ZACK LEVANDOV '08
Beginning in the slums and alleys of New York City in the 19th century, baseball has risen to become America's favorite sport and one of the most successful athletic businesses. In the old days, many had to take long treks to the nearest professional ballpark. Today in Boston, all it takes is a short T ride or a quick car ride down Storrow Drive to Fenway Park.
Baseball has not only experienced beneficial changes, there have been numerous negative alterations as well. Fifty years ago, going to the ballpark was a unique and special experience. Baseball used to be an important social event: fans dressed up and went to games to gamble, to enjoy themselves with friends, and to bond with their families. Today, fans goes to games more casually, are less emotional, and their behavior is controlled with strict rules.
Furthermore, when baseball began, all stadiums had natural grass and seats piled up high, so close to the players that the fans could hear them talk and shout on the field. Today, stadiums are becoming fake and tacky. Fans are placed in domed, bowl-shaped parks where players meander about on artificial turf and view the game from such a far distance that the action on the field might as well be on small TV screen. Fans simply should not have to endure the flaws of such aesthetics and architecture.
To start off, the artificial surface must go. There should be nothing fake or artificial about baseball, least of all the grass. Baseball is America’s sport, so why should there be an artificial quality to it? Baseball, in its ideal, form is one of the most pure sports played today across the globe. It is a simple and laid-back game, requiring only a few friends, a ball and a stick. The odd shade of the artificial grass is a poor and unappealing counterfeit of green grass. Sitting around an artificial field is almost like sitting on a picnic blanket. Why gather around a carpet to enjoy peanuts, sodas, hotdogs, and the game when you could do the same thing without leaving the comfort of your own home?
Artificial turf also affects the game of baseball negatively for the players both physically and strategically. When the game is on the line and an outfielder has an opportunity to make a quick run towards the infield to catch a fly ball, what do they have to consider? Since artificial turf is harder and more abrasive than grass, the impact on the ground is going to feel like a collision with a cement wall, and a player risks a rug burn or a tear in his pants. Additionally, the away team has to consider the possible directions the ball can take when bouncing from the ground and how high it will soar over the outfielder’s head, since balls bounce less predictably off artificial turf than off natural grass.
Moving on, domes create a bland ambience for baseball. As human beings, we love sunlight and the warm feeling of the rays on our skin. Why play baseball inside when it was invented as an outdoor sport? Yes, it is true that domes protect the weather from ruining the field and the sun from shining in players’ eyes, but baseball should be a pastoral sport; players lope across the field, and a strong batter can send a ball seemingly far into the sky. Underneath a dome, it is all a different story. The game is sealed, players’ skin even appears unhealthy, and the ball is in danger of hitting a rafter. The sense of outdoor sport is completely taken away from the fan. Instead, fans are in a room.
Don’t you, as a fan, want to be outside and closer to the game while have the feeling of genuine baseball in front of you? One should have a desire to feel closer to the game instead of being forced to the back wall of a bowled stadium, like the remnants of unwanted cereal. Don't you, as a fan, want to be outside and close to the players? Don't you want the sun on your face and the wind to blow, while the players scamper across natural grass? I like hearing the ball slap the catcher’s mitt, and the shortstop shouting “I got it!” when the ball is popped up in the infield, which you can't hear when you're far from the game in a domed stadium, listening to air conditioning vents. In baseball, atmosphere is just as important as athletics and false environments should be eliminated.
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Sunday, March 9, 2008
Advancements in Baseball: Not Always Beneficial
Monday, March 3, 2008
NHL Trade Deadline Passes
LUCAS JUDSON ‘13 (middle school)
Hi to all of you very few hockey fans at Beaver, or just someone reading something they saw. My name is Lucas Judson and I will make a weekly report about the NHL. As you may know, the trade deadline passed on February 26 and a few teams cashed in with some great players.
The Pittsburgh Penguins got Marian Hossa (f), another all-star to play alongside Evgeni Malkin (f), the current point leader. The defenseman Brian Campbell now plays for the San Jose Sharks. Brad Richards (f), who played with NHL great Martin St. Louis (f) and “St. Vincent” Lecavelier (f) on the Tampa Bay Lightning, is now playing for the Dallas Stars for Jussi Jokinen (f) and Mike Smith (g). Tampa Bay also picked up the goalie Karri Ramo. “Ollie” Kolzig (g) is back on the Washington Capitals and Garey Price (g) is now on the Minnesota Wild. Big surprise but Sergei Federov (f) is now playing with the Washington Capitols and Peter Forsberg (f) is back on the Colorado Avalanche. If you read this far I hope you enjoyed it and wait for more. Good bye.
Image from NHL.com
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A Look Back at the Varsity Volleyball Season
MARGARET GREGORY '10
The 2007-2008 Beaver Country Day School varsity volleyball season so far has been impressive compared to years past. Last year, varsity won two games and this year the team has doubled that record with four wins.
The team consists of six starting seniors, one junior, and two sophomores. The captain, Liz Cobb, is a leader both on and off the court, bringing laughs to practice and intensity to games. Additionally, Khadijah Gray has made over 25 kills and 73 attempts, making her the number one hitter on the team. She never lets a block go unblocked or leaves a hit un-hit. Every player has a sense of leadership and teamwork which makes varsity volleyball such an amazing team. “The team is so close it’s unbelievable, I have never been on a team where everyone is friends and gets along so well!” says Brooke Parker, a junior on the team.
The head coach, Aaron Montgomery, pushes the players every day in practice. He encourages them to try their hardest and to work as a team. Aaron also coaches at Northeastern University and is the assistant coach at Newbury College. His knowledge of the sport is extraordinary and he always has a fun drill for the team to try out every practice.
Come out and watch volleyball play in their last game of the season on February 20 at Chapel Hill at 4:30!
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Friday, February 8, 2008
Girl's Varsity Basketball hopes for a spot in the EIL tournament
LAURA BULKELEY '08
The start to the girl’s varsity basketball season at Beaver has been both trying and exciting. The first game against Berwick was a heartbreaker, when the girls lost by one point in the last few seconds. Though the girls suffered other losses, there have also been some exciting wins against Southfield and Bancroft. Dani Lubin Levy (’09) and Janaya Hart (’09) have led the team as junior captains.
Though the captains play a large role, other players such as Emily Belowich (’11) and Ibbie Yardley (’10) are regular starters and help the team with their high spirits and tough play. Their promise, along with a strong JV team, keeps hope for a strong program in the future. Already, Kasjah Scarlett (’11) has been brought up to varsity from JV and has had ample playing time. At the end of the year, the team will only lose three seniors, one of which has started in two games. Unfortunately, the team has begun to suffer due to injuries. Jessye Crawford (’08) and Kasjah Scarlett are both out due to hand injuries. Kasjah will be out for two weeks, and Jessye will be out for the rest of the season.
Though the team has gotten off to a rough start with a record of 4-9, there is still time to improve. The girls have beaten in-league Bancroft twice, showing that Beaver is a competitor and will hopefully grab a spot in the EIL tournament. The end of the season will surely be intense; come support the team on senior night this Friday at 3:30pm.
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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Loss to Kansas Revealing for Boston College
DANA SPIGELMAN '08
The young BC squad also showed their youth. Biko Paris was not bothered at all by the most intense pressure he will ever have to face, reversing his dribble and easing his way up the court against the intense Russell Robinson, Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers. Rakim Sanders, while at first showing his youth, scored 14 points and led a minor second half surge with a barrage of threes and an electric put-back dunk. Through the first half Tyrese Rice also showed just how good he can be, dominating
With only a match up against a weak Robert Morris squad left, BC has just about finished off their non-conference schedule. In somewhat of a rebuilding year, the realistic goal for BC has become a NCAA tournament bid and they will have to play well now to achieve it. With a win over Robert Morris, BC will go into ACC play at 11-3 (1-0 inside the conference). With only the fifteen conference games left BC has a pretty easy conference schedule, facing Duke and Clemson each only once. The remaining games are against beatable teams and a 9-6 mark against the remaining schedule appears attainable. That would leave BC 20-9 with a 10-6 record in the ACC and a lock for the NCAA tournament. While this is attainable, it is still highly unlikely that the inconsistent, young Eagles could pull it off. They will need Rakim Sanders and Corey Raji to mature quickly, continued solid play from Biko Paris, Shamari Spears and Tyrelle Blair. Despite what anyone says, this is a solid BC team and one that nobody in the ACC is looking forward to playing. Although this year has the potential to turn for the worse, the future in Conte Forum is bright.
Image from: ESPN
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Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Beaver Basketball Starts Season With Big Road Win
DANA SPIGELMAN '08
In a season where Beaver returns only one starter and two rotation players from the previous year Beaver answered a lot of questions with a big win on Friday night at
In the second half the shooting touch went cold and Beaver started to play sloppy, committing six fouls in less than five minutes of play to open the half. The mistakes resulted in foul trouble, forcing backups Cam Bloy, Arian Fararooy and later Jahrad Delossantos into big minutes. With
Image: Boys Varsity's third game
Image credit: Toph Tucker
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Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Varsity Soccer: What a Season
TYLER STARR ‘10
Boys Varsity Soccer’s record is not an accurate indication of their season. They finished the season 1-9-5, with several close games that did not go their way. The team enjoyed only nominal luck throughout the entire season. Whether it was injury, poor officiating, or missed opportunities, Boys Varsity had no breaks this term.
The season began with Lamarre Rey’s departure from BCDS. His departure left a hole at keeper. Luckily, senior Chris Rush stepped up and became the new keeper for the team, doing a great job replacing Rey.
The team was plagued by injuries all season long. They started without Oliver Hunt ’11, who was lost for the season due to a knee injury suffered last summer, and Angelo Cabral ’11. Hunt was one of the top scorers at Shady Hill in 2006 and would have been a great addition to the team. Excluding Arian Fararooy ’08, every starting player has been taken out of a game due to some form of injury. Some could call it lucky that only a few starters have had to miss a game due to injury. Angelo Cabral ’11, Oliver Hunt ’11, Tyler Starr ’10, Marco Fabrizio ’09, Gabe Reich ’09, Will Searle ’09, Chris Rush ’08, and Zach Levandov ’08 have all had to sit out at least one game. Injuries varied from a sore groin to a partially torn MCL to a concussion.
The Landmark game may have been the worst game of the season for the team. Despite standing as the team’s only victory, four starters got hurt and three did not play the next two games. Ten minutes into the game, Tyler Starr ’10 suffered a concussion. “[Tyler] and the other player ran into each other then both toppled backward,” Murray Hershkowitz ’10 recalled. Angelo Cabral and Andrew Emmons ‘08 suffered foot injuries and came to practice the next day on crutches. In addition, Chris Rush sustained a mysterious arm injury. Andrew Emmons was able to play with the pain in the next game, and, fortunately, Chris Rush only missed the next two games. Unfortunately for starters Tyler Starr and Angelo Cabral, their injuries were season-ending.
The team also had several close games. They had five ties and three games where they only lost by one goal. While time was running out in their second game against Pingree, five shots were taken that either hit the cross bar or were deflected by a player. In their first game against Landmark, they fought back from a three-goal deficit to make it 3-4 and with one minute left missed a crucial free kick. In their second game against Bancroft, Beaver was winning with ten minutes to go but fell apart at the end and tied the game. Coach Cabral does have an answer for these close games: a month long trip to a soccer academy in Portugal during the summer. Whether or not that is the solution to the team’s problems, it is a start.
Though the team had a losing record, you have to look at all these factors to fully understand the hardships of this long season.
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