Home About Archives RSS Feed

Andrews Named County's Male Athlete Of The Year

Patrick Ronan

Photo by Paul Guillotte  

Drury senior Nik Andrews was recently named the Berkshire County Male Athlete of the Year by the WBEC Sports Caravan Committee.

Before joining iBerkshires.com, I covered Northern Berkshire County athletics at the North Adams Transcript since August 2008. While I had the pleasure of watching many talented athletes compete during that span of almost two full school years, there were a few athletes who kept coming back when it was time to name the all-star teams.

McCann senior Ben Raimer is one example. He is a three-sport star (football, basketball, baseball) with the Hornets. Hoosac Valley's Sam LeBeau is another. She excels in soccer, basketball and track & field. Drury's Cassie Lincoln (soccer, basketball, T&F),  Mount Greylock's Mackenzie Hitchcock (Cross country, Nordic Ski, T&F) and Mount Greylock's Andy Budz (golf, hockey, lacrosse) are a few more examples of local athletes who shine during all three seasons.

I'm sure that I'm forgetting a handful of other students who deserve to be mentioned. But, that's the beauty of a blog...if I think of any others — or the readers want to e-mail me at pronan@iBerkshires.com with their thoughts  — I can always update.

But getting back to Andrews....There wasn't one season that passed in my two years of covering sports that Andrews' name wasn't invading headlines. I wrote a feature on him last spring when he was the only Berkshire County athlete to qualify for the New England Track & Field Championships, and I have interacted with him dozens of times after basketball, soccer or track and field events.

Not only is he an exceptional athlete, but he's a stand-up kid. He's respectful to his teammates, coaches and opponents. He's always positive, and his performance in the classroom is just as impressive as his athletic resume. He'll be going to Providence College in the fall, and the Friars are lucky to have him.

By no means am I trying to downplay  the accomplishments of the other county athletes, and I'm certainly not implying that he's the only gem in the bunch, but in regards to athletic performance, academics and overall attitude, none  — at least in my two years  — have been more well-rounded than Andrews.

To read a couple nice features on Andrews, check out this and this.

Tags: Drury High School, Nik Andrews      

Some Things Never Change ...

Patrick Ronan

I grew up as an avid fan of the NBA. But somewhere along the way, the league lost me. There are several contributing factors to my disinterest in pro basketball (poor playoff system, lack of fundamentals, corrupt refs), but the main reason is that the NBA is WAY too focused on its stars rather than its teams.

I understand that superstars sell the merchandise and put fans in the seats, but in today's free agency market, players are jumping from team to team, and there seems to be no loyalty. It's all about the contract. It's a problem in every pro sport, but in basketball more than any other, one player leaving town could make the difference between contending for a championship and hoping for a high draft pick.

Look at the LeBron James saga for instance. I understand that free agency is part of the game, but give me a break. One of the reasons I always enjoyed football (especially being a New England Patriots fan) is the focus on team, and how one player leaving town doesn't lead to doomsday for a franchise. Granted, there are more players on the field in football, but still...you get my point. In the NBA, teams are relying on marquee players to draw fans rather than building a cohesive unit that plays a good brand of unselfish basketball (idealistic, I know).

They look happy in the picture, but little does the public know that once this photo shoot was over, Bird and Magic engaged in a lengthy slap fight, which soon turned into a ferocious tickle fight.

With all that being said, there is hope. One thing that guarantees more focus on the teams rather than their stars is a good, old-fashioned rivalry. And here we are four wins away from another Celtics-Lakers matchup in the NBA Finals. If Boston and L.A. can win their respective conference finals series, the storied franchises will lock up for a record 12th time to battle for the title.

Let's flash back to the 80's, shall we? From 1980 to 1989, either the Lakers and/or Celtics appeared in every NBA Finals in that span. From '84 to '87, the Celtics played the Lakers three times for the championship.

Some people would argue that having the same two teams at the top every year is bad for the sport, but not in the case of Lakers-Celtics. If it was Raptors vs. Grizzlies every year, I would argue for more parity, but you could have Boston vs. L.A in the Finals for 12 straight years, and the TV ratings would still be off the charts.

So while LeBron James, the league's best player, is working on his golf game over the next couple weeks, the best TEAMS in the league will be playing for a world championship.

NBA fans will be partying like its 1987 if the Celtics and Lakers meet up again in the Finals. Check out the Bon Jovi member second from left, who seems to be looking into a mirror, thinking "Oh good, my cross isn't covering any of my chest hair. If I hold this exact pose, people will understand that I am both religious and sexy!"

Tags: Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James      

Down Goes Arquette!

Patrick Ronan

Well, if you were dying to know what actor David Arquette — from such cinematic gems as Scream, Scream 2, Ready 2 Rumble and See Spot Run — has been up to lately, here is your answer.

According to the report, he was trying to help a security guard, which is quite noble of him. It’s still hilarious. I mean, common, Arquette is probably one of the worst actors in Hollywood. Seriously, maybe the absolute worst. Thus, him falling down in public only makes sense.

But apparently he’s a pretty good guy, which is worth something. So in his honor, the picture of him laying on his butt at a Lakers game is my new desktop wallpaper.

                                                                               ---

Wow. The Red Sox are finding new and exciting ways to lose baseball games. I was on my way back from a meeting Monday night, listening to the game on the radio, and heard the Sox were down 6-1 early. A rout in progress, or so I thought.

I was still working at around 10:30 p.m. when my roommate, who happens to be a Yankees fan (I know, it’s terrible), called me, all excited, because Alex Rodriguez had just tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run bomb. TIED THE GAME? The Sox were winning? Since when? Since then. Now it was tied.

Five minutes later, I get a text from my Yankee-loving roommate, saying “Walk off!!!” — referring to the game-winning home run hit by Marcus Thames.

Although the days of a Red Sox win or loss actually affecting my mood are long gone, some losses leave a residual sting. Monday night's stung a bit.

                                                                              ---

If you haven't been following Dylan Dethier's blog Eighteen in America, get on it. Dethier’s latest blog, detailing his experience as a caddy in the Quail Hollow Pro-Am Tournament, is a great read. 

                                                                             ---

To all local parents, coaches or ADs, if you have a cool sports story idea or event announcement, please feel free to pass it along to pronan@iberkshires.com.

Tags: David Arquette, Dylan Dethier      

Useless Stats

Patrick Ronan

So the Bruins are wandering into Yankees territory.

Oh well. Should make for an exciting Game 7 on Friday night in Boston. If Philadelphia wins, it'll become just the third team in NHL history to come back to win a best-of-7 series after trailing 3-0. If the B's lose, they'd become the first team — in the three major sports that use best-of-7 (NHL, NBA, MLB) — to lose a series after leading 3-0 since, well, you know.

I hate to pick on the Yankees — actually, I love it — but when the Sox are in fourth place in the AL East, you tend to live in the past.

Coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series is remarkable, a statistical anomaly. But there are some stats that I feel are just unnecessary to focus on. In every story I've read about the Bruins-Flyers today, the stat I keep seeing is that Boston is 16-0 when leading a series 3-0. Really?

Two teams in NHL history have come back from 3-0 to win a series. That's a good stat because of the improbability of it actually happening. The Bruins being 16-0? It's a space filler.

And same goes for the Celtics-Cavs series; one recurring stat I'm seeing is that the Celts are 32-1, in team history, when leading the series 3-2.

Those stats look good on paper, but how much do they really matter? Do you think the Bruins will be in the locker room tomorrow night, ready to take the ice, when head coach Claude Julien says "Listen men, the Bruins as a franchise, which existed 50 years before most of you were born, are 16-0 when leading 3-0. So don't fret, we've got history on our side tonight!"

I understand that some players take pride in their team's legacy, but most guys are just collecting a pay check from the club that decided to acquire them. And most will end up playing for another team with a whole new set of historical stats that have no direct bearing on their performance.

Maybe I'm making too much of it, but I just think it's silly that these sort of team-history stats are used in print. They're useless. The city and jersey doesn't make a team more likely —  or unlikely — to win a series. The players who make up the team determine that.

Tags: Bruins, Celtics, 2004 ALCS      
Page 1 of 1 1  

Support Local News

We show up at hurricanes, budget meetings, high school games, accidents, fires and community events. We show up at celebrations and tragedies and everything in between. We show up so our readers can learn about pivotal events that affect their communities and their lives.

How important is local news to you? You can support independent, unbiased journalism and help iBerkshires grow for as a little as the cost of a cup of coffee a week.

News Headlines
Clarksburg Gets 3 Years of Free Cash Certified
Pittsfield CPA Committee Funds Half of FY24 Requests
MCLA Men's Lacrosse Falls in League Opener
Letter: Vote for Someone Other Than Trump
Berkshire Art Center's Dance Party Returns
Dalton Committee Seeks Funding for Invasive Species
Dog Daycare Planned for Former Williamstown Restaurant Site
Simon's Rock Awarded Freedom to Read Grant
American Legion National Commander To Visit Dalton Post 155
Chamber Music by Local Composers to be Premiered at Simon's Rock


Categories:
Athlete of the Week (6)
Baseball (17)
Basketball (4)
Berkshire County (39)
Football (26)
Golf (4)
Hockey (1)
Lacrosse (3)
Softball (5)
Tennis (3)
Volleyball (0)
Archives:
Tags:
Red Sox No-hitter Steeplecats High School Football Alie Hill Drury High School Major League Scouts Williams College Week 10 Steeplecat Cancer Alexandra Levinsky Berkshire County Randy Moss Berkshire Elite Bulldogs Berkshire County High School Soccer Dylan Dethier Team Canada Martinez Steinbrenner's Death Bachelorette Yankees College Mascots High School Football Berkshire County Athletics Nfl Predictions Hoosac Valley Lacrosse Tournament Contests Athlete Of The Week College Gameday Chad Alibozek Patriots Mount Greylock
Popular Entries:
North County Athletes of the Week: Chad Alibozek and Alexandra Levinsky
North County Male Athlete of the Week: Matthew Cheung
Week 9: Belichick vs. Mangini, Colts vs. Eagles, Giants vs. Jesus and Vikings vs. Logic
Williams Names Kelton New Head Football Coach
What Better Way to Celebrate Halloween Than Watching the Vikings Implode?
Andrews Named County's Male Athlete Of The Year
Week 15: A Full House of games with playoff implications
North County Athletes of the Week: Jason Pilot and Mary Nguyen
North County Athletes of the Week: Taylar Gallup and Ben Gamache
Drury Softball, Tennis Postponed
Recent Entries:
Time for Reflection Heading into Week 17 of the NFL
Week 16: Kick Your Feet Up, It's Christmas!
Week 15: A Full House of games with playoff implications
T-Shirt Champs
NFL Week 14 Predictions
AFC Elite at Odds in Week 13: Pats vs. Jets, Steelers vs. Ravens
Discipline Can Make up for a Spotty Defense
Patriots, Jets Aiming for Win No. 9; Cowboys Host the Champs
Week 11 Already? Wowsers.
Week 10: Huge Matchup Between Pats and Steelers; Is the Third Team a Charm for Moss?