RIP Peter Frates

Former BC Baseball player Peter Frates passed away Monday after his long battle with ALS. I did not know Frates, but to say he was beloved by the BC Athletics community would be an understatement. His battle with ALS inspired many and he was the driving force in the Ice Bucket Challenge which led to unprecedented fundraising for ALS. His work and sacrifice will hopefully lead to a cure.

Peter Frates handles death rumor with humor and hope

Monday morning saw a few erroneous reports that former BC Basell player Pete Frates had died. Just as quickly as the fake news spread, Pete's family and friends got word out that Pete was still fighting and still alive. At a time when Pete is in the hospital and fighting for his life, I don't know how the family handles these sorts of distractions with such class. Pete clearly has the right perspective as he posted this tweet later in the morning.

in the words of my friend
ed pic.twitter.com/g7iIR4rfmT

— Pete Frates (@PeteFrates3) July 3, 2017

Keep fighting, Pete.

Baseball Hall of Fame to honor Frates

Pete Frates old baseball glove and his ice bucket from the first challenge are headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame. I hope Frates and his family are honored by this. The Ice Bucket challenge wasn't specifically a baseball event, but a baseball player was behind the movement.  While we all remember what Frates did and who he was before ALS, there are many who have already forgotten the Ice Bucket Challenge. Being part of the Hall keeps Frates legacy alive for a long time. Congrats.

Frates' financial challenge and other links

I don't know if many of you read this, but Peter Frates' family is facing financial difficulty due to his exorbitant medical cost. Friends of his are now raising money for something called the "Home Health Care Initiative." The goal is to help families like the Frates with their extremely high medical costs. The pilot program will be in the Boston-area for those who want to give or help.

Does the ACC have the best collection of coaches in college football? I would say so.

Philadelphia cut Stephen Daniels.

LaSalle will be part of BC Basketball's tip off tournament at the Mohegan Sun.

Frates honored and other links

The NCAA gave Pete Frates its 2017 inspiration award for his work with ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge.

BC is adding more recruits before the quiet period, including Ohio DLine prospect DeAri Todd, and Conneticut Linebacker TJ Gardner. Michigan fans are also worried we might flip AJ Dillon.

This is a long article on the Houston Rockets Daryl Morey by Michael Lewis. If you like Lewis' approach it is worth your time. If you are just a curious BC fan, then read about Sean Williams and Houston's experience with him. The Williams stuff comes early in the article.

The legacy of the Ice Bucket Challenge

Two years ago I posted my concerns about the Ice Bucket Challenge. At the time, I questioned people's motives and recommended people focus on the giving, not the ice. Well it turns out my crankiness missed the point. The Ice Bucket Challenge did raise tens of millions of dollars for ALS and that money led to a breakthrough with regards to genes connected to ALS.

Hopefully that discovering leads to meaningful improvement in treating the disease. Hopefully it leads to a cure for Pete Frates -- the man who helped make the Ice Bucket Challenge a viral sensation.

I still think I was right to question people's motives, but I clearly should have focused on the upside. Congrats to all those who gave and I hope they are proud of the breakthrough.

Baseball wins as BC honors Frates

After a slow start, BC rallied to beat Wake Forest Saturday. The win gave the team the series over the Deacons and improved their ACC record to 11-14. But the wins were really secondary. The important moment came earlier as Boston College retired the jersey number (3) of former Eagle captain and current director of operations Peter Frates. His number joins Eddie Pellagrini's No. 13 as the only other baseball number given this honor.

The team has the week off before taking on Niagara next weekend.

Battle against ALS continues with Comm Ave Classic

Last summer, the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral in part due to the support of the Boston College community. This summer a different BC alum is keeping the fight against ALS alive. Friday night a group of BC and BU Hockey Legends will square off in the 1st Annual Comm Ave Classic. The brainchild of former BC Hockey Captain Pat Mullane, the game is a fundraiser and a tribute to former BC Assistant SID Dick Kelley.

Obviously the best way you can join the fight is heading down to BU's Walter Brown Arena Friday night. The doors open at 6 PM and the puck drops at 7 PM. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds go to Compassionate Care ALS. If you cannot make it, donations are always a good idea. Of course you can always help a local ALS charity in your area.

Red Sox Frates jerseys

The annual game against the Red Sox is a nice tradition. It helps promote BC Baseball and keeps ties between the two organizations. The Red Sox honoring Frates like this make the relationship that much more special.

Jerseys for our game against Boston College. In honor of Pete Frates and the fight against ALS. pic.twitter.com/irRXUMeCEt
— Tom McLaughlin (@TMacBrighton) March 3, 2015

Sox to honor Frates and other links

New Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred will be among the many attending the Red Sox-BC game in Spring Training. He will be there to honor former Eagle Pete Frates. Both teams will wear No. 3 logos in Frates' honor and BC will wear throwback jerseys.

Women's Hockey remained undefeated by shutting out UConn.

Softball beat George Mason 5-1.

On Friday night, Hockey beat Merrimack.

As BCI noted Jim Christian offered 2016 recruit Wenyen Gabriel.

Peter Frates' story on ESPN

ESPN finally told the story of Peter Frates -- the guy who made the Ice Bucket Challenge go viral. It was produced by my friend and BC grad Drew Gallagher. Watch it and remember that this is what the Challenge is all about.

New Hall of Famers and other links

BC announced the newest members of its Hall of Fame. Inductees include Mike Mamula, Marty McInnis, Amy LaCombe, Maria Cicero, Antonio Granger, Casey Schmidt and Lou Tessier. The one bit of controversy was the announcement that Mark Chmura was also included. Some people feel that Chmura's 2000 incident with his babysitter should exclude him from such an honor. At this point I am fine with him being included. He was found not guilty and I think this is more about honoring his achievements while at BC.  Chmura's put the incident behind him, so shouldn't most BC fans?


ESPNBoston posted great feature on former captain and current Director of Ops Peter Frates. As most know, Frates is battling ALS. It is nice to see his story reach a wider audience via ESPN.

This compares the APR trends of all the ACC football and basketball programs. Football improved slightly while basketball fell.

Hockey East invited UConn to join the conference. I find it interesting that we allowed this entry but have opposed UConn as an ACC school. I guess most of the bad blood between the schools was really related to football and basketball.