Just Take A Minute: Aug. 24-28, 2009

Boomer bytes

   Friday, Aug. 28

In-game updates on Twitter.com/UMassAthletics

Women's soccer kicks off the 2009-10 athletic schedule for the UMass teams this evening at Holy Cross. Tomorrow the field hockey team hosts Providence in the first on-campus regular-season event at 1 p.m. Also, the men's soccer team heads to Storrs for a preseason match with UConn. ESPN.com has a feature on former basketball star Lorenzo Sutton. Today's JTAM has news on alums Mitchell Clegg, Kitwana Rhymer, Brandon London, Jeremy Cain and Travis Hyland.

After months of hard work, ESPN.com has published a story on former basketball Lorenzo Sutton, who has lived a hard life with many difficulties since leaving UMass in the mid-1980s. UMass booster and alum Ed "Signman" Rubin has played a large role in helping Sutton.

In the Springfield Republican Ron Chimelis has an awesome feature story on men's soccer star Ben Arikian.

UMass' new broadcast partner ESPN Radio Boston is making news. In the Boston Globe, it is reported that writer and UMass alum Mike Reiss is departing the Globe to join ESPNBoston, the sports network's second city-specific site as it attempts to strengthen its national brand with a local online presence in the nation's largest and most passionate sports cities. The site will launch Sept. 14, an ESPN spokesman confirmed.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette has a preview of the opening weekend at UMass with the start of the Angela Napoli era running the women's soccer program and the field hockey team entering its third year under Justine Sowry.

With the Vermont Lake Monsters, UMass recent grad Mitchell Clegg was stellar again tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings as his team posted a 1-0 win over Aberdeen. Clegg allowed just three hits and struck out three. He lowered his season ERA to 2.21 in 12 games.

In the FIBA Americas Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico, former UMass basketball player Kitwana Rhymer is playing for his native Virgin Islands. The USVI fell to 0-2 after an 85-74 loss to host Puerto Rico last night. Rhymer had four points and three rebounds in 16 minutes.

BU Today has a story on Boston University's opening weekend of events including the women's soccer game against UMass on Sunday night at 6 p.m. as part of the Terrier Tailgate. It might be a wet one with Hurricane Danny making its way up the coast.

Out in Kansas, here's a column in the Topeka Capital-Journal on the return of Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder, who faces UMass in his first game back on the sidelines on Sept. 5.

In preseason NFL updates, two former Minutemen were in action last night as the Miami Dolphins and Brandon London beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 10-6. According to this Florida Sun-Sentinel report, London is in peril of not making the Phins after not making a catch last night.

Long snapper Jeremy Cain, who was a 2003 UMass All-American, played for the Jacksonville Jaguars last night in their 33-32 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and Michael Vick. He snapped the first two punts of the game for the Jags and looks to be in good shape to make the roster.

In the Boston Herald's preview of Bentley football for this fall, new head coach Thom Boerman is running a defense under coordinator Scott Boyle similar to UMass' aggressive, attacking style developed under former head coach Don Brown.

UMass alum and former men's basketball manager in the mid-1990s Travis Hyland has been named an assistant basketball coach for the American International women's basketball program. Hyland earned his bachelor's in sports management from the University of Massachusetts in 1994, where he also worked as a manager for the men's basketball team under John Calapari. He went on to earn his master's in education administration from UMass in 1996.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: The UMass Sports Luncheons return next Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. in the Campus Center Auditorium. New head coach Kevin Morris from football and Angela Napoli from women's soccer will be the guest speakers.

Don't Miss This: Tonight at 7 p.m., the women's soccer team plays the first game of the 2009-10 season for a UMass team as the Minutewomen battle Holy Cross in Worcester. Follow with Gametracker and Twitter updates.

   Thursday, Aug. 27

Football preseason camp is over as the Minutemen officially turn their attention to Kansas State today. Today's Just Take A Minute has several articles updating the football team's progress under new head coach Kevin Morris including the quarterback situation. The women's soccer team is prepping for its opener tomorrow at Holy Cross while the field hockey team is just two days from the first on-campus game this fall, Saturday vs. Providence. Don't forget to chat with goalie Alesha Widdall today at 11:45 a.m.

In the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Matt Vautour writes about the football quarterback battle continuing between Kyle Havens and Scott Woodward. In the Springfield Republican, Ron Chimelis has a story on Tony Nelson, the Walter Payton Award candidate and his hopes for a big season. The link also includes a video preview from media day.

ABC40 has a story on UMass football being ranked 17th in the Media Poll and 18th in the Coaches poll heading into the season.

For info on Kansas State, check out this blog from Kansas with links to stories on UMass and Louisiana Ragin Cajins.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Brandon London is in hot competition for one of the Miami Dolphins receivers.

In women's lacrosse news, the Minutewomen have added Amanda Belichick as an assistant coach. She is the daughter of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Coverage comes from the: Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Examiner, LaxPower, Patriot-Ledger.

Over on the men's lacrosse side, the Minutemen will have a new opponent starting in 2011 as Saint Joseph's has joined the CAA as an associate member in men's lax. Of course UMass and SJU play in many sports in the Atlantic 10, but have never faced each other in men's lacrosse.

In the Springfield Republican, Ron Chimelis has a season preview of the Minutewomen and new head coach Angela Napoli.

With the start of the women's soccer season here, UMass takes on Holy Cross on Friday and Boston University on Saturday. The BU student paper, BU Today has a preview of the Terriers.

The men's soccer regular-season kicks off next week, but from New Hampshire, here's a preview of the UNH Wildcats, who play UMass on Sept. 11.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Today is the last day to bid on three auction items including two pairs of game-worn basketball shorts and the Jack Leaman Street banner from the 100 Seasons Of UMass Basketball.

Don't Miss This: Don't forget to chat with goalie Alesha Widdall today at 11:45 a.m.

   Wednesday, Aug. 26

Closing in on the first regular-season game for UMass in 2009-10 as the women's soccer team travels to Holy Cross for a Friday contest. Today's Just Take A Minute has news on basketball's Sean Carter and lots of alums in various sports. In football: Shannon James (who's getting married), CJ Koegel (TV star), Brandon London (for modeling), Matt Lawrence (Raven flying high) and Marcel Shipp (UFL-bound); In baseball: Matt Torra (potential call-up) and Nick Gorneault (homer hero).

Jeff Goodman, from Fox Sports.com has a listing of top transfers in the nation. He ranks UMass' Sean Carter, coming over from Oregon State, as the No. 4 mid-major transfer. Also listed among UMass' opponents in 09-10 are Xavier's Jordan Crawford (from Indiana), Florida's Vernon Macklin (Georgetown), Seton Hall's Herb Pope (New Mexico State), Baylor's Ekpe Udoh (Michigan), Seton Hall's Keon Lawrence, Saint Joseph's Todd O'Brien (Bucknell) and Charlotte's Shamari Spears (Boston College).

The blog Rock Chalk Talk.com has a look at Kansas' homecourt win streak at Fogg Allen Fieldhouse with reference's to the Jayhawks loss to UMass in a "home" game in Kansas City. However, when Kansas lost to brutal UMass a couple of weeks later, a game that Kansas ticket holders received as part of their package, there were countless cries for the streak to be over -- but the streak at Allen Fieldhouse continues and stands at 41 games entering 2009-10.

Former UMass All-American Shannon James made the most of his bye week with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, as he proposed to his girlfriend in Rhode Island after visiting his family in Connecticut.

On ESPN.com, UMass alum and Miami Dolphins' receiver Brandon London is mentioned on Page 2's Tuesday Morning Quarterback for his off-the-field modeling in comparison to Gisele Bündchen.

Nutmeg State native and UMass alum Matt Lawrence is mentioned in the Hartford Courant after his one carry for the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

Longtime Arizona Cardinals running back and UMass All-American Marcel Shipp has signed with the new UFL's Las Vegas Locomotives. This is the same team that has inked former Buffalo Bills QB J.P. Losman and is coached by former Giants headman Jim Fassel.

Bring On The Cats features a breakdown of the Kansas State defensive line. Also, out of Kansas, The Independent has a story on the KSU's quarterback battle. Similar to UMass' situation, Cats coach Bill Snyder says: "No decision has been made and just about every time I seem to think that somebody is starting to pull away, they find a way either to come back to the pack, or the pack tends to close the gap. I would say, on any given day, they're probably pretty equal at this point in time."

In Double-A action, UMass alum Matt Torra tossed seven innings, allowing three runs and striking out five for the Mobile Bay Bears in a loss to the Jacksonville Suns. Torra, who has been mentioned for a possible September call up to the Arizona Diamondbacks, has a 4.01 ERA for the year.

Also in Double-A, UMass alum Nick Gorneault had a big night on Monday as he smashed a game-winning three-run home run to lead his New Hampshire Fisher Cats to an 8-5 win over the Trenton Thunder. His seventh homer of the year, and third in his last six games, that cleared a 35-foot high left field billboard.

Current UMass pitcher Charlie Benson is mentioned in Voices in Connecticut for his strong season with the Minutemen and in the NECBL. He ended the season with a 3-0 record, one save (against Rhode Island) and a squad second-best 3.19 ERA (a 2.51 ERA in the Atlantic-10). He held opponents to a .254 batting average, struck out 19 and walked 13. In the summer he took the hill for the Danbury Westerners, compiling a 0-3 record with a 3.21 ERA

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: The UMass Gender Equity Report has been posted for the previous year. Interesting information.

Don't Miss This: Wednesday night will bring the latest installment of MTV's Real World Cancun featuring UMass All-American punter Christian Koegel. Watch at 10 p.m. ET.

   Tuesday, Aug. 25

Welcome back this beautiful Tuesday in the Pioneer Valley. Hope you had a chance to check out a pair of UMass alums in action on ESPN last night as Matt Lawrence's Baltimore Ravens escaped James Ihedigbo's New York Jets, 24-23, on Monday Night Football. Just Take A Minute also has a feature on fullback Chris Zardas as well as more news on the debut of ESPN's newest "This Is SportsCenter" commercial featuring Sam The Minuteman.

Matt Vautour from the Daily Hampshire Gazette has a feature on fullback Chris Zardas and a look at UMass' other ground options after All-CAA back Tony Nelson.

ESPN's latest commercial with Sam The Minutemen was featured on Ad Week as the "Ad Of The Day." The spot is also feature on Sports Business Daily with the note that ESPN has its quickest turnaround in "This Is SportsCenter" commercial history: It also marks the quickest turnaround time - three days - in the history of the campaign; it typically takes three to four months for commercials to go from the idea stage to the airways.

In the Ravens' 24-23 win over the Jets, James Ihedigbo had an interception that was taken off the board as a bevy of penalties were called, late in the first half. He finished the game with a tackle. Matt Lawrnce carried the ball one time for three yards. He was mentioned several times by the ESPN broadcasters as he is battling for a back-up running back spot. Ihedigbo's pick is mentioned in this story in the Carroll County Times

An Associated Press story on the Miami Dolphins' wide receivers mentions' UMass Brandon London, stating: Rookies Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline are competing with London and Anthony Armstrong for the last two or three spots.

Checking on some other UMass alums in the pro football ranks, the CFL had a limited two-game schedule last weekend, as two former Minutemen were in action. With the BC Lions, Anton McKenzie had six tackles in 37-10 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Keron Williams was also in action with the Montreal Alouettes as they won 35-24 over Saskatchewan.

Familiar faces will meet in Oklahoma City on the college hardwood as Oklahoma State led by former UMass coach Travis Ford will play A-10 member La Salle in the All-College Classic on Dec. 21, 2009. Ford is quite familiar with La Salle, having faced the Explorers five times while at UMass. Ford went 3-2 in those matchups.

Former UMass assistant basketball coach Ed Schilling, during the 1996 Final Four season, has been named the head coach at Park Tudor School in Indiana.

More from Sunday's Major League Lacrosse championship win for the Toronto Nationals and UMass alums Doc Schneider and Jeff Zywicki. The Annapolis Capital has a story on former ROchester Rattlers helping the Nationals to the title including Zywicki, who had three goals. Inside Lacrosse has some video highlights from the weekend.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Fall photos of the football, field hockey and soccer teams have been added to the photo galleries page. You can purchase these photos by clicking on the galleries.

Don't Miss This: On Tuesday night, former UMass first-round pitching draft pick, Matt Torra returns to the mound for the Double-A Mobile BayBears against the Jacksonville Suns. Torra could be called up to the big-league Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 1 when MLB rosters expand. Check back on Wednesday to see how he pitched to make a case for being recalled.

   Monday, Aug. 24

Its ON! The new ESPN commercial featuring Sam The Minutemen debuted on Sunday on the Worldwide Leader. Follow the behind the scenes appearance at ESPN here. JTAM also has news on football, soccer, baseball, swimming and UMass alums winning the MLL crown on Sunday. Tonight UMass' James Ihedigbo and Matt Lawrence play on ESPN's Monday Night Football as the Jets and Ravens battle at 8 p.m.

Two UMass alums, Doc Schneider and Jeff Zywicki helped Toronto to the MLL title on Sunday, beating No. 1 seed Denver in Annapolis. Coverage of the Toronto Nationals championship win in the Major League Lacrosse playoffs comes from Major League Lacrosse, Inside Lacrosse, CFTK TV in Canada, ABC40 . On Saturday, Boston with UMass alums Sean Morris and Jack Reid lost to Denver, 11-10. Morris had four assists for the Cannons in his final game of the season.

Ron Chemlis wrote his Sunday column in the Springfield Republican about new UMass Hall of Famer Joe McLaughlin and his son Bob, a junior defensive lineman with the Minutemen.

NBC22's Ryan Walsh has a video feature on the UMass defense including interviews with Jeromy Miles and Brandon Collier.

In the Eagle-Tribune, UMass' Warren Wilson is mentioned after being moved from wide receiver to defensive back.

On Monday night, UMass alums will battle on the NFL field on ESPN as James Ihedigbo and the New York Jets face Matt Lawrence and the Baltimore Ravens. Ihedigbo was in the news over the weekend as he was awarded the Jets "King Ugly Award," the annual rookie talent show and a game of jeopardy. "Thank you. Thank you. I am King Ugly. Ah," Ihedigbo wrote on his Twitter page.

Lawrence was the subject of a Q&A in the Baltimore Sun on Saturday. There was also a nice feature in the Sun on Saturday.

After a strong start to training camp, former UMass wideout and Miami Dolphin Brandon London is fighting for a roster spot and the Florida Sun-Sentinel has a piece on why London is in trouble in terms of making the roster. On Saturday, London had a catch for 16 yards as the Dolphins beat the Carolina Panthers, 27-17.

UMass alum Jeremy Cain snapped several times on punts and kicks for the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 24-23 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Looking ahead to the football opener at Kansas State, here is a look at KSU's Special Teams unit. The Wildcats, held Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday evening.

Former UMass assistant basketball coach John Robic is the subject of a Scout.com interview and feature.

UMass' All-Star New York-Penn pitcher Mitchell Clegg returned to action with the Vermont Lake Monsters in a 3-2 loss to the Tri-City Valley Cats. Clegg pitched strong in five innings allowing just one earned run, but suffered his fourth loss. He does have a 2.47 ERA, which is in the top 10 in the NYP despite his 1-4 record.

Recent Houston Astros pitcher Chad Paronto has been a standout in his return to the Round Rock Express in the Pacific Coast League. But his scoreless pitching run since May in Triple-A ended on Sunday night in a 6-1 loss to the Memphis Redbirds. Paronto has a 1.66 ERA in Triple-A and had gone since May 25 not allowing a run.

In the Oldtime Baseball Game on Aug. 13, Matt Gedman, of Framingham and UMass, was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Gedman, the son of former Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman, went 3-5 with a home run, a double and two runs scored.

In the swimming world, here is a feature from the Easton Journal Enterprise on in-coming freshman swimmer Tim O'Neill.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: The Watch & Listen tab on the front page and links at the top of all pages are your source for following UMass teams all season as many kickoff this week.

Don't Miss This: On Monday night, check out ESPN as UMass alums will be on opposite sides of the field as the New York Jets with James Ihedigbo take on the Baltimore Ravens and Matt Lawrence. Both players are fighting for playing time in training camp to earn spots for the regular-season.

Look Back To The Week Of: Aug. 17-21 | Aug. 10-14 | Aug. 3-8 | July 27-31 | July 20-24 | July 13-17 | July 6-10 | June 29-July 3 | June 22-26 | June 15-19 | June 8-12 | June 1-5 | May 25-29 | May 18-22 | May 11-15 | May 4-8 | April 27-May 1 | April 20-24 | April 13-17 | April 6-10 | March 30 -Apr. 3 | March 23-27 | March 16-20 | March 9-13 | Mar. 2-6 | Feb. 23-27 | Feb. 16-20 | Feb. 9-13 | Feb. 2-6 | Jan. 26-30 | Jan. 19-23 | Jan. 12-16 | Jan. 5-9 | Dec. 29, 2008-Jan. 2, 2009 | Dec. 22-26 | Dec. 15- 19 | Dec. 8-12 | Dec. 1-5 | Nov. 24-28 | Nov. 17-21 | Nov. 10-14 | Nov. 3-7 | Oct. 27-31 | Oct. 20-24, 2008 | Oct. 13-17, 2008 | Oct. 6-10, 2008 | Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 2008 | Sept. 22-26, 2008 | Sept. 15-19, 2008 | Sept. 8-12, 2008 | Sept. 1-5, 2008 | Aug. 25-29, 2008 | Aug. 18-22, 2008

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