Amy Frizzell & Kevin Fiorenzo,
s s orts editors
Athletic
Events
Saturday
Men's Tennis @
Baldwin Wallace
7 p.m.
Men's Tennis @ Baldwin
Wallace vs.
Thomas More
9:30 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs. Pitt-Greensburg
6 p.m.
Men's Basketball
vs. Pitt-Greensburg
8 p.m.
Wednesday
Women's Basketball @
AMCC Tournament
TBD
Thursday
Men's and Women's
Swimming & Diving
@ ECAC's
TBD
Friday
Women's Basketball @
AMCC Tournament
TBD
Men's Basketball
@ AMCC Tournament
TBD
Club
Schedule
Saturday
Club Volleyball vs.
Edinboro/Grove City
@ Edinboro
noon
Intramural
Schedule
Men's, Women's and COED
Swimming
Entry Deadline Today
4 vs. 4 COED Volleyball
Entry Deadline Feb. 27
II I I I I I_ I' II ! 1 I 1 . II I I I
by Amy Frizzell
sports editor
After a disappointing end to its season last year, the
men's tennis team is looking forward to a fresh start.
It will be traveling to Cleveland on Saturday for a
double-header against Baldwin Wallace and Thomas
More.
During the 2003 season, the Lions lost their season
opener to Baldwin Wallace, which ultimately provided
the fuel for a seven-match winning streak. During
this streak, the men downed conference rivals Penn
State Altoona and Pitt-Greensburg.
The Lions ended their season with an overall record
of 12-4 and a conference record of 4-2.
Unfortunately, the team could not keep the fire
burning as it took third place in the AMCC
Championships, just after Altoona and Frostburg.
"It was a combination of things," said coach Jeff
Barger of the team's third place finish. "We weren't
putting away matches when we had the chance."
This year the team is looking for a fresh start. After
the loss of its No. 2 player and captain Mike Oey,
No. 4 player and captain Jake Hillman and No. 6 Aaron
Whiting, the team will be looking to some new faces
to fill the empty positions.
Junior Ryan Deimel will be returning as the team's
No. 1 , junior John Marini will return to fill Oey's
position at while sophomore Jon Barber will be
holding down his posiion at No. 3. Freshman Brian
Espin will take over Hillman's station at No. 4.
Rounding out the line-up is sophomore Kevin
Fiorenzo at No. 5 and freshman Matt Meyers at No.
6. Stepping in at third doubles for Fiorenzo is
freshman Garrett Grenek.
To return to the No. 1 spot the team is making some
changes
"We're a little more strict this year," said Barger.
Reasons Wh
The Yankees
professional
After a semester off, I've returned to list the rea
sons why things are the way they are in sports or what
needs changed. I'll start with a topic near and dear to
mi corazon, George Steinbrenner's New York Yan
kees.
1. A-Rod. The Yankees' recent signing of Texas
Rangers superstar and future hall of famer Alex
Rodriguez proves that Major League Baseball is to
tally out of whack. Alex Rodriguez was almost traded
to the Boston Red Sox earlier in the year in an equi
table trade for both teams involved.
But, although it was a trade both teams wanted, the
players association said no. Both teams would have
benefited but it was not allowed to happen. When
teams and the players involved all want to make a
deal it should happen. Of course if you're the Yan
kees, your trade goes right through.
2. A-Rod. I'm sorry, but this trade is wrong on
multiple levels. It shows that professional baseball
needs to have a salary cap. Not having a salary cap
hurts the game in two ways.
First it makes it so that there are juggernauts like
the Yankees who have a step up on the competition
before the first pitch is thrown. Granted, you can over
come the odds, as the Marlins did last year, but you
shouldn't have things stacked so high against you.
Club hockey finishes season against Allegheny
The club hockey team completed its second season against Allegheny on Saturday.
by Amy Hiles
staff writer
On Saturday the hockey team was defeated in a
match-up against Allegheny College by a score of 7-
4, marking the end of its second season.
Behrend played a strong first period, out shooting
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Friday, February 20, 2004
"The guys are going to have to be on
time and ready to work if they want to
be successful."
The Lions are scheduled to play 10
matches before they start conference
play, seven of which will be played
during their trip to Hilton Head Island
in South Carolina over Spring Break.
Barger feels that facing teams like
Upper lowa and Vassar during the trip
will give the men some good experience
playing together before returning home
to start AMCC play against Pitt-
Greensburg.
"We're starting earlier with three
matches in February and seven in Hilton
Head, we've never done that," said
Barger. "We'll be in midseason by the
time the rest of the teams in the AMCC
even start their seasons."
While some players feel the schedule
could lead to the team becoming burnt
out others are looking forward to the
amount of play.
"1 think Hilton Head will give us a lot
of experience," said Barber.
Recently the team was faced with its
first challenge, when three players were
declared ineligible. Though this will not
directly effect the line-up, Barger still
feels that the event is a set back for the
team.
"I'm disappointed in the staff for their
irresponsibility to the ineligibility of
members of this team," said Deimel.
"It's going to be hard to recover from a blow
this because we were all pumped up."
Though the team suffered this setback, it
Scott Soltis
limitless amounts of money at players.
3. George Steinbrenner. For the lack of a more
eloquent term, this man is an ass. So there's a ri
valry between New York and Boston, fine. So your
team just landed the big player that the other guys
wanted, ok. You don't have to go off and say things
like the Red Sox owner John Henry doesn't care
enough about the Boston fans to make deals like
the A-Rod trade. This was yet another classless
comment from a classless man.
Allegheny. But the Gators managed to get two
goals past junior goaltender Jon Stull.
However, junior Mike Fritts was able to came
back and put one in the net before the end of the
period. The first period ended with Behrend
trailing with a score of 2-1.
Not only did the Behrend men play a strong first
Sophomore John Marini and the men's tennis team
will open their season on Saturday with matches
against Baldwin Wallace and Thomas More.
are ruining
1 asebal
Secondly, it makes it
virtually impossible for
small market teams such
as the Pittsburgh Pirates
and the Montreal Expos
to ever sign a big name
player. If the Yankees
can pay someone $l5
million to play for a year
and the Pirates can offer
$2 million, where will the
star go? This trend will
continue and the salaries
will continue to go up un
til teams like the Yankees
are not allowed to throw
The Behrend Beacon
maintains its enthusiasm
"I'd say were going to
strong," said Espin.
4. Derek Jeter. Honestly, he bugs me. He was so
smug and happy when the Yankees signed another
player in his position. Granted later it came out
that they would be moving Rodriguez to third base,
but still no passion from Jeter. He reminds me in a
way of Tim Duncan: great talent, but no apparent
passion for the game he loves. Also, his popularity
is annoying; if he played in Milwaukee he would
not be in nationally televised ads, would not have
hosted Saturday Night Live and would not be con
sidered one of the three best shortstops in baseball
today.
5. Lots of I's in this team. When you think of a
team it is a collection of people out to reach a com
mon goal. That's why they say there's no I in team.
The Yankees however, are a collection of merce
naries, not a cohesive unit. Their very existence
stands in direct opposition to the concept of a team.
I remember when I was a kid looking up to the killer
B's of the Pirates: Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and
Jay Bell. They made up the core of a team for a few
years in the late 1980 s. Now players don't stay to
gether; they chase the money. Granted, Bonds and
Bonilla did that years ago, but it is much worse now.
I would be scared to buy one of my nephews a jer
sey of any player as frequently as the Yankees buy
them up.
period, they returned to the ice and dominated
the second period, out shooting Allegheny once
Junior James Wyble provided the first goal of
the period. Freshman DJ Craven netted a goal
for Behrend before sopohomore Joe Persang
scored on a breakaway. Allegheny was able to
pick up two goals also that period, ending it 4-
4.
"We played well the first two periods," said
freshman Josh Grumski. "Then we let up in the
third."
And let up they did. The Lions took on too
many penalties, forcing them to play short
handed. This gave the Gators an opening to
score three more goals, ending the game at 7-4.
"We never gave up," said freshman Daren
Douglas of the team's efforts. "I think we played
well."
The Lions ended their second season with a
losing record but high hopes for next season.
"We could have done better," said Grumski
of the season. "Bounces didn't go our way."
"We just need to work harder, we have
potential," said Douglas.
"We need to get in shape, lift and skate harder
for next season. That's all we can do," said
Wyble.
Not only was this game an ending to the hockey
season, it was an ending to a college hockey career
for seniors Josh Smith and Justin Taylor.
"Losing Smith and Taylor is a big loss," said
Wyble. "They're the heart and morale of the team."
"Those are some big shoes to fill," added
Douglas.
Page 9
for this season.
be strong. Strong to very