Tag: awards

The American League MVP Is….

im6footLeave a comment

In my opinion the 2021 American League MVP should go to Vladimir (Vlad) Guerrero Jr.

Many will argue in favor of Royals catcher Salvador Perez or Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani. Perez and Ohtani both put up record breaking and setting numbers in 2021 but will both come up short in the AL MVP race.

Lets start with Perez. Salvador Perez put up ridiculous numbers, with a slash of .273/.316/.859. Perez also hit 48 home runs, breaking Red’s Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench’s prevision record of 45 home runs hit by a catcher. He also added in 121 RBI’s and 169 hits(72 of them for extra bases). Perez also played his usual gold glove caliber defense behind the plate, but it is a hot bat that will land the All-Star catcher 3rd in the 2021 AL MVP race

Shohei Ohtani is unique, a phenomenon, an a unicorn. This year Ohtani did something no one has ever done in the history of baseball. Pitch at an All-Star level and hit at an All-Star level, he was selected to the American League All-Star team as both a pitcher and a hitter. Let’s start with the pitching; Ohtani started 23 games for the Anaheim Angels going 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA, he threw 130.1 innings, while striking out 156 batters. His ERA and strikeout numbers are excellent, placing him within the top 20 for strikeouts among AL pitchers. Now Ohtani the hitter is a different animal. Ohtani hit a respectable .257, but it is his rare combination of power and speed that makes his offensive game so special. He hit 46 home runs and drove in 100 while also stealing 26 bases and leading all of MLB in triples with 8. His elite pitching and hitting makes him a specimen, but he will fall just short in the AL MVP race.

Vlad Jr. arguably had the greatest season a 22 year old could ever have. Guerrero Jr. was the most complete hitter in 2021, he hit for power and average while having the ability to drive in runners at a high clip and maintaining an elite on-base percentage. Vlad slugged an impressive .311/.401/1.002 along with leading the league with 48 home runs, tacking on 111 RBI’s and 188 hits; he lead the AL in 5 of the 13 major offensive categories. His impressive age 22 seasons was capped with a 3rd place finish in the Al east and he lead the youthful Toronto Blue Jays to a well above average record of 91-71, missing the playoffs by a game. Guerrero Jr. was awarded All-Star game MVP at this year’s mid-summer classic in Colorado and we will take home American League MVP following the completion of the world series.

photocredit:jaysjournal.com

Queen Bey Stings Again

mariethearistocatLeave a comment

On November 2, the 2016 Country Music Awards were held. Usually filled with the many familiar faces of country music, this awards show’s 50th year was different. In a surprise performance, Beyoncé, accompanied by the Dixie Chicks, shocked fans with a performance of her song “Daddy Lessons.”

Photo Credit: http://www.billboard.com

This performance didn’t come without controversy, however. It surprised many that Beyoncé, usually an R&B artist, would even release a song like “Daddy Lessons.” The song itself has been hotly debated on whether or not it should even be considered as country. This debate intensified when the song wasn’t nominated for the CMA’s song of the year, causing an uproar from the Beyhive, Beyoncé’s fan base. Whatever your opinion may be on the song, one thing is certain: Beyoncé knows how to change things up.

Her career started when she was in Destiny’s Child. She left her Texan girl group behind and started her affluent solo career 20 years ago. Throughout her time in the music industry, her voice and style have changed immensely. She’s shifted between R&B, pop, and now, is dabbling in country. Her song “Daddy Lessons” is rich with new instruments and its lively tempo is something the Beyhive has never heard from their favorite artist. She continues to shake up Hollywood with her cryptic songs and surprise albums.

On Wednesday night, Beyoncé’s performance just reinforced her skills. She transgressed through genres, something that not many artists know how to do. Her first country song was performed at a country awards show. With many different options, the show’s curators chose her, as unlikely she may be for the position. She didn’t disappoint, as shown by the audience’s loud cheering at this unique performance. So, whether or not you like Beyoncé or her work, there is no denying she knows how to shift between genres of music.

Journalism Competition!

rangerthecatLeave a comment

Last Friday, 8 out of 10 students from our journalism class went to Cal Lutheran University (where I’m going to college!!!) to attend the TCJEA event which is a very competitive and large journalism competition. There were 15 schools at the event in total and we were the smallest school there hands down. Many other schools had around 20 or even 30 writers with them to compete in all different categories. It was intimidating, yes, but the experience was so awesome that it hardly mattered how small our group was.

We had writers enter almost every category available, including photography, sports writing, feature writing, news writing, and editorial writing. I was in the feature category, and we had such an interesting speaker named Cyrus Nowrasteh wrote and produced a many films including a mini-series titled “The Path to 9/11”. We listened to his story about the controversy over his series and the attempted sabotage of his career by people trying to cover up their mistakes. Then, we had about an hour to write an article on him and submit to be scored against all other works in that category.

Now, Mr. Alvarez is the best journalism teacher I could ever ask for. He has taught me so much – I was a terrible writer when I first stepped into his classroom. Regardless of his immense encouragement and preparation, I was still not confident that I could compete with others in programs much bigger and more well-known than our little “On The Hill” paper. But I was sure that we were a small but mighty force and had a great change of winning awards.

There were so many awards handed out. Each category had 1st through 3rd places and 2 honorable mentions. There were also awards for online newspapers, print newspapers, and overall best team called “sweepstakes”.

In the feature category, there were over 30 students that wrote an article for submission. My fellow feature writer Emmy Addison took a 2nd place in the feature category, and I received an honorable mention! I couldn’t believe it. I was recognized as a top 5 writer in my category. I was ecstatic. Another writer Jack Marcus also received 2nd place in the news writing category. Our online publication of the newspaper took 4th place overall, with is astounding considering it had only been officially up and running for less than a month. Overall in the competition, we placed 4th, receiving an honorable mention in the sweepstakes category.

It is just amazing to me how such a small group of students was able to go to that competition and practically dominate. We really proved to the other schools that even though we may not seem like much, we have an amazing, dedicated, and hardworking group of writers. I am so proud to be a part of this team, and the event was more amazing than I could have imagined. Congrats, journalism class!

one award, one list

shredicusmaximusLeave a comment

Once upon a time there was an award for cinematic excellence. This was a truly special award. Just to be nominated was a truly special thing. Those who won have remained in our hearts for years and their legend lives on today. To the winners, we salute you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Movie_Award_for_Most_Desirable_Female

“Scha-wingggggg”- Wayne Campbell

What happened to this award?! Seriously! If they allow teen’s choice awards to even exist then I personally don’t see the logic in getting rid of something like this. This list was great. It got our imaginations working and it was guaranteed to start arguments not end them. Not to mention the increase at the box office. Seeing as I’m a man of charity though, I will not let them win. I will keep stimulating minds and creating intellectual thought, as well as helping out the movie business.

Now here’s a list I have personally compiled. The top 10 action movie starletts of the past decade. This particular topic came up because 1: The Roommate is coming out soon, and 2: well I just seem to believe that this genre seems to leave guys walking out of the theater drooling thanks to girls in tight leather uttering catchy one liners and shooting .38s. Plus (3) they all seem to be smoking hot.

here’s my list.

1: Angelina Jolie (Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Lara Croft Tomb Raider)

2: tie between Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels)

3: Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2)

4: Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean)

5: Olga Kurylenko (James Bond Quantum of Solace)

6: Rose Byrne (Troy)

7: Eva Mendes (2Fast 2Furious)

8: Jessica Biel (Blade Trinity)

9: Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil and Ultraviolet)

10: Rose McGowan (Planet Terror)