Monday Monday

It's raining outside everybody.

Did you know today is baseball opening day? The Giants are on the road in Arizona and the A's will host the Indians, but will that game even be played with the rain?

So a bunch of random thoughts here on this lazy Monday that will keep you entertained for a few minutes or however long it takes you to read this post.

• Why don't more people do interviews? I like interviews because it gives everybody a voice and you get to see someone's perspective about a game or something that happened. Or perhaps a theme that is happening with the team. Yes, I guess it's funny when someone won't talk and I have to chase after them like paparazzi, but a good interview from a player or coach is always refreshing and makes for good TV, or in this case, YouTube.

•  Tiff Ye should do interviews.

• I am looking for a good Awards Night song or songs...Every year I rack my brain to see which song I can use for videos or the slideshow at the end. So if anybody has suggestions, please do so...Right now I have a few in mind, but the more the merrier as always.

• Are you soft or are you a gamer? And by gamer, I don't mean a noob that plays video games all day, but someone who will do whatever it takes to make sure they play in a game or practice. I once had a player literally yell at me because I wouldn't let her back in a game.

• We'd like to thank Edwin for participating once again in basketball. 

• We are 6 days away from Wrestlemania 30.

• A long time ago, we used to be friends...

• Since this is dated if I don't post it today, the Stanford women are in the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament. Check out my fine works that aired yesterday. This one is for you Les.

8th graders win in a romp

Edwena returned to the basketball court for the first time in almost two years as the 8th grade girls dominated for their fourth win of the season, 34-13.

In three of the four girls victories, a different player each time has hit double digits in scoring to lead the team. Fiona followed suit and had a career high 14 points and she made it look easy.

She has done a much better job this year weaving her way around the defense and getting to the basket. A move she has improved dramatically upon in just a year's time is the crossover dribble where she changes directions and then drives hard to the basket. She could've easily had 20 points had she made all her lay-ups, but we'll give her a pass this time.

Defensively, the girls were quick and gave the other team fits from start to finish. When they weren't up 10, their opponent could barely get the ball across half-court without losing the ball.

Lily had another strong game and continues to get better game by game, as she had 8 points, all off strong shots by the basket.

For once, the 8th graders weren't outmatched in size. Because of that rebounding on both ends of the court were a lot easier than previous games.

Rebecca had a nice game and also scored a career high, chipping in 6 points.

Kelly scored 4 points, all in the 4th quarter, one off a pretty pass in transition from Fiona, and Jamie added a bucket in the 1st quarter.

Jason Ng was at the game.

The 8th grade is now (4-1) on the season.

6th/7th grade falls back below .500

An undermanned 6th/7th grade girls held a halftime lead, but were unable to close it out in the second half, as they fell below .500 on the season in a 20-16 loss.

Playing without Michaela, their only real ball handler with any experience, the girls had trouble taking care of the ball as many of the girls were forced into roles they weren't comfortable doing. As a result, they lost a game that they could've won.

Five out of the six players in uniform got on the scoresheet with twins Cecilia and Christine both hitting 3 pointers.

Emily, Sharon and Becky all had two points each in the loss.

So far, the 6th/7th grade (2-3) has had a chance to win each of their games, but are playing well enough to lose.

Now the plot thickens even more, as they'll need to step up their game if they want to play beyond the eight game season.

All baseball games postponed this weekend

Both 6th/7th grade games as well as the 8th grade's game Sunday have been postponed due to rain.

Practice, weather permitting, will continue this week.

4th/5th graders doubled up in loss

The 4th/5th grade girls were outscored 6-0 down the stretch and lost 12-6, falling to (1-4) on the season.

After picking up a forfeit win in game one, they've dropped four straight, all single digit losses.

Annika scored for the second straight week and Justina added 4 points.

Highlights are here

8th grade girls get back on winning track

All six girls on the team scored as the 8th grade girls bounced back from their loss last week with a 26-12 win.

Even though they scored only two points in the 3rd quarter, a 12 point outburst in the final seven minutes propelled them to an impressive third win of the season.

The girls have had a tendency to go through periods of the game where they just can't find the basket, and that was the case Sunday. They're a team that feeds off momentum and usually one or two made shots can create a wave of them, as evident by their 4th quarter performance.

Lily played one of her best games of the season, including a real nice power dribble move which caused Leslie to exclaim to fellow coach Andrew how happy she was about what she had just saw. The team center finished with 6 points.

As usual, they had a size disadvantage, but they caught a break because the other team could not shoot the ball well at all. They got away with a lot of missed rebounds down low but luckily the putbacks from the other team did not go into the hoop.

Jamie had a game high of 8 points, and Victoria and Kelly both scored 4 points. Fiona and Rebecca added 2 points, with Becky splitting her free throws.

They are now (3-1) on the season.

4th/5th grade girls fall in thriller

Both teams traded buckets in the final two minutes of the game, but the 4th/5th grade girls could not convert in the final seconds and lost in a thrilling 15-14 game.

For the first time in her career, Annika made a basket, scoring the first two points of the game and Justina had a game high 12 points.

It was an impressive showing for the team of six, playing their best game to date. Offensively almost everybody on the team was able to get a shot off, and the ball distribution and passing is getting better.

Down 13-12 in crunch time, Justina took the ball in transition, pulled up and hit a shot that gave the girls a one point lead. But the other team, like every team these girls face, had a distinctive size advantage as one girl on the other team, a good head taller than the biggest St. Mary's 4th/5th grader camped out in the paint for the entire game.

She was able to catch a pass just inside the free throw line, and then proceeded to bury the short jumper  for the game winning shot.

The girls had opportunities to win the game but they turned the ball over twice in the final 30 seconds. Once was a blatant pass which was thrown away in the backcourt, and then the backbreaker was a turnover with 8.8 seconds left in the game.

Despite the loss, it was a much needed confidence boost for a team that has had trouble scoring early in the season.

After a two game hiatus, James was back on the bench with his other three coaches.

Baby steps made for the 8th graders in latest baseball game

A 14-4 loss is not something to be over excited about but it was a step in the right direction for the 8th grade baseball team.

Ryan started and pitched for the first time in his career and did well, getting the ball over the plate, but as usual, a few defensive miscues led to some runs. He went 2+ innings in his first outing and will more than likely see a lot more action on the mound in the second half of the season.

They were very much in the game, trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the second and a runner in scoring position. But after striking out to end the inning, the wheels came off as the defense could not stay strong the rest of the way.

Offensively, they pushed across 4 runs, their highest output of the season.

6th/7th grade back at .500 in defensive struggle

The 6th/7th grade girls pitched a first half shutout, which was enough for them to hang on to a 15-10 win.

It was not pretty but the girls made enough shots and stops in the 4th quarter to even their record at .500.

Both teams were sloppy and turned the ball over with a lot of errant passes and dribbling into traffic. Surprisingly, there weren't many jump balls called - usually the case for games that are all over the place.

Up 11-9 late in the fourth, the 6th/7th grade turned the ball over twice leading to a wide open fast break lay-up for the other team. Luckily for the girls, the potential go ahead shots never went in, even on wide open practice line like lay-ups.

Christine and Michaela applied some pressure in the back court under two minutes to go, and Michaela was able to scoop up a loose ball by the basket and extend the lead to four points.

After the other team hit a free throw, Cecilia hit a nice lay-up with under 12 seconds to go, sealing the game.

Becky, who started the year in a lot of foul trouble, only had two in Saturday's contest, a drastic improvement from when she fouled out of three straight games.

Even in a messy affair, the girls bounced back for a much needed win after a really tough defeat last week.

Halfway through the year, the girls are showing spurts of taking the next step, but making shots and ball security will need to improve in the stretch run.

Get the tissues ready...

Great story the other night from San Jose, where the Sharks signed a 17 year old teenager to a one day contract, so he could live out his dream of being a San Jose Shark for a day

Sam Tageson, who was born with a potential fatal heart condition, got to be an honorary member of Team Teal Tuesday night.

Through the Sharks and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, he got to practice with the team during the day and when it was game time, he got to skate out of the Sharks head with the team and participate in the warm-ups during the game.

An incredible moment that really shows how great sports can be. There is absolutely nothing in the world that can compare to this.

Here's a few videos of Sam's day.

Wednesday Update

Sign up for the NCAA Tournament Bracket, as long as you have a Yahoo ID.

https://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/quickenloansbracket 

Pool ID#: 150818
Password: shem

And I would dream to one day edit a video as beautiful as this...

 

Monday, Monday

Still searching

Wing says Bryan is too negative and he needs to be more positive. She is probably right. So I will spend this blog on something pretty cool and uplifting.

So this takes me back to last Tuesday when I watched the two baseball teams practice down at Moscone. It was already 6:35 p.m. - practice officially ended at 6:30 p.m. Usually by this time, there are people nagging that it's time to go home.

But not on this night.

The sun was still out, everybody looked like they were having fun, so play on everyone did.

And to me, it stuck out as a moment of what growing up playing sports is all about. Enjoying your time with each other, throwing a ball, running around, not caring about what time it is.

For the two people, maybe one that watched any of the outdoor hockey games that were played outside, the constant narrative was playing in a rink outside took them back to their childhood. Times when their parents called them in for dinner, or it was time to go, but they would disregard Mom and Dad, and continue to skate and play.

That baseball practice had the same feeling.

That baseball practice was a moment.

3 runs scored, but errors a plenty for 8th grade baseball

The 8th grade baseball team scored three runs for the second straight game, but their defense and pitching once again was poor, as they committed 14 errors in their third loss of the season.

Joseph got the start and could've gotten out of the 1st inning, giving up just one run, but several errors behind him opened the floodgates and put the team behind 6-0 even before they were able to have one at bat.

In the 2nd inning, Joseph did make a nice running catch, and then doubled off the other team's runner at first to get the third out.

Garrick and Fiona both pitched an inning each after Joseph.

8th graders fight hard, but come up short

If the 8th grade girls want to cap off their basketball careers with a championship, they'll need to go through the team they lost to Saturday afternoon.

The girls held a brief 4-2 lead late in the 1st quarter, but couldn't keep up with the more physical and quicker opponent, as they lost their first game of the season 31-18.

They trailed by only five points at halftime and were very much in the game. But they were unable to maintain any type of rhythm on both ends of the court.

Turnovers doom 6th/7th graders

4 point swings.

When a team misses a shot on one end, and the other team makes one on the other end.

That's exactly what happened to the 6th/7th graders on several occasions in their bitter 18-16 loss Saturday afternoon.

They had quite a few chances right by their basket, but ended up missing. And conveniently the other team grabbed the missed shot, went down the court and scored.

It was that, turnovers and poor free throw shooting, which all added up to a winnable game gone by the waist side for the 6th/7th grade girls, who are now (1-2) on the season.

Down 17-9 at one point, the girls made a furious comeback to start the 4th quarter and managed to cut the lead to just a point with less than 2 minutes to go.

But the girls were unable to go ahead or tie the game on their final possessions and were left with the "coulda woulda shoulda" feeling.

In the win, Sharon recorded her first ever two points when she was ahead on the fast break.

As a team, the girls shot 1-of-11 from the free throw line in the second half. Those points loom large in a two point loss.

5th grade scores late, but not enough

After 23 minutes, the 4th/5th grade girls stared at a 0 on the scoreboard, a minute away from being shutout 10-0 in their third game of the year.

But after scoring on two straight possessions, the tone went from hoping to just score one all the way to maybe we can pull off an epic comeback.

With a little over 20 seconds left, the girls stole the inbounds pass, but missed a wide open easy lay-up in front of the basket which would've cut the lead to just 4 points.

So in the end, the girls settled for a 10-4 loss, which drops them to (1-2) on the season.

As usual, the girls were outmatched physical, they don't have one true player on the team who would normally play forward or center. They are basically a team of six guards, and undersized guards for that matter.

They were decisively out-rebounded the entire game.

On offense, they did do a good job of getting up shots, with several of the girls getting good looks by the basket. But unfortunately they were unable to convert any of them until the final minute.

Coaches Tiff Ye and Jenna were on the bench coaching, as Tina and James were absent.

8th grade baseball team puts up some runs

By Brandon Lee

The 8th grade baseball team managed to put 3 runs on the board with a 2 out 2 run single by Joseph in the 1st inning and another run scored on a dropped 3rd strike. 

But their poor pitching and defense led to their second straight loss to start the season.

Jackie was on the mound for the first time in his career but couldn't find the strike zone, issuing several walks.

Fiona and Garrick finished the game on the mound, but had no support from the defense. They did however turn a double play to end the third inning and everybody got at least one plate appearance.

The bottom line is that the team needs a lot of work on both defense and offense. They'll be out there again Sunday at West Sunset. 

Highlights

Hey you! Watch highlights, and tell a friend.

  )

Baseball Schedules

REMAINING GAMES as of April 7, 2014

6th/7th Grade
Saturday, April 12, 9 a.m. @ McCoppin
Sunday, April 13, 1 p.m. @ Silver Terrace
Saturday, May 10, 11:15 a.m. @ Crocker
Tuesday, May 13, 4:30 p.m. @ Fairmont Field

8th Grade

Saturday, April 12, 11:15 a.m. @ Crocker
Saturday, May 10, 11:15 a.m. @ McCoppin
Sunday, May 18, 3:30 p.m. @ West Sunset

Monday Monday

I listened to this song when it came out as I was just 3 years old.



More blanks to fill:

________ needs to throw more strikes.
________ needs to not always look at strike three.
________ needs to throw properly.
________ should check yourself before you wreck yourself.
________ had a career high over the weekend.
________ came up big down the stretch.
________ hit her first shot ever.
________ needs to move his/her feet.
________ should watch Ch. 5 for sports at 11:25 p.m. on weeknights.
________ wears polkadots for pajamas.
________ writes articles for games even when she isn't there.
________ is kind of a big deal.
________ is still a noob.
________ is still heartbroken.

Catch Coaches Knockout below kids.

Coaches Knockout 2014

4th quarter dooms the 4th/5th graders

By Tina Leung

#24 rushes down the court, and scores another bucket right in front of the basket on her third try after grabbing the rebound consecutively - too bad she was on the other team.

The 4th/5th graders lost their second game of the season today 17-8, dropping their record to (1-1).

They got off to a fast start with Justina, who had the game high of 6 points, draining a jump shot right after tipoff.

At the end of the first quarter, Aislin scored her first two points of her career after receiving a nice pass from Samantha, closing the quarter 4-3.

It was a tight game as both teams would trade points. The 4th/5th graders would score two points but the other team's #24, who was aggressive and very tall for a fifth grader, would respond with a rebound and putback of her own. Overall, they could not grab the defensive rebounds, and the other team would take advantage of it.

Early in the fourth quarter, the girls trailed 9-8, but Justina left the game because of an injury from going hard to the basket. The 4th/5th graders would have to play the rest of the game without her, their main ball-handler, so the other team pulled away and won 17-8.

Overall, #24 outsized them all, as she grabbed all the rebound and basically scored all of the other team's points.

Despite the loss, the 4th/5th graders did improve. As of last week's scrimmage, they could not even get off a shot, but this game, a bulk of the players got at least one shot and all of them touched the ball.

They are improving and progressing.

6th/7th grade baseball team scores run in a loss

The 6th/7th grade pushed across a run Sunday afternoon, and Allen pitched 4 innings for a complete game. But the end result was a 13-1 loss.

Michael scored on a wild pitch accounting for the team's only run of the game. They had previously loaded the bases with no outs and were able to push across just one run.

It's still, as expected, a big work in progress for the boys, but a good final half inning of defense that saw Allen catch a pop up and throw out a runner on a come-backer are nice places to start.

Opening Day comes and goes, Girls Rec. loses

The 6th/7th grade and the 8th grade baseball teams played their first games of the season. Both were shutout in losses.

Michael started for the younger team and Joseph got the nod for the 8th grade.

Fiona, who is one of two girls (Rebecca) to play baseball this year, pitched an inning in relief and struck out two.

The 6th/7th grade plays again tomorrow.

Girls Rec League: The 7th/8th grade rec league season came to an end when they were beaten 42-20 in the playoffs Saturday afternoon.

Huge 4th quarter propels 6th/7th grade to victory

The 6th/7th grade girls broke a 18-18 tie with a 7-0 run to close out the game Saturday morning, winning their first game of the season 25-18.

With the game hanging in the balance, the girls got a sudden burst of energy and started scoring at will. After a Michaela shot in the key banked in to give the girls the lead, their press kept the other team from crossing half court and into any offensive set.

They forced several turnovers down the stretch and one that turned into a Michaela And 1, which put the lead at 22-18.

Christine had a strong game and banked in a jumper with less than 30 seconds to go to put the game on ice. She tied her career high with 6 points.

After a rusty first quarter, Becky, who came off the bench for the first time this season, really helped solidify the defense, which didn't give up any points in the 2nd quarter. She hit a jumper right before halftime to make it a 7-5 game at the break.

The girls took a brief 9-7 lead in the 3rd quarter before relinquishing the lead just seconds later. Both teams would pretty much trade baskets until the very end when the 6th/7th grade girls extended their lead.

Michaela hit two 3 pointers, one that tied the game in the fourth, and had a game high 11 points. Becky had a career high 9 points.

It was a much needed victory for the girls who couldn't afford to lose another winnable game. They went winless in the tournament and played two straight games they could've won, but didn't do so in either of them.

Less than 24 hours from their first defeat of the regular season, the girls bounced back strong and picked up win number one on the year.

Tough start to the season for 6th/7th grade girls

The 6th/7th graders couldn't hang onto a 9-0 1st quarter lead and ended up losing 26-18 to start the regular season.

Becky fouled out early in the 3rd quarter and her presence the rest of the way was missed, as the girls just couldn't get anything going on either end of the court.

Michaela did score a game high 13 points but it wasn't enough as the girls dropped their first game of the year.

They'll have no time to dwell on the loss and are back at it again Saturday morning for their second game of the year.

Victoria's career high leads 8th grade to second win

With Mr. Ryan, Mr. Lee and Miss Gonzalez in attendance Friday night at St. Emydius, Victoria scored 10 of her career high 12 points in the first half, as the 8th grade girls picked up their second win of the year 20-11.

The final score was a bit surprising considering the girls led 16-1 at halftime. It had the looks of last week's blowout written all over it.

But the girls cooled off a bit in the second half and only managed four points, something their coach Leslie and the girls can't be too happy about.

However, a dominating first half pretty much sealed the game.

Matched up against a much taller team, the girls utilized their quickness to get around their lengthy opponents and drew nine fouls in the first half.

Fiona scored 4 points, while Lily and Jamie both had a bucket apiece.

Throwback Thursday

From 2011...The noob crew.

Baseball Schedule For This Weekend

The rest of the schedule for the baseball teams has not been released at this time. But for this weekend, they have...

So...

SATURDAY
8th - 3:45 p.m. @ McCoppin
Location: 22nd Ave and Santiago

7th - 3:45 p.m. @ Crocker 4
Location: 1485 Geneva Ave

SUNDAY
7th-  3:30 p.m. @ Silver Terrace
Address: 1778 Silver Ave

Wacky Wednesday Video

Monday Monday

So some random things here to post...

We are going to play a fill in the blank game. I will not reveal the answers. You can be the judge of who goes in the blank.

1. _________ needs to learn how to make a lay-up.
2. _________ should not have the left hand follow through after shooting.
3. _________ needs to join baseball.
4. _________ needs to learn how to pitch.
5. _________ is a noob.
6. _________ is heartbroken.

Hope you enjoyed our little game. If you have any to add, please share.

And not sure if I ever posted this before, so here goes:



Big night of wrestling tonight!

7th/8th graders win ugly game

You could tag Saturday's 7th/8th grade girls rec league game with the "IMIG," meaning "I mean I guess..."

That was the kind of win the girls got, a 13-10 slugfest, which saw them trail for most of the game, and 8-5 heading into the 4th quarter.

Warriors coach Mark Jackson puts the game in very simple terms, "It's a make or miss business."

And the girls just simply have trouble making shots.

Coach Andrew kept tally of the missed lay-ups at 19, but gave up after he got tired of counting them. So many point blank shots, so many clanking off the backboard and not hitting the rim. So many outside shots that are attempted bank shots, which lead to more chaos.

Yes, the girls got a win, but not many smiles were seen following the game.

With the victory, they do however clinch the third seed in the rec league. That playoff game will be held next Saturday.

A win is a win, IMIG

The 4th/5th grade girls picked up a win Saturday morning via forfeit.

Had the game been played, the girls likely would've lost, but since the other team didn't have five girls at game time, the game was awarded to the 4th/5th graders.

They are now (1-0).