Final blog Jv basketball

              Norton won a close game on the road against a tough Dover Sherborn team. Norton was behind in the waning minute, when Brett Gauvin tied the game and sent it to overtime. The extra session the 2 squads kept trading baskets when finally Norton fouled a Dover player and the player got frustrated and yelled at the ref which caused the official to give him a Technical foul. Norton was down by one and Gauvin headed to the free throw line knocked down both and put them up by 1 Norton ended up on winning this game in overtime by 3 with a final score 52-49. Norton was not surprised with this W because in their first meeting they won by 18 points, but they were surprised with how close this game was.

             The starting line up for Norton was fighting, but not making the shots the are use to. Coach Jolly went to the bench early and often with player such as Nick Ruby, Joe Collamore, and Sam Baker. After their bench lead them back into the game the starters came back and kept the game close then when it came down to the last minutes they closed it out.

             Norton won this game with clutch offense by Sophomore guard Brett Gauvin knocking down free throws in overtime, and big shots by Junior Ryan Brown at the end of regulation. Norton got key stops when the game was up for grabs with big rebounds by Freshman Nick Ruby and Sophomore Ryan Mazzola. They also got their leading scorer going Tyler Troiano with 16 big points in his limited minutes with the team. This game brought the team together and built chemistry, mid way through the season.

             Nick Ruby, 1 of the only 2 freshman on the team came in as sixth man every game, and really contributed to this team. 8 big points all in the fourth quarter. He also had a key block with 2 minutes left in the game with the game in the balance. His final stat line before he fouled out was 8 points 12 boards 2 blocks and 3 assists. When he got his fifth foul and was taken out he got the players on the bench to cheer on the team which was very helpful.  Many of his team mates truly believe this is the game when he helped the team the most.

            When I interviewed Ruby he said that the moral in the locker room at halftime was low. They expected to be winning this game and when they weren't it got them all very angry. "We were all just kind of angry because of our sloppy play". Once they got going in the second half everyone was into it and leading this team on. "We kind of came together as a team in the Locker room." I asked him how he was able to control the glass like he did. He said that he was working harder than them and getting to the ball faster. That is how Ruby really helped his team getting extra possessions. 

              After this game Norton played as well as they ever did as a team. Winning 3 games straight and doing it in impressive fashion. In these games they had 2 player averaging double figure scoring in Troiano, Ryan Brown, and great guard and forward play by Gauvin, Sam Baker, Nick Ruby, and Joe Collomore. This game truly was a turning point for this young team made up of mostly underclassmen. "That game made our team believe in each other and trusted each other" Said Freshman Center Nick Ruby.


Link to Interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Z2clpIY-w

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Marion Jones

Marion Jones the fastest woman on the planet, and ready to own the sport of track and field for a long time, had her whole career torn away from her because of one mistake. She used performance enhancement drugs. She had her medals taken away, all of her records stripped from the history books, and worst of all she had her freedom take away, when she had to spend 6 months in prison. While in prison she was placed in solitary confinement for 30 days. She made the most of her time in prison working out and getting in shape for a possible sports comeback.  Once she was out of jail, she started going to the gym and getting into basketball shape. She played and won a national championship at North Carolina for basketball.

            After many months of training she finally got signed by Tulsa Shock. She had always had dreams of playing in the WNBA. When she first begun, she was averaging about 9 minutes a game and getting about 3 points a game. Even though those aren't great numbers, it means that even though her career was seemingly over she still got back in shape and made a comeback. Everything she worked for may have been taken away, but she still cared and made a career in basketball. Some people despise her for what she did in track, but many people still believe she is and always will be one of the greatest women track and field athletes of all time!

JV Basketball Sports Article Rough draft

              Norton won a close game on the road against a tough Dover Sherborn team. Norton was behind in the waning minute, when Brett Gauvin tied the game and sent it to overtime. The extra session the 2 squads kept trading baskets when finally Norton fouled a Dover player and the player got frustrated and yelled at the ref which caused the official to give him a Technical foul. Norton was down by one and Gauvin headed to the free throw line knocked down both and put them up by 1 Norton ended up on winning this game in overtime by 3 with a final score 52-49. Norton was not surprised with this W because in their first meeting they won by 18 points, but they were surprised with how close this game was.

             The starting line up for Norton was fighting, but not making the shots the are use to. Coach Jolly went to the bench early and often with player such as Nick Ruby, Joe Collamore, and Sam Baker. After their bench lead them back into the game the starters came back and kept the game close then when it came down to the last minutes they closed it out.

             Norton won this game with clutch offense by Sophomore guard Brett Gauvin knocking down free throws in overtime, and big shots by Junior Ryan Brown at the end of regulation. Norton got key stops when the game was up for grabs with big rebounds by Freshman Nick Ruby and Sophomore Ryan Mazzola. They also got their leading scorer going Tyler Troiano with 16 big points in his limited minutes with the team. This game brought the team together and built chemistry, mid way through the season.

             Nick Ruby 1 of the only 2 freshman on the team came in as sixth man every game, and really contributed to this team. 8 big points all in the fourth quarter. He also had a key block with 2 minutes left in the game with the game in the balance. His final stat line before he fouled out was 8 points 12 boards 2 blocks and 3 assists. When he got his fifth foul and was taken out he got the players on the bench to cheer on the team which was very helpful. "If I couldn't help my team on the court I was going to help them off of the court." Many of his team mates truly believe this is the game when he helped the team the most.
       

              After this game Norton played as well as they ever did as a team. Winning 3 games straight and doing it in impressive fashion. In these games they had 2 player averaging double figure scoring in Troiano, Ryan Brown, and great guard and forward play by Gauvin, Sam Baker, Nick Ruby, and Joe Collomore. This game truly was a turning point for this young team made up of mostly underclassmen. "That game made our team believe in each other and trusted each other" Said Freshman Center Nick Ruby.

             



             

         

BP #10

           In the article "It was lightning, It was Thunder." Will Grimsley uses the ten tips for improving scholastic
sportswriting.This story is about the heavyweight title match between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston. It shows the controversy about the fight where people thought it was rigged. The article is bias towards Liston because they talk more about how they thought the match was rigged.   He uses the first rule, Write about players and teams, not about games. He talks about Ali's back story and how they trained for this match. He doesn't just write about the fight and go to in depth. He also
used number 7. He watched them train he knew everything about both of the fighters. It also used Pathos as a rhetorical strategy because it uses the feelings of the audience making them angry about a false match or making them sad that their favorite fighter lost. This are the tips and strategies that Grimsley used in this article.
          In the Article "Red Sox End Brutal Road Trip on a Cruel Twist" by Randy Jennings, he uses many techniques to explain the Red Sox tough road trip. This article is about the Sox last game on their road trip ended on a walk off hip by Josh Hamilton in the 9th. Jennings also used tip number 2, When writing about players always identify them by class in school and position on team. He does this on several occasions. When writing about Koji Uehara, he refers to him as Red Sox closer Koji Uehara. He also uses tip number 1. To write about the players not just the game. He rites about how Prince Fielder has had a great season. They right about Joe Kelly's tough season losing 4 games straight. They don't only fixate on the game. Randy Jennings also uses the rhetorical strategy Pathos to appeal to the sad Red Sox fans who have had to watch their team struggle all year long. Those are the techniques Jennings used to write this article.

Deflategate

 The Super Bowl champs have yet another scandal on their hands. In the AFC championship game when the Pats derailed the colts in a 45-7 blow out. 11 of the 12 footballs the Patriots were playing with turned out to be under inflated below the league limit. In the past Tom Brady is quoted on saying he like the balls under inflated because the ball is easier to grip. The Pats have been the best team in the NFL for the past decade, and everyone tries to take them down. Tom Brady had a press conference about deflategate saying he didn't have anything to do with it. Later on the found evidence that shows he did. So they are suspending him for 4 games and fined the team 1 million dollars.

         Tom Brady probably is guilty, but I believe the NFL over did it with the suspension taking away the draft picks and 1 million dollar fine. The ball boy who was responsible for the footballs had never talked to Tom ever before but after this incident the had multiple 20 minute calls, and would text often. This shows that they never had business before then they suddenly had something that was very important to talk about. Tom Brady did know about the balls, but Roger Goodell is trying to save face after he messed up with Ray Rice and the 2 game suspension. So he's trying to look like a good commissioner, when in all reality it's still making him look bad.

         The punishment does not fit the crime. Tom Brady was aware of the deflated footballs, yes. He lied about it, yes. Tom should not be suspended 4 games for under inflated footballs when earlier this year someone beat their wife and got 2 games. Tom Brady is appealing the suspension, and many people believe it will be reduced because the Wells report was inconclusive and had no concrete evidence. Tom Brady is going to come back with a chip on his shoulder and will take the league by storm.
         There are many alternate solutions to this problem. Tom was not the only player involved so why did he getting all the blame? If Tom gets suspended it should be a more reasonable amount of games. Taking away draft picks is ridiculous. That is affecting the future of the Patriots which they are only doing because no one wants to see the pats on top anymore. If I was the commissioner I would suspend Brady 2 games and take maybe 400 thousand dollars from the team. I believe that is the most fair. You better believe Brady is going to play next year at a very high level!

Blog Post #8

        The film "The Short Game" is about children 8 and younger sacrificing their childhood to be great at golf. The movie started off with the film crew interviewing the kids on their opinion of golf. It shows videos of the kids working on their game with their parents or their trainers. People from all over the world got invited to this event such as, Allen, Zama, Sky, Jed, Amari, Agustin, Alexa, and, Kuang. All of the children can't wait to prove themselves at the World Championship. On the First day of the tournament. Jed, the favorite to win for 8 year olds, is late to tee off and gets a ten stroke penalty. Zama is a surprise, the 43rd finisher last year, is in the top 20 this year. Allen in number 2  close behind Justin Sui. In the girls group Amari has total control. On the second day Allen takes the lead back, and Agustin is really struggling, and his mom is really letting him have it. Going into the last day there are 4 people to watch Amari vs Sky, and Allen vs Justin. In the award ceremony we find out who wins, both contests come down to one put. The winners are... Allen and Amari! Zama wins the most improved player ending up in 18 place. All of the kids had fun, and made new friends, and had a great experience.

         My opinion on the film is that it was awesome. I liked the way the interview the children, and got their side of their stories. I liked how they interviewed the kids parents, and let them give their opinion on the kids and how much the play and enjoy golf. Then in the real tournament, how they showed the leader board, and where each competitor stood. I really enjoyed the part when the kids would talk about how they golfed after the round. Then at the end they had to trophy ceremony and everyone talked about how fun it was and how much they looked forward to next year, and seeing all the friends they made at this years tournament next year. Overall I believe this was a very good film, and I really enjoyed it.
          In "The Short Game" directed Greenbaum (2013) he shows that young children can still be extremely dedicated to a sport at such a young age. The author first shows the dedication by including interviews of the kids talking about how much they love golf. Then he displays the hard work of the kids by showing short clips of them practicing. To conclude, he finishes by showing the end results of the World Championship, presenting the winners for each age group, and for boys and girls. The purpose of this film is to show that young children can still be dedicated to a sport. He seems to have a young athlete audience in mind because those are the kids in the tournament.
        

Blog Post Number 7

          In Trevor Martian's documentary,  "Schooled: The Price of College Sports", he teaches that college athletes should be payed to play sports! The author first states by showing stories from ex college athletes who didn't have enough money to provide for themselves in college. He then shows how Arian Foster didn't have enough money to get food for himself. So his coach brought him some food, but that was a rule violation. This that they should be payed because they don't have enough money to get food, but the people with money can't bring them food. In conclusion he persuades the audience with having analysis talking about how if the players don't perform they can lose their scholarship, which proves they aren't student athletes because they could be doing great in school but still lose their scholarship. His purpose is to captivate the audience in order to get them to see the athletes sides of things, so they can understand what they go through. She seems to have the NCAA as the audience in mind because it seems she is talking to them when the narrator is speaking. I agree with Trevor Martian because the coaches get payed millions of dollars, but the players are doing all of the work and don't get paid anything. This is why the college athletes should get paid to pay!
          At the beginning of the documentary, it showed what the environment of college sports is like. Then it told the stories about the life of a college athlete. Then it brought in old players it they told stories about how they couldn't survive in college because they had no money. The athletes didn't understand why they did all the work and the NCAA got all of the money. After that the documentary brought in analysts to give them there side of the story, and they all said that they believe the athletes should be paid. It was said that the phrase student athlete was used to save the NCAA from law suits if students get injured. They told stories of how athletes got injured and the NCAA didn't pay because they were a student first. Everyone believes in the future students will be paid. This movie goes over the fact that students are treated unfairly. It goes over all the facts about it and shows why they should be paid. I agree with the movie and hope to see the student athletes getting treated more fair in the near future.

Kentucky's Perfect Season

         On March 3rd in Stegeman Coliseum Kentucky Wildcats complete only the 3rd undefeated season in men's division 1 history. They beat Georgia 72-64 after being down by 7 in the second half. The star of the team Karl Anthony-Towns was in foul trouble with 4 when he makes a bone headed play when he doesn't pass to open man and Georgia's defender takes charge to give him his 5th. When he comes back to the game he takes over getting 17 of his 19 points in the second half. With many key contributes not performing up to their usually Other players stepped up such as The Harrison twins at the starting guards scoring a combined 28 points with their bench out scoring Georgia's 19-15.
         All year Kentucky has had a historic defense with two 7-footers manning the paint with Willie Cauley-Stein being one of the favorites to win player of the year, and Karl Anthony-Towns, but near the end of the year their offensive has become one of the best in division 1. They play two units of 5 player,which makes them a huge threat to go very deep in the tournament because of their depth playing 10 kids. This team is scary and no one was to see them up against Kentucky in the tournament.

Celtics vs Warriors

Stephen Curry knocks down a three as the Warriors pull of  wild comeback vs The Celtics

         Isaiah Thomas' 20 points wasn't enough to hold 26 point halftime lead against Stephen Curry and the Warriors. Last night at the TD Garden, the C's defensive breakdown cost them the game, after a mediocre second half performance. The Celtics fall 106-101.
       Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were too much for the Celts to handle. Curry with a game high 37 points lead the comeback, while Thompson added 20 points while holding Avery Bradley to 5 of 17 shooting.
       Warriors Coach says "It was a fun challenge for us. If we lost it wouldn't have been the end of the world." Stephen Curry says "We didn't want to be down 26. We had to be mentally tough to make it an interesting game."
        After the huge second half it wasn't curry making the big plays, it was Andre Iguodala dunking to tie the game then Harrison Barnes making the go ahead lay-up.
         Isaiah Thomas, scoring 20 points in the game needed 23 as he missed a pull-up three when the were down 101 to 104 and who else but Curry secures the board and gets fouled. He sinks both free throws to clinch the amazing comeback.

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Hoop Dreams

              The movie Hoop Dreams is about a pair of boys from the ghetto who go to high school to play basketball. Their names were William Gates and Arthur Agee. They both went to St. Joes to play basketball. Family members supported them and paid their tuition. William started on Varsity as a freshman while Arthur is starting point guard on the freshman team. They both had pretty good freshman seasons, but going into sophomore year the family stopped paying for Arthurs tuition so he had to start over at Marshall High School. William is a star as a sophomore,  he is carrying the team and everyone loves him. Meanwhile Arthur is playing varsity as a sophomore but not to his full potential.

        St. Joes loses in the playoffs again even though Arthur had a great game. Going into his junior year William hurts his knee and he can't play the whole regular season. Arthur is starting on Varsity, and playing well. William comes back in the playoffs and in their final game William hurts his knee again, but comes back into the game. In the clutch Will misses 2 free throws and they lose again. Senior year William is a McDonald's All american. In the camp William hurts his knee once more and can't compete in the last days. When he comes to play his senior year at St. Joes he isn't as confident in his ability anymore, and they don't go very far in the playoffs. Arthur leads Marshall to the playoffs. They go on a streak where they beat a list of ranked teams to win the city championship. They even beat the number 2 ranked team to win the championship. William gets a scholarship to Marquette, but he quits after the season then drops out of college. Arthur went to college and played as well.

              The theme of the movie is how basketball become a job for the kids not a sport for them. When they first started playing they loved playing and they were having fun. Near the end the were just playing so they could get money and move their families out of poverty. William couldn't take it any more so he dropped out of college and stopped playing, but he got convinced to go back to school. I enjoyed watching the movie and the story it told. It shows that if you work hard you can succeed, just like Arthur did when he took an unranked team to win the championship.   

Sports Effects on Culture

         Professional sports has had many different effects on culture. It can have positive effects such as Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, but it can also have a negative effect like the issue with the voice mail on Donald Sterling's phone that cost him his job. Sports have been bringing people together for decades. It has allowed all racial differences to be pushed aside and let the best players in the world play the sport they love. Sports have effects our cultures in a positive way such as Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. For years the MLB was only a white mans league now it has transformed into something completely different because of Jackie Robinson and what he did for that culture. Ben Mclemore of the Sacramento Kings stands for another change in culture. His Family moved from 1 room apartment to 1 room apartment his whole childhood life, but once he made it to the NBA he started to provide for his family. This happens very often in sports, one kid makes it to the pros and it changes everything. It moves him and his family out of poverty.
         Although unfortunately there are also some negative effects on culture in sports. Lets talk about  the Seattle Seahawks. Their Quarterback Russell Wilson was called out by other teammates for not being "Black enough". This is an unfair statement to Wilson, because he went to college and graduated and just because he doesn't speak like his teammates with street slang they don't want him leading their team. Another example of a negative effect on culture is trash talking in sports. Kids are watching and they see all the trash talking and want to be just like them so they play in their game and start swearing and trash talking.
           Lastly, sports have had a crazy effect on my culture. Every sunday my family comes together to watch the Pats games. Also whenever something bad happens in my life I can go play basketball with my friends to clear my name for even an hour.  Sports have gotten me to the point I am at today. It has It is the reason I have all the friends I have today. My life would be entirely different if it weren't for sports. That is how sports can have a positive or a negative effect on someones life.

The Atlanta Hawks

         The Atlanta Hawks are the surprise team of the league about half way through the season. 41-9 record, as they stand first in the east. Also with the best record in the NBA. Last year they were the eighth seed and lost in the first round, but this year they got Al Horford back and he is leading the unlikely team to an amazing season. They just came off a 19 game win streak, longest in team, history.  Although they have no "stars'' that they can go to in the clutch, they have many solid players that can win them those close games.

         Their start to this season is one of the most improbable starts in NBA history. Coming off a sub par year they have come out firing on all cylinders this year. After having 1 All-star last year, they have 3 this year that are all worthy of the spots. All 5 of their starters are averaging over 10 points a game. With many capable players off the bench. All 5 of their starters were named players of the month. Coming into the season there were only 2 real contenders in the east, The Bulls and the Cavs, neither of them have preformed and the Hawks have taken advantage and outplayed every other team in the NBA. Many people on ESPN are saying the Hawks coach is a lock for the coach of the year. We can hope they keep preforming at this level going into the playoffs.

Super Bowl Predictions

      I am very excited for this Super Bowl. Not just because Tom Brady going for number 4, but all of the headlines. First, the Seahawks. Ranked number 1 all year in total defense. With a very young quarterback leading their offense all ready looking for his second ring. The Seahawks are looking to be the first team since 03', 04' Pats to repeat. Their big name players on the defensive ends are still fighting injuries. Richard Sherman with an  elbow injury and Earl Thomas with a dislocated shoulder.  So they have to rely on their lesser known players and see if they can stop the high powered patriot offense.
        Now on the the Patriots. They have one of the best QBS of all time in Tom Brady. They have the best Tight End in the NFL in Gronk, and have reliable receivers in Edlemen and Lafell. So if the great defense of Seattle can stop the Pats offense then broth teams will rely on the weaker side of the ball. I believe the Pats defense can stop the Seattle offense, enough where thee will be less pressure on the offense. That's what makes this a very intriguing game and I can't wait to see it!

Pats Receivers Vs Seattle Secondary

        The general argument made by author Mark Farinella in his work, Patriots Receivers Vow to Hold Their Own, is that the patriots receiving core has enough weapons to compete vs this star studded secondary. Patriots Receiver says"We're going to do what we have been doing all along." In the passage, Mark Farinella is suggesting that even though the Seahawks have one of the best corner backs and 2 of the best safeties in the NFL. The Pats wide outs have been competing all year and have proven them selves to everyone in this league. In conclusion Farinella's belief is that The Wide receiving core for New England is good enough to hold their own against this great secondary of Seattle.
          I really enjoyed reading this article because I found it very interesting. Seattle defense was tops in the NFL in every major category. New England has a very high rated offense so that is where the game becomes interesting. The article talks to the New England receivers and they all believe they are good enough to compete with this defense. I also believe they are good enough because they have 4 receivers with 40 catches or more with a solid running game to keep this Seattle D on their toes. Both Teams have worked and earned their way to this game but I  believe the game comes down to both teams weaker side of the ball. If Seattle can stop the Pats offensive attack then it will come down to the Seattle offense and New England defense. This has all the making to be a game for the ages.

What are Sports?