College Sports
Calipari makes demand against current state of college sports
College sports roster transactions have become a wild process since the NCAA ruled that its student-athletes could avoid losing their redshirt year despite playing in four games. Former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant was the first major athlete to use the rule after being replaced by future No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Trevor Lawrence due […]

College sports roster transactions have become a wild process since the NCAA ruled that its student-athletes could avoid losing their redshirt year despite playing in four games.
Former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant was the first major athlete to use the rule after being replaced by future No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Trevor Lawrence due to an injury early on during the 2018 season.
He decided to enter the transfer portal after losing his starting job and visited Arkansas, coached by former Tigers offensive coordinator Chad Morris who recruited him to Clemson.
In this day, player movement has taken a front seat with money mostly being the driving force as NIL opportunities give players generational type of money to enter the transfer portal.
Just this week, Wisconsin sued Miami behind accusations of tampering over Badgers’ cornerback Xavier Lucas during the 2024 season, who was under a revenue sharing contract with the Badgers’ athletic department.
As a freshman, the Ft. Lauderdale native recorded 18 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and an interception.
A source within the Big Ten told Ross Dellenger that the conference wholly supports Wisconsin’s decision to sue Miami over the breach of contract.
“We stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field. In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community.”
– Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports
Current Razorbacks basketball coach John Calipari spoke out against students seeking to transfer multiple times in their career having a negative impact on the school and college sports landscape.
Calipari believes rules must be enforced moving forward to protect all college athletic departments in the future.
“They should be able to go once, maybe twice, without penalty because the coach lied,” Calipari said Thursday during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “Told them you’re shooting every ball, I’m gonna play you this way and he didn’t tell them the truth.”
“Then, [the athlete] should be able to leave. But four times, that means the first sign of trouble, I’m out. If you’re a parent, wouldn’t you tell your son, you’re fighting this out? No, you’re staying, you’re going to do it.”
This isn’t Calipari telling the country that he is against player freedom but he doesn’t agree they should attend four different schools over the course of a college career.
It puts an academic strain on each student-athlete and school which isn’t healthy in the long run for college atheltics.
“Now, I understand once or twice without penalty. But after that, don’t tell me, ‘Well, we’d get sued.’ A kid transferring four times – one, it’s not good for him. Two, he has no chance academically to do anything. And I think we’re still academic institutions. Take it to court. You can win that.”
Not only did Calipari address tampering within his own sport but also spoke about the “Wild West” in college football where programs are offering life changing amounts for pay-to-play.
A pair of quarterbacks in the SEC, LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt) were reportedly offered $8 million and $4 million to transfer after both experienced breakout years last season.
Pavia told Bussin’ with the Boys that he could have signed a NIL deal north of $4 million if he entered the transfer portal following the season.
Despite the offers intraconference, Pavia never entered his name into the transfer portal because of his belief in the program Vanderbilt has built under coach Clark Lea.
With the new NCAA house settlement, there is a possibility that change is just around the corner as the NIL Go clearinghouse is put in motion with the hope that Deloitte can help determine fair market value.
Calipari acknowledged the changes coming forth but believes tampering to be a much larger issue than the amounts players are being paid just to switch schools.
“But if we get that in order, I think the NIL stuff would be fine because right now, you’ve got the quarterback from Vanderbilt … that’s tampering,” Calipari said. “Put your name in the portal, $4.5 million. We have to get away from that more than the NIL.”
College Sports
Utah football legends will be inducted into Utes Hall of Fame
Two standouts from the 2012 Utah football team are set to have their college careers immortalized this fall. Former defensive linemen Star Lotulelei and Nate Orchard will join five iconic Utes as part of the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025, the school announced on Tuesday. C.J. Cron (baseball), Georgia Dabritz (gymnastics), Bernt […]

Two standouts from the 2012 Utah football team are set to have their college careers immortalized this fall.
Former defensive linemen Star Lotulelei and Nate Orchard will join five iconic Utes as part of the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025, the school announced on Tuesday. C.J. Cron (baseball), Georgia Dabritz (gymnastics), Bernt Lund (men’s skiing), Ashley Mason (women’s soccer) and contributor Kem Gardner will be inducted alongside Lotulelei and Orchard this October.
“The rich history of Utah Athletics has been established by the accomplishments of countless individuals who have worn a Utah uniform or contributed to Utah’s success in a significant way, and the most distinguished of those are recognized with enshrinement into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame,” said Utah director of athletics Mark Harlan in a statement. “We are excited to announce seven additions to the Hall of Fame, whose legacy of success will forever be documented by their induction into the Hall of Fame. We look forward to celebrating these exceptional Utah Utes in October, as we congratulate the Class of 2025.”
Lotulelei became one of the program’s most decorated defensive linemen over the course of his three seasons in Salt Lake City, bringing home All-America First Team honors from the Associated Press and the Walter Camp in 2012, while being named to the All-Pac-12 first team for the second straight year. Lotulelei was also recognized as the best player at his position in the Pac-12 in 2011, which earned him the Morris Trophy for his efforts.
Lotulelei finished his college career with 22.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, five fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles. After the Carolina Panthers selected him No. 14 overall in the 2013 draft, Lotulelei went on to serve as a full-time starter for his first seven seasons in the NFL, including five with the Panthers (2013-17) and two with the Buffalo Bills (2018-19). Buffalo released him in March 2022.
Orchard, who was teammates with Lotulelei for two seasons from 2011-12, was a dominant force along Utah’s defensive line in his own right. By the end of his four-year stay in Salt Lake City, Orchard was tied for fifth in school history in career sacks (25) and had set the single-season school record with 18.5 sacks in 2014, earning him All-America first team honors from the likes of Walter Camp, ESPN and Phil Steele, among other outlets. He also received the Ted Hendricks (top defensive end) award and was the Morris Trophy winner in 2014 as well.
Orchard was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2015 draft and went on to play seven seasons with four different teams in total.
Lotulelei and Orchard will be the seventh and eighth former Utah football players inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame since 2020. The program honored former punter and kicker Louie Sakoda last year after inducting Eric Weddle (2022), Chris Kemoeatu (2022), Anthony Brown (2021), Alex Smith (2021) and Eddie Johnson (2021). The entire 2008 team that was credited by Anderson & Hester as the national champions of the sport that year was enshrined by the school in 2023.
Introducing the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025!
Congratulations to these seven distinguished inductees who will join the Hall in October! #GoUtes
📰 https://t.co/zillokvWAd pic.twitter.com/GTEisX0uJT
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) July 22, 2025
MORE UTAH NEWS & ANALYSIS
College Sports
Trump likes renaming people, places and things; He’s not the first to deploy that perk of power
History, it has been said, is written by the winners. President Donald Trump is working that lever of power — again. This time, he’s insisting that Washington’s NFL team change its name from the Commanders back to the Redskins, a name that was considered offensive to Native Americans. Predictably, to Trump’s stated delight, an […]

History, it has been said, is written by the winners. President Donald Trump is working that lever of power — again.
This time, he’s insisting that Washington’s NFL team change its name from the Commanders back to the Redskins, a name that was considered offensive to Native Americans. Predictably, to Trump’s stated delight, an internet uproar ensued.
It’s a return to the president’s favorite rebranding strategy, one well-used around the world and throughout history. Powers-that-be rename something — a body of water, a mountain in Alaska, St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Mumbai, various places in Israel after 1948 — in line with “current” political and cultural views. Using names to tell a leader’s own version of the nation’s story is a perk of power that Trump is far from the first to enjoy.
A name, after all, defines identity and even reality because it is connected to the verb “to be,“ says one brand strategist.
“A parent naming a child, a founder naming a company, a president naming a place … in each example, we can see the relationship of power,” Shannon Murphy, who runs Nameistry, a naming agency that works with companies and entrepreneurs to develop brand identities, said in an email. “Naming gives you control.”
Trump reignited a debate on football and American identity
In Trump’s case, reviving the debate over the Washington football team’s name had the added effect of distraction.
“My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way,” he wrote on his social media platform, adding a threat to derail the team’s deal for a new stadium if it resisted.
In fact, part of the reaction came from people noting that Trump’s proposed renaming came as he struggled to move past a rebellion among his supporters over the administration’s refusal to release much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation. Over about two weeks, Trump had cycled through many tactics — downplaying the issue, blaming others, scolding a reporter, insulting his own supporters, suing the Wall Street Journal and finally authorizing the Justice Department to try to unseal grand jury transcripts.
Trump’s demand that the NFL and the District of Columbia change the team’s name back to a dictionary definition of a slur against Native Americans reignited a brawl in miniature over race, history and the American identity.
Trump’s reelection itself can be seen as a response to the nation’s reckoning with its racial history after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. That year, Americans elected Democratic President Joe Biden, who championed diversity. During his term, Washington’s football team became first the Washington Football Team, then the Commanders, at a widely estimated cost in the tens of millions of dollars. And in 2021, The Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians.
In 2025, Trump has ordered a halt to diversity, equity and inclusion programs through the federal government, universities and schools, despite legal challenges. And he wants the Commanders’ name changed back, though it’s unclear if he has the authority to restrict the nearly $4 billion project.
Is Trump’s ‘Redskins’ push a distraction or a power play?
What’s clear is that names carry great power where business, national identity, race, history and culture intersect.
Trump has had great success for decades branding everything from buildings he named after himself to the Gulf between Mexico, Cuba and the United States to his political opponents and people he simply doesn’t like. Exhibit A: Florida’s governor, dubbed by Trump “Meatball Ron” DeSantis, who challenged him for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
And Trump is not the first leader to use monikers and nicknames — branding, really — to try to define reality and the people who populate it. Naming was a key tool of colonization that modern-day countries are still trying to dislodge. “Naming,” notes one expert, “is never neutral.”
“To name is to collapse infinite complexity into a manageable symbol, and in that compression, whole worlds are won or lost,“ linguist Norazha Paiman wrote last month on Medium.
”When the British renamed places throughout India or Africa, they weren’t just updating maps,” Paiman wrote. “They were restructuring the conceptual frameworks through which people could relate to their own territories.”
This is not Trump’s first rebranding push
Trump’s order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America is perhaps the best-known result of Executive Order 14172, titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.”
The renaming sent mapmakers, search engines and others into a flurry over whether to change the name. And it set off a legal dispute with The Associated Press over First Amendment freedoms that is still winding through the courts. The news outlet’s access to events in the Oval Office and Air Force One was cut back starting in February after the AP said it would continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its copy, while noting Trump’s wishes that it instead be renamed the Gulf of America.
It’s unclear if Trump’s name will stick universally — or go the way of “freedom fries,” a brief attempt by some in the George W. Bush-era GOP to rebrand french fries after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
But there’s evidence that at least for business in some places, the “Gulf of America” terminology has staying power. Chevron’s earnings statements of late have referred to the Gulf of America, because “that’s the position of the U.S. government now,” CEO Mike Wirth said during a Jan. 31 call with investors.
And along the Gulf Coast in Republican Louisiana, leaders of the state’s seafood industry call the body of water the Gulf of America, in part, because putting that slogan on local products might help beat back the influx of foreign shrimp flooding American markets, the Louisiana Illuminator news outlet reported.
Renaming is a bipartisan endeavor
The racial reckoning inspired by Floyd’s killing rippled across the cultural landscape.
Quaker retired the Aunt Jemima brand after it had been served up at America’s breakfast tables for 131 years, saying it recognized that the character’s origins were “based on a racial stereotype.” Eskimo Pies became Edy’s. The Grammy-winning country band Lady Antebellum changed its name to Lady A, saying they were regretful and embarrassed that their former moniker was associated with slavery.
And Trump didn’t start the fight over football. Democratic President Barack Obama, in fact, told The Associated Press in 2013 that he would “think about changing” the name of the Washington Redskins if he owned the team.
Trump soon after posted to Twitter: “President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them, not nonsense.”
Fast-forward to July 20, 2025, when Trump posted that the Washington Commanders should change their name back to the Redskins.
“Times,” the president wrote, “are different now.”
College Sports
News: Danny Parkins, Ian Baker-Finch, Jimbo Fisher and more
Danny Parkins is reportedly moving to afternoons on FS1; Ian Baker-Finch is stepping away from the microphone; and Jimbo Fisher is joining the ACC Network and ESPN. Plus additional news about Baron Davis, Justin Fuente, Flora Kelly and Dan Steinberg. Danny Parkins reportedly joining “First Things First” on FS1 As part of an overhaul of […]

Danny Parkins is reportedly moving to afternoons on FS1; Ian Baker-Finch is stepping away from the microphone; and Jimbo Fisher is joining the ACC Network and ESPN. Plus additional news about Baron Davis, Justin Fuente, Flora Kelly and Dan Steinberg.
Danny Parkins reportedly joining “First Things First” on FS1
As part of an overhaul of its daily lineup, FS1 is reportedly expanding its afternoon program “First Things First” to three hours and adding Danny Parkins as a daily member of the show. Parkins, who was a regular on the now-canceled “Breakfast Ball,” will be working alongside Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes in the new third hour of the program, which has been on the airwaves since 2017 and airing in afternoons for the last three years.
Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports was the first to report the news of Parkins’ addition.
Parkins joined FS1 on a full-time basis last year as part of a “Breakfast Ball” cast that included Craig Carton and Mark Schlereth. His move to “First Things First” marks a reunion of sorts with Wright, a friend of his dating back to their college years at Syracuse.
Prior to working in television, Parkins hosted the afternoon drive slot at 670 The Score in Chicago with Matt Spiegel, and he continues to appear on the station for an annual 24-hour radiothon to raise money for cancer research.
Ian Baker-Finch to retire from broadcasting
Longtime CBS golf analyst Ian Baker-Finch announced his retirement on Tuesday, ending a 19 year-run working for CBS Sports. Baker-Finch will work the final two CBS-produced tournaments of the season, ending his broadcast career from the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, Aug. 3.
“Golf has been an enormous part of my life,” Baker-Finch said in a statement. “I was fortunate to compete against the best players in the game and more recently work with the very best in television. To my CBS Sports family–my teammates, producers, directors and crew — thank you for your extraordinary talent, dedication, and camaraderie. You’ve made every moment in the booth a joy, transforming broadcasts into cherished memories.”
Prior to working with CBS Sports, Baker-Finch served as an analyst for ESPN golf coverage and was also a hole announcer for ABC Sports. Upon joining CBS Sports in 2007, he started contributing to broadcasts as both an analyst and hole announcer where he had the chance to commentate alongside broadcasters such as Jim Nantz, Trevor Immelman and Dottie Pepper. Baker-Finch said he has “immense gratitude and pride” for moments that have been shared with colleagues and golf fans around the world and that he is looking forward to new adventures while maintaining his “enduring love of golf.”
“As a major champion during his successful playing career and over three decades in broadcasting, Ian Baker-Finch distinguished himself as one of the most respected and trusted voices in golf,” David Berson, president and chief executive officer of CBS Sports, said in a statement. “As he announces his retirement, we’ll miss his passion, insight, warmth and steady presence on the air but know he will continue to make his mark across the world of golf. Finchy will always be part of the CBS Sports family, and we thank him for being an incredible teammate and friend, and for his immeasurable contributions the past 19 years at CBS.”
Jimbo Fisher to join ACC Network, ESPN
Former Florida State football head coach Jimbo Fisher is joining the ACC Network as a studio analyst, it was announced Tuesday. Fisher, a three-time ACC champion and National Championship winner, will be appear weekly on ACC Huddle where he will appear on a weekly basis alongside host Taylor Tannebaum and analysts Eric Mac Lain and Eddie Royal. EJ Manuel, who was on the program since joining the network in 2019, will be transitioning to a new ESPN studio role in the fall and also maintain a presence on the ACC Network.
In addition to delivering analysis on ACC Network, Fisher is also going to be a college football analyst at ESPN.
“I’m looking forward to joining ACC Network and the Huddle team this season,” Fisher said in a statement. “I’ve always had tremendous respect for this conference, and I’m looking forward to breaking down the action each week with such a talented group.”
Fisher led Florida State to the national championship in the 2013-14 season and accrued a 83-23 record throughout his time with the university. He departed FSU in 2017 to become the head coach of Texas A&M, but was fired within his sixth season with the team. Although Fisher has not resumed coaching since 2023, he joined SiriusXM ahead of the last football season where he worked alongside the aforementioned Manuel and Jacob Hester to host a weekly program on its College Sports Radio channel.
Plus: Baron Davis, Justin Fuente, Flora Kelly, Dan Steinberg
- Former NBA guard Baron Davis has been named the host of “Raiders: Talk of the Nation,” anchoring a 30-minute sit-down interview series analyzing lifestyle, culture and community surrounding the team. Silver & Black Productions is producing the show, which will include “in-depth conversations with a rotating mix of local voices, national media personalities and celebrity guests.”
- Former Virginia Tech football coach Justin Fuente has been named the lead color analyst for TCU Horned Frogs football games airing on the Horned Frog Sports Network. Fuente, who formerly coached at the collegiate level for more than two decades, will work on the radio with play-by-play announcer Brian Estridge and sideline analyst Elvis Gallegos.
- Vice president of ESPN Research Flora Kelly has been promoted to senior vice president of the division. Kelly has been working with the company since 2006 starting as a research analyst and helping the company measure its multiplatform success.
- Digital sports editor and columnist Dan Steinberg announced that he is departing The Washington Post after working for the publication since 2001. Steinberg, who founded D.C. Sports Bog in 2006, said that Wednesday is his final day on the job.
College Sports
Women’s Tennis Receives ITA All-Academic Honors
HANOVER, N.H.—The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its academic awards for the 2024-25 season. Dartmouth women’s tennis earned the All-Academic Team Honor while nine student-athletes earned Scholar Athletes honors. For a team to earn ITA All-Academic Team honors the team must have had a GPA 3.2 or above. Dartmouth is one of 222 team across […]

HANOVER, N.H.—The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its academic awards for the 2024-25 season. Dartmouth women’s tennis earned the All-Academic Team Honor while nine student-athletes earned Scholar Athletes honors.
For a team to earn ITA All-Academic Team honors the team must have had a GPA 3.2 or above. Dartmouth is one of 222 team across Division I to be awarded the honor.
Peyton Capuano, Sam Grosjean, Caroline Lemcke, Elizabeth Fahrmeier, Valentina Cruz, Michela Moore, Ujvala Jupalli, Brooke Hess, and Elise Wong each earned Scholar Athlete honors.
For student-athletes to earn Scholar Athlete honors they must have held a GPA of at least 3.5.
College Sports
Adrian College Bids Farewell to Emily Baldus
Story Links ADRIAN, Mich. — After nearly a decade dedicated to Adrian College—as both a student-athlete and an athletic trainer—the Adrian College Athletics Department would like to extend a heartfelt farewell and thank you to Emily Baldus ’21, who will be departing her Athletic Training position this summer for a new […]

ADRIAN, Mich. — After nearly a decade dedicated to Adrian College—as both a student-athlete and an athletic trainer—the Adrian College Athletics Department would like to extend a heartfelt farewell and thank you to Emily Baldus ’21, who will be departing her Athletic Training position this summer for a new opportunity at the college athletics level. Emily is set to move on to Minot, North Dakota where she’ll join the Minot State University Beavers as an athletic trainer.
Emily’s journey with the Bulldogs began as an undergraduate student in 2017-18, where she studied exercise science and played four seasons for the NCAA Softball team. Baldus eventually earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2021 before continuing her education at Adrian to complete her master’s degree in science-athletic training, where she graduated with her master’s in 2022.
As a certified athletic trainer, Emily provided expert care and support for several Bulldog teams, including Men’s ACHA Division 1 Hockey, Men’s and Women’s Wrestling, Men’s Volleyball, and Acrobatics & Tumbling, among others. Her presence on the sidelines, on the bench, in the athletic training room, and during countless practices and competitions was marked by professionalism, compassion, and tireless dedication.
Her commitment to excellence and passion for athlete care was evident from the beginning, and over the last three seasons, she has played an integral role in the well-being and success of numerous athletic teams on campus. Baldus was also integral in the Men’s ACHA Division 1 Hockey National Championship team in 2024 and the back-to-back Men’s Wrestling MIAA Championships in 2023 and 2024, providing first-class care and support for the winning Bulldog student-athletes and coaches.
Emily’s work ethic never went unnoticed. Whether it was early mornings, long road trips, or late-night treatments, she approached every task with a smile, steady hand, and a genuine concern for the student-athletes she served. Her commitment to Adrian College and its athletic programs has left a lasting impression on coaches, colleagues, and student-athletes alike.
“Emily has been an incredible asset to our athletic department—not only as a highly skilled and reliable athletic trainer, but also as a compassionate, steady presence for our student-athletes,” said Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, Meg Sharp. “Her professionalism, work ethic, and genuine care for those around her set the standard in every space she entered. Emily will be deeply missed at Adrian College, but we are so proud of her and excited to see the impact she’ll make at Minot State.”
While it is bittersweet to see her go, we are excited to watch Emily take the next step in her career at Minot State University, where she will be primarily working with their Women’s ACHA Division 1 Hockey program and assisting with Football, Women’s Volleyball, Baseball, and Softball, among others. She will begin her new chapter on August 4, bringing the same high standards of care and professionalism that defined her time at Adrian College.
We extend our deepest gratitude and best wishes to Emily Baldus as she embarks on this new journey. Adrian College is better for having had her on our team and will miss her deeply. Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog.
College Sports
Daily Hampshire Gazette – Boston Bruins mascot, Blades, takes center ice at Hadley Library
HADLEY — Posing for pictures, signing autographs and participating in crafts and other activities, Blades, the mascot for the Boston Bruins, and more than 20 University of Massachusetts hockey players, thrilled hockey fans of all ages at the Hadley Public Library Tuesday afternoon. One of just 12 libraries across the state awarded an hourlong visit […]

HADLEY — Posing for pictures, signing autographs and participating in crafts and other activities, Blades, the mascot for the Boston Bruins, and more than 20 University of Massachusetts hockey players, thrilled hockey fans of all ages at the Hadley Public Library Tuesday afternoon.
One of just 12 libraries across the state awarded an hourlong visit from Blades this summer, as part of a long-running partnership with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the National Hockey League team, numerous children, and their parents, many wearing Bruins and UMass hockey sweaters, T-shirts and other gear came out to show their love for the sport — and got the added bonus of interacting with the college athletes.
“We’re season ticket holders, so it was nice to see everyone again, and to see the rookies who haven’t yet hit the ice,” said Rylan Waskiewicz, 15, of Sunderland, after making her way around the community room to meet up with Blades and the players.
Joined by siblings Cash, 10, and Mack, 8, the Waskiewiczes had posters signed and got to chat with the players while making bead bracelets and unique Bruins fan buttons, coloring a goalie’s mask and playing a game of Jenga and competing in a tug of war.
“I love seeing a lot of the players, and I liked playing the games and getting signatures,” Mack said.
“It’s kind of like fun to see all the people again, and the new people,” Cash said.
“When You Read, You Score!” is the name of the summer reading program that encourages children to continue reading, with a poster outlining the favorite books for Bruins players and a special library poster featuring Bruins player Jeremey Swayman.
“We want this to be so much fun,” said Celeste Bruno, communications director for the state library board.
Bruno said the idea is to get children motivated to keep reading over the summer and to avoid the so-called “summer slide” that can occur when they are not in school.
The state, Bruno said, received 120 applications from libraries to be part of it. Before coming to Hadley, the state officials and Bruins representatives had been in Russell, where Blades met with patrons at that town’s library.
As the event began, Blades arrived and all the players introduced themselves, and then a Bruins-specific quiz was conducted by Karen Traub of Shutesbury, an MBLC commissioner, before a group photo was taken.
Emily Dattilo, youth services coordinator at the Hadley library, said the special storytime was an opportunity to supplement the regular summer reading program, which has about 100 children participating.
Dattilo said staff had written an essay explaining why the library should be selected, and once they were chosen families, she said, became even more engaged.
The event was expected to be big, she said, both for Bruins fans and because of the popularity of UMass hockey, which won a national championship in 2021.
Among those who came to the event was Jessie Labonte of Chicopee, who brought her son, Brantley, 5. He previously got to stay at the Mullins Center, the UMass hockey team’s home rink, with his Mighty Mites youth hockey team.
On this day, getting to meet Blades and having the college athletes help him color in the goalie’s mask was both a surprise and a thrill for Brantley.
“I was excited,” Brantley said. “This is the best ever.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
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