Rivalry resumes in San Francisco

     The intensifying rivalry between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants resumed this weekend with the Giants taking 2 of 3 from the snakes at AT&T Park on the shores of McCovey Cove in San Francsico.

     San Francisco's Jonathan Sanchez helped end the Giant's six-game losing streak by pitching 6 2/3 two-hit shutout ball against Arizona and formidable starter Dan Haren on Friday. Haren allowed one run on five hits while striking out six and walking none. Sanchez, in addition to two hits, gave up four walks and four punch outs.

     Saturday was reigning Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum's day as he recorded a no-decision with a career-high-tying 13 strikeouts and no walks. Lincecum surrendered only five hits and no runs. However, Giant's relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson gave up one run apiece in the ninth, and the Giants lost 2-0. Arizona's Doug Davis gave up no runs on eight hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

     Finally, in series closer, Giant's starter Randy Johnson pitched a one-hit shutout against Arizona's young Max Scherzer as the Big Unit recorded his 296th career win of 2-0 over the D'backs. Johnson gave up one hit, one walk and seven strikeouts. Scherzer allowed one run on three hits with four walks and six strikeouts.

     These statistics illustrate the blossoming rivalry between the two National League West ball clubs that flourishes in the pitching staves, not the offense. Last season, the Diamondbacks and the Giants played each other in five different series. Arizona swept three of the series, and the Giants swept the other two. That set the stage for the war to continue between the two pitching dominated teams.

     Now, in the first series of the season in which the two play eachother, that pitching-heavy dominance is ever more apparent. Arizona boasts Cy Young winner Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Doug Davis and a strong bull pen that held the Giants to a mere four runs in three games. San Francisco has three Cy Young winners in Randy Johnson, Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum, as well as their two other hurlers Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez, both of whom have had excellent starts so far this year. The main shortfall of the Giants in 2008 was the team's weak bullpen, which has been bolstered in 2009 by the additions of Jeremy Affeldt and Bob Howry.

     For many, pitching is the most exciting part of baseball. For Arizona and Giants fans where the two teams have more pitching than power hitting, pitching ends up determining almost all of the decisions against each other. This series was decided in three consecutive pitchers' duels that resulted in only six runs being scored in three games by both teams combined. This is surely a beautiful continuation of a rivalry that is both riveting and, unlike the Giants-Dodgers or Giants-As rivalries which are vicious and malicious, good-natured. 

     Giants and Diamondbacks play each other again this Friday in Arizona in a three game series before the Giants head home again to play the hated Los Angeles Dodgers

World Baseball Classic comes to the wire

     In the electrifying conclusion to the second World Baseball Classic, Ichiro Suzuki led Japan to its second tournament championship 5-3 victory over South Korea Monday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. 

     Ichiro went four for six with a clutch two out, two RBI double in the 10th inning to break a 3-3 tie with Asian baseball rivals South Korea. Ichiro's hit came after Japanese reliever Yu Darvish blew a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning by surrendering two walks and a single before striking out all three outs in the inning.

     Darvish went into the bottom of the 10th with 5-3 lead and, after walking the leadoff man again, recorded two more strikeouts, the last being the final out of the game. Darvish's performance capped a night of absolute stellar pitching from both nations' pitching staffs. Hisashi Iwakuma pitched a four-hit, two run game into the eighth for Japan, recording six strikeouts with virtually unhitable breaking pitches. Korea's Jung Keun Bong went four innings and gave up only one run and six hits, keeping his tournament ERA under 1.00. Every pitcher in that made an appearance Monday night threw low to mid 90s fastballs augmented with sharp sliders, top-to-bottom curveballs, and the occasional change-up.

     But the real drama of the evening revolved around one man: Ichiro. Ichiro's hit in the top of the 10th not only solidified Japan as champions for its second WBC in a row but also showed the world why Ichiro is already considered a baseball legend. After having a mediocre tournament coming into Monday's game, Ichiro boosted his average from .220 to .280 with four hits and two game-winning RBIs.

     The World Baseball Classic is a very new tournament that begins in four different areas across the globe. Nations send their best professional players to compete, making this competition much more intense than the Olympic baseball competition that only permits amateur players to compete. Critics in the United States claim that the Classic disrupts Major League Baseball teams' spring training which takes place from late February to early April. I find that, despite the fact that many leave their MLB clubs to participate in the WBC and are not with their team for some time, this worldwide competition is a breath of fresh air in the baseball world. It is a joy to watch professional players from the Major Leagues serve their respective countries alongside unknown international talent in fierce competition for worldwide dominance.

     Monday night's conclusion to the long tournament is a perfect example of good baseball. The rivalry between Japan and Korea is as big in Asia as the Yankees/Red Sox or the Giants/Dodgers rivalries here in the states. These two scrappy teams met tonight in the final and battled down to the wire, coming to a tie in the ninth and prompting an extra inning. The pitching was outstanding from both teams and, though Japan dominated the hitting game with 15 hits to Korea's five, the game was a true nail-biter down to the last out. I hope the the World Baseball Classic gains momentum here in the United States as it has elsewhere in the world, as that this level of international competition serves the greater good of baseball and is a wonderful addition to the world of sports.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...

     In March 15 Associated Press article, "Things are bleak in journalism", writer David Bauder points out that, though newspapers are dying out and the mediums of reporting are changing drastically, journalism is far from dead.

     In the Project for Excellence in Journalism's sixth annual State of the News Media report, it appears "bleak" for journalists everywhere. Print readership is lower than ever, newspaper corporations are filing bankruptcy one after another, and local television is facing serious drops in ratings; it seems that journalism may be in its final years.

     However, Bauder asserts that this is not necessarily the case. Though print journalism on its last legs, many papers have amassed more readers than ever when online readership is taken into account. As local TV ratings drop, cable news stations have seen a boom in the last few years. Such statistics illustrate that news itself is not dying out, but the means by which one gets it are changing forever.

     I come from a family of journalists. Both of my parents work for the Sacramento Bee, and, as a result, I have personally seen the impact of the changing news mediums. My parents and their colleagues have faced massive layoffs these last couple of years. Benefits have been taken away. Retirement has been wiped out. Even their cafeteria and library were shut down. Thankfully, both my parents have kept their jobs. Most of their friends, however, were either bought out or fired after, in some cases, decades of service to The Bee. For many of these unlucky individuals, this has been truly devastating.

     Despite this bleak professional landscape that stretches before me as I stand at the very beginning of my own journalism career, I am not afraid. As Bauder points out, the world still need journalists, and journalists must embrace the new ways to get the news to the world. My generation will be the one that embraces these changes. We have been primed from early ages to use computers religiously and to accept the internet with all its opportunities and complexities as an integral part of life. As a result, we, the new journalists, are ready to excel where other generations have not. Though the state of the news media may be bleak now, it will not be forever. For this reason, I am not afraid.

"Self-Entitled" students battling for better grades

     In his Feb. 17th New York Times article, "Student expectations seen as causing grade disputes," Max Roosevelt discusses professors' and students' modern expectations about college grades.

     "James Hogge, associate dean of the Peabody School of Education at Vanderbilt University , said: 'Students often confuse the level of effort with the quality of work. There is a mentality in students that "if I work hard, I deserve a high grade,"' Roosevelt writes. 

     This sense of "entitlement," as many teachers are calling it, results in students' confusion and dissatisfaction with below average achievement in classes. Where professors judge performance in a class by the quality of the work, students often feel that effort alone is sufficient for an above average grade. 

     Roosevelt goes on to quote Professor Ellen Greenberger, who claims "that the sense of entitlement could be related to increased parental pressure, competition among peers and family members and a heightened sense of achievement anxiety." These factors, coupled with the decreasing number of jobs and admissions to schools, cause students to search for a formulaic ways to attain good grades rather than immersing themselves in the class material and performing well out of interest and desire to learn.

     Some students do not deny their high expectations when it comes to grades. "Sarah Kinn, a junior English major at the University of Vermont, agreed, saying, 'I feel that if I do all of the readings and attend class regularly that I should be able to achieve a grade of at least a B,'" Roosevelt writes. Such an attitude could be taken as a sense of "entitlement" to good grades. It could also be interpreted as a way to stay afloat in an academic environment that has become more competitive and exclusive than ever before. 

     Both views have merit. First and foremost, the purpose of education and grades in general is to measure in a universal manner the quality of a students' work and their mastery of a particular subject. Simply attending class and completing the reading does not demonstrate a complete understanding of a subject. For general education classes, this is not as important; however, if students approach classes in their major as such and forsake in depth mastery of a subject for fulfillment of a grade requirement, their understanding of their craft and career will suffer. It makes sense that grades be assigned based on test scores and essays. Attendance and homework are merely for learning, whereas writing and testing truly illustrate the level of comprehension a student has achieved.

     At the same time, students' struggle to find sure ways to get high grades is not born out of a sense of "entitlement," as many of Roosevelt's professor sources say. In the current academic system, the level of competition is unprecedented. Fewer admission spots are available to students and, even with a degree, even less jobs are available to graduates. In such an environment, it makes sense that students would attempt to find ways to ensure good grades. It is a drive to survive, not a sense of entitlement, that pushes students to succeed at any cost in the modern world of academia.

     Roosevelt's article seemed to focus more on the professors' perspectives and makes modern college students appear to be self-righteous grade mongers. This being said, it still holds that merely attending class and completing reading is not a good measure of an understanding of class material. As a result, I contend that professors have every right to disregard the effort a student puts into a class and instead focus on the quality of essays, test scores, presentations, and so on. Most of the time, putting in the effort to succeed results in success in a course anyways. It should be noted, though, that the intense drive to succeed is not merely a result of college students feeling that they necessarily deserve good grades, but is the result of varying socioeconomic conditions that have created the current state of the world, both academic and otherwise.

Local Sacramento cyclist stages a comeback

     Blair Anthony Robinson, in the Feb. 8 Sacramento Bee's "He raced like the wind- then came 5 years on the streets", writes about local cycling legend Chad Gerlach's astonishing return to the sport after a 5-year-long period of drug addiction and homelessness.

     The article details Gerlach's transition from a young cycling prodigy to a homeless drug addict on the streets of Sacramento. After being hailed as a future star of cycling at age 17, Gerlach's personal problems soon derailed his career. The intellectual and extremely athletic cyclist was repeatedly kicked off teams for his drug use and affairs with women. Eventually, he ended up on the streets, sleeping under bridges and panhandling for spare change in downtown Sacramento to buy crack cocaine and alcohol. Those who knew Gerlach during this dark period claimed that he was cocky and charismatic even when begging for change on the sidewalk.

     Now, at 35, Gerlach is making a miraculous comeback to professional cycling. He has apparently kicked his drug habits and is currently signed to a prestigious professional Italian team, training for his eventual return to the United States in late April.

     Chad's story is both shocking and inspiring. With the record number of homeless people in Sacramento, who would have imaged one of the men on the street asking for your change outside supermarkets and liquor stores was an ex-cycling legend that challenged Lance Armstrong back in the day. Most people in such a situation would continue their downward spiral of addiction and depravity. Gerlach, however, made a complete turnaround and will be ready to make his triumphant return to his Sacramento home by the end of Spring. Such a case is rare and inspiring. Where most drug stories end with death and despair, this story, though far from over, seems as if it will not. This Sacramento man may once again rise to greatness and reclaim his place among the cycling elite.

Super Bowl XLIII

On Feb. 1st, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers prevailed over the Arizona Cardinals to win 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII. The game was arguably one of the closest and most riveting in Super Bowl history, hailed by many sportswriters to be 'one for the ages.' In the final seven and a half minutes to play, the Cardinals rallied from a 20-13 deficit to score 16 unanswered points and gain the lead. However, with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led a scoring drive from the Steelers' own 17 yard line and connected with Santonio Holmes for the winning touchdown with 35 seconds left in the game. 

The game marks yet another nail-biting Super Bowl that have been common within the last decade. Super Bowl XLIII drew almost approximately 95,000 viewers, making it the third most watched event on television behind the series finale of M*A*S*H and last year's Super Bowl between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, which tops the list at over 97,000 viewers.

This event is newsworthy because, as evidenced by the numbers, it is relevant to so many people. Year after year, the Super Bowl becomes a bigger and bigger deal. The last two successive years have drawn almost 100,000 viewers each. Many of those those are not even football fans or do not even care who is playing. Many are in it for strictly financial reasons: the legal Nevada sports books handled $81.5 million, a figure which represents only a fraction of the money that really changed hands about the game as that it fails to account for all illegal gambling. The "Big Game" has always been the biggest day in sports in the United States. Now, drawing more money and viewers than ever before, as well as celebrities from the entertainment, political and sports worlds alike, the Super Bowl has become an enormous cultural event that, if the trend of past years is at all evident, will continue to be close, captivating and, as always, hard-hitting.