Jelani Johnson

Before I start this column, I want to give a shout-out to the Columbia baseball team.

It’s common knowledge that successful Columbia athletic teams are few and far between. In the big three sports—football, basketball and baseball—the Light Blue has traditionally stumbled through season after season of futility. However, two weeks into this Ivy League baseball season, the Lions are currently at the top of their division and playing excellent, excellent baseball.

Like most of the country, I’ve watched a lot of college basketball over the past week. The NCAA basketball tournament is my favorite sporting event of the year and although I’m usually a tough critic, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the quality of this year’s games so far.

If you go to a big-time basketball school like Duke, Syracuse or UNC, then sports fans everywhere will know your roster in and out.

A few months ago, I wrote a column about the role of sports in the lives of high school athletes turned college has-beens. Many Columbia students would kill for the chance to relive their glory days and play varsity sports while they are here.

For all intents and purposes, winter break at Columbia begins around Thanksgiving. Sure, we come back for about three weeks in between the two, but notwithstanding final exams, Thanksgiving gives most of us our initial exposure to the warmth and merriment of the holiday season.

This past Saturday I woke up around 11:30, took a shower, checked my fantasy basketball team, and proceeded to get dressed. After throwing on some jeans, kicks, two T-shirts, a sweater, scarf, jacket, and hat, I hopped on the 1 train and went uptown. Despite Columbia’s 0-6 Ivy League record, I was optimistic as I traveled up to Baker Field for the last game of the season.

The life of a high school varsity athlete is generally a complex mixture of sacrifice, team bonding, and glory. The value of this rewarding experience isn’t easily articulated, and playing high school sports is a unique experience for everybody. Once we arrive at college, we often stop playing our respective sports.

This past summer the gym started calling my name. It was subtle at first. “Jelani, maybe you should add a little muscle to fill out your 6-foot-1-inch frame.”

Assuming they haven’t just returned from a five-year sabbatical in Tibet, chances are most sports fans have witnessed or participated in the fantasy sports phenomenon.

This past week was a difficult one for the Columbia baseball team. After playing quality baseball two weekends ago en route to winning three of four against Cornell, the Lions had a change of fortune this week. Columbia ended its season on a sour note, losing five out of six this past week.

When asked about the performances of Columbia baseball starting pitchers, juniors Bill Purdy and John Baumann, in Saturday's doubleheader against Cornell, Lions head coach Brett Boretti had only one word-"outstanding."

Outstanding is no overstatement as Purdy pitched a complete game four-hitter, allowing no earned runs in the 7-3 game-one victory, while Baumann coasted in the second game, collecting a complete game shutout.

Over the past few weeks, the Columbia baseball team has been criticized frequently for its inconsistent play. However, if this past weekend's sweep over Princeton was any indicator, the Light Blue is beginning to gain that consistency that was lacking earlier in the season.

Hall of Fame baseball player and Yankees great Yogi Berra once claimed that baseball is 90 percent mental-the other half is physical. While the math may not add up, the message is clear-it takes a strong mind-set and willpower to win baseball games. Willpower and mental strength are needed in the bullpen more than any other place on a baseball team, and so far this season, the Columbia men's bullpen has not played up to expectations, combining for an ERA of 12.

Going into their matchup yesterday against the Monmouth Hawks, the Columbia baseball team knew that pitching would decide the outcome of the game. That belief proved to be true as Columbia lost the game 10-3. Senior pitcher Matt Coulson led the Hawks to victory by going seven innings with six strikeouts, surrendering only one earned run.

At 3 p.m. today, the Columbia baseball team will attempt to add a nonconference win to their 10-13-1 record as they square off against the Monmouth Hawks (11-8-1).

After splitting two league double-headers against Dartmouth and Harvard this past weekend, today's nonconference play will give Columbia a short break before they face their next Ancient Eight opponents.

Over the weekend, the Columbia baseball team started its Ivy League season with a bang. After splitting their doubleheader with Penn (6-10, 1-3 Ivy) on Saturday, the Lions swept their next two games against the Quakers on Sunday.

Luckily for Columbia (7-10-1, 3-1 Ivy), the first game of the weekend was not a sign of things to come.

The Columbia baseball team (4-9-1) will open its Ivy League schedule on March 24-25 with back-to-back doubleheaders against Penn (5-7) at Philadelphia.

After its doubleheader on Wednesday against Hofstra (7-11), the Columbia baseball team will be done with its non-conference schedule.

When his teammates on the Columbia baseball team elected senior outfielder Andrew Ward captain at the start of 2007, it was certainly a well-deserved recognition for a player who has been through his fair share of ups and downs at Columbia.

The Princeton Tigers men's basketball program has been an Ivy League power for over a half a century-between 1992 and 2001, the Tigers won the Ivy League title and made the NCAA tournament six times in a nine-year period. But last season, under the direction of head coach Joe Scott, Princeton suffered its first losing Ivy League season in the last 50 years.

As the Ivy League football season comes to a close there is a three-team race between Princeton (8-1, 5-1 Ivy), Yale (7-2, 5-1 Ivy) and Harvard (7-2, 4-2 Ivy) for the Ivy League Title. For the league leaders, this Saturday's results will be crucial in their pursuit of the league title.

Having played soccer for 16 of her 18 years, the game is definitely in Sophie Reiser's blood. And in her first year at Columbia, Reiser has been a key component in the Lions' rise to the top of the Ivy League.

Her electric game has energized the offense, and is a large part of why the Lions are 5-0-1 in the Ivy League and poised to win their first league championship.