Archive - 2013 - Sports Article
April 7th
MOOSIC, Pa. – The book on Jackie Bradley Jr. is that he possesses a keen eye at the plate and is a very disciplined hitter. In his first week with the Boston Red Sox, the highly-touted outfielder did little to sway how he’s perceived.
Entering Sunday’s road-trip finale in Toronto, Bradley had seen 92 total pitches in five games. The 18.4 pitches-per-game average furthers the belief that despite beginning just his second full pro season, the 22-year-old already has a thorough understanding of what is a strike and what isn’t.
April 6th
WOONSOCKET — Not very long ago, Woonsocket High School’s athletic department was a source of great pride, with a tradition of team success being carried over from one season to the next.
Accompanying that tradition were good vibes extending throughout the student body and the whole community. To that end, the school’s athletic director and No. 1 supporter vividly remembers a January 2008 boys’ basketball game involving the hometown entry and perennial state power Bishop Hendricken at Savaria Gymnasium.
April 5th
MOOSIC, Pa. – There are baseball lifers, and then there’s someone like Gary DiSarcina.
In short, the 45-year-old is a man who’s worn many hats since retiring 11 years go. He’s enjoyed successful stints in three totally different realms with all roads leading back to the game that saw him carve out a 12-year major-league career. Thanks to experiencing life as a manager, television analyst and trusted front-office contributor, DiSarcina can speak comfortably on a number of topics.
April 3rd
PAWTUCKET – In the wake of Rutgers University's Wednesday afternoon firing of men's basketball coach Mike Rice for physically and orally abusing his players, some local – and legendary – high school coaches/athletic directors chose to “weigh in” on the subject.
Rice's dismissal came at the helm of a video that news outlets nationwide carried throughout the afternoon and evening hours. It showed numerous clips of Rice rifling basketballs at players' backs, legs, etc., grabbing them by their jerseys and shoving them; he also could be heard screaming obscenities and homosexual slurs at them.
April 2nd
PAWTUCKET – After ending a 28-year Governors’ Cup drought last season, the Pawtucket Red Sox will defend their title while holding true to the organization’s No. 1 creed — put players in a position where if an opportunity arises in Boston, they’re ready to answer the call.
PAWTUCKET --- After hitting bullets last September to help spark the Pawtucket Red Sox’s magical run to the Governors’ Cup championship, Bryce Brentz nearly had a bullet end his 2013 season long before it began.
What started out as a routine cleaning of a handgun three months ago in his Knoxville, Tenn. home nearly resulted in tragedy for the power-hitting right fielder, who was tabbed as the No. 8 ranked prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization by Baseball America.
PROVIDENCE – In his travels around the state following the 2012-13 season, whenever Ed Cooley has crossed paths Providence College basketball fans, they have met him with big smiles and thanks for providing hope for the future.
As far away as it may seem, PC’s fan base can’t wait for the 2013-14 season to tip off. They see the cast that is scheduled to return for the Friars – fingers crossed on that front –along with two transfers and two incoming freshmen, and hope the mix contains the necessary ingredients to end what is a near-decade NCAA Tournament drought.
April 1st
Spend time in the company of Andrew Veiga and you’ll discover why this young man possesses such a keen sense of direction. The course he mapped out is so precise, with every last detail accounted for, that it’s easy to confuse him for a cartographer rather than a high school student-athlete whose forte is baseball.
March 31st
It wasn’t that long ago when parity was the name of the game in the Division I ranks.
In those days, the competition was so balanced that as many as 9-10 teams entered each season with a realistic chance at state championship glory. And during in an 11-year stretch from 2001-2011, nine different teams enjoyed their moments in the spotlight with the championship plaque.
March 30th
NORTH SMITHFIELD — It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows him that Dillon Falardeau has become a national-class angler.
Actually, Falardeau, an 18-year-old North Smithfield High senior, laughs while explaining his appeal to it.
“I got involved with it when I was very young; my grandfather, George Lamoureaux, loved to fish, and so did my dad (Kevin Falardeau),” he noted just before the school dismissal rang out Wednesday.
