1:35 p.m

The 40-yard dash is too hyped-up

Matt Smith

sports Writer

The nFL is obsessed with speed. The 40-yard dash is the main event every year at the nFL combine and at pro days, with fans, scouts, and players drooling over prospects who run between 4.2 and 4.4 seconds. social media blows up over the potential emergence of the next Tyreek hill or chris Johnson, two speedsters that took over the league at wide receiver and running back, respectively. however, do these times even matter? does having a fast 40-yard dash time actually translate to success in the nFL? These questions have come up recently as prospects prepare for the 2021 nFL draft. due to covId-19, the annual nFL combine was canceled. Therefore, prospects have only been able to show off their athletic abilities at their pro days. Prospects have been posting remarkable 40-yard dash times, and many current nFL players have questioned how accurate these times are. denver broncos tight end noah Fant tweeted that he should have declared for the draft this year so that his time would have been faster. broncos teammate and defensive back essang bassey also joked about the times on Twitter, posting a GIF of oprah handing out fast 40-yard dash times. An article from FiveThirtyeight determined that 87.6 percent of prospects post faster times at their pro days than at the nFL combine, so we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on how fast prospects are running this year. nevertheless, should we even care about these times in a normal year?

The answer seems to be no. In the same article, FiveThirtyeight plotted 40-yard dash times and career receiving yards per route for wide receivers and concluded that “higher speed isn’t associated with higher on-field production.” considering how players use their speed in the nFL, this conclusion makes sense.

Players are not running in straight lines every single play. Wide receivers and running backs are constantly cutting, shifting, and juking to create separation from their defenders, and linebackers and defensive backs mimic these movements to keep up with them. They are constantly moving in multiple directions, not just one. Wide receivers are the most valuable if they can combine their precise routerunning with their speed, but this is much different than straight-line speed.

Looking at the 40-yard dash times for statistical leaders from the 2020 nFL season also seems to support that these times do not directly lead to success in the league. of the top ten leaders in rushing yards, none posted a time that was faster than 4.41 seconds at the nFL combine. Lamar Jackson, the league’s ninth-leading rusher, claimed that he ran a 4.34, but that time has not been confirmed. of the top ten leaders in receiving yards, only two ran faster than 4.40 seconds with Tyreek hill at 4.29 seconds and d.K. metcalf at 4.33 seconds. hill’s time comes from his pro day rather than the nFL combine, but I think it’s safe to say that his time is probably accurate based on how he burns past defensive backs on a weekly basis. hill and metcalf are both athletic freaks, and they should be considered outliers rather than the norm for the prototypical wide receiver. so while social media freaks out about Purdue wide receiver rondale moore running his 40 in 4.29 seconds and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts posting a time of 4.44 seconds, just know that this does not automatically crown both as top-five players at their respective positions once they are drafted. I’m sure both of them will be extremely successful in the nFL. but this is due to the fact that moore and Pitts are highly skilled, athletic players, not that they ran fast 40-yard dashes in their underwear.

Contact Matt Smith at msmith88@nd.edu

The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

An open letter to major League baseball

Liam Coolican

sports Writer

dear major League baseball,

You’ve come a long way in recent years. Just a few short years ago, José bautista created a minor scandal - and one of the most exciting moments in recent memory - when he flipped his bat in celebration of a walk-off home run in the 2015 ALds. It may not have been the first bat flip, but it was certainly the most high profile, and it created a moment of reckoning for baseball. even today, players are putting themselves in danger of getting drilled by a pitch - and possibly seriously hurt in the process - if they celebrate in a way the pitcher deems excessive. You have chosen the right path; the “Let the Kids Play” advertisements have served as a brilliant marketing technique and a way to normalize showing emotion in the game. however, the recent two-game suspension of nick castellanos shows there’s still a long way to go. on opening day, castellanos flipped his bat and skipped up the first baseline after launching an opening-day homer. In the following game, cardinals pitcher Jake Woodford drilled him in the ribs with a 92 mile per hour heater. It is difficult to prove intent, and I like to think pitchers don’t intend to harm members of the opposing team, but it does appear that players get hit after a bat flip more often than would be expected. After rounding the bases and scoring on a wild pitch, castellanos stood up, flexed in Woodford’s face, and appeared to yell “Let’s Go!” Then, castellanos turned and attempted to walk back to the dugout, but cardinals catcher Yadier molina took exception and grabbed his neck. both benches emptied, and there was the usual light pushing and shoving, but the umpires were able to restore order relatively quickly.

Absurdly, castellanos was the only player ejected from the contest, despite not initiating any physical contact. To make matters worse, it was announced that he had been suspended for two games, but not before he hit another home run in the subsequent game, with another major bat flip. The league’s statement cited his “aggressive actions” as the primary reason for the suspension, despite the fact that molina grabbed his neck as he attempted to walk away.

Instead of suspending a player whose only crime is showing a little emotion while he plays the game, maybe you should move towards addressing the problematic culture of retaliation in baseball. With pitchers throwing harder and harder, hitters shouldn’t have to be afraid that they will be intentionally hit with a projectile approaching 100 miles per hour if they violate the so-called unwritten rules of baseball. no one knows exactly what this metaphorical rulebook contains, but the main component appears to be “don’t play with any sort of passion.” some, like castellanos, seem not to care, but others may simply avoid all controversy. We’ve seen some horrific injuries due to being hit by a pitchmost prominently Giancarlo stanton’s facial fractures after being hit directly in the face. This prompted a number of players to begin wearing a faceguard attached to their helmets. It is daunting to stand just 60 feet, 6 inches away from a pitcher who can touch triple digits with his fastball, even without having to worry about if said fastball is going to be hurled directly at you.

If you really wanted to “Let the Kids Play” as your advertisements claim, you wouldn’t suspend someone for doing just that, while looking the other way while pitchers attempt to do them harm. It goes without saying that the vast majority of hbPs are unintentional, and the point of this piece is not to claim that Woodford hit castellanos on purpose. It is merely intended to point out the hypocrisy of claiming that you want players to show more passion while punishing those who do exactly that. A common reason for sports fans not following baseball is that it is “boring.” The league undoubtedly knows this, and the aforementioned marketing campaigns target that demographic. but if you’re not willing to back it up by protecting the players who do as you ask, it is merely empty rhetoric.

There is no easy way to deal with the problematic culture of retaliation. It is difficult, if not impossible, to prove intent. The best way forward in this regard is to promote a culture where showing passion is encouraged, rather than seen as unsportsmanlike. obviously, there is a gray area between mere passion for the game and unsportsmanlike behavior. but if you continue to punish those who show emotion, it provides more ammunition to those who will continue to claim that celebrations like bat flips are antithetical to the spirit of baseball.

You still have time to remedy the situation. castellanos has appealed his suspension, and you would be well advised to grant his appeal. A twogame suspension is not an especially lengthy punishment; the problem instead lies in its inconsistency with your supposed values. The desires of a sports fan today have shifted dramatically with the advent of social media. Today, the most popular athletes are those who produce highlight-worthy clips, rather than those who succeed quietly. due in large part to this shift, baseball has lagged behind football and basketball in viewership.

Players like castellanos, who aren’t afraid to display their passion, and other up-and-coming, exuberant stars such as ronald Acuna Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., are how the league is going to attract and retain new baseball fans. It’s past time you recognize that.

sincerely, A concerned fan.

Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu

The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

plate, junior outfielder emma clark stole her first of three bases of the day and eventually made it home off of a hit from graduate student Katie marino.

WmU quickly responded with a home run in the top of the second; this would be their only score of the game. Freshman infielder cassidy Grimm contributed two outs in the field, and a strikeout from holloway ended Western michigan’s at-bat. by the time the third rolled around, the score remained 1-1. In the top of the inning, two standout performances from marino and graduate student infielder chelsea Purcell prevented the broncos from getting on the board again. marino dove for the ball and rolled it to Purcell at second base to gain an out, while another diving catch by Purcell ensured that the score was still tied heading into the Irish atbat. despite clark’s stealing second again, no one made it home that inning for notre dame.

In the fourth inning, a second home run from holloway put the Irish up 2-1. Purcell followed by faking a bunt to put her on first. during senior outfielder Abby sweet’s atbat, Western michigan’s attempt to get Purcell out proved futile after an overshot throw allowed her to steal second, and a double from sweet quickly sent her home to make the score 3-1. sweet restarted her onbase streak after her previous one ended against Florida state.

The fifth inning served as the turning point for the Irish and the climax of the game. Tidd took over in the circle, and the defensive side of play continued to be a force to be reckoned with, especially in the infield. The Irish made quick work of their opponent in the inning without a score against them and only one hit from WmU. That was when the surge of runs for notre dame began. sophomore outfielder Leea hanks’s hit flew over the third baseman, and a double from Tidd sent marino home. The pitchers continued to prove their worth, as a bunt from holloway surprised the Western michigan defense and hanks made it home.

This did little to stop the momentum for notre dame. holloway stole second, and a double from senior infielder sarah Genz scored Tidd and holloway. A single from clark allowed Genz to advance from third after a serious bobble by WmU. by the end of the inning, the Irish were up 8-1; one more run would end the game, enacting the eight-run mercy rule. however, though the bases were loaded, a final out eliminated this possibility.

In the sixth, Tidd remained in play after a pitch was returned directly to her hand by the broncos batter. both teams were quickly ousted at-bat, leading to the seventh and final inning. ryan rounded out the game in the circle, coming off of a seven-run cushion for the team. she came in hot, and three consecutive outs, two of which were strikeouts, sealed the game and another notre dame win. coming off of this victory, the Irish were set to host a home series against no. 18 clemson this weekend. however, this game and notre dame’s later matchup with Loyola-chicago have been cancelled out of an abundance of caution due to positive tests within the notre dame program. Therefore, their next contest is now slated to be Friday, Apr. 16 at home against virginia.

M lax

conTInUed From PAGe 16

on the year, which is good for the best in the country. This is the second time this season that Kavanagh has finished with nine points in goals and assists. The first was during the Irish 19-7 win over robert morris. This makes Kavanagh tied for the most in notre dame program history. Graduate student attack Will Yorke and junior attack Griffin Westlin also finished the day with four goals apiece.

The Irish also dominated on the faceoff, winning 23of-32 at the dot, and the ground ball battle against the orange, winning that battle by a 45-20 margin.

With the win, head coach Kevin corrigan is now tied for the most wins all-time at a single d1 school with 310 at notre dame.

The Irish moved up in the polls with their victory over the weekend. They now sit at number four in the Inside Lacrosse rankings. notre dame will be back in action this saturday at Arlotta stadium against the top-ranked duke blue devils. The blue devils are a perfect 10-0 on the season so far and 2-0 in Acc play. This past weekend, they beat then second-ranked north carolina in overtime 12-11. duke’s other Acc win on the season came against syracuse, who they beat 15-14. nation. head coach matt sparks discussed Wasserman’s training over the last several months.

“It was her first ever completed 5K,” sparks said. “she was a miler at columbia, and we spent the last six months building her up towards more of a 5K runner, and it looks like it’s paid off.”

Another highlight from the distance runners in that meet was freshman olivia markezich, who ran a 9:58.18 in the 3000 meter steeplechase in her outdoor track debut. That mark is currently the third best time in the nation. sparks explained how the meet this weekend, along with the other meets this season, will serve as preparation for bigger meets down the road.

“For the entire team, the regular season is a build up towards the conference and regional meets,” sparks said. “We’re trying to hit qualifiers to get to that first round of the ncAA championship, which is the regional championship. When those kids hit those marks, we kind of tuck them away and focus on the postseason.”

While some athletes who already have a top mark will not be competing in the near future, athletes on the bubble of making a certain mark will compete on a much more regular basis.

“olivia markezich won’t race for another couple of weeks,” sparks said. “Yared won’t race for another month, as he probably preps for the 1500. other events that maybe are still on the bubble for regional marks are still competing pretty regularly.” sparks explained the group that will be traveling to ole miss this weekend.

“This week, we will take about 30 athletes with us to ole miss with a lot of throwers and distance runners,” he said. sparks also mentioned that the female heptathlon will be fun to watch this weekend.

“The other unique thing that will go on at ole miss is the female heptathlon,” sparks said. “[Freshman] Jadin o’brien, who was fourth at the indoor championships, will not compete, as she still has some aches and pains from the indoor season. our heptathletes will be competing, and they only compete in that event once or twice prior to the championship season. so it will be the debut for [freshmen] Alaina brady and madison schmidt in the heptathlon. We are really excited to see what they can do in their [outdoor heptathlon] debut.”

Although o’brien will not be competing this weekend, sparks is looking forward to seeing her in the outdoor season after a very successful indoor season.

“she’s kind of a jack of all trades,” he said. “she’s pretty good at all of [the events]. she ran 2:12 in the 800. she’s one of our top long jumpers, one of our top 800 meter runners, and she’s honestly one of our best shot putters, which is what allows her to be the top freshmen in the country in that event.”

The throwing squad is always strong for the Irish, and this year will be no different. Adding a group of graduate students in the outdoor season will help the Irish as well. because the pandemic cancelled the outdoor track season last spring, there are lots of athletes that have extra eligibility.

“We had a lot of success in the throws indoors with [senior] rachel Tanczos as runner-up, and obviously she’s throwing outdoors for us,” sparks said. “but then what makes the outdoor season a little more unique for our throws group is our graduate kids that are competing.” sparks explained that this season will be tough for the throwers because there was no outdoor season last year.

“The first couple of weeks we are kind of getting the rust off after two years of not doing outdoor track and field events,” sparks said. “now they’re getting back to their specialties. They’re just getting their outdoor track events back and figuring things out over the next month.”

The meet will start on Friday, April 9 and conclude on saturday, April 10.

Contact Nate Moller at nmoller2@nd.edu

Observer File Photo

Irish senior Yared Nuguse rounds a turn during the Meyo Invitational at the Loftus Sports Center on Feb. 2, 2019. Nuguse’s accolades list runs long, with multiple indivdual ACC and National Championship honors.

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Blackburn & Green, Attorneys for Injured People is seeking to hire a PART-TIME LEGAL ASSISTANT to work less than 30 hours per week for their South Bend/Mishawaka office. The candidate would be working with our legal secretaries assisting them with a variety of tasks such as requesting medical records and bills, preparing checks, calling, and verifying balances, typing statements, filing, etc. We are looking for someone that can work independently and with a team, be highly organized, detailed oriented, able to multi-task, work in a fast-paced environment, have excellent people and phone skills, proficient in MS Office products, and must be dedicated to client service. Competitive salary included. Please send resume with a cover letter. Submit your resume to mcunningham@blackburnandgreen.com.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.

The observer | Friday, april 9, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com

MEn’s lacrossE | nd 18, sYrAcUse 11

nd track & FiEld

ND tops ’Cuse, eyes No. 1 Duke

Observer Staff Report

notre dame men’s lacrosse made a statement this past weekend at the carrier dome with a resounding 18-11 victory over no. 4 syracuse.

The Irish (6-1, 2-1 Acc) looked like they were in trouble early on, with orange (4-3, 1-2 Acc) taking a 6-2 lead in the second quarter. Although the Irish attack was nearly non-existent for the first part of the game, the offense took off for the rest of the game. In the second quarter, the Irish rattled off a 5-0 run in a span of less than five minutes to take a 7-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

While syracuse was able to score two goals quickly and regain the lead, the Irish finished the half on a high note by scoring four consecutive goals to take an 11-8 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Irish came out of the gates strong to take a commanding 14-8 lead over the orange. The orange showed that they were not going down without a fight, however, as they scored three consecutive goals of their own to end the quarter and cut the lead to 14-11 at the end of the third quarter.

The Irish owned the fourth quarter in this one. They scored four goals quickly to start the quarter and take an 18-11 lead. The defense then held the orange scoreless for the remainder of the quarter to secure the top-five win for the Irish.

While the Irish had goal contributions from eight different players, sophomore attack Pat Kavanagh led the way. Kavanagh finished the day with nine points off of four goals and five assists. Kavanagh now has 26 assists

see m LAX paGE 14

nd soFtball | nd 8, WmU 1

squad looks to hit marks for postseason at ole miss

By NATE MOLLER

sports Writer

Track and field will be back in action this weekend with a group of athletes heading down to the Joe Walker Invitation at the University of mississippi.

The outdoor track season started off well for the Irish a couple of weeks ago with their first outdoor meet at north carolina state University. At that meet, the distance squads competed well, with senior Yared nuguse running a 13:40.62 in the 5000 meters, which was the best in the nation at the time.

Another highlight from north carolina state was graduate student Katie Wasserman, who transferred from columbia University. Wasserman ran a 15:33.35 in the 5000 meter race, which is still the best time in the

see T&F paGE 14

Observer File Photo

Irish senior Yared Nuguse leans to finish the Meyo Mile during the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 8, 2020 at Loftus Sports Center.

basEball

Irish crush broncos, earn 10th-straight home win

Observer Staff Report

The notre dame softball team earned their tenthstraight victory at home Wednesday night in an 8-1 triumph over Western michigan. This win comes off of a four-game losing streak against Florida state over the weekend. over the course of the game, notre dame (18-12, 10-10 Acc) forced four errors from Western michigan (818, 4-9 Acc) and had 13 hits compared to WmU’s five.

It was the pitching staff that proved themselves to be especially vital in this matchup, both in the circle and at the plate. senior pitcher Alexis holloway, junior pitcher Payton Tidd, and senior pitcher morgan ryan all contributed to limiting the broncos to one run the entire game.

In the first inning, WmU was unable to score. When the Irish stepped up to the

Home stand to begin with GT

By JAMISON COOK

sports Writer

The notre dame men’s baseball team has done nothing but win on the road so far this season, and that trend continued with last weekend’s series victory over 17th-ranked Pitt. The series win over Pitt kept notre dame a perfect four-for-four in road series this season. The Irish (13-5, 12-4 Acc) will now finally get an extended stay at home, starting with a top 15 matchup this weekend against no. 14 Georgia Tech (14-10, 11-7 Acc). It is the third-straight series against a ranked opponent for head coach Link Jarrett’s team. both teams are ranked as high as 12th nationally, but notre dame is on the rise while Georgia Tech is trending in the opposite direction. The Irish, who have not lost a series at home either, continue to climb in the national rankings. The Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, were once ranked as high as sixth in the country. They now find themselves in the 12 to 15 range, depending on the national poll. Georgia Tech has lost three of their last four games, including a series losses to virginia and an independent loss to Usc Upstate most recently April 6. heading into the series, both teams sit in second place on their respective sides of the Acc, giving the matchup some big conference implications.

This weekend’s series, opening with the first pitch on Friday, April 9 at 5 p.m., will begin an eight-game home stand for notre dame. In fact, 15 of the next 19 games for the Irish will be played at Frank eck stadium, and they do not travel again until the weekend of April 23 when they visit boston college.

This is a far different story than what notre dame has seen so far, as 12 of their first 18 games have been on the road. Three out of their four road series have been against ranked teams, and coach Jarrett acknowledged the fight his team has shown despite a lot of adversity.