Work by Jack McCluskey

Jack is an assistant editor for ESPN.com. Prior to joining ESPN.com, Jack worked as a reporter in and around Boston. His work has been published in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe and ESPN.com.
--Contact Jack.


ESPN.com

Tackling a silent epidemic

8/24/2010

As a sophomore at Austin Prep in Reading, Mass., James Orrigo suffered two concussions in the first half of a varsity lacrosse game. CONTINUE


Pogo resurges as action sport

8/23/2010

The pogo stick as we know it bounced into existence around 1918, and it's been thrilling kind of entertaining kids ever since. But in the past 10 years or so, the pogo stick has experienced an unexpected renaissance, and a new use has sent its popularity -- at least among a certain set -- increasing by leaps and bounds. CONTINUE


Ultramarathon runner slows down after 50 states

7/5/2010

Lisa Smith-Batchen isn't running anymore. She can't. CONTINUE


A journey of body and mind

5/21/2010

Leo Rosette has always respected the ocean. Feared it, even. And that blend of respect and fear may have saved his life. CONTINUE


Fishing has cheating like any other sport

5/11/2010

Imagine that Alex Rodriguez had to hook himself up to a polygraph after every home run. That Shawne Merriman had to pass a lie detector test after every sack. That Alex Ovechkin had to pass one every time he lit the lamp.

That's essentially what happens in professional bass fishing. Anglers with a prize-winning catch are routinely rigged for a polygraph, to make sure they didn't, you know, rig their catch. CONTINUE


Crusader takes his chances with Giants

4/27/2010

Former Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph didn't hear his name called in the last rounds of the 2010 NFL draft, but then even if it had been called on Day 3, the standout signal-caller wouldn't have heard it. CONTINUE


Sister Mary Beth is no ordinary nun

4/26/2010

When is a habit more than a habit? When it's made of a special wicking material to better allow the nun wearing it to complete whatever ultrarun she's currently competing in. CONTINUE


Marshall Ulrich, the man without toenails

11/23/2009

Seventeen years ago, Marshall Ulrich paid a man to pull out all his toenails. He's not sure why so many people are fascinated by that fact. CONTINUE


Chmiel's five-day Sahara run the race of his life

11/17/2009

It sounds like a nightmare.

You've been dropped off in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Over the next six days you will have to run, jog, walk or crawl 155 miles through the incredible, incessant heat -- temperatures routinely reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit -- across soft sand and hard-parked gravel, over sand dunes multiple stories high and down rocky hills. You must do this carrying everything you need to survive -- clothes, food, sunscreen, emergency medical supplies, sleeping bag -- in a pack on your back. CONTINUE


Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross opening NFL scouts' eyes

10/28/2009

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The game had been over for more than 10 minutes, but College of the Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph was still on the field, directing teammates. CONTINUE


Disc golf has a pro tour, and momentum

8/19/2009

LEICESTER, Mass. -- In many ways, Avery Jenkins and disc golf have grown up together. His parents picked up the sport in the '80s, planned family vacations to places where they could catch a tournament on the weekends and bought disc golf baskets for the backyard. Now Jenkins, 31, is closing in on his 10th year of traveling on the pro disc golf tour, making a living playing the sport. CONTINUE


No better way to get season tickets

7/28/2009

Jon Lester no-hit the Kansas City Royals last season. It was chilly, and maybe the Royals' bats just never warmed up; or maybe Lester's stuff was so hot it cooled off the K.C. swingers. Either way, the Royals didn't get a hit that night, and I was there for every out. But I didn't see every out. In fact, I didn't even know Lester had a no-hitter going until the top of the eighth inning. CONTINUE


Forget the movie ... try Quidditch

7/22/2009

There it was, in the January edition of the Boston University alumni magazine. Headline, "Stranger than fiction." Subhead, "BU Quidditch team faces toughest opponent -- gravity." Wait, BU Quidditch team? As in, the game Harry Potter plays? CONTINUE

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