Project

                Kawhi Leanord always strives to make every play perfect, and never gives up on any dream, especially basketball.  He took his talents to Martin Luther King High School. During high school, his motivation to succeed grew when he found out that his dad had been killed. Every play that he ran could always be better, and he took the time and the effort to redo each play. Kawhi shows everyone a great amount of respect, and always keeps his teammates going. The determination and hard work allowed Kawhi to play for San Diego State University. He entered the NBA when he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs with the 15th pick in the 1st round during the 2011 draft.

                Kawhi Leanord had very few expectations going into his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs. Many veterans were on the team such as Tim Duncan, a future hall of famer, and Boris Diaw, one of the best passers in the NBA.  His only goals were to improve his defensive skills, but more importantly his offensive capabilities. Everyone knew about his great vertical and his ability to lock down defenders, but his shooting was very poor. He had the opportunity of a lifetime to improve his game over time because there were so many great players on the team. Tim Duncan could teach his how to play better defense, while Manu  and Tony could help him on his offensive game. Both of these players know how to score into the paint, but more importantly shoot threes and twos. This was key in Kawhi's development because this was the first time he was surrounded by a number of skilled players on the team. Kawhi learned from the best and hoped to showcase his improvements in the upcoming seasons.

                Kawhi Leneard waits for his opportunity to come as he sits on the bench throughout the entire season 2013-2014 season. He learned from great players such as Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker who taught him how to control emotions on the court. After practice puts extra time in the gym and the weight room to become a stronger and better basketball player. On the court players saw him practicing extra shooting ,and the field goal percentage increased throughout the entire season. All of his teammates see a great player, and also a quick learner. Every play that is made can be analyzed by him, and he waits patiently for his chance to shine. His chance to shine started during the first round of the NBA playoffs. Every round he gets better and better, and gained a lot of confidence with his skills. The pinnacle of becoming a star player in the NBA was during the NBA finals when they faced the Miami Heat for the second straight year. The look in his eyes to get revenge was a joy to see.

                Kawhi Leneard looked great against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and was ready to become a superstar in the NBA finals. With each performance his confidence grew greatly and used each one as a stepping stone. In the first game he ended up for 22 points and went 3-4 for shooting threes. He was never a good 3 point shooter in his early career, but the practice over the years is finally paying off. This was an amazing game from him. No one expected the transformation to happen so quick, but he showed great character with his game. No one could stop him from scoring, and finished game two with 20 points while going 1-3 from three. This was another fantastic performance from him, and gained five extra minutes of playing time during game two. Game three was the best game for Kawhi, and he finished with 29 points while going 3-6 from three. With each performance, Kawhi's character reflected an amazing amount of joy, and deep appreciation for everyone around him. Even though he only scored nine points in each of the last two games, everyone knew who he was. He was the best defender in the game, and became a monster of the offensive side. By a large margin he gained the ultimate prize by winning the MVP of the NBA finals. As he was handing his MVP trophy, he hugged his mother, and gave his teammates and fans all the love they deserve. Not only does Kawhi have one of the best basketball IQ's, he shows how hard work and dedication can give others hope of achieving their dream.

Kevin O’Leary led the Norton Boys Track team to third place at the TVL Championship on May 22, 2014, and led with an a league leading throw in javelin. The Boys Track Team were in very high spirits going into this meet. Each and every one of them wanted to win it all for the 2^nd straight year. Coach Tayler was very excited to get this meet going since they had won the Massachusetts Division 4 State Relays only a few days ago. They wanted to continue to show their dominance over every other team in the league. Every person on the team showed a great amount of courage running on the track.  With all of the injuries and illnesses to the team, the team gave it all they got, and did everything that they possibly could.

Many seniors left their mark on the league during the last regular season meet for Norton High School. Kevin O’Leary continued his amazing season in javelin with a throw of 176’ 6”. This made him the TVL Champion in this event, and left his mark of greatness on this special event. Paul Schleicher had a huge day in discus. He threw the discus 138’ 1”, and came very close to beating the school record. It is only a matter of time before Paul beats the old school record, and shows what hard work can do. Joshua Kelleher was put into the triple jump during the meet. He did very well with a jump of 41’ 3.50”. This jump placed Josh as second in this event. Zach Sicard did two events during the meet. He was in the triple jump and the long jump. He placed both in each event, and had great jumps. In the triple jump, he placed in third with a leap of 41’ 2”. In the long jump, he placed sixth with a jump of 19’ 0.5”. Max Marcotte placed fourth in the 800 with a time of 2:01.31. Brandon Durocher placed fourth in the high jump with a jump of 5’ 10”. All of the seniors put in a great showing at the meet, and look forward to what’s next in their lives.

Many of the underclassmen and upperclassmen also placed during the meet. Joey Annand is one of the best freshmen at running the mile. He continued his dominance in the mile by winning this event with a time of 4:53.56. Mike Tierney placed in two events which were high jump and the 400 meters. In high jump, he jumped 5’ 10”, and in the 400 meters he ran a 53.93. He came in third in the high jump, and fifth in the 400 meters. Justin Ireland competed in the long jump and the 200 meters at this meet. He came in third in the long jump with a personal best of 19’ 5”. He also came in fourth in the 200 meters with a 23.75. As the meet went on, both of the relay teams placed third overall. The 4x100 consisted of Zach Sicard, Justin Ireland, Adam Winairz, and Camden Cleathero. All of them ran for a combined total of 45.86.  The 4x400 consisted of Max Marcotte, Sean Cappellini, Parker Cleathero, and Chris Wrenn with a time of 3:42.14. Chris Wrenn continued his success in the 400 meters by placing sixth with a time of 53.96. Adam Winairz also continued his success in the 200 meters by placing sixth with a time of 23.80. Everyone in this meet contributed greatly, and gave it all that they had.

Coach Tayler always wants to win a TVL Championship, but fell short of this goal at this meet. Even though the team didn’t win, he was ecstatic about the way Norton perceived through all of the injuries and the illnesses. Norton showed a great amount of pride, and was a role model of how teams should act. He was very happy with the amount of effort that each athlete put into this meet. Many of the athletes felt like they put everything they had into this meet, and showed a great amount of pride in representing Norton. Coach Tayler could not have asked for a better group of students to coach. Every senior on the team will be missed next year. The Norton Boys Track Team have ended their regular season, and will start their postseason at Durfee High School on May 31^st to compete for the Division 4 State Championships.

A League of their Own

The difference between the popularity between men's and women's sports is simple. The main goal of sports is to play your best and win games as you entertain the audience. Entertainment brings in revenue for the respective sports. Men's sports bring in more revenue because they are more entertaining to the audience. More fans go to men's sports because of the entertainment factor and the talents of the players. Basketball is much more popular than soccer. Basketball survives due to the amazing athletes who help bring fans together. In this sport, there are more flashy plays, and is easier to watch since it is televised more. Soccer is less popular but survives due to the crazy fans. The fans are dedicated to soccer, and buy many tickets to games. Team apparel and fans both keep each sport alive.    

Topic

                The discussion on whether or not PED users should be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Baseball did not crack down on PED users until early 2000s, and as a result many players used them in order to get better at the game. These players such as Roger Clemons and Barry Bonds are cheaters and liars who should never be associated with the sport of baseball. The players are considered to be cheaters, and cheaters should never get rewarded for their actions. Any play who takes PEDs should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame since they gain an unfair advantage to deceive their fans. They not only cheat themselves, but their hardworking teammates and the dedicated fans that did support them.

                Baseball is a game of hard work and dedication that measures character. In baseball, there is no room for cheaters who disgrace the game of baseball. As shown in through voting, once Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons were accepted as maybe taking part in the steroid era, their votes went down by a few percent. no room for cheaters who disgrace the game of baseball. As shown in thr voting, once Barry Bonds and Roge These players who take the steroids take away from the spectacular plays that their teammates make. Not only do they take away from the experience, they take away the spotlight of great players. Every hit or home run that they get is all a lie, and is celebrated as they are playing. Teammates are being lied to on a daily basis, and are being played like a puppet. They are being deceived by these cheaters who act as if they are the best player in the game. Not only do they seem perfect, they act the same way. Teammates most likely do not like cocky teammates who have no ability to work hard, or to be an honest person. Frank Thomas has shown that no one player, even if a teammate should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame if he used steroids. Working hard and character goes together because your character is determined by your actions. Every player dreams to be the best player in history, and chose to put the work in, and take the time to improve over a long period of time. This character is accepted as the norm, and cheaters do not adhere to this. Cheaters become great just over one day because of the power of steroids. Cheaters take away from the game of baseball, and mislead their teammates into thinking that they are an amazing player.

                Players are idolized as heroes, when in reality they are nothing but cheaters who use illegal substances to gain unfair advantages just to make fans like them. The steroids allow these players to hit the ball further, and give them an advantage instantly. The amount of muscle that the players get is an absurd amount, and no normal human being could ever get the maximum power without the steroids. Hitting the ball farther usually results in a large amount of home runs. The records that these players may get such as Sammy Sosa are all a lie, and are mostly due to the power of their swing. The problem is that they don’t train or work hard, but rather instead use PEDs. The guidelines are told to every player, and every player knows the difference between right and wrong. Using these steroids gives the players a way to seem better, but in reality they are dishonest and fake people. The fans show their support by buying a player’s jersey, and idolize them as perfect people. For many players this is true, but there will always be players who feel the need to be in the spotlight every second. The steroid users disgrace the character of themselves, and honesty. Players going into the Hall of Fame should be great athletes, but also have a great amount of character. Character includes being an honest and hardworking person. Once a player takes steroids, they have no character, and uses the fans as a way to live a life of a lie. Fans are constantly being let down, and don’t like it when players cheat. Fans become disgraced because they are being treated as puppets to a master plan.  Cheating is not allowed anywhere, and is no different when a person has a special talent.

                Some people think that players using steroids should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. During the late 1900s, baseball was an American sport that was always for fun. Fun could be defined multiple ways, and in baseball fans loved seeing home runs being hit. Many players achieved this goal by taking steroids to increase their power of their muscles. The MLB was very lenient with checking whether or not players had taken the steroids during or before the start of the season. Since they did not check, players felt that they could get away with anything they wanted. This meant that players could use steroids, and not get caught easily. The MLB didn't enforce the guidelines and rules of players which didn't help them gain any respect. Since the players knew that the guidelines and rules were not enforced, they were comfortable using steroids. Using steroids was so common that every player who hit a large amounts of home runs could have been using steroids. Fans may only look at the numbers or statistics, and encourage the players to be allowed into the Hall of Fame based upon it. Fans ignore the clause that when a player is trying to be admitted to the Hall of Fame, character is one of the guidelines to look at. A view could be that since these players were not suspended while they played, it is unfair to not allow them into the Hall of Fame. Although these players were never taken out of the game for steroids, the act has greater meaning to it. 

Transgender Athletes

  1.   I think the MMA should only allow her to fight certain women.  She should only be fighting women who are as tough as her because Fallon Fox could seriously injure someone who I a lot weaker. She should not be discriminated against just because she is different.

  2.     I think they have an advantage in sports, but do not have a distinct advantage. People are born with genetic traits that could help them in certain sports. An example is height in basketball gives other players a better opportunity to grab a ball compared to a smaller player.

  3.  I would not view the match any different. This would just make me more motivated to train harder. The challenge would push me to do my best, and show everyone what I would be able to accomplish.

  4.  In the future, the fighter should reveal his/her medical records more clearly. The MMA commissioner should know about this, but not every athlete needs to know about it. This is a major issue on privacy, and the fighter should not be forced to tell anyone anything. On the other hand, if a fighter asks about it, and feels uncomfortable with it, they should be allowed to skip the fight. 

Pre answers

1. Pre is portrayed as a hopeful and determined runner. As an athlete, he is portrayed as one of the best as he continues to train for the Olympics. There is a lot of pressure on him to succeed, and he expects himself to win every race.

2. Pre does not appear to be a like able character. He is shown as being an arrogant person who only cares about himself. He only cares about winning, and does not enjoy taking this journey as a way to have fun and win. He also makes a lot of women mad because he has so many girlfriends.

3. Pre takes the spotlight away from one of his teammates. His teammate throws discuss for an event, and is also the leader of the team. He is the leader of the team because he is one of the seniors. Pre makes the world revolve around him, and has the spotlight only on him.

4. Pre tells the 9 year old boy that winning is everything, and only the best will win. Pre would not let the boy beat him during their run on the track. Pre shows the boy that becoming the best takes a lot of training, and a lot of hard work.

5. Pre brings up the question of whether or not athletes should get paid.

6. One of his goals as a high school runner was to go to the Olympics. The next Olympics that he could go to was the Munich Olympics in Germany.

7. The living conditions are terrible in the Olympics. Steve chose to sleep outside due to the poor living conditions. The conditions have not changed as shown in the Sochi Olympics.

8. During these Olympics, their was a group of men who kidnapped and held hostage Israeli athletes, and other German officers. These athletes were later killed, and the Olympics was not safe anymore.

Straight Lede

Senior Captain Brandon Durocher led the Boys Track team with a win in the 400 hurdles and high jump, along with a second place in the 100 hurdles, to beat Millis 120-15. The meet was special to all of the seniors because it was the last home meet of the season. Senior Captain Zac Sicard won the triple jump (42’3”) and the long jump (20’10”). Each of these jumps were the best in the league. Senior Captain Josh Kelleher came in first in the shotput, and came in second in the triple jump. Senior Captain Max Marcotte came in first in the 800 Meter, and was part of the 4x400 that also won. Senior Kevin O’Leary came in first in the discus with a throw of 118’. This throw was a state qualifying time, and he is undefeated in javelin this season. This was a senior day that will always be remembered.

Other winners on the day placed in their events. Cam Stalters won the 110 hurdle with a 16.0, and came second in the javelin. Justin Ireland won both the 100 and the 200, and came in third in long jump. The 4x400 team that won consisted of Chris Wrenn, Max Marcotte, Parker Cleathero, and Sean Cappellini. Chris ran also ran a great race when he won the one mile. The 4x100 team that won consisted of Camden Cleathero, Adam Winiarz, Elliot Ariola, and Justin Martins. Mike Tiereny led the way in the 400 meters. Jordan Lach won the two mile race due to his pacing throughout the race. Coach Tayler looks forward to see improvements, and was very happy with the performance of the team. The meet was exciting to watch, and the Boys Track team continue their season against Holliston next Monday.

Definition of a sport

What defines a sport? A sport can be qualified in multiple ways. Some may think of golf as a sport, while others don’t consider a sport. The debate between this topic is heavily debated today due to the different views that people have. Within each sport, the team plays together while using physical movements and a ball, and uses competition to push them forward.  Sports must include teams, competitions, physical movements, and a type of ball or game piece.

 One core part of a sport is either playing for yourself such as golf, or playing on a team such as the NBA. A team is a collection of players that play for the same team. It does not matter what team someone is on, as long as a group of people play on the same side. Within a team, there must be some sort of management. A head coach and an assistant are always necessary. The rest of the coaching position depend on what sport a player is playing. An example is the NFL has a special quarterback coach, while in the MLB there are hitting coaches. A team must also have an owner and general manger. These are two job spots that are essential to having a team in a sport. In addition to having a team, there must be a collection of teams. These teams can be split up by geographical location. An example is in the NBA, the two conferences are eastern and western due to the geographical locations. The collections of teams must have some sort of rivalries. These rivalries play a large part in making each sport different from one another.   

A sport must have competition included in it. The competition between the players or teams must have some sort of prize. This could be a trophy such as the Stanley Cup, or money in golf. Since there is competition, there must records that are kept. Records mean a lot to some of the players, and push them above the sky. Records are kept everywhere in each sport. In baseball one record that is kept is how many home runs a player can hit in a single season. In football, the amount of touchdowns a quarterback throws is kept in the records books. The competition must take place in a large venue such as stadiums. There should be an organized spot to where these competition take place. The competition must be accessible to others. Whether the event is free or people have to buy tickets in advance. There must be a crowd at an event in order to call it a sport. The Premier League is a great example because the venues and stadiums are filled with enthusiastic fans who cheer for their team. The competition between players creates an amazing sport.

If someone exerts any physical energy, then this must be considered a sport. Any physical activity means that the people playing a sport are in great shape. Being in great shape takes a lot of time, and can make you be the best. A perfect example is yoga because it each position requires you to use energy in your body. A physical movement could be as small as moving a chess piece or as much as running a marathon. Movement of any part of your body makes it a sport. A movement is any type of change in your body position. Ping pong is then considered a sport then because player’s change their body position to go left and right. In addition to physical movement there must be a type of ball or figure that the players use to play the game. The ball can be any shape or size depending on what sport it is. In football, the ball is a diamond, while in baseball the ball is a circle. Dodge ball is a sport because it uses a ball, and  uses physical movement as people play it. Physical energy can be used a lot or small to qualify it as a sport. 

NHL Playoffs

The Boston Bruins are one of the best teams in the NHL, and will continue their dominance throughout the playoffs. They will win the Stanley Cup this year, and it will be glorious. They have one of the best offensive and defensive line ups. Zdeno Chara is the clear leader on the team. He is the heart and soul of the Boston Bruins. Chara gives his teammates motivation and confidence when they are on the ice. They will face the Anaheim Ducks for the Stanley Cup. Since the Bruins have the most points in the regular season, they will also be home for the first few games in each series. Home ice is very essential in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The fans at each game bring the best out of each player. A home crowd can swing the game into the home team's favor very easily. Claude Julien is one of the best coaches in the NHL, and will push the Bruins forward.

A Cheater Never Wins

 Athletes are not different from normal human beings, but some may be even dumber when they are in the spotlight. One of the biggest scandals was Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal. He was the biggest jerk in the world, and was dishonest with those close to him. He cheated himself, the sport, and his teammates. He should be ashamed of what he had done, and should not be a role model for young children.

 Lance Armstrong was an inspiration to others as he battled cancer, and won many prestigious races, but hid behind the truth for many years. Lance started off his career by winning the Amateur Road National Championship race in 1991. Everyone knew that he going to be a star, and a very influential person. He continued to win a number of races, including the Tour DuPunt which is considered to be the biggest race of them all. The amazing fact is that he was only twenty three years old in 1995. The following year, Lance had highs and lows. The achievements that he gained was winning the Tour Dupont again, and going to the Olympics. His low was when he got cancer in October, and went under a year of chemotherapy. Everyone felt terrible for him, and his determination kept others going. No one wants anyone to experience cancer because it is a long and hard process to get clean. In 1997, Lance founds the Lance Armstrong Foundation, or the Livestrong Foundation. This organization would support anything that was related to cancer. This was yet another great accomplishment for him, and became even a greater role model for young children to follow. He was very influential after making this organization. His prime years came between 1999 and 2005 when he wins seven straight Tour De France’s. This seemed very suspicious because it is very hard to win a race seven times, yet seven times in a row. His accomplishments served as motivation for everyone in the world.  Throughout these years, he was the most famous bicycle rider in the world, and was seen as a perfect person in the public’s eye. In addition to him winning, he became even more popular by selling yellow bracelets to support cancer research. During 2005, Lance retired from the sport, and newspapers started accusing him of using EPO, a performance enhancer. At this time, Lance was portrayed as a perfect person, even though he was the biggest joke in the world.
             Like any other athlete, Lance could not stay away from the sport, and returned to the Tour De France in 2009.  This was a dumb decision because the spotlight was on him again, and his past could catch up to him. He came in third in that race, and again looked good in the public’s eye. The following year, his teammate Floyd Landis admits to doping, and accuses Lance too. Another one of his teammates, Tyler Hamilton told 60 minutes that he saw Lance take EPOs. Lance must have been a really mean and senseless person to them in order for them to say anything. In 2011, he retires for the second time, and finally gives up his spotlight. Throughout all this time, Lance has denied using EPOs or doping. He looked like a liar, and deceived everyone who supported him. Each year the allegation against Lance were dropped, but in 2012 the United States Anti-Doping Agency would not let him get away with this. This organization had 1,000 pages of evidence against Lance, and exposed his true past. The International Cycling Union got this evidence, and took everything away from Lance. This included his seven Tour DeFrance wins. The aftermath of this was horrible for Lance, and he deserved to lose everything he had supposedly worked for. He lost all of his sponsorships, and stepped away from everything he was affiliated with. On January 17, 2012 Lance finally admitted to doping with an interview with Oprah. Throughout this interview, Lance showed a lot of emotion, and acted as if he was truly sorry. No one can truly believe this because he is a cheater. Lance will always be remembered as once a cheater, always a cheater. Lance can never be seen as a good person due to his actions in his past. The character that he stood for in his prime can never be achieved again. Lance should just step away from the press, and live a normal life.

A Cruel Man

I think Jerry Sandusky is guilty. He is a creepy man, and had no right to do the things he did in the past. Jerry showed no emotion towards anything, and would not have confessed if no one mentioned this. Jerry is one of a kind, and should be punished for his actions. His actions are not acceptable in today’s society, and make others cringe at the images they imagine.  I think that his wife is not telling the truth because evidence shows that Sandusky was in the wrong. She still love him and will try to do anything to bring him out of jail. Dottie just wants Jerry home because they have been married for a long time. Dottie does not know anything about Jerry’s football life because Jerry was never famous before his trial. I don’t think Jerry would tell anyone, especially his wife about what happens in the locker room. I think the families are deeply hurt, and do not care about gaining any money from this at all. The families just want their sons to get better mentally. The kids are deeply scarred for their lives, and will never see the world the same way. Jerry ruined their lives, and the lives of other players on the team. The only goal for the families are to get Jerry locked up for the rest of his life, and hope that he suffers. The families are forever changed, and this was for the worse. 

March Madness

Everyone has their favorite team in any sport. A favorite team could be because of the players, coaches, fans, or even mascots. Maybe the tradition of that team makes you interested in them. What is your favorite team in the tournament? What makes that team special to you?

Everyone Loves Sports

Justin Cavanaeugh is an avid sports fan who loves watching sports. The aspect of sport that keeps him interested is the competition between the athletes. He loves the competition because it makes the athletes try their best each night. He loves the hype and all of the pregame shows. Justin's favorite rivalry is between the Red Sox and Yankees. He loves the tension between the two teams, and loves seeing them compete against each other.  These two teams give 110% every game, and Justin enjoys watching it. His favorite player of all time is David Ortiz who plays for the Boston Red Sox. David Ortiz symbolizes so much to Justin, and Justin looks up to him as a role model. David Ortiz reps represents hard work, diligence, and caring to the city of Boston. Justin's favorite sport to watch is hockey. He enjoys the action throughout the game. He likes to watch the few fights that happen. The most important aspect of hockey to him is the physicality that the game embodies. His favorite moment in sports history is the last play between Alabama and Auburn. On the last play between the two teams, Alabama's kicker missed a field goal, and the Auburn had a player in the end zone in case the ball did not reach the netting. The Auburn player caught the ball in the end zone, and ran it 100 yards to win the game for Auburn. Justin could feel goosebumps as he watched the play unfold.

Matt Whittington loves anything that has to do with sports. Winning is the one characteristic that keeps him interested in sports. Winning motivates him to be involved with sports such as football. Football is his favorite sport to watch for many reasons. He loves the physical aspect of football, and enjoys watching athletes tackle each other. Matt loves how games can be won or lost only in a matter of seconds. Each play, Matt hopes to see an explosive play that keeps everyone on their feet. His favorite moment in sports history is the game between the Broncos and the Patriots during the regular season of 2013-2014. The Patriots were down at the half, but made an amazing comeback to send it into overtime. Tom Brady, who is Matt's favorite player, orchestrated the offense to perfection. Matt thinks Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time, and looks forward to seeing him play. The Patriots won because Wes Welker dropped a punt from the Patriots during overtime. Matt could not believe what had just happened, and could not control his happiness. Once the Patriots made the field goal to win the game, Matt was the happiest man alive. He will never forget that game. Matt's favorite rivalry is between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. He appreciates the history between the two teams, and loves watching them play. The history is very intriguing to him, and keeps him interested in the rivalry.

Instant Replays First Used in Spring Training

The instant replay made its debut in the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins. It was the bottom of the sixth inning, and Minnesota was batting. K. Vargas was on second base, with two outs in the inning. J. Willingham hit a ground ball to the shortstop of the Toronto Blue Jays, and barely made it to the bag before the ball was in the first basemen's glove. Joe Gibbs, the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, challenged the play, and thought that WIllingham was out. The umpires took around two minutes to use the instant replay, and kept the call as same as before.

The second instant replay was used in the game between Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels. The home team in this game was the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the top of the second inning, and the Angels were up at bat. L. Jimenez was on first base, and tried to steal second base on the first pitch to the batter. There was only one out in the inning before the attempt, and the initial call was that Jimenez was out at second base. Mike Scioscia, the manager of the Los Angeles Angels, came out to challenge the ruling on the field. The instant replay again only took a few minutes, and the call of the field did not change.

I think the use of instant replay in baseball is a great step forward for the sport. Baseball has shown that humans are not perfect, and can make wrong calls. It is very hard for a umpire to get every call right because sometimes the difference between being an out or being safe is too close to call with human eyes. Instant replay allows the game to have the minimal percent of error. Now, big plays that are too hard to call can be looked at, and can be called right. This makes the game feel more pure because any calls can now be looked at again with slow motion.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24466170/first-replays-of-spring-training-show-it-can-be-quick

The Dream Came True

Coach Taylor had high hopes for the 2013-2014 season after losing the title by one loss last season. He believed in the team from the very start, and strongly believed that this was the best team that Norton ever had. His goal was to win the first ever TVL Championship for the first time in school history, and that wish came true this season.

The Norton Boys Track team was the team that had the most depth. Every team in the league feared them, and the teams we had to beat was Hopkinton and Westwood. Hopkinton was the team to beat this season, and Westwood was the one meet we had to win for Coach Taylor. In each event, there were a number of runners who could place in the top 3 to get points for Norton. Even our throwing team was very strong, and could compete with every team in the league. There was no one weakness in the team, but it all came down to the confidence of team. With each and every run, the confidence of the team grew drastically, and showed no sign of stopping.

On the track team, there were many runners who led the team to victory. The Senior Captains were Kevin O’Leary, Billy Sullivan, Brandon Durocher, and Max Marcotte. All of these captains led the team, and were supported by everyone. Kevin O’Leary was a very versatile athlete, and could sprint, high jump, and throw very well. He led the seniors with a total of 85 varsity points for the season. He broke a school record, which was jumping over the high jump bar at 5’ 11” at the MSTCA State Coaches Meet. During the meet against Hopkinton, he placed first in shot put and high jump, and placed 3^rd in the 45 meter dash. Billy Sullivan led the way in the mile and two mile during the season. During the meet against Hopkinton, Billy placed first in the mile. Brandon Durocher was one of the best hurdlers in the league entering the season. He showed this in the meet against Hopkinton as he got 3^rd in the 45 meter hurdles. Max Marcotte was one of the most feared runners in the mile, and took the opportunity to show everyone in the meet against Hopkinton. During this meet, he came in 2^nd in the one mile. In each event, there were other runners who gave it their all, and helped get the victory.  Justin Ireland, a sophomore, placed 1^st overall in the 600 meter, and 2^nd in the 55 meter. Mike Tiereny, a junior, placed 1^st in the 600 meter and the 4x400, and 3^rd in high jump. Chris Wrenn, a sophomore, placed first in the 1000 meter and in the 4x400. Cam Stalters, a junior, placed 1^st in the 45 hurdles. Parker Cleathero, a sophomore, placed 2^nd in the 600 meters. At the end of the meet the score was 62-24 with Norton coming out on top. This was the biggest meet of the season, and the team gave it their all. This moment represented what everyone was working towards, and Coach Taylor could not be any happier with the results. He was filled with joy inside, and could not contain his emotions.  Everyone was ecstatic about the victory, and could not believe that they had won their first ever TVL Championship.

After the regular season came to a close, some athletes qualified for the TVL Conference Meet which was on February 2, 2014. Norton finished 2^nd with seventy points, only seven points behind Medfield.  Billy Sullivan finished fourth in the mile, and broke the school record by a gigantic six seconds as he ran a 4:32.65. Billy came in 4^th place in the one mile. Max Marcotte broke the record set by himself in the 1000 meter by running a 2:39.50, and came in 2^nd place. His original school record was a 2:40. Mike Tiereny broke the 600 meter record by running a 1:25.55, and came in first in the event. The next meet that some of the athletes would attend was the Division 4 State Championships.The Division 4 State Championships was held on February 16, 2014. Brandon Durocher had an amazing jump of 5’ 10” which was a new personal best. Max Marcotte placed 7^th overall in the 100 meters with a 2: 39.08 which was a new school record again. Billy Sullivan placed 6^th in the one mile race, and was very happy to be done running. Norton got 10.5 points during the meet, and finished 17^th overall.

The expectations going into the season was to try to get the first TVL Championship title. With all of the hard work, the dream soon became a living reality. With every win, Coach Taylor became happier with the results, and the amount of effort that everyone was putting in. This was the season to remember, and will never be forgotten. No team had gotten 20 points close to Norton in each regular season meet. Coach Taylor could not have asked for a better season, and a better group of students. Now the focus is to try to be the TVL Champions in spring in order to sweep for the year. Going forward, everything seems to only be getting better for the track team.

Shaun White is the Disappointment

Who holds the most pressure during these Olympics, one might say Shaun White. Shaun White was the most anticipated athlete of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He was snowboarding for the US Olympic team, and is 27 years old. White was the only athlete to be participating in both the Halfpipe and the Slopestyle. During his training run at Slopestyle, White fell on of his landings, and hurt his wrist and back. He decided to drop out of the event because he wanted to focus on being the first ever male to win three straight gold medals in the Halfpipe. His decision created much controversy, and even sparked twitter remarks from other competitors’ immediately. Max Parrot, one of the competitors who was supposed to win gold in the Slopestyle, made this twitter comment, “Shaun knows he won’t be able to win the slopes, that’s why he pulled out. He’s scarred!” It is ironic that Max didn’t even get a medal on February 8 during the final round. Whether or not White was afraid to get hurt, it was clear that his decision was not well liked. 

                The Men’s Halfpipe Qualifications started on February 11 at 2:00 A.M. Pacific time. This competition was held at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park in Russia. The conditions of the Halfpipe were very hard to snowboard on because the snow was choppy. All of the competitors complained about this, and the crews worked hard to make the conditions better. Throughout the day, everyone was waiting for Shaun White to see what he had in store for the event. The biggest competitor for White was Iouri Podladtchikov who represented Switzerland. He created the “YOLO” trick that was as good as White’s McTwist. Starting with qualification, Shaun White dazzled the judges with his first run that included amazing rotations. He earned a score of 95.75 during his first run, and came in first during the qualification run. White got into the finals directly, while Iouri had to go through the semifinals to get to the finals.

                The finals of the Halfpipe started later in the night, and the spotlight surrounded Shaun White every second. Each snowboarder got 2 runs in the final round. White started off with a diverse amount of tricks but failed at the last second. The trick that he failed was a switch double 1440 because as he was landing he hit the top of the halfpipe and fell. From a spectator’s point of view, it looked as if Shaun bent the board in half, and broke his leg. After he fell, he did not seemed influenced by the failed run. His score was a 35.00 on his first run. On the other hand, Iouri landed his “YOLO” trick on his second run, and scored a 94.75. The pressure was now on White to land the run of his life. White’s run started off very well while landing a few hard tricks, but eventually the pressure got to him. His landings were very sloppy when he did a backside air 1080 with a double McTwist and a backside 1080, and Shaun nearly almost fell twice. Due to his messy landings, he only got a score of 90.25. This meant that Shaun White, who was expected to medal, only got fourth. Once Shaun saw the score, everyone got a picture of him hugging and congratulating Iouri. Shaun must have been disappointed by this score because he missed a medal by only two points. Two points could have been gained by White only if he landed his tricks better. After talking to reporters, Shaun seemed disappointed, but not very angry. He hinted that maybe he could return in four years, and take back his throne that he has earned in the past. Although Shaun might not be liked by other snowboarders, it is clear that Shaun does not change his personality to please others. 

Michael Sam

Michael Sam will face new and different challenges that other drafted players. Many of the NFL players will accept him for who he is, but others will keep their distance. Players will focus on his football ability, but there will be tension between players and him in the locker room.

The Misfit

Aaron Hernandez had a past that was involved around crime even though he became a great NFL player. People around him influenced him too much for him to handle. He hung out with his friends who smoked weed, and who were involved with crime.They made Hernandez into a drug dealer who needed to smoke blunts every day. He even became so paranoid that he carried a gun around him all the time because he was afraid that his friends would kill him. His past created many problems for Hernandez to deal with.

Aaron had a broken family that pushed him into the wold of crime. During his childhood, a few of his family members died. His dad and his brother, DJ died which hurt Hernandez a lot. After these two deaths, people around him said that Hernandez was a completely different person. Instead of being an outgoing person, Hernandez turned into a sad and lonely person. This could have been the source of the problem because this hurt Aaron deeply. After his father died, the trouble continued to mount due to Terri marrying Cummings,a rude coke dealer. She may have married him because she had problems with drugs in the past. Throughout the year, Teri would get beaten by him, and he would end in jail. His family hurt Aaron a lot, and might have turned him to drugs in order for him to deal with his problems.

Aaron had a strange college experience that could have raised some red flags. He had problems with his teammates as he went out drinking with them. One of his teammates was Tim Tebow who was suppose to help Hernandez through tough times. During one of the nights at the bar, Hernandez got mad and punched the waiter in the face. This incident did not cause any trouble for Hernandez, and the waiter did not set charges. He was involved with a shooting with his teammates, the Pouncey brothers. He did not get in trouble for another incident, and did not get injured. Before the draft, Hernandez took a psychological report. He got the lowest possible score in "social maturity", and was classified as "living on the edge of acceptable behavior". His collage past seemed to make him a more risky pick during the draft.

Throughout Aaron's life, many people are responsible for his downfall. His friends could be the source of the issue. His family troubles could also be the origin of this. Once you in the NFL, it is the team's duty to keep you players in check. The Patriots organization should have done a better job in finding out what Hernandez does outside of the football field. They should have made sure that Hernandez wasn't i trouble, even after they gave him a big contract. The ex cops and FBI agents should have done a better job to keep Hernandez away from crime. He seems so untouchable because he has millions of dollars and was a amazing football player. With these talents, he looks confident with every press conference. Everyone sees athletes as role models, and do not even think about what happened in that person's life. Unfortunately, the fans did not get the whole story of Aaron Hernandez.

Seattle Winners For The First Time

My prediction about the Super Bowl was right. My score was way off, but no one expected the game to be a blowout. The sign that the game would go Seattle's way was they very first play of the game. During this play, the snap to Manning was too high for him to catch, and it ended in a safety for the Seahawks. From then on, Manning could not get the offense going, and the Seattle defense put on a show. The two interception really hurt the Broncos due to them being down early. The one hat mos hurt was Malcom's Smith 69 yard interception return. The ball was tipped up in the air and only the Malcom Smith was looking for the ball. Manning played very poorly, along with their defense. Going into half 22-0 is never a good place to be, but anything can happen. The start of the second half sealed the game for the Seahawks. Percy Harvin played extremely well, and returned the kickoff for a touchdown at the start of the second half. This really put the game out of reach, even though there was a whole half to go. Russel Wilson was very clam throughout the whole game, and didn't seem frazzled. The Denver Broncos Defense was vulnerable to everything that Seattle gave them. The poor tackling was the core of the issue, and affected the pass defense greatly. They could not stop the running game or the passing game. The touchdown thrown to Jeremy Kearse occurred because of  four or five miss tackles by the Broncos defense. The other touchdown thrown Doug Baldwin also was due to amazing jukes, but miss tackles. The one highlight that they did have was a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas that maybe sparked something. Everything felt off about the way the Denver Broncos played, and are too use to playing at home.  Peyton had high expectations to fulfill, and failed to make his "legacy" that everyone wanted. It looked like Peyton can't really play in cold weather after all.

My overall impressions on the game was that it was very boring. There really was no point in watching he second half after the kickoff return. The only thing that kept me awake was watching all of the dumb commercials. I really wanted the Broncos to win, but I guess I can't have everything I wish for.

The halftime show was very exciting to watch. I thought that Bruno Mars did great, but on the the other hand thought that the Red Hot Chili Peppers didn't add much. Bruno sounded really good, and picked songs that were the most popular to everyone. I like the last part where they gave time to show people in the army. This was a nice gesture, and brought everyone together. This was one of the best half time shows that I have seen in a while.

Most of the commercials during the broadcast were very strange to me. I didn't understand most of them, and thought that they did not get their points across. The one commercial that I thought was innovative and inspiring was the Clydesdale one. I thought the connection between the horse and the dog was fun to watch. The commercial brought joy to even though the Broncos were losing.

Seattle Seahawks or Denver Broncos

I believe the Seattle Seahawks will beat the Denver Broncos with a score of 24-20 in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks have the best all around defense in the NFL, and have the best safety. Their safety Richard Sherman may have a big mouth, but shows up on game day to deflect many passes. The Denver Broncos do have a multitude of weapons o the offense side including Wes Welker, Julius Thomas, and Knowshon Moreno. The problem for the offense will be the quarterback, Peyton Manning who has not done well in cold weather this season and in his career. He is 1-2 this season when the weather is under 40 degrees. Even though he might be one of the great quarterbacks in history, the past has shown that he loses more under cold weather. When he faces the number one defensive team in a big game, he usually throws more interceptions that touchdowns. The other problem for the Broncos is their lack of pass defense. In the past their defense has allowed over 30 points to a few teams including the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots. The defense is very vulnerable to short but also long passes that the Seattle Seahawks can produce. The key to the game for the Seahawks is protecting their quarterback, Russel Wilson, and getting Marshawn Lynch a lot of carries. In the past, teams that have beat Seattle such as the Arizona Cardinals have push a massive amount of pressure on him. They don't allow him to roam and make big plays. Marshawn will end up making the defense tired, which will allow Russel Wilson to feel comfortable in the pocket. Although the Denver defense might be able to provide pressure, the Seattle defense will end up making big plays that allow them to win the Super Bowl.

Basketball is a Way to Not Get an Education

I think it is wrong that college athletes who can't read or write are being payed to shoot a basketball. Everyone should be able to read and write at a college level since they are there. Athletes should not get special treatment just because they have a certain skill. The colleges are to blame because some of them encourage these actions, and set wrong examples for other schools. The NCAA should be reinforcing their rules, and make decisions that help the students for what is to come if they don't make it into the NBA. The fact that no one collects data shows that they might have something to hide, and don't want to be investigated. Other people work for a degree that is helpful in real life, but these athletes do not gain any real life skills. The only skill that they are gaining is how to play basketball.