MLB Forced to Hold Non-Spectator Game

      For the first time in MLB history, the league is being forced to withold spectators from the White Sox vs. Orioles game in Baltimore. The rioting in Baltimore caused the game to be played in an empty Camden Yards. There was legitimately not a single fan in the entire stadium for apparent safety reasons. This was the first game in baseball history with an official attendance of 0. The only people in the stands were those in the press box, dugouts, and field (apart from 3 scouts who were assigned to watch the game). This game broke the record for lowest ever attendance at a major league game, previously held at a staggering 6. Because of the dangerous situation currently going on in Baltimore, the Orioles home game scheduled against the Tampa Bay Rays will be moved to Tampa Bay, but the O's will still officially be the home team. Although every now and then those few faithful fans who stood outside the gates of Camden Yards could be heard, the game was almost entirely silent. Even as boring people say baseball is nowadays, I think we can expect a bigger turnout than this for most games.

Were Bruins Right to Fire Chiarelli?

    Exactly four days after the Boston Bruins missed the playoffs, their GM seems to have taken the majority of the heat for that disappointment. Their GM Chiarelli was shown the door by the Bruins as they look to move on from last season. As of now, Cam Neely will step into the driver's seat of the franchise but a search for a permanent successor to Chiarelli is eminent. It seems, however, thaf he is the only of many people who is getting the finger pointed at him. It seems as though the entirety of Boston and all its supporters seemed to have immediately forgotten all the positive changes he brought to Boston with him when he first arrived.
   Just starting out in Boston from the Senators in 2006, it seemed he could do no wrong. One of his first actions as GM was to sign free-agent Zdeno Chara, a former Senators defenseman. Chara is clearly a key player for the B's, he gets more ice time than anyone else on the team. He also boasts the record for hardest slapshot in the NHL and you would be crazy to mess with this 6"9' monster. With Chara as his captain, Chiarelli led the team to the Stanley Cup in 2011, as well as reaching the final in 2013. Also, he won the President's Trophy in the 2013-14 campaign. Some other big names he brought in were the likes of David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tuuka Rask. One move that he caught criticism on, however, was his choice to let Tyler Seguin go to the Dallas Stars, where he became an NHL top 10 scorer. All of his good, though, was forgotten over the course of one poor season.
    It mostly started when the Bruins got into salary cap trouble in the previous summer and were Chiarelli was forced into selling Johnny Boychuk, a Boston fan favorite. He went to the Islanders where he them rise, and his absence was keenly felt on the ice of many games. Krejci, another of the Bruins most important players, was missing for quite a portion of the season due to injury. All of this added up, along with a Bruins side that seemed to not want to skate after the first period led to a poor season for Boston. With a track record like Chiarelli's we can assume he won't be out of a job for very long. Still, the question poised in Bruins' fans' minds remains: Was it the right decision to fire Chiarelli?

Norton High School Soccer: 2015 Season Preview

    The past few seasons for the Norton High Boys' Soccer have seen more success than any other time in the history of the school. The past two seasons have seen the Lancers place third in the TVL for the 2013 season with a record of 12-2-4 (W-L-D) and second in the recent 2014 season with the best record in school history of 15-3-0. The recent successes most have to do with the talent the team has acquired over the past years.
      Leading the Lancers in their push for the TVL title was junior captain Jon Lach, the all-time record holder for most points in a Norton High Soccer career(as a junior). This year he netted 15 goals, earning him the the title this season of leading goal scorer in the TVL. Another key player to Norton's push for the TVL title was senior captain Matt Bukowski, who was only out-scored by his teammate and co-captain Jon Lach this season. As a whole, this season's Lancers had 6 TVL All-Stars: Jon Lach, Matt Bukowski, Danny Pereira, Jordan Lach, Tyler Hughes, and Ryan Blakeley. This is the most all-stars Norton High Soccer has seen on a single team in history. This season's Lancers broke yet another school record of most goals scored in a single season. Adding all this up, the 2014 Lancer squad clearly solidifies itself as the best in the history of Norton High School.
     The Lancers are looking forward to another great season next year as they again seek a TVL and state title. Only graduating 4 seniors, only 3 of which started, Norton is on track to have another great season this upcoming fall. Led by captains Jon Lach, Danny Pereira, and Jared Kahn, the 2015 Norton squad is a great candidate to succeed the record-breaking team of last season. With 8 of their starting 11 returning next season, the Lancers are in a good position to take down the undefeated Medway Mustangs of last season, who graduated some of their most key players. It seems that, just as last season, Norton and Medway will be the two sides contesting for the TVL title, and Norton are confident they can knock down the defending champions to claim it as their own. The question remains: Will Norton step up to succeed the best team that NHS has ever seen, or cripple in its shadow?

Some Things You Just Don't Forget Reflection

        In the article, "Some things you just don't forget-" by Matthew Berry, the author speaks his mind on the topic of debacle in the NFL involving Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. He does this by speaking through his own experiences being bullied as a child. His stories varied from his lunch being stolen to his "friends" ditching him without a ride at a convenience store miles away. All, however, caused even the slightest tug of pity or sadness in our hearts. The images he depicted of himself as a scrawny, nerdy little kid just trying to fit in was enough to touch even the coldest of hearts reading. The constant barrage of harassment he receives can be described as no less than cruel and right before your heart is about to break for this man does he return to his original point. There are many who look at this situation and say Jonathan Martin isn't tough enough to play in the NFL. The truth is, most of those people probably haven't been on the receiving end of bullying. After reading this article, I have decided that doing what Jonathan Martin did took a lot more guts than people are giving him credit for.

PSG Stun Chelsea in UCL Knockout Stage

        The second leg of Champion's League Round of 16 fixture between Chelsea and PSG was set to kickoff Wednesday, March 11, at 3:45 EST at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's home field. The final score after the game was 2-2, 3-3 on aggregate, and it was just enough to push them past favorites Chelsea on away goals. In recent seasons, PSG have feebly attempted to make their mark in the Champion's League but have tasted no more than a quarter final appearance in the last 5 years. This momentous win over the English giants could not have ended in a more dramatic fashion.
       It was Gary Cahill of Chelsea who netted the first goal of the game, very late on to put his side ahead. David Luiz, PSG's center back, kept fighting, though,and drilled a header in against his old team with minutes left in the match.This brought them to a 2-2 tie on aggregate and so the game was taken to extra time. Early in the extra period, Chelsea's golden boy Eden Hazard slotted away a penalty kick for Silva's hand violation in the box. The PSG captain redeemed himself, however, delivering a header in the final minutes to bring the aggregate to 3-3, the advantage to PSG.
         The performance from the home side was far from convincing and the result reflected so. The beginning 20 minutes of the match were slightly dull, with neither side getting a shot on target and the match being fairly even in terms of possession and momentum. It was at the 31st minute mark where one of the most important moments of the match occurred. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG's leading goal scorer in all competitions, was shown a red card for a sliding challenge on Oscar, a Chelsea midfielder. With PSG down to 10 men and losing their best player, Chelsea felt they had a handle on the game and could easily see the game through the 90 minutes without trouble. The French underdogs were not about to give up that easily, though. Instead, the tide seemed to change in favor of the team playing down a man. This seemed to give PSG renewed energy and they attacked with such momentum and speed it seemed they had more players on the pitch. Edinson Cavani almost brough PSG ahead early on in the second half with a chance on goal that rang off the post. Chelsea couldn't seem to find their rhythm, even after Gary Cahill smashed a goal in from close-range off a set piece. After Chelsea took the lead in the 81st minute, PSG retaliated by the 86th. Ex-Chelsea defender David Luiz came up for a corner kick and delivered a smashing header into the top corner, sending the game into overtime.
        In the early minutes of extra time, Thiago Silva of PSG went up for a header and intentionally hit the ball away with his hand. The referee caught this offense and awarded Chelsea a PK. Eden Hazard, who has a 100% conversion rate on penalty kicks this season, stepped up to take it. He placed it easily to the side of the keeper, pushing Chelsea ahead 3-2 on aggregate. The PSG captain was not allowing this game to end so easily for the home side. Just minutes after giving up the penalty that Chelsea took the lead by, Thiago Silva netted a beautiful header off a corner kick. This put PSG ahead 3-3 on away goals and no further goals were scored. After two late equalizers, PSG's efforts were enough to send them through to the quarter finals of the UCL.

Will McDonough Writing Contest

         You stand on the pitch of the Allianz Arena in Munich. The crowd is restless to and the sweat is dripping into your eyes. As you walk towards the penalty area you hear the cheers and the jeers of the crowd. Half are trying to cheer you on, while the others will do anything to get inside your head. The referee hands you the ball and you try to set it up as perfectly as you can on the spot. You stare at Manuel Neuer, the opposition's keeper, and don't blink. You've already beat him once in the alotted 90 minutes but this is different. Nerves aren't a part of your agenda but this game, the biggest game in the world, it is almost impossible to keep your cool. Penalties are not your preferred method of scoring but you can't mess this up. This goal is a make or break situation. You either write your name in the history books with a goal, or forever dub yourself a villain for giving Chelsea the hope of a Champion's League title and then single-handedly snatching it away.

            The story of this widely known superstar is surprisingly not known to many. His full name is Tebily Didier Yves Drogba. He was born on the 11^th of March, 1978, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. At a young age he took up football and practiced in an empty car lot every day. When he was about 8 years of age, both of his parents lost their jobs. He was sent to live with his uncle in France, whom happened to be a professional footballer. After playing for many years on a local youth side, he joined the semi-professional Levallois. He gained a reputation for being a prominent scorer while on their youth team and not long after he was asked to join their senior squad. Drogba was then scouted by a professional team and he started his career as a professional footballer.

            Drogba started his career in the French second league for Le Mans. After two years at the club and a decent run of form in both seasons, he was scouted by a team in the premier French league. Drogba said goodbye to his first ever club and hello to relegation fighters Guingamp. In his first season at the club, his performance was hindered by several injuries. Only scoring 3 goals in the latter half of the year, the coach was reluctant to give him another first team chance the following season. The coach’s decision to give Drogba a chance paid off. Scoring 17 goals that season, Drogba carried the team to a seventh place finish, the highest league finish in the club’s history. After such an emphatic season for the young striker, it was hardly naïve to expect some lucrative offers for the Ivorian goal scorer. His impressive finishing did not go unnoticed by the biggest French side at the time, Olympique de Marseille. The French giants made a record breaking 3.3 million euro offer for Drogba. It was here that Drogba put himself on the map for some of the biggest clubs in the world.  Another magisterial season from the striker, scoring 19 goals, and winning the National Union of Professional Footballers Player of the Year award was enough to attract the global superpower that was Chelsea. With another record signing, this time of 24 million euros, Chelsea were clearly expecting big things from this forward. Words cannot describe how well Drogba proved to be worth every penny they paid for him. At this club he delivered 3 Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions’ League Title, and twice earned the Premier Legue Golden Boot. Drogba continues to play for Chelsea, a living legend, and will always be remembered as one of the world's best ever.     

"Sacking the Superbowl" - Should we watch football?

     

         After reading the article "Sacking the Superbowl," I have decided that Steve Almond, the author of this article published in the latest edition of The Rotarian, is trying to start some type of campaign against the NFL and professional football as a whole. He starts out by trying to appeal to the readers' emotional side by telling a (most likely untrue) sob story of his mother being suddenly struck with dementia. After trying to touch base with the readers' sensitivity, he then makes this connection to football, saying how the inevitable end for so many who choose the path of professional football leads to this horrible place that has just become so real for him. After his mother's delirium, his "devout fandom" for the game turned into so much more than just entertainment. Now seeing the moral and ethical issues of the game, he decides to research more into the game. This is when the article turns into facts, numbers, and statistics being hurled at the reader for the sake of proving that the NFL is a greedy, uncaring, and corrupt organization. It concludes with him saying how he is now completely against supporting football and how he has no "grand agenda" with his new moral code. If that were true, why not be content with distancing oneself from the thing that brings up so many ethical issues? I believe that this author is trying to bring down one of the world's largest monopolies, the NFL. He is trying to cause people to make their own decision about whether or not they should watch football. He makes it sound like watching football is, in some way, against a moral code that most decent humans should live by. Almond wrote the article in a way that he hoped to make people think they were making the "right" decision by choosing not to support the game, and also by playing it off like he's just bringing up all these issues to fully inform the reader, when the entire article is just a long, well thought out persuasive essay. Although he brings up several good points about issues with the game and association that controls it all, I don't believe this article will change the minds of many reading it. That in itself shows the devotion of the people to this game. Almond could have provided evidence proving the heads of the NFL are downright criminals, and I still don't think it would change the minds of the countless amount of people that are addicted to football. After reading this article, I am certainly not going to stop watching football. Although I agree that some things the NFL do are questionable, if not altogether wrong, it is still not enough to stop me, and the countless others around the world, from watching football.