So I've posted most of my school paper articles, but one has yet to be found on my computer. The link for the paper is here :http://issuu.com/mhsjournalism2013/docs/final_?e=9626380/6390411
The missing piece is about the Heisman trophy candidates, found on pages 24 and 25.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Hey Hockey, Get Rid of the Goons
Goon. Enforcer. Tough Guy.
All synonymous with what is plaguing the National Hockey League today. Fighting
has been part of hockey since its creation. Some fans cry out that it is
fighting that needs to be phased out of the game. It’s true; people get hurt
when they fight on sharp metal skates while gliding on ice, all while using
bare knuckles to bash the opponent’s face in. It’s part of the game. There is a
difference between necessary and unnecessary fighting, though. If your team’s
star player takes a cheap shot to the head, you are going to want a big, bad
bruiser to skate up to the perpetrator and make him pay. That’s just the nature
of the game. But there is no need to pay an ugly behemoth solely to injure
other players with elbows and shoulders to the back of the head.
In the
past few years, there have been countless incidents of goons hurting other
players with obvious intent to knock them out of the game. Chicago fans may
remember when, in 2012, Blackhawks’ player Marian Hossa was leveled by
Phoenix’s Raffi Torres on a brutal shot to the head. Bruins fans will never
forget about the 2010 hit by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke that has all but ended
Marc Savard’s career and has left him with brutal post-concussion syndrome.
This past October, Buffalo forward John Scott delivered a vicious elbow to the
head of Bruins player Loui Eriksson. While Eriksson recovered within a few
weeks, it was the type of hit, and the type of player, the NHL needs to phase
out. After that hit to Eriksson, Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid stepped right
up to fight Scott. That is the type of fighting needed in the NHL. It’s all
about retribution, not fighting for the fun of it.
Scott is a prototypical
goon: six feet, eight inches, and 259 pounds of unskilled hockey player. He has
played in 187 NHL games in his career. He has just one goal and four assists to
show for his eight professional seasons, with his last goal coming in 2009. Some
will point out the Bruins have goons in McQuaid and Shawn Thornton. The
difference between John Scott and players like McQuaid, Thornton, and
Montreal’s resident fighter George Parros is that the latter players are not
paid to hurt other players. Parros protects his guys and only fights in the
event of a cheap shot. McQuaid plays shut down defense in front of Bruins
goalies year round, not to mention he scored the goal that sent the Bruins to
the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Shawn Thornton already has more goals this
season than Scott does in his entire career. These players are productive in
addition to their fighting skills. The NHL needs to cleanse its product of
players like John Scott, but it all starts with the teams. They have to decide
that they would rather spend their money on a solid goalie, or forward who can
kill off a penalty, rather than throw thousands, or even millions of dollars at
men who can barely stand up on the ice just to try and knock out the opponent’s
best player. Bruins head coach Claude Julien personally dislikes the use of
goons in hockey, telling The Boston Globe, “If a guy chooses to be that and a team chooses to have a guy
like that, I don’t know, but I’ll never tell Shawn Thornton to go after Sidney
Crosby or anybody
else that’s a top player in this league. I’ll never do that. So if he does,
it’s on his own. And if he does it on his own, I don’t think personally I’d
accept it.” One thing is for certain, though: There is no place for a
hitman in hockey. (The formatting did not want to work with me…)
2013 Patriots Midyear Grades
(NOTE-Yes this is very old, I know.)
Following their 27 to 17 shellacking of the Miami Dolphins
on October 27, 2013, the New England Patriots sit at 6-2 and first place in the
AFC East at the halfway point of this 16-game regular season. We’ve had some
time to see their offseason decisions play out and to view the impact of
injuries. Of course, there has been some good, some bad, and some ugly. The
injury bug has hit, and hit hard, but the Pats keep chugging right along. As
the student body of Medfield High School nears the end of the term, it’s time
to give the Patriots their report card.
Quarterbacks: B-
So far, we’ve seen very
pedestrian play from starting quarterback Tom Brady. He’s completing 55.7
percent of his passes, for 1,824 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Excluding
the year he was injured, Brady is on pace to post career lows in completions,
touchdowns, completion percentage and yards. I’m sure some of this has to do
with a new receiving core and mysterious hand ailment. Backup Ryan Mallett has
yet to see the field.
Running Backs: B+
The running back position has been a strength of this
offense so far this season. Taking a “running back by committee” approach, the
four main rushers of Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden, LeGarrette Blount and Shane
Vereen have racked up a collective 965 yards and seven touchdowns. Ridley is
the team’s leading rusher with 399 yards and four touchdowns on 92 attempts,
followed by Blount (265 yds-1 TD-65 att) and Bolden (169 yds-2 TD-35 att). Vereen
has been injured since Week 1 with a broken wrist, but is a spark-plug for this
backfield and should return in Week 11.
Wide Receivers: C
This group has been marred by inconsistency. The offseason
saw huge turnover, with Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd both leaving, and Aaron
Hernandez’s situation being well-publicized. The Patriots brought in oft-injured
Danny Amendola, who is billed as the next Welker, rookies Aaron Dobson,
Kenbrell Thompkins and Josh Boyce, and, more recently, veteran Austin Collie.
The most consistent receiver this year has been Julian Edelman, now in his
fifth season in New England. He has 48 receptions for 462 yards and two
touchdowns. In comparison, the next four after him are Dobson (26-324-2),
Thompkins (23-334-4), Amendola (19-174-0), and Collie (3-34-0). Brady’s trust
in them is growing each week, but it will never be near the rapport he had with
Wes Welker. This group will have to find its stride if the Pats hope to do any
damage in the postseason.
Tight Ends: D+
Frankly, the only thing keeping this grade above an “F” is
the return of Rob Gronkowski. The position had so much promise in the
offseason. Then Aaron Hernandez happened. And Jake Ballard didn’t pan out.
Neither did Zach Sudfeld. Until Gronk’s return in Week 7, Michael Hoomanawanui
was the team’s sole tight end. In eight games, “Hooman” has eight catches for
95 yards and zero touchdowns. In two games since returning from forearm and
back issues, Gronk has 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown that was called
back due to a penalty. You can see just how dynamic Gronkowski is to this
offense. Expect this grade to get better as the year goes on.
Offensive Line: B
The offensive line has been another average position so far
this year. They returned all of their starters and backup Marcus Cannon, while
adding veteran Will Svitek in the offseason. They have allowed 23 quarterback
sacks, compared to 27 times all of last season. But the offensive line suffered
a serious blow last week against the Miami Dolphins when starting right tackle
Sebastian Vollmer broke his right leg. He will be out for the remainder of the
season.
Defensive Line: B
If I did this grade after week four against the Atlanta
Falcons, it would most likely be an “A.” They were stout against the run with
Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly in the middle, and had a much improved pass-rush
with Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich at the ends. Rookie Michael Buchanan
contributed as well. Then, Wilfork went down with a season-ending Achilles
injury, Kelly tweaked his knee, and all of the sudden, the Patriots run defense
was more porous than Spongebob Squarepants. Without Wilfork to eat up two or
three blockers and push the pile every play, Kelly had to assume the role, and
his body broke down on him. Without having to focus on Wilfork, Jones and
Ninkovich received more attention from the opponent. Losing Wilfork is a big
blow, and the defensive line will have to put on their big-boy pants to help
the Patriots go deep in the playoffs. Signing Andre Carter and trading for
Isaac Sopoaga may help.
Linebackers: B-
With an average age of 25, the Patriots linebacking group is
a young one. Their weakness is in the pass game, and this is something that may
be exploited now that leader Jerod Mayo has been placed on season-ending
Injured Reserve. Dane Fletcher is probably their best bet in coverage, but he
has lost a step since tearing his ACL last year. Don’t’a Hightower is starting
to blossom into a true, all-around linebacker, while heavy hitter Brandon
Spikes is one of the best run-stopping linebackers in the league. A very
intriguing aspect to the linebackers is rookie Jamie Collins. He is freakishly
athletic, but has been underutilized so far this year. He could develop into
one of their best options at that position. This is yet another group who will
have to overcome an injury to their leader in order to succeed.
Defensive Secondary:
A
Perhaps the brightest spot on the entire team, the Patriots
secondary has been stellar this entire year. The play of Aqib Talib and Alfonzo
Dennard at cornerback has been superb, and Devin McCourty and Steve Gregory
have quietly had great years at the safety position. Talib has been a lockdown
guy and assigned to the opponents’ top receiver. Dennard gets the man on the
side of the field, while Kyle Arrington thrives in his role of slot cornerback.
Talib leads the team with four interceptions, while six others have one apiece,
including rookie Logan Ryan, who returned his for a touchdown. This squad has
turned the Patriots pass defense around, going from one of the worst in the
league for the past couple of seasons, to being among the best this year.
Special Teams: A-
The less you hear about special teams, the better, because
if you’re talking about special teams, it’s probably because they screwed up.
Kicker Stephen Gostkowski has missed juts one field goal all year and has
converted all extra point attempts. Rookie punter Ryan Allen was good enough to
boot Zoltan Mesko off the Patriots roster this preseason and has shown he can
produce in the regular season as well. Long snapper Danny Aiken has been solid
as well. Special teams captain Matthew Slater remains one of the top
contributors on this team and one of the best special teamers in the league.
Coaching: B-
Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia have worked
around injuries and utilized what they have available to win games this year.
There’s been good, like the decision to put Aqib Talib on Atlanta’s Tony
Gonzalez, one of the greatest receiving tight ends of all-time, and there’s
been bad, like Belichick being unaware of a rule that cost the Patriots a win
against AFC East rival New York Jets. Time will tell for this coaching staff.
In Bill We Trust.
Overall: B-/C+
The Patriots have played above average football,
but will need to play far better if they want even the slightest shot at the
Super Bowl. Injuries are a part of football, and they just have to push through
them and continue to win games. Tom Brady needs to gain confidence in his
receivers, and having Gronkowski back will surely help. With eight games
remaining, I predict the Patriots to go 5-3 the rest of the way, giving them an
11-5 record overall, just enough to finagle their way into the playoffs.
The Redemption of John Lackey
On October 30, 2013 at
approximately 11:24 P.M., the Boston Red Sox won their third World Series in a
decade with a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Six of the World
Series. While the Red Sox offense certainly provided a spark all year long, the
postseason was marked by dominant pitching, and one man certainly stood from
the rest: John Lackey.
John Lackey was
one of the more dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball for much of the 2000s,
so there were high hopes when he signed with the Red Sox in 2010. Lackey was
mediocre his first season in Boston, posting a 14 and 11 record with a 4.40
Earned Run Average (ERA). 2011 is when the wheels fell completely off the
wagon. Lackey went 12 and 12 with a 6.41 ERA, and allowed the most runs in the
American League. He was also at the center of the “Chicken and Beer” scandal,
in which Lackey and fellow pitchers Josh Beckett and Jon Lester would drink
beer and eat fried chicken in the clubhouse when they were not pitching. This
kind of nonchalant behavior turned many in Red Sox Nation against him, and the
ensuing September collapse that pushed the Sox out of the playoffs didn’t help.
Lackey missed all
of 2012 while recovering from “Tommy John” surgery on his right elbow. On April
6, 2013, in his first start since his surgery, Lackey re-injured his arm. He
was diagnosed with a biceps strain, and after this minor scare, he came roaring
back. In 2013, Lackey went 10 and 13 with a 3.52 ERA, the third lowest of his
career and lowest as a member of the Red Sox. But the real magic happened in
the playoffs…
He
went 3-1 in four starts, and even came into Game Five of the World Series in
relief. How dominant was he, you still ask? His ERA during the American League
Championship Series was 0.00. He out-pitched last year’s American League Cy
Young and MVP winner Justin Verlander in a decisive Game Three victory. He was
lights out throughout the playoffs. Even more, he did a complete 180-degree
turn in the minds of Sox fans, going from the most hated player on the team,
the symbol of all that was wrong with the ego-centric team of 2011, to a
postseason hero and lovable character on a team of bearded buffoons.
A defining moment
occurred in the seventh inning of Game Six of this year’s World Series. He
allowed a few men on base and a run to score, but when manager John Farrell went
to take him out of the game, cameras caught Lackey telling Farrell, “No, this
is my guy. This is my guy.” That kind of attitude is what Red Sox fans expected
of him when he first signed. He redeemed himself at the same time the Red Sox
redeemed themselves. Six months ago, people wanted John Lackey traded at the
end of the season. Now, people give him standing ovations when he exits games.
The Red Sox were not supposed to make it this far. They were expected to
contend and be knocked out in the Wild Card, maybe the American League Division
Series if they were lucky. On the backs of guys like David Ortiz, Mike Napoli,
Jon Lester, Koji Uehara and John Lackey, they proved everyone wrong.
NBA Christman Jerseys: Yay or Nay?
As many may
know, the four major sports each have their own special holiday games. The NHL
has the “Winter Classic” played on New Year’s Day, the MLB has the Fourth of
July, and, of course, the NFL has Thanksgiving. Each team playing on these
holidays usually roll out special uniforms to be worn by players, and they are
also a big hit with fans. The NBA is no exception. The NBA has been playing
games on Christmas for quite some time, since 1947 to be exact. It was not
until recently, though, that “The Association” started producing special
Christmas jerseys. Last year was the first that the teams playing on Christmas
wore these special edition uniforms. How did the NBA kick off their first
attempt? Plain, monochromatic jerseys with just a little bit of stitching in a
different color to produce the letters and numbers For instance, the Los
Angeles Lakers jerseys were all white with purple stitching, while the Boston
Celtics uniforms were all green with white stitching. Those jerseys were met
with, well, barely any response. I mean, what can you say about the most
simplistic “special occasion” jerseys these eyes have seen? I did not hate
them, but I did not instantly go online to buy one either. They were simply
“Meh.” This year, though, the NBA and their official outfitter, Adidas, went
big. They introduced the 2013 “BIG Logo” short sleeve jerseys. Now THOSE are some jersey that you can have an
opinion on. First off, they have short sleeves. All of them. That would be my
first complaint. Last year, the Golden State Warriors experimented with short
sleeve jerseys, and that came with a mixed response. The fact that Golden State
is not the most relevent team in the NBA may have helped spurn negative
feedback. Something about the tight fitting, short sleeves just does not feel
right. It was speculated this might be an attempt to mov these jerseys off
shelves, as people may be more inclined to where a short sleeve jersey than a
sleeveless variety. But that segways into the second problem I have with the
jersyes: the giant logos. The combo of the big logos and the sleeves make the
jerseys look like something the Houston Astros of the MLB would wear in the
1980’s (short sleeve, button less, uglies). I may be in the minority, but
probably not, when I say that regardless of the sleeves, those big logos are a
major turn off when shopping for jerseys. Also, while the jerseys from last
year were only available for the teams that actually played on Christmas, this
year the NBA made Christmas jerseys for every team. So while the Boston Celtics
are home on Christmas, you can still get yourself the jersey that the players
(never) wore! There is concern from the players as well. Miami Heat superstar
LeBron James told The Miami Herald that there is concern among the Heats top
shooters that the short sleeves will be uncomfortable, unnatural, and overall impede
their shooting. I don’t see why the NBA does not just go the route of the other
sports leagues in these games and just toss some throwback uniforms on the
players backs. So this is my plea to the
NBA: please, just do less.
PS-I had pictures with this that I am too lazy to add in right now. Look them up if you want...
2014 World Cup Preview
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| The official 2014 World Cup Logo |
While the 2014 World Cup, hosted by Brazil, does not kick
off until this upcoming June, the draw for all qualified teams has already
taken place and the groups for preliminary matches have been set. The World Cup
only comes around every four years, so “World Cup Fever” is starting to hit. There
are still six months before any games will be played, meaning plenty of things
could happen to each team regarding injuries and other moves. Regardless of
that, it’s time for an early preview of soccer’s biggest stage.
Group
A: Brazil
(Host Nation), Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon
Brazil had an automatic entry to this year’s world Cup due
to their status as the host nation, but they more than likely would have made
it anyway with a plethora of talent. The rest of the group remains talented,
but lacks the big names that would draw a lot of attention to their matches
outside of their respective countries. A storyline to follow will be if Mexican
superstar Chicharito remains on the roster after being injured and left off the
roster in a pivotal qualifying game in November.
Predicted to Move On: Brazil and Mexico
Players to Watch: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Neymar, Thiago
Silva, Maicon (Brazil), Chicharito (Mexico)
Group
B:
Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia
The defending World Cup champions, Spain, take on the
runner-up from that year, Netherlands, in a strong group. Those two teams are
perennial contenders, and are joined by underrated Chile and Australia squads.
The Spain-Netherlands game is going to be one to watch, no matter your team
alliance. An interesting storyline to follow leading up to the World Cup will
be the decisions Spain manager Vicente del Bosque makes regarding his immense
depth at every position.
Predicted to Move On: Spain and the Netherlands
Players to Watch: Iker Casillas, Andrés Iniesta, Fernando
Torres (Spain), Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands),
Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sánchez (Chile)
Group
C: Colombia,
Japan, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Greece
This is a group that is really up for grabs, with no real
frontrunners as of now. It does not have the star power of other groups, but
should provide some solid matches. Ivory Coast looks to make a big run, as
their so-called “Golden Era” may be coming to a close with their premier talent
all getting up there in age.
Predicted to Move On: Colombia and Cote d’Ivoire
Players to Watch: Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Didier Drogba,
Yaya Touré, Gervinho (Cote d’Ivoire), Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda (Japan)
Group
D:
Uruguay, England, Italy, Costa Rica
The odd-man out in this group is Costa Rica, as they face
some stiff competition. Italy won the World Cup in 2006 and has been
rejuvenated. Uruguay finished fourth in the last World Cup and had the
tournaments “Best Player Award” in Diego Forlán on their squad that year.
England is always a threat as well.
Predicted to Move On: Italy and Uruguay
Players to Watch: Diego Forlán, Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Wayne
Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Wilfred Zaha (England), Mario Balotelli, Gianluigi
Buffon, Stephan El Shaarawy (Italy)
Group
E: Ecuador,
France, Switzerland, Honduras
France headlines this group of underrated teams. This group
actually has three teams in the FIFA World Rankings Top 25: Ecuador at 23, France
at 20, and Switzerland at number 8. In fact, Switzerland is currently ranked
higher than Brazil, the Netherlands and England. This group may lack star
power, but it has plenty of good team play.
Predicted to Move On: France and Switzerland
Players to Watch: Antonia Valencia (Ecuador), Olivier
Giroud, Samir Nasri, Franck Ribéry (France)
Group
F:
Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nigeria, Iran
Group F is Argentina’s group to lose. If they do not finish
first, it will be seen as a major upset. This group just lacks play that is
strong enough to pose any sort of challenge to “The White and Sky Blue”.
Argentina also has one of the best players in the world on their team in Lionel
Messi.
Predicted to Move On: Argentina and Nigeria
Players to Watch: Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Victor
Moses (Nigeria), Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Group
G:
Portugal, Germany, Ghana, United States of America
The much talked-about “Group of Death”. Four strong teams
vying for only two spots to the next round. Portugal almost did not make it to
the World Cup, but thanks to heroics from possibly the most famous footballer
since David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, they beat Sweden to punch their ticket.
Germany is number two in the FIFA World Rankings, the USA has shown rapid
improvement since the last World Cup, and Ghana is a constant pain in the sides
of US soccer fans everywhere, knocking out the Stars and Stripes in the past
two World Cups.
Predicted to Move On: Germany and Portugal
Players to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo, João Moutinho
(Portugal), Kevin-Prince Boateng, Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Thomas Müller, Per
Mertesacker, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Özil (Germany), Tim Howard, Clint
Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, Graham Zusi (USA)
Group
H:
Algeria, Belgium, Russia, Korea Republic
If this group looks odd, that would be because it is.
Algeria is mostly known for being the team that the USA beat in the last World
Cup on a thrilling Landon Donovan goal. Not much is known about the Russian and
Korean teams, as they are made up primarily of players that play for hometown
clubs. Korea plays with a lot of speed, which could provide intense moments.
Belgium is the favorite to take the top spot in this group.
Predicted to Move On: Belgium and Russia
Players to Watch: Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Saphir Taider
(Algeria), Christian Benteke, Romelu Lukaku, Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard
(Belgium)
Who
Will Win The World Cup?
Teams like Brazil, Portugal, Belgium, and even the United
States make strong cases to be the predicted winner. But it will come down to
two teams: Germany and Spain. Germany has a core of talent that is unique.
Germany’s Mesut Özil is in the conversation for Best Player in the World with
players like Messi and Ronaldo. However, Spain’s raw talent, immense depth at
all positions, and especially experience, will help the Spaniards claim their
second straight World Cup title. Brazil’s Neymar will take home the “Golden
Ball” for best player, with Özil coming in second and Luis Suárez coming in
third for the award.
 |
| Spain celebrates their 2010 World Cup victory |
Who was left out?
There are, of course, some very talented players whose
national teams just do not play as well as they do. Gareth Bale of Wales may
never get to a World Cup due to Wales lack of talent for the foreseeable
future. Branislav Ivanović is a great defender for Chelsea of the English
Premier League, but he is one of a kind in his native Serbia, where homegrown
talent is not common. Petr Čech of the Czech
Republic, once considered to be the best goalie in the world, is getting old,
and this may have been his last shot at a World Cup. Possibly the best player
to not be in this years World Cup is Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimović. “Ibra”, as he
is known, was denied his shot at the world stage by Cristiano Ronaldo and
Portugal in an epic playoff, in which Ronaldo scored three goals, while Zlatan
tallied two. Ibrahimović is 32 and may have seen his last chance at a World Cup
slip away. He said it himself, “One thing is
for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch. Congratulations to
Portugal, but both teams deserved to get to the World Cup.” (http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/20/zlatan-ibrahimovic-world-cup-not-worth-watching-without-me) It is a shame we will not see some of the games best on the
grandest stage of them all.
 |
| Swedish national team captain Zlatan Ibrahimović |
The 2014 World Cup kicks off on June 12, 2014 and will be
must watch television. I repeat, DO NOT MISS IT.
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