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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star
The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Baseball shakes off rust for tournament

By James Nokes | February 16, 2006

After a 19-day layoff, the NIU baseball team will take the field Feb. 24 through 26 at the Evansville Tournament. NIU is set to play Eastern Illinois, Evansville and Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the three-day tournament. The Huskies are currently 0-3 on the...

Huskies drop first three games of year

By Jarrod Rice | February 6, 2006

The NIU baseball team proved it knew how to start a comeback in its season-opening series. Now the Huskies have to learn how to finish one. The Huskies dropped their first three games of the season at Arizona State 5-3, 9-6 and 8-3, respectively. In games...

Commentary

By Steve Brown | February 3, 2006

A word to any college athlete who believes they're the next great star.

Whether you are or not, please, please, keep your mouth shut.

However you have to do it, whether it be duck tape, a dirty sock or a voice-activated shock collar, keep your opinions and ego to yourself.

Why you might ask’ Because, right now, your silence is what makes college sports so much better than pro sports.

Turn on ESPN and you'll notice they are broadcasting 24/7 the every thought, sound and muscle twitch of the Indiana Pacers' Ron Artest.

In case you're not up to date on his latest hissy fit, Artest publicly declared he wanted to be traded to "any team" in December. The forward had been suspended from the team up until Tuesday when the Pacers arranged a trade for Artest to go to the Sacramento Kings.

Unfortunately for the Pacers, Artest nixed the trade by saying he didn't want to play there. Sound familiar’ Try Terrell Owens two years ago. Apparently, the latest word is the Artest trade is back on but who knows or cares.

Scenes like this are becoming more and more common in today's sports realm. More and more pro athletes are putting themselves first for more money, exposure or just because that's what they felt like doing that day.

But not in college.

Ahh, sweet and innocent college athletes have yet to find their voices. And I hope it stays that way for all time.

There is no coach bashing. No demands to get the ball more. No demanding period. Why’ Because as an athlete in college you have no power. Shoot your mouth off once and your coach will have you running wind sprints for the next six weeks, nonstop.

Imagine a Texas Tech player going on television and screaming for more playing time. Bob Knight would break a chair over his head — and then he'd really go to work on him.

In sports there is a term that is sometimes overused and yet under appreciated: team.

Such a simple word holds the reason for success in college athletics. Team is the reason for March Madness upsets and bowl game glory. As great as Vince Young or Garrett Wolfe are, take away the 10 guys beside them and you'd never have heard of them.

So, college athlete, heed this advice. Keep your mouth shut and keep college athletics pure of egos.

And if you see one of your teammates mouthing off, tell Bob Knight.

Proposed bill could limit IHSA spending

January 18, 2006

BLOOMINGTON - State championships in events ranging from golf to Scholastic Bowl could be jeopardized under a proposed law that would cap the Illinois High School Association’s income from postseason tournaments, IHSA officials said Tuesday. Rep. Kurt...

Novak penny-wise on the sidelines

By James Nokes | November 30, 2005

As NIU head coach since 1995, Joe Novak has posted 6 straight winning seasons. A stunning statistic considering from 1969 to 1995, NIU posted only 7 above .500 campaigns on the gridiron. The 60-year-old Novak speaks in a calm and confident tone, his broad...

Baseball inks four recruits

By Andrew Hansen | November 30, 2005

The NIU baseball team received four National Letters of Intent Tuesday. Pitcher and outfielder Cody Beck (Bartlett), infielder Jordin Hood (Lake Zurich), outfielder Daniel Reed (North Iowa Area CC), and pitcher and first baseman David Reynolds (Sandburg)...

Football crowds don’t carry over to other sports

By Ben Gross | November 15, 2005

I remember going to football games during my freshman year with 25,000-plus screaming fans at just about every game. The energy, excitement and noise of those games can’t even be described with words. When football season came to a close I was disappointed...

NIU graduate takes hill for Sox day in, day out

By Sean Connor | October 26, 2005

He’s got stuff from the mound that Major League Baseball teams dream of, but Rob Tamen was cut from NIU’s baseball team during walk-on tryouts in 1978. But every time a hitter steps into the batters box for the World Series contending Chicago White...

Athletic partners range from corporate to local

By Sean Connor | October 18, 2005

With donations ranging from world-wide corporations to the home-town bar and grill, the NIU Athletics Department partially funds its 496 athletes and 17 athletic programs. Gatorade, Adidas, Pepsi, Allstate, Applebee’s, Castle Bank, Fatty’s, Culver’s...

What do we Cubs fans do?

By Ben Gross | October 17, 2005

John Cusack: actor, producer, writer and fan of both the Cubs and White Sox? That’s right. Although Cusack was brought up on the north side, he admitted to MLB.com he is a fan of both Windy City teams. But can someone from Chicago really be neutral...

Huskies to be enshrined in Hall of Fame

By James Nokes | October 13, 2005

NIU alumnus Adam Dach, Kevin Ekberg, Joe Plaskas and Niki VanHooreweghe, will join the 1989-90 NIU women’s basketball team in the 24th class to be enshrined in the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame. Festivities take place tonight at the Holmes Student Center’s...

Schenk takes second top-10 of the season

By James Nokes | October 5, 2005

NIU men’s golfer Nick Schenk posted his second top-10 finish of the year at the Ball State Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational Monday and Tuesday. The senior Batavia native opened with a 66-70 on Monday and finished the day two strokes off the lead. Schenk...

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