The Wellesley Middle School Newspaper

Spring 2010

The Locker So, What Happened AFTER the Health Care Bill Passed? Rishi The answer to that might not be as easy as you think. Since one of the proposed healthcare bills was signed into law by President Obama, ten Congressmen who supported the bill have received death threats and/or damage to their houses and offices, eleven states have promised to try to repeal the healthcare bill passed by Congress by deeming it unconstitutional, the Democrats have been touting their successes through a megaphone, and the GOP has been running around vowing to repeal the bill. While you might be surprised at first to hear things like this (considering that usually Americans don’t resort to violence in politics), it doesn’t seem that surprising when you consider the number of misconceptions flying around about the bill, and the fact that that this is one of the biggest things to happen in American history since Medicare and Social Security. As ridiculous as this cartoon might seem, they really DO show what has happened in the six days after the healthcare bill was signed into law. http://list.cagle.com/etoon.aspx?cartoon=/news/HealthCareBillPasses/images/chappatte.jpg

Contents Activity Pages

Comics

News

Stories

Sports “The Locker” is produced by current students at Wellesley Middle School. Any WMS student who would like to

contribute to future editions should listen to the

announcements for future meetings!

Editors: Jonathan and Alice

Assistant Editors: Bill, Noor,

Stephanie, Yuto, and Haruki

Faculty Advisor: Lynne Johnson

Humans vs. Wolves: The Ancient Battle Begins Again Alice Humans and wolves have been fighting for land and food for as along as anyone can remember. In the last decade, things had calmed down. But, as the wolf makes a strong come back to the US, things are getting ugly all over again and history is starting to repeat itself. In the 1930’s gray wolves in the west were gone, from being hunted, trapped, and poisoned in their own homes, the wild. In 1974, wolves, or canis lupus were declared an endangered species in 48 states. The wolves’ remaining population was taken to Minnesota and Michigan near Lake Superior. Some six years later, wolves were seen crossing the continental divide, heading to the United States. By 1986, pups were being reared, and the gray wolves were making a come back from almost extinction. As the pack that had crossed over grew, it split into two, then three, but remained in the national parks. Soon, people reported sightings of wolves in Idaho and Wyoming, almost 90 miles away. By 1996, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to reintroduce wolves permanently to the US, releasing captured packs into 2.2 million acre, Yellowstone National Park. This action by the service was met with many different emotions, like hope, hate, and resentment. The wolves worked fast and soon, the population was growing and the war grew worse. 569 sheep and cattle death from wolves were confirmed in 2008. That same year, humans, for attacking their livestock, killed 264 wolves. This didn’t bruise the wolf population much, since they had grown to 1,600 wolves in the west alone. Many thought this was amazing, coming from all over the country to see these magnificent animals in Yellowstone, adding $ 35 million to that area’s economy, just with tourists and wildlife enthusiasts. But cattle ranchers and people that lived up in the mountains where wolves roamed felt the exact opposite. They feared going into the woods and wolves to them were four-legged killing machines. Ranchers wanted to take matters into their own hands and get rid of the wolves, once and for all. May 2009, wildlife services declared that canis lupus recovered and the federal government no longer protected it. The state government declared the first wolf hunt in decades. Soon, the rules were changed and wolves were labeled as game and could be shot whenever they appeared, even pregnant females. In Wyoming, wolves were labeled as vermin, pests and could be hunted year round.

As the war got worse, scientists decide to collect data from the time when wolves were gone, 1926-1995 to when they came back, 1995- present. Without wolves, elk’s took over, trees never grew to their full size because elks ate the saplings, and coyote numbers climbed and the smaller animals decreased from coyote hunters. With wolves, aspen trees grew to 10-15 feet, there were fewer coyote attacks, willows came back strong, allowing natural water flow, beaver colonies grew, and carrion grew, feeding ravens, magpies, eagles, bears, and coyotes. So, who do you think has the home advantage? Humans or wolves? Also who do you think deserves the right to live in the wild, and does killing an animal just because their trying to survive sound right you to? No, well I thought the same thing. If ranchers don’t like wolves eating their cattle or sheep, then they should protect them better; no just leave them out there with no one looking, like putting a pile of candy in front of a little kid, and expecting them not to eat it. No matter how much people want to deny it, wolves and humans aren’t that different. We hunt to survive. We’re curious, intelligent, and can adapt. Also, we have families. So are we really that different that we need to kill off these amazing animals just to make our own lives easier. I don’t think that’s the right choice. We should learn to coexist with them. Facebook. Why so popular? Tiffany Facebook is one of the most popular website for people now. It’s a fun social website with a lot to do so it’s no surprise it’s so popular. In fact, 2% of the world population has a facebook. It doesn’t seem like a lot but it’s really 120 million people. What I want to know right now, is what makes facebook so popular? Everyone has something they like about facebook so I organized a poll asking several students from Wellesley Middle School to answer. The question was, “What makes facebook so popular for you?” Here are the results: What Makes Facebook So Popular? Photos: 10 people: 20% Chat: 18 people: 36% Wall Posts: 16 people: 32% Farmville: 6 people: 12% Total: 50 People Well it looks like what makes Facebook so popular for students at Wellesley Middle School is Chat.

The Cinderella Life Part III By Melanie

My name is Andrew. I have lost the only woman I have ever loved. Years have passed and I’m the new heir to Swan House. In Cindy’s diary, she wrote, ‘If something should ever happen, I will pass the land to Andrew.’ The Duchess is nearing her death and I am supposedly going to get married. “Andrew, dear, are you ready for the ball?” “Yes, Duchess. I am.” I shrugged on my jacket and looked at her. The Duchess smiled, looking me up and down, then walked out. I’m not going to find anyone I love. Not even if they were the most beautiful woman in the world. I only see Cindy. “Sir Andrew! The ball is about to start. Please make your way down the stairs!” a servant said, and ran away fast. I sighed, and dragged myself down the stairs like I was carrying a thousand bricks. The light at the bottom of the staircase was nearly blinding. I stopped to take a deep breath and made sure I was wearing Cindy’s necklace. Then I stepped into the golden light. The whole room went silent from the excited chattering that went on seconds before. “Hello, townspeople! I want to thank you all for coming to this celebration.” (Just nearly choked it out there.) “I know that all of you want your daughters to get chosen to be my…” Nothing. I couldn’t even utter it. The people started to murmur. A couple people even cleared their throats. The Duchess muttered something and a servant came and kicked my calf. “WIFE.” Wow…A little too forceful. Someone started to clap, ending my incredibly embarrassing speech. Under the lights of the chandeliers, men were drinking wine and talking about work. Women were chatting and eating small amounts of food, talking about who they thought I was going to choose. If only I could say, “None of you.” This ball was a lie. I won’t let anybody marry me. Not unless they were Cindy. I promised her. “Do you see anyone to your liking, Sire?” Another servant smiled. He wanted me to take over the land. I wanted to, too. But I can’t. Not until the Duchess dies. I surfed the crowd. One girl had Cindy’s hair, but not her body proportions. Another had Cindy’s limbs but looked very stuck up. I’m not judging her by her looks, she just screamed at someone saying I would pick that someone and then she shoved that person into the punch bowl.

Cindy always had long limbs making her tall, long dark brown hair, a cute little nose, and a smile that made the sun jealous. Then I saw her. “Cindy?” I whispered. “W-What is it, Sire? I didn’t quite catch that,” the servant next to me said rather loudly. I ran down the stairs as everybody made a path for me through the crowds right up to her. “Cindy? Cindy! Oh it is you!” The crowd gasped. “Cindy” turned around. Everything about her was the same. Her face has gotten a little slimmer and her eyes a little wider, but all of her was the same. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The sudden relief, love and happiness that swept through me was overwhelming. She cocked her head to the side and laughed. “My, my Sir Andrew. I wouldn’t have expected you to choose me.” Her voice. Her laugh. The high chiming bells I’ve waited for. “Cindy… how?” I finally asked. “Cindy?” A lady behind her nearly shouted. “I… am not Cindy. I am Stella. Who is this… Cindy… whom you are speaking of?” Stella asked hesitantly. Stella? No, that cannot be possible. She looks exactly like Cindy. This can’t be… “Sir Andrew, would it be possible for us to speak in private?” Stella said so quietly and under her breath that it was barely a whisper. I nodded very slightly and commanded the crowd to keep enjoying themselves. I took her outside to the snow-blanketed courtyard. She suddenly turned around and came up very close to my face. “Where is my sister?” Sister? Cindy had a twin sister? “She… she’s dead. The Duchess killed her.” “I am also the Duke’s daughter. I was laying stones on the pathway when I was stolen and replaced by my sister just a few days ago. I am the original Cindy.”

Practice By Charlotte

Noel sat down and stretched her fingers. She let out a long, frustrated sigh. “Okay,” said her piano teacher, Rob. “Let’s get started. Noel, would you like to begin?” Noel knew it was only because he wanted to get her disastrous playing out of the way. She didn’t understand why he even made her come to these stupid tryouts in the first place. They both knew she’d never make the spring concert. All of Rob’s best students played in it, and as they both knew, Noel was not one of them. It wasn’t that Rob was a bad teacher— it was just that Noel hated the piano. She never wanted to see another one

of them again. Any way, her parents said that when she finished sixth grade, she could quit if she wanted to. “Okay!” Noel said, her voice was dripping with fake enthusiasm. She stood up and made her way to the piano bench. As soon as she had started playing, she wished she had never even got out of bed that morning. The concert hall was filled with her fingers banging out the simplest ballad Rob could have found. It sounded worse than terrible. She finished, stood up and returned to her seat. Everyone clapped, but Noel knew it was because they were relieved she had finished. The concert eventually ended and Noel went home with her mother. The ride home was silent. The next week, the email was sent out to the students that would be performing in the spring concert. Predictably, Noel was not on the list. Two days later, Noel had her piano lesson. She walked in and sat next to Rob on the long piano bench. “You played great at the tryouts!” he said, obviously trying to start the lesson off on the right foot. “I didn’t make it,” Noel replied. “Well, there seems to have been a slight change of plans.” Noel looked at Rob questioningly. “Alice Green will be in Finland for the performance, and it looks like you were next on the list.” Noel’s face fell, but only for an instant. She knew Rob was happy for her. “That’s great!” she said. If great meant totally, horribly not good. The look in Rob’s eyes was… Noel couldn’t describe it. She just knew that it meant she would have to be good at the concert. That also meant she would have to practice. Hard. Noel walked home from the lesson. The brisk, fall wind burned her face. She tucked her chin into her coat. She did practice hard. The next day when her mother returned from work, she found Noel sitting on the piano bench, concentrating while she pressed gently on the keys. Her mother shot her a peculiar look, but then smiled. The weeks before the concert flew by. When the day finally came, Noel was nervous, but confident. She was sure she could play her best at the concert. When Noel and her mother walked into the concert hall, Noel’s hands began to sweat. Her stomach filled with butterflies. This only got worse when she found her name first on the program. Her and her mother filed in with all the other children and their mothers, and fathers, and brothers, and sisters. There were so many people! Rob stood in front of everyone. Apparently, he would be the MC for the evening. He called Noel’s name, and she went up to the piano and sat on the bench.

She stretched her fingers and took a deep breath. She played her piece. Flawlessly. When she returned to her seat, her mom and Rob both gave her surprised, proud looks. When Noel graduated from sixth grade the next week, her parents told her they would cancel her lessons. “But why?” Noel asked. “We thought you hated them!” they said, incredulously. “No, they’re all right,” she replied.

Mysteries in New York Part III

By Noor Part 1 and 2 Summary Lynn, Alicia, and Myra have gone on a vacation to New York! On the way back to a park where Alicia accidentally forgets a purse, the three girls find Kitty, a lost, lonely child. It is then that Alicia mysteriously disappears, leaving her two friends along with Kitty to find their way out of this bone-chilling, spine-shivering park. Lynn and Myra are at their wit’s end about what to do with this lost child. They must also find Alicia. Should they abandon the girl and get back to the restaurant where they are supposed to meet their parents? Should they focus on finding a safe place for Kitty? Eventually, the girls drop Kitty at an orphanage but now they must search for their friend, Alicia, in the huge city of New York. Lynn surveyed the bustl ing New York streets with her piercing eyes, in hopes of glimpsing her friend, Alicia ’s bright purple jacket. Unfortunately, no li lac coats caught her eye. “Where to now, Myra?” she asked, her voice dripping with anguish. Myra kept glancing back at the Parker Orphanage where the girls had just dropped off Kitty. “I hope she’s safe, and happy, and cared for, and loved for, and—” “I get it,” Lynn interrupted, wryly. “What now?” The two girls stood at the edge of the road for two whole minutes, just standing silently, as New Yorkers passed by them, glancing curiously at the girls. “The police?” Myra asked, a l l of a sudden. “Maybe they can do a big search!” “For just one missing teenager whom they probably wouldn’t care if she got kidnapped or mugged or whatever people do?” Lynn asked, frowning. “Maybe,” Myra shrugged, defensively. “I don’t think so,” Lynn said. “Let’s ask around at stores near the park?”

The girls ran back to the park and pushed open the door of a store which was right near the park. “’Scuse me, but have you seen a girl with brown hair, l i lac jacket, age fourteen, red skirt?” Myra asked, earnestly. “Ha!” the man thrust the cans he was holding onto the shelf, and lunged for the girls. “HELP!” Lynn screamed. The girls ran and ran down the street, unaware of where they were running. Myra twisted around and the man was nowhere in sight. “Oh my gosh, that was close!” Lynn panted. “Where are we!?” The streets were dark and the houses were pitch-black and very eerie-looking. “LET’S GET OUTTA HERE!” Myra hissed. The girls ran back out of the street, but just as they were coming out of the al leyway and back to the brightly- l i t streets, they heard a woman sing softly—but clearly— “Oh my Kitty, where are you? I have food for you, and—” “My KITTY?” Myra repeated. “Kitty?! That is her mom, maybe?” she stopped walking. “ ‘Kitty’ isn’t that common… We could be wrong…” Lynn said, but she sti l l looked anxious. “Do you think we just dropped a random kid into an orphanage when she wasn’t even an orphan?! How do we explain this to her mother!” “Maybe the lady isn’t looking for Kitty. Maybe she’s looking for … her cat?” Myra said. “Let’s go back to the park, forget about Kitty, and ask around in stores.” Lynn rubbed her temples, tiredly. “Okay?” “Sure,” Myra agreed, wearily. “Let’s go.” * * * Kitty sat up on her bed, rested from her nap. She looked around the orphanage room, remembering that a ta l l and pretty girl had dropped her here. The girl smelled l ike roses—a smell that reminded Kitty of her mother. “Mommy,” she whispered. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as Kitty wished her mother was here. * * * The ta l l Mrs. Bird entered the room again with f ive other ladies. “Dinner time, girls! Line up and we’ll go downstairs.” Confused, Kitty got off her bed and wiped off her tears. Mommy would want me to be brave, she thought. She followed the other girls down the sta irs and into a large, brightly-l i t hall . Kitty felt a bit more cheered, but sti l l wanted her mother or at least the ta l l girl who could be her sister.

Long tables ran across the room, fi l led with empty plates. Mrs. Bird and two other women got out a big bowl and platter of food. The other three ladies disappeared down the hal l. Kitty sat down at the small bench and swung her legs. The smell of food made her stomach ache and she fel t sick. Suddenly, she felt a l l alone and in despair. However, there was no time to cry and think about her mother. A lady marched up to Kitty’s plate and dumped some sta le- looking mashed potatoes and a small bowl of salad in front of her. Her cup was fi l led with cold milk. Kitty tasted the food, reluctantly at f irst, then gulped it down. It was sta le, not at a l l l ike her mother’s hot and deliciously fresh food. But it was food, and Kit ty ate it al l . With her stomach full of dinner, Kitty’s thoughts turned to her mother. All she wanted now was a grown-up to hug her and tuck her into bed. * * * “The girls are in danger,” Mrs. Horvan, Myra’s mother, announced defiantly. “Why else would they take so long!?” “They’re probably looking in a store,” Mrs. Calvin, Alicia’s mother, tittered nervously. “Don’t-don’t worry, it’s … okay.” Mrs. Calvin looked more nervous than she would admit. By now, a waitress had served their drinks, brought the appetizer, and had delivered their food half an hour ago. “We’l l have to go out to find them!” Mrs. Percy, Lynn’s mother, announced. “I’m sure nothing terrible has happened. None of them will even pick up their cel l phone!” “Oh, Alicia’s phone is in the hotel , charging,” Mr. Calvin remembered. “Myra’s phone is at home—we forgot i t,” Mr. Horvan recalled. “What about Lynn’s!?” Mrs. Percy cried. Nervously, Mrs. Calvin drummed her fingers on the table. No one had touched their food. Mr. Horvan jumped up and grabbed his wallet. “The girls wouldn’t take this long to come back. It’s been nearly an hour! We have to go and find them, now. How could we have done that, let them go themselves?!” Mr. Horvan uttered ruefully as he threw down his money and the six adults rushed out of the restaurant. (TO BE CONTINUED IN THE SUMMER EDITION…)

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

WMS Musical * March 18 & 19, 2010

Congrats to the WMS cast and

crew for a fabulous show!

ACTIVITY PAGES

FOUR Ri ddles: (riddle answers 3 pgs forward…) 1. Lost in the woods, you finally happen upon a rickety old bridge across a deep ravine. The ravine is too steep to go down and climb back up. You need to know if the bridge is safe. As luck would have it, you recognize that on the other side of the bridge is that dreadful town, "Truth and Liarsville". Everyone who lives there either ALWAYS tells the truth or ALWAYS lies. You are tired and you've been lost in Truth and Liarsville before. You see three men on the other side of the bridge. You shout out: "Are you truth-tellers?" The first man says something, but you can't hear what he said. The second man shouts, "He said he was a truth-teller." The third man shouts, "No, he didn't. He said he was a liar." Which man do you ask to find out whether or not the bridge is safe? 2. Two women are playing chess. They play five games. Each one wins five games with no ties. How can this be? 3. In 1990, a person is 15 years old. In 1995 that same person is 10 years old. How is this possible? 4. There are 2 policemen parked along a one-way street looking for traffic violations. They spot a taxi driver going in the wrong direction, yet they do nothing. Why?

The HANDMADE Maze by Molly

EARTH DAY WORD

SCRAMBLE

Earth Day is April 22 (during school vacation) Don’t forget to honor our planet by recycling and

conserving energy…

Unscramble these words for important things to

remember!

Answers on following pages… Look for the sick planet!

CAN YOU MAKE SENSE OF THIS?!?!?!?!?!? Strangeness in the Sack

WARNING: This is not the most serious story anyone’s ever read or written. Reading the following may result in loss of sanity or maturity or knowledge of proper spelling and grammar.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! By: Athenee

I was going outside for a walk, when all of a sudden I was pulled aside. “Ssshhh!!!” the strange guy said. I struggled around and tried to hit the guy. But the guy was too strong and didn’t feel my punches. Then he knocked me unconscious. I woke up with a big splitting headache and stood up. But I couldn’t stand up! Let’s go back to the beginning. My name is Daya and I am 12 years old. I go to the Wellesley Middle School, my friends are Aya, Joe, and Allyhoop. My favorite sport is basketball, and I like hats. I get straight-Z’s in class (I always thought that was a better grade than A’s, I don’t know why everyone says I’m stupid) and I am the class clown. Why is 1+1=2? I always wonder about that. Why can’t it be 1+1= window? When I tried to stand up, I fell right to the floor with a huge thump! I groaned and kept trying. Then I realized! I. Was. Kidnapped! I remember having my head in a sack with a bunch of rotten potatoes. That really smelled like pudding made from bonbons, but it smelled really terrible. Then I threw up, and cuddled with rats. It was cold and barren except for RATS AND ROTTEN POTATOES. It isn’t exactly the place I would want to live in for the rest of my life though. And so I went and yelled “WOO-HOO! Yippeeyiyoyo” After all, I have to live here for the rest of my life. I guess. I kept staring at the cloth with closed eyes. I sighed, what kind of life is there in a sack? Then I bumped into something, maybe to my right. Maybe rats in a sack will appreciate me more and give me F’s instead. Then I tried to pull off the sack and get up. The more I tried the more tangled with the sack I got. Then I sang myself a lullaby, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I know it’s a bit strange, but I DON’T CARE!!! Then someone pulled up the sack and yelled at me, “What are you DOING in this SACK!” I answered back, “’Cuz I was KIDNAPPED, duh!” “Well, how would I know that!” “You should know, person! What sane person spends the rest of their life in a potato sack!” (Awkward silence by random audience.) “Yeah… okay. I get it.” Then I got up, brushed the dirt off and ran off without telling ‘thank you’.

THE END!!!! RIDDLE ANSWERS 1. The first man would always say he is a truth-teller. If he is a truth-teller, of course he would say so. If he is a liar, he would still say he is a truth-teller. This means that the second man told the truth. Ask the second man whether or not the bridge is safe. You could always ask the third man, as long as you're aware he is lying. 2. They aren't playing against each other. 3. If the years are "B.C.” instead of A.D. that would be possible. 4. The taxi driver was walking. EARTH DAY UNSCRAMBLE ANSWERS

* WMS Boston Globe Scholastic Art Competit ion 2010 Winners * Early January 2010, WMS art teachers submitted art to the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Competition. 23 WMS

students won either Silver or Gold key awards. 14 others won Honorable Mentions. This year, WMS was recognized more than any other school in the state. There were over 6500 entries this year and almost 500 senior portfolios. The state gave out 2151 awards and recognitions. You will be able to view all their artwork

during the K-12 art exhibit at Wellsley Free Library during the month of April. WMS Gold Key Winners are: Eden Mintz - Photography Lauren Cristiano Rizika- Ceramics & Glass Ethan Watson- Drawing Anna Zannetos- Jewelry Lauren Barnard- Sculpture Sarah Bradach- Photography Meaghan Colby- Jewelry Tyler Jung- Painting Eliza Klenk- Photography Chloe Kolbet- Mixed Media Juyon Lee- Digital Art WMS Honorable Mentions are: Taylor Barnhill- Painting Serena Benages- Ceramics & Glass Anna Bortnick- Ceramics & Glass Ashton Chryssicas- Sculpture Angelina Diana- Mixed Media Grace Drury- Photography Kimberly Johnston- Ceramics & Glass Carolina Leslie- Design Han Li - Digital Art Annie McCauley- Jewelry Julia Novakoff- Digital Art Carl Richardson- Ceramics & Glass Jacob Salerno- Ceramics & Glass

WMS Silver Key Winners are: Caroline Eldridge- Design Hannah Gilman- Painting Nobsak Godhue- Photography Georgina Hahn-Griffins- Jewelry Ian Hoffman- Digital art Alexandra Lee- Photography Katherine Lucas- Mixed media Laura Robinson- Jewelry Elisa Rocha- Mixed media Christina Seibel- Ceramic& Glass Ilana Shektman- Drawing Alison Leibowitz- Painting

WMS RECEIVES 2 NATIONAL GOLD KEY AWARDS! There’s more exciting news - All state gold keys are sent for national judging. Two weeks ago, we found out that two WMS students, Sarah Bradach- photography and Jy Lee- Digital Art, received National Gold key recognitions! It is a tremendous honor to get a

National Gold key and no other middle school in the state received this honor. Recipients are invited to the National Award Ceremonies in

NYC, June 9th and 10th along with the other national Gold Key winners from across the country.

Congratulations to all of our WMS winners!

Sarah BGr. 8 Photography “Strength of Peace” State and National Globe Scholastic Art Award 2010

No Offense, Red Sox Won’t Win World Series

By Jonathan

In the past six years, Theo Epstein has put together five playoff teams and two World Series champions. Going into 2010, Epstein’s clear approach was to improve the pitching and defense to help prepare the Red Sox to win another championship, ignoring the proven formula for success, particularly in the American League. The American League is becoming increasing reliant on hitting, and all five AL East teams were in the top eleven (out of thirty Major League teams) in batting average. The eventual MLB champions, the New York Yankees, finished the 2009 regular season with a .283 batting average, just behind the Angels for first in the Major Leagues. The Yankees and Angels held the number one and two spots in runs, hits, and RBIs as well. They also finished first and third in On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage. In the post season, these strong hitting teams proved to be the best in the American League as they met in the ALCS, which the Yankees would go on to win to set up a World Series match-up with the Phillies, who along with the Yankees, had the major league’s top two spots in home runs. Meanwhile, of the eleven teams with the lowest team Earned Run Averages, only three qualified for the playoffs, all in the weaker National League. Similarly, the eleven teams that allowed the fewest hits produced the same miniscule amount of playoff teams: three. When it came to batting, however, five out of the top seven teams in hits and all of the top six teams in runs scored were playoff-bound at season’s end. Top teams made their run to and through the playoffs through hitting. The Boston Red Sox lost all three of their playoff games, scoring a total of just seven runs against the Angels, six of them coming in one game. But despite their obvious offensive need, the Red Sox have shown no urgency to replenish their quickly-weakening batting line-up. Even after signing John Lackey, with Jason Bay now with the Mets and #34 34 years old and aging quickly, without signing or trading for a proven hitter the Red Sox cannot succeed in the division that has produced three different World Series participants in the last three years. This off-season, besides Lackey the Red Sox signed Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre, and Marco Scutaro. Cameron has won a Gold Glove and will become the third outfielder, replacing Bay. Cameron’s talents, however, consist almost solely of fielding and speed. Cameron’s career .250 batting average is .030 lower than Bay’s .280. In totaling .250, Cameron has never over .275, a feat that Bay has completed five times in eight fewer seasons. In 2004, Cameron hit 30

home runs, but has never equaled that total again. Bay has hit more than 30 homers four times in the last five years including a career-high 36 last year, 12 more than Cameron hit, even though Bay had fewer at-bats. Adrian Beltre takes Mike Lowell’s place at third base after finishing last season with nine fewer home runs and a batting average .025 less than the aging veteran coming off of hip surgery. Scutaro had just six more home runs than last year’s shortstop Nick Green, even though Scutaro had 302 more at-bats. Due to this diminished offense, despite a highly regarded pitching staff the Red Sox should finish no higher than third in the AL East.

Lebron or Kobe: My Opinion By Matt

When someone thinks of basketball legends they think of names like Michael Jordan… Larry Bird… Magic Johnson… Julius Erving… Kareem Abdul-Jabbar… Bill Russell… John Stockton… Brian Scalabrine (just kidding)… John Havlichek… Lebron James … Kobe Bryant. Yes, Lebron and Kobe. They both started splaying. That’s how good they are. There’s currently a huge debate over which player is better. I am here to tell you what I think about this. Now, I’m not a ESPN analysyst or a Sports Illustrated columnist, but I do know some things about basketball. I know that James Naismith invented the game. I also know that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player who ever lived. And that the New Jersey Nets… well it might be a bit offensive to some fans of the team (if there are any). I know a lot of other things about basketball but I won’t go through them all. Oh and I know one more thing that I think is worth mentioning. Lebron is a much better basketball player than Kobe. All of you Kobe fans could argue with me about this, but I would easily prevail: Kobe fan: Kobe has 4 championship rings. Me: Lebron (the reigning MVP) has no team behind him. Kobe had Shaq and Derek Fisher for many years and now has Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and many others to back him up. Of course he doesn’t even use them at all. Every time you see the Lakers attempt a buzzer beater in the past couple of years it has been Kobe taking the final shot, but missing 85% of the time. Kobe fan: Kobe once averaged 35.1 points per game in a season. Lebron’s best is only 31.1. Me: True, but every time Kobe has the ball he only keeps his eyes on the basket. Lebron, who always looks for the open shot, whether he or another Cavalier takes it, averages 2.3 more assists per game than him. Another argument would only merit another response, making any more banter completely pointless. Even though Kobe is great he should hail to King James.