Winter Show!

Now its winter break... WHAT IS THERE TO DO!? Well, of course, in spirit of sports, I have made a list of "To Watch" games during winter break. Maybe if you start watching those, possibly you would want to go one of our school's game. =)

SO HERE I GO!

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers
Thursday 12/25/08 5:00 pm EST
A rematch of the NBA Finals. Will the Lakers finally match up with the Celtics with Bynum healthy? Or will they collapse as they have against Orlando and Miami? We will see!

Anaheim Ducks at Dallas Stars
Saturday 12/27/08 8:00 pm EST
The Ducks can have revenge for their miserable loss in the playoff last year against the struggling Stars. Will there be fights! Oh shall there be.

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Sunday 12/28/08 1:00 pm EST
Watch this to see the first possible 0-16 team (Lions) ever in NFL History! It might not be on local stations, but make sure to check on the results... It's a perfect season of failure!

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
Sunday 12/28/08 8:15 pm EST
Will the Chargers clinch or will the Broncos clinch? Watch our home team and see who makes it to the playoffs. After both teams played so horribly this year, maybe for once they will play like they are suppose to. !!!

#5 USC vs #6 Penn State (Rose Bowl)
Thursday 01/01/09 5:00 pm EST
Its USC. Enough Said.

Now, although MLB is in its off-season, the Angels should at least show some type of developing deal with a free-agent/trade. The team's pitching is dominant even with the loss of K-Rod, so the organization just needs a patient, consistent hitter like Mark Teixeira. But with the likes of him not being signed, this off-season might be a horrible one for the Angels. Oh joy. For Dodgers fans, just hope you can get Manny back.

Oh, sorry Padres and Clippers fans... Your teams have been subtly thrown out of the spotlight. My advice: Get better!

Uh-oh!

Now, if you were into baseball like I am, you would be disappointed to hear about K-Rod signing with the New York Mets. I am proud to have watched him for the last six years dominating our opponents. That nasty slider and flaming fastball. And then there was Salmon, Anderson, Percival, and him during the 2002 World Series run... wooo some good stuff right there. Jeez, I will truly miss him. But the sports industry is all about business and I respect his decision.

But simply enough, winter sports has already started!!! Soccer and Basketball. If you could care less... WOW. Soccer has a huge fanbase internationally and basketball is super flashy in the States. DID YOU NOT SEE LEBRON DO THE MAILMAN? OMG.

Support your teams. Homecoming is coming soon, so watch a preview by coming to the games!

Babies!! Babies!

Dodgeball for Babies is THIS FRIDAY. By going to the event, you will help donate to March of Dimes, a foundation dedicated to preventing premature birth and infant mortality. You can help bring awareness and enjoy hardcore dodgeball at the same time! To even emphasize more about how this is FOR BABIES, watch some baby clips below!

Baby Bruce Lee


He got moves!


FOR THE BABIES!

Star Power

So the Lakers have the record 6-0. TOO EASY. Congrats to them.

A clear distinction I see with their success is the depth of their team. Each player from Kobe Bryant to Chris Mihm has a distinct contribution to the team. Whether its the slashing of Trevor Ariza or the leadership of Derek Fisher, no one is the dictator. Everyone needs to be contributing and to be pushing themselves to win.

When a team doesn't, well it doesn't work out well. As with the dysfunctional 49ers, new head coach Singletary ranted, "I want winners. I want people that want to win." You don't need 5 Kobe Bryants on a starting lineup or 9 Alex Rodriguez on a batting lineup to win. You need the players that are determined to win or at least players that are going to show what they are made of. Or else, they are quitters.

So, don't fear a team with just one star player. You aren't destined to lose because of him or her. If you look at the Lakers couple years ago where Kobe Bryant was pretty much the dictator of the team, they didn't even make it to the playoffs. You have those few exceptions though like King James and his Cavaliers. He's just a beast.

Anyway, a team with better chemistry and more determined to win can beat teams that have the star player and the helpers. But if you have to go against a team that is fueled with uber talent like the Big Three of the Celtics, well good luck on beating that.

Cheering is fun!

If you didn't come out and support Senior Night for the Girls Volleyball team... SHAME. ON. YOU. You missed out on a great game. The intensity of the crowd and the players on the court were on fire for the entire night. It felt like we had the best team in world.

Now if I had to compare this game to an MLB baseball game and tonight's varsity game, I have to say, this game was at least as good as the Angel's home games I have been to. There are some pretty big differences in what makes baseball and volleyball exciting, but as a fan for most sports (sorry soccer and boxing), I really really liked it.

Baseball have those special moments and coolness. The intensity of the game builds after every inning, after every batter on base. The food at the stadiums are surprisingly of all sorts from BBQ to Italian to Chinese even. You can sit back in your seat, watch the game at ease, and celebrate whenever. Patience is key to enjoy this type of game. With many games waiting for the pitcher to finally throw the dang ball, it takes some time before things start moving along. Sometimes a game might end up going 0-0 by 7th inning stretch while it can be 14-21. It can be really unpredictable, there are so many variables to the game that can cause an out to a home run, You just never know!

Volleyball, at least tonight, was fun. From how I saw it, every move a player made affected the game and when the other five players are included, all different scenarios could happen. Unlike football and basketball, every point counts. A football team is willing to give up a field goal than a touchdown and a basketball team usually quit defending fast break plays. But because a volleyball team needs to hit 25 points, everything is important. You cannot give freebies in this game. Thats probably why the game and the fans were so intense.

Now, I haven't played baseball actively since 3rd grade and volleyball, well, never. So I see the game in a different light than probably someone that plays it today. No matter what, in any sport, cheering is important for any team. The timing and style of cheering is different for every sport, from the light clapping in golf and from the beastly yelling in football. But either fashion, players feed off the energy from the fans. It showed tonight as our team won. Don't be lazy when you go to a game, thats selfish. Have fun. If they see you having fun, they probably will too.

Delay of Game :[

It sucks when we can't watch or play games because of mother nature. Yeah the last two days, no World Series. BIG BOOHOO. It reminds me of freshman year of golf, there were at least three straight weeks of rain on the day of the scheduled matches. NO FUN THERE!

Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if everything is indoors. Basketball does it. Hockey does it. Minnesota Twins can open and close their rooftop. A few football stadiums does too. Scientists make sure all the unwanted variables in an experiment isn't there, why can't it be the same for all of sports. Sure there are some elements you would want to keep like the loud/quiet fans, the wonderful referees, and the different scenery of the stadiums. But the weather that can dramatically change the pace and style of game like snow, rain, and humidity, shouldn't be there.

I remember one football game that the rain was pouring so much, that an incomplete throw made a football stuck into the mud without a single bounce. The field was so bad, offenses tried to pass and run in areas where there was better grounding for the sake of players not falling over in mud. Also there was a baseball game that it was so humid, tons of mosquitoes were everywhere completely distracting the players on the field. With his concentration ruined, the pitcher was slaughtered horribly by the offense.

But in reality, I doubt anything will push professional teams to enforce indoor gaming. Baseball and football teams have been dealing with all kinds of weather conditions for decades, there is no reason for them to stop now. It can even be considered to be like a tradition to play in games like that. And traditions in sports are pretty much never broken.

So, usually delay or suspension of games are generally no fun. Planning is wasted and the hype is non-existent. So respect the games indoor, usually they are able to be played through, no matter the condition outside. It doesn't mean it won't be better than an outside game, it's just something you can always count on to watch. SO........ GO TO THE HOME GAMES GUYS. Support!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

and children make up the people in the world.

Anyway, I'm here again with details on flag football. Unfortunately I could only plan it to be one day, November 13 after school from about 3 to 4. I've been trying to get it to be a best two out of three series but it's simply impossible to work around intramural and high school soccer practices to get three days free.

Each grade will (if not already) receive one sign up sheet. More details will be on that sheet. There are even more extensive details like location and rules on the GameDay website here.

So start forming up your teams now! Good luck to all!

Flag Football

Hey this is Stanley. I am the GameDay website administrator and first time poster on the very awesome Patriot Blitz!

Anyway I'm just here to let you guys know that a flag football game (or games? :O) is being planned right now and will be coming soon! Each grade will have one team and seniors will play against juniors and sophomores will play against freshmen. So start making your teams! More details will arrive soon!

Give me a break of that Kit-Kat bar!

After taking the SAT this last Saturday, I realized how BOMBDIGGITY breaks are. Even if its just five minutes, those few moments I get to relax and then realize all the mistakes I made in the previous section. NOOOOO!

But to the point, breaks are really really helpful. Just a few seconds you can re boost your mental and physical endurance. If Kobe Bryant and his Black Mambas take breaks, it probably is smart that you do too.

Even a bunch of college programs forces breaks and test their athletes' body temperature to make sure it isn't too high. They pay big bucks to keep the students safe because some kids just can't seem to tell when to stop. That's why once in awhile you hear about an athlete dying from a heat stroke in American Football or Soccer.

Now that doesn't mean taking a two hour break after a few rounds of hoop will be beneficial. Just don't push yourself too hard. You know your body better than anyone. Like I said before in previous posts, play hard but play smart. With this weather we're having, jeez anything can happen. ITS WINTER AND ITS SOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOT. Help me :(

No, not cool.

When you come across a story like of Richard Collier, it's terrible to hear. Even if he was hardly known throughout the professional league, too often are stories like those are popping up in the professional league.

There's Javon Walker.
Sean Taylor.
Darrent Williams.
Josh Hancock.
Eddie Griffin.
To name a few, just in 2007 and 2008.

Now, it isn't just players in football or is it always African-American. But to point out, it is foolish to take advantage of so much talent and drain it all away with bad decisions.

If you look or don't look at the articles, here is a good set of rules to follow.

1) Clubbing, especially past 1:00am. (Don't you think a bunch of crazy drunks will be out then?)
2) Booze, Pot, any other illegal drugs. (If you do drugs for stupid reasons, you don't deserve to be my friend)
3) Rich? Don't show off and mock others with that. (You put yourself vulnerable to mugging and attacks)
4) You don't need any of the first three points. (Yup yup)

It probably is very very obvious that you should follow those points. Your parents nag at you all the time and it is common sense. But if grown men who probably have aren't that stupid does it, you never know. So LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS and DON'T DO DRUGS or else you aren't cool =(.

Do you know about the Floirda Marlins? Yes, they taste very good!

If you apparently haven't been watching the MLB, shame on you. The LA Angels and the LA Dodgers slapped their division opponents out and are heading to the playoffs.

There were a few big highlights during the season like the significance of Manny Ramirez and CC Sabathia with their respective teams, but there is one team that I would like to point out.

No, the team isn't in the playoff.
No, the team wouldn't be the Mets nor the Yankees.
Its the Flordia Marlins.

WHO!?

Yeah, beats me. The team is full of "Who's he?" players. They don't have any high-profile players. Except one of them is married to one, Misty May. Hardly any goes to their home games. It looks like 5,000 of the 45,000 seats are filled most of the time. And the days of them as MLB Champions seem to be thousands of years ago. Yeah, not too long ago they really they did win one, actually two!

But what is so special about them, even how HORRIBLE their fan base was, how UNTALENTED they seemed, and how LITTLE people knew about them... they almost made it into the playoffs. For majority of the season, they really had a chance and were a legitimate darkhorse in winning their division. Even though they didn't achieve the success most people consider, the championship, I'd say they were pretty successful and darn good. They made nothing into something.

It just comes to show that you don't need those amazing qualities that help you win the gold. Look at the Detroit Tigers. They had amazing amount of talent, a bunch of high-profiled name, a winning-determined management, and a strong fan base. And all of that led to them LAST PLACE of their division. You don't need the stuff to make an impact to your team. Just have a ton of fun, play hard, and be inspired. That's what the Marlins did.

Practice and Away game

Soccer practice started yesterday. Unfortunately, that means even fewer people will be coming out for volleyball conditioning. Only three people were there yesterday and its hard to have a real practice with so few people.

We did have a chance to practice with the girls for about half an hour, though. The guys did some limited blocking and also some hitting. We have to be careful because the net is much shorter than we are used to. Its not helpful to take full swings on a girls net because the girls are likely to see. It is their practice after all and they should be the priority.

I had the day off today from conditioning because the girls have an away game. I would always rather practice, but having a day to rest is nice. My legs have been stuff from all the jumping drills.

I am impatiently awaiting the next couple girl's games. I really do love to watch volleyball.

-Seth

Back to business

The girls volleyball team has been a little rocky in their past couple games. I talked to Victoria Hoang earlier and she says they really need to win. I completely agree, they need to get a win or the losses will pile up and the team will get discouraged.

I am rather empathetic after the boy's volleyball team did horrible last season. We had some of the same problems too. The girls have talent but are not playing together very well. They have little spurts where they play really well and talk a lot but then they have the opposite too. Its a hard problem to deal with. No one ever tries to lose but they may at times start to accept that nothing better may come.

Once they put it together, I know they will be good. I'll keep going to the games to support them and everyone else should try and make an effort too as well. We'll see what happens, I'll get the news about their game vs. Buena Park later.

-Seth

Dear disgruntled reader

I have a much needed day off today from volleyball practice. My legs are pretty much dead and probably everyone else is similarly tired.

Apparently a former graduate from OA is dissatisfied with my work and thinks all my volleyball articles are bad and I'm a terrible person and we need a new writer and all that good stuff. Everyone has a right to their opinion in a perfect world and I should be allowed one as well.

Criticism is good, actually, but only when it can have some sort of application for change. Oxford has no system of how to write sports articles except for the same old general articles the Gamut puts out. Those articles have to be general because they have can not instantly release something. GameDay articles can be put on as soon as they are done and should be more detail oriented. For better or worse, I like to write out all the details in my recaps because I want the reader to know everything. Even more so, it is the best way to write out a recap I have tried. Last year I had to experiment and this style came out on top. I have been doing extremely detailed recaps since last spring and up until this moment, the articles have been fine.

What I do not understand is being badgered at without an alternative. English class never prepared me to write sports, I have had to play things by ear. So by all means, please tell me what I can do better. What in your mind is necessary to include and what is not? Do you want objective or subjective? Would you like for me to describe to you the game in five sentences? Do you want my analysis on the game? Well, what is it? I was only told I sucked.

I follow athletes on every play and on every point. They have made the effort to come out and give it their all, I just try and give them credit for everything they do in the game.

Volleyball is my favorite sport and the only sport I have played throughout high school. So please, if I am doing a disservice to my fellow volleyball players, tell me how I may improve immediately!

Humbly,

-Seth

Keeps going and going and going...

You know what grinds my gears? The new facebook layout.
You know what else grinds my gears? Running!

Cross-country team, no offense, but I simply hate running. I'm fine running when in some kind of activity like running down the court playing basketball or sprinting pass a defensive back in football, but just simply running? Not my thing. See, I find the act of running as a physical, back-breaking exercise but after a few minutes I find it boring and a cause of my constant wheezing. I wheeze pretty easy because I wasn't evacuated during Hurricane Andrew (I was a baby in Florida), so I'm a sick little boy. :( Maybe thats why I'm not a fan of running. But still, I watched the running events in Olympics and it was pretty cool to watch the sprints, if I didn't blink my eyes. I don't want to sound harsh about running, I try to run/job/walk/crawl everyday so I don't get diabetes and high blood pressure like my entire family but, I can't seem to find any other motivation in doing so. Maybe you can change my pessimistic attitude. :)

Start of volleyball practice

Hey everyone.

I have returned to begin regularly posting on the blog. Hopefully I can keep everyone in touch with what is going on for all our sports.

Well, though it may not be boy's volleyball season, the varsity team just started conditioning and practicing today. Being the first real practice since a rather easy going summer volleyball camp, it was extremely tiring. We did jumping drills for about half an hour (my legs are dead now) and then some work against the girl's varsity squad. I was glad to be back on a volleyball court. I missed it a lot after camp was over. We scrimmaged the girls too but it was not really fair. We played on the girls net, over a half foot lower than the guys are used to, so we can get way over the net.

But its alright. The girls still pass WAY better than the guys do.

The girls have their first preseason game tomorrow against Santiago. They should not be an extremely strong team. This game will be a good chance to get used to running the offense and working out some of the kinks the team has. Also, I will be able to take a look at how they play and make some predictions for the regular season when it comes around.

Try and come out if you can. Volleyball games are very fun to watch.

-Seth

Phelps, Swimming, Oxford

Yay for Michael Phelps with his 8 medals and 7 world records. Honestly, of all the Olympic games that are going on, swimming is quite interesting. You do have the basketball, gymnastics, table tennis, and so on, but the swimming this year nails the spot.

Because of Michael Phelps, the medley course, Michael Phelps, the variation of swims, Michael Phelps, and the color of the pool, it sparks the big WOW at my face.

With all this swimming in my head, I thought about our school's swim team. It was pretty cool to see the swim league results on the fancy pdf file. But it was sad to know that with the mass talent last year, it was tough to win. As David Oshiro said in his interview, "We lose the majority of our swim meets because we are just overwhelmed by other team's numbers." But I think the swim team still rocked.

I would love to join but my swimming skills, well, aren't impressive. Dog waddle on a 100m fly? Smooth. But for those who can swim and that doesn't join the swim team or any sport, shame on you. You allow them junior high kids to ridicule our school's sporting capability. Don't you get sick hearing Oxford sucks?

Gooo Watch Baseball

Now, I haven't posted for quite awhile, so sorry for the absence. I have been working all these summer weeks, shading away from summer homework, and playing some DOTA. Fun.

Anyways, GameDay has been working feverishly to promote our school's home games. And why not? You can kill a few hours with a bunch of buddies, cheer a friend for slaughtering the other team, and unite the school together even more. Plus you don't have to hear the yelling and tantrums of your parents to do homework for awhile. That is always a positive.

But since it is summer, there isn't much official sporting events you can go to that regards with school. So why not a professional one? Right now the MLB is an active association playing. That means you got the Angels and the Dodgers playing, two places to experience some baseball greatness. If you didn't notice, I didn't suggest the Padres because PETCO Park is a pitcher's stadium, so you are unlikely to see any action. I don't want you to waste your time.


Even if you don't have a niche for baseball, its something new and likely different. It's hard to explain the difference of watching the game at home and at the stadium, you just have to go there and openly take it in on your own.

If you ever go (-_-) and like the experience of going to a baseball game, maybe it will influence you to experience an Oxford game. I know I will be going to plenty.

Oh, if you ever go to an Angels game, make sure you know the beat to We Will Rock You by Queen. They and a lot of other teams play it tons of times. Also, if you ever go to a Dodgers game, learn the saying "That's just Manny being Manny." Uh... Just do it.

Too Darn Hot

This last week, its been such a pain. Too hot. Just TOO hot. The air conditioners are cranked and the fans are buzzing all day long. Blasphemy!

I don't know if summer sports have started since boy golf doesn't have one, but the weather has been a nuisance to do anything outside. That doesn't mean we don't do anything though or any other professional sport that still play.

Like the Angels:
Interplay league has been stellar with a 4-0 record. Francisco Rodriguez, their closing pitcher, has 31 saves in 12 weeks of the season. The fastest ever. The Angels are doing really really well.

Like the Dodgers:
It has been tough for them with a bunch of their great players injured (Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal, Nomar...). But they still pushing. Chad Billingsley is being consistent and Clayton Kershaw is doing well for a rookie. There is a lot to look forward to. Just a matter of when.

Like Kobe Bryant:
Although he is indoors away from the heat, he still is preparing for the Olympics. For the Gold baby! He will have surgery on his pinkie after the Olympics and skip the Lakers Training Camp. Oh well. NBA Draft is this Thursday, but Lakers have the second-to-last pick. Maybe a trade? Probably not.

Like Euro 2008:
Probably soccer is one of the sports I don't get and boxing too. But some plays in soccer are SWEET. I'll post some if I can find any. Anyway, four teams are left. Turkey. Germany. Russia. Spain. Who will it be?

As for the professionals and Oxford athletes, I hope the summer sports you do will be well. Make sure you drink a lot of fluids. Don't be an idiot! Have fun guys.

Goodbye 07-08

As the 07-08 school year comes to a close, so has the Lakers' quest for a championship. Game 6 of the series was close in the first quarter but then completely lopsided after. Very disappointing.

I ditched part of my class bonfire to watch the game and well... that was a bad mistake. I did get great food to eat and a big television to watch, but it was hard to see the Lakers play. There isn't much to say, except that it was really bad.

Lets just hope that next year, Bynum is healthy, Odom is agressive, and the Bench doesn't lose their touch. If things go right, we can expect the Lakers to do even better than when Gasol started playing for the team. Definitely another NBA finals would be imminent.

All in all, it's been a surprising ride this year. I didn't expect much from the Lakers and many people didn't either. I had fun watching the purple-and-gold this year and hopefully you did too.

Maybe, with a little luck, next year will be our year to shine.

Scraping By

Well, I wouldn't be too happy tonight after the win in the last game in the Staples Center. The first half of Game 5 resembled much of Game 4: a quarter of power to a quarter of crap. Luckily with the foul trouble of Garnett and the injury of Perkins, the Lakers were able to sneak past the Celtics to make it a 3-2 series.

The gameplay of the Lakers were consistently... inconsistent. At stretches the Lakers were dominant in defending and at times were completely horrible, especially when Radmanovic and Gasol were on-court, they looked lost defensively. Also at times the Lakers were making every shot but then the shooting stroke became nonexistent. The first quarter was wonderful; whoever took the shot made it in. But then came second quarter where the Lakers made only six points with four minutes until halftime.

The Lakers need to change their playing style. Phil Jackson did try to fix the problems. He played Chris Mihm for awhile instead of Ronny Turiaf to match up with P.J. Brown more easily. He also tried playing Farmar and Fisher together in the back-court. But that won't cut it because the Lakers were barely pushing the Celtics away from the lead.

Fortunately, the Lakers played on home-court and the Celtics weren't in sync tonight. But in no possible way will that be the same in Boston. It will be at 9:00pm. It will be freezing cold. It will be full of angry fans. It will be a big fat headache.

The future looks grim for the Lakers, but we can all hope. I still do.

The End?

What else more can go wrong for the Lakers? They had as high as a 24 point lead, but then shattered by another horrible third quarter. All of the reasons why the Lakers did so well in the first quarter completely vanished after halftime. Odom stopped being aggressive, Lakers were out beat in hustle plays, Ariza didn't play anymore, and Kobe's passes led to missed shots.

But what really ticked me off tonight was Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic. When you have someone like Eddie House or Ray Allen, who can easily hit a quick jump shot, why in the world would you give them space?!? It's better to make them force a shot than just let it come by and take an open look shot. The Celtics are not a pick-an-roll team, THEY DON'T HAVE A GOOD PG. So the only time the Lakers should pressure with a double-team is in the paint area, not around the 3-pt line.

There were two different Lakers out there tonight and it wasn't pretty.

No team has ever won the NBA finals when down 3-1 in a series. There could be a Cinderella-like ending for the Lakers, but most likely it will be a disappointing end. I am disgusted with tonight's game. Truly disgusted...

Thank Goodness

Tonight I had a golf banquet, so I missed practically the entire Game 3. But when I got home, the game was still on and the Lakers had only a four point lead. I suspected the reason was possibly Gasol and Odom did well tonight. However, it wasn't a night for the all-stars. It was the night for the MVP.

Although I did miss majority of the game, I got to see some sweet highlights. And most of the plays were Kobe Bryant slashing through the defense easily, then hitting close ranged shots. Kobe Bryant got the game rolling for the Lakers and allowed them to survive the struggles of their big men. Also what was great to see was the free-throw stats. In Game 2 the Lakers got to the free-throw line ten times, THE WHOLE GAME. Tonight, they got fourteen free-throws, in the FIRST QUARTER. Thatreally helped the Lakers build up their intensity. But what was really key for this game was Sasha Vujacic.

Other than Kobe Bryant, Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic was the only other Laker to score double-digit points. There were other reasons why the Lakers succeeded tonight. Yeah, Kobe forced Paul Pierce to struggle. Yeah, the Lakers' defense was excellent. Yeah, the Lakers played with a lot of heart. And yeah, the Celtics had the opportunity to win. Wait... WHAT!?!

Vujacic scored 20 points tonight. When not including Kobe Bryant's stats, the Lakers' starters scored 22 points altogether. With that kind of numbers, of course the Celtics had the chance to win. It started to look like that in the third quarter and probably scared some of you to death. This happened because the Celtics were able to pick through their mishaps in the first half by closing the gaps Kobe Bryant easily ran through and forcing Kobe Bryant to be the facilitator. Our MVP, however, was able to find someone to hit the shot and it was The Machine.

Tonight's game I won't say was a huge success. The Lakers did win and played with much more intensity than in the last two games. But there are a lot of problems still to deal with:

Gasol and Odom.: Why pick the worse time to choke up?
Garnett and Pierce.: Was it only an off-night?
Radmanovic.: Can he really defend Pierce? Or even play decent?
Lakers' bench.: Is it really only going to be Vujacic helping the team?

Well, we're going to find out Thursday.

Foul x 1000

If you watched the last quarter, that was a hectic seven minutes. If you watched the other three quarters, you're crazy.

Game 2 of the NBA Finals was mostly a lopsided game, dominated by the Big Three and unexpected Leon Powe. It was frustrating game to watch for a Lakers fan. Why? Well:

A Laker has the ball, barely hits the defender... FOUL!
A Celtic has the ball, barely hits the defender... no call.

A Laker is defending, touches the ball handler... FOUL!
A Celtic is defending, touches the ball handler... no call.

The referees were inconsistent with their callings for the most part. It was extremely noticeable in the first two quarter. All the fouls bothered the Lakers tremendously. It seemed as though a Lakers' foul resulted in a turnover their next play. The Celtics took advantage of that, causing their lead into a blowout.

But with a little luck and with the Celtics slacking off, the Lakers were able to pull a twenty-four point deficit to a two point deficit. The Lakers' sudden magic suddenly disappeared though, never able to tie the game or even take the lead. It was likely because of the last play, Kobe Bryant never touched the ball. Without Kobe Bryant controlling the ball, his teammates struggled, rushing the ball and then taking a horrible shot. With plenty of time on the clock, all of that was unnecessary.

I suggested in my last post that Radmanovic should not play much. Almost two minutes into the game, he was benched with two fouls. I also suggested that Pau Gasol man up. In the middle of the first quarter, he dunked over Garnett. Things were looking good for awhile. But once the whistle kept blowing, everything went out of control.

Now the Lakers are down 0-2 in the series. The Lakers need to completely step up their aggressiveness and intensity at home. If they continue the style they have been playing the last two games, expect a sweep by the Celtics. It has been that ugly.

Wimpy >:(

In past interviews, Coach Phil Jackson always described Pau Gasol with the term "wimpy." I always shrugged it off because Gasol plays the center position for the Lakers when he is actually a pure power forward. However, tonight's game couldn't prove me any wrong about a wimpy Gasol. It was a real off-night for Pau. He missed open shots, lost easy rebounds, and was dunked over by Kevin Garnett too many times. It was frustrating to watch Gasol flop around when he hopelessly tried to box out the Celtics' big men. Got to give props to the Celtics though, Garnett powered his team in the first half and Pierce pushed the game in their favor in the second half.

The Lakers' bench was not as overwhelming as in the series versus the Nuggets and Spurs, but they were able to keep the game close when the first unit was resting. Yet instead, the match-up of Radmanovic vs. Pierce and Gasol vs. Garnett were way too ugly. Radmanovic could not keep up with Pierce's quickness and Gasol could not match Garnett's toughness, ultimately leading to the downfall for the Lakers. I hoped to see Trevor Ariza match up with Paul Pierce, but I guess it wasn't the right moment tonight.

In my first blog, I feared the Lakers would make it to the NBA finals and then have to go against the Celtics. All the fuss of this series with the stories of the reborn rivalry and the rejuvenated fan base should be thrown into the trash. I want the Lakers to win and take the trophy home. That's all that matters.

A lot of changes needs to be completed by Sunday's game. Hopefully I won't have to see Radmanovic in the lineup too long next time. He is an excellent shooter, but no way a defender. Maybe put him in for certain plays and use him when needing a quick shot. Also Gasol needs to suck it up, take the hard hits, and be a man. Tonight was pretty pathetic. Oh how I wish Andrew Bynum was back.

It will be tough and challenging, but the Lakers must stride to win it all. Another wimpy game could potentially risk an unwanted ending.

Recruiting and Improvements

Well, for those of you who did not know, we are going to be recruiting more heavily, particularly from the younger classes, to sustain GameDay past next year hopefully. Unfortunately, the bulk of the staff is within the class of 2009 (myself included) and without people to step up, it might just die, which would be a real shame considering what we are trying to accomplish.

Anyone who is interested should contact either James or I to get information on just what we need you to be able to do. We will, of course, train you for whatever duties you are to perform.

I do plan to write an article about the specific positions and go into more detail later but for now I will just give you a quick run down of everything.

GameDay meets periodically to discuss its plans and make improvements as they are necessary. Mainly, we have a big general meeting before each season to assign people sports and make sure everyone is on the same page. The basic duties for every member is to attend at least one game every two weeks (not asking much at all), periodic writing assignments (these can be either articles on a team, sport, or even recaps), and being involved in the events we put on.

As we plan to increase the number of activities we run next year, you will have plenty of opportunities to be active and any help that can be given will be most appreciated. But remember, GameDay is considered a community service and the hours you put into the organization you will certainly get back. Not only that, but we give you real business training and skills onto how to run an organization. I remind you, GameDay is COMPLETELY student run and independent of any club.

It is also more fun than you would think. Of course, you do have to work, but you can meet the rest of the staff and hangout with them at games. It really is an opportunity and I am glad to have joined. Especially after next year, there will be plenty of opportunities for advancement.

Also, if you can think of any ways we can improve the organization for next year, then please, by all means, tell us. We would be more than happy to accommodate you.

And remember, we always have our athletes in mind and want to increase our overall school spirit! You and your peers will be getting the support in whatever sports you may play.

Please do not shy away, we really do want to know!

-Seth

The Machine

I know James Li (GD's Chairman) loves him. I know my friends hate him. I also know Sasha Vujacic can be a little cocky when he plays. But hey, Vujacic has made quite a man of himself this year. Other than his pledge of keeping his long hair held by some rubberband, he has been manly enough to keep some of NBA's high talent, like Carmelo Anthony, super duper angry. Also during the playoffs, Kyle Korver and Manu Ginobili joined the "Who Hates The Machine" list.

So in spite of all the suspense of the NBA final series that starts this Thursday, the video clip below is to relieve some of the anticipation for the first series game and to poke fun at Sasha. Enjoy and prepare well for Game 1.


THE MACHINE!!!

Finals!!!

Get ready boys and girls, the Lakers are heading to the NBA Finals. Game 5 was scary at first since the Spurs were showing signs of a steal like in Game 3. But because the Spurs fell apart in the second half from poor energy and from the Lakers finally regaining their touch, Kobe Bryant and the rest went into a rampage. Shot swished in one by one and the Lakers caught up back from a seventeen point deficit to win the game. To read some highlights and description of some great plays of tonight's game, click here.

Anyway, lets look at how this all came together from the start of the season.

The Lakers bench has been a real asset to the team. Vujacic, Walton, Turiaf, and Farmar have been big pluses for the team this season. If I looked at this bench three years ago, I would have thought the Lakers would have been in deep trouble. However with vast improvements of the young second unit, critics call this Lakers' bench the best in the league right now. Who would have known.

But who would have expected Pau Gasol. There was little talk about Gasol becoming a part of the infamous purple-and-gold. Rather, the rumors were circling around Odom, Bynum, and Kidd. In the end though, it was Kwame Brown and Pau Gasol. What luck.

And luck it was when the Lakers signed Derek Fisher. Smush Parker is a great kid, but he lacked a lot of qualities that a starting point guard should have. Leadership, determination, experience, and respectability was missing and was desperately needed. But Derek Fisher brought all the qualities the Lakers were longing to have. With him, the Lakers had the puzzle pieces to form a contending team.

And the man forming it all together was our MVP, Kobe Bryant. With Bryant, the best player in the league right now, it's difficult to not stop and stare and watch this superstar. Kobe Bryant's time in the NBA is slowing being shut, but every night he plays there has always been a play where we all go "Wow."

It's time to see another championship. Although the NBA final series won't start in Lakers' homecourt, the day has come for the Lakers and I and hopefully all of you will watch and cheer them on.

Oh Wow Lakers

Because its choir week, I was unfortunately unable to watch tonight's Game 4 match of the Spurs vs. the Lakers. I've looked at the box score and it seems to have been a close game the entire night. So with the series now in a 3-1 favor for the Lakers, a win for the purple-and-gold makes a Game 5 series victory looks very doable. Even though Fisher's last play seemed questionable, it is still a win to celebrate. So for those who missed the thrilling game, like myself, lets enjoy some clips that surely would have captivated a similar feeling of tonight's game. The clips are of what most of us have seen, but because it is completely AMAZING and completely REAL, it still is enticing to watch even for the 500th time. Oh the Black Mamba!

Offseason Updates

Hey everyone,

First, GO LAKERS!!!!

Now, since that is out of the way, GameDay is going to be attempting to be making some changes for next year. I plan to write an article about our game plan for next year, or rather some of our basic ideas for improvements. But, any input we can get from you would be greatly appreciated.

So then, what would you like to see? How do you think we can improve?

Also, if you are interested in joining GameDay and not in the class of 2008 or 2009 then please, send either James or me an e-mail expressing your interest. We will begin recruiting runs soon. Someone is going to have to take over once our class graduates.

I'll try and keep everyone posted on what is going on within our organization in terms of how what we are doing may affect you.

-Seth

We Want Tacos!

Tonight was a big upset. It was game 2 of the series for the Spurs vs. Lakers and the Lakers SLAUGHTERED the Spurs by winning with a THIRTY point lead. That was way too easy. Garbage time started about eight minutes into the last quarter and the only thing that was suspenseful by then was the chance for free tacos for the fans. By the time the Lakers surpassed the 100 points, there was only about four seconds left of game play, how lucky.

If you don't know, when the Lakers score over 100 points and the opponents score less than 100 points, the audience is able to receive a free Jack-in-the-Box taco. It isn't much, but it is something to cheer about. I like it. Actually I love it. Watch the clip to see what I mean:


Haha. Beautiful...

KKKKKKKK KOBE!

What a game. Actually, what a half. After down as much as twenty points in the third quarter, the Lakers, especially Kobe Bryant, was able to utilize a breakdown of the Spurs to steal the game and take the lead of the series.

The first half for the Lakers was at best, mediocre. Kobe Bryant was the facilitator, but a passive one for the first two quarters. He lacked that aggressiveness he always had, leading to his three field goal attempts and two points. But all that switched off after halftime and Kobe Bryant was able to lead his team in the style that earned his MVP title.

Phil Jackson has a series record of 40-0 when winning game 1. Lets hope it goes 41-0.

Playoffs

Well, the girls softball team lost today 3-4 in a tough nine inning match against Paraclete. I must say, it was an extremely good game, one of the best I have seen played actually. Paraclete was good, they had nice arms and the pitcher was definitely a bit faster than many pitchers the team had faced before. They also had some good plays and their catcher was very aware, throwing behind often and even catching a runner or two off the bag.



But our team was more than up to the challenge. Some amazing plays were made, particularly a diving catch Alex Skinkis made. Cassy Coleman also had a nice play when she got a flyball on the run and caught the runner before they could get back to the base for a double play. A few sweet hits, both from Cassie Oregel, Lauren Dandridge, and of course scored our teams runs and really kept them in the game.

It was close the whole game and as it went into extra innings, it only becaem more interesting.

I was also very glad to see the turnout for today, it was far better than the previous games and I know all the players appreciate it. Thanks for coming out, and for all you who didn't, be sure to catch the recap, which should be up tomorrow.

-Seth

CIF Round Two

Well, I know many of you didn't go to the game on Thursday (Don't lie, I was there) and you are really missing out. For one, our softball team went undefeated in league play and at the very least everyone should be wishing them luck after having another good season. But even more so, we are extremely lucky to be having two CIF games in a row at home. The biggest thing, however, is coming out and watching to show our support.

Again, I really do urge you to try and go. It just makes me kind of sad how we have a good team in the playoffs now and no one still seems to be out there at all. Don't miss it, it will be over soon. CIF is a big deal, no matter how you look at it. And it should be a good game like last time, so it can only be more interesting now than ever to go and watch.

I'll be there. I hope you will be too.

-Seth

The Freeway Series

With this weekend concluding the Freeway Series, it was interesting to watch the Angel's finally go against L.A. Dodger's manager, Joe Torre. Notoriously, the Angels are Torre's worst record against and now managing the Dodgers for the first time, the results could repeat itself once again. And it did. Angels won the series 2 to 1.

But hey, if the Dodgers have the type of farm players like in the video below, Joe Torre's mishap with the Angels shouldn't be too much of their problems.

That's a sick curveball. Oh yes indeed.

Lakers and Prom

With majority of us done with AP's, we can now look foward to another great event, A LAKERS GAME! Wait... NO! Of course not! This Saturday is Prom! And as the Lakers will play Game 6 the night before our spectacular event, lets all hope we can relax knowing the Lakers are in the Western Conference Finals by then.

As Prom nears, why not see some Prom pictures of old NBA players? If you've been watching the NBA playoffs closely or you're a Youtube freak, you probably saw this, but for those who have not seen it yet, enjoy.

Confirmation?

Well, after talking with various individuals, I am almost 100% sure the CIF softball game is tomorrow (Or so Clifton and the athletic dept. have told me). Again, please come out and support them, especially if you are not doing anything else. I think it is really dumb the dodgeball tournament would be on the same day though, simply ridiculous. They see fit to take away from an already small crowd.

Well, at any rate, I will be at the game to cover it so you can always come out and talk to me should you choose to come. Don't worry, I'll make excellent conversation.

On another note, I have been helping out the junior high volleyball team. It has been rather fun actually. The guys are pretty laid back and they really are out on the court just to have fun. I like helping them too because I really enjoyed all the help I got from upperclassmen when I was still a fledgling player. It is always good to help someone who may not know as much as you. Besides, these eighth grade guys might even go to camp and will probably choose to play next year. It would be good to get to know them now. It will also make them more comfortable in the transition, because the difference in the type of volleyball play is indeed very different.

They have some cool kids. I am glad to get to play with them. Oh, and now we are in the gym finally! We had to be outside because of AP testing. It feels good to be back in the gym too. It seems like so long.

Hmm, maybe we will actually have something about them on the site because I will probably be talking to them about how their season is going anyway.

-Seth

Date Correction

Edit: There is confusion on the date. I am not exactly sure when the game is. I will confirm as soon as possible the definite date.

Sorry, the softball game is actually on Thursday or Friday, not on Wednesday.

I'll be out there covering the game, I hope to see you guys out in the stands too! It is always a big thing to go to CIF and you do not want to miss any of the playoff action. You will be in for a good game so do not miss it!

-Seth

Softball CIF

So next Wednesday, varsity softball will be having their first round of CIF. They will find out who they play on Monday and will for sure have a home game because they won their league(going undefeated for the second year in a row, very nice ladies).

Unfortunately, very few people attend their games as it is. Even senior night had less of a turnout then I would have hoped. It is really a shame, especially with this tam in particular. With many young players on varsity, they have gotten substantially better since the beginning of the season. It was very noticeable for me, seeing them play in the preseason and then their last couple games.

Yeah, they may not have been playing as strong of teams, but the team did get better. Another interesting note comes in how the softball team has worked on their intangibles the entire season, particularly their team dynamics.

Though only time will tell how well they will do in CIF, I expect the team to be up to the challenge. The opponents they will face will be significantly stronger then any of the teams in their league. Regardless, I expect Wednesday to be a good game. I know I'll be out there, and I would hope others would make efforts to do the same.

-Seth
THE BLITZ

Whoops! Game 3

An undefeated record in the playoffs has come to an end. With the Lakers losing in Utah, 99-104, an ugly game has left the Lakers in a 2-1 series.

Reasons Why The Lakers Lost
-Lakers were sloppy in the first half. (10 turnovers by halftime)
-Gasol, Vujacic, Radmanovic, and Farmer were ineffective. Each played with a lack of tenacity.
-Boozer was not in foul trouble (Led to his 27 points, 20 rebounds)
-Couldn't stop the pick-and-roll. Jazz had a lot of high % shots in the game.
-The crowd was loud. Annoyingly loud. I had to mute the broadcast.

Comments: Game 3 was a hard game to watch. It was not the fact that the Lakers played such a poor game, but because the Utah fans are insane. There are moments that make sense to yell, boo, scream, or whatever, but doing all of that at once for THE ENTIRE GAME drove me nuts. It wasn't entertainment, it felt more like a bad horror movie. Dumb, frustrating, and pathetic. I don't expect the Utah fans' insanity to change in Game 4, so don't expect me to be watching the next game. But for Game 5, I will of course.

Next Game: Sun, May 11. 12:30 pm Pacific. TV: ABC

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

A night where K24 was awarded the MVP trophy, the Lakers overwhelmed the Jazz on home court in Game 2 of the series. A little overview of what happened tonight:

The Good
-Laker's acrobatic plays in the paint. Layup after layup. Too easy.
-Kobe and Fisher were on fire. Combined 18-28. (64%)

The Bad
-Utah's composure in the first half. They look liked they quit after the first two minutes of game.
-Radmonovic's game. A strange inbound pass in the first minute of gameplay continued with more funk.

The Ugly
-Carlos Boozer was completely off. Went in foul trouble early and never got into rhythm.
-Jazz shot 16 free throws. Lakers shot 43 free throws.

Conclusion
Plain and simple, the Lakers rocked the house tonight. They controlled the first half and was able to contain the Jazz in the second. With a 2-0 series now in the books, I still wouldn't take out the brooms just yet. The Jazz were horrible the last two games, but with a 17-24 record for away games, it's easy to see why they were so bad. The Jazz have a 37-4 home record, so there is a small chance for the Jazz to come back. Will the Jazz overcome and make a push like the Hawks? Not the way it's been going.

Next Game: Fri, May 9. 6:00 PM Pacific. TV: ESPN, KCAL

Laker's Semi-Finals

Well, it's my first post for the blog. I am a Junior and I like sports. I live about 30-45 minutes away from Oxford so it is difficult for me to watch an Oxford game and still have happy parents driving me home. So whenever I post, I'll likely be posting about the outside world of sports. You can count on me, I know my stuff.

As an avid Lakers fan and a soon-to-be AP Tester, I still couldn't resist flipping on the television to have my 1 on 1 time with a good o' basketball game.

Game 1 was pretty much a dominant Lakers game, leading throughout the 48 minutes of gameplay. With already beating the Enver Nuggets (No D my friends) and now up against the Jazz, the Lakers made me scared to see the match-ups of a Deron-Boozer powered team, but there wasn't much tonight. There were no technical fouls either, what a pity.

However, as I watched the game there were some issues that worry me:

- Lakers were way over rebounded (41 compare to 58)
- Allowed too many offensive rebounds. (25 offensive rebounds!?!!? 25!!!!!!!!!)
- Jazz couldn't make the open shot (.379 field goal %)

The issue on rebounds was expected as Carlos Boozer was a hassle for a weak-PF Laker's Lineup. But what worries me most was that a .379 field goal % allowed the Lakers only a 11 point win. Should have been at least a 20 point lead, but a win is a win and I'll take it any day. Game 2 of L.A. Lakers Vs. Utah Jazz is on Wed. May 7th, broadcast on TNT. Let's see if the Lakers fix their problems up.

Luckily Game 2 is going to be on TNT (BARKLEY!), because I can't stand watching ESPN/ABC telecasted games (Stu come back!!!) . Like for game 1, ESPN annoyingly kept going on and on about the fact about 79% of the teams that win Game 1, wins the series. Eh, I guess that was good to hear. Maybe we will get to see a Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals.

Oh boy.

Final Week of Vball

Alright everyone, we are playing our last two games this week. Tomorrow we have CVC and then on Thursday we have Senior Night against Brethren.

For CVC's game, we are definitely going to need to play more consistently then we did last time. Their one outside hitter is no longer injured and will be playing tomorrow. Without him, we may have one in three straight games but only by small margins. As long as we keep the ball away from their libero, the back row specialist and best passer, then most of our hits should go down. Plenty of spots will be open, particularly short middle, down the lines, and most of all the setter's side.

This game is mainly for pride. If we win, we will solidify our second to last place, which is always better than last place. But regardless, I still want to beat Brethren. Their best outside is now injured and the rest of the team is not super strong(An interesting note, the head coach for Brethren is stepping down and Coach Allen thinks its because he won't have a decent team next year at all).

I'll report more on Brethren after the CVC game tomorrow. Wish us luck and I hope to see everyone at the game on Thursday!

-Seth

Hmm...

Alright, well it has been a while since my last post. Sorry, I was away for the weekend at a debate tournament.

At any rate, we have lost our last two games. Last Friday, the team went up against Whitney missing four of its players, myself included, and lost 3-1. It was rather disappointing because Whitney was very beatable and it always sucks to lose to our rivals. Its the same story as its always been. We don't talk and even a not so good team can beat us. Well, we can only look to our next few games.

The Sage Hill game was far different than our last encounter in the home gym. We lost by at least ten points in every single game and dropped all three. We just did not talk and worse yet did not have fun. They are good, in fact Sage is the best team in our league. We did not play well at all though. We should have played better.

But all that is behind us now. We have the St. Margaret's game coming up at home on Friday and we just need to get ready for that game. I hope we can just enjoy the rest of the season. We may not be able to make playoffs but Coach Allen is right, we can at least enjoy the rest of the games and finish strong.

-Seth

A League Win Finally

Hey, so we won today 3-0 over Capo Valley Christian. The only team we have yet to face now is Brethren and we will have the same basic strategy against them, hitting to the setter's side and tough serving.

The first game was closer than it should have been. We began slow, like we usually do, but then got the talking going and started playing better. Unfortunately, at one point in the game, we let our mistakes get the best of us and were down for a while. But then we stepped it up and won the game 25-19 with a long streak of winning points at the end to close them out.

The second game also started rather slow. It was characterized with many trading points and even at the end we only barely managed to pull out the win, 27-25. It was tough and we made our fair of mistakes. Luckily, we stepped it up at the end and forced the mistakes on CVC to pull out with another game victory.

In the third game, we started strong and took a big lead. Coach Allen had different people in different positions and made sure everyone had their time in the game. We dominated until it was 20-11. Then we let them get a sideout and CVC started to come back. It was a while before we got the ball back but even then, we kept trading points and allowed them to get far too close with 25-20. But the important fact remains, we kept them down and still managed to pull out with a victory in the match.

The next game will be away against Brethren. I'll report more on it later.

-Seth

Game vs. CVC

Alright, we have our CVC game today and it is going to be a must win for us. Allen said CVC is going to be beatable but we will need to play our game.

In the St. Margaret's game, we played well but then let a couple games get out of hand. We cannot afford to that in this game. We cannot get quiet once they manage to string together a few points. St. Margaret's probably didn't expect us to come out and beat them in the first game 25-18 but they stepped it up afterward. They were beatable we just let ourselves get too far down, something we will need to avoid today.

As long as we talk and keep the ball in play, both when serving and hitting, then we should be fine. Our defense is good, we just need to be making the points after we get a good up.

Well, I hope to see you all at the game. If all goes well, we will win.

-Seth

Amazing game!

Alright, so we played Sage Hill today. Yes, we lost but who cares. It was the best game we have played all season. We lost in three but this figure is misleading considering the game scores were 25-20, 25-22, and 25-20.

Our team went out and finally did what we were supposed to. We were loud and proud, frankly with nothing to lose. It was intense but fun. Everyone was into it, even the bench was shouting the entire game.

In the first game, we took the early lead and then they caught up. We were neck and neck the entire match until we made a couple mistakes and then Sage gained some momentum and got ahead. But we put a few balls down and the defense was phenomonal, picking up a few hard hit balls. We were never out of the game, merely slightly edged out in the end.

The second game was more of the same. But this time, we took advantage of their missed served and some easy hits. The plays were run and we powertipped and hit balls down, either getting the point or getting a free ball out of it. Oh, and we were jump serving pretty well too. Justin Ryoo and Tim Hwangbo did very well today, getting us back into the match even if we were down by a couple.

In the third game, we started a little slower and then came right back. We traded points and Sage Hill was frustrated. Here they are, this really good team and they are having trouble with little old Oxford. But they slammed a few balls just straight down, nothing we could really do.

But still, we played really well. It was our best outing. We need to play like this everygame.

-Seth

Sage Tomorrow

Alright, so we have Sage Hill tomorrow in the gym for volleyball. They are going to be a tough match up. The team had a good practice with a lot of talk and really it needs to be kept up for tomorrow.

Allen had us work on picking on the tiny little setter Sage Hill has. He does not block and they run a five-one(offense with only one setter all the way around, our team runs a six-two with two setters, the one in the back row setting). If we can pick on him the entire game, we should have a chance to win.

So how will we do this exactly? Well, we can hit it at him. Or we can hit it around him. Or we can power tip the ball into his face. Or we can hit completely over him and get a free swing.

But I do not think just because Sage Hill has one short guy they are any less dangerous. They have two very good outside hitters (including the illustrious and dangerous number nine) and have managed to beat some good teams. Also, the float serve has been a problem in the past but I think we may be able to pass it better this year. Generally, most people on our team are also jump floating so it gives a new serving weapon and also a chance to be ready should it be used against us.

No matter what though, we will definitely have to playing up to our best. We have some good players and now we just need to put it all together.

Who knows, maybe we can pull off an upset. No one outside of our school is expecting us to win anyway so there is absolutely no pressure. Honestly, I do not think we have anything to lose. It would be a big lift to everyone on the team as well if we pulled it off.

Lets go out and show Sage just whose house they are in. Everyone else try and come too! Its always nice to have spectators!

-Seth

Whitney...

So apparently my blog is too random for some who shall remain nameless on the GameDay staff. It was spring break, either cut me some slack or post yourself(I am talking to you Jake!).

At any rate, volleyball has left me frustrated after today's game. Not only did we lose to Whitney at home in a drawn out five game match, but we also severely curtailed our chances of making it to the playoffs.

During the game, we started off rather slow, as we always do, but then started to come back. Though we lost the first game, we were in the game the entire time and had some good plays. We were only slightly edged out by a few points.

The second and third games, we picked it up. We kept the ball in and ran the plays well. The block kept Whitney from hitting and the defense was picking up almost every ball. Also, we missed only one or two serves. In the second game, we beat them straight up and it was still a somewhat close game. In the third game, we had the momentum and managed to beat Whitney by eleven points. Not only that, but our team was finally loud and having fun, some of the keys to getting momentum and being able to win.

So we went into the fourth game with some momentum but then fell flat. We kept getting into single rotations and letting Whitney get five or six points in a row before getting a side out. We also struggled to keep the ball in play and hitting too many balls either out or straight into the block. Worse yet, we stopped talking and let our heads go down, only making every person more frustrated.

It was more of the same in the last game. We managed to get within a couple of points but then the game got out of hand again.

Well, no time to be mad about the last game. We just need to work harder for the next game and then keep up the intensity for the entire match and not get down on ourselves. If we stay consistent, then we can hang with anyone, even Sage Hill. I just hope we do.

Its going to take a couple extra wins now to get into the playoffs but we have to try. The season just started and we can't give up for a second until the off season.

-Seth

March Madness

Alright, so I have been watching the past few basketball games and it all of the number ones seeds got through. I can't even think of another time this happened. Usually someone chokes but not this year. Davidson was really close to beating Kansas too. One shot in that game would have made the difference between a win and a loss.

But really, I was looking more at the Memphis game and the UCLA game. Sorry, but I didn't care as much about Kansas because they had choked over the past couple years.

Anyway, the UCLA was pretty good. I was glad they came out to play and utterly took over in the second half. Memphis did the same thing. Though I have been following UCLA whenever I happen to find them on TV, I had not really seen Derrick Rose, the freshman from Memphis, play until yesterday. He is good too. He has the same kind of talent as Love and will likely be in the NBA pretty soon. It kind of sucks because most college basketball players leave early to play in the NBA. Means I can never keep track of who is who but whatever.

Well, I am going to have to go with North Carolina over Kansas. Sorry Kansas. And then UCLA over Memphis. UCLA is simply too awesome to lose...lets hope. Three trips to the final four in the past three attempts. This better be the year to win it.

Just hope they win! Otherwise I might go off and be depressed for a couple weeks just like I did after the Superbowl. But they have a good chance but I would not count anyone out, not even Kansas. It is a new dynamic when all number ones are playing each other. I wonder how people are going to root for the underdog.

-Seth

Words for the future

Well, we have some actual Oxford sports coming up tomorrow. Softball and baseball both have games and I'll be looking to see how those turn out and talk to various people on the teams to see how it went then maybe post them about them.

In other news, my friends and I had our fantasy baseball draft today. And so now, I will make a solemn oath to pay attention to my team this year. After I had gone to Michigan last year, I came back and then completely forgot I had a baseball team until my friend wanted to make a trade with me a month and a half after I got back. But by then, it was too late to salvage the season. That and it forces me to pay attention to the league like I did a couple years back.

Strange thing is though, last year I was not really until baseball at all. And I do like baseball more than most people(if I have ever said I didn't then I was not being truthful). The games are always fun to go to. Yeah, its not as fun to just watch random games like it is for football, but if you have a favorite team then you can just watch them. They do play 162 games, enough to keep most people busy at least a couple days a week.

And if I pay attention, it gives me something else to talk about on here. For instance, I want to see if the National League has the same type of tight race all the way up to the last game like it did last year. And then I want to see who is going to dominate in the American League and more specifically, how they do it.

So far I have been watching the Angel's preseason games and it will be interesting to see how they do this year. I'll also be keeping my eyes on Seattle, Cleveland, and Boston. Oh, and congratulations to Cameron Bedard on the Mariners signing Erik Bedard in the off season. I know it made you very happy.

You know, at the last big league game I went to, it really amazed me after watching some of the high school games just how good major league players are. They are all fast and see the ball well. It is always nice to have that perspective of just how good the pros are in comparison to just everyday people. Sometimes, I think they tend to forget just how good these athletes are. And I also like when I hear the stories about guys who just go out and play cause they love it. Those are the guys I envy, and they might not always be the people with the overwhelming talent.

The real reason I cover sports is because I enjoy it. And its so refreshing to go out and see people who love whatever sport they play. Reminds me why I bust my butt at practice everyday. Because I love to. And I love the game.

-Seth

Bonfire Sports Scene

Well, the junior class committee threw its bonfire today, changing the date several times but whatever. It was fun anyway. But as this is a sports blog, I will only cover the two hours and forty-three minutes spent playing some kind of sport.

Luckily, I brought my very nice, professional sized football. I threw the ball around with a few of the guys and I was aching to play a game. Even after all the guy's showed up, most of them were pretty iffy on whether they were going to play or not. We had more than enough people but I just kind of gave up on trying to organize something.

Oddly enough, it was not until we started playing volleyball the football talk started up again(you know, I had been deprived of volleyball for almost five hours by this point). I was glad we played volleyball though. Normally, it is hard to play with friends just because its difficult to adjust to the climate. Not playing with intensity can sometimes be impossible for me. But, luckily, that was not true today. It was pretty cool just hitting the ball over randomly and since I have been having practice everyday, it was a nice change of pace.

And now I admire beach volleyball pros more than ever. I wonder how they can still jump so high in the sand. They must have some powerful legs.

At any rate, we ended up deciding to play football. It took us about twenty minutes just to get going but whatever. At least we played. I had been waiting to play all day. It was fairly interesting. My team was undermanned the whole game and no one ever wanted to play on the offensive line. On many plays we only had the center. At least the other team always had fives guys on the line, protecting against every blitzer(though I still managed to get a sack).

But apparently I have not gotten over my habit of ripping peoples shirts. Let me jog my memory(I may have more, but these ones stick out in my mind):

1. 7th grade P.E. flag football. I cannot remember the victim. I know I did but the details are fuzzy. It was so long ago...
2. 8th grade intramural flag football. Victim: Ryan Plunkett. He was running and I missed the flag but got his shirt. I ripped his P.E. shirt and then managed to get his flag.
3. 8th grade intramural flag football. Victim: Cameron Bedard. On a run play, I came around behind him and missed the flag but got his shirt. Now for the sad part. I stretch his P.E. shirt, completely disfiguring it but then HE GETS AWAY. I was just sitting on the ground very frustrated with myself.
4. 10th grade P.E. flag football. Victim: William Nguyen. Alright now this one was almost surreal. We were doing a drill where a guy runs down a track of people who will try to pull his flag as he goes by. Simple enough. So as he goes past me, I reach out with my hand to grab his flag. But instead of getting his flag, I somehow dug two fingers into the shirt and came out with a large chunk of it. He was so surprised the guy behind him grabbed his flag easy. I didn't realize I had such strength.
5. 11th grade bonfire tackle football. Victim: Eric Carpio. Now, I realize if I miss the guy or I hit him and he does not come down, then I should not pull his shirt when we are just out to have fun. But sadly, I cannot think of these small details when I attempt to bring someone to the ground. So as I tackled him, his shirt ripped and I think a bit of it came out and is now lost to the ocean. Sorry! I didn't mean to. I only wanted to tackle you.

If only I was bigger then I might have played football. I am a pretty good tackler for my size and also fairly hard to tackle. The final score was 14-7 if I remember correctly, with no scoring after the first two drives on each side. The other team gave up a few interceptions(I had one of them) and our team had no offensive line and kept turning the ball over on downs.

But my pride from this event comes from a single play. We were at the thirty yard line(these numbers are, of course, relative) and Andrew Park was quarterbacking. Playing wide receiver, as soon as he hiked the ball, I took a step back from the line of scrimmage and he threw me the ball. I then took the ball all the way down the field for a touchdown. I broke around eleven tackles(I may be exaggerating but it sure seemed like that many when I was running) which probably isn't impressive because only about five people on either side can actually tackle(I will demonstrate I can if necessary). I just sprinted past them and if they managed to wrap their arms around me, since they do this weird wrap around tackle instead of actually hitting the guy, I just shoved them off and kept running. It was so awesome.

Sorry, but it's my blog. Go figure.

We called the game for darkness and everyone just chilled afterward. I was pretty tired, especially after having gone to practice already.

But it was so much fun. It is nice to just go down to the beach and play with your friends. It was a nice addition to my spring break, an overall good experience.

Oh, and UCLA advanced to the elite eight. Awesome.

-Seth

Return of Tim

Whoo. So Tim was back today(and he is supercool). Its always nice to have the captain and best player on the team at practice. So instead of the usual seven, we had a whopping eight people today. Exciting.

We did some serving and passing drills but the highlight of my day came when we played 3v6, Allen, William, and I against the other six guys. And we won of course, swept them, winning three out of three games. Pretty sweet.

I still need to work on my jump float serve though. I don't want Tim and Justin to be the only ones jump serving. Especially when its fun to do.

Well, practice was pretty good this week and I have tomorrow off so I can finally relax for one day on my oh so wonderful spring break. Going to the bonfire later today and I hope we play football.

Oh, and what is up with Kobe being ejected yesterday? He's getting close to a suspension and the Lakers need Kobe!

-Seth

News

Hey,

If you are reading this sports blog, good for you. The only reason I am not really talking about any other sports except for volleyball is because no one else is practicing so its hard for me to get my usual news.

But regardless, if you ever want me to talk about your sport or have a problem with anything then feel free to email me at svillegas@oasports.net. As long as its sports related, it is does not have to be important, merely interesting. And I might put in the good word for you and have someone from GameDay check further in on any stories. And by put in the good word, I mean make someone do it.

Anyway, if you have not checked out the article about Shreena Chopra, then you should. I am amazed myself because she is fast for anyone of any size. I can't imagine being so small though. Its always nice to hear about the different athletes, especially during a season in which I can't go out and see all the different sports myself, like I usually do.

We'll see what goes on then. At the end of each week I will post the games for next week, both home and away so everyone can know what is going, since schedules are so fascinating.

-Seth

Cheeseballing

So once again, only around seven people showed up to our morning practice, from 8-11. It was kind of strange having three setters(myself included) and only four hitters.

Basically, we worked on tipping and rollshotting(a hit where you hit it with your palm and then push up for top spin) to short middle and to the deep corners. Because we had so few people, we kept on going through the line very fast and everyone ended up extremely tired before we started our little 2 v 6 game against coach Allen and Gerard. We played two games, one to twenty-five and one to fifteen.

In the first game, we got beaten(we almost always lose the first game). Allen was hitting most of the spots he showed us were open. One shot was pretty scary, the block did not get up in time and the ball whizzed past my head into the corner. I didn't even have a chance to get my hands up. Our main problem is we were not moving to the ball fast enough. William was not as alert as he usually was(we all could tell he was pretty tired).

And then Allen has been picking on Jake, the big white man, always placing the ball right in front of him where he can't get to it. It looks like Jake is moving in slow motion when he tries to dive for the ball, which almost never works for him. Our defense was pretty sluggish. Usually its the best part of our game, but not today.

So then, to try and get some quick and easy points while I was setting, I kept dumping the ball, or turning and then doing a light set just over the net. If Eric Chung were still here, he would undoubtedly being calling out the cheeseball.

Cheeseballing is anything "cheap" to get a point, like dumping. In the second game, everyone started doing it. Allen kept hitting it right back to the server, with much success. I dumped a few balls. And most of the other guys were finally hitting the open spots like they were supposed to.

I think its funny though, because usually we are not hitting the open spots, even when we work on them the entire practice. We were just so tired that the quick and easy points available we immediately taken. But were always supposed to play that way. We should more often.

Yesterday, Aric Anderson, the Savannah coach and good friend of Allen, was at practice and said the Whitney coach thinks were only going to dump and tip the entire game. We don't usually so I think he will be in for a surprise, especially now we can hit and cheeseball whenever we want.

Looking forward to the Whitney game, they only have one good outside hitter so we should be able to beat them. We have been doing a good job hitting this year, better than the last. We just got a get our plays down and we should be able to hang with most other teams.

-Seth

Spring Break Volleyball Practice

So over spring break, the volleyball team is still having practice Monday through Thursday. Usually every year we have practice over the break. But yesterday, I was surprised when I only saw seven people show up to practice. Even Tim and Michael were not there. Though it was pretty funny when William Trinidad said, "What? Were being lead out by the third co-captain!" when I started up the warm-ups.

Practice had a very different feel, also in part to not having practiced since like the week before. Everyone was a little off in their passing and hitting and the overall feel for the practice was a tad too laid back.

Allen mainly took each person to practice float jump serves to use against Sage Hill and Brethren Christian. Not only do we have to be able to serve floaters consistently but also pass them well, something our team has always struggled with.

Well, I guess I will see how practice goes today. It sucks only have seven people because can't scrimmage quite as readily.

It was still nice to hang out with the guys. And oh, Jake Wainwright got a haircut and he needs to do something with it because it just looked comical yesterday. William could not stop laughing for the first five minutes of practice.

-Seth

Karch

Alright, so I recently wrote an article about Academy League concerning the volleyball team. Our league has got so much better within the past few years, especially with a superstar like Karch Kiraly taking over St. Margaret's.

Karch Kiraly has been one of my heroes ever since I started playing volleyball and I almost could not believe I was going to get to see him. He looks the same as he does on TV (whenever I watch AVP beach volleyball he usually makes guest appearances to comment). I was in awe just to be shaking his hand. And then by the end of last season, I was mad because I never got his autograph.

Oh, but that is going to change this year! I am going to try and get a picture with him at our first game against them and then get him to sign it at the second one. It will be one of those treasures I will hold onto for years to come.

I might be back on here depending on how practice goes.

-Seth

Yes, I am still following March Madness. And UCLA is still doing pretty well (even though the last game was too close for comfort). They better win the whole thing. Look for them to beat West. Kentucky on Thursday!

All Access

Whoo.

Apparently I have a banner now on a smalltime, student body run sports organization's homepage. Awesome.

I only hope you will keep coming to oasports.net just to hear me rant.

-Seth

Kick off the Blitz

Hello.

I am Seth Villegas, news editor for on the GameDay staff.

Here is how this is going to work, I will be posting my thoughts on the sports seasons as they go on and overall talking about a number of random sports things at my discretion. Power. Yum.

A bit about me:

1. I am a male junior.
2. I currently play for the varsity volleyball team.
3. My favorite sports are football, volleyball, and baseball, in that order respectively.
4. I am also a varsity speech and debater, so please bring on the controversy. I love to argue or rather, discuss civilly in a strong tone.
5. I love writing so hopefully this blog will be updated often.

Also, this blog may become an outlet for me complain about anything sports related.

Should be interesting to see how this turns out.

-Seth

Oh yeah, GO UCLA! WIN IT ALL!