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Lady Cougars 2010 Schedule

January 28, 2010

From left to right:

Front Row:  Courtney Clemons, Courtney Topper, Whitney Wenmoth, Kylie Raubaugh

Second Row:  Aislinn Latham, Taylor Joy, Tyra Watkins, Ally Delauter, Kristy Erfurdt, Amanda Hackney

Back Row:  Asst Coach Mark Topper, Head Coach Jeff Raubaugh, Asst Coach Mike Delauter

MID-MARYLAND GIRLS HOME GAME SCHEDULE

ALL GAMES PLAYED AT THE THURMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL GYMNASIUM

Saturday              February 6                          Smithsburg                         Home                    5:30 & 7:00

Friday                    February 12                        Thomas Johnson              Home                    5:30 & 7:00

Saturday              February 27                        Tournament                       Home                    TBD (All Day)

Sunday                 February 28                        Tournament                       Home                    TBD (All Day)

The Catoctin Lady Cougars JV & Varsity girls’ basketball teams of the Mid-Maryland basketball conference have begun their season.   The next home game will be February 6th, 2010 which will be held at the Thurmont Middle School gymnasium.  The Junior Varsity will begin their play at 5:30 PM and the Varsity girls will play immediately following the conclusion of the JV game.   If you are a student of the Catoctin School District area and wear your basketball team jersey, your entry to the Smithsburg game will be free.  Come on out and support your local area Thurmont Middle School girls. For those of you that enjoy the tournament atmosphere, February 27 & 28 is going to be packed full of girls basketball.  This year the Catoctin Lady Cougars will be hosting the Division II tournament.  Please feel free to stop by the Thurmont Middle School on the 27th & 28th and enjoy some very good basketball.

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A Class Act-Maryland Class 1A Champs-Up close with Coach

January 27, 2010

A Class Act-Maryland Class 1A Champs-Up close with Coach Williams    by Vickie Grinder        

Webster cites the definition of energy as force of expression and capacity for vigorous action. Mr. Webster never met CHS Football Coach Doug Williams! I had the privilege to interview Coach Williams and ask him about working with not only a winning team, but the Maryland Class 1A State Championship team!  I first question was about his first coaching job. Coach Williams started his career as a coach at Calvert Hall and later transferred to Severn for his first teaching job and immediately stepping into a coaching position. Coach Williams remembers attending a sports banquet while at Severn High and hearing the words “Catoctin High School” and thought “where in the world is Catoctin High School?” Needless to say a few weeks later Mr. Doug Williams received a phone call which would change his family’s residency. Yes, you guessed it. Coach Williams was offered a job at CHS as teacher and yet another coaching position. Coach Williams smiles and said, “My wife and I drove up to look the area over; we knew instantly this would be our new home.”  Doug Williams would also enter the public school sector for the first time in his established career. Eighteen years later, Doug Williams and company has delivered a State Championship to Catoctin High School. I asked Coach Williams what makes a winning team, a team like the one which walked onto Ravens Stadium for a game most only dream of? His answer was very simple, “The Lord.” “With the Lords approval he gives you the coaching staff, the players and keeps them healthy.” “He then allows each player to buy into the team.” “Then he gives you the support of the faculty and community you need to win a Championship.” Coach William’s faith was a breath of fresh air, and coupled with his energy this team couldn’t lose! I asked the Coach how he and his coaching staff motivated this undefeated championship team of young men. “Motivate, we didn’t have to motivate this team.” “These young men were wonderful, they wanted to win, they worked hard and they won.” Of course where would any coach or team be without a dedicated coaching staff? Coach Williams says “Mr. Paul Dumars has been with me all eighteen years, Mr. Jim Eckenrode a total of fifteen years, Mr. Guy Nesbitt has ten years; and of course Mr. Tom Sherrald our Athletic Director who has much longer tenure than any of us.”  I asked Doug Williams what was the winning factor this year; “Don’t miss understand me, I have to say this team has been building.” “2008 was a very successful year for the team, we were knocking on the door” “Great kids, great team.” So what was the difference this year I asked? His response was one word, “fast.” Coach Williams smiled and said, “These kids are great, very athletic, but they are fast; and that makes up for a lot of mistakes.” “We can coach techniques but we can’t teach speed and they got it!” “You do not win championships without athletes; these young men make the coaches look good.” A modest Coach Williams never completed a sentence without reiterating that point.

I was curious and wondered when the coaching staff knew how good this team was going to be; Coach said, “We knew we were going to good, we just weren’t sure how good.” “We built confidence all season.” I asked the coach, but when did you know they were this good? Coach Williams commented, “When we beat Dunbar-that was huge for us.” I asked Coach Williams if the coaching staff ever feared the team becoming over confident or cocky. He was very emotional and said, no. “This team was a group of special men, never cocky and extremely coachable.” “More than that, they are great leaders.”  ”Their leadership skills are admirable and rare for this age; the seniors become the mentors for this team.” “This was simply a group of special men who know how to play football; they never let down, never relaxed and stayed focused; who couldn’t coach this team!” Reflecting back over the season, I asked Doug Williams which game was the nail bitter for the team. Coach Williams excitedly said, “Oh my, oh my, that was the Middletown game hands down.” “That could have gone either way; we had to score with 2 minutes to go, had to score.” “We got the onside kick which is tough to do, Dillon took the team down the field and we scored.” “Yeah, a big nail bitter.”

 

Probing into the big game at Ravens stadium I asked the Coach what he told the team before they went out onto the field for that championship title. Teary-eyed Coach Williams commented, “You belong here, you earned this moment, but more importantly we are proud of you whether we win or lose.” “Just cherish the moment!” So I asked Coach what he was feeling before walking onto the field that cold snowy day after giving his team speech. He told me “I reflected in my mind the six games we won in our season were in the rain and bad conditions.” “The weather was a godsend and I thought that was a sign from the Lord, it was our time.” “It was a plateau moment.” Who knows perhaps there is a repeat performance in the stars and asked what advice the coaches would give to those coming out for the team. I was informed they cut no one, they play everyone, and everyone is someone.

Coach Williams has a team of stars and seems all of those stars were aligned perfectly for this CHS Championship Team, school and community this season. By the way, Coach Williams never mentioned once during the interview he was voted coach of the year in Maryland. Speaking to Principal Jack Newkirk and his assistant, they said “Coach Williams says he was awarded the team of the year award not the coach of the year.” Mr. Doug Williams is overflowing with faith, emotion, energy, and pride in his staff and team. I consider myself fairly energetic but I must admit, he made me work double time trying to keep up with him! I asked Championship Coach Doug Williams for a final comment and he wanted to reiterate “How blessed I am to be a part of this team and to have a great coaching staff and dedicated young men.” “How can you lose as a coach with these kinds of kids?” Congratulations Coach of the year! By the way, I asked Coach what his favorite NFL team was? “The Washington Redskins!”

 

 

Written by vickie · Filed Under Sports | Leave a Comment 

Game Time with Dave by Dave Little

January 27, 2010

       Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a great Holiday Season and watched many hours of College Bowl games and NFL football. As we look ahead to spring and Little League season don’t forget to check out our website @ www.eteamz.com/thurmont to keep track of all our signup and tryout dates. So lets get started catching up with what happened over the holidays.

 

LOCAL SPORTS

 

       In local high school football a GIANT Congratulations go out to Coach Williams and the Catoctin Cougars for winning the first state football championship in school history. As a proud CHS graduate, I would like to personally congratulate all players and coaches on a season they will never forget. Catoctin played the State Championship game at M & T Stadium, home of the Ravens in Baltimore vs. Joppatowne. I was there with my two sons in the cold and snow as Catoctin in a total team effort blasted Joppatown 37-12. I have never been to or seen a game on T.V. where a team had such a great start as the Cougars did. The Cougars were ahead 18-0 before having to take a snap on defense. Amazing! A touchdown on their opening drive and 2 consecutive fumble recoveries on kickoffs set the Cougars up for easy scores and an insurmountable lead they would never relinquish. Again, congratulations to Coach Doug Williams who was named Maryland High School Coach of the Year shortly after the game. Coach Williams is not only a great coach but truly a great person. This proves that good things happen to good people. You guys worked hard for this and deserve it, so enjoy it!

      In local high school basketball action the Varsity Cougars are off to a 4-4 start (2-3 MVAL) while the Lady Cougars are 4-6 overall (3-2 MVAL).

      In College hoops, the Mount has had a rough stretch after a promising start. They currently have a record of 4-12 overall and a 1-4 conference record. The Mount needs to get it together and make a run in conference play to get momentum going for a strong finish. I’m sure Coach Brown will work them back into shape for a strong tournament run.

 

NATIONAL SPORTS

 

      The NBA Season has almost reached the midway point and the leaders in the eastern Conference are the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Magic. The West leaders are the Nuggets, Lakers, and Mavericks. We all know that the regular season really doesn’t matter in the NBA since almost everyone makes the playoffs. Let’s see who can put a run together down the stretch to challenge the Lakers for the Title they won last season.

       In the NHL the Capitals still lead the Southeast Division and still hardly anyone cares!

 

       In NCAA hoops, the cupcake schedules are over and teams have started conference play. The ACC has got off to a very competitive start, and after the first couple of weeks of conference play the Virginia Cavaliers are the only ACC team undefeated in conference play at 3-0. (I know this probably won’t last, but they are my favorite team and it’s nice to be in this spot in mid January!). The top 10 Men’s teams as of now are:

  1. Texas
  2. Kentucky
  3. Kansas
  4. Villanova
  5. Syracuse
  6. Purdue
  7. Michigan State
  8. Duke
  9. Tennessee
  10. West Virginia

 

      The Women’s top 10 are:

  1. Connecticut
  2. Stanford
  3. Tennessee
  4. Ohio State
  5. Notre Dame
  6. Nebraska
  7. Duke
  8. Georgia
  9. Texas A & M
  10. Xavier

 

        In NCAA football after what seemed like a thousand bowl games the NCAA crowned Alabama as National Champion after beating Texas 37-21 in the BCS (BoiseStateless Championship Game). Texas played a hard game after losing their quarterback and Heisman finalist Colt McCoy on the 5th play of the game. In the Fiesta Bowl two unbeatens, TCU and Boise State went at it with Boise State winning 17-10 to finish at 14-0 also. How nice would it have been to see Boise State play Alabama at the end to see who the real undefeated champion would be? Please give us a playoff system; this year proved more than ever that we need one. Also in the Gator Bowl Penn State beat LSU 19-17. (That was for you Mike Randall).

The final top 10 was:

  1. Alabama
  2. Texas
  3. Florida
  4. Boise State
  5. Ohio State
  6. TCU
  7. Iowa
  8. Cincinnati
  9. Penn State
  10. Virginia Tech

 

              Now, finally the NFL. We are now down to 4 teams: Vikings, Saint, Colts and Jets. In the NFC the Vikings gave the Cowboys their annual postseason thumping 34-3 to advance to the Title game against the Saints who thumped the Cardinals 45-14. Please disregard all that stuff I said about Brett Favre a couple of months ago, I even found myself rooting for him against the Cowboys! In the AFC the Jets somehow beat the Chargers despite their coach who thought they were mathematically eliminated a month ago 17-14 to earn a date with the Colts in the AFC Title game. The Colts beat the Ravens 20-3 to thankfully end any chances I had of listening to the Raven fans gloat. All I get to listen to now is how the NFL hates them and all the calls go against them. Boo Hoo! I’m sure the NFL has already secured a Peyton Manning vs. Brett Favre Super Bowl; let’s hope the games this weekend are at least competitive.

 

 

SPORTS IDIOT

 

  This month was the easiest ever to find an idiot. Hint, a young billionaire, he has a beautiful wife. The world is at his disposal. Anyone guess Tiger Woods? You are right; he only had 14 girlfriends at last count. Way to go Tiger! What a way to ruin your legacy. I know your personal life should be personal according to you, but with all your millions you have got to be smarter than this, NOT! I guess now you know what a golf ball feels like ….

 

 

IN MY OPINION

 

     IN MY OPINION the NFL needs referees who are younger and are in better shape. I know the refs only call what they want to, but I am tired of watching a 60 year old man trying to run with a 25 year old player. It takes all they have to get close to the play and then they have to make calls that could decide a game. Hire some college players who don’t get drafted, teach them the ropes and see what happens. Worst case scenario they stink like most of the ones we have now. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with old guys, (I hope to be one someday!). But in my opinion get me younger refs in better shape to officiate these games. At least this way it will at least look like the ref made the right call if he’s in the right spot.

 

 

TRIVIA

 

  Last Months answer Archie Griffin won 2 Heisman trophies in 1975 and 1976 for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

This month’s question: This season Brett Favre became the oldest quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game who was oldest before him?

  1.  
    1. Joe Montana
    2. Ken Stabler
    3. Phil Simms
    4. Fran Tarkenton

Written by vickie · Filed Under Sports | Leave a Comment 

October Game Time

October 27, 2009

            Hello again, we’re smack dab in the middle of football season, the World Series is here,  it’s time to catch up on all the last months sports.

 

LOCAL SPORTS

    In local sports, we’ll start out with the Catoctin High School Football Cougars. The varsity Cougars are having a terrific undefeated season with 2 games to go. Recently, the varsity squad had a come from behind 20-14 win in the mud and rain vs. their rivals the Walkersville Lions. Next up they have Middletown and Brunswick to finish up the season. In J.V. action the Cougars are also undefeated with a 6-0 record, while the 9th grade Cougars currently sit at 4-2. The Cougars coaching staffs have really done a great job preparing these young men, Congratulations guys and coaches!

         In CYA football action, the varsity Cougars won their division with a 6-3 record, while the J.V. team finished up a 2-7 and the Pony Cougars 4-5. Congrats to all the teams, especially the Varsity on their first place finish.

 NATIONAL SPORTS

   The 2009 Major League postseason is here, and the participants from the American League were the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees. In the National League, the teams were the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies. In the N.L. Division Series, the Dodgers swept the Cardinals 3-0, while the Phillies beat the Rockies 3-1 to advance. In the A.L., the Angels swept the Dodgers 3-0, while the Yankees swept the Twins to advance to the Division Series.  In the National League, the Phillies were led by slugger Ryan Howard over the Dodgers 4-1 to advance to the World Series against the New York Yankees (and umpires). The Yankees were led by C.C. Sabathia, and admitted steroid user Alex ROIDriguez. Let’s hope the playing field is level and FAIR for the series, I know the umpires sometimes have problems with fair or foul.

   In NASCAR action this seasons boring Chase has continued with virtually the same 5 guys competing every week. NASCAR, please do something to bring the excitement back. A crash every now and then might even help keep us awake through the entire race. Recent winners included Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart. With 5 races to go, Johnson is pulling away for his unprecedented 4th title in a row.

       The top 12 as of now is:

  • 1. Jimmie Johnson
  • 2. Mark Martin
  • 3. Jeff Gordon
  • 4. Tony Stewart
  • 5. Kurt Busch
  • 6. Juan Pablo Montoya
  • 7. Gregg Biffle
  • 8. Ryan Newman
  • 9. Kasey Kahne
  • 10. Carl Edwards
  • 11. Denny Hamlin
  • 12. Brian Vickers

 

        The NFL season is past its 6 week mark and division leaders in the NFC are the N.Y. Giants, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and San Francisco 49ers. In the AFC, the leaders are the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and the Denver Broncos. Going into week 7 the Broncos, Colts, Saints and Vikings all remain undefeated. Locally, the Ravens jumped out to a 3-0 record, but have faltered losing 3 in a row to even their record at 3-3. While the Redskins set a record by playing 6 teams the first 6 weeks all without a win! The Skins managed 2 wins out of that mess, and the Skins G.M. gave head Coach Jim Zorn the dreaded “vote of confidence”. Read next month to see who Daniel Snyder digs out of the coaching grave to take over for Zorn.

        In NHL action the season has just got underway and the Washington Capitals jumped out to a good start, lets hope the can keep it rolling for what seems like the longest of seasons.

       In NCAA football action, the first BCS pole has come out and here are the top 10 as we get to the meat of the season.

 

  • 1. Florida
  • 2. Alabama
  • 3. Texas
  • 4. Boise State
  • 5. Cincinnati
  • 6. Iowa
  • 7. USC
  • 8. TCU
  • 9. LSU
  • 10. Miami
    It looks like Florida and Alabama are on a collision course to meet in the SEC Title game with Texas hoping to win out to have their shot at the title. Lots of big games left, so let’s see what happens! Go Boise State and TCU, crash the party and get us a playoff!

  SPORTS IDIOT

 This month’s idiot is Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Jeff Reed. For the second time this year he has been arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Don’t worry Steelers fans; I’m sure these charges will mysteriously go away like the last ones!

 

IN MY OPINION

 

    Last year, I gave my opinion on instant replay in Major League Baseball. I was opposed to it. But now after watching this year’s baseball postseason, IN MY OPINION Major League Baseball needs instant replay now! There have been countless terrible calls made by umpires this year. I know you Yankee fans know where I’m going with this. I watched an umpire stare at ball 10 feet away that hit 2 foot fair, in a tie game in extra innings and call it foul. I then watched an Angel catcher tag out 2 runners clearly off 3rd base with the ump 5 feet away and call 1 of them safe. Then in the same game the Angels picked Nick Swisher of the Yankees off 2nd base, he never even got back to the bag, and here again he was called safe. All these calls benefitted the team with the highest payroll in the league, they shouldn’t need any help! I could go on and on, but all I will hear is that the K-Zone isn’t accurate. It sure seems like its accurate when a bad ball or strike call went against the Yankees. So, IN MY OPINION, if MLB won’t put in a salary cap to make things a little more even, at least put in replay so the richest teams don’t get any more benefits from terrible, obvious calls.

 

TRIVIA

 

        Last month’s answer: On August 26, 1939 the Brooklyn Dodgers played the Cincinnati Reds at Ebbet’s Field.

        This month’s question: Who holds the record for most NASCAR Championships won with 7?

  • A. Jeff Gordon
  • B. Richard Petty
  • C. Jimmie Jonson
  • D. Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Written by vickie · Filed Under Sports | Leave a Comment 

Game Time with Dave

September 27, 2009

         Hello again, its fall and it’s the busiest time of the year. NFL Football and MLB Baseball are in full swing; NBA Basketball is getting ready to start, and there are lots of local CYA football, and fall baseball and softball. So let’s get going!

 

 

LOCAL SPORTS

 

          In local sports we’ll start with High School football where the Catoctin Cougars are rolling! The 9th grade team is 2-0; the J.V. team is 2-0, while the Varsity has opened up with a 3-0 start with 3 convincing wins over Liberty 28-6, N. Carroll 36-13, and S. Hagerstown 43-8. Great start Cougars, keep it going.

         In CYA football action the teams are off to a very competitive start with the Pony team posting a 3-2 record, the J.V. a 1-4 record, and the Varsity a 3-2 record.

          In other local sports news, Frederick Community College freshman and Catoctin graduate Sara Gartrell was named the National Jr. College Athletic Association player of the week for the week of September 7th 2009. Sara is having a great start to her college Volleyball career. She won the honor for her play at the Howard County College Dragon Invitational Tournament where she had 20 kills, 12 digs, 28 blocks and 6 aces on her way to making the All-tournament Team. By winning the player of the week nationally Sara has become the first FCC Athlete, male or female to ever win this honor! CONGRATULATIONS Sara!

         In Minor League Baseball the Keys season ended with the Keys finishing the second half in third place, 13 games behind Wilmington. The Keys hope to rebound and get ready for 2010 with a new group of young players to get ready for the majors.

         The 2009 Little League World Series was held in Williamsport, Pa. with Park View Little League from Chula Vista Ca. winning the Championship over Chinese Taipei 6-3. Congratulations USA!

 

NATIONAL SPORTS

 

         The 2009 Major League season is winding down with 2 weeks to play and my beloved Orioles stand 34 games out of first place! Here are the division leaders as we head down the home stretch. In the A.L. the hated N.Y. Yankees are leading the East, while the Angels lead the West and the Tigers lead the Central Division. The Red Sox look to have the wild card sewed up in the A.L.  In the N.L. the Phillies lead the East with the Dodgers leading the West and the Cardinals leading the Central Division. The Giants and Rockies are still battling for the N.L. wild card.

          In NASCAR action, the field is now set for the final 10 races to decide the 2009 NASCAR Champion. Recent winners have been Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Denny Hamlin. Here are the top 12 drivers as we get NASCAR’S post season started.

  • 1. Mark Martin
  • 2. Tony Stewart
  • 3. Jimmie Johnson
  • 4. Denny Hamlin
  • 5. Kasey Kahne
  • 6. Jeff Gordon
  • 7. Kurt Busch
  • 8. Brian Vickers
  • 9. Carl Edwards
  • 10. Ryan Newman
  • 11. Juan Pablo Montoya
  • 12. Greg Biffle

 

     In PGA action, there were no Majors, so nobody really watched as Tiger Woods won the BMW Championship.

     In the U.S. Open Tennis Championships held in Flushing Meadows N.Y. recently, Roger Federer was upset in the Men’s final (but not as upset as Serena Williams, read later) by Juan Martin Del Potro 3-6, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 to win the 2009 Men’s grand slam Title. In Women’s action, Kim Clijster defeated Caroline Wozniaki 7-5, and 6-3 to win the Women’s Championship.

     The NFL season kicked off with no big upsets in week 1, however, several key players have been injured to start the season, among players to miss games in week 2 are Troy Polumalu from the Steelers, Ladanian Thomlinson of the Chargers, Brian Urlacher of the Bears, and Donovan McNabb of the Eagles. The Mcnabb injury is tough on the Eagles because backup quarterback Michael Vick is suspended until week 3 and unable to play. This puts the Eagles in a real “dogfight” in week 2!

    The NCAA College Football season has gotten underway and several high ranked teams have stumbled in the first 2 weeks, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech all have lost. Some surprising 2-0 starts belong to Michigan and Miami Fla. who beat 2 ranked opponents to jump into the mix.

The top 10 after 2 weeks are:

  • 1. Florida
  • 2. Texas
  • 3. U.S.C.
  • 4. Alabama
  • 5. Mississippi
  • 6. Penn State
  • 7. Brigham Young
  • 8. California
  • 9. L.S.U.
  • 10. Boise State

     I’m rooting for Boise State to throw a wrench in the B.C.S. (bull crap system) used in the NCAA to determine a champion instead of the playoff system most fans want.

 

 

SPORTS IDIOT

 

This month’s Sports Idiot is Serena Williams, for those of you who missed it, during the Semi-Finals she was called for several foot faults, all were in fact violations. After her last one which resulted in her giving a point to her opponent to lose the match she went nuts. I’m paraphrasing, but what she basically said was she was going to take the tennis ball and shove it down the line judge’s throat. When confronted she denied threatening to kill the line judge. I’m no expert, but I bet it’s hard to breathe with a tennis ball in your throat. The biggest joke of this is she was fined 10 thousand dollars. She won 350 thousand dollars in the match. How many of us can act like that at work and be punished so little, what a joke!

 

 

IN MY OPINION

 

     IN MY OPINION I’m sick of going to or tuning on an Orioles game and seeing the stands full of Yankee or Red Sox fans! Baltimore Oriole fans who sell or give their season tickets to Yankees or Red Sox fans are giving Peter Angelos (Orioles Owner) exactly what he wants! By giving or selling them to the visiting team you are putting the opposing team’s fans in the stadium to buy the 7 dollar beers, the 5 dollar hot dogs, etc. and Angelos makes his money. Money that he should use to pick up players to make the Orioles better, but he doesn’t, he puts that money in his bank account with the other gazillion dollars he has and quietly sits back and smiles as the O’s lose and he gets richer. O’s fans if you want to force Angelos to put a better product on the field tear up those tickets next time you don’t want to go to the game. Don’t give it them the enemy! If you want to see Angelos squirm let him see a Yankee vs. O’s series draw about 10,000 a game. Because In My Opinion if the Oriole season ticket holders stop giving their tickets to the opposing teams fans this will force Orioles ownership to put a team on the field that’s competitive! That’s a start.  O’s fans have been looking for this for the last decade!

 

 

TRIVIA

 

     Last month’s answer was Michael Jordan who has appeared on 63 Sports Illustrated covers to date. Second place is Muhammad Ali at 38.

 

    This month’s question: On August 26th 1939 the first Major League baseball game was televised, what stadium hosted the game?

  • A. Wrigley Field
  • B. Fenway Park
  • C. Yankee Stadium
  • D. Ebbett’s Field

 

  

Written by vickie · Filed Under Sports | Leave a Comment 

Game Time with Dave

August 29, 2009

Hello again, its “back to school” time which means fall sports will be starting soon! Let’s get caught up on what’s been happening in the last month.

LOCAL SPORTS

In local sports, Little Leagues summer season is over and congratulations again to the Thurmont Jr. League 2009 Maryland State Champions! It was a great ride and it was fun to be a part of it! (Thanks Brad!). Fall baseball as well as CYA Football will be starting soon so I hope to see you at Little League or Eyler Park.

In Minor League baseball the Frederick Keys are currently stuck in 3rd place in the Carolina League standings. The Keys have played hard despite losing several good players who have been moved up to the next level. Let’s hope they restock with fresh young talent and get rolling to head into next season on a high note.

NATIONAL SPORTS

Major League Baseball is getting ready to head into its final month and we have some great pennant races going on. In the National League East the Phillies enjoy a 6 ½ game lead while in the Central division the Cardinals have a 7 game lead. In the West, the Dodgers, who early on looked like they were going to run away and hide have seen their lead shrink to only 3 ½ games over the Rockies. (Looks like Manny needs a prescription filled!). The Rockies currently lead the wildcard over the Giants, Marlins and Braves. All are within 4 games of the Rockies making sure its going to come down to the wire. In the American League the Yankees lead the East by 6 ½ games over the Red Sox. As well as adding to their steroid lead over every other team with the announcement this week that 2 of their minor league pitchers have been suspended 50 games for testing positive. Nester de Leon and Ramon Rodriguez (maybe Ramon is A-Rods cousin!). In the West, the Angels have a 5 ½ game lead over the Rangers while in the Central, the Tigers have a 2 ½ game lead over the White Sox. In the wildcard, the Red Sox Rangers and Rays are battling it out.

In NASCAR action there are only 3 races left before the Chase to the Cup starts! Recent winners have been Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, and Brian Vickers.

Here are the top 12 as on now:

  1. Tony Stewart
  2. Jeff Gordon
  3. Jimmie Johnson
  4. Carl Edwards
  5. Denny Hamlin
  6. Kurt Busch
  7. Juan Pablo Montoya
  8. Kasey Kahne
  9. Ryan Newman
  10. Greg Biffle
  11. Matt Kenseth
  12. Mark Martin

In PGA action, the final Majors Championship of 2009, The PGA Championship was held recently in Chaska Minnesota. Tiger Woods held a 2 stroke lead going into the final round but lost to Y.E. Yang by 3 shots. Tiger failed to hold a lead when entering the final round for the first time in 15 Majors.  Even though Tiger didn’t win a Major in 2009 he did have 5 tour wins, the most of anyone and he is a sure bet to be named player of the year. Woods has set the bar for himself so high that if he comes in second people think he either choked or stun. This is so far from the truth. Without Tiger the PGA would be in trouble. How many of you watch if Tigers not playing?

The NFL is gearing up to start their regular season and the big news so far this preseason is that Michael Vick is now an Eagle, Plaxico Burress is going to jail and Brett Favre is now a Viking.

SPORTS IDIOT

This month’s sports idiot is the Minnesota Vikings. It would be easy to say Brett Favre again, but that’s even getting old to me. The Vikings flirted with Favre, had him work out, and even tried to sign him. Favre changed his mind when the Vikings told him he would need to come to camp or they weren’t interested. He missed camp and as soon as camp broke he signed with them. I guess if your 40 and don’t want to practice in the heat its okay. The Vikings will find out as the season grinds on just what the Jets did last year. When your hearts not in it and things start to go wrong, there goes your 25 million dollar quarterback back to his ranch to ride his tractors and play with his horsey’s!  I predict his next retirement press conference in January.

IN MY OPINION

IN MY OPINION the judicial system being used on professional athletes is a joke! The last couple of years we’ve seen several high profile athletes arrested: Donte’ Stallworth, Michael Vick, and Plaxico Burress.  Out of the 3, 1 killed a human, 1 killed some dogs, and 1 shot himself in the leg injuring no one but himself. Of the three, the one who received the most jail time, 20 months was Plaxico Burress who shot himself, next comes Michael Vick who got 19 months for killing dogs. The shortest jail sentence belongs to Donte’ Stallworth who got 24 days for running over and killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. This is incredible; I would believe this if I lived in another country perhaps, but this is America! Anyone who could justify these facts please let me know because IN MY OPINION this is a joke!

TRIVIA

Last month’s answer was Julious Boros who won the 1968 PGA Championship at age 48, making him the oldest golfer to win a Major.

This month’s question: What athlete has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated the most times?

  1. Jack Nicklaus
  2. Magic Johnson
  3. Michael Jordan
  4. Muhammad Ali

Written by vickie · Filed Under Sports | Leave a Comment 

Game Time with Dave

July 28, 2009

 Hello everyone, it’s less than a month until the first NFL preseason game, yeah! Baseball is in its second half with tight pennant races, and I just got done watching 16 Little League games in 18 nights! So let’s go and get caught up.

LOCAL SPORT

  In Little League action, the 2009 regular season ended with the Cardinals winning th league and earning the right to play in the 2009 Tournament of Champions. The Cardinals proceeded to win their first 2 games before losing the Championship game to the Brunswick Cubs 7-1. Congratulations to all the Cardinals players and coaches for a very good representation in the tournament. After the T.O.C. ended it was time for the District 2 season to start. The 9-10 year olds went first and Thurmont lost their fist 2 games to be eliminated, including a loss to eventual District champion East Frederick. In the 10-11 year old division Thurmont went 2-2 to finish third in the District. Thurmont lost their opening game and then rebounded to win their next 2 before falling to eventual runner-up Frederick National. Frederick National lost the title game to Brunswick, who now will represent District 2 at the state level. In 11-12 year old action, Thurmont won their opening game over East Frederick 11-1 and then beat 4-County Little League 19-0 to set up a showdown in the winner’s bracket between Thurmont and Brunswick. In that game Thurmont jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on a Mark Speak homerun, but Brunswick battled back taking a 9-3 lead into the 5th  Inning. A very game Thurmont squad came back to score 5 runs in the 5th to make it 9-8 but were unable to finish the comeback. This forced Thurmont to travel to Frederick American where they lost in the semi-final game 8-2 to dash their title hopes. Brunswick eventually beat Frederick American to advance to the state tournament. Last, but not least (my son is on the Jr. Team), Thurmont’s Jr. league All Stars defeated Westminster 11-1 and 25-8 to advance to the State Tournament at Valley Little League in Washington county starting Saturday July 25th at 11:00 a.m. feel free to come see them play or follow their ride on our website www.eteamz.com/thurmont . Good luck to the Jr. team and congratulations to all of our All Stars!

         In minor League Baseball the Keys are currently in second in the Carolina League Northern division, let’s hope they can make a run and capture the second half title.

NATIONAL SPORTS

  Major League baseball has recently reached the All Star break and at baseballs midseason point the leaders in the A.L. are the Red Sox, Tigers, and Angels. In the N.L. the Phillies, Cardinals, and Dodgers lead their respective divisions.

       In what has become the highlight of the All Star Game festivities the Brewers Prince Fielder won the Home Run Derby over the Rays Carlos Pena. It seems that more people watch the Home Run Derby than the game anymore. During the game the A.L. defeated the N.L. 4-3 with Baltimore Oriole All Star Adam Jones knocking in the game winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 8th inning. Tampa Rays outfielder Carl Crawford was named the games MVP after a game saving catch to help secure the win. By winning the game the American League has secured home field advantage in the World Series this year which I think is about the dumbest way to award this advantage (I’m sure I’ll give my opinion on this around World Series time!).

      In the NFL, teams are getting ready to start training camps and the preseason will kick off in less than a month. The NFL was saddened by the death of former Titan and Raven Quarterback Steve McNair who was shot and killed by one of his girlfriends, leaving behind a wife and 4 kids. Michael Vick is now free to play for any team. Let’s see if anyone takes a chance on him. (My money says Al Davis is just crazy enough to do it).

        In Tennis, the 2009 Wimbledon Championships were recently held in England with Rodger Federer winning his 16th Major Championship by defeating Andy Roddick in 5 sets. In the women’s action Serena Williams bested her sister Venus in straight sets to win the women’s title.

        In PGA action, the U.S. Open was played at Bethpage Golf Club in New York with Lucas Glover winning his first Major ever.

        Next up was the British Open where Tiger Woods failed to make the cut for only the second time ever. The event however was still filled with excitement. 59 year old Tom Watson entered the final day with a 1 stroke lead making him the oldest player ever to lead a Major. Watson continued to play well and had a chance to win with a par on the final hole, but missed it. He then had to play a 4 hole playoff with Stewart Cink who bested him to win his first Major Championship and end Watson’s dream weekend.

 

       Inn NASCAR action, recent winners have been Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart and Mark Martin (what is this with old guys!).

Here are the top 12 as of now:

  1. Tony Stewart
  2. Jeff Gordon
  3. Jimmie Johnson
  4. Kurt Busch
  5. Denny Hamlin
  6. Carl Edwards
  7. Ryan Newman
  8. Kasey Kahne
  9. Juan Pablo Montoya
  10. Kyle Busch
  11. Mark Martin
  12. Matt Kenseth             

SPORTS IDIOT

 Last month it was hard to find one, this month I got one, but I’m not sure if it is Jeremy Mayfield or NASCAR. When I first started thinking about this, I thought it was a no brainer if a guy, who flunked a drug test, went to court, won an injunction on his suspension and then flunked another test. However now Mayfield and his attorney claim that he had a test done by an independent lab within an hour of NASCAR’S test and it came back clean. Mayfield now claims that NASCAR spiked his test which if true would be devastating to the sport, as well as all sports. I can hear it now, everyone who flunked a test now can say maybe theirs was fixed too. So for now these are my 2 candidates for this month, if Mayfield’s wrong he wins, if NASCAR did fix the test they win and they will be the biggest idiots of all time in my book.

IN MY OPINION

IN MY Opinion, there is no way suspended steroider Manny Ramirez should have been allowed to play in the Minor Leagues to help him get ready to return from his drug suspension. Manny cheated, got caught and now Major League Baseball gives him some games in the minors to get him back in game shape. This is crazy, all this did was make a Minor League team some extra cash from a few sellouts and help the Dodgers get a cheater back in better shape. Where’s the punishment? In the real world if you get suspended from work you go back when the suspension is over. I guess I keep getting fooled by real life. In My Opinion anything you do to help a suspended steroider makes you an enabler. Major League Baseball is the biggest enabler out there. It started with ignoring Sosa and McGuire to get the fans back after a strike and it continues today. Major League Baseball has got to be smarter than this, don’t you think?

TRIVIA

 

Last moth’s answer, the 1979 Pirates who came back from 3-1 down to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

    

   This month’s question: Who is the oldest golfer to win a Major Championship?

  1. Arnold Palmer
  2. Lee Trevino
  3. Ben Hogan
  4. Julius Boros

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

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June 2009

May 28, 2009

TRIVIA
Last month’s answer the Chicago cubs that had a record of 116-36 in 1906.

This month’s question:

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June 2009

May 28, 2009

IN MY OPINION

IN MY OPINION the penalties for cheating in sports are not tough enough! Anyone who gets busted for steroids, or admits to using them, or apparently if Jose Canseco says you used them (seems like he’s the only one who’s told the truth so far) should have their contracts voided and their salaries adjusted to the average of the players who don’t cheat. Managers, such as Joe Torre who won championships with teams full of steroid users should not be looked on as such great managers. It’s easy to win when you have an unfair advantage over your opponents. I believe that in the future the Hall of Fame will be full of asterisks. I say we don’t stop at just the individuals who cheat, lets go with mgrs. and teams. How about a policy where if your caught once your gone! This might do it; it’s easy if you’re Manny Ramirez to live on only 42 of his 50 million dollar contract. What if the 50 million goes to zero, I bet this would make a guy like A-Rod who could lose 250 million to think twice. But at the end of the day I know baseball won’t do this, as they make too much money off their superstars.  But IN MY OPINION if the penalties were tougher, the amount of idiots we’d be reading about would be less!

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June 2009

May 28, 2009

NATIONAL SPORTS

In the NHL, we’re down to 4 teams remaining after a season that seams like it goes year round. The Pittsburg Penguins are taking on the Carolina Hurricanes, while the Detroit Red Wings are battling the Chicago Blackhawks for the right to play for the Stanley Cup Championship. Please hurry and get this over with; it’s almost time for next season to begin!

In NBA action the Orlando Magic are gearing up to take on Lebron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers in the East while The Denver Nuggets are getting ready to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Orlando won a tough 7 game series against the Celtics while the Cavaliers have cruised thru the first 2 rounds without losing a game after sweeping the Atlanta Hawks. In the West, the Lakers won another tough 7 game series against the Houston Rockets while the Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks. If the Cavaliers and Lakers can advance to the finals it will be a dream come true for the NBA. Imagine the T.V. ratings for Kobe vs. Lebron! Coincidence? Huh!

In NASCAR action, recent winners have been Brad Keselowski (who?), Kyle Busch and Mark Martin. In the All Star race for a million dollars, Tony Stewart was the winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The top 12 stands as follows:

  1. Jeff Gordon
  2. Tony Stewart
  3. Kurt Busch
  4. Jimmie Johnson
  5. Denny Hamlin
  6. Jeff Burton
  7. Kyle Busch
  8. Ryan Newman
  9. Greg Biffle
  10. Matt Kenseth
  11. Mark Martin
  12. Carl Edwards

In horse racing 2 of the 3 legs of the Triple Crown have been run, and this year we will have no chance of a Triple Crown winner. At Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Derby Mine That Bird, a 50-1 long shot was the winner. This was a great story. The horse was bought for $10,000 and they drove him to Kentucky in a trailer pulled behind an old pickup truck and drove him back with over a million dollars in the truck with them. In the Preakness held in Pimlico Md. Rachel Alexandra became the first filly to win the Preakness in 85 years besting Mine That Bird by ¾ of a length. This dashed any hope Mine That Bird had to become the first Triple Crown winner in over 30 years.

Now, on to Major League Baseball. We are just a quarter of the way into the season and the leaders in the American League are the Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. In the National League the leaders are the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers. All divisions have close races going; let’s hope this continues so we can have lots of exciting finishes as the season plays out.

SPORTS IDIOT
This month’s sports idiot was easy. My winner is Manny Ramirez. Manny was suspended 50 games for using a banned substance by Major League Baseball. Manny, who just signed a 2 year 50 million dollar contract with the Dodgers will lose about 8 million dollars while on suspension. It seems high profile athletes don’t think they will be caught, but they are. I can’t wait to see whose next. There’s always somebody next it seems!

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