By: Mark Behan – July While watching a recent baseball game at Trinity (formerly Haverhill) Stadium, I was reminded of the movie Field of Dreams. I know: What does a movie made in 1989 have to do with the old dinosaur on Lincoln Avenue? Hear me out. In one memorable scene from the movie, farmer […]
By: Mark Behan – June, 2013 The Northern Essex Community College baseball express was derailed in Tyler, Texas, at the National Junior College World Series. The Knights were eliminated by Brookhaven Community College of Texas, 9-2. The loss, coupled with an opening-round defeat to Nassau Community College, 2-1, capped off the 2013 season. “Our […]
By: Mark Behan – June, 2013 Alex Mayhew is worth cheering about. If you are not familiar with Alex Mayhew, it may be because you blinked. At 5-7, 150 pounds he is not particularly imposing. But it’s not his slight build that may have caused you to miss him. It’s his speed. Alex Mayhew is […]
By: Mark Behan May – 2013 This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Northern Essex Community College baseball team. After all, the Knights were coming off a magic carpet ride of a season in which they sported a 30-10 record, won the Region XXI championship, and advanced to the Junior College World Series, […]
By: Mark Behan – May 2013 After a combined 70 years of coaching and 875 wins between them, two Lions of the Winter have retired. Longtime Andover High School girls’ basketball head coach Jim Tildsley has stepped down. Tildsley coached for 39 years, including the last 18 at Andover, where he shepherded the Golden Warriors […]
By: Mark Behan – April 24, 2013 Chances are you’ve seen him in the video that played over and over again – an endless loop shown on the news and all-sports stations, and all over the Internet. Or perhaps you’ve seen his picture. It’s been plastered everywhere, including on the cover of Sports Illustrated. If […]
By Mark Behan – April 18, 2013 “So, Noelia Figuereo, you’ve just won two national titles. What are you going to do next?” If Figuereo had been the Super Bowl MVP, rather than a junior college track star at the time, she may have responded: “I’m going to Disneyland!” But real life is not something […]
By Mark Behan – April 4, 2013 Following in the footsteps of his namesake and late father, Dr. Robert Fitzgerald Jr. is a hall of famer. The longtime Methuen High wrestling coach was recently inducted into the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was honored with three others during a ceremony in Providence, RI, […]
By Mark Behan – March 28, 2013 Moments into his high school hockey debut, then-Haverhill High freshman Brian Ward wasted little time scoring his first goal. The goal brought the Hillies’ student-body section to its feet in celebration. And soon a boisterous chant reverberated throughout Haverhill’s Veterans Memorial Rink. ‘He’s a freshman!’ ‘He’s a freshman!’ […]
By Mark Behan – March 21, 2013 After dropping six of eight hockey games, the Methuen/Tewksbury girls’ playoff hopes were evaporating like spring snow. Sitting below .500, the Red Rangers (6-7-3) needed to win their final two games to earn a spot in the Division 2 tournament. Enter Amanda Conway. Facing Waltham, a team that […]
By Mark Behan – February 23, 2013 “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” ― Alexander Pope From 1959 to 1966 the Boston Red Sox were, um, losers – as they did not post a winning record during that eight-year span. In fact the 1965 team lost a league-worst 100 […]
By: Mark Behan – February 15, 2013 Wilfredo Andujar is married with four children. He works the night shift at Joe’s Crab Shack in Methuen. He attends Northern Essex Community College. The 30-year-old Lawrence resident also plays forward on the men’s basketball team. In the season finale, an 83-59 win over Holyoke, Andujar was […]
By: Mark Behan – High School Sports Reporter – February 15, 2013 He’s back! And we are not talking Arnold Schwarzenegger and his next Terminator movie. John Rafferty is back as North Andover High’s head football coach – nearly two weeks after being fired by Principal Dr. Carla Scuzzarella and Athletic Director Jon Longley on […]
By: Mark Behan – January 2013 While he could appear as serious as another coach named Bill – as in Belichick – Bill Blood had a lighter side. “He had a deadpan sense of humor,” said Jason Larocque, Blood’s stepson, noting that when Blood went to a restaurant he often studied the menu before […]