Northwestern's season is over after falling to Tennessee 3-0 this afternoon. Abbott was dominant, and NU had no answer offensively.
Tune in tonight for a special 2-hour edition of the Sportsvoice from 7-9 Central on WNUR--live from Oklahoma City!
Sunday, June 03, 2007
First Pitch Coming Up
Arizona just topped Washington 2-0 to force an if-necessary game this evening for a trip to the title series.
First pitch for NU-Tenn is set for about 2:45. Pregame is underway on 89.3 FM WNUR and wnur.org...
First pitch for NU-Tenn is set for about 2:45. Pregame is underway on 89.3 FM WNUR and wnur.org...
NU Lives to See Another Day
The 'Cats awake this morning on the heels of an offensive explosion and a dominant pitching performance by Eileen Canney in a 7-0 victory over Baylor on Elimination Saturday.
Now it's onto Sunday, where if the 'Cats can beat Monica Abbott and the Tennessee Volunteers twice, they will earn a second straight trip to the Championship Series. If they drop a game to the Volunteers, their season will be over.
It doesn't get much better than this, folks. Two great teams. Two great pitchers. Northwestern with their backs against the wall. Will Drohan have her team ready to pull off the impossible? Will Monica Abbott and her 683 strikeouts overwhelm the 'Cats? Will Purple Nation be celebrating again come Sunday night or will a disappointing 9-0 loss to Washington haunt NU throughout the offseason?
All these questions will be answered today on WNUR. Ray Garcia and Guy Benson get it all started with the pregame show at 1:45pm. If NU wins that game, they will play an if necessary game at either 5pm or 8pm, depending on the outcome of Washington-Arizona. Stay tuned to sports.wnur.org and wnursports.blogspot.com for updates.
Now it's onto Sunday, where if the 'Cats can beat Monica Abbott and the Tennessee Volunteers twice, they will earn a second straight trip to the Championship Series. If they drop a game to the Volunteers, their season will be over.
It doesn't get much better than this, folks. Two great teams. Two great pitchers. Northwestern with their backs against the wall. Will Drohan have her team ready to pull off the impossible? Will Monica Abbott and her 683 strikeouts overwhelm the 'Cats? Will Purple Nation be celebrating again come Sunday night or will a disappointing 9-0 loss to Washington haunt NU throughout the offseason?
All these questions will be answered today on WNUR. Ray Garcia and Guy Benson get it all started with the pregame show at 1:45pm. If NU wins that game, they will play an if necessary game at either 5pm or 8pm, depending on the outcome of Washington-Arizona. Stay tuned to sports.wnur.org and wnursports.blogspot.com for updates.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Judgment Day (Part I)
NU has had all day to wallow in last night's 9-0 loss; let's hope coach Drohan didn't give them the chance to do so. Dwelling on yesterday's awful debacle would be the worst possible thing for the 'Cats to do today. They have a new task at hand--defeat Baylor. The Bears walloped A&M 7-4 this afternoon, and they'll be riding high against Northwestern tonight. If the Wildcats can bounce back this evening, they'll need to defeat Monica Abbott and Tennessee twice tomorrow--a tall task, but one that NU first needs to earn.
Join us for an 8pm first pitch (approximately), with a 15 minute pregame show.
Also, yesterday's phrase that pays was "still no one out!"
Join us for an 8pm first pitch (approximately), with a 15 minute pregame show.
Also, yesterday's phrase that pays was "still no one out!"
Friday, June 01, 2007
Time to Regroup
A 9-0 loss is rare for NU...especially in such a big spot. This could be a really demoralizing loss for the program if the 'Cats aren't careful. Tomorrow night will tell us a lot about this team. 8pm first pitch, 7:45pm pre-game on WNUR.
Embarrassing
I hate to use the 'E' word, but that's exactly what this performance has been by the #2 seed in the country. Having an off-night is one thing, but 9-0? Oh my gosh! The top of the 5th inning lasted 32 minutes.
Floodgates?
Canney out, Delaney in. 4-0 and counting: Top 5th. Delaney balks, walks in a run...7-0 Washington. Canney back into the game. Still no outs. My goodness, this is tough to watch right now.
Washington draws first blood
1-0 on a single to right. Those walks are biting Canney in the rear end. Now 2-0 on an RBI ground out.
Squandered Chance
Runners on the corners with 0 outs, and the 'Cats come up empty-handed in the 2nd. Not good...
For a pitching duel...
...both teams have gotten some good hacks in over the first inning or two. This ump is NOT giving the outside corner to either pitcher. We'll see who that hurts more.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Oklahoma City Drama
Hey everyone,
Sorry for the total dearth of posts from the WCWS, but suffice it to say that we were a bit preoccupied. From an NU perspective, the most important thing is that the Wildcats won today, beating Arizona State 2-0 behind an excellent performance from Eileen Canney. Katie Logan and Tammy Williams provided all the offense the 'Cats would need with an RBI double and a solo shot, respectively. Canney was the main story, though, throwing a complete game one-hit shutout. Check out the highlights at sports.wnur.org! NU moves on to face Washington tomorrow evening at 6pm. The Huskies' pitcher was just as impressive as Canney in her team's win over DePaul earlier in the day, so it should be a dandy tomorrow.
From a personal perspective, the most important news of the today was the arrival of our luggage in Oklahoma City. Without delving into it too much, this trip (until about 2 hours ago) was overshadowed by a series of unfortunate events plaguing the broadcasters of WNUR. They may or may not include:
-Oversleeping (by a certain member of our broadcast KreW who shall remain nameless)...leading to...
-Missing a flight
-A canceled flight
-Losing luggage
-Airsickness
-Multiple hours of fruitless phone conversations with American Airlines baggage personnel*
-Frantically buying makeshift equipment at radio shack
-Buying new clothes and toiletries on the airline's dime, mere hours before gametime
-ISDN failure & reprogramming
-Credit card denials at dinner
-Confronting overzealous parking enforcers
-Sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to the torso**
* During one specific conversation with a well-meaning but hopelessly bureaucracy-obsessed employee, I was forced to describe---in excruciating detail--the outside AND contents of our missing luggage. I was constantly asked to list three items in each bag before moving to the next exciting step: "talking about those items." At one point I literally had to spell "s-p-e-r-r-y," to help identify the top-siders sitting inside my personal luggage. At that point I had to excuse myself from the room as to avoid catching the delirious laughter bug that had bitten my two colleagues.
**This actually did not happen, but it would not necessarily have surprised us.
The overwhelming angst caused by these trials and tribulations was significantly mitigated by the Wildcats' win, and was totally relieved when I received confirmation that our "items" had arrived at the baggage claim area in OKC. I arrived at the airport, saw our glorious bags, high-fived the woman behind the counter, collected our bags and reimbursement check (for our lovely new attire), and skipped back to the car. Even the power-hungry man from the parking gestapo couldn't ruin my mood with his over-the-top threats. On the drive back from the airport, "I feel good" by James Brown came on the radio. Kyle and I laughed heartily and sang along.
We are currently sitting at the stadium watching Arizona/Baylor. Most people here are rooting for the Bears, who are big-time underdogs.
Later on, I will enjoy a lovely shower, change into my own clothes, and celebrate NU's victory. It's a sleep-in day tomorrow. And we won't even miss a flight! Thank goodness that the past 24 are exactly that....PAST. Absolutely brutal. But now that we've got our wits about us, GO 'CATS! Enjoy the remaining broadcasts--let's hope there are quite a few.
Yesterday's phrase that pays was: "Let's talk about those items."
Today's is: "It's in my SHOES!"
Sorry for the total dearth of posts from the WCWS, but suffice it to say that we were a bit preoccupied. From an NU perspective, the most important thing is that the Wildcats won today, beating Arizona State 2-0 behind an excellent performance from Eileen Canney. Katie Logan and Tammy Williams provided all the offense the 'Cats would need with an RBI double and a solo shot, respectively. Canney was the main story, though, throwing a complete game one-hit shutout. Check out the highlights at sports.wnur.org! NU moves on to face Washington tomorrow evening at 6pm. The Huskies' pitcher was just as impressive as Canney in her team's win over DePaul earlier in the day, so it should be a dandy tomorrow.
From a personal perspective, the most important news of the today was the arrival of our luggage in Oklahoma City. Without delving into it too much, this trip (until about 2 hours ago) was overshadowed by a series of unfortunate events plaguing the broadcasters of WNUR. They may or may not include:
-Oversleeping (by a certain member of our broadcast KreW who shall remain nameless)...leading to...
-Missing a flight
-A canceled flight
-Losing luggage
-Airsickness
-Multiple hours of fruitless phone conversations with American Airlines baggage personnel*
-Frantically buying makeshift equipment at radio shack
-Buying new clothes and toiletries on the airline's dime, mere hours before gametime
-ISDN failure & reprogramming
-Credit card denials at dinner
-Confronting overzealous parking enforcers
-Sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to the torso**
* During one specific conversation with a well-meaning but hopelessly bureaucracy-obsessed employee, I was forced to describe---in excruciating detail--the outside AND contents of our missing luggage. I was constantly asked to list three items in each bag before moving to the next exciting step: "talking about those items." At one point I literally had to spell "s-p-e-r-r-y," to help identify the top-siders sitting inside my personal luggage. At that point I had to excuse myself from the room as to avoid catching the delirious laughter bug that had bitten my two colleagues.
**This actually did not happen, but it would not necessarily have surprised us.
The overwhelming angst caused by these trials and tribulations was significantly mitigated by the Wildcats' win, and was totally relieved when I received confirmation that our "items" had arrived at the baggage claim area in OKC. I arrived at the airport, saw our glorious bags, high-fived the woman behind the counter, collected our bags and reimbursement check (for our lovely new attire), and skipped back to the car. Even the power-hungry man from the parking gestapo couldn't ruin my mood with his over-the-top threats. On the drive back from the airport, "I feel good" by James Brown came on the radio. Kyle and I laughed heartily and sang along.
We are currently sitting at the stadium watching Arizona/Baylor. Most people here are rooting for the Bears, who are big-time underdogs.
Later on, I will enjoy a lovely shower, change into my own clothes, and celebrate NU's victory. It's a sleep-in day tomorrow. And we won't even miss a flight! Thank goodness that the past 24 are exactly that....PAST. Absolutely brutal. But now that we've got our wits about us, GO 'CATS! Enjoy the remaining broadcasts--let's hope there are quite a few.
Yesterday's phrase that pays was: "Let's talk about those items."
Today's is: "It's in my SHOES!"
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
WNUR Sports Sweeps Daily Northwestern
WNUR Sports reclaimed the campus sports media crown on Tuesday, defeating the Daily Northwestern 13-4 in softball. The battle at Long Field was largely decided in the second inning, when the broadcasters broke through to build a 10-1 lead. Team captain/coach/crazyman Aaron Morse went 3 for 4, Frank Bauch added two key triples, and Brendan Flannery tacked on a long homerun. All of the WNUR players contributed both on offense and defense, allowing starting pitcher Guy Benson to cruise to a complete game victory, allowing 3 earned runs. Benson was named the game's MVP.
"It was all about my boys behind me making the plays," Benson said in a display of hilariously false humility. "Although with [fellow senior] Ray Garcia winning the game MVP the last two seasons, I felt a little pressure to perform well today--and I did."
With the win, WNUR bounces back from a disappointing (1-2) performance last season, in which they dropped the final two contests to the print journalists. The sweep of 06-07 is particularly sweet for the WNUR graduating seniors, including Garcia. "Estoy muy contento hoy," el dijo. "No me gusta 'El Daily,' y estoy satisfecho que ganamos en el partido."
"It was all about my boys behind me making the plays," Benson said in a display of hilariously false humility. "Although with [fellow senior] Ray Garcia winning the game MVP the last two seasons, I felt a little pressure to perform well today--and I did."
With the win, WNUR bounces back from a disappointing (1-2) performance last season, in which they dropped the final two contests to the print journalists. The sweep of 06-07 is particularly sweet for the WNUR graduating seniors, including Garcia. "Estoy muy contento hoy," el dijo. "No me gusta 'El Daily,' y estoy satisfecho que ganamos en el partido."
Monday, May 28, 2007
THREE-PEAT!
We just got back from Philadelphia--exhausted but satisfied. What a night it was for NU lacrosse. Winning three straight titles is quite a feat, and our ladies should be very proud of themselves. Virginia gave them all they could handle, but they soldiered on and won the game.
What chaos on the field after the game! The players just mobbed eachother, jumping up and down, screaming, laughing, and crying. If you didn't know better, you might have assumed this was their first national championship. The NU fans were great, also. About 2,000 of the 6K+ crowd was wearing purple, and they were into it the whole game.
The play of the game (in my opinion) was the huge Lathrop save to keep the score 14-13 NU down the stretch. That turned the momentum around & led to the crucial goal by Dowd.
More to come...
What chaos on the field after the game! The players just mobbed eachother, jumping up and down, screaming, laughing, and crying. If you didn't know better, you might have assumed this was their first national championship. The NU fans were great, also. About 2,000 of the 6K+ crowd was wearing purple, and they were into it the whole game.
The play of the game (in my opinion) was the huge Lathrop save to keep the score 14-13 NU down the stretch. That turned the momentum around & led to the crucial goal by Dowd.
More to come...
Saturday, May 26, 2007
To the finals!
Last night was fun. The 'Cats absolutely stomped UPenn to advance to their third straight national championship game thanks to playing near-perfect lacrosse. NU shut out the Quaker offense for the entire first half, a feat that no team has accomplished since 1991. Aly Josephs was the hero with five goals, alongside her fellow senior Kristin Kjellman who added a hat trick. The game was all but over at halftime with Northwestern leading 8-0.
Will and I were marveling after the game: Hannah Nielsen, the sophomore sensation from Down Under, who leads the team with a mind-blowing 113 points, was almost entirely shut down by the Quakers. The 'Cats number one offensive threat and a finalist for national player of the year was virtually neutralized...and NU still won by TEN goals. That's a testament to the balanced nature of the Wildcat attack and the sense of teamwork Kelly Amonte Hiller instills in her players. It's a pleasure to watch.
I know it was already mentioned in the previous post, but WOW: DUKE?! What happened? We left the stadium when Duke started to take control late in the first half and Virginia seemed totally dead in the water. Trailing 13-4 in the second half, UVA stormed back for an almost-unheard-of 10 straight goals to win. We were chatting with coach Hiller back at the hotel last night, and she described the Virginia comeback as "one of the sickest things I've ever seen." No wonder she's such an awesome recruiter! Not only is she one of the greatest figures in women's lacrosse history, she's young enough to be able to use the adjective "sick" in lieu of "cool" without sounding lame.
So, as we enjoy Dillo Day here in Philly (don't expect any blog posts tonight), we are getting set for the big broadcast tomorrow night. Mark Murphy will join us on the pre-game, in addition to Kelly Amonte Hiller. Please join us at 5:45 CT for full coverage of NU/UVA. It's a rematch of the 2005 national championship, when NU dethroned the Cavs 13-10 in Annapolis, MD.
Go 'Cats!
Will and I were marveling after the game: Hannah Nielsen, the sophomore sensation from Down Under, who leads the team with a mind-blowing 113 points, was almost entirely shut down by the Quakers. The 'Cats number one offensive threat and a finalist for national player of the year was virtually neutralized...and NU still won by TEN goals. That's a testament to the balanced nature of the Wildcat attack and the sense of teamwork Kelly Amonte Hiller instills in her players. It's a pleasure to watch.
I know it was already mentioned in the previous post, but WOW: DUKE?! What happened? We left the stadium when Duke started to take control late in the first half and Virginia seemed totally dead in the water. Trailing 13-4 in the second half, UVA stormed back for an almost-unheard-of 10 straight goals to win. We were chatting with coach Hiller back at the hotel last night, and she described the Virginia comeback as "one of the sickest things I've ever seen." No wonder she's such an awesome recruiter! Not only is she one of the greatest figures in women's lacrosse history, she's young enough to be able to use the adjective "sick" in lieu of "cool" without sounding lame.
So, as we enjoy Dillo Day here in Philly (don't expect any blog posts tonight), we are getting set for the big broadcast tomorrow night. Mark Murphy will join us on the pre-game, in addition to Kelly Amonte Hiller. Please join us at 5:45 CT for full coverage of NU/UVA. It's a rematch of the 2005 national championship, when NU dethroned the Cavs 13-10 in Annapolis, MD.
Go 'Cats!
An NU Dissection
Northwestern defeated Penn 12-2 yesterday in what was the single best performance from any lacrosse team that I have ever seen. And that from a team that essentially was not trying to score in the second half.
It is abundantly clear that the Wildcats are on a completely different level of lacrosse. This second half was almost entirely played with a running clock when Penn went down 10 goals. And it was the semi-finals. Penn was ranked second in the coaches' poll. A top tier team was demolished by the NU squad.
But the game that Guy and I called was nothing compared to UVA-Duke. The Blue Devils came out of the gates and blew UVA out of the water. At one point it was 13-4. But then, the Cavaliers made an unprecedented run. It was ten unanswered goals for the 'Hoos in one of the most exciting comebacks in tournament history.
Guy and I were debating how much momentum helps Virginia. In my opinion, the day off today is huge. The momentum of that tremendous run will dissipate today and the teams will be on equal footing come Sunday. And, given the monstrous disparity between NU and everyone else talent-wise, that bodes well for the Wildcats.
I am certainly predicting an NU win on Sunday. This team is too good for that not to happen. And I look forward to being on the air for my first NU championship.
It is abundantly clear that the Wildcats are on a completely different level of lacrosse. This second half was almost entirely played with a running clock when Penn went down 10 goals. And it was the semi-finals. Penn was ranked second in the coaches' poll. A top tier team was demolished by the NU squad.
But the game that Guy and I called was nothing compared to UVA-Duke. The Blue Devils came out of the gates and blew UVA out of the water. At one point it was 13-4. But then, the Cavaliers made an unprecedented run. It was ten unanswered goals for the 'Hoos in one of the most exciting comebacks in tournament history.
Guy and I were debating how much momentum helps Virginia. In my opinion, the day off today is huge. The momentum of that tremendous run will dissipate today and the teams will be on equal footing come Sunday. And, given the monstrous disparity between NU and everyone else talent-wise, that bodes well for the Wildcats.
I am certainly predicting an NU win on Sunday. This team is too good for that not to happen. And I look forward to being on the air for my first NU championship.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Let the Good Times Keep on Rolling!
Hello NU Sports Enthusiasts!
As I'm making my much-anticipated return to the softball postseason broadcast booth tomorrow, I thought I'd join the discussion.
What a day! While close games are the ones you remember for ages, the blowouts are oh so relaxing. As predicted, South Carolina could not hit Eileen Canney. Since they have only three hitters batting over .232 and only 2 with more than 1 HR, it shouldn't be a shock.
The pleasant surprise was Northwestern's offense. South Carolina was able to upend the three higher seeds in their region by keeping them pinned down with great pitching. But they're not power-pitchers, which presents a problem. When you have runners on base and your fielders keep making mistakes (as was the case for the Gamecocks), you need someone who can keep the ball out of play. Strikeouts are essential. Hendon couldn't do it, and NU scored 4 crucial insurance runs.
The Wildcats are playing in their third straight Super Regionals. But for the first time in that span, they won on Friday. Saturday looks promising.
Follow that game with the most dominating defensive performance of the year for Northwestern lacrosse. The lowest goals allowed since a drubbing of Vanderbilt back at the beginning of the season. So Duke + two games against Penn still equals less goals allowed than NU averages PER game.
Here's how good it was. Not only was Penn shutout in the first half. Lathrop only had two saves. My partners in Philly can confirm this, but that stat tells me that Finch, Finochiarro, and the rest of the defense set up a brick wall around the fan. The Quakers didn't even put up a fight. What do you expect from pacifists.
Kyle Whitehead and I, your humble servant, on the call tomorrow. Let's play one!
As I'm making my much-anticipated return to the softball postseason broadcast booth tomorrow, I thought I'd join the discussion.
What a day! While close games are the ones you remember for ages, the blowouts are oh so relaxing. As predicted, South Carolina could not hit Eileen Canney. Since they have only three hitters batting over .232 and only 2 with more than 1 HR, it shouldn't be a shock.
The pleasant surprise was Northwestern's offense. South Carolina was able to upend the three higher seeds in their region by keeping them pinned down with great pitching. But they're not power-pitchers, which presents a problem. When you have runners on base and your fielders keep making mistakes (as was the case for the Gamecocks), you need someone who can keep the ball out of play. Strikeouts are essential. Hendon couldn't do it, and NU scored 4 crucial insurance runs.
The Wildcats are playing in their third straight Super Regionals. But for the first time in that span, they won on Friday. Saturday looks promising.
Follow that game with the most dominating defensive performance of the year for Northwestern lacrosse. The lowest goals allowed since a drubbing of Vanderbilt back at the beginning of the season. So Duke + two games against Penn still equals less goals allowed than NU averages PER game.
Here's how good it was. Not only was Penn shutout in the first half. Lathrop only had two saves. My partners in Philly can confirm this, but that stat tells me that Finch, Finochiarro, and the rest of the defense set up a brick wall around the fan. The Quakers didn't even put up a fight. What do you expect from pacifists.
Kyle Whitehead and I, your humble servant, on the call tomorrow. Let's play one!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Is Torture
Hello all,
Since being in Philadelphia, I have only had two options of ways to waste my time:
1) Listening to Guy's horrendous, immature and offensive jokes. Numerous WNUR staffers, present and former (Greg Bobak, I'm talking about you) would be outraged at the stories told. They are not suitable for this blog.
2) Watching television. Now, when Guy and I got to the luxurious Marriott, we were greeted by hilarity on the boob tube: the National Geography Bee. The guffaws were free-flowing at the awkward displays of emotion from these young people. Unfortunately, the champion made quick work of her competition and that was the end of that amusement.
The USA Network then promptly began a marathon of Criminal Intent. Guy and I are both huge Law & Order fans. But, and I think I speak on behalf of Guy, CI is atrocious. And when it is on for hours upon hours, it is torturous. So I am announcing my campaign to revoke the FCC license of any channel that airs this filth, especially at the expense of the other Law & Orders (the original and SVU) that actually are riveting television.
Since being in Philadelphia, I have only had two options of ways to waste my time:
1) Listening to Guy's horrendous, immature and offensive jokes. Numerous WNUR staffers, present and former (Greg Bobak, I'm talking about you) would be outraged at the stories told. They are not suitable for this blog.
2) Watching television. Now, when Guy and I got to the luxurious Marriott, we were greeted by hilarity on the boob tube: the National Geography Bee. The guffaws were free-flowing at the awkward displays of emotion from these young people. Unfortunately, the champion made quick work of her competition and that was the end of that amusement.
The USA Network then promptly began a marathon of Criminal Intent. Guy and I are both huge Law & Order fans. But, and I think I speak on behalf of Guy, CI is atrocious. And when it is on for hours upon hours, it is torturous. So I am announcing my campaign to revoke the FCC license of any channel that airs this filth, especially at the expense of the other Law & Orders (the original and SVU) that actually are riveting television.
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