Books: Venable Park News
Venable Park, November, 1922 (Photo / public domain)
As the primary contributor to FIELD and the author of Venable Park (and Baseball in Baltimore), I wanted to point out some updated news on the former. The book is out for review with Kirkus Reviews, a notoriously fickle group of book critics. That review should come back in late June, and given all its positive editorial reviews to date, my guess is VP will fare wll.
In conjunction with that pending review, the e-edition of Venable Park has dropped temporarily to $.99. No rocket science was involved with the change; the hope is that the lower price will compel readers to take a look and see what has the critics chirping.
Thanks – TF
FIELD Report: Navy Exits, Trio Advances
Loyola faces Denver and the long stare of coach Bill Tierney on Saturday (Photo / denverpioneers.com)
FIELD Report for Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Navy made a first round exit at the hands of Holy Cross despite solid pitching in both games of a Saturday doubleheader. Preston Gainey was outdueled 1-0 in the first game and the Crusaders won game two, 4-2, in 10.
The Mids finished the season at 23-29 while Holy Cross (32 – 20) advances to the Patriot League Championship Series against Army (39 -12). Army ace Chris Rowley improved to an NCAA-best 11-0 in helping the Black Knights past Lafayette (14-37-1) en route to the league final.
Three Maryland lacrosse teams advanced through the first round of the NCAA DI Lacrosse Tournament this past weekend. Loyola (15-1), Maryland (10-5), and Johns Hopkins (12-3) all emerged triumphant with wins over Canisius, Lehigh, and Stony Brook, respectively. The Terps were the most heavily challenged, winning with just six seconds left when senior Joe Cummings buried a shot past Lehigh goalie Matthew Poillon for the 10-9 victory. Lehigh was 14-2 coming into the contest.
This weekend Loyola faces Denver (9-6) and Hopkins faces Maryland, all in Annapolis on Saturday.
FIELD Report: Mids at Holy Cross, NCAA Lacrosse Tourney Saturday
The Mids begin the Patriot League playoffs on Saturday (Photo / marinecorpstimes.com)
FIELD Report for Friday, May 10, 2012
The Navy Midshipmen (23-27, 9-11) are in the Patriot League postseason and play a doubleheader against the Holy Cross Crusaders (30-20, 13-7) on Saturday. It’s a best-of-three series and should a third game be needed on Sunday the Mids and Crusaders will face off at 1 PM. Sophomore righthander Preston Gainey (3-2, 3.95 ERA) will take the hill on Saturday for Navy, while junior Ben Nelson (3-3, 3.88 ERA) will be on the mound for game two.
Maryland representatives in this year’s NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament include Johns Hopkins (11-3), Loyola (14-1), and Maryland (9-5). Loyola and Hopkins will be hosting their openers while the Terps will be on the road at Lehigh.
In other FIELD-territory lacrosse news, Howard Community College’s Austin Keefer was the men’s lacrosse leading scorer among Maryland junior colleges. The sophomore middie/attack scored 88 points in 15 games this spring and will be heading to Towson University this fall.
FIELD Report: Caps to Seven, Loyola in at #1
The Loyola Greyhounds are the top overall seed in the 2012 NCAA DI Tourney (Photo / ecaclacrosse.com)
FIELD Report for Thursday, May 10, 2012
Behind the steady goaltending of Braden Holtby, the Washington Capitals took the Rangers to game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 2-1 win in Washington on Wednesday. Alex Ovechkin put home a one-timer early in the first and Jason Chimera added a wrister halfway through the second for the Caps. The Rangers sole tally came late in the third when Marian Gaborik scored on a wrist shot deflected off the back of Caps’ defenseman John Carlson.
The series will resume Saturday in New York.
Loyola (14-1) continued its standout season by securing the #1 seed in the 16-team NCAA DI lacrosse tournament. The Greyhounds will open the tournament at home on Saturday against unseeded Canisius (6-7).
FIELD Report: Hopkins in OT, Navy Splits
Rob Guida had the game winner for Hopkins on Saturday (Photo / laxbuzz.com)
FIELD Report for Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Johns Hopkins roared back from last week’s surprising loss to Navy by picking off the top lacrosse team in the country on Saturday. Rob Guida’s one-timer, his third goal of the game, for the visiting Blue Jays (10-3) sealed a 10-9 OT win over the host Loyola Greyhounds (12-1). The Greyhounds rallied from a 9-5 deficit earlier in the fourth quarter. Loyola, now ranked third nationally, will play #11 Denver University (8-5) this week to start their postseason ECAC play. The Blue Jays will await a NCAA postseason bid.
Navy (22-26, 9-11) got the win it needed over Lehigh (18-31-1, 6-14) Sunday to qualify for the Patriot League baseball tournament. The Mountain Hawks and Mids split the four-game series.
Four of the six Patriot teams qualify and the winner gets an automatic NCAA tournament bid. By finishing third, Navy avoided a first round match against Army, who went 18-2 in conference play this year. The Mids will open against #2 Holy Cross (29-20, 13-7) in two weeks, while #4 Lafayette (7-13, 14-32-1) draws the Black Knights (35-12, 18-2).
Navy Baseball: In the Hunt
Navy’s Midshipmen (20-24, 7-9) are in the hunt for a playoff berth after sweeping four games from Lafayette (11-31-1, 4-12) this week. Lehigh (16-29-1, 4-12) will be in town for a four-game series this weekend to wrap up regular season play in the Patriot League.
Four of the Patriot’s six teams make the league playoffs and Navy is currently alone in third place. Army is atop the league with a 16-0 mark.
Pro Hockey: Bruins Stretch Caps to Seven
The Bruins' Tyler Seguin beats Braden Holtby in overtime (Photo / washingtonpost.com)
The defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins proved their mettle when they took a 4-3 overtime decision in Washington on Sunday. Now the Caps will have to prove theirs if they hope to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs. The Caps are 2-7 in game sevens and 0-4 when they hold a 3-2 advantage after five games, as they did going into Sunday.
The Bruins will host the Capitals on Wednesday and hope to extend their defense of the NHL title at least one more series. In the net for Boston will be workhorse Tim Thomas while the Caps will send out Braden Holtby. Holtby has been stellar in goal for the Caps to date, and played well on Sunday despite yielding the overtime winner to the Bruins’ Tyler Seguin.
College Lacrosse: Navy Stuns Hopkins
Navy faced #6 Johns Hopkins on Saturday (Photo / lax.com)
Navy’s seven seniors saved their best for last when they knocked off #6 Johns Hopkins, 8-2, on Saturday in their final college game. Senior Goalkeeper RJ Wickham stopped 18 shots for the Mids while sophomore attackman Sam Jones added three goals for Navy before over 11,000 fans in Annapolis.
Navy finished at 6-6 on the season, failing to qualify for the Patriot League playoffs after a loss last week to Army eliminated them from contention. Hopkins is at 9-3, having lost three of their last four. They face #2 Loyola (12-0) this weekend.
Sports Books: Heroes of the Negro Leagues
Leon Day, as depicted in Mark Chiarello's 'Heroes of the Negro Leagues' (Photo / copyright Mark Chiarello)
Although not a new book, Heroes of the Negro Leagues will still stand out among the annual flood of springtime baseball offerings.
The book’s narrative is provided by Jack Morelli, but it’s the illustrations by Mark Chiarello that carry it. A series of watercolors of Negro League ballplayers, some were originally published as trading cards in 1990, while others Chiarello painted specifically for the book. When the cards were first published, it was the first-time many of the player’s images appeared on trading cards.
Chiarello is best known for his work in the comic book field, as is Morelli for his lettering and editorial efforts.
College Lacrosse: Greyhounds Ahead of the Pack
Loyola lacrosse is ranked #1 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse poll. (Photo / loyolagreyhounds.com)
Given their historical success at the sport, it would be underselling Loyola University Maryland to say their present hold on college lacrosse’s top spot is shocking.
Still, the Greyhounds (11-0) haven’t held a #1 ranking in the polls at any point since 1999, and haven’t made the DI finals since 1990. Loyola lacrosse dates back to 1938, and since then has reached the 11 win+ plateau ten times, including this year.
The only other currently undefeated DI team in lacrosse this spring is the UMass Minutemen (11-0).
