Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
November 9, 2007, Washington Post

Look Around, There's a Lot to See

There are many sports to talk about, so let's get started.

• How about a cheer for the Navy football team? The Midshipmen beat Notre Dame, 46-44, in triple overtime last Saturday, Navy's first win over the Fighting Irish in 44 years! I know that Notre Dame is not that good this season -- 1 win and 8 losses -- but I bet the Fighting Irish didn't try to recruit many (if any) of the players now on Navy's team. So it was a huge win for Navy.

Forty-four years is a long time. When Navy last beat Notre Dame in football, Nov. 2, 1963, John F. Kennedy was president, the Beatles had yet to appear in the United States and boxer Muhammad Ali was still known as Cassius Clay.

• Speaking of football. . . have you seen Adrian Peterson? The Minnesota Vikings rookie running back ran for a National Football League-record 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. Peterson is lightning quick, has a million shifty moves and is running behind a terrific offensive line. Watch: He might gain more than 300 yards this weekend.

• The college basketball season has started. I think it's too early for hoops. These college kids are supposed to be students. Can't schools wait until after Thanksgiving to begin the season?

Three local teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 polls. On the men's side, the Georgetown Hoyas (ranked No. 5) are looking to repeat as the Big East conference champs and return to the NCAA Final Four. The Hoyas have a real shot with 7-foot-2 senior center Roy Hibbert (from Georgetown Prep) and senior guard Jonathan Wallace.

On the women's side, the Maryland Terrapins (ranked No. 4) and the George Washington Colonials (No. 14) are favorites to win their leagues, too. Circle Nov. 18 on your sports calendar: That's when GW plays host to Rutgers (No. 3) at Smith Center. It should be a terrific early-season matchup.

• Then again, you might want to save Nov. 18 for the finals of the NCAA field hockey championships. Maryland is hosting this year's Final Four tournament. The top teams from a field of 16 will play in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 16. The two winners will then meet in Sunday's title game.

The Terps won the national championship the last two years and have a good chance to three-peat. Maryland, 17-2 in the regular season, is led by Atlantic Coast Conference offensive player of the year Katie O'Donnell. The 5-foot-2 freshman sensation scored 17 goals and had 15 assists.

• If that's not enough, all around the Washington area there are high school playoffs and championships in football, volleyball, soccer, cross country and field hockey. So pick your sport and enjoy.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's sports opinion column and is an author of sports novels for kids.

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