It has been a freefall from grace for former UNM running back Demond Dennis. Once a three-star recruit and the Lobos’ featured tailback, Dennis, 21, faces multiple felony charges stemming from his alleged role in an armed robbery in Lawrenceville, Ga.
Aside from learning how to put bat to ball more consistently, Trey Porras needs to learn one more thing: When it comes to baseball, Ray Birmingham knows best. “If he does what I ask him to, he’ll have a major opportunity to play a lot,” said Birmingham, the Lobos’ head baseball coach.
As they did twelve years ago to the day, the U.S. women’s soccer team delivered. It was July 10 when Brandi Chastain scored the game-winning penalty kick against China in the 1999 women’s World Cup final — the goal that prompted Chastain to take her shirt off and fall on her knees with her fists clenched.
Imagine the prospect of a pigskinless Sabbath. A report circulated last week that the NFL owners and players are close to reaching a Collective Bargaining Agreement that would end the 2011 lockout.
For the last three years, UNM fans have known — scratch that — been informally introduced to Scott Galetti on the radio. Galetti, UNM’s play-by-play announcer for men’s basketball, football and baseball, recently signed a multi-year deal to remain the voice of the Lobos.
The Pit is getting ready to rumble. University Arena has seen its share of concerts, men’s and women’s NCAA tournament basketball games and boxing bouts. Now, mixed martial arts will debut Aug.
Whether by accident or with intent, almost all of UNM head women’s basketball coach Yvonne Sanchez’s assistant coaches have some connection to the Mountain West Conference or The Pit.
It’s not easy being a New York Mets fan. Even in New Mexico. Seriously. I’ve come to find out that I am the butt of baseball jokes.
Twenty years ago in soccer, Mexico vs. USA meant another win for our southern neighbors. In fact, it was so lopsided from 1934 to 1991 that Mexico dominated the U.S., going 23-2-3. Since then, however, it has become one of the best sports rivalries in North America. It doesn’t have the history of Yankees vs. Red Sox, or the popularity of Lakers vs. Celtics, but it does have two countries whose fans and players genuinely dislike one another. Since 1991, the U.S. is a remarkable 13-10-7 against Mexico. This is extraordinary given America’s disinterest in soccer.
The New Mexico Bowl has been given a fashionable new look. ESPN and Gildan Activewear Inc. announced a multi-year deal on June 20 to sponsor the bowl beginning with the 2011 Gildan New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium.
There’s never a dull moment in UNM Athletics, even on the field, which is why this column is about a month overdue. With the unexpected four-game winning streak of the UNM baseball team at the Mountain West Conference tournament at the end of May, I stalled on a “2010-11 in review” of Lobo sports. But the time to look back on Athletics this past year has finally presented itself. UNM Women’s Soccer First, I’d like to give a round of applause to the UNM women’s soccer team. The team advanced to its first NCAA tournament appearance in its history in 2010. They won the MWC regular-season championship for the first time in school history.
UNM football player Deshon Marman has yet to play a single down for the Lobo football team, but he’s already made a name for himself. San Francisco Police said Marman — a junior college transfer defensive back — was arrested at the San Francisco International Airport for sagging his pajama pants while boarding a US Airways flight back to Albuquerque on Wednesday. San Francisco Police Sgt.
There was more screaming than kicking for UNM women’s soccer player Roxie McFarland growing up. McFarland, who is a Lobo midfielder, said she played on a boys’ team when she was younger.
The UNM track and field team has two All-American Englishmen. Rory Fraser and Keith Gerrard ran in the men’s 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races, respectively, this weekend at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, and both finished in the top eight. Fraser ran one of his best times (13:39.40) and said his strategy was to keep up with the fresh legs by not running the 10,000-meter the day before. For the first time since he left England three years ago, his parents were in the audience watching him compete. “There were some guys that were just doing the 5k, and they knew that they could make it faster and help their chances to make the other guys even more tired,” he said. “So they basically just went quick from the very beginning, and I just tried to hold on as long as possible, and I just ran for as long as I could and that’s what got me sixth place.”
My fellow Americans, this is a call to reason, not a plea of insanity: Give up on soccer promptly. Winning the World Cup is a pipe dream, a fool’s errand, a fairy tale with a reality-show ending.
Ten Lobos ran and jumped their way to championships this year. Nine members of the UNM track and field team qualified at the NCAA West Qualifying Round in Eugene, Ore. for the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Roman Martinez and Daniel Faris are back in their old stomping ground, but not for long. Martinez and Faris, former UNM men’s basketball players, are back in Albuquerque for offseason training for their professional basketball careers. Neither is in the NBA or the NBA Development League in the United States, but both have found roster spots overseas. “It’s not bad,” Faris said.
In an ideal world, Plaxico “Cheddar Bob” Burress will soon go from jail bird to Philadelphia Eagle.
This season, UNM baseball catcher Mitchell Garver’s walk-up song to the batter’s box was David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” By the looks of the season, that was about the only dancing UNM would do.
“Define the moment, or the moment will define you” is something Danielle Castro’s father always tells her.
Solutions by The State News
