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DECEMBER 2005Volume 25, No. 05, DECEMBER 14, 2005 SPORTSThere are lots of sports opportunities out there Newton swimming: Newton Swim Team is hoping for another strong season Golf column: Want some good gifts for golfers? Look here ... Boy’s basketball preview: 8th grade looks to key returners; 7th grade has limited spots Girls’ basketball preview: Coaches hope to involve many players for girls’ team Middle school hockey: Newton Middle School hockey is off to a powerful start Sports TalkNFL celebrations, suspensions, and fines Celtics season begins, Pierce is in rare form MLS Cup slipped away from Revs There are lots of sports opportunities out thereby D. R. Snow flakes have already fallen and winter is on the way. But fear not, there will be lots of sports opportunities for Day students. BasketballThe NGBA league will put any 6,th 7th, or 8th graders on a waiting list if they register now because of the full season. The John M. Barry Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Newton basketball league is back for another year. To register, go to the Boys’ And Girls’ Club and pick up a registration form, or sign up online at www.newtonbgc.com/registration.pdf. SoccerAnyone interested in joining the metro Boston renegade soccer league should sign up anytime before spring. To sign up go to www.newtongirlssoccer.org/SOE/index.htm. Metro Boston renegade soccer is a league for advanced players who are willing to run hard and work harder. LacrosseSend an e-mail to rlenfest@fesseden.org if you would like to play girls’ lacrosse. Applications and information will be sent back as soon as possible. Return the email ASAP because the teams will fill up soon. Boys’ lacrosse is a growing sport that many kids are learning and playing. Winter is upon us, and for many youth lacrosse players, it is the offseason. However, at Newton North High School, it isn’t. This winter, a clinic will be held by Bussy Adams on Thursdays in January, starting on the 8th. Day’s lacrosse team will have tryouts “...next spring sometime,” said coach Tom Rezzuti. “I hope we are good.” Newton Youth lacrosse will have an indoor league. It will begin January the 8th and end March the 5th [by A. M.]. SoftballFor those who would like to join a softball league, Newton Girls’ Softball is the ticket. This is basically the only softball league for girls besides school-run programs for girls in the grades 1-8. To join, go to www. newtongirlssoftball.com. Sending a form between January 1-20 incurs a late fee. Players who join are expected to attend at least 75% of the games and practices. BaseballSign up for Newton West Little league at https://www.active.com/register/index.cfm. Get the registration form in by January 15 or incur a $15 late fee along with the regular registration fee. Applicants must live in the district of Burr, Williams, or Franklin schools to attend Newton West Little League. Newton West Little League is for kids ages 5-12. For children who are ages 10, 11, and 12 there will be tryouts for major league positions. For the Newton Central Little League, e-mail to NEWTONCENTRAL@COMCAST.NET. Applicants will be put on a mailing list and will be further notified of upcoming tryouts and registration times. Newton Central Little League is for kids who live in the district of Cabot or Pierce schools. For those interested in joining Newton North Little League, the registration dates are Saturday, February the 11th, 10-2; Sunday, February the 12th, 1-3; and Monday, February the 27th, 6-7. Tryouts will be held at the Gym next to Our Ladies Catholic church on Saturday, March the 11th for 7 and 8 year old-players. Tryouts for 9, 10, 11, and 12-year old players will be on held Sunday, March the 12th.
Newton swimmingNewton Swim Team is hoping for another strong seasonby Z. P.-C. Newton Swim Team (NST) started their competitive season November the 3rd with a home meet against Dedham. “We should have a really great season, since our amazing coaches Mary and Scott have trained us pretty well,” says swimmer L. M. predicting how Newton will perform this season. Mary and Scott Pohlman, the head coaches of NST, have been coaching for 30 years. Swimmers on NST are all from Newton and compete against teams from Acton-Boxboro, Belmont, Brookline, Dedham, Natick, Sudbury, Tri-Valley, Westboro, and Weston. At the end of their 9-meet season, NST participates in the “A” and “B” regionals. All of the towns participate in the regionals. For the “A” regionals swimmers must have a qualifying time, but all swimmers can compete in the “B” regionals. Swimmer L. K. says, “I think it’s going to be a very fruitful season; we’ll do fine as we always do.” NST, in the past has been one of the stronger teams in the league, and they are hoping to keep that position.
Golf columnWant some good gifts for golfers? Look here ...by J. L. With the holidays upon us there are many opportunities to buy golf products at good, off-season prices. Though the golf season is at an end, many new and exciting golf products and equipment are being released. Whether you want to improve your golf game or someone else’s, now is a golden opportunity to fill the shopping cart with golf products. The hottest piece of equipment now on the market is Nike’s new Sasquatch driver. This 460 cc. driver follows in the footsteps of the Nike Ignite driver, which was made famous by PGA pro Tiger Woods. The Sasquatch hit stores as early as November the 1st and can now be found in the bags of many professionals. The club can be bought in its driver version (often $300) or its fairway wood version (often $200). If this may seem expensive, look around for Nike’s Ignite driver. This driver was released in April of 2004 and is still one of the best sellers on the market. With the release of the Sasquatch, the Ignite can often be found at very low prices, usually $300. Many golf outlets have it marked down to end-of-the-season prices. Both of these clubs are good investments, as Nike increases its presence in the golf club industry. A gift idea that is on the cheaper side is a driver head cover. Many golf retail outlets have a variety of decorative head covers. Head covers are often in the $15 range, and have themes such as sports, animals, and even television characters. Adding a creative, fun, and artistic element to the game, these accessories will spice up any round of golf. One good last-minute stocking stuffer is unique tees. Surprisingly, tees come in many varying types and versions. Evolving from traditional wooden tees, new products such as “brush tees” have the appearance of a brush; “super soft tees” offer little resistance to the club. All offer something different on the tee box. Other cheap golf gifts that involve popular sports other than golf are balls and towels. Many balls and towels have the logos of popular sports teams on them. Towels are often $15 and balls can be bought in various quantities. Even if it may be too late to give a gift for the December holidays, now is still the time to save on golf products. Many golf outlets and sports stores are having off-season sales as they try to get rid of their equipment. Products including equipment can often be found at blowout prices.
Boy’s basketball preview8th grade looks to key returners; 7th grade has limited spotsby D. R. As winter begins, boys’ basketball begins. On Monday, December the 12th, Tom Rezzuti held 8th-grade tryouts for boy’s basketball. Last year, the 7th-grade “B” Team only lost 2 games in the whole season, and therefore, the expectations for this year are high. “I think the team will be good, winning more than losing,” said Rezutti. A. D., T. F., B. G., and B. K. are all returning star players from last year’s 7th-grade “B” Team. This year’s 7th-grade “B” Team will be coached by Aaron Joseph, an aid for Stephen Hawthorn in Room 327. “I expect the team to play very well, up tempo,” said Joseph. The team will accept 10-12 players, so the spots are limited. “We are going to play up court and down court, trapping all over the place. We are going to stress good shots,” said Joseph.
Girls’ basketball previewCoaches hope to involve many players for girls’ teamby A. T. Girls’ basketball tryouts were held yesterday, December 13th after school. Bill Matyskiel was hoping to have a big enough turnout to make a 7th and 8th grade team. The 7th grade girl’s coach will be Zach Christman. “Last year I was the 7th grade coach and I had a lot of fun, so I’m hoping this year will be just as good,” explains Christman. Maty has not yet decided when practices will be, but he plans to have all the details by tryouts. Girls’ basketball is offered to all 7th-and 8th-grade girls, and Matyskiel and Christman encourage any 7th-or 8th-grade girl to come. “The more players that come to tryouts, the bigger teams we will have.” Although not everyone who attends the tryout will make it, Maty hopes to allow most of the girls to be on a team.
Peak PerformersD. S. a 6th grader at Day plays Pop Warner football. His position is on the offensive/defensive line. D. S. excels at blocking and tackling people. A. Z., a 7th grader at Day, plays football for the “B” team as a running back. His strengths include speed and power. He scored both touchdowns in the game against Oak Hill on Monday, October the 17th! L. P. plays soccer as an 8th grader for the Day girls’ soccer team. She plays both forward and midfield and her strengths are seeing the field and knowing where to put the ball.
Middle school hockeyNewton Middle School hockey is off to a powerful startby S. Q. The coaches of the Newton Middle School Hockey Team announced the official roster on Sunday, November the 6th. The roster included 2 goalies and fewer than 18 players, the originally intended number. Instead of cutting any players from the team, the coaches decided to keep all players that tried out. Some though are only alternates, and do not actually play in games. The coaches decided that it is important for the players who did not make the team to be able to improve and have the chance practice with the team. The coaches made good choices regarding who should be on the team, and the team got off to a great start this season with two big wins. In their first game of the season, on Sunday, November the 20th, the team dominated Watertown after only one practice. Newton Middle School held Watertown to a mere 3 goals, while they scored a total of 7. On Sunday, November the 27th, the middle school team had their second home game of the season. Newton Middle School came out on top again, with a shutout win. Even after many attempts, Weston couldn’t get the puck past the Newton goalie. Newton scored a total of 5 goals, resulting in a 5-0 shutout win. “We played better defense against Weston, we moved the puck well and players seemed more comfortable playing with each other,” stated co-coach Joe Guariglia. “One of the areas we need to focus on is playing aggressive without getting penalties.” Regarding how the team is doing thus far, Guariglia also stated that, “So far we are doing good. More important than winning the 1st two games was the play of the team. The team has only been together for 2 practices and 2 games; some of the kids play together on the same town team, but overall it is a mix of Bantam and Peewee travel teams. We are pleased with the overall team play; they are moving the puck well and show a desire to learn.”
NFL celebrations, suspensions, and finesby J. B. and J. G. Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals catches a touchdown pass and holds up a sign that says “Dear NFL: Please don’t fine me again.” Fined: $10,000. Randy Moss, when he played for the Minnesota Vikings, catches a touchdown pass and pretended to moon the opposing Green Bay Packers crowd. Fined: $10,000. Celebrations by football players started with Elmo Wright of the Kansas City Chiefs running in place after catching a touchdown pass as the first touchdown celebration in league history. Wright’s first celebration was in 1973 in the Chief’s win over the Houston Oilers. Although Wright did the first touchdown celebration, the fad sparked in 1974, when Billy “White Shoes” Johnson did a funky chicken dance several times after touchdowns. The league has never been the same since the “White Shoes” era, with players celebrating in the end zone ever since. New Orleans Saints’ Pro Bowl wide receiver Joe Horn did one of the more famous celebrations in history when he caught a touchdown pass. It was Horn, his 2nd touchdown of the day; Horn had a teammate reach under the padding of the field goal post and pull out a cell phone to hand it to Horn. Horn dialed numbers on the phone and called someone while standing in the end zone. Although Horn was proud of the attention from the fans he got, he still had to face the consequences: a $30,000 fine. People have many opinions on these outrageous and funny celebrations. “I like it because I think that it’s funny,” says 7th grader B. P. When asked what he thought about the celebrations, Jade Teamer A. Z. said, “I think they are creative and they shouldn’t get rid of them. My favorite is when Brandon Lloyd (of the San Francisco 49ers) did a rap in the end zone.” “I think it’s fun watching them dance and get excited,” says Coral Teamer A. M. Other people, however, think differently about celebrations. “I don’t like them because they slow down the action in the game and take up some of the time to play,” says J. C. “I think they are too cocky,” says 7th grader Z. C. Most football players who perform outrageous celebrations also seem to be problems off the field as well. Terrell Owens of the Philadelphia Eagles is most likely the most famous celebrator of all. Owens, most famous for the celebration where he pulled a sharpie out of his sock and signed the football, was recently suspended from the Eagles for continuously dissing quarterback Donovan McNabb and head coach Andy Reid. Owens is a perfect example of a risk to have on his team because he may be the best wide receiver in the league, but he is a problem with his attitude.
MVP award: a toss-up by J. B. and A. L. This year, the AL MVP award was given to Alex Rodriguez and many Red Sox fans are not happy about it. The Beantown fans think that the hometown favorite, David Ortiz, was more deserving of the award. If one considers the MVP award to be for the player with the best stats, then A-Rod would probably win by a landslide. Ortiz trailed Rodriguez in many categories, including home runs, runs scored, slugging percentage, batting average, and hits among other things, although led Ortiz in RBIs, which some consider the most important stat category. If someone would select the MVP by its real definition, Most Valuable Player, then Ortiz would be the choice. For all the years that Ortiz has been on the Sox, he has provided the clutch hitting that kept the team alive in tough situations. He has had clutch hits, including walkoff home runs, in the regular season, ALDS, ALCS, and World Series. Even most Yankee fans would probably agree it would be better to have Ortiz at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, with 2 outs, and down by 1, than Rodriguez. So, the only thing to take from these facts is that the MVP pick was a toss-up. On the other side of the league, there is the NL MVP winner, Albert Pujols. Pujols has been waiting for this honor to be bestowed on him for the past 4 years he has been playing in the MLB. In his first three years playing, Pujols has finished behind Bonds every year, and only won when Bonds was out of the running. Many people would say that Pujols should have won that award every year except the year when Bonds hit 73 home runs, breaking Mark McGwire’s record of 71. Pujols has been one of the best young players the league has ever seen, and he finally got what he deserved.
Celtics season begins, Pierce is in rare formby Matt Victor The Boston Celtics are a new team, meaning that they have quite a few first-and second-timers in the NBA on their team, and there are only a few well-played veterans. Captain Paul Pierce, now in his 8th year in the NBA, has scored more points in the first 5 games than any other player on the team and is ranked in the top 20 in most of the major statistics such as rebounds and points-per-game. Ricky Davis, also in his 8th year in the NBA, is “an amazing basketball player and a great athlete,“ said Day student J. P. Others on the team, like Mark Blount and Raef LaFrentz, have some experience. Unfortunately, losing a seasoned star like Antoine Walker to the largest trade in NBA history did not help in getting a veteran team put together. The coaches and fans are relying on the seasoned players like Pierce to guide the sophomores and rookies. These players may be good but are not accustomed to the style of the NBA. A few of the more promising rookies are Orien Greene, a 6-foot-4 guard and a graduate of Lafayette Louisiana College. With Pierce to lead a team composed mostly of players with three years of experience, it is a large amount of luck that will pull the players together to get a championship win. Although the Celtics have inexperienced rookies, they also have more experienced sophomores such as Delante West and Al Jefferson, who also have to pull more than their own weight. As always, the Celtics have to work on staying in the lead and not letting up in the last quarter. Many games have been lost due to lack of energy, confidence, and other factors that added to the other teams’ comeback. A tenor fifteen-point Celtics lead could deteriorate into a sizable loss. The newer players will have to work to end the comeback losses, teach the veterans to be conditioned for a full game, and to give one hundred percent the whole time.
MLS Cup slipped away from Revsby S. C. and J. K. This year’s MLS Cup turned out as a near exact flashback of the 2002 MLS Cup, with the Galaxy winning 1-0 in overtime. As the New England Revolution and the Los Angeles Galaxy kicked off on Sunday, November the 13th, goalies Matt Reis and Kevin Hartman, big rivals since 2002, were standing just 115 yards apart. These two amazing goalies had been teammates on the Galaxy before Reis was traded to the Galaxy. In the first 10 minutes of the game, the ball was up on New England’s side of the field a lot. L. A. even scored during the first half, but it was called offside so the goal was taken away. This meant trouble for the Revolution in the second half. The game was a rough one, considering there were 10 yellow cards, and many more fouls. During overtime, on a corner kick, Revolution’s Shalrie Joseph and Galaxy’s Tyrone Marshall tried to head the ball but both missed and instead hit each other on the head, leaving both players bleeding. “This New England team knows drama,” commented announcer Rob Stone during half time. He was correct, considering this game went into over time. A corner kick taken by Landon Donovan was punched out by Reis to substitute midfielder Guillermo Ramirez, who netted the ball in the last minute of the first half of overtime. Donovan, in his first season in a Galaxy uniform, made an immediate impact. Donovan won his first MLS cup 4 years ago while playing for the San Jose Earthquakes. In 2003, Donovan won another cup with the Earthquake. He played in Germany for a year before coming back to the MLS. Maybe if Donovan had stayed in Germany for one more year, victory would be in the Revolution’s hands.
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