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Show StateSManSpOrtS Page 10 Friday, April 9, 2010 Futbol vs. baseball ... a one-sided argument With soccer and baseball seasons just beginning, it becomes natural to compare the two. I grew up on baseball, so I will admit that I am somewhat biased, but as more time goes on, I am convinced that baseball is not only more tolerable to watch, but inherently a better sport. Soccer and its obnoxious fans grow more numerous every day, but baseball will never lose its clout, and will remain the greatest American pastime. I have compiled a few, among a plethora, of reasons why baseball is better than soccer. 1. Consistency over singlegame performances. There are 162 games in a baseball season, compared to 16 in NFL football, and 82 in basketball, and 46 in regular soccer seasons. Everyone likes the underdog story. I do as well, but, ultimately, the team that works the hardest should get to the playoffs. Baseball offers best of five and best of seven, instead of single elimination. You have to have stamina and skill to make it to the top. In phase two of the soccer playoffs, also called the "knockout" phase, teams are eliminated after one game, exemplifying that a few single-game performances can win you the whole package. 2. Officiating in baseball is certainly less obtrusive than any other sport, especially soccer. The umpires are least likely to interfere with the progression of a game, as comparable to soccer, where the refs often determine the outcome of a game. Umpires make hundreds of calls, and they even call themselves out. There are no fouls or offside rules on a game-winning home run. 3. The game itself is the only true team sport. Every player, pitcher, shortstop, catcher, has to pull their weight and do their part to win. In soccer, one star player can make the difference, but in baseball, everyone takes a turn. You can stay pretty much unnoticed in play by passing or avoiding the ball in soccer. In baseball, if you go 0-for-4, it is impossible to keep it a secret. 4. Anyone can play baseball, physically and mentally. There is no specific personality for baseball, or a physical stance . A huge, fat guy can pitch or play first. In soccer, where do the slow runners go? From the player's point of view, baseball is easier on your body. You can play, and play well, for years with minimal to no damage to your body. 5. Once you gain the lead, you can't "ice" over the rest of the game. There is no way to just dribble the ball around the field for the last half. The winning team has to continue to pitch and play defense, risking the lead. 6. The game is never determined until the last inning is over. If you are down by three goals with three minutes to go in soccer, the game is basically over. Sure it happens, but not very often. Comebacks are possible and recur in baseball. Teams can still win a baseball game, even after trailing in the last inning. 7. 0-0 ties. I don't think there is anything else to say. 8. Baseball is a series of small battles, rather than one large game. There is a tremendous amount of strategy that goes into each play. Runner vs. base stealer, pitcher vs. hitter and hitter vs. defense. Every battle has a winner, and that winner brings the team closer to stealing a base, to getting a run, to winning the game. Soccer is consisted of unclear actions. Wait, they just scored? How did I miss that? I didn't even look away? Team A can set up play after play of well-positioned attack, only to have the ball float aimlessly past the goal every time. To Team A's demise, Team B can get one lucky kick that bounces off the defender's butt, another defender's elbow, hits the post, bounces off the goalie's head and goes in. They win, 1-0. 9. Baseball fans are the truest fans. You can find fans of teams that have not won in decades. Look at the Red Sox. They found new ways of disappointing their fans for years, but the fans stuck with them, and now the odds are they make it to the World Series every year. Soccer fans may be the rowdiest, but baseball fans are the truest. Soccer fans have a long-standing history of violence and riots after games - yet another reason why you want to be at a baseball field instead of a soccer field. I suppose, however, that if I was watching a sport where the only way to surely score is to run into the penalty area in hopes of drawing a foul and free kick - a sport where I pay $100 for a ticket - and my team loses on a fluke shot, I might riot too. Kayla Clark is a freshman from Fort Collins Colorado majoring in broadcast journalism. Kayla is the only female on the sports staff and therefore has complete control. She can be reached at kayla. clark@ aggiemaiL usu. edu. Scrimmage: First scrimmage of the year continued from page 8 need to guard against injury. "It is extremely frustrating, especially playing defensive end," Royster said of being unable to tackle the quarterback during intrasquad play. "That's kind of what you do, you hit the quarterback. But it's all good, and I don't mind standing up Diondre. He's our guy." Royster isn't the only Aggie to feel limited by the limitations and precautions taken during spring practice. Even Borel, who rushed for 465 and six touchdowns a year ago, said that it's sometimes frustrating to be whistled "down" during practice when he knows he could have escaped the tackle in an actual game situation. "It's a little (frustrating). Sometimes they blow the whistle early when I'm running around," said the senior quarterback. Aside from the play of the defensive line, Saturday's scrimmage promises to give Aggie fans their first real glimpse into some of the more intriguing questions that USU is facing this spring. All eyes will likely be on running backs Michael Smith and Derrvin Speight as they fill in for Robert Turbin, while the play of redshirt freshman center Tyler Larsen will also be under the microscope. Meanwhile, a strong performance by Jeff Fisher could further entrench the senior as USU's backup heading into the season, a position of concern for USU after last year's backup Kane Wilson was dismissed from the team. Saturday's scrimmage will be open to the public and begins at noon. The Aggies will continue practice next week before holding another intrasquad scrimmage at noon on April 17. - adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu NCAA: UtAgs compete in NCAAs on Saturday continued from page 8 with a score of 38.950 at the WAC Championships, and holds the top five marks on the team in all-around competition for the season. Perhaps most impressive, in 12 of the 13 meets the Aggies have competed in this year, Heinrich has competed in all-around competition, an attainment that few other gymnasts can boast. "Heather has worked so hard to get where she is," Richards said. "She really worked on details this year. She really committed herself. A lot of times as a senior, you just want to be done and get out of here, but not Heather." cRESTWOODs Lynwood 880 N 650 E Brentwood 736 E 900 N Edgewood 736 E 800 N Stay in the Very Best Single Student Housing! 'Practically on Campus 'Full Bath in each bedroom 'Free Wireless Internet 'Fully equipped kitchen 'Washer & dryer in apartment 'Furnished 'Covered Parking (Edgewood) • Entire Summer from $500 'School Year: Private: $2370-$3390 Shared: $2070-$2490 755-3181 www.logancrestwoods.com P!ans for the Stantrier? DID YOU KNOW . • 1 in 10 of Americans go to the E.R. every year! • 1 in 5 American adults Don't have insurance!!! Mu mu HAFT MEM Broadbent Financial VoicE cur CHolca" can help you NOW! Broadbent Financial Services 40 W. Cache Valley Blvd.(1250 North), Bldg. 3A Logan, UT 84341-8450 *CALL NOW: (435) 752-7200* He claims Heather and his personalities clashed at the beginning of the season, but they soon resolved their differences - a stumbling block that, if not overcome, can hinder progress altogether. Heather couldn't make regionals last year because of an illness, and so, as Richards put it, the competition means "that much more" to her this year, "because she had to miss out on it, she was hungry for it this year." "It means a lot more to me to get to go to regionals this year," Heather confirmed, "and the fact that it's in Utah, and the fact that I get to go as an all around-er makes it mean that much more to me." Competing in all four events - uneven bars, beam, floor and vault - is mentally and physically taxing on athletes, but Heather never complains. Her unyielding perfection carries over into her school work as well, and she boasts numerous academic accolades. "They call us student athletes, and the 'student' comes before the 'athlete,'" Heinrich joked with her teammates. Described as an "allaround Aggie," Heinrich's leadership for the team has been paramount this season. Heinrich's dedication is evident as she speaks about what a commitment gym is. "You really learn time management being on a team like this. Your life is school, practice, homework and bed. Day after day," she said. "We don't really get breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We get a couple of days, but then you're back in the gym right after. It's our life. The girls are our sisters. The coach is our dad. You're not just in a club, you are representing the university." Perseverance and teamwork are the other qualities she sees in herself, as well as her teammates, after doing gymnastics. "I have really struggled mentally this year, especially with the bars," Heinrich said. "I completely forgot how to do the bars and couldn't get back into the routine of them. The coach would just force me to do it over and over. I was here (at the practice facility in the HPER) for hours every day. I had rips on my hands, but I'm so grateful coach made me do it. I'm better for it." Heather is graduating this spring in information management systems and is planning to live in San Diego. Leaving everybody at USU, she says, will be the hardest part about graduating. "I am so close to the girls on the team, especially the juniors," she said. "We had a smaller team this year, so we are all really close to the staff and the girls." Heinrich said she plans to visit as much as possible to see her Ags perform. Lyndsie Boone Standing at only 5-foot-1, Boone is still quite the presence. She said she's grateful about her height. "I don't know what I would do if I was tall - my feet would hit the bars and I know I would be super clumsy," she said, then laughed. Boone, an entrepreneurship major, said she will, "for sure," make it to regionals, having set that bar for herself after making it in her freshman season. When asked about her relationships with the girls on the team, her answer came immediately, "We practice a few hours a day, five days a week and a lot of us live with one another. You could say we're pretty close." Boone lives with sophomore teammates Rebecca Holliday and Brandy Dixon. "We are together all the time," she said. Boone, who grew up in Winthrop Harbor, Ill., said she misses her family, but they come to town from Illinois to watch her compete as often as possible. When asked why her parents put her in gymnastics, she said, "I was always doing flips on the couch and bending in all different sorts of directions. I had a lot of energy, so my parents put me in when I was 3 to calm me down." Boone said her favorite event is the floor. And the most difficult? "The beam is my hardest event, definitely. It has been since I started doing gymnastics," Boone said. "Coming to USU, I never expected to cornpete for the beam, but I did." Boone said last year's coaching change was strenuous. "I carne (to USU) because of the coaches, and then they all left the year after I got here, without warning," she said. Despite the upset, Boone continued to work hard and adjusted to Richards quickly. "I had no choice but to stick with it. I stay really focused because of gym. It helps me keep track of everything and keeps me in line," she said. This season has proved to be the most stressful in her career, she said, as she spent nearly a whole month unable to compete. Boone injured her knee while competing in the vault at BYU on Feb. 19. It was the first time she has ever had to go without competing. "I had to skip three or four meets, which was really hard for me," she said. Boone made a strong comeback and is a "top contender for nationals", Richards said. Boone said she doesn't plan on continuing with gymnastics after graduation. "It has been fun for now, but I don't plan on doing anything with it after." Boone said. "I am so grateful for gymnastics, though. I love it so much. It has taught me so many things that will be useful to me for the rest of my life." - kayla.clark@aggiemaiLusu. edu TouchBase Student-athlete of the week BY USU ATHLETICS Utah State freshman designated player Kali Cancelosi (pronounced Kay-lee) has been named the America First Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Week. This is the first honor of the season for Cancelosi and the first honor for a USU softball student-athlete this season. Cancelosi, a La Crescenta, Calif, native, helped Utah State to a 2-2 record last week as it lost a doubleheader at Utah Valley by scores of 3-1 and 13-4, and then swept a doubleheader against Nevada at home by scores of 12-4 and 11-7. In the first of two games against the Wolf Pack, Cancelosi was 2-for-3 at the plate and then went 3-for-4 in game two with a pair of home runs. She also added two hits in the first game against UVU. For the week, Cancelosi hit .636 (7-for-11) with three RBI and two runs scored. USU earned its first overall, WAC and home doubleheader sweep since April 5, 2008 with a pair of wins over San Jose State. Utah State continues its homestand with a three-game series against first-place Hawaii Tuesday-Wednesday, April 6-7, at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Softball Field. After the series with the Rainbow Wahine, the Aggies head to Fresno to face the Bulldogs Friday-Saturday, April 9-10. NBAStandings EASTERN CONFERENCE z - Cleveland 61 y - Orlando 55 y - Boston 49 x - Atlanta 49 x - Milwaukee 44 x - Miami x - Charlotte Toronto w L Pct 17 .722 23 .705 6 29 .628 12 12 29 .628 34 .564 17 44 34 .564 42 36 .538 .487 38 40 37 40 30 48 28 50 26 52 25 53 24 54 11 67 Chicago Indiana New York Philadelphia Detroit Washington New Jersey .487 .385 .359 .333 .321 .308 .141 GB 17 19 23 23 1/2 31 33 35 36 37 50 WESTERN CONFERENCE LA Lakers Dallas Denver Phoenix Utah Portland San Antotnio 24 Oklahoma City 48 W 55 51 51 51 51 48 14 30 L 22 27 27 27 28 30 .615 .615 Houston Memphis New Orleans LA Clippers Golden State Sacramento Minnesota 40 39 35 27 24 24 63 38 .513 39 .500 44 .443 51 .346 54 .308 54 .308 .192 40 15 Pct GB .714 4 1/2 .654 .654 4 1/2 4 1/2 .654 .646 5 1/2 7 1/2 .615 7 1/2 7 1/2 15 1/2 16 1/2 21 28 1/2 31 1/2 31 1/2 1/2 z - Clinched Conference y - Clinched Division x - Clinched Playoff Berth Tennis on road this weekend BY USU ATHLETICS Utah State women's tennis travels to Las Cruces, N.M., for three Western Athletic Conference matches Friday, April 9, and Saturday, April 10. The Aggies compete in a doubleheader Friday, beginning the day at 1 p.m. (MT) with Fresno State and concluding play at 5 p.m. (MT) against New Mexico State. USU concludes this week's action with Nevada at 5 p.m. (MT), Saturday. The Aggies are 8-7 on the season and look to improve on their 1-1 WAC record. Senior Hailey Swenson shines this season with team-high singles and doubles records. Swenson improved to a 10-5 singles mark after her win over Northern Arizona's Edit Suhajda, 6-0, 2-6, 6-3, at the one spot in USU's most recent match. Swenson went 2-0 on the day with a doubles victory at the one position over the Lumberjacks' Orsi Golovics and Malia Wahinepio, 8-5, with partner, freshman Jaclyn West. West and Swenson hold a 11-4 doubles record thus far. USU travels back to Utah to take on Weber State at Ogden on Tuesday, April 13, at 11 a.m., in a non-conference match. The Aggies then resume league play when they travel to Boise, Idaho, for a pair of WAC matches on Friday, April 16. |
