I wanted to preview a fight card that is being hosted by the band the Dropkick Murphys. It is going to take place on May 24 at the House of Blues here in Boston. The fight card is going to be Boston vs. New York themed. It will have Boston fighters vs. New York fighters only. The headliner is going to be Boston native Danny O’Connor, 2008 national golden gloves champion and former Olympic alternate. He is 16-1 as a professional fighter and I would possibly try to do a feature story on him as part of the preview. I could not find anybody else who is going to be on the card but will do my research to find out. I was thinking I might be able to just profile the boxers that will be representing Boston. I will also try to talk to the New York Fighters through phone interviews.
Archive for March, 2012
Final Project Proposal
(Courtesy of ESPN.com)
By Ian Brophy
This past week saw the Arizona Diamondbacks tie their longest losing streak of the spring schedule and respond with their longest winning streak. The Diamondbacks started the week with a four game losing streak but turned it around on Thursday with a 12-2 thumping of the Chicago Cubs. The Diamondbacks extended the win streak to four with wins on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before losing their second game on Sunday to the Oakland Athletics.
Notes:
- New addition Trevor Cahill, right-handed pitcher, lost a game Tuesday to the LA Angels and Sunday to his former team the Oakland Athletics. This puts his spring record at 0-3 with a 7.88 ERA in eight innings pitched. His loss to the Angels also marked former Dbacks pitcher, Dan Haren’s second win this spring for the Angels.
- Former outfielder Jason Lane entered Diamondbacks spring training as a pitcher but on Thursday was sent down to the minor league camp. Lane had one inning pitched, walking two hitters and allowing one earned run off of one hit. “Today I
Jason Lane (Courtesy of ESPN.com)
had to deal with the hardest part of the game,” Lane wrote on his Facebook page. “I was called into the manager’s office and told I was being sent down to the minor leagues. It’s a feeling you never get used to and it is very hard to walk out of a major clubhouse with your head high and confident that you can play at that level and to know in your heart that you will be back. It is the only option though! FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME.”
- Jim Bowden tweeted Friday that the Diamondbacks are discussing the possibility of moving Josh Collmenter to the bullpen. This move would open up a spot in the starting rotation. The spot would probably be filled by 21 year-old Trevor Bauer. Bauer has a 3.60 ERA in five innings pitched with five strikeouts and only one walk. Collmenter has been far less impressive with a 13.50 ERA through four innings pitched.
- Diamondbacks starting shortstop Stephen Drewhas not played a Cactus League game yet and is expected to miss opening day with an injured ankle. Last season Drew injured his ankle when his cleat caught the dirt and his foot bent awkwardly
Stephen Drew (AP Photo/Matt York)
on a slide into home. The Diamondbacks currently have John Mcdonald, Willie Bloomquist, and Geoff Blum to replace the injured Drew. However, the Diamondbacks may be looking for a more permanent fix for a 29 year-old shortstop recovering from a bad lower leg injury. The team has depth at pitching that it can use in a trade for a longterm solution like Ian Desmond of the Washington Nationals or Cliff Pennington of the Athletics. At the end of the season the Diamondbacks will also have a $10 million option with a $1.35 million buyout on Drew for next season.
- Diamondbacks left-handed pitcher Joe Saunders left a game in the first inning on Monday after being hit in the left shin by a line drive that came off the bat of Cleveland’s Carlos Santana. However, Saunders said he does not expect to miss any time after the ball struck him in the side of the shin.
- The Washington Nationals may be looking to acquire Gerardo Parrafrom the Diamondbacks. Danny Knobler tweeted that the Dbacks’ asking price is high but the nationals have plenty of young
Gerardo Parra (Courtesy Phoenix New Times)
talent to offer including Ian Desmond and Jeff Lombardozzi, which could be longterm solutions for the Diamondbacks at shortstop. Parra is 24 years-old and had a .292 average last season with 15 stolen bases. Parra was also regarded as a top defensive outfielder last season but has found himself as the Diamondbacks fourth choice outfielder behind Chris Young, Justin Upton, and the newly signed Jason Kubel.
Peter Maltzen standing at second base. (Courtesy of Austin Fontanella)
By Ian Brophy
On cold February days in Boston, in the basement level of 150 Boylston Street you can find the Emerson College baseball team practicing on a basketball court.
The practices can get quite loud with music blaring and baseballs being hit, thrown, and caught. You can also hear several team captains pushing the team to work harder in preparation for the upcoming season. Among all the noise will be a tall lanky outfielder, with a mustache that reminds you of the 70’s, practicing with a quiet intensity.
Peter Maltzan, a senior team captain from Lexington, Mass., will begin his fourth season with the Emerson Lions. He has been a constant source of production for the Lions with his incredible work ethic and determination to do things the right way.
“He really leads by example. He is not the guy that really gets in your face and yells at people, but he goes out there and does everything right, everything mechanically sound and just sets a good example for the underclassmen,” said Malcolm Kelner, a freshman outfielder.
Peter Maltzan (Left), James Sullivan (Center), Adam Speakman (Right). (Courtesy of Austin Fontanella)
Maltzan, also known as “Salty,” wasn’t always viewed as a star, but he quickly proved his doubters wrong and has started every year he has played for Emerson.
“Maltzan doesn’t look or really act anything like ball players of today,” said Austin Fontanella, a fellow senior captain and outfielder. “He loves the old school facial hair, he rocks the tight fitting legs up baseball pants, and he is 100 percent fundamentally sound. We all knew he was fundamentally sound when we first met him, but no one though he would be as good as he has been.”
After starting his freshman year with a .271 batting average, he had a breakout sophomore year averaging .376 and breaking an Emerson single season record with 37 RBIs.
Maltzan, a Berklee College of Music student, said he wasn’t even sure he was going to play college baseball when he came out of high school. As a freshman at Emmanuel College he played club baseball and then transferred to Berklee.
As a Berklee student he found out he could play for Emerson through the Pro Arts Consortium.
“I was pretty stoked to get on the team and it has been a lot of fun,” Maltzan said. “I have tried to make the most of this opportunity.”
Maltzan has earned the respect of his teammates but has also earned honors from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. He was name second team all-conference in 2010 as a sophomore and third team all-conference in 2011.
“He is always looking to get better and finding ways to help us out,” Fontanella said. “He is never just sitting around during practice, but always looking for ways to work on his skills.”
Fontanella added that Maltzan has been working hard in the offseason to become more solid defensively.
“Salty really worked on getting quicker in the off season… He is definitely faster and has been tracking down everything during practice,” Fontanella said. “It’s good to know he is out there because I know left field is secure.”
Maltzan credited his “unique intensity” for his success during his time at Emerson, while he looks to add onto a career batting average of .325 for the Lions.
Peter Maltzan at bat. (Courtesy of Austin Fontanella)
“You just have to trust yourself in the moment and find a way to relax,” said Maltzan. “I am a big believer in being relaxed and comfortable. I just try to clear my head as much as possible and react.”
Maltzan added that he thinks the team can have its most successful season ever, but he just wants to focus on the next game and the next moment.
“I think we have a shot at a 20 win season,” said Maltzan. “Baseball is a funny game, it’s hard to predict. I try not to look too far down the road.”
The Press Box 