Lots of people are unhappy with the constant horn blowing going on at the World Cup. The devices, called vuvuzelas, are a constant soundtrack during the soccer championships. Players seem to hate them, despite the penchant for fans to continually blow ’em. German police say a U.S. Army civilian crossed the line — threatening his horn-blowing neighbors with an ax during Thursday’s Cameroon-Netherlands match because he was so annoyed with the noise. For the entire story, click here.
Author Sean Smyth
The Navy women’s lacrosse team will open the NCAA tournament Saturday at noon at third-seeded North Carolina. It’s the first time Navy, which drew the 14th seed, has qualified for NCAA play. Navy finished the season with a 17-3 record; North Carolina was 15-2. The winner of Navy-North Carolina plays either Towson or Virginia in the quarterfinals one week later. Read more here.
Know of any service members that ran in Monday’s race and weren’t in uniform? Drop us a line at ssmyth@atpco.com.
Anyone familiar with the Boston Marathon knows it’s one of the biggest events in the running world — thousands taking over the streets of the Boston suburbs, crossing over the infamous Heartbreak Hill and barreling downhill toward the city’s historic Back Bay. There’s a military tie-in, too: it happens on Patriots’ Day, which commemorates the first battles of the Revolutionary War. There always are a number of stories that go along with the race that really hit a nerve, and there often is a decent contingent of military runners participating, both stateside and in parallel races run in the war…
Former Air Force men’s basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik keeps moving upward — even though his recent record wouldn’t suggest he’s a hot coaching candidate. Bzdelik, who left Air Force after two seasons for greener pastures at the University of Colorado, was named Wednesday as head coach at Wake Forest, despite going 36-58 in Boulder and owning a pedestrian college record of 111-105. He also went 73-119 in a two-plus-season stint as coach of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. In fairness, Bzdelik had a pretty good stint at Air Force, going 50-16 and making the postseason both years (NCAA tournament the first…
I’d really prefer not to face one of these guys on the mat. The Armed Forces Wrestling Championships are taking place this weekend at Camp Lejeune, N.C., with titles awarded in seven different weight classes, and Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling featured. Action started Thursday and runs through Monday. The Army team dominated last year’s championships at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, capturing 12 of 14 gold medals.
Heath Calhoun was severely wounded in Iraq, but that has not stopped him from following his athletic pursuits. Calhoun will carry the U.S. flag at the opening ceremonies of the Paralympics in Vancouver. Opening ceremonies for the games, which traditionally follow the Olympics, take place Friday. Read this story to learn more.
Our initial story ran on the Navy Times site yesterday, mentioning that a Naval Academy football player had failed a drug test when he said he unwittingly smoke marijuana — now that player has been named. It’s sophomore Marcus Curry, a slotback for the Mids who gained 585 yards and scored five touchdowns in 2009. Click here to read the latest news.
Missouri officials have said playing over the Navy band at the end of last week’s Texas Bowl was an honest mistake. They’ve now issued an apology for the incident. But not everyone’s buying it, including Richard Johnson, executive vice president of the Naval Academy Foundation, who wondered if the story wasn’t simply “revisionist history.” And a Navy alum wrote a letter expressing his disappointment to the Columbia (Mo.) Missourian. Navy beat Mizzou, 35-13. Read more about the apology here.
Seems like Wisconsin National Guard troops who love the Green Bay Packers can’t get away from needling about Brett Favre’s resurgent season in Minnesota, even when they’re stationed thousands of miles away. Favre has shined in the first half of the season, leading the Vikings (8-1) to the top spot in the NFC North, three games clear of his former club with seven games left to play. He’s also the top-rated quarterback in the NFL and generally has avoided the five-interception games he’s known for. Detainees at Camp Cropper, Iraq, have been listening in on their guards’ conversations about football…
