booklettersp

Bookletter #1 The book that I am reading is called The Summer Game, by Roger Angell. Roger Angell is a baseball journalist, as well as fanatic. His enthusiasm is apparent through his writing, where he gets excited about games and players, however also approaches the sport as something bigger than just a game. Angell sees the fans as imperitive to the game. He describes the men and women of all ages, watches them, and makes many observations. It's interesting because Angell talks about the two old men who he is sitting near, and notices their Middle Western accents, and takes note of their conversation. I like how Angell also involves the people around him in his book because then it seems more like a story as opposed to just a history book of a bunch of baseball games. Angell also makes a point to say how he, and all of the fans alike, do not only have a passion for the game in common, but also "something more painful and just as obvious" which is that none of the spectactors ever made it. They all share the same passion for the game, and all wish more than anything that they could be a part of it. Angell takes baseball and incorporates every other aspect of life in it. He relates music to box scores, which he refers to as "congnominal as well as mathematical." He also connects the names of the players to literature, claiming that there is no novelist so brilliant who can come up with "as tonic a name as Willie Mays or Duke Snider or Vida Blue." I agree with him, and in fact I believe that he makes a point about how life is often more remarkable or creative than anything one person can dream up. His fascination with the game also incorporates a fascination with the players themselves. He marvels at how players have the natural God-Given talent to bounce back and win multiple games in a row after not being heard from for years. He delights in watching the players before they get up to play super human for a game. Observing them joke with one another, or spit tobacco is interesting to Angell, and is part of the reason as to why he insists on attending game after game. Angell's writing is captivating as well as a good piece of baseball history. Coming from a house where baseball is practically the basis of life, such information helps me, as the "girl" develop a greater interest in the game, because it exposes more than just the game, but also the fans and players that bring it to life.

Bookletter#2

Bookletter #2

In this section of the book, one thing that really stuck out in my mind was Angell's analysis and description of the Mets. The Mets are a new team out of New York who are trying to gain some ground in Major League Baseball. Angell documents what he sees as he watches the Mets play for the first time, and honestly, at first it's truly disheartening. Angell has been hesitant, up until this point, to go see the Mets, however after he hears about their astonishing comebacks by winning both ends of a doubleheader in Milwaukee, he decides that it is time to go and see "those amazin' Mets." He was astonished to see the huge turnout of fans, and in my reading, I too, was astonished. 56,000 or so people had shown up to see this new baseball team play. These numbers can exemplify how much baseball means to the public, and how many people are willing to be a support system for a new team struggling to get on their feet. The turnout gives hope to the team, and adds extra energy to the team as they play. The Mets at the beginning of the game are losing, in a highly embarassing way with a score of 10-0 against the Dodgers. As soon as one home run is hit in favor the of the Mets, however, the fans explode. They cheer and try and get the Mets to rally and make a comeback, which is nearly impossible, but they still have hope. Some of the ball players themselves seem almost nervous by the racket being made by the fans, however when reading this section, I absolutely loved it. Despite the fact that the Mets were losing so horribly the fans never lost their hope and gave the Mets an extra confidence boost. Their love of the game, and enthusiasm was more powerful than the 13 runs scored by the Dodgers, and I loved how Angell portrayed this enthusiasm in his writing. Angell also talks about the amazing baseball that the Mets play. He says that "it is safe to assume that the Mets are going to lose, but dangerous to assume they won't startle you in the process." In one of the games that Angell watches the Mets play, they make a triple play, which in baseball, is virtually unheard of. Another observation Angell makes, is the difference between the Mets fans and the Yankees fans. He describes the Yankees fans as stuck up, and with an air of supremacy. Personally, I get a sense of triumph out of this observation, because I am a devout Red Sox fan, who has always hated the way the Yankees fans bathe in their constant glory. He describes the Mets fans as people who watch baseball more for the love of the game, than for the love of their teams success. They became superstitious because of the team’s failures their first season, however their devotion never falters. The fans have become a story within themselves in the baseball world, and are even named “The New Breed” because of their crazy antics and undying love for their team. The Mets are still being molded as a team, as well as being defined and their fans are helping them do this.

Bookletter #3

Bookletter #3

My favorite chapter of The Summer Game by the end of this book is "The Flowering and Susequent Deflowering of New England." This chapter is all about Boston, and of course, the Red Sox. The reason why this is my favorite chapter is because I can completely relate to it because it is about the only team in baseball that I actually follow, or really have a clue about. It voices the frustration that Red Sox fans have been facing for years, and how every Red Sox fan has grown up with “that dour Indian-pudding taste in his mouth.” He describes how every person in New England, no matter who they may be, hears and talks about the Red Sox games. They all eat, sleep, and breath Red Sox baseball, and their moods depend on the score of the game that day. Whether it be fishermen, hikers, hospital patients, or sailors everyone is a part of what we refer to today as Red Sox nation, and Angell perfectly captures this mood and sense of belonging. He also talks about the close games and leads the Red Sox held, or tried to attain. For example in 1966 he illustrates the struggle between the Red Sox, Twins, Tigers, and Bears “clawed and clung to eachother” for over two months in the closest race in the history of the pennant. In the year that Angell is writing about, the Sox were initially looking very unfortunate. Having finished in ninth place the year before, the thought of making it to the World Series was very far fetched, despite the scraps of talent that presented themselves throughout the season. In respect to the situation of the Sox Angell says: “Reasonable cannot be constructed out of such a sad pile of feathers, but the lifelong Red Sox fan is not a reasonable man.” Angell’s observation could not be more correct. Even the most miserable, hopeless group of men who make up the Red Sox can still expect every fan to be full of hope, and willing to cheer that team through every single game. The Red Sox have an uncanny ability to come back from the worst states, to pull out some very unexpected, but very memorable victories, thus always giving the fans hope for years to come. Angell recounts every time the Red Sox have had an unexpected success, and finds a way to make that success seem miniscule, perhaps by all of the other mistakes that player had made. However, the Boston fans seem to forget these mistakes, and refuse to give up hope on their team. This hope was rewarded this year, for the Red Sox slowly started climbing out of the hole that they had dug for themselves. They brought in some new players, and some old players started showing the talent that they had only shown glimpses of in the past. However, with typical Red Sox luck, one of the top hitters, who happened to also be a key right fielder, Tony Conigliaro was struck with a pitch on his cheek bone ending his season. This seemed to be the end of the Red Sox winning streak, however, by some crazy twist of fate the Red Sox managed to come back from losing a game 8-0 to scraping up a 9-8 win, thus placing them right behind the top spot. This chapters tales of hope lost and hope regained, over and over, is thrilling and interesting. It perfectly embodies the Red Sox, and ironically shows the pattern that every Red Sox fan has been seeing since birth over many, many years, despite the fact that the players are no longer the same.

Quarter 2 The true meaning of Thanksgiving

Every year Wellesley High School has a half day on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Classes are shortened to an effect twenty minutes where vast amounts of learning takes place. The last hour or so of the day is spent with all elven hundred children, as well as faculty, congregating in the lower gym where many students get to lounge on the luxurious gym floor and watch the pep rally preceedings. Wellesley High is notorious for its phenominal education and range of extracurriculars that it offers, which is exemplified through the remarkably creative and well choreographed dance they perform. The senior men also get the opportunity to perform a dance for their peers. This is normally a tradition, however last year the seniors were not able to pull themselves together in an organized fashion, disappointing the rest of the students. "I was pretty angry, and seriously considered walking out in protest" exclaims Lauren Docktor, '09. This year, those performing the dance are being sure that they do not show too much skin or too many chest hairs, in fear of their dance being deemed inappropriate. The seniors on the football team also get special recognition, where a few select players introduce each of the others one at a time, and highlight their most admirable characteristics. Last year, the teams "ladies man" got a particularly raucous appraisal from the audience. On Thanksgiving day, not only the high school students, but the whole Wellesley Community watches the annual Needham vs. Wellesley football game. The Needham/Wellesley Rivalry closely resembles those seen on the frontiers, where family rivalries lasted forever and the reason for the rivalry is by no means discernible. The game is imperative to the survival of every Wellesley student, for a loss can only be met with shame and will haunt the players for years to come. After all is said and done, the football game over, the tears from the losing team shed, the families of Wellesley return home to deal with all of those other trials that Thanksgiving entails such as spending time with friends and family and whatnot.

Columbia Scholastic Press Review Portfolio Project

The Bradford does a good job of incorporating many points of views of various students of Wellesley High School. In reading the paper, there are interviews from people of every grade, gender, and "social circle." The student body is well represented; however, staff point of views seem to be lacking. The staff at Wellesley High is just as much a member of the WHS community as any of the students are. It would be interesting to get their points of view. They often are very opinionated about current issues at hand, and may be able to provide a fresh viewpoint that none of the students have expressed. The only way to gain such information is, of course, to do further interviews that involve the staff. For some students this may be going outside a comfort zone; however, it may also broaden the Bradford’s horizons. The articles do a good job of expressing both viewpoints. The editorials particularly work to show two different vantage points of prominent issues. The editorials in response to the “Way Club” did an especially good job of giving two, well thought out and highly argumentative sides of the issue. In terms of writing the Bradford does a solid job on all aspects. The editors stress that the writers do not include any bias despite how easy it may be to include one. The leads are well done because they vary significantly, and no two sound alike. The paragraphs could probably be shorter if the writers know where they can start a new one. For the most part, the articles are not unnecessarily wordy, and stay on subject. They explain their topic thoroughly and precisely which is a very strong point in the Bradford. The headlines are probably the weakest part of the writing of the paper. None of the headlines particularly caught my interest, and he fact that they are all the same size makes it seem like each article is of equal importance. When coming up with ideas for headlines, writers should think about what would peak their own interests. The graphics themselves are good. The captions, however, could use some work. One major thing that stuck out when looking over the Bradford, was that there were some pictures of people with incorrect names. Many of the action shots are good quality as well as accurate portrayal of the sport being played. Some of the pictures of teachers are borderline mug shot. The number of pictures is good because they do not take up more space than the articles themselves; however, there is a variety of shots which are strategically placed throughout the paper that can get the readers attention. In terms of production and distribution of the paper, it seems as though both are more than adequate. The paper comes out every month on time and every student has an opportunity to see the Bradford. A suggestion may be that the English teachers get multiple copies that they can hand out to their students—at the end of class of course

Portfolio Project #2, Quarter III

City & Region 3/13

Students face caps in city housing In harsh job markets, tech companies an oasis State seeks crackdown on abuse of medication Clothesline rule creates flap Patrick's Casino plan seen losing backers States suspends obstetrician's license Governor moves to halt labor scuffaws Government never told widow of husband's slaying, she says Battle to keep strip clubs out energizes residents in Milford Troubling deja vu Bias probe targets Framingham House hikes pay of revenue leaders State health council bans trinkets containing lead Health leaders seek to change payment system 22 marines to salute comrade with visit Harvard student, applicant files breached

Harvard student applicant files breached- This article explains that Harvard University's server was hijacked recently, and that its students' personal information may not be completely safe. I think that this is a very interesting idea that we could cover in the Bradford because we could investigate just how much of our own personal information the school has. How safe is all of this information? Also too, we could investigate how much information students believe the school should have. What would it take for our school's server to be hacked into?

Battle to keep strip clubs out energizes residents in Milford- Although something such as a "strip club" may be a little far-fetched and racy, I still feel as though the strip club that may potentially be in Milford represents the coming of a new era. Milford is a suburb such as Wellesley and the fact that a strip club is taking shape in it is potentially very controversial and upsetting. In Wellesley we see the town changing, and larger companies and businesses moving in. We could interview students at WHS about how they feel about the town changing, and where do they see it going? Also too, parents and teachers may be interesting to talk to, to see how they would react if something almost as controversial as a strip club was proposed.

3/14

Street mix up delays police response to slaying President weakens espionage oversight No Big Dog copycats Clinton role in health program disputed TV scene stealer is new star of iTunes generation Tension's flare over Patrick's casino plan City, lawyers go to bat for homeowners A long winded debate Students and realtors slam limits FBI never apologized, son testified Firefighter flier hits Menino on LNG plan Acela train kills workers For bioterror lab, a long road is seen Former court worker in OxyContin sale Boston bans use of transfat in restaurants Assault charges dropped for Natick candidate Serial rapist sentenced 35 to 40 years

Boston bans use of transfat in restaurants: This would be a very interesting article to use for ideas for the Bradford because it effects our school. I do not know if Wellesley High School does in fact use transfat in its foods, but now it will not be allowed to. We could investigate this in the school and see if our school uses it, and see what they plan to do to the food in Wellesley to change it for the better. Will some foods have to be cut out completely? Will some foods change in flavor or consistency? Also, how will this effect the health of the students at school, and will it in fact make a difference may be interesting to investigate.

TV scene stealer is new star of iTunes generation: This article is about a song that is 23 years old, called "Hallelejah." Hallelujah is now one of the most top downloaded songs on iTunes because of the number of TV shows that it has been seen in. This is interesting because it shows the popularity and influence TV holds over its audience. Something that may be interesting for the Bradford to investigate is how much students at Wellesley are influenced by television. How much of what they do is connected to the television programs that they watch, from hearing new songs, to planning a student's day around his or her favorite TV show.

3/15

Today's lesson: courage Proposal could calm storm over wind farm South end getting (a lot) younger Officials probe case of family in squalor Davis changes protocol for 911 calls Forgotten, but not gone Judge says police defied his order on Drumgold Amtrak trains strike 2 more, killing man in New Hampshire In baby business, what are the rules? 2 in gang lose bid for new trial in killings Nurse to give up license in narcotic perscription case SJC voids decision by sex offender board MacDowell artists' colony keeps its tax break Vt. high court upholds ex-partner's visitation rights

Today's lesson: Courage: This story is about a fourth grade teacher who is going to fight in Iraq. He talks to his students about leaving, and also voices concern about the fact that many kids don't know what goes on in Iraq because of how little they are told in school, and how little their parents know. Although Iraq has been a very hot issue, how many kids actually know what's going on there? What are their opinions and beliefs about the war? Is there something the Bradford should do to educate kids about the war and tell them things that they should probably know, considering all of the seniors and many of the juniors will be able to vote next year.

Nurse to give up license in narcotic perscription case: This article is about a nurse in Needham who was handing out multiple perscriptions to narcotic addicts. This is interesting because although we have looked into drugs such as marijuana, we have not looked into perscription drugs that kids may be able to get their hands on much more easily. What are the effects of these drugs, how common are they, and how do kids get their hands on them?

3/16

Less affluent areas see increase in teen births The game goes on Blackboard specials For closed parish, a prayer answered Hub officer is arrested in Georgia Veterans recall horrors of war in live broadcast Tunnels to stay dirt-caked for now Men get prison in '05 home invasion, rape Police say woman, 92, died after her clothes caught fire Bone marrow drive held in memory of journalist Gardener museum chief repeats reward offer Man who gave gun to friend sentenced Residents are voting down spending items accross N.H. Learning about the teacher who gets on a soapbox Nazi persecution on gays is explored in exhibit at URI

Less affluent areas see increase in teen births: This article explains that for the first time in 15 years statistics are showing that there is an increase in teen pregnancies. In Wellesley, teen pregnancies are not very common, although some girls do chose to have children. One has to question how the atmosphere in which teenagers grow up influences whether or not they make the choice to have a child, and we could investigate the statistics in other towns.

Learning about the teacher who gets on a soapbox: This is a Q&A about teachers and how they press their political views. In schools teachers are not supposed to influence their students one way or another when it comes to politics, but what exactly does that mean? Should a teacher conceal his or her views completely to his or her students, or merely express them without forcing them upon anybody. This could make for an interesting editorial which supports either side.

3/17

From Guinness to green teas Northeastern to alter loan program Singing, dancing, light sparring flavor St. Patrick's Day breakfast Accross region, call of the wolves Massachusetts dean of transit history dies The fading of the green Blaze destroys vacant home in Brookline Mayor to seek $197.5m for Newton school Police seek driver who struck female FBI probes potential hate crime near college Boston parades its Irish pride

Singing, dancing, light sparring flavor St. Patrick's Day breakfast: This article is about St. Patrick's day festivities, and a traditional breakfast. The Bradford could take a poll about who celebrates St. Patrick's day, how many Irish people actually attend Wellesley High, and some favorite St Patty's day traditions. We could also do this for any other festive holiday.

Northeastern to alter loan program: This article is about how Northeastern University is going to help make loans more available. I think that this would be an interesting article to cover in the Bradford, because it could provide students with knowledge about loans and how accessible they are. There are probably many students who may consider not going to college because of the costs, which a loan would be able to take care of.

3/18

Casino no done deal for tribal leaders Bilingual teachers wanted Man gets 25 years in failed robbery Education officials reassure students A serious case of pulp friction Mass. State lottery expands availability of Keno Rush-hour manhunt for terrorists on T revealed as mistake A lucky break for city, state employees Dimasi urges spending on 'green' jobs 2 more children die from influenza in severe year for Mass Harvard student is killed by a truck in crosswalk Casino hearing is set for today Wellesley couple found dead in home Task force targets trafficking, abuse in prostitution rings 8-hour standoff ends with Lynn man dead

Bilingual teachers wanted: This is an article about teachers who are being sought after that can speak both Spanish and English. They are in high demand, because people hope that they will help boost the success of Latino students. This may be something that could be interesting to cover in the Bradford because we may be able to see if teachers that speak more than one language can, in fact, help certain groups of students in certain areas. Does the language pertain to the group of students? How would this make an impact at all?

Wellesley couple found dead in home: This article is about an elderly couple who died in their home because of carbon monoxide poisoning. This is interesting because it's about something that happened right in our town. We could investigate their deaths, or merely things around the home that one should be aware of, such as a running car in a closed garage.

3/19

Patrick fights odds on casino DiMasi's stance strains old neighborhood ties Seeing double in quest to map Boston's roads Routes of confusion TVs at Mass Pike gas stations get mixed receptions from gas stations Turnpike managers struggle for plan B Harvard Law plan good news for public sector School bus vandalism forces Falmouth to cancel classes Man held after bomb is found in home Everett school chief accused again Man says he was tricked into plea Patrick urges passing of CORI reform bill Police search for suspect in shooting of two Strange odor diverts plane to Logan Report says human error probably caused train crash Turnpike U-Turn to be opened to public Man sentenced to prison in fatal liposuction case

Everett school chief accused again: The superintendant of Everett's school has been accused of using school supplies and employees for his own personal home improvement. This may be something that is interesting for the Bradford, because we could see exactly where our school supplies and funding are going, and how a superintendent could get hold of such resources. We could also see if students feel as though there is some sort of "corruption" that goes on in Wellesley High, or how our town and school would react to such an issue.

School bus vandalism forces Falmouth to cancel classes: In Falmouth, all of the school buses were found with slashed tires. All of the classes were canceled because the buses transport somewhere around 4,000 children. This is interesting because it is a story about schools and a crisis that a school is facing. The Bradford could cover a story like this by finding out just how many kids rely on buses, their accessibility when they are not in operation, and what our school would do in such a situation.