University of Rhode IslandDigitalCommons@URI

The Good 5 Cent Cigar (Student Newspaper) University Archives

9-30-2011

The Good 5 Cent Cigar (9/30/2011)University of Rhode Island

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cigar

This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the University Archives at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in TheGood 5 Cent Cigar (Student Newspaper) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@etal.uri.edu.

Recommended CitationUniversity of Rhode Island, "The Good 5 Cent Cigar (9/30/2011)" (2011). The Good 5 Cent Cigar (Student Newspaper). Book 127.http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cigar/127http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cigar/127

00 THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1971

Volume 61 Issue 14

'Just what this country needs' www.ramcigar.com

URI Student Senator shares views, interests BY ALI WALSH Contributing News Reporter

For Andrew Sharkey, his nonchalant attitude leadS him to wildly divergent interests, whether it's serving as a student senator, gallivanting outdoors or being the academic chair for his fraternity.

No matter which one is cho­sen, it is safe to say that Sharkey, a University of Rhode Island junior, has a lot on his plate.

A graduate of South Kingstown High School, Sharkey came to URI for rea­sons many in-state students share: lower tuition and being close to home. When he was in high school, the science and math courses he took helped him decide on a major.

"I really liked chemistry," Sharkey said. "I took chemistry classes [in high school] and decided I wanted .to study chemical engineering."

However, his love for plants and agriculture has him reconsidering his field of study. Sharkey is in . the process of

·changing his major to horticul-ture, or as he puts it, "plant sci­ence."

This interest in plants has led him to. help beautify the campus' landscape through his

position on the Student Senate, as Vice President of On-Campus Affairs. After being a general member for only eight months, Sharkey was elected to his posi­tion in March of this year. Like all ·of the vice presidents, he assists the president in leading projects and taking care of all things on-campus.

"Whether it is getting new tennis courts, fixing the pot­holes in the road or making sure there are enough 'blue lights' around, our committee's job is to make sure all [of] these on­campus [features] are function­ing and looking nice,"· Sharkey said.

His love for the outdoors gives hiin the motivation to per­form the tasks hiS committee assigns. Not only does he want to help the students in small ways, but he also maintains the campus' beauty.

With vice presidency on his side, Sharkey has the authority to carry out his goals. These

· plans vary from more bike lanes to the beautification of Ellery Pond.

"I'd like to involve myself in making a more efficient cam­pus, mainly [creating] a cleaner looking and fwlctional cam­pus," Sharkey said.

When he is not keeping busy with senate, Sharkey is busy with another job -Academic Chair for the ZBT Fraternity. As academic chair, it is his job to make sure his broth­ers ·keep on track with their schoolwork.

He chose this job because he realizes . how important the educational portion of college is.

"Yes, this is college, but col­lege is college, meaning school," Sharkey said. "My job is to make sure no one gets off track."

Sharkey is part of many aspects of URI student life. Other than his fraternity and Student Senate, he also holds positions for American Institute of . Chemical Engineers and Student Organization Leadership Consultants.

Sharkey has a ~arefree atti­tude about taking on more work. After a "lackluster" fresh­mari. year, Sharkey made it a personal goal to become more involved with student life at URI.

"Ifs basically, why not? " he said. "What have I got to lose? I'm just trying to grow and experience as much as I can."

Ballr.oom Dance Club learns new moves BY LANCE SAN SOUCI News Editor

While it may not be easy for many University of Rhode . Island students to move with what seems like adroit flexi­bility, those in the Ballroom Dancing Club see it as being almost second nature. As a group that dances both recre­ationally and competitively, the club offers students the

. option to learn how to dance in a number of different styles.

Whether it is the rumha or samba, choreographer for the group Jennifer Paquette said members tend to enjoy the new moves they learn. Because the club recently added a section for entertain­ing in addition to the one for competing, there is ·also less

pressure on those who are still nervous about competition.

"I wanted to further my · dancing skills and I love coaching, so [creating a sec­tion for entertainment] seemed to be a good idea," Paquette said, adding that members of the Ballroom Dancing Club can still choose to dance for competition, entertainment or both.

Prior to the addition of the entertaining section of the club, she said the group gener­ally held dance .lessons and competed in various competi­tions. The biggest change in this addition, however, is the way people are able to dance non-competitively_ and in numbers.

Continued on page 2

Today's forecast 76 °F

E . th 'Y)A'L nJOY e sun "lf . W·v\ before a rainy ~r"---· .. :::-:::

weekend!

Friday September 30, 2011

Quidditeh team bits the field BY HENSLEY CARRASCO News Editor

A seeker, three chasers, a goalie, two beaters and a human snitch dressed in gold make up the players on a · team during Quidditch matches at universi­ties worldwide, including the University of Rhode Island's Rhody Ridgebacks.

Quidditch has begun to make its way around the coun­try, and not in the form of Harry Potter books. Muggles, a word used in the series for people lacking magical abilities, from all over campus have grabbed their brooms in anticipation of playing their favorite fictional wizarding school's prime sport.

Running around one comer of the Quadrangle, players with }?rooms tucked between their legs tossed dodgeballs back and forth, eventually breaking out into an in-team game amongst themselves.

The rules of Quidditch are rather complex to those who are not familiar with the Harry Potter series, but are well known . ~o~g !h.o~e-~l}o ~~ye_ r~~d-~~ books. ··

Goalkeepers are in charge of protecting two sides of three hula-hoops, propped up on a variation of PVC pipe, acijusted

to various heights, on each side of the field. Chasers are able to score when in control of a ball. The beaters on the field are the defense, throwing dodgeballs at the opposing team which leaves players immobile for a set peri­od of time. The seekers in the game try to catch the snitch-a

. person dressed in gold with a tennis ball hanging off their waist. The snitch is required to avoid the seeker at ~1 costs.

President of the Ridgebacks Zara Collier and her friends thought of starting the team during an astronomy class last year. From there they began to start the process of creating the club, which eventually became recognized by the university's Student Senate. Harry Potter is the main reason she and her friends were able to come together to create the club.

"I really love it," Collier said. "It's definitely giving me something to do that's a lot of fun forme."

Collier does not get to play, so instead does most of the man­agerial, behind-the-scenes work.

"I -like my role, running around and doing the paper­work," Collier said. "I know it sounds crazy. Keeping organ-

Continued on page 2

Did you cast your vote in the Student Senate

elections?

See page 3.

Page 2 • The Good Five Cent Cigar • Friday, September 30, 2011

ARTS -& ENTERTAINMENT Staff Picks of the Week: Best cover songs

It's tough to be original all the time. For the inaugural edi­tion of our "Staff Picks of the Week," we wrote about our favorite cover songs. We aren't necessarily saying that our favorites are the all-time great­est, but here are our picks for what makes a great cover.

BY BEN TUBMAN Contributing Entertainment. Writer

Fugees - "No Woman, No Cry"

In my eyes, this ·song is a perfect example of a cover song done right. The Fugees took a classic well-known Bob Marley · hit, that has been covered count­less other times by other artists, and made it "their own. Their rendition featured a drum loop and a passionate vocal perform­ance from Wyclef Jean, all while staying true to the original. If · you're a fan of the original or any Marley song, for that mat­ter, this recording will make you fall in love with it again.

BY ALEX MCDEVITT Contributing Entertainment Writer

Disturbed - "Land of Confusion"

Back in the early 80s, one of my all-time favorite artists, Phil Collins, made a song with his old band Genesis that defined · the Cold War feelings the world still had at the time. "Land of Confusion" mocked . current politicians and leaders in how the influences of their decisions made themselves looks like "puppets" (literally shown in the music video). In short, it said the people of most governments had enough. It was then remade by now-metal-gods Disturbed, one. of my all time favorite bands. Taking that same concept and updating it to a modem rock so\md while giving it that true hardcore rhythm, Disturbed did the improbable in making a remake of an original song better in. almost every way.

BY AUGIE KING Entertainment Writer

Trent Reznor and Karen 0 - "Immigrant Song''

For his remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," David Fincher rehired his "Social Network" composer Trent Reznor to do not only the score,

Dance Fro~ page I

_ Instead of signing up for everits separately, members_ can participate in a group, or as couples, at a number of ven­ues.

"The goal is to be able to go to social dances and have fun, or have the mari lead, too," Paquette ·said. "We'll dance at anywhere we're invit­ed to."

In fact, she said local sen­ior centers have been interest­ed in having the group dance

but also a special cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" for the trailer. With Karen 0 on vocals, the two reshaped the 70s era hard rock sound of the orig­inal into somet:hing equally elec­trifying, yet very eerie and unique. It's a case of an entirely new interpretation beating the odds and working equally as well as the oriiinal sound, sub­stituting chest-pumping thrills with haunting atmosphere. It caught me completely off-guard as to how good it was and I real­ly wish that a complete version of the cover would be released. I'll have to make. due with the "Dragon Tattoo" trailer version for now, which basically dou­bles as a great music video, too.

BY JOSHUA AROMIN Entertainment Editor

Jeff Tweedy- "My Humps," Fiona Apple "Across the Universe"

For a purely humorous cover that will never make it to the radio (I hope), watch/listen to Jeff Tweedy's version of the Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps."" Reciting line after line sounding as a confused alternative rock star should, Tweedy seems to carry a comfortable awkward­ness that radiates through the crowd.

My real pick and absolute No.1 favorite cover right !lOW is Fiona Apple's: : \:r~rsion of "Across the Universe." Apple didn't just cover a song. She took a classic, origin~lly · per­formed by the Beatles, and revi­talize"d it. Her unforgettably haunting vocals slowly reciting lines originally penned by John Lennon; makes a cover that transcends almost all others.

· BY SARAH-ROSE MARCUS Contributing Entertainment Writer

The Gourds - "Gin and _ Juice"

The key to having the best cover song is to highlight the beauty of the song, ye"t trans­form it by having a fresh, unique and memorable · twist. The cover of Snoop Dogg' s "Gin And Juice," by the country band "The Gourds" is the best cover ever made because it is brilliant and . unforgettable. What is more original than a group of

for members of the communi­ty, though the group has not danced publicly yet. She added that right now, the group is learning new enter­tainment-based choreography.

One club member in the entertainment section, fifth year senior Stephanie Canton, · said although her group is less · intense than the one dedicated to competition, it is still a great way to have fun . .

"It's really fup.; you can have fun with dancing any­time," she said. "You· also meet a lot of new people."

As a member of the club

middle aged bald men in cow­boy . boots rapping about "chronic," -"hoes," and the city of Compton?

BY MATTHEW GOUDREAU Contributing Entertainment Writer

Johnny Cash- "One" The "Man in Black" is a

master of great cover songs. For me, "Hurt" is the greatest cover song ever performed (someone had to pick it), but it is not my favorite of Cash's. Following his death in 2003, friend and long­time producer of Cash, Rick Rubin, released an assortment of songs he had recorded with Cash's American series. I dis­covered a cover of U2's 1991 classic "One" and I was speech­less. In fact, I prefer it to the original, primarily because of the way Cash sings it. He adds emotion to it and tells a story, almost as if it is his epitaph. He adds his knowledge of life to it and uses ii: as a message about marriage and making mistakes in a way that differed from Bono's arrangement. While both are amazing, I think Cash's abil­{ty to personalize so many songs, including those he did not originally write, speaks vol­umes. Elvis Presley put it best; "I may be the king, but Cash is the father."

BY JORDAN SINISCALCHI Contributing Entertainment Writer

All Time Low "Umbrella"

Let's be honest, in 2007, Rihanna couldn't sneeze with­out winding up on Billboard's Top 10. Her first single, "Umbrella," topped Billboard's for seven weeks and dominated summer radio, making it nearly impossible for anyone to not recognize it. This brings me to my favorite- cover: All Time Low's rendition of "Umbrella." It wasn't until approximately 47 seconds into the song that I • could tell it was a cover, and that was only when they said "Ella­Ella-Eh-Eh." The chords,· vocals and sheer rock pounding of the song are all its own, but the lyrics are ones everyone can rec­ognize. Kudos to you, All Time Low, for receiving the honor of frequently being blasted from my car speakers.

since her sophomore year, Canton has learned a number of ballroom and Latin dancing styles.

Paquette said she hopes the non-competitive version of the dance club, which current­ly has about six members, will make its debut at its own social dance on Oct. 14 in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

Because the club is open and flexible, people interested in learning how to dance can do so by attending club meet­ings on Thursdays.at 6 p.m.

Qudditch From page 1 .

ized is what I do." Funding for the Ridgebacks

come from what the Student Senate has appropriated for them for the year. To get more money , Collier said the team is having a fundraiser on the quad on Nov. 4, the first day of the university's family weekend.

The team, which Collier said is "hovering around 20 to 25 [members] between people who go to practices and meet­ings," has not played a game to date, but has been training in anticipation for a game. The Ridgebacks haven't played an offi-cial game because the num­bers of members in the club increased after the cut-off date for registration had passed.

That is not to be overshad­owed by the fact that there are other Quid ditch teams in Rhode Island, which are among the more than 300 official and unof­ficial teams around the world, according to the International Quid ditch Association's (IQA) website. Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island are both recog­nized as unofficial members.

Johnson and Wales University's team,. which is not

·yet recognized by the IQA, has contacted Collier in hopes of

scheduling a potential scrim­mage between the schools. Collier said it is currently in the works.

Ridgebacks player Colin Sheehan said he thinks joining the team has been "cool" espe­cially because he is a physical education major. He said it's an activity that "is out of left field" and most people won't expect someone to say they are a part of it.

"It's really hard to tell [why I joined]," Sheehan said. "I just like the whole concept behind it. How it's all of these · sports together. You don't have to be really athletic to be a part of it."

Sheehan said he has not been assigned a position but said. that he wouldn't want to be a seeker.

''I'm not up for running around," he said.

Contrary to Sheehan, senior environmental science major Nicholas Kozlowski, who helped Collier form the group, said he would like to be the seeker.

"It's a lot more running," Kozlowski said. "Seekers are the only ones that can shove play­ers. It's like playing rugby, I guess. I would probably suck at being a heater because I suck at throwing dodgeballs."

Collier said she and the Ridgebacks are looking forward to playing official matches by the beginning of next year.

Casey's COOL Lineup MON:l)JW

The Slider Sampler with PB-R Draft $8.99! 3 sliders: Old #7, Tex Mex, and Buffalo Bleu

TUESDAY Rhody Ram Nightt

9pm Live Music wfth CHOPVILLE $5 Pitchers, $5 Martinis

WEDNESDAY Wing Wednesday

9pm 20¢ Wings with Purchas.e of a Beverage

THUR"SDAY Team Trivia at 9pm with Dennis Hofer Grand Prize: FOUR AIRUNE TICKETS!

Miami, Ft .Lauderdale or South Padre Island!

FRIDAY FAJITA FRIDAY!

Plus Fish & Chips $12.99 .. . Fresh & Local

FRI-SAT .. SUN Prime Rib ... The best in town!

Prim~ Rib 10oz $14.99, 14oz $17.99 SATURDAY

Surf and Turf Special $20.99 3 Beef tenderloin topped with roasted garlic butter,

along with 3 jumbo baked stuffed shrimp

PATRIOTS FOOTBALL 20¢ Wings with Purchase of a Beverage

.SUNDAY Karaoke Contest 9pm

With DJ Pauly -

Announcements Want to meet a "PHAT Grenade" you're not ashamed to tell your friends about? It's· a chicken pahhhm wit mozzarella stix and onion rings. Only @ Albiesplace.com, (401) 792-3860 Ever had a "PHAT Chick"? Grilled chicken, cheese, bacon, fries, lettuce, tomato, ranch, sub or wrap. Only at Albie's (401) 792-3860

. living New IBRI!Bath, furnished, washer/dryer, walking distance to Scarborough, I 0-15 min from URI, want quiet, studious tenant, academic year, $650/mo, heat included. 6 bedrooms available Spring semester 2012 & Academic Year 2012-2013 in Eastwood & Briggs farm Call (917)-270-2185. www.homeaway.com/vaca­t i o 'n - r e n t a I I p 3 7 ~ 2 6 5 www . home away. com / vacation­rentallp303174 www.vrbo.com/167707 Parents/Family coming to URI for Homecoming, parents or another week­end? 6 bedroom available in Narragansett (accommodates up to 12 persons). Call (917)-270-2185. www. homeaway. com/vacation­rental/p374265 Narragansett Sand Hill Cove school year, furnished, 2 bedroom, $700 per month, no pets, no smoking (401)-789-7441 Narragansett Pier, 4 bedrooms, 2 bath, fully furnished, parking, central air, 2 zone oil heat washer & dryer bus line 1,700.00 month. (401)-946-4944, (401) 663-0800.

Call Ned!

Ninigret Inn, year round one bedroom Condo's ~ $32,500 to $42,500. Short drive to URI! Newly renovated! Amenities include, fitness room, game room,. storage lockers, parking, FHW heating, AIC, cable-Wifi, etc. Low condo fees ($155 per month) include all taxes, utilities, etc. Easy to rent off semester. Call401-741-4044

ONLY 13 DAYS LEFT! URI Rec Serv.ice·s

\Nants. tQ kno\N what ~ th'"~;~~

Please complete our surv.~~rba . October 12th and regts\er foc.a chance to win 1· of tP. prizes_.!

Drawing will be held on Friday, October 14th

The Good Five Cent Cigar • Friday, September 9, 2011 • Page 3 .

CAMPUS Fall 2011 Student Senate Elections Results

At-Large Representatives

Zahan Akbar- 143

Tyler Curry -114

Linda H. Reyes - 102

Amanda Studley - 94

Jamila Her _:_ 92

David Pickard - 81

Ethan Zawatsky - 71

Derek Murphy - 69

Carlos Tanuz- 17

PituSim-4

Elizabeth Koczera- 4

Patrick Browri- 2

Steven Guglielmo - 2

Zachary McGraw - 2

Annalisa Sharkey - 2

Daniel Dill - 2

David Lichtman - 2

Hensley Carrasco - 1

Andrew Rumbor- 1

Adam Youngblood - 1

Jesus-2

Lobsty-1

Lee Sullivan- 1

Brad Mafson- 1

· James Papachistev- 1

Abigail Farrow - 1

Captain America - 1

Barnie-1

Spongebob - 1

AlexSnow-1

Micky Mouse -1

Charlie's Beard -1

Blake Vedder- 1

Eddie Murphy - 1

Smeagol-1

Mr. Bean-1

Tyler Perry- 1

Justin Timberlake - 1

Reptar-1

Chrissy Juhr- 1

Laura Klotz - 1

Dumpy Dwarf- 1

ShaWn Saiya - 1

Michael Mateo- 1

Charlie Slieen - :1

Jeff Miszkiewicz - 1

Wano-1

Paul Weaver- 1

Kyle Cruz-1

MarkHill-1

Bryan Pestone :- 1

Freshman Representatives

Adive Musali - 26

Emily Dionne - 22

Matt Kilduff- 21

Melanie Davis - 20

John Paul Goddard- 19

Jacob Lanoie -18

Rachel Pires -17

Brittany Salzillo - l4

Ethan Zawatsky - 2

. Bat Brown, 2

Zahan Akbar - 2

David Lichtman- 2

Daniel Dill - 2

Carlos Tanuz,... 2

·Dave Pickard- 1

Mark Hill - 1

• Tom DiMarco - 1

Elizabeth Koczera - 1

MarkHill-1

Off Campus Representatives

Elizabeth Kocera - 46

Annalisa Sharkey- 46

Teaira Perry- 30

Steven Guglielmo - 28

Mitchell Mello - 15

Abigail Farrow - 2

Liz Zoczera - 2

Andrew Rumon- 1

Jesus-1

Zachary McGraw - 1

Derek Murphy - 1

Brad Mufson- 1

Nick Lemme - 1

Blake Vedder- 1

Winnie the Pooh - 1

. Crocodile Dundee - 1

Paul Weaver - 1

Laura Klotz- 1

Casey Holden - 1

Human Sciences Services Representative

Abigail Farrow- 21

and

College of Nursing Austin Brodsky- 1 Representative

Zack Brousseau - 1 Andrea Marchetti - 2

On Campus Representative Jennifer Bernsten- 1

Kenneth Perez - 86 College of Environmental and Life · Sciences

Alexandra Baccari - 76 -Representative

Tyler Curry - 3 Brittany Dobrzynski - 11

Jamila Her- 3 Zachary McGraw- 10

Austin Brodsky - 1 Cassie Purington- 8

Steven Perdigo - 1 Kelleigh Eastman- 3

Phyllis Francis -1 Jamila Her -1

Ethan Zawatsky- 1 Chantelle Tangui- 1

Pat Brown- 1 Lauren Vachow- 1

Zahan Akbar- 1 Stephen Hawking - 1

Zack Brousseau - 1 Results are not finalized until

Dave Pickard - 1

Rebecca Kraut- 1

voted on at the general senate . meeting!

Page 4 • The Good Five Cent Cigar • Friday, September 9, 2011

Rhody .

SPORTS Women's s.occer team falls to Brown BY JOE ROBERTO Sports Staff Reporter

Coming off a two-game winning streak, the University of Rhode Island women's soc­cer team took a tough 1-0 game against Brown University at Wednesday night's home game.

"We played well, we pretty much did everything we need­ed to but put the ball in the back of the net," head coach Michael Needham said. "Our team was disappointed because they don't like to lose, but the big picture is that they played very good soccer."

This 1-0 loss is their third heartbreaking one~goal loss of the season. The Rams are now 5-4-1 on the 2011 season.

"Those are difficult to han­dle because it's easy to start thinking about how we could have stopped that one goal or if we had just created one more chance on offense, then we could have at least tied it up," senior Alexis Veith said. "Brown created a good chance for them and unfortunately for us, they capitalized on it. But that's behind us now and we're looking toward UMass on Saturday."

The remainder of Rhode. Island's season will consist of

Atlantic-10 Conference games, which the Rams will be more than ready for.

In Wednesda}r's matchup, the Rams' offensive production was held in check by Brown's sophomore _goaltenders Amber Bledsoe and MC Barrett.

The two goaltenders both played 45 minutes and .made three saves each.

"We need to create more quality chances and we have to do a better job with our comer' kicks," Needham said. "Some days it clicks and last game it just didn' t happen for us."

After a scoreless first half by both teams, Brown finally found the back of the net at the 75:42 mark with sophomore Emily Wmgrove' s first goal of the season.

Her game-winning goal came from a header from the center that passed Rhody fresh­man goaltender Ashley Harris.

In the 90 minutes Harris played, she allowed only one goal and made five saves. In her impressive season, so far Harris has allowed five goals in four games started, and has a goal against average of 1.19.

Even though the Rams · were not able to put a goal on the scoreboard, they did out­qhp~t thEW: oppt?n~t 12 tQ 11,

Of the 12 shots, Rhode Island had six of those on goal. Junior Jennifer Barrientos tal­lied two shots on net.

Veith, junior Ashley Evangelista, sophomore Megan Rauscher and freshman Marisa Ammaturo each had a shot on net.

The Rams will be back in action when they kick off their A-10 play in Amherst, Mass. for a 4:00p.m. matchup against the University of Massachusetts.

"We are fired up for our conference games, we have val­idated who we are as a team in our non-conference games," Needham said. "Our confi­dence is high and we just need to continue playing good soc-cer."

UMass is currently 5-2-1 on the season and they are coming off a 1-0 overtime win against Brown University.

"We are all really excited to finally be getting into confer­ence. Conference is where it counts so we're excited to prove ourselves within the A-10," Veith said. "Our conference games are going to be very challenging, but we're ready to go."

Not So Average Joe: · No October for Boston BY JOE HOLLENBECK Sports Staff Reporter

Someone I work wjth recent­ly told me that this past month has been that awkward, long­distance break-up month that every relationship goes through before it ends. He was talking about the Red Sox and I couldn't agree more with him. Like many Boston sports fans, I feel dumped.

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon had a one-run lead, two outs and two strikes on Baltimore Orioles hitter Nolan Reiillold but was unable to get him out. Instead, Reimold hit a ground-rule double that scored pinch runner Kyle Hudson. The game was tied at that point, until Robert Andino hit a game-win­ning single the next at bat, clos­ing the book on Boston's wild card chances.

If you · somehow haven't heard by now, Boston blew its nine-game wildcard lead over division rival Tampa Bay. That nine-game lead dated back to Sept. 3. Needless to say; it was a monumental collapse for Boston.

Once the Red Sox began to slip, I knew in the back of my head . it w as going to end this way. I obviously supported them down the stretch and had my share of frustrations, but I think everyone just knew it could actu­ally happen.

So the question now

becomes, who· and what was to blame ?'Injuries obviously played a major role in the collapse. The Sox lost their young starting pitcher Clay Buchholz in mid­June because of a back injury and he never returned to action.

Other injuries included third basemen Kevin Youkilis, who was unable to play in the last few series for Boston because of his own back issues and right fielder J.D. Drew, who had shoulder problems all year.

· . The newest speculation on why the Red Sox aren't playing October baseball this year is that manager Terry Francona (a noto­rious fan favorite) was out man­aged by every team they faced this past month.

Francona decided to have the third string catcher, Ryan Lavarnway; bat in the fifth spot last night This move surprised everyone because allstar first basemen Adrian Gonzalez did not have anyone 'dangerous' hit­ting behind him. 'The Baltimore Orioles took full advantage of this Wednesday night by inten­tionally walking Gonzalez and pitching to Lavarnway multiple times in scoring opportunities.

Lavamey did not produce, and the Orioles kepi: it dose enough to win in the bottom of the ninth.

Now the season is over for Boston and so many unan­swered questions are looming.

For starters, both Papelbon an.d designated hitter David Ortiz are going to be free agents this offseason. General manager Theo Epstein li.as been a rumored candidate for the Chicago Cubs' GM job because his future with Boston is in ques­tion as well.

Perhaps the worst part in all this mess is that the New York Yankees blew a seven-run lead against the Rays on Wednesday while Boston was struggling with Baltimore.

You can bet that every single Red Sox fan is skeptical of that. Even though the thought of New York 'blowing' the game on pur­pose is crazy; it is just something that Red Sox fans are going to have to mull over for the next few months while they watch their arch enemies get a chance to win another World Series title.

As fans, thougJ:l, we'll be okay. We have suffered through the 2006 collapse and upsetting losses in the playoffs before. The one thing to take away from this season should be the fact that outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury may become the best player this team has ever seen after his incredible finish this year.

This one is going to sting for quite some time, but I think I .speak for all of us Boston sports fans when I say thanl< god there was not an NFL lockout this year.

W.eekend football preview BY MIKE ABELSON Sports Staff Reporter

Nothing ratchets up a Saturday like an old-fashioned rivalry game. Add a trophy; an evening start time and a pre­dicted crowd of 'nearly_ 20,000 people and the stage is set for something big. ·

That is what the University of Rhode Island football team will be playing on Saturday night when they take on Brown University in the annual Governor's Cup game. Brown leads the series 67-26-2, but since 2000 Rhode Island holds a 7-4 advantage, incl':lding wins in four of the last five meetings.

"It's certainly a big game . because it is a rivalry game, but at ·the end of the day it's just one game out of 11," URI head coach Joe Trainer said. "It's obviously big because of the familiarity; but at the end of the day it's either one in the right column [losses] or one in the left column [wins]. We want it to be on the left." .

The teams Combined for one of the greatest games in Meade Stadium history last season. The Rams won 27-24 in overtime after a 25~yard touch­down run by then junior quar­terback Steve Probst in front of an overflow crowd bf 7,622.

This year's game will be different, but the one constant between the two, which caused problems for Rhody's defense last year, is Brown quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballer9. The

former All-Ivy League quarter­back lit up the Rams last year for 325 yards before getting knocked out of the game late in the fourth quarter.

"He's as deceptive on the run · as he is in the pocket," Trainer said of NewhaU­Caballero. "He has great vision. He does a great job of avoiding the initial rush. We're going to have to do a good job of suffocating him and keeping him in the pocket."

Trainer said the expected crowd should not be much of a challenge for the team because they have played in front of bigger crowds already this sea­son.

"This is our fourth game and our third night game," Trainer said. "They are saying it might be 18,000 people, which would be great, but we've played in front of 35,000-plus already this season. The familiarity with the environ­ment won't be a problem for the guys."

Trainer went on to say he thinks that experience will play a big part in determining who leaves Brown Stadium with the Governor's Cup.

"Guys like Willie [McGinnis], Kyle [Bogumil], Steve [Probst], Matt Rae, and Anthony [Baskerville] have played a lot of football," Trainer said. "The experience factor is the difference ill the football game."

Kickoff is set for 6:00 p .m.