Editor's Desk: March Madness

By Michael F. Flach
HERALD Editor
(From the issue of 3/14/02)

March Madness has arrived at Marymount University's North Arlington campus with a vengeance. The Marymount women's basketball team, led by head coach Bill Finney, has made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in school history.

The Saints (24-6) have enjoyed a tremendous run under Finney's direction. They have qualified for post-season play in 10 out of the past 13 seasons. But this is the first time they have made it to center stage with a chance at winning the national championship. The Saints will play Wisconsin-Stevens Points on Friday night in Terre Haute, Ind. The championship game will be held at the same location on Saturday night.

Marymount's roster is composed of players from the Baltimore-Washington area, including Bishop Ireton graduate and three-point specialist Gen Schmitt, point guard Kristin McGrory from Paul VI and leading scorer Candice Brown from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington.

The Saints have overcome a variety of injuries this year, which makes the team's accomplishments even sweeter for Finney. "I can't say enough about all our players," he said. "They have risen to the occasion so many times this season — playing injured, playing out of position and never giving up."

If Marymount wins two more games, it will be the second consecutive year in which a local Catholic university has brought home a NCAA championship. The Catholic University men's team won the Division III crown in 2001.

Let's go Saints.

***

The American Red Cross has done a tremendous amount of good during its storied history, but in recent months it has endured its share of public relations disasters. First came news that the millions of dollars collected by the relief agency were not making there way to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Virginia.

Now the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has led a charge against the agency for its decision to prohibit students from Orange County High School of the Arts from singing "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful at a Red Cross luncheon March 10. The Red Cross opposed the songs because of its "sensitivity to religious diversity" and its "preference for a music program that would be inclusive and not offend different populations participating in this particular event."

Catholic League officials asked the leaders of over 100 organizations to join them in dropping all support for the Red Cross.

Red Cross officials released a statement March 11 saying, "the judgements we made in this case in applying our principles clearly offended some in our community." It mentioned that "it is important to use reasonable judgement in applying principles to the everyday circumstances we confront." The Red Cross admitted it was a mistake to exclude "certain songs" from the March 10 program and apologized for its decision.

Catholic League president William Donahue said he was delighted that "reasonableness prevailed" at the American Red Cross and that his organization has not interest in continuing its campaign to boycott the relief agency.

"While we accept the apology we do not buy the line that this was a 'mistake,'" said Donahue. "It was a calculated decision designed to punish religious speech. The statement, therefore, is intellectually dishonest. But the bottom line is they got the message."— M.F.F.

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