerseys they came out in, the Ice Knights’ play out of the gate was clean and crisp. After getting a 3-0 lead on the seventh ranked team in the country, the Ice Knights failed to put the Cardinals away.

The Ice Knights’ inability to keep the puck out of their own zone led to six unanswered goals. Plattsburgh’s quick forwards took advantage of another lackluster defensive performance by the Ice Knights. “We learned the lesson that we can’t play offense without being great defensively” Schultz said.

Despite a 2-2 start, there’s a lot of hockey to be played. Individually, the Ice Knights show potential in some of their offensive performances. Senior forward Tyler Brickler has netted three goals in four games and has applied offensive pressure—taking a team high of 16 shots this season. Sophomore forward Stephen Collins has also started out hot for the Ice Knights—scoring two goals in four games. “[Collins] is a special player in that his skill set creates opportunities,” Schultz said.

The Ice Knights need to simply play better as a team. Their pride will be tested this week, as they will pay a visit to SUNY Brockport on Friday Nov. 14 to take on the 1-3 Golden Eagles. This is a must-win game––three losses to SUNYAC opponents can put them in a deep hole to the start the season. Schultz is calling on his captains to bring the team together early on.

“We won’t be successful until our leaders realize that the season is dependent on them being team players on and off the ice and leading by example,” Schultz said. “There is nothing easy about leadership. You have to sacrifice yourself in many ways to be a leader. When you have success, all of the sudden you think you know everything. True leaders desire to learn more even after success comes.”

The Ice Knights’ play at Brockport on Friday Nov. 14. Their next home game will be Saturday Nov. 15 when they host Franklin Pierce University.

Correction: In the Nov. 13 issue of The Lamron in “Ice Knights disappoint in home openers,” we said that there were “over 5,000 fans in attendance for their home opener.” It should have said that nearly 5,000 total fans attended the Ice Knights’ first two games.

Caradonna set to lead Ice Knights in 2014-15

Ice Knights team captain Jack Caradonna has taken the ice in his senior season with hopes to bring Geneseo back to the Frozen Four. This will likely be Caradonna’s last season playing competitive hockey; he has applied to medical school and will hang up the skates at the end of the season. “I try not to think about it,” he said. “It’s a really a sad thing.” The 24-year-old defenseman was born and raised in Markham, Ontario—just north of Toronto. Growing up a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, he picked up the game at a young age. “It’s what you play in Canada,” Caradonna said.

Geneseo is not Caradonna’s first college. Before coming to western New York, he attended the University of Toronto while playing junior hockey.

“The curriculum is different, it’s more like high school,” Caradonna said. He explained that the work here is more spread out—much different than standard midterm-final format that he found in his studies in Toronto.

When it comes to his play prior to Geneseo, Caradonna has a history of leadership in junior hockey. “Some of the best teams I ever played on were in junior hockey,” he said. After leading his hometown junior team with a close childhood friend, he changed uniforms. During his last year of eligibility in 2010, Caradonna took the ice as a member of the Stouffville Spirit where he took more of an offensive approach to his game. As a member of the Spirit, Caradonna had a career high of 10 goals in one season. After finishing his eligibility, he decided to combine his athletics with his academics and come to Geneseo.

“This team now would beat any of the junior hockey teams I have seen,” Caradonna said. The game comes to him in the same speed for both leagues, but a higher level of play is clearly visible in college. He has matured his game in the process of leading the Ice Knights and the Geneseo community since his 2011 first-year season.

The Ice Knights frequently host youth clinics and practices for the children in the community in order to give back to the town. “Whenever there is an extra slot for a practice, I usually fill that spot,” Caradonna said. “I want to be a positive role model and communicate well with the team.”

Caradonna led the Ice Knights to a quick 2-0 start this season. The team overwhelmed its opponent Morrisville State College in its first two games on Friday Oct. 31 and Saturday Nov. 1. Reiterating the words of head coach Chris Schultz, Caradonna added that “the only thing we can control is how hard we work.”

The Ice Knights will look to continue the hard work and consistent play on Friday Nov. 7 as “Captain Jack” and the Ice Knights open at home against SUNY Potsdam.

Ice Knights Preview: New leadership style could propel Geneseo

Following a 23-7 season and a trip to the Division III Frozen Four, the Geneseo hockey team is ready to take the ice again for the 2014-15 season. Head coach Chris Schultz and his staff will look to once again make it back to the SUNYAC conference finals, as well as the NCAA tournament. The team will institute a new style of leadership this year, as it will differentiate its senior captains for home and away games. Senior captain defender Jack Caradonna will split his duties with senior forwards Zach Martin and Ryan Stanimir on the road, and senior forwards Tyler Brickler and Justin Scharfe at home.

“I wasn’t crazy about the idea at first,” Schultz said. “[But] after seeing a couple of professional teams doing it, I thought it would be a good idea.”

The Ice Knights are trying not to let last year’s success allow them to stay content in their work ethic.

“We’re going to play in the moment, get the little things right and build off of that,” Schultz said. “We’re going to take it game by game.”

This strategy will allow the Ice Knights to stay focused in their efforts of getting to a championship, while not allowing last year’s trip to the Frozen Four add pressure on the team.

Schultz has surrounded himself with Geneseo alumni on his staff. He called himself “extremely blessed” to be able to work with them.

“I love being around this coaching staff,” Schultz said. He also noted that the group is good friends outside of the rink. Schultz is the kind of coach who uses his quiet demeanor and expertise of the game to allow his team to truly support his system. Schultz became only the seventh SUNYAC coach of all time to win 100 games last season, and he and his staff will look to continue to break records as they coach their team to SUNYAC championship.

During the preseason, Schultz and his staff noticed how ready their team was on the very first day of practice. “The efficiency of how we practiced was incredible,” Schultz said. “The players were efficient, crisp and had great hockey IQ.” The Ice Knights have focused their preseason practices on system play and player development as they look to master the system that Schultz and his staff have created.

Schultz not only wants his team to be excellent on the ice, but off it as well. “I believe our guys are under the microscope here,” he said. “We just want to be good guys.”

By serving others around the campus and community by holding youth hockey events where the players participate with youth players, they are able to give back to future players of the sport they love.

With players that are ready to play after embracing a system that proved successful last year, the Ice Knights will look for a fast start out of the gate to open the season. They will open up their 2014-2015 campaign on the road at Morrisville State College on Friday Oct. 31. Their home opener will be against SUNY Potsdam on Nov. 7.

Academic dishonesty will test NCAA

The University at North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s mission statement reads, “With lux, libertas—light and liberty—as its founding principles, the University has charted a bold course of leading change to improve society and to help solve the world’s greatest problems.” The university itself has now charted a bold course to disaster, as it is under serious investigation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for giving approximately 3,100 student-athletes easy As and Bs to keep up with the rigorous academic curriculum.

This is a catastrophe for the Tar Heels’ athletic program. With most of the bogus grades given to athletes in football and basketball programs, the university is in store for major sanctions from the NCAA. The NCAA has enough evidence against the school to administer a “level one” violation. This includes loss of scholarships, substantial fines, postseason bans and even a one-year suspension of head coaches. This is similar to what Pennsylvania State University received in the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Should UNC be punished on the same level as Penn State? The NCAA is in an awkward situation––they can ruin the academic and athletic integrity of a top tier school that earns them over $80,000,000 a year in athletic revenue.

I believe the NCAA should punish UNC to the fullest extent. Although its actions weren’t nearly as heinous as the actions that took place at Penn State, North Carolina damaged its own integrity as an administration. Multiple faculty members not only had knowledge of what was going on, but took a major part ensuring that struggling student athletes got the grades that they needed to stay in Carolina blue.

If I were a student at UNC, I’d be filling out a transfer application right now. How dare a university with such prestige and academic integrity give out free passes to certain students, while also housing some of the brightest students in the world? With out-of-state tuition rates exceeding $50,000, North Carolina is robbing hardworking students of dollars they could be spending at schools that don’t view certain students superior enough to boost their grades.

The decision the NCAA comes up with will be a major reflection of the organization’s purpose as a whole. Being labeled as a monster entity that is more concerned with money than their students, the NCAA has an opportunity to show the world that they do not condone this kind of behavior. If it decides to not punish UNC to the fullest extent possible, then it will relay the message it has given off for years: profits before academic success and standards for student athletes.

Fall season ends with SUNYAC title for tennis

For the fourth time in five years, the Geneseo tennis team has brought the SUNYAC title home. The team finished off with an excellent 10-0 season, led by juniors Marylen Santos and Cat Crummey. “The maturity of the team is extremely high,” head coach Jim Chen said.

The Knights blew through the competition at the SUNYAC championship, sweeping the tournament. They outplayed the strong SUNY New Paltz team in the final match, showing the Knights’ dedication and work ethic that Chen has pushed them to develop since August.

“We wanted to dominate in competitive matches,” he said.

The Knights are in for a tough schedule in the spring—Chen wants them to play a higher level of competition in order to prepare for a run at the NCAA National Championship. New York University, St. Lawrence University, Hamilton College and the University of Rochester are just a few of the teams that the Knights will square up against next semester. Despite formidable opponents, Chen stated that the team has confidence that it can keep up the level of dominant play.

“They have really become elite tennis players,” he said.

Seniors Dexuan Yuan, Minxuan Yuan and Amanda Rosati want to make a run at the National Championship in their final campaign as Knights. They will look to set an example for young players like sophomore Maggie Hale and freshmen Anika Pornpitaksuk and Lauren Salzano in the spring to show how impressive the Knights tennis team can be.

The Knights will work in the offseason in order to improve things like foot speed and shot tolerance. Chen will create optional workouts for the whole team to do, as well as some activities that the girls will do on their own. Jump-roping will be a significant exercise for the team, helping the players to maintain their cardio and agility in the offseason.

“It’s a 24/7 job,” Chen said about the offseason. “I will be recruiting and thinking strategy for the next six weeks in the Virgin Islands.” Chen’s dedication to success is evident in the fact that even on a vacation, he is striving to make the 10-0 Knights even better.

Geneseo’s tennis team has a perfect concoction of experience, maturity, depth, youth and excellent coaching. Look for the Knights to do big things come springtime. A major run at an NCAA title may very well be in store for this team, something that will be fun to watch and experience for the entire Geneseo campus and community.

Face off: Is ESPN a good model for sports journalism?

Jamie Levine

ESPN has a tough job covering the entire sports universe in a timely manner. At the end of the day, ESPN (and owners Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation) is a business. People always complain that ESPN sensationalizes headlines and news stories, but there is a method to its madness.

If you are going to go to ESPN’s website purely for a recap of what happened in a recent game, then you’ve come to the right place. No other site or channel can give you the kind of succinct “this is exactly what happened” recap than ESPN can.

If you want in-depth analysis, then you may have to pick and choose––any media source is going to have analysts that dramatize and sensationalize reality. If you look hard enough, you will realize that ESPN provides high-quality sports information on a regular basis.

The most important thing to remember, however, is that ESPN exists to draw in viewers with stories. If viewers want to hear about how Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel went to a strip club in Las Vegas or how Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James gave cupcakes to his neighbors to apologize to them for the ruckus that he caused, then ESPN will report that.

If you look at it as a corporation, there is hardly anything at fault to find. From a media student’s perspective, one should be applauding what ESPN is able to do successfully: draw people in to view its content.

Adam Zaki

ESPN has so many reporters talking about the same topic in similar ways. An influx of “expert opinions” makes you question your own views about the topic. This is exactly what the higher-ups in Bristol, Connecticut want you to do—conform your opinion to their experts. You will then come back to ESPN every time you want to know what’s going on in the world of sports news.

Other channels have used this strategy to reel in viewers for years. FOX News, CNN, MSNBC and BBC alike compete with each other by providing a viewpoint for their viewers to mold their opinions too. ESPN will run a story continuously, providing so many comparable opinions that you start to accept that opinion as your own.

The way ESPN reported everything about former National Football League quarterback Tim Tebow is perfect evidence of how it warps viewer’s opinions. ESPN ruined the public opinion of a quarterback that, in his short three-year career, threw for 2,422 yards and 17 touchdowns. With this strategy, ESPN owns the story and your opinion.

ESPN has turned the world of sports reporting into a reality show that tells you what to think about your favorite teams and players––they even tell you how to play your fantasy team that week if you really don’t want to put in the effort yourself.

If you’re interested in forming your own opinion, CBS broadcasts quality sports radio shows. Hosts like Mike Francesa, Steve Somers and Evan Roberts work for New York City-based sports radio station WFAN, and they do a great job.

When choosing where to get your sports information from, make sure you steer clear of ESPN.

NHL Preview: It’s anyone’s Cup

The 2013-2014 National Hockey League season brought a Stanley Cup back to California as the Los Angeles Kings outplayed the New York Rangers in five games. The Kings, however, will have to defend the cup against a league that has more teams ready to win than we’ve seen in a while. Many of the 30 NHL clubs turned their 2013-2014 campaigns into a rebuilding year halfway through the season as the disparity between strong and weak teams was too great. Unlike in 2013, it is unclear who could win the cup this year as more teams are loaded up to make deep playoff runs.

Atlantic Division

The Atlantic Division should be the most exciting division to watch this year. After one of the best seven-game series that hockey has ever had, the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins will once again compete for a top spot in the division. This, however, is the Habs’ year.

Montreal’s fate relies on goaltender and 2014 Winter Olympics gold medal-winner Carey Price. Price sustained an injury against the Rangers in the playoffs, robbing him of a season in which a championship was a legitimate possibility for the Canadiens. They also re-signed superstar defender P.K. Subban to a multi-year extension, solidifying their defense with one of hockey’s most powerful slap shooters. Assuming Price can stay healthy, Montreal may be hoisting Lord Stanley’s trophy in June.

Central Division

The Central Division may be the most talented, yet predictable division in the league. Although the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues are coming off good seasons, neither could hold their own in the playoffs. The Chicago Blackhawks are the team to beat here—the squad has a proven ability to win in the playoffs. The Blackhawks were just a goal away from the Stanley Cup Finals last year.

With the addition of center Brad Richards at the second-line spot, this team is ready to take another swing at the Cup. If things fall into place at the right times, this team could be a legitimate contender in 2015.

Pacific Division

The Pacific Division is home to the 2014 Stanley Cup winner—and the Kings are looking to repeat a trip to the finals. They are heavy favorites in the division, as both the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks have done nothing but broken their fans’ hearts with their inability to play well in the postseason. Look for the Kings to once again use their defensive pressure to out-body teams through the regular season and the playoffs.

Metropolitan Division

The Metropolitan Division is the most unpredictable division in the league. Watch for the Pittsburgh Penguins to pick up and go for another run in the playoffs. They are stacked with talent and were upset in the second round last year by the Rangers, who went on to the Stanley Cup Finals.

New head coach Mike Johnston and new manager Jim Rutherford should hopefully be able to push the team over the top. The Penguins will be aggressive on the offensive end, utilizing their speed and scoring ability against a division of bigger, slower teams. They could easily make a deep run into the playoffs.

Sleepers

The league also has a few sleeper teams this year as well. Watch for the New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division to take their young offense and revamped defense to a new level. This is the last year they are playing in the Nassau Coliseum, as they will move to Brooklyn and call the Barclays Center their new home.

New addition goalie Jaroslav Halak will be sure to bring an improvement to the position, as the Islanders have not had a full-time goaltender since Rick DiPietro in the 2007-08 season. The Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic will also look to bounce back after being embarrassed by Montreal in the playoffs last year. The team played nowhere near its potential, getting swept in the first round.

Look for the Minnesota Wild in the Central Division to make a push, as its ownership is willing to do anything to win. The squad’s front office isn’t afraid to make big time moves mid-season to put the team on the right track.

Midseason victories bode well for tennis

The Geneseo tennis team finished off on Oct. 3 and Saturday Oct. 4 with dominating wins over SUNY Cortland and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Geneseo was clearly a stronger team than Cortland, but appeared fairly evenly-matched with RPI. “It was important to see us play against Cortland,” head coach Jim Chen said. Chen made an adjustment with how he played his doubles teams.

His strategy seemed to work, as the Knights dominated the Red Dragons 9-0. The Knights finished off Cortland as juniors Marylen Santos and Mai Hashimoto brought their games together in doubles, dominating their opponents 8-3. Junior Cat Crummey and senior Amanda Rosati won their doubles match 8-1, as the new duo put on a clinic against Cortland’s second team of doubles. Senior Minxuan Yuan and sophomore Maggie Hale also beat their competitors 8-4.

The Knights overpowered the Engineers as well—sweeping them in doubles play. Hashimoto and Santos paired up and played extremely well, topping their opponents 8-2. Pairs Rosati and Crummey and Yuan and Hale both defeated their respective opponents 8-2.

According to Chen, RPI is a strong team and usually matches up well with Geneseo. Chen said that this match would be a good prediction to how the Knights would play in the NCAA Tournament. Their domination of RPI is a promising sign that the Knights could play well in their postseason tournaments.

“We have to remain hungry bears, not happy campers,” Chen said. “We want to make it to the later rounds of the NCAA tournament.”

As with many other teams, the tennis team tries to focus on how they play as opposed to their record on the court.

“We need to stay relaxed and focused, focusing on concentration and execution,” Chen said. Having so much success brings added pressure to a team and Chen uses his philosophy of execution and communication to counteract the nerves that a seemingly predetermined fate could bring to his team.

With both confidence and levels of intensity higher than ever, the Knights are ready to continue dominating SUNYAC competition. Hopefully, they can improve upon last year and go even further—this is the deepest team Geneseo has had in a while. The Knights are looking for their third consecutive SUNYAC Championship, which would be their fourth in five years.

The SUNYAC Tournament begins on Friday Oct. 10 at the Binghamton Tennis Center against SUNY Plattsburgh.

The search for a Series title: Predicting the MLB postseason

Los Angeles Dodgers With over $230 million spent this year in payroll, the Los Angeles Dodgers are all in.

This roster has been stacked from the get-go with one of the top pitching staffs in baseball featuring Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu. In the postseason, pitching wins championships.

The Dodgers have proven throughout the year that their pitching is legitimate, building a 3.40 earned run average as a team with the fifth highest relative power index in the game. In layman’s terms, they pitched very well against some of the best hitters in baseball.

Their batting and fielding are also solid. Outfielder Yasiel Puig has a cannon for an arm in right field and can hit inside fastballs a mile if he’s given the chance. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez and centerfielder Matt Kemp add to the lineup with strong defensive play and clutch hitting to combine well with Puig’s power.

The Dodgers’ biggest competition for a ring this year will be whomever they meet in the World Series. Just a freeway ride away, crosstown rivals the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are hungry, young and relentless. Their bats will be strong, but the Dodgers’ pitching will be better.

The Dodgers’ time is now. With a huge payroll and a remarkable pitching staff, the Dodgers will easily defeat the Angels in six games.

Washington Nationals

Every team in the postseason has top-caliber pitching and a solid lineup. Not every team, however, possesses the top-to-bottom quality that the Washington Nationals have.

First, they have the best starting rotation in baseball. Although Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the league, the rest of the Dodgers’ rotation fails to match Washington’s depth. The Nats’ front four starters all have earned run averages of 3.14 or lower. On top of that, no pitcher has more than 11 losses.

Washington’s lineup is also undeniably stacked. Third baseman Anthony Rendon and outfielders Jayson Werth and Denard Span all have batting averages above .287. They also have three players with over 20 home runs.

One overlooked factor that could push the Nationals to the top is their fan base. Like the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Washington Nationals have not been the most successful franchise in baseball. The city itself is hungry for a title. The last time a Washington, D.C. team won a championship was in 1991, when the Washington Redskins beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI.

The Nationals don’t have the flashiest player in baseball or the most dominant pitcher––what they do have is the best depth in the league. That will be the determining factor come World Series time.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will win the 2014 World Series. The Angels have one of the best lineups in baseball. Major players such as superstar outfielder Mike Trout, first baseman Albert Pujols and shortstop Erick Aybar are leading the charge as the Angels look to take the trophy.

The team also has solid pitching with Jairo Diaz, Kevin Jepsen and Cory Rasmus—all of whom have pitched the ball very effectively against all teams this season.

The Angels should be the biggest competition to any team. While the Kansas City Royals have a good defense, the Angels have Trout who has the potential to be the next great legend of baseball. Trout’s line included a batting average of .287 with 36 home runs and 111 runs batted in this past season.

The Angels are no strangers to the postseason; plenty of players on their roster have postseason experience. Their team batting average is .259—good enough for sixth in the league. Their opponents’ batting average is just .236—fourth in the league.

The key for the Angels to win the World Series will be to play defensive baseball. They need to have their pitchers throw strikes. They need to have their fielders limit errors and convert plays. Doing so will set them up to hit the ball effectively. Come the end of October, it’ll be time to bring out the Rally Monkey once again.

Writers Billy Burns and Taylor Frank contributed to this article.

Doubles dominate for Tennis

Second team doubles players senior Amanda Rosati and junior Mai Hashimoto sparked the Knights on Saturday Sept. 27 and Sunday Sept. 28 at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Tournament with an unbelievable upset. The pair took down the fourth-seeded duo from William Smith College of junior Katarina Kostovic and sophomore Hannah More 9-8—dominating the A flight champions 7-1 in the tiebreaker. Implementing head coach Jim Chen’s aggressive strategy of attacking the net, they won an unbelievable match against top-tier competitors. The pair was just put together this week by Chen. “They showed a lot of fight,” he said.

Other than Skidmore College, Geneseo advanced the most players (two) in the tournament to the third round of singles. Those two players were junior Cat Crummey and junior Marylen Santos—the unstoppable doubles duo that has embodied the Knights’ play this year: agile, communicative and aggressive.

“They have the ability to make this team fly,” Chen said.

Chen also said that third-team doubles partners sophomore Maggie Hale and senior Minxuan Yuan have used aggressive tactics in combination with their individual skills to boost themselves to an 8-2 record on the season in doubles play.

“I want to win using the correct strategy,” Chen said. To improve their success, the team practices with male tennis players who Chen calls “extremely talented.” The men play aggressively against the girls, giving them intense competition at game speed.

Making an interesting decision, Chen will bring in a sports psychologist this week to figure out why the team is having some difficulty with this new aggressive strategy in doubles.

“Most tennis players coming out of high school are singles players,” Chen said. His strategy contradicts what they have been taught for so many years in regards to how to play the court. His goal is to find the root of the problem and solve it before the SUNYAC Tournament begins on Oct. 10.

The Knights will visit SUNY Cortland on Friday Oct. 3 before playing their final home match before SUNYACs against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. RPI has a skilled team that the Knights will match up against well. This match could truly be a preview of how ready this team is to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Does Brady have anything left?

Does Tom Brady suck? For Buffalo Bills fans, the answer is a resounding “yes.” The New England Patriots quarterback has been giving Bills fans trouble for years—breaking hearts with close calls and the occasional clinic he puts on against the Buffalo secondary. Judging by this year so far, however, that all may begin to change.

Brady was asked prior to the beginning of this season about his timetable for the rest of his career. He responded to this trite question with a simple answer: “When I suck, I’ll retire.”

This begs the question: has Brady begun to suck? Brady is having one of the worst starts in his career—showing a complete inability to throw the ball downfield. Despite a 2-2 record, Brady has a career low 59.1 percent completion percentage.

His throwing mechanics are much different this year than in any previous seasons as his feet have slowed, his eyes have been readable and defenses are collapsing his pocket before he can get settled in his drop back.

The Patriots have been consistently dumping passes and throwing screens this season. This is not a new addition to their offense––it’s their only choice. Brady has no time, no vision and no ability to play like he is expected to at this point.

Through three weeks, the Patriots offense is 21-for-58 on third down conversions, which is 27th in the National Football League. The team has not only gone three-and-out on their opening drives in their first three games, but they have allowed their opponents to score first in every game.

The Patriots made major roster changes this year—vamping up a normally lackluster defense with cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis. The hope was to combine their high-powered, ever-changing offense with a defense that can get them past the American Football Conference Championship, something they haven’t done since 2012. Unfortunately for New England, the revamp of the defense resulted in losses on offense. They lost veteran guard Logan Mankins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and running back LeGarrette Blount to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Patriots offense has been able to do without other star power next to Brady. He has made players like wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola look like world-beaters with excellent, on-the-mark passes that couldn’t be easier to catch. He also has had to deal with the injuries and inconsistency of tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronk had a disappointing, injury-plagued season last year that caused him to miss a significant amount of time.

The Patriots have relied on Brady for the past 15 seasons. He has proven himself as one of the greatest to ever play the game. He is a prototypical pro-style quarterback who is surrounded by superb coaching and a win-oriented atmosphere.

Whether this is just a cold start or the start of a cold finish, the Patriots are playing awful right now. In a hungry division that has been pushed around by the Patriots for the past decade and a half, Brady and his squad may be in store for a changing of the guard. The Pats welcome in the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Oct. 5—a team that has one of the best secondaries in the league. Brady needs to prove to all NFL fans if he is or is not starting to “suck.”

Jeter: the best Yankee we've seen

On Sept. 26, 2013, I sat in the stands in Yankee Stadium and listened to the crowd roar. The crowd wasn't celebrating a game-winning home run or a no-hitter. Instead, it was celebrating a career. Closer Mariano Rivera thanked over 50,000 fans that night for their cheers in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was a moment of pure collective effervescence that I will never forget. This year, we say goodbye to another Yankee great, shortstop Derek Jeter. Fans of all ages could be spotted with a “2” on the backs of their shirts all over the country. Jeter’s play and attitude toward the game made him a loveable guy that fans adored.

Through thick and thin, Jeter always hustled, ran hard and played well. He dealt with the harsh New York media like a professional—always giving reporters his time and giving their questions quality answers. He stayed out of trouble—keeping his face on the back of the paper, not the front.

Jeter took the field in 1995 after shortstop Pat Kelly was injured. Batting a mere .250, the Yankees demoted him back to the minors. In 1996, Jeter led off the batting order on Opening Day—beginning a career that will be written about for years to come.

Jeter’s classy demeanor, consistent play and leadership earned The Captain all of his fame and success. He has tattooed pinstripes to the hearts of youngsters everywhere—including my own—who have been spoiled by successful Yankees teams led by The Captain.

He inspired young Yankees fans to root for the Bronx Bombers with unforgettable opposite-field singles to right field and unbelievable finesse plays. Every fan has seen Jeter scoop up a grounder and make a perfect leaping midair throw to first base. This became an everyday occurrence at Yankee Stadium for fans taking the train into the Bronx to see Jeter play for nearly 20 years.

Jeter will make his final plate appearance at Fenway Park in Boston on Sunday Sept. 28. One of the few baseball meccas left, Fenway is also the home of the Red Sox—the Yankees biggest rival. Despite the rivalry’s occasional bitterness, he will be sure to get a tear-soaked standing ovation.

I will never forget his dive into the stands on July 1, 2004 at the old Yankee Stadium against Boston. Jeter flew into the stands to grab a pop-up just outside the field of play. He came out bloodied and swollen, but he had the ball. Despite having to leave the game, the Yanks rallied in the bottom of the 13th inning, winning 5-4. Jeter put on a show of pure dedication to baseball, the fans and, most importantly, the team. The next day, I begged my mom to buy me my very first Jeter jersey.

I’ve been to dozens of Yankees games in my life. Although Thursday night’s game is the one game I would never want to miss, Geneseo is a bit of a hike from East 161st street in the Bronx. What I recognize, and what fans of all sports should, is this—Jeter is the most humbled athlete of our generation.

All athletes should look at him as a role model. What he did on the field—and more importantly off of it—will put him in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Whether he takes some time off from the game for a while, pursues a front office job or whatever else he could do, The Captain will go into Yankees history as the best player that Generation Z ever saw play the game.

Tennis shines at St. Lawrence tournament

With higher expectations than ever, the Geneseo women’s tennis team looks to put its skills to the test in back-to-back tournaments. The Knights have been overpowering their opponents of late, bringing their record to an unblemished 5-0. The team has been especially dominant in singles play, largely due to a surplus of talent. The duo of juniors Cat Crummey and Marylen Santos is expected to lead the team in doubles at the Northeast Regional Intercollegiate Tennis Association Tournament at William Smith College on Saturday Sept. 27 and Sunday Sept. 28.

The return of freshman Lauren Salzano from an injury should add even more depth to the team, as she hasn’t seen the court all season. Geneseo has been lucky this season with very few injuries thus far.

The Knights took six of 12 medals as a team at the St. Lawrence University Tournament on Saturday Sept. 20 through Sunday Sept. 21. They way they are playing now it appears that they are easily on their way to an NCAA Tournament bid. Head coach Jim Chen says his players “see the value” of his aggressive philosophy of attacking the net.

“We will remain hungry in the SUNYAC [play],” Chen said. “We are going to keep our foot on the gas pedal.” Chen also said he is “cautiously optimistic” about his team’s dominance thus far this season. He stresses the necessity of preparation for the SUNYAC tournament—not just focusing on winning and losing.

“We’re going to control what we can control, we’re going to execute in the moment,” Chen said. “The winning will come by itself.”

The ITA Tournament should be a breeze for the Knights if they keep up their aggression. The team’s biggest test will be against SUNY New Paltz, who the Knights defeated 7-2 when the two teams met back on Sept. 12. The Hawks were undefeated prior to their match with Geneseo.

As long as the Knights stay hungry, play hard and stick with Chen’s aggressive philosophy, a SUNYAC title will be expected. This team has shown that it can hang with any team in the country—let alone SUNYAC. Still, all of this raises the question of the NCAA Tournament. This has the potential to be one of the best teams Geneseo women’s tennis has ever had, but it won’t mean anything without a deep run next spring.

Cancer survivor retires from NHL

After an 18-year National Hockey League career, center Saku Koivu has decided to hang up the skates for good. His career consisted of two All-Star Game selections as well as being tied for the longest reigning captain in Montreal Canadiens history. He was also the first European-born player to ever lead the Habs onto the ice. He wore the C on his chest for Montreal for 14 years.

Koivu’s accomplishments, how mrever, are eclipsed by what was one of the most trying times in Canadiens history. Prior to the 2001-02 season, Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and was expected to miss the entire season undergoing treatment.

In one of the Canadiens last games of season on April 9, 2002, Koivu laced up his skates and took the ice as the captain. He received an eight-minute standing ovation in the Belle Centre without a dry eye in the house. Koivu took the opening faceoff despite being on the roster as the 4th-line center.

In the 2002-03 season, Koivu posted a career-high 71 points (21 goals, 50 assists) and had nearly the best season of his career. Not only did he overcome cancer, he went one step further and put together one of the greatest campaigns in NHL history. That season is one of the most inspiring stories in sports history.

Koivu achieved more than just remission in his NHL career. He played in over 1,000 games, scored over 250 goals and had over 575 assists. Koivu wasn’t a typical, one-dimensional scorer that hockey frequently sees today. His game was a circle of assets—he kept an arsenal of skills and maneuvers to peak the potential of his game. In his prime, Koivu’s ice knowledge was as good as anyone’s in the league. His intangibles brought a winning atmosphere that brought the Habs together in the 2000s.

Although he retired as an Anaheim Duck, Koivu will always be remembered as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Number 11 will go down in history as one of the most inspiring men to play the game. His dedication, admiration and selflessness brought him a lucrative and exciting career as an NHL player. Whether you’re a hockey fan or not, what Koivu accomplished on and off the ice is deserving of the utmost respect.

The Face-Off: Will the rising number of defensive penalties hurt the NFL?

Because the National Football League has been tightening the rope on defensive penalties, formidable defenses like the Seattle Seahawks' (the most penalized defense in the league last season) are moving the game in the direction that its owners and fans want it to go. If defense starts to once again dominate the NFL like it did in the 1980s, television ratings would go down dramatically. The NFL is a living room spectacle—first-class entertainment right in the comfort of your own home.

We watch the games for quarterback duels such as Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady or Eli Manning vs. Tony Romo. The offensive shootouts are the best part of football—nail-biting situations like Manning getting the ball with one minute, 30 seconds to go with no timeouts left and the score 34-30. That’s the kind of game that glues us to the couch. No one wants to see the Cleveland Browns beat the Buffalo Bills 6-3.

Football has become a game of offense. These defensive penalties will allow offenses to move the ball more easily and to score more, thus creating a better product on the field. What would you rather watch, Bills fans? Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus each have two sacks and five tackles or EJ Manuel and CJ Spiller dominate their opponents? New York Giants fans: Jon Beason make 15 tackles or Eli Manning throw for 350 yards? New York Jets fans: Muhammad Wilkerson with five tackles for a loss or Geno Smith moving the ball down the field at will?

The way I see it, these penalties are a good thing. At the end of the day, more offense means more entertainment.

Dedication essential to tennis team's success

The Knights continued their multiyear run of dominance under head coach Jim Chen as they secured wins against SUNY Oswego and Nazareth College. The Knights are expected to push through their SUNYAC opponents and seem to be on a one-way track to the NCAA Tournament. “I am proud of our team’s execution,” Chen said. “All of our players’ confidence levels are high and we are playing at a midseason level in singles play.”

The Knights cruised in singles play, with all team members shutting out their competitors in at least one game of their respective matches. The Knights singles game has always been great; it’s their doubles game that has gotten them into trouble in postseason play.

The Knights faced Nazareth on Sept. 4 and got a blowout victory on the road. The Golden Flyers were a good match up for the Knights—although Geneseo has come out on top the past two years, the Flyers have always played well. The Knights won 9-0, the same score they had against Oswego.

Japan native and California Orange Coast Community College transfer student junior Mai Hashimoto made her Geneseo debut and dominated, outscoring her opponent 12-1. The unstoppable doubles pair of juniors Cat Crummey and Marylen Santos won in an 8-0 shutout as well. This was the pair’s second shutout in a row.

The Knights showed their full potential in the Hosking Tournament at William Smith College. The only public school that participated, Geneseo won 11 of its 17 singles matches and seven of its 11 doubles matches. The team once again showed its ability to compete with any team on the court.

After playing hard in the tournament, Chen decided that his team deserved a day off from practice. Despite this, several players decided to practice on their own, telling Chen that they “had things to work on” after the tournament.

“I’ve never had a team that was given a day off and responded by requesting access to the practice equipment,” Chen said. The dedication of this team shows their desire to go deep into the NCAA Tournament. Not only is this the deepest team in years at Geneseo, but it’s also the most determined.

The post-tournament practice was a success, as the Knights took down the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles 9-0. Crummey and Santos once again showed why they are two of the best in the SUNYAC, shutting out their opponents 8-0. The two are undefeated in SUNYAC play this year and have led the team to an undefeated record thus far. The team far outplayed the Eagles, who were overwhelmed by the Knights singles play.

The aggressiveness in doubles play is beginning to come together, Chen’s aggressive “attack the net” game plan is proving too much for opposing teams to handle. The Knights play next on Friday Sept. 12 at SUNY New Paltz.

Women's tennis looks to continue dominance

Coach Jim Chen and the Geneseo women’s tennis team are looking to build on what they’ve accomplished the past few years. The Knights have three straight SUNYAC titles and show no signs of slowing down.Chen’s philosophy of dedication, a willingness to succeed and having fun has brought not only championships, but a union between players that have determined to intensify themselves in practice in order to improve consistency and movement. With the addition of new drills at practice and a more aggressive mentality toward the net for doubles, Chen says his team has a lot of potential for success. “[We have] a wide open opportunity,” Chen said. “[We could] have a big year.” Team captains junior Amanda Rosati and sophomore Marylen Santi are looking to take their team to the next level. For this team, that means advancing past the first round of the NCAA tournament. Geneseo will definitely need its strong volley hitters sophomore Maggie Hale and junior Mai Hashimoto to play to their potential. Hard-hitting senior twins Dexuan and Minxuan Yuan are looking to succeed in their final campaign in Knights uniforms. Freshmen Anika Pornpitaksuk, Lauren Salzano and Rachel Ollis hope to take their game to the collegiate level in their first season. “We are in midseason form for our singles already and this team is deeper than last year’s team,” Chen said. That confidence is well-placed. The Knights topped SUNY Oswego on Aug. 29 9-0. The potential of this team goes up with every serve. If the team improves in doubles, stays focused and keeps winning consistently, they will have no problem storming through the conference once again and could easily make a run in the NCAA tournament. The Knights' next home game is Oct. 4 vs. SUNY Brockport.