Boston College Blog

Thank You For Reading

2006-03-13T11:34:00.000-05:00

Thank you for reading the Boston College Blog.

The blog is now on an indefinite hiatus, due to my personal and educational commitments. It may return, it may not. If anybody is interested in carrying the torch and blogging at this site, please contact me.

It was a pleasure to report the news and quotes, and to share with you my love for BC.

Thanks again and GO EAGLES.

-Nicholas Scott '03

Boston College Odds and Ends: March 2, 2006

2006-03-02T21:01:00.000-05:00

Boston College has become more popular than ever; this year, BC experienced a nearly 12-percent spike in applications, receiving a record 26,000-plus applications for the 2,250 spots in the Class of 2010. "BC is the fourth most applied-to undergraduate private institution in the United States," said Tom Keady, vice president at the office of government and community affairs.

After briefly shutting its doors to all non Massachusetts residents, BC landmark MaryAnns is now open to all again.

The award-winning Boston College Magazine has a new look.

Elements, the University's first undergraduate research journal, has published its second edition of the semester. See previous coverage from The Boston Globe.

The Black Studies Program at BC recently announced that it will be known as African and African Diaspora Studies. The program was recently taken over by Cynthia Young. See previous BC Blog coverage here.

Boston College professor Derrick Evans '90, MAT '94, head of the Turkey Creek Community Initiatives, a nonprofit group fighting to preserve and revitalize the largely low-income neighborhood of Turkey Creek, Mississippi, has been helping with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Evans spent $20,000 of his own money immediately after the storm. More from CNN.com.

Boston College: In Quotes XX

2006-02-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 20th edition of BC in quotes. Old ones here.

I briefly went to Boston College to check it out, and I couldn’t believe how pumped the students were for the food there. They remarked that they sometimes had world class chefs in the school and that the food was always one of the things they looked forward to.

-Sean Culkin, St. John's freshman

The farther BC strays from her Catholic mission, the harder it will ever be to return. BC soon faces a point of no return, and must choose: the world, or your soul?

-The Observer Staff, criticizing BC's decision to allow The Vagina Monologues to be performed on campus

BC cannot become the world's top Catholic university if its nondiscrimination policy continues to prevent it from recruiting and retaining some of the best and the brightest.

-George Jasinki, A&S '06 and Nick Salter, A&S '07

The Jews have taken over BC.

-Unidentified man attending a recent event McMullen Museum event

So where were you, BC? Happy hour? The Mods? Checking away messages? Scanning recently updated profiles on Facebook? I mean, you must have had a perfectly good reason for not voting.

-Shawna Gallagher Vega, Heights journalist

When completed, the re-affiliation will solidify BC's position as the world's premier Jesuit University.

-University President Fr. Leahy, S.J., on the merger with Weston Jesuit School of Theology

If we move, [Boston College] would become the center for the study of Roman Catholic theology in the United States.

-Rev. Robert E. Manning, S.J., president of Weston

God help us. Separately, the BC theology department and Weston were disasters for Catholic thought. Together, who can imagine what baloney they’ll come up with. BC’s president Fr. William Leahy claims as his goal for BC to become “the nation’s Catholic intellectual powerhouse.” Yeah, right.

-Blogger Domenico Bettinelli

Al Skinner's next win at Boston College will make him the school's winningest coach. How big of a hurry do you think BC is to get Jim O'Brien's name out of the record books? O'Brien, you'll recall, was fired at Ohio State for paying a recruit.

-Blogger J.P. Giglio

Boston College Football to Face CMU in Opener

2006-02-23T20:35:00.000-05:00

After some controversy surrounding Boston College's 2006 opener, it has been announced that the Eagles will travel to take on Central Michigan University on Thursday, August 31. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

Although BC had announced a schedule which included an 8/31 matchup against Ohio University, OU subsequently issued a press release indicating that the BC game was not definite.

More from CSTV.

Boston College Unveils Plans for Brighton Campus

2006-02-21T08:28:00.000-05:00

Boston College unveiled some of its plans for the Brighton Campus at a community meeting held at the Yawkee Center last week, reports the Allston-Brighton TAB.

BC hopes to file an amendment to its Master Plan in the fall to include interior renovation and use of the parcels it acquired.

St. William's Hall, where New Orleans students were housed last year, will house the new School of Theology and Ministry, which took a step closer to fruition this week when The Provincials of the Society of Jesus in the United States, acting as the board of the prestigious Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., unanimously voted to authorize the signing of a formal letter of intent regarding re-affiliation with BC.

Other proposed uses presented last week included:

The Tribunal building will house the new Institute of Aging with offices and meeting space.
The cardinal's residence will be used for meetings, functions and conference space. Twelve rooms will be maintained for guest housing when the college has visiting dignitaries, faculty visitors or candidates for employment.
The old gymnasium, which is in need of repair, will most likely become a "swing space" for college dance, theater and music groups who need rehearsal space.

Recent Residential Acquisitions

Four houses were recently acquired by BC on Wade and Foster Streets, "fueling resident concerns of Boston College branching out into residential neighborhoods." But BC assured that the houses will not be destroyed or used for student housing. BC spokesperson Jack Dunn said that BC "is certainly not looking to encroach on the neighborhood, and if we buy residential property, it will most likely be used for much-needed faculty housing."

The locals are "relieved that the college has capped its enrollment, houses 85 percent of its undergraduates on-campus and is not planning to build dorms in the neighborhood."

A "neighborhood charette" will be hosted by BC on Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. - 12 noon to gather public input and continue the master planning process.

The Master Plan is being developed by Watertown-based Sasaki Associates and a team of subconsultants in conjunction with representatives from the BC community. The project has a home on the web here. Of note is the phase-by-phase "Work to Date" page, as well as some fun aerial photographs of BC.

Boston College: In Quotes XIX

2006-02-17T16:45:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I will hopefully pick up again soon - until then, here are some more Boston College quotes that you love so well. Old quotes here.

At BC, there are a lot of students dedicated to service because of study abroad experiences or other service trips to other countries. BC fosters an environment of community awareness and altruism, which is reflected in the saying 'men and women for others.'

-George Rutherford, Peace Corps recruiter

And here in Boston, the No.17 Boston College Eagles might as well be a Division II team for all the attention they receive. In Saturday’s editions of the Boston Globe and Boston Herald, not one word was devoted to previewing Saturday’s Clemson-Boston College matchup, won by the Eagles. It’s a shame, really...

-Greg Wallace, Anderson Independent-Mail writer

I go to the Beanpot to cheer for BU football.

-Kathryn Dill, A&S '08

The Boston College fans pulled out of the arena so quickly last night, we thought they went to UMass.

-The Daily Free Press, on BC's Men's Beanpot loss to BU

I spoke with Baldwin, the mascot, yesterday, and there are no hard feelings.

-Charles Geyer, BU thug, who tackled BC's mascot between the second and third periods of Monday's Beanpot Championship Game.

Since BC's re-emergence as a hockey power in the mid nineties, they have consistently won more games, more Hockey East championships and been ranked number one more, yet they can not beat BU for the Beanpot, except twice in the last ten times they've played. Make me want to hug a Braves fan. What makes it especially galling is that hockey is all BU really has. It's the only level taunting playing field, unless you want to argue about the relative merits of the pep bands.

-SportsBlah.com

BU might have three stops on the B line train, but it was coined "The Boston College Line" for a reason.

-Lauren Crowne, Heights journalist

Today when I should have been studying, I made a list of some of the things I love about Boston College. Here they are:

On Valentine’s Day condoms are scattered across walkways and taped to doors for the love birds on campus.

The t-shirts advertising for the Vagina Monologues. Picture the I <3>
When is it only 40 degrees people make sure to wear their shorts and flip flops.

On the day of an exam, you get to see how many people are actually in your class!

The Jesuit faith was founded by Ignatius and yet, for our theology class we were told to return the books we had on Ignatius because we won’t be studying him.

-LiveJournal user "wshflthnkr"

Boston College Ranks High, Home and Abroad

2006-02-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

While most know about the top rankings of Boston College academic and athletic programs, BC also ranks high on recent lists of the nation's top study-abroad participants and volunteering universities.

As reported by The Heights, BC ranks 11th among its peers for producing Peace Corps volunteers. George Rutherford, a Peace Corps recruiter for the New England region, believes that Boston College's high ranking "is a testament to the type of students that go to BC and to the ideals on which the school is founded."

Since the Peace Corps' inception in 1961, over 600 BC graduates have signed on for the 27-month volunteer service commitment, working in fields such as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, information technology, business development, environment and agriculture. See the complete list of 2006 Peace Corps Top-Producers here.

Boston College also ranks #13 among a respected list of Top Study-Abroad programs. The 2005 Open Doors Report of undergraduate universities ranked BC high on their list of top doctoral/research institutions sending students to study abroad. The Open Doors report is published by the Institute of International Education, the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States.

Visit the Boston College Center for International Partnerships and Programs (CIPP), and view the full Top 20 here.

The Second Monday in February, 2006

2006-02-13T12:05:00.000-05:00

The No. 5 Boston College men's hockey team faces rival No. 6 Boston University at the TD Banknorth Garden tonight for the 54th annual Beanpot Tournament Championship. Preview from NHL.com.

This Week

Boston College is coming off an 8-3 anhiliation of the lowly Providence College Friars this past Friday night at Conte Forum. Boston College's two former Hobey Baker Award winners (college hockey's Heisman) David Emma and Mike Mottau were honored and presented with rings for their achievements (Mottau's parents accepted on behalf of their son, who was playing for the AHL's Peoria Rivermen).

Stephen Gionta lit up the Friars for his first career hat trick; the previous night across town, his brother Brian, the former Eagle who once scored 5 - yes FIVE - goals in one period for the Eagles, netted 2 goals, including a spectacular diving GWG, to defeat the Boston Bruins.

Press Coverage

It's Beanpot time, so there was an abundance of press coverage of the team this week. Some of the highlights:

Chris Collins, who last week scored his nation-leading fifth shorthanded goal, has "blossom[ed] into a bona fide lamp lighter." Collins' recent performances have "served notice to the entire nation" that he is also a bona fide Hobey Baker candidate. These guys know it; vote to let these guys know it, too.

BC is dangerous on special teams, reports the Boston Herald.

BC also has very youthful defenders. In fact, overall, Boston College is the youngest Division I hockey team in the country, with an average age of 20 years and 140 days.

Goaltender Cory Schneider is featured by the Boston Globe.

Senior captain and star blueliner Peter Harrold, who "has gotten so good so fast that, from now on, pretty much every move he makes on the ice is going to be jotted down in notebooks held by NHL scouts," has received a lot of attention recently. See the Herald and USCHO.com.

Alum

Patrick Eaves plans to spend his NHL Olympic break "travelling to Boston to visit his brother, girlfriend and roommates from his days at Boston College. He would have been a senior this year, so he still has plenty of friends there. Eaves said he plans on skating with the Eagles. I'd still like to be in a team-like atmosphere,' he said."

Bobby Allen, a 2001 First Team All-America defenseman at Boston College who was picked in the second round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins, is becoming an AHL journeyman of sorts. Now with the New Jersey Devils' organization, Allen is eagerly awaiting a shot at the NHL.

Beanpot Bits and Other Odds & Ends

Need any extra reasons to get geared up for tonight's game against BU? Check out this "BC Sucks" article from the Daily Free Press. It may be the saddest article yet from the BU paper. My favorite part? "Jack Parker recognized ... during last year's Beanpot ... that Eagle fans were wearing t-shirts while BU fans were wearing jerseys." If men's ice hockey (not women's - BU only this year got a varsity club) was the only sport that BC was competitive in, things would be different. BC fans need a more versatile (and not to mention, stylish - I hate those candy-cane, CCCP jerseys) wardrobe...

From the Boston Globe:

Now we learn that BC's motto can be found emblazoned right outside BU's spanking new sports temple, the Agganis Arena.

There it is on the statue of baseball and football legend Harry Agganis, ''the Golden Greek": ''Always excel." BC translates the famous quote from the sixth book of Homer's ''Iliad" as ''Ever to Excel
" . . . but it's all Greek to me.

University of Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson says that his Wolverines would be interested in coming out to play an outdoor hockey game against BC at Fenway.

Women's Beanpot

Meanwhile, the Boston College women's ice hockey team will battle Harvard University tomorrow night as they attempt to capture their first ever Beanpot title. More from USCHO.com.

Alumni Newsmakers: February 9, 2006

2006-02-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

Rev. Henry Doherty '51 is profiled by TownOnline as St. Mary's of the Sacred Heart Church in Hanover, MA gets ready to celebrate his 50 years of service.

Freddie Mac has named Robert Bostrom (JD '80) EVP and General Counsel. Bostrom joins Freddie Mac from the Winston & Strawn LLP, where he had been managing partner of the New York office.

Deborah A. Golden '76 has been elected by the Board of Directors of GATX Corporation to serve as Vice President and General Counsel.

Kathryn Chadbourne '91, a lecturer in Irish language and medieval poetry at Harvard, sings traditional Irish sea songs and tells old Celtic stories. (via BC Headliners)

The research of Dennis Culhane (Ph.D.'90) is again recognized, this time by The New Yorker. Previous coverage from the BC Blog.

Dr. Jim Bulger's (BS '63) accomplished 43-year career in education in Greenwich, CT is profiled by The Greenwich Citizen.

Gerald T. Zerkin (JD '76), a senior assistant federal public defender and a death penalty expert from Richmond, VA who has represented death row prisoners in Virginia since 1980, is defending Zacarias Moussaoui at his sentencing trial.

Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. has announced the appointment of Gregory Weaver (MBA '92) as the Company's Senior Vice President and CFO.

And, finally... although she is not an alum quite yet, Noble and Greenough School (Dedham, MA) senior Ayla Brown '10, who has a four-year basketball scholarship awaiting her at BC this fall, has been "sent on to Hollywood" in FOX's American Idol program. View her audition here.

Boston College Hockey Game to be Played at Fenway Park

2006-02-08T09:31:00.000-05:00

From today's Boston Globe:

What started out as a concept a year ago will turn into reality in December when the Boston College men's hockey team plays a regular-season game under the lights, as well as the stars, at Fenway Park.

''We're going to do it," said a BC official yesterday. ''It's just a matter of finding an opponent and a date that will work. But we're going to play a game in Fenway."

The details will be worked out over the next several weeks, and they could include the Boston University team as part of a doubleheader. The original idea called for such a doubleheader, with BU and BC against teams from the Midwest, possibly Michigan and Michigan State.

The article goes on to note that the partnership between BC and the Fenway Sports Group was the "catalyst" behind this venture. The ACC will also reportedly discuss holding the conference baseball tournament at Fenway Park at meetings this weekend in Florida.

Boston College: In Quotes XVIII

2006-02-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

Read old quotes here.

Boston College - This is what Notre Dame wants to be: BC has won six consecutive bowl games and finished tied for the Atlantic Division title in its first year in the ACC. Al Skinner is about to take the basketball Eagles to their fourth tournament in six years.

-Dennis Dodd, CBS Sportsline.com

BC lacks a welcoming and warm community of women. We can be competitive toward each other in school and for guys' attention. We're cliquey and don't embrace those outside the norms of BC culture. Can't we all just be a little more open to each other?

-Cassandra da Costa '08

Harvard may have its whiz kids, BU its Beanpot titles, and Northeastern it's ... whatever ... but when it comes to experiencing "college" as it was written across John Belushi's sweatshirt, BC is the only Boston school worth mentioning.

-Kevin Armstrong '06

[P]ound for pound, or dollar for dollar if you will, we might be the most successful athletic program in the nation. And I say that even as I look out my Edmonds Hall window at the cavernous Yawkey (football only) Center. We have the #1 ranked hockey team in the nation, our football team boasts NFL players left and right and has the longest current winning streak in bowl games. But perhaps most surprisingly our basketball program is on its way to its fourth 20 win season in the last five years.

-Blogger "Scalzo"

BC's Catholic identity is at the heart of what it stands for - it is what separates the University from schools like Harvard or Boston University. But this identity should play a positive role on campus, rather than a negative. How will BC recruit the nation's top high school students, bring in the best faculty, and fulfill its mission of providing the best education possible if it tries to dilute what is acceptable to be debated on campus?

-The Heights Editorial Board

At age 17, Hasselbeck rolled into orientation at Boston College with the goal of most freshmen males, to target the best-looking female he could find. He scanned the room, found his opening and scrambled into a seat next to her. Looking over her shoulder, he copied down her schedule so he could be in every class with her.

-Dave Boling, Tacoma News Tribune

Matt Hasselbeck did himself a lot of good in Detroit. He was smart and charismatic with the media all week, wound up playing a better game than winner Roethlisberger, and made no excuses when it was over. Did Xaverian and Boston College proud ... Here's hoping he gets another chance in the big game. Bet he wins next time.

-Dan Shaughnessy

And just for the record, I considered expanding this list to 10 and including snarky ones like "What about the inherent dangers of a former Boston College quarterback (Hasselbeck) being involved in the biggest gambling event of the year? It's like inviting Tom Sizemore to one of those 'Eyes Wide Shut' parties."

-Bill Simmons (Holy Cross '92, Boston University MA '93), introducing the five most underrated stories of Super Bowl XL

Boston College Odds and Ends: February 6, 2006

2006-02-06T12:55:00.000-05:00

Master Plan

Work on the latest Boston College Master Plan is continuing, reports the BC Chronicle (see previous BC Blog coverage here and here).

The Boston College Campus Master Plan is being developed by Watertown-based Sasaki Associates and a team of subconsultants in conjunction with representatives from the BC community. The project has a home on the web here. Of note is the phase-by-phase "Work to Date" page, as well as some fun aerial photographs of BC.

Boston College Blogging

The Heights recently launched "interActive," which seeks to provide coverage to complement its print edition. Among its many features are several blogs: In the Crease, The Soapbox, and Dave's Neighborhood. Hint to The Heights: create feeds these blogs!

A new blog for the Web Technology group at Boston College was launched today. The site serves as the Webtech group’s main tool for communicating its business to the rest of the BC community.

A significant update to the Boston College Blogger Community, with around a dozen new BC blogs, is forthcoming.

Boston College Fund: Thank You

The Boston College Fund has posted its "Honor Roll" of all those who donated to the fund between June 2004 and May 2005. I did (Class of 2003), did you?

Record Applications Received

Boston College received over 26,000 applications for the Class of 2010, the highest in University history. The figure represents an increase of almost 12% over last year's total of 23,823, the previous high-water mark.

What makes BC such a hot choice for college-bound high schoolers across the country? Is it...

The number of alumni on the list of the Most Powerful Bostonians?
That BC recently had the highest yield of Fulbright award winners?
The Flutie Factor (new research on the topic here)?
The beautiful campus?

10 Things Every Student Must Do

The Boston College Observer is back this semester, reporting the top 10 things that every student at BC must do before graduation. The highlights: start an acapella group and go to a sporting event early. The former seems much more likely for the average student.

Holy Cross Football Rules

EA Poster "BCEagleChick" recalls this chant from the days of yore:

(Sing to Oh Christmas tree)
Oh Holy Cross, oh Holy Cross
All you eat is applesauce
You eat in morning, noon and night
You even eat it when you fight.
Oh Holy Cross on bended knee
Kiss the ass of ol' BC :)

Boston, You're My Home

I found this while surfing around, it was news to me:

You would think that Dirty Water was one of the more frequently recorded songs of the garage rock era, but we could find only three versions. This is surprising, because it's a great, upbeat song about debauchery. It was written by producer Ed Cobb for the Standells. It concerns the laments of a young man who hangs out at the Charles River waterfront with "muggers and lovers and thieves." Supposedly, it was inspired by a Boston College midnight curfew for women.

Can anybody substantiate this?

The Legends of Boston College

I also stumbled across this old webpage (only Google's cached version is available)...

54th Annual Beanpot Opens Tonight, February 6, 2006

2006-02-06T11:29:00.000-05:00

Fans, students and alumni of the four major Boston college hockey powers will pack the TD Banknorth Garden tonight as their teams vie for bragging rights in the 54th annual Beanpot Tournament.

No. 3 Boston College (17-6-2) faces Northeastern (1-18-6) in the first game at 5 p.m. BC leads NU in Beanpot meetings (29-8). The Eagles, who last won a ’Pot title in 2004, are chasing their 14th title while NU, which last won the Beanpot in 1988, is on a quest for its fifth. BU faces Harvard later in the evening. Both first-round games will be broadcast on NESN.

The Lowell Sun reports that the Eagles are not looking past the hapless NU Huskies, who are winless in their last 12 games. More from The Heights.

Change the 'Pot?

Richard Tenorio of The Daily Item (Lynn, MA) argues that the Beanpot has lost its magic as of late due to its utter unpredictability. Tenorio notes that the Beanpot title is almost always a battle between Boston College and Boston University; for the past 12 years, either BC or BU has won the Beanpot. He suggests enlarging membership in the tournament as a possible solution.

BC's Lines

BC coach Jerry York made some minor adjustments to the Boston College lines, in the wake of the team's recent struggles. York switched a pair of wingers, putting freshman Brock Bradford back alongside freshman Nathan Gerbe, and moving sophomore center Dan Bertram and freshman Andrew Orpik back with junior left wing Joe Rooney and freshman center Benn Ferriero.

York left the unstoppable "CBS line" of Chris Collins, Brian Boyle, and Stephen Gionta untouched. This line enters tonight's game against "the hottest trio" in the league; in the Eagles' last six games, the line has combined for 34 points.

Women's Beanpot

History will be made at Harvard's Bright Hockey Center this week as the 28th annual Women's Beanpot will be the first with all four Boston schools sending varsity teams (BU had previously sent a club teams to the championship). BC faces off against Northeastern on Tuesday at 5 p.m. BC has already swept the three-game Hockey East season series, but all three games were decided by just one goal.

Boston College Falls to Duke, 83-81

2006-02-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

The Boston College men's basketball team fell to the #2-ranked Duke Blue Devils 83-81 at a sold-out Conte Forum last night. Read about the game at bceagles.com, and check out the quotes of the game below.

Also, it is imperative that you visit The BC's homepage and view their latest commercial, which stars Tim Russert, Jared Dudley, John Oates, Louis Hinnant, Sean Marshall. It chronicles the escapades of Mr. Russert and his son, Luke, as they try to procure tickets to the Duke game. Hilarity ensues. You can download the video here (hosted by The BC).

Read about the media coverage of the game from the business section of The Boston Herald. Also, ESPN's Andy Katz has a story on the game here.

The Game, By The Numbers

8,606 - Fans in attendance at a sold out Conte Forum
37/13 - Foul shots taken by Duke/BC
28 - Season-high point total by BC's Jared Dudley
7 - Shots blocked by Duke's Sheldon Williams
$800 - Ticket price outside the gates, reported by ESPN pre-game coverage
18 - Duke's largest lead
12 - Tents filled with BC students lined-up for courtside seats before the game
1 - Shameful post-game articles written by Bob Ryan

The Game, By The Quotes

"[Conte Forum] is right up there with the Marylands, NC States, and Carolinas. It was great tonight. It was a great college basketball atmosphere. What I liked most was that they were cheering for their team. They weren't about 'let's heckle this guy.' It was 'let's cheer for BC.'
-Duke assistant coach Chris Collins

I commend the fans for coming out like that. A lot of people don't give our fans the credit that they deserve, but tonight I think they did a good job sticking with it even when we were down.
-Louis Hinnant

This is definitely wild. I saw all the kids outside with the tents. I don't think we had this when I was here."
-BC legend Troy Bell

Boston College even got Flutie to wear one of those bright yellow "Solid Gold" T-shirts printed up for the occasion. Did anyone else with a passing familiarity of the NBA catch themselves wondering briefly whether those shirts were a marketing campaign for Patrick Ewing's favorite Atlanta gentlemen's club?
-Lorenzo Perez, The News Observer (NC)

I’m proud of our guys because it was an honor to play against this team.
-Coach K

That Duke won by 2 points shouldn't fool anyone. With even a smidgen of better reffing, BC would have won the game. But why should anyone think that Duke will ever stop getting the calls?
-The Daily Quickie

But the biggest star was the crowd, a raucous sell-out, gold-clad crowd that vigorously christened the Conte Forum as another ACC madhouse.
-Ned Barnett, The News Observer

Boston College got everything it expected from its first Atlantic Coast Conference matchup with Duke. A boisterous crowd. An exciting game. And a loss.
-The Associated Press

Coming off a four game win-streak, a two-point loss to Duke isn't exactly the death knell for Boston College. In addition, BC may have finally shed its reputation for having apathetic fans with the scene tonight.
-Chris Inkpen, blogcritics.org

But even as it rose to No. 6 in The Associated Press Top 25, BC still had trouble drawing attention away from the New England Patriots' playoff run and the Red Sox front office mayhem. On Wednesday night, it was the pros' turn to watch.
-The Associated Press

Our house! Our house!
-Tim Russert, yelled at BC's Sean Marshall during a timeout

Boston College Athletics: February 1, 2006

2006-02-01T17:54:00.000-05:00

Men's Basketball

The Eagles take on the #2 Duke Blue Devils tonight at Conte Forum. BC is riding a five-game win streak and is now ranked #14 in the nation according to USA Today/ESPN (#15 AP, #24 RPI). Tip off is at 9pm, and the game will be covered nationally on ESPN.

Senior star Craig Smith vowed that the team would "protect our house" and summed up the excitement around tonight's game with "If you've got earplugs, bring them. If not, you're in for a long night."

Word is that all fans, students included, will have a "Solid Gold" t-shirt placed on their seat upon arrival to the game.

Men's Ice Hockey

Junior Brian Boyle scored a career-high four goals in the Eagles' 4-3 win over UMass-Lowell this past Saturday. Boyle's four-goal effort marks the first time a BC player has tallied four goals in one game since - yes, you guessed it - Brian Gionta netted an amazing five goals (in one period!) against Maine on Jan. 27, 2001. USA Hockey had this to say about Boyle's four-goal feat:

There’s no truth to the rumor that Boston College’s Brian Boyle (Hingham, Mass.) drove the bus from Chestnut Hill to nearby Lowell, or that he drove the Zamboni between periods of Saturday’s Hockey East game between the Eagles and UMass Lowell at Tsongas Arena. But Boyle did just about everything else Saturday night, as he scored a career-high four goals -- including the game-winner with 48.8 seconds left in overtime.

Sophomore Dan Bertram was recently featured on Hockey's Future.

Collins for Hobey

Senior scoring leader Chris Collins has broken into the Top 5 of CSTV's Hobey Baker Watch.

Collins has also won the CCM / RBK Hockey East Player of the Month for January (he also won the award for December). Running away with the 2005-06 scoring title, Collins added 15 points to his totals in the month of January and now has 20 goals and 20 assists in 24 games played overall.

Where's Our Beanpot?

The Eagles will look to win back the coveted beanpot from cross-town rival and mail-order degree school BU. The tournament begins at 5 p.m. on Monday, February 6th. BC will take on Northeastern in the opening round.

Hockey Alum

Former Hobey Baker winner and BC captain Mike Mottau, who is now with the AHL's Peoria Rivermen, will make his third AHL All-Star Classic appearance this week, having participated in Wilkes-Barre in 2001 and St. John’s in 2002. A native of Boston, Mottau was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2001. Mottau has dished out an assist in each of the last two games with the Rivermen, and skates alongside former Eagle defender Brendan Buckley.

Portland Pirates rookie Ryan Shannon will also be playing in the All Star game. Shannon dominated the speed events in the All-Star Skills Competition, earning a point for PlanetUSA by winning the individual InGlasCo Puck Control Relay, then posting a winning time of 14.084 seconds in the Rbk Fastest Skater event. His "spin-a-rama" goal against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Dany Sabourin was also one of the highlights of the night.

Boston College Olympians

2006-02-01T08:11:00.000-05:00

Marci Francis '98 is a member of the U.S. National Team for the sport of skeleton. Francis lives in Rutland, VT with her husband Eric Flaim, a four-time Olympic speed skater (and two-time silver medalist).

Snowboarder Tyler Jewell '99 has made the U.S. Olympic team. The Sudbury, MA native will make the trip to Turin, Italy, for next month’s Games. After graduating from BC, Jewell went out west to pursue his snowboarding dream; without a major corporate sponsorship, Jewell lived in his car, stayed in a tent, and worked whatever jobs he could to finance his training.

Women's soccer player Jenny Maurer (LSOE '07) recently attended training camp for the Under-21 Women's National Team - "a week that put the current Boston College star on a path that could very reasonably lead to her someday playing for her country in the Women's World Cup or the Olympics."

Carrie Howe '03 appears to be headed for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team to compete in the 2008 Games. Howe has a very good shot at winning a gold medal in the Yngling class, reports the Detroit Free Press. She was on the sailing team and earned All-American honors at "sailing powerhouse" Boston College, and her sister, Julie, is currently sailing for BC.

As previously reported, Brian Gionta '01 will be skating with Team USA as he tries to bring home gold with the Men's Ice Hockey team.

Carroll School Ranks High on Global MBA Rankings

2006-01-31T15:54:00.000-05:00

Boston College's Carroll School of Management fared well on the 2006 Global MBA Rankings, which were released yesterday by The Financial Times. CSOM ranked 34th among American institutions, and 57th internationally.

The FT Global MBA rankings evaluates full-time Masters in Business Administration programs from the world's top business schools and offers a comprehensive evaluation of the qualification and an insight into each of these schools. View an interactive version of the rankings here.

The Financial Times also recently ranked Carroll School 7th on the Top Ten list for “Best in Accountancy.”

Boston College: In Quotes XVII

2006-01-31T12:31:00.000-05:00

More BC quotes... Old ones here.

Boston College is gorgeous; plenty of neo-Gothic architecture, old stone buildings, a beautiful Cathedral, and it's built on the western outskirts of Boston. It's wonderfully long and relaxing ride on the T (Boston's Subway) out there, and its nice geographically, being built on some low hills.

-Blogger "Troy"

We walked around Boston College, which was nice. And huge. Jesuits sure do know where to put their money. If I end up there, I could at least count on losing my "freshman fifteen" just by walking from one end of the hillside campus to the other. I'm not sure if it's really that huge or if it's just the hills that make it seem huge. Either way, it feels huge ... It looks nice though. And the people are nice. I already have a surrogate mother lined up at the admissions office. Her name is Linda.

-LJ "doublespeaking"

I legitimately just got this in the mail today ... I didn't know they knew I was out here playing, but apparently they do.

-Super Bowl-bound Seahawks QB, and former Eagle, Matt Hasselbeck, said while sporting BC hat

You'll always be McElroy to me, Carney's.

-Blogger "Chrissa"

A cross balances atop the spire of Lyons Hall on Boston College's campus. But a hint of a Jewish presence — a small Israeli flag — is visible through one window of the Gothic-influenced building. That's the office of Maxim Shrayer, chair of the Slavic and Eastern languages department — which is also the home of Boston College's new Jewish studies program.

-Jeri Zeder, Forward journalist

This is Boston freaking College, not UC-Berkely! You can't hand out condoms on campus, you can't have co-ed dorms like they did on Saved by the Bell: The College Years, and you sure as hell can't have a dance themed "A Night in Gay Paris!"

-Will Hobson, A&S '06

The world (and Boston College along with it) needs less intolerance and more dancing. I'm not a theologian, and I haven't read the New Testament recently, but I have a feeling that Christ would have agreed.

-Peter Kugel, Associate Professor, Computer Science Department

We Want Duke!

-BC fans

Boston College People: January 25, 2006

2006-01-25T23:09:00.000-05:00

Boston College professor Franco Mormando was recently given the honorary title of knight for his ''achievements in the promotion of Italian language and culture" by Pierluigi Squillante, the consul general of Italy in Boston.

Marketing Associate Professor Kathleen Seiders has been named the winner of the Thomas C. Kinnear/Journal of Public Policy & Marketing Award, which honors the article that "makes the most significant contribution to the understanding of marketing and public policy issues" within the past three years. Seiders earned the award for "Obesity and the Role of Food Marketing: A Policy Analysis of Issues and Remedies," which she co-wrote with Babson Law Professor Richard Petty. (via BCInfo)

The top executive of Procter & Gamble Co., A.G. Lafley, spoke at the Boston College Chief Executives' Club Wednesday. Lafley announced a local charitable donation as well as technology and commercial partnerships in the wake of P&G's recent acquisition of Boston-based Gillette Co.

As reported by the Boston Globe:

Boston College sophomore Luke Russert, the son of ''Meet the Press" host Tim Russert, will join politico James Carville as host of a new sports-themed talk show on XM Satellite Radio. Carville, who's a regular on Luke's dad's Sunday morning political talk show, said in a statement: ''This [new] show will be another opportunity for me to engage in the back-and-forth debates on sports that, until now, Luke and I have limited to the stadium." He added, ''I talk about sports the same way I talk about politics, so it's safe to assume that Luke will be wrong most of the time. . . ."

Boston College Athletics: January 25, 2006

2006-01-25T22:30:00.000-05:00

Take That, Tar Heels

The #18 Boston College men's basketball team defeated the #25 University of North Carolina in the Dean Dome 81-74 tonight, improving to 15-4 overall and 3-3 in ACC play.

Head coach Al Skinner earned his 300th career coaching victory with the win.

The Eagles have now won four straight, and will look to continue the streak as they host Georgia Tech this Sunday in Chestnut Hill.

Here's Your Ball Game, Folks

The Boston College football team has announced its 2006 schedule, available here. The schedule features 7 home games, including the now-traditional Thursday night matchup agianst Virginia Tech. BC will visit the Orange Bowl to play the University of Miami Hurricanes on Thanksgiving night, November 23, 2006, which is 22 years to the day from Doug Flutie's Miracle in Miami.

Boston College Wins the Rose Bowl

Your eyes are not deceiving you. The #6-ranked Boston College co-ed sailing team won the "Rose Bowl" in Long Beach, CA, the first intersectional of 2006.

Boston College Hockey

Former Boston College star Chuck Kobasew had his first career hat trick for the Calgary Flames.

Current Eagle and Boston Bruins prospect Brock Bradford was featured by the New England Hockey Journal.

The women's ice hockey team extended their win streak to 7 straight by completing a sweep over mail-order degree school Boston University. The Eagles won the first contest Saturday afternoon at Conte Forum 5-2 and then took care of the Terriers 2-1 up the road at Walter Brown Arena.

The DeFilippo Family Scholarship

Boston College Director of Athletics Gene DeFilippo and his wife Anne have made a $100,000 gift to the University, which will go towards establishing a scholarship for a deserving female student-athlete.

Boston College Blogging II

2006-01-25T17:12:00.000-05:00

Ten new blogs have been added to the Boston College Blogger Community - check them out. If you would like to add your blog, know of a blog run by a BC student, professor or alum, or would like yours removed, please contact me.

One of the new blogs added, Seven Hills, recently posted a nice photo tour of the Boston College campus.

BC sports superstar blogger, the Eagle in Atlanta, is representing BC well on the Sports Illustrated "SI On Campus" Blog Index.

Big ups to the Gongshow@BC, for (1) its triumphant return for the second semester and (2) its continuing column at Barstool Sports, "Gongshow U." Their latest was posted today.

Finally, The Heights did a write-up of Boston College bloggers last week, available here.

Bicyclist Killed in Collision with BC Team Bus

2006-01-24T23:35:00.000-05:00

According to the Associated Press, a charter bus carrying the Boston College men's basketball team collided with a bicycle on Tuesday at about 6:30 pm on NC Highway 54, killing the rider.

The team was traveling on a bus owned by Southern Coach Co. of Durham, NC. The name of the bicyclist was not immediately released because the victim's family had not been notified.

No one on the bus was injured. The team plays at the University of North Carolina on Wednesday at 9 pm.

UPDATE From ESPN.com:

Assistant Ed Cooley said the driver of the bus wasn't arrested, and that the team stayed on the bus for at least 30 minutes while paramedics and police tended to the cyclist.

"This is very tragic," BC assistant Bill Coen said."This puts the game of basketball in perspective. Everyone wants to know about how this affects the game but there is a person who lost his life. The bus driver's life is impacted in a tragic way. We're just here playing a basketball game."

North Carolina coach Roy Williams* met with the team after their practice to see how the team and staff were doing and offered any help he could.

[amended = Williams was never a coach at BC]

Boston College Hockey: #1

2006-01-24T09:08:00.000-05:00

Riding a 10-game unbeaten streak, the Boston College Men's Ice Hockey team is now ranked #1 in all national polls and has a commanding lead atop the Hockey East standings. More importantly, the team has been holding onto its prominent position on the homepage of ESPN.com for two days now, which is a pretty impressive feat for a college hockey program. Full article here. Additionally, the Eagles dominate the USCHO.com homepage, and even made it onto The Eagle in Atlanta (they're doing that well).

Jerry York

Today (Tuesday, January 24) at 1:00 p.m. ET, Eagles coach Jerry York will be available for an online chat at CSTV.com. York recently received a contract extension that will keep him in his current position as head coach through the 2010-11 season. York is presently first among Division I active coaches with 739 wins and has led the Eagles to four Hockey East regular-season titles, four Hockey East tournament titles, five Frozen Four appearances, and one national championship in his twelve years at BC.

Cory Schneider

BC goaltender Cory Schneider earned Hockey East Co-Player of the Week while in the midst of a record-breaking shutout steak. This past weekend, Schneider re-welcomed Vermont to Hockey East by shutting the Catamounts out in consecutive nights at Conte Forum, 2-0 and 3-0. Schneider stopped 55 shots this weekend, including one absolutely unbelievable sprawling stop on a clean breakaway by UVM's Corey Carlson that provided the highlight of the weekend.

In his last 7 games, Schneider has a GAA of 0.43 and an overall save % of .984. He has now had five Hockey East shutouts this season, a conference record (he is now tied with former Eagle and current NHLer Scott Clemmensen for the school record for shutouts in one season).

He has not allowed a goal in 217 minutes and 49 seconds, the second-longest streak in BC history. In his last seven games, Schneider is 7-0-0 with a 0.43 goals against average and a .984 save percentage.

Schneider's consecutive scoreless minutes streak has now reached 217:49, putting him 36:35 away from setting a school record for consecutive shutout minutes.

Brian Gionta

There is an NHL.com article about how short, but yet how good, Brian Gionta is. The column recalls Gionta's BC days, yet overlooked his mind-blowing 5-goals-in-one-period performance against the University of Maine on January 27, 2001.

Boston College: In Quotes XVI

2006-01-19T17:56:00.000-05:00

Time for the sixteenth installment of Boston College: In Quotes. Check out older quotes here.

Maybe this Atlantic Coast Conference thing wasn’t such a good idea for Boston College after all.

-The Associated Press, after the BC men's basketball team opened conference play with three straight losses against ACC foes

[T]he narrow, provincial, and unsophisticated small-mindedness that lies at the heart of the GLBT dance decision runs entirely counter to the upbeat, expansive, forward-looking stance that has fueled BC's meteoric trajectory into the ranks of America's finest universities.

-Michael Resler, chair of and professor in the German Studies department

Doug Flutie casts a long shadow at BC. Most of his legacy is in the record books and highlight reels. No one will ever be Flutie on the field…or under the helmet. When I say under the helmet, I am not talking about brains or football IQ. Flutie set the bar high in those categories, but he is untouchable in something else -- hair.

-The Eagle in Atlanta

Nowhere on either of the three Boston College campuses is there an outdoor track or an indoor track which can be practiced upon ... How is a huge addition put on to Alumni Stadium and yet our track team still has to go to Harvard University to practice? ... [N]othing screams "big time athletics" like busing ACC athletes to an Ivy League school for practice. Talk about a hole-in-one!

-Blogger Casalanca

[I]f the fans at Conte Forum do not create a passionate, frenzied atmosphere for the remaining home games, the ACC teams are going to come in here with absolutely no fear of Boston College.

-Ted Sarandis

Professors [at Boston College] seemed too busy to get to know him, he said, and graduate students taught most of his classes. The students struck him as pampered; they called home whenever they needed cash, he said, while he worked a night job at a restaurant to earn spending money.

-David L. Marcus of the New York Times, describing the experience of former BC student Ridley Gunderson

When you gather 75 BC students, most of them not knowing each other, and basically leave with everyone being good friends - that is what makes BC what it is.

-David DeBarros, A&S '06, talking about a recent service trip to Pascagoula and Biloxi, Mississippi

Boston College's Conte Forum ... almost has the feel of the inside of an old Boston train station, one that has been fully renovated and made into a basketball arena.

-Chip Alexander, The News Observer (NC)

Alumni Newsmakers: January 19, 2006

2006-01-19T00:54:00.000-05:00

Entrepreneur Joseph Donahue '78 recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his multimillion-dollar staffing company Microtech, reports the MetroWest Daily. With three Massachusetts offices and locations in New Hampshire and Florida, Microtech generates $35 million a year and is the second-largest privately owned temporary employment agency in New England.

Judge Edward Cashman '65 was recently profiled by the Associated Press after he drew harsh criticism on a national scale for handing down a "soft" sentence to a child molester, which is ironic considering Judge Cashman's long-standing reputation for tough sentencing. Previous news coverage here.

NexMed Inc. has appointed Richard J. Berman (JD ’69) as Chief Executive Officer. Presently, Mr. Berman serves on the Board of Directors of Dyadic International, Inc., International Microcomputer Software, Inc., Internet Commerce Corporation, MediaBay, Inc., GVI Security Solutions Inc., National Investment Managers, Nayna Networks, Inc. and Advaxis, Inc.

David Noonan ‘69, longtime educator at Keefe Tech (Framingham, MA), is featured at TownOnline.com.

Athletics Alumni

Harold Connolly, Boston College football legend, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2006. Connolly was a fullback for BC under coach Frank Leahy and is perhaps “best remembered for scoring the first touchdown of BC's famous 1941 Sugar Bowl victory over Tennessee, which brought a national championship to Chestnut Hill.” As the Boston Globe reports, Connolly was also a World War II veteran, a high school and college football coach, and a pioneering college administrator who championed women's equality in sports.

Former Eagle hockey star and team captain Jeff Giuliano is finding success in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings, reports the Concord Monitor (NH). Giuliano has played 23 games for the Kings since his Nov. 5 NHL debut. Head coach Andy Murray said of Giuliano, “[We] are just amazed at his work ethic and determination, and we just hope that it rubs off on a few of our other players."

The Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL signed defenseman John Adams to a standard player's contract. Adams, a 23-year-old rookie from Wayzata, MN, played four seasons at BC from 2001 - 2005.

The Portland Pirates forward Ryan Shannon has been selected to play in this year's 2006 Reebok Hockey AHL All-Star Classic. Shannon's 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) rank third on the team and fifth among AHL rookies.

Boston College Physicists Stretch Carbon Nanotubes

2006-01-18T17:17:00.000-05:00

For the first time, a team of scientists at Boston College have shown that carbon nanotubes can be stretched at high temperature to nearly four times their original length, a discovery that may have implications for future semiconductor design as well as in the development of new nanocomposites.

In their Jan. 19, 2006 article in Nature (abstract available here), a team led by Associate Professor Jianyu Huang showed that at high temperatures, nanotubes become extremely ductile. At normal temperatures, carbon nanotubes snap when stretched to about 1.15 times their original length; at a temperature of more than 2,000 degrees Celsius, the BC team successfully stretched one tube from 24 nanometres to 91 nanometres in length before it snapped.

Huang (website) credited Boston College PhD student Shuo Chen with crafting a microscopic probe that allowed researchers to grab one end of the nanotube and stretch it while an electric current flowed through it. Other members of the team included Boston College physics faculty Zhifeng Ren, Ziqiang Wang and Kris Kempa; Boston College postdoctoral fellow Sung-Ho Jo; and professors Gang Chen and Mildred Dresselhaus at MIT and Dr. Morris Wang at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

Link via Newswise

Boston College Athletics: January 17, 2006

2006-01-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

Men's Basketball

Men's basketball defeated Florida State this past weekend to earn its first ever Atlantic Coast Conference victory. Senior Craig Smith led BC with 28 points and 14 rebounds.

The Tallahassee Democrat has a Q&A with Tyrelle Blair, the 6'11" junior who is sitting out this season per the NCAA transfer rules.

Craig Smith is now only two points shy of becoming the fifth player in school history to reach the 2,000-point mark, with Troy Bell (2,632 points), Dana Barros (2,342), Bill Curley (2,102) and Danya Abrams (2,053) being the others.

Smith will look join this list of BC greats tonight as the Eagles take on the Crusaders of Holy Cross. BC has won 14 of the last 15 meetings between the two schools.

The Eagle in Atlanta takes a look at what once was a great rivalry between BC and Holy Cross. Images of the old football rivalry are featured in an @BC slideshow, and was the topic of the 2003 book "A Farewell to Glory." Eagle Action poster "Tombs" shows his age and recalls an old BC chant:

Don't send my son to Holy Cross the dying mother said!
Don't send my son to Holy Cross I'd rather see him dead!

Now don't you worry father said! Just leave it up to me!
I want to see him get ahead I'll send him to BC!

Men's Ice Hockey

Sophomore goalie Cory Schneider registered 54 saves in a weekend sweep of Merrimack on his way towards earning Hockey East Co-Defensive Player of the Week. His 5-0 shutout this weekend marked his third of the season and second against the Warriors.

BC is now 14-4-2 (12-2-1 in Hockey East and 10-1-1 in their last 12 games), and ranked No. 2 in the country according to all major polls. BC hosts Vermont in the first of a two-game series against the Catamounts in Kelley Rink on Friday. The BC Blog hopes to be in attendance this weekend.

UPDATE: Saturday night's game will be available on ESPN360.com (where available).

Women's Ice Hockey

The women's ice hockey team echoed the success of the men this weekend as they took their third straight game from the Vermont Catamounts on Monday afternoon, and their fourth straight Hockey East game to match their 2004-05 win total of 10. The Eagles remain in first place in Hockey East with a 9-2-1 conference record.

Alumni Updates

Former hockey star Patrick Eaves had two goals and an assist Monday night as the Ottawa Senators routed the Minnesota Wild in Eaves' first NHL game in his home state of Minnesota.

Brian Gionta, who while at Boston College once scored an unbelievable five goals in one period, was interviewed by USA Today as he looks forward to representing the United States in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. Gionta shares his thoughts on the Games, his time with the NHL's New Jersey Devils, and his favorite cereal.

The media has been all over former BC quaterback Matt Hasselbeck as he leads the Seattle Seahawks into the NFC Championship game this weekend, and hopes to help the team earn its first-ever Super Bowl appearance. More from The Boston Herald, the AP, the Chicago Tribune, and the Sporting News.

Harry Crump, a fullback for BC during the early 1960s whose trademark phrase was "the heavy thump of Harry Crump" is profiled by the MetroWest Daily News. Crump played three seasons on the varsity squad at The Heights.

As previously reported by the Boston College Blog, track and field legend Harrold Connolly was honored last week when a statute in his likeness was installed at Brighton (MA) High. More from the Boston Globe.

Miscellaneous

Boston College coach Tom O'Brien will be one of the guest speakers at the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association annual clinic Friday and Saturday at the Boston Quincy Marriott.

Alumni Newsmaker: Barry Chevannes

2006-01-17T10:53:00.000-05:00

The University of the West Indies will host a three-day conference in honor of Professor Alston "Barry" Barrington Chevannes '65, MA ’66. Chevannes' lifetime scholarly work, service and achievement will be recognized.

Chevannes has made signal contribution as an authority on Rastafarianism and has written extensively on such topics as Revival, Afro-Caribbean Theology, and Native Religions in Jamaica. He is also vice-chairman of the Peace Management Initiative, which attempts to bring peace between warring gangs in volatile communities and has been chairman of the Institute of Jamaica with the mandate to preserve Jamaican literature, arts and science.

Boston College & Hiring Practices at American Religious Institutions

2006-01-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

A recent story from The Wall Street Journal regarding hiring practices at American religious institutions of higher education reports that "at Boston College, some administrators would like to hire more people committed to its religious mission, but its faculty has proved 'particularly resistant.'"

The article cites a recent publication from The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities which, in "evaluating the effectiveness" of Boston College's mission, states:

The area of new faculty and staff orientation is, for a variety of reasons, underdeveloped and one which we need to give more sustained attention to. Another issue that is particularly resistant to influence from the perspective of mission is faculty hiring.

The story comes in the wake of an address at Notre Dame by school president Rev. John Jenkins, who recently disparaged the religious character of Boston College, in which he expressed concern that the percentage of faculty who were Catholic at ND had fallen to 53%, compared with 85% in the 1970s. In 1990, the late Pope John Paul II decreed that non-Catholics should not be a majority of the faculty at a Catholic university.

The WSJ piece went on to note that to fulfill its mission, BC "is contemplating establishing research centers on Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic education."

Boston College Men's Basketball: January 11, 2006

2006-01-11T17:25:00.000-05:00

The Eagle in Atlanta said it well with "Shocked. Confused. Embarrassed. Disappointed. Frustrated." when he reflected on the basketball team's 0-3 start in the ACC, but junior star Jared Dudley's face says it much better.

I've been avoiding the internet in the wake of Tuesday night's loss to North Carolina State, where Eagles shot a dismal 32%, but must now face reality. BC will look to rebound and earn its first ACC win this Saurday afternoon when they host Florida State.

In more positive news, the team visited Franciscan Children's Hospital in Allston on Tuesday afternoon, an event that was organized by BC's Student Athletic Advisory Committee.

The Eagles played a bit on one of the hospital's outdoor courts where Sean Williams "hoisted one of the children up towards the hoop as he made his first slam dunk, briefly hanging on the rim for good measure."

Boston College Men's Ice Hockey: January 9, 2006

2006-01-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

The Boston College Men's Ice Hockey team improved its record to 12-4-2 (10-2-1 Hockey East) with two wins over Northeastern and Providence this past weekend.

The Eagles are now first place in Hockey East, and are ranked No. 4 in the nation according to the latest USCHO.com poll. The team is 8-1-1 and boasts a 39-19 goal differential over its past 10 games.

BC looks to continue its six-game winning streak against Merrimack this Saturday. The face off has been moved from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m., and will be broadcast by CN8 (and thus available for online viewing here).

Benn Ferriero on Fire

Benn Ferriero, BC's freshman forward phenom, scored three goals and added one assist in the two wins this past weekend, and thus earned Hockey East Rookie Of The Week honors.

This is the second time Ferriero, an Essex, Massachusetts native, has garnered the distinction this season; he earned the award on December 12, following consecutive three-point performances in a weekend sweep of UMass-Amherst.

Ferriero was also recognized by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau; he was designated college hockey's sixth best prospect eligible for the 2006 NHL draft. Not only is he No. 6 overall, but is the top New Englander.

Chat Live with Coach Jerry York

On Tuesday, January 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET, Boston College Head Coach Jerry York will enter the chatroom at "Tuesday @ The Rink", presented by CSTV.com and USCHO.com. Coach York is leads all active D-I coaches in career wins, and is college hockey's third all-time winningest coach. York is also one of only two coaches in NCAA history to lead two different schools to national titles. (UPDATE: Chat was cancelled, and has yet to be rescheduled)

Cunniff to be Honored by Beanpot?

The late John Cunniff, one of the all-time Boston College hockey greats, may be memorialized by having the Beanpot's MVP award named in his honor.

Joe Barrett, an old friend of the Cunniff family, said ''I can't believe anyone would be more deserving . . . He was the first to win it twice [1964, '65]." Steve Nazro, the tournament's longtime director, said the Beanpot Committee (which is comprised of Nazro and the four competing schools' athletic directors), would be open to considering such a motion when it meets this spring.

Cunniff, who was born in South Boston, was a two-time All-American left wing at BC, and was the 1964 Rookie of the Year. He joined the United State's National team in 1967 and played for the U.S. at the Olympics in 1968 in Grenoble. Subsequently he played for the New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association, and for the Quebec Nordiques. Cunniff died of cancer less than 90 days after serving as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2002 Olympic Games at Salt Lake City.

Hockey Alum

There is a nice article from the Buffalo News on Brian Gionta that talks about his pre-BC days with the Niagara Scenics, and his upcoming trip to Turin to play in the 2006 Olympics.

The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, signed center Jamie O’Leary. O’Leary is an eighth year pro from Needham, Massachusetts who played at BC from 1994 through 1998. O’Leary has played 397 regular season ECHL games in his pro career (and 2 games in the International Hockey League) so that his first appearance with the Royals will constitute his 400th professional game.

Boston College Students Help in Hurricane Recovery Effort

2006-01-09T09:09:00.000-05:00

A group of Boston College students are spending their winter break in South Mississippi this week helping the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort, reports WLOX, a local ABC affiliate.

The students braved mold and mildew as they repaired the Vietnamese Martyr's Center, one of many projects the BC students will be working on throughout the week.

Over the course of the past semester, BC students held a number of events to raise funds to help aid the victims of the storm, including a collection at the BC-Army football game that raised $25,000 to aid relief efforts.

Assistant Dean of Students at Boston College Chris Darcy emphasized, however, that "It's not enough to just send money." Darcy, who is now in Mississippi with over 100 members of the BC community, went on to say, "You have to put your love and passions in action. That's what these students are doing."

The volunteer initiative was previously covered by the Boston College Chronicle. Visit the "BC Katrina Cleanup" site here.

Flutie Foundation Presents Grants

2006-01-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism has handed out $352,795 in grants to 28 non-profits groups located around the United States and Canada.

The Autism Alliance of MetroWest Inc. in Natick received $8,400 last week to help create the sensory-based gym for autistic children. The North Shore ARC/Autism Support Center in Danvers received a $10,000 grant.

The Foundation was established in 1998 by Doug Flutie '85 and his wife, Laurie, in honor of their son, Doug, Jr., who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. Autism is a neurological disorder that impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. It affects more than 1.5 million people in the United States.

Read more about the Foundation here. Online contributions may be made here.

Alumni Newsmakers: January 8, 2006

2006-01-08T20:45:00.000-05:00

Nina Mitchell Wells (Newton College '73) was nominated by Governor-elect Jon S. Corzine to serve as Secretary of State of New Jersey.

Terri M. Santisi '76 has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of The Interpublic Group. During her 20-year career, Ms. Santisi served as EVP and General Manager of EMI Music North America and CFO of EMI Music Publishing Worldwide. Most recently she led the media and entertainment practice of KPMG. Ms. Santisi was recognized as one of the "Fifty Most Powerful Women in the Entertainment Industry" by The Hollywood Reporter and was a recipient of the Leadership in Action Award by the Women's Action Alliance.

Lexar Media, Inc., a world leader in advanced digital media technologies, has named Mark Adams '87 as Chief Operating Officer.

Virginia M. Helm (MA '69), provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin, has been named as a finalist for the position of President of SUNY Potsdam.

Genevieve Thiers '00 and the company that she started, Sittercity (www.sittercity.com), are featured in The Boston Globe. Thiers' brainchild allows babysitters and parents meet each other on the internet; using an electronic database, babysitters register and parents browse the listings until they find a sitter they'd like to try. Four years after its humble beginning in Boston, business is booming for Sittercity, with over 100,000 sitters registered across the nation.

Boston College Women's Basketball: January 5, 2006

2006-01-05T13:47:00.000-05:00

The Boston College Women's Basketball team enters ACC play tonight against the University of Maryland riding a six-game win streak. In the course of this streak, the team has garnered many accolades and met several milestones:

Senior star Brooke Queenan was the first Eagle to ever win Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week after posting a trio of triple-doubles last week
Head Coach Cathy Inglese earned her 350th career victory in a 73-54 win over Colgate, which also saw Queenan score a career-high 23 points
The Eagles have risen to No. 19 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll (and are No. 21 in the USA Today/ESPN poll)
BC upset then- No. 14 Stanford at Conte Forum by a score of 77-69 on Dec. 28

Tonight's game at The Heights against the No. 6 University of Maryland Terrapins marks BC's first game in the ACC, as well as their first-ever match against the Terps. BC enters the game with a 12-2 record.

Brooke Queenan was also featured today on the Double-A Zone, a blog that gives an inside look at NCAA issues and all things student-athlete. Queenan discussed her excitement about tonight’s game and the team goal of reaching the Final Four, which will be played in Boston this year. See more from BC Athletics.

Boston College: In Quotes XV

2006-01-04T03:36:00.000-05:00

Send along any good BC quotes you come across.

The song “For Boston” speaks of old time college campus and old time football. The Screaming Eagles Marching Band - who don’t seem to scream much, though they do sing a fairly impressiveversion of the fight song in question - have a nice full sound. The whole thing is just too Rites of Autumn to pass up.

-Cap'n History

When BC has some OOC opponents that any fan can get slightly excited about, they'll make more of an effort to get that information out there ... but if I had to read about all our future games against Buffalo, Maine, URI, FAU, Gallaudet, the Merchant Marine Academy, Bowdoin, Pine Manor and Wellesley, it would make me angry.

-Eagles Talon

Our captain is a tremendous leader. If you offend our leader, you're offending the whole team. When you offend our leader and our role model, you basically target our family and that's what Boston College football is about.

-Ryan Glasper, BC Strong Safety

FIRE TOM O'BRIEN! PLEEEEEEAAAASSEEEE! He could give BC an opportunity to lose to Boise State! Oh wait HE ALREADY DID THAT! His inability is unparalleled!

-The Boston Slant

Vatican hackers gain access to the BCS computers and produce a national title game between Notre Dame and Boston College. "The Lord," Pope Benedict XVI chuckles, "works in mysterious ways."

-David Teel, Newport News Daily Press, predicting 2006-07 bowl scenarios

It’s Math-i-as Ki-wa-nu-ka!

-The Boston College football team, chanted after the MPC Computers Bowl so lingering Boise State fans would have no doubt about how to pronounce Kiwi's name

To be perfectly honest Doug, I am using your dropkick as an excuse to tell you how proud you make us around here. You may be thinking it is the Hail Mary pass of Boston College fame. But while that is how we have come to remember you, it is your work with autism that has been most impressive ... Having covered a hearing at the Massachusetts Statehouse on the subject and talked to parents and advocates, your name has often come up as a major reason the public has focused on this issue.

-Paul Sullivan

Boston College Athletics: January 4, 2006

2006-01-04T00:07:00.000-05:00

Doug Flutie's Drop Kick

On Sunday, January 1st, Doug Flutie proved that he still has some magic left by booting a "drop kick" during the Patriots-Dolphins game, the NFL's first successful drop kick since 1941. View the play here (beware Real Media file).

Interestingly, CNNSI's Dr. Z wrote about Flutie's long desire to score via drop kick back in 1998. Read more at the Montreal Gazette and the Boston Globe.

After the game, Boston Herald writer Michael Felger, who earned a degree from a university that advertises their prestigous mail-order programs on directdegree.com, disparaged Doug Flutie and the play, claiming that Flutie and the Patriots made a mockery of the sport of football. The BU grad then proceeded to make a jackass out of himself on CBS4. View the clips here.

Paul Sullivan of the Lowell Sun published a touching letter thanking Flutie for being what "a role model should be" and for bringing so much pride to New England through his athletic heroics and, more importantly, his work with autism.

The Commonwealth Classic

The #11 men's basketball team beat UMass 91-62 in the Commonwealth Classic on Tuesday night. The win marked Eagles' sixth straight victory over their cross-state rival; at this point, the Governor's Cup has been "reduced to a symbolic piece of window dressing for Boston College." BC dominated, so a scoreboard malfunction towards the end of the game that had BC leading by a score of 88-1 did not seem too far fetched.

Sophomore Sean Williams registered two monstrous blocked shots during the game, of which Lenny Megliola quipped "any higher and Williams would qualify for frequent flier miles."

Despite the recent dominance and Boston College’s move to the ACC, Boston College AD Gene DeFilippo said that BC will continue its home-and-home series with UMass.

Before the game, senior forward Craig Smith was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points and 8 rebounds in a pair of road wins.

Men's Hockey

The men's hockey team have brought the Wells Fargo Denver Cup to the Heights this past weekend as they defeated the Princeton Tigers 5-1 in the championship game of the holiday tournament. Boston College goaltender (and blogger) Joe Pearce embodied a true gongshow as he turned away 53 of 57 shots on his way to earning tournament MVP and Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Meanwhile, senior winger Chris Collins was named Hockey East Player Of The Month after registering 12 points in six games in December. Collins tallied the first hat trick of his career in a 7-0 home win over Massachusetts on Dec. 9.

Hockey alum Tony Voce was in on a bit of AHL history last week; Voce scored a third-period goal that was set up by John Slaney, the assist making Slaney the league's all-time leading scorer among defensemen, with 454 career points.

Boston College Hockey: December 30, 2005

2005-12-30T12:30:00.000-05:00

The Denver Cup

The Boston College men's ice hockey team is now in Denver to partcipate in the Denver Cup, and will open the tournament against Ferris State today at 6:07 pm ET. A win will most likely pit BC against defending national champion Denver to play for the title on New Year’s Eve. Read more about the University of Denver Pioneers at Let's Go DU.

If DU and BC meet for the championship, it will mark the third time the two schools have squared off with the Denver Cup on the line, with DU willing both previous meetings. The Eagles will be without the services of goaltender Cory Schneider, as well as stars Nate Gerbe and Dan Bertram, who are all competing in the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Alum Update

After months of trade speculation, Krys Kolanos has been dealt from the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes to the Carolina Hurricanes. Kolanos' overtime winner for BC in the 2001 NCAA Championship game capped a season in which he scored 50 points (25g, 25a) in 41 games as a sophomore, earning All-American recognition.

The Philadelphia Phantoms recently signed forward Blake Bellefeuille. The Framingham, Mass native is in his seventh season as a professional, and was originally signed as a free agent by the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets after four years at BC. Bellefeuille skated with the Blue Jackets in his rookie season, and will join former BCer Tony Voce on the Phantoms, as well as hack Freddy Meyer, formerly of mail-order degree college BU.

New Jersey Devils backup goaltender Scott Clemmensen started for the first time since December 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Though the Devils lost handily, 6-2, the team and press are going easy on the former BC star.

The AHL's Springfield Falcons have signed defenseman John Adams to a Professional Tryout Agreement. Adams is in first season of professional hockey after spending the previous four seasons with BC. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound native of Wayzata, Minnesota has collected one goal and nine assists for 10 points and 35 penalty minutes in 22 games with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL this season.

MPC Computers Bowl Officials Apologize

2005-12-30T11:57:00.000-05:00

As reported by ESPN.com, officials with the MPC Computers Bowl have issued a formal apology to Boston College for remarks made at a banquet before this years game.

MPC chairman Mike Adkins personally apologized to BC DE and team captain Mathias Kiwanuka for a joke he made at Kiwanuka's expense at a pre-game banquet on Monday night. Adkins read a list of the "Top 10 things Boise and Boston Have in Common," including a joke to the effect that nobody in either city can properly pronounce Kiwanuka's name. According to ESPN, Adkins purposefully mispronounced Kiwanuka's name in the punchline and some Boston College players said later they found the joke insulting and disrespectful.

Kiwanuka has been quoted as saying that "there was no laughing it off," and that:

I was pretty livid about it at the time, but I tried to stay professional and remain calm. So I just kind of removed myself from the situation and left the banquet for a little bit and came back in and sat down and looked around at my teammates and they felt the same way and it brought us together a little bit.

Gary Beck, executive director of the bowl, has since said:

The MPC Computers Bowl, whose roots are based on a humanitarian model of service, would never attempt to discredit, humiliate or offend anyone. We again apologize to Mr. Kiwanuka for any discomfort or embarrassment the speech at the event caused him or his family. It was certainly unintentional and without any malice.

According to BC head coach Tom O'Brien, these comments coupled with general Boise State boosterism at the banquet inspired his team to defeat the Broncos on Wednesday night. Read more about the game at The Eagle in Atlanta.

More from The Idaho Statesman.

Boston College Set for MPC Computers Bowl

2005-12-27T15:52:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the lack of updates, but the most exciting Boston College news during this holiday season occurred when Lindsay Lohan was spotted at a Starbucks on Long Island, NY with a female companion who was sporting a BC sweatshirt.

The Eagles will be playing Boise State in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, ID tomorrow afternoon. Gametime is set for 4:30 pm and the bowl will televised nationally on ESPN. Most oddsmakers have BC as a narrow (-1.5) favorite.

This game marks a school-record seventh consecutive bowl game for BC, who has the only team in America that has won a bowl game for the past five years. Both the Boise and Boston media have been gearing up for the event - some of the recent print highlights include:

The Herald explores the past and present reasons why many have dubbed Boston College "O-Line U."

The Globe and Herald relish one final chance to gush over Mathias Kiwanuka, and laud his decision to stay at Boston College for a final year. It's no surprise that Kiwi says all the right things about Boise, his time at BC, and his NFL future.

Tom O'Brien is profiled in the Boise Statesman. Although it was said somewhat facetiously, I was a bit disturbed to read TOB quoted as saying, of his original decision to coach, "I thought I'd rather coach than work for a living."

The Globe takes a closer look at the story behind infamous blue turf at Bronco Stadium. Which reminds me of an "April Fools" article in The Heights in which BC decided to install blue turf in Alumni Stadium.

Quarterback Matt (a/k/a Matty Ice/Vick/Nails) Ryan's efforts to lead the Eagles to an 8-3 record, as well as fill Bronco Stadium with Eagles fans, are highlighted in today's Globe.

Sophomore kicker Ryan Ohliger is profiled in both The Globe and The Statesman.

First and Toal

The Globe is reporting that sophomore linebacker Jolonn Dunbar will start in place of Brian Toal, who continues to mend from a bruised nerve in his neck. TOB said that Toal will see some action - he hopes to use Toal in the short-yardage, goal-line situations, and on defense.

BC Settling for Mediocrity?

Richard Tenorio of The Daily Item (MA) argues that BC should have declined the Boise bowl bid and ridicules BC's on-the-field accomplishments since the 1940 "Team of Glory." Tenorio painfully overuses the now trite "funny bowl game title" in which one imagines the most obscure/random company that can be thought of and slaps Bowl at the end of it (e.g. Bernie & Phyl's Bowl, Fuddruckers Bowl), and believes that two years in the conference makes Virginia Tech a "longstanding member" of the ACC.

Bowl Bounty

According to The Globe:

BC players reaped quite a bowl bounty, each receiving a 27-inch Sony television from the school and a $400 goody bag from organizers of the bowl that included a digital video recorder, a parka, a skull cap, a baseball cap, gloves, and a commemorative football. The NCAA allows each school to spend up to $350 on bowl gifts for its players, and bowl games are allowed to spend $500.

Berglund Wins BC Humanitarian Award

Junior linebacker Dan Berglund was awarded BC's Humanitarian Award for his community service. Berglund, who was originally a walk-on quarterback but later switched to linebacker, served as the president of BC's Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and was named a "Scout Team Member" by the coaching staff this season. According to TOB, the football team was voted as the No. 1 team at Boston College for community service due to Berglund's leadership.

Alumni Newsmakers: December 21, 2005

2005-12-21T13:12:00.000-05:00

Dr. John L. LaMattina '71, Senior Vice President of Pfizer, Inc. and President of Pfizer's Global Research and Development, will be awarded R&D Direction magazine's Top 10 Pipeline Award. Dr. LaMattina is the author of 23 scientific publications, holds 15 U.S. patents, and received the 1998 Boston College Alumni Award of Excellence in Science.

Sharon Tracey Barrett '83 was appointed to the District Court bench in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

Joseph H. Baldiga '84, J.D. '87, has been named by Boston Magazine and Law & Politics to the list of Massachusetts "Super Lawyers." In addition, he was selected by his peers to be included in the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Patrick McManus, J.D.'85, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of China Natural Gas, Inc., the first China-based natural gas public company in the US capital markets.

Frederick C. Flynn, Jr. '72 was appointed to ATMI, Inc.'s Board of Directors.

Athletics

Undefeated heavyweight boxer Derric Rossy '02, a former Boston College defensive lineman, will fight for the New York State Heavyweight title on December 29, 2005 in Jamaica, Queens. Rossy is a rising superstar in the sport and is being touted as one of the best heavyweight prospects to come out of New York in years.

Joe Mullin, former Boston College hockey star who went on to have a Hall of Fame NHL career, has been named head coach of the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Current Students

Student Merideth Bolden made headlines this week when she took a bite of a blueberry muffin from Honey Dew Donuts and "got more than filling in her mouth." Bolden found a key and a key ring in the donut, after which she quipped "I cursed myself for not going to Dunkin' Donuts."

Boston College Scores High on NCAA Graduation Success Rates

2005-12-20T12:22:00.000-05:00

Boston College scored high on the new NCAA Graduation Success Rates, which were released yesterday. The rates, which measure entering classes from 1995-1998, reveal that student-athletes nationwide are graduating at a rate of 76%. The GSR formula factors in the numbers of students who transfer into and out of schools.

A quick analysis of the Boston College numbers reveals that BC graduates its student-athletes at or above the average rate on a sport-by-sport basis in all sports measured. In football, BC graduated its students nearly 25 percentage points higher than the national average for the sport.

BC's success in the highly-anticipated GSR should come as no surprise; the school's commitment to student-athlete success has been previously noted anecdotally, and BC has achieved substantive success in other measured areas, as discussed here and here.

Read more about the general data release at the Double-A-Zone.

UPDATE: The Eagle in Atlanta weighs in on the GSRs, arguing that they are all but irrelevant because much of the data is based on student-athletes who began school in 1995.

Gionta on United States Olympic Team

2005-12-19T16:17:00.000-05:00

During tonight's Stars-Wild NHL game, USA Hockey announced that former Boston College star Brian Gionta is on the 23-man roster for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Gionta, presently the top American-born scorer in the NHL who leads the New Jersey Devils in scoring with 33 points in 32 games, is Boston College's all-time leading goal scorer. In 2001, Gionta became the first player ever to be named a Hockey East All-Star for four straight seasons, and finished his career as the league's all-time leading goal-scorer, with 83 goals in 96 league games.

Former BC star Bill Guerin also made the team, and was on hand for the announcement. Brian Leetch, another former Eagle who had been mentioned as a possible selection, did not make the 2006 squad.

The full roster is available here (JPG).

Boston College Student-Athletes Visit Children's Hospital

2005-12-19T15:37:00.000-05:00

Over 40 Boston College student-athletes recently visited Boston Children's Hospital as part of the holiday activities organized by the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC). The student-athletes, along with mascot "Baldwin," handed out BC Athletics souvenirs and, more importantly, interacted with patients throughout Children's Hospital.

The Boston College community was also given a warm welcome by Dr. Gerald Healy, Otolaryngologist-in-Chief at Children's Hospital, who thanked the student-athletes for lending their support.

In addition to the Children's Hospital trip, the SAAC organized the Adopt-a-Child Gift Program, where each team bought holiday presents for needy area families. The gifts were wrapped by student-athletes and staff and will be sent out to the families in time for Christmas.

Via BC Athletics

Boston College Blogging

2005-12-19T13:23:00.000-05:00

Boston College Blogger Community

The Boston College Blogger Community, a listing of blogs published by BC students and grads, has been updated with 8 new blogs (and several old ones have been 'retired'). Check it out, and please contact me if you would like to add or remove your blog from the listing.

The Boston College Blog

Look for the First Annual Boston College Blog Awards around January 1st (including Best BC Blog, BC Newsmaker of the Year, BC Sportsman of the Year, Best BC Quote of the Year, and more... category suggestions and nominations are greatly be appreciated!).

Until then, the blog will continue its sporadic posting schedule, due to the holidays (personal travel, and the fact that news reporters aren't working as hard this time of year).

BC Alum Aflame

The bloggers at BC Alum Aflame have drafted an editorial about the recent GLBT dance cancellation, which will be submitted to The Heights, and are requesting signatories. Visit their blog and voice your support or dissent.

Boston College Athletics: December 19, 2005

2005-12-19T12:04:00.000-05:00

Men's Basketball

The #13 men's basketball team ended a two-game losing streak by trouncing Texas Southern at Conte Forum last night, 80-53. Boston College will look to pick up some more non-conference wins before the ACC schedule heats up when they visit Georgia Tech on January 8th.

In the meantime, the team might learn the fate of sophomore center Sean Williams later today. According to head coach Al Skinner, a Brighton (MA) District Court judge will decide whether or not Williams, who was charged in May with marijuana possession, will be allowed to return to BC.

Former All-America guard Troy Bell left this weekend to play pro basketball in Frankfurt, Germany.

Women's Basketball

BC has re-discovered another way to dominate Boston University - after a 13 year hiatus, the BC-BU women's basketball rivalry was renewed this weekend. The Eagles emerged with an easy 66-49 victory.

Other

The Fitzpatrick Trophy, which is awarded to the top senior high school football player in Maine, is named after Jimmy "Fitzy" Fitzpatrick '21, one of Boston College's first athletic greats. In 1919, Fitzpatrick drop-kicked a field goal to lift Boston College over Yale, a win that was regarded as a major upset because the Ivy League teams were the dominant powers of the era.

With the win, Boston College proved itself, perhaps for the first time, to be "a team of national distinction." For many years, BC fans and alumni referred to the play as "the kick." Then-BC coach Frank Cavanaugh said "I doubt that any has ever done more for his college in athletics than Fitzy has done for Boston College."

Boston College Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo will be presented the football that Fitzpatrick kicked against Yale at a banquet this January. Read more about the Boston College team of destiny from this era.

Sports Alumni Roundup

2005-12-17T10:53:00.000-05:00

With starter Tom Brady's status still up in the air, Doug Flutie might get the starting nod at quarterback for the New England Patriots when they square off against former Eagle Chris Hovan and the Buccaneers today in Foxboro. Flutie hasn't started a game for the Patriots since 1989.

Boston College hockey icon Len Ceglarski '51, who was on the 1949 National Championship team and later went on to coach the Eagles for 20 years, will be inducted into the Walpole Hockey Hall of Fame. Anther BC great, the late Butch Songin, will also have his number raised to the rafters.

Alumnus Kirsten Zoellner, the 7'1" former BC center now playing for the University of Albany men's basketball team, "has changed from a soft-spoken enigma into a force in the middle." Zoellner was recently named America East Conference Co-Player of the Week, and averages over 11 ppg.

ESPN.com is predicting that Brian Gionta, who leads all American-born NHL players in goals, is a lock for the US Olympic team that will be announced next week.

Former BC blueliner Brooks Orpik speaks out about the recent firing of Pittsburgh Penguin's head coach Eddie Olczyk.

Pat Eaves' post-BC successes are chronicled by TheAHL.com, and Eaves looks back on his choice to attend BC.

ACC to Change Bowl Selection Process

2005-12-15T21:34:00.000-05:00

While many Boston College fans are lamenting the 2005 bowl destination of their 8-3 team, the Atlantic Coast Conference has announced that it is changing the way three of its affiliated bowls select schools.

Starting next year, the ACC will take the lead role in coordinating which teams go to the Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, NC), the Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN) and the Emerald Bowl (San Francisco, CA). Those three bowls will share the fifth, sixth and seventh ACC selections (the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise will pick eighth).

After the Charlotte, Nashville and San Francisco bowls tell the ACC which teams they want, and the ACC schools tell the conference which bowls they prefer, ACC commissioner John Swofford and his staff will "go in a smoke-filled room" and make the final decisions.

Via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Boston College: In Quotes XIV

2005-12-14T17:35:00.000-05:00

Peruse previous quotes here.

The analogy of Notre Dame being Montgomery Burns: money, wealth, hated but everyone wants to be him and Boston College being Waylon Smithers: wants to be Mr. Burns so badly but never will is just awesome!

-Blogger "Sean Harmon"

If there were a national championship for graduation rates among bowl teams, Northwestern and Boston College would have played for the National Championship.

-Richard Lapchick

Snow, mountains, a battle against wild horses. This isn't a bowl game for Boston College, it's the Chronicles of Narnia.

-Dennis Dodd, CBS Sportsline

The big difference that I see can be summed up in one word: aspirations. What BC aspires to now is something very different than what it aspired to when I was a student. Today, BC can truly aspire to excellence, to being a world-class university—and that's something all alumni can be proud of.

-Patrick Stokes ’64, recently named chair of BC's Board of Trustees and president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch

Boston College is Angelina Jolie to Boise's Billy Bob Thornton. And we all know how that union turned out.

-Rob Daniels, Greensboro News-Record (NC), on Boston College in the MPC Computers Bowl

Memo to Boston College athletics director Gene DeFilippo: You should have shown some courage, stood up for your team and just said no ... If BC belonged in Idaho, I'd have already called for my ticket, booked my flight and secured my room. But they don't. So I didn't.

-Joe Sullivan, Union Leader (NH), criticizing GDF for accepting a bid to the "Boise Bowl"

GLBT Dance Quotes

Since when does a dance promote anything?

-Rosemary Conway Beaupre

[Boston College] remains profoundly hostile to the idea that gay people are healthy and whole and valuable human beings ... For that reason, I will never donate even $1 of my wealth to the University.

-Jeff Byrne '89

[T]he people pushing the "BC is anti-gay" theme are unfamiliar with the Jesuits, an order that could not be described as being unfriendly to homosexuals. Perhaps the critics do not appreciate the challenges presented when a Catholic college that is liberal in bent and home to a significant population of barely-closeted gay priests chooses to buck the Vatican ... [C]ritics of the school on this front should appreciate that a certain subtlety is required of Jesuit administrators in walking the fine line they've chosen.

-Mark, BC Blog Commentor

I applaud the BC administration for its cancellation of this supremely un-Catholic event. I pray that the administration will continue to be similarly courageous in the future, and I ask St. Isaac Jogues to pray for them as they attempt to withstand the furious outcry which will no doubt be soon forthcoming from the usual suspects.

-Tony Schiavo '93

"The BC" Reviewed by The Bostonist

2005-12-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

"The BC," the hit parody series and toast of Chestnut Hill, was reviewed by The Bostonist today:

[The BC] is clearly one of the strongest web productions online to date. Bostonist actually likes this show even more then [sic] The OC since all the horrible plot has been cut out. The BC focuses on snappy writing and simple plot construction. The writing is extremely strong and the acting is also nothing to scoff at either.

Visit The BC's homepage, or check out the show's blog.

Alumni Newsmakers: December 13, 2005

2005-12-13T21:27:00.000-05:00

Citizens Bank New Hampshire has named Cathleen Schmidt '81 as its first female president and CEO. Schmidt will be one of only three female bank presidents within Citizens Financial Group, the eigth largest banking group in the United States.

Christine Griffin, J.D. '93, a paraplegic who has made a career of advocating for people with disabilities, is now a Commissioner at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Washington, D.C. As one of five commissioners, Griffin is responsible for guiding policy aimed at protecting people against workplace discrimination.

Chris Deering '66, President of Sony Europe, has been inducted into the ELSPA Hall of Fame in recognition of his service to Europe's computer and video games industry. The ELSPA Director said of Deering, "Few people can claim to have achieved the commercial success of this man ... Even fewer can claim to have done it with such humility and openness."

Robert J. Muldoon Jr., A.B. '60, M.A. '61, L.L.B. '65 was recently appointed Chairman of the Board of Bar Examiners by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.

Hockey Alum

Speculation continues that Brian Gionta will be selected to the United States Olympic team (here and here), which will be picked next Monday, December 19th. Meanwhile Gionta has "emerged as the offensive leader" on the NHL's New Jersey Devils this season; Gionta is only three goals away from his career mark of 21 set in the 2003-04 season. However, he has yet to replicate his January 2001 feat of scoring an incomprehensible five goals in one period of hockey.

Tony Voce scored for the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) in a 3-2 shootout win over the Hartford Wolfpack this past Sunday.

Patrick Eaves had a goal and an assist against the Avalanche while up with the NHL's Ottawa Senators, and now has 4 points in 7 NHL games played this season.

After being sent down to the Bruins AHL affiliate for a few games, Andrew Alberts' return to the B's is chronicled in the New England Hockey Journal.

UPDATE: Ryan Muphy penned an article about his rookie season with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs.

Update on GLBT Dance Cancellation

2005-12-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

Today's Boston Globe reports that Boston College administrators hope to work out a compromise with BC's Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgendered Leadership Council after the University prevented the group from holding an AIDS benefit dance last week.

The decision to effectively cancel the event, which was originally titled "The GLC Diversity Ball: A Night in Gay Paris," caught the attention of many in the media, leading to a week of bad press for the University. Read coverage from the Boston Phoenix. The Heights also received a flurry of Letters to the Editor.

The story has also been widely covered in the blogosphere. "Good as You" offers alternative, less-gay sounding event titles, such as "A Fully Clothed Afternoon Spent Watching Sports in Gay Paris," and "A Night in Paris Hilton To Prove I'm Not Gay." The move even rallied a group of Boston College alums to start their own blog, BC Alum Aflame.

Meanwhile, 300 Boston College students gathered in the Dustbowl (the main campus green) on Friday afternoon to both protest the administration's discrimination and rally together in support of equal rights for members of the GLBT community. The students gathered despite five inches of snow in a support of solidarity reminiscent of April's Rally for Equality, during which 1,500 members of the BC community marched for inclusion of sexual orientation in the University's non-discrimination clause.

According to The Heights, supporters have also donated to the Boston Living Center (website), an HIV/AIDS community and resource center, which was the original planned beneficiary of the cancelled dance.

UPDATE: According to a recent report from 365Gay.com, Boston College administrators have cited (1) an impending billion dollar fundraising drive in which BC plans to seek the support of "older, more conservative alumni," and (2) the upcoming merger with the Weston School of Theology which will require Vatican approval, as reasons for the event's cancellation.

Boston College Athletics Shorts: December 11, 2005

2005-12-11T10:55:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for bearing with the BC Blog's attenuated posting schedule. The blog will fully return in mid-to-late December.

Men's Basketball

Today's 8:00pm matchup at Maryland is Boston College's first conference game since joining the ACC. The contest will air tonight on NESN as well as on the MSG network.

One interesting story angle is the reunion of former BCers on the Maryland sideline: Terps head coach Gary Williams was a coach at BC while Terps assistant coach Michael Adams was a player for the Eagles. Adams, a prolific three-point sniper during his NBA career, ranks eighth on BC's all-time scoring list and had his No. 23 jersey retired by the Eagles in 1999.

The game will also be a homecoming of sorts for senior point guard Louis Hinnant, who hails from Oxon Hill, MD and played with several Terps during his pre-college days.

Football

Mathias Kiwanuka has been awarded the 67th annual George "Bulger" Lowe Award. The Bulger award is America's oldest college football honor (except for the Heisman Trophy), and recognizes the best Division I-A players in New England. Kiwi is also a finalist for the Hendricks Award, annually awarded to the best defensive end in the nation.

Alums

Former Quarterback Brian St. Pierre was activated by the Baltimore Ravens last week. Back in October, St. Pierre decided to stay with the Ravens' practice squad instead of sign and play for a full-time spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers, citing his belief that his NFL future was in Baltimore.

Boston College in Blogs

2005-12-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

BC popped up two particularly noteworthy times in blogs this week. First, the bad news.

1. No semester at Boston College would be complete without the administration discriminating against the GLBT community. BC was called out by the MetroWeekly when the University cancelled an AIDS benefit dance designed to be a safe zone event for GLBT students. Spokesman Jack Dunn defended the move by stating that BC was simply doing "what all 238 Catholic universities in the United States would do." He went on to state BC's new motto: Ever to Follow.

According to Dunn, "as a Catholic university, we cannot sanction an event that promotes a lifestyle that is in conflict with church teaching." This argument was made plausible when Dunn noted that unwilling bystanders were to be forced into sex acts with members of the same gender.

Mr Dunn, you should really stick to ragging on Auditi Guha.

2. The "Double-A Zone," a blog that gives "an inside look at NCAA issues" has held up Boston College as an example of a school that is both "big-time" when it comes to athletics, yet remains committed to the proposition "academics first, sports second.” The blogger, a former employee of the BC Athletics Department, made his case:

While winning is certainly important to the athletics administrators, alumni, fans and other groups associated with the Boston College community, it most certainly isn’t everything.

The football team, which has been ranked in the top 25 for the better part of two years, consistently graduates close to 100 percent of its players. In 2004, the team received the AFCA Academic Achievement Award for its overall excellence in the classroom.

Last October, I was fortunate enough to travel with the football team to Notre Dame. On Friday afternoon, we waited for the players to trickle down from their last classes of the week before departing for the airport at 3 p.m. We arrived in South Bend in time for dinner and pulled out a last-minute victory on Saturday afternoon. We then got on the plane and came back home.

Missing a class is a rare occurrence for a Boston College football player, even on the day before playing Notre Dame.

Most mornings, as I walked up to my office in Conte Forum between 8:30 and 9, I saw student-athletes leaving morning workouts in the weight room with their backpacks strapped to their shoulders, on their way to a full day of classes.

A couple of weeks ago, I was on the phone with a junior linebacker on the BC football team. He redshirted his first year on campus, and has one year of eligibility remaining after this fall. I asked him how school was, and he informed me that he was to receive his undergraduate degree this January, in just three-and-a-half years. He is going to pursue his MBA for the next year-and-a-half.

If that’s not a “big-time” effort, I’m not sure what is.

I was pleased to discover Double-A Zone, it's a great blog, even aside from all the nice Boston College in Quotes fodder.

UPDATE: More backpatting from today's Boston Herald.

It's Official: Boston College to Play in the MPC Computers Bowl

2005-12-04T18:09:00.000-05:00

After several weeks of bowl speculation, the games were finally played, and Boston College has reportedly accepted an invitation to play in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, ID.

BC will square off against the WAC's 9-3 Boise State on December 28, 2005 at 4:30pm.

The news was first reported by The News Observer (NC), and has has been confirmed by ESPN.com.

Visit the official MPC Computers Bowl website here.

Join the debate over BC's invite to the MPC Computers Bowl on the BC Blog.

Boston College: In Quotes XIII

2005-12-04T06:28:00.000-05:00

Pretty soon I'm going to have to Google "Roman Numerals." Old quotes here.

Recently I’ve learned about how Boston College is a Jesuit education, how kids go there so that they can use their education to help people. Now there’s a practical application. I wish someone had told me that, "You’re going to get this $128,000 education so that you can learn the tools you need in order to help people."

-Blogger Korean Adoptee Bride

The Money gods really do rule sports. Even the Jesuits kneel to their demands.

-Globe columnist Joan Vennochi questioning the values of Boston College

Shit, Gene, I even got kicked out of the WF game for openly drinking in the stands, but I came back (by borrowing a friend's ticket) because I love the team and I'll support BC until I die.

-Eagle Action poster "Alex Fowler"

[T]here are an especially large number of networking opportunities at BC because BC alumni are "extraordinarily loyal," which encourages alumni to help each other in their job search processes.

-Marie Geary, associate director of Career Services at BC, as quoted in Boston University's Daily Free Press

It's the greatest thing that's ever happened.

-Outland Trophy winner Mike Ruth, ostensibly on BC's entrance into the ACC. Easy there, Mr. Ruth.

My favorite sign from the college football season this year came from Gameday's visit to Boston College for the BC/FSU game: "Bowden likes Coldplay" Pure Genius.

-Blogger Rob

Wine and cheesers from schools like BC or UVA might laugh at these collar-down types, but at least shops and restaurants can trace their dollars back to Blacksburg (or Tallahassee or Clemson, etc.).

-The Eagle in Atlanta, on the spending habits and bowl-travel reputations of other ACC schools

Quickly reality slaps them in the face like a pimp slapping his hooker on the sidewalk in front of Warren Towers. And then it sinks in for the fans that couldn't get into Boston College. BU sits at 4-5-1 overall through a fairly easy schedule (RPI, Lowell x 2, UMass Amherst), with the reaper coming ... Remember, you can't spell B-U-S-T without "B-U."

-Pinhead Nation, in anticipation of the upcoming home-and-away battle between BC and rival BU. The teams split the games.

Alumni Newsmakers: December 2, 2005

2005-12-02T11:33:00.000-05:00

Double Eagle and Stamford (CT) Mayor Dannel Malloy '77, JD '80, is one of two gubernatorial candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to run for Governor of Connecticut. The Norwich Bulletin has a nice feature on Mayor Malloy, including a discussion of the learning disorder that makes writing difficult for him. Malloy has overcome this and achieved great success in his career, serving as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y. and recently winning a 3rd term as Stamford mayor.

Plymouth County (MA) District Attorney Timothy Cruz '81 was sworn in last week as president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys' Association, an independent state agency that supports the state's 11 DAs and their 700 prosecutors.

Henry Gomez '85 has been named general manager of Skype North America, a new division of the Luxembourg-based Voice over IP service provider and eBay subsidiary. Gomez will report to Skype CEO Niklas Zennstrom and is responsible for all strategy and business in North America.

Professional Philosophy Henrick Syse '91 was recently hired to serve as in-house ethicist for the Norwegian government's Petroleum Fund, one of the world's largest pools of investment capital. Syse advises on how the world's third-biggest oil exporter can best match profit and principle, with the goal of using the Petroleum Fund's investments to get companies to behave more ethically.

Luz Barrientos '01 is profiled by the MetroWest Daily. Barrientos, a Guatemalan immigrant who is now the only Hispanic teacher at Wellesley High School, is held up as an example of how "immigrants can achieve their dreams if they learn the language of their new homeland and, more important, if they believe in themselves."

Danvers High School basketball coach Jeff Shmase '85 has started his own business as an educational consultant with a focus on college admissions, standardized test preparation and college essay assistance.

Sports Alum Update

Today's New York Post has an article about Brian Gionta being targeted by the NHL's "dinosaur defensemen" who are increasingly trying to "rough up and intimidate the Devils' major scoring weapon."

Matt Hasselbeck recently participated in the J.C. Penney Afterschool Program at Shelton View Elementary School (WA), where he talked about the value of education and extracurricular activities.

The Oakland Raiders claimed former BC star cornerback Lenny Walls off waivers from the Denver Broncos on Tuesday.

Globe Criticizes BC Basketball Ticket Sales

2005-12-01T10:32:00.000-05:00

Boston Globe writer Joan Vennochi, Boston University '75, has published a scathing criticism of Boston College's decision to make available tickets for the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament only to those who have made a $10,000 dontation to the Flynn Fund (BC Athletics).

According to BC Athletics Director Gene DeFilippo, BC Athletics "has done everything we can to hold the line and do what we think is right and fair. The majority of our fans demanded that we be competitive at the highest level. If we are going to compete at the highest level, there's a price for that." DeFilippo went on to note other, more daunting, donor-based ticket policies at Boston College's peer institutions.

Vennochi argues that such a policy subverts the stated Catholic and Jesuit mission and goals of BC. Venochi quips that the Jesuits now "kneel" to the demands of "the money Gods," and goes on to state:

The BC athletic [sic] department now also prepares students for another life lesson. Value is measured in dollars donated, not by devotion to team over time ... But is [that] the best lesson an institution like BC can teach?

The writer fails to realize the simple principle of supply and demand. Tickets to the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament are highly coveted, and BC, by virtue of it having only been in the conference for one season, does not yet receive a ticket allotment commensurate to those of other ACC schools. Thus, the tickets that BC does receive are even more valuable in the eyes of fans who demand BC be competitive at the highest level.

BC could link the policy to season-ticket holding longevity, but this policy will allow to school to fund scholarships and other important initiatives, and is a more effective means of keeping the tickets off eBay.

As far as the "lesson" this teaches, Boston College has made the choice to have big-time Athletics with the reasoning that it will directly or indirectly help the university fulfill its noble goals - which it arguably has. Although it is controversial, consider the Flutie Factor. You may call Boston College a sell-out, or call it misguided, but at least you can't call it Holy Cross.

BC Football Legend Jack Concannon Dies at Age 62

2005-11-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

John J. "Jack" Concannon, Jr., a BC football standout in the early 1960s and former NFL quarterback, passed away on Monday. More from BC Athletics.

Concannon was a quarterback at Boston College from 1961 to 1963 and also played baseball and basketball for BC. Among his honors are the Scanlan Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a BC football player, the George "Bulger" Lowe Award, presented by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston to the outstanding player in New England, and his 1973 induction to BC's Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

After being selected first by the Patriots in the 1964 AFL draft, Concannon had a 10-year NFL career, playing for the Eagles, Bears, Packers, and Lions.

Bob Ryan has a nice piece on Concannon. Ryan recalls Concannon's famed "Serpentine Run" and reminds us that:

He was the BC Flutie before Flutie, the standard against which all post-1963 Boston College quarterbacks were to be judged.

Boston College: In Quotes XII

2005-11-29T18:24:00.000-05:00

Here's another batch of BC quotes. Read the previous eleven here.

[Boston College] stands at a pivotal point in its history and is ready for change, with all the stresses that involves...And when I looked at the trajectory—at how far BC had come in a relatively short period of time—I was intrigued.

-Dr. Cutberto Garza, newly appointed Academic Vice President, on what attracted him to BC

It's nice that the ACC could have 8-9 teams in bowls, but I don't like this emerging perception of BC as a northern red-headed stepchild of the ACC.

-Eagle Action poster "BCDoubleEagle"

I definitely would like to go up there and smack them.

-UConn tight end Dan Murray, on Boston College

[W]e don't have the kind of corporate leadership in Boston for Boston University that the Irish have at Boston College. There's no question about that. BC has a great board and a great chairman. If we had Jack Connors as the chairman of Boston University, it would be an entirely different thing.

-Boston University Chancellor Emeritus John Silber

For years, Skinner has called phantom fouls, swung his elbows and shown questionable fashion tastes (shorts pulled over jogging pants).

-Times writer Pete Thamel, on coach Al Skinner's pickup games with BC faculty

Who was down on Boston College in the preseason? Nobody ... but me. Oops.

-Gregg Doyel, CBS Sportsline.com Senior Writer, admitting BC basketball is a Top 10 team

And finally, well, you really just have to go read this blog post by BC student blogger Cafe Leone on the sights and sounds (and "tastes") of the BC library system...

Bowl Projection Roundup

2005-11-29T11:59:00.000-05:00

This is really just for fun - a roundup of where the major (and some not-so-major) news outlets are projecting Boston College to play. The truth is, nobody has any idea of where BC will end up (even though the "experts" below seem to leave only 2 options). There is merit to arguing that Boston College will end up in just about any one of the possible ACC bowls this year.

The Boise Statesman reports that a "deal to place Boston College in the Gator Bowl" fell through, and says bluntly that if "the ACC can't get the Gator or Peach bowls to take the Eagles, they're coming to [the MPC Computers Bowl in] Boise."

The Globe has hope for the Peach Bowl, and for some reason thinks that it's possible for us to play in the Emerald Bowl.

According to AD Gene DeFilippo:

'There are so many factors involved. It's not just one side, it's how the other side of the game works out. So all we can do now is wait and see what kind of deals are worked out.

And now for the projections...

CBS Sportsline (11/28)
Peach Bowl, vs. Georgia

*USA Today (11/29)
Champs Sports Bowl, vs. Colorado

College Football News (11/28)
MPC Computers Bowl, vs. Boise State

ESPN - Ivan Maisel (11/28)
Peach Bowl, vs. Georgia

ESPN - Pat Forde (11/28)
MPC Computers Bowl, vs. Boise State

Sports Illustrated - Stewart Mandel (11/28)
MPC Computers Bowl, vs. Boise State

Atlanta Journal-Constitution (11/27)
MPC Computers Bowl, vs. Boise State

Minneapolis Star Tribune (11/27)
Peach Bowl, vs. Georgia

Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (11/28)
MPC Computers Bowl, vs. Boise State

Final score - Boise 5, Atlanta 3. Send along any projections I've missed.

* Updated

Boston College Hockey: November 29, 2005

2005-11-29T11:15:00.000-05:00

Present

BC is now #6 in both the USCHO.com and USA Today polls.

After scoring his first two collegiate goals during a 3-0 shutout of Merrimack, freshman defenseman Tim Filangieri was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week.

The Eagles face off against mail-order degree Boston University this Friday night at 8 pm. The game will be televised nationally on CSTV's "Friday Night Hockey." Love it. There's also a nice BU quote forthcoming in Boston College In Quotes: XII - watch for it.

Past

The NHL's Anaheim Mighty Ducks have signed center Ryan Shannon to an NHL contract. Shannon, currently with AHL affiliate Portland, will continue to skate in the AHL for the time being.

Shannon is second on the Pirates in goals and third on the team in points and was named AHL Rookie of the Month for October. Respect to Eagle Action poster "pinhead #2" for calling out the Duck's PR department's horrific use of the dreaded "Golden Eagles." Get it right.

Patrick Eaves was recently recalled to the Ottawa Senators for the 4th time this season. The local media is loving Pat; according to The Ottawa Sun, "Eaves keeps getting the job done."

The AHL's Springfield Falcons announced today that they have signed Dave Spina to an AHL contract. Spina was called up to the Falcons from the ECHL on Nov. 16, and has scored a goal in four straight games for Springfield.

Brian Gionta has scored in four consecutive games for the Devils, and is seventh in the NHL with 15 goals.

Track & Field Legend Harold Connolly '53 to be Honored

2005-11-28T22:27:00.000-05:00

A statue of National Track & Field Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist Harold Connolly '53 will be installed next month at his hometown highschool in Brighton, MA, reports runnersweb.com.

Connolly won the gold medal for the United States in the hammer throw at the 1956 Olympics and represented the U.S. in three subsequent Olympic Games.

According to one bio, Connolly's left arm was slightly withered at birth and he broke it several times playing football and wrestling, so he took up the hammer throw as a student at Boston College to strengthen it.

Considered one of the greatest hammer throwers ever, Connolly broke the world record seven times and won 12 national titles.

Connoly was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1984. After retiring from the game, Connolly became a manager of Special Olympics International, and started hammerthrow.org to promote the sport.

Boston College Model UN Takes Top Prize at DC Conference

2005-11-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

Boston College Model United Nations won the Outstanding Delegation Award at the Invitational Model United Nations Conference held in Washington, DC last week.

Acting as the United Kingdom delegation, BC was represented by seniors Mark Irvine, Lauren Johns, Evan Joye and John Powell, and was advised by Political Science Professor David Deese.

Boston College won the award despite sending a relatively small group of only four students who served on only two of the three committees.

Story via BCInfo. Visit Boston College Model United Nations on the web here.

Five Eagles Make All-ACC Team

2005-11-28T18:32:00.000-05:00

Several Eagles have been named to the 2005 football All-ACC Team. Defensive lineman Mathias Kiwanuka led voting for the first-team defense with 142 points, and was named Defensive Player of the Year.

On the second team for the Eagles are:

Senior C Pat Ross
Senior WR Will Blackmon (also received special mention for special teams)

Senior T Jeremy Trueblood

Junior G Josh Beekman

Sophomore DB Jamie Silva also received an honorable mention. The complete list is available in PDF here.

The Hasselbecks Take the NFL

2005-11-28T11:28:00.000-05:00

The Hasselbeck brothers, both former starting Quarterbacks for Boston College, were featured in the media in anticipation of a meeting between their NFL teams, the Giants and Seahawks. The New York Times has a piece about the football family, while the AP carried a story about Matt's experience at BC.

Pro Bowler Matt, the elder, ended up at Boston College because he "was a little bit afraid to say no to" then-BC head coach Tom Coughlin. According to Tim, he "pretty much went to Boston College because [Matt] was there."

The duo jokes about being "the poor man's Mannings," which is ironic because fathers Don Hasselbeck and Archie Manning were once teammates on the Minnesota Vikings. Tim points out an additional identity crisis:

We always had 'Son of Don' as a middle name. First it was 'Matthew, Son of Don.' Then it was 'Tim, Son of Don, Brother of Matthew.' Now it's 'Tim, Son of Don, Brother of a Matthew, Husband of Elisabeth.'

Men's Basketball Picked by Times to Win National Championship

2005-11-27T13:01:00.000-05:00

The New York Times has predicted that the Boston College Men's Basketball will win this year's NCAA National Championship.

The team is coming off a big victory over Oklahoma State to capture the Las Vegas Invitational title. In both the semifinal and final games of the tournament, Jared Dudley led the Eagles out of early deficits and Freshman guard Tyrese Rice was second in scoring for BC.

The Eagles - who started 20-0 last season - are off to another undefeated start and stand at 5-0. They take on Sacred Heart at home on December 3rd and then finish off their non-conference schedule against Michigan State in the Jimmy V. Classic at Madison Square Garden on 12/6.

Alumni Newsmakers: November 25, 2005

2005-11-25T15:17:00.000-05:00

Raj Peter Bhakta '98, best known for his antics on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice," will be looking into his chances of earning the Republican Party nomination to run for the United States Congress for Pennsylvania’s 13th District.

Dennis Culhane, Ph.D. '90, has been named one of Esquire magazine's 30 "Best and Brightest" for 2005 for his pioneering research on homelessness in America. After earning his doctorate from BC, Culhane landed a job teaching social welfare policy at the University of Pennsylvania, where his work has shown that permanent supported housing for the chronically homeless is only marginally more costly than homeless shelters.

The Border Film Project, which seeks to capture the perspective of both immigrants coming to the United States and minuteman at the border attempting to stop them, is run by Boston College grads Brett Huneycutt '03 and Victoria Criado '03 and recently appeared on VivirLatino. The project was recently profiled in the Phoenix New Times.

Boston College Athletics: November 25, 2005

2005-11-25T14:01:00.000-05:00

Sports Rumors

Senior Defensive End Mathias Kiwanuka's No. 94 jersey is slated to be retired by the Eagles, reports Athlon Sports.

According to StateFans Nation, an NC State fan site:

Word spread yesterday and last night that [it] was clear that the ACC office has exercised its muscle and told the Champs Bowl that they need to take Boston College over the obviously preferred Clemson Tigers (who would have sold significantly more tickets in Orlando).

I wouldn't book your Disney package just yet, though.

In related news, Boston College was listed as #5 on a list devised by the Orlando Sentinel (FL) of "Schools that look good on TV but whose fans don't buy many tickets."

The Flutie Factor

CBS Sports has named Doug Flutie one of the Ten Greatest College Quarterbacks of all time.

Meanwhile, Doug's nephew, Billy Flutie, finished up his high-school career at Natick High this week. BC-bound Billy played his final game while wearing black NFL gloves given to him by his uncle Doug.

Hockey Alumni

After making six straight starts for the Devils while Martin Brodeur recovered from a sprained right knee, former Eagle Scott Clemmensen has returned to his role as backup goaltender. But look for coach Larry Robinson to start Clemmensen tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Dave Spina is making the most of his second opportunity to play in the American Hockey League. Spina, a standout forward during his four years at BC, scored the game-winning goal in the Springfield Falcons' 4-3 victory over the Lowell Lock Monsters Wednesday.

Boston College: In Quotes XI

2005-11-22T14:22:00.000-05:00

The Eagle in Atlanta has forced my hand on the latest BC quotes. Sorry in advance for all the football/bowl quotes, but it's that time of year. Read previous quotes here.

If they're available, we'll be all over that.

-MPC Computers Bowl (in Boise, ID) executive director Gary Beck, on Boston College

We need help to avoid a Blue Turf Christmas.

-The Eagle in Atlanta

Boston College will be playing a random ass team like Lousiville or Arizona St. in their bowl game, and will lose that because this school's football history and prestige consists of one pass.

-BC Student Blogger "Casalanca"

Element-proof North Face jackets dominate the campus, and the Plex is littered with indestructible Nalgene bottles- but in all honesty, the only elements the North Face's are conquering are splashed Busch Lights on the 1914 dancefloor, and the only extreme usage Nalgene bottles get is by booze-smuggling Eagles fans in the Alumni Stadium student section.

-The Gongers

Living in the Mods as a senior is the best thing about BC. My roommates and I call it our white trash paradise.

-Jen, Barstool Sports model

Not a bad season, huh, 8-3? For a team that a lot my friends in the Big East said couldn’t play in this league.

-Gene DeFilippo

Boston College Athletics: November 21, 2005

2005-11-21T14:01:00.000-05:00

Football

Boston College defeated Maryland 31-16 to finish the regular season with an overall record of 8-3. The defensive unit scored two touchdowns and the Eagles were able to overcome several potentially costly turnovers to handily defeat the Terrapins.

A special personal thanks goes out to the overwhelmingly hospitable Maryland fans who welcomed me to ACC tailgating with something missing from Shea Field (quality pulled pork sandwiches), and, thankfully, something all too common on Shea (Busch Light).

Unfortunately, a huge upset of 3rd-ranked Miami by Georgia Tech has thrown BC's already unpredictable bowl game picture completely up in the air. The Eagles will most likely end up in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, or in one of the non-ACC-affiliated bowls - but don't take my word for it.

Doug Flutie's famed "Hail Mary" will be the basis for an upcoming Wheaties commercial that will feature a re-creation of the play by regular guys playing a game of pickup football. The broadcast call from the game will serve as the commercial's soundtrack.

As November 23 marks the anniversary of the pass, ESPN Classic will be showing the game this Wednesday at 1pm.

Men's Hockey

Senior Chris Collins tallied two breakway goals Saturday night to lift the Eagles past the Huskies of Northeastern University by a score of 5-3. Special teams have become a huge concern for the Eagles; BC has allowed three power-play goals in back-to-back games. UPDATE: Collins was awarded Hockey East Player of the Week.

Former Eagle captain Brian Gionta is hoping to land a spot on Team USA for the 2006 Olympic games. Gionta has certainly made a case for himself in the NHL this year by finding the scoring touch he had at BC, that was perhaps best exemplified when he embarrassed rival Maine by scoring 5 goals on 5 shots in one period of hockey; through 20 games, no American-born NHL player has more goals than Gionta.

Tickets for this year's Beanpot are now on sale.

Men's Basketball

The men's basketball team is off to a predictably fast start with two blowout victories over Dartmouth and Shawnee State.

Tickets are still available at ticketmaster.com for the 11th Annual Jimmy V Basketball Classic, where BC will take on Michigan State December 6 at Madison Square Garden. See the BC Blog's previous coverage of this charity event.

UPDATE: The team is now #10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Other Sports

Women's soccer fell to 8th ranked Santa Clara in the third round of the NCAA tournament.

Jack Connors to Step Down as Chairman of Hill, Holliday

2005-11-21T13:43:00.000-05:00

Boston area civic leader Jack Connors Jr. '63 and former head of the Boston College trustees is retiring from his position as chairman of Hill Holliday Connors Cosmopulos, the Interpublic Group company that he co-founded in 1968.

Connors recently made headlines when he was selected by Boston Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley to help revitalize parochial education throughout the Archdiocese. Connors also donated $10 million to BC this year to establish The Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center.

Coverage from The Boston Herald.

This Weekend: November 19-20

2005-11-18T05:32:00.000-05:00

Once again, the Boston College Blog will be traveling on account of BC football. In the meantime...

Big Weekend of Sports

Men's Basketball opens the much-anticipated inaugral ACC season when they host Dartmouth on Friday. Get up-to-speed on the team by reading the Eagle in Atlanta's player profiles, or the most recent hype from the Boston Herald.

Women's Soccer will be taking on the Santa Clara Broncos in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Game time is 4:30 EST on Saturday.

The Women's Cross Country team will represent BC in the NCAA Championship on Monday in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Notable Sports Articles

There's a nice piece in the Globe about Will Blackmon's switch from CB to WR this season.

Former Boston College goaltender Scott Clemmensen, who led BC to the National Championship in 2001, is featured in the Des Moines Register. It's really worth the read. The 2001 team also won every tournament and trophy they could have that season (pictured).

Mike Ruth, former defensive end and winner of the 1985 Outland Trophy, was named to the first-ever "ACC Football Legends Class."

Fun Stuff

For the gentlemen of Boston College: Meet Kristen (scroll down on the link). Oh, you're welcome.

However, Barstool Sports hasn't always been as kind to Superfans...

The Eagles Deli was on the Bostonist this week. The Bostonist had it wrong when they reported Sean Reilly (of "Reilly Burger" fame) was a BC student (he was a Terrier).

Boston College is now #16 on Sports Illustrated's "All-Sports Rankings." Not too bad for a mid-sized, private, and academically elite Jesuit university from the northeast.

Remember this?:

And finally, How to be a Notre Dame Fan - by the pure genius that is Patrick of bceaglesfootball.com.

Councilor Murphy Seeks to Put Financial Squeeze on BC, Other Area Schools

2005-11-18T04:54:00.000-05:00

Bloomberg is reporting the scheme recently proffered by Boston City Councilor Stephen Murphy that calls for Boston-area schools to pay $100 per student each semester from their respective endowments to the city in order to "defray the cost of police patrols near campuses, firemen deployed for false alarms, and medical crews responding to emergencies such as alcohol poisoning." BU's Daily Free Press reported on his proposal in October.

Murphy, Stonehill College '79, has been accused of having a "a clearly visible anti-student attitude, which is demonstrated through various unreasonable proposals targeting students that he has continually been pushing for during almost all of his eight years as councilor."

BC spokesman Jack Dunn noted that Boston College pays $242,000 to the city and $117,500 to Newton annually because Boston College. According to Dunn, the major Boston-area universities contribute more than $8 billion to the city economy when the time spent by their students is included.

"It is important to factor in the volunteer contribution and the payment in lieu of taxes in fully measuring the impact the colleges and universities have on the city and the region," said Dunn.

See previous BC Blog coverage for examples of Boston College's community involvement.

CSOM Establishes Center for Leadership and Ethics

2005-11-16T14:43:00.000-05:00

Boston College has announced the establishment of The Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics in its Carroll School of Management, an initiative aimed at connecting students, faculty and executives with leading practitioners in ethical leadership.

The Winston Center will:

Bring distinguished leaders from business and other fields to Boston college for a lecture and colloquia series;
Establish private training sessions for top executives; and
Support faculty research programs, seminars and curricular innovations in the study of business ethics.

The Center has been endowed with a gift from Robert L. Winston '60, a retired senior vice president of American Fund Distributors. Said Winston:

We see our new efforts as a logical extension of our university's educational mission to equip future leaders with knowledge of effective leadership actions while always considering the ethical implications of such actions.

Men's Ice Hockey: November 16, 2005

2005-11-16T12:03:00.000-05:00

Boston College's home winning streak against Harvard, which had extended back to the late 1970s, was finally snapped by the Crimson. Sparked by a power play score by freshman phenom Nathan Gerbe, the Eagles battled back from a 4-0 deficit to come within one goal with minutes remaining, but an empty-netter sealed the Eagles' fate last night at Kelley Rink.

Gerbe recently earned Hockey East's Rookie of the Week honors after scoring both BC goals in a 2-1 win at Vermont on Sunday. Through seven games, the star from Oxford, Michigan ranks second on the team in goals and third in points.

The Eagles will look to rebound (and avenge a frustrating early season tie) against Northeastern this Saturday, Nov. 19. The game will be televised by CN8, which is great news for Eagles fans across the country because a live video feed of the game will be available here.

Alumni Notes

Former Boston College star Ryan Murphy recently scored his first professional goal for the AHL's Manchester Monarchs.

The Springfield Falcons have signed winger David Spina, another member of the Class of 2005 Eagles. Spina was previously with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays, where he was second among league rookies with seven goals.

There's also a nice feature on Brian Gionta, who once scored an abusurd five goals in a single period of hockey. This recent article takes the unique and news-breaking angle that Gionta is short, but still dominates the sport. As Devils center Scott Gomez said, Gionta "is a little guy who plays like a big guy."

NC State Coach Accuses BC of Tampering With Field

2005-11-16T11:10:00.000-05:00

N.C. State head coach Chuck Amato is complaining that his team lost to Boston College this past weekend in part to the fact that BC allegedly "watered the field down," thus causing his players to unfairly slip and slide.

Amato pointed to a number of times when his players forgot to put one foot in front of the other as evidence of a wet field, and wondered aloud if BC waters the FieldTurf at Alumni Stadium to make it look better on television.

Boston College athletics spokesman Chris Cameron assured that BC did nothing different for this game, noting that part of the field was watered for about five minutes during a Saturday morning, as per standard practice.

Cameron went on to say "I might point out that we played on the same field."

UPDATE: Unofficial N.C. State sources have looked into the matter and confirmed that BC did nothing out of the ordinary.

Boston College: In Quotes X

2005-11-15T01:23:00.000-05:00

It's been a slow news week, and a slow quotes week. Here are the highlights:

No. 94 [Kiwanuka] was freaking unbelievable.

-Wolfpack center Leroy Harris on Mathias Kiwanuka

We know prospective AHANA students want to 'see' diversity on college campuses, not just hear statistics, and I think the diversity is visible on a daily basis here.

-Undergraduate Admission Director John L. Mahoney

The Tobacco Roadies really don't care that Virginia Tech and Miami have shanghaied the football side of the league - it's only football. But watch them get their Izods in a wad if Boston College walks in and finishes second.

-Pat Forde, ESPN.com

Hockey. I'm telling you, that's all we cared about. And how much Boston College sucked at everything.

-Blogger and former BU student Cara McDonough

That Hoveyda's laboratories are at Boston College makes an enormous positive difference to the reputation of Boston College as an international center of scholarly research in organic chemistry.

-Professor David McFadden, chairman of the Chemistry Department, on Vanderslice Millennium Professor of Chemistry Amir Hoveyda

A longtime Boston College season-ticket holder said the school has doubled the cost of his tickets ... His plan to recoup some of it: He'll sell his seats for the Duke game.

-Mike Jensen, Inquirer (PA) staff writer

Let's see if we have this straight: Notre Dame ... decided to end its series with Boston College. Notre Dame has lost four straight to Boston College. All a coincidence, right?

-www.theday.com

One thing I don't like about Boston College, if I may rant for a bit, is the Core Curriculum. See, I came here not knowing what I wanted to major in or grow up to be. I still don't know. That said, I had a pretty definitive idea of what I wanted no part of in my adult life ... I know [the core] might be a cool thing, Jesuits, but it's annoying as all hell.

-Student Blogger Casalanca

Boston College Sports: November 14, 2005

2005-11-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a weekend for Boston College Athletics; here are some of the highlights:

Rankings

Via www.bceagles.com, to the left is a chart with Boston College teams and their respective rankings.

Boston College football is #23 in all of the major rankings (AP, Coaches, Harris) after this weekend's victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

The men's ice hockey team should move up this week in light of a victory at Vermont on Sunday.

Football

BC defeated N.C. State 30-10 this past Saturday night. For a thorough post-game analysis, please go to the Eagle in Atlanta. Some small post-game notes:

Senior DE Mathias Kiwankuka had a hand in 5 of BC's 8 sacks
L.V. Whitworth had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season
BC lost linebacker Brian Toal to a shoulder injury in the first half, but Toal should recover by next week's matchup at Maryland

The victory was, in many ways, bittersweet; it was the last home game for the 2005 Seniors, and came in the wake of an upset of Florida State, which would have opened the doors to an ACC Championshi game berth for the Eagles if only TOB had started Matt Ry-- I mean, if only the team had came back to beat UNC a week ago.

Boston College continues to get favorable coverage in the North Carolina press; this week it's a short story on Paul Criscione, the president of Boston College's Gridiron Club, in the The News Observer.

Men's Ice Hockey

Freshman phenom Nathan Gerbe - who continues to garner comparisons to Brian Gionta - lifted the Eagles to victory over eighth-ranked Vermont in the first ever matchup between BC and UVM as Hockey East members. Gerbe netted both goals in a 2-1 victory.

As for former Eagles in the pros: Andrew Alberts is going through the highs and lows of rookie life in the NHL; Krys Kolanos, whose overtime goal won the NCAA title for Boston College in 2001, was claimed off waivers by the Edmonton Oilers - and the locals are excited to have him; former Eagles captain Ryan Shannon is the AHL leader in game-winning goals and is profiled by the Hartford Courant; and there's a story noting the many former Eagles with the NHL's Penguins - including former BC star Ben Eaves who is with the "Baby Pens" and is finding success through injury as usual.

Women's Soccer

Boston College advanced to the Sweet 16 with a shutout of mail-order degree Boston University in the second round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. The 1-0 victory marked the Eagles' 13th shutout of the season, the most in school history. BC will face the fifth-ranked Santa Clara Broncos in the next round.

Men's Basketball

Junior Dudley registered 26 points and 19 rebounds and senior Craig Smith notched 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead 11th-ranked Boston College to a 102-62 exhibition victory over St. Michael's (VT).

Women's XC

The women's cross country team captured first place at the NCAA Northeast Region Championship, and will proceed to compete for a National Championship.

This Week's We're So Great Because We're in the ACC Article

This time with a focus on men's bball.

Flutie is Coming

Billy Flutie, who will be joining the Eagles next year, led Natick High to a 43-12 victory over Milton this weekend.

Flutie, who broke his right foot in August, stepped onto the field as quarterback for the first time this season and hooked up with his future Boston College teammate, Rashaude Goodwyn, for an 80-yard post and a touchdown on only his second play from scrimmage.

This Weekend

2005-11-10T17:47:00.000-05:00

The Boston College Blog will be traveling to attend this week's football game and should return early next week.

Fun Things

The Boston College Blogger Community has been updated with six new BC blogs.

Trivia: The 1938-40 Boston College squad is just one of 12 teams in the history of college football that has four or more of its players enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Hockey fans, this is cool. This is cooler.

One of the first known drawings of the Eagle mascot (from the Burns library):

The Game

Before this weekend's big game: Read up on the Eagles at bceaglesfootball.com.

During the game: Tune in on ESPN2.

After the game: Read post-game commentary by The Eagle in Atlanta.

Boston College In the News: November 10, 2005

2005-11-10T15:56:00.000-05:00

Sports

Boston College Senior DE Mathias Kiwanuka is one of five finalists for the 2005 Hendricks Award, given to the Defensive End of the Year. There is also a wonderful feature on Kiwi in the Technician.

The Charlotte Observer has a nice article welcoming BC basketball to the ACC entitled "An ACC Lesson for the League's New Guy." BC is now considered a "sweat-dripping, card-carrying member" of the new-look league. Apparently one particular ACC member still has bitter memories about being booted out of the NCAA Tournament by BC while a No. 1 seed in 1994 (take that, Tar Heels!).

Also, see ESPN's Andy Katz on Craig Smith. Katz's Daily Word also discusses Sean Williams, but is available to ESPN Insiders only.

BC Alumni

Amy Poehler '93, star of NBC's ''Saturday Night Live," will reportedly be honored with the Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement at the annual Boston College Arts Festival in April.

Saugus writer Tom Sheehan '56 has inked a deal with Press 53 of Winston-Salem, NC, who has agreed to publish a collection of 22 of Sheehan's short stories. Epic Cures is due out in early 2006.

Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College

Volunteers of America and The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College announced the release of a new publication, "Expanding the Boundaries of Corporate Volunteerism," that focuses on the aging Baby Boom generation and identifies trends in volunteerism pertaining to employee volunteer programs.

The Center for Corporate Citizenship also announced a new seminar entitled "Learn How to Make your Company's Volunteer Program a Strategic Investment" which will be offered in Miami this winter.

Increased AHANA Enrollment at BC Lauded

2005-11-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

Boston College is now a leading national university in terms of educational opportunities for AHANA students, according to a recent study assessing minority enrollment in American higher education. As compared to the US News & World Report Top 50 "National Universities," BC ranked high in several analyses:

Between 1992 and 2002, Boston College recorded the 10th biggest increase in AHANA enrollment.
In 2002, BC had the 9th largest Underrepresented Minority Equity Index – the ratio of a school's share of underrepresented minority students to that of its host state.

Undergraduate Admission Director John L. Mahoney responded:

Obviously, this kind of recognition from such a scholarly journal represents tremendous validation for Boston College's recruitment and enrollment of AHANA students over the past decade.

These accolades complement previous recognition of the Office of AHANA Student Programs at Boston College, including identification by the Educational Testing Service as a model retention program, and the Retention Excellence Award from the Noel Levitz National Center for Student Retention.

Boston College has much room for improvement in contunuing to provide opportunities for AHANA students, but this recent recognition is a positive sign for a school whose student body has been labelled "white Irish-Catholic beer-drinking clones.” With any hope, BC will soon be lampooned as, simply, a school of all "beer-drinking clones," period.

Boston College: In Quotes IX

2005-11-08T17:09:00.000-05:00

Go back and read previous quotes about Boston College. So what if you've already read them all. Read them again, they'll make you happy. Mostly.

Sometimes being a BC fan is like being Tantalus from Greek mythology.

-Superfan blogger Eagle in Atlanta

ACC traditionalists who wondered whether BC should be in their league soon may wonder if their schools can stay in BC's.

-Ned Barnett, The News Observer (NC)

Chestnut Hill, Mass ... Average [home] price: $811,525. For that much money and that little warmth, you should get a free reenactment of Flutie-to-Phelan in the backyard once a year.

-Pat Forde, ESPN.com

One thing about the Jesuits: It's like a family here.

-Tom O'Brien

One of the few things uniting my most conservative and liberal students at Boston College is their shared moral revulsion about torture. One of my students was so outraged that he dressed himself in a gown and black hood, attached wires to his arms and pelvis, and stood on a crate outside a Boston military recruitment station as a moral protest against the Administration’s actions at Abu Ghraib. He was promptly arrested as a potential terrorist.

-Professor Charles Derber

While we think it's good for BC to focus on academic research, it's important to make sure that the faculty doesn't lose sight of the fact that this is still primarily an undergraduate institution. Students enjoy that they're being taught by world-renowned professors who are performing and sharing their research with undergrads.

-The Heights Editorial Board

For people to be talking about Boston College in a town that also has the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots is quite an accomplishment. This has put a little more juice in our punch.

-Al Skinner

Boston College is the rare American university in that ... we have found a successful balance between academics and athletics.

-Jack Dunn

Boston College Sports: November 8, 2005

2005-11-08T09:58:00.000-05:00

It's been a relatively slow news week, here are some highlights:

Football

Matt Ryan will get the start at quarterback over Quinton Porter against N.C. State this Saturday. This is the last game home game of the season, and thus the final chance to cheer on our seniors - Blackmon, Brochu, Ricky Brown, Henderson, Lester, Chris Miller, Porter, Trueblood, Washington, Jazzmen Williams, and co-captains Kiwanuka and Ross.

The game is currently scheduled to air on ESPN2 and is set for a 7:15 pm kickoff (although I believe this is still subject to change).

Women's Soccer

The women's soccer team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament and will face Dartmouth in the first round on Thursday, Nov. 10 in Storrs, Conn. The Eagles enter their third-straight NCAA tournament with an 11-5-2 overall record. Last year, BC advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history.

Men's Basketball

The men's basketball team has entered the Associated Press Top 25 poll at #11.

The lengthy Blue Ribbon analysis of BC's 2005-2006 Basketball team has been posted over at ACCTalk.net.

UPDATE: Senior Craig Smith was named to the Associated Press first-team All America.

Women's Ice Hockey

The Eagles made history this weekend by defeating fifth-ranked New Hampshire for their first ever victory over the Wildcats in 35 tries. BC improved to 3-1-3 overall and 2-1-1 in the Hockey East.

Gratuitous Cheap-Shot at Boston University

Not that this has anything to do with sports, or is relevant to Boston College at all... but I could not help but snicker at this. Peruse the list of schools to get a sense of BU's peer institutions. I suppose 12/02/2005 just won't come soon enough for us BC hockey fans.

Alumni Newsmakers: November 7, 2005

2005-11-07T10:47:00.000-05:00

Cambridge (MA) mayor and Double Eagle Michael A. Sullivan (’82, JD '85) is seeking reelection to the City Council and was recently featured in The Harvard Crimson. Sullivan, now in his 12th year on the council, hails from a family once dubbed the “Kennedys of Cambridge."

Nassau (NY) County Executive Tom Suozzi, ’84, is gearing up for his reelection bid. Suozzi was both the youngest-ever mayor of Glen Cove (NY), and the youngest county executive in Nassau history. Perhaps most notably, the Democrat's election four years ago ended an historic and dominating reign by Nassau County Republicans. Though it is all but certain that Suozzi has his eyes on New York's governorship, he would need to challenge popular Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for the Democratic nomination.

Boston Private Financial Holdings, a leading wealth management firm, announced the election of John A. Straus '77 to the Company's Board of Directors. For the past five years, Straus has been the Head of JP Morgan U.S. Private Bank as a Managing Director.

Colin Gallagher '00 has been getting high marks for his work in the revitalization of Smyrna, GA. The young entrepreneur is leading the a $5 million “suburbal renewal” project.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moriarty ’83 was recently hired by intellectual property firm Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, P.C. Moriarty, who holds a degree from St. John's University School of Law, is one of the few registered patent attorneys who has also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and has received numerous awards and commendations from the FBI, DEA, NYPD and DOJ for his investigative and trial work.

Sports

The New England Patriots have signed free agent running back Mike Cloud, who finished his career as Boston College's all-time leading rusher (a record since been broken by Derrick Knight).

Boston Bruins blueliner Andrew Alberts contiues to gain recognition in his rookie season, this time from Bruins legend Ray Borque, who had the fortune of seeing Alberts play at BC while his son Chris was disappointing crowds at Boston University.

Jeff Giuliano, a favorite of the BC Athletics Department, speaks about his NHL debut. UPDATE: From the Union Leader.

The Early Returns Are Good on BC in the ACC

2005-11-05T18:44:00.000-05:00

On the day the football team was upset by the UNC Tar Heels, the News Observer (NC) had a nice feature on Boston College's entrance into the ACC. According to columnist Ned Barnett, the marriage has had early success in gaining fans - and ratings - in Boston.

The article discusses some of the questions surrounding the new 12-team ACC: what effect would the "gulf of geography, culture and religion" between BC and the original Southern conference members have? How well would BC's teams compete? And would Boston College really provide the ACC with a chunk of a Boston media market dominated by professional sports?

Although still in its infancy, the deal has been a success for all parties. Jim Rayburn, vice president of Jefferson Pilot Sports, noted that BC football is drawing "very strong audiences" in the Boston area. And, as Barnett put it:

ACC traditionalists who wondered whether BC should be in their league soon may wonder if their schools can stay in BC's.

Boston Globe columnist and BC alum Bob Ryan downplayed the interest generated by BC football, but admitted that the "aura and mystery and romanticism attached to [ACC basketball]" will impact BC's exposure.

For those who may have missed it, watch the video produced by the ACC welcoming Boston College into the league.

Boston College in the Community

2005-11-04T19:04:00.000-05:00

While the locals continue to grumble about neighborhood noise, Boston College students and administrators are positively impacting the Allston-Brighton community every day. For those interested in the most recent conflicts between BC and AB, review BC Blog coverage here.

Volunteers from Boston College helped out during the 10th annual Trick or Treat event sponsored by Brighton Main Streets and the Brighton Board of Trade. BCers helped neighborhood children and local businesses "celebrate a spooky evening" this past Halloween.

Community organizer Heather Knopsnyder of the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation has thanked the Boston College Appalachian Volunteers for their contribution during the third annual fall cleanup in Ringer Park. These BC students, along with several other local organizations, gathered on a cold, rainy day to clean the park.

The Appalachian Volunteers were just one of the many Boston College groups to be honored this past May as "Allston-Brighton Unsung Heroes." Said Executive Director of the Allston-Brighton Healthy Boston Coalition Judy Andler:

"Boston College student volunteers live and learn in our community thoughtfully and with respect ... As friends, mentors, dance partners with our seniors and basketball competitors with our youth, they make a difference in all of our lives."

From the latest AB-TAB Education Notes:

The Boston College Neighborhood Center offers free one-on-one tutoring services for Allston-Brighton children.

Boston College has extended the Read Aloud program to include three grades at the Brighton Catholic school, in addition to classes at the Garfield and Mary Lyon elementary schools. The program brings nearly 70 Boston College faculty and staff members into the local elementary schools for reading and discussion.

The Boston College Small Business Development Center continues to present workshops aimed at helping local entrepreneurs plan and develop their own businesses.

Boston College Sports: November 4, 2005

2005-11-04T10:24:00.000-05:00

No Holds Barred

Ken Florian, BC '99, is a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The 28-year old former soccer player is 5-2 and will face his biggest challenge tomorrow night (Spike TV, 9 p.m.) in a bout at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

BC Hockey Alum Roundup
(Thanks to udubeagle, a poster on the Eagle Action message board, for compiling some of the information below)

Andrew Alberts is featured in today's Boston Globe.

Jeff Guiliano, a member of the 2001 National Championship team and most remembered for his all-out, gutsy style of play, was called up to the NHL this week. More coverage here. He did not appear on the King's box score against Phoenix last night, but hopefully he will see some ice time soon.

Former Eagle Krys Kolanos did appear on the box score of the Kings-Coyotes game after he scored his 2nd goal of the year.

The Gionta/Clemmensen show continues. Gionta netted his sixth goal of the year in a tough loss to the Rangers last night; Gionta's remarkable concentration allowed him to swat a puck out of midair to light the lamp midway through the third period. It was almost as good as that time when Gionta ... oh, nevermind.

The play brought memories of "the bravest thing ever seen in hockey," when Ben Eaves, who had been crippled by leg cramps that had left him writhing in pain on the bench just moments before, returned to the ice in OT of an NCAA quarterfinal matchup against Michgan. Halfway through the OT period, Eaves swatted a rebounding puck out of mid-air for the game winner.

Chuck Kobasew had an assist with the Flames. Marty Reasoner also has an assist for the Oilers last night.

Football Roundup

The Herald discusses tomorrow's matchup against UNC.

Michael Vega of the Globe on the success of BC sophomore safety Jamie Silva.

William Troost, the BC kicker who has become a "wee bit more visible" after taking over kicking duties from struggling sophomore Ryan Ohliger, is featured in the Milford Daily News.

Lenny Walls, former Boston College defensive back, has expressed an interest in returning to Mass to join the New England Patriots. Walls will be released by the Denver Broncos after healing from a groin injury.

Update on "The BC"

2005-11-03T11:53:00.000-05:00

The BC, Boston College's hit TV series, has released a new commercial entitled "St. Ignatius Started the Fire," a parody of the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire." In my opinion it's their best offering yet. You can view it, along with other commercials and the full-length shows here.

For those unfamiliar with the show:

We welcome you to a story about a rough kid from Boston University who gets in trouble with the law causing his father to refuse paying college tuition. His only hope lies in a kindly Jesuit Priest who takes him in a whole new world at The BC. Viewed by colleges and communities around the country, we hope you get hooked, catch a glimpse of our beautiful amazing school, and make you never want to leave. (from www.the-bc.com)

A segment about the show is scheduled to appear on the local FOX affiliate's 5:00pm news this evening, and cast members are preparing for future appearances in the national news media.