(11/26/02 5:00am)
The opening scene of "Die Another Day," like the rest of the movie, is a high-action, special effects laden bonanza that goes overboard to provide the audience with the globe-trotting, martini-sipping, explosion fest that fans have come to expect of the Bond franchise.In the 20th installment of the James Bond series in 40 years, Pierce Brosnan has returned for a fourth time to reprise his role as the chauvinistic British spy that every man loves. To most critics, Sean Connery will remain the best Bond to ever grace the screen, but Brosnan has proudly taken the title of the second best actor to portray Bond. Brosnan's rugged physical features and the ease at which he wears a tuxedo, seduces women and drives a sports car make him the perfect embodiment of a stylish secret agent. In "Die Another Day," Brosnan also brings a new emotion to Bond's limited palette of reactions -- vulnerability. Unfortunately, rumor has it that this will be Brosnan's last outing as Agent 007. The movie begins with a plethora of explosions, gun battles, and a fiery hovercraft chase through "demilitarized" North Korea. Surprisingly enough, Bond does not make a clean getaway from the hovercraft chase and is captured by the North Koreans. The next few scenes are surprisingly brutal and unlike anything from previous Bond films. As Madonna's electronically distorted voice croons the theme song, we see cut scenes of Bond being tortured with scorpions and ice water in a North Korean prison while computer animated fire and water temptresses seductively move across the screen. Bond emerges from the torture, lethargic and unshaven, more then a year later, looking the worst that we've ever seen him in his 40 years on screen. For his part, Brosnan brings an incredible defenselessness to the normally bulletproof character, as his license to kill is revoked and he is informed by M (Judi Dench of "Chocolat") that he is no longer useful to anyone. At this point it looks as if this Bond film might move in a direction that the series never has before, one of human susceptibility. However, this notion of vulnerability is quickly slashed as the explosions begin anew and Bond returns to his old indestructible self. The plot is only marginally important in this movie. It serves only to connect a succession of vapid-fire videogame-like action scenes. The villains of "Die Another Day" are North Korean, perhaps in an attempt to bring a sober dose of reality to an otherwise unbelievable movie. They are never really given motivation for their badness, but from what we can gather they seek nothing more than world domination or destruction. In a twist of irony, the villain Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens of "Space Cowboys") is similar to Bond both literally and figuratively. During an amazing sword fight between Bond and Graves, we see how reckless both of their characters really are as they tear their way through a snooty British fencing club and nearly disembowel each other several times. Then there is the obligatory physically deformed villain; this time he comes in the form of a Korean killer who has diamonds embedded in his face from an earlier encounter with Bond. Ridiculous one-liners and sexual innuendos abound throughout the entire film. Even M, the usually deadpan and articulate boss of Bond, is not spared from the quick hit dialogue. We all love the sly sexual banter that is integral to all Bond films, but two hours of one-line quips saturating every minute of film grows tiresome. No James Bond film would be complete without beautiful women. This time around they are played by Halle Berry ("X-Men"), the feisty American spy named Jinx, and Rosamund Pike, a deceptive and cold British agent appropriately named Frost. Of course, the audience can expect the obligatory scantily clad catfight between the two women, in which only one will escape with her life. Madonna also makes a brief cameo as a fencing instructor, once again proving her inability to act. Despite all of its dependence on familiar Bond conventions, "Die Another Day" is an extremely enjoyable guilty pleasure. Taking a nod from films like Spiderman, Bond appears both more vulnerable and more like a superhero than he ever has before. The film seems willing, at the beginning, to move in new directions with the Bond franchise although it abandons these techniques by the end. Even though the level of ridiculousness was upped a notch, it is easily the best Bond film in a long while, and its box office success proves that the series does not need to fear losing its audience anytime soon.
(10/29/02 5:00am)
Oct. 28, 2002 - (U-WIRE) WASHINGTON - Approximately 37 percent of males between the ages of 18 to 24 admitted they had visited sexual Web sites in March 2000, according to a poll by Zogby International.About 20 percent of all adults surveyed admitted to visiting a pornographic Web site. There was a test group of 1,031 adults nation wide. Focus on the Family hired Zogby to conduct the poll.There were 2.7 million U.S. visitors to adult-oriented pornographic Web sites in January 2002, according to a poll done by the Nielsen/Net Ratings group.Many students feel that college students visit pornographic sites more often than the general population because of a lack of parental controls and greater access to high-speed Internet."Free ultra-fast 24-hour Internet, plus large populations of sexually insatiable teens and 20-somethings ... you do the math," American University junior Tom Hyre said.Sophomore Justin Schneider said people download more pornography in college not because of access, but because people can download it for free while they are not using their computers."My computer is always on and connected to the Internet, at home the computer went off when I did," Schneider said.Sophomore Naila Huq agreed that people download pornography mostly because of access."People see a pretty girl and they click on her," Huq said. "Rather than searching for porn, it comes to them through AIM, ads, and Hotmail.""Sex," was the most searched for word online, according to a two-year survey conducted by Alexa Research. That amounts to roughly one in every 300 terms. "Porn," "porno" and "pornography" were also popular.Students downloaded or viewed pornography for many different reasons.Sophomore Sam Riffle and Schneider admitted to downloading pornography because it was amusing."It's like watching monkeys humping on the Discovery Channel," Riffle said.Senior Bridget Dooley said she considered downloading pornography out of curiosity. Sophomore Chris Burns agrees."I think it's a wonderful thing," Burns said. "I think it's a safe way for people to explore sexuality without having to do everything in that situation."Junior Sean White agreed that downloading pornography was a healthy thing."I don't feel that people should be ashamed of their sexuality; in the same way that repressing alcohol use creates an unhealthy view of alcohol and increases alcohol abuse, the same is true of sexuality," White said.Not everyone feels that pornography is empowering, however."I think it makes sex unreal because it's so much about being on the Internet and being on a computer," sophomore Kathleen Moran said. "It cheapens sex with another person."Huq feels that some pornography demeans women."The one time my boyfriend showed me a porn, I was horrified," Huq said. "When it's pretty much a guy terrorizing a girl, it's not alright."A lot of the positions that women are placed into in pornography seem rather subservient, Hyre said. He also said that sex could demean both sexes.Sophomore Jessica Tacka believes that pornography can be positive, but that it can warp people's views on sex.White and Dooley believe that not all pornography is demeaning."I think it's all in the presentation of the material," White said. "There can be something very empowering about seeing a woman naked, depending on how the image or film is framed. I think that it presents one possible way of seeing women sexually, but that that view should not necessarily demean either sex."Dooley said she felt that as long as the depicted sex was consensual there was no problem."I'm going to stay in my naivete and assume 99 percent of it is consensual," Dooley said.Sophomore Jessica Tacka said she worries about it warping people's view on sex."I think that the alarming rate of porn downloaded by freshmen who have not had sexual contact with anyone warps their view of what it should be like," Tacka said. "Not everyone wants to hear 'Who's your daddy?'"More men than women admitted to downloading pornography. About 72 percent of visitors to pornographic Web sites were men and 28 percent were women, according to the Zogby International poll.AU students agree for different reasons."Society teaches that porn and sex is a man thing, although we all know that's not true," Dooley said.Tacka said women are more literary when it comes to sex."I'm into Anais Nin and I think every woman should read 'The Story of O,'" Tacka said.Some groups feel that pornography is morally wrong and dangerous."I wish guys would think about how they would feel if they had to tell their wives what they did in college," Moran said.Dooley's largest concern is children finding pornography on the Internet.White feels that pornography and sex are natural."Whatever your religious views, men were given penises and women were given breasts and vaginas, and those areas were given special nerve wiring that entices people to use those areas, whether in heterosexual, homosexual, or auto-sexual ways," White said. "We make sex morally wrong by imposing this idea."Burns feels that downloading Internet pornography is more morally correct because it promotes safe sex and does not support pornography companies by giving them money, he said.Tacka agreed that pornography is positive in that it promotes safe sex."I think that morals aren't a societal issue, they are a personal issue," Tacka said.
(10/22/02 4:00am)
Drugs, money, violence, betrayal, golf clubs, soccer and kilts. It looks like an odd grouping, butScreen Gems' new film "Formula 51" ties them all together in one neat package. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Elmo McElroy, a pharmacist who turned to a life of drug production following an unfortunate incident immediately after receiving his pharmacy license. The film opens on a California road in 1971, when a highway patrolman pulls McElroy over and finds him with marijuana. The unwavering cop writes up the incident and ruins McElroy's pharmaceutical career plans.Thirty years later, Elmo is the master chemist for a man known as The Lizard (Meat Loaf of "Fight Club"), a raging Los Angeles drug lord. Sick of having to use his scientific competence for illegal purposes, Elmo devises a master plan to escape this life and start anew. He creates P.O.S. 51, a small blue pill that promises to be 51 times as powerful as any substance currently available. The glory of this new drug is that all of the ingredients can be obtained legally. So, Elmo packs his bags, sets an explosive trap for The Lizard, and leaves Los Angeles for Liverpool, England, where he will sell the formula to the British drug peddler Durant (Ricky Tomlinson) for a handsome sum.Robert Carlyle ("The World is Not Enough") is Felix DeSouza, an employee of Durant, who is assigned to lead Elmo around Liverpool. Displeased with his task, Felix is more concerned with the upcoming soccer match between Manchester and Liverpool. Meanwhile, The Lizard survives Elmo's attempts to dispatch him, and sends out Dakota (Emily Mortimer of "Notting Hill"), his strikingly beautiful but somewhat conflicted sniper and, coincidentally, Felix's ex-girlfriend, to kill everybody involved in Elmo's new arrangement, except Elmo.After Dakota completes her job, Elmo and Felix, the two survivors, must find a new buyer for P.O.S. 51. Eccentric club owner/arms dealer/yoga failure Iki (Rhys Ifans of "The Shipping News") offers $20 million for the formula, but as with any cinematic drug scheme, there are plenty of mishaps along the way. In this situation, Elmo's unfamiliarity with British culture creates some very humorous mishaps, ranging from a car chase on the wrong side of the road to a disgust for blood pudding.Many of the characters are enigmatic. Elmo goes to Liverpool wearing a kilt and carrying only the drugs and a set of golf clubs. The kilt is unexplained and the clubs are used mostly for things other than striking a little white ball. In his performance as Elmo, Jackson proves himself to be one of the best contemporary actors. He makes Elmo able to aggressively push his creation and then turn around and make humorous remarks about British culture. This is by no means a new type of role for him, but Jackson's performance, as in past performances, makes the moviegoer find it difficult to imagine anyone more suitable.Felix is little more than a drug lord's smart-alecky employee, but his obsession with soccer adds something to his character. Carlyle puts in an adequate effort, but little more. Dakota is conflicted in the sense that she suffers from a crisis of nationality. Sometimes she is British, other times she is an American. Mortimer, who is known more for her work on English television and less for her big-screen roles, does not make a great impact in the film. Sean Pertwee of "Love, Honour, and Obey" plays a Liverpool detective obsessed with stopping the deal. The cops delay sale sale a few times, but ultimately play only a small role in the plot. Meat Loaf gives the other impressive performance of the movie as the kimono-clad Lizard. In playing such an eccentric character, Meat Loaf shows how much he can overact, and it works quite well.Screenwriter Stel Pavlou's debut script contains plenty of funny moments, but it drags at times. The romance between Felix and Dakota is typical at best, and some things that could provide for running gags get lost or not used at all. Additionally, the humor reaches a very lowbrow point during Elmo and Felix's interaction with a band of skin-head hooligans. Director Ronny Yu ("Bride of Chucky"), a veteran of Hong Kong action movies, did a fine job of directing this film, especially the more fast-paced moments. Ultimately, though, "Formula 51" is entertaining, but by no means original.
(10/15/02 4:00am)
Sinead O'Connor'Sean-N?s Nua'Vanguard RecordsGrade: ASinead O'Connor's latest effort, "Sean-N?s Nua," is a surprisingly enchanting collection of traditional Irish hymns collected and performed by the formerly impulsive and controversial young rebel. Never more delicate in her delivery, O'Connor sings her most beautiful and emotional performance since "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" of the '90s. Her signature ferocious wails and bellows have mellowed, and O'Connor has seemed at peace with herself and her demons since her '97 "Gospel Oak EP." Despite small similarities to her more recent work, in "Sean-N?s Nua," O'Connor performs with more sincerity and splendor than ever before. The songs of "Sean-N?s Nua" are as colorful and interesting as Ireland itself."Sean-N?s Nua" translates roughly to "old style, but new." With this masterpiece, O'Connor unravels her influences before the listener, making the stylistic origins of her previous work obvious. In fact, the influence is circular. These traditional Irish songs influenced her earlier music, which she in turn used to reinterpret the old traditions. While remaining surprisingly true to her roots, O'Connor manages to enchant the time-honored songs of "Sean-N?s Nua" with subtle beats, sexual overtones, and, of course, her stunningly emotional voice. O'Connor revises the charming and whispery "Peggy Gordon" into a tender tale of homosexual love. Unhindered by the impulsiveness of her past, O'Connor performs with stunning emotion and charisma. "Oro, Se Do Bheatha 'Bhaile," a feminist war song, is modernized by trip-hop beats reminiscent of her 2000 album, "Faith & Courage."O'Connor outdoes her most powerfully epic song and debut single, her 1989 "Troy (The Phoenix from the Flame)," in this album with the spectral immigration story, "Paddy's Lament." Mapping the tragedy of Irish immigrants in America during the Civil War, the song builds up a tension that, significantly, is maintained through the next track, "The Moorlough Shore," and is not released until "The Parting Glass."On "The Parting Glass," O'Connor's voice can be described only as liberated and magical. She brings the Irish drinking song to life with her own motherly, compassionate interpretation. Aided by fiddle and guitar, her voice rises and falls with climactic timing reminiscent of her biggest hit, "Nothing Compares 2 U." Furthermore, she performs the tale of "Molly Malone" with tragic beauty. The song evokes feelings of transcendence and of graceful passage to heaven. Here, carefully orchestrated strings softly sway with O'Connor's touchingly mournful performance. In "Molly Malone," O'Connor shows that she can still emotionally manipulate her audience with baffling precision."I've been dying to make this record all my life," says Sinead O'Connor of her latest effort. This optimism flows throughout the entire album, energizing it and bringing it to life. O'Connor transforms mournful laments into beautiful, hopeful ballads and changes everyday hymns into uniquely touching memoirs. While neither as pop friendly as her 1990 "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," nor as stylistically contemporary as her 2000 "Faith and Courage," O'Connor's latest effort proves to be more beautiful and profound than any previous work. Simultaneously displaying and reinventing her influences, O'Connor uses these songs to tell the tales of her homeland and of herself.The Irish firebrand who shunned the world for so long has finally opened up. Take a glimpse at the beauty inside.— Jared Danker
(10/08/02 4:00am)
Hello, Brandeis sports fans! Another season of Judges baseball is right around the corner, so brace yourselves for a team that is poised to challenge for the Division III title. Last season, the team had a phenomenal record of 25-12, and came within a game of the College World Series. This year, with another year of experience under its belt and an infusion of new talent, this team could better the successes of last year's team.This year, the team is led by two fairly different pitchers who achieve similar levels of success: Mike Parissi '03 and Tom McShane '03. Parissi is a crafty righty who throws a curveball, a split-fingered fastball and a fastball thattops off in the mid-80s. Last season, Parissi started nine games and completed three of them. One of those complete games was a shutout against divisional rival Washington University. In that gem of a game, Parissi notched seven of the 57 strikeouts he had on the year. Parissi can be characterized as a control pitcher; He only walked 19 batters in his 74 and two-thirds innings of work in 2002. McShane could best be characterized as a fireballer, who mows down opposing Division III hitters. McShane paced the Judges with an outstanding 79 strikeouts and placed himself among the leading pitchers in the division. Other categories in which he led the Judges include games started, wins and opponent batting average. Perhaps McShane's finest performance of 2002 was in the season opener versus Case Western Reserve, in which he allowed a miserly two hits and one unearned run in eight innings pitched. The Judges were led offensively by center fielder Jim Freethey '02. "He was the best player I ever played with," McShane said. "He had all the tools you needed." Last year Freethy batted a Ruthian .385 with a team-leading five homers, a .602 slugging average, a .444 on-base percentage and 16 stolen bases. For his outstanding performance, Freethy was named first team All-New England. Starters Freethy and Mike Dowdy '02 graduated last year, leaving Brandeis without their services.Last season was marked by many thrilling victories in the regular season. On March 27, Brandeis defeated Babson by a score of 5-1, thanks to the pitching of Mike Parissi (who retired 23 of the first 26 batters he faced) and the offensive contributions of shortstop Lars Borssen '04 and designated hitter David Graham '04. The victory was especially important, as Babson was one of the team's key rivals, and also one of the top Division III teams in the nation. Another, similar victory was the Judges' 14-1 defeat of Wheaton College on April 9. Prior to the game, Wheaton was ranked 17th among all D-III teams and second in the New England Division. In the game, Parissi went the distance and Freethy and catcher Sean Ewers '03 combined for four hits and six runs batted in.Despite all of the regular season highlights, the consensus among the players as to the highlight of the 2002 season was the team's advancing to the postseason and coming within a win of the College World Series. Originally, it looked uncertain that the team would make the postseason."It was the end of the year . we didn't really think we were gonna get in, and we had to wait a week to find out," Parissi said. Once in the tournament, Brandeis suffered losses to both Tufts, and Wheaton, ending their season before their ultimate goal of making the World Series.This year, the Judges have six freshmen on their roster: Three pitchers and three position players. The three pitchers are Mac Darrell '06, Tim Dunphy '06 and Bruce Stead '06. All three look to play a part in the Judges' forecasted success this season and an even bigger part of successes further down the line. On the offensive side, the Judges have Zach Golden '06 and Scott Cooen '06, both of whom play the infield, and an outfielder. The team seems to have no glaring weaknesses. The Judges possess tremendous pitching, with four talented starters filling the rotation. In addition, the Judges sport several other pitchers good enough to start for almost any other team. The defense looks to stand out, as most of the players have strong arms, sure hands and outstanding range. In terms of depth, the Judges are not lacking, as there is an excellent backup at every position. The one area in which there is potential room for improvement is plate discipline, as the Judges were out-walked by their opponents 96-121. At the helm is Coach Pete Varney. This season marks his 22nd year with the Brandeis team; his has been an era of great success for the Judges. He has earned great respect from his players, his peers and the local populace. The typical attitude towards Varney is embodied by the words of Mike Parissi. "He is a great coach," Parissi said. "His winning percentage is outstanding. He is a good evaluator of talent and he is good at getting kids to play here, which is not the easiest thing to do. Also, he is well-known and well-respected. Even around Boston people know him, because he went to Harvard and made 'the Catch'." This "Catch" which Parissi alluded to was the grab Varney made in his college days which tied an important football game between Harvard and Yale. Varney also had a successful college baseball career, and was the number one draft pick in the amateur draft on several occasions, which led to a short Major League career. He brings the Judges many things, the most important being his excellent leadership ability. With him at the reigns, the team is in good hands.Those "in the know" are very pumped up about the upcoming season. This team looks to be superior in almost every way to last year's, which itself was a team that came within a hair of remarkable success. However, the players on this year's team are trying not to get ahead of themselves. "We don't want to get too cocky," Parissi said. "We just want to get to the NCAAs. If we do that, then we want to get to the World Series, and then we would like to win that. We are taking it one step at a time though." "One step at a time" is a great way to look towards the upcoming season. Hopefully, many Brandeis students will come out to the games, and be there for every "step" that the Judges take one their road to success.
(04/30/02 4:00am)
The Brandeis baseball team arrived at Marcus Field on Saturday with a 10-game winning streak and an impressive national ranking of 22 in all of Division III. Despite two late-inning losses to Trinity College, the Judges continued to produce a plethora of remarkable pitching performances. The week was also a historic one, highlighted by the exploits of centerfielder and tri-captain Jim Freethey '02. On Tuesday, Freethey stroked the first pitch of the game from Wentworth starter Shaun Hruzd through the left side of the infield for a single. The hit was the 195th of the senior's career, surpassing the batting standard set by Mike Wiseman in 1989. Brandeis, no doubt inspired by Freethey's record-breaking performance, proceeded to rout Wentworth College by 15 runs (16-1), as Mike Botelho '04 (3-2) hurled seven shutout innings. Freethey, Andrew Kahn '03, and Dan McIntosh '04 contributed with multi-hit games. On Wednesday, Brandeis traveled north to the University of Southern Maine. Undeterred by the grueling trip, the Judges cruised to a 9-2 victory versus another tough New England opponent. While spot-starter Chris Pickford '03 turned in a remarkable performance, shutting down the Huskies for five solid innings, Freethey and Maine native Lars Borssen '04 each smacked home runs. Mike Parissi '03 earned the four- inning save, as Freethey became the first Brandeis player to top 200 hits in a season, extending his hitting streak to 18 games. Following a performance in which he registered four hits, Kahn owned a hefty .382 batting average. Saturday's games attracted a smattering of fans along the comfortable hills that surround Marcus Field. With aces Tom McShane '03 and Parissi scheduled to face a formidable Trinity squad, the Judges had high hopes of maintaining their startling 10-game winning streak. But Trinity right-hander Johan Bayliss (Williamstown, MA) had other ideas. Bayliss (5-1) entered the game with 60 strikeouts in just 43 innings of work. Sporting a fastball in the low 90's and an effective slider, Bayliss shut down Brandeis in front of a number of attentive Major League scouts.McShane (7-3) matched the highly- touted Bayliss pitch for pitch, using an impressive arsenal to baffle Trinity hitters. The Brandeis pitcher, however, struggled with his control, and was forced to grind through several early Trinity threats. McShane walked six and struck out eight over six innings of work. He surrendered four earned runs. With Trinity ahead 1-0 in the top of the sixth, savvy Brandeis catcher Sean Ewers '03 provided some excitement with an intelligent play on the defensive side of the ball. With one out and a man on third, Trinity's Robert Dolliver swung through a dropped third strike. As Dolliver sprinted down the line to first, Ewers faked the throw to first and caught Trinity catcher Andrew Fries too far off of third base. Ewers ran down Fries and eventually threw to Jeff Krasner '05, for the inning's final out. Brandeis knotted the score at one in the bottom of the sixth, as David Graham '04 walked and reached second on an error by Trinity hurler Bayliss. Judges' fans had reason to celebrate when Jon Brown '03 stroked an RBI double. Unfortunately for Brandeis, however,Trinity quickly returned the favor. After loading the bases on two walks and a hit batsman, sheer exhaustion ended McShane's valiant effort. A disastrous eight-run inning ensued, as Trinity's Kurt Piantek took a heater to the forearm, notching the first of Trinity's seventh-inning runs. Junior catcher Andrew Fries contributed to the hitting derby with a single, as third baseman Jayme Dorr added a three-run double to the left centerfield wall. The Judges responded against Bayliss in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs on a succession of singles and errors. That short-lived comeback fell short, however, as the Judges dropped the first game of the double-dip by a 9-3 margin.The final game of the double-dip versus Trinity proved equally exciting. The final result, however, was a disappointing 4-3 extra-inning defeat. Brandeis hurler Parissi (6-2), who entered the game with a stellar 1.50 ERA, pitched all eight innings for the Judges. As he has done all year, Parissi threw economically and effectively. Spotting both his fastball and breaking ball, he surrendered a mere six hits, consistently supplying his sure-handed infielders with numerous ground ball opportunities. Parissi's mound counterpart, Trinity first year right-hander Mark Tremblay, surrendered just two runs on four hits in seven innings of work. Brandeis broke the scoring open in the first inning, as Freethy took one for the team and Kahn singled to put runners on first and third. With no outs, confusion on the base paths resulted in a successful double steal. Kahn took off from first, drawing a pickoff throw from the Trinity pitcher. Quickly noticing the mistake, Freethey scampered home during Kahn's prolonged rundown. Freethey would go 2-4 on the day, scoring two runs to break the all-time Brandeis career mark of 147 set by Floyd Graham in 1993.With the score tied at 2-2, the game moved to extra innings. Trinity plated two runs in the top of the eighth on a Dolliver RBI double. In the bottom of the frame, the Judges threatened: after a Freethey double, Kahn walked and Brown laced a two-out RBI single. Third-baseman Jeff Krauser '05 was plunked on the arm on the next pitch. With two down and the bases loaded, Borssen '04 lined a sharp drive directlyat the Trinity shortstop. Botelho summed up the week's exploits: "We 've had a really dominant stretch, but it's important that we preserve our focus after a couple of losses," he said. "The next few games will serve as the crux of our season. We know we can beat any team out there, and we haven't experienced the pinnacle of the year just yet. This team is about a whole lot more than a ten- game winning streak." While the Judges go into their final six games with an impressive 21-10 record, their quest to reach the New England Regionals is still undetermined. Sunday's game against Colby was rescheduled for Thursday May 2. The Judges open up the week's action today at 3 p.m. against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
(04/23/02 4:00am)
The men's baseball team has now won six games in a row. OnSaturday, the team played its way to a solid win against Worcester Polytechnic Institute at Worcester. The Judges steady barrage of hits, including four doubles, was too much for WPI's defense as the Judges won 10-7. Brandeis was led offensively by Andrew Kahn '03 who went 4 for 4 with one double, two runs, and two RBI. David Graham '04 added an RBI double in the fourth inning and captain Jim Freethey '02 added a two run RBI double in the seventh inning. Jon Brown '03 had three RBI on two singles while fellow classmate Mike Parissi '03 had another solid outing on the hill which lasted eight plus innings. Parissi allowed just four runs, two of which were unearned ,on nine hits. This was his sixth victory this season for the Judges. WPI did make a significant effort on the offensive side, it just wasn't enough. Eric Thiboutot, a senior, and James Buonomo, a sophomore, led WPI with three singles each.Thiboutot also had a run and a stolen base, while Buonomo added an RBI to the count. The Engineers' starting pitcher David Fulchino was knocked out of the game in the seventh inning and took the loss for the team. Brandeis now has a 17-8 record for the 2002 season. The game against Bridgewater State that was supposed to be played last Friday had to be cancelled due to thunderstorms during the third inning. It will be re-scheduled for sometime later in the season. The Judges also played an exciting game again Tufts University last week.On Tuesday, Brandeis set the tone for the game in the first inning by scoring five runs; This was just the beginning of the offensive onslaught. The Judges went home with an 8-1 victory over their local rival. Jeff Krasner '05 led the Judges offense with three doubles. His first came during the first inning and, he scored when catcher Sean Ewers '03 doubled in the very next at-bat. In the third inning, Krasner's second double scored David Graham '04 who had singled and then stolen second. Tufts scored its lone run in the third inning when junior Evan Zupancic singled and scored on an RBI ground out by fellow classmate Brian Shapiro. Krasner's final double came in the sixth inning, and he scored on a single by second baseman Mike Dowdy '02. This put the Judges up 7-1. Both Dowdy and Graham each had multi-hit days to go along with the three double effort by Krasner. The winning pitcher was Tom McShane '03 who shut down the Tufts offense for the Judges; He lasted 8.1 innings and allowed just one run on five hits. He struck out seven and picked up his fifth victory of the season. Four of the Judges five recent victories have come against opponents ranked in the top-five of the New England Division III Coaches Poll.
