A Happy Thanksgiving for the Eagles!

11/29/14

I haven’t blogged about the Eagles this semester because I really don’t want to jinx their season. However, I feel like it’s really important to talk about their amazing game against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Not going to lie, pretty much my whole family thought they were going to lose this one. Except for my uncle, he was surprisingly optimistic about it. They started out strong, scoring a touchdown just a few minutes into the game. That set the tone for the rest of the game. I don’t want to sound mean, but every time Mark Sanchez has the ball, I get quite nervous. He was amazing in this game though. I really did not feel that nervous with him in. I honestly thought he was going to win the Galloping Gobbler Award. I wasn’t sure if Shady McCoy was going to get it because he did have a couple fumbles. He did though, and he deserved it after his dominant performance. This game was so important because the Cowboys and the Eagles were tied at the top of the division. This put the Eagles first at 9-3, and undefeated in the NFC East. I think many people will agree that beating Tony Romo is a great feeling! J

Phillies Clubhouse

11/24/14

This weekend, patients at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia got to take some time to forget about their sickness. An extremely generous fan who won a clubhouse sleepover at a Phillies Charities auction, anonymously donated it to the Children’s hospital. The sleepover involved four patients of the hospital and their families and friends. Each child got their own designated locker with their names on it. General Manager, Ruben Amaro, also gave all of the kids contracts, just like how they do it in the big leagues. How cool is that?? When asked what to expect before getting to the stadium, Angelina Miele responded with “hard floors and sweaty gym lockers.” Well, that’s not how it was exactly. They slept on comfortable bedding on the floor. The night had a lot in store for the kids. They participated in a pillow fight with the famous Philly Phanatic, only the most liked mascot in all of sports. For real, he is the best and always will be. They had pizza and watched movies as well. They had the chance to go to the batting cage and get a few hits in. When they woke up in the morning, they got to have breakfast with the Philly Phanatic. All of the parents were extremely grateful and just so happy to see their kids smile again. It’s amazing how much sport can impact people in such a positive way.

2014 Hockey Hall of Fame

11/23/14

This past week, the 2014 class was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. This year had a pretty great class including: Mike Modano, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake, and Dominik Hasek. I grew up watching Mike Modano and Peter Forsberg play, so it was pretty cool to see them get a much-deserved induction. Peter Forsberg was a Flyer so obviously I am a big fan of his. He did a lot for Flyers hockey, and a lot of the younger players looked up to him. Although he did not win a Stanley Cup with Philly, he did with the Colorado Avalanche. Even though I am a die-hard Flyers fan, I think that I was way more excited about Mike Modano getting inducted. He spent the majority of his career with the Dallas Stars, and won a Stanley Cup with them in 1999. He grew the sport of hockey in the state of Texas, which is not an easy thing to do. He is a huge inspiration for American hockey players. He holds the record for most NHL goals by a player born in the United States (561) and he has the most points of all American NHL players (1374). What I always really liked about Modano was the fact that he has so much emotion. This came out mostly during his last season with Dallas in 2010. He is a legend in Dallas, and they did so much to honor him. During his last home game with the Stars, he cried a few times throughout the game, and let it all out at the end. I think that it is so respectful and nice to see that he really shows emotion. I knew that he was going to cry during his induction speech, and he did. It was really touching. I wish there were more NHL players like Mike Modano.

Giroux Out with Ankle Injury

11/18/14

Looks like captain Claude Giroux is out for the Flyers game against the New York Rangers tomorrow. The Flyers media surprised fans with a tweet stating that Giroux missed the season-ticket holder event and was being evaluated by doctors. That is all they said Monday, so it made a lot of people anxious. Yesterday, the Flyers had a pretty physical practice with a lot of hitting apparently. Giroux did not seem hurt as practice went on, and he left fine as well. Today, news broke that he has an ankle injury and will definitely be out of the lineup for Wednesday night’s game in New York. General Manager, Ron Hextall, said he is hoping that he is out for days instead of weeks. That sounds great… With Giroux off of the top line, head coach Craig Berube has moved Brayden Schenn up to the first line to center Voracek and Simmonds. Schenn has been playing extremely well and he is currently on a five game point streak. He deserves to have a chance on the top line again. The players will really need to step up their game as they look to end their two game losing streak. Get better soon, G!

Hartsy Returns Home to Philly

11/16/14

It was an emotional homecoming for former Flyer and current Columbus Blue Jacket, Scott Hartnell (Hartsy). His new team played the Flyers on Friday night, and beat them 4-3. Hartsy spent seven seasons with the orange and the black and he was definitely a fan favorite. He was also a strong voice in the locker room. He has so much character and everyone thought he was going to be with the Flyers for the rest of his career. It was definitely a shock when he was traded to Columbus back in June. I had the honor of meeting him a few times, and he was one of the nicest people I have ever spoken to. Very down to earth. He was a perfect fit for the Flyers because he skates hard, hits, chirps, and most importantly he stands up for his teammates. He started a foundation in Philly called the Hartnelldown Foundation. He often falls on the ice, so whenever he fell, he would donate money to the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. I can go on and on about all of the amazing things about Scott Hartnell, and I expected nothing less than a warm welcome for him when he hit the ice on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers made a tribute video for him that they showed on the big screen. That was followed by an awesome standing ovation for him. After the game he tweeted, “Thanks #flyers fans for the night tonight!!! Very emotional for me!!! Love you guys always!!! #hartnelldown.” We will always love you too, Hartsy.

Carter Ashton Suspended

11/10/14

Carter Ashton, a Maple Leafs forward, has been suspended 20 games by the NHL. During the suspension, he will go without pay, forfeiting approximately $170,000. Ashton apparently tested positive for a banned substance, clenbuterol. He said that it was from his inhaler. He released a statement saying that while training for the 2014-15 season, he suffered an asthmatic spasm. One of the other athletes he was training with that summer gave him an inhaler, which he then felt immediate relief. Ashton kept the inhaler and used it a second time during training camp when he started to have another asthma episode. Since he was using the inhaler only to treat his asthma symptoms, he did not think that there were problems with it. Clenbuterol allows the body to burn stored fat calories so you have more energy. Ashton now recognizes why him using this particular inhaler is wrong, and he decided not to appeal his suspension. He stated that, “at no time was I seeking to gain an athletic advantage or to knowingly violate the terms of the program.” He has since been diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ doctor, and has been prescribed an inhaler that does not violate the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. 

Back at it!

11/8/14

Four weeks ago, I sprained my ankle. I did so while training for a half marathon that was set for Saturday, November 8^th. I was so looking forward to running my second half marathon. I ran my first one in April and after that, I was in a terrible running slump. I think I was burnt out. Running is not only physically draining at times, but it can also be mentally draining. I finally started to get out of that slump right before I sprained my ankle. I started to get back in to my weekly long runs and always did my 3-5 miles runs frequently during the week. I was feeling good, and the best part was I felt like I could eat anything again! I was planning on running this half with a couple of my friends. That is an awesome part about running. Two of my closest friends are runners as well and we can run together. It is a good bonding thing to do, while keeping us healthy at the same time. Now I am finishing up physical therapy and slowly getting back into running. I was able to complete a five mile run this week in 45 minutes. I was very happy with that considering I haven’t been running at all during my recovery. I am so happy to be back at it instead of riding the bike every day!

Volleyball!

11/8/14

It’s been so long since I have played volleyball, but it felt so good to get back in the game last week. I play for my sorority’s intramural team and it is a lot of fun (even though we are not very good!) I played in middle school and for my high school’s volleyball team for a couple of years and I loved (almost) every second of it. I met a lot of great people through the sport during the years that I played. Even though I haven’t played much since my high school days, I felt pretty good out there on the court. My serve is a little rusty and needs some work, but it’s going over the net so no complaints here. Our team is interesting. Only two of us have played competitively before so I didn’t know what to expect. We aren’t that terrible in that aspect. We have played two games so far and I think we have definitely made some improvements from the first game that we played. The best part about it is that we are always laughing throughout the entire game. It’s so fun and I think that is how intramural sports should be played!

Gordie Howe Suffers Stroke

10/29/14

The hockey world was struck with sad news this week. Gordie Howe, a hockey legend, has unfortunately suffered a severe stroke this past Sunday in Texas. His family released a statement that revealed that he is currently resting at his daughter’s house, and that he is pretty much confined to his bed. According to his son, Howe, 86, has lost some function of the right side of his body. It is also very difficult for him to speak right now. The whole hockey community is keeping him in their thoughts. Let me tell you a little bit about Gordie’s hockey career. First, he played 31 professional seasons. That is amazing! Another cool thing is that his career was throughout five different decades (the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and a few months in the 80s). At the age of 51, he was playing the Hartford Whalers. He scored 801 goals during his dazzling NHL career. In total, he recorded 1,850 NHL points. He won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings, where he spent most of his career. In 1972, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. There is even a hat trick named after him, the Gordie Howe Hat Trick. This involves a goal, a fight, and an assist. To me, that is cooler than a regular hat trick!

Flyers Defeat the Kings!

10/29/14

What a game! The Flyers defeated the reigning Stanley Cup Champs, the Los Angeles Kings. This makes it a three-game winning streak for Philadelphia. Ray Emery has been hot in net, and has been the winning goalie for the past three games. The game ended in overtime, with an awesome break away goal by Brayden Schenn. A Flyers-Kings game is always a big one. The Kings are also known as the “Flyers of the West”. There are many former Flyers that play for LA. The most significant former Flyers on the Kings are Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, who were both part of “block-buster” trades back in June of 2011. That was a hard day. Other than Jeremy Roenick, Mike Richards (Richie) was my favorite player. I loved watching every shift he played. I had a couple of his jerseys, even his Team Canada one. I got to meet him a bunch of times, and that never got old. He was the captain of the team, and nobody saw this trade coming. I cried. I actually cried. That makes me a true fan though, right? The following season, Richards and Carter won the Stanley Cup with the Kings. They won it again last season. It’s definitely a stinger for Philadelphia fans, but I still really love Richie! The only good I can take away from the trade is that in return, we got Brayden Schenn who netted to overtime winner last night!

Slava Voynov Suspended Indefinitely

10/20/14

While browsing NHL.com today, a headline really stood out to me. It said that Slava Voynov had been suspended indefinitely. I had to open the link because when a player is suspended indefinitely, they had to have done something pretty bad. We have been hearing a lot about domestic violence in the NFL lately, and now it is in the NHL as well. Voynov, a defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings was arrested early Monday morning on charges of domestic violence. Voynov was arrested at a hospital where the victim was being treated. He was released on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on December 1^st. It is so sad to hear that there is another case of domestic violence in professional sports. Unlike the NFL, the NHL quickly suspended Voynov upon learning the news of his arrest and why he was arrested. The police issued a statement that Voynov has been cooperating with law enforcement and that the woman has been released from the hospital. The Kings’ head coach, Darryl Sutter, went to Voynov’s home this morning but left when no one answered. The Kings released the following statement: “These developments are of great concern to our organization. We support the NHL’s decision to suspend Slava Voynov indefinitely during this process, and we will continue to take appropriate action as the legal proceedings and the investigation by the NHL take their course.” Here’s to hoping that this will be the last domestic violence case in sports.

Jeremy Roenick, One of my Hockey Heroes

10/20/14

In class today, we had the opportunity to talk about an athlete that brings a lot of qualities to the sport world. I chose to speak about Jeremy Roenick who is my all-time favorite hockey player. I’m sure that many people in the class had no clue who he is but I still really wanted to talk about him. To me, he made a pretty awesome impact in the NHL and he was an idol for many young American hockey players. Growing up, I would watch him and I always told my dad that I wanted to play like him. I remember my dad got me a Jeremy Roenick hockey stick when I was around the age of 10. I still have it and use it when I play street hockey at home. As I talked about in class, he has a passion for his fans and the fans of hockey. While playing in Philadelphia, he would park in the general lot on game days for a little bit so he could sign autographs for the fans. When my cousin needed open-heart surgery, he called her the night before and while she was recovering in the hospital to see how she was doing. If that doesn’t make you love him, I really don’t know what else would. Another thing that I liked about him was that he would like to keep it light on the ice when possible. If he was on the ice and a song came on that he liked, he would dance and try to get the other players into it. That definitely doesn’t happen in the league anymore. Roenick was a fearless player in every way. If there was a shot coming his way, he would block it (he has broken his jaw many times). If an opposing player were chirping him or his teammate, he would fight him. He also wasn’t afraid to say how he felt about the league. A few years ago he released a book. In it, he explained his journey in the NHL and pretty much every feeling he has towards the league. He then went on a small book tour. My dad took me to meet him. It was one of the coolest days ever, and I will never forget it. He autographed my book and jersey that I will cherish forever. Jeremy Roenick made the game of hockey the best thing to watch while I was growing up. I am thankful that I got to see him play, and I hope the younger generation of hockey fans can learn about him as well.

A Win for the Flyers!

10/19/14

They won! They finally got their first win of the season! The Flyers beat the Dallas Stars 6-5 in overtime Saturday night. Captain Claude Giroux sealed the deal for the Flyers with a beautiful shot from the point. I was only able to watch the first two periods, but it seemed like a pretty good game. Dallas was the first team to score, and then the Flyers finished the first period ahead 2-1. It was a relieving thing to see, considering that they haven’t been playing that well recently. Brayden Schenn also got his first tally during that period. He’s been getting a lot of criticism this season, so it was nice to see him get that important goal. The second period was all Dallas, scoring three goals and putting them ahead 4-2. The third period was crazy! Goals from Andrew MacDonald and Jake Voracek tied the game at 4. Then the Stars scored, and shortly after Michael Raffl was able to tie it up again at 5. This means overtime. The Flyers got a power play in overtime. Mark Streit passed the puck to Giroux who gave the Flyers their first victory of the season. The captain said that it was “an ugly win but we’ll take it” and that this game “brought the boys closer”. Keep the good things going, boys.

Farewell Flag Football

10/16/14

This week, I participated in my last college flag football intramural game. To some this may not mean anything, but I’m actually really going to miss playing in that league. I have been apart of this league for four years now, playing for my sorority and a co-rec team as well. Through this game, I was able to get closer with some of my sorority sisters. With 140 members in my chapter, it is not easy to befriend everyone. Through football, I was able to interact with a smaller group of girls that I didn’t really hangout with outside of the game. We were brought closer through sport and I’m definitely going to miss playing with them and hanging out when we had practice. The other team that I participated in for the past couple of seasons was a group of people from the Mason Aquatic & Fitness Center. Last year, they asked me to be apart of their team while I was a practicum student at the gym. I have had so much fun with them and I have met some pretty cool people that I still keep in touch with now. We didn’t have as strong of a season as we did last year, but we had a lot of fun and that’s what counts!

Another Frustrating Start for the Flyers

10/13/14

Well as some expected, it’s another bad start for the Flyers this year. After the first three games of the season, their record is 0-2-1. Yup, no wins yet. The most frustrating part about it is that they finally looked like they were going to get a win on Saturday against Montreal. They had a 3-0 lead for the majority of the game. I think the Flyers forgot how to play defense for a period. They made their goalie fend for himself for awhile. The Habs were able to tie it up and send the game into overtime. After five minutes of sudden death overtime, a shootout had to decide the outcome of the game. Unfortunately, Montreal won. On the bright side, the Flyers finally got a point in the standings from that game! It was very heartbreaking to watch though. However, one of the top forwards, Vincent Lecavalier, sustained a lower body injury and will be out about two weeks. This gives a chance for the young guys to step up and fill in some big skates. While it is so nice to have hockey back, I don’t always like the stress that comes with it! I guess that is just a side effect of being a Philadelphia fan!   

Michael Del Zotto: A True Hero Off the Ice

10/6/14

Michael Del Zotto is one of the newest additions to the Flyers this season. He’s a pretty good defenseman, so I think it was a good signing by the Flyers. Hockey aside, Del Zotto is really an awesome guy off the ice. A few years ago while playing for the Rangers, he met a special friend named Liam. Liam, 12, suffers from Cerebral Palsy. Liam is a die-hard Rangers fan who has undergone many surgeries. One day, the Garden of Dreams foundation granted his wish to meet the New York Rangers. That day, Liam met Del Zotto for the first time. Even when Del Zotto was traded to Nashville, Liam still was a fan and got to visit him there. Now with the Flyers, he owns his new jersey and gets to visit him more often in Philadelphia. To this day, Del Zotto calls Liam his best friend. They text every day and Liam always sends him a good luck text before each and every game. Del Zotto often posts about Liam on Twitter. In honor of National Cerebral Palsy Day last week, he posted a nice video about their relationship. Not going to lie, I cried. While I was home for Yom Kippur this past weekend, I made my dad watch the video too. He cried as well. I think it is so nice that there are still athletes like Del Zotto out there. I will post the link to the video below. I recommend that you watch it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0zzm7rxyRc

10/5/14

A few days ago, Hilary Knight practiced with the Anaheim Ducks. Knight, 25, participated in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2010 games in Vancouver. She played for the women’s USA Hockey team and is one of the top female hockey players in the world. She even scored the team’s first goal of the tournament in Sochi. In effort to bring more attention to women’s ice hockey, Knight participated in practice with the Ducks. It is believed that Knight is the first non-goalie female to practice with an NHL team. In her words, “I’m one of those women who like to push boundaries. I’ve got a frame and structure that can blend in sometimes with the guys.” She then said it was a great opportunity to get on the ice and skate with the NHLers. Anaheim head coach, Bruce Boudreau, was impressed with her skill. He has never watched a live women’s hockey game before so he did not know what to expect. Knight’s next goal is to play an exhibition game in the NHL. Some of the Ducks’ players and the coach think that this could be a possibility sometime in the future, maybe next season. As an avid hockey player who grew up playing women’s hockey, I think that this is so cool to see. Good for you, Hilary!

With Giroux Back, Flyers Look for a Win

9/30/14

Claude Giroux is back in the lineup for tonight’s game against the New York Rangers. I was very happy to read this considering the news we got about his injury about a week and a half ago. I trust that he is feeling 100% because the team said that they would not rush his return. Hopefully the captain can help put the Flyers back on the board. They did not play well at all during their last couple of games. Last night, the Rangers beat them 6-3. I was watching the game and I did not see any good defense from the Flyers. I’m sure they worked hard on that during their pre-game skate this morning. Giroux will be playing center between Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek tonight, and it looks like for the rest of the season if it goes well. I think that the three of them have good chemistry while playing on a line together. Flyers fans should be giving Brayden Schenn, who took over center in Giroux’s absence. He definitely impressed and showed that he can cover the whole ice. He was looking faster as well. Hopefully the boys in the orange and black are ready for revenge on the Rangers tonight.

Jaromir Jagr- The Ageless Legend

9/27/14

Jaromir Jagr is 42 years old. His age does not stop him from being an absolute star on the ice. Drafted in 1990 by the Pittsburgh Penguins (ugh), Jagr has just about seen and done it all. So far, he has played for seven NHL teams. He won consecutive Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992. That is so hard to do, especially so early in a player’s career. It’s cool to think that Jagr has been playing hockey my whole life. However, it was not always in the NHL. After the 2008 season, the New York Rangers informed him that they would not be resigning him. So from 2008-2011, Jagr played for Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). 2011 was a big year. One of the players I grew up idolizing was finally a Philadelphia Flyer. It was so cool to see. The summer of 2011, Jagr expressed interest of coming back to the NHL. Instead of signing with Pittsburgh, he shocked the hockey world and signed one year with the Flyers. Even though it was just one year, I think it is safe to say that all Flyers fans absolutely fell in love with him. His commitment to the team never failed. He was always the first one on the ice and the last one to leave. He even had a key to the practice rink. Instead of going out at night like a lot of the players, Jagr would go to the rink, strap weights to himself, and skate his heart out. If that isn’t dedication, I really don’t know what is. He is really such an amazing role model. Unfortunately, the Flyers did not sign him again after his one season with the team. It was heart breaking. I was lucky enough to have the chance to meet him that season. I was so star struck. I have met many of the Flyers over the past few years, but this encounter was probably one of the coolest. He is really down to earth and very sweet. We got a pretty awesome picture together too! To this day, I still continue to root for him. I wish nothing but the best for him. Except against the Flyers, of course. Sorry for the longer post, I just really think this legend deserves endless praise.

Giroux Out 2 Weeks

9/22/14

It took 15 minutes. Only 15 minutes into the first practice of training camp. Now the captain of the Flyers, Claude Giroux is out at least two weeks. Training camp in the NHL has an extremely fast pace. There are many guys playing for a spot on the team, skating their hearts out. Even for a player who knows they have a spot on the team, their goal is to still impress. That’s exactly what Giroux was doing when he stepped on the ice for the first day of camp. While skating fast on a drill, he sustained a lower body injury. At first, the Flyers were pretty quiet about the situation. Fans knew that he was not on the ice, but we didn’t know what exactly the problem was. We still don’t know much other than that he is out for two weeks with a “lower body” injury. He mentioned that he “tweaked something” which is usually a sign of a groin injury in the NHL. Looks like it may be another slow start for Giroux this season. In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about how Giroux turned his slow start last year into an amazing season. I have no doubt that he can do the same thing this season! 16 more days until puck drop!

Catching Up With Ed Snider

9/16/14

Ed Snider, owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, had a lot to talk about this weekend when he caught up with reporters. The biggest and most important announcement in my opinion is that he is now cancer free! What a relief! Snider, 81, was diagnosed with cancer in May. After chemotherapy and radiation, he found out on August 13^th that he is in remission. He did not talk much about his health, however. He was eager to talk about his team and the upcoming season. The Flyers had salary cap restraints this year so not many moves were made during the past off season. Still, Snider says that he is “cautiously optimistic” about the 2014-2015 Flyers. That’s nice to hear. Later in the conversation, he mentioned that he needs to be more patient like he was when the franchise was starting up. They have a lot of young talented players. It’s important that they don’t rush these guys into the NHL before they are ready. They all need time to develop in the AHL. Lastly, Snider spoke about how him and the team are only looking forward. They will not look back on mistakes that have been made in the past. Yes, they made some bad trades in the past few years. The only thing to do now is work with the players that they have. New head coach, Craig Berube, has his team in the best shape they have ever been in. I think now all Flyers fans can be “cautiously optimistic.”

Utley to First?

9/15/14

The rumor going around is that Phillies second baseman, Chase Utley could be moving to first base. Hearing this news is relieving, considering the rumors that were going around earlier this season. Before the trade deadline, we all thought that Chase was going to be traded. This was heartbreaking for me. Chase, yes all Phillies fans are on a first name basis with him, has been my favorite baseball player since 2004. That is ten years of me having the pleasure to watch him give it his all, 100% percent of the time. He is a great role model when it comes to sports. On game days, he gets to the ball park seven hours prior to the game. During this time, he studies video of the pitcher he will be facing that night. He also goes through an intense stretching ritual for his knees, which are plagued with cartilage damage. He never gives up and it is amazing to see. He also will never admit that he is an amazing player. The Phillies need him in the club house. Chase has experience playing first base in the past. I like the idea of moving him there. This means that the up-and-coming Cody Asche can start training to be the starting second baseman. With Chase possibly moving to first, where will starting first baseman Ryan Howard go? In my opinion, it is time to release him.

Captain G!

9/10/14

Flyers fans, remember the beginning of the 2013-2014 season? Yeah, I like to block that out too. Captain Claude Giroux would agree with that statement. He did not score a single goal until the 16^th game of the season. For a superstar like Giroux (also known as G), or any player in fact, that is just plain frustrating. The slow start by him and his team caused the firing of head coach, Peter Laviolette. It also caused Giroux a spot on the Canadian Olympic team, which everyone would argue that by the time the Olympics rolled around, Giroux should have been on that team. Despite the terrible start of the season, G ended up with 86 points and finished third in scoring! He also won the Hart trophy which is given to a Flyers player that shows the most heart and dedication on the ice. I’m telling you, one he broke out of that slump last year, it was amazing to watch what he did on the ice. He scored from every possible angle. I will never forget the spin-o-rama backhand goal that he scored against Columbus, putting them in the lead with about a minute left to go. In fact, I just had to look it up again because I love watching it. Coming into this season, G is still upset about the Game 7 playoff loss against the Rangers. It was a heartbreaker. He wants to take this loss “as an experience.” Here’s to hoping that Captain G is ready to break out from the start.

Sorority Sport

9/9/14

This blog post is going to be a bit different than my last one. This one is about how sport communication personally impacted me recently. Over the weekend, I was involved with my chapter’s sorority recruitment. Sorority recruitment involves a lot of talking to many girls that may potentially join your chapter. I always get nervous about this, considering I am different than many of the girls, one of the reasons being that I have a strong love for sports. Even though I am the minority when it comes to a situation such as recruitment, I was able to make a few special connections with some of the girls this weekend. I did this through sport. Once we got past the questions such as “what is your major?” or “what brings you out to recruitment?” we got to know more about each other. One of my favorite things about my chapter that I like to brag about is how great our intramural teams are. Whether it’s football, soccer, or basketball, we always put together a great team. Bringing up a topic such as intramurals usually leads to talking about sport. I specifically remember this happening with at least five of the girls I talked to. Even though five is nothing compared to how many girls in total I spoke to, it is enough to make special connections, and to have an impact in another girl’s life. Now they know that they won’t be the only one who likes sports in their sorority. The best part of how sport communication affected my recruitment experience this weekend was how I related with this one girl. She started talking about how she was missing the Redskins game that day for recruitment. I totally related with her because, like her, I was missing the Eagles game (don’t worry, I kept checking the score in between parties.) I just felt like this was a good thing to blog about, because it really shows how far sport communication can go.

NHL Expansion? Bettman Says No

9/4/14

There has been a lot of rumors going around lately that the NHL will be expanding. Reports say that the league is looking to expand in Quebec City, Las Vegas, and Seattle. They are also interested in placing a second team in Toronto. This all would be done by the year 2017. Now, before you get all excited about the possibility of more professional hockey games to watch, the commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman, wants to put all of these silly rumors to rest. Bettman doesn’t believe that the league is in need of expansion. In an interview he said, “ Our franchises have never been healthier. Our league, in terms of its economic footing, has never been healthier.” Personally, I am not a fan of Gary Bettman. The two NHL lockouts I have been through during my hockey fan-life were way too difficult for me. However, I do agree with him when it comes to the expansion of the NHL. If there were to be four more teams added, I believe that it would take away from the competition of the game. Think about it. There will be so many more players needed for the expanded league. How good could all of the needed players possibly be?

Phillies Fans Have a Reason to Smile Again

9/1/2014

For my first post on here, I’m going to talk about some exciting Phillies news! The word exciting has been used sparingly this season, may I add. Today was different. Today the Phillies completed a combined no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves. It was the twelfth combined no-no in Phillies franchise history. Even though the Phillies are last in their division, it was still a great accomplishment that put smiles on the players’ and fans’ faces. Cole Hamels had a dazzling start, going six innings without giving up a hit. Next up on the mound was Jake Diekman, followed by Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon. In a humble post-game interview, Hamels said that he did not have as much control as he would have liked during his six innings. When asked if he had any “butterflies” watching the game, Hamels stated that “I had a lot of confidence in these guys, (Diekman, Giles and Papelbon) I think it’s just really fun to see the pitching staff as a whole, because the bullpen has been lights out.” It sure is exciting, especially watching how animated Ken Giles gets when he strikes a player out! The thrill of this game is still with me. Even though I am not in the city to see the reactions of many Phillies fans, I still have my cousins texting me about it, and my dad calling me to make sure that I have the game on. I believe good things will follow for the Phillies.