Baseball... Every season turns out differently. Going into the year many teams are overlooked, but can turn out to be playoff contenders. The opposite can also happen, where a favorite to win the World Series ends up having a losing record. The 2008 season is already looking like it is going to be exciting with close races in most divisions, but you never know what will happen. Here are my predictions:
AL East
1. Boston Red Sox-The World Series champs haven't lost anybody important so far in the offseason, except for Curt Schilling (due to a shoulder injury). Jacoby Ellsbury will be taking over the starting job in centerfield after proving himself towards the end of the 2007 season. Dustin Pedroia, the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007, has locked up the second base position and will probably only get better. Their pitching is amazing. They have the right combination of veteran leadership and young talent on the mound to earn them a first place in the division.
2. New York Yankees-Another year, another strong roster. Their lineup looks as good as usual, especially with second baseman Robinson Cano hitting the prime of his career. Pitching could be an issue for them, as it has been recently. Some of their starters are too old, some are too young, and none of them have been consistent (except for Chien Ming-Wang). Second place looks like a lock.
3. Toronto Blue Jays-The Blue Jays are the most unfortunate team in baseball-they are stuck in the same division as two of the best teams in the entire league and never have enough to overtake either the Red Sox or the Yankees. Their hitters are always solid, but not as good as Boston or New York. Their pitching looks pretty good, but A.J. Burnett always seems to get hurt and Shawn Marcum and Dustin McGowan haven't proven themselves yet as major league starters. Closer B.J. Ryan is coming back from Tommy John surgery and will give the bullpen some help, but it won't be enough to finish 1st or 2nd.
4. Tampa Bay Rays-The Rays have another young team, full of potential, but will only succeed if each player reaches their potential early in the season. Getting rid of Delmon Young really hurts their lineup, and getting Jason Bartlett in return is only a downgrade at the shortstop position. Their pitching is shaky. They do have two solid starting pitchers, but their bullpen is flat out bad. The Rays are inexperienced and inconsistent and that is why they will land at 4th place in their division.
5. Baltimore Orioles-The Orioles don't really deserve to be talked about. They will be very, very bad.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Creative writing post #5
Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
source: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16947
2. I chose this poem because it uses a lot of good similes and comparisons and makes a good point. It talks about what happens if you do not go out and chase your dreams in a way that makes you never want to let another dream go ever again. I also know that a lot of people think Langston Hughes is a great poet which is another reason I chose this poem.
3. The title connects very well to the poem. A deferred dream is what this entire poem is about. The first line is, "What happens to a dream deferred?" The whole poem is the answer to that question in the mind of Langston Hughes.
4. Langston Hughes uses many poetic devices in this poem. Almost every line is a simile, and I would say the best one is when Hughes says, "Does it dry up, Like a raisin in the sun?" This really paints a very clear and interesting image in my mind. A raisin in the sun is really a gross image and none of us want our dreams to turn out like that. I think Hughes is saying that when you ignore a dream, it is no longer the same as it is when you come back to it. Another poetic device is alliteration. Hughes says, "Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet?" The "s" sound is repeated and really makes the poem flow well. It draws attention to that line because of the flow and I found that I remembered that line more than the others.
5. The tone, to me, seems slightly sad but I think it also gives readers a sense of urgency to achieve their dreams. Hughes is very successful in creating this tone due to the fact that he uses distinct images like a raisin in the sun or a festering sore. These images are often associated with sadness or pain, so it was a good idea to use them to prove his point.
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
source: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16947
2. I chose this poem because it uses a lot of good similes and comparisons and makes a good point. It talks about what happens if you do not go out and chase your dreams in a way that makes you never want to let another dream go ever again. I also know that a lot of people think Langston Hughes is a great poet which is another reason I chose this poem.
3. The title connects very well to the poem. A deferred dream is what this entire poem is about. The first line is, "What happens to a dream deferred?" The whole poem is the answer to that question in the mind of Langston Hughes.
4. Langston Hughes uses many poetic devices in this poem. Almost every line is a simile, and I would say the best one is when Hughes says, "Does it dry up, Like a raisin in the sun?" This really paints a very clear and interesting image in my mind. A raisin in the sun is really a gross image and none of us want our dreams to turn out like that. I think Hughes is saying that when you ignore a dream, it is no longer the same as it is when you come back to it. Another poetic device is alliteration. Hughes says, "Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet?" The "s" sound is repeated and really makes the poem flow well. It draws attention to that line because of the flow and I found that I remembered that line more than the others.
5. The tone, to me, seems slightly sad but I think it also gives readers a sense of urgency to achieve their dreams. Hughes is very successful in creating this tone due to the fact that he uses distinct images like a raisin in the sun or a festering sore. These images are often associated with sadness or pain, so it was a good idea to use them to prove his point.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Creative writing post #4
I don't really consider myself a great writer, however, I do occasionally like to write. I guess the things I like to write about most now would be sports or plays. I really didn't mind working on the play assignment that we did in class. It allowed me to come up with new ideas and make a plot flow together, and I wasn't restricted to the typical format of Intro, Body, Conclusion that I have to use so often. When I write about sports, it is basically through texting people about baseball or football games on TV. I don't know if that is really writing, but I think it's pretty fun. Most of the things I read about are sports related, too. I read a lot of articles on Yahoo! about baseball, football, and basketball, but that is about it. I am sad to say that outside of school, I don't read or write basically anything other than texting or sports articles.
Short play about things that bug me (whiney people, people that walk slow or stand still in the middle of hallways, homework):
Catie (standing in the middle of a hallway, talking to her friend Liz): Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I have to study for a stupid psychology test.
Liz (agreeing): Yeah. Studying is such a waste of time, how does psychology even affect us?
Catie: I don't know, I personally don't think that we will ever have to use any information from that class in our lives. Who even uses their brain?
Liz: That's soooo true. Do you wanna just drop it and take a study hall? I hear that Mrs. Benson is a really cool teacher.
Catie: Definitely.
People start bunching up around the two girls and become frustrated, especially a boy named Andrew
Andrew: Move it, we don't have all day to get to class! Some of us actually want to learn.
Catie: Sorry, but there's no point in going to school. We already know everything.
Andrew: Whatever.
Short play about things that bug me (whiney people, people that walk slow or stand still in the middle of hallways, homework):
Catie (standing in the middle of a hallway, talking to her friend Liz): Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I have to study for a stupid psychology test.
Liz (agreeing): Yeah. Studying is such a waste of time, how does psychology even affect us?
Catie: I don't know, I personally don't think that we will ever have to use any information from that class in our lives. Who even uses their brain?
Liz: That's soooo true. Do you wanna just drop it and take a study hall? I hear that Mrs. Benson is a really cool teacher.
Catie: Definitely.
People start bunching up around the two girls and become frustrated, especially a boy named Andrew
Andrew: Move it, we don't have all day to get to class! Some of us actually want to learn.
Catie: Sorry, but there's no point in going to school. We already know everything.
Andrew: Whatever.
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