My First Word - Baseball

How Baseball Changed Life In a Dominican Town on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday

Listening Date: April 21, 2010

“When you think of baseball, you might think of Cooperstown, N.Y. But it's San Pedro de Macoris, in the Dominican Republic, that's known as "the town where shortstops come from."

As of 2008, 79 boys and men from San Pedro had gone to the play in the major leagues -- including the likes of Sammy Sosa, Robinson Cano and Julio Franco."

To summarize this show in two sentences, it's about players who are from a Dominican Town that make it to the major leagues. It talks about how the lives of these players changed and how the town supported it.

I like reading/hearing about players whose lives changed drastically. This documentary is exactly what I'm looking for. I found it interesting hearing about all these players who "climbed the ladder" and found success. These players went from making a couple hundred dollars a year to millions of dollars, which is huge for their town. I'm happy for them but also jealous because I want to be paid to have fun. This documentary connected with two of my questions: "How did sports change the lives of people?" and "How did sports change a city or town?" If you listen to the show, baseball is the culture of this town, which kind of connects to my third question.

I learned new things about players I am already familiar with, such as Alfonso Soriano and Sammy Sosa. I look up to these players now, especially Alfonso Soriano (since he is still on the Cubs) because I admire players/people who work really hard to be successful. Sometimes when I look at professional athletes, I look at them as gifted people that were born with the skills needed for that sport. I can't make that judgment anymore after hearing this documentary.



“How Baseball Changed Life In a Dominican Town.” Weekend Edition Sunday. Writer Mark Kurlansky. National Public Radio. 17 Apr. 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2010.

Underdogs

High School Battles For More Than Football Title on NPR's All Things Considered

Listening Date: April 21, 2010

“Katy was ranked No. 3 in a USA Today national poll and was winner of the past two titles in the biggest classification in the toughest state to play football. A 200-member band blasted news of the team's arrival into the stadium Saturday, and 10,000 or so Katy football fans rolled into San Antonio's Alamodome. Katy had only one thing in its way to its third state championship title in a row: the No. 4-ranked Abilene Eagles.”

I support a team (New York Jets) in the NFL that is usually the underdog. This year, they were the underdogs in pretty much every game in the playoffs but came out winning each match. Unfortunately, they lost in the AFC Championship Game. Even after they lost, I was still happy because they exceeded all expectations and they went into the playoffs ranked dead last.

The story of the Abilene Eagles is very similar. They were undersized and inexperienced. Their opponent was heavily favored and were experienced in situations like this one. Regardless of the opponent, the Eagles are supported by the entire town. Tens of thousands of fans come out on game day to support their team. Before the title game, the Eagles received a letter from their fans.

"We are your moms, we are your dads, we're your nanas, we're your granddads," the letter reads.

The reason why I shared this show is because I admire the town for supporting their team even if they are the underdogs (how I support the Jets). I also give props to the Eagles for coming into this game and facing their challenge and defeating it.

“High School Battles For More Than Football Title.” All Things Considered. Narr. Neashal Norris. National Public Radio. 21 Dec. 2009. Npr.org. Web. 21 Apr. 2010.

Praying & Playing

Do Religion and Pro Sports Mix? on NPR's Tell Me More


Listening Date: April 25, 2010

“Making the sign of the cross before swinging at a baseball pitch, kneeling in prayer after making it to the end zone and thanking God in post-game press conferences are among frequent practices observed by professional athletes. Tom Krattenmaker, author of "Onward Christian Athletes," says many ballparks have been turned into pulpits and players into preachers. It is a reality that some say has become all too common.”

Many of us pray to God when we want something or thank God for giving us something. I do it all the time too, on the field and surprisingly during school too. I don't literally get into a praying position and start praying, I just say "Please God give me this" or "Thank you God". You probably just realized you do this too.

Professional athletes are doing the same thing, but on the field and during post-game interviews. This show is about players praying while they play the game, many of them say their successful because they pray. After they score a touchdown or make the game winning shot, they thank God.

Here are some examples:

SANTONIO HOLMES (Professional Football Player, Pittsburgh Steelers): "It was all God's will. You know, he placed the ball where it needed to be, and the play came through for us."

JON KITNA (Professional Football Player, Dallas Cowboys): "It's about Jesus Christ, baby. It ain't about me."

KURT WARNER (Professional Football Player, Arizona Cardinals): "We've got a lot faith. I praise God for this victory, but still got a little more work to do."

The reason why I picked this show is because it shows how professional players are mixing in religion with sports. It also shows a different side of the players.

“Do Religion And Pro Sports Mix?” Tell Me More. Narr. Michel Martin. National Public Radio. 08 Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2010.

Coming Off the Bench

Quarterback Kurt Warner Plays Not My Job on NPR's News

Listening Date: May 16, 2010

"Kurt Warner's professional sports career didn't start out on the best foot — after going undrafted out of college, he played in various leagues and served as a backup for the St. Louis Rams. But when he finally got his chance in 1999, Warner led the Rams to a legendary Superbowl championship."

One of my favorite players, Kurt Warner is another example of a player who came in with low expectations but turned out to be the best of his time. He went through many struggles before he came into the NFL, and even after he went Pro, it still wasn't easy for him to become a starter. The year he came off the bench, he led his team to the Super Bowl. Talk about a dream come true.

The reason why I am sharing this show is because it is talking about my main focus. A player who went from nothing to amazing. At one point he was stamping cans at a grocery store. Who would've thought he was going to lead two teams to super bowl games and one to a title.

"Quarterback Kurt Warner Plays Not My Job." NPR News. Narr. Peter Sagal. National Public Radio. 17 Apr. 2010. NPR.org. Web. 16 May. 2010.

Winning at Losing

Friday Night Bites on PRX's Long Haul Productions

Listening Date: May 16, 2010

"The River Valley High Mustangs -- in southwest Michigan near the town of Three Oaks -- have lost 18 football games in a row. But it's not just the number of consecutive games the Mustangs have lost, it's how *soundly* they have been beaten. The past two seasons, River Valley has been outscored by its opponents by a total of 949 to 38, or an average of 53 to 2"

If I changed the school name from River Valley High Mustangs to Maine East Demons, and released this last year, this will be true for my school too. However, it wasn't as horrible as this team, we were able to score.

This show is about a team that got murdered in every game. They went six games without scoring a single point and scored a total of 38 points the past two seasons. When this show was produced, they were on a 17-game losing streak heading into their final game of the season and haven't scored a point in forever. They had their heads down the whole game because they were down eighty points while the final minutes ticked away. As the final seconds of the game ran of the clock, the Mustangs were finally able to score a touchdown. Something like this was huge for the Mustangs to end the season with a score. At this point, the losing streak didn't matter to them. All they wanted was a score, and a score is what they got. Congrats Mustangs.

I chose this show because this related to my school's football team in so many ways. I also like the teams commitment. To play the sport even if they were humiliated every game. Trust me, it's not a good feeling.

"Friday Night Bites." Long Haul Productions. Producers Dan Collison & Elizabeth Meister. Public Radio Exchange. 08 Dec. 2005. PRX.org. Web. 16 May 2010.