PSU
Sports
@a
Glance
By Christian Torres
Sports Editor
cgtlllgpsu.edu
With this being the final issue of
The Capital Times, it seems only
logical to take a look back; a look
back to the year that was Penn
State sports. However, since this
is the final issue, why make it
predictable? Instead of looking
back, let's look ahead. There is a
lot to look forward to.
Penn State football's troubles
have been well documented the
last few years and to be honest,
the team has been really bad.
These losing seasons may
be acceptable by schools like
Temple, but this is Penn State.
This is "Happy Valley" and right
now, we need this football team
to make us happy.
Beyond the negativity that
has been heard, there may be
a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Lions have had a pretty
good recruiting season for one
thing. In the past few years, the
Lions had lagged behind when
recruiting the great high school
players. So, the recruitment of
high school phenomenon Derrick
Williams will only help this young
team get better.
The defense appears to be
solid with players like Dan
Connor coming back. There is no
question that the defense was the
strength of this team last season.
With such a young offensive unit,
the defense will probably be in
the spotlight once again.
Probably the most interesting
story of the upcoming season
will be the quarterback situation.
JoePa has a decision to make.
Many would like to see Tony
Morelli start, but what about
Michael Robinson? Since he
has been recruited, Robinson
has been on the sidelines behind
Zack Mills, though that did not
mean that he was not used.
Robinson was used as a weapon
for Paterno as a wide receiver
in some packages, and as a
quarterback in others.
And so begins the talk: Will it
be Robinson or Morelli? We
will have to wait. At this point,
the favorite could be Robinson,
and why not? Robinson has
experience and has some good
skills. However, in the starts that
he has had, Robinson has been
less than stellar.
Summer is right around the
corner, and that means that
baseball is in full swing. With the
disappointment that the football
and basketball teams have
provided,. it is nice to see that
the baseball team is doing fairly
well.
Through 27 games, the team
is 17-10. That includes a perfect
record at home and a good
record on the road.
Offensively, Matt Lewis and
Scott Gummo lead the team.
Lewis leads the team in RBIs
with 24. His batting average is not
too shabby either; 340. average.
Gummo is tied with Lewis for the
team lead in homeruns and leads
the team in walks with 14.
Both of these players will have
to continue playing well if the
baseball team will have success
this summer. Perhaps not The
College World Series, but earned
respectability is absolutely a
possibility.
Balls fly everywhere at PSH
By Steve O'Holla
Staff Reporter
saol42@psu.edu
On Thursday April 14, Penn
State Harrisburg students clearly
had the balls to help out a charity
by participating in an extreme
dodgeball tournament. The
event, held at the CUB, drew
over eighty people and proved
to be an enjoyable experience
for all. The tournament began
promptly at 9 p.m, and by 10:45
p.m., students were still having a
"ball" in the gym.
Circle K, a community service
Chris Kramm of XGI slides into the other team's territory as he makes
a play for the first throw of the match. He is defeated by the other team
as they peg him with the remaining balls.
Herb's sports movie countdown
By Herb Smith
Staff Reporter
hjsl3s@psu.edu
15 Best Sports Movies
15) 61*
14) Eight Men Out
13) The Longest Yard
12) Major League 1
11) The Sandlot
10) Slap Shot
9) Fie/dot Dreams
8) Rudy
7) Bull Durham
6) The Natural
5) Miracle
4) Rocky
3) Friday Night Lights
2) Raging Bull
1) Hoosiers
5 Worst Sports Movies
5) Major League //
4) Summer Catch
3) 03: The Mighty Ducks
2) Caddyshack //
1) For Love of the Game
What makes a great sports
movie? Realism is a start, and
having the movie based on a true
story doesn't hurt either. After all,
isn't reality better than fiction?
That could be the reason the top
3 movies on the countdown were
all based on actual events that
happened to real, living, breathing
people. Seeing an amazing
story and knowing it actually
happened, not just a vision in a
writer's mind, makes the story all
the more compelling.
It is important to remember that
a sports film, like any other film,
The Capital Times, April 18,
S 0 riS
club at PSH, sponsored the
event, which cost students $2
a person or $lO for a team of
five. After teams were formed,
students began entering the gym
with competitive spirits growing
as everyone waited for the
competition to begin.
After a short while, the rules
were announced and dodgeball
began. The rules were simple if
an opponent caught a ball thrown
at them, the person who threw the
ball would be out. However, if the
person missed the ball (or was
simply hit), he or she was out,
unless someone else from his or
Photos by Sharon Furfaro/ Capital Times
needs a great story and great
acting. In addition to that, sports
films will have game scenes in
them, and it is not easy to pull off
a sports scene and make it look
authentic. These movies pulled
off the scenes flawlessly. All of the
movies in the top 15 are not only
realistic looks at different sports,
but are expertly directed and
superbly acted. So, just for one
time, I'm going to pretend that I
am the Tomfoolery of Cinema
and take a closer look inside a
few of the greatest sports movies
of all time.
In the realm of sports movies,
it seems that the list always
goes Hoosiers, then every other
movie. Hoosiers, set in a small
Indiana town, is a great story of
a coach and his underdog team
that, in 1952, made it to the
state championship. It is a great
story of overcoming the odds
and it is based on actual events,
making the story that much more
amazing.
Raging Bull is the dark story
of boxing great Jake LaMotta.
Robert DeNiro and Martin
Scorsese team up for this great
film, and also brought the world
Joe Pesci. Pesci made his film
debut in this picture and did
outstanding as LaMotta's brother,
Joey. The film tells us all about
the self-destructive LaMotta who
had the world in his hand and lost
it. Scorsese showed his genius in
this epic and the boxing scenes
were as realistic as any ever
done.
Corning in at number three is a
recent film, Friday Night Lights.
The two winning teams took on the rest of the players for one last match. The match was about 10 people
against 25, and they still came out on top.
her team caught the ball. In this
single elimination tournament, the
team that successfully removed
everyone from the opposing
team would be the winners and
moved on. Several other rounds
were played, including a round
for the losers, and a final round
that featured the top two teams
vs. everyone else in the gym.
Several teams were members
of clubs and organizations
sponsored by PSH, including The
Capital Times (Meet the Press),
Circle K (The Do-Gooders), and
XGI (XGI #1 and #2). Many
teams really got into the event,
making their own shirts, painting
their faces, playing music, and
bringing a score of cheering fans.
Others simply stuck to basics and
only focused on their competition.
Overall, the spirit in the gym was
amazing.
In the end, "The Tigons,"
The film takes a look at high
school football in Texas and the
pressure it put on the boys who
played the game. This is another
true story and the football scenes
made it seem as if you were on
the field.
Number four won Best picture
in 1976 and launched the career
of Sylvester Stallone. While
Stallone overall has had more
hits then misses with his films,
including a few sequels in the
Rocky series, he hit it right on
the button for this film. Stallone
wrote this film after watching
Chuck Wepner, a bum fighter;
take the very best of heavyweight
champion Muhammad Ali before
falling in the 15th round. Stallone
put his pen to paper and created
the story of Rocky Balboa, the
"Italian Stallion." Many people
seem to forget, after the myriad
of sequels, that the original
Rocky was based on the idea of
Balboa just being happy to go
the distance with the champion,
making his life mean something.
Stallone's skills in writing and
acting really shine in Rocky. It
brings to mind one question:
where did all that talent go?
Rounding out the top five is
the biggest upset in the history
of sports shown in Miracle. In a
time when America was faltering
and the Soviets were excelling in
all aspects, a bunch of unknown
hockey players defeated the
greatest team ever to step on
the ice. The Soviets were the
best hockey team in the world;
embarrassing NHL All-Star teams
on several occasions and winning
consisting of Jake Toronan,
Bob Brown, Derreck Lyne, Andy
Jones, and Cory Daniels, were
crowned dodge ball champions
and received a cash prize.
All members were thrilled to
participate and had a blast doing
so.
Sean Stanton, a Circle K member,
said, "I can't believe how many
people showed up. This has to be
one of the most successful events
of the semester." His words were
echoed by others who had stated
that they love helping charity but
at the same time, having fun.
Another student, who wishes to
be unidentified, said, "It was nice
to see so many people come out
for a good cause. We should
definitely do this again before
the year is over. People get so
competitive when it comes to
things like this, but it still was a
fun night."
three straight gold medals in
1968, 72 and 76. Herb Brooks,
who is played surprisingly well by
Kurt Russell, led the team who
beat the mighty Soviets in Lake
Placid, NY. The film shows the
coming together of the American
team from different backgrounds
for one common goal. Realizing
that goal was indeed a miracle.
This movie, above all others, is
proof that reality is better than
fiction, for if it were created,
it would be been created as
unbelievable and laughed at.
Of course, not all sports movies
are home runs. Kevin Costner
has shown he can pull off great
sports movies with two of his
films in the top 15. However,
"Robin Hood" missed the boat
completely on For Love of the
Game. The movie has a nice
story: washed up pitcher analyzes
In Hoosiers, an Indiana high school basketball team triumphs in a clas
sic underdog story based on a real-life incident.
2005 7
Half of the proceeds from the
event are going to the Head Start
and Early Head Start in Harrisburg.
They are comprehensive child
development programs that
serve children from birth to age
5, pregnant women, and their
families. They are child-focused
programs and have the overall
goal of increasing the school
readiness of young children in
low-income families.
A special thanks to all of the
referees, students, clubs, CUB
staff, Ms. Nancy Leister, Ms.
Nichole Duffy, Eric McCormick,
Bryan Sferra, Circle K members,
Mandy Davey, Middletown High
School, and all who attended.
For more info on Circle K or Head
Start, e-mail Steve O'Holla at
saol42@psu.edu. Hope to see
you back at the gym in the fall for
"Round Two!"
life while throwing a perfect game
in Yankee Stadium. But the film
is excruciatingly long. What is it
with Costner and four hour-long
movies? Didn't we suffer enough
with The Postman? The bottom
five lacks one major thing: they
are not realistic. The sports
scenes are horrendous and the
acting is worse. It takes a special
touch to pull off a successful
sports movie. And the bottom five
are a prime example about what
happens when you don't have
that touch.
Sports movies in general are
an escape. If it's January and
you miss baseball, you can put
in Bull Durham and see a good
story and a realistic portrayal
of baseball. And if you have 10
hours to kill, pull out For Love of
the Game. If for nothing else, it's
good for a laugh.
Photo courtesy of www.nostalgiacentral.com