Jesuit High School Student Collapses During Basketball Game Later Dies

Jermaine Cullum

Despite the heroic efforts of two prep basketball spectators, doctors could not save the life of a Chicago teen who collapsed during a game at Riverside (Ill.) Brookfield High this past weekend. In a tragic roller coaster of emotions, 

Christ the King Jesuit College Prep sophomore Jermaine Cullum fell to the floor after converting a layup during Saturday's tournament at the suburban school, according to the Chicago Tribune. A registered nurse in the stands immediately responded to an apparent seizure, a doctor working the concession stand followed suit, and the two helped restore Cullum's pulse using CPR.

The doctor, Maurice Binns, orchestrated the efforts of paramedics in an ambulance as they rushed Cullum to Loyola University Medical Center, where he reportedly remained in critical condition the following day. However, the boy died on Monday as the result of a still unknown heart condition

Link (here) to Yahoo Sports

Tim Tebow At Tampa Jesuit High School

That appears to be the case. A Jesuit High School spokesman confirmed to FOXSportsFlorida.com that the pair of former Heisman Trophy winners held a private workout at the Tampa school on Monday afternoon. Testaverde, a former Miami and NFL quarterback who serves as the quarterbacks coach at the high school, hosted Tebow for what was described as a “private” get-together between the signal-callers. 

The session comes at an interesting time for Tebow. He’s expected to attend the New York Jets’ voluntary offseason workouts next Monday in Florham Park, N.J., despite a foggy future with the team. Some work with Testaverde — whose son, Vincent Jr., is a junior quarterback at Jesuit High — could only be a benefit for the former Gators fascination. 

“What I can say, officially, is he worked out here yesterday, and he worked out with Vinny Testaverde,” said Pete Young, a spokesman for Jesuit High. “Vinny is a parent at our school. His son goes to school here, and Vinny is also the quarterbacks coach for the football team . . . It was a private workout, and it was right in the middle of the day yesterday . . . There were a couple other guys out there with him, but I have no idea who they were. They were just catching passes.” 

Apparently, this wasn’t the first time Tebow and Testaverde worked out together. Young said a similar meeting happened before, last March. With Monday’s event, though, Tebow and Testaverde chose to keep the session as low-key as possible, which means not speaking about their experience.

Link (here)  to Fox Sports

Former Carmichael Jesuit Football Coach Linked To Double Murder

Patrick Streater

“We’re talking about overkill, passion killing-type, what I would consider a passion killing,” investigators said in 1996. Tiffany Campbell and Melissa Chilton, both just 18 years old, were found brutally stabbed inside Exotic Tan for Men, a Nashville adult business. All along, investigators believed the murders were personal, and now think Patrick Streater was Campbell’s ex-boyfriend. Late Nashville Det. Grady Eleam thought he was close to solving the case in 2002. “We do have a suspect. We’re concentrating on him and have been concentrating on for six months now,” Eleam said. Around the same time in early 2002, Streater was arrested in a series of violent home invasion robberies in the Sacramento area. At the time, he was a football coach at Jesuit High School in Carmichael, known to the players simply as Coach Streater. Serving time in state prison for those robberies, detectives believe he is responsible for two murders that went unsolved for nearly two decades. Police say scientific evidence and interviews conducted over the years links Streater to the killings. He will soon be transported to Nashville to face his new charges.

Link (here) to

Jesuit Novice's Building A Baseball Field In 1892

In March of 1886, after an exhaustive search, the Jesuits from Mission Santa Clara purchased 39 acres of land located just south of Los Gatos on which to build the Novitiate of the Sacred Heart, today the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center at 300 College Ave.

In 1892, the property was expanded to include a hill at the back of the novitiate where the novices built a baseball field.  

The boys wore clothing similar to that of the Spanish missionaries; long coats and broad-brimmed hats which protected their eyes and faces from the sun.

Link (here) to The Los Gatos Patch

Regis High School Student Wins Olympic Gold Medal In Swimming

Melissa "Missy" Franklin

Missy Franklin didn't let a heavy heart slow her down. The 17-year-old swimmer, already a member of a bronze-winning relay team on Saturday, won the women's 100-meter backstroke today, making her first individual Olympic medal a gold one, but the high school student from Aurora, Colo., also must have been thrilled to provide some cheer for her still-grieving hometown. "Right now, all of my races are dedicated back home to Colorado," 

Franklin, who will be a senior at Regis Jesuit High School, 

told the Los Angeles Times last week in the wake of the July 20 shooting at a Dark Knight Rises screening in Aurora that left 12 people dead and 58 injured. "No matter how well I do, I'm going to give my best in every single race, and every single race, I'm going to have that Colorado incident on my mind." Happily, Franklin has been radiating good vibes since her arrival in London.

Link (here) to Eonline.com

Amazing Catch

You never know when your dreams are going to become reality. For St. John's senior pitcher Joe Robie and junior catcher Corey Tipton that day was Monday during the Three Rivers Athletic Conference baseball championship game at Mercy Field. During the Titans' 8-4 win over Fremont Ross, they combined for a gem good enough to become the No. 1 play of the day among the top 10 plays on ESPN's national broadcast of SportsCenter. The play can be viewed here. In the third, with a runner on first and one out, Ross shortstop Tyler Wolf hit a short pop in front of the plate along the first-base line. Tipton sprung from his crouch, had his path blocked by Wolf in the batter's box, and dived to keep the ball in the air with his mitt. Robie then dived to make a bare-handed grab just before the ball hit the turf for the unusual 2-1 popout. "That was awesome," Robie said. "I never really expected that. I was swimming [after the game], and I picked up my phone, and I had all these missed calls and texts. People were going crazy about it. Then I saw it on [ESPN], and I was like, ‘No way.' "As a little kid I always dreamed of being on SportsCenter's Top 10 and, what do you know, it came true. It's one thing to be on there, but it's another thing to be No. 1. I never thought in my wildest dreams that would come true. I saw it on there, and I still don't believe it."

Link (here) to The Toledo Blade to read the whole article

What A Baseball Game

Emerson Gibbs

The reliance on and necessity of pitch counts in baseball continues to generate debate, and this should further spark the discussion. As reported by USA Today, two top pitching prospects in Louisiana combined to throw 347 pitches in an 18-inning game Friday. Emerson Gibbs of Jesuit (New Orleans), a Tulane recruit, tossed 193 pitches over 15 innings. His line included six hits and 13 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Mitch Seward of Archbishop Rummel (Metairie, La.) threw 154 pitches in 10 innings. The Louisiana State recruit yielded only two hits and struck out 10. Each pitcher gave up only one run, as Jesuit won 2-1. Overall, 501 pitches were accounted for in the game, according to the report.

Link (here) to MaxPreps

Clericus Cup Cancelled

Jesuits versus Dominicans in 2011

In America, Jesuit schools are famous for their basketball teams.  In Europe, it’s soccer.  In Rome this week the Jesuit-run Pontifical Gregorian University defeated the Dominicans of the Angelicum 3-1 to win the Clericus Cup, the trophy in a soccer league involving 16 Roman colleges that train priests and seminarians. Clericus players and fans take their soccer seriously.  Last year local authorities, reacting to neighbors’ complaints, banned the use of tambourines, drums, and loudspeakers during league games played in the morning.  Here is a video about the tournament from 2010.  (Click here if you can’t see it.)

Link (here) to dotMagis

However......

A Vatican department has withdrawn its support from a soccer tournament that pits teams from Rome’s seminaries against each other because it has lost its “educational” value. Sixteen teams from Rome’s seminaries and religious orders compete against each other in the Clericus Cup tournament, including the “Martyrs” from the Pontifical North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome, which placed fourth in 2011. The Rev. Kevin Lixey, who heads the Church and Sport office at the Pontifical Council for the Laity, said the decision came after the Clericus Cup stopped offering programs to help seminarians reach out to youth and teach them good sportsmanship, which was part of the original intent of the tournament. “They are just organizing a soccer tournament, and they are doing a good job. But this is not what we are interested in: we want to equip seminarians for their job in the field, to help them reach youth through sport,” he said.

Link (here) to read the full article at the Washington Post.

Joe Paterno Graduated From Brooklyn Preparatory High School

Joe Paterno in his Brooklyn Prep Uniform

Joe Paterno was not only a legend at Penn State but also at a place called Brooklyn Preparatory High School, a Jesuit institution of rigid learning that opened its doors in 1908, at 1150 Carroll St. between Rogers and Nostrand Aves. in Crown Heights, and closed in 1972. Paterno graduated in 1945

Link (here) to the NY Daily News

Jesuit Wins Holy Bowl In Front Of 17,000

Before an estimated 17,000 fans, Jesuit defeated Christian Brothers 18-15 in the 40th Sacramento Holy Bowl. Video highlights from Access Sacramento. (here)

The Jesuit Verses "Spider" Kelly

Peter Faulkner can still remember pulling on the gloves for the first time in an alleyway off the family home in the newly-built Creggan Estate. 

An uncle, a Jesuit priest, had sparred with the great Jimmy 'Spider ' Kelly but little could the six year old Rosemount Boys school pupil know then just how deeply the sport ran in the Faulkner blood. 

Across the alleyway stood twin brother Michael, also bedecked in gloves that had been given to him as a Christmas present.

Link (here) to full article at the Derry.

Golf Courses And Jesuits

The 350 scenic and rolling acres on which the golf course sits once served as a park retreat for the Detroit Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic order of priests and educators. And yes, many of them are good golfers and play Shepherd's Hollow often.

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Link (here) to full article at Michigan Golf

Link (here) to the  Colombiere Conference and Retreat Center

Texas Soccer Jesuit Style

The showdown between the No. 1 nationally ranked Dallas Jesuit Rangers (25-0) and No. 4 Strake Jesuit Crusaders (27-1-1) was decided in a shootout, 1-0, at Georgetown ISD's Burkelbach Stadium, with Dallas Jesuit coming through 2-0 on one-on-one kicks, giving the team its first outright state title in high school sports. With the match tied 0-0 after regulation and two 10-minute overtimes, Dallas Jesuit goalkeeper Ryan Aubrey, the game's MVP, was given his chance to shine. "We've been practicing this (shootouts) since day one, and I knew if we got to a shootout, it would be all us," said Aubrey, a senior from Plano.

Link (here) 

Dallas Jesuit Goalie picture (here)

Are You Ready To Die?

Just claiming to be a Christian and to be a follower of Jesus is not enough.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt. 7: 21)

Jesus further warns that we must be constantly alert.  Death and judgment will come unexpectedly.  “Two women will be grinding at the mill.  One will be taken, and one will be left.  Therefore, stay awake!  For you do not know at what hour your Lord will come.” (Mt. 24:41-42).  There is no explanation why one woman was taken from this life and one was left.  Up until the moment it happened, there was no reason why it should.  None of us knows when we will die and go before the Lord, so each of us must constantly ask the question: am I ready to die?

Link (here) to the full post by Mr. David Paternostro, S.J. entitled, Death and Judgment: In Light of Eternity at the Jesuit authored Spiritual Exercises blog. 

Drawing of "Two Women Grinding at the Mill"

Fouled Out

Two years after receiving a public rebuke from Archbishop Raymond Burke, the basketball coach at a Jesuit university has reiterated his support for legalized abortion and the destruction of human embryos. “It's a great world out there and you should participate in it," said Rick Majerus of St. Louis University. “That's what the essence of Jesuit education is.”

Link (here) to the full story at Catholic Culture.

"The bishop was going to excommunicate me'' two years ago, Majerus said on the show and reaffirmed his positions. "I believe in that,''

Majerus said Monday of the stem-cell issue. "What you need is hope. All religion — I don't care what religion you are — is based on the premise of hope and contrition.'' He said his view on abortion is unchanged, that it should be an individual choice.

"Nobody is for abortion'' he said. "But I'm for a women's choice, I am pro choice.''

Link (here)

On Boxing And Discerning Vocations: Fr. Paul Mankowski, S.J.

The former minister and now Australia's Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott used his new book, Battlelines, to set out his Liberal philosophy and a route back to power. In this extract published recently in The Australian, he reveals the tensions between his private and public lives - and why he gave up on the priesthood.

An excerpt of Tony Abbott's piece.

I'm sure, through my role in student politics as through academic or sporting prowess, I was chosen as a NSW Rhodes Scholar at the end of 1980. Someone once said that Oxford had left him "magnificently unprepared for the long littleness of life". For me, one legacy was a handful of friendships that have survived the tyranny of distance.

I doubt that I have ever met a finer man than Paul Mankowski. It's an unusual Jesuit who turns out to be a recruiting agent for the university boxing team.

A couple of drinks in the pub secured my reluctant agreement one night in 1982. After an initial training session,

I was preparing my excuses when Paul presented me with a new skipping rope.

This was a big investment from a man whose wardrobe was handed down from dead priests, so I didn't have the heart to quit. Within a couple of weeks, the challenge of a new and ferocious discipline had me hooked.

Another Oxford legacy, thanks to the tutorial system, was the ability to digest and assimilate texts and to produce to deadline a 1500-word essay. Whatever else they might be, Oxbridge undergraduate courses are superb preparation for op-ed journalism.

At Oxford, I'd again been asking myself how I could best exercise leadership and, again, my thoughts had turned to the priesthood. I didn't relish more years in the classroom, was far from certain about my aptitude for parish life, and hated the prospect of lifelong celibacy. On the other hand, the notion of becoming a priest had tugged at me for years.

Meeting Mankowski, a contemporary who was both the embodiment of muscular Christianity

and fully acquainted with the cross-tides of modern life, made me think it might be possible to become a priest and stay "normal".

Read the full story (here) in the Daily Telegraph

The New York Football Giants And "Jesuit Row"

A woman once chided Mrs. Mara for attending a Giant game at the "Old Yankee Stadium" in the late stages of pregnancy, she said, "I'm better off in the stadium. We have everything right there: an obstetrician, a pediatrician, a dentist, an internist, a heart surgeon, a chief of surgery and an anesthetist." Mara adds, "In case they fail, there are always a couple of priests around."

In point of fact, 30 seats in Section 36 in the upper stands is known as "Jesuit Row." Mara sends tickets for every game to the rector at St. Ignatius and to friends at Fordham.

His clerical beneficiaries are of the old school adhering to black suits and roman collars.

Link (here) to the original full post at the blog entitled Yorkville: Stoops to Nuts by Thomas Pryor.

My Boston College Eagles Tattoo

Josh Haden enrolled at Boston College as one of the top recruits in the country. The sophomore running back had established himself as the team's No. 2 ball carrier behind Montel Harris. The Eagles are 5-3 and appear headed to a bowl game after starting the season picked last in their division. Josh Haden is leaving Boston College after less than two seasons with the Eagles.

Haden, along with quarterback Jessie Tuggle, announced plans to transfer from Boston College this week.

Haden carried 59 for 221 yards this season. Tuggle had started the team's first three games before being benched behind Dave Shinskie.

Besides looking for another school, Haden, whose brother Joe is the starting cornerback at Florida, has another decision to make. What to do about the BC logo tattooed on his right shoulder.

What might have seen a good idea now may require a procedure to erase the memory of his time on Chesnut Hill.

Link (here)

Fr. Richard Cleary, S.J. "Rest in Peace"

Former University Chaplain Father Richard Cleary (interesting link) passed away this morning after battling various illnesses and cancer. This blog tends to focus on sports and some of the superficial aspects of Boston College, but at the end of the day it is the Jesuits and their mission that make Boston College a unique place. Even if you are not a devout Catholic, I encourage all students to get to know a Jesuit or two while at BC. I was lucky to get to know Father Richard as a student and even better as an alum. Father Richard did many things over the course of his service, but BC was first in his heart and the highlight of his career. He presided over our wedding and has remained in touch until his health started failing. He will be missed.

Link (here) to the Boston College sports blog entitled Eagle in Atlanta

Photo (here)

Boston College Eagles 2009 Pre-Season Football Review

2009 ANALYSIS

OFFENSE:
The offense struggled with consistency last season, putting up just 319.4 total yards per game, thanks in large part to inconsistency under center. That problem may rear its ugly head again in 2009, with the graduation of veteran Chris Crane and the early departure of sophomore Dominique Davis, who left school in the spring. Redshirt freshman Justin Tuggle (6-3, 208) will get the nod early on and only time will tell if he can be the type of leader Spaziani needs him to be. Spaziani will certainly need to be patient with Tuggle. "We have a young man that has never taken a snap in a game, really has never been coached, he was on the scout team last year." The other options under center come from a group including converted fullback Codi Boek and true freshman David Shinskie. The good news on this side of the football is the return of tailback Montel Harris, who set a school freshman record with 900 yards rushing last season. Harris will be joined in the backfield by fellow sophomore Josh Haden. Senior Rich Gunnell is the most experienced receiver on the roster after hauling in 49 balls last year, for 551 yards and four TDs. The team does return four starters along the offensive line and that will be a huge plus for whoever is under center. The offensive line is anchored by All-ACC Second-Teamer Anthony Castonzo (6-7, 287-pound junior) and senior center Matt Tennant (6-4, 294), who has started 28 consecutive games at the position.

DEFENSE: The BC defense was one of the nation's finest units in 2008, ranking fifth nationally in total defense (268.1 yards per game), while allowing just 18.4 ppg overall. With seven starters penciled in to return this spring, this squad was once again supposed to shine. The team did have to replace top-10 selection B.J. Raji, as well as fellow downlineman Ron Brace, but at least All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich was coming back. Of course by now, we all know that isn't going to happen, as Herzlich was diagnosed with cancer and is out indefinitely. There will be no way to compensate for the loss of Herzlich completely, but there is still talent on this side of the football and those players will need to step up and lead on the field. The likely candidates include veteran defensive ends Alex Albright (6-5, 245), who missed most of last year due to injury, and senior Jim Ramella (6-4, 245), who posted 35 tackles and four sacks in 2008. Despite the losses on both sides of the football and the team's inability to win the ACC crown the last two years, Ramella remains confident in what this team can achieve in 2009. "We expect to win the ACC. Anything less is a disappointment in our eyes. We're not sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves (that we lost the last two championship games). It is going to be a challenge but it is something we can achieve. We definitely have the ability and we hope to get over the hump this year." Senior LB Mike McLaughlin (89 tackles, four sacks in 2008) will highlight the play in the middle of the defense, although an Achilles' injury currently has him sidelined. Still, McLaughlin is on pace to return before the season begins and his healthy return to the field is a necessity. The secondary returns a great deal of talent in the form of cornerbacks DeLeon Gause and Roderick Rollins and safeties Wes Davis and Marcellus Bowman. Throw sophomore cover corner Donnie Fletcher (36 tackles, three INTs as a freshman) and safety Marcellus Bowman into the mix and the secondary may be one of the ACC's best this season. SPECIAL TEAMS: As far as the kicking game is concerned, the Eagles return both placekicker Steve Aponavicius (5-10 senior) and punter Ryan Quigley (6-3, sophomore). Aponavicius was a bit inconsistent last year, hitting just 14- of-21 field goals, with a long of just 36 yards. Quigley averaged just over 39 yards per punt as a true freshman in 2008.

OUTLOOK: While the BC offense was rather bland at times last year, the team did lead the ACC in non-offensive touchdowns with eight. Getting help in the scoring column by the defense and special teams will be a huge plus for the Eagles this season, at least until the offense finds its identity. The team opens with two favorable home matchups against Northeastern and Kent State and that could set the tone early on. Still, a road trip to Death Valley to take on Clemson is how Boston College will open ACC play on September 19th, before returning home for tough bouts with Wake Forest and Florida State. The Eagles will close out a grueling four-game stretch at Virginia Tech and could very well be in a conference hole that the team won't be able to dig itself out of. The second half of the season is a little more manageable, with road trips to Notre Dame, Virginia and Maryland and home games against Central Michigan and North Carolina to end the 2009 campaign. A .500 record is certainly attainable and another postseason bid is a possibility. However, the Eagles would have to play inspired ball all season long to find themselves in the ACC Title Game again. "BC is a great place", said Spaziani. "The longer I stayed there the more I realized that is where I wanted to finish my career. I worked all those years with Tom (O'Brien) and I never thought he'd leave, but he did. I applied for the job then because I wanted to stay and then this situation arose. This time it worked out. It's a great honor because it is such a great place." The team has all the confidence in the world in the new man at the helm and Spaziani is clearly not in it for the short term, rather relishing in the idea of keeping Boston College among the ACC elite both now and in the future.
Link (here)