Sports

Softball Facts, History, and More!

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Softball Facts, History, and More!

 Softball is a very popular sport! Lots of people enjoy playing it. There are 65 million people that play softball around the world! Here are some facts and history about softball!

 History

 The history of softball is very interesting! The man who created softball was George Hancock. It all started in the Farragut Boat Club in November 1887. He was at a Yale football game. Yale had defeated Harvard and when somebody heard that they got so excited that they threw a boxing glove at another student and the other student tried to hit it with a stick! This gave George the idea of a new game! George wanted to play indoor baseball but with a bigger ball. Other people just thought that he meant outdoor baseball but he certainly did not. He used what he could and tied the laces of a boxing glove to use as a ball. To mark the bases, home plate, and where the pitcher should stand he used chalk. Soon later that sport grew and many people started to play it. After more people started to play it George took the game outdoors where other teams would go against each other. Now more than 65 million people play softball around the world!

 

Facts

 There’s a lot of facts that you may not know about or probably already do because some of the facts are already well known. The first official game of softball was in 1887. It was an indoor game as well. Before softball got its name it was called kitten ball. Then later the Minneapolis Park Board named it diamond ball. Softball then officially got its name in 1927. Softball is played in 140 countries! That’s insane! In the diamond field, each base is 60 feet apart from the other. That’s a little smaller than a baseball field because each base is 90 feet apart. In softball, pitchers pitch underhand and baseball pitchers pitch overhand. Also in baseball, pitchers always have to look behind them because runners can steal bases at any time but in softball, runners can’t do that. So softball pitchers are never looking behind themselves but baseball pitchers are. Baseball pitchers have to pitch on a mound which makes them stand up higher than softball pitchers because they have no mound. That’s all the facts!

 

Jennie Finch 

Jennie Finch was considered one of the best softball players in the world. She was a fast pitch pitcher and a first baseman. Jennie started to play softball when she was 5! She is an Olympic gold medalist. She started to play for the Arizona Wildcats in 1999. She and her team got a gold medal in 2004 in Athens for the Olympic Games. In 2008 in Beijing for the Olympic games, they got a silver medal. Jennie has an N.C.A.A record for having 60 consecutive pitching wins over three seasons. Within those three seasons, she struck out people 1,028 times! Jennie could also throw at 70, which is 98-99 in baseball. Jennie Finch retired in 2010 at the age of 29. 

Sources:

https://olympic.ca/2019/08/23/what-are-the-differences-between-baseball-and-softball/

 

https://www.rulesofsport.com/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-softball-and-baseball.html

 

https://www.teamusa.org/usa-softball/about-usa-sb/history

 

https://facts.net/lifestyle/sports/softball-facts/

 

https://www.britannica.com/facts/Jennie-Finch

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/sports/olympics/biofinch.html#:~:text=record%20with%2060%20consecutive%20pitching,season%20to%20set%20another%20N.C.A.A.

Why is team chemistry more important than overall talent?

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Why is team chemistry more important than overall talent?

The 2021-2022 Lakers squad has had a very dissapointing start to this season, as of writing this article they are 10-11. What is the reason for their struggle, and has this happened before?

 

There are 2 keys to success in the NBA nowadays. The first one is skill and stardom. Every team should be built around a superstar, a guy you see as the future and leader of the squad. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is that guy. A guy who draws a lot of attention and night in and out consistently puts up very good numbers.

 

The second key is chemistry. All of the talent you may have means nothing if none of it works together. A team like the Phoenix Suns may not have the biggest stars in the league, but they still made it to the NBA Finals last season due to their impressive chemistry. A team that plays better together is better than a team that plays the best by themselves. Kevin Durant once said, “Chemistry is important. If you like your teammates, it’s going to be easier to play with them on the court”.

 

Going into this season, the Lakers were the team to watch. They were expected to match up against the Nets in the NBA Finals for a fantastic matchup. However, the Lakers have been very disappointing thus far. The Lakers are a measly 10-11, and it seems every week they play worse and worse teams and continue to lose. What is the reason for these losses, you may ask?

 

It’s quite noticeable when you watch Lakers games what their issue is: they don’t know how to play as a unit. I don’t even watch basketball, and even I can notice it. There is too much stardom in Los Angeles and not enough chemistry to go around. Guys like Lebron James, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, and Russell Westbrook all on the same team are not working well. All 4 of those guys are players to build a team around. All of them would be leading scorers on most teams in the league. All of them want the ball, and when one player takes too many shots, the other guys become useless. They need to learn how to distribute all of their talents equally around and use all of their strengths to combine them.

 

Unfortunately, if everyone can’t figure it out, they may end up trading people away. Fill some weaknesses the Lakers have and not have as many stars on the floor at once. This is the unfortunate route they may have to take, but it is very much an option.

 

Now, the Lakers are not the only example of this. In the NBA’s entire history this happens essentially every year. The Nets are last season’s example and have had the same issue this season as well. The Big 3 the Nets traded for and signed, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden have not played well together. All 3 of them shoot the ball too much. However, James and Kevin have started to figure it out, Kyrie has left them behind. Kyrie has not been allowed to play due to his unwillingness to get the COVID-19 Vaccine, and Kevin and James are being good teammates and not being negative towards Irving. Kevin says, “He’s a part of our team”.

 

It begs the question, does chemistry mean more than talent? Yes, teams that have very good chemistry have always done better than extremely talented teams. Take the 2020 Milwaukee Bucks for example. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the biggest name in the Finals for that squad, but other than that, there was not much star power. But, everyone knew their role. Jrue Holiday knew he was not going to be the scoring point guard, and so he focused on his biggest strength, that being his defense. The same is not said for Khris Middleton however, as he was expected to be the best 3 point shooter on that team, and he was. All of these parts came together and formed a championship team. Even their opponents in the Finals had great chemistry and were built similarly to Milwaukee, but the Bucks were bigger and stronger and ended up winning.

 

Time and time again it has been proved that teams with better chemistry will win more games than a team with extraordinary talent. If all the parts come together, they can form a special squad. But, the teams that have the right amount of talent and chemistry, become dynasties and can go down as some of the greatest teams of all time.

 

The 2021 Atlanta Braves: a perfect example of why good coaching goes a long way

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The 2021 Atlanta Braves: a perfect example of why good coaching goes a long way

The Atlanta Braves were perhaps more of a surprise this season than the Giants were. An unsuspecting National League East squad that was expected to finish in the middle of a somewhat competitive division, who ended up beating the big bad Dodgers and Astros, and winning the World Series. This team was expected to be good, but not good enough to win the World Series. But yet, after all the doubts and a bad record for most of the season, they overcame it all. One reason I often point to is the coaching quality Atlanta has to offer. They are perhaps the best in the National League, maybe in all of the MLB. They coached and built this squad from scratch, and pulled them to the top. Let’s dive into how coaching can influence players to be great, and exactly how these guys got so good.

 

Believe in your ability

If you have ever played Retro Bowl before, you know that you can easily win it all in the first season with a team. You spend all your money on the best players right off the bat to replace the bad players and go from a one-star team to a five-star team and win the Retro Bowl after only one season. 

An actual front office for a sports franchise does not work that way. It takes many years of making small, smart decisions to slowly build up your team to the point where then you can spend a good amount on the best players. For some teams, it may take 20-30 years. That’s an absurdly long amount of time, but they do what is necessary to build up to greatness. Atlanta was patient and did not spend all their money on top free agents, they decided to take the long and gritty route, which ended up being the right choice. 

Essentially, Atlanta coached up all of their players to the point where they could flip 2 or 3 of them for better players. They draft carefully to replace what they lost and coach them up as well. The ones with the best potential keep around to further their growth and progression, and they turn into recognizable names. The ones that aren’t quite good enough to become huge names are traded away for either household names or guys they see have very good potential. It’s a long and egregious process, but when done correctly builds the foundation of a team. But, without proper coaching, this will never be done correctly.

 

The Beginning of Something Great

2018 Atlanta was the future of the Braves. These were the guys they wanted to take to the next level. Freddie Freeman was who this squad was built around. Freddie was drafted as a top California prospect, and Atlanta developed him into an MVP. Ronald Acuna Jr was drafted before this season, and he had begun his development into what he is today, an MVP candidate. Ozzie Albies at Second Base was beginning to become a top Second Baseman, Dansby Swanson was being worked on to become a Gold Glove stud shortstop, Austin Riley at Third Base started to turn into a top Third Baseman. This was Atlanta’s core they would continue to build around. 

The level of coaching in Atlanta opened up opportunities for better players to come into the organization to contribute. The Braves would look for guys with potential or had success prior, and just needed a few tweaks to become household names. One example would be Travis D’Arnaud, who had success with the Mets a few years prior but was becoming worse every year. Atlanta signed him in 2019 and worked with him and gave him the confidence he needed to become their starting catcher. 

Another example is the 3 outfielders Atlanta traded for in 2021 to replace the injured outfielders Atlanta had developed. They traded for Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, and Eddie Rosario. Atlanta was all in to win this season and decided to fill some holes with well-known players to further increase their chances of winning later in the season. Eddie Rosario had just been DFA’d by the Twins, Soler was not producing like his 2019 self, and Joc Pederson did not want to be on a down-spiraling Cubs team. The Braves made little tweaks in their game, and they ended up being colossal contributors to the Braves in the postseason. Eddie Rosario ended up winning WS MVP, Soler hit the big home run in game 6 to seal the deal against Houston, and Joc Pederson delivered time and time again throughout the season.

The Braves coaches were the cause of all this success. They built up the core and opened up these opportunities for the Braves to continue to get better, and even after these big additions they progressed them as well to make their additions even more valuable.

Now, who exactly are we to praise for all of this? It’s time I introduce you to the people responsible for the progression of this franchise.

 

Manager: Brian Snitker

One of the most respected managers in the league. Brian has been with Atlanta for 40 years and is now getting his first taste of success. An old-school approach to the game, which you will find all Braves coaches do. Brian makes the right moves in the game and has commanded everyone in his grip extremely well. Brian has run this organization beautifully, and his hard work is now paying off.

 

Bench Coach: Walter Weiss

Former Major League shortstop who is the Robin to Snitker’s batman. These two think brilliantly alike and are always on the same page at all times. He influences a lot of decisions Snitker makes. If you ever watch a Braves game, you can constantly see Snitker and Weiss gelling together, making decisions to help the Braves have success.

 

Third Base Coach: Ron Washington

Ah yes, Ronnie Washington, another former ballplayer who has spent 50 years in baseball. Washington is very knowledgeable and is the infield coach for the Braves. He is responsible for turning guys like Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies, and Freddie Freeman into Gold Glove-winning infielders. Here he is explaining his mindset and drills he goes over with his players (MLB Network). Ron says, “After a while when the playing time stop(s), you become a giver. People gave it to you, and to keep the game going in the direction you want it to go in you have to give back”. Perfectly said, Ron.

 

First Base Coach: Eric Young

Eric has assumed the role of the outfield coach for Atlanta, and he has contributed beyond necessary. He has turned Ronald Acuna Jr into an absolute monster and kept guys sharp who are veteran defensive players such as Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Marcell Ozuna, and Adam Duvall. Eric has coaching experience with the Rockies and Rangers and has finally won his first ring.

Now, these are not the only men responsible for the success and progression of the Braves core I don’t have enough time in a day to talk about everyone. But, without that great coaching and development, the Braves would be lost and would not be the power franchise they are today.

 

Brusdar Graterol is so much fun to watch pitch in the MLB

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Brusdar Graterol is so much fun to watch pitch in the MLB

With the future of the game of baseball’s stars coming from foreign countries, many countries are famous for the players who are born there. The big counties are and are not limited to: Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, and Venezuela. These countries are known to pound out Major League stars. One, in particular, I have had my eyes on for a few years now, is Brusdar Graterol, a relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brusdar is a special kind of athlete, and it’s time people were introduced to him.

 

Started from the Bottom

Brusdar Javier Graterol was born on August 26th, 1998 in Calabozo, Venezuela. Brusdar had no father growing up, so he was raised by his mother and grandparents. Brusdar played baseball in Venezuela as a kid until 2014, when he signed with the Minnesota Twins. 

In 2016 Graterol underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire season. However, when he returned from the injury he pitched very well, going 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA while pitching in low A with the East Coast Twins. Minnesota saw the crazy potential in him and promoted him to high A to play with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. 

Now, what did they see in him exactly? A big, strong, 6’0 kid that can throw 100 MPH with ease. His mechanics allowed him to throw these high speeds very effortlessly. Throw in a wipeout slider in the mix, and you have a top prospect in the Twins organization. Take a look at it yourself, here is a video of Brusdar clocking in at 99 MPH while pitching for Cedar Rapids. 

Brusdar immediately became a Twin’s top prospect, and many were excited to see him at the major league level.

Finally, Brusdar got his long-awaited wish, making his MLB debut on September 1st, 2019 in a save appearance for the Twins against the Detroit Tigers, and he looked very sharp, touching 99 MPH and closing the game out on a double play.

Brusdar continued pitching for the Twins in the bullpen for the rest of the year and finished the season to the tune of a 4.66 ERA. During the offseason after the Twins were swept by the Yankees in the ALDS, Brusdar worked his butt off. Brusdar was frustrated with the stats he finished with and wanted to do something about it. He and everyone else around him had realized the crazy potential he had, and he pursued to find it

In February of 2020, Brusdar was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers had fantasized about having a player of this caliber and potential in their bullpen, it was their one weakness they needed to address. The Dodgers saw the crazy potential, and fine-tuned Brusdar as their little toy to add to the bullpen. 

 

The beginning of a legacy

2020 was the season Brusdar made a name for himself. Although the stats may not completely jump off the page, that’s not what brings him attention. What attracted all the fans towards him was the crazy things he did while pitching.

Brusdar raised his fastball 2 MPH during that offseason, and it was on display throughout the entire season. Brusdar dominated Baseball Savant’s leaderboard in 2020 for velocity, as he is in second place behind Aroldis Chapman in velocity for a sinker, and in fourth place for a four-seam fastball. 

Not only is his fastball extremely tough to hit, but they have a crazy run on them. Run is when a fastball moves from side to side. A fastball could start at the middle of the plate, but when it hits the catcher’s glove may be on the inside half of the plate to a right-handed batter, which means that the pitch ran inside. This video by Pitching Ninja shows exactly what I am talking about, watch where the pitcher releases the ball, and where it ends up on the plate. Brusdar makes a few appearances in this video if you notice. Here is another example of what Brusdar looks like with his fastballs, watch the absurd amount of depth his pitches have on them.

But no pitcher is successful without a secondary pitch, a pitch to change speeds and eye level with. Even though you may throw 102 MPH, you still need a secondary pitch to slow down the hitter and throw off their timing. For that, Brusdar throws a wicked slider off of his fastballs, as well as a changeup to add even more variety. Watch this video and watch how the fastball (up) and the slider (down) go in different directions of each other. As a hitter seeing 102, it’s extremely tough for them to recognize the pitch. To go from 102 to 88 is very tough to adjust to as a hitter.

But yet the most impressive part of it all is he does it without even trying. Just watching Jomboy Media’s video on his outing against the Astros shows how easily he releases the ball, almost as if he doesn’t try. It’s amazing to watch.

Brusdar is also an amazing personality. Every time he strikes someone out he gets fired up.Watch Graterol’s reaction after the ball is caught. He is so passionate and is such a show to watch every time he goes out to pitch.

Just speaking on how special of an athlete Graterol is quite frankly is not enough. You just have to watch and understand to realize how gifted this young kid is. Although he struggled due to injury in 2021, I predict he will have a phenomenal season once more in 2022 and will become the Dodgers regular closer for the season. Brusdar has blown up social media because of how talented and ridiculous he is. Look up Brusdar Graterol on Youtube and you will scroll for days finding videos on all of his pitching and how he is so good. This young man will light up the league, and we have yet to see all of his potential come to light.

Why it is important to jump on a bike

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Why it is important to jump on a bike

Jumping on a mountain bike is a super fun thing to do and it can be very important if you race on downhill tracks or cross country tracks. It is very helpful because if you don’t jump then you might have to slow down on the track. You have to walk around the jump because you are too scared to jump it.

You also need to know how to jump because if you don’t jump then you might lose a lot of speed and if you are racing then that would suck for you to lose most of your speed. Jumping is also something that you can almost do anywhere for example if there is a curb you can launch off of the curb. You can also jump without anything to help you jump you can just do a bunny hop, it might take you some time to learn how to bunny hop but you can get the hang of it and you will be able to do it no problem and maybe once you get good at jumping you can learn how to do some tricks like no handers, no footers, and backflips and similar tricks.

Jumping is important for downhill biking because when you are jumping you lose less speed. After all, if there is a rocky spot on the trail and you have no choice but to go on it you can just jump over it and you won’t even have to lose any speed if anything you will be gaining speed. Another time that you might want to jump is when there is a drop because if you don’t jump then you will nose dive and you could get very hurt and might even have to stop biking for a while.

Biking is a very technical sport so there will be many times where you have to jump or else you might crash or slow down and you don’t want either of those to happen. You also want to jump because some things could break your bike if you don’t jump like if there is a big rock and there isn’t any way around it you will have to jump over it or use it as a jump depending on the shape. It might be scary to jump though, so that is why you need to get used to your bike, or else something could go wrong while you jump and you could crash.

You also could jump around a lot because if you jump it makes riding a bike a lot more fun to ride. You also can get more respect from some of the other bikers and let me tell you it feels super good to get more respect from some of the other bikers. It feels really good to get the respect because when you get the respect you feel a lot more of a better bike than you thought you were before and you probably are. You also should jump around because when you jump around you get used to hitting small things on your bike and then later you will be able to get used to jumping on a bigger jump and it will be a whole lot easier and more fun. Just jumping around is also very good because when you jump around you have a whole lot more fun than if you were to just ride without jumping.

In conclusion, jumping is a great thing to do and it is also one of the most fun things to do on trails, around your neighborhood, and anywhere.

All about BYU Woman’s Volleyball

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All about BYU Woman’s Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team has always been good, they have made appearances in 32 of the 39 NCAA Women’s volleyball tournaments. There’s been a women’s volleyball team at BYU for 52 years. There have been 6 coaches and tons of players. BYU’s most recent season was awesome just like many before it. BYU received the No. 16 seed at the beginning of the season. They opened the 2020 NCAA tournament by beating UCLA. They finished among the top teams and won the West Coast Conference title. They ended the season winning 17-2 and a No. 15 seed. 

 

Last Seasons Best

Every season BYU has amazing players and this season was no different. Their top blocker Kennedy Eschenberg is an American middle blocker. She ended the season with No. 6 in the NCAA division. She had an average of 1.58 blocks per set and a .435 hitting percentage. Kennedy got 135 kills and led the team with 82 blocks. Their top setter, Whitney Bower was named the WCC player and setter of the year. Whitney ended the season with 676 assists, 221 digs, 48 kills, 28 blocks, and 22 aces. Their top outside hitter, Ballard Nixon was a key contributor to the cougar’s success. She got 239 kills, 133 digs, 15 aces, and 38 blocks. Their coach for the 2020-2021 season Olmstead was WCC coach of the year and the AVCA Pacific South Region Coach of the Year. She holds the highest winning percentage of any women’s volleyball coach. She reached 100 wins in 101 games. 

This Season

BYU’s 2021-2022 season has been just as good as the many others. There team consists of 19 players, Taylen Ballard, Heather Gneiting, Morgan Bower, Kenzie Koerber, Bri Albright, Zanya Meyer, Whitney Bower,

 Taylen Hifo, Alyssa Montoya, Erin Livingston, Abbey Dayton, Kate Grimmer, Aria Mccomber, Elyse Stowell, Madi

 Allen, Whitney Llarenas, Sophia Callahan, Kennedy Eschenburg, and Gretchen Reinert. BYU is ranked a No. 11 seed. In their most recent game, they beat Saint Marys, winning every set. Koerber led the team with 16 kills, and the middle blockers Eschenberg and Gneiting both got 8 as well. Their next game is on the 30 against Saint Clara. Their next home game will be on October 7 against Portland. BYU hopes to continue winning and hopefully earn a higher seed.

 

Volleyball History

BYU has been keeping a record on women’s volleyball for 50 years, from then to 2018 they have won 1,281 games. The BYU Cougars first made it to the NCAA Sweet 16 1981 and since then have returned 31 times. BYU’s women’s volleyball team was the first volleyball team to be in the NCAA final four in 1993. They have had 2 players move on and play in the Olympics. Charlene Johnsen after playing for BYU went to the Utah Predators out of college as the starting setter. She played 2 years of professional volleyball in Switzerland and Italy. She competed in the 2000 Olympics and after that served as the assistant coach in Nebraska. Mary Lake played for BYU as a libero, and she is set to go to the 2020 summer Olympics. Mary Lake was named the 2019-20 West Coast Conference female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was also named WCC Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-WCC First Team. She started every game and led the team to a No. 1 ranking. When she was a freshman she broke the school record with 546 digs. And this summer Marly Lake is just one of the 2 liberos on the U.S national volleyball team. 

 

 

Sources: https://universe.byu.edu/2019/10/07/50-facts-for-50-years-of-making-womens-volleyball-history/

 

https://byucougars.com/home/w-volleyball

 

http://www.seniorclassaward.com/athletes/mary_lake/

 

https://byucougars.com/roster/w-volleyball/2021

The Life of John Stockton

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The Life of John Stockton

John Stockton is one of the best basketball players in history. He has the most assists in a season for the NBA. Growing up he was the star of his High school basketball team. He has won many awards in his lifetime. He played in the NBA for many seasons. He also has lots of kids. There are so many cool things about him. Stick around to learn more about John Stockton.

 

Early Life

John Stockton was born March 26, 1962, in Spokane Washington, to his parents Clementine and Jack Stockton. He has 3 siblings Steave, Leane, and Stacy. John’s dad played Basketball and that’s where he learned all his basketball skills from. He loved playing basketball with his dad learning and improving every day. In high school, he went to Gonzaga Preparatory School. John was the star player on his school team scoring about 20.9 points and 7.2 assists a game in his Seiner year of high school. He scored over 1,000 points in high school. 

 

Adult life

For college, John went to Gonzaga University in Washington. He majored in Busines Administration. In college, he became Gonzaga’s all-time leader in steals and assists. John had 3,265 steals and 15,806 Assists in his college career. In the West Coast Athletic Conference, he Had the most points, assists, and steals. He had an average of 57% shooting rank. John graduated in 1984 with a 3.30 GPA. On august 16, 1986 jhon got married to Nada Stepovich. He and his wife had 6 kids together. their names are David, Michael, Laura, Samuel, Lindsay, and Houston. John and his 6 kids still live happily together.

 

Career

John Stockton went to the NBA in 1984. Witch means he was about 22 years old. He was the 16th overall pick in the first round to the Utah jazz. Jhon played Point guard for the Jazz for his 19 seasons. He has the most Assist on the jazz team. His shooting percentage was 51.5%. He had an 83% free-through percentage. Right now John Stockton has the most steals in the NBA. His salary in the NBA was $95 million. He retired from playing professional basketball in 2003. 

 

Awards

John has won many awards throughout his career here are some of them. John won the NBA player of the month in February 1988. In the 1990-1991 season, he had the most assists in a season having 1,164 Assist. In 1993 he won the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP award. in 1997, 1995, and 1992 John and his team won NBA All-Defensive Team. Also, in 1992 he won the Olympic gold. In 1995, and 1994 They won the All-NBA Team award. in 1993 he won co-MVP along with his teammate Karl Malone. in 1996 he was named one of the greatest 50 players in NBA history. John Stockton has won so many more awards.

 

Fun facts

John Stockton has many interesting facts about him here are some of them:

  • His nickname is Stock Because he is short.
  • He made the most steals in NBA history.
  • If you want to follow john Stockton here is his Instagram account @johnstockton12.
  • He always wore Nike shoes to his games.
  • He played his whole career with the Jazz.
  • Each year Stockton played with the Jazz they have made it to the playoffs.

John Stockton is an amazing basketball player. He has the most assists in a season for the NBA. He has also, won a lot more awards. Throughout his whole life, he played basketball. While he was growing up he would play with his dad. On the Jazz team, he was one of the best players along with Karel Malone. He is an awesome basketball player but an even better person.

 

Collegiate Football bowl games arriving soon, so who is playing where?

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Collegiate Football bowl games arriving soon, so who is playing where?

Mid-Season Overview

Collegiate Football bowl games are arriving soon, so who’s playing where is a question we ask ourselves every year. With teams such as Alabama, Oregon, Georgia, and Oklahoma all looking like they are playoff contenders, who will make it to the grand stage?

 

Season Schedule

A team’s schedule is always planned out a few years in advance, and with the rankings constantly changing, who knows as of right now who will make it, but you can use the team’s remaining schedule, we can decide the toughness, and chances of making it to big bowl games.

The top teams in the predictions for a playoff spot are:

  1. Georgia
  2. Alabama
  3. Oregon
  4. Ohio State

 

New Year’s Six Bowl (NY6)

For right now, these are all predictions and can change easily over time with wins and losses. But there are many other teams available for New-Years-6 bowls, and that means that some real competition is up. For instance, BYU, a possible NY6 bowl contender. Although slim, BYU’s chances of making it to an NY6 bowl are still possible. BYU needs to win the rest of their games, including GASU, an 87% win. The week after that, USC, the only team BYU should have any worries about, but should still make it past and make it to a big(ish) bowl. But looking at all of this, there is almost no chance that BYU will even get CLOSE to making it to the playoffs.

The NY6 games are the biggest college football games of the year, these six bowl games include: 

Rose Bowl — Big Ten #1 vs. Pac-12 #1 (Michigan State VS Oregon)

Sugar Bowl — SEC #1 vs. Big 12 #1 (Alabama VS Oklahoma State)

Orange Bowl — ACC #1 vs. SEC #2, Big Ten #2, or Notre Dame (Georgia VS Cincinnati)

Cotton Bowl — at-large or “Group of Five” (committee selection) (Oklahoma vs Ohio State)

Fiesta Bowl — at-large or “Group of Five” (committee selection) (Texas A&M VS Notre Dame)

Peach Bowl — at-large or “Group of Five” (committee selection) (Wake Forest VS Michigan)

 

Other Bowl Games

Even though most everyone focuses on those big 6 games, there are still many other bowl games to be played.

 

  • Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 17) Tie-In: Conference USA vs. MAC Projection: FAU vs. Ball State
  • Cure Bowl (Dec. 17) Tie-In: AAC/C-USA/MAC/MW/Sun Belt/Army Projection: Appalachian State vs. Liberty
  • Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 18) Tie-In: AAC/C-USA/MAC/Sun Belt Projection: UAB vs. Coastal Carolina
  • New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 18) Tie-In: AAC/C-USA/MAC vs. Mountain West Projection: UTEP vs. Utah State
  • Independence Bowl (Dec. 18) Tie-In: BYU vs. Conference USA Projection: BYU vs. UTSA
  • LendingTree Bowl (Dec. 18) Tie-In: MAC/C-USA vs. Sun Belt Projection: Eastern Michigan vs. Troy
  • LA Bowl (Dec. 18) Tie-In: Mountain West vs. Pac-12 Projection: San Diego State vs. Oregon State
  • New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 18) Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Sun Belt Projection: Marshall vs. Louisiana
  • Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 20) Tie-In: AAC/MAC/C-USA/Sun Belt Projection: Charlotte vs. Miami (Ohio)
  • Famous Idaho Bowl (Dec. 21) Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West Projection: Kent State vs. Nevada
  • Frisco Bowl (Dec. 21) Tie-In: AAC/C-USA/MAC/MW/Sun Belt Projection: Air Force vs. WKU
  • Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 22) Tie-In: Big 12/C-USA/AAC/Army Projection: Texas Tech vs. Army
  • Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 23) Tie-In: AAC/ACC/SEC Projection: Louisville vs. LSU
  • Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24) Tie-In: AAC/C-USA vs. Mountain West Projection: SMU vs. San Jose State
  • Camellia Bowl (Dec. 25) Tie-In: MAC/C-USA vs. Sun Belt Projection: Central Michigan vs. Georgia State
  • Quick Lane Bowl (Dec. 27) Tie-In: Big Ten vs. MAC Projection: Maryland vs. Northern Illinois
  • Military Bowl (Dec. 27) Tie-In: ACC vs. American Projection: Syracuse vs. East Carolina
  • Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 28) Tie-In: American/ACC/C-USA vs. SEC Projection: South Carolina vs. Houston
  • First Responder Bowl (Dec. 28) Tie-In: AAC/Big 12/C-USA/Sun Belt/MW Projection: Western Michigan vs. Memphis
  • Liberty Bowl (Dec. 28) Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC Projection: West Virginia vs. Mississippi State
  • Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Dec. 28 Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Big Ten Projection: Kansas State vs. Boise State
  • Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28) Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12 Projection: North Carolina vs. UCLA
  • Fenway Bowl (Dec. 29) Tie-In: ACC vs. American Projection: Boston College vs. UCF
  • Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 29) Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten Projection: Virginia vs. Purdue
  • Cheez-It Bowl (Dec. 29) Tie-In: ACC vs. Big 12 Projection: Iowa State vs. Pitt
  • Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29) Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Pac-12 Projection: Utah vs. Baylor
  • Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 30) Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC Projection: NC State vs. Tennessee
  • Music City Bowl (Dec. 30) Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC Projection: Iowa vs. Arkansas
  • Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 30) Tie-In: Big Ten vs. Pac-12 Projection: Arizona State vs. Minnesota
  • Gator Bowl (Dec. 31) Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC Projection: Florida vs. Clemson
  • Sun Bowl (Dec. 31) Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12 Projection: Miami vs. Washington State
  • Arizona Bowl (Dec. 31) Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West Projection: Toledo vs. Fresno State
  • Outback Bowl (Jan. 1) Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC Projection: Penn State vs. Kentucky
  • Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1) Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC Projection: Wisconsin vs. Ole Miss
  • Texas Bowl (Jahttps://athlonsports.com/college-football/bowl-projections-2021n. 4) Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC Projection: Texas vs. Auburn.

As said before, these are all just predictions, but anything could happen in these last 3 weeks of football, and we could see a new contender in the mix.

Sources:

 

 

 

NBA Christmas Day Games

Ian Slack Uncategorized , , , 0 Comment

This year’s Christmas day games are going to be good and competitive. They have the Lakers playing the Nets, the two supposed powerhouses that should run through every team like it’s nothing. But both have problems that could be exploited. The Net’s have two ball-dominant star guards. Will they be able to mesh because if they can’t one of them might have to go? But if they do mesh that is three 25 to 30 point scorers about 8 assists each and if the other teams decide that they aren’t going to let the big three of James Harden Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant score the entire rest of the roster is filled with three-point snipers so as long as one two or all three of them are on the floor there will be at least one player wide open and all they have to do is hit a three. Then the Lakers have LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. That is three current All- star’s, two former MVP’s and then they have a very well-rounded bench. But their problem is they have zero shooting. And an explosive guard that is slowly declining and can’t seem to get a jumper past the three-point line Russel Westbrook. Then they have Anthony Davis who just can’t stay healthy enough to play a full season but when he is playing he is a beast. He is a good shooter for a big man, a great finisher, good handles, and a defensive beast. And now finally LeBron James he is thirty-six years old and has a decent jump shot and good court vision he is slowly on the decline defensively. Every year he is losing his explosive first step that said he has a good post-game and is doing everything possible to stay at a halt decline-wise or keep the decline as slow as possible. Last year his age started to show after he had injury after injury. The biggest problem with the Lakers is the age of all of their players. The average age of all of their players except for two of them is 33 or older. The Christmas day game with the Nets and Lakers is one to watch if both of these teams find a way to work to their max potential.

The next game that I am going to talk about is Jazz, Mavericks. Now I think that this game should have been The Clippers vs either one of these two because both the Mavericks and the Jazz have become playoff rivals to the Clippers after the past two years. But I still expect this game to be a game that will be very close. The Mavericks and Jazz have had regular-season showdowns but nothing as big as what both teams have had against the Clippers. I expect the Jazz to win the game by about five points. There are no big concerns with these teams like the Lakers and Nets but if they could get some better players around their young stars that would help the team’s move to the next level. For the big matchup of the game, I expect the high thirties to mid to low forties from Mitchell and I expect somewhere from mid-twenties to low thirties with around ten assists from Luka.

Now we have the Hawks and the Knicks. Last year they both had unexpected playoff berths as two middle seeded teams being the fourth and fifth seed’s. Everyone expected the Knicks to walk away with the series but they did what they do best they choked. Their best player Julies Randle couldn’t make a shot to save his life and they fell apart defensively they were the best defensive team in the league. But that doesn’t mean the Hawks would have lost if they played normally because Trae Young was cooking and he wouldn’t miss if he tried. John Collins was dunking everything inside the Hawks were just on a whole nother level. But I think the Knicks are going to want some revenge after what happened in the playoffs. I think this game is going to be good but most importantly the matchup. I think Trae Young has thirty to forty with some assists and I think that Julies Randle will have mid-twenties to thirty with two blocks a steal and some rebounds. I expect the Hawks to win but it will be a fun game.
Next, we have the Warriors and Suns. This game is going to be insane outside of the fact that they have no existing rivalry outside of Steph and Paul who have been going at each other for years. The Warriors are coming off a season where Steph couldn’t be stopped. He averaged 32 a game THIRTY-TWO. That is insane. He is the oldest player in NBA history to average that he had an entire month where he scored thirty or more that is insane. He didn’t have much help last year and missed the playoffs while Chris Paul went to the finals. I think that Chris Paul and Steph are going to duel. I expect forty to fifty from Curry and a double-double from Chris Paul. But the scoring duel is going to be Curry and Booker. But the Warriors have newly acquired rookie Jonathan Kuminga who is a defensive hound so we will just have to see how fast Kuminga adapts to be the top scorer in the league.

Last but not least we have the Celtics and the Bucks. This game is going to be good. We have last year’s NBA champions in the Milwaukee Buck and we have a team with a first-round exit to the Nets in last year’s playoffs the Celtics. Now, this doesn’t seem interesting but the Celtics had their second-best player Jalen Brown go down right before the playoffs with a torn wrist ligament so even if they managed to beat the Nets without him they wouldn’t have gotten him back for the finals. But last year the Celtics had lots of injuries and a lot of players go down to Covid, but in the middle part of the season when everyone was healthy and on the floor, they were winning games and they were looking like a championship team like the year before but then the injuries and the Covid cases piled upright as the season came to an end. If all of the players can manage to stay healthy on both teams this might be one of the better games and these teams don’t have a lot of weaknesses both teams have good shooters, good finishers, good defenders, good play-makers and most importantly good chemistry both of these teams have been playing together for at least three seasons with minor adjustments to the roster year to year but nothing major. The only problem with these two teams is player health but other than that they’re both really good.

The games that I am most excited for in order are Celtics Bucks if healthy, Jazz Mavericks, Warriors Suns, Hawks Knicks, and Nets Lakers. I think that this year’s Christmas Day games are going to be some of the most competitive in recent years. But that is just my opinion and my opinion is the only one that matters. Just kidding, all opinions matter.

The Life of Rose Lavelle

haleybryce44 Uncategorized , , , , 0 Comment
The Life of Rose Lavelle

Rose Lavelle is an amazing Soccer player. Rose plays for the USA Women’s National Team. Today we are going to talk about her life growing up and her adult life. We will also talk about her Career, the Awards she has won, and Cool facts about her. Rose Is one of the best soccer players on the USA team. Here are some things about Rose Lavelle’s life. 

 

Early Life

Rose Lavelle was born May 14, 1995, in Cincinnati, Ohio. To her parents Janet and Marty Lavelle. Rose has 1 brother named Jhon, and 2 sisters named Nora and Mary. growing up rose played on club soccer teams around her area. She and her siblings would play soccer in the backyard for hours. For high school, Rose went to Mount Notre Dame high school. There she played soccer on the high school varsity team. She played midfield and forward there. In her high school season, she scored 57 goals. 

 

Adult life

In 2013 Rose went to college at the University of Madison Wisconson. She majored in Sociology. Lavelle Graduated in 2016 from college. She started playing for Manchester City. In 2017 she got drafted to the Boston Breakers. She was the 1st overall pick in the 2017 NWSL. Also in 2017, she started playing for the USA women’s soccer team. She is still a midfielder for them. She is still in her adult life Adding to it one bit at a time. 

 

Career

In 2017 she started playing for the Women’s national team. So far Rose has played 4 seasons with the USA. Right now Lavelle is 26 years old and started playing for the National team when she was around 22 years old. She plays as a midfielder on this team. Her salary right now is somewhere between $16,538 and $46,200. Rose has scored many goals throughout her life. Most on the USA women’s national team. 

 

Awards

Rose Lavelle has won many awards throughout her lifetime and is still accomplishing more. In high school won the Greater Cincinnati.Northern Kentucky sportswomen of the year award in 2013. In 2014 she won the Golden ball of the CONCACAF women under-20 championship. in 2015 and 2016 she won the big ten midfielders of the year. in 2019 she was named best FIFA footballer award, and won the EFIFA FIFPRO world Xl award. in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won the Bronze medal with her team. Rose has so many more awards and more she will continue to win. 

 

Fun Facts

Rose Lavelle has many interesting facts about her here are some of them. Her number is #16. Her Dominant foot is her left foot. Rose loves to read it is one of her favorite hobbies. If she’s not playing soccer she is usually reading. She has an English Bulldog. Lavelle is pretty short she is “5,4”. She is happily single right now and is not married or dating anyone. Her net worth is around $1 Million. Her real name is Rosemary Kathleen Lavelle. She represented the USA at youth levels for a long time. Rose is named the Nutmeg duchess. Her nickname is Sweet Baby Rose. she is 26 years old right now. She has played soccer since she was 7 years old. In high school, she played on the varsity team all 4 years of her high school career. Her freshman year in high school her team made it to the playoffs. She is still studying At the University of Wisconsin. She is usually always a Starter. In high school she was. You can follow Rose at @lavellerose. Lavelle has 474K followers. Rose was the leading scorer on her high school team ending her high school career with 57 goals. Her eyes are dark brown. She plays for the USA and the Washington Spirit. Her favorite food is Ice cream and Burgers. Her favorite actor is Tom Cruise. Rose also loves to Shop. she has 17 goals and 12 assists on the USA team. Her sponsor is Nike. 

Rose Lavelle is an amazing soccer player. She has made many goals throughout her life and is a fabulous midfielder. Rose has won many awards throughout her life and will continue to add more to that list. Growing up she played on many club teams and was the best in her state. She and her siblings were very close all growing up. Know she is an amazing soccer player that is so many little girls role models. 

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