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.