Great season ladies!
Unfortunately, the Lacrosse team’s valiant comeback attempt in the first round of the NCAA tourney fell short in an 11-10 loss to Princeton. This means only the baseball team’s CAA tourney run coming up Memorial Day weekend and hopefully a run towards Omaha following that stand between JMU Nation and the chance to fully focus our energy on the countdown to the trip to Chapel Hill to take on the Tarheels Labor Day weekend. Seriously baseball, get this run going or I’m going to drive everyone around me nuts talking about Central Connecticut St. and whether the new stadium makes JMU, and by extension the UPB, capable of hosting a major concert tour now.
Ok, we’re also working up some big plans for the summer including bringing back last year’s wildly successful (too much?) opponent and CAA football previews, hopefully including some back and forth with some of the other CAA blogs we’ve met this year. Damn skippy there are other CAA blogs. Highly recommend Defiantly Dutch though they won’t be covering football. And best of all, we’ve got the Late 90’s JMU Music Scene Bracket, featuring McGraw Gap and sponsored by the Blue Fox, debuting in the next couple of weeks.
In other JMUSB news, the DC/Nova Duke Club is having a Happy Hour this Thursday at Clarendon Ballroom. I think we aged out of this venue half a decade ago, but should be a good time and always good to support the DC.
The JMU baseball team closed out the home season with a sweep of Towson this weekend. The high scoring Dukes got the series started off right witha 13-9 win on Friday night. Catcher Jake Lowery had another monster game at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a home run and a triple. He batted in 5 of the Dukes 13 runs to set the school’s all time single season record.
David Herbek put the Dukes ahead for good in game 2 with a 2 run homer in the 6th inning. It was Herbek’s 14th home run on the season. Jake Lowery picked up where left off Friday night driving in 2 more on a double. He also walked twice and scored a run.
In the series finale this afternoon, JMU waited out a rain delay and crushed the Tigers 11-1. The offensive outburst was great, but probably unecessary thanks to the way Alex Valadja pitched. The southpaw went 6 strong and only gave up 1 run. Second baseman Bradley Shaban hit a 3 run homer and had 4 RBI on the day and first baseman Matt Tenaglia hit safely for the 19th straight game with a double. Herbek went 2 for 5 and per usual, knocked another run in. He now has 81 on the season in only 51 games. With 4 games left in the regular season, he’s already set the JMU single season mark and has the 3rd highest single season total in CAA history.
The 3 game sweep moved the Dukes to 34-17 overall and 18-9 in the CAA. After scoring in double-digits in 2 of the 3 games, JMU is now 21-0 when scoring more than 10 runs. The Dukes are is currently tied with ODU for first place, but the important thing is that they’ve already clinched a spot in the 4 team CAA playoffs. Securing the top seed would be nice, but with only 4 teams in the playoffs, it provides very little in the way of an actual advantage. Every little bit helps though and the Dukes will take an advantage they can to avoid losing in the playoffs for a second year in a row.
Photo courtesy of JMUsports.com’s photo gallery.
James Madison was the author of the Federalist Papers and the Bill of Rights, the “Father of the Constitution”, a member of the House of Representatives, Secretary of State, and the fourth President of the United States. That’s quite a list of accomplishments which has rightly earned Madison his place in history. According to this link, he also had the best idea of any President ever. In fact, our school’s namesake
seriously considered proposing a national government-run brewery. He also wanted to establish a secretary of beer for the cabinet. True story. As a member of the House, Madison encouraged “the manufacture of beer in every State in the Union,”
It’s been 194 years since Madison left office. Forty men have taken the oath of office since then. Yet not one of these men and their administration could follow through and honor Madison’s vision by appointing a Secretary of Beer to the Cabinet. How is that even possible? Admittedly, guys like Lincoln, Roosevelt, and others had wars and other crisises to occupy them. There is just no way that one of these joker presidents couldn’t have found the time to have gotten this done though. The regret has to be killing guys like John Tyler and James Buchanan right now. Well not technically, because they’ve been dead for hundreds of years, but the point is our country is letting a great idea slip through its fingertips. We have got to make this happen. Call your congressman. Write a letter to the editor. Get drunk and incoherently explain to a stranger how the power dynamics of the cabinet will be impacted by the addition of a new member. Do whatever you can. This is just too important an issue to go unnoticed any longer.
As the sports calendar winds down in the ‘Burg we wanted to give a quick update on two sports still playing that both have a chance to finish with an unprecedented flourish before moving on to football previews and summer nonsense (including the late 90’s JMU music bracket).
The Lacrosse team won their second straight CAA Title last weekend with an outstanding 8-6 victory over Towson in the title game. The performance was even more impressive considering the game was played at lacrosse-mad Towson’s home field. Congrats ladies and good luck in the NCAA’s! That’s right, and this year the Dukes earned the #8 seed in the 16 team women’s field and will HOST #9 seed Princeton this weekend. If you’re in the Valley, stop in to support the Dukes as they look to beat Princeton at home for the second time this year after a 10-5 victory earlier in the season. If they can get by the Tigers, the Dukes will likely take on the top overall seed Maryland (or Navy, but in either case would mean a potential DC area game in the second round!).
On the diamond, the Baseball team stands at a very solid 31-17 (15-9 CAA) and hosts their final home series of the year agains Towson this weekend before hitting the road for a game at Radford and a series at Northeastern to wrap up the season. The Dukes power-hitting lineup gives them a chance every time out and the should be a very tough out at the CAA Tournament in Wilmington, NC over Memorial Day weekend. If the Dukes can take the title again, they’d be back in the big dance and aiming for Omaha!
JMU head basketball coach Matt Brady is under contract to coach the Dukes through the 2012-2013 season. A clause in his contract that required the school to notify him this Spring if the contract was to be extended. Athletic director Jeff Bourne decided to let the deadline pass and hold off on extending Brady’s contract. Bourne spoke on the matter last week and said he’d like to see more consistency and better tournament play from Brady’s teams before he decides if Brady is the right man for the job beyond 2013. After just completing a 21 win season, some might think Brady has already earned the right to a contact extension. Jeff Bourne disagrees however.
I’m quite certain Coach Brady wants an extension. I’m also quite certain that if he were in Bourne’s shoes, he wouldn’t give him one either. Brady has led the Dukes to two 20 win seasons in his 3 years on the job. His one losing season was with a team decimated by injuries. Considering where the JMU program was when he took over, he has done a pretty remarkable job getting it back to respectability. JMU didn’t pay him to get the program back above .500, they paid him to win the CAA and get the Dukes back to the tournmanent. He’s proved that he can come in and stop the bleeding, now Bourne and the adminstration just want to see if he can take the next step and build a consistent winner.
There doesn’t appear to be a lot of grey area with the Brady. You’re either winning championships or you’re not. You’re either a fully dedicated basketball player on both ends of the court or you’re not. Anyone who was at last week’s Coaches Caravan knows Brady doesn’t mince words when assessing his players. His willingness to acknowledge Bowles’ defensive weakness seemed harsh to some. As someone who was there and also spoke to him afterward though, it didn’t come across as harsh at all. It just seemed open and honest. I’ve got to imagine he’d feel the same way about his own coaching performance if he could view it as an outsider. He’s showed some flashes that make you think he could be the guy, he’s also done some things to make you wonder if he’s the long term solution.
I like Coach Brady a lot and am optimistic that he could be the right guy for the long haul. I’m in complete agreement with Bourne not to extend his contact yet though. Brady has turned the JMU program around, but he still hasn’t proven he’s the guy to get the it over the hump. My gut tells me he will, but I’d rather keep him squarely focused on winning the CAAand getting to tourney consistently, than to celebrate partial success. He’s done a lot with transfers and quick fixes. With 3 years under his belt, it’s time for him to stop patching holes and start building a foundation. If he shows signs of doing that next season, he’ll get his extension no problem. There just isn’t any need to sugar coat things and pretend like he’s already earned it. And I’ve got imagine Brady would agree.
Seriously, this is an event you people need to stop sleeping on, because you just never know what fabulous nugget you’ll find. Last night, the alumni king of “Madison College” showed up and shared this beauty. Needless to say: DAGGER!!!!
The Man, The Myth, The JAC Card!
Really, it’s just impossible to write anything else remotely as interesting as that little pornstache/mullet combo, which I’m sure Buck will be glad is buried under an avalanche of Caps Fail and Garyland coverage. Will Agent Steinzzz even uncover this little piece of gold is really the only remaining mystery?
But the annual Coach’s Caravan was outstanding, and in all seriousness it’s pretty damn cool that the absolute pimpiest, not to mention friendliest, announcer in town is such a passionate Dukes supporter. Thanks so much to Buckhantz for being so generous with his time at this event for another year!
Here are just a few highlights of last night’s festivities (all quotes are accurate if not exact):
Coach Kenny Brooks (Women’s Hoops) was asked what he’ll do now that the ladies are losing all-time CAA leading scorer and all-around best Duke ever Dawn Evans? His answer, “Win.”
Coach Matt Brady (Men’s Hoops) did not temper his comments about now former Duke Denzel Bowles (yes, he left the ‘Burg the minute the season ended). “We had the best offensive player in the league, but also the worst defensive center. To win in this league you’re best player has to be your hardest worker but our best player was our least hardest worker. We may not win as many regular season games next year, but we WILL be a better team. Two years from now will be our best team.”
Coach Mickey Matthews gave a bunch of good Mickeyisms that I can never piece back together when I really think about them the next day and a little bit of insight on the QB situation after spring practice. It appears Justin Thorpe is the current frontrunner (“he’s just older, played the position at this level and it shows”) but is not necessarily fully healed, Billy Cosh (transfer from Kansas St. has “a howitzer, can really sling it”) is next, and Jace Edwards (really good spring) is still in the mix. Appears this situation will remain fluid, likely through summer practice, training camp, and probably both the UNC and CCSU games if past history is any indication. Hey, it wouldn’t be Dukes football without this business!
Let us know if you think we might forget any particular bands for this summer’s late 90’s JMU/Virginia music scene Sweet 16, set to kick off Memorial Day.
There isn’t anything we can write about the Bin Laden news that hasn’t been written already by far better and more insightful writers, but we thought this picture from campus was worth sharing. It’s simple, respectful, and quite frankly, kind of fun. The fact that in in all likelihood it was done by JMU students who were only in grade school on 9/11 and probably in preschool when the USS Cole was bombed, makes it even cooler.
A sincere thank you to all the men and woman of our miliary and intelligence communities for their sacrifice, perseverence, and dedication to the mission.
The Diamond Dukes took 3 out of 3 against UNCW over the weekend to sweep the crucial late season series. The series matched-up the two teams preseason CAA favorites both trying to finish strong and secure a spot in the CAA tourney. The Dukes were on the outside looking in last week, in 5th place while UNCW were sitting on the top of the standings. What a difference a weekend makes. After sweeping the series, the Dukes are tied with Delaware on top of the standings and the Seahawks have slipped back in 5th place.
The series was kicked off with an outstanding pitching performance by JMU’s Sean Tierney. Tierney gave up only 1 run in 7 innings Friday night and struck out 11 in the 12-2 win. It was the 19th time the Diamond Dukes had scored at least 10 runs in a game this season. They’ve won every one of those 19. Game 2 was a bit more exciting, as JMU had to come from behind late to win it. The Dukes have earned a reputation for hitting for the fences, but they pulled off a bunt squeeze play in the 8th to take the lead and held on for a 6-5 victory. The finale was won due to some clutch pitching from reliever Josh Futter who pitched 3 shut out innings to close out the Seahawks in a 9-6 game.
The top four teams make the CAA tournament but the seeding doesn’t really provide much of an advantage, so the key is just to make it. Chuck Carree does a better job of breaking it all down than I ever could, but the Dukes chances are looking pretty good at this point. Unfortunately, that was the the first thing I’ve read byt Carree, but he’s already got me thinking that he is to CAA baseball what Brian Mull is to CAA hoops. The Star News down in Wilmington really does an outstanding job covering the league. If UNCW had a football team it might be my favorite paper.
I mean really, isn’t this what we all hope for when we turn to our favorite college sports blog: rampant, unsubstantiated TMZ style rumor! In the spirit of the tabloid’s ultimate event tomorrow across the pond, I offer “an email from a work buddy” in its unabridged form:
On another note, my buddy’s son is the QB of the Richard Montgomery team in Rockville and he’s in a big-time QB camp right now. The guy in the article below is the stud of the camp and the JMU QB of the future. My buddy says, he’s like Big Ben with speed. He’s a monster, and has an absolute gun.
You heard it here first, TD.
http://gazette.net/gazettecms/story.php?id=2823
In case you're wondering, Mickey is the one with the long hair.
I do find it interesting that this kid is looking for a “hands-on coach” and Mickey became the QB’s coach and OC this offseason. I also always find it interesting to hear how FCS schools try to recruit against FBS programs, seemingly by promising more nonsense like guaranteed playing time and basically throwing themselves at the feet of 16 and 17 year olds earlier than anyone else and hoping they hang with their first love.
Oh yeah, it’s also a beautiful day in the ‘Burg and ogling the webcam NEVER gets old. Also, get your tickets now for the Coaches Caravan events in your area. If you’re in DC, look for the JMUSB tshirts and say hi. And if you live in New Mexico, sign up for the Duke Club (you know who you are).
[polldaddy poll=4967640]
Spring practice finally wrapped up last Friday and all indications are that the JMU Dukes will head into next season without a clear number 1 QB. For a school that lacks many deep traditions, the QB battle stretching into September is making a serious move to become one. And while I’ve already stated my opinion on the matter, let me just reiterate that including “holding the door open for strangers” on a list of traditions is utterly ridiculous. You can’t just claim practices that are generally accepted in society as your own traditions. It makes no sense. Go ahead and claim shaking hands and looking both ways before you cross the street as JMU traditions while you’re at it. It’s a JMU world Madison Society. But I digress. The point is that the lack of stability at QB has been more the norm that than the exception for a while now.
We heard indications that Mickey Matthews was going to name a starting QB coming out of spring ball this year. It didn’t work out that way though. Spring practice opened with four playes battling for the spot, Justin Thorpe, who started games at QB as a freshman 2 seasons ago, redshirt freshman Jace Edwards, redshirt freshman Billy Cosh a transfer from Kansas State, and true freshman Andre Coble. Due to several factors including a rash of injuries, Andre Coble spent much of the spring working out at WR, so let’s assume this battle is now a 3 man race.
Each player has strengths and weaknesses obviously. We’ve all seen Thorpe play at the collegiate level, but Edwards and Cosh have never played a down beyond high school. Thorpe is a tremendous athlete who struggled with decision making as a starter. He was only a freshman though and he did play well enough to win the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year. Edwards is a big dual threat QB who can get it done with his feet or his arm. Cosh is the boy with the golden high school stats who is more of a traditional passer. I’ve already made my prediction that Cosh wins the job. We were hoping to know by now, but we’re going to have to wait until the Fall for a decision.
