By Iris Moore
BU News Service

The Red Sox season has begun and Fenway is busier than ever. BU News Service reporter, Iris Moore, talks to fans outside of Fenway Park

By Iris Moore
BU News Service

On Monday, Boston University hosted its first leadership summit discussing lessons learned from the Boston Marathon bombings. Keynote speakers included former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, former police commissioner Ed Davis, and Governor Deval Patrick. For BU News Service, Iris Moore reports.

By Iris Moore
BU News Service

Reporter Iris Moore travels to Bromley Mountain Ski Resort to see how they’re making the most of this long, cold winter with this wild and wacky sport.

By Iris Moore
BU News Service

On Saturday, a pre-St. Patrick’s Day party near the campus of University of Massachusetts in Amherst turned violent, forcing police to take action and arrest more than 70 people.

The gathering, known as the “Blarney Blowout,” is an annual party traditionally held by UMass Amherst’s students the Saturday before spring break. A crowd of about 4,000 people gathered at an off-campus apartment complex to celebrate the holiday, according to the Associated Press.

The party soon spiraled out of control as intoxicated participants were staggering around, vomiting and destroying property, said authorities.

Shortly after noon, the city and university police and state troopers moved in on the crowd at the apartment complex to try and break up the party. Beer bottles, cans and snowballs were thrown at authorities.

After the apartment scene, partygoers moved to a nearby frat house, where the disturbance continued. Officers were again met with debris being thrown at them. According to authorities, four officers were injured.

According to a statement from Amherst Police Capt. Jennifer Gunderson, the police dealt with numerous reports of unruly behavior and noise all throughout Saturday night.

Gunderson told The Republican in Springfield the party was   “Perhaps one of the worst scenes we have ever had with drunkenness and unruliness.”

However, students seemed to feel differently about the situation. “Blarney Blowout 2014 was a blast, even though I got tear-gassed,” said Selin Uzumcu in an interview with the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

UMass Amherst spokesman, Ed Blaguszewski, said students who were arrested could face suspension or expulsion.

By Iris Moore
BU News Service 

If it isn’t hard enough already, getting up early will only get harder on Sunday when clocks are set forward for daylight saving time.

Officially starting at 2 a.m. local time, the more unpopular time change will reset most American’s computer and smartphone clocks. However, for some of us, our internal clocks will not be as easy to reset.

According to sleep expert, Dr. Vivek Jain, productivity, concentration, and stress are among a few health-related issues that may be affected by the lost hour.

Jain stresses the importance of adjusting to the time change rather than ignoring it. Therefore, he offers a number of tips that may help soften the blow of DST.

First, start preparing now by going to bed 30 minutes earlier Saturday and Sunday night. Leave your blinds pulled up, so you will see the outdoor sunlight in the morning, which can provide you with some extra energy.

Break the habit of using electronics or eating in bed. Train your body to recognize your bedroom as a place for sleep not work.

Make sure you are done working out a few hours before going to bed. Your body should be in a state of winding down, not working out, in order to better prepare you for sleep.

Take a hot shower before getting into bed. The process supposedly mimics your day and night routine, which may help with the adjustment.

But, when all else fails, be optimistic and look at the bright side– spring is coming, and we will begin to see some extra evening light.

By Iris Moore
BU News Service

During the fall of 2012, 16-year-old Dylan Flynn became a member of Boston University Men’s Basketball Team through Team IMPACT—a non-profit organization that matches kids facing life-threatening illnesses with college athletic teams to improve their quality of life. Reporter Iris Moore shares the story of how this young-boy’s relationship with the Terriers has helped him face a life-threatening illness.

More About Dylan’s Condition

At 10-months-old, Dylan Flynn was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis—an illness that causes invasive tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body.

Over the years, Dylan has dealt with a number of health issues related to his illness, including ADHD and a variety of learning disabilities. Consequently, Dylan has low muscle tone, which prevents him from participating in high-school competitive sports.

Despite his many challenges, Dylan has managed to maintain a positive outlook on life. According to his mom, Patty Flynn, “He has never let his struggles prevent him from attaining and being successful.”

In the spring of 2012, Dylan was diagnosed with a low-grade astrocytoma—a brain tumor located on the cerebellum—and forced to undergo surgery. Unfortunately, due to location, surgeons were unable to completely remove the tumor.

Currently, Dylan is being monitored by The Pediatric Brain Tumor Center at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. As of now, Dylan’s tumor has not grown.

 

By Iris Moore
BU News Service

Mitt Romney and Robert Kraft are among a few big names making an effort to organize a bid for a Boston Summer Olympics in 2024. Reporter Iris Moore talks to locals and gets their opinions on bringing the Games to Boston.

By Iris Moore
BU News Service

American snowboarder Shaun White’s decision to withdraw from the newest Olympic event, slopestyle, raised concerns regarding the course’s condition and suitability for competitors at Sochi.

On Wednesday, White issued a statement to the Associated Press saying, “with the practice runs I have taken, even after course modifications and watching fellow athletes get hurt, the potential risk of injury is a bit too much for me to gamble my other Olympic goals.”

On Tuesday, White and fellow slopestylers assessed the Sochi course. They admitted to its high level of difficulty, bringing into question the course’s condition.

After a practice run, Finland rider Roope Tonteri said, “I think they wanted to make big kickers and it’s not really good for riders. It’s not really safe anymore.”

“The course needs some work… At the moment the riders are not happy,” said Seamus O’Connor, rider from Ireland.

By Iris Moore
BU News Service

Laughter yoga started with just five people at a park in Mumbia, India. Now, it has turned into a global health movement that has spread throughout 72 countries. Reporter Iris Moore shares more about this new kind of exercise that has found its way to Boston.

By David Nelson
BU News Service

While the focus of the sporting world has been squarely on the upcoming Super Bowl matchup between Peyton Manning and the league’s top offense and Richard Sherman and the league’s number one defense, the most fun part about Super Bowl Sunday, if you’re not a loyal follower of one of the two teams (and maybe even if you are), is prop betting.  I’m going to take a look at some of the more unique prop bets posted by the Bovada online sports book.

 

Will Knowshon Moreno cry during the singing of the National Anthem?

Yes (+170)

No  (-250)

This bet clearly links back to when Niagara Falls was pouring out of the Denver running back’s eyes during the National Anthem prior to the Broncos’ Week 13 clash in Kansas City.  While the quantity and velocity of those water works was hilariously remarkable, the odds of a repeat performance from Moreno, not to mention whether FOX has the cameras on him at the right time, has to be worse than 2.5/1.

BET: NO

 

How many times will Archie Manning be shown on TV during the game? (Opening kickoff to final whistle) Over/Under 1

Over (-160)

Under (+120)

Given that FOX showed Peyton Manning seemingly every other play during Eli Manning’s Super Bowl XLII win over the Patriots six years ago, the tendency here would be to take the over.  However, I think Archie really wants to take stay out of the limelight and make sure this is Peyton’s moment.  I believe that zero Archie shots is a real possibility, so I’ll take the odds here.

BET: UNDER

 

Who will be seen first on TV after kickoff?

Erin Andrews (-140)

Pam Oliver (EVEN)

Erin Andrews got all the attention following her epic interview with Richard Sherman after the NFC Championship game, but Pam Oliver has been the top sideline reporter for FOX’s number one broadcast crew of  Joe Buck and Troy Aikman for years now and I think they give her the first post-kickoff appearance.  Who interviews Sherman after the game if the Seahawks win is another question altogether.

BET: OLIVER

 

Speaking of which,

Will Richard Sherman be interviewed on field after the game by Erin Andrews on the live FOX broadcast?

Yes (+250)

No (-400)

The Seahawks would almost certainly have to win the game in order for this to happen.  I think even if the Seahawks have a 50/50 shot at winning, I would put the odds at less than 40% of this happening given a Seahawks win, making the -400 “No” bet a good one.  Sherman eventually apologized for his antics and how it took the spotlight off of his teammates and I see the Stanford grad being less volatile and more inclined to celebrate with his teammates as opposed to doing an interview with Andrews if Seattle were to win.  I would prefer to get a little better than -400 though, as you know that FOX will try for sorry-receiver-gate part two with the Andrews-Sherman pair.

BET: No

 

What will Bruno Mars be wearing on his head at the start of his halftime performance?

Fedora (-150)

Fur Hat (+550)

Tuque (+500)

No hat (+250)

The weather is the key factor in this bet.  I’ve never seen Bruno without a fedora on, but the cold and windy weather could potentially sway him to choose warmer apparel.  However, I can’t see him straying from his trademark for such a short performance just because of the cold.  Another factor in the fedora bet’s favor is that the bet is based on the “start” of the performance.  If the fedora gets blown off by the wind mid-performance, you still get paid.

BET: FEDORA

 

Now lets get into some bets for the true gambling degenerates out there.

What color will the Gatorade (or liquid) be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team? (If nothing is dumped, there is no action)

Orange (1/1)

Clear/Water (5/2)

Yellow (15/4)

Red (15/2)

Blue (10/1)

Green (15/1)

If I’m going to go so far as to bet the color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach, I want a serious payout if I win, so I’m ruling out the orange and clear options.  The only logic I can come up with is that both teams have a shade of blue in their team colors, not to mention the game is being played at the home of “Big Blue,” the New York Giants.  Also, Glacier Freeze is my favorite Gatorade flavor.  It’s overwhelming evidence in favor of Blue.

BET: BLUE

 

And finally, the ultimate coin toss of a wager, if you will.

What will be the result of the coin toss?

Heads (-105)

Tails (-105)

Let’s take a hard look at the numbers, so that we can be the first people in history to make an educated guess about the result of a single coin toss.  Out of 47 previous Super Bowls, there have been 24 Heads and 23 Tails, which is 51.06% Heads.  Unfortunately, for a -105 bet, you need to be greater than 51.22% to win in order to make it profitable, so we have to find another factor.  In John Fox’s previous Super Bowl with the Panthers in Super Bowl 38 and Seattle’s previous Super Bowl, Super Bowl 40 against Pittsburgh, both called the coin toss as the road team and both times the result was tails.  I’m counting on that trend continuing.  Also, heads has been the result five straight years, so I’m banking on regression to the mean, as tails is clearly due for a win (disregard my obscene hypocrisy).  Once gain, this bet seems to be a lock.

BET: TAILS