Sectionals. BBYO Formal. Playoffs. 39.5 miles.

Hey sportsfans!

Tuesday night, the MB Whites took on Homewood in the final regular season game. This was tuneup a game for Em and her mates. Never in doubt. 11-1 at half. 19-4 at final whistle. Em scored six and assisted on three more scores. This win brought their record to 8-3-1 and sitting in the 3rd seed for the playoffs.

Coach Tim had the Altamont athletes primed and ready for Sectionals at Beauregard High School in Opelika this past weekend. This was a 2A-4A meet that featured some very talented track and field competitors. Almost twenty Altamont kids competed in Sectionals and just about everyone who competed did well enough to qualify for the State Finals track meet next weekend in Selma.

Sid did very well at this meet. She came in third in the high jump and earned a spot to compete in the State Finals.  Considering that she just started learning high jump back in February, I think she has done an outstanding job this year. She is improving each week. Coach Tim has taught her how to flop and all of the intricate moves of this event. Sid also competed in the long jump at this meet. Although she did not medal or qualify for State in the long jump, she showed some real promise while flying through the Opelika suburbs. Sid will high jump in the 2A Finals this upcoming Saturday in Selma.

Em competed in the 100, 200 and javelin at Sectionals. She really has not run much this year, but tried to help the team gain valuable points. Javelin is where she shined at this meet.

Em competed in the 2A javelin throw. Her beautiful arcing heave of 75'1" (new PR by more than ten feet) was good enough for second place at Sectionals and qualified her for the State meet. As usual, Em was competing against girls who are in high school. So proud of her efforts. She will throw this upcoming Friday morning in Selma.

After competing in Selma, we hurried back to town so Sid could get ready for the BBYO annual Formal. She was escorted by longtime pal Seth Perlman. What a good looking couple!

Sunday afternoon the MB Whites (#3 seed)  took on the MB Greens (#6 seed) in the first round of the lax playoffs. Battling against their friends in the pouring rain, the MB Whites pulled out the win in a close one. 11-9 was the score. Em did not score in the game but she did assist on five of the scores. Their record is now 9-3-1. The MB Whites will take on the Hoover/Huntsville winner this upcoming Tuesday night in round two. The winner of that game will play in the finals on Saturday afternoon.  

Aunt Sue recently completed the annual Avon Walk for breast cancer in Houston. She walked 39.5 miles last weekend to raise funds towards research to help find a cure. Way to go, Sue!  



After celebrating Israel's birthday at the LJCC, this baseball-loving (mostly) took in the Barons game on a

great spring afternoon. Excellent new ballpark in downtown Birmingham.

Having a good week: Happy birthdays to G-Money and Ellis. This year's Mr. Irrelevant of the NFL Draft is South Carolina tight end Justice Cunningham, taken with the 254th & final pick by the Indianapolis Colts. Former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, who suffered a serious knee injury in October that ended his college career, was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of Saturday's NFL Draft.  Heidi Langegger, mother of #1 NFL Draft pick Eric Fisher, finally fulfilled his son's wishes to retire from working at Volkswagen after 33 years.

Not having a good week:  All of the players who expected to be drafted in the first round, but fell to rounds 2 and 3. Too many to name.  The Oklahoma City Thunder say Russell Westbrook is out for the rest of the playoffs after he underwent surgery Saturday to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.

Sid's voice recital is the week. Dance recital is in two weeks.

Em is playing in a lax tourney in Roswell, Ga in a few weeks.

Finals are fast approaching. Busy, busy, busy. I would not trade it for anything.

Have a great week everyone!

The Sports Guy



Cruising with the MB Whites. Falkville Invitational. R.I.P. Herb (4/18/13 - 4/20/13).

Hey sportsfans!

Em's lax team (MB Whites) is finding a really good groove right now in their rec league season. They are playing with more purpose and seem to understand some of the strategies to be successful. With the last few games remaining before the playoffs, the team is looking to make a push up in the standings. Going into this week, the team is 3-3-1.  

During Monday afternoon the team took on Homewood Lady Patriots at Weygand Field in Homewood. Maybe due to playing five games in the previous three days, the team looked sluggish during the first several minutes of the game. Coach Scott called time out and chewed some hide. It must have worked because the team responded with three quick goals and made some nice stops on defense.

Em stepped it up a notch too. She recorded eight goals and assisted on four other scores. Isabella, Jennings, Lauren and Catherine all scored in the 20-10 win. Best offensive output of the season.

The next night, the team took on the Vestavia Lady Rebels at Sicard Hollow, but MB was  the home team. The fields at Rathmell were so beat up from the Dan Anderson boys tourney that they were left unplayable. I bet some of the fields need to be regraded and resodded. I wonder if the City of Mountain Brook will charge the costs to the Dan Anderson folks.  Anyway. Back to the games.

This was a great game. Two evenly matched teams playing some great lacrosse. The plays Coach Scott has been drilling on at practice are clicking. Excellent passing, catching, shooting and defending. Isabella and Em work really well together. Isabella is strong on the draws. She is able to muster the ball toward Em in the air for a quick start to the offensive plays. As a result of this good teamwork, Em contributed five goals and three assists, including one beautiful jump shot that the goalie never saw pass right by her right shoulder. The 12-9 win puts their record at 5-3-1 on the season.

Also on Tuesday night, after Em's game we hoofed it down 280 to the Sports Blast fields to watch Mack (birthday boy!) and his Springs mates take on Westminster in some strong soccer action. Mack displayed some excellent ball control on offense and was a brick wall while defending in his team's 1-0 victory. 

Saturday's track meet at the Falkville Invitational had special significance for Sidney. She competed with alot on her mind and with a heavy heart. At the time, her beloved betta fish, Herb, was struggling to hang in there while Sid was away competing in his honor. Below is what Herb kindof looked liked. No actual still photos exist of the real Herb. The second photo below is what Herb would have looked like had we taken him to a taxidermist.

In the 36 hours that Herb had been part of our family he had really bonded with certain members of the household, particularly with Sidney. It was Sid who rescued Herb from that quiet shelf  in the Pets Mart in Pelham as part of a "buy one, get one" free sale that Daveena and she discovered just a few days ago. Since then, Herb had been through a lot in his short, but fulfilled, life. However, it was the twenty-two miles of travel around the Birmingham metro area that proved to be just too much trauma for the young fella.

Several of the Altamont athletes competing in Falkville became particularly attached to the blueish betta. They even took time from their busy meet preparations to lend us their thoughts.

"He was a hullofa fish. Hellofa fish." exclaimed Miles as he walked away shaking his head and wiping away a tear. "I have allergies, you know."       

"Get away from me. I'm scared of pet fish and I'm trying to stretch!" screamed Stephen.

"I spilled my guts for that awesome fish! bellowed Pasche. It should be pointed out that it was Pasche who really gave it his all for this beloved fish. He left it all at the meet. Actually, not too far from the actual track.

"What is a Herb?" asked David.

Soon to be SGA Prez and the school's leading current shot putt-er and discuss throw-er , Justin "Don't debate me" Onwenu was reached on location at the Altamont Debate Club tourney. His response to learning about Herb's struggles, "How much does it cost to replace those things? Just add it to my campaign. We will call it entertainment. The auditors will know how to handle it. Sorry, Sid."

Sid honored Herb by placing his name on her left heal while she competed. (See below.) "Great idea to honor's Herb and his struggles." pontificated Coach Tim. As a 30-year track coach on the high school level, Coach Tim told us off tape that this was first time he had ever heard of such a touching tribute toward a pet. Or anything else.

Herb must have been with Sid at this meet. She finally earned her mark in competition by clearing 4'2" on her first attempt. Sid was interviewed after the meet and offered these insightful words about Herb: "He lifted me up, higher and higher. I floated like I've never floated before. What a great feeling! I will always love you, my sweet, sweet, Herb."

Herb, if you read this, and I know you will, please know that you will forever be remembered in the pages of the Weekly Sports Update.

While we were in Falkville (Fifteen miles north of Cullman. An hour north of Regions Park.), Em skipped this meet to play lax at Rathmell against those pesky Huntsville Rockets. This one was never in doubt. The MB Whites cruised to a 10-6 victory. Em chilled with two goals and two assists. The season record now stands at 6-3-1 with one more regular season game remaining before the playoffs.

Having a good week:  Auburn fans said goodbye to the two oak trees at Toomer's Corner with one more toilet paper celebration following the spring game on Saturday. Fans roll the poisoned oak trees at Toomer's Corner one final time following Auburn's spring game on Saturday. An A-day-record crowd of 83,401 watched the Orange team defeat the Blue squad 35-14 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Gus Malzahn's first spring game since he was hired to coach the Tigers. Thousands of fans then made their way over to drape toilet paper over the two frail, poison-infested oaks in a tribute that was more celebratory than somber.

Not having a good week:  The tragedy in Boston.
Must see video. Check out the crowd singing the anthem at the Boston Bruins game. Chills.

Big week for Em and Sid coming up. Sectionals in Opelika and spring voice recital are both on the calendar.
Playoffs are fast approaching for Em in the lax rec league.

Hopefully all the world's bad stuff from this week will not spill over to this upcoming week.
Have a great week everyone!
Happy birthday to Israel and The Doodle.
The Sports Guy

Lots of lax. Lots of trax. Lots of Barons. Lots of swearin'. (Not really.)

Hey sportsfans!

Just cannot beat those rascals from Oak Mountain. In a rematch against the toughest team in the league, the MB team took a 10-6 lead with ten minutes remaining, but could not make it stand up. While playing sometimes down two players the MB team played their hearts out. Like an avalanche that you just have to wait until it finishes, the OM attackers just scored at will in the final few minutes. Just could not stop them. Goalie play and back line defense seem to be areas the team needs to work on. Hopefully this will improve with more game experience. Em assisted three goals and won almost every draw. The loss brought their regular season record to 3-3-1.  

Professional baseball is back in downtown Birmingham after more than twenty-five years of playing in the Hoover suburbs, fifteen miles south of town. This past Wednesday night the B'ham Barons (AA club of the Chicago White Sox) christened their new park adjacent to Railroad Park in downtown. Regions Field is the newest project in a rebuilding and revitalization of the downtown area. A packed house of 8,505 was treated to a beautiful night in the Magic City as we rooted on the Barons in their 9-5 victory over the Mississippi Braves. The city has created a really nice atmosphere that has been sorely lacking for many years. As an added bonus we watched the post game fireworks from our backyard. We look forward to many more games this season.  

 

This past weekend was the Mountain Brook High School Invitational. Almost forty schools featuring 2100 athletes competed at this annual meet. Both girls competed in various track and field events. Friday afternoon Sid was entered into the high jump. She attempted to clear 4'6" in competition. Her technique is improving each week. She is looking forward to Sectionals in a few weeks.

Later on Friday night after Sid's meet, we took another game in the Barons/Braves series at the new park. Big fun at the 3-0 victory. Good eats. Good company. Good everything. Plus, in the middle of the sixth inning, Sid danced her way onto the big scoreboard in left for a brief appearance.  

Saturday was then a F-U-L-L day. While Sid was taking the ACT, we scooted back over to the MB Invitational  in the morning so Em could run in the 400. She did well, but did not place in the top qualifiers. With her hip injury improving each day, Em did not want to risk further aggravation so she gave her competitors some reason to feel good about their own runs.  

After her morning heat, we then crossed through Liberty Park (4x during the day) just in time for her lax team games against Gulf Breeze (Mississippi) Dolphins and the Lady Trojans from Marietta, Georgia. The combined MB team played in the 10th Dan Anderson Lacrosse Tourney against some select travel squads throughout the south.  The tournament really shows the rec league teams just how far they have to go to catch up the better teams. This difference is not lost of the more experienced players on the MB squad. Frustrating does not fully describe it.  Em scored four goals and assisted on three other scores in the two losses.

 

In the afternoon, Sid competed in the long jump. She set a PR at 11'9" and is improving each meet. Kindof cool that she was in the same flight as her good friend Rachel. For some reason the ASHAA offical had a hard time pronouncing Nomberg and Marcus.

After Sid's jumps, we returned to Siccard Hollow for Em's final game of the day. This game was against The Hotlanta Club that was comprised of girls from Atlanta and Chattanooga. This year around travel team put on a clinic on ball control. Em had one goal and two assists in the loss.

Then. They. Rested. 

On Sunday morning we trekked back over to the Sicard Hollow fields for Day 2 of the Dan Anderson. The girls played Ocean Springs, Mississippi in a very steady downpour that lasted all morning. This is a team MB beat earlier in the season. Em scored six goals in the 15-6 victory. This was their last game of pool play in the tourney. They did not qualify for the playoffs. Hopefully the team learned a lot from their mistakes and picked up some pointers against some superior squads.

After that game, Em wisely chose not to participate in the Braveheart competition. Last year she competed against a girl from the Lady Trojans. Em won the draw but missed her breakaway attempt on goal. This year she decided to let her hip rest after so much activity over the weekend.  

Having a good week: Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals men's hoops team. Well played. Have you seen how hot the Atlanta Braves are to start the season? 10-1 so far and led by their rookie hot-hitting catcher Evan Gattis who has 4 dingers so far. Nice job, Adam Scott. Captured his first Masters in a rain soaked playoff.

Not having a good week: Lakers athletic trainer Gary Vitti says it's expected that Kobe Bryant will need 6-9 months to fully recover from his Achilles injury, but that the plan is to have Bryant back next season.
San Diego Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin has been suspended eight games by MLB for charging the mound & breaking the collarbone of L.A. Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke during Thursday night's game. Quentin will appeal the suspension. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said about Carlos Quentin after the Padres hitter broke the left collarbone of pitcher Zack Greinke: "That's just stupid is what it is. He should not play a game until Greinke can pitch."

Did you see a fan at Safeco Field for Wednesday's Mariners vs. Astros game who caught a foul ball in his beer, then proceeded to chug down the rest of his drink? Check him out here: Ball meets beer. Beer wins.

More lax games, track meets, spring recitals and other good stuff in the following weeks.
Hope you have a great week everyone!
The Sports Guy