Bethany Sports Teams In Action

It was a busy day here at beautiful Bethany College this past Saturday, September 17. The Bethany College Football team had their first home game this past weekend against Washington and Jefferson College (W&J). For the first half football the Bison's looked good. Their running game was there with Matt Grimard, and Eric Walker running their bread and butter play, the read option. The score at the half was just 14-7 in favor of the W&J Presidents. This was a big improvement from years past, for the past 29 years now Bethany have lost to W&J. Everything seemed to be going the Bison's way in this game, until it was 4th and goal from the one yard line. Grimard got under center and tried to sneak it in for the score to take the lead in the game when he fumbled the snap, and the Presidents pounced on the ball. Even though it didn't give them good field position, the Presidents were able to march right down the field when time expired in the first half. Everything seemed to go down hill from there for the Bison's, countless 3 and outs and didn't seem to have an answer for the Presidents passing game. Bethany would only be able to put up one more score in the game, on a trick play. The final score in this game was 31-14 in favor of W&J. I found out later that was made this loss even worse for the Bison's was that W&J had their second team players in for the majority of the second half. Bethany will look to rebound next week when they take on Geneva in a non conference game. That wasn't the only thing going on at Bethany College, both the Men's and Women's soccer teams were in action against Muskingum College on the men's side, and for the women Marietta College. Both of which were great games, let's start on the men's side of things. The Bison's played tough in this game right to the very end. There was some questionable calls by the officials late in this game which lead to the Bison's 4th loss of the season. The men of Bethany tied the game at one after the first half of play. After the half is when things got a little bit dicey with the calls that were being made, the cards that were given out, and the outcome of the game. It all got started with a terrible call on Forward Dustin Miaolo, which lead to a penalty kick for Muskingum. After the shot was made, a red card was given to Goal Keeper Patrick Coleman, which took him out of the game and brought in Anes Bekric who's real position is Defense, not Goal Keeping. more time ticked away as the Bison were now down 2-1 in the second half of this game. They were getting good looks and even better shots, but nothing could find the back of the net. About mid way through the second half Muskingum had a obvious off-sides call, which never got called. Now I am no soccer expert and I don't act like I am, but one of the rules that I know is off-sides. It's when a player on offense gets past the last player on the Defense, and it's not on a break away. Once the players foot touches the ball, the call then should be made. This particular play happened and once the player kicked the ball it hit, now GK Anes, in the hands when he was out of the box, which is also a no no. But this shouldn't have mattered since Muskingum's player was already off-sides, so nothing should have happened. Instead they awarded yet another penalty kick for Muskingum. Once the kick was made, the official then felt the need to give a red card to Anes, and take him out of the game for his action of "illegally touching the ball". Now Bethany was forced to find one of the best players in Jeff Krek, who has never played a day, minute, second, etc. in goal. Krek did okay for his first time not letting any other balls past him. This was the final 3-1 in favor of Muskingum. Now for the Women's soccer team, who faced Marietta College. This was a great game and turned out well for the women of Bethany. The game looked to be getting out of hand after half with a score of 2-0 in favor of Marietta. The women of Bethany would not give up that easily though. They were able to come back and beat Marietta by a score of 3-2. After two amazing shots by two different Bison's players. The third goal that was awarded to the Bison's you can say was the Goal keeper's from Marietta's fault, because it was. The ball slipped though her hands and right into the goal to give the Bison's the lead 3-2 which ended up being your final score. The last thing that happened hear at Bethany College was that of our UNDEFEATED Volleyball team. The women of Bethany College's Volleyball team are having their best year ever. The Bison women have set a new school record for the best start by a volley ball team in history, 12-0. They did however face their toughest task yet in St. Vincent College. They Bison's had to come back and fight all the way to the very end. They lost the first game, lost the second, won the third by a demanding lead, and lost the fourth game which was very close. This brought up game five in the best of five game to determine the winner of the contest. The Bison fought hard and were able to pick up the win and keep their undefeated record alive. Bethany was very busy with 4 of it's sports team playing at home ending with the football team at night. Each team played hard and left everything on the field/court. Though all of them didn't come up victorious, they were still a lot of fun to watch.

Steelers Look Out of Sync

Hey All, The Pittsburgh Steelers today didn't seem like they knew they were playing in an actual game that counts. They were sloppy with the football and just looked like they had no idea what to do. The Raven just man handled them all game long. They put the pressure on early and never let up forcing over 6 turnovers in one game. The Steelers haven't given up that many turn overs since 1997 when they faced the Colts. Also Pittsburgh hasn't lost a opening day game since 2002 when they opened with the Patriots. This doesn't mean anything to me though. Baltimore is a very tough team to play, and are very relentless on defense, which they showed today. The Steelers will be able to pick it up very soon, it was only the first game. The NFL is a very long season and you cannot predict an entire season just on how a team looked in one game, epically the opener. The team is probably still rusty after a very long lock out this past off season. They didn't get to do OTA's and all the other off season stuff that they need to gel as a team again. I will admit though that the Ravens looked very strong and together as a team. They will be a very hard team to beat, like always, but I do think that the Steelers will get it together by the time these two meet again. The score will be a lot lower, the turnovers will be limited, and it will be a very close game, not a blow out like today. Pittsburgh will get it together once they are fully back into football shape. They will be the same tough team that they have always been, they have the talent to do so. I am looking forward to see how this season will turn out for them, and how well they will do in the long run.

Polamalu Overrated

Hey All,

Sorry that it has been a long time since I've posted anything, but I'm back and here we go. Today I heard the funniest thing that I think I have ever heard, in the sporting world. A Columnist for CBS said that Safety Troy Polamalu is an overrated player. This man could not be more wrong. Polamalu is by far the best Safety in the league. The only other player who could give Troy a run for his money would be Edd Reed of Baltimore. If Polamalu is an "overrated" player then how is it that he has had 6 to 7 interceptions a year, jumps over the line of scrimmage and make a tackle behind the line, and just last year was named Defensive player of the year? The answer to this question would be, he's not overrated. You don't put up the numbers that he has put up in his career and be considered to be an overrated player. Polamalu in his career has had 516 tackles, 8 forced fumbles, and 27 interceptions, and he's only played 9 years. Just last year he had 63 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 7 interceptions. I just can't believe the nerve of this man to say such a ridiculous statement, and to post it to a high standing website like CBS. The man is a good columnist, don't get me wrong, but this is not one of his better stories. If he was doing this to get readers, he will probably loss just as many readers as he gained with this story. This "columnist" should just stick to the facts, and maybe he will gain real fans who know what they are talking about with football. Another thing he could do is, just not cover football anymore, or just pick a new team to rag on.

Pirates Fighting Off A Sweep?

Hey All,

The struggling Pirates faced the Brewers this afternoon in game three of this three game series, and it was one for the pitchers. Charlie Morton was on the mound for the Bucs and did a fantastic job with the Brewers lefty's, who Morton has struggled with this season. Pittsburgh, who is 12 games back in the division, need to pick up a win against the division leader Milwaukee Brewers to try and start a amazing come back. The Pirates have all the chances in the world to try and make another run at the division and the post season with the schedule they have coming up. The Bucs have the NL Central teams the next few series on the schedule. Since they finished their series with the Brewers, they now have the Cardinals at home for a 3 game set, then face the reds for a 3 game set right after that. This couldn't have came at a better time for Pittsburgh. Since they went into the slump they are in, being 12 games back and only going 3-3 in the past six games, the Pirates need to have wins in the next 2 series coming up. If the Pirates can and get out of the mouth of August, they can cut down on the lead that the Brewers have over them in the division.

In the game Vs. the Brewers, Charlie Morton went 7 1/3 innings and struck out 5, and only gave up 1 ER. This is what the Pirates have been lacking since they've been on the losing streak. The only thing I would have done differently in game was leave Varas in, when he came in to relieve Morton. I know what Hurdle was thinking bringing in the The Hammer with one out in the 8th to try and close the inning out, but it back fired on them. Joel Hanarhan picked up his 2nd blown save this season when he struck out Morgan, but it was a wild pitch that went into the dirt and Morgan made it to first safely. This put runners on the corners for the Brewers and not what the Bucs wanted to see because that drove in the lead off man that Morton gave up while he was in. Pittsburgh fought back in the 9th inning though after the first man up struck out, the Pirates then put 2 on in Ludwick, and Cedeno. Ludwick reached with a sharply hit ball up the first base line and through the legs of Fielder. After being down to their last out the Bucs Steve Pearce on a 2-2 pitch stuck out swinging leaving the game 1-1. The Pirates just couldn't seen to produce any offense since the 1st inning when McCutchen drove in a run on a fly ball to center field. Since then no one could score a run until last in the game in the bottom of the 8th. In the bottom of the 9th, with Hanarhan still in the game, the Pirates were still fighting. Everyone thought this game was going to go to the Bucco's; because when they've had a lead through 8 innings they are 50-0 this season, but when they were tied after 8 innings they are just 5-7. The Hammer came through in the 9th inning with a fly out and 2 strike outs to end the inning and send the game into extras. The Pirates in the top of the 10th inning had a base runner in Paul, who was moved over by a sacrifice bunt by Josh Harrison. This brought McCutchen to the plate, who has had a lot of swing and misses this game. McCutchen worked a full count and eventually struck out swinging. This brought Neal Walker to the plate who was intentionally walked with 2 outs. I didn't understand this because it brought Ryan Ludwick to the plate who has pick up a couple good hits in game, even thought they were recorded errors. Plus, Walker an this road trip has not hit well at all for the Pirates. The Brewers walked Ludwick as well, not intentionally though, loading the bases. Brandon Wood was up next who chopped a ball that went maybe a foot in front of the plate which made the last out easy for the catcher to touch home plate for the force out. Everyone, including myself, did not want this to be another marathon game like the 19 inning game the Pirates had earlier in the season. This would not be the case, the Brewers would end the game in the bottom of the 10th inning of a sacrifice fly by Morgan to score the winning run in walk off fashion. The Pirates just can't catch a break here late in the season, let's hope for a better outcome in the series against the Cardinals at PNC Park.

Pirates V. Giants

Hey All,

The Bucco's are back to the winning side of things in their series with the San Fransisco Giants. The Pirates picked up with first win of a series since mid July. This series got a bit dicey once Pittsburgh shut out last years World Series Champs 5-0. In game two it was the Pirates turn to get shut out 6-0. In today's game with the Giants the Pirates had everything going right for them today; the hitters were hitting, the pitching was on fire, and the defense was outstanding. Pittsburgh has made some necessary changes to their line up before the deadline, which seemed to back fire a little bit. Once Pittsburgh added Lee, Ludwick, got Doumit and Alvarez back, is when they went on the 10 game losing streak. I think that they needed to put Doumit on situation only, and kept the young guys who were hitting and winning them games . That formula was the winning one, and the one they need to bring back. They should keep Doumit out of the mix, keep McKenry in at catcher, and get back to winning. They need to figure this out and fast, the games they have coming up against the Brewers and Cardinals can help get them back into the pennant race. If they can keep the momentum up going into the next 2 series they can get back into the race for the division title.

Brad Keselowski Wins With Broken Ankle

Hey All,

I just witness one of the most amazing things I have ever seen inside a race car. Brad Keselowski wins at Pocono on a broken ankle, a tore up foot, and a bad back. He did all of this practicing, he was running some practice laps and wrecked his car, completely totaling it. When that happened it pushed the pedals back into his feet, breaking his left ankle, and really bruising his right foot. This is unbelievable to me that he was able to A. get in the car, and B. win the race. I wouldn't even think about climbing into a race car with a broken anything, let alone a broken ankle. He is tough as nails in my eyes, and an outstanding athlete for going through all the pain im sure he went through today. Brad has only 3 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins under his belt, counting this one. This win also put him in the running for the wild card spot in the case. Brad has 1 win this season and he is running in 18th in the standings. The way the points are this year is; the top 10 make the case for the sprint cup, to decide 11th and 12th is considered "wild card spots" the drivers in the top 20 who have the most wins get into the case in the last two spots. I hate this new rule change. I just don't think it's fair that drivers could have won a race or two at the beginning of the season, be in 20th in the points, and make the case over a driver who worked all season to be in the top 12. It's not fair to the drivers who come in week in and week out and work hard, make changes to their cars, have their teams build them the best cars for the track that they will be racing at, and just flat out going to the tack and racing their ass off to get a good finish. The only people who like this are the people who have not been able to make the top 12 and make the case. I also think this is NASCAR's way to try and keep Jimmy Johnson from winning his 6th consecutive championship. I also think that they were trying to make it so that if Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't finish in the top 12 and happened to get a win this season, that he would be able to make the case, and contend for a championship. Now I am a huge Dale Jr. fan and would love to see him make the chase, but I would also like it better if he made the chase on his own, and not him it given to him because he won if he won a race this season. I like good ol' fashion racing, bumper to bumper, high speeds, and drivers joking for position. I also think that NASCAR, on super speed ways, should loss the restricter plates and let them fly out there. It would make for more exciting racing, and probably bring more fans to the sport. I was glad to see a exciting race today and think it's amazing what Brad Keselowski was able to do today. I want to give him a big congratulations,a big thumbs up for "maning up", getting in his car, and winning the race.

Struggling Pirates

Hey All,

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on a 8 game losing streak, and compared to their amazing run to first in the division, this is down right sad. They have moved to third in the division and 8 games back from first. Tonight the Pirates gave up 4 HR in this game which lead to their 15-5 loss to the San Diego Padres. A team that doesn't have a good record, and doesn't hit a lot of HR. The sad thing is that the Pirates down fall these past 8 games has not be solely to blame on the offense, but the pitching of the Pirates has died. One of the element of their game that I said was the strongest part of their offense. Something needs to happen, and happen fast if the Pirates want to get back at making a run at the pennant race. I guess you can't really be too surprised at what is happening to the Pirates, at this point in time in the season. They always seem to crash and burn near the end of the season. When looking at their schedule coming up, it doesn't get any easier for the Pirates. They have the hardest part of their schedule coming up, with Milwaukee, St. Louis, and San Fransisco, last years champs. Pittsburgh needs to get on a different type of run, and that would be a winning run, and they need to do it fast. With how their schedule works they have to play Milwaukee twice, and St. Louis twice, so they can make a strong run back to first in the division by winning all of those series. I'm hoping and looking forward to the month of August for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It should be exciting and fun to watch. Once the Pirates regain their pitching staff, and get it back to where it was in the beginning of the season, up until these past 8 games. If this happens they will once again make a strong run at the pennant.