"It's disturbing, it really is"

Here are the team's post-game comments following their 74-61 to Siena:

Head Coach Ed Cooley:

On another loss in the final minutes
“It’s been the same script for four straight games”

On an energy-less loss to Siena
“We had a bad performance tonight. We were not good from start to finish. We were lackluster. We were energy less. We looked puzzled. We didn’t play well at all. We have to find out who we are and where we want to go because right now we’re not a (consistent team). We’re in a funk that I haven’t seen us (in). It’s disturbing, it really is. I saw a different Fairfield team today.

On whether a lack of preparation was the cause of the Siena loss
"I thought we had two good preparation today. We knew exactly what Siena wanted to today. Against a press that was a peek-a-boo press. I mean, wow. Against a regular zone… They must have played a new form of basketball tonight. Basketball, 2008. That’s what we must have saw tonight. But right now, we are not a good team”

When asked if Siena is a difficult team to match-up with
“I don’t think (Siena) is difficult to guard at all. It was our lack of understanding their personnel. It’s not the first time we’ve played them – (Siena) played the same system a year ago. It’s a lack of understanding. It did not translate from practice to the game. It could be Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman out there playing. It’s basketball. It’s jump to the ball, its close out, it’s beat your man to the dribble. Right now, our guys are allowing to much of that.”

On Fairfield’s myriad of issues
"I didn’t think we did a good job of taking away some of the easy thing. They made ten (three-point shots) on the night, I’d bet that eight of them were uncontested. Our rotations were bad defensively. We’ll right it, though. I’m down, I’m disappointed. We’ve got 14 days to see where we’re going. It’s early in the season and we’ve played a lot of young guys. We’ll take care of it.”

Yorel Hawkins:
“It’s frustrating. It was a lackluster game. They were picked to win the league and we didn’t come out there energized. Everyone is lackadaisical out there. I mean, it’s frustrating.

Herbie Allen:
“It’s tough. They shot 55% from three. We made a run, but they made a three here and a three there – it was frustrating. We prepared for them for two days. It seemed like we just threw the stuff that we learned (in) last two days out the window.”

- Keith Connors

'That's My Record'

Head coach Ed Cooley's post-game comments on the Stags' overtime loss against Yale (70-66) at Alumni Hall. For a recap of the game from Tom Cleary, as well as commentary on Coach Cooley's post-game words, check out this weeks edition of The Mirror.


on the 70-66 OT loss to Yale - “A very disappointing loss. I will go on record to say that this was the most disappointing loss I’ve had as a head coach. At home, our crowd was terrific; the atmosphere was great. We are just not a smart basketball team. We’ve had the same script for four straight games. Coming down the stretch, our lack of execution, our lack of understanding what we need to do is just not there. Right now, we are not a good basketball club based on our inexperience on the floor and right now it’s showing because of our turnovers.”

on how to fix the mistakes of a very youthful Stags team - “Keep working with them. Keep stressing the importance of how valuable the ball is. Time and score means everything. Not only that, I think we scout teams as well as anyone in the country when it comes down to what they’re doing. Coaches coach and players play, and put people in a position to win basketball games. Apparently right now I’m not doing a very good job of that. We’ll look at these mistakes and see if we can’t get better.”

on Fairfield's 13-of-26 foul shooting on Tuesday night - “No, that’s just a lack of concentration. We’ve had a couple of games now where we’ve shot a very subpar free throw percentage. That’s just a lack of concentration. That’s not youth – these kids have been playing basketball for a long time. And you’ve been shooting free throws since they were babies if you’re playing this sport. That’s just bad."

on the state of Fairfield Basketball - “Right now, we are not a good basketball team. We are trying to grow. We have a league game (against Siena) on Friday which is very important. I’d like to be 1-0 after Friday. That’s the most important thing on my mind right now. We’ll learn from this and we’ll move on. "

on the Stags' up-tempo start to the Yale game - “I thought we came out of the gate really well. You have to sustain it. Right now, we are having trouble sustaining that level of concentration. "

on the responsibility for the four-game losing sterak - "2-6 isn’t the end of the world. You get to the NCAA (Tournament) in the MAAC by winning the MAAC (Championship). That’s our goal. Right now, our (2-6) record is more about the coach. That’s my record. Our team record right now is 0-0 in this league. That’s the most important thing we have to stress to our kids."

Looking ahead - "We will get better. Those mistakes these kids were making (vs. Yale) will not be made in the near future, I promise you that. It’s a matter of us getting better on a daily basis."

on if there is any consolation knowing the MAAC games are still ahead - "I always think the game you play is the biggest game. There is zero consolation in losing a game. If you’ve ever coached a sport, you don’t sleep when you lose, you don’t sleep when you win because you’re preparing for your next opponent. We won’t sleep tonight because we will be watching hours upon hours of film on Siena. That’s just what our job is. And it’s my job as a head coach to let them know that our head coach is not disappointed, just a little down."

- Keith Connors

Plenty of Fights Ahead

When Jon Han got up from the floor on Tuesday night against Holy Cross, he lost control. There was certainly a lot of frustration in his actions - as he charged after Holy Cross guard Kyle Cruze. After all, the Stags were handled by Wake Forest last Saturday and were being tossed around by Holy Cross the entire night.

Said Cooley, "I was very disappointed with the way our team responded to (Holy Cross') physicality."

Lesson learned. A few days later, the Stags were able to get a win over American University in D.C. - the first of hopefully many in the win column. The team stormed out of the gate with a 14-0 second half run - and, from what I've heard, it looks as if Cooley may have found some rhythm with his personnel after last night's halftime.

Which brings me back to my original point: patience. The reasoning behind Fairfield's brutal out-of-conference schedule is to prepare them for the MAAC. As Cooley said after the Wake game, "We're not trying to compete with Wake Forest. We're trying to compete with Loyola and Siena".

If the Stags can pull some positives out of the sketchy start to the season, it's that they have played against some of the best and come out better for it.

Whether or not they turns those lessons into victories remains to be seen.

• Holy Cross did a great job getting to the line and converting; whether or not it was a merited opportunity remains to be seen. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Cooley was not pleased with the officiating. The Crusaders' breathed a sigh of relief that the got a W on the road without big man Tim Clifford for most of the game.
  
• Jon Han vowed that the team would pick itself up and learn after the Holy Cross loss.
  
• Jimmy Patsos got some pub in the recent edition of Sports Illustrated, which is the 2007-08 college basketball preview. The Greyhounds took down American a few days before the Stags came to town.
• Team source told me that the best story of the D.C. trip to American was the bus driver not showing up to drive the team to the pre-game shoot around. Luckily for them, Cooley called in a favor with John Thomson III and got the Stags into Georgetown's practice facility just in time.
• Assistant coach and coordinator of scouting Tim Fuller has resigned. Coach Cooley confirmed the news yesterday in an interview - but it's something that we've been hearing about for a few weeks now.
  
• Without Fuller in the equation, one can only speculate whether or not it had an impact on former signee Jamal Turner. It's hard to say that the two aren't connected.
• Head Coach Ed Cooley is not unfamiliar with Sacred Heart, as Mike Puma writes here. It's been a while.
  
• Sacred Heart just won't stop talking. They'll be up for this one. The Pioneers are off to a rough 1-3 start. They recently dropped a game to lowly Hartford. But it's a hyped game and they'll be up for it - as will SHU's "Big Red" faithful.
• Regardless of how you feel on the Sacred Heart game, it is no more a rivalry than Holy Cross - which was as intense a game as you can find.
  
• Early scouting report on SHU: a lot of athletes, not as many basketball "team" players. FU is looking to go in often to Greg Nero (who exploded with 13 second-half points vs. American) and Anthony Johnson to counter the Pioneers' small team. Execution will be key for the Stags, but it is a very winnable game.
  

- Keith Connors

[Photo Credit: Connecticut Post]

Let The Games Begin

Last Friday night at Harbor Yard, we got the appetizer.

It wasn't pretty, but Fairfield gave us a glimpse into the season ahead. One thing is for sure: this is a deeply talented team that has a lot of options beyond the starting five. One can look no further to that fact that Marty O'Sullivan and Mamadou Diakhate, two returning veterans, did not play as much as Lyndon Jordan and Sean Grzeck.

Now, in all honesty, it is only a scrimmage. But if we learned anything about head coach Ed Cooley last season, it's that he isn't afraid to go to a younger lineup.

It's hard to envision Fairfield finishing sixth in the MAAC. Still, with a young roster of up-and-comers, it isn't out of the realm of possibility than 2007-08 still may be a rebuilding process. However, one can't help but think that there is a chance that things may gel, the team may hit the ground running, and the Stags could find themselves playing basketball in March.

And it's not out of the realm of possibility that Cooley and the gang could pull a 180-degree turnaround and perform well in a tough out-of-conference schedule. With powerhouses like Kentucky and Michigan State falling to small, mid-major schools in scrimmages, why can't the Stags follow in suit? Especially given the transitional nature of Wake's team right now.

Oh, the beauty of the pre-season.

• Jon Han was The Man for Fairfield against Bridgeport. The Stags were able to overcome a sluggish start and hold on for a win over the Purple Knights.
  
• Ed Cooley did his best to rotate players and avoided going into the playbook all night. After the game, he was as calm as ever. He told me, "I just can't wait to go home and watch (the Boston College) Eagles game tomorrow, man."
  
• Wake Forest, after a tumultuous off-season, is ready to roll. In many respects, the season begins with a heavy heart for the Demon Deacons. For many, like junior guard Harvey Hale, it's to focus on the game; a welcome distraction after a tough loss. As a Duke fan growing up, I can say that Skip Prosser's Wake teams were as tough as they come. It's a loss that will most-definitely be felt.
• As Lenox Rawlings writes, a pre-season prediction for Wake to finish near the bottom of the pack in the ACC (the team is starting four freshman and a red-shirt sophomore) just adds fuel to the fire for hard-workers like Hale.
  
• There are plenty of questions surrounding the Deacs as they head into the season.
  
• Early Scouting Report on Wake from a Fairfield perspective: expect to see a lot of match-up zone. From what I've heard, Fairfield has prepared all week to face a lot of the 2-3 zone on Friday night - probably due to a lack of respect for the Stags' outside shooting sans Michael Van Schaick.
• Fairfield signed a blockbuster deal with Cablevision that will provide game coverage as early as this season. AD Gene Doris hopes that this will develop into a great partnership - with a possible full season televised schedule on the horizon. Great news for FU from an exposure and public relations standpoint.
  
• To add more fuel to the so-called Cooley/Jimmy Patsos rivalry, Loyola (Md.) has received a great deal of publicity in the pre-season, as his Greyhound squad is largely considered to be the favorite in the MAAC. The reason? Senior guard Gerald Brown (22.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.7 apg), a 6'4" kid from Baltimore who led the MAAC and ranked eighth in the nation in scoring. He's that good.

For our final tidbit of prep heading into the season, here's a little history lesson. After some research (after all, I've only been a part of the Fairfield family for 14 months), it seems that there's some reason for hope that a Fairfield upset in Friday night's contest is possible. One simply needs to look to the past.

The 1997 miracle run of the Stags was one of the more remarkable in the school's history. After an injury-plagued, underachieving season, Fairfield caught fire just in time for the MAAC tournament. The Stags (11-18 on the season) downed St. Peter's, Canisuis, and top-seeded Iona to clinched an NCAA tourney berth.

In the 1-16 game, the Stags pushed North Carolina to the brink. The Stags started the second half strong and took a 37-28 lead early, but their bid to become the first 16 seed to claim a top-seed as their victim, but ultimately fell short, 82-74.

The host city of that game? Winston-Salem. The arena? Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Hey, you never know.

As the Calendar turns to November

The last time I wrote from Harbor Yard, a teary-eyed Michael Van Schaick was trying to put a first round loss to Loyola (Md.) into words, and Ed Cooley was vowing that 2007 would have a far different ending.

7 months have passed and now we return to the start and wonder what the road ahead will bring. How will Fairfield respond to losing their leader? It will be difficult to decipher at first, as the Stags once against face a daunting early season schedule from the outset.

One thing is for sure, with eight underclassmen, this is still a young team - and a sixth-place MAAC projection in the coaches' poll proves expectations are low.

But that's fine with Fairfield.

• Herbie Allen is in line for some serious playing time from the get-go. He's projected to be opening day starter. In this Chris Ellsbury piece, the presence of some new freshmen guards may have motivated him.
• M.T. Church hits the nail on the head: scheduling is tough.
• Warren Edney, Yorel Hawkins, and potential starter Lyndon Jordan are not polished yet, but they are exciting. The potential is certainly there.
• Season one for any coach is challenging. Add in a new hometown, an inheritance of players you are unfamiliar with, and an underachieving program and you've got yourself a tough task. Ed Cooley welcomed it, and felt like it was a tale of two seasons. Now, it appears as if he's in a comfort zone at Fairfield.
• Say what you will about Cooley, but he knows how to get through to his players.
  
• New women's coach Joe Frager makes his debut tonight in the scrimmage with Bridgeport. Unlike Cooley, he inherits an experienced, contending team.
• Fairfield alums want to see more meat in the seats after Harbor Yard. One could certainly sense a difference in atmosphere between the opening night thriller against America and a majority of the games down I-95. Still, one would hope that some more victories to the credit of both teams will make the change. On a positive note, the MAAC tournament game against Loyola (Md.) here was phenomenal.
  
• Whether it is our choice or not, Sacred Heart has been thrust into the spotlight as our rivals. However, it's more geographic proximity than hard-feelings between the two Fairfield, CT schools. Apparently Sacred Heart is loving the idea of taking the town: they sent a Pioneer over on Halloween to the Barone Campus Center, and threw around some "Go Big Red" flyers around the Walsh Center, just in time for basketball practice. Motivation already?
• Greg Nero likes Kanye West.
• Bob Huessler is a local legend. I'll admit that, as a New York sports fan as a kid, it was pretty cool to be able to cover a game a few feet away from a bonafide professional. We're lucky to have him here at WVOF.
• Fairfield has just signed a deal with Cablevision/News 12 Connecticut to broadcast some MAAC games later in the season (Rider was one definitive answer).
• It's still nine days away, but it's never too early to start thinking about the competition when you're dealing with a powerhouse like Wake Forest. That powerhouse, though, is undergoing some changes.
  
• On a personal note, tomorrow is the "Super Bowl" of New Jersey. As a Bergen Catholic alum, it's not just a choice to be there, it's an obligation

- K.C.

Goodbye, Uncle Joe

I have never met Joe Torre. He never signed an autograph for me, or even looked my way when my buddies and I would scream him name when we went to games.

Still, as a die hard Yankee fan since I was eight years old (1996, for those keeping track) I feel like I've lost more than a manager or a friend - Joe was like family.

While it sounds a little childish, my brother, Matt, and I used to call him "Uncle Joe" - an always steady and reassuring voice in the chaotic, crazy world of the New York Yankees. The players respected him so much that every Yankee used to refer to him as "Mr. Torre" in public. Players like Derek Jeter and Paul O'Neill always did call him a "father figure". I now realize how right they were.

Needless to say, I was very upset upon hearing the news - and even more effected by Joe Torre's somber press conference from Rye, N.Y. in which he gave his explanation of the events that transpired the day before.

It was an unofficial end of an era. As I started to think of it, the only thing that will probably affect me more emotionally as a Yankee fan in years to come is Derek Jeter's retirement. That's how much Joe Torre meant to the Yankees, the city of New York, and to the fans.

Count myself as one of those who admired him as a manager and as a gentleman.

Torre was a voice of reason, a presence of calm, and a beacon of class in a city that demands excellence and has exceedingly high expectations. Any normal human being would have last maybe a year or two in this job; Torre excelled for 12 years in the only baseball dynasty since the advent of free agency.

He meant so much to the city of New York. He grew up in Marine Park, Brooklyn - only 15 minutes from where my parents grew up. To say that the city embraced him as family upon his arrival in an understatement. He was one of the first to pay a visit to Ground Zero after the attacks.

Torre's popularity transcended Gotham. A Newsweek poll in 2000 said, behind Michael Jordan, he was the most recognizable sports figure in America.

He also, somehow, made the Yankees likable. While some of that is due to a change in philosophy and new, hard nosed players, Torre's professionalism and class made them approachable and, for Yankee haters, respected villains. My Dad, a lifelong Mets fan, commented in 2003 during the ALCS against Boston (another signature Torre moment) that he never once in his lifetime thought he'd ever root for the Yankees. He did. His two reasons: Derek Jeter and Joe Torre.

Personally, I'd believe that Torre did the right thing by turning down the offer, one that was certainly designed to be rejected. Torre deserved more respect than to have an incentive-based deal. The fact that Randy Levine, the Yankees' president who has never shown signs of an effective leader, said Torre needed to be more motivated is an absolute joke. An interview with any Yankees player after the ALDS will tell you that, if not for Joe Torre, the season would have ended in July, not October.

Torre's replacement is another issue, and the Yankees have more problems beyond the man who will lead the troops. Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada, long-time Torre allies, may need to be swayed a little more in order to stay in the Bronx now that their man is gone. Trades will be made. Players will be moved. This roster may look very, very different. And that starts at the top.

As it rains here in Connecticut, I can't help but wonder whether I will remember this as the day that the Yankee Golden Age of my lifetime crumbled. It started in 2001 with Luis Gonzalez single, it continued in 2004 when Boston made history.

Now, in a age of turmoil in the post-George Steinbrenner era, the Yankees are not just leaderless, they are faceless.

Still, I'll always be thankful for Joe and the moments his Yankees gave me. From the comeback against Atlanta in 1996, to the greatest team of all time in '98, to the emotional roller coaster of 2001 - Torre was there and a reason behind all of it.

And for that, I'm thankful to have been a part of it.

A Yankee Fan Copes with Reality

As I sit here and top this post, the Boston Red Sox are trouncing the Cleveland Indiana in Game 1 of the ALCS. It seemed like only a week ago that the New York Yankees were knocking around C.C. Sabathia, much like the Indiana. Unfortunately for them, two things happened: 1) they didn't finish off with runners in scoring position, and 2) the Indians battered Chien-Ming Wang that much more.

Apparently with Josh Beckett on the mound, the easy selection for the American League Cy Young winner, the Sox do not have that problem.

So, despite the fact that I've managed to go five innings without even a glance at the screen, let's give these teams some credit and here's some quick thoughts on the ALCS:

• The Indians, to have any shot at this series, have to win three out of the four games that are pitched by their aces - C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. Thus far, the prospects are looking dim in Game One, placing even more emphasis on tomorrow night's start from Cleveland's other upstart righty. The two were dirty against the Yankees. I'd like to think that, even if overmatched by Boston, they will not go quietly into the night.
• Travis Hafner, who homered in his first at-bat of the playoffs, is poised for a break-out series. He was a frightening presence in the Division Series against the Yankees, seemingly up in every big opportunity. The Indians need Hafner. I'd think he may be a household name by the end of the series.
• We all know what's coming out of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. For Boston to take it all this year, they'll need that third big threat to emerge. While many will point to J.D. Drew's recent emergence as a sign of hope, I still think he's overpaid and overhyped. I think it will be Kevin Youkilis that helps the Fenway faithful get back to the Promised Land.
• Schilling and Dice-K. One is a little old, the other is over hyped. I'm interested to see their performances in this series. Schilling is going up against a younger, more energetic pitcher who was on his game against the Yankees. Carmona does have demons against Boston (David Ortiz owned him last year when he was a reliever), but this guy is a much different pitcher. Can Schilling keep up with him? As for Matsuzaka, I'm a little worried about him in a road game in a big spot in the postseason. If Cleveland can head back home with a 1-1 split, I think they could rattle Dice-K early. He has shown me no evidence he can pitch in a big game in 2007.
• Dustin Pedroia is a star in the making. You have to love a guy who plays the game with a lot of intensity and a lot of pride. The Red Sox have a great, homegrown talent that will be in that #4 position in the scorecard for quite some time.
• Ditto for Grady Sizemore, although you already knew that. Sizemore has the kind of talent that makes scouts drool and opposing pitchers shake. He had an uncanny ability of being able to hit for power and contact against New York in the Division Series. Sizemore, while a little over aggressive in his young age, can develop into a top ten player in the MLB. Whether or not this is the year he does it has yet to be seen.

Anyway, let's see how it unfolds. I'm taking Boston in six, who will have the Colorado Rockies waiting for them in an unlikely World Series match-up.

Meanwhile, I'm left to cope with a terrible October by Derek Jeter, rumors of the best manager in my time being fired, and Alex Rodriguez opting out of his contract for even more cash. I very much admire the Yankee youth movement and their astounding resiliency in what looked like a lost season early on, but the media is certainly taking a negative spin out of their October exit. Whether or not they can recover, only time will tell.

While Fenway rocks, it's a tough time to be on the south side of I-95.