March 2010
Scags claw back, beat Patriots: Mason surrenders 27-point lead
|After being rammed by VCU in the quarterfinal round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, the youthful George Mason University men’s basketball team settled for a postseason appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they took on the Fairfield Scags. And their inexperience showed as the Scags rallied from a 27-point deficit in the second half to oust the Patriots 101-96 in the first round of the CIT.
Powell’s Playbook: Madness only begins in March
|So here, in the last column for this season, I will write about the men’s basketball team in retrospect.
The first issue I will address: I was right. It turns out that the terrible Colonial Athletic Association’s postseason tournament performance was the last dagger in the season.
Going to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament was not the expected end to the Patriots’ season, especially with a lose in the first round after being the headliner.
Like father, like son: Junior adjusts to new role and provides an immediate impact
|Last season, junior Eric Lucas recorded 309 digs, falling two digs short of matching the highest individual single-season record for digs of all-time. The record was set by his father Ric Lucas 25 years ago.
Caller unknown: Former goalkeeper tries out for MLS
|Former George Mason University men’s soccer goalkeeper Sean Kelley had always hoped for the opportunity to play professionally, but it was never his intention to ignore a call from one of the Major League Soccer teams.
The spring semester was underway, and in late January, a phone call from an unknown number disrupted Kelley during class. He thought nothing of it until he received a call from Patriots Head Coach Greg Andrulis a little bit later.
Perfection: 15 up, 15 down: Anderson mows down the Bears with perfect game as Mason completes Saturday sweep
|To follow a solid two-hit shutout from sophomore Miranda Cranford in the earlier game, senior starting pitcher Becky Anderson capped Saturday’s doubleheader with a perfect game, retiring all 15 batters in the George Mason University’s softball team’s 8-0 win against the Morgan State Bears.
Technology gods: One man’s personal battle
|The technology gods hate me. Somewhere, I offended their sensibilities, and ever since the deities of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have cursed me to a Luddite hell, where every piece of electronic equipment malfunctions straight out of the box. Customer support is provided by the departed souls of cavemen who insist the only way to cure my Blue Screen of Death is to bury alive a kinsman in peat.
Supreme Court approves corporate funding of presidents: Will the corporations of America now have control over who is elected?
|The Supreme Court of the United States has recently approved unlimited corporate funding of presidential campaigns by way of a case called Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. This has come as quite a shock to many citizens who feel that this will give corporations too much power over presidential elections. I also feel that there are simply too many downsides to this ruling for it to properly work in our democratic system, however there are some that disagree with me.
Hail to the Redskins: Why our local football team should never change it’s mascot
|As a long-suffering Washington Redskins fan, I know there are many things to be offended by from the team, but their mascot most certainly is not one of them. A select few have made the argument that the term “Redskins” is racist against Native Americans. Some have even called for all sports teams’ names that refer to Native Americans to be changed. Last month, a new court battle ensued to strip legal protection for the trademarked name of the Washington Redskins.
Student protests Obama’s health bill: Fears mount as the House passes health care legislation
|As someone who had cancer four years ago and will lose my health insurance in two months because I’m graduating, there’s a lot I fear when it comes to health insurance. President Obama’s speech on Friday only made that fear worse. He told the audience that he wants to add more choice and competition to the insurance market, but those are the very two things that will be taken away if his version of the bill gets passed.
Let’s focus on the big picture: Like the fact that global warming does exist
|If these words sound like words from a concerned adult when you were growing up, they are. We repeat them here because it seems that we need such reminders throughout our adult life. It is easy to slip into pettiness and squabbles, and thereby lose sight of the forest through the trees. Let us show you the forest in the context of global climate change.