A League of Their Own

I think that Kit did not deserve to get the winning hit and score. I am not sure if it was a genuine mistake but I don't think that Dottie meant for it to happen. I feel like Kit was constantly complaining and blaming everyone else for things that were effecting her. It was said that the Peaches lost just so that Kit could win for the other team.

They were discriminated in many ways. They were forced to wear skirts just so that more Boys would come to games and watch them for eye candy. Also people didn't believe that girls could play baseball so they just figured maybe something entertaining could come out of it. Mr. Harvey even was going to close the league just because the boys would be coming back to play.

My favorite part was when Jim Dugan took revenge on the little kid right outside of the Dugout. I thought that part was funny.

Gender

I do not think that women have equality in sports because in most people's minds, Men sports are more intense and more thrilling to watch. Men hit each other harder and play more physically so in theory people are more intrigued to watch those sports. Women do have more publicity in some sports but overall they do not have equality in sports.

After the Best Race of His Life, a Horse's Death

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/sports/after-his-lifes-best-race-death-of-horse-arcadius.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
5/15/12

Summary:
The steeplechase horse Arcadius, a thoroughbred won a race including three miles and eighteen hurdles. Two minutes after the Jockey unequipped the horse, it died. Steps from the finish line where he seemed to have so much life. He passed away right there and it was definitely a sad sight to see.

Significance:
This Horse that passed away recently worked so hard to achieve this goal. I think that they worked the horse a little too hard even to the point of death. It shows that if you push someone or something too hard, they might just give out. It shows that you should work hard but you don't have to kill yourself trying.

Question:
How will the Owner of the Horse deal with this?

Alternate Heading:
Horse Dies After Intense Win

Miracle Questions

It was such a big deal that they beat the Soviets because the Soviets were the best team in the world and they lost to the Soviets two weeks prior. It was also important that they beat the Soviets to move on in the Olympics. In order to show that they were a good enough team, they needed to keep or and even beat the best in the world.

Herb Brooks was such a good coach because he was extremely serious about all parts of the game. He knew what he wanted to accomplish and never went easy on his athletes. He is also a good coach because he was part of that family. He had connections with the players and other coaches that were so important for the teams success as a family.

I liked the fact that all the players were determined to win and all of the action that occurred during the games that they played made the movie very fun to watch.

Tight, Hard-Hitting Series Is Nothing New to Rangers

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/sports/hockey/for-rangers-a-tight-hard-hitting-series-is-nothing-new.html?ref=todayspaper#
5/7/12

Summary:
The Rangers are not surprised that series against the Capitals is tied. This is how the playoffs are and momentum swings. Washington is proving to be a very tough competitor for the Rangers and it will definitely be a challenge for them during the up and coming games.

Significance:
This is very significant in the fact that it proves that you do not need to be the top seed to win it all. Washington is seeded 7th compared to the Rangers 1st seed and they are tied with a 2-2 split. The Capitals can definitely win this if they put their minds to it. In the end, seeds really don't mean a lot in the competition aspect.

Question:
Will the Rangers end of losing the series?

Alternate Heading:
Stronger Seeds are Not Always the Best Bloomers.

Uninvited, Phillies Fans Still March In

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/sports/baseball/nationals-fail-to-halt-invasion-of-phillies-fans.html?ref=todayspaper
5/7/2012

Summary:
In August of 2011, the Nationals played the Phillies in the series and it was crazy how many of the fans were supporters of the Phillies. About 80% were Phillies fans and the chief operating officer Andrew Feffer decided to roll out the unwelcome mat. They decided to begin a Take Back the Park campaign in an effort to bring Nationals fans in a keep Phillies fans out. Phillies fans took this as a challenge.

Significance: This is extremely important because it shows how even the fans are part of the team in the fact that they support the team greatly and that people do care about the fans. Phillies fans are paying customers so their noisy presence is usually tolerated but Feffer thought it was too much. It is important to have most of your own fans at the home games.

Quesiton:
How far will Feffer go with this campaign?

Alternate Heading:
Phillies Fans Invade Washington

Race in Sports

There is really no racial division amongst sports. Many sports are really based off of talent. In some situations, black athletes are better than whites but then again sometimes whites are better than blacks. It is the same thing with all other types of race. It is really more of an individual thing nowadays and talent is really what people look for. I couldn't really name a sport where one race dominates the scene.

Knicks' Lin Reports Soreness in Knee

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/sports/basketball/knicks-jeremy-lin-reports-soreness-in-knee.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
4/30/12

Summary:
Jeremy Lin, a very famous player on the New York Knicks, especially during one part of the season has been reporting that his knee is very sore. A day after playing one-on-one for the first time, he said that he still has some soreness which is an indication that he needs more time to recover. It has been about five weeks since Lin played, and he needs time to get into game shape.

Significance:
Jeremy Lin is one of the Knicks prominent players this season. He had to go to surgery in early April to deal with a small meniscus tear and luckily is ahead of schedule for recovery. He is one of those players who the Knicks at many times this season have relied on to help win certain games. They are looking for him to play in these crucial playoff games so that they would have more of a fighting chance against the Miami Heat.

Question:
How well will Lin even do if he did come back as soon as possible.

Alternate Title:
As the Knicks are Sore in Need for Lin, He Still Reports a Sore Knee

'We're Not Really Bad Kids'

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/sports/carroll-academy-basketball-were-not-really-bad-kids.html?ref=todayspaper
4/16/12

Summary:
Carroll Academy in Huntington, Tennessee has tried to deal with at risk adolescents who need help and guidance. They do have sport teams but are usually disappointed as they do not have any fans or family to come cheer them on at their games. They are usually alone on the court with no real support from any outsiders. This article just describes the whole idea and mission of the school and how some of their students are effected.

Significance:
There are students who use sports as therapy and to get away from their life at home. They show people that there is that hard side and there are people who are definitely struggling. These kids are down deep and all they want is some support. It would make them feel better.

Question:
Will they try to make it easier for kids to cope with this problem?

Alternate Heading:
These Kids are Not as Bad as they Seem.

MurderBall

My favorite part was when Joe started to appreciate his life and started to not be so harsh with his son and etc.

I feel like Zupan was one of the most inspirational characters because he did not really make it look like he was paralyzed which makes him very strong and he seemed like he could deal with it pretty well.

They wanted us to get that people are going through this everyday but it is not the end of the world and that we should keep fighting through our problems because we can make a difference.

I would because I thought that it was a good documentary and I really enjoyed it.

Source Check

Michael Oher Sources

Source 1

· URL:

o http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-04-23-michael-oher-cover_N.htm

· Title:

o From homeless to the NFL: Oher's journey to draft unique

· Summary:

o Michael Oher started off as a homeless boy who really did not have much. It was evident that there were many issues with his life, early in his life. He had to pursuit a lot with the help of other in order to accomplish something bigger than he could even dream of achieving.

· Projection:

o I will be using this article to get a general idea for some of my information about Michael Oher and his road to glory. Facts about his Child hood and about when he started

Source 2

· URL:

o http://abcnews.go.com/2020/BlindSide/blind-side-michael-oher-story/story?id=9390739#.T4ZX8-ZOHqY

· Title:

o “The Blind Side” How Michael Oher made it

· Summary:

o This article gives a broad overview of some of the things that happened to Michael Oher throughout his life. It starts off with a description of Michael and then goes to talk about his History. It also goes into detail about the Tuohy’s and how the contributed to all of this.

· Projection:

o I can really use this source to my advantage as it includes many quotes in which I can incorporate into this project. It gives many details about what actually occurred and give the reader a better understanding of what Michael went through.

Source 3

· URL:

o http://www.biography.com/people/michael-oher-547478

· Title:

o Michael Oher Biography

· Summary:

o Michael started off as a poor uneducated kid who did not show much talent. He had no father figure and his mother was addicted to drugs. The Tuohys then swooped in an gave him hope.

· Projection:

o Although this article gives me a more broad perspective, it also has some details that not many of the other sources could have had. It also categorizes different parts of Oher’s life into chapters making it easier to organize the timeline for which things occurred.

Source 4

· URL:

o http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/02/08/133590180/beyond-the-blind-side-michael-oher-rewrites-his-own-story

· Title

o Beyond 'The Blind Side,' Michael Oher Rewrites His Own Story

· Summary:

o This article talks about how Michael Oher rewrote his story and made it very personal. This idea gave him control to do a lot with the story and enabled him to put a lot of passion and heart into it. It also was not to show kids that it could happen to anyone but instead try to show that it most likely wont happen to everyone and that they have to work really hard to pursuit their dreams

· Projection:

o This really provides a lot of information about the other side of the story in which Oher can tell it for himself. Quotes and other info can be very useful from this site.

On Easter Sunday, Tebow Is a Headliner

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/sports/football/tebow-draws-thousands-to-an-easter-service-in-texas.html?ref=todayspaper
4/9/12

Summary:
Tim Tebow fans embraced the opportunity to spend Easter with their new Jets finery at an outdoor service that drew thousands of worshipers this past Sunday. People who have been following the Broncos all of their life actually said that they would stick with Tebow because he is a decent human being and you don't find that a lot.

Significance:
Tim Tebow is trying to be a good role model and figure for many young children. During one of his interviews, Tebow said "My biggest prayer is to kind of make that cool again, for a high school kid to get on a knee and pray and it’s not something that’s unique or different and that it’s O.K. to be outspoken about your faith,”. He is a huge role model for many and more people should strive to be more like him.

Question:
How well will Tebow do as a part of the Jets franchise?

Alternate Heading:
Tebow Proves to be More Religious than We Thought

After Late Start, Runner is Speeding Through Records

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/sports/runner-kathy-martin-60-is-speeding-through-records.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
4/2/12

Summary:
Kathy Martin, a 60 year old woman, ran a 3,000 meter race the other day and completed it in a record time. She completed the race in 11 minutes 16.5 seconds, a time 13 seconds faster than any 60-year-old woman had run before. She was noted as one of the most remarkable female distance runners in the world.

Significance:
This 60-year-old woman took it upon herself to work at something physically challenging and ran 3,000 meter race in a record time. She is a great symbol for all out there and she is really an inspiration for people who want to stay physically active in sports.

Question:
Will she continue competing in track meets?

Alternate Title:
An Inspiration to All, this One Woman Shows us that She is not "Too" Old

For 66 Years, a Force for Judo in the United States

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/sports/san-jose-coach-yoshihiro-uchida-a-force-for-judo.html?ref=todayspaper#
4/2/12

Summary:
A man named Yoshihiro Uchida celebrated is 92nd birthday this past Sunday. For 66 years, he has been coaching Judo at San Jose State University. He came to build up the program into a national power and has elevated the visibility of Judo in the United States.

Significance:
The Significance of this story is that this man was determined to work hard and achieve many goals in his life. He was able to work towards his goals and achieve a lot because of his determination. Because of his efforts, many other can now follow this great example and do more.

Question:
How much longer will Uchida coach his team?

Alternate Title:
Almost a Century Old yet Still Going Strong.

Tim Richmond

I learned that AIDS is not as bad as everyone thinks it is. It is still a dangerous disease and should still be watched out for but you should not be scared of something until you really know about it.

He didn't tell anyone about his illness because he was afraid of all the bad publicity and did not want people to fear him because of his disease.

I think that it was his decision to either tell people or not. I do not know what I would have done if I was in his situation but I think that the paranoia would be over-exaggerated.

Jimmy V Awards

Kevin Everett was awarded the Jimmy V award for perseverance at the 2008 ESPY Awards for his heroic recovery from the neck injury that threatened his chances of walking again, defying the odds and never giving up

Anthony Robles was awarded the Jimmy V award for his heroic triumph in the sport of wrestling and won the NCAA individual championship despite the fact that he was only born with one leg.

Summitt Retains Her Essence but Lets Go of the Reins

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/sports/ncaabasketball/assistants-step-up-to-support-tennessees-summitt.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
3/26/12

Summary:
An announcement came last summer that Summitt had early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Her assistant noticed that she was hesitant, confused, and forgetful a lot of the time the year before and was curious about what was going on.

Significance:
This coach, who won eight national titles has an issue that they have to deal with. It is important to note this because they have to change around coaching orders and give her less responsibilities. They help her out when they can but in all honesty they decide to take over many of her roles on the team.

Question:
How long will Summit be part of the team for while in this condition?

Alternate Heading:
Summit is Starting to Forget Her Place on the Team.

Hank Gathers

I was upset listening to the story of Hank Gathers because he was a very good ball player and he didn't deserve to pass away the way that he did.

I do not blame the coach for Hank's death. I feel like it was Hank's decision and effort to try and play for the team and he should have known to stay away for his own good health.

Natural Essay

Topic 2, Roy Hobbs struggles with many internal and external conflicts

Three avenues
1. Roy's relationship with women (Memo, Iris, etc.)
2. People who put a lot of pressure on him (Pop, Max Mercy, Otto, Gus, Judge)
3. His own paranoia and superstition. (Wonder boy, Bump's Shadow, The Slump)

Inspirational Stories

I feel that the most inspirational story was the one of Team Hoyt. That man was determined to raise his son like any other child and try to make his life a lot better than he thought. He ran so many marathons and other events pushing and pulling his son along through the race knowing that his son was enjoying every moment of it. I felt like he was the biggest hero because he never gave up and achieved many goals. He even set records and that makes this story the most inspirational of the three.

Best News for the Mets: These Stats Don’t Count

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/sports/baseball/mets-have-worst-record-in-spring-training.html?ref=todayspaper
3/19/12

Summary:
The Mets just have not won any of their last nine league games but luckily for them, it is only the spring training season. This means that the games do not really count but it still causes the organization to worry about their team's success. They are looking for some positive signs in order to ensure that the Mets will not have such a terrible season.

Significance:
Although spring training is a time for warm-ups, and trying new stances and pitching grips, it is also a time in which the owners can evaluate their teams efforts and chances for success throughout the season. They are worried that this losing streak is a sign that the Mets will not have as good of a season as they thought.

Question:
Will the Mets bounce back from this losing streak?

Alternate Title:
The Mets are Not Looking as Strong as They Should.

A Changed Coach Emerges From a Career in Ruins

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/sports/ncaabasketball/coach-larry-eustachy-completes-long-road-back.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
3/14/12

Summary:
Larry Eustachy, coach of The University of Southern Mississippi's men's basketball team, has comeback doing what he loves to do. He even made the N.C.A.A tournament this year with his team. Since leaving Iowa State, he has been treated for alcoholism, has remarried, and returned to coaching.

Significance:
Larry Eustachy, a college basketball coach, comes back after losing everything. He needed to experience the sting of embarrassment to finally put him on the right path and he has made many of his own adjustments to better himself.

Question:
Will he be able to take his team to the Championship?

Alternate Heading:
Coach is back in his true environment

Teams Could Be Held Liable for Injuries Traced to Bounties

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/sports/football/nfl-bounties-could-lead-to-lawsuits.html?ref=todayspaper
3/5/2012

Summary:
This article describes how players from the Saints could be held liable in court if an opponent can prove that a member of the Saints injured him on a play that is outside the norm for football.

Significance:
The Saints players could probably be held accountable for their actions and might even cause other teams/players to not want to involve themselves with this idea. There is a lot of legal exposure in this case and it could change many things in the NFL.

Question:
Was there actually a bounty?

Alternate Title:
Lawyers could finally tackle recent injury suspicions in the NFL

Criminal Athletes: Steroids

• What reasons does Phil Taylor give for allowing athletes to take performance enhancing drugs? (PEDs)
• The fact that athletes would be extremely good at what they do and the fact that all of these criminal prosecutions and accusations would end.
  

• Why does he reference Ryan Braun, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Lance Armstrong? What do they have in common? (besides that they were investigated).
• He references them in order to give examples of what he is talking about. Something that they all had in common is that they all came away with minor punishments.
  

• What is the purpose of Phil Taylor's editorial? What is he saying about the world of performance enhance
• He wants to talk about the effects of it and of certain circumstances in which it has caused problems. Overall PED is not good.
  

Michael Vick Q+A

How did the public and the media react to Vick's crimes?
The mainstream media has seized the opportunity to demonize Vick to the extreme, even calling him a “fascist.”

What argument does the author make about addiction?
He said that addictions would be treated with diverse methods ranging from medical to re-education, not incarceration.

What does the author say is the difference between Black athletes and White Athletes?
With white athletes, if they did something wrong, the story would be a come and go kind of thing. With Black athletes, their stories would dominate the media.

What hypocrisy does the author bring up?
The fact that police were able to kill pets that were separated from their owners but Vick got into trouble for it was hypocrisy.

What reference does the author make about Bush and Cheney?
He talks about how they were not arrested for killing so many Iraqis, Afghanistan, and U.S soldiers.

Re-read the last paragraph of the article. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
I disagree in the sense that Michael Vick could have stopped what he was doing as he is a millionaire and did not need to do what he did.

Yankees' Pitchers Built for the Gridiron, at Home on the Mound

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/sports/baseball/yankees-pitchers-built-for-gridiron-at-home-on-the-mound.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
February 27, 2012

Summary:
Basically this article explains how the Yankees take a particular interest in big, hulking pitchers who look daunting from 60 feet 6 inches away; that is the distance from the pitchers mound to home plate. There are nine pitchers who are taller than 6 feet that play for the Yankees. In the article, the writer goes on about certain stats and what people really think of those pitchers.

Significance:
The significance of this article is the fact that the Yankees follow the saying the bigger, the better. They feel that height has huge significance to the performance that comes out of certain people so they feel that it is necessary to have these players on their team.

Question:
What do the fans think about this?

Alternate Heading:
The Yankees Really Feel that "Bigger" is Better

"Comeback Athletes

Michael Vick
He went to Prison for illegal dog fighting and now plays for the Eagles.

Tiger Woods
Sex scandal caused many problems and is currently back playing golf

Plaxico Burress
Shot himself in the foot and went away and now is the Wide Receiver of the Jets.

Jimmy Morris
Signed with the Brewers in 1982 but went through several injuries and was released. He then went to teaching and coaching and promised his team that he would try out again if they went to the playoffs. He eventually made it to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and pitched for two years.

Kim Clijsters
In 2007 she announced her immediate retirement from the sport, cutting the season short and hanging up her racket age the ripe old age of 23. She came back and is currently one of the best.

In Season of Loss, Nazareth’s Girls Keep Winning

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/sports/basketball/in-season-of-loss-brooklyns-nazareth-girls-team-keeps-winning.html?ref=todayspaper
Feb 13

Summary:
The Nazareth High School basketball team in Brooklyn, NY is still on a roll after one devastating loss. Their coach died on January 3 yet the girls kept going with the season. They have been doing really well being ranked No. 15 nationally and now it is said that they are the team to beat.

Significance:
It is important to note that the team is working really hard for their coach who sadly passed away during the season. They all went to his funeral and now play for him. They want to finish the season off well for the memory of their coach. Their determination will get them places.

Question:
Will they make it all the way?

Alternate Title:
The Coach of Nazareth's Girl is Close By

At the Buzzer, It’s All Lin

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/sports/basketball/at-the-buzzer-its-all-jeremy-lin-as-knicks-edge-raptors.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Feb 13, 2012

Summary:
Jeremy Lin is the talk of the town. He is an upcoming legend and in the past couple of weeks has the most selling jersey in the league compared to big time stars like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. The Knicks played on Tuesday night and Lin was able to make a comeback and lead his team to win the game with only a little time left.

Significance:
An up and coming player starts to become a star as he shows his true talent on the court. The Knicks, who haven't been doing so well this season get hope and look forward to doing something with all of the talent that they now discovered they have on the team.

Question
Will Lin be one of the best in the league?

Alternate heading:
The Knicks are FeelLin Hopeful

Help for the Rangers Waits in the Wings at Boston College

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/sports/hockey/rangers-top-pick-makes-strides-at-boston-college.html?ref=todayspaper
Feb 6, 2012

Summary:
The Rangers are looking for a fast and powerful forward with a scoring touch and they are looking at Boston College in order to get that certain someone. A man named Chris Kreider was the Rangers' first -round draft pick in 2009 and will be part of the team at the end of his college season.

Significance:
The Rangers are looking for fresh legs so that their team could be stronger. A student named Chris Kreider who plays for Boston College right now would really help out the team. It is important to note that Kreider was wanted his sophomore year and decided to stay in college for another year. It is interesting because he is debating that same decision today

Question
Will he definitely go to the Rangers this year?

Alternate Title
The Rangers Hope that Kreider Will Skip His Senior Year.

Spirit of a Racer in a Dogs Blood

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/sports/spirit-of-a-racer-in-a-siberian-huskys-blood.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Feb 6, 2012

Summary:
This Article is about a dog sled racing . There are many famous dogs that are mentioned in this article include a dog named Winnie. Winnie is one amazing racer and even has her own routine before each and every race. She has been racing with her co-owner Diane Baskin Wright along with many other famous dogs. It goes into great detail about a meet/race that was held recently.

Significance:
This article talks about a team of sled dogs who are very famous in that community. There are many controversies and other issues with this sport that go on, that most people in America would not have even heard of. It is very interesting how much effort and time people put into this sport that they are extremely passionate about.

Question:
How much freedom do these dogs really have?

Alternate Heading:
Dogs Work to get What They Want

Role Models

I think many Athletes should be considered role models based on the fact that they followed their dreams and achieved their goals. It really depends on the situation because some Athletes are very stupid and can be complete jerks. Overall athletes can be considered as role models because they are very successful doing something that they love.

Final Topic Choice

The Life of Lawrence Taylor

For Patriots and Giants, a Shared Priority

NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/sports/football/giants-defensive-line-has-tom-brady-in-its-crosshairs.html?ref=todayspaper
Jan 31, 2012

Summary:
This article basically talks about the match-up that is coming up in the Super Bowl between the NY Giants and the New England Patriots. A common topic of concern deals with the protection of Tom Brady against the Strong New York Giants' pass rushers. That is going to be where the focus lies during this huge rematch that occurred in the 2007 season.

Significance:
This article is really significant because in the last Superbowl the 5 sacks that the Giants inflicted on Tom Brady really did change the momentum of the game. It was probably one of the most prominent parts of the game and so both teams are trying to focus especially on that.

Question
Are the Patriots favored to keep the Giants away, or are the Giants favored to sack Brady as much as they say they will?

Alternate Heading:
The Giants pass rushers are raging bulls, and Tom Brady is the red cape.