www.jeannettejayhawksfootball.blogspot.com

Yesterday the 9th, 10th and 11th grade Hawks played in the W&J Tournament. It's part of the summer basketball line-up. Colin Dunlap of the Post Gazette refers to it as "basketball's summer school", and schooling is exactly what happened yesterday.

The Hawks participated in 4 games, and captured wins in everyone of them. I'm told this wasn't a walk in the park for them though. The last match-up went down to the wire, with the Hawks hanging on to a 4 point lead. They showed signs of tiredness, which after 4 straight games, I'm sure you would too.

But it only takes something as simple as another player to do something "eye catching" that stirs that little bit of "want to win" left in you. And I'm told "Phatman" was that player, yesterday.

What triggered the troops, you ask? Well I'll quote my source for you - "I have to make note of Darius "Phatman" Brown who led his team to the very end, Phatman was not going to give up, nor was he going to let his drained teammates either. I witnessed a clear leadership role...he knew what he had to do and he did it...made a couple quick (and i mean sneaky, beastly quick) plays to grab the ball, which rallied his teammates to get on their horse and run. He's clearly a joy to watch!, and an inspiration to his fellow teammates."

It was Phatman's move that sparked this summer school lesson, causing a turnover for the opponent and a basket for the Hawks, to secure the win.

The Post Gazette has picked Terrelle as the male athlete of 2007-2008, in a very nice write up here, from Mike White. And you can check out the top high school sports stories of 2007-2008 right here.

My niece spotted these 2 spiders outside one day, so I grabbed the camera and recorded them. Only to sit down at a later date and come up with this creation below. After watching it for a while, it kind of looks like the 2 spiders are running football plays . I don't know, maybe it's just me. So to further this self humiliation, I made it out to be like a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and used Big C as the main character(The larger spider, because it looks more like that spider is on defense). Ok enough of that, you'll just have to watch it and come up with your own conclusion of my sanity, or lack of it! Just remember, this is the result of staying up way too late!!

Just an all around crappy Friday guys. The Sr. Legion baseball game was canceled, and the Hurricanes Softball team (Kirstie), lost to a team out of New York in the Firecracker showcase tournament. The rest of todays games were also canceled due to rain out in Chambersburg. And no word from Katherine's team the Diamonds.

It's a little slow around here for a Friday, Sr. Legion got a game tonight at home for 6:00PM. And a couple of our softball girls traveled to Chambersburg, Pa. for The Firecracker College Showcase Tournament. I hope to be hearing something about how that's going, DEE!!

So we'll take a minute and talk about another player from another school. I know, I know, but he is kind of a stand out though. Scout.com suggest that 6'-3", 215lb - QB- Paul Jones out of Sto-Rox School District will be the complete package for 2010 . And I quote- "He may be the best and most complete quarterback prospect to come out of the WPIAL in a long time".

Check it out right here!

The YMCA Summer Basketball League, shows Jeannette on top of the list, undefeated at 7-0 now. Jordan sank 6, 3 pointers tonight to help Jeannette win with a 50-43 score.

The upcoming 2009 Softball season is gonna bring more than just outstanding softball players. Next season will also bring a much needed better and safer playing field, for these girls to play on. Don't get me wrong, Altman Field has served it's purpose for many a years, but over those years it has also become tougher and more costly to maintain. Oh, it can probably be redone entirely, but I'm told the cost associated with that, would be astronomical. I've seen girls slide into 2nd, 3rd base and home, only to get up bleeding profusely from their wounds.

So next year, as I'm told, the softball team will play their games on the field behind the high school. This field is in a better condition than Altman field, but still needs some work. Some of the items that need attention are fencing, and proper dugouts to protect the players.

And now this is where I need your help. In order to reach these ever so important goals, I have teamed up with the softball team and created a PayPal donation account, (you can find the link for this account in the far right column, at the top). This is solely for the purpose of creating a safer playing field for these kids, and to help cover the cost for these improvements. This method of donating is completely safe and secure through the Verisign Identity Protection Network. You can donate using your PayPal account, if you have one, (they are free if you don't). Or you can use Visa, Master Card, Discover, or American Express.

If you would like to donate, but don't care for PayPal methods please send an email to either myself or to Gina Fey for an address to send your donation to.

For companies who would like to exchange a donation for some advertising space on this site, please email me for that information.

All donations will go directly to helping the softball team.

More info about PayPal can be found right here.

Thanks for your support and understanding!
Dave

Now normally at this point, I would say "get'm while they're hot". But folks, this jersey is gonna be hot for a long time!! Trust me, they'll produce more!

This is Terrelle's Ohio State Jersey. And you can get one at Dick's Sporting Goods now, or online at any shop that sales Ohio State Apparel. Expect to put out $60.00 for it though. But hey, afterall it's Terrelle's!!

Thanks Carol!!

Added the 2008 JV football schedule, over on the right.

Just a little follow up on the Post Gazette's All Section teams. You can now view both complete lists of these talented athlete's online at the following links.

1. The All Section softball team (Kirstie, Lauren)
   
2. The All Section baseball team (Brett, Kenny)
   

George Carlin passed away last evening of heart failure at the age of 71. And although he had no connection to Jayhawk football, he was still one of my "hero's".

I believe I liked him so much because he spoke his mind no matter the consequences. (he was arrested in 1972, for the famous "7 Dirty words skit", the charges were later dropped because they violated his freedom of speech right.)

I grew up listening to Carlin, and I actually remember him hosting the first Saturday Night Live in 1975. So I dug up the most appropriate (for the site) of Carlin's skit's, it is his comparison of football and baseball. This was also a classic skit for him.

I guess that's it for football, or at least until Aug. 16. Yeah, I'm kind of sad too about that, but what are you gonna do? We'll just have to wait it out, I guess.

Meanwhile, here's some really useless, yet interesting sports facts I came across, while wasting some time one night. And to the best of my knowledge they are proven to be true.

Hope you enjoy them.

• In July 1934, Babe Ruth paid a fan $20 for the return of the baseball he hit for his 700th career home run. What a rip-off!

• It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs

• The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League All-Star Game.

• During World War II there were not enough players available for some NFL teams. In 1943, the Steelers and the Eagles merged and the press called the combination, the Steagles.

• Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been struck by lightning, twice!

• Joe Nuxhall was the youngest Major League player to appear in a regular season game. He pitched for the Cincinnati Reds on June 10, 1944 at the age of 15. He lasted 2/3 of an inning and finished the season with a 67.50 ERA.

• Henry Chadwick devised the scoring system in question in 1861. "K" is used because it is the last letter in the word "struck."

• Rapper MC Hammer was once the bat boy for the Charley Finley owned A's in the 70's.

• Fernando Tatis of the St. Louis Cardinals is the only player to hit two grand slams in one inning. He hit them in '98 against Chan Ho Park of the Dodgers.

• In August, 1967, Tony Conigliaro was beaned by a pitch that ended his season. The Angel's hurler was Jack Hamilton who only hit one batter that season, Tony.

• Carrol Hardy was the only player to ever pinch hit for Ted Williams.

• The average life span of a Major League baseball is 7 pitches.

• Wally Pipp, 1B for the New York Yankees got sick and sat out a game. The player that filled in went on to play 2,130 games in a row, Lou Gehrig.

• The "huddle" in football was formed due to a deaf football player who used sign language to communicate with his team. The team "huddled up" because they didn't want the opposing team to see the signals he used.

• The Stanley Cup was originally only 7 1/2 inches tall.

• Golfers use an estimated $800 million worth of golf balls annually.

• The Silhouette on the Major League Baseball logo is of Harmon Killebrew, and is Jerry West for the NBA logo.

• The only person to be elected to both the football hall of fame and the baseball hall of fame is Cal Hubbard.

• Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

• In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry said, "They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run." On July 20, 1969, a few hours after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first home run.

• Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.

• Before 1859, baseball umpires were seated in padded chairs behind home plate.

• Ken Griffey Jr. once missed a game because he pinched a testicle between his cup and thigh.
• Sammy Sosa went on the DL after straining a back ligament following a violent sneeze.

• Adam Eaton cut his pitching hand in 2001 while attempting to open a DVD.

Well looks like the same thing happened at the Foothills Classic. Lightning strikes, force the game to be called.

Adam, Montel, Matt & the rest of the North squad win 13-6!

Below are a few photos from the game.

At about 8:10pm, a lightning strike caused the referees to delay the East West All Stars game. The score at that point was West-10 & East-0. At about 9:25pm or so, when they try to resume play another lightning strike and thunder caused them to call the game for the safety of the kids. Can't complain about that.

So Jason & the West squad wins 10-0!

Last games of the season?, or a little something to hold you over until Aug.16?

However you look at it, we got football TODAY! Oh yeah kiddies, two of the best games ever will be played today!

First up is the 13th Annual Foothills Football Classic boasting 3 very talented athletes from Jeannette. Adam Lock, Montel Walker, and Matt Gabris. This mighty match up of the North and the South will kick off at 7:00PM tonight at Norwin Stadium. More info on the Foothills Classic can be found right here. Good Luck guys!

And the other big match up tonight is of course The East West All Star Game which will be played in Altoona, Pa with a 6:00PM kick off. This game will feature only one Jayhawk, but I can't think of a better one to send to it, Jason Marquis. The game will be televised live on PCNTV all around Penna., channel 48 in Jeannette. A replay of the game will air immediately following the conclusion of live coverage at 9:00 p.m. And other replays have been scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 22 and 2:00 a.m. on Monday, June 23. More info on this game can be found right here. Good Luck Jason!

Just a couple quick items.

Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn't. (hopefully you did, lol!)

1. New Logo (look up). I like this a lot and I believe it's a keeper!
2. The little Jayhawk in the bottom right corner of your page is now smaller, and shouldn't cover anything on the page, whoohoo!! (I'm working on the helmets, remember them?) they will also be smaller, depends how they turn out as to whether or not I use them.
   
3. And at a HIGH demand!! And I mean HIGH, The Jayhawk Invitational Golf Game has been added as a permanent fixture to the site. (scroll down on the right for the image and link)

Ok I'll leave you get back to what you were doing now!

And Terrelle is part of this reasoning! Full story here.

And you can view all the odds of winning, even the NFL, right here. The BCS is at the bottom of that page.

Ever wonder what McKee Stadium looks like? Well I got ya covered! I just added 2 panoramic views of McKee Stadium. If you scroll down a little on the right, I placed the links to download the images just underneath the Sr. Legion Schedule.

You have to download them, cause they are to large to display on the site, sorry! Look at it this way, at least you'll have a nice big image of McKee Stadium!

Once you've got them downloaded, view them in your regular image viewing program, the one you use for regular photos. Just make sure the size setting on your program is set at 100%, these are large photos and I want to be sure you get the full effect of them.

Could Terrelle see action sooner than originally thought? If Antonio Henton transfers to Georgia Southern as predicted, it would appear to be the case.

Full article here.

This was pulled from Seton Hill's website. I kind of knew Nick was heading there from previous talks with his father, however, this took place while I was away. Congratulations Nick!

Nick will play football and participate in track as well, and I'm also told Anthony Smolka is heading to Seton Hill for football. Congratulations to you also, Anthony!

SPINO SIGNS WITH SETON HILL 06/12/08 - SID

Seton Hill University track and field coach Tim Creamer and football coach Joel Dolinski have announced the signing of Nick Spino from Jeannette, PA/Jeannette HS for their 2008-2009 seasons. Spino is a wide receiver/kick returner on the football field and competes in the hurdles on the track.

A three sport star at Jeannette, Spino was a member of three WPIAL (2 football and 1 basketball) and two PIAA (1 football and 1 basketball) championship teams. Nick lettered in each of the three sports his sophomore thru senior seasons.

On the track, Spino set school records in the 110 meter (14.43) and 300 meter (38.61) hurdles. He won 4 WPIAL individual championships and finished 2nd in the 110 meter hurdle race at the state championships as a junior. During his senior season, he placed first in the 110 and 300 meter hurdle races at the Tri State Track Coaches Association Meet, Mars Invitational and the Westmoreland County Championships along with the WPIAL Championships. Nick was also named the Team MVP during his junior and senior seasons. On the football field, Spino won back to back WPIAL championships and a state title his senior season. The team finished 5th in the nation and Nick was named to the Pennsylvania Football News All Academic Team. During his years at Jeannette, Nick had 15 receptions for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns.

East West All Star game can be viewed on PCN-Channel 48 here in Jeannette on Saturday the 21st at 6:00PM

Who doesn't like watching a spectacular catch or an amazing 54 yd run or a pass that carries on for 40 or more yards, only to end up with another spectacular diving catch? Oh yeah, I think we all love to see that kind of action, no matter who your favorite team is!

But now that we've established that, how do you think big offensive plays like that, are executed on the field? They don't just happen, folks! Yeah it's nice to have talented QB's and fast elusive running backs, but it's guys like Big C, Big Sammy Moore, and Jason Marquis, (just to name a few) that make these kinds of plays happen. They often go unnoticed and very rarely get the praise for the TD that was a result of their actions on the line. (We notice, guys, trust me, we're watching every move) I love the big offensive plays too, but I've always admired the process involved with getting to them.

And obviously so does the PSFCA. They will hold the 2008 East West All Star game this Saturday, June 21st, at 6:00PM, at Mansion Park in Altoona,Pa. And they also have noticed the "in your face, hard hitting, hole opening" skills of Jason Marquis, just like all of Jeannette has. Jason will play on the West squad of course, but will not be wearing his well known number, 77. Instead he'll have to display 76. But at 5'11" & 265lbs, you can put any number you want on him, he's still gonna hit you hard.

Jason went to Altoona on fathers day to start a full week of practice, he'll be staying with a host family, (these host families, open their homes to these guys and take great care of them for the duration of the week, while the guys are away from their homes) Mike Cruz, a standout tightend from Bishop McCort at 6'5" & 270lbs, will be rooming with Jason. Now this is where these host families really shine, could you imagine feeding these 2 giants for a week? WOW!

This game is one that you won't want to miss! I guarantee it!

It will be televised, and as soon as I confirm what channel I'll post it, I believe it's PCN channel 48 here in Jeannette.

The Sr. Legion entered last nights game with a 2-4-1 record. And unfortunately, they weren't able to improve it any.

Even throwing 5 different pitchers couldn't provide a win against a very good Kiski team. Jeannette was up 5-3 in the top of the 5th, but Kiski kept chipping away scoring 4 runs in that inning, to take the lead 7-5. And continued to chip away adding 2 more in the top of the 6th and 2 more in the top of the 7th, to capture a 11-5 final.

Jeannette host Derry on Thursday at 6:00pm.

Next time you see Mike Matt give him a "big bear hug".

Mike is now officially a Maine Black Bear, on scholarship, I might add! Congratulations Mike and we'll be keeping an eye on you up there!

Come to think of it, trying to tackle Mike would be like trying to tackle a black bear!

Here's a link to the Black Bears website.

This is not Terrelle in a diaper! This is the Biomechanical Laboratory at Ohio State and part of the recruitment process for freshmen. I'm told it determines how much someone (like Terrelle) can take before they break.



A better explanation of the Lab can be read here. And a better insight of Terrelle's first day can be read here.

They say, where you lay your hat is your home. And although inside that camper is where my state champion Jayhawks hat is hanging, I knew that this camping trip just wouldn't be complete without my "Home of a Jayhawk Fan" sign.

It kind of commands respect, don't you think? Of course this respect doesn't apply to mosquito's, flies, spiders, raccoons, skunks, deer, or bears. And although I didn't see any bears (this time), we did see plenty of the others listed.

I'm not complaining though, all in all it was a very relaxing 8 days. A little too long for the kids though, they couldn't text their friends, (limited cell phone signal). Which translates into "loosing contact with the outside world for days on end", I think! Now keep in mind we were only in the Laurel Moutains, not on Mars!

But I guess it's nice to be back too. There has been a lot going on that I got to catch up on. So you may get bombarded with post for a while. Terrelle began his stay at Ohio, and Mike Matt got a scholarship at the University of Maine and how ironic is that? (he is now gonna be a Black Bear, bears...camping....get it?)

So while I get settled back in the saddle here, check out some photo's of my camping trip. And enjoy a smores! PS: How'd you all do at the Jayhawk Invitational?

Well, I'm taking a well deserved break, and heading to the mountains for a nice relaxing camping trip. So there won't be any post for the next 9 days or so. Sometimes you just got to get away!

But since I can't very well take all of you camping with me, I have a surprise for you! Consider it a gift for reaching the 100,000 visitors mark, or your own little get away. I have covered all the cost, including entry fees, for all 100,000+ of you, for the 1st Jayhawk Invitational Golf Open.

Yeah that's right!, I'm sending you all on a golf trip! Nice guy? Huh?

Just click on the photo on the left to claim your spot at the Invitational! Enjoy yourselves, because you've earned it!

Thanks again and I'll see you when I get back.

click on image to view larger

In the next image, the screen resolution is set at 1024x768. The 1024 indicates that the viewing width of the screen is now wider and the 768 indicates that it is also higher. Once again, note now that the Jayhawk doesn't cover as much of the State Farm Ad. This screen resolution is pretty much a common size to keep in mind when building a web site. But once again, you don't get the full effect of the site at this resolution.

click on image to view larger

And in the final image below, the screen resolution is set at 1280x1024. This is what I set mine at, because it allows me to view everything on the site, the way that it is supposed to be viewed. (notice the large space between the Jayhawk and the State Farm Ad now?) This however creates another problem, some monitors (mainly older ones), do not go to this high of a screen resolution.

click on image to view larger

So now that I confused the heck out of you, your all probably saying, "Just get to the point, Dave!" OK, I will. change your screen resolution to 1280x1024 or the highest it will go. Don't worry, this is very easy to do:

1. Minimize all your windows, so you'll be back to your computers desktop screen
2. Right click with your mouse in an empty area of your desktop
3. In the little window that opens, left click on properties
4. This should open a new window labeled Display Properties, left click on the settings tab in that window
5. You should now be able to see a slider adjustment bar in the bottom left corner of that window, slide it to a higher setting(1280x(whatever) or as high as yours will go)
6. click apply and then click ok.
7. You may have to adjust the screen on your monitor, (stretch the screen to the edges of the monitor), using the buttons or knobs on the monitor. Each one will be different, so you'll have to figure that out according to your brand of monitor.

For those of you who are having a problem, I hope this helps you out. I'm getting ready for a camping trip so I won't be able to answer any emails for a while, sorry.

If you change your resolution to a higher one and find that you can't read the small lettering in the post, you can change the size of the text, to make it larger without losing the new screen resolution you just set. To do this while in Mozilla Firefox browser - hold down Ctrl. and hit the + sign. And if your using IE7 - click on Page in the top right corner, then click on text size and click on the size you want.

If you aren't already folks, I highly suggest that you upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 or Get the latest Mozilla Firefox Explorer. Do this for safety reasons if nothing else. You need to keep your computers up to date, just like your anti-virus programs. You probably spent a lot of money on your computer, why not take care of and protect it also?

Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Dwight White, part of the "Steel Curtain" defense that led the team to four Super Bowl championships in the 1970s, has died following surgery at a Pittsburgh hospital. He was 58.

The full article on this legend can be seen here and here. And you can sign a guest book with your own condolences right here

I removed the helmets image on the left side. I've gotten an email stating that it was covering the actual post and made them impossible to read. So until I can figure out why that is happening, I figured it best just to remove the image. If this problem was being experienced by others, could you drop me an email, please?

Thanks & Sorry!

Cameron Saddler, Lucas Nix, Jonathan Baldwin, & Tino Sunseri are just a few of the talented high school stars participating in the 51st Annual Big 33 Football Classic. The entire Pa. roster can be seen here, and although there are no Jayhawks on it, this will still be a game you won't want to miss!

The Big 33 can be seen live on June 14th at 7:00PM, and can be watched on CN8 - Comcast. There will also be a webcast of the game and all that info and more, including the Ohio roster, can be found at the Big 33's website.

The standings, posted on the wall, stated Jeannette at the top and undefeated 3-0, but that didn't include tonight's double header. Now the Hawks are 5-0 and still at the top!

The Hawks Summer League played 2 games tonight, first they beat Franklin Regional by 32 points, I didn't see that game but that's what I'm told. But the 2nd game against GCC, I caught. And as always, it's a pleasure watching Jeannette hand them a loss. Jordan had at least 5 - 3 pointers in a 67 - 62 win. Stats aren't kept for the summer league.

But photo's of the game can be seen right here! Or by clicking on the standings photo, above.

PS: For any doubters left out there, the Hawks are 5-0, WITHOUT, Terrelle! He doesn't play in this summer league.

Check this out! While surfing' around the internet, I came across this video that Colin Dunlap posted in the Varsity Blog. And like Colin, and I'll quote him - "I can say this: doing that to an umpire is a downright sacrilege and one of the most despicable and deplorable things you can do in the realm of a baseball game", I totally agree!





Colin's post in the Varsity Blog, can be read here. And the Atlanta Journal is covering the story right here.

We reached another milestone:

Surprise! Surprise!

Jeannette beat Uniontown today in, what I'm told is, a June Basketball League. The final score was 66-54. The games are played at the YMCA in Greensburg. And I'm also told there is another game this Thursday at 8:00 against GCC.

Jordan, picked up from where he left off at the state finals with some fantastic 3 pointers.

If anyone has info on this league and wouldn't mind sharing it, send me over an email, please. I'm bummed I missed it, but I was getting my camper ready for an upcoming camping trip, you understand? right?