After Atalanta

...for bowl games. And especially let's give thanks for bowl game wins. I wonder if that's what the priest who was on Boston College's sidelines at Friday night's Champs Bowl game in Orlando said when the team returned to the locker room after their 24-21 victory over Michigan State. It's naive, I know, to be shocked to see, as the camera zooms in on the head coach, a smiling man in all black sporting a white collar close behind him. I would be smiling too--someone who takes a vow of poverty ends up with one of the best seats in the house. And all he had to do was pray. And I guess it worked--or at least that's what BC is preaching--because BC pulled out the win despite a 4th quarter touchdown by Michigan State. Ah, the glory of God descended on the school (along with millions of dollars and probably a hefty bonus for first-year head coach Jeff Jagodzinski--though some of his 4th quarter plays are being questioned). My area of study is not sport and religion, b...

As a member of Friends of UNH Women's Hockey I receive the regular updates of how the team is doing. [They're doing well so far this season, thanks for asking!] This week's update mentions the usual accolades: good wins, players reaching milestones, rookies winning recognition, etc. It also previewed the week's coming contests. Tonight UNH travels to Boston to take on Boston College, a team that has finally come into its own. [They did have that whole coaching scandal last spring with head coach Tom Mutch resigning after it was revealed he was involved with a freshman player on the team. But former Olympian Katie King has taken over and it looks like promoting her to head coach from her position as an assistant was a good decision.] Fans attending the game have a couple of things to worry about. Last week's contest between the men of BC and UNH was called after two periods because they couldn't keep the arena, Conte Forum, cold enough as the weather outside was ...

Remember the other day when I briefly mentioned the inclusion of information, cited in the Times article, that male coach/female student-athlete relationships are much more prevalent than same-sex ones? Well the breaking news out of Boston College seems to corroborate that statement. BC women's ice hockey coach Tom Mutch resigned yesterday to " pursu[e] other career interests ." That is almost the exact same wording used when Pokey Chatman resigned, no? And like the Chatman resignation it seemed highly improbably. Mutch just finished his most successful season at BC bringing them to the Frozen Four last month after being named Hockey East Coach of the Year. He had two hot freshman that were getting national team experience and it looked like the BC women, a fairly new team, were on the verge of becoming a hockey powerhouse, similar to their male counterparts. Something was amiss. And then the news broke that the resignation was amidst allegations of improper conduct , of...