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.