Group 2

Most sports are known to put an extraneous amount of work on the shoulders of their athletes, but it seems that in soccer (or, more appropriately, football as the rest of the world calls it) it’s the coaches that seem to be taking the biggest hits, especially with the pressure of the World Cup looming over them.

Soccer games themselves-their wins, their triumphs, and their losses- are ephemeral. Some teams win, some teams lose, others reach for the top, while others crumble to the bottom. But they are far from ever-lasting. Behind the scenes, we have coaches: semi-permanent fixtures in their reign of power, “suffer[ing] consequences long after the results on the field.”

Metsu, “the white sorcerer,” did not stand idly by to watch his team lose. His undying passion for the game manifested itself through several cancers that, unfortunately, took his life.

Hodgson, the thinker, was as cool and contained as Metsu was impassioned and flamboyant. Watching his team from the sidelines, despite a composed facade, he suffers “a thousand deaths” to watch his team win.

It is the emotions of the team that is passed on through the words of the coach. The team’s actions are as a result of the coach’s commands. And, all in all, although we travel to the stadium to watch the game, it’s almost as though we’re visiting the museums of the coaches, each displaying their own “Mona Lisa” masterpiece.

Article Link:

Esther Hanon

 “When the Davis Cup Came in From the Cold”

The tournament trophy was paraded at Club Sportiv Progresul by tennis players.

www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/sports/tennis/when-the-davis-cup-came-in-from-the-cold.html

With rain falling on its windows, an Air France jet arrived in Bucharest, Romania, in early October 1972. People in security, holding guns and clothed in leather jackets, guarded the men that arrived off the plane. These men were part of the United States David Cup team. The 1972 Davis Cup finals were an epic drama. Tennis historians consider these finals to be one of the best cup matches.

The Davis Cup is a best-of-five contest with four single matches, featuring each team’s two top singles and a doubles match. The Romanians used only two players: the graceful and unpredictable Ilie Nastase, a 26-year-old playboy and the reining United States Open champion, and the cunning brawler Ion Tiriac, a member of the 1964 Olympic Hockey Team. Nastase and Tiriac, national heroes and clay-court experts, each played two singles matches, and they teamed up for doubles. They won the 1970 French Open doubles title on clay. Smith, who had defeated Nastase three months earlier to win Wimbledon, was a lock to play singles and doubles. The outlook was uncertain for the Americans, even if Smith won his two singles matches. In the first match on the first day, Oct. 13, he beat Nastase in straight sets.

In the second match, Gorman was up by two sets to zero when Tiriac started his antics. He persuaded linesmen to side with him on questionable calls, and he sat in a chair in the middle of a game to break Gorman’s concentration. When Gorman served, Tiriac stared at the ground to force him to pause. Gorman, fearing bad line calls, said he felt “the court got a lot smaller.”

With all of the trading that went on immediately following the post season, even the avid basketball fan can’t keep the two teams straight without the jerseys.

The Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics have swapped team members, creating a sort of awkward reunion on the court for their first preseason game. Former Nets Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon BRooks and Keith Bogans were now the visiting team to the Barclay Center, while Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry are now wearing black jerseys instead of green.

Things are looking good for the Nets under new coach Jason Kidd,  the former New York Knicks player. They managed to beat the Boston Celtics 82-80. With the Giants still 0-6 and no New York team in the positives, fans are hoping for an amazing basketball season.

NY Nets versus BOS Celtics Re-Cap

Article Link

The United States knocked Panama out of the running for the World Cup, hosted by Brazil in 2014, on October 15th 2013. Despite not having their starring players and already qualifying for the Cup, the U.S. team managed to score a win against Panama, crushing the country’s hope of qualifying for the first time in history.

By winning against Panama, the United States gave their rivals Mexico another chance to qualify for the World Cup. Mexico is in danger of not qualifying for the cup, which would be the country’s the first time missing out since 1982.

While the United States get to sit back after securing their spot over a month ago, while ironically winning against Mexico, the worlds soccer fans will be on pin and needles as countries such as Egypt, Ghana, Iceland, Uruguay, France and Portugal fight it out for the remaining spots in the 2014 World Cup.

Highlight from MNT vs. Panama

Article Link

          The Giants have been tumbling downhill as multiple players have been recently injured. Dangerously low on running backs, the Giants turned to a rookie player who was a seventh-round draft. Michael cox “was a junior hockey star growing up in Boston and did not play organized football until he was 17” (Bill Pennington). Giants coach Tom Coughlin puts on his game face when questioned about his rookie player. He claims that Cox is ready to play out on the field. Time will tell as the Giants are scheduled to verse the Vikings on October 21^st. Tune in at 8:30 PM and root for our beloved Giants and their new rookie player, Michael Cox.

Michael Cox, number 29, is new to the Giants yet might start against the Vikings next game.

Link to NY Times Article:

             Many students find it difficult to juggle schoolwork, sleep, and a social life, which is understandable as each of the above actives are terribly time consuming. Despite this, there are many student athletes who manage to find time for sports practices and games. The men’s tennis team at Baruch is particularly noteworthy, as they won their second straight CUNYAC championship last season. The team has managed to rack up seven championship titles in the past 9 years! Commitment, determination, and a drive for success are all characteristics that the men on the tennis team, as well as all student athletes, share.

One of our very own Bearcats was involved in the 2013 US Opens final. Joe Laskowski, a member of Baruch’s Tennis team, has been a ball boy at the US Opens for 9 consecutive years now. Each year, he progresses to a higher ranking as a ball boy. Gregg Cohen quoted Laskowski in the article “CUNY Tennis Takes Center Court at 2013 US Opens” saying “I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I also teach tennis part time during the year at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.” Also receiving CUNYAC Championship MVP last year for an outstanding performance during the tournament, Joe Laskowski is prime example of one of the many hardworking, multitalented students at Baruch College.

Joe Laskowski (Left) standing with another Baruch student at the 2013 US Opens.

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