I have enjoyed playing sports my whole life and it has always been my favorite thing to do. But since I cant play sports all day, I need another hobby that I enjoy doing. That hobby is watching sports. As much as I love playing sports, I enjoy watching it as well. I mainly watch football, basketball, and baseball but i enjoy watching other sports too. For example, I sometimes watch hockey, golf, and tennis. Unlike playing sports I have watched sports my whole life and it never gets old. At some points watching sports gets more intense than actually playing. It is also a lot more relaxing and less work because all you need to do is watch your television and enjoy the moment. Watching sports is very enjoyable and I will continue this hobby for a very long time.
Like everyone else who watch sports, I have my favorite team and athletes that I follow. Because my favorite players are usually on my favorite team its not hard for me to keep up with them. I always get extremely excited when my team is in a very close game that might come down to the last play. And when they win, I get a feeling almost like when I win a game for my team. Both of those emotions are the best for anyone to have. But watching sports isn't always that enjoyable, sometimes my team loses. When this happens I get very angry, and sometimes I can't even watch another game for days. I don't understand why I get so mad when my favorite team loses because its not my team and the players probably don't know or care who I am or what I think. I always tell myself not to get so intense when watching a game because I am not on the team and I shouldn't care. But I still continue to angry when my team loses and its still hard for me to continue to watch. Watching sports can be very fun but it can also be very hard and painful emotionally.
Friday, October 21, 2011
My week
This week has been extremely stressful because I have had a lot going on lately. I have had to deal with finishing my math project, going to my basketball organization, remembering my sister's birthday, having a lot of homework, and it has been a very long week. It started on a Tuesday when my group and I decided we were going to work on our project after school. We decided to meet up at the public library and stay there until five-thirty. So I informed my dad and mom so they would know where to pick me up. It was a very efficient day and I was happy about what we finished. When we were done, I went to the front of the library and waited for either my mom or dad to pick me up. I waited for about ten minutes and they were not there so I called my mom and she was at work and could not take me home. She told me that she will call my dad to pick me up. Another ten minutes passed and my dad wasn't there so I called my mom again because my dad doesn't have a cell phone. My mom then told me she was coming home and will pick me up on the way back. I told her I would meet her around the high school but she never came. It was now very late, almost night time, so I decided to walk home. Walking home from Alameda High to Bay Farm isn't enjoyable at all and is very tiering. When I got home I still had a lot of homework to finish, was exhausted, and it was very late.
A couple of days later, my group decided to meet up again to finish our project that was due the next day. We went to the same spot but this time we stayed a lot later becuse we needed to finish. This was also the day of my sister's birthday, and my basketball organization meeting so it was a very stressful day. I couldn't stay as long as my other group members becuase I had to go out for my sister's 18th. I left around seven and left my group alone to finish the project. So I went home, wished my sister a happy 18th b-day and we ordered out from Sushi House becuase I had homework to finish and a basketball meeting. But after I was done with dinner, I realized that I would not be able to go to the meeting and finish my homework in one day so I skiped the meeting since school always comes first. I apoligized to my team and found out that I have practice every Wednesday from seven to nine at night. That shedule will be a very hard one to keep up with becuase I usually have the most homework to finish on wednesdays and having practice will make it that much harder. In the end everything worked out well this week and I am very proud of our project and very happy about getting my license soon.
A couple of days later, my group decided to meet up again to finish our project that was due the next day. We went to the same spot but this time we stayed a lot later becuse we needed to finish. This was also the day of my sister's birthday, and my basketball organization meeting so it was a very stressful day. I couldn't stay as long as my other group members becuase I had to go out for my sister's 18th. I left around seven and left my group alone to finish the project. So I went home, wished my sister a happy 18th b-day and we ordered out from Sushi House becuase I had homework to finish and a basketball meeting. But after I was done with dinner, I realized that I would not be able to go to the meeting and finish my homework in one day so I skiped the meeting since school always comes first. I apoligized to my team and found out that I have practice every Wednesday from seven to nine at night. That shedule will be a very hard one to keep up with becuase I usually have the most homework to finish on wednesdays and having practice will make it that much harder. In the end everything worked out well this week and I am very proud of our project and very happy about getting my license soon.
Raiders big deal
Quarterback Carson Palmer restructured his contract and took a $5 million pay cut this season to go to the Raiders, according to an NFLPA source.Carson Palmer had mixed results in his first college and NFL career starts. He led USC to a win over Washington in 1998. But the Bengals lost at the Jets in his debut in 2004.Under his old contract, Palmer was set to make $11.5 million. Prorated over the final 11 games, he would have made $7.44 million. The Raiders will pay him $2.5 million for the remainder of this season.
They did guarantee $5 million of his $12.5 million salary next season, but nobody thought the Raiders would have parted ways with him when they surrendered two draft picks to the Bengals.Palmer is scheduled to make $12.5 million next season, $13 million in 2013 and $15 million in 2014. But Palmer will make $5 million less this season.The Raiders acquired Palmer from the Bengals Tuesday for a 2012 first-round pick and a second-rounder in 2013 that could become a first-round selection if the Raiders make it to the AFC title game this season.A source said Palmer is expected to start Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is great news for the raiders since they just lost their starting quarterback with a broken collarbone. So picking up Palmer was a huge boost for this team and their fans because they all kmow that they uave a chance to do something this uear. And now with a well developed quarterback their chances are a lot better.
They did guarantee $5 million of his $12.5 million salary next season, but nobody thought the Raiders would have parted ways with him when they surrendered two draft picks to the Bengals.Palmer is scheduled to make $12.5 million next season, $13 million in 2013 and $15 million in 2014. But Palmer will make $5 million less this season.The Raiders acquired Palmer from the Bengals Tuesday for a 2012 first-round pick and a second-rounder in 2013 that could become a first-round selection if the Raiders make it to the AFC title game this season.A source said Palmer is expected to start Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is great news for the raiders since they just lost their starting quarterback with a broken collarbone. So picking up Palmer was a huge boost for this team and their fans because they all kmow that they uave a chance to do something this uear. And now with a well developed quarterback their chances are a lot better.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
A Trip I Will Never Forget
A couple of years ago my family and I were traveling to Lake Tahoe for winter break. I was extremely excited about going skiing and snowboarding. When we arrived on the freeway we saw a sign warning us about a blizzard. So we decided to wait until the afternoon so the storm could pass. This trip was meant to be only three hours but when we saw all the traffic we knew it would take longer. After a long time we got tired and needed a rest. So we stopped at a gas station and went to the bathroom and get snacks. When I got out I was freezing, it was so cold that I had to run into the store. I have never been more cold in my life. After I was done, I ran into the car and we carried on with the trip. Later on that day it started to snow. I think it was the second time I have seen snow and I was very happy. Because this trip had so much traffic, we had to drive into the night. It was crazy, we were driving into a blizzard and could not see anything. I was extremely scared that we were going to crash or drive off the cliff. As the night went on, the blizzard got so bad that we had to stop and wait for it to pass. When I got out of the car this time I was colder than before, but I didn't care because it was snowing! I played with the snow until the blizzard stopped and then we continued our journey. Now the blizzard was gone and all we had to worry about was the slippery roads. But, we had chains on our tires so we didn't worry top much about slipping off the mountain. When we arrived at our destination, I was extremely relieved that we finally made it. We checked in our hotel and slept well that night. What was supposed to be a three our drive turned into a horrible eight hour drive.
We planned to stay in Lake Tahoe for three days so we had plenty of time t decide what we wanted to do. The first day we decided to go skiing. Because I had been skiing for a very long time, it was very enjoyable and fun. After a while of skiing on the intermediate routes it got boring so I tried the advanced ones. At first I was very scared because I had a long way to go and the hill was very steep as well. In the end, I finally got enough courage to try out the route and I did a good job. I was very happy about how good I really was at skiing. The next day we decided to go snowboarding. This was my first time so I took some lessons before I went off on my own. The lessons didn't go as well as I wanted it to and I didn't realize how hard snowboarding really was. After my lessons I went to try it out by myself, that was a bad idea. I couldn't even make it down the hill once without falling onto the snow. It got so annoying that I just stopped and gave up. So we went back to the hotel to rest for the final day.
The last day of my trip was a very good one. On this day we wanted to both ski and snowboard. Since I needed a lot of practice snowboarding, I spent most of my time going down the hill trying to get better. After a long time of practicing I finally was able to go down the hill without falling. When I was happy with my progress I then switched to skiing. I was extremely relieved that I was no longer falling repeatedly and was able to enjoy the last part of my trip. When the day came to an end we went to the hotel got all of our things and headed home. The trip back was not nearly as intense as going there. It was very relaxing and we had a fast trip back. This was one of my best vacations ever that I will never forget. I had a blast and left Lake Tahoe with many memories.
We planned to stay in Lake Tahoe for three days so we had plenty of time t decide what we wanted to do. The first day we decided to go skiing. Because I had been skiing for a very long time, it was very enjoyable and fun. After a while of skiing on the intermediate routes it got boring so I tried the advanced ones. At first I was very scared because I had a long way to go and the hill was very steep as well. In the end, I finally got enough courage to try out the route and I did a good job. I was very happy about how good I really was at skiing. The next day we decided to go snowboarding. This was my first time so I took some lessons before I went off on my own. The lessons didn't go as well as I wanted it to and I didn't realize how hard snowboarding really was. After my lessons I went to try it out by myself, that was a bad idea. I couldn't even make it down the hill once without falling onto the snow. It got so annoying that I just stopped and gave up. So we went back to the hotel to rest for the final day.
The last day of my trip was a very good one. On this day we wanted to both ski and snowboard. Since I needed a lot of practice snowboarding, I spent most of my time going down the hill trying to get better. After a long time of practicing I finally was able to go down the hill without falling. When I was happy with my progress I then switched to skiing. I was extremely relieved that I was no longer falling repeatedly and was able to enjoy the last part of my trip. When the day came to an end we went to the hotel got all of our things and headed home. The trip back was not nearly as intense as going there. It was very relaxing and we had a fast trip back. This was one of my best vacations ever that I will never forget. I had a blast and left Lake Tahoe with many memories.
Friday, September 30, 2011
My life in sports
This blog is about my life involving sports. I started playing basketball in the 5 th grade when my parents forced me to play on a team. I did not want to at first but after a while i fell in love with the game. And adter a dew short years i was one of the best players in the league. I felt like i was the best, until middle school came around. I tried out for the schools team in 7th grade but unfortunatly i did not make it. This shocked me and made me even more determined to get better. After that incident i was dedicated to proving my coach wrong by playing on a ayb team and showing everyone what i was capable of. That ayb season, our team lost only once and i was one of the most dominate big man in the league and made the all star team once again but this time as a starter. I out played many people that were on the middle school team so i knew i deserved to make the team. After that year i ended up deciding not to try out for the team again and was focusing on high school.
In high school, i easily made the freshman basketball team and aldo the football team. I did pretty well in both sports and won a few team awards. But after my sophmore year, i realized that i did not want to play anymore because i disagreed with the coaches on many things. The following year, i played for an asian basketball organization but i was not dedicated to the team so my preformance was poor. And that was the end of my sports carrer, and till this day, i have no intentions of playing a sport again. I just dont love it as much as i did before which is sad but i guess im just growing up and realizing that i cant play sports forever. I loved every moment of my day playing sports and those days will be greatly missed.
In high school, i easily made the freshman basketball team and aldo the football team. I did pretty well in both sports and won a few team awards. But after my sophmore year, i realized that i did not want to play anymore because i disagreed with the coaches on many things. The following year, i played for an asian basketball organization but i was not dedicated to the team so my preformance was poor. And that was the end of my sports carrer, and till this day, i have no intentions of playing a sport again. I just dont love it as much as i did before which is sad but i guess im just growing up and realizing that i cant play sports forever. I loved every moment of my day playing sports and those days will be greatly missed.
Proving myself
Football games are always very intense and enjoyable. I love the feeling that I always get before I step onto the field. It is an amazing feeling that I can't describe but I enjoy having. But last week this feelings was like nothing else. It was stronger than ever and I just wanted to step on that field and play my heart out. During the whole game I was extremely nervous and anxious to get in the game. I knew I wasn't going to play that much because of how poorly I played at practice, but I wanted to make the most out of ever minute I played. I understood why my coaches didn't let me play that much and I it was hard to stand on the sideline most of the game. Football is a very entertaining sport to play and I have plenty of fun playing it.
When I finally got into this game, I was ready to play hard. It was during a very important part of the game that decided weather or not we would win. During this series I played well, I didn't rally have an impact on the game but I didn't do anything that caused us to loose. When the series was over, I thought we had won. But quickly after the other team got the ball back. It didn't go very well for me this time. First, I missed a tackle that would have won us the game. Next, I got confused and allowed the opponent to gain a couple of yards. Finally, I made a very bad mistake and let the other team to gain a huge amount of ground. My coaches took me out of the game and I didn't play again. It was hard for me to watch my team struggle and let the opponent score. But it was harder to not be able to do anything about it and redeem myself after my poorly played series. We ended up loosing that game because of a missed played field goal and everyone was upset.
From that game I learned that you should never take anything granted for, always treat every moment like its your last. Never back down from a challenge and always try your best. Because you never know if it is your last. If I knew I was going to be taken out of the game, I would have given it my all and probably would have played much better. It hurts so much when you know that you can't do anything other than watch your team struggle to stay in the game, knowing that it was your mistake that caused them to play that way. Football is a game of many disappointments but has many rewards as well. This experience will stick with me for a long time because of what had happened at the game.
When I finally got into this game, I was ready to play hard. It was during a very important part of the game that decided weather or not we would win. During this series I played well, I didn't rally have an impact on the game but I didn't do anything that caused us to loose. When the series was over, I thought we had won. But quickly after the other team got the ball back. It didn't go very well for me this time. First, I missed a tackle that would have won us the game. Next, I got confused and allowed the opponent to gain a couple of yards. Finally, I made a very bad mistake and let the other team to gain a huge amount of ground. My coaches took me out of the game and I didn't play again. It was hard for me to watch my team struggle and let the opponent score. But it was harder to not be able to do anything about it and redeem myself after my poorly played series. We ended up loosing that game because of a missed played field goal and everyone was upset.
From that game I learned that you should never take anything granted for, always treat every moment like its your last. Never back down from a challenge and always try your best. Because you never know if it is your last. If I knew I was going to be taken out of the game, I would have given it my all and probably would have played much better. It hurts so much when you know that you can't do anything other than watch your team struggle to stay in the game, knowing that it was your mistake that caused them to play that way. Football is a game of many disappointments but has many rewards as well. This experience will stick with me for a long time because of what had happened at the game.
One of my favorite thing to do
I have enjoyed playing sports my whole life and it has always been my favorite thing to do. But since I cant play sports all day, I need another hobby that I enjoy doing. That hobby is watching sports. As much as I love playing sports, I enjoy watching it as well. I mainly watch football, basketball, and baseball but i enjoy watching other sports too. For example, I sometimes watch hockey, golf, and tennis. Unlike playing sports I have watched sports my whole life and it never gets old. At some points watching sports gets more intense than actually playing. It is also a lot more relaxing and less work because all you need to do is watch your television and enjoy the moment. Watching sports is very enjoyable and I will continue this hobby for a very long time.
Like everyone else who watch sports, I have my favorite team and athletes that I follow. Because my favorite players are usually on my favorite team its not hard for me to keep up with them. I always get extremely excited when my team is in a very close game that might come down to the last play. And when they win, I get a feeling almost like when I win a game for my team. Both of those emotions are the best for anyone to have. But watching sports isn't always that enjoyable, sometimes my team loses. When this happens I get very angry, and sometimes I can't even watch another game for days. I don't understand why I get so mad when my favorite team loses because its not my team and the players probably don't know or care who I am or what I think. I always tell myself not to get so intense when watching a game because I am not on the team and I shouldn't care. But I still continue to angry when my team loses and its still hard for me to continue to watch. Watching sports can be very fun but it can also be very hard and painful emotionally.
Watching sports is very entertaining and fun to do. Its a great hobby I have and will enjoy for a very long time. I will continue to root for my favorite teams and players and follow them where ever they might go. I will also continue to get mad when my team loses or my favorite player does bad. But most of all I will learn to advance my own skills in playing that sport. I learn from the professionals by watching them frequently and looking at what they do to be so good. I will sometimes mimic the player hoping that it will make me better. Sports have always been a huge part of my life and it will continue to be
Like everyone else who watch sports, I have my favorite team and athletes that I follow. Because my favorite players are usually on my favorite team its not hard for me to keep up with them. I always get extremely excited when my team is in a very close game that might come down to the last play. And when they win, I get a feeling almost like when I win a game for my team. Both of those emotions are the best for anyone to have. But watching sports isn't always that enjoyable, sometimes my team loses. When this happens I get very angry, and sometimes I can't even watch another game for days. I don't understand why I get so mad when my favorite team loses because its not my team and the players probably don't know or care who I am or what I think. I always tell myself not to get so intense when watching a game because I am not on the team and I shouldn't care. But I still continue to angry when my team loses and its still hard for me to continue to watch. Watching sports can be very fun but it can also be very hard and painful emotionally.
Watching sports is very entertaining and fun to do. Its a great hobby I have and will enjoy for a very long time. I will continue to root for my favorite teams and players and follow them where ever they might go. I will also continue to get mad when my team loses or my favorite player does bad. But most of all I will learn to advance my own skills in playing that sport. I learn from the professionals by watching them frequently and looking at what they do to be so good. I will sometimes mimic the player hoping that it will make me better. Sports have always been a huge part of my life and it will continue to be
Thursday, September 22, 2011
NBA Lockout
The NBA (National Basketball Association) is currently in a lockout that does not seem close to an end. It has been going on for months now and the players association and the league cannot agree on a new deal. This lock out deals with the amount of money players would be able to make. Before the lockout, salaries of NBA players range from $400,000 to $20,000,000 depending on how good the player is. But even the worst players in the league make a lot of money compared to all the other jobs in the United States. And the superstars of the league, for example, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, the make, if not, close to $20,000,000 a year which is more than enough for the rest of your life! In my opinion, athletes make way too much money and I agree that their salaries should be cut. I'm not saying that they do not deserve the money because I am one of the biggest NBA fans and I want my favorite players to succeed and have a lot of money but $20,000,000 thats just too much.
I hope that this lockout ends soon because I want to enjoy watching another season of basketball and I am looking forward to all the new players coming into the league. But in the meantime, player have been trying to come up with deals to play overseas somewhere so that they can make a little extra money since they do not get paid during the lockout. The players know that they have an obligation to their original team so once the lockout ends I know that all of them will come back to the NBA. So I agree that players going overseas to play is a good thing. It will also give them a chance to travel around the world and experience other countries. I really hope that this lockout ends and I am looking forward to the upcoming season.
I hope that this lockout ends soon because I want to enjoy watching another season of basketball and I am looking forward to all the new players coming into the league. But in the meantime, player have been trying to come up with deals to play overseas somewhere so that they can make a little extra money since they do not get paid during the lockout. The players know that they have an obligation to their original team so once the lockout ends I know that all of them will come back to the NBA. So I agree that players going overseas to play is a good thing. It will also give them a chance to travel around the world and experience other countries. I really hope that this lockout ends and I am looking forward to the upcoming season.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Looking back
The biggest influence of my life would have to be sports and now that I am done playing competitive sports, I am starting to think about all the great times I've had. And one of my greatest memories would have to be back when I was playing for Alameda Youth Basketball in the 7th grade. I was already one of the best players in the league and a past all star, so I was capable of scoring a lot of points. Entering that game I had a really good feeling about my body and I felt like today would be a big day for me. In the beginning, I was doing everything I could to help our already talented team win yet another game and continue our undefeated season. We were all hustlers and wanted to destroy our opponents with our speed and pressure defense which drove the other teams crazy because no other teams played this type of defense. But this day was not about our team, it was about me. I was on fire, scoring every shot I put up and I was in the zone. I scored, caused turnovers, got assists and a bunch of rebounds.
I ended the game with 20 points(a career high), 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 forced turnovers. I was unquestionably the player of the game and I got many congratulations from teammates, their parents, coaches, friends, and family. This was an amazing day for me and probably the best basketball performance I have ever had. I will never forget that day for the rest of my life.
I ended the game with 20 points(a career high), 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 forced turnovers. I was unquestionably the player of the game and I got many congratulations from teammates, their parents, coaches, friends, and family. This was an amazing day for me and probably the best basketball performance I have ever had. I will never forget that day for the rest of my life.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Second Year of Blogging
This will be my second year blogging and I am having a lot of fun doing so. I started blogging during my sophomore year which was also very fun but got hard at the end because i could not think of anything else to write about. So I basically took a year off and now I'm back into it. I wanted to continue to blog my junior year but with all the challenging classes I had along with the homework, I had no time. Blogging is very enjoyable to me because I can share my experiences and thoughts with other students my own age and it is also fun to read what other students write about because we can relate to each other more than any other adult can. My goals for this second year of blogging are, to become a more well rounded writer, and to expand my vocabulary so that I will be ready for college essays that I will be facing next year. Blogging has been very helpful to me in the past and I hope that it continues to do so now that I am doing it again.
I hope that I can continue to improve on my writing as the year goes on and I really want to become a more versatile English student. I am not very talkative so my writing will be what everyone looks at to see what I can do as an English student. And because I am also a very determined person, I want to prove everyone that I am capable of being in college. I have had a lot of doubters in the past, even I've doubted myself a couple of times, but I know I have what it takes to be successful. I've learned that I am not going to be the best at most things I do and I know that many other students are a lot better writers than I am but that's not going to stop me from trying my best and believing that one day, I can be one of the best. That drive is what will lead me to be successful in the future and will make my dreams come true.
I hope that I can continue to improve on my writing as the year goes on and I really want to become a more versatile English student. I am not very talkative so my writing will be what everyone looks at to see what I can do as an English student. And because I am also a very determined person, I want to prove everyone that I am capable of being in college. I have had a lot of doubters in the past, even I've doubted myself a couple of times, but I know I have what it takes to be successful. I've learned that I am not going to be the best at most things I do and I know that many other students are a lot better writers than I am but that's not going to stop me from trying my best and believing that one day, I can be one of the best. That drive is what will lead me to be successful in the future and will make my dreams come true.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Becoming a Senior
I am starting my senior year of high school with high hopes and goals. I am currently taking two AP classes, AP environmental science and AP calculus, and they are both very challenging in their own way. My goal this year is to earn a high enough GPA and do well enough on my Sat's to allow me to at least get into a csu college. Last year was a forgettable year because of many distractions that prevented me from trying my best at school. It was full of drama but i learned many life lessons that will help me in the future. I hope that i can really focus this year and show everyone what i am capable of doing academic wise. My senior year has started off well and i hope that i can sustain my concentration and achieve my goals. This is by far going to be my most challenging year at high school but i will have a a lot of fun during my last months and a high school student.
Being a senior feels great, especially in high school when all the underclassmen look up to you. We are role models to all the other kids who will be in our spot in a couple of years. Us Seniors can walk around school, knowing that we won't get bullied or pushed in the hallways because we are at the top of the school. For me, it is really fun to roam around the school and watching freshman, sophmores and even some juniors react when they see us walking their way. Its not that i want to bully anyone, its just that I've been in that position where you see a big senior and you want to stay as far away as possible. But now that its the other way around, why wouldn't I want to take advantage of it? Life isn't fair sometimes and this is a good way to show that. Being a Senior is the best year of anyone's high school career because we are at the top of our school.
Being a senior feels great, especially in high school when all the underclassmen look up to you. We are role models to all the other kids who will be in our spot in a couple of years. Us Seniors can walk around school, knowing that we won't get bullied or pushed in the hallways because we are at the top of the school. For me, it is really fun to roam around the school and watching freshman, sophmores and even some juniors react when they see us walking their way. Its not that i want to bully anyone, its just that I've been in that position where you see a big senior and you want to stay as far away as possible. But now that its the other way around, why wouldn't I want to take advantage of it? Life isn't fair sometimes and this is a good way to show that. Being a Senior is the best year of anyone's high school career because we are at the top of our school.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Second Semester Final
During the second semester my writing has gotten worse. I ran out of topics to write about and was struggling to keep up with the word count. I just ran out of ideas and ended up writing about sports almost the entire semester. If you take a look at my blogs at http://jonathanmah2268.blogspot.com/ and look at the blogs I did at the beginning of the year you can tell that those blogs were more about my life and the activities I enjoy to do. Those blogs received the most comments that encouraged my writing. But as the year went on I was dealing with writers block and got sick of it. So I decided that it would make my life much easier if I just write about sports and how my favorite teams are doing. These blogs were merely facts about sports teams and I knew that this would not improve my writing at all, which was my goal from the beginning of the year. But what I did like to blog about and think has improved my writing is the literature circle letters and the book reviews on books I read during the year. I had an opportunity to tell fellow students about how I felt about a certain book and if they should decide to read it or not. This was the first time in my life when I had the opportunity to write letters to other student abut how I felt about a book and I enjoyed it very much. Even though most of the books that I read were not all that enjoyable to me, I still thought that this weekly assignment has helped me become a better writer. Writing blogs is a great idea that has helped me through many problems, most importantly writers block. This year, my blogs have been all over the place. Some were good others were not so well done but I have enjoyed this experience and I hope that I have the motivation to continue writing on my blog in the future.
My favorite blog during this year is the one that also surprised me the most when I reread it. The link to this blog is http://jonathanmah2268.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-i-got-started.html#comments. This was my third blog of the year and it is my proudest one. I finished this blog in the lab at school during your class and I treated it like any other blog. I was rushing to finish it because I was running out of time in class and I did not want to do it at home. I finally finished with a couple of minutes left and was not think about rereading it at all because I did not feel like it was my best effort since I was rushing. But when I saw that my English teacher had commented on it a week later and gave me very encouraging comments I decided to reread it and it surprised me. I did not know that I wrote such a good blog and it was probably my best one this entire year. I had no idea that I could write this well and was very surprised when my teacher compared it to a college entry essay. This blog was probably the most thought out blog of the year. I wanted to share with everyone why I started to play sports and how it has become a huge part of my life. I started off this blog saying "Sports have influenced my life in a huge way. It has given me confidence, determination, focus, and attentiveness. The traits that will lead me to success." This was pretty much the reason why I started to play sports. I was a very shy and independent as a child and I wanted to get out of that habit. So I played sports to boost my confidence up so I could be able to meet new people and determination, focus, and attentiveness were just a plus to the confidence I received. In the second paragraph of my blog, I wrote a story about how I got started in playing basketball. I explained how my parents forced me to play basketball and what they did to help me get better. At the end I wrote a paragraph about the purpose of why I decided to write about this topic. In the conclusion I emphasized on taking risks and how it may help you but will never cause and damage. Taking a risk can decide whether or not you will become rich or poor and happy or sad. I am very proud of this blog and I had a fun time reading it over and over. "How I Got Started" is my favorite blog of the year.
Having a blog has been great. It has helped me become a better writer, getting me through writers block, and given me a opportunity to share my life story's with others. My blog has not changed the way I write all that much except for helping me stop repetitive sentences. I still use the same style since I was in middle school which is the normal style of writing an introduction on my topic, a story about the topic, and a conclusion. Blogs have made me think about my life as a child and why I am the man I am today. It has given me great memories about my childhood and my past experiences that were both good and bad. I am going to try to continue on improving my writing by blogging in the future but I know that it will be a huge challenge for me next year with everything I have to deal with. I probably won't write blogs next year because I will be so busy with the Sat's, sports, and school but I will try to remember writing in the years to come. If i do continue to write, my goals are to improve my writing fluency, getting out of writers block, and being able to write long stories without getting writers block. My blogs have made writing for me a lot more enjoyable because it makes me think back and reminisce on the past and all the great times I had when I did not have to worry about so much things. This has been basically a school thing for me but I will try to make this a non school related activity in the future. I might even make this a hobby of mine if I want to continue to write. This year has been amazing for me and I loved writing blogs every week. I hope that I can remember to write on my blog in the future so i can have fun and improve my writing. Blogs have been extremely helpful to my writing.
I did numbers 1, 2, and 8.
My favorite blog during this year is the one that also surprised me the most when I reread it. The link to this blog is http://jonathanmah2268.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-i-got-started.html#comments. This was my third blog of the year and it is my proudest one. I finished this blog in the lab at school during your class and I treated it like any other blog. I was rushing to finish it because I was running out of time in class and I did not want to do it at home. I finally finished with a couple of minutes left and was not think about rereading it at all because I did not feel like it was my best effort since I was rushing. But when I saw that my English teacher had commented on it a week later and gave me very encouraging comments I decided to reread it and it surprised me. I did not know that I wrote such a good blog and it was probably my best one this entire year. I had no idea that I could write this well and was very surprised when my teacher compared it to a college entry essay. This blog was probably the most thought out blog of the year. I wanted to share with everyone why I started to play sports and how it has become a huge part of my life. I started off this blog saying "Sports have influenced my life in a huge way. It has given me confidence, determination, focus, and attentiveness. The traits that will lead me to success." This was pretty much the reason why I started to play sports. I was a very shy and independent as a child and I wanted to get out of that habit. So I played sports to boost my confidence up so I could be able to meet new people and determination, focus, and attentiveness were just a plus to the confidence I received. In the second paragraph of my blog, I wrote a story about how I got started in playing basketball. I explained how my parents forced me to play basketball and what they did to help me get better. At the end I wrote a paragraph about the purpose of why I decided to write about this topic. In the conclusion I emphasized on taking risks and how it may help you but will never cause and damage. Taking a risk can decide whether or not you will become rich or poor and happy or sad. I am very proud of this blog and I had a fun time reading it over and over. "How I Got Started" is my favorite blog of the year.
Having a blog has been great. It has helped me become a better writer, getting me through writers block, and given me a opportunity to share my life story's with others. My blog has not changed the way I write all that much except for helping me stop repetitive sentences. I still use the same style since I was in middle school which is the normal style of writing an introduction on my topic, a story about the topic, and a conclusion. Blogs have made me think about my life as a child and why I am the man I am today. It has given me great memories about my childhood and my past experiences that were both good and bad. I am going to try to continue on improving my writing by blogging in the future but I know that it will be a huge challenge for me next year with everything I have to deal with. I probably won't write blogs next year because I will be so busy with the Sat's, sports, and school but I will try to remember writing in the years to come. If i do continue to write, my goals are to improve my writing fluency, getting out of writers block, and being able to write long stories without getting writers block. My blogs have made writing for me a lot more enjoyable because it makes me think back and reminisce on the past and all the great times I had when I did not have to worry about so much things. This has been basically a school thing for me but I will try to make this a non school related activity in the future. I might even make this a hobby of mine if I want to continue to write. This year has been amazing for me and I loved writing blogs every week. I hope that I can remember to write on my blog in the future so i can have fun and improve my writing. Blogs have been extremely helpful to my writing.
I did numbers 1, 2, and 8.
Friday, May 28, 2010
A Clockwork Orange
The novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthoney Burgess is about a young teen boy, Alex and his droogs, Dim, Pete, and Georgie who run around in London causing trouble. they have been into a lot of trouble over the years but that doesn't stop them. When the foursome isn't taking drug-laced milk in the Korova Milkbar and speaking in their slang, they are robbing, beating, and raping London citizens. On a particular night, they beat up an old man with science books and a homeless man, they also get into a fight with a rival gang led by Billyboy, and steal a car and take it for a joyride to the country. Alex lives in a life full of crime and he is caught up in all of it. I feel very sorry for him and his friends because they have to deal with messing up thier lives because of where they are from.
The author also uses a unique slang that he created just for this book. he uses words like droog instead of friends and other words as well. He said "There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence." The author uses the woed droog to describe Alex's friends. But his droogs don't have his back forever they actually tried to kill him for “their horrible selfish and boastful politics". This was a very interesting part for me because it was cool to see his best friends turn on him. That was very selfish of his friends and I felt very bad about what Alex had to deal with. There is also very violent thinking in parts of this book as well. For example, alex says " My endeavour shall be, in such future as stretches out its snowy and lilywhite arms to me before the nozh overtakes or the blood spatters its final chorus in twisted metal and smashed glass on the highroad,to not get loveted again. Which is fair speeching". You can see that when Alex talks about violence he has a very delightful and aesthetic tone to his voice. It is kind of weird how he would talk about violence in such a happy tone. Its like he is happy to kill someone eventhough he know its wrong. If that is true, that is very scary. Who would want to kill someone on purpose, its just wrong.
I also like how Alex is a very tough kid that never gives up. Near the end of the book, Alex falls from the building but doesn’t kill himself. All he got was a break his back, wrists, and feet, among other body parts, before passing out a crumpled mess in the street. I like how he is so strong and a real man. He has grown up a lot over the course of the book and I like how he has improved as a person. I also like how this book isn't a type of book that has a confussed kid that is surrounded by drugs and violence but as the book goes along he learns to become a better person. I can see a little improvement but it is not too big and I really like that. In the first book I read it was exactlly like this book except that the teenage boy learned to become a better person at the end. I am really tierd of those types of books and it is refreshing to finally have a cool book that is about a troubled teenage boy and his gang. I also give props to the author for amking up his own language for this book. It must have been really hard to come up with words that sound like real words but aren't really. Droogs is a really good word that can make someone think that it is real. I thought it was until my partner told me that this book is full of fake words taht the author made up. It was really hard for me to understand at first but as I read the sentence over many times and many times deeper in the book I finally got a good understanding of what they meant.
This was a really good book from start to finsih that I had a really fun time reading. I liked many parts in this book that included a lot of violence and action because it keeps me focused. In the last book I read, I had a really hard time getting focused because it was so boring to me. This is the type of book that I really enjoy reading. I love the whole storyline as well. I like how Alex has a gang at the beginning and they fight other gangs but later his droogs turn on him and try to kill him. Stuff like that keep me wanting to read more because I want to know what will happen next. I also like how this book is based on a young kid who is surrounded by wiolence and drugs, which is why he is what he is. he fell into pure pressure and could not handle himself. Alex just wanted to fit in and it turned on him. what seemed like a crazy fun life quickly turned bad when he started to get in trouble with the cops. Alex life was a really bad one and I felt very sorry for what he had to go through. I know that this is just a book and is not real but this has a lot of parts that relate to real world stuff. I am pretty sure that there are a lot of kids out there who are caught up in the life of drugs and violence and don't know how to escape. I fell very bad for those kids because they are just wasting their life. This was one of the best books that I have ever read in my life and I am glad that I finally chose a book that fit my expectations.
The author also uses a unique slang that he created just for this book. he uses words like droog instead of friends and other words as well. He said "There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence." The author uses the woed droog to describe Alex's friends. But his droogs don't have his back forever they actually tried to kill him for “their horrible selfish and boastful politics". This was a very interesting part for me because it was cool to see his best friends turn on him. That was very selfish of his friends and I felt very bad about what Alex had to deal with. There is also very violent thinking in parts of this book as well. For example, alex says " My endeavour shall be, in such future as stretches out its snowy and lilywhite arms to me before the nozh overtakes or the blood spatters its final chorus in twisted metal and smashed glass on the highroad,to not get loveted again. Which is fair speeching". You can see that when Alex talks about violence he has a very delightful and aesthetic tone to his voice. It is kind of weird how he would talk about violence in such a happy tone. Its like he is happy to kill someone eventhough he know its wrong. If that is true, that is very scary. Who would want to kill someone on purpose, its just wrong.
I also like how Alex is a very tough kid that never gives up. Near the end of the book, Alex falls from the building but doesn’t kill himself. All he got was a break his back, wrists, and feet, among other body parts, before passing out a crumpled mess in the street. I like how he is so strong and a real man. He has grown up a lot over the course of the book and I like how he has improved as a person. I also like how this book isn't a type of book that has a confussed kid that is surrounded by drugs and violence but as the book goes along he learns to become a better person. I can see a little improvement but it is not too big and I really like that. In the first book I read it was exactlly like this book except that the teenage boy learned to become a better person at the end. I am really tierd of those types of books and it is refreshing to finally have a cool book that is about a troubled teenage boy and his gang. I also give props to the author for amking up his own language for this book. It must have been really hard to come up with words that sound like real words but aren't really. Droogs is a really good word that can make someone think that it is real. I thought it was until my partner told me that this book is full of fake words taht the author made up. It was really hard for me to understand at first but as I read the sentence over many times and many times deeper in the book I finally got a good understanding of what they meant.
This was a really good book from start to finsih that I had a really fun time reading. I liked many parts in this book that included a lot of violence and action because it keeps me focused. In the last book I read, I had a really hard time getting focused because it was so boring to me. This is the type of book that I really enjoy reading. I love the whole storyline as well. I like how Alex has a gang at the beginning and they fight other gangs but later his droogs turn on him and try to kill him. Stuff like that keep me wanting to read more because I want to know what will happen next. I also like how this book is based on a young kid who is surrounded by wiolence and drugs, which is why he is what he is. he fell into pure pressure and could not handle himself. Alex just wanted to fit in and it turned on him. what seemed like a crazy fun life quickly turned bad when he started to get in trouble with the cops. Alex life was a really bad one and I felt very sorry for what he had to go through. I know that this is just a book and is not real but this has a lot of parts that relate to real world stuff. I am pretty sure that there are a lot of kids out there who are caught up in the life of drugs and violence and don't know how to escape. I fell very bad for those kids because they are just wasting their life. This was one of the best books that I have ever read in my life and I am glad that I finally chose a book that fit my expectations.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Basketball trouble
Dwyane Wade testified for the first time Friday at the trial where two ex-partners are suing him for $25 million in a failed restaurant deal, primarily explaining his relationship with best friend Marcus Andrews, who helped broker the ultimately flawed arrangement.The Miami Heat star was called as the case's third witness. He spent about an hour on the stand before court broke for the weekend and will be called back Monday morning for further questioning by plaintiff's attorney Richard Bales.The bulk of the questions to Wade involved how his agent, Chicago-based Henry Thomas, had negotiated several successful deals for him both on and off the court, including sponsorships with T-Mobile, Converse, Lincoln, Gatorade, Topps and others. But in the restaurant deal, Wade relied on Andrews to help him make certain decisions, instead of having Thomas exclusively handle the deal.The lawsuit involves the defunct plan over what was to be a chain of D. Wade's Place sports-themed restaurants. Plaintiffs Mark Rodberg and Lauren Hollander claim Wade breached a contract by demanding higher compensation than first agreed to and then abandoning the deal in 2008.
Wade says he's entitled to damages because Rodberg and Hollander used his likeness in ways he did not approve.Wade and Andrews have been close since they were growing up as neighbors together in Chicago.The restaurant deal was first mentioned to Andrews by Richard von Houtman another ex-business associate of Wade. The NBA guard has accused von Houtman of defaming him in e-mails to Heat president Pat Riley, and von Houtman has filed a countersuit to that.Wade acknowledged he was intrigued by the original notion of a restaurant but needed to learn much more before committing."I'm sure I told Mr. Andrews I needed more information," Wade said. "The biggest thing that I probably expressed to Mr. Andrews was to go back and get more information on what with these restaurants they wanted do to, what are they, what, where, how and all that. I needed more information than someone wanted me to do a restaurant."In time, Wade collected that information, and the sides went ahead with the venture, which unraveled quickly.The suit was filed in December 2008, alleging Wade Global Enterprises made "unjustifiable and unreasonable" demands such as a 30 percent ownership stake in the restaurant enterprise. The original deal called for Wade to receive a 10 percent stake, plus a guaranteed $1 million over the first five years of the arrangement, and Andrews a 2 percent share. I honestly think that the authorities made a huge deal out of nothing. What Wade did was not even that bad and could have been resolved at the spot without including the cops. I feel very bad for Wade not only because he might need to give up a ton of money but because his basketball reputation and the kids that look up to him will be ruined. This is a very bad situation for Wade and I hope that he gets out of it without any harm to his career because he is a great athlete and needs to concentrate on basketball.
Wade says he's entitled to damages because Rodberg and Hollander used his likeness in ways he did not approve.Wade and Andrews have been close since they were growing up as neighbors together in Chicago.The restaurant deal was first mentioned to Andrews by Richard von Houtman another ex-business associate of Wade. The NBA guard has accused von Houtman of defaming him in e-mails to Heat president Pat Riley, and von Houtman has filed a countersuit to that.Wade acknowledged he was intrigued by the original notion of a restaurant but needed to learn much more before committing."I'm sure I told Mr. Andrews I needed more information," Wade said. "The biggest thing that I probably expressed to Mr. Andrews was to go back and get more information on what with these restaurants they wanted do to, what are they, what, where, how and all that. I needed more information than someone wanted me to do a restaurant."In time, Wade collected that information, and the sides went ahead with the venture, which unraveled quickly.The suit was filed in December 2008, alleging Wade Global Enterprises made "unjustifiable and unreasonable" demands such as a 30 percent ownership stake in the restaurant enterprise. The original deal called for Wade to receive a 10 percent stake, plus a guaranteed $1 million over the first five years of the arrangement, and Andrews a 2 percent share. I honestly think that the authorities made a huge deal out of nothing. What Wade did was not even that bad and could have been resolved at the spot without including the cops. I feel very bad for Wade not only because he might need to give up a ton of money but because his basketball reputation and the kids that look up to him will be ruined. This is a very bad situation for Wade and I hope that he gets out of it without any harm to his career because he is a great athlete and needs to concentrate on basketball.
Lit Circle letter
In the final part of the novel A Clockwork Orange, Alex is sent to jail where he is surrounded by terrible treatment and torture. I think that it is pretty cool how the author expresses how Alex was treated in prison and what happened to him. At the beginning of the final part, Alex falls from the building but doesn’t kill himself. All he got was a break his back, wrists, and feet, among other body parts, before passing out a crumpled mess in the street. Just before he slips into unconsciousness, Alex comes to the realization that F. Alexander’s associates, his supposed new droogs meant to kill him for “their horrible selfish and boastful politics". This part was very interesting to me and had a lot of things going on at once. I like how the author added this twist into the book to make it a lot more crazy even though it is already messed up enough.
Another part that I liked was near the end of the book when Alex feels the drugs kick in and punches a neighboring patron in the stomach and leads his droogs into the street. Then they come upon an old man buying a newspaper. Alex sanctions Bully’s assault on the old man, and the other two soon join in, tripping and kicking the man until he crawls away, whimpering. Alex then gives the boys permission to head over to the Duke, where they sit across from the same women Alex met there in Part One. The women praise the boys, hoping for a drink in return, but Alex gets annoyed and forbids it at first, noting to us that he has become frugal. Alex eventually concedes to buying the women another round, and, uncharacteristically, gets himself a beer. As he pulls out his money, a newspaper clipping falls out of Alex’s pocket, which Bully snatches up. On it is a photograph of a baby. The group has a bit of fun with Alex’s apparent sentimentality until Alex snarls at them and rips the picture up, letting it drop to the floor. To the group’s puzzlement, he goes on to chastise them, calling them babies because they take advantage of the helpless. Alex is a very confused kid that needs to get his life straightened out but we all know that, thats never going to happen. And I like it. I'm tired of books that have endings with people becoming better as the book goes on and this book was nothing like that. I really liked this book and I am really happy that I finally found a book that I liked a lot.
Another part that I liked was near the end of the book when Alex feels the drugs kick in and punches a neighboring patron in the stomach and leads his droogs into the street. Then they come upon an old man buying a newspaper. Alex sanctions Bully’s assault on the old man, and the other two soon join in, tripping and kicking the man until he crawls away, whimpering. Alex then gives the boys permission to head over to the Duke, where they sit across from the same women Alex met there in Part One. The women praise the boys, hoping for a drink in return, but Alex gets annoyed and forbids it at first, noting to us that he has become frugal. Alex eventually concedes to buying the women another round, and, uncharacteristically, gets himself a beer. As he pulls out his money, a newspaper clipping falls out of Alex’s pocket, which Bully snatches up. On it is a photograph of a baby. The group has a bit of fun with Alex’s apparent sentimentality until Alex snarls at them and rips the picture up, letting it drop to the floor. To the group’s puzzlement, he goes on to chastise them, calling them babies because they take advantage of the helpless. Alex is a very confused kid that needs to get his life straightened out but we all know that, thats never going to happen. And I like it. I'm tired of books that have endings with people becoming better as the book goes on and this book was nothing like that. I really liked this book and I am really happy that I finally found a book that I liked a lot.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Rules of Love
After watching the interesting video on high school in the 60's, I realize that it is not much different than modern high schools. The rules that dictate the behavior of young men and women in relationships are a lot similar to the old days. The rules include what friends each teenager has, how popular they are, if they were in any past relationships, and if they have reputation of being a person who dates a lot of people. A lot of teenagers in modern high schools don't really have long relationships with someone. There are a few long relationships if the two kids really like each other but usually two people get together have fun and break up. I also think that there are a lot less relationships as there was in the past because there are more boy/girl friends that just want to hang out. In the past hanging out would be like going on a date but now its just two friends having fun. No one really goes on dates anymore unless they are in a relationship because if two teenagers like each other they just get together without really wanting to know a whole lot about the person. But once they are a couple they learn more about each others lives and what they like to do. People don't really have a relationship with someone they are not comfortable with for example, athletic teens will usually go out with someone else who is athletic and popular kids will usually go out with other popular kids. There are also teenagers who become a couple just to look good so they will have more friends. Everyone wants to be known by everyone at the school and having a relationship with someone that is just as popular or even more popular will help that goal come true.
If these rules are broken by someone, nothing really changes in high schools today. The person that you used to date might be mad at you but your friends won't leave you and nothing to serious will happen to you. You might have a couple more haters but thats about it. No one really cares about the rules as much as they did in the past because no one wants to loose a friend or become less popular. High school relationships are a lot more different that they were in the past but they are still similar. These rules are not really important anymore because no one really cares.
If these rules are broken by someone, nothing really changes in high schools today. The person that you used to date might be mad at you but your friends won't leave you and nothing to serious will happen to you. You might have a couple more haters but thats about it. No one really cares about the rules as much as they did in the past because no one wants to loose a friend or become less popular. High school relationships are a lot more different that they were in the past but they are still similar. These rules are not really important anymore because no one really cares.
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Perfect Game
Last weekend on mothers day, Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game. becoming only the 19th pitcher in MLB history to ever do so. He was born in Stockton, California which is a couple of hours away from Alameda and where my father grew up as a kid. Braden's performance was a lot more than just a perfect game because his mother died when he was a child and his grandmother took him in to avoid adoption. His grandmother was at the game where he threw the perfect game and they had a very emotional bond after the game which touched everyone who was watching. I know that this gives a boost to the Oakland Athletic organization and will probably help them win a couple more games in the next couple of days. This was probably the best moment of Dallas Bradens life and I am extremely proud of what he has done especially doing it on mothers day and dedicating it to his grandmother who saved his life. There was alos another reason why he was more fueld and pumped up during this game that involved another player.
Dallas Braden’s perfect game for Oakland has generated plenty of press, and only partly because of his feud with Alex Rodriguez. A perfect game is celebrated with bold headlines because it is one of baseball's rarest achievements. But somehow, without anyone noticing, the perfect game has started to become more common, while no-hitters over all have become harder to come by. Before 1998, only 6 percent of no-hitters were perfect games, but from 1998 to 2003, 20 percent were, and since then 27 percent have been.From 1900 through 1980, baseball witnessed only seven perfect games, including two in the dead-ball era and three during the glory days for pitchers in the mid-1960s. But in the 30 seasons beginning with 1981, nine pitchers have achieved perfection. And, oddly, regular no-hitter have decreased in frequency while becoming more erratic in their appearance.
In the 20 years before Babe Ruth and the live ball era of 1920, no-hitters were far more common, with pitchers hurling 48 of them. In the two decades that followed, the most explosive offensive period before the steroids era, there were just 16 no-hitters, one of which was a perfect game. Baseball found an equilibrium in the 1940s and ’50s and that span yielded 30 no-hitters.Not surprisingly, the swinging and missing ’60s produced an astonishing 30 no-hitters, along with three perfect games, but even after baseball lowered the pitching mound, pitchers churned out 31 no-hitters in the 1970s. In other words, from 1960-1979, baseball averaged more than three no-hitters per season yet only one perfect game about every seven years. Since then, the pattern has shifted: There have been 48 no-hitters over the past 30 years, meaning it now takes two seasons to produce three no-hitters. In the last decade, there were only 13 — none in 2000 and only one a perfect game from June 11, 2003, through Sept. 6, 2006.That decline might make sense considering that the strike zone, the ballparks, the ball and steroids all conspired to boost offense, yet there have been 10 perfect games in that span, meaning they are now coming along every three seasons on average instead of every seven. In fact, perfect games before this year were fairly evenly spaced out, appearing in 1981, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009.As for this year’s big events, it makes sense that Ubaldo Jimenez would pitch the no-hitter and Braden the perfect game because 25 of 35 no-hitters since 1988, including Jimenez’s, have been pitched by right-handers while six of the eight pitchers to retire all 27 hitters they faced, including Braden, have been southpaws. The only question now is whether Braden can live up to his place in baseball and I think that he can do it because he has great pitches and is still young and has room to improve. This is one of the biggest moments in baseball history and I am glad I was able to experience it on the television.
Dallas Braden’s perfect game for Oakland has generated plenty of press, and only partly because of his feud with Alex Rodriguez. A perfect game is celebrated with bold headlines because it is one of baseball's rarest achievements. But somehow, without anyone noticing, the perfect game has started to become more common, while no-hitters over all have become harder to come by. Before 1998, only 6 percent of no-hitters were perfect games, but from 1998 to 2003, 20 percent were, and since then 27 percent have been.From 1900 through 1980, baseball witnessed only seven perfect games, including two in the dead-ball era and three during the glory days for pitchers in the mid-1960s. But in the 30 seasons beginning with 1981, nine pitchers have achieved perfection. And, oddly, regular no-hitter have decreased in frequency while becoming more erratic in their appearance.
In the 20 years before Babe Ruth and the live ball era of 1920, no-hitters were far more common, with pitchers hurling 48 of them. In the two decades that followed, the most explosive offensive period before the steroids era, there were just 16 no-hitters, one of which was a perfect game. Baseball found an equilibrium in the 1940s and ’50s and that span yielded 30 no-hitters.Not surprisingly, the swinging and missing ’60s produced an astonishing 30 no-hitters, along with three perfect games, but even after baseball lowered the pitching mound, pitchers churned out 31 no-hitters in the 1970s. In other words, from 1960-1979, baseball averaged more than three no-hitters per season yet only one perfect game about every seven years. Since then, the pattern has shifted: There have been 48 no-hitters over the past 30 years, meaning it now takes two seasons to produce three no-hitters. In the last decade, there were only 13 — none in 2000 and only one a perfect game from June 11, 2003, through Sept. 6, 2006.That decline might make sense considering that the strike zone, the ballparks, the ball and steroids all conspired to boost offense, yet there have been 10 perfect games in that span, meaning they are now coming along every three seasons on average instead of every seven. In fact, perfect games before this year were fairly evenly spaced out, appearing in 1981, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009.As for this year’s big events, it makes sense that Ubaldo Jimenez would pitch the no-hitter and Braden the perfect game because 25 of 35 no-hitters since 1988, including Jimenez’s, have been pitched by right-handers while six of the eight pitchers to retire all 27 hitters they faced, including Braden, have been southpaws. The only question now is whether Braden can live up to his place in baseball and I think that he can do it because he has great pitches and is still young and has room to improve. This is one of the biggest moments in baseball history and I am glad I was able to experience it on the television.
Lit. Circle Letter
In the second part of A Clockwork Orange, there is a lot more slang and a lot more psychotic. There is tons more action in the second section in the second part of the book which makes it a lot more interesting to read. I really thought that this book would be exactly like the other two book i read, start out good then progressivly get worse as I get more into the novel. The second part talks more about Alex's crazy life and all the hard experiences he has to go through during this challenging part of his life. I like this second part more because it is more entertaining since there is crazy parts to it. Alex is a very weird teenager boy so far in the book that has a very tough life because he has to deal with so many problems. There is also a lot violence thinking in parts of this book as well. For example Alex says " My endeavour shall be, in such future as stretches out its snowy and lilywhite arms to me before the nozh overtakes or the blood spatters its final chorus in twisted metal and smashed glass on the highroad,to not get loveted again. Which is fair speeching. You can see that when Alex talks about violence he has a very delightful and aesthetic tone to his voice. It is kind of weird how he would talk about violence in such a happy tone.
I really liked the second part of the novel because I now know what most of the slang the author uses in this book means, which makes it much easier for me to concentrate on the book itself and try to find out what this book is about. Another section of the second part that I like is the parts where Alex talks about his life experiences and his thoughts of violence. This book has gotten better as I have gotten deeper into the book and I hope the third part is much better. This second part was really good and I hope that the final section of this novel will be more entertaining and fun to read.
I really liked the second part of the novel because I now know what most of the slang the author uses in this book means, which makes it much easier for me to concentrate on the book itself and try to find out what this book is about. Another section of the second part that I like is the parts where Alex talks about his life experiences and his thoughts of violence. This book has gotten better as I have gotten deeper into the book and I hope the third part is much better. This second part was really good and I hope that the final section of this novel will be more entertaining and fun to read.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Oakland Raiders
This week I would like to blog about JaMarcus Russell, the former number 1 pick of the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. A couple a days ago he was released by the Raiders becuase he was not preforming at his best. When Russell was with the Raiders, it seemed to me like he did not try at all. He did not give any effort into becomeing better. He figured that since he was already in the league and is amking a good amount of money he could just relax and it did not work out for him. The Raiders used the No.1 overall pick on Russell in the 2007 draft. He never developed and was 7-18 as a starter, the worst winning percentage of any quarterback who was drafted No. 1. He became the quickest quarterback who was the No. 1 pick to be released by his drafting team.He was extremely over wight and was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league last year so the Raiders decided to get another quarter back named Jason Cambell. He played for the Washington Redskins last year and had a decent year. So he is a prety good quarterback. Since the Raiders have so much quarterbacks on their roster they needed to release one. They had a comepition a few days ago and Russell did not do so well so he was cut. He was due to make about 9 million dollars next year. But reporters say that his carrer is not over yet and he still has another chance to be a successful quarterback in the league.
JaMarcus Russell is now a free agent and is looking for a new team to play for. The talented but extremely disappointing quarterback went unclaimed Friday and passed waivers. He is now free to sign with any team that may become interested in him. Russell who is 24 was expected to go unclaimed because his salary is more than $9 million this season. Any team that would have claimed Russell would have been responsible for his salary this season. Russell will likely not want anything other than the minimum league salary if he signs with a team. He made more than $39 million in Oakland over the course of the past three seasons. Even though he is said to be one of the worst number 1 picks to ever paly in the NFL reporters say he still has another chance to make it big. A lot of players have been good with their second team after being terrible with their first and this may be an example of that. the Radiers haven't had a good quarterback in years and it seems like every player that leaves become better. Mabey the raiders coaching staff is not all that good and did not know how to improve Russell. A lot of teams are interested in signing him but are still hesitant becuase of his past. But I'm pretty sure that teams that have old quarterbacks are really looking into signing him becuase they will eventually need a new one. Russell may have had a very poor carrer so far but because he was the former number 1 overall oick he has another chance and i think that goes with any number 1 pick that plays any professional sport.
JaMarcus Russell is now a free agent and is looking for a new team to play for. The talented but extremely disappointing quarterback went unclaimed Friday and passed waivers. He is now free to sign with any team that may become interested in him. Russell who is 24 was expected to go unclaimed because his salary is more than $9 million this season. Any team that would have claimed Russell would have been responsible for his salary this season. Russell will likely not want anything other than the minimum league salary if he signs with a team. He made more than $39 million in Oakland over the course of the past three seasons. Even though he is said to be one of the worst number 1 picks to ever paly in the NFL reporters say he still has another chance to make it big. A lot of players have been good with their second team after being terrible with their first and this may be an example of that. the Radiers haven't had a good quarterback in years and it seems like every player that leaves become better. Mabey the raiders coaching staff is not all that good and did not know how to improve Russell. A lot of teams are interested in signing him but are still hesitant becuase of his past. But I'm pretty sure that teams that have old quarterbacks are really looking into signing him becuase they will eventually need a new one. Russell may have had a very poor carrer so far but because he was the former number 1 overall oick he has another chance and i think that goes with any number 1 pick that plays any professional sport.
Lit. Circle Letter
In the first section of the novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is about a dangerous fifteen year-old named Alex who talks in slang that he invented himself which is really hard for me to understand because they aren't real words. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening book about good and evil. and the meaning of human freedom. There is a lot of slang in this book that make no sense but after a while, I started to find out the meaning of them. For example, I now know that droog means friends in Alex's invented language. The slang made this book a little harder to read becuase you had to concentrated on reading the book while trying to figure out what the slang means. Alex is a so called "ultraviolent" who had all the luck in the world until he was convicted of murder and rape. Alex is a very interesting charatacter that is kind of like the one in the first book I read and I had fun reading about him. But so far it seems like Alex has not learned anything from getting in trouble. This is a good book so far that I hope continues to excite me and makes me want to keep on reading it.
In the first part of the book I liked and disliked the slang. I liked it becuase it is really cool how the author camed up with fake words that mean something. It is also really cool that he really can made someone believe that the words may be real. For example, I thought "droog" was a real word until the grammar stopped making sense. I thought it meant something negative until I figured out what it really meant. What I did not like about his made up slang is that it was hard to figure out what some of the words mean. If you really do not think that you will figure out the vocabulary this book will be very hard to read. This was a very good book so far and I hope that it continues to be just as good or even better when I read more of it.
In the first part of the book I liked and disliked the slang. I liked it becuase it is really cool how the author camed up with fake words that mean something. It is also really cool that he really can made someone believe that the words may be real. For example, I thought "droog" was a real word until the grammar stopped making sense. I thought it meant something negative until I figured out what it really meant. What I did not like about his made up slang is that it was hard to figure out what some of the words mean. If you really do not think that you will figure out the vocabulary this book will be very hard to read. This was a very good book so far and I hope that it continues to be just as good or even better when I read more of it.
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