Eagles are Destined for a Classic

As Intro to Philosophy proceeded last week, the word on everyone’s mind emerged from our discussion of Kierkegaard. Fitting as it was, we began to discuss the concept of Providence.

In theological and philosophical circles, Providence is defined as “a manifestation of the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures; an event ordained by divine direction.”

So there you have it. Providence, the concept and the locale, far exceeds what it is commonly associated with — the Farrelly brothers, a show on NBC and its certain establishment patronized by Mo Vaughn. Providence happens to be working in the favor of our Jesuit tradition in this case.

On the other hand, April 4, 1998 illustrated that fate was not on our side. The night of a thousand crossbars ended with a Michigan celebration on the ice of the FleetCenter, and eventually it saw couches and other assorted pieces of furniture face their incinerating demise in the Mods. No, the national title of 1998 was not meant to be for BC.

On April 1, 1999, BC fans tuned in to espn2 in order to watch a Hockey East battle with Maine in the shadow of Disneyland. The national championship was not to be won with few Superfans in the house. And college hockey in California… what is that?

Thus, now is the time. The game is right down I-95. The ticket lottery will bring a sea of gold to the1 Providence Civic Center. The Eagles are well rested and they can carry their Minneapolis momentum to Providence. The pieces are in place. The third time in the Frozen Four could very well prove to be the charm.

“The world was all before them, where to choose their place of rest, and Providence their guide.” — John Milton ***

Tim O’Halloran, a goalie on the soccer team, brought his circus to Cancun for spring break and made a monumental appearance on MTV’s Say What? Karaoke. In case you missed it, O’Halloran was somewhere in between James Bond and Deuce Bigalow. Then the football team’s George White starred in Da Brat’s latest video, in which the safety’s head, at one point, is buried in sand alongside the aforementioned Ms. Brat.

What’s next? A FANatic interview with Chris Hovan? The Real World — San Diego with Alissa Murphy? ***

My activities last Thursday started off with a hard-fought, 47-43 intramural basketball victory, complete with my being called a name that doesn’t bear repeating here. Evidently, some kids take their intramurals to the extremes.

Next came a visit to see the Flutie Gang at The Rat, where Doug himself whaaazzzuped the crowd and delivered his rendition — barefoot, no less — of Stone Temple Pilots’ “Plush,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and other tunes. The night was crowned by his signing the back of my ticket, the front of which was labeled with a performance from the Fultie Gang. Where’s the respect? ***

The McDonald’s High School All-American Game last Wednesday night at the FleetCenter was entertaining, once you throw aside the fact that it was essentially four quarters of lay-up lines. I’m just left to wonder what Al Skinner does during a game like that. Does he appeal to a higher force and beg, “Please, God, just give me one of them. Just one.”

North Carolina, by the way, can have 7’6" recruit Neil Fingleton. The center from Worcester, who considered BC among his finalists, looked uneasy as he trudged up and down the court. An airball of a free throw didn’t help his rep, either. Imagine a British Shawn Bradley with another 60 pounds on him.

Who am I kidding? Any kind of true center would come in handy next year.