Oakton Survives Scare From Spartans

John's a sophomore this year at Vienna, Va's Oakton High School. He is a backup Middle Linebacker on the Varsity Team. He's #9 on JV and #34 on Varsity.

It's an incredibly stacked team, with D1 weapons at the skill positions. For the first time in the school's history, the football team won the Concorde District by going undefeated in the regular season. After last night's epic battle with North Carolina commit, Bryn Renner (see link at the bottom of the article), Oakton is sterling 12-0.

Next week, Oakton is scheduled to meet Chantilly for the Regional Championship.

Oakton Survives Scare From Spartans

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Maddie's Steals Brother's Headlines

The emergent Maddie announced her arrival in the sports world in a big way last Saturday, stealing the spotlight from her brother (at least for this week).

Old Dominion Tournament

The Fairfax Falcons beat a team from the Bronx, NY in the last game, after dropping the first two.
Old Dominion University is a gorgeous campus in Norfolk, Va.

Just a few miles up Hwy 264 is Virginia's Historic Triangle, Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. Colonial Williamsburg is populated by people in the garb of the revolution. They grow food and attend to the occupations of the locals circa 1700's. Check out www.visitwilliamsburg.com for more information.

The College of William and Mary is also just a few miles away. Lots of great American history here.

7/5/2008 Tournament at Wake Forest

John hit this up the middle for the Falcon's first hit on Saturday.
Here are some of the Falcons, John's new team.

Johnny Ballgame had a 2-strike base hit in his first at-bat vs. the Mid-Atlantic Mets. In a 6-4 loss, John scored twice, walked once and had a base hit.

1st Tournament in Manassas, VA - 6/29/08

Johnny Ballgame batted .500 in his first tourney as a member of the Fairfax Falcons.

Playing CF, he went 3 for 3 in the final game (a loss) against the Dulles Diamond Dogs at Stonewall Jackson HS ballpark. Interestingly, all his base hits in the final game were first-pitch fastballs.

Next week, we'll be at Wake Forest University for an Impact Baseball Wood Bat Tournament.

Random Quality Sports Pics

You would think a big stud like Big Papi would own a Doberman or a Bulldog.

I kiss my dog on the lips too.

History will have to judge "W's" legacy. But, you can't deny that he threw his fastball for strikes. Here is the pitch tracker from the 2001 World Series, in which he threw out the first pitch.

This picture was sent by Chicago Sean O'Connor, a devout Bears fan.

Friends Of The Great Game

One of the best books I've read recently is called The Old Ballgame. It describes the strong, life-long bond between two people who were very different in origin: Christy Matthewson and John McGraw. Matthewson was an Ivy Leaguer and a somewhat socially refined gentleman. McGraw was an uneducated, foul-mouthed, hard-drinking Irishman. But, the game gave them a commonality.

The game has given Junior a commonality with Price Jacobs and Evyn Lacy.

Jacobs is a hard-throwing righty at Baytown Sterling. The two have been through the grinder as members of two different select teams together. Through their time together, they have developed a mutual respect for eachother's abilities and a fine friendship.

John has played baseball and football with Evyn. Although they come from different backgrounds, my son has developed a great deal of respect for Evyn. He is a quiet, hard worker. Football at West Brook can be more like a prison sentence than a team sport. And, only those players with strong character succeed. John respects Evyn as a player and a person. He shows up every day, ready to work.

Like Matthewson and McGraw, the great game continues to be the medium through which young men of substance forge lasting friendships. I'm proud that these young men (Lacy and Jacobs) think highly of my son because I certainly think highly of them.

Ballgame at Aggieland - 3/15/08

The noble Aggies crushed the Texas Tech Red Raiders yesterday at Olsen Field in College Station. Final Score: 12-1.

John invited teammates Evyn Lacy and Carter Clarke to ride up and take in the sights in God's Country on The Brazos. We Aggies know that TAMU is not heaven. But, it's close enough that you can see it from here.

1st Varsity At-Bat vs. Barbe HS

Going into the season, CollegiateBaseball.Com ranked Barbe HS (Lake Charles, La.) #19 nationally. Junior got his first varsity at-bat at their field. He got a hit, but didn't get the stop sign from the coach. Oh well, freshman mistake.

2-26-2008 Johnny Ballgame Checks In At The Plate

Last night, John got hit by a pitch, walked and hit a double. He stole a few bases. And, any other time, I would have enjoyed it. But, we were so cold, I felt like a snow man with a carrot-nose and video camera. John is getting the opportunity to play on the Varsity Team this weekend, which is a nice opportunity for a freshman.