Raymond's Run

I liked this story a lot because I liked the attitude the girl had about herself, how she believed that she was the best and that nobody could beat her, with that kind of an attitude it becomes harder for somebody to beat you. I also liked how she was respectful of other people though, such as Gretchen, for the fact that she too took running seriously, and was good at it. I found her to be very caring of her brother, and very considerate of him as well, willing to give up running and coach her brother so that he would have something to call his own.

Fences Act II

This act really caught me by surprise, I knew that Troy had his eye on another woman, but since he had always been talking about living life the right way and doing the right things, and listening to what your heart tells you to do, I didn’t think he would actually act upon these feelings. I feel like its natural to look at people of the opposite sex other than your significant other, but like Troy had said, you are in control of what happens in your life, you make your own decisions, and you are responsible for your actions. I don’t understand why Rose would stay with him after all of this had happened, I understand that she loved him and wanted things to go back to the way they were before, but he even said he didn’t want to give up on the other woman, he wanted to keep on seeing her too, this just isn’t something I would ever put up with. She is doing exactly what Cory said…she is allowing Troy to have control over her life, and she is afraid of him, just like Cory had been, but then he finally stood up to him, and I think this was a good step for Cory to take so that he could get on with his life.

Fences Act I

At first I had a hard time reading the play because of all of the going back and fourth of the dialogue, just like I always do, but also because the people in the play speak poor English, but once I got into the play, I found it fairly easy to read, and found it to be interesting. I felt as though I could partially understand what Troy had been experiencing at work, even though his stories are exaggerated at times. I felt that Rose is a strong woman who doesn’t really care what Troy has to say about her thoughts, she is just going to speak her mind anyways, and isn’t afraid to stand up to Troy either. I feel as though Troy should have listened to Rose and his son when they asked him to sign papers when he was getting recruited for football because his son really does love to play, and this will give him a shot at going to college so he can earn a degree and get a good job one day, which is ultimately what his father wants for him.

Black Irish

I liked this movie, except the ending. I just thought that it ended too quickly. Also, I thought that terry’s character was kind of over-exaggerated, I thought it was kind of weird how he was so protective of his brother and he was the only one who could touch him, but then he would go and embarrass him at the bus stop like that in front of everybody. I liked how baseball was included in the movie, it wasn’t the center focus, but it what kept Cole from going insane, I liked this because I can relate; at times I feel like wrestling is the only thing that keeps me sane.

The Center Fielder

I didn’t like this story at all. I found it to be very confusing and difficult to make connections throughout the story between his baseball career and all of the laws that he had broken. It was also confusing because at first I thought he was a teenager, but then found out that he was an older man with a son. I don’t understand why the captain kept on asking him questions that he already knew the answer to, and why they killed him, because it obviously didn’t happen the way they were saying it did in the report, they didn’t shoot him while he was running away after the fly ball.

Rounding Third Act 2

The second act of this play had many twists to it. The twists that were occurring made the play more interesting to read though. When we found out that Linda (Don’s wife) was having an affair with Tony, it made sense because tony was no longer the assistant coach, and conveniently, she wasn’t around anymore either. Also, I found it interesting how both characters grew a lot as people. Don became more considerate of other people’s feelings, and after the team had lost in the playoff game, he had told them that he was proud of them anyways, which was nice to see that he was beginning to understand what Mike had been saying all along. While Mike became more of a baseball coach, he was more compassionate about the game and wanted to win rather than lose. Also Mike is Starting to date again so I think this shows some growth as well, he is finally starting to realize that he is never going to be happy again if he just kind of mopes around taking orders from other people all of his life. Also, I thought it was great that Frankie caught the ball, and I think that may be one of the defining moments in his life because it helped him to gain confidence. Also, I feel that the game was a great experience for all of the kids on the team because they were just that—a team.

Rounding third act 1

To my surprise i found this play very easy to read. I don't like the way Don coaches little league at all, he takes it way too seriously and takes all the fun out of the game for the kids. taking all of the fun out of the game at such a young age is only going to make the kids want to quit. Although i dont like the fact that he is so hard on all of the kids, i feel that the assistant coach(mike) isnt serious enough about it, when it comes to being on time and such, although he seems like he is coaching the kids for the right reasons.

Boxed

I thought this story was very well written and i enjoyed it. i felt as though i could really relate to this story, because i tend to go into my own little world when i am trainign as well. another reason i feel that i can really relate to this story is because my father was the same way with me andmy sports when i was in high school, and i know that this bond is a really strong and special one. The fact that this boy's father had died during his match is very sad and i dont know what i would do if that had happened to me. One part of the story i sort of disagree with is at the end of the story when the boy says "i found the final niche that i did not know before. it is sad because it is the most important niche. it is the niche that is not one thing but all things. it is the niche that unites me with all people. and it is sad because my father never knew that space, he only knew the wrestler. and it is sad because i am infinately more than the sport he loved me for." I don't think this is true. I think his father did know who he was, and knew that he was more than a wrestler, but that wrestling was the one of the things that provided a bond for them and allowed them to spend time together.

Spider

I found this story to be really interesting, mostly because i wrestle. It reminded me of some of the things that happened on my high school wrestling team. The way Coach Tyler teaches things to his team-through experience, is the way my coach teaches us stuff as well. The way he puts spider against a larger, more experienced opponent at practice is a realistic and pretty much an everyday occurance in a wrestling practice, and i didnt think that part needed to be as dramatized as it was. Also, there was a part where it said "the only thing that could win the match for gary was a pin." but there was still another period left to go, and he could have won by points if he had exposed his back a few times, he didnt HAVE to pin him, although, ideally, that is what a wrestler would want to do.

The Masked Marvel's Last Toehold

This story was alot different than i had thought it was going to be. I didn't expect the masked marvel to be getting amputated on. I also found it to be rather ironic that a little boy who had seen him in a toehold and had said it wasnt fair had grown up to be the doctor that would amputate his feet, and when he saw somebody holding his foot in the operating room he had made them stop so that it was his last toehold.

To an Athlete Dying Young

i found this poem to be extremely sad. it talks about a young runner who had won a race and told us that he died, i liked the way they compared carrying him on their shoulders cheering after he had won to carrying his casket and said that the silence sounds no worse than the cheers. i also liked how they pointed out that he wont be forgotten, whereas most people who win races are forgotten long before they pass on. this poem made me think of an athlete i was on a team on with in high school who had also passed on soon after graduation, and i know that everybody will remember him for the rest of their lives, or atleast i will.

Fast Break

I think the idea behind the way this poem was written was good (it was written in a way that showed us what a fast break in basketball is really like) but im not really a big fan of basketball so it wasnt really all that interesting to me.

The Fat Man at The Ball Game

I liked this poem and found it easy to understand. although the man in the poem reminded me of a stalker, it sent a good message out, everybody is more alike than we think in the sense that we all have some sort of baggage, whether it be some extra weight or emotional, or whatever.

The Illiad

I found the Illiad kind of hard to understand, all i really got out of it was that there was a fight and a race between two men and that Hektor was the man that had lost and therefore had been killed by the other man.