After Action — The military and the sports world

During the shutdown, some service academy sports play on

By Meghann Myers on October 4, 2013 Army, Football, Navy, Soccer

After the Naval Academy rescheduled a soccer game this week and the Air Force Academy announced it wouldn’t travel to Annapolis for this weekend’s big Navy-Air Force football game, it looked like the government shutdown had completely cast its shadow over service academy athletics. However, the Naval Academy announced late Wednesday that the game against Air Force and would go on. At the time, it was the only athletic contest that remained on Navy’s shutdown-shortened schedule, but the school announced Friday that some games were back on the docket. Even the women’s soccer game at American University, which had been…

Want academy football this weekend? Watch the Coast Guard

By Kevin Lilley on October 2, 2013 Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Uncategorized

As many fans know by now, this weekend’s service academy football games are questionable. Or doubtful. Or “50/50.” Or definitely happening, per an ESPN reporter’s Twitter account. Or definitely happening, but then maybe not happening, per the Naval Academy’s Twitter account. Or probably happening after some fancy financial magic and a few extra legal bills, but awaiting final sign-off from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, per another ESPN report. Or could involve Air Force, of all teams, flying commercial as a charity case. (One of few positives to social media bursts in this situation — United Airlines announced this particular PR…

UFC update: Tim Kennedy to fight Rafael Natal at Fort Campbell

By Kevin Lilley on October 2, 2013 Mixed martial arts, UFC, Uncategorized

The third in our series of Tim Kennedy posts will be the shortest: The soldier-grappler was to fight former 205-pound UFC champ Lyoto Machida in the main event of “UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight for the Troops 3” at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Nov. 6. Then an injury to another fighter shuffled the UFC’s schedule, and Kennedy was left without an opponent. That triggered a series of Tweets from Kennedy that called out a good chunk of the UFC’s 185-pound division. Eventually, matchmakers selected Rafael “Sapo” Natal, according to our good friends at MMAJunkie.com — who’d been ID’d previously…

UFC shuffle leaves Tim Kennedy without opponent for 'Fight for the Troops' main event

By Kevin Lilley on September 30, 2013 Mixed martial arts, UFC

Wanted: Middleweight martial artist willing to step into cage in front of loud group of soldiers at Kentucky military installation, fight Texas National Guardsman who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and hasn’t been knocked out in 20 professional bouts. Experience a plus. Medical insurance probably also a good idea. Tim Kennedy had been set to headline “UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight For the Troops 3” at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Nov. 6 against Lyoto Machida, a former 205-pound champion set to drop to 185 pounds in what would be the biggest fight of Kennedy’s career. But late last week,…

Army men, women win all-service softball titles

By Sean Smyth on September 24, 2013 Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy

Army captured the men’s and women’s titles for a second consecutive year in the Armed Forces Softball Tournament held last week at Fort Sill, Okla. Air Force finished runner-up in both brackets. The Army women beat Air Force in the championship game Sept. 18, 6-3. Army finished the tournament unbeaten and went 8-0 in round-robin play. The Army men won their gold medal Sept. 19, beating Air Force, 23-8. In this game, Army never trailed, taking control of the game with a 10-run fourth inning. Army scored 217 runs in nine games, an average of 24.1 runs per game. The…

Leadership award for Harris as Spikes wrap up season

By Kevin Lilley on September 23, 2013 Baseball, Navy, Uncategorized

There are no sure things in baseball. But if your minor-league club has a leadership award, and it also has an Naval Academy graduate on the roster who is four years older than everybody else on the team, and he’s got an earned-run average under 1.00, well … To no one’s surprise, the State College (Pa.) Spikes honored Reserve Lt. Mitch Harris with the Spikes Leadership Award late last month, a few weeks before wrapping up their season with a 4-3 loss to the Tri-City ValleyCats in Game 3 of the best-of-3 New York-Penn League Championship Series. Harris, a reliever…

Academy standouts Garland, Mooney return to NFL practice squads

By Kevin Lilley on September 3, 2013 Air Force, Army, Football, nfl

Former Army Black Knight Collin Mooney, the team’s single-season rushing leader, rose from the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad to the game-day roster late last season, playing in his first two NFL games and even making the stat sheet — five carries, 19 yards. Former Air Force Falcon Ben Garland recorded 115 tackles as a collegiate defensive lineman and spent all of 2012 in that same position with the Denver Broncos practice squad, only to transfer to offensive guard in preseason workouts this year in a move designed to improve his chance to make the 53-man game-day roster. Despite Mooney’s game…

Chargers work out on carrier before final preseason game

By Kevin Lilley on August 29, 2013 Football, Navy, Uncategorized

Aircraft carriers aren’t strangers to sporting events or to visits from NFL stars. But getting both at once is a bit of a rarity. The San Diego Chargers staged a walk-through practice on the flight deck of the carrier Ronald Reagan on Wednesday, the day before their final preseason game. Crew members and about 70 Navy kids caught passes and got autographs from players and cheerleaders. The team presented the ship’s crew with an autographed helmet. “Everything that they do for our country, it’s great to give back to them,” tight end Ladarius Green told Chargers.com. “These guys go through…

Reports: Redskins cut Reserve Lt. Kettani

By Kevin Lilley on August 26, 2013 Football, Navy, nfl, Uncategorized

Reserve Navy Lt. Eric Kettani has lost his day job, according to multiple media reports. The former Annapolis standout will be one of several players cut by the Washington Redskins to reach Tuesday’s 75-man roster limit, ESPN and other outlets have reported. The team has yet to announce any cuts. Among the other reported cuts for the Redskins: Veteran wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth, who tweeted out a picture of Kettani in his (Navy) uniform before the team’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans and sent a similar image before Saturday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills: [HTML1] Neither player appears…

Navy football continues dominance … of all-name team

By Kevin Lilley on August 15, 2013 Football, Navy, Uncategorized

Navy defensive back Wave Ryder, he of “Jeopardy!” fame, is penciled in atop the depth chart at the Mids’ “rover” position to start the 2013 season. The senior from Hawaii is also making at least his third appearance on another preseason list: Athlon Sports’ college football All-Name Team. He’s not alone, either — younger brother Blaze, a sophomore who enters the year as Navy’s backup center, also made the list, as did junior reserve defensive lineman Vin Rider. No relation. No other service academies have representatives among the alliterative (San Diego State’s Christian Cumberlander), mythological (Colorado’s Thor Eaton) or just…