Thursday, December 31, 2009

Growing into leadership position

Xaverian captain cites sibling’s role in success as goalie

Xaverian Brothers High senior goalie Kyle MacDonald keeps a close watch for opposing skaters during last weekend’s 5-0 win against Westford Academy.
Xaverian Brothers High senior goalie Kyle MacDonald keeps a close watch for opposing skaters during last weekend’s 5-0 win against Westford Academy. (David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

By Justin A. Rice
December 31, 2009

After the Xaverian Brothers High hockey team lost in the Super 8 boys’ tournament for the second straight year last March, Kyle MacDonald not only hit the weight room - the Hanover teen also hit a growth spurt. The 6-foot, 165-pound senior goalie grew so much his pads no longer fit.

Fortunately, his folks were generous enough to buy him new gear in October, which meant Santa didn’t leave much under the tree on Christmas.

“I didn’t expect much,’’ said the Division 1 college prospect, who said he mostly received clothing last Thursday. “Pads cost over a grand, so I was happy.’’

Besides putting on 10 pounds and growing nearly 3 inches, MacDonald, a three-year starter and hockey captain at the Catholic school in Westwood, has also made his presence in the net bigger by improving his technique.

“He’s done that and he’s so quick so that combo makes him tough to beat,’’ said Xaverian coach David Spinale. “He’s the backbone of our team. That’s no secret. We continue to rely on him, and he thrives on it and enjoys shouldering the load.’’

MacDonald, 18, started playing goalie 12 years ago, serving as a target for his older brother, Chris, who helped Hanover High win a state title in 2007 and now plays at Wesleyan University.

The older sibling had been trying to get him in the street hockey net for years, starting when he about age 3, MacDonald said. “My dad was like, ‘Stay away from him, Chris.’ Once I was old enough to put pads on, he was like, ‘Put them on,’ ’’ MacDonald said.

“He used to come in close and shoot his slap shot right in front on my face. One day I came out closer to him, I cut off the angle, and no more,’’ he recalled.

The firing squad during those street hockey games included the elder MacDonald’s friends, and Spinale credits that experience for helping Kyle succeed on the varsity as a sophomore.

“That had a direct impact on him in terms of his confidence level,’’ Spinale said, “not only being able to compete athletically but to socially be confident.’’

MacDonald started the ninth game of his sophomore season and ended up leading the team to its first Super 8 appearance in school history.

“I can’t imagine playing my first varsity game in net; the pressure on the goaltender is enough as it is,’’ said Xaverian teammate Nate Hardiman, a four-year varsity player from Stoughton. “That just shows he belongs there.’’

Xaverian returned to the Super 8 last season and ultimately lost 2-1 in overtime to Burlington.

Hardiman has been motivated to improve defensively this year, having missed his assignment at a key moment in last season’s final game. With only one returning starter at the blue line, Chris Kennedy of Sherborn, the team’s forwards have had to become more defensive minded.

“A lot of kids nowadays worry about ‘I gotta score 100 goals, I gotta look pretty’ ’’ to impress colleges, Hardiman said. “But back-checking and getting back in the defensive zone are things coaches see. Coaches realize, ‘This guy can help us out on defense.’

“If you have guys that are only offensive-minded, you’ll get hurt and lose games that way.’’

The team’s young defenders have held up fine in the season’s early going, with the Hawks starting 2-0, including a 5-0 win against Westford Academy. But there’s no doubt that MacDonald’s presence in the net gives his squad a little more room for error.

“When we made mistakes in the defensive zone he bails us out a lot, especially on penalty kill,’’ Hardiman said of MacDonald. “When they’re ripping shots from the point, he’s guaranteed to make the first save.’’

No matter how much work is ahead of them this year, the five players returning from the last two Super 8 teams know deep down their legacy is secure.

“Looking back on it, I will get to say I was part of that first team that made the Super 8 in school history,’’ Hardiman said. “Yeah, it’s a big thing, but I try not to look back on the past.

“It’s great that we made it but we’re disappointed we lost it,’’ he added.

Landmark game
According to the Fenway Park events calendar, Thayer Academy and the Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School will meet on the hallowed baseball grounds for an ice hockey game next Thursday.

The teams will play on the rink built for this season’s edition of the NHL Winter Classic, with the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers slated to face off at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Fenway.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Former Newton North star Gurley enjoying home stretch with UMass

Daily News Tribune
Posted Dec 24, 2009 @ 01:25 AM

CHESTNUT HILL — Even though Anthony Gurley transferred to the University of Massachusetts after his freshman year at Wake Forest, Newton North's all-time leading scorer still doesn't make it back to the Boston area much these days.

This past week was a rare treat for the Minutemen's red-shirt junior guard from Roxbury.
Six nights after returning to the site of North's 2005 and 2006 Eastern Mass. championships for an upset over Memphis at the TD Garden, Gurley finally got to play a real game at Conte Forum, where he attended summer camp as a kid.

``It feels good being able to go home twice in a week, playing in front of hometown fans,'' Gurley said before UMass' 79-67 loss to Boston College last night.

Collecting his first career double-double with a game-high 23 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, Gurley was 6-of-20 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line.

``It was one of those nights,'' Gurley said after shaking his head at the stat sheet. ``You know every night is not going to be Christmas. So I guess you gotta find other ways to get the job done, whether it's rebounding or defense, or stuff like that.

``I guess that's what I attempted to do tonight.''

Gurley paced UMass in the first half with 11 points, including a dunk that tied it at 19. But BC led 26-25 at the break after Gurley missed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from just inside the midcourt logo.

BC extended its lead to 10 with 10:22 to go and UMass got within five, 60-55, with just under five minutes to play. But Joe Trapani (18 points) sunk a 3-pointer that would have just about sunk the Minutemen with 4:05 to play had it not been for a flagrant foul late in the game.

With 1:42 to play, UMass cut it to 70-63 after Ricky Harris was intentionally fouled by BC's Reggie Jackson. Harris split the free throws and the Minutemen got the ball back and got a layup. On the other end, however, Jackson put BC up 72-63, and even Sean Carter's emphatic dunk was too little, too late for UMass.

As good as it felt to play at Conte Forum last night, the experience did not top beating Memphis at the Garden on Saturday night.

``Not at all, not even close,'' UMass' leading scorer said on Tuesday. ``I went to high school in Newton, but I'm from Roxbury. I grew up going to the Garden. It was definitely very, very, very exciting.''

Gurley scored 14 points for the Minutemen in the 73-72 victory. The winning play against Memphis was actually drawn up for Gurley with 3.8 seconds left. But the plan broke down and the ball ended up in the hands of freshman Terrell Vinson, who knocked down the game-winning jumper.

It was the first UMass game at the Garden since 1997.

``It was big for our program, it gives us a lot of confidence and it just kind of lets Boston fans know there's a lot going on out in Western Mass. as well,'' Gurley said. ``When I was growing up, I didn't know too much about UMass. I knew of (John) Calipari and (Marcus) Camby. But other than that I did not follow their program because they were on the other side of the state.''

For North coach Paul Connolly, the fact that Gurley ended up in Amherst makes a lot of sense. Of all the recruiters that visited Gurley in Newton, including Memphis, Syracuse and N.C. State, the UMass efforts stood out.

``Travis Ford drove 120 miles per hour to get here,'' Connolly said of the former UMass coach, whom Derek Kellogg replaced after Ford bolted to Oklahoma State.

Ultimately, Gurley was lured away by Winston-Salem's Southern hospitality. He averaged 6.4 points and 14.5 minutes per game as a freshman, and was doing well academically. But Connolly said the late Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser told him that spring that Gurley was homesick.

``It was a great experience,'' Connolly said, ``but when it was all said and done, when you got home and your head hits the pillow at night, are you happy? And he wasn't.

``I tried to walk him through the process a little bit, but at the end of the day he wasn't happy.''

Connolly said the fact that another former North standout, Lex Mongo, plays for the Minutemen helped ease Gurley's transition to Amherst.

``That was good for Anthony to have a buddy out there, he's very happy out there,'' Connolly said. ``He's in a situation where he's going to score 1,000 points in three years, barring injury.''

Connolly said Mongo could've stared in Division 3, but chose to walk-on at UMass.

``I'm really proud of Lex because that's not an easy role,'' Connolly said.

Connolly watches all of his former players at the collegiate level at least once each season, including Corey Lowe at Boston University. But he did not see Mongo and Gurley play in person until earlier this season against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Nov. 21 - a game in which Mongo recorded his first career assist.

Connolly missed Saturday's game at the Garden, but did attend last night's game against BC.

``I sent (Gurley) a text after the game in the Garden and told him you and Lex are 3-0 at the Garden,'' said Connolly, referring to their two high school triumphs on the parquet.

Last night's game was not Gurley's first against BC. Last season, Gurley scored 17 points as UMass fell to BC, 85-81, in Amherst. The season before that, Gurley scored 13 points for Wake in a loss to the Eagles in Winston-Salem.

He fell short again last night.

``I was proud he had 10 rebounds, but it looked like he tired a little bit at the end, and didn't sprint back on defense as hard as I'm accustomed to him doing,'' Kellogg said. ``He had a good game, but I think he can continue to improve and get better.''

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Waltham's Morin coaches championship NASCAR crew

Daily News Tribune
Posted Dec 18, 2009 @ 01:04 AM

Growing up in Waltham, Greg Morin was never a NASCAR fan. Nevertheless, there he was in Las Vegas earlier this month for the sport's Champions Week - the toast and talk of the town.

For the second straight year Morin coached the pit crew for the No. 48 Hendrick Lowe's car raced by Jimmie Johnson, who won a historic fourth consecutive championship title this season.

``It is definitely not something I directly pursued,'' Morin said via e-mail Monday. ``Not having grown up a race fan, I did not have a clear appreciation for the sport. After learning about it and becoming a part of it, I'm very glad that my adventure, even though it was done in a roundabout manner, has allowed me to accomplish and be a part of all that I have.

``Being at the awards ceremony was amazing. Not only is it great experience and reward for the work that was put in during the season, it's history. Being a part of history, especially sports history, is something that every guy dreams of, and we became a part of history this year. Simply amazing.''

Morin graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., in 2001 with a degree in Recreational Therapy before becoming a teacher and athletic trainer. He soon met the staff at Performance Instruction & Training (PIT), a motorsports pit crew training facility in Mooresville, N.C.

He decided to enroll in the school. After completing the school's Pit Crew U program, he moved into a coaching position. He eventually became PIT's Director of Motorsports, heading up the school's Pit Crew U program, and coached professional teams that came to PIT for training.

Morin began the 2008 season with Hendrick Motorsports as the head pit crew coach for the No. 48 team, as well as Jeff Gordon's No. 24 team. The No. 48 team won the 2008 Sprint Cup championship.

Besides winning championships both years, Morin said winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway both years stood out as the greatest highlight of his run with the team. He also enjoyed ``being a part of a team that never quits, never stopped trying to get better, even though we were in first place.''

As unlikely as Morin's success in the sport is, it was far from unplanned.

``Greg and I mapped out his path before he ever enrolled in Pit Crew U, and he may have had a plan before he even met me,'' said Breon Klopp, PIT's Senior Director of Development, in a statement. ``That ability to see and plan ahead has made him a champion coach. In class, Greg always asked `Why?' in addition to `How?' Understanding the reason behind an action provides insight as to how improvements are made.''

Under Morin's leadership, both pit crews for the No. 48 and No. 24 teams have won numerous awards for quickness and precision. Morin said he also developed a desire and work ethic to be the best at his craft.

``It takes a lot of sacrifice, and that itself might be the biggest challenge,'' he said. ``There is a lot of time spent on the road on the weekends, at the shop practicing and training during the week. Even at home, you never really get away and stop thinking about work. We are always trying to get better and find an advantage, and it can be hard to stop working once you go home because of that desire to perform and win.''

But the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

``The best part of what I do is competing at the highest level of our sport with the best team in the sport,'' Morin said. ``Knowing what we've accomplished, and the challenge that lies ahead in an effort to accomplish more, it drives you to get better and stay hungry.''

He doesn't get back to Waltham much these days, but he said every few years he visits family in the Greater Boston area. He is unlikely to make it home much this offseason.

``We work even harder in the offseason to get that much better for the next season,'' Morin said. ``We will train and practice even harder to stay ahead of the competition in 2010.

``Next season will be a dogfight for the championship. There are a lot of people gunning for us, and we've got to be prepared to out-plan, out-prepare, out-work and out-play the competition.''

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Her play is to swoon over; she’d rather not

Globe South Sports




By Justin A. Rice
Globe Correspondent / December 17, 2009

An accomplished three-sport athlete, Taylor Shepherd always carries a bottle of water or a sports drink, like a toddler toting a sippy cup. So when Shepherd was diagnosed with a syndrome that causes her to easily dehydrate and occasionally black out, her family had a hard time swallowing the news.

“I drank 10 bottles of water a day,’’ said Shepherd, a junior at Fontbonne Academy in Milton.

“To hear that I was dehydrated was weird for my parents; I’m always drinking water, Gatorade, or Propel.’’

The Quincy resident was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope after collapsing on the softball field as a freshman. The non-life-threatening condition decreases blood pressure and blood flow to the brain, resulting in dizziness or fainting.

Shepherd combats the disorder with sodium pills, consuming eight to 12 cups of water per day, and getting enough rest.

“When it first started happening, I didn’t know what to do - I would just drink as much as I could and thought I’d be fine, then I rushed off to the bathroom,’’ Shepherd said. “Now that I’m used to it, I know how to judge it, when to have a sip [of water] and when to drink a bottle.’’

Her condition has hardly slowed her down on the ice, the volleyball court, or the softball diamond. She collected hat tricks in both the state semifinals and the state final to power Fontbonne to the Division 2 girls’ hockey championship last March, was named to the Catholic Conference all-star team, and was a Globe All-Scholastic.

With Shepherd netting a pair of goals and an assist, the Ducks opened the season with a 5-0 win over Boston Latin School last week. The victory extended the squad’s shutout streak started last season by Kristen Conners, who became the first MIAA goalie in history, male of female, to blank every postseason opponent en route to a state championship.

Conners is now a freshman at New England College, but her backup, junior Sam Curly, delivered 15 saves in the opener. Freshman goalie Lan Crofton will also see significant minutes in goal.

“That’s what makes me less nervous when I’m playing, the fact that [Shepherd] is going to stop them from coming in on me or get a goal right back,’’ Curly said. “She does it every single time.’’

Facing double- and triple-teams, Shepherd may have trouble matching last year’s 35-goal, nine-assist output. But Fontbonne coach Bob Huxley believes his top line of Shepherd, junior Elizabeth Coleman (16 points last year), and senior Catherine Flaherty (22) can be the most productive in the state.

“I think they’re that good, they’re just so much fun to watch,’’ said Huxley, who describes Shepherd as a “very fluid skater who sees the ice well.’’

She laced up her first skates at age 7, and started playing hockey the same year. Though she was the first in her family to play hockey (her father, Jerry, played basketball at Nichols), her parents were a rather easy sell on her suiting up for a travel team.

“The fact that I loved going to practice at 5:30 in the morning - they knew it was something I enjoyed and they said, ‘You know what, we’re willing to spend the money,’ ’’ said Shepherd, who was introduced to the game by neighborhood boys on rollerblades.

“They boys would make you look silly with their stick handling. It made me want to learn how to do it. I wanted to be faster and do that stuff they did to make me a better player.’’

Shepherd had a similar experience the summer before her sophomore year when she was invited to train with some of the best female high school players in the nation at the Community Olympic Development Program in St. Paul, Minn.

“I’d much rather be a little fish and kind of look up at the girls who play hockey all year long,’’ she said. “It’s motivating to keep up with them. For me, my drive is there, and I want to be the best player I can be every shift, be ready to play; ready to play up with them.’’

But Shepherd had her worst vasovagal syncope attack to date in Minnesota when she fainted in a game and was sent home early.

“You never know when it can happen,’’ Shepherd said. “When it happened on the ice, it was very scary for me.’’

She turned down an invitation to play in Minnesota last summer, partly because she was afraid of getting sick again and partially because she wanted to compete in summer softball and volleyball with her friends. Although next summer she will focus on hockey, she probably won’t give up volleyball and softball during the school year. She will only return to Minnesota if she feels her dream of playing Division 1 hockey, preferably at Boston University, needs a boost.

“Right now we’re focused on winning as many games as possible and meshing as a team,’’ Shepherd said. “The team chemistry is already unbelievable. It’s outrageous already.’’

Friday, December 11, 2009

Groundwork (icework?) laid for Winter Classic


Written by Justin Rice
Friday, December 11, 2009 05:41
BOSTON — Turns out there is not much difference between building and maintaining an NHL hockey rink inside a baseball stadium and a hockey dad’s backyard rink. In both instances, round-the-clock care is required along with boatloads of patience.

In the NHL’s case, however, boatloads of water are also required.

“This crew was handpicked and they have passion,” Dan Craig said of his 200-man crew building the rink in Fenway Park for the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. “They can make ice at any time like you would with your son, like I did with my son.

“There is nothing more peaceful than being out spraying at 3 a.m., when you know the best players in the world are going to play on it.”

The third annual event will be played this year between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers at 1 p.m. on Jan. 1 — leaving Craig and his team plenty of time to stretch the 200-by-85-foot ice surface from Fenway’s first base to third base — in the shadow of the famed Green Monster.

“We’re taking our time,” said Craig, the NHL’s ice guru who is known as the Ice Man. “Patience is one of things that is number one on our list. We tell the guys when we get up in the morning we don’t rush through anything, we don’t go out there and lay down 1,000 gallons of water, turn around and go get a coffee.

“They’re on the hoses constantly for 16 hours, just spraying back and forth for 16 hours in a given day.”

On Thursday the NHL began the process of placing the rink in Fenway by parking its 53-foot long Winter Classic refrigeration truck next to the ballpark on Van Nes Street, where it will stay up till and throughout the game.

“It’s fabulous,” said Craig, whose official title with the league is facilities operations manager, after getting out of the truck. “You look up here and it gives you chills. Just to be within the walls [of Fenway], never mind bring a rink [to] it.”

Containing 300 tons of equipment, the truck will pump more than 1,000 gallons of coolant per minute to keep the ice cold and solid.

“This system is monster, we haven’t even pushed its limits,” Craig said on a partly cloudy, blustery 47-degree day. “On a day like today this thing wouldn’t even hiccup. This is our second season [with it] and we don’t foresee any problems.

“It’s like going out for jog, it’s always nice to have good weather but when you go out for a jog and it’s raining you still get up and go.”

Nevertheless, in the event of rain or a blizzard, the league has a built-in makeup date of Jan. 2.

Craig, who has been in the ice-making business for more than 30 years, said his crew will not start making ice until the middle of next week. A full, firm sheet will be in place by the end of next week. They will not even start the ice-making process until Wednesday.

In the meantime Craig’s 200-person team started laying down panels on the lawn so the rink does not to damage the field.

“We’re coming in here from the National Hockey League and we’re showing this grand stadium, this grand ball park the utmost respect,” Craig said. “The same as I would expect anyone if they came into our NHL facilities to do. That’s why we’re working with the grounds crew, we’re working very closely with them to make sure everything is taken care of so when we leave it’s like we were never here. That’s how we like to leave it.”

This is not the first time the NHL is working in a baseball stadium.

While the first Winter Classic was in Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, where the NFL’s Bills play, last year’s was at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Don Renzulli, the league’s senior vice president of events and entertainment, said they learned a lot from last year. Wrigley Field’s concourses were packed during intermissions so the NHL has asked the city if the Red Sox if they can keep Yawkey Way closed off to pedestrians and open to fans attending the game.

“What you have during a baseball game is 17 or 18 breaks where people go to the bathroom, get there concessions,” he said. “Here you have two 20 minute breaks. And what we learned last year is the concourses were just body to body so [Yawkey] helps us expand.

“Each year we learn more with these stadiums.”

The NHL has also expanded the events in the run up to and after the Winter Classic as there will be public skating, an alumni game and college hockey games at Fenway.

There will also be a Spectator’s Plaza starting Dec. 31 located next to Boston Beer Works, in the parking lot diagonally across Brookline Avenue from the Red Sox ticket office.

As for tickets to the this year’s Winter Classic, Renzulli said 310,000 fans tried to get tickets when they went on sale, up from 241,000 people looking for tickets last year, which attracted the largest broadcast audience for a regular-season NHL game in 34 years.

Only 38,000-plus fans can fit into Fenway on game day.

“So the demand is there, people want to see it,” Renzulli said, noting that New Year’s Day is no longer a college football bonanza because the best bowl games are no longer played on Jan. 1. “It’s something that college football has kind of left us open a window and we took it and people want to see it.”

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Brown, Coakley to face off for Senate seat

By Justin A. Rice

BOSTON — The only woman running to replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in the US Senate survived muted controversy and criticism in the run up to Tuesday’s special primary to advance to next month’s general election.

“I’m honored and humbled to have the opportunity to follow Senator Ted Kennedy, he who did ‘Dream the Impossible Dream,’” Martha Coakley said in a ballroom at the Sheraton Boston Hotel after receiving 47 percent of the vote and being introduced by Sen. John Kerry. “You know, the first phone call I received after I won the Democratic Party for Middlesex District Attorney was from Ted Kennedy.

“The first phone call I received this morning after I voted was Vicki Kennedy to wish me well with her trademark grace and warmth.”

The attorney general’s opponents US Representative Michael E. Capuano (28 percent of the vote), City Year cofounder Alan Khazei (13 percent), and Celtics co-owner Stephen G. Pagliuca (12 percent) were reluctant to attack the Coakley directly. Her opponents only pounced on the race’s front-runner after she volunteered that she would not vote for a national healthcare bill that included restrictions on abortion.

But a day after jumping on Coakley for her statements on abortion, Capuano shifted his position, saying he only voted on the bill in congress to push it through to the Senate. He said he ultimately would not approve anything with anti abortion language.

“I want to congratulate the next senator of Massachusetts Martha Coakley,” Capuano said when he took the stage to concede victory at 9:23 p.m. “She ran a good campaign and it was a good clean campaign. I want to congratulate her. I want to be there in January to make her the next senator.” “The attorney general was a good candidate. She didn’t make any slipups and we couldn’t narrow the gap.”

In the Jan. 19 special election Coakley will face Republican state Senator Scott Brown to once and for all determine who will fill the seat

Kennedy held for nearly 47 years until his death in August.

Brown defeated Duxbury businessman Jack. E. Robinson and independent candidate, Joseph L. Kennedy of Dedham. Brown was projected the winner by the Associated Press at 8:29 p.m., collecting about 89 percent of the vote compared to Robinson’s 11 percent.

With about 600,000 people out of 4.1 million eligible to cast ballots heading out to the poles to vote, turnout was probably low due to the off-season timing of the primary and cold temperatures.

“It was, it was really light,” Teia Searcy, 27, of Roxbury, said after a day of campaigning for Coakley. “I was worried for a minute. But I had great hope because I knew she was the best candidate.”

On paper, Coakley did not seem to win any category, from endorsements to spending. She was even knocked down in the grassroots. The only problem was that other candidates split those categories amongst themselves.

Capuano racked up the bulk of the endorsements, snagging former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, US Rep. Barney Frank and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. He also got the Boston Herald’s vote of confidence and all nine Boston city councilors.

Pagliuca spent at least $7.6 million of his own personal fortune and Khazei was hailed for being an ingenuous grassroots leader, who also did pretty well on the endorsement front.

He was endorsed by Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter, the Boston Globe, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, Gen. Wesley Clark. Vicki Strauss Kennedy endorsed Khazei in a in a Huffington Post piece.

“Well you know there were plenty of skeptics out there,” Coakley said. “They said, how could an attorney general win? We believed it was quite possible! How could she raise the money? But we believed it was quite possible. They said women don’t have much luck in Massachusetts politics — we believed, that it was quite possible that that luck was about to change.”

Coakley did not do too shabby with endorsements either. She had state Senate President Therese Murray on her side all along and at the last moment President Bill Clinton rode to the rescue.

“I think this was a close call for many voters,” Alex MacDonald of Cambridge, a Coakley supporter said just before the race was called in Coakley’s favor. “These are three talented, very admirable, very progressive candidates and I would predict that each would one if they won the seat would probably 98 percent of the time vote the same.

“But the fact is Martha possesses some special attributes that will put her in the Senate.”

MacDonald said he knows most of the candidates well but was involved in Coakley’s first campaign and already pledge his support to her, even though others asked for his help.

“In a very close call a father of three daughters is the feather that tips the scales,” he said. “I voted or Coakley for a lot of reasons most of which because I known her and always liked her but I also did it for my daughters.” Searcy, who also attended Coakley’s party, was also confident a woman will finally represent Massachusetts in the senate.

“Women make a lot of changes, a lot of wise changes,” Searcy said. “I’m happy to hear a woman is in the House. Women are the rebirth of things.”

Coakley, however, was not counting her eggs before they hatched. “Following in the steps of so many men and women who have broken barriers and cracked ceilings as well as those who have worked at the bottom of the ladder,” Coakley concluded, “it is my hope that as this is one small step for women, you will help me take the much larger steps we need to take to make those words of the Declaration of Independence truly inclusive."

Monday, December 7, 2009

Miami Hurricanes absorb pounding on the boards, fall to BC

BY JUSTIN A. RICE

Special to the Miami Herald

Beating one of the few unbeaten teams in the country Sunday at Conte Forum was no point of pride for Al Skinner.

``If they're expected to go undefeated the rest of the way, then, yeah, there's a lot of pride in that, but up until this point it's only eight games, it's not like it's 25 [games],'' the Boston College coach said after beating the University of Miami 61-60 in front of 5,063 fans. ``But if they go the rest of the way and win the rest, and we're the only ones who beat them, I'll be really happy about that.''

Skinner did, however, hang his hat on outrebounding UM 46-21 -- including 23 offensive rebounds compared with the Hurricanes' four.

``In five years we've never gotten beaten like this on the boards,'' UM coach Frank Haith said. ``That's just been a big part of who we are, so that's what's been most disappointing about the performance today is they slammed us like that on the glass.''

After starting 8-0 for the second time in Haith's tenure, UM (8-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), not only dropped its first game but its opening league game as well.

``We were struggling out there, and we didn't execute like we would've liked to,'' said sophomore guard Malcolm Grant, whose shooting down the stretch almost beat BC (6-2, 1-0). ``We just have to bounce back, like Coach said, and the most important thing is we don't get down, stay positive and bounce back.''

After slowly digging his team out of a 15-point deficit with 14:07 to play, Grant sunk a three-pointer with 4:23 left to cut the lead to five and another one about a minute later to cut it to two.

He capped UM's 8-0 run with an up-and-under layup that tied it at 57 with 2:25 left. But then UM gave up perhaps its most crucial offensive rebound to sophomore guard Reggie Jackson.

Jackson, who tied Grant for a game-high 18-points, put back the rebound for a 59-57 lead.

After a timeout, Grant missed a three-pointer. On BC's ensuing possession UM senior guard James Dews snagged Jackson's missed three-pointer but stepped out of bounds on his way down.

With the ball back in his hands on the right wing, Jackson blew past freshman guard Durand Scott, taking flight for a rim-rattling but disallowed dunk. Freshman center Reggie Johnson took the charge with 18 seconds left.

Twelve seconds later Grant missed a three-pointer that was rebounded by -- who else? -- Jackson.

``We were going for the win on the road,'' Haith said. ``We want to go for the win, and I thought Malcolm got a good look.''

Jackson was fouled and drained both free throws to go up 61-57 with two seconds left, and Grant hit a 28-footer as time expired.

``Malcolm was great offensively, he just gave us a spark there in the second half and gave us a chance to win the game,'' Haith said of Grant. ``He put us right there with a chance to win the game. Had we had a couple rebounds secure, we would have given ourselves an even better chance to win the game.''

The Eagles held a 28-11 rebounding edge at the half with a 16-1 offensive-rebound advantage.

``It was a hard-fought game,'' Haith said. ``BC's energy on the glass just destroyed us.''

Friday, December 4, 2009

The write stuff

Posted Dec 04, 2009 @ 12:46 AM

With just one leg and one lung, Jothy Rosenberg has spent his life pushing his body and mind to the limit on ski slopes, through whitewater rapids and in the ivory towers of Duke University. So it may be hard to believe that the cancer survivor's greatest challenge was chronicling his adventures in an independently published memoir called "Who Says I Can't."

"Writing is a challenging activity," said the 13-year Newton resident, who lost his right leg and left lung after being diagnosed with cancer when he was 16. "People had heard me tell my stories orally for years and said 'You gotta write these down.'

"I couldn't think of any better way to write them down than chronologically, in the order that they happened. (But) that's not the best way to write a memoir. The first version was a little too autobiographical; I went off on a lot of tangents. It ended up being a cathartic experience, but it was not interesting to anyone else."

After five years of writing, rewriting and pitching publishers, Rosenberg's book, a survival story told from the everyman's perspective, will be mass-distributed on Feb 1.

"When you spend five years maniacally focused on getting something done, that's a hard thing," he said. "This was the book I needed at a certain time, and it didn't exist."

A Dec. 16 launch party will be held at the Needham headquarters of the Pan-Mass Challenge. Racing seven times in the nearly 200-mile bike-a-thon that raises money for cancer research, Rosenberg has raised $52,000 for PMC and will donate a portion of his book's proceeds to the organization.

The 53-year-old says writing his book, which he began to outline in 2004 based on his blog entries, was even harder than completing his Ph.D in computer science at Duke University in five years.

Yet it's still hard to compare writing to competing in the annual swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco, which he has done 16 times.

"(Swimming)'s not just physically hard, it's intimidating," said Rosenberg, who keeps himself healthy by working out six times a week. "I do it because I sort of recommit myself to do something hard and lonely and make sure I stay fit. For me swimming became non-optional. It's my only defense against shortness of breath. Because I work hard at it, my lung capacity feels normal.

"It makes me feel good. It's something most people won't do. I beat a lot of two-leg athletes - that's very satisfying."

Three years after being diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, Rosenberg's cancer had spread, and doctors were forced to remove two-fifths of his left lung and to amputate his right leg five inches below his hip. Told he had no chance of survival, Rosenberg quit school at Kalamazoo College in his native Michigan to spend his final days on the ski slopes of Alta, Utah.

After skiing for 100 consecutive days without incident, Rosenberg decided to return to school. He completed his doctorate in computer science in 1983 and, after teaching at Duke for five years, moved to California to start the first of six tech companies he has founded over the years.

Eventually a software company he worked for sent him to Boston for what was supposed to be a year-long assignment. The Rosenbergs liked living in Newton so much they decided to stay for good.

Rosenberg continued his adventures on mountainsides and in rivers before showing a "stream-of-conscious" version of his book to his wife in 2004.

"She was horrified," Rosenberg recalled. "She said, 'You're not going to publish this?' Of course, the answer is 'no' whenever your wife asks a question like that."

Rosenberg agreed to help a friend launch a startup company in Oregon soon after. While spending countless two-week stretches holed up in the Oregon winter with nothing to do, he started to refine his book.

"One of the things that I was obsessive about in my mind was how to get my point across," he said. "I want to tell people how to fight back."

But the project was still much different than anything Rosenberg had done, including two computer science books he had published.

"Writing nonfiction, writing like this from the heart is very difficult, and I found a style that I was very comfortable with," he said. "It's a little folksy and has something that will make you smile. At least every two pages there's something very funny.

"The most challenging thing about writing is when someone reads your work. You're on the edge of your seat - are they going to like it, did I get the point across?

"One of the most challenging things, of course, is I'm hyper-sensitive to even the tiniest hint of a criticism. I can be self-critical; I can be brutal; but when someone else says, 'Oh, I didn't quite get that,' that just cuts me to the quick."

In 2007 Rosenberg called on a friend, Harvard professor Dan Kindlon, the author of "Raising Cain." Kindlon recommended his agent Kenny Wapner, who Rosenberg paid to help organize his story around a set of principles and concepts he wanted to convey.

Even with Wapner's help, publishers still weren't biting on the project. The most common feedback was that Rosenberg didn't have a platform or celebrity status.

"I said that's pretty hard for me to suddenly go get," Rosenberg said. "The fact is, that isn't the point of the book. I'm not famous, and most people who this happens to are not Michael J. Fox or Dorothy Hamill. What about them? How do Lance Armstrong's books inspire and motivate them? It's like reading a biography of someone famous, like John Adams, but you don't internalize it. It doesn't translate to 'What should I do to be like Lance Armstrong?"'

Eventually Rosenberg parted with Wapner and started exploring self-publishing options. After going down one bad road, he landed on independent publisher Bascom Hill Books, who liked the idea of a story being told from an everyman viewpoint.

"He's very down to earth for all that he's accomplished," said Cashman, Basocom's director of marketing. "He has an attitude that, just as his book says, 'Who says I can't?"'

Bascom also admired his persistence.

"Everyone has a story, and it's those who continue to speak up, to fight, to be vocal about their experiences, who are the ones who break through to a larger audience," Cashman said. "Being a first-time author, it's not an easy thing to do to get your message out there. I'd say Jothy is one of most aggressive authors. He's making sure everything is covered.

"Amongst 10 million other projects, he gives this as much effort as he does to his full-time job, biking and volunteering. He's 100 percent in everything he does, and that's why he has broken through."

Now Rosenberg, who started working full-time for a BAE Systems earlier this year, is starting to get a platform of his own. The Today Show recently featured him, and he has launched a grassroots campaign to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

"How many copies sold will I consider a success?" Rosenberg asks himself. "That's an arbitrary number. I guess if this got into 10,000 people's hands I'd feel pretty good; 100,000 would be a home run. But there are still 2.5 million amputees in this country, and there are 45 million people classified as having a disability.

"So 100,000 copies is not getting even that. As a personal goal, I have to consider it a success, but in terms of having made a big enough impact, not really."

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Northeastern’s demise has southern exposure Alex Dulski says the death of football at Northeastern is just beginning to hit.

Globe South Sports Notebook

Alex Dulski says the death of football at Northeastern is just beginning to hit. Alex Dulski says the death of football at Northeastern is just beginning to hit. (AP File Photo/Nancy Palmieri)

By Justin A. Rice
December 3, 2009

Globe South Sports Notebook

Northeastern University’s recent decision to discontinue its football program was a crushing blow, particularly for a number of Husky players from the area. The team’s roster lists 17 players who either reside in a town south of Boston or attended a high school there.

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“A lot of guys get recruited from the area because it’s close and [coaches can] see a lot of good games,’’ said junior quarterback Alex Dulski, who led Walpole High to a Super Bowl appearance. “There’s a lot of good talent from the area.

“It’s not easy on anyone, no matter where you’re from.’’

Dulski has already spoken to several colleges, from the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) to Division 3. But he said that his plans, like many of his teammates with eligility remaining, are still not clear. Will they transfer or stay at NU? The university will honor their scholarships. But if they choose to transfer, they can do so without sitting out a year.

Former Braintree High star Nick Chambers, a freshman linebacker who transferred to NU from UMass-Amherst, is considering Bryant University. But former Mansfield High standout Greg Martell, a sophomore offensive lineman, says he will stay.

“I’ve got a good co-op job, so I’m going to stick with that and finish my education here,’’ said the criminal justice major, who is interning in the Immigration and Customs department in Boston’s Federal Building.

Martell said he can’t imagine what it will be like to not have football practice next fall.

“Even today, I’m done with classes, and it’s kind of like ‘Now what?’ ’’ he said. “I’m so used to having a structured schedule. It’s a weird feeling now.’’

Xaverian Brothers grad CJ Parsons, a freshman defensive end, spent the week interviewing with coaches who flew to Boston to recruit Huskies looking to transfer, but would rather be focusing on his finals.

“It’s pretty stressful,’’ said Parsons, who may stay to play baseball at NU.

Weymouth’s Frank McPhee, who played at Catholic Memorial, has two more years of eligibility but is being advised to stay at NU.

“I’m still kind of in a sense of denial but the [Thanksgiving] break was good, it gave me some time to think about it,’’ the offensive lineman said. “It’s just a little ridiculous.’’

For Dulski, reality is starting to stick.

“It has sunk in a little bit,’’ said the quarterback, who threw for 655 yards and three TDs this season. “It will really hit a lot of guys in the coming months, and guys who aren’t going on to play, it will hit them in August when we normally report to camp.

“It’s been surreal this past week. I can’t say it has sunk in yet, but it’s starting to.’’

Ferbert made up for his late start
His freshman year at Bridgewater State College, John Ferbert didn’t go out for the football team, instead focusing his attention on his studies.

“When I took a year off and came back I thought I’d just play special teams,’’ said Ferbert, a criminal justice major who wants to get into coaching. “I went out to get into shape and meet some guys. I never expected it to be like this.’’ In his final season, the 5-foot-10, 220-pound linebacker made 90 tackles in 10 games, the most by a Bears player since 1997, and was a second team NEFC all-Bogan Division selection.

“John is a great example of what you can do with hard work,’’ said Bridgewater State coach Chuck Denune. “We weren’t sure of his physical ability to play the game at the Mike [or middle] linebacker position when he came to us, but the work he put in over the last couple off-seasons shows what a young man can do with his body over the course of two to three years of hard work.

“What he did on the field was just short of amazing.

Here and there
Stonehill finished 5-5 overall, but four players were named to the Northeast-10 Conference first team: sophomore cornerback/return specialist Stephan Neville, senior lineman Thomas Pheifer, senior defensive lineman Andrew Lesko, and sophomore punter Chris Rooney. Defensive back Jareed Gaines was chosen the conference’s co-freshman of the year. . . . Former Bridgewater-Raynham standout Kevin Kearns, a senior linemen at Bentley, was also a first-team pick, while former Brockton High players Sharrief Hall and Mike Gomes made the second team and all-rookie team in their inaugural seasons at the University of New Haven. . . . Bridgewater native and Saint Anselm College senior linebacker Dan Bohenek was named to the All-NE-10 second team. . . . Bridgewater State College women’s soccer coach Andrea Zeigler-O’Connor retired as the program’s all-time winningest coach, going 96-81-20 in 11 years.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Ready for the big time

By Justin A. Rice
Globe Correspondent / November 19, 2009

The Catholic Central Conference is not exactly a beacon for “bigs’’ banging down low in the post, which is precisely why Archbishop Williams senior Valerie Driscoll, a 6-foot-4 center, can’t wait to step onto a court in the Big Ten.
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“Some teams we play against, I’m the tallest girl by eight inches,’’ said Driscoll, who signed a letter of intent with the University of Michigan on the first day of the early signing period.

“It would be good to play someone my size and bang around with her.’’

That is quite a leap for a player, who by her own assessment was awful back whe she was playing middle-school ball.

“I was afraid of the ball, timid,’’ said the Stoughton teen. “I didn’t like playing, but I was tall. The more I practiced, the better I got, and the more I started to like it.’’

In the seventh grade, she was cut from a town travel team. But Archies coach Jim Bancroft saw a player of promise for his Bay State Magic Elite AAU squad. Driscoll lacked toughness but had a soft touch, an ability to run the floor, and a willingness to be coached.

“She was a big girl who hadn’t played a lot of basketball,’’ he said. “In the AAU season we looked for tough opponents, girls with more skill. She took her lumps, got beaten down and knocked down and outplayed many times. She very easily could have thrown up her hands, quit, and walked away. Luckily, she kept on working, and it all paid off for her.’’

In an AAU game in Rhode Island prior to Driscoll’s freshman season, Bancroft recalled, a coaching colleague turned to him on the bench and said, “ ‘Can you believe you got her at Archie for the next four years?’ I said, ‘I know, isn’t that cool?’ because she was doing everything we worked on the last two years. Her confidence grew, and that just helped it explode.’’

Her first two seasons at ABW, teaming up with Megan Black along with the backcourt duo of Casey Capello and Christine Duffy, Driscoll helped the Bishops to back-to-back state titles.

“I knew this was for me, I really am meant to play basketball,’’ said Driscoll, who until that point was unsure of her basketball future.

A year ago, with Black (Suffolk University), Duffy (Southern New Hampshire), and Capello (St. Lawrence) all playing at the collegiate level, Driscoll averaged 19.4 points and 17 rebounds per game and led the Bishops to the state semifinals, despite often facing double- and triple-teams in the paint.

Now she is believed to be the first player from her high school program to play for a Division 1 school. Driscoll visited the Ann Arbor campus during the summer and “just fell in love’’ with the school, she said. Her family subscribed to the Big Ten Network; last Friday, she watched the Wolverines’ opener, a win against Ball State.

“They run the floor really well, they run a lot and have a very high-tempo game, which I like,’’ Driscoll said. There was “a lot of banging around.’’

Coach Kevin Borseth, whose team finished 10-20 last season, is ecstatic to land Driscoll.

“Val is a big, strong presence around the basket, and really demands attention down low,’’ he said in statement. “It is something that we haven’t had, and we are excited to get her into our program. Val is an extremely hard worker and an all-around good person who I believe is going to be a major contributor to our program’s success.’’

First, though, Driscoll is determined to propel Archies to a third state title. “That would be very exciting.’’
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Alves, Gill are leaders of the pack for Stonehill

Globe South Sports
The Boston Globe

By Justin A. Rice
Globe Correspondent / November 15, 2009

On Saturday, Jill Alves of Whitman will compete in the NCAA Division 2 cross-country championships for the second time. And although she’s only a sophomore, Alves is still considered a veteran compared to the other runners on the Stonehill College women’s team.

Riding the performances of Alves and freshmen Erin Carmone and Lynley Joynt, the Skyhawks edged Northeast-10 Conference rival University of Massachusetts at Lowell to capture last week’s Division 2 East Regional title at Franklin Park.

Alves, who finished 155th overall on the 6-kilometer course at the NCAAs last year, is aiming for a better finish this year at the University of Southern Indiana.

“All the girls up front are so ridiculously good,’’ said Alves, who was an Atlantic Coast League All-Star in both cross-country and track at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

“I have to just worry about where I’m supposed to be in the race and not worry about the girls way up front.

“There are hundreds of girls around you and it seemed like I was in 100th place. It was a very different experience. Hopefully this year I can handle the pressure a lot better.’’

Carmone broke the tape first at the East Regionals, earning an 11-second victory in a time of 22 minutes 16.5 seconds. Alves (23:18.2) was eighth and Joynt (23:18.9) was ninth.

Breaking into the Top 15 at the nationals, though, will be difficult for a squad that is youthful and lacks experience, according to Karen Boen, who coaches both the Stonehill women’s and men’s teams.

“If you can get out there this young, there’s not as much mystery or fear going into the second time,’’ Boen said of running the championships as underclassmen. “Going into her second time, Jill will be much more mentally prepared.’’

Nevertheless, Boen said this year’s combination of freshmen and sophomores is probably the strongest she’s had in her 11 years coaching the women. A lot of that has to do with Alves’s leadership.

“She’s just everything you look for in a runner,’’ Boen said. “She’s determined and has great leadership, just a great disposition.’’

The ninth-ranked men’s team also qualified for nationals, finishing second behind UMass-Lowell on Sunday; former Brockton High standout Kevin Gill covered the 5-mile course in 21:18.6 to finish fourth overall.

“Collectively, we didn’t run as well, but we got the ticket to nationals, that’s all that mattered,’’ Gill said, noting that only the top two teams qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Boen said he hopes the men can finish in the top 10 at nationals.

“They have the talent to do it, they just have to have the guts now,’’ Boen said.

The men qualified for nationals even though number-five runner Ben Rumery was sidelined with the H1N1 virus. He is back at practice and should be ready for the nationals.

A year ago, Gill placed 78th in the 10K at the NCAAs in a time of 32:55 on a hilly and snowy course at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He said he hoped to finish in the top 40, which earns All-American honors.

“That’s what I’m shooting for this year,’’ he said. “I had this goal since pretty much my freshman year. I thought it would happen last year. This year I just have to put it all together out there, and if it happens, it was meant to be.’’

Gill’s older brother, Keith, graduated from Stonehill last spring as an All-American in all three running seasons: cross-country and indoor and outdoor track. He was named Division 2 Athlete of the Year for indoor track after he set a school record in the mile (4:03.43) in February 2008.

The younger Gill has an impressive resume too. An All-Scholastic runner at Brockton High, he helped the Boxers win two cross-country state championships and he won a state championship in the mile. His first year at Stonehill, he ran the fastest mile ever (4:10) by a freshman.

“He’s a workhorse and a fierce competitor,’’ Boen said.

That fire, however, got the younger Gill into a bit of hot water last Sunday at the Franklin Park race when he went out too hard and didn’t have enough in his tank for the final kick.

He doesn’t regret the strategy though, saying it will make him more battle-tested for the NCAAs.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Speaker Pelosi Endorses Mike Capuano for U.S. Senate

By Justin A. Rice
Special to Boston24

BOSTON — Rep. Michael Capuano looked on like a proud student whose teacher just plastered a gold star on his chest on Friday morning as he stood next to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The six-term congressman from Somerville earned Pelsoi’s endorsement to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy just days after a controversy between Capuano’s rival — frontrunner Martha Coakley — squabbled about an anti-abortion amendment in the president’s health care bill.

Capuano jumped all over the Massachusetts Attorney General after she said on Monday that she would not vote for any bill containing the so called Stupak-Pitts amendment that limits federal funding for abortions. The following day, however, Capuano shifted his position, saying he only voted on the bill in congress last weekend to push it through to the Senate and ultimately would not approve anything with anti abortion language.

So when Pelosi pinned her stamp of approval on Capuano in a meeting room at the Omni Parker House Hotel on Friday he could have beamed through the ceiling.

“The vote on the floor is a vote to move the process forward,” Pelosi declared. “Why would we defeat that and then lose an historic opportunity to go forward? Then you see what happens in conference, and then reserve judgment as to whether you want to support the bill at the end of the day.”

“There you have it, this is why she’s speaker, this is why I have faith in her,” Capuano said. “You heard what she said. She is right and everyone in the democratic caucus knows that.”

Pelosi went even further, branding her colleague’s vote for the bill as “courageous” and seemingly took a swipe at Coakley by saying: “Any one of us could have found one reason or another not to vote for the bill. But that was not an excuse for preventing this historic moment from taking place.”

The bill is currently in the Senate and if it passes would move to a House-Senate conference committee where differences in the legislation can be hashed out. If the anti abortion amendment remained, Capuano could vote against the final bill, but Pelosi said she does not think it will come to that.

While some have said Coakley has accused Capuano of flip-flopping to her position, during a radio debate at WTKK-FM on Thursday, Coakley said Capuano was the only one on the attack.

“[The Stupak-Pitts amendment is] incredibly restrictive on women’s rights and went further than any current status quo on women’s rights to choice,” Coakley said. “Having said that I didn’t criticize anyone else. I was asked how I would vote and the congressmen criticized me for it. He’s made a record of asking voters how he’s voted on principle.

“That’s all I said, I still believe it is right and I still believe we can get good healthcare without compromising rights.”

Coakley has done well to energize a base of women voters and has been endorsed by the majority of the female political big hitters in the state, including Senate President Therese Murray.

Just weeks before the Dec. 8 primary, Pelosi’s endorsement was also seen as a huge shot in the arm for the former mayor of Somerville, because he trails the only woman in the race by a wide margin.

Earlier in the week a Suffolk University/7News poll had Coakley netting 44 percent of the vote in her quest to become the first female senator from Massachusetts while Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca each had 17 percent and Capuano had 16. Three percent went for City Year founder Alan Khazei and twenty percent were undecided.

State Sen. Scott Brown and Duxbury businessman Jack E. Robinson are vying for the Republican nomination and the final special election to permanently fill Kennedy’s seat will be Jan. 19.

Capuano is also a key member of the Pelosi leadership team. She chose him to lead a House ethics reform committee and he also accompanied her to Darfur in the wake of genocide there. Pelosi called Capuano “operational” instead of “ideological.” She noted that he was one of the first to support her bid to take the top spot of the House and that they first bonded over the fact that they are both Italian American.

“He’s a tremendous resource to me,” she said. “I have to admit it will be my loss when Michael goes to the Senate but I will be very proud.”

Friday, November 13, 2009

Rising Out of the Crowd

by Justin A. Rice/Special to USCHO

Nov. 10 — Carl Hagelin didn’t exactly stand out from the crowd when he attended Red Berenson’s Michigan Hockey Camp as a youngster almost a decade ago, even though he traveled all the way from Sodertalje, Sweden, to skate in Ann Arbor and in Berenson’s graces.

“No I don’t [remember him] ; I remember his older brother, Bobbie, was a really good prospect,” Berenson, Michigan’s 26-year hockey coach said. “Carl was really young then but his brother was noticeably good.”

Berenson might not recall the younger Hagelin attending his camp, but Berenson and his camp left an awfully large imprint on the impressionable mind of the younger Hagelin. About seven years after attending camp in Ann Arbor for the first time, Hagelin was drafted in the sixth round (No. 168 overall) by the New York Rangers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft but chose instead to play for the Wolverines.

“I was always the tiniest kid on the team. I was a late bloomer on and off the ice,” said the junior left winger, who didn’t start playing hockey until he was about 8 years old. “When I was 16 or 17 I grew and put some weight on.”

But even though his brother went pro (currently playing in Denmark) straight away, Hagelin turned down opportunities to take the same track. Instead the 6-foot, 181-pounder decided to follow in the footsteps of his father by attending school in Michigan. While his father went to Western Michigan, Hagelin turned down Ferris State and Northern Michigan to become a Wolverine.
Michigan's Carl Hagelin had 31 points as a sophomore (photo: Melissa Wade).
Michigan's Carl Hagelin had 31 points as a sophomore (photo: Melissa Wade).

The 21-year-old left-hander, however, didn’t finally make a name for himself in Ann Arbor until his sophomore season when he set single-season highs for points (31), assists (18), goals (13), game-winners (four) and multi-point games (8).

Through eight games this season, Hagelin was the Wolverines’ second-highest point scorer with seven (three goals, four assists).

“I think Carl can have a better year offensively,” Berenson said. “He’s emerging as a top college player. If he can put the puck in the net he’ll go a long way with his game and he won’t surprise anyone.

“From my understanding he was not a high-end playing coming up. He was a late bloomer. Now he’s an elite skater. Something must’ve switched on in his body because he put it all together. There’s no question some humility comes along with [being a late bloomer] . Carl is a terrific individual. He’s humble and he works so hard. He earned the respect of the players before he ever stepped on the ice in the offseason workouts with his work ethic.”

This season Hagelin was added to the power play and going into a late-October, two-game sweep at Lake Superior State, Berenson said he would try using the Swede on two different lines simultaneously to try to spark the then 2-2 Wolverines. On Oct. 30 Hagelin registered the game-winning goal and an assist against Lake Superior State for his 13th career multi-point game and second of the season.

Being on the power play also means Hagelin is expected to produce around the net, an area of his game with which he has struggled. In a 3-2 loss against defending national champion Boston University on Oct. 24, Michigan scored twice in the final period to tie the game before losing. Hagelin missed several opportunities around the net during the game but said the loss was a good gauge of where the team was at.

“It’s always good,” he said of playing top teams. “We like playing all the good teams. Last year we lost to BU 7-2. We had a bad attitude and it decreased our self confidence. This year we showed we have a lot of character in that third period. By coming back we showed what team we can be, a hard-working team in the third period.”

And if Michigan continues that hard work it could make it all the way to the Frozen Four, which this year is 45 miles down the road from Ann Arbor in Detroit. Hagelin would be in good company among the Swede-heavy Detroit Red Wings, some of whom Hagelin has skated with during the summers.

“Before I came here I wasn’t that big of a [Red Wings] fan,” said Hagelin, adding that he only makes the trip from Ann Arbor to Joe Louis Arena about four or five times a season because it is too time consuming.

That wouldn’t be an issue come April, when the Frozen Four makes its way to Detroit’s Ford Field.

“Obviously that’s one of our goals this year to win the NCAA championship,” he said, “but we can’t look that far ahead.”--

Monday, November 9, 2009

Victory is transcendent for Habs, White

By Justin Rice
HockeyPrimeTime.com
Friday, November 06, 2009 19:07

BOSTON – While progress has come at a painful pace for the Boston Bruins this season, their archrival Montreal Canadiens — who have also been snakebitten by the injury bug — are moving in light years by comparison.

And the Habs, compared to the rest of the NHL, are still moving at a turtle’s pace.

In a game that saw the two original six franchises face off for the 700th time Thursday night, the Bruins (6-7) — despite losing one of their best scorers, David Krejci, to the H1NI virus — avoided their longest scoring drought in 80 years by 51.7 seconds.

Meanwhile, despite the fact that Montreal (8-8) needed extra time to win the 2-1 shootout, at least they could take stock in the fact that rookie Ryan White collected his first NHL point in his first NHL game.

“It wasn’t [pretty] but it’s my favorite one up to date I’ll tell you that,” White said of assisting on his team's only regulation goal. “It wasn’t like it was a nice backward pass or anything like that, but it was perfect and I wouldn’t want to get it any other way.”

What was started with White's utilitarian assist was finished spectacularly by former Bruin Glen Metropolit. The first-period goal came after White fed Andrei Kostitsyn in the neutral zone, poking a puck that popped out of a collision between Dennis Wideman and Matt Hunwick. Kostitsyn drove to the net, which he wrapped around from the left to the right and dumped the puck off to Metropolit in front of the goal at the 17:32 mark.

“It was beautiful; those guys made a great play,” White said. “I just made a little one in the zone but it worked out good.”

About five minutes later the Bruins had a goal disallowed after a replay showed the net was jarred off the hook before Patrice Bergeron knocked the puck in. But Bergeron would finally get a goal, the team’s first in 192:06, by slamming home a rebound off Derek Morris’s shot.

“Once again, it’s like a broken record,” Blake Wheeler said. “We say the same thing over and over again, night in, night out. You’ve got to be tired of it. You look around; we’ve got a lot of guys who can score goals and all of a sudden we are going on nine periods of no goals. We’ve got to take that to heart. We’ve got to take it personally.”

While the Bruins were glad to finally see the end of their goal-scoring drought, the game also marked the end of a losing streak for Habs goalkeeper Carey Price.

“I hadn’t won in six games, and that was not the time to get upset,” Price, who finished with 42 saves for his third win of the season, said of allowing Bergeron’s goal. “I had to refocus in a hurry because if I let it slip, then I lose another game.”

In the shootout Price stopped Wheeler, Bergeron and Mark Recchi while Montreal’s Mike Cammalleri beat Bruins netminder Tim Thomas on the only shootout goal to improve the Canadiens’ overtime mark to 7-0.

In the end, a game billed as a matchup between teams that are shadows of their previous selves transcended mediocrity through the sheer intensity of their historic rivalry.

“It’s always fun,” Metropolit told reporters before a which was the first meeting between the two teams since Boston knocked Montreal out of the playoffs last season. “Who knows what kind of rivalry we’ll start tonight?”

NOTEWORTHY: Wheeler was on the Krejci’s left wing Tuesday night, a day before Krejci was diagnosed with H1N1.

“Kind of took me by surprise, like everyone else,” he said. “I guess that’s the way the word is today. You’ve got to be careful. Obviously we wish him the best and a speedy recovery.”

The Bruins were quick to point out they had no plans to be vaccinated for the swine flu, unlike the Calgary Flames, who recently took heat for jumping ahead of eligible Alberta citizens who were waiting for innoculations.

“We do the best we can. David Krejci is not around the team, and hopefully that’s where it will stop, but there is no guarantee,” Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. “We are all vulnerable to it, we just have to deal with it the best way we can.”

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Branco blossoms as Brockton’s top scorer

By Justin A. Rice
Globe Correspondent / November 5, 2009

Morgan Branco has recorded a staggering six 3-goal performances for the Brockton High girls’ soccer team this fall. But the goal that stands out the most in her mind didn’t even come off her own foot.

In a match against Durfee late last month, the sophomore forward broke free at midfield and dribbled untouched into the box. When a defender approached, Branco dished a feed just in time to freshman Felicia Mulholland, who converted an insurance goal for a 3-1 lead with 3:01 left.

“For me that was a big thing,’’ said Branco, who has netted what is believed to be a school-record 28 goals, along with seven assists, through 18 games.

“Everybody thought I could shoot and I could’ve shot, but I thought passing to Felicia was a better thing.’’

That kind of unselfish play has been prominent for a Boxers squad that has qualified for the state tournament for the first time in five years, its 13-2-3 record a major turnaround from last year’s 5-9-3 finish.

“This was a long time in the making, we really struggled,’’ said eight-year head coach Andrea Tassinari. She saluted the leadership of her three senior captains, stopper Jennifer Love, forward Kate Wegener, and midfielder Sunshine Yang, who have never appeared in a tournament game.

Team records do not date back to the program’s first season in 1969, but the 13 wins are believed to be a school record. The impressive numbers continue in goal, where senior keeper Kelsey Sheridan has registered 10 shutouts. A three-sport athlete, Sheridan was shifted to goal as a sophomore.

“Literally after one game, I pulled her into the coaches’ room and said: ‘Look, Kelsey, you’re a basketball and softball player, a natural athlete. Guess what? You’re our new goalie,’ ’’ Tassinari said. “And that was it.’’

Sheridan said she didn’t feel comfortable in goal until last season and “I’m still not completely 100 percent. I don’t feel like a goalie because I played my whole life as a field player.’’

Branco, however, said it’s hard to tell that she is a relative newcomer at the position.

“You would never think that if you saw her play,’’ she said. “Without her we wouldn’t have the season we’ve had. She’s had so many big stops and really makes the difference on our team.’’

Sheridan, who plays the saxophone, is one of four Boxers who’s also a member of the school’s marching band, joining Evelyn DeJesus (flute), senior Jill Lynch (flute), and senior Lesley Blanchette (trumpet).

The four often rush from their soccer games to perform in the halftime show at Boxers football games. “When it comes down to it,’’ said Sheridan, “I’d rather save goals than play notes.’’

Branco has been playing sweet notes all season.

She earned a spot on the varsity as a freshman, but because of the team’s depth up front, she settled in as a midfielder, moved into the starting lineup at midseason, and scored four goals.

“I wanted to prove myself to [Tassinari],’’ she said. “That I could be on the field with everyone else and I was not just a freshman who should just be practicing. I tried to prove I have the same skills.’’

In her second season, she has developed into the Boxers’ top scoring threat since Ashley Bourne scored 20 goals in 2002.

Her first four-goal game came Sept. 15 in an 8-1 victory against Taunton. Two days later, she had three goals against Mashpee in a 5-0 win, then scored four goals the next game against Attleboro in a 6-0 victory.

“When I started scoring a lot in the beginning of the season, I knew this was our season,’’ said Branco, who credits all the goals to better ball movement. “Our team was doing really good, and I kept getting that many goals. After a while, I said if I can get this many in one game, I can get them in another game.’’

Midway through the season, foes were marking her with multiple defenders, and yet she still managed to score three goals in a 5-1 win over Fontbonne Sept. 3 and then all three in a 3-1 victory against Framingham Oct. 5. Her final hat trick came against Mashpee Oct. 29.

But the Boxers have plenty of depth. Wegener (10 goals, 12 assists), freshman Amy Yang (10 goals, eight assists), and Mulholland (10 goals, nine assists) are all double-figure scorers, which Tassinari attributes to Branco’s unselfish play.

“In the second week of September [Branco’s] goals started piling up and it was like ‘this is weird,’ ’’ the coach said. “But she’s never been the player who says ‘I’m the leading scorer, it’s all about me, me, me, give me the ball.’ ’’
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Bentley football team on cusp of playoff berth entering finale

By Justin A. Rice/Daily News correspondent
Daily News Tribune
Posted Nov 05, 2009 @ 02:06 AM

WALTHAM — Even though the Bentley University football team didn't play last week, it had one of its most productive weeks of the season as far as the standings and polls are concerned.

During its bye week, the Falcons clinched at least a share of the Northeast-10 Conference football championship after Merrimack College outshot Southern Connecticut State, 52-42, on Friday night.

The team also cracked the Top 25 in the AFCA Division II poll for the first time since 2004 and is No. 4 in the Super Region One.

``Which was exciting to hear, but it doesn't mean anything unless we win this Saturday,'' said junior offensive lineman Jared Kawadler. ``It's going to be a huge game.''

Bentley (8-1, 6-1) can clinch the league title outright at noon on Saturday with a victory in its regular season finale at Stonehill College (4-5, 3-4).

``That has been our goal from Day One when we started this year,'' Bentley head coach Thom Boerman said of winning the league.

While Bentley controls its own destiny in terms of the league title, a bid to the postseason is a bit more complicated. A win on Saturday should guarantee its first berth in the Division II tournament since 2004. The Falcons could also make it if they lose, as long as they maintain at least a No. 4 seed in the regional rankings.

``That's something that's harder to control is the national playoff picture,'' Boerman said. ``We've been in the hunt most of the year for a playoff slot, and if we win we're virtually guaranteed a spot. But it's a selection committee, so who knows?

``There's so many factors. I don't know what will happen if we lose. I just have to go under the presumption that we have to win to make it, and if we lose, shame on us.''

Last year's 35-7 loss to Stonehill was so shameful Boerman has been showing his team film from the game.

``We watched that game film and we got that bad taste in our mouth,'' said senior linebacker Matt Zahoruiko. ``We definitely don't want that on Saturday.''

They also don't want to share the league championship. This season would be the third time Bentley has had at least a share of the NE-10 championship. The Falcons won the title outright in 2003, and shared it with C.W. Post the following year.

``We have paid zero attention to that,'' Boerman said of clinching the tie. ``I'm not a huge fan of that. Somebody should be champion of every conference. If we're co-champs, that's great, we would be honored, but we're not focused on that at all.''

Another thing the first-year head coach is trying to keep off his mind and his players' minds is that he was nominated for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year.

``I'm not even thinking about that,'' he said. ``That's a nice honor. That's kind of cool, but I mean the guy leading the voting is way ahead. I appreciate the fact that someone nominated me and I appreciate the support.

``I'm sure all my relatives will vote for me (via the Internet). Other than that, I don't think about that at all. In my first year, even being nominated is a heck of an honor. But first things are first, we gotta take care of business and beat Stonehill. That's where our focus, attention and energy are this week.''

So much so that Boerman has also been showing his team film from games against Stonehill in the early 1990s when the two teams had a bitter rivalry, including when Bentley overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the final five minutes to win.

``That was kind of fun to watch, just seeing that atmosphere between the two schools,'' Zahoruiko said. ``That rivalry is something we, as students, don't know about. It was cool to go back and see the history between the two teams and what the rivalry was about.''

The regional rankings will be used to determine the seedings for the NCAA Division II playoffs. The top two teams in each region receive a first-round bye and the next two hosting first-round games. The NCAA tournament field will be announced Sunday afternoon between 3-3:30 p.m. on ESPNEWS.

``It's been heck of a ride so far and I hope it's not over on Saturday,'' Boerman said. ``If it is, I'm so proud of the team. It's been a heck of a season.

``Hopefully, we'll prevail and see where the chips lie in terms of a playoff spot.''

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sabres' Miller Makes Good
First Impression on Wilson

Northeast

Written by Justin Rice
Friday, October 30, 2009 23:18

Northeast Division notebook:

At the helm of the worst team in the NHL, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson not only got an up-close look Friday night at one of the best teams in the league, the Buffalo Sabres. He also got a glimpse of his new netminder.

Well, his goalkeeper for the Olympics, that is.

Wilson, the head coach of the U.S. Olympic team, watched his Toronto team (1-8-2) fall 3-2 on Friday night after Tim Connolly netted a power-play goal 1:04 into overtime.

On the bright side, Wilson watched Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller make 33 saves. Taking a 1.60 goals-against average and .944 save percentage into Friday night, Miller (8-0-1) has led his squad to a surprising 8-1-1 start.

“I’m well aware of how well he’s played this year,” Wilson told reporters before the game. “We expect him to be one of our goalies, if not the starting goalie. “I just hope Buffalo doesn’t wear him out.”

The Maple Leafs, who came in with the best power-play unit in the league, finished 0 for 4 with the man advantage on Friday night. Toronto completes a five-game road trip against Montreal on Saturday.

BUFFALO

Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier announced that rookie defenseman Tyler Myers will stay with the Sabres indefinitely. Regier said on Thursday that Myers, who still has junior eligibility remaining, will “remain with the team for the foreseeable future.” Myers’ three-year, entry-level contract officially began against Toronto on Saturday night. He had two goals and three assists through nine games. … The Sabres are 9-2 in their last 11 games against Toronto, including six straight wins. ... Buffalo defender Toni Lydman missed his third consecutive game on Friday with a groin injury. ... Before returning home to take on the Leafs, the Sabres swept a three-game road trip, including a 4-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.

BOSTON

Despite a 2-1 loss to New Jersey on Thursday night that dropped the B’s record to 5-5, the underperforming team was pleased to come 86 seconds away from playing a complete game. “I can’t say I’m disappointed with the way we played but [I’m] definitely disappointed with the outcome, Bruins coach Claude Julien said told the media after his team gave up the game winner to Dainius Zubrus with 1:26 to play. … The first meeting between two original-six teams will be on Sunday, when the Bruins travel to New York for a 1 p.m. showdown with the Rangers. It is the second in a stretch of three games in four nights for Boston.

MONTREAL

After having a four-game win streak broken by a 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, Montreal looked to get back on its feet with a win against Chicago on Friday. After coming back from a 2-0 deficit, the Habs fell 3-2. Before its win streak, Montreal (6-7-0) had lost five straight. ... Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the date former Montreal goaltender Jacques Plante altered hockey forever. On Nov. 1, 1959, after taking a shot to the nose off the stick of New York Ranger Andy Bathgate, Plante became the first goalie in pro hockey history to wear a mask.

OTTAWA

The Ottawa Senators fell victim to their own success on Thursday night, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 just two weeks after beating Tampa by a count of 7-1. “We definitely used that as motivation,” Lightning center Steven Stamkos told reporters after scoring two goals and three points.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Boston still vexed

by school busing

BOSTON | More than three decades after a federal court order forced Boston to desegregate schools by busing black students to white neighborhoods and whites to black areas, the birthplace of public education is still fighting the battle.

But the lines no longer pit race against race, with 87 percent of the student body now minorities.

Now the city is wrestling with school-choice issues and an antiquated busing system that can send a lone student on a bus ride across the city. And the more the Boston Public Schools system assigns students to neighborhood schools, rather than bus them across town, the more likely it is that children in the poorest neighborhoods will go to the worst-performing schools.

Boston schools still let parents pick schools, but only within three enormous and controversial geographical zones. Buses carting only one student often crisscross the city - contributing to next year's nearly $80 million transportation budget at a time when the district faces a projected $100 million budget shortfall.

Proposals to replace the 20-year-old school-assignment zones with five smaller ones fizzled twice this decade, most recently in June. And while the city secured federal funding this month to take another stab at overhauling its busing system, the issue remains a political hot potato that is not among the talking points of either mayoral candidate.

"And they won't talk about it because it's very divisive," said Myriam Ortiz, executive director of Boston Parent Organizing Network, which successfully argued that Boston Public Schools' recent proposal to return to neighborhood schools drastically decreased access to quality schools for the city's poorest students, "because communities where better schools are located could care less about the communities where the underperforming schools are located."

"I know this for a fact. A few months ago, we heard parents testifying that their schools should not receive budget cuts because their schools perform better. They said, 'The schools that are not performing, budget cuts should be their punishment.' "

At a recent debate, Mayor Thomas M. Menino had his performance on education graded by his opponent - City Council member Michael F. Flaherty Jr., who gave him an "F" - and by himself. He said he'd grade himself "maybe a B-plus, no, a B. I'll be generous."

The two men sparred over the mayor's record: "We boast of having the best colleges and universities in the world, yet children who actually do graduate from Boston Public Schools will never get an opportunity to compete," the mayor's 40-year-old challenger said. Each man slung around statistics on dropouts, but neither addressed the educational elephant in the auditorium at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum: busing.

Mr. Menino, who called for the abolition of busing in his 2008 State of the City Address, could not be reached for comment for this report.

During a phone interview, Mr. Flaherty, a proponent of neighborhood schools who said he recently realized the need to focus initially on improving school quality, did address busing frankly.

"The city has a long history with the subject; at the same time, things have changed tremendously," said Mr. Flaherty, who was born five years before the 1974 forced-busing ruling. "We need to be sensitive to the issue and recognize the past. I've seen Boston at its best and at its very worst. To dismiss and discount the past is shortsighted. We need to put all the issues on the table.

"The discussion around school assignment can be polarizing already. With that said, maybe we do need to have a frank discussion about race in Boston, where we came from and where we are now before we embark on this particular issue."

While Boston's third attempt to rewrite its school-assignment plan since 2004 has gone untouched this political season, Washington has taken notice.

On Oct. 1, 35 years after the now-deceased federal Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr. ruled that Boston Public Schools practiced de facto segregation, the U.S. Department of Education awarded Boston a $241,680 grant.

The Technical Assistance for Student Assignment Plans grant is designed to help school districts reconcile long-term effects of busing by studying the practices of cities nationwide. The 11 districts awarded the grant have 12 to 24 months to use the funds and cast wide nets in reaching out to school-assignment experts and civil rights activists.

For the Boston Public Schools system - which has 72 percent of its students eligible for subsidized free and reduced-price meals - the challenge is deflating a bloated transportation budget without impeding access to the city's best schools.

Superintendent Carol Johnson shelved her five-zone plan in June after it was revealed that the majority of the district's underperforming schools were concentrated in the two zones populated by the city's poorest residents.

Parents in those two zones were irate after learning they wouldn't have equal access to bilingual and special education.

"We are pleased about the grant; it will help propel us further and faster," Ms. Johnson said by phone. "But even if we had not gotten the grant, we are committed to making changes to improve the quality of schools in Boston."

While BPS abolished race-based school assignment in 1999, the district currently conducts a school-choice lottery, in which students apply to elementary and middle schools within their zone of residence. They can apply to schools outside their zone as long as they are within walking distance of their home. High schools are accessible citywide.

Ms. Johnson was widely applauded for tossing out her five-zone plan this summer. But even after she announced in August that she was applying for federal money to aid her new efforts, skepticism remained widespread.

"I don't believe they're going back to the drawing board," said Carlos Henriquez, a City Council candidate who says 10 out of 11 elementary schools in his predominantly black and Hispanic district chronically underperform. "They are waiting until November 3 is over, then they'll propose a plan that convinces nobody." Election Day is Nov. 3.

In 2004, before Ms. Johnson's tenure began, a similar school-assignment proposal also failed. Just as they did this summer, community organizers and parents argued that the district should improve underperforming schools before addressing transportation woes.

While Ms. Johnson says BPS can simultaneously work toward improving poor schools and ending busing, Mr. Henriquez said presenting a school-assignment plan would be much easier once all schools performed equally.

"They can quickly throw together a transportation plan," the 32-year-old said, "but no one can put together how to improve 10 of 11 schools."

In 2008, state officials deemed 100 of 143 schools "in need of improvement" before Ms. Johnson closed or consolidated chronically inadequate schools. About three-quarters of the city's 135 schools underperform today, but Ms. Johnson has increased the number of seats in well-performing schools.

"I think we have some evidence that we made some improvement," Ms. Johnson said. "I also think that since some parents feel they didn't get any of their top three [school choices], they still want us to make sure we address that issue. Yes, some people will feel better about the school their child is in, but not everyone is satisfied. That's why it's important for us to have the grant. We need to think about all the different ways to have a choice system."

While busing battles in Seattle and Louisville played out in the Supreme Court two years ago, Boston has hashed out school-assignment debates hyper-locally in church basements, school cafeterias and auditoriums.

And while the Supreme Court ultimately limited the role race can play in determining student assignment, in Boston the issue is not especially racial, since only 9 percent of public-school students are white, compared with 39 percent black and 37 percent Hispanic.

The battle in Boston pits those trying to preserve access to quality schools, as well as the English language and special education, versus those lobbying for a return to neighborhood schools.

East Boston resident Gloribell Mota wasn't satisfied with the middle schools in her predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood a few years ago. So her son traveled 1 1/2 hours by bus each way to attend a better school.

Ms. Mota credits that decision for helping him test into Boston Latin School, the jewel of the district and the nation's oldest public school, founded in 1635. But leaving the neighborhood to attend middle school wasn't easy.

"It wasn't like he could stay after school with his friends hanging out, it was straight home an hour and a half on the bus," said Ms. Mota, whose daughter is in kindergarten. "I want to make sure she has those options as well.

"Until BPS takes a structural look at some of the schools, parents will continue to oppose [a new busing plan]. They want quality schools in the neighborhoods."

Ms. Mota recently walked a few blocks from her home to attend her daughter's parent-teacher conferences and acknowledged that neighborhood schools can foster community and parent involvement.

When defending her school-assignment proposal last winter, Ms. Johnson said the geographical districts reflected parents' desires to choose schools closer to home.

Neighborhood schools, however, are not a silver bullet. The Orchard Gardens Pilot School sets aside 75 percent of its seats for students within walking distance of the school in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, but Mr. Henriquez notes that it still underperforms.

Ms. Johnson said she understands why parents are pushing so hard for high quality, but added that the debate can sometimes get sidetracked by focusing too much on transportation and school choice.

"I do sometimes think we lose track of what the core of our work in schools is," Ms. Johnson said. "The core business of schools is about student achievement. That is what this is about. We have to keep making sure we ask questions that drive the agenda toward student achievement and student success, as opposed to focusing solely on choice.

"Parents do want choice, but to what end?"