Bashing for big bucks
Associated Press
Published: April 21, 2009

WASHINGTON — Ryan Zimmerman strolled into the home clubhouse at Nationals Park after Monday’s news conference announcing his $45 million, five-year contract and was greeted with a smile and a yell from a teammate sitting on a couch.

“Congratulations, man!” infielder Anderson Hernandez said.

The former Virginia star smiled and flashed a thumbs-up. As much as the Washington Nationals want their third baseman to produce on the field with his bat and glove, they expect him to earn his new salary in that clubhouse, too, by helping turn around a struggling team with leadership.

“When you’re 21 or 22 years old, it’s hard to speak up when you’ve got 30-year-old guys who’ve got seven, eight years in the big leagues. You kind of have to get the respect of everyone and feel it out a little bit first,” Zimmerman said. “I feel like I’m to that point now.”

And he insists he believes the team is heading in the right direction under the Lerner family that purchased the team from Major League Baseball in May 2006 — even if the Nationals were a majors-worst 59-102 last season and were a majors-worst 1-10 this season heading into Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves.

“If someone says, ‘You’re going to lose 100 games every year,’ there’s no way I’m going to stay in that place,” Zimmerman said. “I enjoy winning, and I think we’re going to do it.”

He signed the longest deal the Nationals have given anyone since moving from Montreal. It follows the by-all-accounts strong — if ultimately unsuccessful — offseason pursuit of Mark Teixeira and the signing of Adam Dunn to a $20 million, two-year deal.

“I had faith in the Lerners and the ownership group that they’re going to continue to bring people in. This offseason was a huge step,” Zimmerman said. “They kind of went out and showed people what they’re willing to do.”

Monday also capped a 2 1/2-year, on-and-off process that Zimmerman’s agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, said began on Dec. 6, 2006, with an initial exchange of proposals.

The framework for a new deal was put in place about 15 minutes before the first pitch of Washington’s first regular-season game, at the Florida Marlins on April 6. Paperwork and physical exams delayed the formal announcement.

“This was a complicated, lengthy procedure,” team president Stan Kasten said, “but we had the full support of ownership.”

Kasten took over negotiations after general manager Jim Bowden resigned during spring training.

“We talked about deals from every length you could possibly imagine — as long as 10 years, as short as four years,” Van Wagenen said.

Zimmerman’s contract now runs through 2013 and replaces the one-year, $3,325,000 contract Zimmerman agreed to in February, when he avoided an arbitration hearing. Zimmerman will still make that amount in 2009 and the new deal kept the old one’s additional $175,000 in bonuses available based on plate appearances.

He gets a $500,000 signing bonus in 2009, and salaries of $6.25 million in 2010, $8.925 million in 2011, $12 million in 2012 and $14 million in 2013. There are no player or club options. Zimmerman will host an event at the team’s stadium at least once a year to benefit his ZiMS foundation, a charity dedicated to treatment and research of multiple sclerosis, which his mother has.

“He deserves everything he’s getting. We all know you can’t win with [only] a bunch of straight-A students, good Boy Scouts. But you need good people in order for you to have success and this guy is special,” Nationals manager Manny Acta said. “He’s a better person than player, which is actually hard to believe. He’s a coach’s dream.”

Zimmerman was a first-round draft pick out of UVa in 2005 and made his major league debut that season. In 2006, he was the runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year voting after batting .287 with 20 homers and 110 RBI. Injuries limited Zimmerman to 106 games last season, when he hit .283 with 14 homers and 51 RBI.

He’s batting .275 with two homers and 10 RBI this season. His career numbers: .282, 60 homers, 268 RBI.

“I do think it’s time for him to assume the role that we all knew he would grow into some day,” Kasten said, “of being more of a leader in the clubhouse and on the field.”

Virginia dominates conference tourney in record-setting fashion
Cavaliers notch unprecedented series of 4-0 blowout sweeps, win third-straight title
Andrew Seidman, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, April 21 2009

Sophomore Michael Shabaz was the Cavaliers’ most reliable doubles contributor during the ACC Tournament, Virginia coach Brian Boland said. As if tearing through the ACC regular season to go undefeated for the second consecutive year, extending its ACC winning streak to 45 games and notching its third ACC Championship in as many years was not enough, the Virginia men’s tennis team added a little icing on the cake: Showing no mercy, the No. 1 Cavaliers achieved an unprecedented ACC Championship feat by sweeping each match, 4-0.

“It’s a tremendous accomplishment, and I’m really proud of the team and everyone that put so much effort into the program,” Virginia coach Brian Boland said. “Each year brings a new challenge, and any time you win an ACC championship, it’s something that you have to enjoy.”

One week after dismantling No. 20 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. by a score of 6-1, Virginia (29-0) took on the Demon Deacons (20-9) for the second time in Cary, N.C. in the tournament finals. The result of the match — a Virginia victory — was the same, but the implications were even sweeter with an ACC Championship on the line. After the Cavaliers grabbed the doubles point, No. 17 senior Dominic Inglot struck first in singles with a 6-4, 6-3 win against No. 12 senior Cory Parr to extend the lead to 2-0.

“It’s something Dom’s been striving for a long time now — to rise up to big moments,” Boland said. “He did it this past weekend.”

Virginia sealed the victory with triumphs from freshman Drew Courtney and sophomore Sanam Singh at the No. 5 and No. 2 singles slots, respectively.

“I don’t think many people expected us to do this after losing Somdev,” Singh said, noting the departure of former teammate and 2007 and 2008 NCAA singles champion Somdev Devvarman.

The Cavaliers began tournament play in the same way they ended it — with utter domination.

Virginia’s quarterfinal match against No. 8 seed North Carolina featured a doubles rematch of Inglot and sophomore Michael Shabaz’s senior day loss against the No. 16 ranked duo of junior Clay Donato and senior Taylor Fogleman. This time around, however, the pair delivered a convincing 8-3 trouncing that set the tone for the rest of the match and even the tournament.

“Michael and Dom just came out and returned so well,” Boland said. “I believe they broke five straight times — which is almost unheard of, particularly at No. 1 doubles, where you usually see a lot of big servers — so they were just hitting the ball, returning extremely well, probably as well as I’ve seen Dom return all year. That was the key to their success against North Carolina.”

After clinching the doubles point with another 8-3 victory for Singh and junior Houston Barrick in the No. 2 slot, the Cavaliers cruised in singles with wins from Shabaz, Courtney and junior Lee Singer.

In one of the more enticing matchups of the tournament, Virginia advanced to the semifinals to play No. 4 seed Florida State. In a tightly contested regular season match March 29, the No. 16 Seminoles nearly snapped the Cavaliers’ undefeated streak with wins at both No. 1 and No. 2 singles. With a trip to the ACC finals at stake, however, Inglot and Singh came through with two crucial wins. After dropping the first set to No. 51 sophomore Clint Bowles, 1-6, No. 27 Singh bounced back to take the next two matches, 6-3, 6-2.

“I just hung in there and took the second set and had momentum with me,” Singh said.

An important factor all weekend for the Cavaliers was Shabaz’s doubles play. Although Inglot struggled at times, Boland said, Shabaz remained poised at all times.

“Michael, from a doubles standpoint, was consistent all weekend and was probably the best doubles player on the court the entire weekend of any team that I saw play,” Boland said. “He has an unbelievable gift and he put it to good use this past weekend.”

Coming off a strong individual performance in the ACC tournament, Shabaz is now preparing for the NCAA Tournament at Texas A&M in three weeks.

“We need a little bit of luck — that always helps,” Shabaz said. “Fitness is a big thing; it’s [going to] be really hot in Texas.”

The Cavaliers find themselves in a similar position to last year’s team: undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into the NCAAs. Last year, Virginia bowed out to No. 4 Georgia in the semifinals of the 64-team tournament.

“The one thing we need to continue to stress is to do what we did this past weekend,” Boland said, “which is to remain completely composed through each and every match.”

Although the team personnel has changed after losing three starters from last year’s squad, Boland said his approach will be similar.

“In both cases, we had an awful lot of confidence,” Boland said. “In most years, we peak this time of the year and use these particular three weeks to play our best tennis ... to go out and improve over the next three weeks, both physically and mentally.”

With only three weeks remaining in the postseason, the Cavaliers are not necessarily forgetting their success so far, but simply are focusing on what lies ahead.

“All we try to do in the NCAA Tournament is give ourselves a chance,” Boland said, “and we’ve done that for six plus years now, and I don’t think it’ll be any different this year. Hopefully this will be our year, and we’ll leave it out on the court.”

Notes: Against Florida State, Inglot won a 7-6, 7-6 nailbiter against No. 16 junior Jean-Yves Aubone ... Inglot and Shabaz, ranked No. 13 in the nation, dropped their doubles match against Wake Forest’s No. 11 team of senior Cory Parr and junior Steve Forman; Inglot/Shabaz won the teams’ regular season match ... By winning the ACC Championships, Virginia received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.



 

Cavaliers butt heads with Rams in Richmond
Pieces begin to fall into place as Virginia heads down Route 64 for midweek match-up with Virginia Commonwealth
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, April 21 2009

Prior to Virginia’s series against Boston College, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said that, unlike in past years, his team had yet to hit its peak. And, after blowing a one-run lead in the eighth inning to fall 9-6 to Boston College on the road Saturday, the Cavaliers still clearly have work to do.

As Virginia takes on Virginia Commonwealth tonight with just more than a month left in the season, however, the pieces appear to be falling into place. The blown Saturday loss was sandwiched between two wins for the Cavaliers’ first series victory on the road since their opening ACC series win against Wake Forest.

“I think each weekend we play, we figure something else out,” sophomore right fielder Dan Grovatt said.

The last two weekend series revealed perhaps the most to O’Connor about his team. From the week prior to the Georgia Tech series to this point in the season, Virginia’s Sunday starting pitcher, closer and leadoff hitter all have been new faces.

Perhaps the most surprising move was putting sophomore pitcher Robert Morey in the Sunday starting role. The Sunday starter has been a revolving door all season; junior Neal Davis, freshman Will Roberts and sophomore Tyler Wilson all made appearances in that slot prior to Morey.

Morey’s first start against Georgia Tech may well have come merely because of a unique circumstance. After the Friday series opener against the Yellow Jackets was postponed in the fourth inning to continue Saturday, O’Connor was forced to use Wilson, the previous weekend’s Sunday starter, on the mound following the delay. Thus, O’Connor turned to Morey, and he responded by allowing two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings against the No. 8 Yellow Jackets.

Morey then turned in the best start from a Cavalier starting pitcher all season Sunday against the Eagles, throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings and striking out 12.

“All throughout the week [leading up to Georgia Tech], I got some good work in with [pitching coach Karl Kuhn],” Morey said. “Everything was just working for me.”

Less surprising was the move of sophomore Kevin Arico to closer; the reason for the move, however, was quite unexpected. O’Connor had suggested all year that the closer to start the year, junior Matt Packer, may be moved into the starting rotation if one of the more inexperienced bullpen pitchers developed into a viable option. After pitching through several clutch situations early in the year — including back-to-back saves in non-conference play — Arico was certainly an option.

What took Packer out of the closing role, however, was poor performance. After posting a nation-best 1.14 ERA last season, his mark has jumped to 5.47 this season. Packer bottomed out in his last outing, as he was the losing pitcher Saturday, giving four runs on three hits and two walks in the eighth for his fourth loss of the year.

Arico, though, has performed well thus far, posting a 2.95 ERA and converting all four of his save opportunities, including two in ACC play.

Nevertheless, the struggles for Packer are an issue for Virginia.

“He keeps battling, things just aren’t going his way right now,” O’Connor said. “At some point the game will come around to him. It’s unfortunate but it is what it is.”

Also an issue is the slumping sophomore centerfielder Jarrett Parker. After starting off the year on a tear, hitting more than .400 most of the season and posting a team-high 11 homeruns through game two of the Georgia Tech series, Parker has just two hits and has struck out 14 times in his last 17 at-bats.

Consequently, like Packer, O’Connor’s hand was forced into a change. He started right-handed Phil Gosselin in the leadoff spot against a left-handed Boston College starting pitcher Saturday, and switch-hitting junior Tyler Cannon against a right-handed starter Sunday.

As for whether Parker will return to the leadoff role if he can emerge from his funk, O’Connor said he will continue to evaluate that as the season moves along.

“He’s a talented player,” O’Connor said. “Everybody has a tough streak like the one he’s having.”

The good news for the ever-evolving Cavaliers is that their schedule lightens up as the season winds down. The squad finishes with two home ACC series against unranked N.C. State and Duke, and will end the season with a road series against Virginia Tech, the last-place team in the Coastal Division.

Tonight, though, Virginia must head to Richmond to contend with a VCU team that has been competitive in previous matchups. Though the Cavaliers have won each of the teams’ last three battles, two of those wins came by two runs or less.

The Rams are coming off a weekend series with their only other ranked opponent thus far, No. 27 George Mason. VCU lost the series at the Diamond in Richmond but took one game from the Patriots, holding George Mason scoreless during the final five innings of a 4-3 victory in Friday’s opener. The Rams are 7-5 this season at the picturesque Diamond, which was the home of the Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A affiliate Richmond Braves for 46 years until they moved to Gwinnett, Ga. in the fall of 2008.

“It’s a chance to play at the Diamond,” O’Connor said. “I know we’ll have a lot of fans there.”

With O’Connor shuffling his players around, it is also a chance for the young Virginia team to continue to adapt as the postseason nears.

“We’re a young team, and that’s not an excuse at all,” Grovatt said. “I think as the season goes on, we mature as players and as people, just because you learn from your mistakes. I think that definitely has shown so far this year.”

 

Cavs make big move on track

If there was a Virginia athletic program that exemplified futility in the Cavaliers' first 44 years as an ACC member, it was men's outdoor track and field.

While progress was evident when the UVa men took third in the indoor season, few would have predicted the Cavaliers' showing this past weekend in Coral Gables, Fla., where they finished in a tie for first with Florida State.

"I think it's good that we tied," said Jason Vigilante, the Cavaliers' 36-year-old first-year coach. "Florida State is the reigning, three-time national champion. [Tying] gives us something to be humble about."

Virginia has won three of the past four ACC men's cross country championships, but the Cavaliers generally have lacked the balance and the depth to be a factor in the track championships.

"We've never been known for our competitiveness in the sprints," said Vigilante, whose team did not have a finalist in the men's 100- or 200-meter dashes. "We had to concentrate on keeping hungry and keeping healthy."

Track and field athletes are highly susceptible to pulls, bruises and tears that hinder their performances.

"It's a sport that puts a high demand on staying healthy," Vigilante said. "It's not like other sports, where you can take a week off from training and be close to 100 percent when you return. The key is communication between the kids and coaches."

Vigilante, formerly a top assistant at Texas, did not enter the Cavaliers' picture until it was announced Aug. 11 that predecessor Randy Bungard was resigning. UVa had finished fourth at the 2008 ACC men's outdoor championships and Bungard felt the program he was leaving was in the best shape it had been.

That didn't necessarily mean the Cavaliers were championship material. There were only two athletic programs in which Virginia had fielded teams since joining the ACC and had failed to win a title -- men's golf and outdoor men's track and field.

In Coral Gables, Virginia trailed Florida State by seven points going into the second-to-last event, the 5,000 meters, where a 2-4-6 finish put the Cavaliers ahead by four. A third-place finish in the 1,600 relay, in which Florida State was first, preserved UVa's shared first title.

"It's something I'd never thought about it," Vigilante said. "History is what you make of it now. We wanted to be careful and try to field a very competitive team rather than start with our eye on championships, but one of the neat things about this university is that the bar is set pretty high here."

Streaks 'n' such

Since losing to Duke 4-3 in the championship match of the 2006 ACC Tournament, the Virginia men's tennis team has won 45 consecutive matches against conference opponents, including regular-season matches, conference tournament matches and the NCAA Tournament. UVa is 60-1 over the past two seasons and 91-5 in all matches since 2007.

n Virginia had won every ACC women's rowing champion that had been contested before 14th-ranked Clemson held off No. 11 UVa on Monday in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Cavaliers' coach Kevin Sauer was 9-for-9 in ACC championships, ranking behind only men's and women's swimming coach Mark Bernadino, who has 19 ACC titles (12 men, seven women).

n UVa returned to the No. 1 spot in the men's lacrosse poll following Cornell's 10-7 upset victory over previously unbeaten Princeton, which had supplanted the Cavaliers for one week. However, Virginia is seeded third for this week's ACC Tournament, where it will face Duke, which owns six straight wins over Virginia.

Reversal in form

Virginia left-hander Matt Packer, the Division I leader in earned-run average (1.14) last season, will make his first start tonight when the Cavaliers (30-8-1) visit Virginia Commonwealth (18-14).

Packer, who has made 23 relief appearances dating back to last year, has given up more runs (16) in 2113 innings this season than he did last year (15) in 7113 innings. He has given up 12 hits and nine earned runs in 413 innings over his last five outings.

"He's not that far away," said coach Brian O'Connor, who said he's prepared to "ride it out."

Sophomore pitchers Tyler Wilson, Robert Morey and Kevin Arico bailed out UVa this weekend, combining for two victories and a save at Boston College.
 

Men’s team wins share of first ACC title in program history
Pair of individual conference champions propel Cavaliers to tie with Florida State for first place; Vigilante’s successful first year reaches new high mark
Nick Eilerson, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, April 21 2009

History was made Saturday at Miami’s Cobb Stadium, where the Virginia men’s track and field team won the school’s first-ever ACC Outdoor Championship. The squad shared the title with three-time reigning NCAA champion Florida State, as both teams finished the three-day competition with 141 total points. It marked the first time since 1982 that two ACC teams shared the conference crown.

Virginia’s women’s team, meanwhile, also put forth a strong showing, finishing the meet in fourth place with a total of 74 points. Florida State won handily with 160 points, while Virginia Tech finished runner-up with 127 and North Carolina placed third with 123.

The men’s breakout showing was anchored by 11 All-ACC performances and two individual ACC titles. Senior All-American Yemi Ayeni won his third consecutive conference title in the discus with a heave of 189 feet, 7 inches, and sophomore Adams Abdulrazaaq earned the school’s first ACC title in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 14.16 seconds. Abdulrazaaq’s feat especially is impressive, as he has only been competing in hurdles for two years.

“To have the outcome turn out like it did was just really big,” Abdulrazaaq said. “Everyone was excited that it happened. So much team spirit was involved. It took every person that was competing, it took everybody. It was a huge team effort.”

The meet began on the right foot for the Cavaliers, as both the men’s and women’s sides led the field after the first day of competition, Thursday. Junior Meghan Briggs kick-started the squad’s productive day, heading a 1-3-5 Cavalier finish in the javelin for her second consecutive ACC title in the event with a throw of 162’0”. The 29 points the ladies collected the first day nearly amounted to their ACC indoor tournament total in February.

The men’s team made an equally impressive showing, as sophomore Ryan Collins led a sweep of the second- through fifth-place finishes in the 10K, finishing less than one second behind Florida State’s senior Steeve Gabart to claim the runner-up spot. Sophomore Emil Heineking joined Collins in taking ACC honors in the event, finishing in third place. The race gave Virginia 23 of its 30 total points for the day.

Virginia junior Ayla Smith qualified Friday for Saturday’s finals in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles, beating her own school record in the 100-meter hurdles with 13.51 seconds. In the steeplechase, junior Stephanie Garcia, a tableau editor for The Cavalier Daily, ended with a bittersweet fourth-place finish, completing the race in 10:28.38 after recovering from a hard fall while leading the race. The women fell back to fourth place at day’s end, trailing first-place North Carolina by 15 points.

The 3,000-meter steeplechase highlighted the second day for the men in a somewhat unusual fashion. Though junior Steve Finley’s 8:59.74 runner-up finish was significant, freshman Andrew Mearns’ 9:09.71 fourth-place performance was perhaps even more noteworthy. Mearns lost his shoe early in the race and was forced to run about 90 percent of the race without it— a difficult feat, considering the steeplechase involves negotiating hurdles and 12-foot jumps over 3-foot deep water. The freshman’s performance seemed to embody the Cavaliers’ hard-nosed team effort during the weekend and this season, as Mearns did not make the cross country or indoor track teams but was given the chance to compete in the steeplechase.

“It was a really gutty performance, which was a catalyst on Friday night for the rest of the fellas to look at and say ‘If he can do it, so can I,’” Virginia coach Jason Vigilante said. “I think our team really owes a lot to Andrew Mearns’ performance on Friday night.”

The steeplechase gave the men’s side a much-needed 13 points and pushed them to within 14 points of first-place Florida State the final day of competition, Saturday. In addition to Abdulrazaaq’s and Ayeni’s outstanding title performances, the Cavaliers garnered critical points from several athletes. Seniors Andrew Jesien and Kevin Tschirhart picked up 13 points in the 1500-meter run, with Jesien earning a runner-up finish in 3:44.43 and Tschirhart picking up fourth place in 3:45.66. In the shorter 800-meter race, freshman All-American Lance Roller finished runner-up in 1:51.16 and sophomore Andrew Lobb grabbed a close third-place finish in 1:51.31. Sophomore Marcus Robinson finished third in the triple jump with a jump of 50’9.25”, the program’s fifth-best leap.

Heading into the final stretch of the meet, the men’s side found itself still squarely in second place and needed a solid performance in the 5,000-meter race before going up against Florida State in the 4-by-400-meter relay, an event in which the Seminoles hold the nation’s first- and second-best times. Collins came through for the Cavaliers with a crucial runner-up finish in the 5,000, pulling Virginia ahead of Florida State on the scoreboard 135-131. The meet was far from finished, however, as Virginia needed a strong showing in the 4-by-400 to hold onto its lead. Freshman Kevin Anding, Abdulrazaaq, Roller and sophomore All-American Meikle Paschal fought hard to make a pass in the final turn, but could not overtake Florida State runners. The Cavalier quartet’s third-place finish was just enough, though, as it knotted up the score at 141 with Florida State, resulting in a shared conference title between the two schools.

“What became exciting for us was focusing on the positives and focusing on the things that we had control over,” Vigilante said. “Regardless of the circumstance, we had to finish in the top three and we were able to."

The women’s side also put together a string of solid finishes the final day. In the discus, senior All-American Billie-Jo Grant finished runner-up with a toss of 166’4”, enabling her to claim her fourth All-ACC honor in the event. Senior Caitlin Kelly finished close behind, earning third place and her first All-ACC honor with a throw of 165’2”. In the 1,500-meter run, freshman Morgane Gay came in third place with a time of 4:22.11, the seventh-fastest time in program history.

“The women were outstanding,” Vigilante said. “I’m so proud of our ladies, the way they’ve gotten their act together in terms of becoming a cohesive team and worked on focusing on what the goals would be for the outdoor season. We scored over 100 percent more points than we did at the indoor championships, so we really did a phenomenal job on the women’s side.”

Up next for the Cavaliers are the coveted Penn Relays, a special event that draws huge crowds to watch elite athletes compete in non-timed events. Even famed Olympic medalist and world-record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica will be on hand. The meet is scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Philadelphia.

Vigilante, who is coaching his first outdoor season with Virginia since his arrival from Texas last summer, credits not only the athletes and assistant coaches for the teams’ incredible performances to this point in the season, but also a simple, consistent mindset.

“If you focus on the things that matter ... things like integrity, character, sacrifice, good things are the byproduct — it’s inevitable,” Vigilante said. “And all throughout this year, we’ve been able to do that. That’s how we got to this point, not necessarily focusing on one thing or another. We were able to focus on who we are as individuals and then what we contribute as individuals to the group.”