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Show 6- SEPTEMBER 192 WEDNESDAY, SPORTS - DIXIE SUN The hunt for October heats up in MLB Giants and Brewers, who will be fighting for their lives all on the road to close out the season. However, do not ' . discount the K Dodgers or the Rockies ? BY JARED BURTON Dixie Sun Sports Editor The Major League Baseball ,T playoff races are heating up in a big V f hurry with just less than two weeks left in the regular season. Lets start off with the National League and the races that are going on right there, r 1 V I ""'' 7 f The National League A I i 1 !' West, that A f A I which at times has looked like the weakest league in the world, A would 7 not ibecause anything can ... i ...U "V Boston Red Sox's Eric Hinske, left, slams into New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada but was called out during the sixth inning a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston Saturday. staring to look like one of the major powerhouses. Currently the two teams that are looking toward the finish line are the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres, who at the press time were down by just one game. The Diamondbacks look like they have the easier route to the playoffs as the Padres must face the VJ in and will happen when six teams are still actively in a race for the wildcard, and three of the six are playing in the West. In the East the New York Mets look like they will ultimately win the division as long as they no longer need to play the Phillies, who, as of press time, are still down 2.5 games back. The Phillies have destroyed A expect to see outside the 7 f champi on insur-mountabl- cur- rently 8 games back of the f division- -leading who are - rest - ' , C - s Ai f f f' ' because no matter what is going on in the wide world of sports it can and will be overshad- owed by any Red series that goes on. This is New York Mets' David Wright, right, is congratulated by Jose Reyes, left, on his two-ru- n home run against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning of their baseball game Sept. 10 my 1 world, whe' attentu; will land. The great thing about baseball is that - when any team g to the playof f all bets are It is your No. f ' AL East. This is at Shea Stadium. look- - of t v- f e against their N Make sure you watch the last wee. and a half to see your team comes oi smelling like a rose 1. , I li October. ; tV1 M cl: I $ 7 all-sta- I N ( t fe Jl' , There as been a lot of talk lately about trying to bring USA basketball to the top of the mountain, to where it used to be for so many years until steadily declining and taking an embarrassing spill at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, finishing with only a bronze medal. Only a bronze. But as I linewatched this r up of basketball titans run up and down the court I have to believe that we are nearing the head of the pack once more. Deron Williams threw a perfect entry-lof- t pass into behemoth Dwight Howard, who slammed down a dunk as Argentine defenders dripped off him. Michael Redd swished a , Team USA celebrates as they look forward to China in the 2008 Olympics. BY BROCK BYBEE Dixie Sun Staff Writer There are many beautiful and glorious things in the world today, things that cant possibly be described or expressed with words, things that as an individual you would feel more than lucky to experience or be a part of. I recently witnessed one of these glories for $30 and an hour and a half car ride, watching Team USA play in the FIBA tournament in Las Vegas. When heard that Team USA would be playing a mere 109 miles away from where we live here in St. George, I began frothing at the mouth. Such an experience was one that I could not pass up at all. I dont know who in their right mind would overlook and not want to witI ness. the earliest of ages, I took up the sport of basketball and lived off At it like it was my life-givin- g breath. Players like Jordan, Shaq, Stockton and Malone decorated my walls and were my boyhood idols as I practiced and practiced in hopes of one day creating my own legacy on the hallowed courts of Boston Garden or Chicago Stadium But I grew up and gave up the dream as the rest of all of us wishful-thinkinkids do, and in turn became more of a fan tracking down the new players and teams. To be able to see the legends of today such as Lebron, Carmelo, Amare, and my own personal favorite, Kobe Bryant, in person for only $30 was just too much to pass up. There was something not right about this situation. There was no way I could be this lucky. No possible way. There had to be a catch. But as I dozed off in the backseat of my friends car on the way down, the excitement began to build in me like a young child on Christmas Eve with the thoughts of sugarplums and dancing in my head. Its one thing to see a game on TV. I have seen hundreds, if not thousands of games on television. I have watched the players I was going to see that night play on multiple occasions in repeated forms. This game was nothing new to me. I knew the lineups like the back of my hand, and the men playing were about as close to me as my little sisters. But there is something completely different about watching them live and in person. In person, they are actually there in front of you You can see them as real objects Maybe its the whole understanding that you are actually seeing them as real human beings and not iconic sports superstars digitalsemi-psychot- alley-oop- s ly on HDTV. Whatever it is, to see these basketball geniuses perform before my own eyes was an experience too surreal to describe. The game itself was a completely different game to watch. The fluidity of their passing, their movement, their understanding of where each other was on the court was beyond perfect. On one play Chauncey Billups threw an alley-oopass to Carmelo after just crossline, ing the and the pass was directly on target. Another play occurred when Bryant took an outlet pass, dribbled behind his back past two Argentine defenders, came down on a fast break, drove the lane, and threw a flawless bowed my head in reverence at the man who had guided my Duke Blue Devils to so many winning seasons and who was now responsible for bringing respect back to USA basketball. fade-awa- y three-pointe- r from the corner of the par This is c pos T1 ner baseline with a defenc sch Uni having a monstrous hand in his face. Jas we one Kidd dribbled off a tha lobbed screen and afBos alley-oofect shi dep pass to a prepared Lebron James already nar A slicing through the air che an off Bryant picked Ge ab: Argentine pass, dribbling ahead of the paci Pla Di and throwing down a thunderous reverse dr Utf as the crowd oohed ar: pai ret aahed. These were Ii I never! moments will is r the get. And these were moments that person: wi f fied this team as onet al nee the greatest ever. nai My roommate, Matt, We Gr said turned to me and Just think, Brock, we ree abi just watched the T players inti drc entire world play. Hot an; sof lucky are we? Bo I still cant answer SUf that. St p no-loo- k ide Ut! ' ' ap ap f the is Bo ( jot dei Tr wo 5 g i DS pe mi de o S 1 f scl ! f - ' 4 3 ) V on di T pl( dn thi ? 1 i pass to an awaiting Bo !j V Amare Stoudamire, who threw down a tomahawk jam with authority. Something as sacred as this was beyond my comprehension. As the game continued on and highlight after highlight after highlight decorated the court m a repeated fashion, I still could not believe I was here. I was breathless. And to think that I was watching them for S30 and some gas money was something I couldnt fathom. I glanced down at the sidelines and pacing the bench was one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, college basketball coach in history, Mike Krzyzewski I whe par mid-cou- three-on-tw- T1 gar Of p mind-bogglin- cult out no i and res USA basketball too close to St. George to mis I 1 i the thsit is (Unfortunately 4for the rest f oft league, they seem to be overlooked by the rj Baltimore. : ( WE If New York do hold or. to win the wildcard, this could mean a potential match up with the Red $ in the American League - - Championship Series) they get past the Angels or Indians). j And if that happens forget about tfc. sport- - Angels have run away with the ' division. As of press 5 time on Tuesday, the Angels had an lead of 8.5 games over the slumping Seattle Mariners, who as of just a couple of weeks ago were bat- - Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Tampa and mg IS are ( v if who 'v no more evident than i8, weekend when the Yankees upped the ante on Boston by taking two three. The Red Sox couic very well finish the seasr close to 100 wins. They have remaining on their schedule the Devil Rays Blue Jays and the As. Now on to the Yankees who, by the look of thing; are likely to take the and have a fairly easy schedule remainino with the likes of Toronto" " f i p r V i one 4 tling the Tigers and Yankees for the wildcard spot in the American League. The Central is a little bit more exciting, but lets be honest: The only team within striking distance of anything would be Detroit, and they are 5.5 games out of first place. Unfortunately for fans of the defending AL champions, the Indians have a light schedule, but the current series they are locked in is sure to make some noise if the Tigers get the sweep. The Tigers have been a little bit of a disappointment this year, some of which you can chalk up to injury, but the f majority you can get what I like to call the What the (insert your own Vdescriptive adjective here)?! ing to go all the way and eliminate this curse of the Billy goat. The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the most surprising teams of the year, as they sit just one game back but look at the hardest schedule of the two, facing the Braves, Cardinals and Padres. Meanwhile, the Cubbies finish the season against the Reds, Marlins and Pirates. Sorry, Brewers fans, but it is looking like the glass slipper is about to break. Now on to the American League, where things are not looking so tight, but it comes down to the playoff match-u.potential that Us unfolding before JTright our eyes. The West is v won already, it seems, - as the the Mets this year and will try to close out the season well as they are actively in the wildcard race. However, look for the Mets to close out the 'year against teams they should defeat due to their offensive capabil- ;ity. : The NL Central is the division that seems to get the most attention because it is the teams at the N top , i 4 he co wl ur sh ce Di V m, fu dc iD J al se Di fa m ce Carmelo Anthony, far right, of the USA Mens Senior National Team, stands during the national anthe' against Argentina during the gold medal game of the 2007 FIBA Championship at the Thomas & Mac Center. w sti ac th Gi ei fa |