Sports

Kobe lights up the Jazz

Kobe Bryant dominated the Utah Jazz during the first quarter and gave the Los Angeles Lakers a much needed final push down the stretch, as the Lakers beat the Jazz 108-94, to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round series. Bryant had one of his worst shooting games in years on Thursday, when he went 5-for-24.

Caps succeed late

The Washington Capitals dug themselves into a big hole in the first two games of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it is no surprise that they are down two games to one. All year, the Capitals have heated up in the third period as time was running out. They don't have a very good winning percentage when they are trailing after two periods, but that's because they didn't trail often.

Editor reflects on past, looks to future

Like Michael Jordan knocking down the game winning shot over the Utah Jazz in 1998, or Ted Williams hitting a home run in his final at bat in 1960, I am writing my last column as an Eagle staff writer, going out on top after witnessing arguably one of the best four year stretches in AU sports history.

NBA Playoffs may yield surprises

The NBA Playoffs are the favorite part of every basketball fan's season. They are filled with upsets and surprise performances by under rated players. All of these surprises make it hard to predict what will happen, but based on what I have seen all year here are my predictions for the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

Fresh start doesn't help the Nationals

The chirping birds, the popping leaves and the warming air mean only one thing: spring has returned and the Major League Baseball season has begun. For most fans across the country, this is a time of hope and optimism, to cheer on their teams as they begin a push towards the ultimate prize of a World Series championship.

Crusaders steal Senior day

The AU women's lacrosse team lost against the College of the Holy Cross 16-12 Saturday, spoiling Senior Day. A day that should have been filled with celebration ended with a heartbreaking defeat. The team came out firing as Leslie Fischer, one of the team's four seniors, scored 12 seconds into the game.

Caps down but not out

Only 12.7 percent of teams have come back from going down 2-0 in a Stanley Cup playoff series. Even with history against them, the Washington Capitals shouldn't count themselves out. One can only describe Saturday's 1-0 loss to the New York Rangers as a heartbreaker.

Caps hunt for Stanley Cup

The Washington Capitals' foe in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is a familiar one; they will be facing the New York Rangers in a best-of-seven series. When this column appears Thursday, the first game will already be in the books. There is no telling what could happen in this series, as the Caps are still a relatively young team when it comes to the postseason.

Eagles fall short to Richmond

The AU women's lacrosse team fell to the University of Richmond Spiders 16-12 on a slippery Jacobs Field Wednesday. The Eagles could not hold back the Spiders' offense, despite three goals from seniors Leslie Fischer and Kira Sonberg and freshman Bernadette Maher.

MLB is off to a wild start

Sound the alarm! Fire the manager! The new stadium is cursed! Major League Baseball's first week has been a crazy one. The Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres all have better records than the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Mets, Red Sox favorites in '09

American League East: Win-Loss 1. Y- Boston Red Sox: 95-67 2. X- New York Yankees: 94-66 3. Tampa Bay Rays: 83-79 4. Toronto Blue Jays: 74-88 5. Baltimore Orioles: 70-92 (Y-Division Champion, X-Wild Card Winner) * The pitching for the Boston Red Sox will edge out the New York Yankees but will definitely come down to the end of the season.

Third times a charm for Mets

The baseball season is underway and there's no better time to take a look at the National League. First up, the NL East: Few people picked the Phillies to win the 2008 World Series, but looking at their roster, it should not have been much of a surprise. The Phillies boasted a great core of talent with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.

Eagles fall to Retrievers

Five AU women's lacrosse players had multiple goal efforts, but it was not enough to prevent the team from suffering its third-consecutive defeat, falling to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers 11-10 Wednesday afternoon. The loss drops AU's overall record to 2-11 and 1-4 in the Patriot League.

Eagles fall at home to Hokies, 19-11

Freshman Lauren Schoenberger scored a career high four goals, while senior midfielder Leslie Fischer and freshman midfielder Bernadette Maher each recorded a hat-trick but it was not enough to prevent the Eagles from falling to Virginia Tech 19-11 Saturday afternoon.

Capitals struggle down stretch

Despite clinching the Southeast Division, the Washington Capitals' struggles continue. With only three games to go until the playoffs, the team needs to get back in the habit of winning. The month of March is one the Capitals will most likely want to forget.

Women's lacrosse falls to Midshipmen

A three-goal, second-half rally could not save the AU women's lacrosse team as they fell 8-6 to the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen Wednesday afternoon. The loss dropped the Eagles' record to 1-4 in Patriot League play and 2-9 overall on the season. The game started well for the Eagles, as junior midfielder Amanda Makoid scored less than five minutes into the match to give AU a quick 1-0 lead.

An open letter from Jeff Jones