PHILADELPHIA — The cadets and the mids just conducted their ceremonial switching-of-sides in the middle of the field, where groups from each academy march out from the other’s side to meet on the 50 yard line. When the midshipmen had completed their transition and faced their backs to their fellow mids in the stands, you could see one had a letter on his back, which, together, spelled out: “EIGHT YEARS.” If Navy wins today, that’s how long it will have been since a West Point team won this game.
Author Phil Ewing
PHILADELPHIA — Here’s something that could be a good sign for Army: Remember those controversial camouflage uniforms they wore in last year’s match-up against Navy? Observers given to unkind wisecracks said the green-and-brown pattern made the Black Knights’ receivers blend in with the field so much that the quarterback couldn’t see them well enough to complete any passes. Well, those are gone. This year Army’s players have donned much more traditional gold and white uniforms, which make for a good contrast against Navy’s blue — although the players on both teams are sporting gold helmets. The story we keep hearing…
PHILADELPHIA — The wind off the river in the parking lot outside is just as cold as it was in Washington, but here it carries the aroma of grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. Although the crowd of cadets and midshipmen looks pretty filled in, civilian fans are still tailgating outside with about an hour left to go before kickoff; the stadium’s outdoor speakers were blasting Guns ‘n Roses’ “Paradise City” when we walked in. I haven’t seen any of Navy’s incendiary “beat Army” shirts yet here in the stadium, although I did see what the Army fans are wearing, and…
ABOARD A SPORT-UTILITY VEHICLE DRIVING NORTH ON I-95 — The man on the radio a few minutes ago told us it was 32 degrees at Washington’s National Airport, and today’s high only will be in the 40s. But at least it’s a brilliant, clear day here on the East Coast, the kind of day that’s perfect for high-stakes athletic score-settling between two long-time rivals. A moment ago, across the river on our left, we spotted Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, the site of last year’s matchup between Wake Forest and Navy in the Eagle Bank Bowl. The Army Black Knights could…
Sure, you learn to fly the space shuttle and all of a sudden no vehicle is off limits to you — let’s say, for example, you wanted to drive a pace car down the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter onto the course at the Texas Motor Speedway. Yep. You can do that, apparently. Marine Col. Doug Hurley, who has flown the space shuttle Endeavor, was himself flown onto the track in Fort Worth by Maj. Tank Sherman and his Army Reserve crewmates from Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. Sherman told After Action the approach and landing on…
Here’s a question you probably had to answer back in your school days: When two white-hot freight trains are hurtling toward each other at top speed on the same stretch of track, what determines which one survives and which one is destroyed? That’s right — the rushing offense. The Naval Academy Midshipmen (6-2) are taking on the Temple University Owls (5-2) on Saturday in Annapolis. Each team has notched five straight wins this season and is gunning for a “W” this weekend to become eligible for a bowl game — although Navy will need seven victories this year because it’s…
A team of Naval Academy midshipmen will be presenting the colors at tonight’s game two of the World Series in New York, in which the New York Yankees, down a game, will try to equalize the series against the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies. Inspired by the service and patriotism of those midshipmen, After Action decided to take a look at the series so far and offers this preview of tonight’s game.
Is your normal job taking up the time you could be using to practice your penalty kicks? Are you working so much at your assignment in the U.S. that you can’t learn new jujitsu moves? Well break out of that rut and get yourself to the world’s new sportsman’s paradise — Iraq! Iraq is so placid these days that American troops stationed there have plenty of time to just cool out, according to this story in USA Today. Rather than loading up the vehicles and going out to crush some skulls, today’s forces sound like college freshmen taking eight credit…
Let it never be said that the Navy — which is a global force for good, after all — didn’t include athletes of all backgrounds and stripes. For example, we give you these gladiators of old, who carry the traditional samurai names of Lt. Stephen Warne and Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Austen Gant, practicing the ancient art of sumo aboard the dock landing ship Fort McHenry. It appears, from this photograph, that Warne, in the red sumo thong, is about to deliver some kind of outrageous sumo suplex-combination to poor Gant, and, in keeping with naval tradition, probably throw him…
The Naval Academy Midshipmen will doubtless be eager for vengeance this weekend when they host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Annapolis. It’s Navy’s homecoming game and it’ll be the first meeting of these football squads since Wake Forest defeated the Mids at the inaugural EagleBank Bowl last December at The Thunderdome RFK Stadium in Washington. (You can see our live-blogged coverage of the game here, along with a story about the Marine Corps’ Logistics Vehicle System Replacements, for some reason.) This year, the Mids want to notch five straight wins for the first time since 2004, and one of…
