Final

Norton's American Legion Baseball team seems seems to be kicking off the season well winning five of the four games played this season. Last Friday, Josh Fortier started off the game against Taunton pitching with Jake Eberle behind the plate as catcher.

Josh pitched the first five innings and let up four runs. However he made up for it by striking four of the batters from Taunton.

Norton scored 6 runs in the first inning but gradually in the fourth inning Taunton eased back into the game making it a 6-4 game.

At his one and only at-bat that game, Ethan hit a RBI single, sending Jake Eberle, Jack Veglas, and Jack Hansen home. This happened in the fourth inning 

As the sixth inning came around Jake Eberle came to plate and lead the team in a break-away, hitting a tripple. Jack Hansen, Jack Veglas, Jake Dercolie all ran home and scored for the team. This obtrusive play left got the Norton fans out of their seats cheering their team on.

Pitcher and right fielder Ethan Thomasson said in an interview, "Yes, there is good team chemistry and we all get along well."

At the bottom of the seventh inning, relief pitcher Jack Hansen walked the first three batters but took a deep breath, pulled it together and struck the next three out. With the game at its apogee, it was doubtful weather on not Taunton would be able to make a come-back.

These contributions by the Norton boys left put Taunton in hole and they did not score another run for the rest of the game.


Norton ended the game with a final score of 17-4. There is no doubt that the said team chemistry contributed to this win.

Blog Post #11

The general argument made by author John Singleton in his work, Marion Jones 30 for 30 is that Marion was wrong to use PED to better her performance as a track athlete and lie about it to the public. He shows his non-biased view by showing footage and interviews with and about Marion and reveals evidence that her treatment in jail was unjust. Singleton also interviews Marion after she had served her sentence in jail and says he thinks that she is rising up out of the ashes and has become a very good, determined, and influential woman in society.

In my view, Singleton is right because although Marion did make the mistake of using PED, she has pushed past all of the challenges that have risen up and become a better person because of her experience. More specifically, I believe that her work with children and teens is very inspiring and is making a difference in their lives as well as in her own. Therefore I conclude that Marion Jones did indeed  make a mistake, but because she hasn't let that decision to use PED define her, she is a better person today.

Blog post #10

In Grimsley's article, It was Lightning and Thunder, he provides information on the quickest knock-out in boxing history. He explains to the readers that Muhammad Ali was able to knock Clay Liston out in about 1 minute and 45 seconds. This quick match left many fans in awe of Ali  but also disappointed that they had spent over $100 on their tickets hoping to see a good, competitive fight. He addresses the topic in order to explain the controversy among fans about the outcome of the fight. He writes about the players Muhammad Ali and Clay Liston and their roles in the fight. He includes stats about the match like the time it took Ali to knock Liston out. He uses a good sports writing style and makes sure to keep his information relevant to the time he wrote it the time the event happened. He knows many facts about the boxers and it is clear that he did research on the fight. He wrote about how many fans believe the match was fixed and he includes Liston's reaction. "I could have gotten up, but I didn't hear the count," is what Liston said after the officials named Ali the winner. Also, Grimsley is very flexible with the facts he provides about the fight, however, someone reading the article can clearly understand that he believes the match was fixed in favor of Ali.

In Al Schoch's Article, Pedroia power not enough for the Sox, he provides information how Red Sox, and their player, Dustin Pedroia aren't doing very well. He includes highlights from the game they played against the Twins on Wednesday and incorporates many game stats. For example he states that the Twins won with a final score of 6-4. Through his writing, the reader can tell that both fans and players are disappointed in the performance of the the team and Pedroia as a teammate. He writes about players and the team, not just the single game. Also, when he addresses a player, he includes personal stats. Schoch knows the team as well as individual stats. His information is up to date because he used highlights from the game Wednesday. Schoch doesn't provide any evidence that implies that he has watched the team practice however. All in all he does a good job incorporating all ten of the tips for improving sports writing.

      The general made by Josh Greendaum in his work The Short Game is that it does not take away from the young athletes childhood to be so committed to golfing. the documentary shows various interviews of pro golfers who all say that the dedication to the sport is teaching them values that the children can use in the future as they become adults. By doing this the producer is trying to convince the viewers that being involved by in such a high level of competition is not hurting their childhood. in conclusion Greendaum's belief is that the kids are still able to experience their childhood even while involved in golfing.


     

Blog post 7 summary

The general argument made by author Trevor Martin in his work is work, "Schooled The Price of College Sports", is that the NCAA is a fraud that is cheating college athletes out of the right to be paid for playing on a sports team. He first exposes in various interviews the idea that student athletes struggle because of their lack of pay. Through the way he presents these ideas by using animations and interviewing different experts on the topic.

blog post 7 rhetorical precis

In Trevor Martin's documentary "Schooled The Price of College Sports", he informs the audience that the NCAA should pay college athletes. The author first implies this by interviewing different college athletes that have been effected by the NCAA rule, he then goes into detail about other instances where the rule has had a negative effect on athletes by researching the topic and interviewing expert. His purpose is to reveal the fraud within the NCAA in order to convince people that college athletes should be paid for playing a sport. He seems to have a college student audience in mind because he interviews several students and reveals the diferent ways that the NCAA rules make it harder for the college athletes.

bio

Name: Maggie Thomasson
Background: I've played basketball and soccer since I was little but in fourth grade I quit soccer. Now I play on the NHS girls baskball team and I also play volleyball. My favorite sport is basketball and my favorite athlete is Kevin Durant.  This year my basketball team had 4 wins and I scored 130 points. My favorite inspiration quote is "Just Do It".

JJ Nelson

      The general argument made by author Daryn Rovell in his work, "JJ Nelson: Adidas never offered deal", is that Adidas never gave Nelson the chance to sign for the $100,00 deal. He writes, "An Adidas news release says that the offer was 'open to the athletes who sign with Adidas prior to running their official 40 yard dashes later this month,' but Nelson said he wasn't ever given a chance to sign with the brand.". In this passage, Daryn is suggesting that Adidas promised the deal to any of the athletes who were ranked top three in time, if they signed the contract before they ran the dash. However, later on in his article, Rovell says that the reason Nelson never got the chance to sign the deal was because he was a late-round pick and he wouldn't be as useful to the company as the other athletes were. In conclusion, Rovell's belief is that JJ Nelson was primarily cheated out of his eligibility for the $100,00.
      In my view, Daryn Rovell is right because of the evidence that his argument is valid. More specifically, I believe that it is not fair what Adidas is doing to Nelson and they are proving that the only thing that is important to the company is money and not the success of the Athletes they "support". For example, "At 5-foot-10, 156 pounds, Nelson -- who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash -- is thought of as, at best, a late-round draft pick. The same cant be said for the three players who took home the $100,000.". I am sure that Rovell would agree that this quote from the company is another proof that Adidas is only interested in the athletes that seem to have potential. Therefore I conclude that companies like Adidas are not always honest when trying to promote their products and make deals with athletes.

Blog post #5

Norton boys varsity team takes the win

   Last Thursday, in the gymnasium at Norton High the boys varsity basketball team came together to defeat the Rockland Bulldogs. The lancers sent them home with nearly a twenty point deficit.
 
   The fans crowded into the stands ready for a good fight against the Bulldogs. As soon as the ball was tipped off it was a heart filled fight to be the best team on both offense and defense.

   The Lancers kept their lead as a result of 10 three point shots throughout the game. Five of the ten were made by senior Keenan Coffey who seemed to be on fire the entire game.
 
   With every pass, the fans could sense that the boys had come to the game ready to win. Every fast break was completed with a quick pass between two of the team mates and then a made lay-up. Every made basket was followed by a roar from the Norton stands, all dressed in white to show support for their team.

The Lancers fought hard the entire game, giving it their all even in the last plays of the game. Even as the Bulldogs stepped up their game to match Norton, the Lancers never gave up their lead and were able to finish the game 65-44.

    Norton's beloved fan, Peter Wiggins, helped lead the Lancer fans in an encouraging chant, " Here we go Lancers, here we go!" After asking him if he was excited about the win, Peter replied, "Yes Maggie, I'm proud to be a Lancer!".

Hoop Dream

         The movie Hoop Dream is an inspiring documentary that shows how even in hard times and after a number of failures, through sports one can learn to succeed. The movie follows two boys, Arthur Agee and William Gates who come from very similar situations. Both have grown up in the rough part of their city, Chicago, Illinois and were recognized because of their outstanding abilities to play basketball. Each are scouted out by the primarily white St. Joseph High school in Westchester, Illinois. It does an amazing job showing difficult it can be for someone in their situation to ignore all the pressure there is to do drugs and drop out of school. Throughout the film, the viewer is shown that it isn't always an uphill climb to following your dreams. Constant barriers come up throughout the boy's lives that make it harder and harder for them to stay in basketball and continue to be the athlete they can be.
         In the beginning of the documentary both Arthur and William and accepted to St. Josephs with partial scholarships to play on the basketball team. William makes the varsity team and Arthur makes the freshman team. As the season goes begins the coaches push both boys to live up to their potential ability. Because of the Arthur's difficult financial situation at home, it is hard for him to stay focused and keep up with his classes to make good grades. Also, the coach doesn't feel that he is giving his all on the court. William also struggles to keep his grades up but as opposed to Arthur, starts off the basketball season with confidence. Many other trials arise that cause it to be hard for the boys to stay in school. As the season goes on Arthur is forced to leave the school because his parents can't afford to pay for it. Because of this he loses a lot of time in school and has to go to Marshall High School his sophomore year. He continues to show a lack of motivation but still has the will to do what he loves, playing basketball. As his high school carrier continues, William and his girlfriend have a you can see that is causes him more stress because his performance on the court suffers. He isn't as consistent and the coach gets frustrated with him. Mr. Agee leaves the family as a result of drug abuse and life at home becomes more unpleasant for Arthur. Although his mom, coaches, and teachers and constantly trying to get him to do better, `the documentary captures how Arthur uses basketball as a way to let out is aggression and become a better athlete. William suffers a knee injury and it causes him to miss part of his junior year basketball season. He comes back his senior year trying to fight the injury but it continues to hold him back. Unfortunately his efforts to to remain a star basketball player are not enough to bring his team to the Championship. On the other hand Arthur takes him team to the city championship and wins because of his star performance.

sports culture

Sports have impacted our culture in many different ways throughout history and now in present day.

The Superbowl

 On Sunday February first I watched the best Super Bowl game I've ever seen. Both sides, Seattle and New England definitely had different feeling on the game but in my opinion it was a great experience for both sides. At the bottom of the first quarter when the Patriots were up 7-0 I think all the New Englanders in the stands were very confident that their team would pull through. As the game went on and the Seahawks gained ground both sides held their breath throughout every play. When the Patriots started to make errors the fans including myself prepared themselves to take a loss back to New england. With about 20 seconds left on the clock and the Seahawks down 24-28 on the one yard line, Everyone was sure the 2015 Super Bowl would go Seattle. In their moment of need the Pats came through as Butler jumped up to intercept Wilsons pass into the endzone. At that moment the Patriots won.

Views on the Super Bow

I myself am very excited for the 2015 Super Bowl. I usually get excited to see the two final teams compete for the win but this year I am especially excited. I really hope that the Patriots will be able to talk home the win form Arizona in Brady's sixth Super bowl. I am also excited to see Katie Perry preform at the halftime show.

first assignment

    The general argument made by David Linton in his article, Prosecutors: Hernandez 'orchestrated' murder, coverup; defense says ex-NFL star unfairly accused that there are two sides to the Aaron Hernandez murder trial but the defense says the ex-NFL star is unfairly accused. He writes, "But Boston defense lawyer Michael Fee fired back. He said police and prosecutors targeted Hernandez because of his celebrity status as a multi-million dollar football player, despite evidence that should have lead investigators 'in another direction.'". In this passage David Linton suggests that there is a strong defense argument in Hernandez's favor. The text states that the prosecutors may be accusing Hernandez because of his celebrity status. In conclusion Linton's belief is that the defense has a good argument in the favor of Aaron Hernandez.

    In my view, Linton is wrong because according to the article is seems that the prosecutors have very solid evidence against Hernandez. More specifically when the article states that the prosecutor, Bomberg, had a timeline laid out of Hernandez's activity before and after the murder, I begin to question the defense argument. For example, the article reads, " Bomberg said evidence will show that after he murder, Hernandez took steps to destroy evidence and 'secured the flight' of his two associates, Ernest Wallace, his 'right hand man' and Carlos Ortiz." In my opinion this shows that the people accusing Hernandez have thoroughly investigated and have been able to find this evidence that supports there case. Although Linton might object that the prosecutors have more evidence against Hernandez than the defense has in his favor, I maintain that even though the defense may have evidence that seems to support the innocence of Hernandez, the prosecutors have more provable evidence that he is in fact guilty. The defense says that he is only being accused because of his celebrity status, however, I believe that this accusation is just a method of distracting the jury from the truth that Hernandez is not an innocent man. Therefore I conclude that The prosecutors are in the right by believing that Hernandez is guilty through the evidence they have considered.

definition of sport

     Many people think that sports are something that you do on a team mainly for exercise. When someone hears the word sports they think of their favorite professional football team or baseball and the World Series. When someone says they play on a sports team they'll tell you about how many touchdowns they scored in their last football game or how many times they got to the line in the home basketball game. However, many people wouldn't associate sports with some one that dances, is in a marching band, or maybe a baton thrower. On the flipped side, many of the people that do those activities would consider them a sport.
      The definition of a sport is some kind of extra curricular activity that involves movement but doesn't always have to involve exercise. Although many sports are done on a team, some can be solo and only involve one person. Also one of the main components for something being considered a sport is that it be some sort of competition.