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A case in point would be the New
England Patriots and the Chicago Bears. The Pats are loaded with
people, two or three deep at many key positions on the depth chart,
and it's led to success. Sorry Bears fans, but Chicago is not, and
it's led to… depression. Perhaps the Pats' second unit might even be
better than the Bears' starters, but I hope we're at least seeing
the point here.
And so, it's not enough to just have
people trying out for the squad; you need to have a lot of the right
people. Coach John Oaks and his staff patiently built the numbers
and then saw many of the skilled people come along as well. These
athletes also put in the work. Let's just say that as someone who
used to spend a lot of time at the high school and especially around
the weight room, I've seen a huge change there! And if that
continues, it's hard to tell how much better the Railers can become.
Will they ever be as good as SH-G? I
don't know. SH-G has some advantages that might never be matched or
overcome. But could this team ever compete in the playoffs? Most
certainly. They were only a game away from that level this year!
TODAY the LDN lifts up the play and the
season of the Lincoln Railer football squad! They have been
underappreciated far too long, and with a convincing season-ending
34-7 exclamation point over the East Peoria Raiders they have given
success a brand-new meaning.
By shoring up the best record in 12
years they've done something not seen at least in the last decade --
they've left an improving legacy. Here's hoping that we'll
springboard off their accomplishments and vault into the playoffs
next season! And when we win that first playoff game next year, will
someone please remember these kids from the last few seasons and the
coaching staff that had the guts to stay here and get it turned
around!
Angels
bring home regional title, set to host nationals
The Lincoln Christian College Angel
volleyball squad continues to amaze. Coach Kevin Crawford's squad
was given another formidable challenge this past weekend. All they
had to do was defeat a very tough Moody squad and then take out one
of their nemeses, the Northland Baptist, on THEIR home court in
beautiful downtown Dunbar, Wis.! The Angels would not be denied.
Someone ought to send them a fruit
basket or something because of their efforts. Because what it will
do is open up not one but probably two at-large openings for the
national tourney hosted here in Lincoln at the beautiful Laughlin
Center.
BTW, there are still some tickets
available for the national championship event, so call the Laughlin
Center today at 732-3168 to get your all-session passes to
watch some of the best small-college volleyball anywhere. My son
loves it! I'll probably be labeled a homer, but I'm just so proud of
these young ladies and their coaches and what they've accomplished.
There's no need to be complacent now. Here's hoping they take the
whole enchilada for the hometown!
[to top of second column in this
article] |
 Marlins
capture second world title
Is it just me? Or is that as
implausible as it is improbable? I STILL can't believe it… I REALLY
thought the Cubs would win it all. That's one reason I don't like
any wagers -- even friendly, harmless ones (see Rick Nuheisal).
People are saying that the NFL's
Oakland Raiders are too old and that's why they've faded. Is the
same thing true of the New York Yankees, the best team money can
buy? And, if a team like the Marlins can have a fire sale every four
or five years and still make it into the playoffs, why spend so much
money in the first place? It might even bring the ticket prices
down… OK, I admit that I sipped some of Greg's Illini Kool-Aid!
What's saddest to me about this year's
champions is that I'm not sure that their fans even deserve a title.
When you don't even average 20,000 fans a game, it doesn't say much
for your support! Maybe Mr. Selig and others were right after all.
Not about contraction obviously, but maybe they need to rethink the
whole wild-card formula. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like
the wild cards have fared pretty well. I'm not sure if the
home-field advantage is as much of an advantage as it once seemed to
be. And don't the wild cards play a lot looser than the divisional
champions? I don't know how to fix that, but that's an issue that
probably could use some study -- not moving the 3-point line back to
the international distance! Who thought that was a good idea?
Obviously, not somebody who drains the 3-ball often or the Notre
Dame Fighting Irish!
At any rate, the Fish are the champs!
And we should've known. My son has spent the whole year trying to
find Nemo!!!
NFL area
teams sweep
It might be the first time all season
that it's happened, but all three of our area NFL teams came out on
top Sunday! The Bears took out the Lions, the Colts held off the
Texans, and the Rams surprised the Steelers in Pittsburg! Any calls
for proclaiming today a holiday?
There's
probably dozens of other sporting events to report on, but that
extra sleep made me drowsy. Have a great week, everybody!
[Jeff Mayfield]
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