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November 2009 The Walrus: School News
Page 5
Fantasy Football Report
By RYAN BACIC ‘11
When the leaves begin to change
and fall rolls around again, Belichick
wannabes everywhere gather to
plot their strategies and make their
picks to prepare themselves for the
upcoming season of America’s new
national pastime: fantasy football. In
case you’ve never heard of it, fantasy
football involves drafting a team of
NFL players and earning points based
on their real-life performances. Using
this points system, you compete
head-to-head each week against a
different member of your league to
see who’s the best potential NFL GM.
This new rage is sweeping the nation,
and with many Arrows in on the action,
it’s more important than ever
to share everything there is to know
about the goings-on of the NFL and
how it affects your squad.
As all fantasy owners know, running
back is the most important position
in the game, as they’re guaranteed to
get touches on every series and are
given plenty of opportunities in the
red zone to cap off the drive with a
touchdown. Heavy hitters at this position
include Minnesota Viking Adrian
Peterson, Jacksonville Jaguar Maurice
Jones-Drew, and Atlanta Falcon Michael
Turner. These three should have
very successful seasons this year as
expected, with each of them on pace
for at least sixteen rushing TDs.
Another heralded trio of running
backs has not been faring quite so
well this year. Though all projected
as top 10 fantasy running backs to
start the season, Steven Jackson, Matt
Forte and Steve Slaton all have had
weak starts to the 2009 campaign, as
none of them scored a touchdown
through the third week of the season
(Jackson waited until Week 8 for his
first). Based on the strong run defenses
that each will be facing during
the next couple of weeks, don’t look
for their numbers to jump up too significantly.
Forte, in particular, doesn’t
get too much of a break the rest of
the way except against St. Louis in
Week 13 and Detroit the last game of
the season.
Bruins Start Season Slow
signs of a rough journey.
By JOE DUDLEY ‘12
Brian Westbrook, out for Week 8
with a concussion, opened the door
for rookie LeSean McCoy to step
in and make his case, and he did,
rushing for 82 yards and a score in
the Eagles’ 40-17 rout of the Giants.
Even with Westbrook coming back, I
wouldn’t get rid of McCoy just yet if
you picked him up, considering the
fact that Westbrook hasn’t exactly
been setting the world on fire during
his time on the field this season (197
yards, 1 TD in 41 rushing attempts
through Week 7).
Finally, as if Chiefs back Larry Johnson
wasn’t having a bad enough
season as it was (358 rushing yards
and no touchdowns through the
first half of the season), he has been
suspended from the team at least
through Week 9 after making some
choice comments about his team
and specifically head coach Todd
Haley. If you’ve been waiting for the
“right time” to finally cut ties with
him, I think you’ve found it.
Moving on to wide receivers, Jaguar
Mike Sims-Walker was a big surprise
throughout the first few weeks
of the season. Stepping up in the
absence of Troy Williamson, Sims-
Walker appears to be the Jaguars’
premier target, with 3 touchdowns
and an average of 93 yards per game
through the first four weeks of the
season. It’s too bad that the Jaguars’
struggles in recent weeks have had
a real negative impact on his fantasy
performance, as Jacksonville hasn’t
snagged a passing TD since their
dismantling of the Titans over a
month ago.
After sitting out Week 3 with a
hamstring injury, Chiefs stud wideout
Dwayne Bowe decided to play
through the pain in Week 4 and it
showed, as he amassed only one
reception for 11 yards in a 27-16
loss to the Giants. Since that time,
his receiving yards haven’t gone
up too much, but he has amassed
four touchdowns in only six games
played, which have saved what
would have otherwise been a dismal
fantasy season for Bowe. Don’t fret
though: given some proper time to
heal, the dynamic Bowe’s numbers
should drastically improve. Look for
bigger numbers from him after the
Chiefs’ bye in Week 8.
Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez may
have started off the season strong
with a 3-0 record before falling to
New Orleans, but don’t get caught
up in the hype in terms of fantasy.
His numbers have been enough
to get the job done but not much
more, averaging a modest 186 passing
yards and one passing touchdown
per game through the first
eight weeks of the season. Unless
you’ve got a couple guys on bye at
the same time, I wouldn’t bother
going out of your way to pick him
up. With backup—but still often
used—running back Leon Washington
being placed on injured reserve,
third-stringer Shonn Greene, not
Sanchez, should be looking to shoulder
more of the offensive load.
In other quarterback news, there
have been quite a number of teams
involved in the QB carousel, with
Derek Anderson (Browns), Chad
Henne (Dolphins), and Josh Johnson
(Buccaneers) replacing Brady
Quinn, Chad Pennington, and Byron
Leftwich, respectively. To be honest,
though, none of these QB switches
should have a significant impact on
your team, because unless you’re
playing in a huge league, neither
you nor anyone you’re up against
probably has any of these players
anyway. However, one player who
has been affected is Ronnie Brown,
who has seen increased time under
center running the Dolphins’ trademark
Wildcat offense in Pennington’s
absence. Also, keep an eye out for
another Bucs QB, 2009 first-round
pick Josh Freeman, who might see
some more snaps after his team’s
horrendous 0-7 start to the season.
And that concludes everything
that you need to know to prepare
yourself for the rest of this year’s
unpredictable and exciting fantasy
football season. Follow these tips
and guidelines and in the end you
will no doubt be basking in the glory
of victory as league champion.
Bruins players advance the puck into the offensive zone during a game earlier this season.
14 games into the NHL season, the
Bruins sit in 4th place in the Northwest
division, 12th in the conference,
have a record of 6-7-1, and have
accumulated only 13 points so far.
The only team with fewer points in
the northwest division is the Toronto
Maple Leafs, who happen to have the
ex-Bruin, Phil Kessel, on their bench.
Many injuries, such as Marc Savard’s
broken foot, have plagued the Bruins
thus far and have limited their success
on the rink.
On October 1st, Boston
was electric as the opening game for
the Bruins against the Washington
Capitals started their season. The
game was the first of a five game
home stand the Bruins were to open
the season with. The Bruins looked
to start their season on a high note
and to prove that they could generate
offense without last season’s top
goal scorer, Phil Kessel. However,
the game did not fall their way. The
first period was in a standstill until
2:45 left, when Washington’s Brooks
Laich capitalized on a power play to
give the Capitals a one goal lead. The
game was all down hill from there for
the Bruins, as about midway through
the second period, Alex Ovechkin
could not be held in check as he
scored his first goal of the season. At
the start of the third period, the game
was out of hand when Laich scored
once again on another power play.
Hardly a minute and a half later the
dangling Russian Ovechkin added
his second goal of the game and
solidified Washington’s victory. The
Bruins were able to score by the stick
of Patrice Bergeron to avoid a shutout.
After the disheartening blow
out, the Bruins set their sights on the
Carolina Hurricanes, and looked to
get revenge for last year’s playoffs.
Revenge is exactly what the
Bruins got after their 7-2 slaughter
of Carolina. Tim Thomas, last year’s
Vezina Trophy winner, made a much
better showing and helped his team
get their first win of the year. After
such a great victory the Bruins appeared
to be building momentum,
but were unable to transfer it into
the game against Anaheim. The
Bruins started off well, ending the
first period with a 1-0 lead, but the
Bruins allowed Anaheim to run the
table as the Ducks scored 6 straight
goals to win the game 6-1. After
beating the New York Islanders in
a 4-3 shootout, the Bruins set their
sites on powerhouse Colorado. With
the first period ending the score was
2-0 in favor of the Avalanche, but the
Bruins made a comeback to even
the score at 2. Colorado’s fast start
was too much to overcome, however,
and the Avalanche buried the
Bruins with two more goals in the
second period. After scoring again
in the third, the Bruins could not get
the evasive last goal they needed to
send the game to overtime, and the
team went back into the locker room
with a loss. Only five games into the
season, the Bruins gave ominous
Over the next seven games,
the Bruins hovered around .500,
losing after every win and winning
after every loss. In only one of these
games did the Bruins lose by more
than one goal, and that was to the
Phoenix Coyotes by the score of
4-1. After losing a tough game to
the Devils, where the winning goal
was scored off a rebound in the
final 1:30 of the game, the Bruins
looked to bounce back against
Edmonton, a streaky team that is
also hovering around .500. After a
sold 2-0 win, the Bruins looked to
win back to back games for the first
time this year against the Rangers,
but couldn’t follow through. The
lone goal of the game came from
a one-timer from Gaborik in the
second period. The Bruins were
not able to score on any of their 29
shots as Lundqvist was able to stop
every one. The Bruins then traveled
to Detroit for their next game. And
after 2 goals in the first period by the
Red Wings, the Bruins were not able
to respond with a goal of their own
and were outscored for the second
straight week. This loss marked the
first time the Bruins lost back to back
games all season. Although the season
is long the Bruins are headed in
the wrong direction with their losing
record. If they want to have any shot
at making the playoffs the Bruins will
need to recollect their composure
and string a few wins together and
get over the hump of a .500 record.
The ‘S’ Sports Want You!
By JOHN CHEEVER ‘12
There are many choices for
students besides hockey and basketball
for a winter sport and baseball
and lacrosse for a spring sport. These
options include: squash, swimming,
ski team, and sailing. Think of
them as the “four S squads” -- all are
looking for more participants.
St. Sebastian’s squash program
started as a club in 2001. The coach,
Mr. Moore, says that squash “still has
a lot of growing to do. It is definitely
more serious now….We would love
to have new guys come out to give it
a try.” For anyone interested in trying
squash, Coach Ryan Moore says that
the Nobles practices are the best
times to visit because there are more
courts available. The team practices
at Nobles on Monday and Tuesday
nights from 7-9 p.m and at Cross
Courts Squash in Natick on Wednesday
and Fridays from 2:30-5:30 p.m.
There are no practices on Thursdays
According to Mr. Moore, the goal of
the squash team is definitely “…to
be a varsity sport at some point, but
we can’t become one until we have
courts of our own. The situation is
kind of a Catch-22; we need courts to
develop a better varsity program, but
it seems like we can’t develop a better
varsity program without courts.
Our hope is to draw some new guys
each year…and keep building our
base until there is sufficient interest
to develop a program here.” No prior
experience is necessary to join the
squash team. As the season progresses,
you will improve your game.
Initially Mr. Moore will lend racquets
to interested players. The team plays
against teams such as Noble and
Greenough, Middlesex, and Belmont
Hill. Squash at St. Sebastian’s
offers an opportunity to play a rising
team sport. Swimming at St.
Sebastian's is entering its second
year as a varsity sport. The coaches
are Mrs. Callini and Mr. Jenkins. Mr.
Jenkins has said that they are looking
for more participants "the more
the merrier." The swim team is a joint
effort with Dana Hall and swims at
their pool. Mr. Jenkins says that the
team "feels like a coed team."
All you have to pay for is a swim
suit and goggles. The races are
during the week and the practices
are everyday after school. The team
swims against Milton Academy,
Thayer Academy, and other schools
in the co-ed NEPSSA (New England
Prep School Swimming Association).
Last year swimming drew students
from most grades. You do not need
prior experience for the sport but
Mr. Jenkins says, "You need to be
willing to work hard and improve."
The future Michael Phelps might be
in our midst…
Ski team is excited this year
because for the first time they will
be a varsity sport. Skiing has been
available to St. Sebastian's since
1994. The coaches are Ms. Rynne
and Mr. Simoneau. Ms. Rynne says
practices are at Nashoba Valley, Blue
Hills, or occasionally at Wachusett.
Participants have to pay for their
own skis. The team practices 3-4
times a week in preparation for their
competition against ISL schools.
Ms. Rynne says the varsity ski team
"requires intermediate skiing ability."
She also notes that the skiing
is "alpine racing only, no free style,
jumping, or aerial." If you enjoy the
outdoors this may just be the sport
for you. Finally, St. Sebastian's
had a sailing club early on which
competed out of Boston and then
was re-established in 1995. The
varsity sailing team primarily sails
out of Community Boating but also
race throughout New England. The
coaches are Father Arens, Ms. Rynne,
and Doctor Martin. The team competes
out of the Northern District
NESSA. Each year they compete
at the Massachusetts Bay League
Championships and Massachusetts
State Championships. They also are
frequent participants at the NESSA
O'Day Regatta. The sailing team
competes against Beaver Country
Day, Belmont Hill, Brooks School,
and many others. If you’re
interested in sailing Ms. Rynne says
you need to buy equipment including
a "wet or dry suit." The team
practices and races three to five
times a week, experiences former
sailors at Sebs have called “a blast”.
Sometimes taking a risk
and trying a new sport can be very
rewarding. Many of these sports are
lifelong skills which you can use in
your life after St. Sebastian's and
will bring you many years of enjoyment.
These sports are part of the
St. Sebastian's athletic program and
should be given their due credit.
So if you’re looking for a fun and
interesting sport to participate in
this winter or spring, give these four
“S” squads a try – you’ll not only
improve yourself, but also the results
7-1 Celts Seek Championship
BY TOM HOFF ‘11
As we all knew before the
start of the year, the Celtics are a contender
for the finals again. However,
many fans, including myself, have
been surprised how well they have
played right out of the gate. I felt
that the Celtics of this year would be
a team that had a very good regular
season record, but by no means great,
en route to a probable second or third
place finish in the conference, much
like the Spurs have done the past few
years, hoping to save their veterans
for the playoffs. However, the Celtics
so far have been able to get the best
of both worlds. Through the first four
games, the team has amassed four
wins, and they have been able to rest
Kevin Garnett, coming off of major
knee surgery. Garnett has played an
average of less than 40 minutes per
game, and a big reason for this fact is
that only one of their games has been
down to the wire. Another reason
has been the usefulness of Rasheed
Wallace, to take some of Garnett’s
minutes and keep him fresh.
Because of players like
Wallace, the Celtics have a new asset
– depth, especially in the frontcourt.
With the signings of Wallace and Shelden
Williams, as well as Glen Big Baby
Davis and Mr. D. Burke – I mean Brian
Scalabrine, the Celtics have many
guys that can step in for Garnett or
Kendrick Perkins, due to injury, fouls,
or necessary rest. Furthermore, in
the backcourt, the Celtics also have
some depth behind Allen, Pierce and
Rajon Rondo, including shooter Eddie
House, the newly acquired quick
Marquis Daniels, Bill Walker, and
Tony Allen.
There is one main reason
that the Celtics need their depth,
which is also their biggest problem
– age. Currently, Ray Allen is playing
a ton of minutes, almost an entire
game, and he’s 34. Kevin Garnett is
33, and as I said earlier, is recovering
from a knee problem that plagued
him for about five months, and Paul
Pierce, who has played almost every
game for two long playoff runs, is 32.
Rasheed Wallace, who is now their
sixth man, is the oldest at 35. This
team has a ton of mileage, and that
cannot get any better as the season
goes along. While Rondo and
Perkins are young and more durable
this year and staples of the franchise
later, a team cannot be built around
an extremely good point guard and
a very good center. This leads to
unfortunate news for Celtics’ fans:
The Celtics need to make this season
count, because, barring some unexpected
deals, in as little as two years
they will not be a contender, and
they could be near the basement of
the Eastern Conference.
With this season possibly
being the last for a title contention,
the Celtics need to do everything
they can to win this year. I’m talking
strictly about the moves that
they need to make in February, the
month of both the trading deadline
and the time to buy out players,
which is how the Celtics got Sam
Cassell and Stephon Marbury. While
Cassell didn’t help the Celtics much
Eddie House gets fired up on the court after making a three
at all, the Marbury signing was well
worth it. After all, the Celtics would
not have won game 5 against Orlando
if Marbury did not score 12 fourth
quarter points. This year, if the
Celtics can get a defensive stopper
or possibly another good shooter
in a buyout, they would be greatly
benefitted. Someone like Grant Hill,
who is looking for a championship,
could be the perfect fit for the Celtics.
Furthermore, the trade possibilities
are intriguing. With the way that
contracts are now, and the fact that
owners of bad teams want to acquire
contracts that run out sooner and
give up longer contracts, it’s possible
that the Celtics would trade Brian
Scalabrine, Tony Allen, JR Giddens,
and a draft pick for a player with a
multi-year contract on a bad team
making between $5-$9 million. Such
a move may now seem far-fetched,
but with the horrible economy, it’s
very possible that another GM would
make that move. Now, someone
with less than a $9 million contract
won’t exactly save the Celtics, but
someone like Stephen Jackson, who
falls in that range, could be a major
help. The problem with Jackson is
that his contract runs for another
three years after this year, and the
Celtics may not want to make that
kind of commitment to a player,
especially when they could be in the
basement in three years. However,
I feel that this move would help a
great deal and maybe is necessary,
because, after all, the Celtics need to
go for it all this year, because this is
their best chance.
There are two other teams
in the east, however, that feel the
exact same way. Cleveland needs to
go for the trophy this year, because,
if they don’t get it, there’s a great
chance LeBron will leave after the
year. Orlando needs to know if the
team they have now can actually
gel, after they essentially gave up
Courtney Lee and Hedo Turkoglu for
Vince Carter. This means that these
two teams will go for everyone that
they can during the season, just like
the Celtics. The Cavs have already
made a move, acquiring Shaq for
essentially nothing (also because of
contracts and the economic situation).
This move has a huge bearing
on the Celtics, because it is either hit
or miss. The Cavs could get a rejuvenated
Shaq who puts his ego aside
for a championship, and also to get a
contract next year. If this happens, it
may not matter what the Celtics do,
because, the Cavs could run away
with the title. However, if the Cavs
get the Shaq with a huge ego who
wants the ball always in his hands,
despite having the best player on
the planet on his team, then the
Cavs could fold, giving the Celtics a
good chance. Through all this, I have
concluded one fact: The Celtics can
win it all this year, if they take advantage
of their opportunities