Let’s start with the American League East. This is the powerhouse league of baseball. The Yankees have, like always, made some crucial off-season additions which include All Star Pitcher Javier Vasquez from Atlanta and All Star Center-Fielder Curtis Granderson from Detroit. The Sox have also added to their powerful lineup with Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron, and Adrian Beltre and have added veteran John Lackey to the starting rotation. The Rays are another team with a chance of making a run late into October. The young talent of Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton (Norfolk, VA), speed in Carl Crawford and the American League Home-Run leader from a year ago Carlos Pena, with 39, in the clean up hole, look for the Rays to be a contender not only for the Division Crown but the World Series. 

Now on to the American League Central, where last year the Minnesota Twins won the division in a one-game playoff against the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers hope their ace Justin Verlander (Goochland, VA) can have another dominating season but look for the Twins to win the division behind 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer. 

The West is up for grabs this year with the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, and Anaheim Angels of California all very closely matched. I hope to see Ken Griffey Jr. have one more chance to see make the playoffs, in what could be his last year in the Majors. With the new addition of Cliff Lee and ace Felix Hernandez the Mariners hope to bounce back with a winning season in 2010.

To the National League, where the Philadelphia Phillies have made it to the World Series in consecutive years, winning the Fall Classic in 2009. The National League East is flooded with young players that are sure to make an influence. The Phillies have the division locked up, but it is likely the Wild Card position will come from the East. Jason Heyward, 20-year old rookie sensation for the Atlanta Braves is one of those players you have to love watch playing the game. His humble nature, along with his great bat speed and power to all fields make his a sure fan favorite. This year is Bobby Cox’s last year as Manager of the Braves after 23 years as Head Coach. Jorge Cantu has also started red hot leading all players in the MLB with 18 Runs Batted In and you can’t forget about Short-Stop Hanley Rameriz who lead all of baseball in batting average. Look for the Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves to battle it out for the Wild Card with the Mets having a chance if they can ever stay healthy.

The National League Central looks to be controlled by the St. Louis Cardinals who have won the division four of the last six years. The Cardinals are led by the best all around hitter in the universe Albert Pujols, and the duo of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.  Look for Cincinnati Reds prospect Aroldis Chapman, the 22-year old Cuban born lefty is currently preparing for the MLB in the AA organization. It won’t be long before you see Chapman starting for the Reds, and with an electric 102-104 M.P.H. fastball and nasty 12 to 6 breaking ball, Chapman is legit. 

The National League West is much like the American League West; it’s completely up for grabs. 2009 and 2010 Cy Young Award Winner Tim Lincecum is one to watch as he hopes to lead the Giants to a division title but Manny Rameriz and Manager Joe Torre hope the Dodgers can repeat as the best out west. 

To wrap things up the Phillies’ addition of one of baseballs best pitchers Roy “Doc” Halladay will help prevail them for the third straight year in the National League Champions, but a weak bullpen could keep them from winning another World Series. The American League will be a closer race but the Yankees are too good of a team from top to bottom to be beat. Their starting rotation has improved and with a solid bullpen and several additions the Bronx Bombers are the team to beat in the AL. As much as I hate to admit, the combo of A-Rod and Teixeira with Mariano Rivera as the “stopper,” the Yanks will likely repeat over the Phillies in this year’s Fall Classic. Finally, watch as much baseball as possible because this year is shaping up to be a good one.

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The Hampden-Sydney baseball team got hot at the right time and has a great chance to compete at the ODAC Tournament in Lynchburg, VA this weekend. The Tigers earned the #3 seed after splitting their final two games with Randolph-Macon. It was a tight conference race this year with Bridgewater finishing at 14-4 in ODAC play while Virginia Wesleyan and Hampden-Sydney tied for 2nd place with records of 14-4. However, Virginia Wesleyan holds the regular season tiebreaker over the Tigers giving them the 2 seed. With six teams making the tournament, the field rounds out with Randolph-Macon, Lynchburg, and Washington and Lee at 4, 5, and 6 respectively. The Tigers open up with a familiar foe, Randolph-Macon, who was their last opponent of the regular season. In the double elimination tournament, they will continue to play throughout the weekend. Try to make it out as the tournament is held at the Lynchburg Hillcats beautiful minor league facility.

The story of the second half for Hampden-Sydney was the outstanding offensive play of senior third baseman Matt Brown. Brown finished the season with an unheard of .450 batting average to go along with 15 homeruns and 51 RBI, all three of which were team highs. He won two straight ODAC player of the week awards in stretch where it seemed like he was hitting multiple homers in every game. He is something special and the type of player that can lead a team a long way in the postseason.

Brown wasn’t the only offensive contributor for the Tigers. Not far behind him in batting average was Herbie Williams who finished the year batting .414 with 4 dingers and 22 RBI. Opposing pitchers hated giving up hits to Herbie as he is a nightmare on the basepaths. He finished with a team high 28 steals on 34 attempts. As if 2 players batting .400 wasn’t enough, first baseman Justin Hebert decided to join the party. Hebert batted .402 on the regular season and added a little power of his own with 7 bombs and 24 RBI.

The Tigers got it done with veteran leadership on the mound as well. Senior Johnny West was the ace of the staff after four years of hard work under Coach Kinne’s guidance. West finished with a 7-3 record and 3.27 ERA, which is a very low number for college baseball. He also threw 7 complete games. Senior Ryan Daniel was a key part of the Tigers staff as well, though his stats took a hit after his final start of the season in Ashland. Daniel went just 3 innings in the start while giving up 7 earned runs. Despite this blemish on his record, Daniel finished the year 7-3 with a 5.35 ERA. After his big two, Coach Kinne has a few options out of the pen. Kyle Grantier, Dan Nicoll, and Tyler Napier have all been key contributors and will look to pick up some productive innings out of the pen. For the Tigers to have postseason success they will also need some good starts from Mike Blanchard who went 5-0 in 6 starts on the year. 

This should be an exciting tournament for the Tigers as they are playing great baseball right now. All of the games will be broadcast live from Lynchburg and a feed can be found on the Hampden-Sydney baseball website.

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1. Baseball Tigers Look to Continue Winning Ways
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With the ODAC Tournament quickly approaching, the Tennis Tigers have one thing on their minds: making it reign.  After capturing last year’s crown and dominating the ODAC this season, the Tigers certainly look poised to capture back-to-back ODAC titles.  Standing in their way will be the Generals of Washington & Lee, who look for revenge against the Tigers.

The Tennis Tigers have an undefeated, 9-0 conference record.  That 9-0 record combined with last year’s win streak means that the Tigers have won 17 straight conference matches heading into the 2010 version of the ODAC Tournament.  In the 2010 campaign, the Tigers have had their way with the ODAC, winning those 9 matches by a combined score of 71-10.

Senior Will Moss has certainly been a primary reason for the Tigers’ success, going 8-3 on the season, 7-0 in ODAC play.  Moss is a three-time ODAC Player of the Year, but the talent that surrounds him certainly helps the team effort.  Sophomore Kevin Calhoun is 9-2 on the season, 7-0 in ODAC play; junior Rich Pugh is 7-1, 5-1; junior Tal Covington is 9-3, 6-1; junior Shad Harrell is 8-4, 7-1.

Despite their dominance, the Tigers will have a tough challenge.  The ODAC Tournament is held in Lexington on Washington & Lee’s home courts, the same place where Hampden-Sydney ended the Generals’ reign.  The Generals – 28-time ODAC champs – had won 13 straight ODAC titles before falling to the Tigers in the 2009 ODAC Championship.  With that victory, the Tigers handed the Generals their first ODAC loss since 2000, so the Generals will certainly be looking for revenge. 

The Tigers did defeat the Generals in a thrilling match at home on March 19th by a score of 5-4.  Will Moss, ranked #10 in the region, will face #4 in the region, Hayden White.  Moss did, however, defeat White in the first match 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.  Despite that dramatic Tiger victory, Hampden-Sydney is ranked #27 nationally while Washington & Lee stands at #25.  If you ask any coach or player about rankings, 99% of them will say that rankings mean absolutely nothing, and the Tigers hope that rings true in the tournament.  However, it also adds fuel to the fire.  The Tigers have knocked off Washington & Lee two straight times and are the reigning ODAC Champs, but they are still ranked behind the Generals, a sign of disrespect that the Tigers will certainly look to reverse this weekend.

The ODAC Championship will most likely come down to a battle of revenge versus respect. The Generals will look to reestablish their reign over the ODAC while Hampden-Sydney will look to continue a new era of dominance.  Twenty straight ODAC wins would not only be a great accomplishment for the Tigers, but it would also make the Tigers back-to-back ODAC Champs.  The ODAC Tournament starts on April 23rd and will conclude on April 25th.

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1. H-SC Tennis Squad Earns National Ranking
2. Tennis Squad Hits the Courts Running
3. Tennis Tigers Look for Back-to-Back ODAC Crowns

The weather has certainly gotten hotter over the past few weeks, but so has the Hampden-Sydney Lacrosse team.  Despite 4 losses on the season, the Tigers are starting to gain national recognition, moving up to a #20 national ranking.  Typically, a 10-4 record would not result in coming close to the Top 20 poll; however, all 4 Tiger losses have come to teams ranked in the top 15.  A boost in the Tigers’ résumé came in a road victory at #13 Washington & Lee, 13-10.  On their hot streak, the Tigers have won nine of the last eleven, seven of the last eight. It is safe to say that the Tigers are certainly gaining momentum heading into the final games of the season. 

The victory over the #13 Generals of Washington & Lee was a complete team effort.  The Tigers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and controlled the momentum from the get-go.  Micah Keller scored the first two goals of the game, and Ben Clarke notched the third.  If not for a General goal with 13 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, the Tigers would have shutout the #13 team in the nation in the first quarter.  Three General goals and four Tiger goals by Ryan Martin, Keller, Whit Kelley, and Clarke gave the Tigers a 7-4 lead at halftime.  An even third quarter gave the Tigers a three-point lead heading into the final quarter.  The Tigers exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring 4 of the first 5 goals, extending the lead 13-7.  The Generals scored the last three goals of the game, but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers held on for a 13-10 upset on the road.  On the day, the Tigers shot 50% and saw seven players scored (Clarke, Keller, Kyle Jett, Cole Hawthorne, Kelley, Martin, and Carter Mavromatis).

The Tigers could not ride the momentum of that win into their next contest against #14 Lynchburg falling to the Hornets 19-10.  However, the Tigers earned their second ODAC win of the year downing Virginia Wesleyan 13-8 and followed that victory up with three blowout victories over Whittier and ODAC foes Randolph and Guilford.  The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Virginia Wesleyan, but the Marlins fought back to tie the game 5-5 early in the second quarter.  However, the Tigers would score six of the next seven goals, gaining a sizeable 11-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter and would eventually secure a 13-8 victory.  The contest once again ended with seven different Tigers finding the back of the net (Keller, Nate Cundy, Jett, Mavromatis, Hawthorne, Clarke, and Kelley).  The Tigers then blew-out Whittier, Randolph, and Guilford by a combined score of 51-17 (17-8 over Whittier, 15-1 over Randolph, and 19-8 over Guilford).

Because of its recent play, the Tiger Lacrosse team has moved up in the ODAC standings.  Three straight ODAC wins have moved the Tigers into a 3rd place overall standing with a 4-2 conference record.  The Tigers also lead the ODAC in three statistical categories: shooting percentage (35.4 %), man-up scoring percentage (48.5 %), and man-up goals per game (2.24). 

On top of great team play, the Tigers have received great individual play. The Tigers’ leading scorer, Micah Keller, garnered ODAC Player of the Week honors.  Keller has led the way for the Tigers over this win streak, especially in the games versus Virginia Wesleyan and Whittier.  In those two games, Keller scored ten goals, dished out one assist, added four ground balls, and caused one turnover.  The sophomore sensation leads the ODAC in two statistical categories: goals per game (3.0) and in man-up goals per game (0.73).

As of now, the Tigers are tied for third in the ODAC with Washington & Lee, behind Roanoke and Lynchburg.  However, if the Tigers and Generals wind up with the same conference record, the tie breaker would favor Hampden-Sydney, giving the Tigers the #3 seed in the tournament.  Washington & Lee plays at Lynchburg, and the Tigers play at Randolph-Macon to wrap up the regular season on April 24th.  The first game of the ODAC tournament will be on Wednesday, April 28th.  The Tigers will certainly look to ride their momentum into the ODAC Tournament in attempts to capture their fifth ODAC Championship and their first since 2001.

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2. The next coming of Albert Pujols- If you haven’t heard about Jason Heyward, then check out last week’s issue of Sports Illustrated ( the article not only talks about Heyward but also the East Cobb Baseball program that has produced such talent as Heyward, Brian McCann, and yours truly). The 6’5” 240 pound mammoth right fielder for the Atlanta Braves is something to marvel at. Jason has hit 4 homeruns through his first 13 games, including a rocket into the right field bleachers in his first ever major league at bat and a game tying, 9th inning shot in his first game against the division-rival Phillies.  He is also near the top of the league with 16 RBI. One intangible is that he has a great head on his shoulders as both of his parents are Dartmouth grads, which is very important for a 20 year old in the Majors.

3. Halladay in the NL- Roy Halladay has been one of the best pitchers in the game for years now. The only problem has been that he’s been locked in the prison that is the AL East if you don’t play for the Red Sox or Yankees. Now he is on the best team in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies, and is already dominating. In his first 2 starts he is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA…wow. Halladay is on his way to locking up the NL Cy Young in the first two weeks of the season (I hope I just jinxed him).

4. The Evil Empire- The New York Yankees look to defend their World Series title having yet another lineup filled with all stars who have plenty of 0’s in their salaries. They lost the World Series MVP in Hideki Matsui but reloaded with Curtis Granderson, Nick Johnson, and others. They will face stiff competition from division rival Boston who also did their annual reloading. However, there will be some new players in town with teams like the revamped Seattle Mariners and the potential-filled Detroit Tigers.

5. Stephen Strasburg- While Jason Heyward is the most hyped position player since Alex Rodriguez; Strasburg may be the most hyped pitching prospect ever. Last year’s top draft pick of the Washington Nationals signed a record $15.1 million dollar contract and will look to prove he’s worth every penny. The Nationals, a franchise in dire need of star power, decided to start Strasburg in AA but he and his 100 mph fastball will be pitching in the Nation’s capital by June.

So these are five storylines that will be intriguing throughout the year. Some people call baseball boring, and at times it can be. Sitting in front of a TV for three hours and only seeing five or six hits in a nine inning game isn’t what most would call exciting. But they don’t call baseball America’s pastime for nothing. If you have never been to a game, do your best to make it this summer. The Nationals, Orioles, and Braves are all within driving distance and it is something that every person needs to experience. A few tips to those who have never experienced a live game- 1) Get there early and tailgate… it beats paying $7.00/beer inside. 2) Buy the cheapest ticket you can find. You can always find empty seats to move down, and in these new ballparks there is not a bad seat in the house. 3) Bring your family. I went to the Braves game with my parents for the first time in years over Easter Break (I guess I should say Easter Weekend since we don’t get days off for anything) and it was a lot more fun than I remembered. 

So keep an eye on these exciting storylines, get out to a game this summer, and if you don’t already have a team to root for, the Nationals and Orioles are no good so… Go Braves!

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Bob McDonald, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble, will give the Commencement address.  With nearly 30 years of brand-building, market development, global business unit and global operations leadership experience across the company and throughout the world, he is the most broadly experienced CEO in P&G history.

Bob serves on the Board of Directors of Xerox Corporation and chairs the Fuqua Global Partnerships Committee at Duke University.  He is Vice Chair of the U.S.-China Business Council and member of the U.S. Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), Singapore’s International Advisory Council of the Economic Development Board and the Executive Committee of the Business Roundtable (BRT).

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Barbara Noble Howard was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, and grew up during the time of Apartheid.  Despite strong resistance, she became the first black to be admitted to an all-white nursing school in South Africa.  After practicing nursing in Johannesburg for several years, Mrs. Howard married and relocated to the United States.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Studies from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.  Upon graduating, Mrs. Howard assumed the role of Executive Director for the Impact Young Lives Foundation, an organization that identifies exceptional young leaders among disadvantaged South African high school students and seeks to transform them into global-minded citizens.  Prior to coming to Hampden-Sydney, she was Director of Development for the Honors College at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.

Mrs. Howard currently resides in Hampden-Sydney, VA, where her husband is the 24th President of Hampden-Sydney College.  The Howards have two sons, Cohen (16), a sophomore at Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, and Joshua (12), a seventh grader at Fuqua School in Farmville.

Sponsored by the NAACP Cumberland Branch, the Freedom Fund banquet will be held at the Bright Hope Center, Route 45, Cumberland County, beginning at 5 PM.  Tickets are $20 for adults, $6 for students, and children under 6 years of age are free.  For tickets or more information, contact Barbara Marshall at 804-561-3651.

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Hailing from London, England, Mumford and Sons comes on the indie folk scene singing loud and proud. Their deep-rooted love for country, folk, and bluegrass is completely clear in their debut album Sigh No More.  Though the CD was released in February of this year, I feel that it’s worth a review. Besides, the band is definitely worth getting the word out about – in fact, Mumford and Sons would be a choice of mine for a future Greek Week band in the concert put on by the CAC. Mumford and Sons is one of the few folk bands that I know of from London who has made their way over to the USA. Not only have they made it across the pond, but with their signing to Island Records, they’ve made it to 127th on the US charts.

The CD is full of folk anthems and vocal harmonies that you just want to sing at the top of your lungs with the rest of the band when you’re driving in your car with all the windows down. Yet, at the same time, the CD has its fair share of mellow songs. While the whole band does sing on the record, Marcus Mumford is the one who does the heavy lifting in that respect. Many of the songs on the record can be easily compared to a lot of Fleet Foxes work with the layers of country-sounding vocal harmonies and slow finger-picking on acoustic guitars and mandolins. While at the same time, the band pulls of some more foot-stompin’ songs to the likes of Bon Iver. This folksy blend of upbeat and sometimes slow and dark songs makes a perfect blend for “Sigh No More.”

To begin the CD, the band opens with “Sigh No More,” which opens with a slow acoustic guitar and vocals, which are covered in layered harmonies.  The band has a tendency to start and song out slow and then pick it up in double-time thumping a bass drum on every beat of the measure. Next on the CD we have “The Cave” and “Roll Away Your Stone” with the relaxing trumpet filled melodies of “Winter Winds” smartly placed between the two songs previously mentioned. “The Cave” is certainly one for the ladies with its mellow intro slowly moving into another foot-stomper. “White Blank Page” and “I Gave You All” both are a little more relaxing than the rest of the CD and are great place to slow down in the middle of the CD. These are also some of the darker, more emotional songs on the CD. Finally we come to the bands biggest anthem-bearing song, “Little Lion Man.” This is also the bands first single off of the CD and might be the best song they’ve done. The rest of the CD, consisting of 5 more songs, is much like the beginning, but with more of a country, swaying feel to it, and then concludes with a very laid back song, “After the Storm.”

Mumford and Sons is the next big thing. Their CD can be purchased on most major online CD stores such as iTunes and Amazon or you can pick it up at Best Buy. I don’t care how you get Sigh No More, but I do care that you get it. Again, continue the search for good independent music!

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Begun in 1859 as a joint operation of the Union and Philanthropic societies, then the only student organizations on campus, and dubbed The Hampden-Sydney Magazine, the journal came to represent not only “the lasting word of the students” but also the important events and spirit of the times, serving as a kind of yearbook.

This issue of the Garnet is no different: featuring work from a dozen students, it presents a wide range of artistic tastes and styles that come together in the book as an artifact of literature and work that surpasses the quality of many undergraduate publications. 

Associate Professor of English Neil Perry, the editor of the college’s professional journal, the Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, praised the professional appearance of the book and the quality of work that made it in.

Bodendorf made it his priority to make sure that that quality was high.

“From taking creative writing classes I got to know people who were writing on campus,” said Bodendorf. Gathering submissions from personal friends and from students enrolled in creative writing classes, he began putting the body of work for the issue together early last semester. “I got a snowball going as it started piling up,” he said. Compiling the submissions was, he said, “one of the more enjoyable parts of getting it together. I was blown away by how good it all was.”

On April 20, a reception and reading was held in the Parents & Friends Lounge of Venable Hall, giving student contributors a chance to read their work to the crowd, which included most of the English department faculty and a number of fellow students. Bodendorf introduced the issue by reading his own addition to the issue, the poem “Letter to Alyson,” an epistolary poem—one written as a letter to someone—inspired by Tennessee poet George Scarborough, who passed away in 2008. 

Following Bodendorf, junior Matthew MacFarland read three of his four poems appearing in the issue—“Trouble with Trees,” “With gratitude, after,” and “Leonids.” The three poems had been composed in the fall for Professor Perry’s Introduction to Poetry workshop class.

Sophomore Thomas Browne, who after this semester will have finished both poetry workshops offered at Hampden-Sydney, then read his poem “Hammock,” his only submission to the magazine.

A fiction selection from the short story “Fire People on Fridays” was then read by Tyler Heslop ’12.

Professor Perry then spoke briefly about the importance of undergraduate magazines and the sense of accomplishment a young writer feels when work is first published. Perry, who received his Masters of Fine Arts from Indiana University in 2008, has most recently completed a long collection of 52 poems, each taking its title from the name of a chapter in a small-scale agriculture manual written in the 1930s. Perry concluded the reception by reading several poems from this project, along with the first poem of his published in a journal.

Poems by Chris Griggs ’12, Evan Weinzierl ’10, and Austin Stallings ’11 were also featured in the magazine, along with fiction from Charles Eberly and faculty member Israel Domingo and photography by Alice Frye and Alex Burner ’10, whose use of slow exposure techniques captured both movement and clarity on the magazine’s cover.

The Garnet, like many Hampden-Sydney student publications, has had somewhat of a checkered history—in years past, issues were released the semester after its senior class contributors had graduated. For the first time in recent years, though, this Garnet was released well before semester’s end.

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