Buck Showalter: The exorcist

I'm beginning this post before the conclusion of tonight's White Sox @ Orioles game because the result is irrelevant. That is, the positive shift in attitude and ability we have witnessed since Buck Showalter became manager cannot be negated in the remainder of this game.

This good fortune began, in my mind, the day reliever Will Ohman was traded to the Florida Marlins. The laboring, southpaw middle reliever was as effective of a pitcher as Joslyn James is at keeping secrets.

So it came as no surprise, in fact I chuckled heartily, when I watched the SportsCenter highlight of Ohman blowing a save opportunity against the Phillies in a game the Fins would lose in 10 innings.

In return for mediocre Ohman we received Triple-A pitcher Rick Vanden Hurk, who, if nothing else, has a badass name. Assuming his first name is Richard, I'm definitely calling him Dick Vanden Hurk from the moment he makes it to the majors. The not-so-incredible Hurk has an ERA of 4.68 this season. I won't complain though; the Marlins could have traded Baltimore Jim Abbott with no left hand and it would have been a net gain.

Add to that the fact that we dropped Miguel Tejada, opening the door for Josh Bell to prove himself at third, and Brian Roberts is back from the DL, and I think we have a legitimate shot to win more than 50 games.

Towson wastes little time, officially announces LaMonica as new coach

Sonia LaMonica has officially been named the head coach for the Towson women's lacrosse team. Mount U broke the news of her departure here.

Sonia LaMonica has been named the
10th women's lacrosse coach at Towson.

Here is the press release straight from Tiger U:

SONIA LAMONICA NAMED AS TOWSON HEAD WOMEN’S LACROSSE COACH

TOWSON, Md. – Sonia LaMonica has been named as the Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Towson University.  A native of Darlington, South Australia, LaMonica succeeds Missy Doherty.

“Sonia is a perfect fit for Towson University,” Interim Director of Athletics Ted Zaleski said. “She has the experience to be a firm leader and is young enough to relate to the young women she will coach.

“She also provides Towson with continuity for our women’s lacrosse program,” Zaleski added. “She helped recruit many of the players on this year’s squad. She will hit the field running.”

As Mount St Mary’s head coach, LaMonica led her team to an 8-9 record last year and a berth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) semi-finals.

“Returning to the Tiger Family is a dream come true for me and my family,” LaMonica said. “I would like to thank Interim Director of Athletics Ted Zaleski and Senior Associate Athletic Director Nance Reed for this wonderful opportunity.

“I would also like to thank Mount St. Mary’s Athletic Director Lynne Robinson and University President Dr. Thomas H. Powell for the time I had to work with them and their student-athletes and for their support through this process,” LaMonica added.

Prior to becoming the Mountaineers’ head coach, LaMonica spent two seasons as Towson’s assistant coach and helped the Tigers win a pair of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championships. She coached Hillary Fratzke, who was named as the 2008 CAA Player of the Year and earned first team All-America honors, and Julie Ondrako, who was named as the 2009 CAA Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, five players earned first team All-CAA notice while two players earned second team accolades. In addition to Fratzke, the Tigers had three players earn IWLCA all-region honors during her tenure at Towson.

Before joining the Tigers’ staff, LaMonica was an assistant coach at the University of Denver, helping the Pioneers to a 15-5 record. She coached the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Player and Rookie of the Year along with three all-conference selections and the program’s first-ever IWLCA All-West/Midwest honoree.

In addition to her success as a coach, LaMonica was a member of the Australian National Team. She helped Australia win the gold medal at the 2005 World Cup Championship and a silver medal at the 2009 World Cup Championship. Named to the 2005 IFWLA All-World Team, she was also a member of the U-19 Australian National Team that won the silver medal at the 1999 World Championships and was the recipient of the U21 South Australian Sportswoman of the Year award.

A 2003 graduate of the University of Maryland, LaMonica was a three-year starter for the Terrapins. She earned first team All-America honors and was a candidate for the Tewaaraton Trophy during her senior season as a team captain she helped lead Maryland to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. She was a member of three ACC championship teams and helped the Terrapins win the 2000 and 2001 national titles.

She scored 111 goals in her college career, including 49 goals as a senior, along with 55 assists.

“I am charged with excitement and energy for this next chapter in my coaching career and look so very forward to reuniting with the student-athletes and staff at this outstanding institution and continuing the growth this program has experienced over the last few years.”

The former Sonia Judd, LaMonica is married to former University of Maryland men’s lacrosse standout Michael LaMonica. The couple resides in Parkton, Md. with their newborn son, Luca James.

Coach LaMonica will assume her duties as the Tigers’ new women’s lacrosse coach on August 16.

Transactions:          Sonia LaMonica named head women’s lacrosse coach at Towson University.

Sonia LaMonica’s Coaching Record

Mount St. Mary’s University (2010) – Head Coach

2010         8-9                 Reached Northeast Conference semi-finals

Towson University (2008-09) – Assistant Coach

2009         13-6               CAA champions; NCAA Tournament

2008         13-6               CAA champions; NCAA Tournament

University of Denver (2006) – Assistant Coach

2006         15-5               Pioneers set record for most wins in school history

Chronology of Towson University Women’s Lacrosse Coaches

Coach                               Years                                    Record          No. of Seasons

Maggie Faulkner             1977-1981, 1983-1985      71-62-4          8 seasons

Linda DiColo                   1982                                      10-7                1 season

Lisa Pierce                       1986                                      3-12                1 season

Sandy Hoody                   1987-1990                            27-32             4 seasons

Alison Williams               1991-1992                            19-12             2 seasons

Charlotte Hennan           1993-1994                            9-18                2 seasons

Ashley Duncan               1995-1998                            31-33             4 seasons

Linda Ohrin                      1999-2003                            30-38             5 seasons

Missy Doherty                  2004-2010                            79-46             7 seasons

Sonia LaMonica              2011-                                     0-0                  1st season

Scholarship offered to Manny Thomas of Xaverian (N.Y.)

According to this story from the New York Post, men's basketball coach Robert Burke has offered Xaverian (N.Y.) High School senior wing Manny Thomas a scholarship.


Thomas is listed at 6-feet-5-inches and has also received offers from Fairfield (MAAC) as well as Northeast Conference foes Long Island and Robert Morris. The same story notes that he is receiving strong interest from Quinnipiac, Wagner, Princeton (Ivy League), Fordham (A10), Hofstra (CAA) and Drexel (CAA).


GothamHoops.com had this to say about him on Dec. 14, 2009:

"A long player who runs the floor like a guard and can finish in the paint with ease. His long-range jumper is great. Plays defensive with fantastic intensity."

Highlights:

BREAKING: LaMonica leaves Mount after one season

Sonia LaMonica, who was announced on Nov. 17, 2009 to become the sixth women's lacrosse head coach in school history, has resigned, according to a source. She reportedly informed the players of her decision earlier today.


In her only season in Emmitsburg, LaMonica, who had a baby this summer, led the team to an 8-10 record including 6-3 in Northeast Conference regular season play. The fourth-seeded Mountaineers fell in the first round of the conference tournament to top-seeded Sacred Heart, who won all 11 of its NEC matches en route to the NCAA Tournament.


Sophomore Jordan Corteza says that although the transition will be difficult, the team can draw on its experience from last season to get through this year.


"Having dealt with it last year gives us a clue as to how things are going to go but we are still in the dark with the future," Corteza said. "The upperclassmen have done a lot of 'coaching' us and helped out with not only lacrosse but our fears that we had coming back to school. We are a very close team and like last year we will just have to depend on each other to help out with lacrosse, school, social and anything else we may need."


In her first season at the Mount, Corteza was selected to the conference's All-Rookie team. The attacker was second on the team with 20 goals and 23 assists, earning her NEC Rookie of the Week honors on two separate occasions under the first-year head coach.


LaMonica will presumably pursue the vacant position at Towson University, where Missy Doherty left after seven years to become the head coach at Penn State University. LaMonica served as a head coach under Doherty for two years at Towson, and still resides in nearby Parkton.


This marks the second time in as many seasons that the athletic department will be seeking a new coach for one of its most successful programs in the NCAA Division I era. Denise Wescott left the Mount to be named the head coach at top rival Monmouth University on Sept. 12, 2009 after four years at the Mount. Women's lacrosse will join the men's golf program (2007 - 2010) in having a different coach in three consecutive seasons.


"I know that I can depend on every single one of my teammates to help me with anything I need and that is nice to know that I have them there. So no matter what happens we will all be together and able to help each other out," Corteza stated.


This also marks the third head coaching search the athletic department will undergo since late spring when Milan Brown resigned as men's basketball head coach, followed by the firing of former softball coach Larry Alvis.

A good teammate? 'Favre' from it

Don't be relieved by the rumors that Brett Favre has decided to retire for good. Forget the fact that we've been through this selfish circus multiple times before, and instead consider the damage he has done to his supposedly-former Minnesota Vikings teammates.

Viewing the 2009 NFL preseason through the rearview mirror, it is clear that Favre planned all along to play last season despite his announced retirement and relentless waffling. Head coach Brad Childress was making trips to Hattiesburg, Miss., with a pretty strong inclination that Favre would be joining the team after sidestepping training camp. So the fact that they didn't pursue another legitimate quarterback to push Tavaris Jackson turned out to be a sensible non-move.

This season, however, Childress has had little reason to believe that Favre's antics would lead to anything less than a late preseason return to get him ready for Week 1 in the nick of time. He had a surgery this year, just like last year; he was throwing with high schoolers this year, just like last year - and the list goes on.

So for Favre to apparently be retiring for real this year (and I'm still not sold that it's final) puts the Vikings in a precarious position. Behind Favre on the depth chart is Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, neither of which has proven capable of taking a team deep into the playoffs. I don't care how well Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe play; without a top 10, or even a top 20 quarterback, the Vikings are going nowhere. This doesn't bother me from a fan perspective because it will clearly benefit my favorite team, the Eagles (since they're both in the NFC), but from a character perspective, what Favre has done this year is worse than any past offseason shunning.

The Packers had Aaron Rodgers, the Jets drafted Mark Sanchez and the Vikings have, well, not much. They would almost be better off running a wildcat all season with Peterson and Chester Taylor than trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. The biggest positive that will come from this is that we didn't find out via a one-hour special on ESPN.

What could be bumping my top six?

With the men's basketball team's Robert Morris comeback at No. 7, Megan Kinsella's second place finish in NECs at No. 6, and Lizz Christiansen's record-breaking game/season at No. 5, I can't figure out what moment has knocked half of my top six choices down a slot. While I'm positive that Andrew Scalley's game-winning goal at the buzzer to give the men's lacrosse team the MAAC championship is the top moment, I have no idea whether Tom FitzSimon's double decathlon victories and Kent Worthington's no-hitter will end up at No. 2, 3 or 4, respectively. And I certainly have no clue what moment will join them in the top four.

I must also acknowledge my grave mistake in attempting to compile the countdown. In some ways I was correct, but my list turned out to be very wrong until we reached the top seven. My instincts told me that some of the events I selected would not make the countdown, but I included them anyway on the whim that each sport might have its own moment. The countdown does not - and rightfully so - have a moment for each sport. If I hadn't been preoccupied with this notion I may have been more likely to remember Chad Brown's being named the most outstanding performer at the outdoor NEC meet. Or women's lacrosse's six-goal comeback against George Washington.

That being said, I don't agree with all the picks so far, but as I said before, what good would the countdown be if everyone agreed with it?

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Although the sample size is very small, quite a few people have selected the matchup in American in the poll (at the top right of the page )as the one to which they are most looking forward. This is impressive because I assume most of these people made that selection knowing that head coach Robert Burke comes to us from American. Although this was a well-publicized fact when he was hired, I'm glad that so many people realized it, and look forward to that game more than Robert Morris or Loyola (Md.).