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(03/19/09 6:24am)
On his new album Scream, Chris Cornell explores new territory. The famed rock singer (Soundgarden, Audioslave) teams up with R&B megaproducer Timbaland to create a decidedly more pop-like album. While many of the singles, such as “Part of Me,” “Long Gone” and the title track created great expectations for the album, the album as a whole is a bit spotty.Cornell billed this record as an “album-oriented album,” and that describes the flow very well. The end of each song has an interlude that transitions the listener into the next song. Many of them are guitar-driven, recalling Cornell’s past as a rock singer. Some of these transitions lead into the next song smoothly, such as the transitions between “Part of Me” and “Time” and the one between “Ground Zero” and “Never Far Away.” Others, however, seem forced and unnecessary, including the one between “Get Up” and “Ground Zero.” At the end of “Get Up,” Cornell begins to sing the first verse of “Ground Zero,” which he then repeats after the track changes, leaving the listener wondering if the transition was all that necessary. Other transitions, like the one between “Sweet Revenge” and “Get Up,” are more herky-jerky and simply do not flow well.The album also suffers from overproduction in stretches, especially during the first half. Timbaland adds many strange sounds and beats that do not contribute anything to the listening experience. The listener can pick up on these unfitting additions at the very beginning of the album, when he inserts this weird voice that made me think I was listening to an alien overlord. This sort of effect also happens on “Sweet Revenge,” when Timbaland introduces a Daft Punk-esque vocoder voice that seems very out of place. He often tries to do too much and distracts the listener from Cornell’s voice and lyrics, which prove to be quite good. The most enjoyable parts of the album are when Timbaland pulls back and lets Cornell sing, such as in “Other Side of Town.” On that track, Cornell proves that one can have a creative beat without freaking out the listener. The best songs on the album are “Long Gone,” the title track, and “Enemy,” which may be the best non-single on the record. Cornell’s still-amazing-after-all-these-years voice is able to shine through. His lyrics also are solid, offering up such lines as, “Throwing out the blame when you know it ain’t my fault / Messing with my brain when you wanna see me fall / There may come a time when I don’t bother you at all / It isn’t my call; it isn’t my call,” from the title track.The album concludes with “Watch Out,” which features my favorite sound effect at the end of the song, where the listener hears a zoom-click that sounds like an old movie reel running out. Cornell also meshes genres well on the hidden track “Two Drink Minimum,” which has acoustic rock, blues and country influences.Overall, while the album does not quite live up to the expectations set by its singles, it is still worth a listen. It succeeds at times and fails at times, but Cornell should be applauded for experimenting with other genres and styles and for refusing to be labeled.
(03/13/09 5:49am)
The Virginia baseball team looks to continue its season’s impressive start as it takes on Florida State for a three-game series at home this weekend.The Cavaliers (14-0, 3-0 ACC) are off to one of their best starts in program history. Virginia and Georgia are the only undefeated teams in Division I baseball thus far.While Florida State began the season ranked No. 6 in the national polls, the Seminoles have hit a rough patch of late. After winning the first six games of their season, the Seminoles have gone 3-5, including dropping two of three games to Boston College last weekend — the first time in the Seminoles’ 18-year program history that the squad lost its conference season opening series. The Cavaliers picked up two wins this week against Navy and VMI with a combined score of 27-4. Virginia coach Brian O’Connor pitched by committee Wednesday against VMI, starting with sophomore pitcher Tyler Wilson, who threw two innings in his first career start.“I decided to start Tyler Wilson,” O’Connor said. “He hadn’t started all year but I knew that we were just gonna limit him to 2 innings, we were just gonna chop up the game with our relievers. You’re always concerned when you do that, if it’s gonna be a low run game, you’re nervous that someone might go out there and not have good stuff on that day.”Virginia will start freshman Danny Hultzen Friday. Hultzen has compiled a 3-0 record and leads Cavalier starters with a 0.95 ERA. Hultzen came to the Cavaliers after dominating at St. Albans High School. He was named First Team All-American during his senior year after posting his second consecutive season with an ERA under 1.00. Hultzen spurned an offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had drafted him in the 10th round of the 2008 MLB Draft, to come to Virginia.Senior Andrew Carraway and freshman Will Roberts will start Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both pitchers boast an ERA less than 2.50.Florida State’s pitching staff is remarkably top-heavy, led by ace freshman Sean Gilmartin, who boasts a 3-0 record and 2.14 ERA. The weekend’s other two starters — freshman Brian Busch and sophomore Mike McGee — have had some difficulties, posting a combined 1-2 record and 3.96 ERA.Offensively, the Cavaliers have made the most of their at-bats, compiling a .474 team on-base percentage, led by sophomore outfielder Jarrett Parker’s .551 mark. While no player has emerged as a huge power threat, Parker and junior catcher Franco Valdes — who splits time with freshman John Hicks behind the plate — lead the team with three home runs and both have slugging percentages greater than .800.The toughest out for Virginia pitchers will be sophomore outfielder Tyler Holt. The Gainesville, Fla., product leads his team with a .474 batting average.Though the Seminoles have several hitters who can set the table, they will need increased production from the bottom half of their lineup to compete with Virginia. Florida State’s bottom two hitters, junior infielder Stephen Cardullo and senior infielderc Tommy Oravetz, have combined for only five runs batted in.Although the Cavaliers are fairly confident they will come out on top, the team is not taking the Seminoles lightly. In a conference as competitive as the ACC, every game is important.“It’s exciting, I mean, the ACC, that’s why you play,” sophomore utility player Dan Grovatt said. “To play the Florida States and the UNCs and all that stuff, we’re gonna come out here and we’re gonna compete just like we have been in the last 14 games, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
(02/27/09 6:37am)
The Virginia men’s basketball team continued its high-energy play last night but was unable to prevent a 62-55 loss against Miami in John Paul Jones Arena.“It wasn’t a great performance or display on either end,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.Leitao stuck with the same starting lineup that propelled the team to win two of its last three games. Freshman center Assane Sene and junior forward Solomon Tat played in the first few minutes to give the team a boost of energy. Unfortunately, Sene sprained his right ankle at the end of the first half, limiting him to just nine minutes of playing time.The team’s early game plan seemed to work, as Virginia (9-15, 3-10 ACC) sprinted out to an early 10-point lead with 11:38 left in the first half. The Cavaliers’ physical defense was able to hold the Hurricanes’ leading scorer, senior guard Jack McClinton, in check, as he failed to score until just more than four minutes left in the half.“There’s no question that it’s really good for us this time of year as we continue to move forward to get some more production out of other guys,” Miami coach Frank Haith said, ”when they see that Jack’s not having a great night and we can still win the game.”Miami was able to battle back and tie the game at 29 entering halftime. The Hurricanes (17-10, 6-8 ACC) spread the ball around well in the first half, with seven players scoring at least three points and no player scoring more than junior forward Adrian Thomas’s six. Senior forward Brian Asbury ended up leading Miami with 13 points in the game.The contest stayed tight early in the second half, with frequent lead changes and pivotal plays. Miami’s opportunistic defense was able to capitalize on several Virginia offensive miscues, earning six consecutive stops on defense in the final five minutes. Following the turnovers, Miami held onto the ball, draining precious time and eliminating the Cavaliers’ rally hopes. McClinton made a three-pointer with just less than a minute left for the final dagger.Overall, the Hurricanes scored 22 points off turnovers compared to Virginia’s seven.“Under four minutes, it was a combination of tentativeness and just not making the right passes,” Leitao said.Throughout the game, Virginia players made several acrobatic plays, like sophomore guard Jeff Jones’s athletic block to close the first half. Fifth-year senior Tunji Soroye continued the theme with two early blocks to start the second period, at one point swatting away what appeared to be a sure-fire dunk.The Hurricanes do not play again until a March 4 date with Georgia Tech on the road. With another game March 7 against N.C. State, Miami will be looking to keep pace in the conference and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.Virginia faces a quicker turnaround, taking on Wake Forest a mere two days from now in JPJ.Leitao insisted the team will be prepared for Sunday’s matchup.“It’s somewhere around 40 hours — give or take — before we’ve got to get on the court again,” Leitao said. “This is the third time that we’ve done it. Fortunately or unfortunately, [Wake Forest] play[s] tonight, and they’ve got to travel, so we’ll be equally challenged on the physical part of it.”
(02/26/09 7:19am)
These days, everyone has catchphrases. For President Barack Obama, it was “Change We Can Believe In.” For former President Bill Clinton, it was “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” For singer-songwriter Chris Cornell, the catchphrase of the year has been “album-oriented album,” which he has used in nearly every interview to describe his upcoming record, Scream.For those of you who do not know Cornell, he is one of the most prolific rock singers of the past 20 years. From his early days singing lead for grunge pioneers Soundgarden to his more recent work with Audioslave, a supergroup he formed with members of Rage Against The Machine, his voice has become iconic. In 2007, however, Cornell split with Audioslave and has since been working on a solo career. For Scream, he decided to go in a slightly different direction, collaborating with famed pop producer Timbaland to fuse his rock sensibilities with a more dance-oriented, R&B-ish beat. Hardly a surprise for a singer whose favorite artists growing up were R&B acts such as Earth, Wind, & Fire. Unfortunately, this unexpected turn in his musical style has angered some fans — with blogs such as “Save Chris Cornell” serving as evidence.While the album is not yet released, Cornell has already started releasing singles and videos for the album, including the title track. In my opinion, many modern music videos are ineffective artistically. Most are too esoteric for viewers to understand or having nothing to do with the song. In the video for “Scream,” though, Cornell and director Alan Ferguson team up to make a great, representative clip.The video begins with Cornell, who plays the song’s main character, and a woman, who is assumed to be Cornell’s significant other, driving home after a party. The woman is clearly irate, screaming at Cornell — who stares straight ahead and pretends not to hear her while singing the song. This leads the viewer to believe that this scene is taking place inside the main character’s head. The scene continues in a hotel room after the pair’s car breaks down, and the woman’s anger becomes more intense. This scene fits well with the lyrics, which describe a failure of communication between the main character and his lover. Calm, rational discussions regarding disagreements end up devolving into shouting matches, hence the refrain, “I said hey / why you keep screaming at the top of your head?”The final scene takes place in an art museum. Cornell sits in between a young boy and girl making fun of each other, drawing a direct comparison with the argument in the previous scene. The atmosphere in the museum is otherwise calm, with the lyrics reflecting many of the same themes as before. Then, without warning, everyone in the museum starts arguing with each other, and the scene descends into chaos, with one woman even pushing her male companion through a glass window. Here, the video applies the principles discussed in the previous scene to a more general context, illustrating what would happen if bad communication plagued all human relationships like the character’s. The lyrics shift slightly as the song closes, with the lines, “Silence is golden / I used to think that silence was golden.” The character acknowledges his own shortcomings in effective communication.Currently, the video is available for viewing on YouTube. If you like it, I would strongly encourage you to grab a copy of the album when it comes out March 10 and check back here for a review.
(02/20/09 7:01am)
It’s February, and tomorrow’s high temperature is forecasted at 40 degrees. The Virginia baseball team, however, could not be more excited to get to the ballpark.“For five months, they’ve been competing against each other,” coach Brian O’Connor said. “When there’s somebody else in the other dugout, it means a lot more.”The Cavaliers confidently head into their season-opening series against Bucknell. Senior righthander Andrew Carraway will start the opening game Friday after coming off an impressive season in which he finished 4-3 with a 4.06 ERA. Freshman Danny Hultzen earned the highly sought-after position of Saturday starter, and will open one of the games of the early-season doubleheader. Players also expect the remaining underclassmen to make important contributions. “I like [the team] a lot,” junior lefthander Matt Packer said. “The younger guys we have, the sophomores, that played a lot last year — they’re really hitting well and playing well. We’re really coming together as a team.” Bucknell’s pitching staff also will rely on several young players. While the Bison’s opening-day starter, sophomore righthander Dylan Seeley, is coming off a season in which he posted a 4-4 record along with a 4.77 ERA, the team’s other three starters combine for only seven career starts between them. In past seasons, Virginia has focused mainly on hitting for average and less on hitting for power. Only one player, the now-graduated Jeremy Farrell, hit more than six home runs for Virginia last season.“Our park’s not really built for a lot of home runs,” sophomore infielder Phil Gosselin said. “We’re going to have to manufacture runs and hit balls in the gap, and steal bases, and do a lot of those kind of things.” The Cavaliers do have some hitters who could add some power to the lineup. Sophomore rightfielder Dan Grovatt leads all returners with a .481 slugging percentage, which included 22 doubles and three home runs on the year. Gosselin ranked third on the last season’s team with a .433 slugging percentage. “Our emphasis is never gonna be on hitting homeruns, but it just so happens that in this preseason, we’ve hit quite a few,” O’Connor said. “We’ll see as it moves a long, but I think there’s some guys that really have a chance to do some damage.” Bucknell also boasts several talented batsmen, but will have to deal with the losses of Jason Buursma and Mark Angelo, who both graduated last year. Buursma led the team in home runs and the two shared the top spot in team RBIs. Among returning players, senior infielder Dane Grandizio led the Bison with a .333 batting average last season. Heading into the spring, the Cavaliers are seeking to reverse a negative trend. Virginia has qualified for the playoffs in each of the last four years, but has not advanced past the regional round once. O’Connor, however, remains confident about his team’s ability to break its losing streak in the playoffs this year.“We don’t worry too much about getting over the hump of the regional,” O’Connor said. “You’ve gotta get to that hump first is what I tell the players, and if we consistently make a run at the NCAA tournament, eventually that will happen to this program, and I believe it’ll happen this year.”
(02/19/09 7:22am)
Anyone who has listened to many rock songs knows that a good guitar solo can make the difference between a good song and a great song. A strong guitar solo sticks in your mind and makes you feel good every time you hear it. While many people have written about the solos of Eric Clapton, the Beatles and other timeless musicians, I’d like to present my picks for modern rock’s (1999-present) five best guitar solos.1. Bullet For My Valentine: Hearts Burst Into Fire (2008)Let me be honest. I’m not a fan of this group. Most of their songs descend into the scream-filled sludge that characterizes bad metal. The solo in this song, however, is one of their rare gems. Rather than placing it in the middle of the song, as is customary, BFMV puts it in the beginning, as a sort of extended intro. The slower and faster sections of the solo examine different aspects of the character’s psyche and prepare the listener for the rest of the song. It also makes good use of the double bass technique, common in most songs of the genre.2. Alter Bridge: Blackbird (2007)Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti is arguably one of the greatest living guitarists, and he proves it on this solo — a 1:17 thrill ride of a collaboration with lead singer Myles Kennedy. The song was written as a tribute to one of Kennedy’s close friends, who died from a terminal illness shortly before the release of the album. The solo’s strength lies in how well it fits the rest of the song. Its soaring sound provides a strong tribute to a life lost too soon, and the listener can picture the lyrics: “Blackbird, fly away / May you never be broken again.”. While the emotions in the song are simple, the solo is filled with many complex rhythms and motives, departing from the notion that a good guitar solo is simply a bunch of quickly-played 32nd notes strung together.3. HIM: The Kiss of Dawn (2007)This song is interesting for many reasons, not the least of which is its guitar solo. It follows in the same vein of the bloody, raw chords that characterize the main riff. The solo lurches along rather slowly for most of the time, and kind of lulls the listener into thinking that it will not be anything special. Then, without warning, guitarist Mikko Lindström rips off a six-second stream of notes that burns out as brilliantly as it starts. That element of surprise, and the contrast with the main riff that keeps repeating behind him, is what makes this solo one of the best.4. Guns N’ Roses: Sorry (2008)While lead singer Axl Rose is somewhat vindictive and arrogant in this song, Robin Finck’s guitar solo is top-notch. This solo separates well from the rest of the song, with a free-form spirit that sounds verbal in an odd way, almost as if someone is talking while the bass and drums play behind the guitar. Periodic bursts of syncopation also add flavor to the solo and prevent it from becoming repetitive.5. Santana featuring Rob Thomas: Smooth (1999)While many of the aforementioned songs may not be immediately familiar to many listeners, Santana and Rob Thomas’s collaboration got major radio airplay and won three Grammy awards — with good reason. This solo is good mainly because it blends rock sensibilities with a salsa texture in the background. It also washes over the listener in a, well, smooth way, fitting the subject of the song: a sweet-talking woman who the character cannot figure out how to reach.
(02/19/09 7:22am)
Anyone who has listened to many rock songs knows that a good guitar solo can make the difference between a good song and a great song. A strong guitar solo sticks in your mind and makes you feel good every time you hear it. While many people have written about the solos of Eric Clapton, the Beatles and other timeless musicians, I’d like to present my picks for modern rock’s (1999-present) five best guitar solos.1. Bullet For My Valentine: Hearts Burst Into Fire (2008)Let me be honest. I’m not a fan of this group. Most of their songs descend into the scream-filled sludge that characterizes bad metal. The solo in this song, however, is one of their rare gems. Rather than placing it in the middle of the song, as is customary, BFMV puts it in the beginning, as a sort of extended intro. The slower and faster sections of the solo examine different aspects of the character’s psyche and prepare the listener for the rest of the song. It also makes good use of the double bass technique, common in most songs of the genre.2. Alter Bridge: Blackbird (2007)Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti is arguably one of the greatest living guitarists, and he proves it on this solo — a 1:17 thrill ride of a collaboration with lead singer Myles Kennedy. The song was written as a tribute to one of Kennedy’s close friends, who died from a terminal illness shortly before the release of the album. The solo’s strength lies in how well it fits the rest of the song. Its soaring sound provides a strong tribute to a life lost too soon, and the listener can picture the lyrics: “Blackbird, fly away / May you never be broken again.”. While the emotions in the song are simple, the solo is filled with many complex rhythms and motives, departing from the notion that a good guitar solo is simply a bunch of quickly-played 32nd notes strung together.3. HIM: The Kiss of Dawn (2007)This song is interesting for many reasons, not the least of which is its guitar solo. It follows in the same vein of the bloody, raw chords that characterize the main riff. The solo lurches along rather slowly for most of the time, and kind of lulls the listener into thinking that it will not be anything special. Then, without warning, guitarist Mikko Lindström rips off a six-second stream of notes that burns out as brilliantly as it starts. That element of surprise, and the contrast with the main riff that keeps repeating behind him, is what makes this solo one of the best.4. Guns N’ Roses: Sorry (2008)While lead singer Axl Rose is somewhat vindictive and arrogant in this song, Robin Finck’s guitar solo is top-notch. This solo separates well from the rest of the song, with a free-form spirit that sounds verbal in an odd way, almost as if someone is talking while the bass and drums play behind the guitar. Periodic bursts of syncopation also add flavor to the solo and prevent it from becoming repetitive.5. Santana featuring Rob Thomas: Smooth (1999)While many of the aforementioned songs may not be immediately familiar to many listeners, Santana and Rob Thomas’s collaboration got major radio airplay and won three Grammy awards — with good reason. This solo is good mainly because it blends rock sensibilities with a salsa texture in the background. It also washes over the listener in a, well, smooth way, fitting the subject of the song: a sweet-talking woman who the character cannot figure out how to reach.
(12/05/08 8:32am)
For many Virginia students, Winter Break is a time for rest and relaxation to recover from a difficult semester. Not so for the Virginia women’s basketball team.The team will play seven games during break, excluding yesterday’s game against Illinois and tomorrow’s game against East Carolina; however, the Cavaliers are staying focused on the tasks at hand and approaching one game at a time.“We’re not going to talk about any [one] game right now,” senior center Aisha Mohammed said. “So when the time comes to play those games, we’ll talk about it and we’ll work on it.”Virginia will kick off Winter Break at home against Monmouth and Mount St. Mary’s, two smaller schools that are not to be taken lightly. Monmouth sits at 4-2 and is led by senior forward Jennifer Bender, who boasts a scoring average of 19.4 points per game and also leads her team with 9.2 rebounds per game. Mount St. Mary’s is 3-2 on the year, having most recently suffered a heartbreaking 55-54 loss to Loyola (Md.).Virginia continues its home stand with the Marriott Cavalier Classic, where it will face Rider and the winner of the Louisiana Tech/University Maryland-Baltimore County game.Virginia will then face Georgia (7-1) on the second day of the new year in what figures to be the most competitive game of break. Georgia has proven to be a streaky team thus far after opening at No. 25 in the rankings. Georgia blasted teams such as Alabama State and N.C. Central by large margins, but the team barely scraped by in a 64-61 victory against Oakland and suffered a stunning upset at the hands of little-known Detroit Mercy, 70-66. The Bulldogs have since regained their dominant form but will be tested as they enter a far more difficult stretch of their schedule.The Cavaliers will wrap up Winter Break with a game against St. Francis (1-5) before kicking off ACC play against Wake Forest (6-0) Jan. 11. Though the Demon Deacons have not been seriously challenged in their first six games of the year, Wake has proven capable of spreading the ball around, because three of its players have scoring averages in double figures.For their part, the Cavaliers are practicing how better to spread the scoring load and ease the burden on junior guard Monica Wright, who is leading the team in scoring with 21.4 points per game.“I think it’s just something that happens,” freshman forward Chelsea Shine said. “Obviously, we all know we can’t be putting that burden on her. She’s the leader and she likes that role and takes that role so she does sort of step up, and we know that we can expect that from her. But at the same time, we know that we can’t just sit back and let Monica do everything, because it’s obviously not fair and that’s not how a team works.”Other than Wright and senior center Aisha Mohammed, who is averaging a double-double with 13 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, Virginia will look to talented freshman forward Chelsea Shine and freshman guard Whitny Edwards for points. Each averages more than 9 points and four rebounds per game.Luckily for the Cavaliers, they will not have to travel during break, as every game is being held in the friendly confines of John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia will need all the momentum it can muster from its holiday home stand, though, because it will face a stiff test in its first game back from Winter Break. Jan. 16 will find Virginia at ACC power and current No. 2 team in the country, North Carolina, in what should be a telling contest for the rest of Virginia’s season.
(11/19/08 5:00am)
Lost in the shuffle of Kurt Warner’s resurrection, the Tennessee Titans’ out-of-nowhere undefeated record and the Detroit Lions forgetting how to win a game, is, in my opinion, the feel-good story of the year. I refer, of course, to the rise of Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers’ new quarterback.I have been a Packers fan ever since I watched their scintillating victory against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI when I was 9 years old. I sat and watched Brett Favre play with such boundless energy and saw Desmond Howard run a kickoff back for a touchdown to extend the NFC’s Super Bowl winning streak to 13. But this year, for only the sixth year since I’ve been alive, the Packers’ starting quarterback is not Brett Favre. Replacing such a legendary quarterback can often be a difficult task. Just ask Cliff Stoudt, who was tapped to replace Terry Bradshaw after he sustained career-ending injuries in 1983. Stoudt proceeded to throw 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in his time as quarterback. Despite his shortcomings, the Steelers made the playoffs but then suffered a 38-10 defeat to the Raiders. (I know, it’s tough to imagine the Raiders in the playoffs, isn’t it?) Stoudt was then chased out of town and became a pariah in Pittsburgh. In 1984, when he returned to Three Rivers Stadium as the quarterback of the Birmingham Stallions, he was famously booed and pelted with snowballs throughout the entire game.But Rodgers stands out among this group. In his first year as the starter, he has compiled a .645 completion percentage, 2,351 passing yards and 15 touchdown passes against only six interceptions. His 94.5 rating is better than both Manning brothers, Ben Roethilisberger and, perhaps most deliciously of all, Brett Favre.But there’s so much more to football than stats. In every start, Rodgers has proven his poise and confidence in the pocket. He has been unafraid to take on top defenses and has kept the Packers in contention in a weak NFC North. He has also shown remarkable toughness, with backup Matt Flynn only having attempted five passes in Rodgers’ short absence with a sore throwing shoulder. Rodgers comes to Green Bay after a decorated college career. He came to the California Golden Bears after spending time at Butte Community College in nearby Oroville. He became Cal’s starter in the fifth game of the season, leading the team to an upset of then-No. 3 USC and a victory in the Insight Bowl against Virginia Tech. In 2004, Rodgers had his coming-out party, throwing 24 touchdown passes and leading the Golden Bears to a 10-2 record and No. 4 ranking in the national polls. Many pundits believed Cal deserved an at-large bid to the Rose Bowl that year, but the Texas Longhorns received a bid instead after coach Mack Brown pleaded with voters in the Coaches’ Poll to change their minds. Cal finished the season with a 45-31 victory against Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl that year and a No. 9 final ranking.When Rodgers entered the NFL Draft after his junior season, many believed that he would be a top-10 pick. Some even projected that he would be picked first by the San Francisco 49ers. Instead, he fell into the Packers’ laps, who selected him with the 24th pick in the draft. But Rodgers has arguably had the last laugh. Alex Smith, of the stratospheric Wonderlic score, was taken first by the 49ers. He lost his starting job this past year to J.T. O’Sullivan (who?) after a subpar first three seasons with the team and is now being looked at as the latest quarterback bust. Jason Campbell, the other quarterback taken in the first round in 2005 by the Redskins started out well this season, but has yet to take command and leadership of his team the way Rodgers has. In contrast to those other two quarterbacks, Rodgers has benefited from an extended stay on the bench learning the ropes of the NFL from Favre.Rodgers has only one task left to cement his arrival in the league, and that is to lead Green Bay to the playoffs. Right now, the Packers sit in a three-way tie with the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC North. While I’m a bit biased, I think the Packers have the best chance to make it into the playoffs of those three. Every one of their games between now and the end of the season is winnable, with the 8-2 Carolina Panthers being the stiffest test. But with the Panthers’ subpar passing offense (24th in the league) going up against the Packers’ strong pass defense (led by Nick Collins and Charles Woodson, who already have 10 interceptions between them), the Pack is more than capable of pulling off the upset.With Rodgers at the helm, it seems like anything is possible.
(09/10/08 4:37am)
Cavalier starting sophomore quarterback Peter Lalich responded yesterday to allegations of probation violations in a press conference. The Daily Progress reported Sept. 5 that Lalich had admitted to court officials that he drank alcohol underage and smoked marijuana while on probation, citing Charlottesville General District Court documents. Lalich, however, countered those claims last night at the press conference.“I have not smoked or done any drugs while on my probation,” he said.Many members of the team are standing behind Lalich in this situation.“From what I know it might have been a misunderstanding, but we know Petey’s done everything they’ve asked him to do,” senior tight end John Phillips said. “We have confidence in our quarterback and in Petey, and we trust what he says is true.”Lalich is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 26.—compiled by JP Stroman
(08/26/08 8:48pm)
Nine current and former Cavaliers contributed to a total of three gold medals and two bronze medals in this summer’s Olympic Games, and all return home with memories to last a lifetime. The diverse group of Virginia athletes and coaches, both former and present, were involved with a number of sports — including rowing, swimming, softball and soccer — and represented not only the United States, but also Venezuela and Canada.Perhaps the best-known Cavalier graduate at the games was former women’s basketball player Dawn Staley, arguably one of the most successful women’s basketball players in history. In addition to being named an All-American three times while at Virginia, Staley also had a successful ABL and WNBA career and earned three Olympic gold medals as a member of the U.S. team. Staley served as an assistant coach for the U.S. women’s basketball team in Beijing, where the team won its fourth consecutive gold medal. Staley will serve as head coach for the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team this season.Another Cavalier alumna with a significant contribution to a U.S. gold medal is former Cavalier soccer player Angela Hucles, who led the U.S. team with four goals in the Olympics on the way to defeating Brazil. Former Virginia women’s rower Lindsay Shoop also will bring home gold-medal memories, as the U.S. women’s eight rowing crew took the top finish. Shoop was named an All-American in 2003 and 2004 while at Virginia and won gold medals with the U.S. team at the 2006 and 2007 World Rowing Championships, helping set a world record in the former.Shoop ranks winning a gold medal at the Olympics as a very high achievement during her lifetime.“This is the most amazing thing I have ever gotten to be a part of,” she said. “My life is forever changed.”In men’s rowing, Wyatt Allen competed with the U.S. men’s eight crew, winning a bronze medal. Allen has come a long way, starting out on the Virginia club rowing team before making it all the way to Bejing.“If you’d asked me when I was at Virginia if I thought this was possible, I would have certainly told you no,” Allen said. “It’s been pretty amazing for me.”Another former Cavalier rower earned bronze — though for Canada, rather than the United States. Melanie Kok competed in the women’s lightweight double sculls event, finishing behind the Netherlands and Finland, respectively, and beating Greece, China and Germany.Though the other competing Cavaliers were unable to bring home a piece of metal to commemorate their achievement, they still had the chance to develop lifelong memories.The Virginia softball program has fallen on hard times lately, but Ruby Rojas, a former Cavalier outfielder, had the opportunity to play softball for Venezuela, which finished in seventh place. Rojas, who was a three-time all-ACC selection while at Virginia, was just happy to compete in the Olympics.“It’s been a dream of mine since [I was] a little girl,” Rojas said. “And to reach the ultimate goal as an athlete is amazing and I think that it’s priceless. That’s the key word, it’s just a priceless goal that not a lot of people get to experience.”Other Cavalier competitors included freshman swimmer Erika Stewart, who broke her personal record by over a second racing for the United States in the 200 individual medley, finishing in 2:18.54; former Cavalier swimmer Vanja Rogulj, who failed to advance past the preliminary heats in the 100 breaststroke and 400 medley relay team; and Adam Nelson, a Darden student and volunteer Virginia track assistant coach who followed up his 2004 silver medal performance in the shot put with a return trip to the games. Nelson fell on some hard luck, however, and failed to win a medal.
(02/01/08 5:00am)
As the Virginia track and field team comes off a solid performance in the Penn State National Open, the Cavaliers are looking toward the Armory Collegiate Invitational as another chance for their athletes to qualify for the NCAAs. Senior All-American Emily Harrison ran a sparkling 4:46 in the 1600 meters last weekend at Penn State, qualifying for the NCAA National meet in an event that isn't even her primary race. Harrison's strong finish demonstrates the team's strong potential.
(01/24/08 5:00am)
The Virginia track and field team's season gets in full swing with the Penn State National Open meet tomorrow and Saturday. This will be the first meet this season in which the Cavaliers field a full team.
(12/06/07 5:00am)
Though many U.Va. students have heard of the triathlon -- either because it is an Olympic sport or because of the well-known Ironman race -- many do not know the University is home to its own triathlon club.
(12/03/07 5:00am)
An interest in women's ice hockey has grown nationally during the past few years and taken hold of University students in the form of the women's ice hockey club.
(11/27/07 5:00am)
The Virginia men's cross country team finished 12th at the NCAA Championships, putting an exclamation point at the end of what was already a successful season. The Cavaliers were the top ACC finisher at the meet and came within a hair's breadth of finishing in the top 10.
(11/12/07 5:00am)
The Cavalier men's cross country team finished fourth at the NCAA Southeast Regional meet Saturday. While the Cavaliers did not fulfill their goal of winning the region, they were able to put themselves in a solid position to make it to the national meet.
(11/07/07 5:00am)
The Cavalier men's cross country team continues to put forth great performances. This time, junior Kevin Tschirhart carried the day, winning the 8K at Saturday's Cavalier Open by a comfortable 24 seconds. The Cavaliers placed three runners in the top 10, including senior Will Williams and sophomore Steve Finley.
(10/31/07 4:00am)
On an already star-studded Cavalier men's tennis team, yet another standout distinguished himself last week.
(10/29/07 4:00am)
The Virginia men's cross country team had a great day at Saturday's ACC Championships meet, outlasting N.C. State to win the meet 32-39. Junior Andy Biladeau was the Cavaliers' top finisher and second overall with a time of 24:08. In third, just two seconds behind him, was senior Ryan Foster. Emil Heineking claimed ACC Freshman of the Year honors with his fourth-place finish, running the race in 24:12. All-American senior Jan Foerster continued Virginia's assault on the top 10 of the race, turning in a 24:16 performance. Fifth-year senior Taylor Smith also contributed to the Cavaliers' success, finishing 17thoverall.