What sets them apart as big men or women on campus is what they do wearing the Gannon uniform.

So without any further ado, I present JC’s BM(and W)OC’s:

Mani Brueckner, women’s soccer — Just when the Knights lost one of their best all-time players in Amanda Sharbaugh, Brueckner, a freshman forward, turned in a season for the ages, by being named the PSAC Player of the Year and the program’s first NCSAA All-American.

In her first season, Brueckner’s 13 assists shattered the previous Gannon record by four and her 33 points were the fourth-highest single-season total. Gannon fans can only hope the sequel is as good.

Robbie Bennett, men’s soccer — No sophomore slump for this South African, who was named an All-American as well as an All-Atlantic Region selection for the second straight year. Bennett helped lead Gannon to the Sweet 16 and a 13-6 season, the most wins in a season since 2007.

Bennett also had a flair for the dramatic in 2012, scoring four game-winning goals and three game-tying goals.

Lauren Sazama, volleyball — In a scene from the movie “Rudy,” Notre Dame coach Dan Devine orders a player he’s perceiving as defiant by saying “You’re an All-American and our captain, act like it.” Words volleyball coach Matt Darling likely never had to say to Sazama, a senior outside hitter.

To talk about Sazama is to drain the vocabulary of superlatives: Atlantic Region Player of the Year, PSAC Player of the Year, PSAC Tournament Player of the Year, a four-time All-PSAC selection as well as a three-time All-Atlantic Region player.

Opposing teams did all they could not to hit it to the area Sazama patrolled, a place rallies went to die.

Jen Papich, women’s basketball — Her team-high 12.3 points-per-game average was good enough to win PSAC Basketball Athlete of the Year, but the forward probably could’ve averaged twice that if she had to. As the cornerstone of an extremely balanced team, Papich did it all for the Knights, averaging 5.7 rebounds and shooting 46 percent from the field.

With a height-shooting touch ability reminiscent of Kevin Durant, Papich is quickly climbing Gannon’s scoring list as she enters her senior season— one that’s filled with sky-high expectations for the Knights.

Darrell Blanton, men’s basketball — A model of consistency, the senior forward scored at least 15 points in 19 out of Gannon’s 29 games. For the second year in a row, Blanton led Gannon in scoring (15.6 points per game) and rebounding (6.7 per game) on his way to earning all-PSAC West first-team honors.

Though listed generously at 6-feet, 4-inches, Blanton used his strength to muscle his way under the basket to become one of the PSAC’s premier post players. His powerful jump stops and thunderous dunks alone earn him a spot on my list.

Shayne Herold, baseball — Though he played just one season for Gannon, the right-handed pitcher has made it count. Herold, a transfer from Ashland, is 8-0 and leads the PSAC with a miniscule 1.07 ERA and six saves.

Herold has the Knights in prime position for the postseason, as they are currently tied with California (Pa.) atop the PSAC standings.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannno.edu

Many Gannon University women’s basketball backers will remember Wright for the banners that decorate the Hammermill Center. There were many.

But I’ll remember Wright for his commitment to molding not just championship-caliber players but model student-athletes, all the while embodying the drive and unrelenting attention to detail that defines their coach.

While General Electric’s transportation division’s departure will leave a void, Wright’s move to Miami (Ohio) will also deprive Erie of one of its most powerful engines.

When a school newspaper reporter’s 9 a.m. class dragged on a few minutes one Monday in late February on which the two were to meet at 10, Wright wasn’t going to let it go unnoticed when I walked in at 10:06.

“Sorry, but I’m just really intense today,” he said at that moment, though he could’ve meant any time.

He is the same way on the court, where he is most comfortable. When Wright took the podium at his introductory press conference Friday, he seemed itching to get started with his new team.

A strict adherent of the take-it-one-game-at-time mantra, Wright rarely ever speaks of future opponents unless it’s the next one on the schedule.

He is even more demanding of his players, holding exhausting practices and multiple study tables every week.

But perhaps most impressive about Wright’s relationship with his players is the loyalty they feel toward their head coach. His players mirrored his intensity, his competitive spirit and even said many of the same we’re-good-but-there’s-work-to-do lines he used.

When Gannon won the Atlantic Regional championship by beating Cal in late March, a near dozen former players sat behind the Knights’ bench in support were proof of that allegiance.

“That’s a tribute to our culture here, and what we want our culture to be here at Gannon,” Wright said in the postgame press conference that night.

Wright’s teams at Gannon were known for their academic accomplishments as well as their community involvement.

During his tenure, his teams raised nearly $90,000 for breast cancer advocacy and research in the annual Pink Zone games and volunteered for many other causes. Gannon has also earned well over 70 conference all-academic honors in the last 11 years.

Wright’s teams have been in the top 25 in team GPA seven of the last eight years.

Graduating players became as customary for Wright just as graduating coaches has for Gannon.

The school can boast that its last men’s and women’s basketball coaches both left downtown Erie only to take jobs at Division I universities. Jerry Slocum, who coached the men from 1996 to 2005, has been the coach at Youngstown State since leaving. Wright’s predecessor, Jodi Kest, is also at the D-I level at Akron, another Mid-American Conference school.

“I think it looks good for Gannon that our coaches are so impressive that other Division I schools want them,” athletic director Mark Richard said.

It’s a branding tool more powerful than any billboard on campus.

Not long after Gannon launched it’s “Believe in the Possibilities” campaign in 2006, “Believe in Cleve” became the de facto slogan for those in the know.

It seems Miami believes as well.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

When Los Angeles’ Zack Greinke nailed San Diego’s Carlos Quentin in the sixth inning of Friday’s game, Quentin glared at Greinke, who barked back at Quentin, who in turn gained a head of steam toward the mound.

Greinke, who signed a $147 million contract before this season with the Dodgers, decided to take the brunt of a forearm shiver courtesy of the 240-pound Quentin.

The collision resulted in Greinke suffering a broken collarbone (he is expected to be sidelined at least eight weeks) and cries for Major League Baseball to make Quentin an example and issue a historically harsh suspension.

Should Quentin have charged the mound? No. Anyone can tell you that being hit by a 3-2 pitch in a one-run game should all but eliminate any thoughts he may have had about Greinke harboring bad intentions.

But for as out-of-line as it was for Quentin to charge the mound, it was equally as dumb for Greinke to think he’s Jim Brown. It was unfortunate that he broke his collarbone when he collided with Quentin, but such can be the result of an altercation.

Quentin didn’t kick, he didn’t pull Greinke’s hair or poke his eyes; he just took advantage of the 50 pounds he has Greinke by plowing into him, as any smart fighter would.

Is that fair? Nope. That’s why he was suspended eight games, the top-end length according to historical precedent: Major League Baseball has been consistent in handing down suspensions of four to eight games for similar transgressions.

So when Dodgers manager Don Mattingly says that Quentin should be suspended much longer than anyone else just because his guy will miss more time, he’s on another planet.

We shouldn’t be trying to re-invent the wheel, or something just as old in fisticuffs.

It seems like each time a bench-clearing brawl erupts, the next day TV baseball “experts” try to show us the proper etiquette of charging the mound and how it was violated, as if you’re concerned about protocol when you’re vein-in-the-temple irate. At that point, if you knew of any “rules,” you wouldn’t be thinking about them and even if you were, you’d want to break them.

That’s the point of fights, particularly in baseball, where they don’t just ensue after every hit batter. Baseball players aren’t fighting just to keep up appearances like in hockey. When a hitter charges after the pitcher, it means something has been brewing for a while — Greinke had previously hit Quentin twice— and is ready to boil over as soon as he reaches the mound.

It’s why these things just don’t blow over and go away, and why this one likely won’t as well unless the Dodgers let it go.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

But the real number Las Vegas oddsmakers should be focusing on this week is the over-under on how many strokes Tiger will win his fifth green jacket by.

For the first time since he ran his Escalade into a fire hydrant on a chilly November night, Tiger is… well, Tiger.

In already winning three tournaments this season, Woods has regained his No. 1 ranking and his confidence, and his presence on the course draws all eyes to him when he lines up a putt. Tiger, quite simply, has returned to old form.

His putting stroke is pure, his drives are finding the short grass and his Sunday red shirt is intimidating as ever.

That’s a scary thought for the rest of the world’s best golfers who had just gotten used to regarding Woods as just another one of their peers.

Oops.

Those close to Tiger have said he is at ease, in control and zoned in on winning right now — just like old times.

But what took him 3 ½ years to get back to the dominant Tiger we knew before the scandal?

Simple: he went back to his roots.

It’s as if Apollo Creed paid him a visit.

He is finally comfortable with where he is and has accepted — scratch that—embraced his identity.

Need more proof after the “winning takes care of everything” Nike ad?

For Tiger, winning is everything.

Gone are the days of Tiger trying to rehab his shattered image after the scandal.

Don’t ever expect to see again the Tiger who promises not to yell obscenities in disgust after poor shots on live air only to relapse on every other tee box. And check whatever ideas you may have of him answering for his boorish, often childish behavior — it’s not going to happen.

You don’t like it? That’s your problem.

One thing has changed, however.

In the eight years since Woods last won the Masters, new players have become part of the PGA tour elite, including Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Ricky Fowler and Louis Oosthuizen. This in addition to the usual foes: Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson and Luke Donald, whom Tiger will be paired with Thursday among others.

Don’t expect them to crumble and clear a wide path for Woods each time a Tiger first pump draws a boisterous applause from the largely pro-Tiger Augusta crowd.

If Tiger is to win his fifth green jacket — or even more, as Jack Nicklaus predicts — he’ll have to go through a more talented group than his first wave of dominance.

Then again, we are talking about Tiger.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

Coaches and players couldn’t stop raving about the red carpet treatment they received during their time at Gannon, which passed with flying colors in its dress rehearsal of next year’s hosting of the Elite Eight.

The seven games drew nearly 6,000 fans, who were treated to thrilling games, gutsy plays and historical performances at every turn.

Glenville State hit a NCAA Division II tournament-record 21 3-pointers in its 111-86 upset win over defending champion Shaw. California became the darlings of the Regional by beating higher-seeded Edinboro and Glenville State in the final seconds en route to the finals.

And the host Knights were treated like royalty on their home floor as they romped their way to the Elite Eight.

But while Cinderellas and cutting down the nets are synonymous with basketball in March, Newton’s third law is still in full effect on the court.

For every team that feels jubilation by winning in dramatic fashion or via a thorough shellacking, there’s an equally disappointed squad on the other side.

Seasons end. So do storied careers.

Tears are shed each time — this weekend was no different.

Former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich famously spoke of the heart of a champion. The same reverence can be accorded to several players this weekend who weren’t champions, but who walked out of the Hammermill Center battered in defeat.

In Edinboro’s opening round loss to Cal, the Scots fell behind early and were struggling keep pace with the Vulcans.

The Scots were largely without their All-PSAC senior forward Samantha Blazetic, who had been out with a knee injury since the conference tournament.

When Edinboro fell down by 15 in the second half, Blazetic re-entered the game to an ovation as her team responded with a 14-4 run.

While she was clearly hobbling down the floor, Blazetic wasn’t going to watch her final game from the bench.

“I just fought through the pain and ignored it,” she said. “It turned out to be my last game and I did everything I possibly could. I wasn’t the quickest or the fastest out there but I did everything in my power to win this game.”

Fairmont State’s Kaitlin Snyder, a similarly decorated senior, saw her career end when she unceremoniously departed the Falcon’s 66-40 first-round loss to Gannon after trying to play after taking a hard fall before finally leaving with eight minutes left.

Snyder, the school’s all-time leading scorer and an All-American a season ago, walked off the court for the final time limping while lamenting how the game could’ve gone differently.

“I wish I could’ve done more, but it wasn’t enough,” a teary Snyder said after the game.

Her coach by her side, Steve McDonald, couldn’t even manage words while trying to reflect on his point guard’s career.

Blazetic and Snyder were only a few of numerous players this weekend who left nothing on the floor, ensuring that — as Teddy Roosevelt said — their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

That’s March basketball.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

On Saturday, the conference took one step closer to its self-inflicted obsolescence when heavyweights Georgetown and Syracuse met for the final time at the Carrier Dome, closing the book on one of the all-time great sports rivalries.

In 2011, Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced they’d be leaving for the ACC, and when Louisville and Notre Dame followed suit last fall, it was the final nail for the conference that began in 1979 with the intent of becoming the best basketball conference in the country.

In the process, the Big East had an intriguing religious vs. secular dynamic — Catholic schools comprised seven of the original nine teams.

But when the rest of the league started crumbling, even the founding members jumped ship.

One can’t blame the departing teams when taking a look at the figures.

Each school in the ACC stands to make more than $17 million per year after the conference announced a 15-year deal with ESPN in 2012.

On Saturday, the Big East settled for a seven-year, $130-million deal to stay with ESPN after rejecting its proposal two years ago that would have paid the conference $130 million to $150 million annually for nine years. The fast dip in value illustrates the hit the Big East brand has taken with the potential loss of all of its original members.

Fortunately, Division II schools like Gannon and Mercyhurst are immune to the politics and circumstances brought on by television rights that detract from the games by threatening conference realignment.

Gannon and Mercyhurst are in a unique position in that they are the only private Catholic schools in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. All 14 other full-time schools are members of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. When Seton Hill enters the conference next year, it will become the third private, Catholic school.

But on the Division I level, what began on a meteoric rise will conclude with an equally sudden crash.

Georgetown, which lost to Gannon in the 1975 Porreco Cup while it was rising in the Division I ranks, quickly became one of the dominant teams of the 1980s, along with St. John’s and Syracuse, though the Orange didn’t win a national championship until 2003. Villanova also accounted for a national title in 1985 when it shocked the defending-champion Hoyas as an eighth-seed.

In the ’90s and 2000s, the Big East continued to enjoy the fruits of being the top dog. In 2005, the conference expanded to 17 teams, adopting powers Cincinnati, Louisville and Marquette.

For the past three decades, the Big East has featured perhaps the best basketball of any conference, winning six national championships and churning out some of the top NBA players along the way.

But as we learned long ago, all things must pass.

Can’t remember who said that.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

And while a mirage in the desert isn’t an uncommon occurrence, the sight of Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, Brett Myers and Mark Reynolds in Indians uniforms isn’t such a delusion.

Nor is the $117 million price tag that came with the free agent group.

Whether Indians president and owner Paul Dolan has finally become aware of the long-held disenchantment on the part of fans longing to no longer be a farm team for the league’s big fish, or he is simply parlaying the estimated $230 million he sold the Indians’ TV rights for, it is long overdue.

For the first time since the early 2000s, the Indians’ front office seemed willing to do what it takes to win. This means no more talk of the constraints of being in a small-market, no more relying on castoffs and has-beens.

The Indians have instead seemingly adopted a team in the tradition of legendary Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis: “Just win, baby.”

It’s a far cry from the “We’ll spend when we contend” line the brass fed us ad nauseum while they were trading away the likes of perennial all-stars and Cy Young winners in back-to-back seasons.

Whether this spending splurge is just a ploy to get fans back in the seats — the Indians ranked second-to-last in attendance, averaging just less than 20,000 fans per game last season — remains to be seen.

But it’s already a step in the right direction, giving reason to believe the owners’ intentions are in the right place. Instead of fielding a futile lineup and expecting to clean up through the league’s revenue sharing rule, the Dolans have made a conscious decision to try to make bank the old-fashioned way: winning.

Spend money to make money.

And so far it’s paid off. Tribe officials said last week they sold more season ticket packages in one day than they usually do in an entire offseason month.

If the front office does its job — which it has — and the fans do their job — which they are — that only leaves the most important cog in the system to do theirs.

Chris Perez, the outspoken flame-thrower who had been critical of the front office’s frugality in the past, summed it up best: “It seems like this year there are no excuses.”

If there was an offseason championship, Cleveland would have its first title since 1964. Unfortunately, there is no such thing, something we should remember after witnessing what happened to the Florida Marlins a season ago.

If the spending experiment should miserably fail, the Dolans could revert to their old ways of being incentivized to lose and receiving a big check signed by Bud Selig for it. After all, it is a business for them.

But if they want to make money and see Jacobs, er, Progressive Field rocking like its 1995, hopefully what began in Goodyear becomes an even better one.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

The Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre are in a position to reunite and finally let bygones be bygones, according to Favre’s successor, Aaron Rodgers.

Five years ago, the fervent summer fling between the Packers and Favre that lasted 16 years ended before it quickly and viciously turned into a bitter winter of discontent. Now the man who became the Packers’ quarterback when they became embattled with Favre in an ugly public dispute over his unretirement in 2008 has voiced his support to giving the gunslinger his proper place in Packer history.

“As the face of the franchise, I felt like it was important that I took a leadership role in that,” Rodgers said on his radio show last week. “Not that one was needed now, but I thought it was good timing to just let the fans know, let Brett know, let’s move forward. Let’s heal things up and let’s move forward.”

At the NFL Awards Ceremony the Saturday before the Super Bowl, Favre and Rodgers surprised everyone in attendance when they walked on stage to present the “Comeback Player of the Year” award together. They carried out a humorous scripted exchange poking fun at their rocky past, which both said they enjoyed and was meant to show fans there were no hard feelings.

While Favre and Rodgers once fiercely battled for the coveted space under center, both quarterbacks were comfortable sharing the spotlight that night. And there’s even more room on Lambeau’s ring of honor.

The saga that unfolded in the summer of 2008 has been reviewed and dissected to the point that the Warren Commission has said “uncle.” Both sides were ultimately responsible for how things ended up.

I have always contended that the Packers’ front office never treated Favre properly throughout the ordeal, even going so far as to hire public relations consultants to carry out a smear campaign. And there was no doubt that Favre’s yearly indecision was wearing thin on Packer fans.

But it ultimately worked out for both sides.

The Packers won a Super Bowl two years ago and are poised to be a perennial contender with Rodgers at quarterback. Favre played several more seasons before returning home to his family and tractor and is now coaching high school football outside the public eye.

So do they really need each other?

Probably not.

Favre could spend the rest of his life completely dissociated from the franchise in the same way the team’s original coach Curly Lambeau left Green Bay in 1950, when he departed to coach the Chicago Cardinals.

The Packers never patched things up with Lambeau, and when they honored him by naming the stadium after him in 1965, it was too late— Lambeau had died months earlier.

Packers fans, loyal as they are, will support their team regardless.

But in this day and age, how often do we see corporate-driven professional sports team do something solely for the fans?

And make no mistake, this would mean a lot.

Not only would a Packer-Favre reunion in the form of a ceremony at Lambeau Field heal the wounds between the organization and Favre, it would finally set things right again in Titletown.

Now’s the time — let’s get it done.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

Heck, they weren’t even the most interesting storylines of last week.

In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attention, you haven’t, the PGA Tour season is under way.

And it has every bit of intrigue that a half-lit indoor football game with no defense has to offer.

Need your fix of deer antler spray? Golf’s got you covered on that front.

But it’s been anything other than the young bucks who have owned the tour so far.

Tiger twisting the screws to Phil and Lefty, in turn, stuffing it back in his face ala Dikembe Mutombo.

(That last one would be pretty hilarious, wouldn’t it?)

Like so many times in the past, Tiger Woods notified us of this two weeks ago by blowing away the field at the Insurance Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, winning by four strokes.

After watching Tiger dominate in his backyard like this, Phil Mickelson decided to see his longtime rival and raise him one this weekend at the Phoenix Open.

Lefty responded by nearly shooting a 59 in the first round Thursday, horseshoeing the final hole. Phil’s final score was a ridiculous 28 strokes under par.

Your turn, Tiger.

With Phil and Tiger back in the world top 10, there now is a reason to watch on Sundays before the Masters.

Curiously missing from the discussion has been “the chosen one,” Rory McIlroy.

On Jan. 14, the 23-year-old inked a massive 10-year, $250 million contract with Nike, but ditched his new putter in favor of his old Scotty Cameron after one round a week later at the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi. He missed the cut for the first time in 25 tournaments and since then, has been on break trying to get used to the new equipment.

McIlroy isn’t expected to return to competition until the Accenture Match Play Championship on Feb. 20-24. Coincidentally, it will be the same time Woods returns since his win at Torrey Pines.

Woods has historically had great success at the match play tournament, winning it a record three times. Last season, McIlroy was the runner-up to Hunter Mahan. The idea of Woods, Mickelson or a rejuvenated McIlroy in a head-to-head match should have golf fans salivating.

Maybe even more than Vijay Singh over a field of fresh leafy greens.

Singh was one of the athletes revealed to have taken deer antler spray, which he readily immediately admitted to while pleading ignorance about its illegality.

Yes, the Tour is firing on all cylinders in early February.

We can only hope that there isn’t a sudden power surge.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu

A matter-of-fact 71-year-old with a sharp tongue, the “Old Man,” as he is referred to affectionately, has one basic philosophy.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If it is broke, it ain’t worth fixing. So be a man.”

Perhaps the NFL would be wise if it adopted this attitude in its treatment of the Pro Bowl because football’s all-star game is obviously broken.

It has become a national punch line due to its selection process, its low entertainment quality, its lack of anything resembling defense and most notoriously, its inability to entice the league’s best players to attend.

This season’s game, in which the NFC defeated the AFC team 62-35, had 16 players decline invitations due to injury, had another 15 ineligible due to their participation in the Super Bowl and numerous others decide to not make the trip to Honolulu.

While the absence of so many players does create a nice opportunity for others, most notably up-and-comers — a number of rookies participated Sunday — it leaves the game with a noticeable lack of star-power.

This year, all three of the NFC’s original choices at quarterback—Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Robert Griffin III—missed the game with injuries, and, perhaps league’s most recognizable face, Tom Brady, has backed out of the game every year since 2005.

Not surprisingly, many of Aloha Stadium’s 50,000 seats were empty after a flash flood warning pushed back the starting time by 30 minutes.

But the game hasn’t always been such a snoozer.

In fact the game wasn’t always held within a Hail Mary throw from Honolulu’s white sand beaches and tiki bars either. And the players didn’t treat it like it was interrupting a cushy vacation.

In 1980, Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood played in the game after playing the entire playoffs, including the Super Bowl, with a broken leg.

Instead, we’re left with a game that is better suited for flags instead of pads.

And it hasn’t gone unnoticed either.

After last season’s Pro Bowl, commissioner Roger Goodell floated the idea of eliminating the game, saying, “We are going to either have to improve the quality of what we are doing in the Pro Bowl or consider other changes, or even consider eliminating the game.”

Goodell could start by eliminating some of the rules that have incentivized apathy, by allowing blitzing, pre-snap motion and rushing the kicker.

But considering this could compromise the safety of the league’s best players, something Goodell has taken up as his signature issue, there probably aren’t going be significant changes to how the game itself is played.

It just isn’t worth fixing.

JOE CUNEO

cuneo001@knights.gannon.edu