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JUNE 2005Volume 24, No. 11, June 08, 2005 SPORTS
SPORTS TALK
Day baseball Day has compiled a respectable 4-3 record; Coach Rezzuti sees strength in fielding, pitching, and base runningby A. S. The Dragons were soaring along on a 3-game winning streak beginning with their second game against the Oak Hill Panthers on Friday, May the 6th when they demolished the Panthers, 10-2. Coach T. R. takes great pride in the team’s fielding, pitching, and base running. However, he sees room for improvement in the hitting, although several team members disagree. “We pitched well,” agreed shortstop J. K. Centerfielder L. G. considers the team to be “...basically an all ‘round good team.” Keeping the Dragon’s winning streak, Day moved to a record of 3-1 against the Brown Bears on Monday, May the 9th. The score was 6-2 at the end of the game. J. K. pitched 3 innings and only let up 1 run. “We’re doing very well as a team,” says J. K. Outfielder C. P. views the “...base running,” to have “...worked well for us”. The Dragon’s remained on their winning streak, improving their a record of 4-1, after they played the Bigelow squad and won 9-1 on May 13th. The Dragons kept their winning streak, a record of 5-1, once they played Fessenden on Wednesday, May the 18th and won. “Hitting has improved,” agreed third baseman L. C., along with T. R. and C. P. L. C. says, “We make less mental mistakes on the field.” P. B., one of Day’s pitchers and shortstops believes that Day’s “...pitching is our best asset,” but they need to work on hitting. The team has continued their impressive fielding and overall offense. Competition hasn’t been a problem for the Dragons, though there is some strong competition. Day still has to play Fessenden, Weston and Winthrop, “3 team’s we haven’t played,” says T. R. Day and Weston faced off in a battle and lost on Friday, May the 20th. Pitching was a helpful factor throwing strikes and well-played defense. Hitting would not help the Dragons in this game, as Weston’s hitting was impressive. This loss moved them to a record of 4-2. The Dragon’s dropped to 4-3, when they lost against Catholic Memorial (CM) on Wednesday, May the 25th. The score was 7-2 at the end of the game. Hitting was again a problem for the team, especially because CM had very effective hitting. Day also had some errors in the field and an overall bad game on defense. Pitching remained solid for the Dragons. ***** Boys’ lacrosse Dragons struggle for 2-4 record ; Behavior, subsequent loss, sidetrack Dragonsby M. B. The Day Dragon’s lacrosse squad ended their season on an excellent note, coming up victorious in their final game, winning 14-4. The Dragons’ concluding game to an inconsistent season, was played on June the 1st against Brown. Day demolished the Bears, overpowering them on offense and standing strong on defense. After losing to Oak Hill on Friday, May the 27th, 8-4, Day’s squad was able to end with a positive finish to the season. The Dragon’s first match up of the season with the Bulldogs from Bigelow took place Wednesday, May the 18th. The result was a 10-2 victory for Day’s squad. “The team stepped up and helped each other,” said Co-Coach J. T. On defense K. H. was solid, as usual, stopping the Bigelow attack. For the Dragons, M. A. and M. L. were threats on offense. J. T. thought the team rebounded nicely from the game against Catholic Memorial. The Dragon’s match up with Fessenden, scheduled for Friday, May the 13th at Day, was canceled. Day’s squad forfeited the game, as punishment for their conduct during the game versus Catholic Memorial. The Dragon’s match up, Wednesday, May the 11th versus Catholic Memorial at Day was a game the Dragons look forward to forgetting. The competition was cut short, a decision made by the referee, due to some rough play. The game was stopped with 2 minutes remaining. At this point, the score was 6-3 in favor of Catholic Memorial. Yelling at the referee was common from both sides, but Day payers, especially were disputing nearly every call. “We didn’t control ourselves,” said middie/goalie, N. T. After the game Coaches J. T. and. L. spoke to the squad and expressed disappointment. J. T., felt, “the teams level of frustration led to bad sportsmanship.” The Dragon’s behavior, during their loss to Catholic Memorial, led to off-field implications, as well. On the morning of the 13th, and the day of the Dragon’s game versus Fessenden, several meetings took place. During the first of two meetings, Principal Gina Healy spoke to the team about their behavior. Some players voiced their opinions. Middie, J. M. commented, saying, “The whole situation was blown out of proportion.” That afternoon, Green Team English teacher, A. C. spoke to Green Team players. The last meeting of the day transpired, after news hit Day players that their game against Fessenden had been canceled. The meeting ensued in the classroom of Blue Team math teacher and Day Lacrosse co-coach, M. L. There, Coach J. T. asked the team to write letters to the Catholic Memorial coaches and the referee, apologizing for their actions. The majority of players complied with Thompson’s requests. “The incident brought everybody down to a level of play that is not expected at Day,” expressed Coach J. T. The Dragon’s compensated for a tough loss to Oak Hill with a dominating win, Wednesday, May the 4th, against Brown. The Dragons overpowered the Bears throughout the game, securing a 13-4 victory. Three goals by M. L. and several others by S. G., N. T., and S. Y. made up most of the Dragon’s offense. E. K. and K. H. were solid on defense. Goalie/ middie, N. T. said of the game, “It was our first solid game of the year.” ***** Day girls’ lacrosse Girls’ lacrosse turns in a winning seasonby A. H. The girls lacrosse team traveled to Bigelow on Friday, May the 27th, where they dominated the game and won with a final score of 8-3. Playing center, A. H. scored four points, while first home M. M. and second home M. A. each contributed 2 points. Attack wing B. J. and goalie A. T. both played fantastic games. With no subs, the Lady Dragons managed to maintain their undefeated record at Brown on Friday, May the 20th. The girls had a tough victory against their biggest rivals, the Brown Bears, yet B. J. managed to put home two goals, and M. A. one. Taylor was on fire in goal, stopping every shot, but two. The Brown Bear’s two goals brought the final score to 3-2, with the dragons once again winning by one. “It was a great victory and the team pulled through, even though they had no subs,” says team member R. D. about the game. The game which was scheduled to be played against Oak Hill on Wednesday, May the 18th, was cancelled due to rain. Traveling to Oak Hill on Thursday, May the 12th, the lady Dragons shut out the Oak Hill Panthers, 6-0. First home Abbott was the leading scorer with 2 points, and second home B. J., attack wing L. C., and defender J. B. all scored one point. K. B., also with one point, played well. J. B. and C. F. both played amazing in goal, saving every shot that came their way. The girls had a tough home win against the Brown Bears on Monday, May the 9th. Center A. H. was on fire with three goals and first home J. B. and attack wing B. J. both fought for a goal. The speed and aggression of the Brown Bears earned them 4 goals, but it was not enough to beat the control and offensive strategy of the dragons, who won 5-4. The dragons played with passion and fire, controlling the ball in their offensive end for the better part of the game. The girls still need to work on their defense, but their offense was outstanding in their win. The Lady Dragons had a great win at home against the Bigelow Bulldogs on Thursday, May the 5th. Second home M. A. was the top scorer in the game, scoring 5 points, and attack wing B. J. followed with 3 goals. Both girls played a wonderful game. J. A. had many fabulous saves in goal and only let in 2 shots. First home McGrath and attack wing J. B. both scored 2 goals and defense wing L. C. had a spectacular goal, giving the Dragons a 13-2 lead. The girls came off the field cheering because they all played a dominating game. ***** Day Softball Lady Dragons are undefeated in 8 gamesby V. P. The Lady Dragon’s softball team is playing an excellent season defensively and offensively. The girls have been working hard and have been playing great games. They are undefeated with a record of 8-0. On May the 20th, the Lady Dragons played their most important game of the season against Weston. They ended up winning the game with a final score of 1-0. Both teams were undefeated, so the game was a close one. D. D. scored the only run of the game. She got a base hit and stole second, third, and home. R. C. pitched, striking out 11 out of 21 batters. Playing exceptionally well on defense were S. M. and D. D. S. M. was outstanding at first base with five put outs, and D. D. threw out a base runner at second, and T. M. tagged her out for the game. On May the 16th, Day played an away game against Bigelow. The Dragons won the game 17-2. C. T. pitched the first 4 innings, only giving up 2 runs. R. C. pitched 3 innings, striking out four out of nine batters. S. M. played well on defense with 11 put outs in seven innings. Day played an away game against Brown on May the 12th, and won 14-5. T. M. pitched the entire game, striking out 13 out of 18 batters. V. P. had a great game at second with a fly ball and a ground ball fielded nicely and threw to first for the out. The entire team’s hitting that game was exceptional. On May the 9th, they played their 5th at home game against Bigelow and won the game with a final score of 10-2. C. T. pitched four great innings striking out 5 out of 9 batters. R. C. pitched 2 innings striking out 6 out of 6 batters. Playing well in the field were T. M. at shortstop and V. P. and second base with an unassisted out. Hitting well were D. D. and T. M., who were both on base 3 out of the 4 times they got up. S. M. hit an outstanding home run. The team won their 4th game with flying colors at home against Oak Hill, again with a final score of 18-0. Pitching the entire game was R. C. with a total of 17 strike outs, and two assisted outs. S. M. did exceptionally well at first base with two assisted outs. Playing well offensively was Doherty with 4 runs, and S. M. with 3 runs. On May the 5th, the team won their game against Oak Hill with a final score of 6-0. Talented Copan pitched the entire game and struck out 16 of 21 batters. S. M. played well at first base with an unassisted fly ball and a ground ball. Playing well offensively were again R. C. and S. M., R. C. with two hits and S. M. with a home run. Also hitting well was L. J. with a double. ***** Track and field team turns in outstanding performances despite rainoutsby J. B. and E. R. The Day Dragon’s track and field team has compiled a respectable winning record on both the boys’ and girls’ sides of the ledger. The Day Dragon’s track and field team has been successful in almost every meet, competing very well on both the girls’ and boys’ sides of the field. The team has been excelling in both track and field events, but have shown a knack for being able to win the track events. The event that has been killing the team occurs at the end of the meet, the 4 x 200 m. relay. On Friday, May the 13th, the Day boys’ track team faced Fessenden at Day. Only the boys participated in this meet because Fessenden is an all-boys’ school. Day lost by a mere 3 points, and it came down to the final event, the relay. Day was beating Fessenden, but then they came back and dominated in the relay to beat Day. In Day’s next meet, they defeated Bigelow by a large margin of points. They won 59.5-28.5 in the boys’ segment of the meet and lost by just 6 points in the girls’ part of the race. Bigelow does not include the high jump competition on the track and field team at their school, so the event was not performed by either team. Because of the overwhelming amount of rain, many meets have been canceled, so the scores for those meets are not available. Also, many practices have been canceled or just been held in the school. The students run around the hallways to practice. ***** Tour De Franceby J. R. France is a country centered around two things, food and sports, but, especially, sports. And, of all sports, the French are most especially interested in one of the largest, if not the largest, bicycle race of all time. This is the world famous Tour De France. The figures for this event alone are staggering. The event is organized by 60 permanent staff members along with 200 temporary staff members. There are 180 service providers and 14 medical staff. Every day there are 1,200 rooms reserved for these people alone. The security measures also seem extreme with 13,000 “gendarmes”, or France police, and 45 gardea republicains. With them comes 9,000 police staff and 10 policemen for the Permanent Mission Publics. While these figures may seem boring, the sheer scale of them cannot fail to impress. The media coverage for the event is extensive. The Tour is covered by 2,300 accredited journalists, 1,200 other journalists, photographers, cameramen and TV directors. 78 channels in 170 countries allow 2 billion viewers to watch the event and it totals 2,400 hours of TV coverage. Of the people who watch it 68% are men and 32% are women, 71% are under 50 and 42% are under 34. 76% of the French population has attended the Tour at one time or another in its 102 year history. The first Tour De France was in 1903. The race was much shorter than the modern race as it started the first of July and ended on the 19th of July. The original race had 6 stages, or legs, and the winner was Maurice Garin. Garin was awarded 3,000 francs. The modern Tour is quite different. Today the prize is 3 million Euro (3,895,146.96 dollars), of which 400,000 Euro (519,341.69 dollars) goes to the winner. There are now 21 stages that cover 3,500 kilometers and have many different terrain types. These are flat, medium mountain, mountain, individual time trial, and time trial.
***** Sports commentary The NBA draft: high school players don’t always cut it• Is a minimum age needed?by Ben Cassidy As the 2005 NBA draft approaches, the question remains as to whether high schoolers are good for the league. The NBA is considering imposing an age minimum of 20 in the new collective bargaining agreement. This would mean that high schoolers would have to attend at least one year of college, maybe even two. The reason an age minimum is being discussed is because the NBA hasn’t been the same since high schoolers started coming out. The overall quality of play has dropped, although this year was the best-played year since the Michael Jordan era. The play has dropped because the high school players are primarily inconsistent with their jump shot and can only take the ball to the basket. What we have seen this year is how much going to college can help one’s game, such as shooting and defensive presence. The perfect example of this is the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have been one of the worst teams in the NBA since Michael Jordan retired for the second time (but not the last). In the years since he left, the Bulls haven’t had much success in their drafts until this year, when they tried a different strategy. The Bulls had drafted Eddy Curry and traded forward Elton Brand to the Clippers for Tyson Chandler. Both Chandler and Curry were high schoolers and had promising futures at the time. Four years later they still do, but haven’t amounted to the potential they had when they were drafted. Combine that with a horrific motorcycling accident that has sidelined 2nd overall pick Jay Williams and one could say that the Bulls would never get better. This year was different. The Bulls selected Connecticut guard Ben Gordon with the 3rd pick and Duke forward Luol Deng with the 7th pick. They also picked up Duke guard Chris Duhon in the 2nd round and later signed Argentina forward Andres Nocioni. Bulls GM John Paxson decided to go with great college players who had experience in important games. This formula helped the Bulls make the playoffs and nearly beat the Washington Wizards in the 1st round. The Bulls used defensive pressure and clutch shooting to win games, something that high school players rarely provide in their early years. As much as people can argue against having high school players, they can argue for it. The game is filled with stars that came out after their senior year of high school. Moses Malone started it all in 1974 when he became the first player to be drafted out of high school. 21 years later Kevin Garnett was drafted with the 5th pick in the 1995 draft. Every year since 1995 there has been at least 1 high schooler selected, including 30 in all. In 1996, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O’Neal were the two high schoolers selected. Both have become stars, and Bryant has already won 3 titles. Bryant was selected 13th by the Charlotte Hornets and O’Neal 17th by the Portland Trail Blazers. O’Neal spent 4 bench-ridden years with the Blazers before going to the Pacers and becoming a legitimate star his 6th year in the league. Bryant was traded to the Lakers and came off the bench his first year. He then progressively got better every year, and by the time he was 22, was one of the NBA’s best. That would be how old he would be after attending college for 4 years. This brings up the usual path of a great high school player. The first couple of years the players are learning the skills and working hard to becoming an NBA star. The 3rd year is the year expected for the player to break out and become the star. O’Neal is an exception to that statement, mostly because his development was hindered by the lack of playing time and therefore didn’t break out until his 5th year in the league. Of course Lebron James, the most hyped high school player of all-time, was able to become a star in his first year in the league with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns (who has established himself as one of the NBA’s elite after this year’s playoffs), became a star in his second year. Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets, another one of the NBA’s elite, didn’t breakout until his 5th year in the league with the Orlando Magic. Rashard Lewis of the Seattle Supersonics, one of the game’s most underrated players, didn’t come into his own until his third year. With all this being said, the question is still being asked whether to impose an NBA age minimum. If one wants better quality basketball, with less dunking and better jump-shooting, then one would be in favor of the NBA age minimum. If one believes that there should be no minimum, because at the age of 18 people are allowed to do what they want, one would be opposed to it. The NBA can’t impose an age minimum. It would be un-American and unfair to the high schoolers who need the money for their families. The NBA needs to remain forever young. ***** Day golf The history and modern technology of the golf ballby J. L. Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden (GOLF)...W. O. R. D. ’s fact of the day, Monday, May the 23rd. The golf ball has always influenced the way one plays the game of golf. People have always looked for ways to improve it. The golf ball has undergone much change throughout its illustrious lifetime. The first golf ball was made in the 1400’s. As one could imagine, the game was played with poor equipment. The balls, like the clubs, were made of wood. In 1618, the wooden ball was replaced by the “ Featherie”. This was a ball with goose feathers within a cowhide, spherical cover. The Featherie was hand-crafted. The ball was assembled while wet. This made it so that the feathers would expand, and the hide would shrink to form a hardened ball. The Featherie was so expensive, that it could sometimes cost more than a club. The ball was then painted and stamped with the maker’s mark. The Featherie was replaced by the “ Guttie” in 1848 which was invented by Rev. Adam Paterson. The material of the Guttie was the rubber-like sap within the Gutta tree that was found in the tropics of Malaysia. The easily moldable sap made them easier to make and cheaper to buy. The sap could be melted down to either form the ball into a perfect sphere, or repair it by reforming it. However, because the Featherie had little scratches in it, it went farther than the perfectly round Guttie. To compensate, the “Bramble” design was invented, which had small lumps on the outside. The design was named after the Brambleberry fruit. At this time, balls were being mass produced instead of handcrafted. Coburn Haskel, in 1898, introduced the first ball with rubber thread wrapped around a rubber core. The material of the cover varied, as did the outer patterns. The golf ball dimple pattern first was introduced at this time. There were no rules or standards regarding the size or weight of the golf ball, however. Standardization of various aspects of the golf ball in 1921 has given it its modern form. Some standardizations regard weight (less than 1.62 ounces), size (diameter less than 1.68 in.), and distance (determined by a test with apparatus approved by the USGA). The golf ball is now one of the most technologically advanced and complicated balls in all of sports. There are three major types of golf balls. One type of golf ball is the multilayer ball. It features a core with layers of rubber surrounding it that vary in stiffness. A cover is then applied. This is the most common golf ball. The two-piece golf ball is simply a solid piece of high resiliency rubber with some additives. Then the cover is applied. The two-piece ball specializes in distance. Finally, there is the wound ball. It has a core comprised of a synthetic rubber compound. Then, a rubber thread is spun around the core. A cover is finally added. This type of ball offers good spin, but poor distance. All three modern designs have anywhere from 330 to 500 dimples. The most common number is 392. ***** THE HISTORY OF THE GOLF BALL• 1400’s...the wooden ball • 1618...the “ Featherie” ball • 1848...the “ Guttie” ball • 1898...the beginning of the rubber ball ***** SPORTS TALK Super cars edition: Koenigsegg CCRby J. B. and S. Q. This car is nice. It is one of those cars that is so nice that most people have never heard of it. The Koenigsegg CCR is a newly-released, 806 hp super car made by the Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg. Included in this car are 19” rims, and a supercharged V8 engine with 806 horsepower, capable of speeds over 242 mph. So far, this car has achieved the fastest speed ever recorded by a legal street car, reaching a maximum speed of 342 miles per hour. The body of the car is constructed of kevlar and carbonfiber, because the car needs to be as light as possible in order to reach the car’s maximum capability. The whole car weighs approximately 2,600 pounds. The car has only 2 doors, and seats a maximum of 2 individuals. There is a removable hardtop on top of the CCR which makes the blistering high speeds of the car more bearable. The safety of this car is pretty reliable in that going from over 65 mph to a standing stop in around 60 feet. There are the standard front airbags but this car is also equipped with driver-side airbags as well as passenger-side airbags. With optional 20” chrome wheels, this car combines style as well as finesse. The extremely good aerodynamics are mainly produced by the well-designed, streamlined body of the car. This vehicle is revolutionizing the way people think about cars. ***** The History of the Red Soxby M. G. and R. P. The history of the Red Sox started when they won their first World Series in 1901. Then, 14 years later they won the World Series again with the help of the power hitters: Harry Hooper, Duffy Lewis, and Tris Speaker. They lost the first game in the Series and then came back to win by beating the Philadelphia Phillies in the next 4 games. In 1918 Babe Ruth had 29 scoreless innings and had 2 of those outs. A record that stood until the year of 1961. 1919 was the last year of Babe Ruth’s career with the Boston Red Sox, as the Sox traded him to their rival, the New York Yankees. 2 years after, the “curse” began. In 2004 the Boston Red Sox broke the curse after being down 3 games to the Yankees. They came back and won the last 4 games of the series. Then the Red Sox went on to play the Cardinals, and the Red Sox swept the series winning 4 games to 0. Last year’s postseason created local heroes, such as David Ortiz and Curt Schilling. This year Schilling has been sidelined with an ankle injury, while Ortiz has continued his dominance over many pitchers. Although this year has started out mediocre, the Red Sox could still add their 7th World Series championship to their storied history. ***** Sox vs. Yankees: the rivalryby A. L. and S. Q. “The one constant through all the years, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers; it has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be [good] again,” People Will Come, FIELD OF DREAMS. Since the first pitch was thrown, and the first bat was swung, since the first baseball game was played, there have been rivalries. Arguably, the biggest rivalry in baseball, and all of sports, belongs to the World Champion Boston Red Sox, and the New York Yankees. Throughout history, the teams have constantly battled, and until recently the Yankees dominated. From the time in the year 1918 when the Red Sox won the World Series, and seasons later Babe Ruth was traded, they have been devastated by numerous playoff losses. From Paul O’Neil to Brett Boone, the New York team has robbed Boston countless times of a chance at a World Series championship. And every time, fans got built up, only to be let down, and that’s just the way it was...until the 2004 American League Championship Series (ALCS). The Fenway faithful looked dim. The Red Sox were down 3 games to none in the fourth game. David Ortiz hit a walkoff and the Red Sox won. After that, the team soared to win the World Series. Now, which team is really better? If you ask a typical fan of the Red Sox, they respond, “...the Sox, of course.” If you ask the same question of a typical Yankees fan, the typical response is: the Yankees. So what is the truth? Which team will come out on top in the 2005-06 season? Offensively, the Red Sox have a star-studded team, as to the Yankees virtual hall-of-fame team, that some say is possibly too old to go anywhere. Many people say that so far this year, the Red Sox’s marquee player at the beginning of the lineup has been Johnny Damon. He has constantly performed when the Red Sox have depended on him, and has held his batting average over.300 for most of the season. Damon has also set-up big play opportunities for Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Ortiz, who last year signed a very team-friendly contract, has constantly come up big for the Red Sox. He is dependable, on offense, and constantly provides hits for the team, and has been proclaimed a big clubhouse inspiration. Jason Varitek, who has stepped up as the team captain for this season, is yet another valuable Boston player. He has been a major team leader for the Red Sox, and has provided good solid hits for Boston. He has performed well in the field as well, catching for the Red Sox. The New York Yankees also have many exceptional players. The Yankees’ team consists of many amazing hitters. Arguably the worst starting hitter on the team is Jason Giambi, a player who would be considered a very valuable addition to many other major league teams. Unlike Boston, a team which seems to be built on big plays and hitters, the Yankees seem to rely more on On Base Percentage (OBP), and turning singles into runs, helping them come from behind numerous times. An example is Tony Womack, who is on track to possibly reach the stolen base landmark of 40 by the end of the season. Alex Rodriguez already has well over 50 RBI’s and is on track to get over 100 RBI’s this year. As of Thursday, May the 26th, Rodriguez was leading the American League in home runs, and RBI’s. However, one could not easily argue that the Yankees don’t have power at the plate. Tino Martinez is in the top 25 for most home runs along with Rodriguez. So, who will prevail? Only time will tell... |