Awesome? Yes.

Worth it? Probably not.

Two F/A-18 pilots have been grounded — permanently — for this flyover at the Georgia Tech-Wake Forest game in Atlanta on Nov. 7. My esteemed Navy Times colleague Mark Faram reports that the two pilots went over the stadium too low, and that the commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic was not amused.

The pilots, who both attended Georgia Tech, are identified by Navy Times sources as Lt. Cmdr. Marc Fryman and Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Condon. Their boss, Rear Adm. R.J. O’Hanlon, reportedly did not buy the explanation that the low flyover was an “honest mistake,” and an investigation report obtained by Navy Times contained a scathing condemnation of the pilots’ actions.

“Fryman failed to provide effective [composite risk management] for his flight lead and allowed an unsafe flyby to occur with nearly tragic consequences,” O’Hanlon wrote of the mission commander. “Despite his spotless record, his complacent, passive response to a major altitude transgression is unforgivable in my view.

“Continued aviation service involving flying is not in the best interest of Lt. Cmdr. Fryman or the United States Navy.”

Oof.

From a completely non-military, non-journalistic view, I hope this incident doesn’t influence any universities or pro teams to decide against having flyovers. I’ve been to a few games where the flyover was easily the highlight of the afternoon (the only time I’ve ever seen a B-2 Spirit was at a North Carolina-Notre Dame football game a few years ago). It’d be a shame if this incident gives the people responsible for these events pause.

Read the full story on NavyTimes.com.

*Dino Gaudio, Wake Forest (Army 1994-1997)

* Mike Krzyzewski, Duke (Army 1975-1980, played at West Point from 1967-1969)

*Chris Mooney, Richmond (Air Force 2004-2005, assistant at Air Force for four seasons before that)

Am I missing anybody here?

Despite the team struggles, there were plenty of outstanding performers at all three schools. So I wondered: Who were the best players out the three schools? Then I wondered: Has anybody ever put together an all-service academy team?

Well, yes. Scout.com does it regularly for football. But not for basketball, as far as I can see (and I really didn’t look too hard). So giddyup. Here’s the (maybe) first-ever All-Service Academy Basketball Team, along with other awards for the 2009-10 season, presented by your friends at After Action:

Player of the Year: Chris Harris, Navy

A no-brainer here. Harris led the Patriot League in scoring, steals and 3-pointers. He had five 30-point games and went off for 40 points in a win over eventual league champion Lehigh.

Coach of the Year: Zach Spiker, Army

Spiker nearly led Army to its first winning season since 1985, which is especially impressive because he wasn’t even on West Point’s staff two months before the season started. Army may have fallen apart down the stretch, but it still managed to beat Navy once and finish a respectable, if disappointing, 14-15 — the best record among the three service academies.

Rookie of the Year: Michael Lyons, Air Force

Lyons averaged 26 minutes per game for the Falcons, and he finished fifth on the squad in scoring (6.9) and rebounding (3.0).

All-After Action Team:

• Chris Harris, Navy (Sr.) First-team All-Patriot selection was the only service academy player to be named to his conference’s first or second team. Averaged 21.1 points per game.
• Jordan Sugars, Navy (So.) Averaged 15.8 points and eight rebounds per game, good enough to be fourth in Patriot in scoring and third in rounding. Got robbed not making second team All-Patriot.
• Cleveland Richard, Army (Sr.) Army’s leading scorer, Richard was the only Black Knight to start every game. Finished 10th in Patriot in scoring (12.6) and second in steals (1.7).
• Evan Washington, Air Force (Sr.) Was named All-MWC Honorable Mention, the only Falcon to earn all-league recognition. Led the Falcons in rebounding per game (4.7) and was second on the team in scoring (10.3).
• Grant Parker, Air Force (Sr.) Led Air Force in scoring with 12.7 points per game and was second on the squad in rebounding. Injuries cost him 10 games, but he came up big in the Falcons’ two MWC wins.

Sixth Man:

• O.J. Avworo, Navy (Jr.). Led Patriot League in assists per game (5.8), had three double-doubles and finished with 10 or more assists in six different games.

Staff Sgt. Marshall Fitzgerald grew up in Hattiesburg, Miss. Although it might be blasphemy in those parts to cheer against Brett Favre, he is a life long New Orleans Saints fan.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MIZAN, Afghanistan -– Staff Sgt. Marshall Fitzgerald grew up in Hattiesburg, Miss., as a die hard New Orleans Saints fan. When the Saints finally marched into the Super Bowl, he was all set to watch quarterback Drew Brees pick apart Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts.

One problem. He is stationed in Afghanistan. FOB Bullard in the Zabul Province had a TV with Armed Forces Network, but the night of the Super Bowl a blizzard cut out the signal.

Panic set in. He raced to the computer in his room and had his wife set up the web cam in front of the TV, which he was able to watch via Yahoo Messenger. It might have had about a three minute delay, but he was able to watch Saints coach Sean Payton hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

For those deployed without a TV signal, Fitzgerald’s outside-of-the-box thinking might be of help for those wanting to watch the NCAA Tournament over the next couple weeks.

]]> http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/03/16/operationg-watch-super-bowl/feed/ 1 http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/03/16/march-madness-comes-to-mizan/ http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/03/16/march-madness-comes-to-mizan/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:42:45 +0000 Mike Hoffman http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/?p=1573

1st. Lt. Sean Snook rests after a long patrol outside FOB Mizan while waiting for the debrief.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MIZAN, Afghanistan -– March Madness has come to Afghanistan’s Zabul province.

Afghan Capt. Hamza Jawid got a quick lesson on American culture Monday from 1^st Lt. Sean Snook. The LT explained the phenomenon of March Madness to the Afghan captain over lunch after the town’s shura.

Staring at the 24-year-old U.S. officer with a confused look, Jawid had trouble understanding why Americans would subject themselves to madness for fun. Grabbing his head, Snook tried to tell the captain it was a good madness. Spending this season cheering for the streaky shooting Maryland guard Grevis Vasquez, I could understand the captain’s confusion.

Even though the 48 soldiers at FOB Mizan might be stationed amidst a collection of farms and villages, which are stuck in the 19^th century, doesn’t mean they can’t have a March Madness pool.

If you log onto ESPN.com, their group name is Mizan Madness.

]]> http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/03/16/march-madness-comes-to-mizan/feed/ 1 http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/03/15/shun-white-the-navy-and-the-nfl/ http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/03/15/shun-white-the-navy-and-the-nfl/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:13:52 +0000 Phil Creed http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/?p=1567

Shun White, seen playing for Navy during the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Dec. 2006, is under contract with the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Trivia question: Which NFL team has three members of the Naval Academy class of 2009 on its roster?

Answer: The New England Patriots.

One of those players is former standout slotback Shun White, whose current situation at the Naval Academy is examined in this week’s edition of Navy Times. White, who signed with the Patriots as a free agent in May 2009, was allowed to reschedule an exam in order to practice with New England last spring, according to one of colleague Phil Ewing’s sources. And close to a year after his classmates received their commissions, White remains at the academy.

Ewing talked with sources in the Navy community who are concerned that allowing White and officers in the fleet to be under contract with NFL teams gives football players an incentive to not fulfill their service commitments.

USNA Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk disagrees, telling Navy Times that letting former Navy players have relationships with an NFL team doesn’t mean that they’ll be allowed out of their service commitment:

“It’s very clear to everyone on the Yard … with those that will ask the question, ‘Is there any chance that the secretary of the Navy might release us to play in the NFL?’ The answer is ‘no’ here,” Gladchuk told Navy Times. “Number one, you’ve got an obligation to go serve; number two, the NFL knows very clearly that as a … sailor or Marine, there’s no chance at all for them to participate.”

Because the article is for subscribers only, I can’t give any more details out here, but I’d recommend logging in or picking up a copy of Navy Times to read the full story.

Oh, and the other two sailors on the Patriots roster? Ensign Eric Kettani, who played fullback for the Mids, and Ensign Tyree Barnes, who played wide receiver.

Chad Hall fights for yards during Air Force's win over Notre Dame his senior season in 2007. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Air Force 2nd Lt. Chad Hall took a trip from Hill Air Force Base to the University of Utah on Monday, where along with current and former Utah football players, he auditioned in front of NFL scouts at the university’s Pro Day combine.

It was a day for which the 2008 U.S. Air Force Academy graduate had been preparing for two years, sometimes working out after 12-hour days and often making the 40-minute drive to the university five or six times a week during the winter months in order to use indoor facilities there.

“It was work and then train and then sleep,” Hall said in an interview with After Action on Friday. “I had to give up my social life for a bit.”

When he got a call from the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, it confirmed Hall’s feeling that he’d performed well at the combine. The Eagles called him again Tuesday, and Wednesday he was on a flight to Philadelphia. Hall worked out for the Eagles again Thursday, and then was offered a three-year contract with the team to be their newest kick returner/wide receiver.

He then did an interview for the Eagles’ Web site, went to the airport and flew back to Utah.

Exhausting?

“A little bit, you could say that,” Hall said.

There won’t be much letup for Hall after these frantic five days. He’s now in the process of getting his early release from active duty, which he’s allowed to apply for after serving 24 months of his commitment, according to official Defense Department policy. Hall is unsure how long the process will take, and for now he’s remains maintenance officer for the 421st Fighter Squadron, which is part of 388th Fighter Wing at Hill.

According to DoD policy, if a service member is granted early release from active duty, he will serve in the Reserve for double the time of his remaining active duty obligation, which would be six years for Hall. Service members granted early release are also subject to repay the cost of their educational benefits, which is prorated based on the amount of active-duty time served.

Hall said he’s received plenty of congratulations and support from his fellow airmen at Hill, but that it’s not easy to face leaving them.

“They’re excited for me. They also don’t want to lose me. It’s a tough situation,” Hall said. “I’ve been here for two years and made a lot of close friends. I’ve met a bunch of great men and women.”

‘A slam dunk‘

Hall was a versatile offensive threat at the academy, where he capped his career with a phenomenal season in 2007. That year he led Air Force in rushing with 1,478 yards (second most in school history), had 50 receptions for 524 yards and scored 24 total touchdowns en route to being named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Hall also had 681 combined punt and kick return yards his senior season, and returning kicks is probably the 180-pound Hall’s best chance at making the Eagles.

Anthony Patch, the Eagles’ assistant director of college scouting, watched Hall’s performance at Utah on Monday and came away impressed with his both his overall quickness and his skills as a wide receiver.

“The shuttle times were outstanding. His short-area drills, all the footballs he caught, he did exceptionally well. He looked really good,” Patch said on PhiladelphiaEagles.com.

When Hall came to the Philadelphia on Thursday for his up-close workout, more members of the Eagles coaching and personnel staffs evaluated him. Hall made believers of them as well, and the team didn’t hesitate to offer him a contract.

“There wasn’t a reason to delay. The really good teams, I think, are on the good players quickly. There were other teams interested, but we did our due diligence and got a full vibe on the entire situation. We knew that sooner or later a team was going to take a stab on the kid, so there was absolutely no reason to wait around,” Ryan Grigson, the Eagles’ director of player personnel, said on PhiladelphiaEagles.com. “People may say, ‘Oh, this kid hasn’t played in two years’ and all of that, but we had to trust what we saw. … To me, it was a slam dunk to sign him.”

Hall follows the NFL closely and believes Philadelphia will be a good fit for his talents.

“Their offense is a spread offense, very West Coast,” Hall said. “They try to get the ball to people in open space. As a player I’m pretty versatile. There’s a lot of different positions I’ll be looking at.”

Air Force's Grant Parker kindly removes an eyelash from the face of New Mexico's A. J. Hardeman during the Falcons' 75-69 loss to the Lobos. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

As expected, Air Force lost to New Mexico this afternoon. But to their credit, the outmatched Falcons at least made the No. 1-seeded Lobos scratch and claw their way to a 75-69 win in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Las Vegas didn’t think this game would be close and favored New Mexico by 17.5 points. After all, the Lobos are ranked eighth in the country. They haven’t lost a game since Jan. 9 and were 28-3 going into the game.

On the other hand, Air Force won only one regular season game in MWC play this year, one year after going winless in the conference during the regular season. The Falcons won the MWC tourney play-in game yesterday, shutting down Wyoming in a 59-40 win, but had lost nine straight going into that game.

So today on less than 24 hours of rest, Air Force players strapped their shoes on and took the floor with a New Mexico squad primed to run them out of the gym. But it didn’t happen.

Air Force trailed by seven at halftime and pulled to within one point midway through the second half. New Mexico eventually opened up an 11-point lead late in the game, only to see the Falcons — led by a Tom Fow 3-pointer — cut the lead back to back to five.

New Mexico coach Steve Alford took his hat off to Air Force after the game.

“I think [Air Force coach] Jeff [Reynolds] in the last two to three weeks has done more with his team than anybody in this league,” Alford said to The (Colorado Springs) Gazette after the game. “You’ve seen it coming. They have played really hard. Their young guys are getting more confident.”

Air Force's Mike McLain, left, and Avery Merriex do their best to ensure a soft landing for New Mexico's Dairese Gary. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Today was apparently “sign a service member” day in the NFL. Former Army safety Caleb Campbell has been offered a contract by the Detroit Lions, according to goblackknights.com. This news comes on the heels of former Air Force Academy all-purpose man Chad Hall inking a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Campbell is still stationed at Fort Sill, Okla., according to goblackknights.com, but is in the process of being released from active duty.

Campbell was drafted by the Lions in the seventh round of the 2008 draft. He attended a team mini-camp but was denied the chance to sign a contract with the team. Then-Army Secretary Pete Geren changed the Army policy on service members playing pro sports, requiring Campbell and other soldiers to serve at least two years on active duty before being allowed to ask for an early release from their obligation.

The old Army policy would have allowed Campbell to play for the Lions after he graduated from West Point. My colleague Michelle Tan explains:

In the past, the Army allowed soldiers to be released from active duty commitments to participate in pro sports and other activities that offer the Army a recruiting or public affairs benefit. Soldiers serving the two years on active duty could be assigned to the recruiting unit closest to the location of their sports team or activity. The soldier would then conduct recruiting activities to support the Army instead of, for example, serving in a line unit in Iraq.

The Army perhaps showed tremendous foresight by not allowing Campbell to play in Detroit, as he avoided being a member of the dreadful 0-16 squad that was quite possibly the worst team in NFL history.

Last season one service academy graduate — New Orleans Saints fullback Kyle Eckel — played in the NFL.

Chad Hall, left, avoids Notre Dame linebacker Brian Smith during the Falcons' win in South Bend in Nov. 2007. Hall rushed for 149 yards and had 31 receiving yards in the game. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Former Air Force Academy running back/receiver Chad Hall signed a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles today.

Hall was the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in 2007, when he rushed for 1,478 yards and caught 50 passes for 524 yards. That season he was the only player in the nation to lead his team in rushing, receiving and return yards.

According to the AP article, Hall has been serving at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, for the past two years.

Former Staff Sgt. Heath Calhoun speaks with Donald Rumsfeld in 2006. (Defense Department photo)

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.

Air Force's Saj El-Amin and the rest of the bench celebrate a run against during Air Force's 59-40 win over Wyoming in the MWC tournament Wednesday. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Air Force held Wyoming scoreless for the last 5:27 of the second half to run away with a 59-40 win in the first round of the Mountain West Conference tournament this afternoon in Las Vegas.

It’s the second straight year Air Force has won the play-in game despite having a dismal MWC regular season and finishing dead last in the conference. The Falcons only won one MWC game this year, at home against Wyoming on Jan. 30. Since then Air Force has dropped nine in a row.

Senior forward Grant Parker led Air Force in scoring with 15 points. Freshman guard Michael Lyons came off the bench to add 11.

This was Air Force’s first win away from home since last year’s upset over Colorado State in the MWC tourney. Must be something about Vegas that agrees with the Falcons.

Here’s the ESPN box score.

Air Force doesn’t get much time to celebrate the win. They play No. 1 seed New Mexico (26-3) on Thursday at 1 p.m. PT. But his may not be as bad a matchup as you’d think — Air Force actually gave New Mexico a big scare during a 59-56 loss on Feb. 20.

More pics from the Wyoming game after the jump:

Evan Washington shoots over a Wyoming defender during Air Force's 59-40 win in the Mountain West tournament. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Evan Washington passes around Wyoming's Adam Waddell. Washington finished with six points, four rebounds and three assists. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Air Force's Grant Parker guards Wyoming's Desmar Jackson. Parker finished with a team-high 15 points. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds makes a point during his team's win over Wyoming on Wednesday. Reynolds is now 2-2 in MWC tournament games during his career. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Woody Weatherby, a Navy veteran, and Kris McCray, a veteran of the Army Reserve, are among the 28 middleweight fighters selected to be part of the cast of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz.”

McCray, 28, is 5-0 as a professional, with four wins coming via submission and one by TKO. All of his wins have come in the first round.

McCray served as utilities equipment repairer in the Army Reserve from 2001-2009, according to information provided by the Army, and was discharged as a private first class.

Weatherby, 27, is 7-3 as a pro. He served in the Navy for four years, most which was spent as an operations specialist aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, according to information provided by the Navy. Weatherby left the service in 2004 as an E-5, and had earned the Navy “E” Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.

TUF 11 debuts March 31 on Spike TV. Here’s a video from Spike introducing the cast:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Air Force forward Zach Bohannon topples over Wyoming's Amath M'Baye during the Falcons' loss to the Cowboys on March 2. (AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang, Andy Carpenean)

For the second straight year, the Air Force men’s basketball team is playing in the first round of the Mountain West Conference tournament in Las Vegas, otherwise known as the “play-in” game.

Having won just one MWC game this season, the Falcons are the No. 9 seed. They’ll face No. 8 Wyoming tomorrow for a chance to play No. 1 New Mexico in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

It’s not necessarily stunning that Air Force is in the play-in game for the second straight year. Most programs have their ups and downs, and for a long time, Air Force was way, way down. Before the 2003-2004 season, the Falcons hadn’t had a winning record in 25 years.

But while lean years are to be expected, it is surprising just how far the Falcons have fallen in the past two years.

In 2007, Air Force made the NIT semifinals. The season before that, the Falcons earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. And two years before that, in 2004, Air Force also earned an at-large bid to the big dance. The Falcons had five staight winning seasons from 2004-2008, and never finished below .500 in the MWC during that time.

But last season everything fell apart. Air Force dropped every single MWC regular season game en route to a 10-21 finish. This year they’ve only managed to win one conference game — against Wyoming, tomorrow’s play-in opponent.

Think that’s a bad two seasons? It could be worse. Just take a look at the Air Force women’s team.

With a 63-40 loss to Utah in the MWC tournament today, the women have now dropped 37 consecutive conference games dating back to 2007-2008. The program hasn’t had a winning season since 1993-1994, and has only won one MWC tournament game since joining the league in 1999-2000.

An interesting stat in yesterday’s (Colorado Springs) Gazette noted that no NCAA Div. I school has more combined men’s and women’s conference losses than Air Force over the last two seasons. The two programs were 1-63 in regular season play.

This was originally posted by colleague Phil Ewing on our Scoop Deck blog, which covers all things Navy. Videographer Colin Kelly made his way to Annapolis last month for the Naval Academy’s brigade boxing championships and caught some of the action.

The Saints have not tendered an offer to the fullback, who was signed during the season to replace injured starter Heath Evans. According to Jeff Evans of the Times Picayune, “it looks as though the club is not interested in bringing back” Eckel, who is one of only four restricted free agents not tendered an offer by the Saints. Meanwhile, New Orleans has signed an another free agent fullback for a bargain price, which is probably another sign the team will be moving in a diffferent direction.

The Saints rarely used a fullback during their playoff run, though Eckel did see a good deal of snaps in the team’s playoff victory over Arizona. He was also in on a failed third-and-goal running play (but made a solid block) on the second-quarter drive where the Colts stopped the Saints on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

Kicked out of the Navy in 2006, Eckel has played for four teams since his military commitment abruptly ended — Miami, New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans. His younger brother Kevin is now attending the Naval Academy and playing football.

Inspired by the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada, deployed service members in Iraq and Afghanistan held their own athletic competitions. At COB Speicher in Iraq, U.S. Division North held a “biathlon” for 40 soldiers, one sailor and one  airman. The event had them run 3.7 miles out to a firing range where they had to shoot for score and then the same distance back to the finish line at COB Speicher. They were scored by a combination of run-time and their shooting score. The event was won by:

• Spc. Douglas Long (US), Male Winner, 2/25th AVN Bn., 25th ID CAB
• 1st Lt. Valerie Aquino (US), Female Winner, 209th ASB, 25th ID CAB

At Kandahar Air Base, it was more of a team effort as the USA (Army) took on Canada (Army) in a hockey final rematch. There wasn’t any ice, but there was plenty of sand for them to slide around on.

For awhile, Army looked to be on track to pull off a stunner. The Black Knights led Lehigh at halftime and early into the second half before the Mountain Hawks, led by Patriot League Player of the Year C.J. McCollum, stormed back to win 64-45. McCollum, a freshman, finished with a game-high 19 points.

Senior Cleveland Richard led Army in scoring with nine points. As a team, the Black Knights were 2-14 from behind the arc and had 18 turnovers.

Army finishes 14-15 in their first campaign under coach Zach Spiker. Despite a very strong start that included five wins over Ivy League schools, a dismal 2-9 finish doomed the Black Knights to their 25th consecutive losing season.

Here’s box score.

Here’s a brief game story.

Navy trailed American for much of their game in Washington D.C., and fell behind by 10 with a 1:10 left. But the Mids rallied to cut the Eagle lead to 1 with seven seconds left. A last second shot fell short, and Navy lost 62-60.

Senior guard Chris Harris, who led the Patriot in scoring this season, finished with 20 points. Sophomore guard Jordan Sugars added 13 points.

Navy finishes the season on a four-game losing streak. Tonight’s  loss was their 10th straight in the Patriot League tournament.

Here’s a brief game story.

Here’s a box score.

Let’s start with Army. How bad have things been for the Black Knights? Well, their best month of the season came in 2009. Army has dropped eight of their last 10 games to finish dead last in the Patriot. In the process, they blew a chance to secure the program’s first winning season in 25 years.

Navy is on a three-game losing skid, and lost four of their last five after briefly flirting with a winning season and a regular season championship. The Mids only needed to win one of the last three games to lock up a home game in the tournament, and they failed to do so. Navy can compete with anyone in the Patriot, which they showed by twice beating regular season champion Lehigh. But they also lost to lowly Holy Cross and last-place Army.

I could go on and on about each team’s negatives. But you know what? Nobody in the Patriot League has been dominant this season, and as the cliche goes, anything can happen in postseason.

No. 8 Army at No. 1 Lehigh

Army struggled mightily in Patriot League play this year, including two double-digit losses to Lehigh. First-year coach Zach Spiker took over just before the season started and rallied the Black Knights to an impressive 10-4 start, but the wheels came off in the second half of the season.

Lehigh is led by stud freshman CJ McCollum, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year. Seniors Marquis Hall and Zahir Carrington were second team All-Patriot, giving the Mountain Hawks the most all-conference players in the Patriot. Army’s defense has been their strength throughout the season, but they’re up against a dynamic offensive attack.

However, history is on the Black Knights’ side. Army has  played Lehigh three consecutive seasons in the Patriot League quarterfinals, and they’ve beaten Lehigh three straight times. So maybe, just maybe, Army will be in the Lehigh players’ heads.

My pick: Lehigh. I want to got with Army, I really do. But this is a bad, bad matchup for a team on the ropes.

No. 5 Navy at No. 4 American

American swept Navy this season, including a somewhat controversial double overtime loss in Annapolis last week.

Navy will be led, as usual, by first-team All-Patriot League selection Chris Harris, who led the conference in scoring, 3-pointers and steals this season. Sophomore Jordan Sugars is another consistent scoring threat, finishing third in the league in rebounding and 3-pointers, and fourth in  in scoring (how did this guy not make first team all-Patriot?). However, the key to Navy’s attack may be junior guard O.J. Ovworo, who averaged 5. 7 assists per game. If he has less than five assists per game, Navy usually loses.

History does not favor the Mids. Navy hasn’t won a Patriot tournament game since 2001. Conversely, AU hasn’t lost a quarterfinal game during that same span.

My pick: Navy. The Mids know they had victory in their grasp last week, and they won’t let it slip away this time.

For a full preview of the Patriot tournament, go here.

If you’re a Marine and you follow mixed martial arts, you’ve probably heard of Sgt. George Lockhart, a martial arts instructor trainer assigned to the Martial Arts Center of Excellence at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

Lockhart, who’s been a professional fighter since he was 18, was selected to be on Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” late last year.

But the Corps told him he couldn’t go, saying op temp at the MACE was too high and citing concerns about the other contestants on the show.

I’ve told a lot of people in my chain, it’s like a little kid that has a Christmas present that he wants but he didn’t get for Christmas,” Lockhart said. “Obviously, you are going to wish you had it, but I got over it real quickly. It’s not my final shot or anything of that nature.”

Check out the full story here.

Terrelle Pryor scores a touchdown in Ohio State's 31-27 win over Navy in Sept. 2009. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

Navy will never be able to host a true home game to Ohio State, but this is the next best thing. The Mids and Buckeyes will square off on Labor Day weekend in 2014 at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens.

M&T seats 71,000, which is more than double than Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis can hold. But it’s still not as big as Ohio Stadium (”The Horseshoe”) in Columbus, which seats more than 102,000. It was at The Shoe where Navy and Ohio State played a classic last season, with the Buckeyes intercepting and returning a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to seal the 31-27 victory.

The announcement of the 2014 matchup gives me an excuse to post a pretty sweet highlight film from the 1981 Liberty Bowl between the Buckeyes and Mids that I stumbled across last week. What a game this was, apparently. I had no idea, and it’s worth a watch if you’re a Navy fan or just a college football fan.

Enjoy, and be on the lookout for a few things:

* The punting games. Wow. Just wow.

* Joe Theismann, still a Washington Redskin and years before his awful leg injury, is the color analyst. The other announcer? The legendary Harry Kalas.

*Navy great Napoleon McCallum, years before his awful leg injury, makes a crucial play for the Mids late in the game.

* Art Schlichter, a few years before he became a bust in the NFL and went to prison for gambling-related crimes, is the QB for Ohio State.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Members of USA-1, including pilot Steven Holcomb, second from left, celebrate their gold medal finish during the men's four-man bobsled final competition at the Vancouver Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia on Saturday. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

Former soldier Steven Holcomb piloted the USA-1 bobsled Saturday to the United States’ first gold medal in four-man bobsled since 1948.

Along with teammates Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz, Holcomb set the track record during the first heat on Friday and then set it again on the second run to take a commanding lead. Two more strong runs Saturday ensured the “Night Train” sled piloted by Holcomb would give the U.S. its first gold in the four-man in 62 years.

The win caps an amazing journey for Holcomb, a former Utah National Guardsman who needed surgery in 2008 to overcome a severe eye problem. This week he conquered one of the fastest and most dangerous sliding tracks in the world, driving so well Friday that a German competitor called Holcomb’s performance “super-genius.” Turn 13 of the Whistler track offered a particularly daunting challenge to the drivers, and Holcomb had dubbed it “50-50″ last year after seeing so many crashes while he was training there.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had my problems there as well,” Holcomb said afterward. “In the two-man, I had to have a little talk with the 50-50 and made sure we had everything worked out.”

For the other three National Guardsmen competing, the Whistler track proved tougher to cope with.

USA-2, piloted by Sgt. John Napier, crashed during Friday’s heats. Napier, a member of the Vermont National Guard and the Army World Class Athlete Program, strained his neck and was forced to withdraw. Fellow guardsman 1st Lt. John Fogt was a brakeman on Napier’s sled.

USA-3, piloted by Virginia National Guard Sgt. Mike Kohn, finished 13th overall.

More images of the U.S. victory and the Guard competitors after the jump.

USA-1, with Steven Holcomb, Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler, and Curtis Tomasevicz, start their third run during the men's four-man bobsled final competition in Whistler, British Columbia, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

USA-1 driver Steven Holcomb waves to the crowd after the third run during the men's four-man bobsled final competition Saturday. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

Germany's Andre Lange, left, gives the United States' Steven Holcomb a playful punch during the flower ceremony after the men's four-man bobsled final competition Saturday. Lange's team won the silver and Holcomb's team won the gold. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

USA-2 driver Sgt. John Napier, getting out of sled, and teammates Charles Berkeley, Steven Langton, and Christopher Fogt crashed during the men's four-man bobsled competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics on Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

]]> http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/02/27/former-soldier-wins-olympic-gold/feed/ 0 http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/02/26/teela-biathlon-relay-team-finish-13th/ http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2010/02/26/teela-biathlon-relay-team-finish-13th/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:07:33 +0000 Phil Creed http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/?p=1443 In his final event of the 2010 Olympics, Army Sgt. Jeremy Teela and his teammates finished 13th overall in the 4×7.5 kilometer relay today in British Columbia.

The relay event concludes Teela’s third Olympics, which saw him record the highest finish ever by an American in a biathlon event  when he finished 9th overall in the 10 kilometer sprint on Feb. 14.

Teela is a member of the Vermont National Guard and the Army World Class Athlete Program.

Team USA's Jeremy Teela (28) races in the 15 kilometer mass start biathlon event at the Whistler Olympic Park at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in Whistler, B.C. He finished 29th with a time of 38:36.1. (Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY)

Sgt. Jeremy Teela will race and shoot in his final biathlon event today at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Teela and three teammates from Team USA will compete in the men’s 4×7.5 kilometer relay, which begins at 11:30 a.m. PST. Unfortunately the race will not be televised live, at least not where I live. You may want to check NBC’s site to be sure about your location.

The U.S. has never medaled in a biathlon event at the Olympics. However Teela, a member of the Vermont National Guard and the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, had the best-ever finish for an American in biathlon by finishing ninth in the 10-kilmoter sprint on Feb. 14.

Since that strong start in Vancouver, Teela has been hit with a run of bad luck. First, a bizarre error by a starter in the 12.5 kilometer pursuit cost Teela a penalty that helped land him in 24th place overall. Teela then missed the 20-kilometer race on Feb. 18 because of an illness. Three days later he competed in the 15 kilometer mass start and finished 29th overall.

Teela will be Team USA’s anchor today. Earlier this week on his Twitter page he said that he’s over his head cold, so it appears that his health will not be an issue.

Air Force guard Evan Washington (35) passes to forward Taylor Broekhuis (34) during the Falcons' loss to Utah last night in Colorado Springs. (AP Photo/The Gazette, Kevin Kreck)

Army, Navy and Air Force were all losers last night. For Navy, the defeat had significant postseason ramifications. Army’s loss was meaningless as far the  postseason goes, but it does dim their hopes of finally finishing with a winning record. And for Air Force, it was another loss in year that probably can’t end soon enough.

Mids on a skid

Probably no loss was more painful than Navy’s double overtime thriller against American. Navy’s 80-77 defeat is their second in a row, and it appears to have come in a most painful — and controversial — manner. More importanly, the Mids blew a chance to wrap up a home quarterfinal game in the Patriot League tournament.

Amercian sent the game into double overtime thanks to a wild sequence of events in the final seconds of the first OT. Navy’s Jordan Sugars hit a “near miraculous” shot to put Navy ahead by two points with 1.5 seconds left. American then heaved the ball downcourt on the inbounds, where it was knocked away from the Eagle who caught it, according to the Washington Post account of the game. From there it bounced to American’s Joe Hill, who somehow managed to sink a shot before the buzzer.

Navy coach Billy Lange told reporters after the game that he had a hard to believing that so much could happen in so little time.

“I am curious to how a ball can get tipped twice, bounce on the floor, picked up and shot in 1.5 seconds,” Lange told the Post.

In the second OT, Navy played without leading scorer Chris Harris and starting point guard O.J. Ovworo because each had fouled out. The Mids hung tough, but could only muster five points with so many key parts missing.

Navy (13-15, 7-6) could still finish in the top four in the Patriot (and thus earn a home quarterfinal game) if they win at Colgate on Saturday. But if they lose, the Mids will need an American loss to Lafayette to stay in the top four. Navy could finish as high as third place if they win and Bucknell loses to … wait for it … Army.

Army continues to tumble

The chance to wrap up a winning season at West Point is slowly sliding away. Last night Lafayette came to town and destroyed the Black Knights, 80-54. It was the most points Army has allowed all season. The lopsided loss is somewhat shocking considering the Black Knights had scored an emotional win over Navy last Saturday, and were playing at Christl Arena, where they had only lost once previously this season.

Despite the late-season swoon, Army (14-13, 4-9) can still clinch its first winning season in 25 years by beating Bucknell on Saturday at West Point. Army lost to Bucknell (13-16, 8-5) in the teams’ first meeting in January.

Despite the early success for Army, their spotty performance in Patriot League play means they can finish no higher than seventh place in the regular season, and will thus play their first Patriot League tournament game on the road.

On the positive, and slightly strange side, Army senior forward Cleveland Richard became the program’s all-time steals leader last night, passing teammate Josh Miller. Richard has been Army’s most steady player this year, leading the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game.

So much for momentum

Air Force guard Evan Washington (35) and forward Grant Parker fight Utah's Kim Tillie for a loose ball in the first half Wednesday. (AP Photo/The Gazette, Kevin Kreck)

Air Force may have played its best game of the season last Saturday in a 59-56 loss at No. 12 New Mexico. But the Falcons were unable to follow up that strong showing last night at home against Utah, who held Air Force to their lowest point total of the season in a 54-43 victory.

“We definitely didn’t take a step forward tonight,” Air Force senior Grant Parker told the (Colorado Springs Gazette) after the game. “And I don’t know exactly why we didn’t come out and play better.”

Air Force has three regular season games remaining before the Mountain West Conference tournament. The Falcons have now lost 27 of their last 28 regular season games in the MWC. Their only win in conference this season came at home against Wyoming. Air Force will play the Cowboys again next Tuesday on the road.

USA-1, piloted by Sgt. Shauna Rohbock, with brakeman Michelle Rzepka, compete yesterday in the women's two-man bobsled competition final at the 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Utah National Guard Sgt. Shauna Rohbock fell short of the medal stand yesterday at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Rohbock and brakeman Michelle Rzepka finished sixth overall in the USA-1 sled. The USA-2 sled won the bronze medal, and the USA-3 sled finished fifth.

The result was a disappointment for Rohbock, a silver medalist in the 2006 Olympics.

““It wasn’t the Olympics that I dreamed of for four years, but the U.S. got a medal today and that’s amazing,” said Rohbock, a member of the National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program. “That’s awesome. That’s all I want to see, is the U.S. on the medals stand.”

Read more here.

It took us awhile, but we came across the genius work of CDR Salamander who runs a fantastic blog on all things Navy. Check him out.

He was the first to break the story of Marcus Curry’s failed drug test at the Naval Academy. The video gives a blow-by-blow of the reaction at Sail Boat U.

Sgt. Mike Kohn settles into the bobsleigh in front of brakeman Bill Schuffenhauer during two-man bobsleigh training heats Feb. 18 at the Whistler Sliding Center in Whistler, B.C. (Photo by Christopher Gannon/ USA TODAY)

The USA-2 two-man bobsleigh team of driver Sgt. John Napier, a soldier in the Vermont National Guard, and brakeman Steve Langton navigate turn 15 during two-man bobsleigh training heats Feb. 18 . They finished 10th in the final standings. (Photo by Christopher Gannon, USA TODAY)

USA-1, piloted by former soldier Steven Holcomb with brakeman Curtis Tomasevicz, competes during the men’s two-man bobsled final competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, on Feb. 21. They were the top American team, finishing in 6th place. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

A record crowd was on hand at Christl Arena on Saturday to see Army beat Navy 69-50. (ArmySports.com photo)

The Army men’s basketball team has two basketball games left. Win one of them, and they’ve wrapped up the program’s first winning season since 1984-85.

By crushing Navy on Saturday to improve to 14-12 overall (4-8) Patriot, the Black Knights stopped a disastrous three-game losing skid that put their shot at winning record in peril. The Black Knights now must win one game to ensure a 15-13 finish in the regular season, which means they could lose their conference tournament quarterfinal game and still end up with a winning record (16-15). If Army loses both regular season games, they must win at least two conference tournament games to finish above .500.

Army’s final two games are against Lafayette on Wednesday night and Bucknell on Saturday. On paper, each game looks daunting for the boys from West Point. Lafayette and Bucknell are third and second, respectively, in the Patriot League, and each squad has beaten Army this year.

The one crucial advantage swinging in Army’s favor is that the last two games are at West Point.

Army set a Christl Arena attendance record on Saturday, and head coach Zach Spiker was so impressed with the atmosphere at the game that he wrote a letter to fans thanking them for the turnout. Army has won 10 of 11 games at Christl this season, and Spiker wants all the help he can get finishing out these last two regular season games:

We have a big week ahead of us and are fortunate that we get the chance to play in front of our home crowd in each of our last two regular-season games. We will definitely need everyone’s continued efforts to climb as high as we can in the league standings and generate momentum heading into the postseason.

Saturday certainly was a great day for Army fans. But for one cadet (I assume it’s a cadet) and his girlfriend, the beatdown of Navy was made all the more special by a successful marriage proposal:

Click here to view the embedded video.

See CBS’s highlights of the game after the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wyatt Middleton, left, and Ricky Dobbs

Quarterback Ricky Dobbs and safety Wyatt Middleton have been selected as captains of Navy’s football team next season, head coach Ken Niumatalolo announced last week.

“It’s a great honor for Ricky and Wyatt to be elected team captains by their teammates and there is no doubt in my mind they will do a phenomenal job” Niumatalolo said. “They have been team leaders since the day they set foot on campus and I am confident they will provide great leadership on the field, in the classroom and in Bancroft Hall.”

Dobbs was the engine of the Navy offense last season, leading the Mids to 10 wins, including a victory in the Texas Bowl. He set an NCAA record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 27, was MVP of the Army-Navy game and played much of the season with a knee injury that required surgery last month.

Middleton, a three-year letterman with 38 career starts at Navy, finished last season with 68 tackles and a team-high four interceptions.

This masterpiece is headed to a new home. (Army photo)

… $125.

A high roller named ZIPPY put in the winning bid for the awesome Mike Krzyzewski bobblehead previously advertised on ArmySports.com’s auction Web site. The auction ended at 12:15 p.m. ET today, and according to the site, only three bids were made. But that doesn’t make sense. On Friday, three bids had been made, somebody named COLONELBOB had put in the highest bid at $70.

Anyway, the most exciting auction in After Action history is now complete, and I’d love to hear from all involved. If the person who bought the Coach K bobblehead reads this, please send me an e-mail describing the joy you felt upon winning the bobblehead, the excitement in your heart as you opened the package after it was delivered, and maybe some pictures of yourself with the brilliant little fella. If COLONELBOB or any other bidders are out there, let me know me the pain you felt upon being 0utbid for this David in Short Shorts.

New Mexico's Dairese Gary screams as the buzzer goes off at the end of New Mexico a 59-56 victory over Air Force Feb. 20 in Albuquerque. Walking away at right is Air Force's Grant Parker. (AP Photo/Albuquerque Journal, Roberto E. Rosales)

There’s no such thing as a moral victory, right?

Nonsense.

Air Force proved that Saturday by almost pulling off the stunner of the weekend by going on the road and nearly beating No. 12 New Mexico. The Lobos hit a late basket and some free throws to win 59-56, but not before Air Force gave them a helluva (and totally unexpected) challenge.

This season has been a painful mess for the Falcons, as they’ve suffered through a rash of injuries and another dreadful showing in Mountain West Conference play. Last Saturday, BYU beat Air Force by 43 points, the third-worse loss in program history. So going into this past weekend, it was safe to assume New Mexico would throttle Air Force, just like they did in Colorado Springs a few weeks earlier.

Wrong.

Air Force (9-16, 1-11) turned in a gritty performance, proving that they “can compete with anybody,” in the words of senior forward Grant Parker, who led the Falcons with 17 points, including 15 in the second half.

Air Force took the lead in the final minute, and even managed two shots to try and re-take the lead in the final moments. Win or lose, the performance showed plenty of guts, and had to have restored some confidence in the  previously shaky squad. Air Force proved to themselves that they’re far better than the team that lost by 48 points to BYU. The Falcons held New Mexico to less than 60 points for the first time this season, and shot better than 50 percent from the field.

“A loss is always tough,” senior guard Avery Merriex said after the game. “I feel like you can learn some things. Last week when we went to BYU we weren’t that focused. Coach really made a point of telling us we always have to be focused. That helped us play a little better this time.”

It’ll be interesting to see if Air Force can parlay their newfound confidence into a couple wins in the last four games of the year. The New Mexico game will not save their season, but it could go a long way towards moving the program in the right direction. The Falcons have only won one MWC game so far this year, and they’ll be an incredible longshot to make a run in the conference tournament. But there is no reason for Air Force to believe they can’t build on Saturday and pull of an upset or two in the season’s final weeks.

More pictures from the game after the jump.

Air Force's Evan Washington, right, attempts a shot over New Mexico's Dairese Gary. (AP Photo/Albuquerque Journal, Roberto E. Rosales)

Air Force's Todd Fletcher passes the ball to teammate Evan Washington during New Mexico's 59-56 win on Feb. 20. (AP Photo/Albuquerque Journal, Roberto E. Rosales)

The 2010 Alaska National Guard Iron Dog kicked off today, and two Alaska Army National Guard soldiers are among the competitors.

The event, which runs through Feb. 27, is touted as the the world’s longest and toughest snowmobile race. Warrant Officer Rick Fleming and Staff Sgt. Elaine Jackson will represent the Guard in the trail class portion of the race, from Big Lake to Nome.

“Our goal is to be the first trail class team to reach Nome and for Jackson to be the first woman to reach Nome since 2001,” Fleming said.

In the 2007 event, Fleming and his teammate reached Nome first, and he hopes for success yet again. Fleming has competed in the Iron Dog twice and has 10 years of riding experience.

This will be Jackson’s first Iron Dog.

“I grew up riding snowmachines and dirt bikes,” she said. “I took a break while serving on active duty in the Army, mainly because I was stationed in warmer locations, but got back into it when I moved to Alaska in 2002 and joined the Guard in 2007.”

Fleming and Jackson have been riding together for two years. They have put in more than 900 miles and countless hours this season to prepare for Iron Dog, which follows the historic Iditarod trail.

The soldiers’ event, the Iron Dog’s trail class, begins today, Feb. 19, in Big Lake, Alaska. They will be one of the 14 teams competing. The Iron Dog pro class, featuring 29 teams, begins two days later and follows the same route to Nome but continues on and finishes in downtown Fairbanks on Feb. 27.

The route from Big Lake to Fairbanks is 1,971 miles and runs through 25 communities. Riders can reach up to 100 miles an hour, and they have to keep an eye out for moose, sled dog teams and fight low light and visibility conditions.

“Alaska can be an unforgiving place, so we need to make sure we’re watching out for one another out here,” Fleming said. “Some parts of the trail can be pretty miserable, but it’s great to represent the Guard while riding a snowmachine in the last frontier.”

The prize purse for this year’s event is worth $184,400. Not bad.

Air Force's Evan Washington and the rest of the Falcons are struggling through another tough year in the Mountain West. (AP Photo/The Gazette, Kevin Kreck)

Air Force has had a week to recover from the battering it took at the hands of No. 16 BYU. But on Saturday the beleaguered Falcons head back to the court to face one of the hottest teams in the nation in No. 12 New Mexico.

So the question is: After losing all but one of their conference games so far, after getting crushed by 43 points at BYU, after nine losses by more than 20 points, after injury on top of injury, what is the mindset of the Falcons going into the homestretch?

Jake Schaller of the The (Colorado Springs) Gazette examines Air Force’s psyche in an article today that looks into whether the losing has “shattered” the Falcons’ confidence.

Junior guard Evan Washington said the Falcons’ confidence is “up and down right now.” Senior center Mike McLain said “after a 43-point loss, there’s no way to say that it’s great.” And [head coach Jeff] Reynolds labeled it “fragile.”

“Fragile” is not a good state of mind for Air Force going into tomorrow. New Mexico (24-3, 10-2) beat Air Force (1-10, 9-15) by 23 points earlier this year at Clune Arena. New Mexico has won 10 games in a row, including two victories over ranked opponents. If Air Force gets down early against the Lobos, things could (again) get very out of hand.

There’s little relief for the Falcons in the four games after New Mexico, either. UNLV and San Diego State both beat the Falcons handily earlier this season. Even Wyoming, who Air Force beat Jan. 30 for their only MWC win, will certainly be the favorite when Air Force travels there on March 2.

Schaller’s looked into some of the potential fallout from two straight miserable seasons, including whether players — already challenged by the rigors of academy life — will stick with the program. And despite earlier assurances from athletic director Hans Mueh that Reynolds’ job is not in jeopardy, it’s hard to imagine that the coach will not be on the hot seat should the Falcons finish this season without another MWC win.

“Sinus problems this morning I won’t be stating today sorry folks I’m bummed too but cheer on Wynn Roberts in his first Olympic race,” Teela tweeted.

Teammates said Teela’s illness did not appear serious, and he sat out the race more as a precautionary measure to be ready for Sunday’s mass start race and next week’s relay, according to USA TODAY. Teela will start 28th out of 30 competitors in the mass start race. He indicated on this Twitter page that he will be participating.

Teela, a Vermont National Guardsman, got off to a strong start in Vancouver, finishing ninth in the 10 kilometer sprint on Feb. 14. His performance was the best-ever finish for an American in a biathlon event.

In his second event of the games, Teela was the victim of a bizarre gaffe by a starter in the 12.5-kilometer sprint and finished 24th overall.

Agony of defeat

Some might think it’s just gross, but I think you get a better appreciation of  how tough biathlon is after seeing this Norwegian biathlete leave it all on the course after finishing Tuesday’s 12.5-kilometer pursuit.

Navy's Chris Harris is averaging 21 points per game and has been named Patriot League Player of the Week three times this season. (Navysports.com photo)

When Army and Navy met in Annapolis for their first matchup Jan. 23, both squads were 2-2 in the Patriot League. Thanks to a solid showing in their non-conference schedule, Army was seven games above .500 and looked to be a potential Patriot contender. Navy, meanwhile, was well below .500, and had not been very impressive in non-conference play.

Navy beat Army that afternoon, and since then, the Mids (13-13, 7-4) have fought their way back to .500 and second place in the Patriot standings. Army (13-12, 3-8) has basically done the opposite, dropping five of six games and plummeting to the bottom of the Patriot.

The two academies play again on Saturday, and there’s much more on the line than bragging rights. The Midshipmen need a win to stay in the hunt for the Patriot regular season crown (which means they get an automatic bid to the NIT). Navy is one game behind Lehigh (17-9, 8-3) and tied with Bucknell (7-4, 12-15) for second place. Navy swept the series with both Lehigh and Bucknell, so if the Mids will hold the tiebreaker should they end up tied for first with either squad. Navy must also stay ahead of Lafayette (6-5, 15-11), who swept Navy this year.

Navy can also lock up a home game in quarterfinals of the Patriot League tournament by beating Army and having a couple of other teams lose, according to the fine folks at the Patriot League Twitter page.

For Army, the goal is simple. Win two of their three last games and they can ensure a winning record for the program for the first time since 1985. A few weeks ago, this seem like an ace in the hole. Army’s strong non-conference performance (10 wins, two losses) bought them plenty of breathing room heading into Patriot League play. But the Black Knights have fallen flat of late, losing five of their last six. The final three games for the Black Knights include the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams in the Patriot. Taking two of three will not be easy.

This has to be worth more than $70. (Army photo)

There are five days and two hours left in the GoArmySports.com Mike Krzyzewski bobblehead auction.

So far there’s only three bids. Three bids?!? I’m guessing people don’t know about this auction, because surely there’s a lot of folks out there must want  this collector’s item. Maybe a Duke fan, maybe a retired general, maybe Bobby “The General” Knight — somebody has to be willing to fork over some serious dough for this beauty.

But as of 10 a.m. this morning, COLONELBOB is on track to get this baby for $70. Seventy bucks!

I found a Coach K bobblehead on eBay going for $140.  He’s wearing a suit and smiling with his arms crossed. Bor-ing. The GoArmySports.com bobblehead has a youthful Krzyzewski wearing his West Point uniform and dribbling a basketball. His shorts are frighteningly short, and his hair is perfect.  THIS is a collector’s item. I’d make a bid myself, but the $80 minimum is roughly my weekly salary, so no can do.

Sgt. Jeremy Teela skis Feb. 16 during the 12.5-kilometer biathlon pursuit at the Winter Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

Sgt. Jeremy Teela was once again the highest-placing American in his second biathlon event at the Vancouver Olympics, but his 24th place finish brought him little satisfaction thanks to an inexplicable gaffe by a volunteer starter that marred the event.

Teela, slated to start the 12.5-kilometer pursuit in the No. 9 position, left the gate ahead of the No. 8 competitor, thanks to an official who incorrectly told him to go. According to Teela, who was not immediately aware of the mistake, the mix-up caused him confusion on the course and undermined his strategy for the race. It also cost him a 22-second penalty, which apparently Team USA cannot challenge.

Afterward Teela, competing in his third Olympics, voiced his annoyance with the starting error, something the veteran racer had never seen before.

“This never happens,” he said. “Maybe some guy will get out a couple of seconds early, but when they let you out a complete person ahead … that never happens.”

Teela said that the mistake did not cost him a medal, according to the New York Times article, and added that he felt worse for Canadian Jean-Philippe Leguellec, who also started early and finish in 11th place finish due to the penalty.

International Biathlon Union technical delegate Norbert Baier expressed shock at the incident, saying he couldn’t understand how such mistake could happen at the Olympics.

According to Baier, volunteers “didn’t check the right start numbers.” Leguellec and Teela were made aware of the mistake during the race, but they said that the confusion was a distraction.

Baier apologized for the errors and laid part of the blame on the biathlon union.

“This day for me is for me the blackest day I had ever,” said Baier, a former German biathlon coach who has worked with the I.B.U. since 1998.

Hours after the event, Teela congratulated the medalists on their performances on Twitter, but again expressed his understandable frustration with the mistakes made by officials.

“I’m not very happy with the IBU official that started me today in the wrong position,” Teela said.

Teela, a Vermont National Guardsman and member of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, has three more biathlon events left in the Olympics. Next up is the 20-kilometer individual on Feb. 18.

We figured this would be a good chance to post a photo of eight tons of marijuana. Good catch, Coast Guard. Has Nate Newton taken to the high seas? (Coast Guard photo)

Wondering how the rest of the Naval Academy community feels about Marcus Curry failing a drug test and being allowed to stay in Annapolis? Check out this week’s print edition of Navy Times, where reporter Phil Ewing examines the reaction by academy alums and midshipmen to the news that the star football player was allowed to remain because he said he did not realize he was smoking marijuana.

There’s been widespread discontent with the Curry situation. Some folks associated with the academy said it’s another example of a double standard when it comes to the conduct of star athletes. Ewing talks to former Mids who were kicked out for drug use, including a tennis player who tested positive for marijuana. Not surprisingly, the ex-Mids that Ewing tracked down were confused that Curry was allowed to stay at Annapolis.

From the story:

Curry’s story has reawakened an old complaint among the Brigade of Midshipmen and some Naval Academy alumni, made new again by Navy’s dominance on the gridiron: Star athletes skate by with honor code and conduct infractions that would get lesser athletes and regular midshipmen kicked out.

If you’re a subscriber, you can read the full article here. If not, pick up the latest Navy Times at the news stand, or get a subscription already. I mean, you’re killing us here, freeloaders.

(Actually, we love all our readers, so here’s a free preview.)

As Newman’s demolished car rolled to a stop on the grass, NASCAR legend and Fox commentator Darrell Waltrip quipped: “That’s the Army of None right there. None left.”

While the Army car was left a smashed mess, Newman was able to get out and walk to the ambulance afterward. He finished in 34th place.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Utah National Guard veteran and former member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program Steven Holcomb takes you for a ride in the four-man bobsled during a training run in Park City, Utah, while training for the 2010 Olympics being held in Vancouver.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sgt. Jeremy Teela shoots during the men's biathlon 10 km sprint event at the Vancouver Olympics on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jin-man Lee)

Vermont Army National Guard Sgt. Jeremy Teela finished ninth out of 88 competitors in the 10-kilometer biathlon sprint Sunday at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Teela, who finished in 25:21.7, turned in the highest-ranking finish in Olympic history by an American biathlete. He benefited from an early start in the event, which was hit by heavy snow as the day wore on.

France’s Vincent Jay won the gold medal with a time of 24:07.8.

This is the third Olympics for Teela, a 13-year Guard vet and a member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.

Air Force's Zach Bohannon puts up a shot during the first half of Air Force's 91-48 loss to BYU on Saturday in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/The Daily Herald,James Roh)

Bad weekend for the academy basketball teams.

Navy’s three-game winning streak ended. Army lost for the fifth time in six games. And Air Force lost in a historic 43-point blowout.

Let’s look at the “Oh No in Provo” first: Air Force’s 91-48 loss to BYU was the Falcons’ worst-ever loss in a conference game. It’s the third-worst loss in the program’s history.

After a respectable start to the season, the wheels have been coming off for the Falcons in Mountain West Conference play, where they’re 1-10 so far (after going winless in the MWC last year). Air Force’s offense averaged less than 50 points per game in the three losses prior to Saturday, and in Provo yesterday, No. 17 BYU pounced all over the Falcons. BYU shot 56 percent overall and 60 percent from behind the 3-point line, while the Falcons once again could not break 50.

The only bit of good news is that Air Force gets a week off before its next game. Unfortunately that next game is a trip to 15th-ranked New Mexico on Saturday. New Mexico won the first matchup in Colorado Springs by 23 points.

Navy’s streak ends

Lafayette brought Navy back down to earth Saturday with an 83-77 win over the Midshipmen in Easton, Pa. The loss ended Navy’s winning streak as well as the team’s short stay in first place in the Patriot League.

Navy’s offense continued to put points on the board; however, leading scorer Chris Harris got into foul trouble and played only 25 minutes. He still managed 25 points, but the Mids struggled with him on the bench for a decent amount of the second half. Sophomore forward Jordan Sugars added 21 points and junior guard O.J. Ovworo finished with 17, which tied a career high.

Army gasping toward the finish line

Yesterday’s 78-66 loss to Lehigh means the Black Knights are in serious jeopardy of blowing a golden opportunity to finish above .500 for the first time since 1985. The Black Knights have lost five of their last six and are now 13-11 overall with four games left to play. Army can guarantee a winning record by splitting those two games. Otherwise, they’ll need to do something in the Patriot League tournament, which hasn’t exactly been the program’s strong suit in the past.

Mike Krzyzewski played basketball and wore atrociously short shorts at West Point from 1966-1969. (Army photo)

If you missed getting your own Mike Krzyzewski bobblehead at the Colgate game Sunday, you may still be in luck. ArmySports.com is now advertising a a Coach K bobblehead on their auction site. As of this posting, there’s only one bid ($50), but plenty of time remains — the auction runs until 12:15 p.m. ET on Feb. 22.

Before he created the most loathed college program in America the most successful college program of the past 25 years at Duke, Krzyzewski played ball at West Point and later coached the Black Knights. He was a captain on the 1968-69 team that made it to the NIT, and during his run as coach from 1975-1980, Krzyzewski was 73-59. In 1978 he coached the Black Knights to the NIT, the last postseason berth for Army.

Chris Harris scored a career-high 40 points to help Navy to a win on the road against first-place Lehigh. (Navy photo)

The worse the weather, the better Navy plays.

Navy guard Chris Harris scored 40 points last night at Lehigh to help give the Mids a 85-78 win. Harris’ offensive outburst included eight 3-pointers and 12-for-13 shooting from the foul line. The victory was Navy’s third straight and moved the Mids into first place in the Patriot League after a so-so start in conference play.

The win was also Navy’s third straight game in front of tiny crowds. Only 329 people made it through blizzard conditions to watch the game in Bethlehem, Pa. Navy’s previous two victories in Annapolis had come on snow days as well, including a win last Friday in a game played a day early because of weather concerns.

Navy (12-12, 6-3) has now topped 80 points in three consecutive games. Besides the career night for Harris, guard O.J. Avworo continued his run of games with double-digit assists. The reigning Patriot League Player of the Week had eight points and 11 assists, marking the third straight contest he’s had 10 or more assists.

Here’s a game story.

Here’s the box score.

Army goes cold

Army’s offensive woes continued last night at home, as the Black Knights lost 70-56 to Holy Cross. The Black Knights shot a miserable 32 percent from the floor. It was the second time in three games they’ve shot less than 33 percent.

Senior forward Cleveland Richard led the Black Knights with 15 points. He was the only Army player to finish in double figures.

Army (13-10, 3-6) has now lost four of its last five games. With six games left, Army’s quest for their its winning season since 1985 is suddenly in serious jeopardy.

Here’s the box score.

Here’s a game story.

Double-amputee Kevin Pannell snowboards toward a ski instructor through a half pipe Jan. 29 in Vail, Colo. Pannell, from Portland, Ore., lost both legs in a grenade attack when his Army patrol was ambushed by Iraqi insurgents in 2004. He was part of a group of a dozen war wounded and their families participating in the Vail Veterans Program winter ski retreat. The program is designed to help severely wounded U.S. service members rehabilitate and rebuild confidence through learning to ski and snowboard. Some of the wounded are flown in directly from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The visits to the Rocky Mountain retreat have been incorporated into Walter Reed’s rehabilitation program for troops who have suffered from traumatic injuries, including amputations, brain damage and other severe wounds, most of which were sustained in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Photos by John Moore/Getty Images)

Wounded veteran Kevin Pannell shows a prosthesis to a child after changing it out for a more athletic leg in order to snowboard.

Air Force basketball coach Jeff Reynolds looks on as his team loses another game to Northern Arizona in December.

Each loss makes it tougher and tougher for Air Force Academy Athletic Director Hans Mueh to explain to a growing number of critics why men’s basketball coach Jeff Reynolds should return next season.

Last year, in his second season as head coach, Reynolds’ team didn’t win a regular season conference game, although Air Force did beat Colorado State in the play-in game of the Mountain West Conference tournament. This season hasn’t gone much better. Halfway through the conference schedule, the Falcons have just one win — over equally awful Wyoming.

Mueh has heard the calls for a new coach. After Action wrote in its season preview that if the losing continued Mueh would be justified in relieving Reynolds of his duties. However, Mueh told the Denver Post in January he still supports Reynolds and thinks he is guiding the program in the right direction.

“People send me nasty-grams, saying I should fire the coach,” Mueh told the Post. “This is his third season. He had a winning season his first year. I’m probably more patient than some of our fans. But most of our fans still are with us.”

Some fans are, but many are leaving in droves as the losing continues. Over the past three years, average attendance has dropped from 5,100, when a postseason trip to the NIT or NCAA Tournament was a regular occurrence, to 2,800.

And that’s just it. It’s not like Reynolds took over a rebuilding project in Colorado Springs. He took over a program that had made the NIT once and the NCAA Tournament twice in the four seasons before he got the head job. He should know: He was an assistant at Air Force for two of those years.

It made sense at the time to promote from within, since coaching a service academy team is such a unique challenge and the team had so much recent success. The Falcons, though, are just 35-49 overall and 9-33 in conference play since Reynolds was promoted.

Mueh points to the team’s 16-14 record in Reynolds’ first year as a positive sign, but the team has since fallen off the cliff. The Falcons have won just one Mountain West regular season game in two seasons. It’s like watching someone drive down the wrong side of the highway and the guy in the passenger seat just nodding to the other cars blaring their horns at him to turn around.

Reynolds and Mueh pointed to this year as one that would prove to antsy alums the program is turning around. But the team has been blitzed by a litany of injuries to key players. Concussions — a fairly uncommon injury for basketball — have plagued the Falcons all year.

Injuries or not, the losing has led Colorado Springs Gazette columnist David Ramsey to blame Reynolds for watching over the destruction of a once successful program.

“Reynolds is nearing the end of his third season as head coach, and I’m still waiting to see his positive imprint on the program. So far, almost everything I see is regression,” Ramsey writes.

An official from another team who scouted the Falcons this year agreed with Ramsey’s assertions that Reynolds has failed to properly teach the complex Princeton offense, which Reynolds’ two predecessors also used to make up for talent gaps on the roster.

“The players don’t run it nearly as well or as disciplined as they used to and that has to be blamed on coaching,” said the official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivities of criticizing another coach.

Air Force has set a high bar for its basketball program, much higher than its fellow service academies who play in the far less competitive Patriot League (compared to the Mountain West). Allowing the program to fall from the peaks it had reached under former coaches Jeff Scott and Jeff Bzdelik is a dangerous precedent to set.

The team could bounce back once it gets healthy and once a freshman class, which was ranked 61st nationally by recruiting analysts, hits its stride. But another one- or two-win conference season should be unacceptable for the Falcons, who used to be in the discussion for conference championships.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl XLIV against Indianapolis on Sunday. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

So, what was your favorite Super Bowl commercial? The bizarre Denny’s chickens freaking out? The Megan Fox lovefest? The increasingly bizarre Bud Light commercials that air every year?

Plenty of U.S. service members were unable to watch the game Sunday night due to operational commitments, but even those who did in many cases missed the commercials, which have their own little place in American culture.

Take the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which returned to its ships after completing earthquake relief work in Haiti and watched the game on Armed Forces Network, which airs public service announcements instead of rotting brains by airing commercials featuring flying Dorito ninja stars.

The MEU, based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., posted semi-frantic updates on Facebook and Twitter about their quest to watch the game. First came this at 5:17 p.m. Sunday:

USS Nassau resupply complete – Marines and Sailors hoing signal comes back so we can watch Super Bowl

“Well, good for you guys!” supporters said. Then came this update at 6:30 — kickoff time.

So we have a signal!!!

Bingo! Good news! And then came another update that many civilians wouldn’t have expected at 7:23 p.m.:

Worst part of the SUper Bowl on ship – we don’t get to see any of the real commercials

Capt. Robert Shuford, a spokesman deployed with the unit, confirmed all those details in an e-mail to AfterAction.

“AFN does not play commercials but fills that time with different types of public service announcements,” he said.

The Super Bowl, it stands to reason, is probably the one piece of programming all year in which troops might actually miss watching the advertisements. On the upside, the MEU did post this update on Facebook after someone asked them if they sang along with The Who, who performed during halftime.

We did get to sing, and powerslide – Alot of Marines and Sailors are participating in ship’s activities for game

Navy's O.J Avworo takes a shot during the Midshipmen's 62-56 win over Army last month. (Tom Brown/ Staff)

Navy has run off two consecutive Patriot League victories, and their offense has been on fire in each of the wins. Junior guard O.J. Avworo has been the catalyst of the Mids’ attack, and his ability to create and put points on the board earned him the first Patriot League Player of the Week honors of his career yesterday.

Avworo had double-doubles in each of Navy’s victories: 14 points and 10 assists in a 100-91 win over Colgate and 17 points and 10 assists in a 81-79 win over Bucknell. It’s the first time in Navy history that a player has recorded consecutive double-doubles in points and assists.

Avworo has had 10 assists in a game three times this season. He’s averaging 5.5 assists per game, which puts him 27th in the nation in that category. Avworo has also been more aggressive shooting the ball from the outside lately, making the slashing guard even more of an offensive threat.

The two wins in a row by Navy put the Mids’ record closer to the .500 mark at 11-12. But more importantly,  Navy is now 5-3 in the Patriot, tied for second place with Lafayette with six regular season games to go. Next up for the Mids is a trip to first-place Lehigh on Wednesday. Navy beat Lehigh 94-83 at home in January in the second-highest scoring output for the Midshipmen this season.