Third Place In State

When I was in fifth grade I played a baseball game that will forever change my life.  It was in the state tournament, and it was for third and fourth place.I remember playing all of the games to lead up to this game.  The tournament was double elimination, and we lost in the first game.  We lost by one run, which devastated us at first.  My coach told us all not to worry, and that we could still do well.  After that game we just went out and started playing our best ball, and we didn’t lose another game.  We eventually made it all the way to the third and fourth place game, against Rockwood, the team who beat us in the first game.

That season was filled with a lot of ups and downs.  There was te ups when we beat the other Gladstone team all three times we played them, to the downs, when we lost to the other Gladstone team in the county championship game.  That was a terrible loss, because we knew we were a better team then they were as we had already beaten them three times.  We all just played very poorly and so they beat us.  But it was okay because they ended up losing in their second game in the state tournament.

We also played a lot of tough tournaments, but we did good in most of them, usually finishing in the top four.  This team was the best I have ever been on.  Everything about that year was a lot of fun, and I am still friends with most of the players on that team.

I remember a lot of the rivalries we had throughout the years of playing with the team.  Our top three would have had to have been Oregon City, Clackamas and the other Gladstone team.

Anyways back to the game.

So it started off with us warming up.  We would be the visitors, and they would be the Home team.  We had just got done playing catch, and I remember my coach calling us all in and telling us “I don’t care if we take third or fourth today boys, I am so proud of the way you all played ball this year, so lets just go have fun.”  He then read us all our positions.  He put everyone in such random spots.  I played third for the first time ever that game.

The game started us up to bat, we didn’t get any runs.  Then we took the field.  We had my good friend Tyler on the mound.  He was our best pitcher by far.  The inning went three up, three down.  The game continued like this until the fourth inning when we scored two runs.  Then in the bottom half of the inning they scored three.  The next inning we scored three runs to make the score five to three.  In the sixth inning they scored again to cut our lead to one, making the score five to four.  The final inning came up, and the ball got hit to me, on a routine grounder.  I fielded it, and threw the kid out at first.  Then the next kid, hit a hard grounder to me.   had to quickly field it, and barely got the kid out at first this time.  There we were, bottom of the seventh, one out away from winning third place in state.  Tyler was still pitching, and he got the count full to three balls and two strikes.  He then threw the most beautiful knuckle ball I have ever seen.  The kid swung and time seemed to stand still.  The crowd was silent.  All you could hear was “THWACK!”  The ball hit the glove.  He struck him out to win the game for us!  I remember the feeling of how joyed we all were,  all of our hard work payed off.

Looking back on the game now, it was by far the most memorable moment I have ever felt while playing sports.  I wish I still had the medal from that game, but it was in my house when we had a house fire, so I lost it.  Even without the medal though I will always remember that game, so it all worked out.  its fun to see all of my teammates from that season and to talk about it and see what they remember.  i would definitely relive that moment over and over.   It was a gret way to cap off such a great season for us.  I had a blast playing for that team, and I wish i still played with them.

Baseball vs Softball

There are many differences between men and women, and many differences in the spots that they play.  One game that has big differences is Baseball  and the women’s counterpart Softball.

There are many key differences between the games.  A few major ones being the base path length.  In baseball the distance between the bases is ninety feet.  This is a pretty far length but it makes the level of play be raised.  When the bases are this far apart it makes the players have to be faster in order to advance to the next base.  In softball the distance between bases is only sixty feet.  I think this is because of the other rule differences between the sports.  In baseball you are allowed to lead off the bases in order to try to steal a base.  In softball you can’t lead off, and you can’t steal a base.  There is also equipment differences.  In baseball you use a heavier bat (the classification is usually -3)  In softball you use a longer and lighter bat.  There is also one of the main differences between the two sports.  The ball.  In baseball the ball is much smaller and lighter than a softball.  A softball ball is about three times as big and heavier than a baseball.

I don’t think there should be a difference between sports.  It makes it seems biased towards a gender.  At the very least I think if a woman is good enough she should be able to go play on the mens teams.  The same should go for women’s teams though.  In high school if a man isn’t good enough he should be sent to play on the women’s team.  That would never happen but it would be an interesting idea don’t you think?

But back to the differences.  I don’t think it’s fair because it makes it seem like women can’t be held to the same standards as men can.  It makes the men’s sports seem way better because they can hit farther and run faster.  I think there should be the same rules for mens and women’s sports in every sport.  I also think if there is a professional league for men and for women in every sport.  This makes it seem like Americans care more about gender equality.  That is a better view for all of the world to see of us.  When it comes to sports I don’t see why they must have different rules.  The rules don’t make the game that much different.  I mean I understand the reason, but it doesn’t seem like it’s that big of a deal.  People feel that it would make the sport a lot more boring, but I feel that it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.  Sure they might not be able to put up the same stats as men can, but eventually they would make up for that with a technical aspect.  Where they fail in the power, they could make up for it in a more skilled fielding aspect.

Woods Back For The Masters

Woods is back.  So you can all calm down and get ready to sit back and watch.  I think he is going to come back with such a vengance it’s not even going to be close.  He is the favorite to win it all this year.  I think he can do it.  If there is one thing we all know from watching him play golf is he can win coming from adversity.  Remember this is the man that won the U.S. open on a broken leg.

Why wouldn’t he be able to do it?  He is single handly going to bring back ratings for the PGA tour.  I gurantee this was the best news any of them had heard in over five months.  Some people don’t think he will be able to come back and be dominant, but he is one of the best golfers to ever play.

The man has won 14 majors.  That’s a lot.  I think he can do whatever he wants if he trys hard enough.  He has spent so much time away from golf I could see why people would have their doubts, but come on.  This is Tiger Woods we are talking about.

All I have to say is, any man that can win a tournament on a broken leg, can come back to win this tournament.

Bosh to Portland?

If Toronto  forward Chris Bosh becomes a free agent this season should the blazers pursue him ?  I don’t think they should.  With Bosh what you see is what you get.  I don’t think he will change his game anymore.  He’s more of a leader, and I don’t know how willing he would be to play as the number two scorer on the team.  The blazers have Brandon Roy. He is our future, we need to keep him in Portland if we want to keep playing to get to the playoffs.  If we got Bosh we would most likely have to give up LaMarcus Aldridge.  I don’t know if I would be willing to do that trade.

I think LA would be able to change his game up, and he is okay with not being the leading scorer.  I don’t think Bosh would be okay with this.

If you compare the two Bosh has the better stats, but he has been in the league for six years.  LA is catching up though, and he has only been in the league for three years.  His stats are here.

So if you had the choice, who would you take?  Sure Bosh may have the better stats now, but the way he has played he will want big time money.  We have the money to  give him, but do we want him?  I think we should stick with LA and let him grow as a player.

What Happened to Freedom of Speech?

It seems like some people forget that every person has the right to a few thins. One of these things is your Freedom of speech. What happened to this right? Does it even exist anymore? It sure doesn’t seem like it.

I guess Athletes need to get used to the fact that they can’t talk about whatever they want. They have a set list of things they can say and if they say the wrong thing they can get suspended, fined or even kicked off of the team.

Take Oregon WR Jamere Holland. He talked bad about the coach and the team, and he got kicked off. I don’t agree with what he said, but it seems kind of dumb to kick him off over something so stupid. He should be able to say what he wants, and not have to worry about the repercussions for his actions. He is an American Citizen and he should not be punished for exercising his right to free speech.

Then there’s my personal favorite Chad OchoCinco. Everything he does now days gets a fine from the NFL. (No Fun League.) My personal favorite is when he “Bribed” the Ref. He pretended to give him a dollar when they were reviewing a play. It was incredibly apparent he was doing it as a joke, but the NFL cracked down. (One has to wonder if this was because of the NBA’s referee scandal).

People need to back off a little bit and give these athletes their freedom of speech back. I think this issue kind of goes along with the whole Privacy issue. I understand that they shouldn’t be out blasting their team and the way the management handles situations, but if they want to have a little fun and joke around a few times, why is it such a big deal?

What is UofO going to do

What is the univerity going to do with the recent news of Jeremiah Masoli being charged with one count of  burglary in the second degree?  Not only is he going in front of the judge, but LaMichael James is also going in front of the judge.  All in the same day?  What’s going to happen if they both get sentenced?  What do you think Kelly is going to do?  Personally I think they should both get suspended for the season if they get convicted.  They are college students first, football players second.  They need to focus on their education, and be role models,, not get arrested.  I think if they play this season then the university is making a mockery of the justice system.  How come Embry gets kicked off the team (before he even got charged) but Masoli is being backed by the university.

It all gets based on how good of a player the kid is.  The universities star players will always be given prefferntial treatment over anyone else.  I do noy think either of these players should be allowed to play football this next season, nor should they be allowed to get another season of eligibility by the NCAA.  They broke the law, possibly might get sentenced and have to go to jail.  If this happens, and they are allowed to play, I dont know if I can support the Ducks anymore.  Don’t get me wrong I love my Ducks. , but how can you love someone who allows just their star players to break the law and get away with it?

Media in Sports

Where should the limitations for media occur? In my personal opinion I think media should stick to covering the games, and that’s it. I don’t see how anything else in noteworthy enough to put on ESPN. Shouldn’t these athletes have the right to their privacy like any other human being? How do you think they feel with all of this attention always on them and a camera in their faces all the time. Don’t you think they should have their right to privacy?

I mean, take Tiger woods.  The man can’t even drive out of his driveway and crash his car without it being on the news within two hours.  Ten the cat (or should I say the tiger?) came out of the bag.  He cheated here, he cheated there, he cheated with her, and on and on.  I don’t really care, it’s not news.  Now the most recent drama is that he’s not really in rehab for sex like was told to us, but for drugs.  I don’t see how this is news?  Really?   Get off of his back, he’s a grown man, and he can do whatever he wants to be honest.  If he wants to do this stuff let him, and leave him alone.

Next we have Michael Vick.  Everyone knows he was a dog-fighter,  but why?  What business of  anyone else’s is it if he chooses to do this?  Yeah its illegal, but still.  Report on it and get over it.  I don’t care about his trial, or anything else that has to do with any of that stuff.  its Vick’s personal business not anyone in the free world’s to learn about.  The only reason people should know about this kind of stuff is when the athletes decide to make a public statement about it.  Why else would we need to learn about it?  I think it violates their right to privacy.  What if they don’t want everyone in the world to know about the mistakes they have made?

Then, the most notable story for the media in the last year (Before woods came around)  Brett Farve. He’s retiring, he’s not retiring.  He came back and played for the jets.  he got injured towards the end of the season, and then he decided to retire at the end of that season.  Then he decided to come back, then stay retired, then come back, and stay retired.  Then he decided to come back and play for the vikings.  (Taking them all the way to the NFC championship game)  Now I’m sure this saga is going to start all over again.  If the media would just not cover it so much, maybe the man could make a decision, but every day you would hear a new report about Farve and whether he was going to play or not.  It got really annoying really quickly.  I think they should leave him alone and let him make a decision without  getting in his business.  (The only good part about this story was the hilarious commercials from sears making fun of his flip-flopping.) If they cover this story again this year,  I think I might just stop watching ESPN until football actually starts.

All in all I believe that the media should get out of these guys faces and let them live their lives.  If they would just chill out then i think it would be much more interesting.  Stay out of personal business, and stick with reporting the sports, and worthy news.

Where are the Morals in Sports?

Are there even any morals anymore?  It sure doesn’t seem like it to me.  It seems like every other day when you sit down to watch your sports news, and you flick on ESPN there is news about this athlete or that athlete getting arrested.  What kind of message does this send to the kids that look up to these athletes?  Not a very good one if you ask me.

Personally in my opinion, this is getting kind of old.  The best part is that it ranges.  You would think that most of the athletes committing these crimes would be young college students right? WRONG! One of the latest installments in the world of athletes and their crimes, Is Michael Irvin.  A HOF wide receiver. (although Irvin isn’t being charged with criminal charges, for the sake of argument he was still accused.)

Then the most prominent story right now… Tiger Woods.  I’m sure most of you know the story of EL Tigre, but if you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months here’s the short version.  He cheated.  Many times.  Reports have the numbers around fifteen or so, (but one has to wonder are the numbers true?  Or do these girls just want their fifteen minutes of fame?)  Recently Woods came out and made his first public statement in three months.  Of course he apologized.  (Most fake apology ever in my opinion.  So obvious he was reading a statement someone wrote for him.  judge it yourself here.)

Then of course who can forget Plaxico Burress?  The Giants wideout who was coming off  a Superbowl win, and then the next season after, goes out to a nightclub.  He decides that he needs to bring a gun, (unregistered at that)  and shoots himself in the leg.  Of course he gets arrested and sent to jail.  (The debate rages on whether he went to jail because of who he was, or because he broke the law.)

Then there was the most prominent of them all.  Everyone who knows anything about sports should know where I’m going with this…. Michael Vick.  (Again unless you don’t follow sports at all, or you live under a rock you should know about this.)  For the aforementioned people, short version is…. He’s a dog fighter.  There was dog fighting at his home, (of course he claimed to not know about it, but how could you not?  You live at this house and your friends are there fighting dogs?  Really?)

This isn’t only in the pros though.  What fun would it be without the collegiate athletes getting involved?  The most prominent college story right now is against my home state team.  The University of Oregon Ducks.

First it was The quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.  He was only accused (authorities say he is NOT a suspect) but he was with wide receiver Garret Embry.  (Again neither are suspects)  They were accused of stealing laptops.

Then it was star running back LaMichael James’s turn.  He had to up the ante though, and get arrested on domestic violence charges. (No word on what Coach Kelly is planning to do with him yet. I hope we keep him on the team, because he is a beast.)

After taking all of this in, I personally believe every one of these athletes, (and every other one who gets arrested, or caught using steroids, or caught cheating),  need to take a step back and evaluate themselves.  They need to look at the big picture of what they do.  They need to realize that we live in a world where everything they say or do is going to be picked over with a fine tooth comb.  We live in a society where we idolize our sports stars, and they need to realize that what they do is going to be judged.  All said and done, guys, go get some ethics and values.

Shaun White: Another gold

Another winter olympics, another Men’s superpipe, and another medal for U.S. snowboarder Shaun White. Not only does he continue to push the envelope, but he causes everyone else to have to step up as well. Not only does he land a double cork in the first run, a ridiculous trick for just about anyone, he then decides to pull out the double mctwist in his second run.

Not only does he pull of the double mctwist, which he hit at the winter xgames AFTER he fell and smashed his face on his first attempt, but he wins gold.

The best part about him hitting the Double Mctwist?

He didn’t have to. He was basically guranteed gold after the first run, but he wanted “a victory lap that people would remember”

Not only are some people going to remember it, The young kids will idolize it.