MARASCO: Year in Review

Another passing year at school brings another slew of memories, and never fails to make the nostalgia start flowing.

If you’re a sports enthusiast, there’s a lot to love about BU, and the past year in Terrier sports has, not surprisingly, provided its share of memorable events – some, I feel, deserve special recognition.

So, here are my awards for this year in BU sports:

The award for ‘Best Arena Experience’ goes hands down to the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

Mythical creatures known as river hawks abound, but better yet is the inflatable blimp that cruises around the rafters, raining down coupons upon the UMass-Lowell faithful.

You look around the arena and see advertisements for upcoming events: “The Blood, Sweat and Beers Tour” and “Rowdy Star Wars Night.”

Combine all that with the Avion tequila on tap, and you’ve got yourself a glorious slice of the Lowell experience.

At Agganis you have to provide a passport just to have a beer, but at the Tsongas Center they’ll give you a round of tequila shots if you’re tall enough to see over the bar.

So, here’s to you, Lowell.  Well done.

However, not all opposing arenas provided such high times.

The award for ‘Most Uncomfortable’ goes to the Northeastern student section.

If you’re a family man and want to take the kids to enjoy a nice weekend game at historic Matthews Arena, you’d better hope the game doesn’t go into overtime.

If it does, your fragile, impressionable children will get an unwanted dose of pasty, white guts hanging over the railings of the Northeastern student sections on each end of the ice.

To each his own, but I just don’t think the “No Tee OT” thing is ever going to grow on me, and no child of mine will ever be subjugated to such a gruesome display.

Luckily, Northeastern offers psychological consulting, free of charge, after all home overtime games for those who have a difficult time getting over the emotional distress caused by No Tee OT.

Let’s stay at Matthews Arena for the next award.  Despite the obvious emotional scarring that results from No Tee OT, it was only the second most obscene part of the March 5 tilt with the Huskies.

The award for ‘Greatest Display of Choreographed Hatred’ goes to the entire Northeastern hockey team, whose middle fingers are still burned into the deepest bowels of my memory.

That’s right – after former Terrier Vinny Saponari’s game-winning overtime goal against the Terriers, the entire Northeastern squad skated over to the BU student section and proceeded to give us all the finger for what probably was only about 45 seconds, but felt as long as that series of endings in the last Lord of the Rings movie.

That experience leads me perfectly to my next award, the ‘Most Difficult Game to Watch’ award.

You ever see a couple fighting in public, or someone on the street having a nervous breakdown because of the stresses of the daily grind?

You get that feeling like you just shouldn’t be watching – you shouldn’t be there to see it.  Well, that’s how I felt when BU played the University of Maryland-Baltimore County men’s basketball team at the Roof on Jan. 24.

The final score was 83-48 in favor of the Terriers, which is painful in its own right, but watching the UMBC bench come apart at the seams – seeing Randy Monroe’s pit stains reach uncomfortable levels – made me feel like I shouldn’t have been there.

With his team falling behind by 37 points three different times, Monroe was screaming and jumping up and down on the sidelines as if his Happy Meal didn’t have the plastic toy he had hoped for inside it.

The faces of his players seemed to say “C’mon, Coach – people are watching.  Can’t we talk about this when we get home?”

In stark contrast to Monroe’s unbridled passion, the ‘Most Apathetic’ award goes to the Harvard student section – or lack there of – at this year’s Beanpot semifinal.

I’m not sure what to say other then where were they?

I mean, I’m sure they’re busy and all with being Harvard students, but not even four or five of them could put their homework off for a couple hours?

But, I guess that’s why they go to Harvard and I don’t.

Finally, I’d like to give the award for ‘Most Redundant’ to the Agganis Arena staff for repeatedly awarding the “Flip Cam Dance-off” victory to any child who entered the contest.

Some of those older gentlemen had some top-quality moves that were overlooked because of their age – it’s a real shame.

And what are those 4-year-olds going to do with all those flip cams? Seriously.

Honorable Mention goes to the entire Red Hot Hockey experience – “Whistlegate,” Ross Gaudet’s game-winning overtime tip, Cornell fans throwing beers at the band and taunting xylophone players and post-game drinks with Dean Elmore really made that night one to remember.

Sometimes lost in all the drama of the rivalries, the wins and the losses, is the joy that comes solely from the experience of being a fan – of being there.

I leave you with these moments for now, and look forward to many more next year.  Thanks for reading and have a great summer.