ROCKVILLE, Md. - Retired basketball coach Gary Williams will receive a lifetime achievement award in a ceremony at the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Basketball Hall of Fame this Saturday night at the Capital Hilton.

In addition, longtime play-by-play announcer Johnny Holliday will be inducted into the Hall at the ceremony, along with former Maryland player Len Bias.

“Gary’s contributions to the Washington, D.C., basketball community are tremendous,” said Bob Geoghan, founder of the Hall. “I can’t think of anyone locally who deserves this type of recognition and award more.”

Williams was a head coach for 33 years, including 22 at his alma mater. He earned a record of 668-360 overall and 461-252 at Maryland. He was the National Coach of the Year in 2002 and the ACC Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2010.

Holliday is known throughout the nation as the Voice of the Terrapins and recently completed his 33rd year as the play-by-play man for University of Maryland football and men’s basketball. A former Washingtonian of the Year, Holliday is also known throughout the region for his tireless fund-raising endeavors and his charity leadership.

Bias is still considered to be one of the best college basketball players ever in the game. He was the ACC Player of the Year in 1985 and 1986, and was the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft.

Others being inducted on Saturday are former NBA player and current broadcaster Phil Chenier; Georgetown University announcer Rich Chvotkin; former Washington and Baltimore general manager Bob Ferry, high school coach Stu Vetter and Earl Lloyd, the first African-American to play in the NBA.

The Game: Tenth-ranked Johns Hopkins (9-3) makes the short trip to the Ridley Athletic Complex to take on top-ranked Loyola (12-0). The game is sold out.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins dropped its second straight game with an 8-2 loss at Navy last Saturday. Loyola moved to 12-0 and took over sole possession of the top spot in the national rankings with a 17-6 win at Hobart.

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Loyola are meeting for the 50th time in a series that dates to a 20-1 Johns Hopkins win in 1939. Johns Hopkins won last season’s meeing, 8-7, at Homewood Field, has won 12 straight against the Greyhounds and leads the series 46-3. A complete series review can be found at the back of this week’s note packet.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Loyola with an all-time record of 921-297-15 (.753). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

A Win For Johns Hopkins Would …
• Give the Blue Jays 10 wins for the ninth time in 12 seasons under head coach Dave Pietramala.
• Give JHU 10 wins for the 33rd time in school hsitory.
• Be the 13th consecutive win for Johns Hopkins over Loyola.
• Improve JHU’s record to 56-6 against teams from the state of Maryland since Dave Pietramala took over in 2001.
• Improve Johns Hopkins’ reocrd to 50-10 in games played in April under Dave Pietramala.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 158-61 (.721), including a 135-44 (.754) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

Representing the Stars and Stripes: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala will serve as an assistant coach for the United States at at the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships in Denver Colorado. Pietramala will serve under Richie Meade, the head coach at Navy from 1995-2011.

Durkin, Bassett Among Tewaaraton Nominees: Johns Hopkins placed two players among the top 25 men’s nominees for the 2012 Tewaaraton Award it was announced on April 25. Juniors Tucker Durkin (D) and Pierce Bassett (G) are among the 25, making Johns Hopkins one of just five schools with two nominees.
The 12th-annual Tewaaraton Award will be presneted to the top male and female lacrosse players on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Durkin is one of just three close defensemen among the final 25, while Bassett is one of just four goalies among the final 25.

Program Ties-I: Johns Hopkins Associate Head Coach Bill Dwan is the older brother of Loyola assistant coach/defensive coordinator Matt Dwan.

Program Ties-II: Loyola sophomore faceoff specialist Brandon Donovan is the younger brother of Tim Donovan, who played at Johns Hopkins from 2008-11 and helped the Blue Jays to four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Play it and They Will Come: Johns Hopkins will play in front of its second sellout crowd in three weeks on Saturday as Loyola has sold all 6,000 tickets available for this week’s game. JHU also played in front of a packed house of 8,500 on April 14 when Maryland visited Homewood Field.
Playing in front of large crowds is nothing new for the Blue Jays, who lead the nation in average attendance for all games played (7,094).

Six Over Six: This week’s crowd of 6,000 at Loyola will be the sixth crowd of 6,000 or more that Johns Hopkins will have played in front of in 2012.

Five of Top Eight: There have been eight crowds of 6,500 or more at a Division I men’s lacrosse game this season and Johns Hopkins has been a participant in five of the eight.

Against Number One: This week’s game against Loyola will be the second this season for the Blue Jays against a team ranked number one – and both will have taken place on the road.
Earlier this season (March 24) the Blue Jays knocked off then top-ranked Virginia, 11-10, in overtime.
This week’s game will be the 11th Johns Hopkins has played against a team ranked number one under head coach Dave Pietramala. The Blue Jays are 6-4 in their 10 games against the nation’s top-ranked team under his guidance and 16-22 overall against the number-one ranked team since 1973 (USILA rankings began in 1973).

Close Calls: Seven of the 10 games Johns Hopkins has played against teams ranked number one under head coach Dave Pietramala have been decided by one goal. JHU is 5-2 in those seven one-goal games. Overall, 15 of JHU’s 37 games against a team ranked number one have been decided by one goal – JHU is 7-8 in those 15 games.

That’s Odd: This will be the fourth game Johns Hopkins has played under head coach Dave Pietramala as the 10th-ranked team in the nation. JHU is a perfect 3-0 in the previous three games.

April Reign: Flipping the calendar to April has usually been a good sign for the Blue Jays, who are 49-10 (.831) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in April. JHU is 28-4 at home, 19-4 on the road and 2-2 on a neutral field in April under Pietramala’s guidance.

Prepping For May: May become a whole lot more important when the NCAA began sponsoring the lacrosse national championhip in 1971. Johns Hopkins currently has a streak of 40 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament and finishing April strong has been a big part of Hopkins’ success. In fact, Johns Hopkins has won the last game it has played in the month of April in each of the last 15 years and 39 of 40 during its streak of qualifying for the NCAAs. The only time JHU lost its last game in April since 1972 was in 1996 (Towson: Lost 13-12).

Marching Orders: Johns Hopkins closed out the March portion of its 2012 schedule at Virginia on March 24. The Blue Jays posted their first perfect record in the month of March (5-0) since 2005, when they also won all five of their games played in the month. Since 1972, JHU has posted a perfect record in the month of March 15 times (not including this season). In six of those years the Blue Jays went on to win the national championship and in seven other instances JHU finished as national runner-up.

Streaking: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 17-4 in its last 21 games, 22-6 since the start of the 2011 season and 24-8 in its last 32 games.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Home Cookin’: Johns Hopkins had its 12-game home winning streak snapped with the 9-6 loss to Maryland on April 14. The streak is the second-longest under head coach Dave Pietramala, who picked up his 75th career victory at Homewood Field with the win earlier this season against Delaware. Hopkins sports a 79-13 (.859) record in home games during his career at JHU.
JHU won a school and national-record 37 straight home games from 2001-06 under Pietramala’s guidance and the recent 12-game home winning streak is the fourth home streak of seven wins or more since he arrived.

Balancing Act: Johns Hopkins has employed virtually the same first and second midfield units throughout the first 12 games and those units have proven to be steady in terms of production. JHU’s first unit of Rob Guida(13), John Ranagan (13) and John Greeley (7) has combined for 33 goals, while the second unit of Lee Coppersmith (12), Mark Goodrich (6) and Greg Edmonds (4) has 22 goals to its credit.
The major difference between the two groups has been with assists. The unit of Guida, Ranagan and Greeley has combined for 19 assists. Edmonds’ assist against North Carolina was the first assist of the season from the trio on the second midfield, which now has two assists to its credit.

Attack Oriented: Despite being forced to start five different players in three different combinations, the starting attack units the Blue Jays have trotted out have been effective and efficient. Despite struggling the last two weeks, the unit has combined for 54 goals and 38 assists (7.67 points per game) through 12 games.

On the Flip Side: While the Blue Jay attack is collectively averaging nearly eight points per game, the Blue Jay defense has not been nearly as giving. In fact, the starting attack units Johns Hopkins has faced this season have totaled just 41 goals and 23 assists (5.3 points per game).

Bassett Now 22-6 in Last 28 Starts: Junior goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 25th career victory in goal with the 17-6 win vs. Albany as he posted 11 saves in just over 55 minutes of action. Bassett is now 22-6 in his last 28 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season and counts a 25-10 career record to his credit.
Through 12 games Bassett currently ranks sixth in the nation in goals against average (7.02) and 19th in save percentage (.552).
Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Jesse Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Boland Returns: Senior attackman Chris Boland returned to the lineup against North Carolina after missing seven consecutive games with an injury he suffered 35 minutes into the season opener against Towson. Boland scored twice and dished out a pair of assists against the Tar Heels and came back with a three-goal, two-assist showing against Albany and a one-goal, one-assist effort against Maryland to push his season totals to 10 goals and five assists. He had 13-game goal and point-scoring streaks snapped last week at Navy.
Boland pushed his career totals to 76 goals and 43 assists for 119 points with his one goal and one assist vs. Maryland. He has 10 career hat tricks, 28 career multi-point games and 18 games with four points or more.

Stanwick in Rare Company: Freshman Wells Stanwick ran his streak of consecutive multi-point games to seven with one goal and two assists in the win over Albany before being held scoreless by Maryland and Navy. His run of seven straight multi-point games to open his career is the longest by a Johns Hopkins player (freshmen only – not transfers) since all-time leading scorer Terry Riordan opened his career with 18 consecutive multi-point games from 1992-93.
Stanwick has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in nine games played. He missed three games early in the season with an injury, but still ranks second on the team in assists and fourth in points.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 43 of 48 quarters this season and two or more in 35 of the 48 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 35.5 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 30th in the nation in scoring offense (9.83), 15th in extra-man offense (.419) and 12th in scoring margin (+2.92).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins is surrendering an average of just 29.2 shots per game.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 14 of 48 quarters this season (29.2%).
• The Blue Jays rank fifth in the nation in scoring defense (6.92), 14th in man-down defense (.722) and 12th in scoring margin (+2.92) this season.
• Johns Hopkins has held each of its 12 opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:25 and 10 of the 12 have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer.

Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan on March 6. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in JHU history with 57 of those coming prior to 1950.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number 10 in the USILA Coaches Poll and 11th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 394 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 392 of those 394 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 371 of the 394 and the top five in 295 of those 394. Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one 104 times since the poll debuted in 1973.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 921 all-time wins.

That’s 624 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 921-297-15 (.753) … that’s 624 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be four games over .500.

If you’ve been wanting to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and combine it with a Ravens game in Cleveland, this is the trip for you. WNST is firing up the Gunther Motorcoach for a two-journey into Ohio for the pathway to football and another Ravens clash with the Browns.

Our WNST Purple Football roadie to Cleveland will leave White Marsh Mall area at 6am on Saturday, Nov. 2 and we’ll be in Canton before lunch and have several hours to tour the hallowed halls. We’ll even let you complain about what a joke it is that Art Modell isn’t in the Hall of Fame and you’ll be among the first to see the bust of Jon Ogden in Canton!

We’ll arrive at the Holiday Inn Express in Cleveland in time for dinner and some relaxing in the downtown entertainment district. You can sleep in on Sunday morning or stop by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to see The Rolling Stones exhibit before the game.

Game time is 4:25 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 3 and our bus will return 90 minutes after the end of the game from the Holiday Inn Express Downtown to White Marsh and we should arrive after midnight. It’s about a six-hour ride.

Trip includes:

Gunther Motorcoach transportation from White Marsh to Ohio and return

Entrance into Pro Football Hall of Fame

One night deluxe accommodation at Holiday Inn Express Downtown Cleveland

One upper deck game ticket

Snacks, donuts on bus

Beer, soda, water for ride

Plenty of Purple entertainment, films and trivia on the bus ride

COST:

SINGLE — $375

DOUBLE — $325

TRIPLE — $300

QUAD — $275

Simply click on ADD TO CART below…

WNST presents a three-night trip to the friendly heart of the midwest as the Baltimore Ravens travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs this fall.

All WNST Purple Roadtrips are sponsored in 2012 by our friends at Jiffy Lube and Miller Lite. Not only will we be again enjoying ice cold Miller Lite on all trips we’ll be giving you a 15.70% discount to use at Jiffy Lube this season to keep your car or truck going.

Everyone who goes on a WNST Purple Roadtrip this fall saves money on their next oil change in Baltimore!

Our trip departs on Friday, Oct. 5 and will arrive in Kansas City in time for you to enjoy a steak, the Negro Baseball Hall of Fame or legendary Jazz Museum in the downtown area.

We will be staying three nights at the Q Hotel and Spa, where we enjoyed our stay during the 2011 victorious playoff run for the Ravens. Plenty of bars, restaurants and shopping are nearby.

WNST will host a Saturday event along with The 810Zone Sports Bar in the Country Club Plaza and admission will be included for all WNST Purple Roadtrip travelers.

WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND A CAR RENTAL IN KANSAS CITY!!!!

Trip includes:

Roundtrip airfare on Southwest Airlines (leaving BWI on Oct. 5, returning on morning of Oct.

Three nights deluxe accommodation at Q Hotel & Spa in Kansas City

Upper deck game ticket for Chiefs-Ravens

Party admission for Saturday’s WNST Purple Pep Rally

COST:

SINGLE: $1,199

DOUBLE: $1,049

TRIPLE: $949

QUAD: $849

Simply click on ADD TO CART below…

How many in your room?

SINGLE $1,199.00 USD DOUBLE $1,049.00 USD TRIPLE $949.00 USD QUAD $849.00 USD

The Game: Sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins (9-2) makes the short trip to Annapolis to take on Navy (5-6) in the 86th meeting between the two teams.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins and Navy are both looking to bounce back from identical 9-6 defeats in rivalry games last week. Hopkins fell to Maryland at Homewood Field, while the Midshipmen lost to Army in two of the most storied rivalries in college lacrosse.

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Navy are meeting for the 86th time in a series that dates to a 6-1 Johns Hopkins win in 1908. Johns Hopkins won last season’s meeting, 14-5, at Homewood Field, and has won 37 of the last 38 meetings. Navy grabbed a 9-8 overtime victory in 2010 when JHU last visited Navy Marine Corps Stadium. A complete series review can be found at the back of this week’s note packet.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Navy with an all-time record of 921-296-15 (.754). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

A Win For Johns Hopkins Would …
• Give the Blue Jays 10 wins for the ninth time in 12 seasons under head coach Dave Pietramala.
• Give JHU 10 wins for the 33rd time in school hsitory.
• Be the 12 for JHU in 13 games against Navy since Dave Pietramala took over in 2001.
• Improve JHU’s record to 56-5 against teams from the state of Maryland since Dave Pietramala took over in 2001.
• Improve Johns Hopkins’ reocrd to 50-9 in games played in April under Dave Pietramala.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 158-60 (.725), including a 135-43 (.758) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

Representing the Stars and Stripes: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala will serve as an assistant coach for the United States at at the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships in Denver Colorado. Pietramala will serve under Richie Meade, the head coach at Navy from 1995-2011.

About the Start: Although Johns Hopkins had its eight-game season-opening winning streak snapped with the loss to North Carolina on April 1, good things could be in store for the Blue Jays down the road. Since 1977 the Blue Jays have opened a season with eight straight wins seven times (including this season). JHU has won the national championship three times in the previous six years, made two other trips to the title game and advanced to the NCAA semifinals the other year.

April Reign: Flipping the calendar to April has usually been a good sign for the Blue Jays, who are 49-9 (.845) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in April. JHU is 28-4 at home, 19-3 on the road and 2-2 on a neutral field in April under Pietramala’s guidance.

Marching Orders: Johns Hopkins closed out the March portion of its 2012 schedule at Virginia on March 24. The Blue Jays posted their first perfect record in the month of March (5-0) since 2005, when they also won all five of their games played in the month. Since 1972, JHU has posted a perfect record in the month of March 15 times (not including this season). In six of those years the Blue Jays went on to win the national championship and in seven other instances JHU finished as national runner-up.

Streaking – Part 1: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 17-3 in its last 20 games, 22-5 since the start of the 2011 season and 24-7 in its last 31 games.

Streaking – Part 2: Johns Hopkins is 110-31 (.780) in its last 141 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 127-39 (.765) overall since the start of the 2002 season.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Balancing Act: Johns Hopkins has employed virtually the same first and second midfield units throughout the first 11 games and those units have proven to be steady in terms of production. JHU’s first unit of Rob Guida (13), John Ranagan (13) and John Greeley (7) has combined for 33 goals, while the second unit of Lee Coppersmith (12), Mark Goodrich (6) and Greg Edmonds (3) has 21 goals to its credit.
The major difference between the two groups has been with assists. The unit of Guida, Ranagan and Greeley has combined for 19 assists. Edmonds’ assist against North Carolina was the first assist of the season from the trio on the second midfield, which now has two assists to its credit.

Attack Oriented: Despite being forced to start five different players in three different combinations, the starting attack units the Blue Jays have trotted out have been effective and efficient. The unit has combined for 53 goals and 37 assists (8.2 points per game) through 11 games Last week’s starting unit of Chris Boland (1g, 1a), Zach Palmer (0g, 0a) and Brandan Benn (1g) combined to produce a season-low three points against Maryland.

On the Flip Side: While the Blue Jay attack is collectively averaging more than eight points per game, the Blue Jay defense has not been nearly as giving. In fact, the starting attack units Johns Hopkins has faced this season have totaled just 37 goals and 21 assists (5.3 points per game).

Bassett Now 22-5 in Last 27 Starts: Junior goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 25th career victory in goal with the 17-6 win vs. Albany as he posted 11 saves in just over 55 minutes of action. Including the win over the Great Danes and last week’s loss to Maryland, he is 22-5 in his last 27 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season and counts a 25-9 career record to his credit.
Through 11 games Bassett currently ranks fifth in the nation in goals against average (6.91) and 13th in save percentage (.560).
Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Jesse Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Boland Returns: Senior attackman Chris Boland returned to the lineup against North Carolina after missing seven consecutive games with an injury he suffered 35 minutes into the season opener against Towson. Boland scored twice and dished out a pair of assists against the Tar Heels and came back with a three-goal, two-assist showing against Albany and a one-goal, one-assist effort against Maryland to push his season totals to 10 goals and five assists in just four games. He will carry 13-game goal and point-scoring streaks into this week’s game at Navy.
Boland pushed his career totals to 76 goals and 43 assists for 119 points with his one goal and one assist vs. Maryland. He has 10 career hat tricks, 28 career multi-point games and 18 games with four points or more.

Stanwick in Rare Company: Freshman Wells Stanwick was held scoreless for the first time in his career in last week’s 9-6 loss to Maryland. He had previously run his streak of consecutive multi-point games to seven with one goal and two assists in the win over Albany. His run of seven straight multi-point games to open his career is the longest by a Johns Hopkins player (freshmen only – not transfers) since all-time leading scorer Terry Riordan opened his career with 18 consecutive multi-point games from 1992-93.
Stanwick has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in eight games played. He missed three games early in the season with an injury, but still ranks second on the team in assists and fourth in points.

Jumping Right In: Junior John Kaestner had played in 12 career games and hadn’t so much as taken a shot before getting the starting nod at Princeton with freshman Wells Stanwick out. No worries, all Kaestner did was stick the first two goals of his career during a 4-1 fourth-quarter run that fueled JHU’s 10-8 win. He came back with one goal and one assist in the win vs. Manhattan and duplicated that effort in the win over UMBC.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 41 of 44 quarters this season and two or more in 35 of the 44 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 36.0 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 22nd in the nation in scoring offense (10.55), 12th in extra-man offense (.447) and eighth in scoring margin (+3.73).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins is surrending an average of just 29.5 shots per game.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 13 of 44 quarters this season (29.5%).
• The Blue Jays rank fourth in the nation in scoring defense (6.82), 26th in man-down defense (.697) and eighth in scoring margin (+3.73) this season.
• Johns Hopkins has held each of its 11 opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:25 and nine of the 11 have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer.

Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC. The Retrievers did score a pair of extra-man goals in the first half, but the first six-on-six goal they scored came 34 seconds into the fourth quarter.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan on March 6. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in JHU history with 57 of those coming prior to 1950.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number six in the USILA Coaches Poll and seventh in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 393 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 391 of those 393 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 370 of the 393 and the top five in 295 of those 393. Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one 104 times since the poll debuted in 1973.

State Rivalries: Without question the Blue Jays play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and a big part of the schedule are the in-state rivalries the Blue Jays have. Including wins this season vs. Towson and UMBC and last week’s loss to Maryland, JHU is 55-5 (.917) against teams from Maryland under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 921 all-time wins.

That’s 625 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 921-296-15 (.754) … that’s 625 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be five games over .500.

The Game: Third-ranked Johns Hopkins (9-1) plays host to the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse as the Blue Jays welcome ninth-ranked Maryland (6-3) to Homewood Field.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins and Maryland both got back on the winning side of things with wins last week. Hopkins bounced back from a loss to North Carolina with a 17-6 win over Albany last Thursday, while Maryland ended a two-game slide with a 13-6 victory over Navy last Friday night in College Park.

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Maryland are meeting for the 108th time in a series that dates to a 10-0 Johns Hopkins victory in 1895. The Blue Jays hold a commanding 68-38-1 advantage against the Terps and have won 10 of the last 13 meetings A complete series review can be found at the back of this week’s note packet.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Maryland with an all-time record of 921-295-15 (.754). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

A Win For Johns Hopkins Would …
• Give the Blue Jays 10 wins for the ninth time in 12 seasons under head coach Dave Pietramala.
• Give JHU 10 wins for the 33rd time in school hsitory.
• Improve JHU’s home winning streak to 13 games.
• Improve head coach Dave Pietramala’s overall record to 100 games over .500. He is currently 158-59.
• Be the ninth for JHU in 12 games against Maryland since Dave Pietramala took over in 2001.
• Improve JHU’s record to 56-4 against teams from the state of Maryland since Dave Pietramala took over in 2001.
• Improve Johns Hopkins’ reocrd to 50-8 in games played in April under Dave Pietramala.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 158-59 (.728), including a 135-42 (.763) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

About the Start: Although Johns Hopkins had its eight-game season-opening winning streak snapped with the loss to North Carolina on April 1, good things could be in store for the Blue Jays down the road. Since 1977 the Blue Jays have opened a season with eight straight wins seven times (including this season). JHU has won the national championship three times in the previous six years, made two other trips to the title game and advanced to the NCAA semifinals the other year.

April Reign: Flipping the calendar to April has usually been a good sign for the Blue Jays, who are 49-8 (.860) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in April. JHU is 28-3 at home, 19-3 on the road and 2-2 on a neutral field in April under Pietramala’s guidance.

Marching Orders: Johns Hopkins closed out the March portion of its 2012 schedule at Virginia on March 24. The Blue Jays posted their first perfect record in the month of March (5-0) since 2005, when they also won all five of their games played in the month. Since 1972, JHU has posted a perfect record in the month of March 15 times (not including this season). In six of those years the Blue Jays went on to win the national championship and in seven other instances JHU finished as national runner-up.

Streaking – Part 1: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 17-2 in its last 19 games, 22-4 since the start of the 2011 season and 24-6 in its last 30 games.

Streaking – Part 2: Johns Hopkins is 110-30 (.786) in its last 140 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 127-38 (.770) overall since the start of the 2002 season.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Home Cookin’: Johns Hopkins ran its home winning streak to 12 games with the 17-6 win over Albany on April 1. The streak is the second-longest under head coach Dave Pietramala, who picked up his 75th career victory at Homewood Field with the win earlier this season against Delaware. Hopkins sports a gaudy 79-12 (.869) record in home games during his career at JHU. JHU won a school and national-record 37 straight home games from 2001-06 under Pietramala’s guidance and the current 12-game home winning streak is the fourth home streak of seven wins or more since he arrived.

More Home Cookin’: In addition to boasting the second-longest home winning streak of the Dave Pietramala era, Johns Hopkins’ current 12-game winning streak at Homewood Field is also the second longest active home winning streak in the nation. Only Cornell, which has won 14 straight at Schoellkopf Field, has a longer current streak in the home whites than Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins’ win at Virginia on March 24 snapped UVA’s 14-game home winning streak, which had stood as the longest in the nation.

Striking the First Blow: Johns Hopkins scored on its first shot of the game seven times in 2011 and has already turned the trick four times this season. JHU has scored on its first shot of the game four times and its second shot of the game four times as well this season. Johns Hopkins has failed to score on one of its first two shots twice this season – against Manhattan and Virginia. In both of those games, the Blue Jays scored on their fourth shot.

Balancing Act: Johns Hopkins has employed virtually the same first and second midfield units throughout the first 10 games and those units have proven to be steady in terms of production. JHU’s first unit of Rob Guida (12), John Ranagan (12) and John Greeley (7) has combined for 31 goals, while the second unit of Lee Coppersmith (11), Mark Goodrich (6) and Greg Edmonds (2) has 19 goals to its credit. The major difference between the two groups has been with assists. The unit of Guida, Ranagan and Greeley has combined for 16 assists. Edmonds’ assist against North Carolina was the first assist of the season from the trio on the second midfield, which now has two assists to its credit.

Attack Oriented: Despite being forced to start five different players in three different combinations, the starting attack units the Blue Jays have trotted out have been effective and efficient. The unit has combined for 51 goals and 36 assists (8.7 points per game) through 10 games.

On the Flip Side: While the Blue Jay attack is collectively averaging more than eight points per game, the Blue Jay defense has not been nearly as giving. In fact, the starting attack units Johns Hopkins has faced this season have totaled just 32 goals and 20 assists (5.2 points per game).

Bassett Now 22-4 in Last 26 Starts: Junior goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 25th career victory in goal with the 17-6 win vs. Albany as he posted 11 saves in just over 55 minutes of action. Including the win over the Great Danes he is 22-4 in his last 26 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season and counts a 25-8 career record to his credit. Through 10 games Bassett currently ranks fourth in the nation in goals against average (6.69) and 10th in save percentage (.578). Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Jesse Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Boland Returns: Senior attackman Chris Boland returned to the lineup against North Carolina after missing seven consecutive games with an injury he suffered 35 minutes into the season opener against Towson. Boland scored twice and dished out a pair of assists against the Tar Heels and came back with a three-goal, two-assist showing against Albany to push his season totals to nine goals and four assists in just three games. Boland’s three-goal, two-assist showing vs. Albany pushed his career totals to 75 goals and 42 assists for 117 points. It was also his 10th career hat trick, 27th career multi-point game and 18th game with four points or more.

Stanwick in Rare Company: Freshman Wells Stanwick ran his streak of consecutive multi-point games to seven with one goal and two assists in the win over Albany. His run of seven straight multi-point games to open his career is the longest by a Johns Hopkins player (freshmen only – not transfers) since all-time leading scorer Terry Riordan opened his career with 18 consecutive multi-point games from 1992-93. Stanwick has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in seven games played. He missed three games early in the season with an injury, but is still tied for third on the team in scoring and ranks second in assists.

Jumping Right In: Junior John Kaestner had played in 12 career games and hadn’t so much as taken a shot before getting the starting nod at Princeton with freshman Wells Stanwick out. No worries, all Kaestner did was stick the first two goals of his career during a 4-1 fourth-quarter run that fueled JHU’s 10-8 win. He came back with one goal and one assist in the win vs. Manhattan and duplicated that effort in the win over UMBC.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number three in both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 392 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 390 of those 392 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 369 of the 392 and the top five in 295 of those 392. Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one 104 times since the poll debuted in 1973.

State Rivalries: Without question the Blue Jays play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and a big part of the schedule are the in-state rivalries the Blue Jays have. Including wins this season vs. Towson and UMBC, JHU is 55-4 (.932) against teams from Maryland under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 38 of 40 quarters this season and two or more in 33 of the 40 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 36.7 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 16th in the nation in scoring offense (11.00), 10th in extra-man offense (.472) and sixth in scoring margin (+4.40).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins is surrending an average of just 29.6 shots per game.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 13 of 40 quarters this season (32.5%).
• The Blue Jays rank fourth in the nation in scoring defense (6.60), 20th in man-down defense (.697) and sixth in scoring margin (+4.40) this season.
• Johns Hopkins has held each of its 10 opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:52 and nine of the 10 have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer.

Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC. The Retrievers did score a pair of extra-man goals in the first half, but the first six-on-six goal they scored came 34 seconds into the fourth quarter.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan on March 6. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in school history with 57 of those 61 shutouts coming prior to 1950.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 921 all-time wins.

That’s 625 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 921-295-15 (.754) … that’s 626 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be six games over .500.

The Game: Third-ranked Johns Hopkins (8-1) returns home to host Albany (1-7) in a rare Thursday night game for the Blue Jays.

Last Time Out: Johns Hopkins had its 15-game regular season winning streak snapped as the Blue Jays fell to North Carolina, 13-9, in the Big City Classic on Sunday. Albany picked up its first win of the season last Saturday with a 12-11 victory over Binghamton.

Series History: Johns Hopkins and Albany are meeting for the 11th time in a series that dates to a 10-4 Johns Hopkins victory in 2002. The Blue Jays lead the all-time series 9-1 and all 11 games (including this season’s matchup) have been played at Homewood Field.

These are the Facts: Johns Hopkins enters this week’s game against Albany with an all-time record of 920-295-15 (.754). The Blue Jays own nine NCAA titles, 29 USILA titles and six ILA titles for a total of 44 national championships.

Career Win Number 150: Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala picked up career win number 150 with the 12-6 victory vs. Towson in the season opener. He now sports an all-time record of 157-59 (.726), including a 134-42 (.761) record at Johns Hopkins. He ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories as only Hall of Fame coach Bob Scott (158 wins from 1955-74) has more victories than Pietramala while patrolling the sidelines at Homewood.

About the Start: Although Johns Hopkins had its eight-game season-opening winning streak snapped with the loss to North Carolina on Sunday, good things could be in store for the Blue Jays down the road. Since 1977 the Blue Jays have opened a season with eight straight wins seven times (including this season). JHU has won the national championship three times in the previous six years, made two other trips to the title game and advanced to the NCAA semifinals the other year.

Program Ties: Albany is coached by Scott Marr, a 1991 Johns Hopkins graduate. Marr was a member of the Blue Jays’ 1987 NCAA Championship team and played at JHU with current Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala and current JHU associate head coach Bill Dwan.

Marching Orders: Johns Hopkins closed out the March portion of its 2012 schedule at Virginia on March 24. The Blue Jays posted their first perfect record in the month of March (5-0) since 2005, when they also won all five of their games played in the month. Since 1972, JHU has posted a perfect record in the month of March 15 times (not including this season). In six of those years the Blue Jays went on to win the national championship and in seven other instances JHU finished as national runner-up.

April Reign: Flipping the calendar to April has usually been a good sign for the Blue Jays, who are 48-8 (.857) under head coach Dave Pietramala in games played in April. JHU is 27-3 at home, 19-3 on the road and 2-2 on a neutral field in April under Pietramala’s guidance.

Streaking – Part 1: In case you didn’t notice, Johns Hopkins is 16-2 in its last 18 games, 21-4 since the start of the 2011 season and 23-6 in its last 29 games.

Streaking – Part 2: Johns Hopkins is 109-30 (.784) in its last 139 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 126-38 (.768) overall since the start of the 2002 season.

13-Win Seasons: With a 13-3 record last season, Johns Hopkins reached the 13-win mark for the fifth time under head coach Dave Pietramala and the 12th time in school history.

Home Cookin’: Johns Hopkins ran its home winning streak to 11 games with the 11-7 win over sixth-ranked Syracuse on March 17. The streak is the second-longest under head coach Dave Pietramala, who picked up his 75th career victory at Homewood Field with the win earlier this season against Delaware. Hopkins sports a gaudy 78-12 (.867) record in home games during his career at JHU.
JHU won a school and national-record 37 straight home games from 2001-06 under Pietramala’s guidance and the current 11-game home winning streak is the fourth home streak of seven wins or more since he arrived.

More Home Cookin’: In addition to boasting the second-longest home winning streak of the Dave Pietramala era, Johns Hopkins’ current 11-game winning streak at Homewood Field is also the second longest active home winning streak in the nation. Only Cornell, which has won 12 straight at Schoellkopf Field, has a longer current streak in the home whites than Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins’ win at Virginia on March 24 snapped UVA’s 14-game home winning streak, which had stood as the longest in the nation.

Balancing Act: Johns Hopkins has employed virtually the same first and second midfield units throughout the first nine games and those units have proven to be steady in terms of production. JHU’s first unit of Rob Guida (11), John Ranagan (8) and John Greeley (6) has combined for 25 goals, while the second unit of Lee Coppersmith (10), Mark Goodrich (5) and Greg Edmonds (2) has 17 goals to its credit. The major difference between the two groups has been with assists. The unit of Guida, Ranagan and Greeley has combined for 16 assists. Edmonds’ assist against North Carolina was the first assist of the season from the trio on the second midfield.

Jumping Right In: Junior John Kaestner had played in 12 career games and hadn’t so much as taken a shot before getting the starting nod at Princeton with freshman Wells Stanwick out. No worries, all Kaestner did was stick the first two goals of his career during a 4-1 fourth-quarter run that fueled JHU’s 10-8 win. He came back with one goal and one assist in the win vs. Manhattan and duplicated that effort in the win over UMBC.

Bassett Now 21-4 in Last 25 Starts: Junior goalie Pierce Bassett picked up his 24th career victory in goal with the 11-10 win at Virginia as he posted nine saves in the overtime victory. Including the loss to UNC he is 21-4 in his last 25 starts dating back to the start of the 2011 season and counts a 24-8 career record to his credit. Through nine games Bassett currently ranks fifth in the nation in goals against average (6.82) and 14th in save percentage (.565).
Bassett concluded his first full season as the starter for the Blue Jays last season and posted a 7.07 goals against average and a .570 save percentage. He finished fifth in the nation in GAA and 10th in save percentage. Bassett’s 7.07 goals against average is the second best by a JHU goalie since 1993 (Jesse Schwartman’s 6.68 GAA in 2005 is the best since records became available in ‘93).

Boland Returns: Senior attackman Chris Boland returned to the lineup against North Carolina after missing seven consecutive games with an injury he suffered 35 minutes into the season opener against Towson. Boland scored twice and dished out a pair of assists to push his season totals to six goals and two assists in just two games. Boland’s two-goal, two-assist showing vs. North Carolina pushed his career totals to 72 goals and 40 assists for 112 points. It was also his 26th career multi-point game and 17th game with four points or more.

Poll Position: The Blue Jays check in at number three in both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the USILA Poll to represent JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. Prior to falling out of the top 20 of the USILA Poll on April 26 and May 3, 2010 (JHU was receiving votes in both polls), the Blue Jays had been ranked in the top 20 in 367 consecutive polls dating back to the first poll in 1973.

More Poll Position: Including this week’s USILA Poll, there have been 391 weekly polls since the inception of the poll in 1973. Amazingly, JHU has been ranked in the top 20 in 389 of those 391 polls. The Blue Jays have been in the top 10 in 368 of the 391 and the top five in 294 of those 391. Johns Hopkins has been ranked number one 104 times since the poll debuted in 1973.

State Rivalries: Without question the Blue Jays play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and a big part of the schedule are the in-state rivalries the Blue Jays have. Including wins this season vs. Towson and UMBC, JHU is 55-4 (.932) against teams from Maryland under head coach Dave Pietramala.

Offensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU offense:
• JHU has scored at least one goal in 34 of 36 quarters this season and two or more in 29 of the 36 quarters.
• For all the talk about JHU being a slow down team, the Blue Jays are averaging 36.1 shots per game. That number compares favorably to JHU’s averages in 2005 (38.1) and 2007 (36.3) – the most recent years in which Johns Hopkins won the national championship.
• Johns Hopkins ranks 20th in the nation in scoring offense (10.33), 14th in extra-man offense (.455) and ninth in scoring margin (+3.66).

Defensive Notes of Interest: Below are several notes of interest about the JHU defense:
• Hopkins held Towson to just 18 shots and Manhattan to just 14. Hopkins is surrending an average of just 29.9 shots per game.
• Johns Hopkins has held each of its nine opponents scoreless for a stretch of at least 14:52 – eight of the nine have gone scoreless for 19:30 or longer.
• JHU has held the opposition scoreless in 12 of 36 quarters this season (33.3%).
• The Blue Jays rank fourth in the nation in scoring defense (6.67), 22nd in man-down defense (.677) and ninth in scoring margin (+3.66) this season.

Now That’s a Drought: The Johns Hopkins defense did not allow an even-strength goal for an amazing stretch of 116:37 from late in the win at Princeton through early in the fourth quarter of the win over UMBC. The Retrievers did score a pair of extra-man goals in the first half, but the first six-on-six goal they scored came 34 seconds into the fourth quarter.

About the Shutout: Shutouts in college lacrosse are rare, but JHU notched one with the 11-0 victory over Manhattan on March 6. Prior to that, the Blue Jays had last posted a shutout on March 26, 1988, when they knocked off Princeton, 9-0. The shutout vs. Manhattan was the 61st in school history with 57 of those 61 shutouts coming prior to 1950.

Noting JHU in the NCAA Tournament: Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

First to 900: Johns Hopkins’ 10-6 win at Towson in the 2011 season opener not only got the season off on the right foot for the Blue Jays, but also made history. The win was the 900th all-time in school history, making Johns Hopkins the first program to record 900 all-time wins. JHU now has 920 all-time wins.

That’s 625 Games Over .500: The Blue Jays’ all-time record is now 920-295-15 (.754) … that’s 625 games over .500. To put this in perspective: JHU has played an average of just over 15 games per season under head coach Dave Pietramala. Using a 15-game season as a reference, if the Blue Jays posted a 5-10 record for 125 straight seasons, they would still be five games over .500.

Yes, Mike (the Moose) Mussina deserves to be  in the Orioles Hall of Fame. For nine seasons he was the best pitcher the Orioles had. In fact, considering duration, numbers, awards and leadership, I have him in my top three (3) Oriole pitchers of all time. When Mussina pitched what was the first thing that came to your mind? I would say to myself - “We have a chance.” He showed up, he was a great talent, he was all business. Let me repeat that – he was all business.

Back in 2001, was I a little miffed when Mussina went to the highest bidder and it just so happened it was the Yankees. You’re darn right I was. Did I wish losses on Mussina and the Yankees? You’re darn right I did. Did I ask myself, what would have I done? You’re darn right I did. And you know what my answer was - I would have been playing for the Yankees. Let’s see, I’m a free agent, the team that drafted me and my current employer does not want to pay me what others are willing to pay and I have a shot at going to the World Series………real tough decision. See you later Pete.

Mussina was active in the community and represented the Orioles with a respectful demeanor. He lived somewhat local and showed up when duty called. I recall a fond memory with Michael Mussina during an Orioles Fanfest. I was with my mother, daughter and nephews – kids were all under 10 – we stood in line to get our picture taken with him. My daughter sat on his lap, the boys straddling on both sides of him, he shook their hands, took time to chat with us, gave us autographs when we weren’t in the “autograph” line, he dismissed that whole “assembly line” atmosphere. He appeared genuine. 

There were also many a memory from the ball field. The most vivid was me, listening on the radio and pulling the car over to the side of the road for the ninth inning,  in anticipation of a “perfect game” against the Cleveland Indians. One out – two to go – Sandy Alomar gets a single (I had to go to confession immediately following the game) - Mussina strikes out the last two batters. 28 batters, a one-hit shut-out, O’s won 3-0.

Besides being an excellent pitcher, he was also an excellent fielder. I believe he has a few Gold Gloves tucked away in his trophy case. Remember, I am old school (old school should not come into play here) - but anyway - Where did he finish up after his delivery? In the fielding position! Did you ever see him falling off the mound, ala 75% of the pitchers in todays game? How about that goofball from last year – Michael Gonzalez? Just wasn’t right, now was it? When you went to Camden Yards, tuned in to the television or radio and Mike Mussina was pitching…………9 times out of 10, you were at least going to get a professional effort.

In my book, he deserves it more than some of the other “stretches” the Orioles have inducted 0ver the years; Lee May, Dennis Martinez, Eddie Watt, Chris Hoiles, Doug DeCinces, Gene Woodling, Stu Miller, etc. ? All pretty darn good players in their day, but Hall of Fame worthy? Guess it depends on who is voting. They ought to slow down on the number of inductees, because there is going to come a time when we may see…………Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro and Roberto Alomar going in. My goodness, if that ever happens we may reach the “Tipping Point”.

Congrats Mike Mussina. Any “Boo Birds” on August 25th, I will be happy to assist and deter those “challenged” individuals from venting their self-induced frustration. Mussina earned this award. Heck, he even invented a pitch – the knuckle/curve. I still do not quite understand the dynamics of that whole knuckle/curve scenario. I still do not care -it was one heckava pitch.

You do not get “Something for Nothing” – (RUSH). And by all means, Mike Mussina acquired the stats and had the work ethic to earn a place on the wall. He did not only perform at a high level, he gave the Orioles organization and the fans – hope. Do you remember what that felt like?

D.I.Y.

Fedman