The Washington University softball team split a pair of home games on Sunday after their tournament, scheduled for a day earlier in Iowa, was cancelled due to inclement weather.

After rallying to earn a share of the UAA title in Altamonte Springs, Fla. over spring break, the Bears were hosting their first home games of the season. The Red and Green dropped the opener, falling 4-3 in a seesaw battle with Webster University. The hosts got on the board first when senior Jamie Kressel’s sacrifice fly scored freshman Carter Malouf.

The Gorloks of Webster scored the next three runs off senior Abby Morgan, capped by a two run homerun by designated hitter Gail Vogt.

The Bears stormed back, however, with a rally in the fourth. A single by sophomore Lindsay Cavarra was followed by an opposite field double by junior Amy Vukovich, her second two-bagger of the game.

The lead was cut in half after an RBI groundout by sophomore Kerry Kreitman scored Cavarra. Coach Leticia Pineda-Boutte pinch hit for senior Krista Swip with two outs and a runner on third, and Swip delivered with the game tying RBI single, plating Vukovich.

The Bears momentum was short-lived, however, as Webster struck back in the top of the fifth. Facing her first batter of the game, Wash. U. senior Laurel Sagartz surrendered a home run to catcher Dana Vahey, breaking the tie and giving the Gorloks all they needed for the victory. Sagartz did not allow a hit in the remainder of her three innings, but it was too little, too late as Wash. U. could not recover.

The Bears would recover quickly in the second game, as Sagartz out-dueled Maryville’s Erin Clark for a 2-0 victory. Sagartz was dominant, scattering just three hits and three walks over the seven innings, while fanning ten.

Wash. U. would get all the offense it needed when Kressel doubled in Malouf in the bottom of the third inning. The RBI was Kressel’s 15th of the season which leads the team in that department. Wash. U. added an insurance run when Cavarra singled in junior Kaylyn Eash in the fifth.

The Bears are now 11-5 and are currently ranked No. 16 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Associated Division III Top 25 Poll. The Bears hit the road on Wednesday for a match up with Greenville College in Greenville, Ill. They return home on Saturday to host Millikin University.

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The Cardinals are back in the NLCS for a third straight year, and the red shirts can be seen all over campus. Once again the St. Louis natives are excited about the playoffs. This time around however, the red birds are playing the role of underdog and this year it’s not just the Cards fans donning their team’s gear.

All over campus New Yorkers are sporting Mets hats, t-shirts and jerseys. The large northeastern population at Wash. U. is flexing its collective Mets muscle, as fans of the metropolitans prepare for an exciting series and a chance to finally see their team in the playoffs.

“I definitely like the fact that the Cardinals made it this far, because now I get to see the Mets play live,” said junior Jim Wexler. “I have been waiting for this since 2000 and for the next three weeks, my life revolves around the Mets.”

Regardless of the Mets’ presence on campus, St. Louisans are certainly not prepared to cede their territory. Cardinal Nation is still confident in its team and hope stars Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter can carry them back to the World Series.

“We have an underachieving class of baseball stars that if they live up to their potential can take us to the promised land,” said sophomore Martin Gregory. “Mets fans have been on a high all year, but with their depleted rotation I think the Cards have a chance of shutting all the Mets fans on campus up for good.”

With Game One postponed due to rain, the Mets and Cardinals began their run of five straight games last night with a 2-0 Mets win.

The ALCS has hit home for many Wash. U. students as well. Although Detroit and Oakland don’t quite have the same on-campus followings of the Mets and Cardinals, the smaller numbers haven’t stopped the A’s and Tigers faithful from rooting for their teams.

Accounting Professor Mark Soczek is a native of Goetzville, a small town in Michigan’s upper peninsula. Without much reason to cheer on the Tigers in recent seasons, Soczek had grown to root for the team in his adopted city of St. Louis, where he has lived for 10 years. The recent Tiger success, though, has brought back his love of the blue and orange.

“I am first and foremost a Tigers fan,” explained Soczek. “I’ll root for the Cardinals, and I wouldn’t be completely heartbroken if they won. It’s hard to follow an AL team extensively because they don’t come through as much. The Tigers haven’t been a contender lately so there’s no animosity. But now we’re back and it’s a good feeling.”

Professor Soczek finds himself in the minority as a Tigers fan in Cardinal country.

“I don’t know too many Tigers fans in St. Louis. What is interesting though is what you see in Detroit as well as other cities such as Kansas City and Chicago. There are a large number of Tigers fans following them this year.”

Professor Soczek is not the only fan feeling a bit out of place, though. Alex Tint, a sophomore at Washington University, is a die-hard Oakland A’s fan.from New Jersey.

“I only knew one other A’s fan growing up: my gym teacher,” said Tint. “The first baseball game I went to was Yankees vs. A’s, and Jose Canseco hit a home run that my dad caught.

“I’ve met a couple of A’s fans here, though most of them are from California. I get pretty lonely at home, but I like being an A’s fan. No one hates them since they haven’t really done anything, but everyone respects [General Manager and baseball savant] Billy Beane.”

Tint has enjoyed every moment of this season, but with the A’s down in an early 2-0 hole heading back to Detroit, he’s just happy to have experienced the league championship series.

“This has been a great run,” confirmed Alex. “Getting past the division series was great since it’s the first time it’s happened since I was about three.”

The A’s and Tigers continue their series Friday night in Detroit, where the A’s will try steal home field advantage back from the Tigers with a couple of wins. The World Series begins Saturday, Oct. 21 in the city of the AL champion.

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As a kid, I did my share of sports gambling. I joined my dad’s office March Madness pool on an annual basis, in addition to running one amongst my own friends. I also participated in an NFL office pool where I picked every game against the spread. That’s where it ended though, as I always had difficulty losing money. Today the sports gambling world has exploded and it is virtually entirely because of the Internet.

It used be that one would have to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to place a legal bet on a ballgame. Now, hundreds of sites allow bets to be placed on any game at any given time. These sites serve basically as electronic bookies, except that they are legal and less likely to cut off your arm if you fail to pay up. Sports books at casinos used to be the only legal way to place a bet on sports, but now bets can be placed from the privacy and comfort of one’s home by simply clicking a mouse.

A common misconception is that the gambling age in America is 21. In actuality, the gambling age in America is 18, but in order to gamble in casinos, you must be 21, due to the presence of alcoholic beverages. Online gambling allows college students to gamble on sports as frequently as they please, and many are taking advantage.

“I gamble on sports online every once in a while, and I feel like most people who have accounts with sports gambling sites do the same,” said junior Nick Mulvihill. “It’s much easier than doing it through a bookie or at a casino, and allows 18 to 20-year-olds, like myself, to get in on the action.”

Another Wash. U. student who chose to remain anonymous for this story is a more serious online gambler.

“It started small in high school, maybe 50 bucks a game with a high school friend who was a bookie,” he explained. “Now it’s more like a couple hundred bucks a game, or even up to a thousand.”

For this gambler, it’s all about making the games more interesting.

“What’s the point of watching a game if your favorite team isn’t playing?” he asked. “Putting money on the game makes the game that much more entertaining. I guess that’s a sign of an addiction to gambling.”

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Washington University junior Marc Elliot balked at his friend’s suggestion. But junior Mike Gorodinsky insisted that Eliott give the St. Louis Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) Tournament of Champions a chance. The tournament, held at the St. Louis Science Center, boasted over 100 members of all ages vying to be dubbed the best RPS player in the Lou.

Afraid of heading into battle without any coaching, Elliot placed a call to University sophomore Adam Low’s younger brother, Danny. The younger Low started an RPS club in his high school in Kirkland, Wash. and is also a member of the World RPS Society.

The Society, which has its National Championship in Toronto costs $35 to enter, but allows its members to compete in tournaments worldwide. Low then taught Elliot what he called “RPS Strategy 101″ in preparation for the tournament.

His new knowledge in hand, Elliot set out to take home the title that every kid dreams of: “Rock Paper Scissors Champion.” All participants lined up, prepared for action. The stage had three tables prepared for competition, all equipped with referees, which were employees from Gold’s Gym. Each match was simply best of three throws- ties not included – and at the completion of each round the field was cut in half.

“Just close your eyes and imagine over 100 people, a live band, people in costume and a huge stage with three tables all with refs,” said Elliot.

Nervous for his first match, Elliot faced off against a seven-year-old girl. This particular girl was anxious as well, as she twice threw on “scissors” rather than “shoot,” causing her to be disqualified and Elliot advanced to the next round.

After five rounds, only six contestants remained, pitting Elliot and two other contestants to battle in order to narrow the field down to four.

Opting for a three-way challenge, the first person to two points would advance. After two ties, in which each threw rock, paper and scissors, Elliot ousted both opponents at once, throwing rock to their scissors and elevating him into the semifinals.

Playing in the first of the two semifinal matches, Elliot quickly disposed of yet another seven-year-old, thereby placing Elliot into the coveted championship round. Observing the other semifinal match, he noticed his soon-to-be 45 year-old foe threw rock on her first throw. Confident she would repeat the strategy, Elliot opted to go with paper on his first throw.

Scissors.

Elliot fell into an early 1-0 hole, needing to win the final two throws in order to take home the title. Elliot thought back to RPS Strategy 101, which states that after a victory, your opponent is likely to change his or her throw and therefore you should keep your throw the same. Elliot threw paper again.

Rock.

Danny Low’s advice came through, and the match was tied 1-1. Elliot thought long and hard about his last throw, and decided to go with rock.

Scissors.

Just like that, Marc was an RPS champion. He was now the proud owner of $150, a year’s membership to Gold’s Gym, but most importantly the St. Louis RPS Champion.

“RPS is a game of 30 percent strategy and 70 percent luck,” said Elliot. “One minute I was a novice getting a five-minute 101 strategy, and the next minute I was on top of the world. The crowd was screaming, cameras in your face, and in the end of the day, all that mattered was whether you threw rock, paper, or scissors.”

The day did not fare as well for Gorodinsky, however. Mike fell in the third round to yet another seven-year-old who allegedly cheated his way through the tournament. Informal investigations are underway, but no formal charges had been filed as of press time.

Suggestions from an expert:

Here are some basic strategies for beginner RPS players. The suggestions come from veteran RPS player Danny Low, whose brother Adam is a sophomore at the University.

1. The most common first throw is scissors.

2. The next most common first throw is rock.

3. Try to judge the personality of your opponent. A more aggressive player is more likely to throw rock. A more timid and shy player is more likely to throw paper.
Obviously, anywhere in between a person would be more likely throw scissors.

4. If you win a round, your opponent’s next throw will most likely be what just beat him or her. For example, if I throw a rock and my opponent throws scissors, my opponent will have a tendency to throw rock next, so my next throw should be paper.

5. If you lose, don’t change your next throw. People have a tendency to change their throw when they win.

6. If you tie, change your next throw to whatever would beat the tie. People tend to not change their throw after a tie.
These next rules are for longer play.

7. If your opponent is losing, they are more likely to throw their strongest or most comfortable throw. Their strongest throw is usually the one they threw first.

8. If your opponent is ahead, they are more likely to become looser in their throws, since now they have some room to take risks.

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Visiting opponents will be greeted by a new Washington University symbol when they come to campus this year.

The school officially changed its logo prior to the 2006-2007 academic year. The new logo features “Washington” in green lettering in front of a red “U.” In the background sits a maroon bear grabbing the “U.” with its paw. The school colors and mascot remain the same, but the new logo features a full length, more intimidating bear.

“We wanted something more identifiable with Wash. U. athletics,” assistant sports information director Nick Povalitis said. “The new bear is more dynamic. It’s new, fresh, and represents the strength and success of Wash. U. athletics.” Povalitis also told Student Life that the addition of the text to the logo is the biggest change. The previous logo featured just the head of a bear with no writing.

An internal committee was set into place over a year ago to discuss the possibility of changing the logo. The committee consisted of Povalitis, sports information director Chris Mitchell, athletic director John Schael and other Washington University officials.

‘We were ready for a change,” said Povalitis.

The new logo was designed by Jim Ward. Ward is responsible for designing the logo for the University of Missouri as well as Maryville College. Outside of the sports world, he has also designed logos for Harley Davidson, Busch Gardens and Sea World.

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Going to camp in Blacksburg, Va. I grew up a die hard Virginia Tech fan. I lived through the Michael Vick era, as well as the Jim Druckenmiller era as passionately as anyone in southwest Virginia did. Making my college choice as an avid sports fan was difficult. How could I ever give up the opportunity to be a part of big time college sports? Simple. I would never give up my roots. No matter where I decided to go-Michigan, Notre Dame, even Miami or UVA-my Hokie fanaticism would never have wavered.

Every Saturday in Ann Arbor, every student files into the big house or around their TVs to cheer for the maze and blue. Even if a person hails from East Lansing (home of rival Michigan State), everyone will be cheering for the Big Blue. That’s great, but you lose the competitiveness of rooting against your friends. There is no better feeling than sitting with your best friend, watching your team annihilate his team, and then throwing in it his face. You lose that at a big time sports school, as everyone morphs into the same fan. Not here, though. Here we stick to our roots.

Every Saturday in Clayton, a number of different games can be seen. When Michigan and Notre Dame face off, people wearing different jerseys sit on the same couch cheering against each other. At Wash. U., a school without major college sports, it’s very easy to keep your loyalties while also cheering for the Bears. At other schools it’s not an option. You shed your ties, or become ostracized. And shedding your ties is much more difficult for some than others.

“I can’t imagine rooting against UF ever, ” said junior Scott Stern of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. told me. “If I went to somewhere like Miami and they played UF, I never would have been able to root against the Gators, no matter how much everyone hated me for it.”

Neither could I. No matter where I went in the country, if they played Virginia Tech I would be sporting my two sizes too small, four-year old number seven Virginia Tech jersey. A Division III school gives you a unique opportunity to root for your own school, but maintain your D-I roots. At least that’s what I tell myself.

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Bonds’ fame, however, is mostly due to the constant allegations of steroid use that are directed at him. With the recent release of “Game of Shadows,” it’s becoming more and more probable that Bonds did in fact use performance enhancing drugs. Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco admitted to doing the same. Rafael Palmeiro and Ryan Franklin tested positive as well. Yet the controversy always comes back to Bonds. Why? Because he is quite possibly the best player to ever play the game.

Prior to 2001, Barry Bonds had never hit 50 home runs in a season. Prior to 2001 Bonds had never topped .700 in slugging percentage. Perhaps Bonds was too busy winning eight gold gloves, making seven straight all-star teams, stealing over 30 bases nine times and winning three MVPs. Bonds was a star, a first ballot hall-of-famer, and then came 2001.

In 2001 Bonds did something no one thought was possible. He had a season like no other player in the history of baseball, hitting 73 home runs with a batting average of .328 and a mind boggling slugging percentage of .863. Bonds became colossal, a man amongst boys. He had reached a level that no baseball fan thought was possible. Then we found out that he probably cheated.

As Bob Costas told my Sports, Media and Society class, when the Senate gets involved in a scandal, we hear about it for a day and move on. When the president gets involved, it’s the media event of the decade. In baseball, Bonds is Richard Nixon and steroids are Watergate. Consider Ryan Franklin and Alex Sanchez as rookie senators from obscure states. As Costas pointed out, Bonds’ place in baseball lore makes him the face of the story and thus he is the one that faces the most scrutiny.

I think, though, that there is a bigger reason for why Bonds takes so much heat: it’s because he is obviously lying. Bonds claims he ‘unknowingly used’ the ‘clear’ substance from BALCO. Founder Victor Conte claims Bonds is “full of lies.”

Every baseball fan in America with the slightest ability to put two and two together knows Bonds is lying. Mark McGwire stood up and testified in the Congressional hearings with regard to steroids and constantly repeated, “I’m not here to talk about the past.” In other words, Big Mac is guilty, he knows it, but he doesn’t want to talk about it. Most baseball fans pity McGwire, shake their heads and say “He’s such a good guy.” Bonds is a liar, he’s unlikable and perhaps worse, he just started his own reality TV show.

We hate Bonds because he’s a jerk. We hate Bonds because he claims that it is racism that causes people not to want him to break the home run record (when, the last time I checked, the record was held by a black man). And most of all, we hate Bonds because it is easy. He is the most easily hated person in professional sports. A rude, obnoxious athlete who is lying about destroying the integrity of the game is the perfect poster child for the most despised athlete in sports.

The debate will intensify in the next few weeks over whether Bonds’ record should stand or if he should be elected to the Hall of Fame. Personally, I don’t care. An asterisk does not need to be in print for fans to know his numbers are tarnished. His plaque need not be held out of Cooperstown for fans to know he doesn’t deserve to be there. Bonds will forever be labeled a liar, a cheat and a credent. It’s so easy to hate him and that’s why everyone does.

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The Washington University women’s softball team had another successful weekend, taking three out of four games against their St. Louis rivals. The team improved its overall record to 28-5 heading into its final stretch of the season.

Friday’s games started on a sour note when Fontbonne pitcher Ashley Weaver out-dueled Bears sophomore ace Laurel Sagartz, as Fontbonne won the first leg of the doubleheader 2-1. The Bears took an early lead when senior Monica Hanono’s RBI double drove in Sagartz in the second inning to open the scoring and give the University a 1-0 edge. That lead would stand until Sagartz, who didn’t allow a hit in the first three innings, gave up a single and then a two-run home run, as Fontbonne took the lead.

The Bears would have a few chances to score, but Fontbonne catcher Lauren Austin gunned out senior Amanda Roberts on two different attempts at stolen bases, thwarting University rallies each time.

Sagartz did not allow another hit after the two run blast, but the damage was done and Fontbonne claimed game one.

The Bears’ bats woke up in game two, as junior Jamie Kressel went 3-4, with a HR and two RBIs and Sagartz added a pair of RBIs of her own as the Bears split the series with an 8-3 victory. Susan Gray went the distance for the Bears, allowing just three runs on seven hits for her fifth victory of the season. Sophomore Amy Vukovich and freshman Lindsay Cavarra each added RBI singles, as the Bears pounded their cross-Wydown rivals for eight runs on 11 hits.

On Saturday, with nearby Webster in town, Sagartz was ready to make up for the previous day’s loss. She did so in a big way, tossing a complete game no-hitter in game one, striking out seven batters and walking just one in a 9-0 Bears victory. This was Sagartz’s third no hitter in a Washington University uniform. The offense provided plenty of help for Sagartz, including two additional Kressel home runs. Kressel went 2-2 with a walk and three RBIs as she continued her power-filled weekend.

Sophomore Kaylyn Eash added a pair of RBI and Cavarra, Roberts and sophomore Laurel D’Andrea each chipped in an RBI apiece. The shutout for the Bears was their thirteenth of the season.

The bats stayed awake in the second half of the doubleheader, leading the Bears to an easy 11-4 victory. The Bears totaled 19 hits including a 4-4 day for Sagartz, and another 3-4 performance from Kressel.

Kressel and Sagartz each added two RBIs to their season totals, and Vukovich had a season high four RBI as the Bears cruised once again. Roberts added three hits while D’Andrea had two, as the Bears pulled away with five runs in the sixth inning. Gray pitched three scoreless innings before running into some trouble in the fifth, but junior Abby Morgan came in and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings for her first victory of the season.

The Bears face Illinois College on Wednesday before heading to Decatur, Illinois for a doubleheader against Millikin University on Friday.

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To many fraternities, the IM cup is only comprised of football, basketball, softball, volleyball and soccer. However, in order to finish with the most overall points, the key is to convince enough people in the house to participate in the smaller and more obscure events. These events include a 9 a.m. cross country meet, badminton, arm wrestling (where, among other stipulations, your frat has to find two guys under 135 pounds willing to arm wrestle), billiards, track and field and bowling.

It is the lack of participation in these events that often makes the IM cup a one- or two-team race every year. Therefore, it is up to the person in each house in charge of intramurals to convince brothers to show up for these smaller, less glamorous events in order to keep pace with the other fraternities in the chase for the coveted IM cup. Furthermore, a responsible person must be aware of all the registration deadlines and make sure to file all the paperwork on time.

Another essential component that most fraternities do not take advantage of is officiating. For football, basketball and a combination of soccer and softball, each fraternity can earn up to 25 points by providing the league with brothers to officiate the various games and events. Each official in each sport will earn five points for their fraternity, almost equal to the wage they get paid for officiating, a grand total of $5.25 per hour. Without having any officials, a fraternity forfeits a potential 75 points, a value equal to the amount of points a fraternity would attain for coming in first place during the flag football regular season. Although it is difficult to find people at a $40,000 per year school willing to work for $5.25 per hour, this is essential to keeping up in the race for the IM championship.

A lesser known key to winning is making friends at the IM office. There are a lot of soft deadlines and bendable rules in intramurals, and without showing your face in that office and treating its employees like kings, those rules will never bend your way. Director of Intramurals Sean Curtis is the Pete Rozelle of intramural sports and in order to be able to compete, a standing relationship with the Al Gore look-alike is vital.

In short, the intramural points league comes down to three factors: desire, organization and athletic ability. First, the desire is needed to put forth all the effort and make a conscious effort to win. Then, institute a person who will get everyone organized and get everything done. Finally comes the athletic ability. A fraternity can’t win the games on the field if it doesn’t have the actual athletic talent. This recipe for success is not all-inclusive, but without those three things, a championship is impossible.

Scott Kaufman-Ross is Sigma Phi Epsilon’s co-Chair for Intramural Sports.

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The Bears took the first half behind another outstanding pitching performance by junior Laurel Sagartz. Sagartz struck out 10 batters while allowing just one unearned run to earn her 13th victory of the season. She also went 1-1 with a home run and two walks at the plate.

The Bears’ first two runs were scored off of sloppy play in the Central College field. Both sophomore Laura D’Andrea and senior Diona Little scored their runs after errant throws were made by the Dutch catcher allowing the runs to score.

The Bears took a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning when Sagartz blasted her third home run of the season, giving herself a more comfortable cushion at 3-1.

The score remained the same until the sixth when the Dutch finally got on the board with a run coming off a Bears’ error, but Sagartz closed the door in the seventh for the Bears’ 23rd victory of the season.

The second half of the doubleheader did not go as well for the Bears. After getting an early 1-0 lead, Central College stormed back with five unanswered runs, putting the Bears behind for good.

The Bears’ early run came off another errant throw by the Dutch catcher Kelly Harris in the second, putting the Bears on top after two scoreless innings pitched by sophomore Kaylyn Eash. Central responded quickly though, tying the game at 1-1 in the next half inning. It was the top of the fourth, however, that put the Bears in a hole. After freshman pitcher Susan Gray loaded the bases, Sagartz came into the game to try to put out the fire.

The Dutch would finally get to Sagartz, getting doubles from their shortstop and third basemen as they opened up a 5-1 lead. The Bears threatened a comeback when the Bears loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but could only produce an RBI single by senior Tierney Bryce and the Bears went scoreless in the final three innings to drop to 22-4 on the year.

The Bears will host Greenville College on Tuesday for another double-header beginning at 4 p.m.

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