While my parents were in town helping me move in, they picked me up one morning and began excitedly talking about a name for this column. My father – who acts strikingly similar to Eugene Levy’s character in American Pie – dramatically delivered his proposed name: A Terrapin’s View.
Yikes. If that level of creativity is any indication of my own, then we’re all in trouble.
Title aside (in fact, there will be no title), I write to you as the primary football and men’s basketball columnist. After three years of attending these games as a fan or a reporter, I’ve been on the campus for the ups (winning the ’04 ACC men’s basketball tournament) and downs (6-10 conference record during the past two football seasons).
Each program delivered multiple summer headlines at a time where no news is good news. While you drank your six-pack of beer on the beach, the Athletics Department dealt with a six-pack of issues (including other sports) here. The disturbing developments are laid out below in ascending importance to the average Terp fan.
6. Cindy Timchal’s 16-year tenure as women’s lacrosse head coach ends
Timchal – who led the Terps to eight national championships – announced three weeks ago that she was leaving to start the lacrosse program at Navy.
The reasons? Because Timchal herself did not answer repeated phone calls from this newspaper, you’ll have to believe Associate Athletics Director Randy Eaton – sport supervisor for women’s lacrosse – when he said the reasons were personal and professional.
5. Sophomore midfielder Robbie Rogers signs professional soccer contract
Rogers took a slice of the Terrapin men’s soccer team’s momentum off its national championship season along with him overseas to Holland. As a freshman, he sparked the Terps in the midfield and provided a dynamic presence.
Coupled with the graduation of Jason Garey, the program’s all-time leading goal scorer, Rogers’ departure means the Terps will have to receive a scoring punch from a variety of other players to avoid placing too much pressure on goalie Chris Seitz.
4. Top basketball recruit for 2007, Jeff Jones, rescinds oral commitment
A top-20 shooting guard prospect according to Rivals.com, the Pennsylvania native first reneged on the Terps, and then after a summer of pondering, delivered his verbal commitment to Virginia. While this type of maneuvering is becoming more and more commonplace in college basketball, Jones’ decision could keep the Terps stalled in neutral.
3. Lonny Baxter’s legal troubles
The former Terrapin center was found guilty on felony charges after gunshots were fired from his vehicle two blocks from the White House in an incident that was a big enough deal to be mentioned in a two-minute national morning news report. I never expected to be in the bathroom shaving to news like this.
A program that has declined over the past few years does not need a star from the 2002 national championship team sentenced to 60 days in jail.
2. Off-the-field incidents plague football team
The Terps released Melvin Alaeze from his scholarship.
Alaeze was a big-time defensive end recruit who had to spend last year at prep school to become eligible. While the Athletics Department cited a “violation of the terms of his financial agreement,” The (Baltimore) Sun reported the decision was made partly because of drug charges. Alaeze later signed on to play at Illinois.
Two linemen already with the Terps, Jared Gaither and Jaimie Thomas, were suspended for two weeks for violating team rules before returning to practice last week. While head coach Ralph Friedgen looks good for acting as a disciplinarian, his team cannot afford these setbacks as the season progresses.
1. Naming rights to Byrd Stadium sold to Chevy Chase Bank
As if the aforementioned bank does not garner enough publicity during its $100 giveaway to the fan-crazy-enough-to-cover-his-or-her-privates-with-an-ATM-card promotion, it agreed to pony up $20 million toward proposed renovations of Byrd Stadium in exchange for the field’s naming rights.
Congratulations, Terp fans. Now, your university becomes the only school in Division I (by my count, feel free to do your own research and let me know) to have both its football and basketball venues named after corporations. You didn’t think Comcast was a 1950s Terp hoops legend, did you? The closest exception is Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome, but that is home to both of the Orange’s football and basketball teams.
There is something pure about going to a college football stadium on a Saturday and not being overwhelmed by huge signs everywhere advertising Chevy Chase Bank.
But that’s just the view of this Terrapin.
Thanks, Dad.
Contact columnist Daniel Chiat at chiatdbk@gmail.com.
