My thoughts on Bobby Valentine

By: Chris Hogan

The idea of the Boston Red Sox hiring Bobby Valentine to be their next manager is an interesting one to say the least. Not having been a manager in the big leagues in almost ten years could be a negative but there is still some positives I see.

Valentine has gotten the most out of the players he has managed in the past with the New York Mets. Joel Sherman of the New York Post made a valid point on Tuesday by mentioning that Valentine got the most out of Benny Agbayani, Derek Bell and Timo Perez back in 2000, the year they went to the World Series. None of those players were ever superstars but certainly helped the Mets that year.

The interesting angle to this is that Valentine has a very strong personality and you have to wonder how the current Red Sox players will transition to it. I am a stronger believer that guys like Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia will have no problem with it since they are good leaders. Does his personality mean that some other changes in the clubhouse will occur? There was mention that Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield may not fit in well with Valentine coming on board but he could have a impact on the younger players and spark them.

Valentine's team's have never finished in first place but that doesn't mean the Red Sox can't be an improved club next year. GM Ben Cherington and ownership will have to determine which players via trade and free agency will best fit in with the 2012 team. Does adding a guy like Michael Cuddyer, who is known as a strong clubhouse guy help the team chemistry? It seems like a realistic assumption to believe. Which other players could also improve the clubhouse? Time will tell.

With all being said, I do believe Valentine will try hard to motivate and get the most out of the players next season but the team needs to find its identity early on in spring training and in April in order to have a successful year.

Some Boston Bruins TV Championship photos

By: Chris Hogan

Here are some photos I took from my TV from the Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup. Not great quality though.

                                    Ryan Kesler upset

                                Zdeno Chara raising lord stanley

                                Bruins as a team celebrating

                                Bruins championship cake

                                             Tim Thomas

                                Patrice Bergeron holding the cup

                               Tim Thomas and Michael Ryder celebrating

                              Bruins Support Sign at local Dave's Supermaket

Some smoke photos from Knights Field

By: Chris Hogan

Here are three smoke sky photos I took this week.

UB Women's Soccer Opponent Schedule

By: Chris Hogan

As the number one seed in the East Region, the University of Bridgeport women's soccer team will host rounds one and two of the 2011 NCAA Divison II playoffs at Knights Field this weekend. They will play the winner of Friday's match between the U-Mass Lowell Riverhawks of the Northeast-10 Conference and Dowling College Lions of the East Coast Conference.

Gametime on Friday is set for 2 p.m. at Knights Field and Bridgeport will play the winner of that match at 12 Noon on Sunday.

I will have more previews very soon on the matchups.

Some sky photos from Knights Field last week

By: Chris Hogan

Here are some mobile photos I took of some sky photos from Knights Field.

Looking Ahead: UB Women's Soccer Playoffs

By: Chris Hogan

After loosing to Molloy College on Thursday night at Knights Field, many people are wondering when the Purple Knights will play again. From what I have heard, it seems like we will host the first and second round of the NCAA playoff here at Knights Field next weekend despite the tie with Molloy. This is due to the fact, that we are still number one in the nation and region. Official word of the our next opponent will be released Monday night at 7 p.m.

Stayed tuned

UB Athletics Weekend Recap

By: Chris Hogan

=

Sat. 10/28

Women's Volleyball:  Bridgeport 3 Dowling 1 Final in four sets

 Game Summary: Saturday's match against top ranked Dowling College was a critical one for the Purple Knights as they head into the playoffs. The win allowed Bridgeport to surpass N.Y.I.T. and move into second play in the ECC. During the match, there were 44 tied scored and 19 lead changes. Leading the way for the Purple Knights was Biljana Savic, who 24 kills and had 51 total attacks and Fernanda Costa was second with 16 kills and 46 total attacks. Each player had 25 and 18.5 points respectively. Dowling's Bethany Shepard led the Golden Lions with 50 total attacks and 16 digs and Chelsea Callahan was second with 31 total attacks and had 10 digs.

Some key stats from the match:

Set Scores
1st Set: Bridgeport 32 Dowling 30
2nd Set: Dowling 28 Bridgeport 26
3rd Set: Bridgeport 25 Dowling 17
4th Set: Bridgeport 25 Dowling 19

Total Team Blocks: Bridgeport 15 Dowling 10
Total Team Attacks: Bridgeport 164 Dowling 157
Digs: Dowling 62 Bridgeport 61
Kills: Bridgeport 64 Dowling 58

Sun. 10/29

Women's Volleyball: Bridgeport 3 University of District of Columbia 0 Final in three sets

Game Summary: After coming off an impressive win over Dowling on Saturday, Bridgeport dominated the Firebirds in three sets. The match took 1 hour and 23 minutes to complete and saw the Purple Knights have nine out of 13 players get on the scoresheet. Freshman Biljana Savic led the team with 34 total attacks and nine digs, while senior Larissa Oliveira recorded 20 total attacks and 11 kills. Off the bench, Darsel Springer led the way with 7 total attacks and Shelia Pimental had four total attacks.

Key stats from the match:

Set Scores:
1st Set: Bridgeport 25 UDC 18
2nd Set: Bridgeport 25 UDC 23
3rd Set: Bridgeport 27 UDC 25

Total Team Blocks: UDC 10 Bridgeport 4
Total Team Attacks: Bridgeport 120 UDC 96
Digs: Bridgeport 39 UDC 39
Kills: Bridgeport 53 UDC 36

Looking Ahead: Bridgeport, who is now 17-4 on the season will return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Brookville, N.Y. and face C.W. Post. The Pioneers are 14-14 on the season and 5-6 in conference play. Action gets underway at 7 p.m.

Women's Soccer: Bridgeport 3 Queens 1 Final

Game Summary: The Purple Knights capped off the 2011 regular season in style with a perfect 16-0-0 record. Three different players scored goals for Bridgeport including Kasey Kenny, Julia Colley and Jenny Hwang, who scored her first collegiate goal. Senior Katie Stanley recorded two assists in the process. Bridgeport goalie Julia Hansson recorded seven saves as she improved to 16-0 on the season.

Stats from the game:

Shots: Queens 16 Bridgeport 14
Saves: Bridgeport 7 Queens 2
Fouls: Queens 11 Bridgeport 3

Looking ahead: On Thursday, the Purple Knights will host Molloy College the number four seed in the ECC tournament at 6 p.m. at Knights Field. UB took the only meeting on Oct. 8th 4-1 in which freshman Guinna Prugger had one goal and two assists, while Kenny chipped in with two goals.

Men's Soccer: Bridgeport 1 Queens 1 Final - 2 OT

Game Summary: The final regular season game of the 2011 season saw the Purple Knights tie the Knights 1-1 in the match. Junior Lee Middleton scored the only goal for Bridgeport off a corner kick from senior Patric Brundin. It was his fifth goal of the season. Senior backfielder Danny Stoker registered the lone goal for Queens as he scored off a free kick 30 yards out.

Key stats from the match:

Shots: Bridgeport 19 Queens 7
Saves: Queens 4 Bridgeport 0
Fouls: Bridgeport 19 Queens 16

Looking ahead: On Wednesday, Bridgeport, the number three seed in the ECC at 9-6-1 will travel to N.Y.I.T, who is the number two seed for the conference semi-final match. The Purple Knights defeated the Bears 3-0 on Oct. 1 at Knights Field. Gametime is set for 2 p.m. in Old Westbury, N.Y.