Sunday's Boston Globe sports section features a story on BU's Mike Grier, one of many such articles in recent media. Mike will be the subject of an upcoming Sports Illustrated article. Sunday's Boston Herald sports section has 3 items: A parent's nightmare picture of BC goalie Greg Taylor -- minus 2 front teeth. An article on Taylor and BU goalie Derek Herlovsky, looking ahead to the Beanpot. There is the possibility that Taylor will turn pro at the end of the year so this may be his last Beanpot. He is quoted as "That's something I'm not going to even think about until after the season. I've discussed it with coach and I'm going to wait until the end of the season to make up my mind. It will all take care of itself." The largest item is a 2-page feature article on BU's Mike Grier and BC's David Hymovitz, discussing their experiences dealing with prejudice. Grier is black, and Hymovitz is Jewish, both relatively rare in top hockey in the United States. Grier discusses a high school prep game where Hymovitz's teammate called him "nigger", and how his family has helped him learn to ignore the insults and pay the offender back by scoring against his team. Hymovitz reveals that he was called a "stupid Jew" by a Grier teammate at BU during the January 20th game at Boston College. Grier expresses surprise when told about that incident, pointing out that BU had a Jewish player last year (Doug Friedman) and hoping that his teammates would be more sensitive to such insults. Hymovitz has also had to overcome his natural impulse to fight players who use ethnic insults; his family has counseled him to avoid fights and respond on the ice, like Grier. Hymovitz has also had to adjust to being a Jew at a Jesuit institution like Boston College, where he has never met another of his faith. He attends team pre-game Masses but does not participate, and has to adjust his diet to accommodate kosher rules. As a faithful BC fan, I must say that I have never heard anyone in the stands make any reference to David's religion, positive or negative. It simply doesn't come up. Hymovitz is one of BC's most talented offensive players, a junior right wing who is 20-17-37 in 28 games (13-9-22 in 19 Hockey East games.) While there may be those who care about a hockey player's religion, I have yet to meet such a person. Mike Grier is much more "visible" and must constantly face his uniqueness in the hockey world in the U.S. He serves as a lightning rod of attention for many reasons, but his skin color certainly dominates the discussion of casual/first time fans. Serious/long time fans know that Mike's uniqueness goes far beyond that; his speed, size, and skill make him one of the most imposing offensive and defensive players in the league, if not the country. He has handled all the attention and publicity with a great deal of aplomb, and is proud to be a role model for other young players, especially other blacks. We all know that players in any sport will often use insults to try to bother other players, especially personal insults. All players have to overcome these obstacles, but it is just that much harder for players like Mike and David in these circumstances. Grier and Hymovitz are both 20 years old and both ninth-round NHL picks; Grier by the Blues, and Hymovitz by the Blackhawks. --------------- ---------------------- Rick McAdoo [log in to unmask] BC will return! GO EAGLES!