Return of the Quakes

Finally, after a 2 year hiatus, Major League Soccer will return to the South Bay when the San Jose Earthquakes kick off against FC Dallas at Santa Clara's own Buck Shaw Stadium on May 3rd. With a sellout crowd of over 11,500 expected for the matchup against the Western Conference leading Dallas squad, it is assumed that our campus will be flooded with fans on game day. While the University has taken many strides to ensure a convenient and fun fan experience for the Quake faithful, they seem to have turned a blind eye to the needs of the students. Over 2,000 student parking permits are being overridden and nearly every lot of meaningful size on the campus is being commandeered for use by the MLS fans. This has been handled poorly by the University as it puts a lot of students in an uncomfortable and strange situation. Having to park off campus is often a risky and scarce proposition. Not only are there few to none spots in the immediate surroundings of the campus, but those that are available are in high risk areas for damage, such as the spaces behind Safeway on Market.

Santa Clara should have leveraged the construction of a new parking structure from the Earthquakes in their agreement to house the team. I mean, they agreed on a large expansion for Buck Shaw, and a brand new practice field, but they couldn't get MLS help for a parking structure to accommodate the large influx of fans to this new venue? I don't buy it. The Quakes were coming here regardless, they had no other option then to play at Buck Shaw until they can get a stadium of their own. The only alternative for the Quakes would have been the Oakland Coliseum, and that isn't financially viable for a team that would have been bound to leave 50,000 seats empty per game. Shame on you Santa Clara for you poor planning and execution of what could have been a shinning moment in University PR.

Sobrato Security

Sobrato is taking precautions and further strengthening dorm security. First, at the beginning of the school year, each suite common room door was transformed into the keypad lock system. Each suite requires an ACCESS card and a four-digit pin number to unlock the suite door. Now, additional fencing around the dormitory is being built. (It is going to be more difficult to hop the fence now!) This is to ensure that invaders cannot enter the premises. There have been several robberies in the past, therefore Sobrato is taking extensive measures to ensure the safety of the students as well as their personal belongings.
-Karina Grobelny

Figuring Out My Future

In roughly six weeks I will no longer be a college student. I will be thrust into the world outside the comforts of my college community and will be moving back in with my parents. I have avoided job fairs like the plague and have yet to send my resume to an employer. I think its denial. Where did four years go? I walked by a career fair last night held in the student center and took a moment to look around at the students in suits and dresses reaching out for business cards. For some reason I didn’t mind that I wasn’t meeting the representatives from Abercrombie and Fitch and Sun Microsystems.
More recently this year than ever before, I have realized that there is no way my life will work in a 9-5 cubicle. Luckily I figured this out in February, right in time for MTV’s ‘The Real World’ auditions. Turning on my video camera I confessed to the producers of the show that I was a “fun and wild individual that doesn’t want to join the work force”, therefore I would fit in with the cast of Season 19. Apparently I didn’t have the quality of “dysfunction” and therefore didn’t get called back. If by some act of hell I’m still jobless in a year I might re-audition and make up some lie about how I have anger management issues, and have already been to rehab. But on second thought ruining my future and becoming a permanent fixture on MTV may not be my best option.
So once ‘The Real World’ was out of the picture I decided to go the entrepreneurial route and somehow convinced my other two jobless roommates to open a bar with me. The idea struck when I found a vacant property near our college campus. The 8,000 square foot building would be converted into a dance floor, bar, maybe two if we were ambitious. We thought about names for about two weeks and decided on ‘The Holy Grail’ paying respects to our Jesuit education roots. Other options were ‘Chapmans’ (the name of the cross-street) or ‘Vonnies’, a nickname that we awarded our fourth roommate. We then talked to the real estate agent who shattered our dreams by informing us that the building was not zoned for a bar and was going for a cool two million dollars. I literally laughed at him over the phone, thanked him for his assistance, and then started raking my brain for more a new idea.
I should invent something. But from years of watching late night infomercials and visiting the “As Seen on TV” stores in airports everything has been invented. From the light that turns on when you clap to a handsfree canopener I can only hope that I am blessed with some form of genius and am able to sell some over priced gadget in the SkyMall magazine. But until that day I might need to start looking for a nine to five.

Wierdest College News Articles

What's the wierdest thing going on in college right now?
Well probably not something postable but here's few recent news articles about college life with the intention of shocking, impressing, and just plain informing you about what's going on in the university sector of absurdity. This week we've got some interesting picks, including:

• Terrorist Lecturers
• Beer Tax Protests
• Housing Rip Offs
• A Free Degree from WVU?
• Zebra on Campus

This is a growing list, so expect more to come.

-Collier King

New York Giants 2008 NFL Draft Review

Overall, I thought the New York Football Giants had a very good draft. The notable players that they drafted included S Kenny Phillips, WR Mario Manningham and QB Andre' Woodson. Coming into the draft, the Giants secondary was definitely its biggest weakness. I believe they more than addressed it with their first round selection of Kenny Phillips, a safety from the University of Miami. I expect Kenny Phillips to start at either one of the safety positions. I think he will make a great impact and hopefully will get to start alongside veteran safety Sammy Knight, who could be a great mentor to Phillips. I believe the two of them can be a dynamic duo in the NFC. I was extremely happy that wide receiver Mario Manningham managed to slip all the way into the third round. In my opinion, Mario Manningham would've been a first round pick and the number one wide receiver chosen in the NFL Draft had it not been for his minor off-field issues. Although I feel that the Giants should've traded up to draft linebacker Dan Connor, Manningham is a great value pick in the third round and has tremendous upside because of his extraordinary athletic ability. With Amani Toomer getting up their in age the Giants need to find an eventual replacement for him and Manningham should be that guy. I can already see Manning to Manningham for several touchdowns next year. Even though quarterback wasn't a position of need in the draft, the drafting of Andre' Woodson makes sense because he was the best available player still on the board in the sixth round. The pick also provides extra insurance to Eli Manning and should give the Giants a significant strength. I expect Woodson to make the team as the third quarterback and hopefully he will be able to learn a lot from Eli Manning and David Carr. I think that if he develops nicely he may pass David Carr to move up to the second QB on the depth chart. Who knows, he may even replace Eli Manning someday. The Giants also drafted corner back Terrell Thomas from USC in the second round, who should be able to replace R.W. McQuarters and/or Sam Madison and play some nickel and dime back this year and could ultimately challenge Corey Webster for the second starting corner back spot. Linebackers Bryan Kehl (BYU) and Jonathan Goff(Vanderbilt) were taken in the fourth and fifth rounds respectfully. Both of these picks should help replace the departures of linebackers Kawika Mitchell and Reggie Torbor in free agency. The Giants used their last draft pick, number 199 overall in the sixth round, on defensive end Robert Henderson(Southern Mississippi), who should provide more depth to the Giants' biggest strength on defense. I would rate the Giants draft a B+.
-Ryan Kutey

The NFL Draft-The Best Weekend of the Year

Ever since I was about 13 I have watched the entire NFL Draft. Although that was when I was back home in Albany, New York, being a freshmen at Santa Clara University isn't going to change that. I am currently watching the first round of the NFL Draft with a pizza from Round Table, a foot long sub from Subway, a box of chocolate chip cookies, a bag of Twizzlers, and a bag of chips. Big names such as VernonGholston, Darren McFadden, Sedrick Ellis, Matt Ryan, and Glen Dorsey are already off the board. As a lifelong New York Giants fan, I am hoping there are still some elite players available when the Giants have their first pick at number 31. I would like the Giants to use their first round pick either on a LB such as Dan Connor from Penn St, S Kenny Phillips from Miami, or S Tyrell Johnson from Arkansas St.. I believe any of these players could come in right away and make an immediate impact on an already stellar defense.
-Ryan Kutey

~Summer Plans~

The 2007-2008 school year is slowly coming to an end... The weather is getting warmer (with the exception of today)... People are slipping into the summer zone- tanning, relaxing, & hanging outdoors. Out of curiosity, I asked several of my friends their plans for the summer, & I received many diverse answers. The most frequent response I received was SLEEP. Can't ever get enough of that... One of my friends is taking summer classes in order to receive more credits. Others are leaving the country, such as myself. (I'm going to Poland and other European countries!!!!) My other friends said they are going to hang out at home with their families and friends. Others intend to get a summer job and earn some $. Someone also mentioned going to the beach (a.k.a. paradise)... Soon enough!

Photo courtesy of: www.marriott-timeshare.com

-Karina Grobelny

Season's over...

April 19, 2008, a day which will live in infamy in Minnesota Wild history. After outplaying and outshooting the Colorado Avalanche badly in St. Paul for game 5, they dragged their feet and played sloppy on route to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Jose Theodore and Peter Forsberg. After a Northwest Division title and high expectations going into a favorable 1st round matchup with Colorado, the wheels just seemed to come off the train. Nick Schultz, a second pairing Wild defensemen underwent an appendectomy and was out said to be done for the series, little did he know that he would actually be done for the season. But enough of the poor and tiresome Wild, next year should be better for an injury plagued season that still produced great success. Onto a happier subject...


The Sharks!! My adopted Western Conference team in the South Bay! Going into a potentially dangerous series with the Calgary Flames and sharpshooter Jarome Iginla the Sharks fought off the pesky Flames to win a "heated" seven game series with a 5-3 victory last night at HP Pavilion. With that win the Sharks advance to the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and will head south to Texas to face the former Dallas (Lone)Stars. This is a sore subject for me, and any Minnesotan. You see, the "Dallas Stars" were actually stolen from my great state. They were originally the Minnesota North Stars. Norm Green will forever be known as a thief and traitor to the state for stealing away the beloved pro team from the State of Hockey. Regardless, my only two desires in hockey are for the Wild to win, and the (Lone)Stars to lose, and San Jose should make that happen in this series. GO SHARKS!!

Never Forget. Never Forgive Norm Green.

Lonely Vikings Fan Celebrates Blockbuster Trade

Mid afternoon on April 22, 2008 news spread through the wires that the Minnesota Vikings had landed Kansas City Chiefs standout defensive end and franchise player Jared Allen in a trade. Being possibly the only Vikings fan at Santa Clara, this produced a large swelling of excitement that unfortunately nobody else seemed to share. I can shake off the lack of enthusiasm though, its probably just a bunch of bitter people from Los Angeles who are angry they don't have a PRO football team.

Its probably good Brett Favre retired when he did,
otherwise this would have been him next year.

Ignoring the haters though, this is one of the largest and most influential trades of the offseason. With the addition of Allen to an already dominating defensive front of the Williams duo, the Vikings look poised to not only terrorize running backs, but quarterbacks as well. Allen was the sack leader in the NFL last year with 15 1/2 sacks over 14 games. That kind of production should only increase with the other talent in the Vikings defense that he is surrounded with. Also with Allen's quarterback rushing talents, the Vikings secondary which saw so much action last year, should get a break and be more productive. Overall, this is the most pre-draft day excitement from the Vikings in some time, and should be a large topic of discussion on draft day as the Chiefs pick up 2 3rd round picks and the Vikings' first round pick at number 17. I give this trade a B+ for the Vikings, they failed to get a DE in free agency but this made up for their failure, it did come at a steep price though.

Coming to a Close...

After months and months of hard work, sweat and anguish, the season is winding down. Its a prestigious time for a first year rower. The entitlement and fulfillment instilled is amazing. The hours of pulling on the worst of all cardio machines, the Erg, does not go unsung. For most the satisfaction of being a normal college student is great, but to me a summer without the team is going to be rough.

-Andy Pantoja

Food Review: The Sunstream Cafe, Part 2- Salads and Pizzas

This is part 2 of my food review series. This post covers a several of the salads and pizzas available at the new Sunstream Cafe in the SCU library. Each item is separated into two parts: the Grade I give it, and comments. My grading scale is pretty obvious, with A being outstanding and F being disgusting. Heres the review:

Pepperoni Pizza
Grade: C-
Comments: Just a plain small pepperoni pizza, nothing spectacular. This honestly may be the second worst pizza I have had in my life (The absolute worse being the horrible pizzas served in the Bronco). The only reason it stays above the D, or even F range is that compared to the abysmal SCU food I am used to, its actually on the good side.

Mixed Garden Pasta Salad
Grade: B
Comments: This pasta salad has potential. It was pretty good, but the reason I am giving it a B is that it is extremely dry at the top, because the sauce soaks at the bottom. Also, I only got 1 piece of asparagus in the whole salad.

Southwestern Chicken Caesar Salad
Grade: A+
Comments: Tastes great, possibly one of the best foods I have had at SCU, and definitely my favorite salad. Very good mix of all ingredients, has a great balanced taste. I would definitely eat this again.

Cobb Salad Shaker
Grade: A
Comments: Another great solid salad. Plenty of great ingredients that all show up evenly. Eggs, olives, and blue cheese give it a pretty unique taste. I would definitely eat this again as well.

Overall: The salads at this place are awsome. If I could recommend only one item at the Sunstream Cafe, I would go with the amazing salads. The pizzas however, are a different story. They are still better than most SCU food, but are utter garbage when compared with pizzas from any other place.

Food Review: The Sunstream Cafe, Part 1- Sandwiches

This is part 1 of my food review series. This post covers a selection of sandwiches available at the new Sunstream Cafe in the SCU library. Each sandwich is separated into two parts: the Grade I give it, and comments. My grading scale is pretty obvious, with A being outstanding and F being disgusting. Heres the review:

The BLT
Grade: A
Comments: Very good. Good mix of bacon, lettuce, tomato. May have too much mayonaise for some people, but I like mayo, so its all good. Great sandwich, I would recommend it.

The Sunstream
Grade: B+
Comments: Now this is a weird little sandwich. The ingredients are bread, pesto, cheese, and tomato. It smells great, and the pesto is a great touch. It should have more tomato in it, and I found the texture a little too squishy in my opinion. Overall, good solid sandwich that is great for a change from usual SCU food. Would eat again.

The Californian
Grade: C+
Comments: Tastes alright, a bit too bland in my opinion. I didnt even notice the guacamole until halfway through my sandwich. If you enjoy very plain tasting sandwiches, go for it. I personally would rather have any other sandwich on the Sunstream cafe menu.

Overall: These sandwiches taste alright, but are way overpriced. $4.00 for a 3 inch sandwich is overkill in my opinion. I'd rather pay one more dollar at Subway and get a footlong sandwich. If you want an overpriced sandwich for a quick snack while studying, this is definitely the place to be. However, if you feel like eating a sandwich that will actually make you full, I would walk down to Subway, or even to Benson for it.

MY ROOMIE!!

Freshman year of college... Didn't know what to expect... The transition from living at home with my family in my own bedroom to living in a dormitory full of young adults, specifically a roommate. Her name is Meghan, a.k.a. MEGZ, and she is awesome. We have bonded over the course of the year, and have shared some of the best memories in our decorative double room. We have enjoyed doing pranks on the boys next door, playing our own theme songs, and exchanging stories about our daily events. One of our favorite activities is reading The Frog Prince before bedtime. We are both hoping that one day two frogs will hop out of the Santa Clara pond and turn out to be our princes! :)

-Karina Grobelny

SCU Novice beat a Varsity boat, but Stanford is too much

This past weekend, early Saturday morning, both varsity boats and the first novice boat went to Redwood Shores looking for competitive races against Stanford and the nations top rank team, Cal. The Varsity boat went first, only to come up short. It seemed as though they would walk on Cal, but the valient effort of the varsity boat wasn't enough. The novice A boat and the number 2 varsity boat took on the Stanford novice. The Stanford novice are as amazing as their varsity. The Novice A boat beat the 2nd SCU varisty boat, but did lose to the Stanford novie boat. The conditions were not ideal either as the boats were catching a head-wind only making it harder to row.

-Andy Pantoja

Isiah Thomas is Fired-It's about Time!

Donnie Walsh is off to an excellent start as the the Knicks' President of Basketball Operations. Last Friday he finally fired Isiah Thomas as Head Coach of the New York Knicks. Isiah Thomas became the Head Coach of the once prestigious franchise following the embarrassingly terrible 2005-2006 season in which Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown led the Knicks to a 23-59 season. The fifty-nine losses set a franchise record for most losses in a season. James Dolan, owner of the Knicks, then elected to fire Larry Brown and replace him with Isiah Thomas, who was the Knicks' President of Operations at the time as well. Dolan figured that since it was Isiah who assembled the Knicks' roster that he should be given the opportunity to coach. That ended up being a big mistake; as Thomas was a horrendous 56-108 over the past two seasons. This season was Isiah's worst by a long shot. Not only did he trade for the problematic Zach Randolph on draft night and hurt the development of Eddy Curry . He also tied the Knicks' franchise record for most losses in a season.
Unfortunately, Isiah Thomas will still remain with the Knicks as an advisor to Donnie Walsh. But Knick fans, don't let that keep you down. Instead, be happy knowing that Isiah no longer has any significant say within the organization. It is a great time to be a Knicks fan, as the Knicks look to improve drastically next season.




Isiah Thomas, ex-head coach of the New York Knicks, now an advisor to Donny Walsh.

-Ryan Kutey

Shopping the worlds most ridiculous products at 30,000 feet in the air

I was flying home last week from a visit to my grandmother in Richmond, Virginia when my iPod died within the first forty-five minutes of the flight. Of course three rows in front of me was a screaming child and the man next to me was pounding on his laptop at maybe 300 words per second. I refused to hand over an extra $5 for a two pronged head-set to watch "Alvin and the Chipmunks" so I resorted to the seat pocket infront of me where I came across the SkyMall Magazine. With over 150 pages of in-flight shopping I figured that flipping through the multitude of products would take up at least an hour of the five-hour flight. I have always had the desire to invent something however every idea that I thought of seemed too absurd. SkyMall gave me hope. Proven by the glossy pages of the colorful magazine, no invention is too ridiculous; especially when it comes to modern day convienes. Our cultures laziness has taken on new forms with some of the products I saw featured. Below are three of my favorite findings:

The Rotating Tie Rack:



Able to hold over sixty ties, this tie rack helps you find your favorite with just a touch of a button. So for you men out there with sixty ties (???!!!!!) you know longer have to struggle to find them. The idea for this product most likely came from the dry cleaners where thousands of customers clothes rotate on those giant tracks for convenience. But a personal tie rack with a light on it? Someone's buying it...

The Dog Dazer and Dog Off Deluxe:



The description for this product reads "this gadget protects you against hostile dogs whenever you might travel". Unless you are traveling to to Michael Vicks house I'm not quite sure why anyone would need this device. When I travel, hostile dogs is not high on my list of concerns. How about you?

The World Largest Crossword Puzzle:



Forty-nine square feet of crossword puzzle is far too much for any sane person to handle. Aside from having a wall to hang this on- what adult has this amount of free time?

I think the most shocking this about the SkyMall Magazine was not the products themselves but the fact that people are actually buying these things? Someone in this world actually owns the crossword puzzle. Someone is warding off violent dogs with a handheld gadget and without doubt someone is picking out a tie from a rotating hanger. Godbless America.

New York Knicks' Season Ends-Finally!

Finally, the New York Knicks' turbulent season finally came to an end on Wednesday night with 132-123 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The loss is the team's 59th loss this season, which ties a franchise record from the 2005-2006 season. Hopefully, the end of the regular season for the Knicks will serve as a catalyst for a massive overhaul of the entire organization that is long overdue. The first priority of the Knicks' off-season should be the firing of Isiah Thomas. During Isiah Thomas' reign as Head Coach, the Knicks are a pitiful 56-108. If the record wasn't enough, Isiah has been involved several disagreements with star players Zach Randolph, Quentin Richardson, and Stephon Marbury. You also can't forget about the sexual assault controversy involving Isiah Thomas and former Knicks employee Anucha Browne Sanders. All year fans have been calling for the firing of Isiah. That decision lies in the hands of new Knicks President of Basketball Operations, Donnie Walsh, who according to ESPN, will make his decision regarding Thomas' future on Thursday. Donnie Walsh is no stranger to firing Isiah, as you may recall he fired Isiah Thomas as the Head Coach of the Indiana Pacers following the 2002-2003 season. Bottomline: Donnie Walsh, please fire Isiah. By firing Isiah Thomas, Donnie Walsh would be ridding the Knicks of the Cancer that is Isiaih Thomas and doing more good for the organization than Isiah has done in his entire tenure.
-Ryan Kutey

Ejection Crab at SCU

The Santa Clara novice crew team looks good, then has a bit of trouble. Check out this rare ejection from a fast-moving boat.