First Wee Ball Game - Gooo Bravesss!!!!

How about those Syrupmakers! Number 1!!

Last night Angela was joking about my high school alma mater and how ridiculous it was that our team name was the Syrupmakers/Syrupmaids. I wonder how she will feel when I show this article on sportsillustrated.cnn.com

When I covered high school sports for The Tampa Tribune, it drove me crazy when a county would spend a fortune to build a new high school and then give it a generic nickname. How many Wildcats, Knights and Rams does the world need? Why saddle the youth of America with sobriquets that only emphasize the older generation's lack of creativity? We expect our children to excel, and since that's the case, their school teams should have excellent nicknames.

The schools on this list get it. These are the top 15 high school nicknames in America. In some cases, the name draws on the town's heritage. In others, school leaders simply sought an inspiring nickname. And with apologies to Burt Reynolds in Boogie Nights, those are some great names.

15. Stuyvesant Peglegs, New York

This Manhattan school is named after Peter Stuyvesant, the last director general of New Netherland. Stuyvesant was in charge when the Dutch lost what is now New York and New Jersey to the English in 1664. Stuyvesant, who lost his right leg while serving as the governor of Curacao, was nicknamed "Old Pegleg" and "Pegleg Pete." The school, founded in 1904, kept the nickname.

14. Colorado Rocky Mountain School Oysters, Carbondale, Colo.

Maybe it's the pioneer spirit, but Colorado schools have some fantastic nicknames. Brush High is home to the Beetdiggers. Lamar High has the Savages. Alamosa High has the Mean Moose, which has a better ring than the Agitated Antelopes. But nothing compares to the name of the boys soccer team at a small boarding school 170 miles west of Denver. Lots of schools have daring nicknames, but only one has the stones to call its team the Rocky Mountain Oysters.

13. Dunbar Poets, Baltimore

The school's namesake, Paul Laurence Dunbar, was a poet. Baltimore also was home to Edgar Allan Poe, who dabbled a little in verse. Dunbar's students are mighty with their pens, but they're also mighty on the football field. The Poets have won three consecutive state titles and six since 1994.

12. Don Bosco Prep Ironmen, Ramsey, N.J.

It's a bit easier to choose a nickname at schools with an all-male or all-female student body. There are no Rams-Ewes or Bulls-Cows issues. Still, the Salesians of St. Don Bosco went the extra mile, choosing a nickname that predicted the near-invincibility of the Bosco football program. Alas, Tony Stark is not an alum.

11. Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts, Erlanger, Ky.

Every year during the NCAA Tournament, somebody breaks out a Mascot Fight to the Death Pool. The idea is simple; choose the mascot that would win in a fight. Forces of nature (Miami, Tulsa or Alabama, for example) usually win. For this reason, I've always wondered why a mid-major didn't call its teams the 100-megaton Warheads. This name might be even better. A juggernaut is an unstoppable, crushing force. It would win every time. Alas, Marvel Comics supervillian Juggernaut is not a Lloyd Memorial alum.

10. Punahou School Buffanblu, Honolulu, Hawaii

Lots of schools use their uniform colors as their nickname. Plenty of Crimsons and Green Waves dot the sporting landscape. But no school combines its colors into its nickname quite like the one that produced President Barack Obama (class of '79) and America Online founder Steve Case (class of '76). The Buffanblu also get it done on the field and court. In 2008, SI editors named Punahou the nation's best high school athletic program.

9. Staples Wreckers, Westport, Conn.

A nickname that suggests what might happen to opponents is always intimidating. In the case of the Wreckers football team, which has won three state titles in seven years, it's pretty much a promise. It also doesn't hurt the school itself boasts a fantastic name. No relation, though.

8. Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits

The school that produced Billie Jean King, Willie McGinest and Snoop Dogg doesn't have an intimidating nickname, but just try catching a Jackrabbit. They're as fast as Philadelphia Eagles first-rounder Desean Jackson, another Long Beach Poly alum.

7. Watersmeet Nimrods, Watersmeet, Mich.

This Upper Peninsula public school won national fame in 2004 for its part in an ESPN advertising campaign. While most of America considers a nimrod a silly or foolish person, the folks in Watersmeet celebrate the Biblical figure Nimrod, who was described as "a mighty hunter before the lord."

6. Johnson Atom Smashers, Savannah, Ga.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research first smashed atoms with a Proton Synchrotron in November 1959. That same year, Sol C. Johnson High opened its doors. The Johnson football team's helmets feature an atom logo, and the school calls its gym the Reaction Chamber.

5. Poca Dots, Poca, W. Va.

Named by a Charleston newspaper writer in 1928, the Dots are the best marriage of school/city name and nickname in sports. The only other sports nickname that comes close is the Macon (Ga.) Whoopee, a defunct minor league hockey franchise.

4. Cary Imps, Cary, N.C.

The name is awesome, but the logo is even better. Imagine if the Great Gazoo from The Flintstones had turned demonic and started a steroid/imp growth hormone regimen that even Bill Romanowski would have considered excessive. You would let this imp call you a dumb-dumb.

3. Lakeland Dreadnaughts, Lakeland, Fla.

According to The (Lakeland) Ledger, Lakeland principal I.G. McKay praised the 1923 Lakeland football team for "rolling over the opponents just as a massive ship steams through stormy seas." That ship, McKay decided, was a Dreadnought, the British ship that revolutionized naval warfare. The current-day Dreadnaughts usually roll over their opponents, too. In 2005 and 2006, USA Today crowned Lakeland the high school national champ.

2. Glenville Tarblooders, Cleveland

Christian Bryant, a senior defensive back at Glenville who is being recruited by most of the top 25, was kind enough to explain the origin of his team's nickname a few weeks ago. Bryant said the name came from the men who built the railroad through Cleveland. The tar from the stakes would splash the men, causing them to bleed. To the untrained eye, the men appeared to bleed tar. Their namesakes have done them proud, and "sweat blood" remains the ultimate motivational creed for Glenville athletes.

1. Cairo Syrupmakers, Cairo, Ga.

The name of this tiny south Georgia town is pronounced like the syrup, not like Egypt's capital. But contrary to popular belief, Karo syrup is not produced in Cairo. The old syrup plant used to churn out Roddenberry's. Now, the Syrupmakers just churn out championship football teams. Next month, Cairo will begin its defense of the 2008 Class AAA state title.

Our week

Earlier in the week I traveled to Sebring along with another soccer mom to watch the Lady Tigers play against the Sebring Blue Streaks. The JV won their game 3-0 and the Varisty won their game 3-1. It was neat to watch them play on a football field instead of a soccer field. It was hard to tell when the ball was in bounds or out of bounds from the stands due to the lines being marked in orange instead of white and at times I was confused with some of the calls that the ref's made. I love watching the girls improve each week and learning more about the rules. I'm not sure if I will ever thoroughly understand offsides.




Later in the week, I went to Seminole Ridge in Palm Beach for another soccer game. The JV girls lost 3-0 and the Varisty girls lost 8-0. This was the JV's first loss of the season.


In other news. . . David is diligently working on a research paper that is due on December 1. He has done a lot of writing this semester for his classes and I think at times he feels overwhelmed. He's still working as well as going to school and is looking forward to the Thanksgiving holidays. But even with the holidays approaching he will be working and trying to finish those research papers. There is no rest for the weary.

Tomorrow night we will be watching the Tiger football team take on Mulberry Panthers in the Class 2A playoff game. Go Tigers!!

Pictures from the Immokalee Game

My friend, Kim, is a wonderful photographer and is sweet enough to take pictures at all the soccer games. She emailed me these pictures today of Angela playing against Immokalee last week. Notice the aggressiveness in the second picture.

Lake Placid

The soccer games were reversed tonight with Varisty playing at 6 and JV playing at 7:30 due to some of the Varisty girls being on the Cross Country team who have a regional meet tomorrow. The Varsity game ended in tie (4-4). Our girls have played better games, but I haven't seen one that was tougher yet. The Lake Placid girls were very aggressive and made a lot of contact with our girls. At times it seemed like a brawling match.

The JV girls played one of their best games yet, winning 6-1. Angela played forward and right mid tonight. She had one assist which she was very happy about. Lake Placid's JV team was not as aggressive nor did they make as much contact. With the win tonight the JV is now 4-0.

Their next game is in Sebring on Monday night.

Undefeated

JV Lady Tigers remain undefeated tonight!!!! 2 - 0. Woohoo! Varisty Lady Tigers defeated Immokalee as well. Their score was 4 - 0! These girls are looking good. Two more games tomorrow night against Lake Placid.

Lady Tigers Win Again

Angela traveled to Lely tonight with the rest of the Lady Tigers for their soccer game. Unfortunately, I was not able to go. I called her around 7:30 tonight to see how her game went and was thrilled to hear the JV won 3-0. She only played one position tonight (forward). Varisty lost 5-0.

Lady Tigers

The JV Lady Tiger's Soccer Team opened their season tonight against LaBelle. Angela played goal keeper the first half. She kept 3 attempts from making their way into the goal. During the last quarter she played on defense, but was not pleased with her playing at that position tonight. The girls did great. They won the game 3 - 0.

It was the Varisty's second game of the season tonight. They defeated Glades Day 5-1 on Monday night in Belle Glade. The varisty game was exciting as well and we enjoyed cheering them to victory (4-1).

Powder Puff

It's homecoming week for CHS and along with it comes homecoming events throughout the week. On Monday night the Powder Puff game was held at Cane Field. Angela being the athlete in the family was on the field playing football on the freshman team. She did an awesome job on defense. She made one interception and numerous tackles (actually it was flag football not tackle). The freshman won in a shut out against the sophomores (12-0)! Then the senior class and junior class duked it out (at times the term duked it out was literal). The seniors won 29 - 20. As always the cheerleaders were a sight to see. A sense of humor is a must to dress up like a cheerleader. It was a fun night watching the girls and the guys trade places for a few hours in the spirit of fun. My friend Kim emailed me this picture of her and has made me a CD. As soon as I get the CD, I will post more pictures (the ones I took aren't as good as the ones she took).

Angela and Sports

Since her first Cross Country meet in Lake Placid on September 17, Angela has been diligently trying to improve her running time. At times she grows frustrated that her times are not what she would like them to be. However, at today's meet in Lemon Bay she was pleased with her time of 28 minutes in the 5k (3.1 miles). Her times thus far have been:
Lake Placid: 31:22
Optimist: 32:48
Spanish River: 31:22
Lemon Bay:28:00
She continues to love running and is enjoying the season. They will be going to Disney World to run at the invitational there on October 10.

She tried out this week for the Lady Tigers Soccer team. When we asked how try outs went she replied that she did lousy with her drills and shooting, but went ahead and tried out for goalie as well. The second day of tryouts they had to run a mile while being timed. Her time was 7 minutes. Last night the coaches posted the names of those who made the team, but we were in Palm Beach at the movies. Our friend, Phyllis, subs at the school and had talked to the coach yesterday afternoon to find out if she made the team. As we were leaving the movie Phyllis casually told her, "Hey Angela, guess what you made the soccer team!" Angela jumped up and down yelling, "Yes, Yes, I made it!" So once again I'm a Soccer Mom!

Her First Meet

Since becoming a freshman this year Angela has joined the high school Cross Country Team. The team had their first meet this afternoon in Lake Placid. She ran the 5k in 31 minutes. Not bad for a first time runner. She improved her time of 36 minutes from last week when they ran the 5k at practice. As the season progresses I have no doubt her times will improve.

Clewiston Middle School Football

Today was the opening game for the Clewiston Middle School Tigers against Jupiter Christian School. The game was played in Palm Beach and it was a beautiful morning to watch a football game. Bubba and I drove over along with the Crawford's, the Thomas', the Houghtaling's, and the Bowers' to watch their sons play. The boys played an excellent game and won 21-0!
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Clewiston falls to Bulldogs in Triple Overtime

On Saturday afternoon, Angela and I met up with the Walkers, the Crawfords, the Ramers and Sean Moore to travel to Dolphins Stadium for a tailgate party prior to the Class 2A State Championship game. We all arrived at the Stadium safely (Sean did have a flat on the way) and got things all set up for the tailgating. We even got to see a former teacher of Angela's (Jackie & Blake Wilson). They were here because Blake is a coach at North Florida Christian (the team that Glades Day defeated for the Class 1A State Championship).

Around 6:30 p.m. we went in the stadium to get our seats. I was happy to see the turn out on Clewiston's side. As I heard someone say, "It would have been a good night to rob Clewiston." From the time the Tigers came on the field you could feel the love and support this town has for the team. That support carried over well after the game ended in a loss for the Tigers. The game was 0-0 until the 3rd quarter when Collin Rickets scored a 6 yard touchdown with 9:12 left in the quarter. It only took one play for the Bulldogs to even the score. Clewiston stayed in game and had a chance to win the game with a field goal with 15 seconds left on the clock only to be blocked by a Bulldog player. This sent the game into overtime. After battling it out in three overtimes the Bulldogs won 27-24.

It was sad watching the Tigers in their first defeat of the season. They played a terrific game and with determination. They can hold their heads high knowing they gave it their all.

Jeri Lynne, Cheyenne, Brittany and Angela

Jackie & Blake Wilson

The Tigers prior to kickoff

Tiger Pride

Chris, Tommy, Danielle & David

It's all about football this weekend in the Glades (known as the Muck). There are currently four teams around the Glades that are hoping to win a State title either this weekend or next. Three of those teams will be playing in State Championships games this weekend at Dolphin Stadium. The other team, Glades Central, played last against Bartow in hopes that they would be playing next weekend for the Class 3A state championship. Their hopes and determination payed off as they dominated Bartow with a 48-0 win! Glades Day (shown above with Coach Pete Walker, a good friend of ours,after winning the title) also won the class 1A state championship against North Florida Christian in Dolphin Stadium last night. Pahokee Blue Devils are playing,as I type this post, at Dolphin Stadium in hopes of bringing home the state championship title for class 2B against Ocala Trinity Catholic. Then finally, the Clewiston Tigers will take on the Jacksonville Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. determined to bring home the class 2A state championship. It be will awesome if all these teams bring home a state championship! Come on Muck sweep it up!!!

Game 3 - State Tournament

Game 3 of the Florida State Pre-Majors Tournament was the final game for the Okeechobee team. After a 2 hour rain delay Hernando County won 9 - 2. It seems that baseball games are now a thing of the past, at least until the spring. Now we await soccer and football season to start.

Defeated

Yesterday afternoon, the Crawford's and I drove up to Avon Park to watch Beau's game against Marion County. Marion County had slaughtered Melbourne the previous night, so we were unsure of how our team would do. Nonetheless, the Okeechobee team were not nervous just prepared to play the defense as well as the offense. Sadly, Okeechobee didn't do as well as the night before and lost 9-0 in 7 innings. We hit the ball, but Marion County played as well defensively as they did offensively. Brock and Vicki were able to come watch Beau's game as well. Brock had just returned from camping at Ginnie Springs with his Uncle Bill and Aunt DeAnne, so it was great hearing about all the fun he had. He told us about all the animals he saw while there. After the game, we headed to Diary Queen for a Blizzard before driving back to Clewiston.

This afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Okeechobee will face Hernando County. If we win today's game we will play tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. If we lose we will be out of the tournament. Good luck guys! Wish I were there to cheer for ya'll.

Ten Run Rule

Last night we drove to Avon Park to watch Beau play with Okeechobee in the 2006 Florida State Pre-Majors Tournament. There are teams from Marion County, Swannee, Melbourne, Sebring, Avon Park, and Okeechobbee competing for the State title . Which ever team wins the tournament will go on to compete for the National title. The game was scheduled to start at 5::30 p.m. however due the Marion County - Melbourne game before ours we didn't start until 6:30 p.m. Marion County clobbered Melbourne 49 - 0. Okeechobee and Avon Park took the field at 6:30 p.m. Okeechobee scored 7 runs in the first inning and Avon Park zero. By the 4th inning it was Okeechobee 13 - Avon Park 0! In the 5th, Avon Park scored 2 runs. Due to the ten run rule Okeechobee took the win 13 -2! Okeechobee will face Marion County today at 5:30 p..m. After the game we went with the team to eat at Pizza Hut. We all had a great time sharing a meal with friends (Kenny & Becky) from Okeechobee.

Baseball, Baseball & More Baseball

This week we have traveled out of town twice to watch Beau play baseball with the American Legion Team in district games. On Monday, they played in Wellington. After the first two innings a thunderstorm came through delaying the game for about 30 minutes. Once the storm passed the game resumed. They lost 7 - 1. On Thursday night we traveled to Royal Palm Beach to Seminole Park to watch them win the game 7 -3! It's fun watching these boys play and display their talent even though they don't win every game. Their love for the game displays itself each and every game.

Series Tied 1-1

Today was our 2nd annual Parent/Youth Softball game at Sugarland Park Complex. The youth tied the series 1-1 with a win against the adults (13-12). I'm still trying to find the rule in slow pitch softball that says you can't steal bases. I tried stealing from 1st to second but was told that it was illegal. Oh well, it is a commandment after all so I'll let it go. At least I knew where 2nd base was (only kidding Lori, you played a great game). I'm amazed at the talent of the adults and so was David. He told his team mates in the dugout (while we were winning the game) that he couldn't believe they were letting a group of adults (most of them over 40 years old) beat them. The adults brought their own cheerleaders this year. Delaney and Hannah were in our dugout cheering for their mommies! It was great afternoon playing against these youth and worth every ache we are sure to have come tomorrow morning. After the game we enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and dessert.




Delaney explains the rules to Mr. Thall

Pastor Tim ready to make a "Grand Slam"

Update on Angela

Angela's knee is still swollen today. She tried to go to school this morning but had to come home because of the pain. We went to the primary care physican for him to check it out. He pushed, pulled and tried to move it around. She let him know that it was very painful when he was doing so. He suggested that stay on the crutches for a week, alternate heat and ice, take Advil or Motrion for the pain and return for him to re-check it in a week. At that point he will be able to better access the knee and decide if a MRI is necessary. He said a lot times that these type injuries will take a week to 6 weeks to heal. If he decides a MRI is needed he will then refer us to Pediatric Orthopedics in Fort Myers.