U.S. in the World Cup

The United States performance in last summers Confederation Cup has resulted in all time high expectations for the team going into South Africa this summer. The U.S. team was able to defeat Spain, the then number one team in the world, 2-0 as well as take a first half 2-0 lead over now number one ranked team, Brazil. The U.S. team didn't seem to have much trouble qualifying this year either, despite playing typically solid teams like Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad, and Tobago. The teams first match of the Cup is set for June 12 against England. This match-up is anticipated to be the most difficult for the U.S. in the first round with many expecting the U.S. to focus most of their energy on the defensive end. The next two games include Slovenia on June 18th and Algeria on June 23rd. Both of these games are expected to be significantly easier for the U.S. team which may give them the opportunity to catch up on points in hopes of advancing to the next round. All in all the U.S. teams success in the World Cup is look much more promising then usual which is nice to see. However, I still think it if the U.S. has any hopes of advancing into the later rounds of the tournament they will need to be playing at an all time best.

Donald Crandall
KIN332i Sec. 2

The Suns get Burned by the Lakers

The question coming into the Lakers vs. Suns game on Monday night: Will the week long break in between games benefit or hurt the Lakers? That question was put to rest early. The Lakers and Kobe Bryant appeared fresh and well rested as they cruised to a 128 to 107 victory. It appeared that they might have some rust as they began the game down 7 to 0 to start the game, but that rust fell off rather quickly as the Lakers went on to score 62 points and claimed a double digit lead to end the first half. Kobe Bryant who had to have his knee drained and couldn't practice all week looked more than fine. He scored 40 points, on 13 of 23 shooting. It wasn't only the Kobe show however. Lamar Odom pitched in with 19 points to go along with 19 rebounds, and Pau Gasol turned in a solid 21 point, 4 rebound and 5 assist game. The Lakers would appear to have some history on their side, as Phil Jackson is 46-0 all time in playoff series' when he wins the first game. The Lakers will play host to the Suns for game 2 of the Western Conference Finals Wednesday night at the Staples Center.

Ben Higgins Kin 332i. section 2

Lakers 128 and Suns 107

Lakers takes the first win in the series against the Suns. It was high scoring game, Laker 128 and Suns 107. Leading scorer for the Lakers was Kobe Bryant who put up 40 points , Pau Gasol had 21 points and Lamar Odom added 19 points and 19 rebounds

What make Kobe a great player is being able to do what he does best and it shows the type of player he is. For the past week Kobe was not able to practice with the team, however, he needed the rest because of his ailing knee, ankle, finger and back - all minor impediments.

No one knew how Kobe would do because of not being able to practice. At the start of the game Kobe wore a bright yellow brace on his right knee and kept it on throughout the game. Even with his bad knee, Kobe was still a threat to the Suns. All Kobe had to say was “Just being aggressive, playing my game, Got shots and took them”

The defending NBA champions beat the third-seeded Suns at their own uptempo game.

Game 2 is Wednesday night at Staples Center.

Go Lakers!!!!!!

R.Kieng Kin 332I Sec. 2

the laker game

so today the lakers play!!! how exciting is that?! now i am aware that there are a quite bit of "laker haters" out there and im sure that they are expecting the lakers to fall far behind in the playoffs but hey the lakers will always rule.. I see another championship coming this year and ye i will definitely be at the laker parade i will always support ma team. its jus a beautiful sight watching Kobe and Gasol make all those shots which ultimately wins the game . YAY ! last year when the lakers won the championship i was running and screaming around the house ( how animated) but it was just an amazing feeling to see them win and celebrate the win. it was a very natural high. but after tonight i will definitely have to go back to reality and realize that we cant live in a laker fantasy world forever. Phil Jackson which is the best coach alive, must be very proud of his boys. Im proud to be a fan of this awesome team. one day i hope to meet the whole team and take lots of pix with them, but until then ill tune in to every game and support every event that arises. I know it sounds a bit obsessive but hey what can i say im a very BIG fan ! Ok so tune in to the game :)

J. Nettles Kin 332I Sec. 2

Goodbye Lisa Leslie Hello Candace Parker

Lisa Leslie made the announcement of her retirement from the WNBA before last season, giving her fans, teammates, and everyone else time to say goodbye before hangs up her jersy and leaves the WNBA Sparks, which she had been the face of since it started. With Leslie retiring the pressure is now on Candace Parker to be the new face of the Sparks. Leslie retires at 37 and has moved on to a broadcasting and public speaking career, the Sparks are definitely going to be seen as Parker's team now. Personally I feel the Sparks will do just fine without Leslie of course it will take some getting use to but they'll be able to have great performances. The team does have Candace Parker who is a good scorer and a great player. Their "new face" of the Sparks won't let them down.


Jasmine Harper kin 332I.S2

No Magic Today

Coming into game one of the Eastern Conference finals, it seemed that no team had an answer for the Orlando Magic. Before today, they were undefeated in the first two series. However, the Boston Celtics snapped their win streak today with a a four point victory (92-88). The relentless defense by the Celtics was the deciding factor in this game, with the Celtics holding the Magic to a pathetic 32 points in the first half. Another critical factor in the game was the incapability of the Magic's "Superman"(D.Howard) to put up any big numbers. The success of the Magic depends heavily on Howard to provide rebounds and score points. Today he had 12 rebounds and 13 points, which is no where close to his usual numbers. The Celtics seem to being playing the best they have all year. The team that stunned LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to have all the players and mentalities to upset the Magic in this series. My prediction is that we will see the Celtics and Lakers face off in the finals, go Lakers!

K.Platzer
Kin 332i Section 2

Around the World at 16!

Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old Australian girl, became the youngest person to sail around the world solo, nonstop and unassisted when she came into Sydney's port outside of the Opera House saturday. it took her 210 days (seven months) to go around the globe all on her own. I could not imagine being on a boat in complete solitude for seven months straight. Watson sailed northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator, south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern Australia. throughout this 23,000 mile journey she came head to head with 40 foot waves, the world's most treacherous waters, storms, and had 7 knockdowns. not once did she panic many people and critics believed she was too young, unprepared, and inexperienced. she made her way like she always dreamed she would. when her parents allowed their 16 year old to go on this journey on her own many people told them they were insane. her story is amazing and her parents and many friends believed in her enough to giver her a chance before knocking her down. in our society today sometimes people are too scared to go for what they want or go after their dreams, and this young girl showed us that in order to make your dream come true you have stand up for yourself and do it. no one should be discouraged and told they cannot do something, you know yourslef better than anyone else, and thats what you should trust.
ABeaston
KIN 332I Section 2

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have most certainly been the biggest story so far in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. They entered into the post season as the lowest seed in the Eastern Conference and had to face the number one seed and hugely favored Washington Capitals. The Capitals were picked by many to make a long run in the post season and get past the Canadiens with no problem. However, Montreal fought hard and won the series in 7 games. They then continued to knock off the defending champions in the second round. After the Canadiens game 7 win against the Penguins, the celebration had begun back in Montreal where fans gathered to watch at the Molson Centre. Fans carried the celebration into the streets of Montreal where over 100 fans were arrested for looting and rioting. Now, without a doubt Canadien fans do have much to celebrate and be happy about, but their team has only made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. They haven't even started the Conference finals series and the fans are already rioting and looting in celebration? There is much to be happy about but can someone please tell the Canadien fans to tone down their celebrations, because if thats what they do when they when a semi finals series then absolute mayhem will erupt if they win the conference finals, and who knows what they will do if they win the Stanley Cup. But until we know we can only admire this truly amazing underdog story of the year.

M. Reichling
kin 332i section 2

King James

Since coming into the league straight out of high school, Lebron James has had to deal with the spotlight of being a superstar. I mean this was a kid who at the age of 16 was anointed as the next best thing in basketball. He has had a lot to deal with in terms of off the court stuff. The media is constantly watching his every move. I believe he has done an incredible job handling his stardom, considering he has done everything the right way since he has entered the league. There are no reports of him acting wildly at a club, or brandishing a weapon, or putting himself in a position to receive the bad type of media coverage. The media seems to waver on how they want to portray this great basketball player. Since there is no news to talk about off the court, the media must talk about where he may go in the summer of free agency, or perhaps why he didnt shoot enough in a certain game or why he was wearing a Yankees hat at a baseball game. It just really shows that the media does control to a certain degree how we see athletes. They cover all the bad stuff, but dont spend as much time talking about the great things players do in their spare time. The King continues to amaze me at how he handles situations that come up, and that is a trademark of a champion and a winner

KIN 332 Jose Magallan Sec 2

Living the Dream

It is not uncommon to see baseball as part of the Special Olympics, but rarely do blind athletes take part in the sport. John Sikorra lost his eyesight as a child as a result of Batten disease, which also took many of his cognitive skills. A senior at Chaminade High, Sikorra spent his first three years of high school listening to games, wishing that he could be part of it all. This year his wish was granted and he became part of the team, only wanting to earn a varsity letter to make it official. But to earn a varsity letter, an athlete is required to compete in at least one official play and John was never able to do so because of his disability. But yesterday that didn’t matter when, in the championship game against Alemany High School, both teams gave up an out so John could bat. Accompanied by his father, John stepped up to bat and made contact. They both ran around the bases hand in hand to a cheering crowd. This just goes to show that sports should not discriminate. Nothing should hold athletes back from doing what they love.

M. Moh
KIN 332I Section 02

Where will LeBron go?

Now that LeBron and friends have been demolished by the Celtics, it will now bring up questions about where he will play next year. This year will be a very interesting off-season for the NBA. For the past two years he has been amusing and entertaining the media, analysts, and spectators as to what team he will play with. LeBron has many options and many temptations to play for other teams. For instance the New Jersey Nets is partly owned by good friend Jay-Z. New York has a huge market and could provide the type of attention and marketing LeBron wants. He could also go to Miami and team with superstar Dwyane Wade. The Cavs were hoping that LeBron will win a championship this year so that he won't leave Cleveland, but now that they have lost in the quarter-finals fans have already felt that they lost their superstar. I personally believe that LeBron will not leave the Cavaliers because of how he speaks of his team as a family and Cleveland is his hometown.


C. Sanker
Kin332i Section 02

Why America should now join the world in South Africa

Whilst the NBA and NHL are in the play offs, the MLB is easing itself into it's abnormally long season, and despite the fact that football is months away, they will get get much press coverage here in the U.S than other competitions. Such as the soccer world cup. This would be understandable if the U.S had a poor soccer team. However, they dont, whilst not being up there with the worlds elite, they can give most teams a good game on their day. Also, being in a group with England should stir up some passion. Surely. How about the fact that they have a decent chance of advancing through the group stages? At the moment no-one quite seems to care. Hopefully that will change in the few weeks before the tournament starts, but wouldn't it be nice to see Americans gathering together to support America and not just L.A, Cleveland or New York. Whilst soccer will never break into the big 4 here, when the national team is playing surely the nation should support the players to victory. Like when they beat England 1-0 in the 50s at the World Cup. Hands up if knew that happened....

Paul Fawcett
kin 322i section 2

San Jose Sharks

It is finally nice to see the San Jose Sharks not choke in the Play offs this year. This is the second year they have won the western conference. Last year they got the presidents trophy that is awarded to the team with the highest amount of points from the entire regular season. Last year after getting the Presidents trophy they lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the quarterfinals. This year a lot of people were expecting them to choke again, because that seems to be the pattern with the San Jose Sharks. They out played the Colorado Avalanche winning the series in six games. Then when they played the Detroit red wings, they were on a three game lead but on the fourth game they lost 7-1. There was a lot of talk about this is where they were going to choke but they got past that game and won the series in 5 games. As they approach round three playing the Chicago Blackhawk’s this is where they need to step it up, I feel that they have come this far without choking, they can finally make it to the Finals this year if they play the way they have been. GO SHARKS!

Heather F.
Kin332i Sec.2

Cavs-Celtics and Lebron

As a Laker fan, I am definitely rooting against Cleveland (instead of for Boston, two different things) mainly because Cleveland is the only team I can see beating LA. This has been a fascinating series to watch unfold as the media holds their breath on every detail, as Lebron’s elbow ails him one day, hurts the next, and then magically heals the following day. However, hype surrounding Lebron reached new heights after his head-scratching performance in Game 5 which put the Cavs on the verge of 2 straight post-seasons failures in which they were anointed the favorites going in. Game 6, which is tonight, is now being billed the biggest game of the decade with the possibility Lebron leaves Cleveland, which would shift the power of the NBA single-handedly. I’ve always found Lebron interesting because the media adores him and makes him out to the model citizens, when in reality he is more interested in become the first billionaire athlete. I have never seen one player dominate the ball in the fashion Lebron does, and yet everytime the Cavs lose, it is always because his supporting vast didn’t do enough. Well, what are they supposed to do when Lebron is going 1 on 5 and they’re standing around watching? The Cavs have overhauled their team multiple teams, going from not having enough offensive help, to now having all offensive help, but no defenders. The one constant is Lebron, and I’ll be curious to watch how his legacy unfolds after taking the biggest hit in his 7 year career on Tuesday night.

Zach Stiffel
KIN 332 Sec. 2

Trouble in Paradise?

Throughout the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been seen as a close knit unit, almost like a band of brothers. However, coming off their horrendous loss against the Boston Celtics, the Cavs' team seems to be coming undone. Many of the Cavs' players have reportedly approached the coaching staff offering them advice on things they can change. However, Lebron James has stated that there is no division in the team and still remains confident in his team. The Cleveland Cavs have been favorites in many analysts eyes, however, with the Cavs on the brink of elimination, and persisting problems regarding Lebron's elbow, are the Cavs being a little too relaxed? The Cavs seemed to relax a little too much during their game 5 with the Celtics and as a result, they are left with their backs against the wall. Will King James rise to the occasion, or will he put up another subpar performance? More importantly, if the Cavs do happen to get eliminated, what will this mean for Lebron this summer?

Bryant Wang
Kin 332i Section 2

Idaho girl creates controversy by joining boys' lacrosse team (cont.)

In this Sports Illustrated article basically it was talking about boys' and girls' lacrosse teams and how this one girl loved they game so much that she wanted to play on the boys' team. However, this caused controversy because there is a big difference in boys' lacrosse and girls' lacrosse. The difference is the boys' lacrosse are more physical than the girls. In addition, the idaho girl believes there shouldn't be such a big difference in the same sport. In agreement, I feel that the girls' lacrosse shouldn't be so totally different from the guys just because they are girls. There should be the same kind of rules for both genders who are playing the same sport and there shouldn't be any discrimination towards girls who love this sport and who simply just want to play a physical and competitive game.

Erika Boone
Kin 338i