Music, Art and Athletics This Weekend
We have a relatively quiet weekend ahead. Maybe its because everyone is gearing up for First Night Morris 2013 on Monday night? Either way, there still are a few activities to check out, some a short drive outside the Morristown area.
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Atrium Gallery Fall/Winter Exhibit
When/Where: Monday-Friday, 8 am to 5 pm at the Atrium Gallery in the Administration and Records Building, Morristown
Why Go: Because the gallery will be open for viewing during First Night, but you would prefer to check it out when there are no crowds.
Cost: Free
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HelpHOPELive Reunion Jam
When/Where: Friday, 6 pm at The Baker Theater, Dover
Why Go: You want to support the HelpHOPELive National Transplant Assistance Fund and enjoy the music of several great artists, including the reunion of New Riders of the Purple Sage.
Cost: $45
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Friday Night Skate
When/Where: Friday, 8 pm at Mennen Arena, Morris Township
Why Go: You want to start your weekend on ice
Cost: $7 admission, $3.50 skate rental
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Paul Gargiulo Band
When/Where: Friday, 9 pm at Dublin Pub, Morristown
Why Go: Because there are plenty of cover bands out there, but this one is performing Americana, as well.
Cost: Free to listen
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Saturday Morning Road Ride from Martys
When/Where: Saturday, 8 am, from Martys Reliable Cycle, Morristown
Why Go: You want to test out those legs.
Cost: Free
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All-Abilities Run from The Running Company
When/Where: Saturday, 9 am, from Morristown Running Company
Why Go: Cyclings not your thing, but running is!
Cost: Free
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Your Event
When/Where: That Magic Time, That Magic Place
Why Go: I dont know, you tell us!
Cost: A free listing
Athletics not cycling led the way in the doping techniques
I also would love to have seen David Weir win SPOTY. Instead of that there weren't even any Paralympians in the top three.How about that for discrimination?
Puke
You make an argument that a cyclist shouldn't win SPOTY because the sport has been tarnished by drug cheats, then suggest Mo Farah who comes from athletics, the sport that has lead the way in doping techniques, as a worthy alternative.
Citizensniff
Bradley Wiggins won a gruelling Tour De France, probably the most difficult competition in any sport, plus a gold medal in the Olympics.
There was a case for all 12 SPOTY contenders and whoever had won, someone would be unhappy.
Of course it is going to look like XFactor style voting, but it is a public vote for crying out loud, so what do you expect?
Bamboozler
Anyone who watched the final stages of the Tour de France would have seen a thrilling finish and recognise that teamwork works both ways.
People'sFriend
To be fair, Wiggins' ambition when he was younger was to be a local sports hack, but then he realised he could do something worthwhile.
To call it discrimination because a Paralympian did not make the top three in SPOTY shows you what a mess our country is in.
Shocked that Mo Farah didn't make the top three though
motr
Have your say on Swanny's World of Sport: add your comments on our website below, email alan.swann@jpress.co.uk or on Twitter @PTAlanSwann
Reader news | Cardinal Athletics/YUM! Girls on the Run Fall 5K Event was a …
LOUISVILLE, KY, (December 17, 2012) --- Motivated by the opportunity to inspire young girls, WHAS 11s Renee Murphy came out to show support and emcee the Girls on the Run (GOTRL) semi-annual 5K run/walk at Seneca Park Saturday morning. Renee was passionate when she said, I wish this program was available when I was a young girl! The event featured pre-race activities, music, and giveaways.
Eighty-three elementary aged girls, from eight Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), took part in the
event, which raises money for GOTRL programs. The race course followed the Seneca Park loop and all runners received a medal after completing three laps. Each girl was assisted by a running buddy who was there to support her during the race. Seventy-two additional runners also participated in this untimed race.
GOTRL had assistance from 50% more volunteers, on race day, than at their spring race in May 2012. This shows that the organizations growth and awareness. This organization is built on the hard work of our volunteers, said Leslie Danehy, Director of Administration. Without them, we dont exist. We are so very grateful for all our supporters. A special thanks goes out to our two title sponsors; the University of Louisville Cardinal Athletics and YUM! Brand Foundation.
Aside from the support of family and friends, girls also received support from other fans such as: Miss Kentucky United States 2012, Andrea Kimberlin; the UofLs Lady Birds who lined up to cheer the girls to the finish line; the UofL Cardinal Bird; Buddy the Bat and the Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt mascot.
Value Market, Brueggers Bagels, Nancys Bagels, Green Bean delivery, Heine Brothers and The Louisville Water Company were among the businesses who provided food or drinks for the large crowd of runners and supporters. This seasons race sponsors were Louisville Cardinal Athletics and the Yum! Brand Foundation.
Girls on the Run is an international organization headquartered in Charlotte, NC. Louisvilles chapter offers a 10-week life-changing, prevention program for girls in the 3rd through 5th grade. GOTRL is continuing to grow within JCPS and is making a difference in how young ladies view their future. For more information about Girls on the Run Louisville, go to www.gotrlouisville.org.
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We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running
www.gotrlouisville.org
Athletics U10G Take First Place
Athletics U10G Take First Place
Friday, 28 December 2012 00:00
The Hicksville Athletics captured first place at the Northport Columbus Tournament. Coach Rich and assistant coach Nora lead the Athletics. The A's team includes (first row, kneeling) Melanie C. (tournament MVP) and (middle row, kneeling, left to right) Natalie U., Julie M., Brinda V., Isabella M., Olivia E. and (back row, standing left to right) Jamie R., Amaya S., Melissa M., Hailey C., Emily G., Alexandra G., Anna S.
Port Jeff athletics director is Royals’ No. 1 fan
On gameday for any of Port Jeffersons athletic teams, it seems like Deb Ferry is everywhere. One minute shes photographing the action, the next shes at the scorers table or walking the sidelines meeting and greeting rivals and supporters alike. On these days, she wears many hats she is a photographer, assistant and fundraiser as well as the Royals biggest fan.
Despite her other talents, it is for Ferrys work at her day job, as Port Jefferson School Districts director of physical education, health and athletics, the effects of which stretch well beyond the playing field, that the Port Times Record has named her its Woman of the Year in Sports.
Deb is absolutely so positive for the young population, said Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant, who nominated Ferry for the honor. The energy from the young people is so important in the growth of a community and Deb is such a big part of that here.
Ferry oversees a large number of staff and students, but those who work closely with her cite her ability to maintain a personal touch as critical to her success.
Deb treats every one of our students as if they were her own, Superintendent Ken Bossert said. Most importantly, she treats every student-athlete in that order, as a student first.
Dinarae Camarda works with Ferry in all facets of her job. Camarda teaches physical education and health and coaches the girls JV volleyball team. She calls Ferry an inspiration and the best boss Ive ever had.
Shes always willing to do whatever she needs to do and she never acts like its a problem, Camarda said. If she needs to, shell put on her muddy shoes and walk across that muddy field for the kids. Thats different from any athletic director Ive ever seen.
Coaches say they admire Ferry because she always remembers to make the students her number one priority.
She supports me, she has my back, but at the end of the day, its all about the kids, girls soccer head coach Winnie Kuemmel said.
Kuemmels teams have lost just two league games in two years.
Shes always there for the kids and trying to do right by the kids. I look up to her, Kuemmel said. As a female administrator, she is someone that you respect. She has a tough exterior when she needs to, but she always has that soft side. Its the perfect combination of both.
Calling Ferry the perfect boss, John Poulianos, coach of the all-conquering boys soccer team, highlighted the time and effort that Ferry puts in on behalf of her staff, coaches and especially students.
Poulianos highlighted Ferrys dedication to the kids. He said the districts sports awards night features a photomontage of the athletes, and Ferry is the one who snapped all of the pictures.
Shes there throughout the year. For the boys. For the girls. Every sport. I have so much respect for that woman and the amount of time and effort she puts in to her job, and how conscientious she is when she does it, Poulianos said. Shes not doing it because I have to be there. Shes not doing it for show. It is for real.
Roy Wennerod oversees the Port Jefferson football booster club with his wife Kristen. Their son, Dylan, is a sophomore at the high school who plays football and basketball and runs track.
Wennerod praised Ferry for her efforts as a fundraiser but said he is most impressed with her from the perspective of a parent. He recalled his first encounter with Ferry, at a preseason meeting with prospective student-athletes.
She focused on making the sport enjoyable, but at the same time keeping them accountable, and, most importantly, keeping them safe, Wennerod said. That is what impressed me most as a parent. After spending time watching Deb and seeing her candor with the young audience, knowing that my son is going to be safe.
Oakland Athletics’ Big Offseason Questions That Still Need to Be Answered
Though the Oakland Athletics answered their biggest offseason questionswho plays shortstop and which free agents will be re-signedthere are a few that remain unanswered. While some are minor, others are so important they could have major implications on whether the As repeat as AL West champions.
In 2012, Oakland stole the division from the Texas Rangers in the 162nd game of the season. The Los Angeles Angels werent far behind.
And while the Rangers havent done anything to put themselves in place to compete in 2013, the Angels added Josh Hamilton to their already staunch offense which includes Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. The pitching was the weak link last season, but the likelihood of rebound is great. Even the Seattle Mariners have added a few fine pieces.
So what have the As done?
First they let team leaders Brandon McCarthy, Brandon Ingeand Jonny Gomes walk. Oakland also lost Stephen Drew, who signed with the Boston Red Sox. Longtime Athletic Cliff Pennington was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Chris Young. Lastly, they signed Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima.
Five integral parts of 2012s success are gonetwo question marks in their place.
The hope is that Nakajima is a short-term answer at shortstop and Young is the consistency in the lineup that was missing last year.
Now that those are answered, these questions are up next.
MLB News: Revenue Sharing, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle …
While its not quite official, Maury Brown has reported that MLBs revenue sharing pool is going to be right around $400 million for the 2012 season. While the exact breakdown on a per-team basis isnt reported, this is the pool of money that baseball uses to distribute cash from the big-market teams to the small-market ones. How it works is, each team puts in 34 percent of its local revenue (it was 31 percent in the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement) and then that money is split up amongst the 30 teams.
Of course, as big an issue is what the net winners (those smaller-market teams that end up with more money then they put in) do with their money. Theyre supposed to roll the money back into improving the team, but this became a controversy back when some select financial statements were leaked showing some of the teams (or rather, their owners) were pocketing the cash.
The only historical figures we have are from 2002 and 2003, and back then the pool was about half of what it is now. In 2003, the Monteral Expos received almost $30 million while the New York Yankees ended up with a $52.7 million shortfall. That probably means this year, the Yankees could be "losing" close to $100 million while smaller-market teams might be walking away with close to $60 million.
Athletics look for five-year lease extension
Whether it was a little birdie whispering in their ear or just a look at the current business environment, it looks like the Oakland Athletics have consigned themselves to the fact that theyre not getting a new stadium soon and that theyre stuck in the Coliseum for the foreseeable future. There were rumors to this effect for some time, but now its official in that the Athletics are looking for a five-year lease extension that will keep them in Oakland through 2018.
This is probably a no-brainer for Oakland for a few different reasons. First, it means there isnt an empty stadium in the city (keep your Athletics attendance jokes to yourself), and it also means it gives the city time to put something together to keep the team in Oakland. While it looks like ownership wants out, if Oakland can present something viable that would prevent the train wreck that could happen in San Jose, then the league might push them towards staying in town.
Rays stadium sit down set for January
The Tampa Bay Rays stadium situation seems to be at a standstill but that doesnt mean the team and local politicians cant get together to talk about it. With that, the Pinellas County Commission has scheduled a tentative date of Jan. 29, 2013, to talk publicly with the Rays about Tropicana Field and their pursuit of a new ballpark. This question-and-answer session has been in the works for a while now, and both St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster and the St. Petersburg city council are invited.
It will be interesting to see if anything actually gets done. Foster continues to hold the Rays to the terms of their lease by not letting them talk to anyone else about a new stadium, while Rays ownership says it wont consider something new in St. Petersburg until the team is allowed to look elsewhere, as well. This meeting could be a lot of noise, but that doesnt mean it wont be worth watching to see what could come out of it.
Minor league wrap
There were a couple of interesting minor league stories out on the wire. First off, we have the quest of a minor league player whos now a minor league executive. Ryan Kiels career ended after he suffered an elbow injury, but now hes back in the game after he was hired to be the general manager of the Pulaski Mariners, a team he had played for just a few years ago.
Kiel was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2010, and after spending time with four minor league teams, his season prematurely ended after the elbow problems. He got the job offer after going to the Winter Meetings and making a serious pitch at the PBEO Job Fair thats held there.
Also interesting is a story about how minor league players have embraced Twitter. More and more players have warmed to the the social media platform, and it gives fans a more intimate way to follow their favorite players.
Brian Borawski is a member of SABRs Business of Baseball Committee and writes about the Detroit Tigers at his own website, TigerBlog. He welcomes comments, questions and suggestions via e-mail.
Read more great baseball stuff at The Hardball Times.
EMU Hosts Siena Heights for Final Game of 2012
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University mens basketball team will take on its third National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) institution of the season Friday, Dec. 28, when it plays host to the Siena Heights University Saints.
This post-Christmas matchup will be the first between Siena Heights and the Eagles. Although there are just 37.0 miles between the Convocation Center and Adrian, Mich. where Siena Heights is located, the two teams have never met.
FINDING THE GAME AT HOME: The Eagles matchup with the Saints will be broadcast on WEMU (89.1 FM). Veteran play-by-play voice Chad Bush will be on the call with EMU Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner as the color commentator for the game.
However, the game will also be available for viewing on Eagle All-Access. Eagles All-Access is a subscription-based format in which subscribers can pay for 24-hour access, a monthly pass or a yearly pass to watch all EMU athletic events streamed live.
ALL-TIME VERSUS SIENA HEIGHTS: The Eagles will take on another in-state competitor Friday, Dec. 28. Eastern will square off with the Siena Heights University Saints. This is the first time that EMU and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) institution have faced off on the hardwood.
ALMOST SOME COMEBACK KIDS: Eastern almost came back from a 14-point deficit when hosting Oakland, Dec. 22. The Eagles were able to tie the game up when JR Sims hit one-of-two free throws with 18 seconds left on the clock. However, Ryan Bass of Oakland hit a jumper with just over a second left to give the Golden Grizzlies the win at the Convocation Center.
HAVE TO HIT THE FREE ONES: Free throw shooting proved to be the difference down the stretch in the Eagles loss to Oakland. Despite hitting 73.7 percent of its shots from the charity stripe in the second half, Eastern shot just 50 percent (3-of-6) from the line in the final minute of its first home loss of the 2012-13 campaign.
ROSS WITH A CAREER DAY: Freshman Jalen Ross posted 17 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals in the EMUs loss to Oakland. His 17 points almost doubled his previous career-high of nine points that he scored at No. 2 Michigan.
LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: EMU entered Saturdays game against Oakland looking to win their seventh-straight game at home to start the season. The last time the Green and White accomplished that feat was the 1997-98 season in which the Eagles rattled off ten straight home wins en route to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Eastern has won six straight at home to start a season twice since then, but has not been able to get to the lucky number seven.
FIRST HALF DROUGHTS: In the past two road contests, the Eagles have gone through major scoring droughts in the first twenty minutes of play. In the Windy City against UIC, the Green and White went over nine minutes without finding the basket. Against No. 2-ranked Michigan, Eastern got off to an early 6-2 lead before going nearly eight minutes until scoring its next points.
EARLY SEASON TESTS: The non-conference schedule has not been kind to the Eagles this season. Coach Rob Murphys squad has had to face two top-five teams on the road in No. 4 Syracuse, Dec. 3, and No. 2 Michigan, Dec. 20. Since games against ranked teams have been recorded (1995-96 season), Eastern Michigan has never faced a pair of the nations top-ten teams, let alone two top-five teams.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKS: As of the last NCAA statistical update (Dec. 16), the Eagles boasted the 27th-best scoring defense in the country at 57.6 points per game this season. EMU is also tied for 20th in the NCAA in blocked shots per game (5.6). Defensively, the Eagles hold their opponents to a 37.9 percent field goal percentage which is tied for 33rd in the country.
DaShonte Riley is tied for 20th in the nation for blocked shots per game (2.7).
KENTUCKY IS UP AHEAD: The Eagles will take on another nationally ranked institution Wednesday, Jan. 2, when they travel to Lexington, Ky. to take on the defending 2012 NCAA national champion University of Kentucky Wildcats. This will be the first meeting between Kentucky and Eastern Michigan.
An Epilogue to Hideki Matsui’s Career
May 2, 2011; Oakland CA, USA; Oakland Athletics teammates surround designated hitter Hideki Matsui (55) after scoring the walk-off home run for the win during the tenth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports