In The First Spot: The New York Yankees

Initially, I was confused when I heard that the Yankees were the one power ranking. Then I saw how the Yankees had performed this month and it all made sense. The Yankees played six games against the Los Angeles Angels and the Detroit Tigers this month. The Yankees won all six games with an astonishing combined score of 29-5 their ERA (Earned Run Average) was 2.74. As a team, the Yankees have hit 80 home runs. This just adds another reason as to why Yankees lead the MLB.

In The Second Spot: The New York Mets

I think the Mets should be in the number two spot because they are 37-19 and have the leading batting average of (.264) and the leading on-base percentage of (.355). I honestly didn't think the Mets would be doing so well this year.

In The Third Spot: The Los Angeles Dodgers

The reason why I think the Dodgers should be in the third spot is that. The Dodgers lead the MLB in runs per game averaging 5.4 runs a game and they also lead all teams in the league with OPS (on-base percentage slugging) at .761 for the Dodgers pitching staff they rank second in Their ERA (earned run average) at 2.91 and WHIP (walks and hits per inning) at 1.09.

In The Fourth Spot: The Houston Astros

The Astros current record is 35-20. In the AL WEST, the Astros have an eight and a half-game lead. Since the beginning of May, the Astros record has been 24-9 which is tied with the Yankees for the best record during that time.

In The Fifth Spot: The San Diego Padres

Last but not least we have the Padres. While Tatis has been out for a bit, player Manny Machado has been playing like an MVP holding his weight while Tatis Jr is out. Their current record is 33-22.

Sources: https://www.si.com/mlb/2022/06/06/power-rankings-unsung-all-stars

On Tuesday, May 10, 2022 Reid Detmers became the youngest player in Angels history to throw a no-hitter. Normally, when someone throws a no-hitter, it is discussed for multiple days. This time, however, it was barely talked about. Why? Anthony Rendon, who normally bats right-handed, hit a home run left-handed.

First, let's talk about what a no-hitter is. In baseball, there are nine innings, with three outs every inning. A no-hitter is where one or more pitchers gets all 27 outs without allowing a hit, but gives up a walk, hits a batter, or a fielder makes an error. According to Baseball Almanac, since 1876, there have been 316 no-hitters, in 217,210 games. This just goes to show how hard it is to throw a no-hitter, and why it is so surprising that this one was barely talked about.

Now, let's look at the other side. Anthony Rendon hit a 54 mph pitch 411 feet and 101 mph, which is impressive on its own without factoring in that it was his first-ever lefty at-bat. For some context, Rendon was batting left-handed because the Angels were up by ten runs, and the Rays had a position player on the pitch, so Rendon just wanted to mess around. According to mlb.com, Angels’ manager Joe Maddon said, “I thought it was great theater. It was the perfect time to pull it off. Baseball is looking for moments like that. The crowd responded properly. No disrespect to the other side. It was just a fun baseball moment.”

While Rendon’s homer was impressive, it shouldn’t get more media attention than a no-hitter, especially since it was only Detmers’ 11th game. On top of that, Detmers threw a career-high 108 pitches, which makes it impressive that he was able to be so good for throwing so many pitches. Detmers had only two Ks that night, meaning he threw the kind of game that used to be more common, where he pitched to contact and trusted his defense to do the rest.

In conclusion, Detmers had an amazing game, and Rendon had an amazing at-bat. Both deserve recognition, but Detmers deserves more than he got. A no-hitter should never be overshadowed by a home run, no matter how impressive said home run is. Anthony Rendon knows this too, seeing as he declined to comment on his homerun, not wanting to take away from Detmers’ historic night.

The NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs are here for the 2022 season! There are a total of 16 teams out of the 30 total in the league that have made it to the playoffs. All of the underdogs in the bracket are mostly the eighth seed, the seventh seed, and the sixth seed. Your team would be seeded in the playoff bracket based on your performance in the regular season.

The top one, two, and three seeds are most of the time the best teams. It is normally rare to see the lower seeds go all the way to get into the championship or even to win it all. I would say that the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Golden State Warriors are the most likely teams to make it furthest in the playoff bracket. But that's not saying that the other underdogs don't have a chance too. So far, there really is only one sort of underdog team that would have the best chance to go deep into the bracket, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Everyone expected many different underdogs to do very well like the New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, or the Denver Nuggets. But that changed as we got more into the playoffs because of many reasons. In BleacherReport's article titled What's the point in teams making the playoffs if they aren't good? It states that: “Of course, we can't forget the other reason why teams and owners want to make the postseason—the additional revenue”. The NBA postseason is just the NBA playoffs.

Many teams are just not even supposed to be in the playoffs and they either barely made it or they just made it cause they are good and then slow down when they actually make it in. In Sports Boston article by Kristen Conti, it says “Only Four No. eight seeds have advanced past No. one seed in Round one of the playoffs”. Some articles say that teams make it to the playoffs and then don't do well because most of the time they either lose good coaching or players due to injuries or nowadays could also be because of COVID-19.

There may be many teams that are predicted higher than 80 percent to win the championship but that 20 percent could be all of the other underdogs going all the way to win it. All in all, many of the lower teams may not have as much of a chance because of their talent or their work ethic so their coaches have to push them all the way to succeed. Even though there are teams that should not have made the bracket most of the time it is about how hard your team works and how they choose to play.

The Golden State Warriors are a powerhouse NBA team from the west coast, they are famous for their fast play style and shooting a bunch of three-pointers. They finished third in the west this year ending up with a record of 53-29. A lot of fans were worried about this season as one of their franchise players was coming off a bad Achilles injury. So far though they have done nothing but excite fans, and give them hope for possibly another championship. They are currently in the first round of the playoffs, they are faced up against a super banged up six seed, in the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors and Steve Kerr have implicated something new for the playoffs, the death lineup.

The death lineup is a starting five of all guards and a power forward. The goal of this lineup is to outrun and have a ton of mismatches against other teams. For example, Nikola Jokic is a hall of fame level player, but he also has his weaknesses. One of his weaknesses is that it is really hard for him to play defense on the perimeter. A new nickname for the death lineup is the “fast five”, according to the blue man hoops sports website. Steve Kerr, the Warriors' head coach is receiving a lot of mixed love and hate, revolving around his plans and how he is going about this first playoff series. Many people believe that they should go back to their old starting five and bring Stephen Curry off the bench. I personally think that whatever the warriors decide to do the rest of the playoffs, they should keep switching it up. If the warriors keep on switching it up it will leave opponents on their toes, giving them a bunch of different approaches for different games.

The Warriors' death lineup has Steph Curry at point guard, Jordan Poole at shooting guard, Klay Thompson at small forward, Andrew Wiggins at power forward, and Draymond Green at center. This lineup all started because Curry was just coming off an injury and not back to his full self yet, because of this Curry was coming off the bench and Jordan Poole was the new starting point guard. Jordan started erupting in games, but at the same time, Curry was turning back into his old self. They both would go off and have 20 point games, this put Steve Kerr into a tough spot, this is when he decided to just play both. The Warriors just beat the Denver Nuggets and are moving onto the second round of the playoffs. The Warriors are serious contenders for the NBA finals if they can keep playing how they're playing. According to Steven A Smith and ESPN, the Warriors have not been finals contenders since Kevin Durant left back in October of 2019.

Who is Jordan Poole? I know most people have heard of Curry, but if you're not an average or above-average basketball fan, you might not know who Jordan Poole is either. Jordan Poole is a 22-year-old guard who grew up in the Bay Area. He is 6’4 and went to the University of Michigan. He attended The University of Michigan for a year before declaring for the NBA draft. Jordan Poole has got the attention of star players from other teams too. Blazers franchise player and point guard Damian Lillard said “I've had my eye on Jordan Poole ever since he started talking smack” (SFGATE). Jordan Poole has superstar potential and is the key piece to the death lineup.

The Warriors are good right now and should be good for a long time. The warriors still have James Wiseman who is in the G League right now but is super valuable for trade. The G League is basically where NBA players go to play when they're not ready for the NBA yet or coming off an injury. The warriors have shocked the league already and it's only the first round! The fun is yet to come, and I think if you're a basketball fan you should keep your eye out for other teams trying different varieties of the death lineup.

Who is Yuzuru Hanyu? You may have never heard of him, or you might even be his biggest fan. Many people who are into figure skating have probably heard his name at least once, a prodigy from Japan some would even say, or a legend: a hard-working boy who climbed his way up and is now one of the most loved skaters. Some may say he isn't worthy of his title and praise, preferring other skaters over him, but, no matter the opinion on him, Yuzuru Hanyu still has a lot of talent.

Yuzuru Hanyu's first appearance in the Olympics was back in Sochi, 2014. At the age of 19, Yuzuru Hanyu had participated in the Olympics for the first time in his life. His performance was outstanding, not only for his first time but at such a young age. He practically blew the judges away, showing everyone that day what talent and potential he had.

Yuzuru Hanyu left the 2014 Olympics in a new light. Being the first Asian man to win a gold medal and being the youngest male champion since 1948. Yuzuru Hanyu left that ice skating rink knowing the impact he had caused, and the people who watched him that day also knew that he's become a legend.

Not even half a decade later and he was back at the Olympics, ready for another win in the 2018´s PyeongChang Olympics. Just like last time, Hanyu left with another gold medal. Thus making him the first man to go to the Olympics a second time, receiving a gold medal since 1952.

Winning two Olympic gold medals aren't the only things he's done, he's also won two world titles and four Grand Prix Finals. And that's still not all! Hanyu has broken over 18 world records. He was the first man to score 100 points in a short program. The first to score 200 points in a free skate, and the first to reach 300 points in total! These points are given by the judges to the skater. These points mean performance, difficulty, etc.

Hanyu is known for executing difficult tricks like if it was second nature. A great example of this was when he landed a quadruple loop and later made it his goal to land a quadruple axel. (A quad-axle is when the ice skater jumps up and spins four times in the air, this has to be landed correctly;y to be considered a quad-axle.) But all this glory, all these fans, and everything amazing that's happened to him all came after the disaster.

Sometimes, skaters go through very hard moments in their careers, and Hanyu was no exception. In 2011, northeast Japan was hit by the infamous Tohoku earthquake on March 11th. It started as a normal day, but in the early afternoon, a magnitude-9 earthquake shook the region. This earthquake caused thousands of people's deaths, the aftermath resulted in a terrible tsunami swallowing the place whole.

At the time, Hanyu was 16 years old. He was training at an ice rink located in Sendai. When the floor started shaking he panicked. The ice was cracking under his feet, the floor was shaking and he could barely hold his balance. He quickly left the building with his skates on. Though the building didn't collapse, and the tsunami didn't go far enough to reach them, the building still flooded when the pipes burst from the shaking.

Hanyu's home was damaged and he and his family had to stay in an evacuation center temporarily. "At the center, a lot of people helped us so much, and therefore I would like to do anything for them, all I can do is just skating,¨ he said.

Due to the earthquake, Hanyu didn't have any place to practice his skating. They had to find a new place, thus, Hanyu moved to Hachinohe city. Later, his skating team moved to Yokohama. 300km away from Sendai.

Around this time, Hanyu was worried, though his love of skating was strong, he needed to prioritize many things. Such as family, and his own life. Arakawa Shizuka, a former student from Yuzuru Hanyu's school, and an ice skater herself encouraged him to keep on skating. She skated with him and even donated his money for help. Hanyu has said she's the reason he's here today.

Yuzuru has accomplished many great things with help from the people around him. Last year, when he participated in the Japan Nationals 2021, he landed a quad axel. Except this wasn't exactly a queued axel, since he didn't do 4 spins in the air, but 4.5. For this reason, he almost landed a quintuple axel. Even so, this wasn't counted due to his last spins being poor, and the fact this wasn't a National competition.

One of Yuzuru Hanyu's most memorable performances for me has to be in the Grand Prix final 2019. This performance was stunning, but the love he received from fans was the Icing on the cake. At the end of his performance, they threw him multiple Winnie the Pooh plushies. Why Winnie The Pooh? Well, Yuzuru Hanyu always brings a Winnie the Pooh tissue box to his matches, therefore it becomes a signature gift from his fans to him.

Yuzuru Hanyu is an amazing skater, and I cant wait to see his future performances. I hope this article may have piqued your interest and you may even be interested in checking some of his performances out.

Video of Grand Prix final - 2019

Are team sports good for kids

By: Siena Riccardi

Jackie Robinson was an African American professional baseball player, who broke the Major Leagues Baseball’s (MLB) color barrier when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Until that time, professional baseball players of color suited up for teams only in the Negro League. Today, April 15th, is observed as Jackie Robinson Day throughout MLB franchises, with players wearing the former Dodgers’ jersey number 42. Robinson’s athletic intelligence and skill under pressure effectively led to the integration of the MLB , and his 10-year career with the Dodgers and his activism in his later years helped set the stage for the civil rights movement

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, to a family of tenant farmers. He was the youngest of five children.

After his father abandoned the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California, where his mother, Mallie, worked a series of odd jobs to support herself and her kids. Though Pasadena was a fairly rich suburb of Los Angeles at the time, the Robinsons were poor, and Jackie and his friends in the city’s small Black community were often excluded from recreational activities.

That began to change when Jackie enrolled at John Muir high school in 1935. His older brother Mack, a silver medalist in track and field at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest in athletics, and the younger Robinson ultimately earned varsity letters in baseball, basketball, football, and track while at Muir.

After graduating high school, Jackie attended Pasadena college for two years, where he continued to have success in all four sports. Following the death of another older brother, Frank, in a motorcycle accident, Jackie decided to honor his memory by enrolling at UCLA in 1939. There, he became the first Bruin to earn varsity letters in four sports — the same four in which he starred in high school — and he won the NCAA long jump championship in 1940. Jackie also met his future wife, Rachel, while at UCLA. Sadly, after a historical baseball career, Jackie Robinson passed away due to a heart attack at age 53.

While his life before the MLB isnt talked about much, his career in the MLB is still important, he had at a 0.311 batting average and played first base for the Dodgers. But, what was challenging for Jackie, was that while he was playing at first base, the fans would throw stuff and yell racial slurs at him but Jackie but he kept playing. Then in 1962 Jackie Robinson was inducted to the baseball hall of fame.

Many kids want to participate in physical activity, and for a lot of kids, that activity is a team sport. Team sports can help with communication, and teamwork, and keeps them active and healthy. I am a player and a fan of team sports. I know the good and bad of playing team sports but the good far outweighs the bad.

How can team sports help with communication? All team sports can help by helping kids learn how to talk to teammates. It can also help with communication on the field or court with making plays and passing. The best teams in the world are good because they know how to communicate. Communication can also very much help you in life.

Teams are better because they understand each other and how they play, and that's because they have good teamwork. Teamwork also means that you support each other and cheer each other on. Brainstorm and make plays together as a team. Overall teamwork is important because it's one of the most rewarding and helpful things to have on a team. The lessons people learn from teamwork in the field and on courts can help them in the future. Teamwork also helps you in any sport by making lifelong friendships.

One of the most important things about team sports is that it helps keep kids active and healthy. It lowers body fat and increases muscle while also improving bone structure. A lot of team players also have a high aerobic capacity, which means they can go from walking to sprinting in seconds and not get tired. The average player in a soccer game runs more than 5 miles. A lot of team sports can also help people's cardiovascular systems.

Although team sports can be good for children it can also be bad for them. A lot of kids have gotten hurt from team sports including broken wrists, torn ACLs, sprained ankles, bruises, and many other injuries. Soccer can also be a heightened risk of getting a brain injury. Fights happen and sometimes teammates get into disagreements. Physical activity can be time-consuming and team sports are no different. Some kids also might not want to be on a team sport because they would rather be by themselves.

In conclusion, Although there are some negative effects of team sports, there are more positives and I think that is what parents who are thinking of putting their kids into team sports should think about. There are many team sports that include all these great things: Soccer, Basketball, Softball/Baseball, Football. Sign up today and get out there!

I think that most of us are going to have a lot of free time this summer and spring. There are some fun sports I believe you should look into that you may or may not have played.

#1 Pickleball

Cost to Start:$50-$100

The main reason I chose this was that it's pretty cheap and easy to get into as far as sports go. All you need is a paddle, some pickle balls, between two-six friends, and a court. Most of your local tennis courts have pickleball lines so you can get into it for about 25-50 dollars and honestly that’s good for sports. There are also lots of clubs and groups you can join that have tournaments every weekend. It's kinda like tennis but it has a smaller court so there is less area to move around, meaning it takes a lot more skill to score a point. One downside is the rules can be quite difficult for new players to understand and it took me a while to learn them all. Now and again I slip up and forget one or 2.

#2 Mountain Biking

Cost to Start:$700-$5000

There are A LOT of trails in and around this area, so mountain biking is a fun activity to try out locally. It can be extremely difficult, depending on the trail you choose, but that’s a good thing because no matter how good you get you can always get better. When you pedal up to the trails you get a nice time to just live in the moment and be in nature, and then you get onto the trail it’s just you and your bike racing down a hill, hitting jumps and balancing on bridges. The biggest setback is it can be very expensive; a beginner bike can run you for about $700, and an expert bike can run you for about $3500 brand new! There are ways to get them for cheap, like buying used or crashed bikes and fixing them but that is just the cost of the bike and you will definitely want a helmet, about $150 for a brand new Fox helmet, and maybe gloves for bushwhacking will be $50 than some tools around $50 and that’s just some of the things you would want but I assume you might have some of it.

#3 Skateboarding

Cost to Start:$70-$200

This is one of the few sports that doesn't require a partner or a team. It is not too expensive but a lot of the money that you're going to spend will be in the first week or so because you will be tweaking and finding what you like. You can get a solid full brand new set up for around $100-150 and you could get one cheap used or even borrow one from a friend to see if you like it and want to get your own. There are around 15 different skateparks with different riding styles in our area and that's the beauty of it you can choose how you want to ride you can be a street rider or a park rider there is no one way to ride you can be a vert rider or maybe you would be into rails and ledges you never know, no matter how good you get you can always improve.

Honorable mentions go to any water sport because they are really hard to get into, and snowboarding/skiing because it's a winter sport. In conclusion, these are some great options that I have listed and they are not the only ones to choose from. Get outside this spring and just enjoy nature.

Every year, millions of Americans prepare themselves for the month of March. Why? For the biggest college tournament of the year.

The NCAA selects 64 teams to compete in a bracket, sectioned off in four sections of 16, in a sudden-death style tournament. The first round consists of 32 games, with two teams playing against each other in each game. In the second round, it narrows down to 16 games. Then, 8 games, then 4 games, then 2 games, and finally, the championship.

Over the decades, March Madness has become more and more popular. Businesses have noticed so much interest in the tournament, that they began to make a profit on it. Nowadays, there are apps and broadcasts that you must pay to use in order to watch the games. Apps like CBS Sports, ESPN, and March Madness Live. Many of these apps allow you to bet on the outcome of not just one game, but the entire tournament. For each game that you successfully predict the right winner, you get a certain amount of points. This amount of points increases after each round goes by, so it is essential to predict the right team to win.

One of the best parts of the apps are pools. When you create a pool, you can invite your friends and ask them to pay a small amount of money to be allowed in. When the tournament is over, the person who gets the most points wins the pot, made up of the entry money from all players. For example, if you get invited to your friend’s pool, and you pay $5 to get in, there are 20 people in a pool, and you get the most points out of everyone. That’s an easy $100!

Participating in pools for March Madness makes the games not only fun to watch but also a little more interesting, being that you put money on the line.

We have all heard about domestic violence but, have you thought about how sports affect domestic violence? In this article, I will tell you about some of the cases of sports players and domestic violence.

Chad Wheeler

Former Seattle Seahawk, Chad Wheeler is involved in legal problems after his arrest for felony domestic violence on Friday, concerning a physical altercation where he beat and strangled his girlfriend unconscious. The incident adds to a long list of domestic violence accusations made against NFL players since 2014, when a player made national headlines after being exposed for physically assaulting a partner. A police report found Alleah, Wheeler’s girlfriend, claimed the two were dating for six months and that the attack happened during a manic episode after Wheeler stopped taking his medication for bipolar disorder. Court documents say the incident happened after Wheeler demanded Alleah stand and bow to him. On a Wednesday afternoon, Wheeler stated on Twitter, apologizing for the “turmoil I have caused my family, teammates, fans, and those closest to me.” The most important thing right now is that Alleah gets the care she needs and I get help. Both are happening,” he continued.

Marcell Ozuna

Marcell Ozuna is a left fielder for the Atlanta Braves. He and his wife were arguing over an affair when he repeatedly hit her and threatened to kill her. According to the police, the domestic violence situation began when he took his wife's cell phones from the bathroom without her knowing and wouldn't return them. According to the police, she then took his cell phone and called 911. Ozuna went outside of the home and his wife chased him around a car and threw a garden light at him but missed, trying to get the cellphones back. She then went inside the home and locked the door. He entered the home through the garage door and went to the kitchen where his wife was and she grabbed a large knife from a drawer. He later said that the knife wasn't pointed at him. But Marcell Ozuna is still married to Genesis Guzman and they have 3 children

Sadly These aren’t all of the cases of domestic violence and it’s not just professional sports players that sports affect domestic violence there are people who do sports gambling. Just by sports gambling, the chances of domestic violence goes up by 10.5 percent

Information from:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-sense-chaos/202009/nfl-losses-are-associated-increased-domestic-violence#:~:text=Other%20studies%20examining%20sports%20outside,O'Flaherty%2C%202013

https://www.11alive.com/article/sports/mlb/atlanta-braves/atlanta-braves-marcell-ozuna-mlb-discipline/85-b10c0aed-7ad7-4274-ac26-7edd3cad2469

Who is Eminem?

Eminem is a 15-time Grammy winner. He is known for his hip-hop music. Eminem’s real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III. He was born on October 17, 1972, in Saint Joseph MO, and is now 49 years old. In 2000, Eminem released an album called The Marshall Mathers LP, which broke the record for a fastest-selling rap album. The song included the popular hit single “The Real Slim Shady” which brought more controversy.

Why Did Eminem Kneel During Halftime?

Eminem took a knee because he wanted to have awareness of solidarity with Kaepernick, while he was performing in the Super Bowl, for the league rejected the quarterback. The concert was orchestrated by the NFL, and many say Eminem backstabbed them. Eminem decided to knee anyway.

What Is Solidarity With Kaepernick?

In 2016, Colin Kaepernick was a San Francisco 49ers quarterback. While the national anthem was going on, he decided to kneel. The reason why Colin keeled was to protest racial injustice. His action prevented him from joining an NFL team.

Who is Kaepernick?

Colin Rand Kaepernick is an American rights activist who used to play for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2016, Kaepernick knelt down during the national anthem in protest of police racial inequality in the United States.

What is the difference between Eminem Kneeling and Colin Kaepernick?

The difference between Eminem and Kaepernick is that Eminem has been a rapper for a very long time and he’s a big deal and that there’s nothing really anyone can do to affect him because of how successful he is. So, he didn’t have any consequences. Kaepernick, on the other hand, was a rookie in football so he was kind of fresh meat. He didn’t get a chance to start and become a professional so it was easy to boot him.

Are club or competitive sports bad for your mental health? Some people think that children should not be playing sports and some think that it is their choice to play or not. In my opinion, it should be the kid's choice to make sure that it is not jeopardizing their mental health, but some kids are too young or might not understand what their mental health is. I think that that age range is the problem.

In multiple studies done, research has found that in some cases, competitive sports are damaging children's mental health. They also found that some kids can handle it and if they grew up playing competitive sports from a young age, they are more likely to be able to handle the competitiveness.

One thing that I found interesting is that a lot of the time, it is not the competitiveness of the kids. It is most likely the coaches who are over-stimulating the kids, making them think that it is normal to be stressed or have anxiety. With all the school, homework, and other stuff that the kids are doing, some just need some downtime.

However, it is not all bad, team/club sports can be beneficial to your working life, helping with goal-setting, focus, and grit. It also boosts your motivation, makes you happier, improves feelings of social connectedness and peer-bonding, as well physical health. Like I said earlier, it can be harmful or it can be beneficial.

In my opinion, if you have the right circumstances it can be beneficial, but if you do not, it can deteriorate your mental health. You have to be honest with yourself to ask if it is working for you or if it is not, you have to help yourself.

In conclusion, club/team sports are really fun and can help you, but you have to know your limits and when to say no.

Sources: banner health, and frontiers in psychology

The Olympics Beijing 2022 has reached its end and the performances we've received have been stunning. Performances with experienced skaters like Yuzuru Hanyu and new skaters taking this opportunity to shine. One of these skaters being Donovan Carrillo.

Why is Donovan Carrillo so important? Simple, he's the first figure skater to represent Mexico in the Olympics in 30 years! That's a really long time without a figure skater representing your country. This is something huge! A lot of people haven't seen anybody represent Mexico and this is a first.

Why hasn't Mexico had a figure skater represent them for so long?

Ice skating in Mexico is already a very rare sport. Going through the qualifiers and seeing who will participate in the Olympics is stressful, and for 30 years no Mexican skater had made it. That was until Donovan. He made it and represented Mexico in this year's Olympics. He worked hard and was rewarded.

But how did Donovan get to this point? What led him to represent Mexico?

When Donovan was a little lad he was a lot smaller than other kids his age. That never stopped him from practicing sports. At a young age, Donovan was in sports like gymnastics and swimming. Donovan's older sister was ice skating and attended classes. Occasionally, the times Donovan went to pick up his sister with his parents increased. Which also meant Donovan was gradually being more exposed to the sports.

One day, Donovan had asked his father if he could attend skating lessons with his sister. When his father had asked him why, Donovan responded with, “A girl I like is attending the classes.” His father just laughed and soon Donovan was also attending the skating classes with his sister.

After attending the skating classes Donovan fell in love with the sport. He spent hours practicing and honing his skills. He soon attended competitions, but this joy couldn't last forever.

Soon a problem had set a barrier between Donovan and his dream of skating: money. Donovan's parents eventually didn't have enough money to keep sending him to his skating classes. That's when Donovan's coach, and later manager, Gregorio Núñez stepped in to help the family. Instead of charging them for classes he let Donovan go for free. He said he saw a future in skating for Donovan.

These aren't the only obstacles Donovan faced. In Mexico, most ice skating rinks are in malls, and most of them aren't Olympic size. Donovan had to train in a space where others practiced and it wasn't even as big as he needed it to be. This became a bigger issue when, in 2013, Donovan's only ice skating rink with the correct proportions for him to train was closed.

When this happened Donovan was forced to move to the city of Leon in Guadalajara. After a long talk with his parents he had the approval and moved with his coach for six months to train. But six months eventually became years, and now it has been nine years since he left home.

This really helped Donovan in his figure skating career. He was loved for the way he always represented his culture. His outfits always represented Mexican culture, from a Mariachi suit to a beautiful tuxedo with Mexican gems. Donovan never forgot to show his love for his home.

When Covid first hit, Donovan was getting ready for a tournament in Korea. The cases slowly went from zero to ten. Corona virus took away a lot of time to train. Unlike many skaters, Donovan didn't grow up with the luxury of fancy ice rinks. He had to do with what he was given, and he worked very hard. For the two years he couldn't skate due to Covid he spent it at the gym keeping his body shape up so he could still skate when he was given the chance.

Now, Donovan has proven how strong he's worked and was given a chance to compete in the Olympics. Even if he didn't earn a medal, he did amazing. Starting from nothing and getting so high up is outstanding! He's worked so hard and I can only see him learning and becoming even better from now on. He's gotten the opportunity to meet amazing people with so much more experience than him and I know one day he's going to be as good, or even better than them.

On Christmas day, 2021 Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for an International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned performance-enhancing substance before she competed in the Beijing 2022 Olympics. The results came back around February 7. The results came back positive for a drug called Tremitazine. This caused a lot of questions on whether or not she would continue to compete in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Later, it was announced by the IOC that she would continue to be able to compete in the 2022 Olympics.

The main reason why Kamila Valieva was allowed to continue competing was that when she tested positive for her drug, she was deemed to have not been held accountable for her decisions and she was able to keep competing. Her excuse for taking the drugs was because they were her grandfather's heart drugs and she took them by mistake. The only people who were held accountable in this situation were her coaches since she is too young.

The day Kamila competed in the 2022 Olympics for her free skate was on February 6. Kamila did very well, setting two world records, not messing up once, and standing on top of the standings and in line for a gold medal after her performance. The next day, the results came back for Kamila. She claimed that she would not have the medal ceremony as a result of her ongoing investigation.

It was said by some news outlets that if Kamila got banned from the Olympics then it would cause irreparable harm. She has been told she can take part, but if she is in one of the top three in the standings after the final skate, then there will be no medal ceremony. This is because there can't be any medals given out until a final decision on the investigation into whether she was using the drugs to cheat. But, this pending decision could take months, or even years to complete. Many sporting groups from around the world are very unhappy that she has not been suspended.

In conclusion, the decisions that were made by both the coaches and Kamilia were not needed to be made public before the investigation was complete and initiated this frustration amongst various other sports and teams. Many are saying this is unfair because she is only 15 and should not be held accountable for her decisions, but others are asking if the entire ROC coaches and skaters should all be banned because of all of their actions. All in all, Olympic athletes should not do drugs or make any other decisions that might impact their team or their chances of being disqualified to compete in the Olympics.

The College Football Playoffs started out with a game that had two super exciting teams going into it, a powerhouse school in Alabama who played the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats were undefeated going into the game, with a lot of momentum and one of the most winning quarterbacks in college football, Desmond Ridder. Alabama, however, was the favorite as they had a powerhouse lineup led by one of the best coaches in college football history and Heisman winner Bryce Young. The game was pretty one-sided even though Alabama didn't have one of their top receivers in Jameson Williams. In the 27-6 win, Young had 181 yards and threw three touchdowns. This meant that Alabama was headed to the National Championship Game against the winner of Michigan and Georgia.

The second semi-final game was Georgia against Michigan. Georgia was a powerhouse school and had one of the best-recruiting classes ever. They had one of the scariest D-Lines that was led by future first-round pick Jordan Davis. Michigan, on the other hand, was a run-first old school team that played a ton of ground and pound football to set up the pass. They had a good offensive line and an explosive running back that made all this possible. Going into the game, both teams had only one loss in the regular season but Georgia was the clear favorite in this game and it showed. The two Michigan quarterbacks threw for over 220 yards as the run wasn't really there the whole game. Georgia threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout win, 34-11.

This was the game every college football fan was wishing for and waiting on, Alabama vs Georgia. A rematch from earlier this year where Alabama won. First, before we talk about the game there are some backstories to both teams. Alabama has Bryce Young, Heisman winner quarterback, the number two player in the nation for his grade coming out of high school. He had about every offer you could think of starting in 8th grade. He attended a legendary high school in California, Mater Dei. On the Georgia side of the ball, they were going into it with a quarterback who had all the odds against him his whole life. In his senior year of high school, Stenson Bennet had little to no offers and was 2 star QB. He decided to walk on to Georgia and try and earn a scholarship, and two years later, he is starting for one of the best college football teams in the country with a chance to be remembered forever.

Starting off the game, Georgia had the ball and there was adrenaline and excitement going through every player's body, shown the most with Stetson Bennett. The game started off with Bennett getting sacked for a loss of 15 and right after that, he fumbled but got a lucky bounce right to him to get it right back. After that, he calmed down and started making jaw-dropping plays that were exposing an Alabama defense that didn't really get challenged all year. Bryce Young had a solid game as he almost threw for 400 yards without two of his best receivers! He threw a pick early which messed up his confidence. The game was on the line and the ball was in Bryce Young's hands. He threw it up and Kelee Ringo got a pick and took it to the house to seal the game. Kelee is from Seattle and played for 7on7 teams FSP all his life! Georgia won its first title in almost 40 years.

On Sunday, January 2nd, 2022, Antonio Brown abruptly took off his jersey and pads and walked off the field; this wasn't after the game, it was still only the third quarter! After the game Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians stated that Antonio Brown is no longer a Buccaneer. What led to this?

At first, many fans believed it was because AB only needed eight more catches for $333,333, 56 receiving yards for another $333,333, and yet another $333,333 if he got one touchdown reception. However, this was AB’s last chance to get these bonuses as they reset after the regular season ends and although they still had one more game after this one, it was unlikely that AB would play that much as the Bucs were already guaranteed a playoff spot. Fans believe Brown left because the Buccaneers were intentionally drawing up plays that targeted other players so he didn’t get his bonus. The real reason Antonio Brown threw this fit, however, is much more interesting.

Another theory was CTE, which is where your brain deteriorates due to multiple traumas to the head. Some of the symptoms include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, anxiety, suicidality, parkinsonism, and, eventually, progressive dementia. Unfortunately, CTE can only be diagnosed after death so there is no known way to treat it.

It finally came out that Antonio Brown left the field that Sunday because the Buccaneers wanted him to play injured. In his statement to the press, Brown said that Bruce Arians knew that he had extensive ankle injuries, and would not be able to re-enter the game. Brown stated that an MRI performed on Monday showed broken bone fragments, a ligament tear, and cartilage loss in one of his ankles. AB said he relented to pressure from his coach and suited up on game-day due to his commitment to the game. On Sunday, staff for the Bucs injected AB with a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA warned against so he would be able to play.

In Arians’ interview, however, a much different story was told. Arians claimed that he had no knowledge of AB’s injury and that AB refused to discuss it on the sideline. While the latter may be true, it has been proven that Brown’s injury was documented; and there were texts exposed between Arians and Brown in which AB tells his coach about his injury.

On Sunday, Antonio Brown told his coach he couldn’t play because of his ankle, at which point Arians allegedly ran a finger across his throat and yelled “you’re done” signifying if AB didn’t play hurt, he would get cut. And he did. On Thursday, January 6th, Antonio Brown’s contract was terminated by the Buccaneers.

What do you think about this whole situation? Do you think Antonio Brown overreacted? Or do you think that Bruce Arians is in the wrong?

For the first time since 2013, the OSU Beavers (Oregon State University) are bowl eligible. So far, five teams are bowl-eligible in the Pac-12. It is still very possible for the Beavers to all of the sudden get knocked out. This is because being eligible means that they have a chance, but it is not for sure until we know. To be bowl eligible in college football, your team has to have a record of at least 7 wins.

This season for the Beavers has been good, yet they also had their chance to play in the Pac-12 Championship in the Civil War vs Oregon on Nov. 27 If the Beavers had won that game, they would be able to go to the Pac-12 Championship. But to do that they also needed Michigan to get qualified for the Pac-12 championship. However, the Beavers were not able to hold their spot against the Ducks. So with these standings, the Beavers were staying down.

The college football league says that the teams with the best records will get placed first in bowl games, and then the worst records will go last. This shows that the Beavers still have a chance to get knocked out of being in a bowl game. The bowl game that Oregon state is qualified for right now is the Las Vegas Bowl. They are eligible for three bowl games right now, but they say it is most likely to be the Vegas bowl. The other team will most likely be WSU(Washington State University) for that game.

Oregon State fans have been waiting for a long time to go to a bowl game, and now is their chance. Las Vegas is eying Purdue, Minnesota, Penn State, and Wisconsin as its Big Ten representative. If the choice is Purdue, that would eliminate Oregon State. This puts the Beavers at risk because OSU and Purdue played in the 2021 season opener on September 4th, 2021.

There are many other teams with the same record as the OSU Beavers, but it is all about who they think is the best matchups. With the Vegas Bowl being born in 1992, and the home of the Raiders, many people have made plans for the bowl game. All in all, I think that many teams could play in the Las Vegas Bowl and the Beavers are one of the main teams to have a chance.

This past weekend has been crazy for sports and college football especially. It all started on Saturday when Oklahoma was facing off against their rivals Oklahoma State. It was a close game but it finished with Oklahoma State on top, stirring up a lot of drama in the Oklahoma program. Keep in mind this loss eliminated the team’s chances at the college football playoffs. All this drama started with a press conference with head coach Lincoln Riley which he said, ¨I will not be leaving to go to LSU.¨ This statement reassured Oklahoma and its fans that he will stay. However, the next day there was news on Twitter that he had signed a contract with USC for 110 million dollars, a private jet, his own six million dollar house, and they even bought his old houses in Oklahoma for $500,000 more than they were going for. All this pursuit to get Head Coach Lincoln Riley shows that the coach can rebuild and turn around a whole program. The University of Southern California is one of the nicest schools in the country and is located in one of the most popular states in the country, with Coach Riley it could very well turn into a playoff school in a couple of years.

What does this mean for college football? This move has already shown how important recruiting can be in making a strong team compete for the playoffs or a bowl game. Several 2022 and 2023 five and four-star recruits have de-committed. This included star quarterback out of Los Al high school has posted his decommitment, this is super big for the program as a backup quarterback with star expectations Spencer Rattler has said he's leaving as well. This means that at the moment all they have is the true freshman, Caleb Williams, although many Oklahoma fans are worried that he might leave the team as well after posting on Twitter good luck to Lincoln Riley and that he isn't going to speak on the situation further and had no comment about whether he will stay or not. Other recruits that have decommitted are the five-star class of 2023 receiver Brandon Inniss. He was one of their highest recruits and one of the most promising young playmakers. One of the craziest players that has pointed out and hinted at leaving and following Lincoln Riley to USC is five-star running back at Mater Dei high school Raleek Brown. Riley already went on a home visit and talked to him and his family about the move.

Lincoln Riley making the move to USC is making the PAC12 a lot more exciting for the 2022 season that is coming up. We have seen how good and important Lincoln Riley is to players, de-committing also opens up the opportunity for them to go to USC. This move also makes it a little more challenging for Mario Cristobal to recruit players in the PAC12 and get the best ones. There has already been talk that USC and Oregon will be one of the most exciting games of the year.

How free agency works:

When a player has played six years in the MLB they are eligible to become a free agent. After they are a free agent, there is a one-week period in which only their former team can make a qualifying offer. After this period, any team can make an offer. A free agent takes many things into account when signing with a team, including length of the contract, amount of money per year, if there is a player or club option, no-trade clause, and how good the team is.

A player option means there is a year at the end of the player’s contract where they can choose to go into free agency even though their contract isn’t over. A club option is where the club can choose to pay a certain amount of money to forgo the full amount of the player’s contract if they are not performing at the expected level or are injured. This would make the player a free agent.

This year, there will be a lockout on the second of December which prevents all contact between clubs and players after the lockout, the last time this happened was in 1994. Now that you know how free agency works, let’s see what teams have acquired players.

AL East:

• The Toronto Blue Jays have signed a couple of players so far, but they already have a strong team, this might just push them into the playoffs. They have acquired SP (starting pitcher) Kevin Gausman for five years, $110,000,000, and RP(relief pitcher) Yimi Garcia for two years, $11,000,000. These are good moves because the Blue Jays already have a stacked offense and adding Kevin Gausman to an already decent pitching staff of Hyun-jin Ryu, Jose Berrios, and Ross Stripling.

• The Boston Red Sox have been pretty quiet this offseason, only signing SP Micheal Wacha to a one-year $7,000,000 deal as a replacement for Eduardo Rodriguez, who they lost to the Tigers.

• The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles have both made no moves this offseason.

• The Tampa Bay Rays signed SP Corey Kluber to a one-year $8,000,000 contract and RP Brooks Raley for two years, $10,000,000. Tampa Bay has a high-powered offense and after losing Blake Snell and Charlie Morton a couple of years back, they have struggled with their pitching, this is just what they need.

AL Central:

• The White Sox added yet another amazing bullpen piece when they signed RP Kendall Graveman to a three-year $24,000,000 contract.

• The Tigers are hoping to get closer to a winning record this year, as they sign Javier Baez and Eduardo Rodriguez for six years, $140,000,000 and five years, $77,000,000 respectively.

• The newly titled Cleveland Guardians, the Minnesota Twins, and the Kansas City Royals have all made no moves this offseason.

AL West:

• The Los Angeles Angels have finally wisened up and are signing pitchers, which has been their struggle for years. They signed SP Noah Syndergaard to a one-year $21,000,000 deal, SP Micheal Lorenzen to a one-year $7,000,000 deal, and RP Aaron Loup to a two-year $17,000,000 contract. In my opinion, the Angels should have tried harder to sign SP Robbie Ray as well but instead, he went to their division rival, the Seattle Mariners, for five years, $115,000,000.

• The Rangers had an abysmal season, going 60-102 last year, and are looking to change that by signing 2B Marcus Semien to a seven-year, $175,000,000 contract, SS Corey Seager to a 10-year $325,000,000 deal, SP Jon Gray to a four-year, $56,000,000 deal, and RF Kole Calhoun to a one-year, $5,200,000 deal.

• The Houston Astros are looking to make it to the top this time, signing RP Hector Neris to a two-year $17,000,000 contract.

• The Oakland A’s have made no moves this offseason.

NL East:

• The New York Mets, contrary to their cross-town rivals, have made some major moves this offseason, looking for that little push needed to get into the playoffs by signing SP Max Scherzer to a three-year $130,000,000 contract. Making him the highest-paid player in MLB history with a whopping $43,333,333 per year. They also signed Eduardo Escobar to a two year-$20,000,000 deal, Starling Marte to a three-year $130,000,000 deal, and Mark Canha to a two-year, $26,500,000 contract.

• The 2021 champions, the Atlanta Braves have signed RP Kirby Yates to a two-year, $8,250,000 contract and C Manuel Pina to a two-year $8,000,000 deal.

• The Miami Marlins signed RF Avisail Garcia to a four-year $53,000,000 contract.

• The Washington Nationals signed 2B Ceasar Hernandez to a one-year, $4,000,000.

• And finally, the Philadelphia Phillies signed RP Corey Knebel and 3B Johan Camargo to one year, $10,000,000, and one year $1,400,000 respectively.

NL Central:

• The Chicago Cubs are looking for a bounce-back season, after signing a plethora of players, including SP Marcus Stroman for three years, $71,000,000, C Yan Gomes for two years, $13,000,000, OF Clint Frazier for one year, $1,500,000, and CF Michael Hermillioso for one year, $600,000.

• The Pittsburgh Pirates signed C Roberto Perez to a one-year, $5,000,000 contract, 1B Yoshitomo Tsutsugo to a one-year, $4,000,000 deal, and SP Jose Quintana to a one-year, $2,000,000 contract.

• The Milwaukee Brewers signed C Pedro Severino for one year, $1,900,000.

• The Saint Louis Cardinals signed SP Steven Matz for four years, $44,000,000.

• The Cincinnati Reds did not make any moves this offseason

NL West:

• The Arizona Diamondbacks, the worst team in baseball, going 52-110, signed RP Mark Melancon to a two-year, $14,000,000 contract.

• The Los Angeles Dodgers signed SP Andrew Heany to a one-year, $8,500,000 deal, along with RP Daniel Hudson, who is a Dodger for one year and is getting paid $7,000,000.

• The San Diego Padres signed RP Luis Garcia for two years, $7,000,000 adding to their already amazing pitching staff.

• The San Francisco Giants signed SP Alex Cobb for two years for $20,000,000.

• The Colorado Rockies signed no one this offseason.

So much has happened this offseason, are you happy with the moves your team made? And how do you feel about the lockout?

The NBA is back and running and there is already team drama, surprising outcomes, and rookies making headlines. With the season starting again, here are some of my top teams to keep an eye out for.

Charlotte Hornets

The first team that I would look forward to is the Charlotte Hornets. They are on top of the Eastern Conference right now at 5-2 and have a bunch of young exciting players that are fun and electric to watch. Leading that team is high school phenomenon La’melo Ball. The young star is averaging 19-6-6, and many think that he can lead the team to the playoffs and maybe even win a MVP in a few years. They also have a veteran player and vocal leader in Gordon Hayward who has been in the league for a long time. He has been with a couple teams and has found his home with a young squad in Charlotte. The last player that completes the trio and adds exactly what they need is small forward Miles Bridges, a young electric player who can throw down some crazy dunks and is a freak of nature.

Lakers and the Clippers

The second and third teams are the Lakers and the Clippers; both teams made a bunch of moves in the offense and are both looking like strong playoff contenders. Right now, the Lakers are third in the Western Conference. They picked up veteran players Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook. They also still have the big duo of Anthony Davis and Lebron James, with Lebron entering his 19th season and looking for another ring. On the other hand, the Clippers have gotten off to a sort of rough start and are the 12 seed right now. However, they are a lock for the playoffs as they are led by star players Kawhi Lenoard and Paul George. They also picked up former Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe and a young star out of the draft in Brandon Boston Jr. from Kentucky.

Miami Heat

The fourth team I would look out for this year is the Miami Heat. They are a super tough team in the Eastern Conference and are 6-1 to start the season. They have a powerful starting lineup with all-star players Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. They also have a super strong backcourt with Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo. The last player that completes the team and brings a whole different strength to the game is Duncan Robinson. Robinson, Mr. Rooke-ley’s buddy, was a D3 college basketball player and went undrafted. The Heat took a chance on him and it has so far paid off as he continues to show he is the best three-point shooter in the league.

Houston Rockets

The final team I would look out for is the Houston Rockets. Even though they aren't looking great right now starting the season 1-6, they have plenty of young talent to shock the world and be the next good team in the Western Conference. They just drafted Jalen Green, who has already made highlight plays that have shocked NBA fans and is one of the most athletic players in the league. They also just drafted Arizona State star Josh Christpoher, and traded for center Chirstain Wood. They have young talent everywhere and I wouldn't be surprised if they made a finals run in a couple years!

The NBA is back and running and there is already team drama, surprising outcomes, and rookies making headlines. With the season starting again, here are some of my top teams to keep an eye out for.

Max Scherzer is the newest member of the three thousand strikeout club with his 3000th against the lefty first baseman for the padres Eric Hosmer with a nasty changeup on the inside corner, he is only the 19 person ever to have 3000 strikeouts.

On a completely unrelated note, I have a new great idea for sunflower seed flavors, I call it “foreign substance” you could get anything from spider tack to pine wood to tatists jr’s foot.

Now for some trades, “speed round”, Blue Jays add Joakim Soria to the bullpen, Richard Rodriguez joins Braves's bullpen, Braves add power hitter, Jorge Soler Nationals send Jon Lester to the Cardinals, Phillies bring back Freddy Galvis from Orioles, and Padres acquire Jake Marisnick from Cubs. and personally I think all of the trade this week are risky but worth it.

Speaking of trades the Dodgers pulled Max Scherzer and Trea Turner and that was a bold move, but lately it has been proving itself to be worth it. With max scherzer as I talked about had his 3000th strikeout and trea turner having a .328 batting average and 28 rbi’s in 58 games.

After Chris Taylor’s two-run, walk-off home run in the ninth inning Wednesday night gave the Dodgers a 3-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes.

Here are some links for more info on teams that i might not have covered

National League

EAST

x --Atlanta Braves

e --Philadelphia Phillies

e --New York Mets

e --Miami Marlins

e --Washington Nationals

CENTRAL

x --Milwaukee Brewers

y --St. Louis Cardinals

e --Cincinnati Reds

e --Chicago Cubs

e --Pittsburgh Pirates

WEST

* --San Francisco Giants

y --Los Angeles Dodgers

e --San Diego Padres

e --Colorado Rockies

e --Arizona Diamondbacks

EAST

* --Tampa Bay Rays

y --Boston Red Sox

y --New York Yankees

e --Toronto Blue Jays

e --Baltimore Orioles

CENTRAL

x --Chicago White Sox

e --Cleveland Indians

e --Detroit Tigers

e --Kansas City Royals

e --Minnesota Twins

WEST

x --Houston Astros

e --Seattle Mariners

e --Oakland Athletics

e --Los Angeles Angels

e --Texas Rangers

Hello there, this is Jovanny and I’m here to provide you a recap of week 4 in the NFL.

On October 4, we had a game of Raiders vs the Chargers. They both have been really good in the past games, but the Chargers won by a score of 28 to 14.

We had a lot of games on October 3 and I will tell you all about it. First, we have the Buccaneers going against the Patriots. The game was really interesting and it was close but the Buccaneers won by 2 points, the score was 19 and 17.

We then have the Ravens going against the Broncos. This was a game I wanted to see. The Ravens won by 16 with a score of 23 to 7, better luck next time to the Broncos.

The Packers going against the Steelers was a great game, with the Packers winning with 10 more points and the score was 27 to 17.

Next, we have the Arizona Cardinals versus the Los Angeles Rams. This game was outstanding but the Cardinals won by 17 and the score was 37 to 20. The following game was a game that I wanted to see as well. The Seahawks versus the 49ers, with the Seahawks winning by 7, with a score of 28 to 21.

In the following game, the Cowboys went against the Panthers. It was a good game but the Cowboys won by 8 points and the score was 36-28. Hopefully, the Panthers do better next game.

Stay tuned each month for more NFL recaps from me!

The Oregon Duck football season has been off to one of the craziest starts in college football. They started strong with wins over Fresno State, Stony Brook, Arizona, and an upset win over Ohio State which had fans going insane over the possibility of a record season.

With momentum after the 4-0 start, they headed into week five facing a solid Stanford team that had beaten schools like USC and Vanderbilt. Stanford took on the Ducks at their home field with all the students and fans coming to pray for an upset. The game started out in their favor, ending the first quarter with a 10-0 Stanford lead. The Oregon crowd was shocked with the score hoping for a miracle comeback.

The second quarter started and Oregon finally scored, but Stanford punched right back making it 17 to 7 going into halftime. Oregon showed hope though, coming out of halftime scoring 10 points straight. The score was 17 to 17 and the fans were going crazy at Stanford hoping for the upset. Both teams scored one more touchdown in the 4th with Stanford receiver Elijah Higgins scoring a crazy touchdown over the Oregon DB to send the game to overtime. Stanford had all the momentum in the world going into overtime and they ended up pulling out the victory.

Oregon players and fans were devastated as the season was most likely over just because of one game. The season and championship hopes were over just like that. They still could make the Rose Bowl though, as they have many times in the past. Oregon fans do have basketball to look forward to, however, as they just got 5-star players Dior Johnson and Kel’el Ware to commit to the program.

Hello everyone! Welcome to my first sports article this year! Today I’ll be covering college football, which has just recently started. All of the teams in this article are playing on Saturday, October 2nd, which is after this article was written. The rankings and records may change by the time the article is published. As of now, here are the top three teams to look out for:

First, we have the Alabama Crimson Tide. They are ranked number one in the country, their quarterback is Bryce Young, and Alabama is currently 4-0-0. They have won two games at home, one away, and one at a neutral location. Alabama has already defeated the #10 Florida Gators, putting them in the top position.

Next is the Georgia Bulldogs. They are ranked second in the country, and their quarterback is JT Daniels. They have defeated the Clemson Tigers, who were ranked 9th, but are now ranked 25th. Georgia also has a current record of 4-0-0, with two games won at home, one away, and one at a neutral location.

Finally, we have the Oregon Ducks. They are 4-0-0, with three games won at home and one game won away. They are ranked 3rd in the country, and their quarterback is Ty Thompson. They have defeated both rank 11 Ohio State Buckeyes and rank 18 Fresno State Bulldogs.

Check out the form below to share who you think might win the National Championship this year. That’s all for now, but you will see my article next month in the “Whitford Weekly”.