Eastern Michigan Athletics
Inside the Eagle Nation Sports Information Blog
The EMU Sports Information Office's in-depth look on the school's 21 varsity sports
The Inside the Eagle Nation Sports Information Blog is a new initiative provided by the Sports Information Office to offer Eastern Michigan fans an even more in-depth look into the everyday happenings here in Ypsilanti. The intent of this blog is to keep readers informed with a light, personal touch that will further enhance the fan experience. Please enjoy and send any comments, questions or concerns to emu_sportsinfo@emich.edu. We welcome as much feedback as possible!
Saturday, Jan. 31
Greetings Eagle Nation! Amanda, your favorite Olympic Sport Sports Info staffer, back behind the keyboard after about a two month hiatus away from the blog. Boy, have things been busy for my sports, track and tennis, both getting underway in the month of January. You know what that means! Media Guides. I'm finishing wrapping up women's track which will go to the printer early this week. Women's tennis added three new players to the roster this semester, so I'm busy updating that book, and men's track is well underway.
Oh, and I'm blogging LIVE from the EMU vs. Detroit women's tennis match here at the Chippewa Racquet Club, and my wireless card is running slower than it ever has. It's 11:18 p.m. and four singles matches are still up for grabs. The Eagles lost the doubles point, losing two out of three matches, which set them up for the early deficit heading into singles. So far, Rumbidzai Muskwe and Joanna Woo have finished their matches, with Jo collecting a win and Rumbi a loss. Tonight is the night for tie-breakers/third sets!!! It's going to be a long night
As far as other Olympic Sport news...Men's track dominated its dual matches between Central Michigan, Detroit and Oakland. The men's track team has some great athletes that you should keep an eye out on. Clint Allen for one, is a returning indoor NCAA qualifier and he should have a standout season as well in 2009. David Brent returns in the 800 after having provisionally qualified in the event last season. The DMR team should also have a good season. Not sure who will be running that yet, but I'm sure we'll get some indication next weekend at the Meyo Invitational. Xavier Clais should compete well in the high jump, after clearing over seven feet back in his native country, France, this past summer. This is just the start, as I know that the Eagles will add a few more names to this list.
John Davis of Trackshark.com stopped by the dual meet last night and did a few podcast interviews with head men's track coach Brad Fairchild, as well as student-athletes Clint Allen, Josh Karanja and David Brent, so be sure to checkout their website in the near future.
Women's track finished fourth at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championship earlier today. I was especially impressed with Beverly Elcock, who not only won the 800-meter run, but did so in speedy fashion, running 2:10.92, her fastest ever in the event at EMU. This time is certainly one of the top times in the conference if not the top time (pending results from this weekend's meets).
Well that's all for your Eagle Nation 'T' sports (track and tennis)! Until next time Eagle Nation!
Friday, Jan. 30
Goooooood Morning Eagle Nation (in my best Robin Williams voice)! This is Kevin Lehman, director of basketball operations for EMU women's basketball, making what I believe is the first ever posted guest blogging appearance in its brief history.
I am coming to you from just before the team jaunts to Kent State for a cross-divisional matchup against the Golden Flashes tomorrow at 2:00pm. This is only my second season in Ypsilanti, or the MAC, so it marks my first trip to Kent. In basketball, we only play East Division teams once a season and hosted the Flashes last year on Feb. 2. First time trips to schools are always interesting because as director of operations it is my job to make travel go as smooth as possible for the coaches, players and anyone else that could be joining us on the road.
Any director of operations will tell you if they are doing their job properly few people notice their work. Making sure the bus arrives at the arena on time and at the right door is my responsibility. Making sure everyone knows when the bus is leaving and they make it on the bus, that's me too. Making sure everyone has everything they need before they need before we leave the Convo, I think you get the picture. Thankfully, I have tremendous support from the players, coaches and all the departmental support staff that make my job far easier than what it would be otherwise.
I actually quite enjoy this job more than I would if I were a coach. On any given day I can do a wide variety of tasks. I could start the day preparing for our next trip then I may spend an hour going back and forth between working on our newsletter that goes out to all of our supporters and reserving times in the Convocation Center for next month's practices. In the afternoon while the coaches are going to practice, I may breakdown film for our next opponent then look ahead to make sure we are getting everything we need to be prepared for our PinkZone game which is Feb. 21 against Northern Illinois (I had to put a plug in there). It really is a job where at any given moment I could be doing anything, which if you know me, is kind of how I like it.
As I said earlier, it is my job to make sure we are ready to go on time so that's all for this guest edition. Have a great weekend and if you aren't making the trip down the Ohio turnpike to the MAC Center for our game, make sure to catch at least one of the exciting home events this weekend including men’s basketball, women’s tennis, men's and women’s track and gymnastics.
Tuesday, Jan. 20
Monday, Jan. 19
Today was certainly a day for me to get things done as it was certain that no one was around the office for me to get distracted by. I was able to no only get a wrestling camp brochure done, but my basketball game notes and this weekend’s game program. Only a few items on the agenda as I try to get back into the swing of things after a long basketball weekend road trip.
I had to make the trip to Northern Illinois with the women on Friday, but Streets get to make that fun 5 hour bus trip today with the men’s team. Luckily at the end of it he gets to reunite with former EMU student and current NIU assistant SID Brett McWethy.
As for the rest of the staff - Sarah was still in Noblesville after a weekend funeral, Dan was home sick and Amanda was undoubtedly attending some of the campus’ numerous Martin Luther King Jr Day celebrations.
Back to work I go – and if you are in the area stop on by to talk as it would be my first face-to-face conversation of the day!
Monday, Jan. 12
Good afternoon, EMU fans, and a belated Happy New Year!
Dan Wyar behind the keyboard this afternoon, posting the first blog entry in over a month.
A lot has certainly happened in the last 30 days, most notably, the hiring of Ron English as head football coach. Mr. Greg Steiner and myself did the first-ever live webcast for the press conference on Dec. 22, and for the most part, it went off without a hitch. The hiring of coach English has generated a renewed interest in EMU football as a whole, and everyone is already gearing up for the 2009 season.
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have started conference play, as the men hosted Ball State over the weekend, while the women played at Ball State before hosting Central Michigan over the weekend. It’s always interesting when teams hit the conference portion of their schedule. It gives everyone a clean slate and everyone still has a chance at making a push for an NCAA postseason berth.
Personally, I’ve been devoting most of my time to finishing up the baseball media guide, which needs to be done by the end of the month to take to print. My fellow SIDers can tell you I’ve been spending most of my time dungeon diving, which is never a good time. Thankfully, I’ve been able to locate most of the old information I’ve needed, so I should be able to incorporate some pretty cool stuff into the media guide.
Another memorable moment since we last blogged was the 24-hour mustache of Kevin Lehman. His ‘stache made Tom Selleck look like Doogie Howser, but unfortunately, Kevin has decided the mustache will have to go for the time being. We can only hope it returns sooner rather than later.
This week we have back-to-back MAC home games, as the men host Central Michigan on Tuesday night, while the women host Toledo Wednesday. All in all, a busy week for everyone, as we get ready for game day and try to wrap up some of the spring media guides.
Also, remember to check out the EMU Athletics on YouTube, which we try to update frequently. Until next time, Eagle Nation!
Wednesday, Dec. 10
Good afternoon EMU fans! Greg Steiner back in the rotation for today's blog entry. You can tell the end of the semester is approaching as sporting events and overall work load has slowed dramatically. Tonight’s women’s basketball game versus Chicago State is just the second EMU Athletic event of the week with Saturday’s men’s basketball game at Michigan marking the final contest of the week as final exams will be in full swing starting Thursday.
Having three graduate assistants in the sports information office always makes things interesting this time of year. With them having to split their time between classwork and office work, the stress level is elevated just a bit. Statistics always seems to be a hot topic (and I’m not talking rebounds and points) as it is always a subject that is tough to grasp. All the studying reminds me that I need to get back in the classroom to pick up my masters degree, only problem is my time away from the office is slim already so I’m not sure how I’d swing that!
With the three of them hitting the books and Streets jumping from meeting to meeting, I’ve been left to finish up the basketball game programs for next week. Lots of fun let me tell you – all I can say is I hope the fans enjoy the programs as they are a ton of work create. Each program is good for two games, so both sets of rosters have to be entered along with some updated game notes and a pair of student-athlete profiles.
Also, as a word warning for fans of the blog with final exams and the holidays upon us we might not have a new post everyday. However, we will certainly try our best to get as much as possible posted before we all head our separate ways for a few days. After the New Year we will be adding a few guest bloggers, as well as hopefully upgrading the setup of the entries. Feel free to drop us a line to give us some feedback at emu_sportsinfo@emich.edu
Tuesday, Dec. 9
Greetings Eagle fans…Sarah behind this stellar edition of the sports info blog. It has been awhile since I last wrote, for which I am monumentally sorry. I don’t even have a good excuse. I hope that all 12 of you have been able to make it through your lives without hearing from me.
Today marked our second day of noon hoops. And let me tell you, it was a workout. We shifted to the arena today, where I SWEAR the court is longer. As someone who has spent a great deal of my life running in both gyms, I stand by this claim. Or as Scott liked to put it, I am just soft. Both work.
Today’s games were pretty good, even though we were all barely moving by the end. We have some pretty decent athletes working in the department, making the games entertaining and challenging. My feet are killing me right now because the blisters I received from wearing heels the other day to the MAC Championship game did not take too kindly to the many games we played today. And my feet took a beating while playing real basketball, so a few years later, I am definitely feeling it. I can only imagine what I will feel like tomorrow. Ah, the joys of getting older.
It has also been a good day for Dan, who received his new BlackBerry Storm in the mail today, a whole two days earlier than expected. Amanda also got some more adidas gear, while I just got more blisters. Good day for me!
Well, I think that is all. The women are back in action tomorrow night, Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Chicago State. Hope to see everyone there.
And song of the day is actually an album of the day: Kanye West; 808’s and Heartbreak. It is a great album. You have to listen to it a couple of times before falling in love, but it is worth it!
Friday, Dec. 5
Ahoy, Eagle Nation!
Dan Wyar blogging from the press box at Ford Field, awaiting tonight's Mid-American Conference title game between the Ball State Cardinals and the Buffalo Bulls. Our EMU stat crew has been hand picked to work tonight's game, which is quite the honor.
Much like the Michigan State/North Carolina game myself, Sarah VanMetre, and Kevin Lehman attended a couple night's ago, one team will leave Ford Field tonight with more wins than the Lions. I can't really rip too hard on the Lions because my Cleveland Browns haven't exactly lived up to the hype this year.
The stadium is pretty nice. However, I prefer my football to be played outdoors. The only football that should be played indoors is Arena Football, and speaking of which, we could see that many points in tonight's MAC title game.
Ball State comes into this game undefeated and has hopes of somehow sneaking into a BCS game, but a loss tonight could be catostrophic for the Cardinals. All in all, it's great to see an undefeated team in the MAC, but don't sleep on Buffalo. They're as hot as anyone right now and I think we're in store for some good football tonight.
Anyway, enjoy the game, and tune into ESPN2. Out.
Song of the Day: "So What" by Pink.
Tuesday, Dec. 2
After an extended layoff from the blog, Greg Steiner back behind the keyboard for another riveting installment. It is game day here at EMU on a relatively quiet post-Thanksgiving week, with the women’s basketball team hosting nationally ranked Notre Dame. The contest is billed as “Pack the House” with the goal to set the EMU Women’s Basketball single-game attendance record.
EMU Athletics has partnered with W4 Country in the annual Toys for Tots campaign. Anyone who brings a new, unwrapped toy to the game will receive free admission. W4 Country will be set-up in the Convocation Center atrium beginning at 5:30 p.m. and be collecting toys for the cause.
Additionally, tonight marks our first Student Hospitality Night of the basketball season, in which all EMU students will receive free food from Buffalo Wild Wings and be eligible for plenty of great raffle prizes. The hospitality area will open at 6 p.m. behind section 120. For those who live on campus, a bus will begin running at 6 p.m. that will shuttle students to and from the Convo throughout the evening.
Another new idea we have installed this season in on the radio side of things as Brian Nemerovski and Ryan Wooley return to the regular airwaves of WEMU (89.1 FM). Nemo wants to hear from you during the broadcasts and will be taking your e-mails all season long. You can e-mail the radio crew at emueaglesradio@gmail.com
Okay, Okay - enough promoting EMU stuff and back to the inside information that we know you log-on to this page for. Things have returned to normal inside Room 307 as all the furniture, media guides and other goodies have returned to their rightful place. As from earlier blog entries have mentioned we finally have new carpet for our home away from home, it looks great and lets just hope it is not another 10 years before we get anything new in our office. But then again I might not want to have to move this stuff again for at least that long!
In other news our EMU SID will take to a national stage Friday night, when we provide the statistical crew for the Marathon Mid-American Conference Football Championship at Ford Field in Detroit. The game will be on dazzling high-definition on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. It marks the second straight year that we have been honored by the conference office to work the game. As usual I’ll be entering the plays on the computer; Sarah VanMetre calling the action; Dan Wyar on tackles; and Amanda Decker and Amy Ziemak serving as scribes and extra eyes.
More information on that though as the week progresses, as I have to get back to real work. So until next time ~ Go Green and hope to see you at the game!
Friday, Nov. 28 - Black Friday
Hola from Mexico! It is about time that I got to write everyone a little something from the peninsula down here, which is much better than the mitten we hail from.
Anyways, I am sitting here waiting for today’s game to start. I spent a few hours in the sun this morning before actually having to do a little bit of work. It is tough down here, let me tell you but someone has to do it. Yesterday’s game was pretty interesting…we were able to come back in the last few minutes but just didn’t have enough to get over the hump. Today’s opponent, TCU, is ranked but lost to Boston College yesterday. So we will see how it goes.
Besides that, I have honestly been sitting in the sun and sleeping. I am not a huge fan of the food here…I have been living on fruit and chips and salsa. Which is starting to get a little old. Somehow I think that Dan and I should have traded trips for the problems we are both experiencing with food on our respective journeys. I am looking forward to a nice turkey sandwich when I get back. And pretzels and animal crackers, of course.
It is absolutely gorgeous here. It is literally everything you see in the movies. The crystal clear ocean, a HUGE pool, palm trees, flowers, etc. The one thing that is a little scary is that iguanas are everywhere. I almost stepped on one the other day and borderline freaked out. It was a good thing I was alone because I am sure that I looked like an idiot.
At this time I would like to clear up the fact that I am not the world’s biggest loser as some of my colleagues have alluded to on this blog. While I have a soft spot in my heart for Home Alone, I am in no way in love with Macauly Culkin. At least not anymore.
Thursday, Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving
Well, since I don’t feel like working on a research paper, and since procrastination is my middle name, I’d figure I would give all five of our readers an update from Jamaica, New York.
We just finished Thanksgiving dinner at our hotel, which wasn’t too bad. Being that I am a vegetarian, I’ve always found Thanksgiving to be the most interesting holiday of the year. Up until tonight, I’ve spent every other Turkey Day with my family, so when I started being a vegetarian a little over three years ago, I had to explain to my relatives what a Tofurkey was and why I started this lifestyle. They usually just look at me like I’m crazy for not having turkey and anything with chicken stock in it on Thanksgiving, but I’m more or less used to it now. As for tonight, I had mashed potatoes, a little bit of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and yams, which I’ve never had before until tonight, and I’ll probably never have again. For desert, we had pumpkin pie, which is a must for any Thanksgiving dinner, and coach Moore got our waitress to bring over a can of whip cream to put on top. All in all, a great dinner and I am happy to have spent it with such a great group of people.
This morning, we woke up early and made our way into the city for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but unfortunately, a few million people made it there before us, so we didn’t have the best view. Our athletic trainer, and my roommate, Masa and I got as close as we could to the action, but since we aren’t 6-6 like everyone else on the team, we didn’t see anything besides the huge floats that went by. I snapped some pictures of the Energizer Bunny, a Smurf, Snoopy, and a giant turkey with my camera phone before we walked around the city some more. We made our way over to Rockefeller Center, where we saw the famous ice skating rink and the famous Christmas tree, which made me think of the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York when I saw it. Unfortunately, Kevin McCallister was nowhere to be found, which is probably very disappointing to Sarah because she has a huge crush on Macaulay Culkin.
Yesterday was our first day off, and all of us took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty for awhile, which was really interesting to finally see in person. We were not permitted to go inside the statue itself, though, which was a bit of a disappointment. Afterwards, we hopped on our bus and our driver drove us around the city for a few hours where we saw just about everything. We drove by Ground Zero, which was somewhat surreal because I’ve seen videos and pictures of Sept. 11 hundreds of times, but it was truly a chilling experience to see in person where everything happened. We drove around Times Square, Macy’s, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, and we even made it to Harlem by Bill Clinton’s office. Coach Thomas claims he saw Kiefer Sutherland (aka, 24’s Jack Bauer) standing outside, but I’m not buying it.
Tomorrow, we will depart the Big Apple and venture about three hours down the road to Providence, R.I. where the team will practice and prepare for their game against Brown University on Saturday at 1 p.m. The team dropped two tough games out here against two pretty solid teams in St. John’s and Cornell, so we’ll see if they can end this road trip on a high note against Brown. Until next week, this is Dan Wyar signing off and wishing you a pleasant evening and a Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, Nov. 24
Greetings Eagle Nation! Amanda here for the Monday edition of ITENSIB. It’s a rather quiet day in the office. OK, so if you’ve seen the website, you’d know I was lying there. The phone has been ringing nonstop all day keeping Sarah pretty busy with her Front Desk Manager duties. I think it’s good for before she departs for sunny Cancun, while Streets, Greg and I hold down the fort in Ole Ypsilanti.
The only bad thing about the big news of the day is that three of my roommates work in football, so I’m not entirely sure what that is going to mean for them and their living situation. All I know is that men's hoops GA Craig and I won’t be able to afford an entire house of utility costs by ourselves. Ouch.
Took a little break from the office today and had lunch with a bunch of Physics grad assistants, as my cousin, Erin, is one of them. Plus, I had the chance to see the cute Physics GA that I have a little crush on. It also reminded me just how much I love winter here in Ypsi (not), as it was trying to snow outside and it isn’t really doing a good job, because it’s super wet. I decided to wear my fake, no holed, Crocs today, and my heals are still pretty wet from the walk to Jimmy Johns.
Well besides the big news of the day, not much else has happened here in the sports information office. We’re getting new carpet on Wednesday, which is pretty exciting, as I swear this office hasn’t been cleaned since Sports Info moved into the building 10 years ago. I think the carpet would have lasted longer if it got vacuumed more than twice a year, but hey, what do I know. We’ve got Dan, Sarah and the spare computer desk all packed up so that all we have to work on tomorrow is Greg and Streets office. Please send your sympathies as any of you EMU fans that have had the pleasure of stepping into Streets’ office know how difficult of a task it will be to clean his office. Greg on the other hand is pretty OCD and keeps it clean and organized at all times, so that should be no problem.
We have a women’s basketball game tonight versus Siena and with Dan on the road with men’s hoops and all of our student workers in class tonight, it will just be the four of us working the game tonight. I will be doing the calling, as Greg types and FDM (Sarah) writes the recap. Not really sure what Streets will be doing…phones and copies?
Well that’s it for me Eagle Nation. Hope you have a happy Turkey Day Thursday if I don’t check in before then. I know where I’ll be at about 4 a.m. Friday morning, as my dad and I will be venturing out for our annual Black Friday shopping before I have to be at lovely Rynearson Stadium for our noon football kickoff against Central Michigan.
Friday, Nov. 21
Well, as I’ve done every Friday since the inception of the blog, this is Dan Wyar blogging yet again, from the friendly confines of the EMU Convocation Center. Today also marks Casual Friday, but unfortunately, my chicken suit is at the dry cleaner.
I had the esteemed opportunity to spend last weekend with the women’s basketball team as they took on the Fighting Sioux from the University of North Dakota, and it was certainly a trip to remember. Kevin Lehman, the director of basketball operations for the Eagles, and I had the opportunity to check out the Ralph Engelstad Arena, where the Sioux hockey team takes the ice. It is by far the nicest facility I have ever been in. It holds roughly 11,500 fans, but according to the guy who showed us around, it’s nearly impossible to get tickets to a game. Take a gander if you get a chance.
On Sunday, I will hit the road with the men’s basketball team, as they travel to New York to finish the NIT Season Tip-Off consolation round, beginning with Monday’s game against St. Johns, followed by Tuesday’s match-up with Cornell. We will stay on the road through Thanksgiving because the team has a game slated for Nov. 29 at Brown in Rhode Island. I’ve never been to the Big Apple, and coach Charles E. Ramsey informed me today we will have the chance to see the Statue of Liberty, the September 11 Memorial, and possibly the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, so that should be a good time. I’ll try to be the typical tourist with the “I Heart NY” shirt.
As for the rest of this weekend, the women host Madonna tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. I know what you’re thinking after reading that first sentence, and our office has already over-used every Madonna joke we could think of this week. Greg actually worked them into our game notes, which is hilarious. A victory over Madonna would certainly be a Ray of Light for the Eagles.
Anyway, back to Jim Rome as we wind this Friday down here in room 307. Until next time, Eagle Nation. This is Dan Wyar wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, Nov. 20
Due to some technical difficulties, we have not been able to update the blog lately. I have taken it upon myself to deliver a new blog today even though not much is going on. It is the front desk manager, Sarah, bringing you this edition. Not a secretary or administrative assistant. I prefer the front desk manager, since my duties are very broad and all-encompassing.
Today has been rather slow, but Greg has provided us (I mean, I think its great info while others might not think so) with some great information today. While researching the women’s basketball signing class, he came across a great article about one of them. She hails from Indiana, as do I. Her intended major is journalism, the same major that I had while an undergrad here. Her high school is West Noble. My high school was Noblesville…kind of a stretch, I realize, but close enough. And now here is the kicker…she loves Celine Dion. Which we all know from previous blogs, I have an affinity for the Canadian singer as well. I mean, what are the chances?! I wonder if I could pretend I was her and get another four years of eligibility…people might not even notice with all of these great similarities!
As for the rest of the office, we are just getting into the swing of winter sports. Football only has two more games and is the only remaining fall sport still in action. Women’s basketball hosts Madonna (not the singer) on Saturday before hosting Siena on Monday. After that, it is off to Cancun for a tournament. I am rather happy because I get to go on this little voyage since Greg has to stay behind for football. It is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
Well I think that is about it for today…as Celine says, that’s the way it is.
Monday, Nov. 17
8:52 p.m.: It's final Eagle fans. 87-58 Purdue. Despite the 29-point loss, I think there was some pretty solid action by the Eagles, so much to look forward to this season.
8:46 p.m.: Purdue just went on a 9-2 run to put them up 82-52. Bowdry is at the line after drawing a foul...Misses the first but makes the second...Freshman Danny Barnes makes his first appearance of the game for the Eagles.
8:37 p.m.: 73-50, Purdue leads by 23...Huge dunk by Purdue's Hummel...Player down for Purdue as Dobbins goes up for yet another dunk for the Eagles. GO GREEN.
8:12 p.m.: Sorry about the late post, but I was having technical difficulties with the website. Perhaps Greg was working on some secret files as it wouldn't let me access the blog. So halftime has come and gone and the Eagles are down by 21, 54-33. The Eagles have had some costly turnovers.
7:35 p.m.: There is this one really loud Purdue fan sitting right behind us on the media bench...Dobbins is looking pretty good in this outing, as he's already scored eight points in the first 15 minutes, two of those four shots being dunks.
7:22 p.m.: The Eagles opened up the game on an 8-0 run, as the Boilermakers were unable to stop the Eagles. The score is now 16-12, Purdue, as we sit here on the sideline during a media timeout.
6:54 p.m.: We're minutes away from tip-off here at the Preseason NIT Tournament. The Eagles just came out onto the floor in front of a very large and loud Purdue crowd. As I stated earlier today, the Eagles are facing No. 11/10 Purdue. They will then go on to play either Georgia or Loyola Chicago tomorrow.
Greetings Eagle Nation! Amanda here, checking in from West Lafayette, Ind., where Streets and I are on the road with men’s basketball for the NIT Season Tip-Off.
The trip didn’t get off to a good start, as our bus driver attempted to get onto the I-94 East Ramp. Hmmmm…I didn’t think Purdue was in Detroit, but hey, what do I know? Coach Ramsey diverted that disaster, steering him on to Michigan Ave. to US-23, but again, he wanted to bypass 94-west and head north of Ann Arbor. Seriously?
Well we finally got going and didn’t have any trouble till we were pretty close to Purdue. Brian Nemerovski, your play-by-play man, was keeping track of the trip on his iPhone and at one point the driver had us going in the complete opposite direction. Here’s something I’ve learned on trips with Eagle teams this fall: GPS Systems aren’t always correct.
Things got a little bit worse, as we were going down a pretty steep hill in downtown West Lafayette, the bus reached level ground and the tail end got caught on the hill, proceeding to scuff up the bottom of the bus. Don’t go adding that on our bill.
We finally made it to the hotel around 5:45 and had some free time before leaving for practice at 7:30. I do have to thank Coach Ramsey and his staff, as I am enjoying a nice king size bed all to myself as the only female on the trip, so thank you Coach Ramsey.
It’s about 1:45 p.m. today, and I’m sitting here with Nemo in Mackey Arena as the guys are at shoot around. Tonight, we play No. 11/10 Purdue University at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, so be sure to turn on your T.V. and watch the Eagles take on the Boilermakers.
Well that is all for now, Eagle Nation, but I’ll try to make it back for some live blogging tonight during the game.
Sunday, Nov. 16
And it is Sarah behind the keys today for a little weekend update…no Tina Fey on this edition, but I think I am a close second. Today is my first Sunday since August 17 (not that I have been keeping track) that I have not had work to do. So I decided that I would keep my Sunday streak alive and do a little blogging.
Friday was Education Day at the Convo, which meant that there were tons of elementary kids at the men’s basketball game against Marygrove. I played in the very first Education Day game back in 2005, and it is a lot of fun. The kids are loud the whole game, really creating a fun atmosphere. Sometimes, they don’t realize that they should stop screaming, like when an EMU player is at the free throw line…but it is worth it to have that type of atmosphere at the Convo. The pre-game program was good too…Dr. Gragg, our director of athletics, performed the Cupid Shuffle with the dance team. He has got some moves!
As for the game, the men were able to handily beat Marygrove, 119-48. I have to say that this is the deepest, most athletic team I have seen in my time here. The team hits the road today for West Lafayette to take on Purdue in the NIT Season Tip-Off. They will be on ESPN 2 tomorrow, which is pretty cool. I made sure to mention to all the coaches that they need to wear fancy suits…so we will see if they took my advice!
On the weather front, it is definitely winter again in Ypsilanti. A nice wintry mix fell yesterday before it changed to snow today. Gotta love those Michigan winters.
Our office will be down to three tomorrow. Amanda and Streets left today with men’s basketball, so it will just be Dan, Greg and I holding down the fort in room 307.
My Colts won today…three in a row! I can now get back into watching football since soccer is finished…that was the worst thing about soccer on Sundays…no football watching. Even though I am not a fan (and I know Dan is not either!!) of the national games that we get in the Detroit market.
Until next time sports fans!
Song of the day: Time to Pretend by MGMT
Friday, Nov. 14
Greetings from Grand Forks, North Dakota! Dan Wyar back again, blogging from the Hilton Garden Inn, patiently waiting for breakfast with the women’s basketball team before they take on the Fighting Sioux from the University of North Dakota tonight.
We left the Convocation Center on Thursday around 4 a.m., flew from Detroit to Denver, and then took a plane straight out of the movie Major League to Fargo, where we took a bus to Grand Forks. And here we are.
The trip here seemed like it took for-ev-er, but we finally landed in Fargo around 2:30 p.m. yesterday. However, I was a little disappointed when I didn’t see Steve Buscemi there to greet us when we got off the plane. I was also very disappointed during the flight to Denver because the mini-televisions on the back of the seats kept showing Frank TV ads. I think everyone can agree that we’ve all seen enough of those Frank TV ads, but clearly, they cannot be escaped.
It seems like basketball season just ended, but it is finally upon us yet again, and everyone is excited for tonight's game. Rumor has it they are expecting a sellout tonight here in Grand Forks, so that should make for an interesting game. Senior forward Amber Land is from Kulm, N.D., so she will have a ton of family and friends at tonight’s game, so the sellout crowd will have a good amount of EMU fans.
Anyway, it’s time to head to the breakfast buffet here at the lovely Hilton Garden Inn. Until next time, Eagle Nation!
Thursday, Nov. 13
A happy Thursday to all of you! Greg Steiner leading the way on this edition of the IENSID from the second floor confines of the Convocation Center. It is game day here at EMU as the volleyball team hosts rival Central Michigan University tonight at 7 p.m. Only one more match left for the volleyball spikers at home on a year that has been very abnormal for head coach Kim Berrington. The team is just 9-20 on the season and has struggled as a group of mainly underclassmen have tried to adjust to the collegiate level. Saturday is senior day for the squad’s two seniors Hayvolla Leite and Jill Wolosiansky, first serve is set for 3 p.m. Come out and cheer of the team as they look to upend Kent State and head into the Mid-American Conference Tournament on a high note.
Things don’t slow down tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 14) as it marks the official start of basketball season here at Eastern. The men’s team hosts Marygrove at noon, while the women’s team is in North Dakota for a 6 p.m. CST contest. Normally I’d have the great pleasure of being on the road with head coach AnnMarie Gilbert and crew, however, with us still having home volleyball I’m back here at home.
It will certainly be a strange feeling tomorrow not being at the women’s game, as I’ve only missed six games since I became the team’s primary contact during the 2002-03 campaign. I missed four games that first year due to still being an undergraduate and the whole having to go to class concept. Then in 2006-07, I missed the trip to Arizona State University when I got to play the "big boss" when Jim Streeter was out for a few months after a bit of a health scare that winter. How many of you can boast a better EMU women’s basketball streak of 167-of-173 games attended during that stretch?
Dan Wyar will get the honor (or burden) of filling in for in tomorrow in North Dakota. I’m sure he will do a great job plus as an added bonus he will be filling this blog space tomorrow on the team’s adventures from Detroit Metro Airport to Denver, Colo. and then to Fargo, N.D. and on to Grand Forks. I know one of the trip's legs included a propeller plane flight instead of the usual jet aircraft. So, maybe if we are lucky, he can give us a story of the team dog sledding across the Peace Garden State!
I leave you with a reminder to tune into the Eagle Nation Sports Network tomorrow for the EMU-Marygrove game at noon. Brian Nemerovski and yours truly make broadcast history, as the game will NOT air of WEMU Radio instead exclusively at EMUEagles.com. The broadcast will mark the first time in EMU history that an audio feed of any sport have been made available only via the department's website. So enjoy that and let us know any feedback – we just might mention you on air (technically on web I guess).
Wednesday, Nov. 12
And it is Sarah back for some more blogging from the SI office. My big news is that I have been made commissioner of noon hoops around here. Which pretty much means that I got convinced to email everyone…but some high quality staff basketball at lunchtime is on the horizon…
As for the real sports around here, my fall sport of soccer is now done. They made it to the MAC Championship game before falling to Toledo, 1-0. We gave up a goal in the 83rd minute to the Rockets, who won their third consecutive tournament title. We had a couple of opportunities to score after that, but just could not find the back of the net. Katie Zundel, Katie Lozar and Mona Budani were named to the All-Tourney team, which is nice, but I am sure they would trade it for the title. A big congrats to head coach Scott Hall who did a great job coaching this year. The team was on the road for the entire month of September and still managed to go 13-5-5, the best record for EMU since the 2001 season.
From what I heard, both basketball teams looked pretty good on Sunday. I missed both games, marking the end of an era on the women’s side. It was the first home women’s game that I have missed in six seasons. Granted, I was never going to miss one I played in, but it is an impressive streak (at least in my mind). The women are leaving tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. for North Dakota aka the Peace Garden State…thanks Greg for always cluing us in on those great state nicknames. I am glad that I am still learning things that I will one day use on Jeopardy.
Dan will be accompanying the women to North Dakota. I, on the other hand, get to go to Cancun over the Thanksgiving break with the women’s team. What can I say…seniority goes a long way!!!
Today is the staff Thanksgiving lunch day…which is just huge. This is the one time that we GA’s are considered special enough to be included in the staff activities. We will be heading to campus later to mingle with everyone in the holiday spirit. But I just took a look at our tickets…and Dan and I got the student tickets. So close to being important!!
Tomorrow’s blog should be pretty special…I believe that Dan will be coming to us from North Dakota…always a good time!
A special thanks to Streets for getting us new sweatsuits for the year. The rip-off pants are great…so now I am always ready to go into the game. Keep that in mind Coach Gilbert and Coach Ramsey!
And a little something I will be adding to my blogs: song of the day. Today’s song is Keane, Spiralling. Highly recommend it!
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Greetings to everyone reading this blog.
My name is Jim Streeter and I am the Sports Information Director at Eastern Michigan University.
Our SID staff created this blog to give everyone an opportunity to read about what is happening in the world of sports information.
We started the 2008-09 school year with one of our most well-rounded staffs ever. I returned this year as the SID/Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations for my 35th year while assistant Greg Steiner is back for his fifth as the assistant director and his eighth in the office. We also have three outstanding graduate assistants: Amanda Decker, Sarah VanMetre and Dan Wyar.
In addition to that five-person crew, we also have a host of student/volunteer workers who assist us with the day-to-day operations of providing information and support for 21 varsity athletic teams. The students/volunteers; Nicole Phelps, Chris Puzzuoli, David Shelby and Amy Ziemak, are very helpful to us and it would be extremely difficult to keep things rolling without their presence.
As a staff, our goal every year is to improve and I think we have done a good job of not only getting better, but also of expanding our product to include new and fresh additions to keep our constituents happy.
One of the key additions in 2008-09 has been uploading videos of our coaches’ press conferences after home events. Along with our game stories and box scores for football and basketball we have included press conferences of head football coach Jeff Genyk, men’s head basketball coach Charles E. Ramsey and women’s head basketball coach AnnMarie Gilbert.
We plan to continue to post those press conferences during the 2008-09 season so that our fans and supporters have a chance to catch our coaches’ post-game comments. We expect to include selected student-athletes for interviews in the future.
Our staff is focused on being a complete source of Eastern Michigan University athletic information and we are proud of our past and excited about the future.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. Enjoy it!
Monday, Nov. 10
Hey all! Grad. Assistant Amanda Decker here. After a long weekend traveling with volleyball and a home doubleheader basketball, I found out that our office has a blog. Way to keep me in the loop guys. Sarah and Dan were talking about a blog last week, but I thought it was a joke. Apparently not! So here I go with my first post.
This was a very busy weekend for me and EMU sports. I left Thursday night with volleyball to take perhaps the longest bus ride EVER to DeKalb, Ill. for the Eagles to take on those pesky Huskies. The bus ride is rather entertaining though, as Coach Berrington and her assistants, Camila Olaio, Karen O’Brien and student assistant Corey Calcamuggio play several games of Euchre. The bus ride there saw Berrington and euchre partner Camila fall victim to the Karen/Corey tandem, as they won eight out of nine games. I fell asleep when Karen and Corey were up 3-0 and then woke up when it was 6-0.
There was a lot of downtime in DeKalb, as we got there late Thursday night and didn’t play till 7 p.m. Friday night, so Coach Berrington took the crew out for a team activity, as we saw Madagascar 2. It must have been a day off from school, because I swear every seven-year-old kid was in the theatre with us. The match was a heartbreaker, as we were up two sets to none, and lost in five. Their band was pretty good, so good that it was distracting. The Eagles’ team had to go to the other side of the gym during timeouts because they were so… loud.
I had only been to Kalamazoo once before during my undergrad as the track/cross country manager, so heading into their arena was interesting, to say the least. They managed to fill up every square inch of space with advertising signage. It was really way too much. The Eagles fought pretty hard against the Broncos, forcing two out of the three sets past the 25-point win plateau, but the Broncos got the best of us with the sweep. I’m always amazed when I travel with volleyball, the amount of support they have, as so many of the athlete’s parents/family members make most if not all the games.
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday-We were without Sarah, who was at home only to find out that here Celine Dion Concert was postponed. Bummer. She’d been looking forward to that for over a year. Back at the Convo, we had doubleheader hoops in action, with the men playing Alma and the women playing Marygrove. Both teams walked away with exhibition wins. Soccer was in MAC finals but Toledo scored a goal with about seven minutes remaining to take the title.
I’ve given up on the office Fantasy football league. I had a great rookie season last year, making it to the playoffs, but with my loss to Sarah this weekend, my record will stand at 2-8. Eight losses in a row. Wow. I’m tied for the worst record in our league with Assoc. AD Mike Malach and former EMU marketing staffer Josh Burgett. There’s always next year.
Well, I should get back to work, as I took the morning off to finish up some errands. Until next time, Eagle Nation.
Friday, Nov. 7
Greetings, Eagle Nation!
My name is Dan Wyar, I am a first-year graduate assistant in the sports information department at Eastern Michigan, and I hail from Cleveland, a city I hold near and dear to my heart. I am 23 years old, a Pisces, and I enjoy pretzels and animal crackers, a mainstay around our office.
Since right now is the so-called "calm before the storm" around athletics as we transition from the fall season to the winter season, having any sort of down-time around the office is rare. And by rare, I mean most of us won't see natural sunlight until March (we don't have windows to the outside world in our office). But with football not in action until Nov. 22 when they head to Temple, and with basketball still a week away from the regular season, this week most of us will get a little bit of a break. Sarah is traveling home to Indiana this weekend for the Celine Dion concert, which I originally thought was a joke when she mentioned it because Sarah and I are the same age and Celine Dion's music seems to appeal to more of an older generation, but hey, to each his own (or her own, rather). So, that should be a fun time.
Last night was the beginning of the NFL’s flex schedule, and of course, my Browns kicked things off in Cleveland against the Denver Broncos. During the ‘80s, John Elway and the Broncos spoiled many great years for Browns fans with “The Drive” and “The Fumble”, and last night’s loss is right up there. The good news is, there’s still a lot of football to be played, so hopefully they can make a late run and maybe sneak into the postseason. Brady Quinn looked solid in his first NFL start.
As for the remainder of this weekend, the men’s and women’s basketball teams both play home exhibition games on Sunday, as the women host Marygrove at 2 p.m., followed by the men taking on Alma at 4 p.m. The men’s team got some unpleasant news last week when they found out senior point guard Carlos Medlock will likely miss the entire season with a broken foot, but under head coach Charles Ramsey, the team still has a chance to make some noise in the Mid-American Conference this season with the solid foundation they have coming back.
Well, it’s about time for me to get back to work. Every Friday I head over to WAAM 1600 to tape the Eagle Report, which is a one-minute spot that runs Monday-Friday around 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Take a listen if you get a chance. Anyway, have a great weekend and Go Eagles!
Thursday, Nov. 6
Greetings all! Assistant Sports Information Director Greg Steiner behind the keyboard today for this edition of Inside the Eagle Nation Sports Information Blog on an abnormally warm fall afternoon. While there may be no sports going on today at EMU, it still have been a hectic day inside the Athletic Department. It is 4 p.m. when I’m writing this and I’ve already cranked out five releases today, so I’m hoping the news slows down a bit!
As Sarah VanMetre stated in the inaugural edition of this blog, we will try to provide a little behind the scenes look at EMU Athletic. Bear with us as will we try our best to keep this as up-to-date as possible and will work in our staff but also try to get some guest bloggers along with way to talk about marketing, promotions, broadcasting and anything else you might find interesting. As always, feel free to e-mail any of us with comments or just to let us know you are reading.
News of the day included Jill Wolosiansky earning Academic All-District honors, Chris Ross winning Golfer of the Week and that we will be for the first time audio streaming basketball games exclusively on EMUEagles.com.
The women’s soccer team battles instate rival Central Michigan tomorrow, Nov. 7, afternoon down in the Glass City in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Sarah will be at the game, recapping all the action following the match. Should the Eagles advance to the finals, it would take place Sunday versus either top-seeded Toledo or Nov. 4 Bowling Green.
Amanda Decker will make the long trip to the Land of Lincoln with the volleyball team, as they battle Northern Illinois in DeKalb Friday night. The match will be played at Victor E. Court which is the practice court inside the NIU Convocation Center. It has always amazed me the NIU would play in the practice gym when they could play in the expansive main arena at the Convo which is about a long Jim Streeter tee shot away (maybe 250 yards at most). Following the game her and the rest of the traveling crew will get back on the bus and head to Kalamazoo for a showdown with West Division leader (and hated rival) Western Michigan. Good luck to them and hopefully they get some rest on that bouncing Trinity Transportation bus before the contest.
Meanwhile back here at home the rest of the crew (Dan Wyar, Chris Puzzuoli, Jim and myself) will hold down the fort for a pair of exhibition basketball games. The women’s team plays Marygrove while the men will play Alma. Should be interesting games for both programs, and much like all of you this will also be the first time I’ve seen either team in action yet this fall. Admission if free so bring your friends for and exciting day of EMU hoops.
That’s it for me – have a great rest of the day and Go Green!
Wednesday, Nov. 5
Grad. assistant Sarah VanMetre here…and I have the privilege of delivering the first-ever post of IENSIB. It is quite an honor that I am able to start this…I hope that I can give the people what they want. And not be the weak link of the office in the blogging arena…with that being said, here we go!
As the fall sports wind down, it is a crazy time around here. Even though one season is ending, another one is just beginning…which makes for some busy days around here. Just this past weekend, we hosted two volleyball matches, the MAC Cross Country Championships, the EMU Wrestling Open and a first round MAC Tournament soccer match. Football and women’s swimming were on the road, which was nice, but still means there is work to be done.
Halloween volleyball always makes for a fun time at the Convo. Dan and I didn’t know which we had more of: Halloween costumes or Halloween sweaters. There was quite an assortment of both in the crowd who decided to share their trick or treat time with us instead of begging for candy around the streets of Ypsilanti.
Saturday was the day that had a little bit of everything. While Amanda was over at Eagle Crest running the cross country meet, the rest of us were at the Convo…once again dealing with volleyball. It is such a fun sport but such a hard sport to score. Pretty much what happens at a volleyball match is that I don’t stop talking. I call the action while Greg inputs it into the computer using secret code. I am a fan of the plays that are quick. But each set will feature a looooong rally. Which is a lot of fun for a fan, but not for me. My favorite is when I forget that I am supposed to be calling and will just observe the match. Not a good thing! Bottom line, I feel bad for everyone else because they have to listen to me talk for two hours…and talking is one of my favorite things!
Sunday is my least favorite day during the fall, as soccer plays on Sundays. Most people tend to forget this little fact and enjoy their day off while I am lugging a 30 pound printer out to Scicluna Field And there is no good parking there. But at least I am getting a good workout in. I do a little bit of everything at the soccer games, ranging from scoring to announcing. I used to get really nervous about it…but I think I improved a lot as the year went on. Maybe I will start looking into announcing the high profile stuff…always a career to fall back on.
This past Sunday, there was extra pressure since it was the MAC Tournament at soccer…no announcing mishaps, but I did have a wardrobe malfunction. I did not dress appropriately for the dropping temperature. Needless to say, I didn’t regain feeling in my hands or feet until about 7 p.m….and the game was at 1 p.m.
Basketball is getting ready to start, which is a lot of fun. As a former player, I love the sport…but it gets quite time consuming after awhile. Both teams should be fun to watch this year, so we have that going for us.
Well that is it for the first edition of the IENSIB…check back later for more insider info and secret files that you can only get here about EMU athletics!