November 2007 - Abington School District

abington.k12.pa.us
November 2007
Vol. LXXXVII, Issue 2
The Abingtonian
Abington Senior High School, Abington, PA 19001
AIDS Walk 2007
By Allie Baurer and Brigitte Britt
The city of Philadelphia turned “red”
on Sunday, October 21st. Hundreds of
people came together to walk a total
of eight miles in support of AIDS awareness. About two hundred of those walkers were representatives of Abington Senior High School.
The two ASHS school buses pulled
into Center City at around 9:30 AM, and
dozens of students filed out of the bus.
Everyone registered, a few group pictures were taken, and then each person set off on the long route. Along the
way, tasty food, fun entertainment, and
a large variety of music surrounded the
walkers. Some found walking the full
eight miles a challenging yet rewarding
experience.
The AIDS Walk did more than just give students six hours of community
service; it brought people together. Kids met up with their friends, saw some
beautiful sights of Philly, and learned about the AIDS disease. A strong sense
of community overwhelmed the population, and every walker felt good
about their accomplishment. It was quite a sight witnessing different people
come together for one cause. Many, if not all, of the participants from Abington
were in the Key Club, and Mrs. Jack couldn’t have been a better leader.
“I have a lot of compassion for the people who are affected by AIDS. It
is also a good thing to help people whenever you get the chance,” stated
Mrs. Jack. She found the AIDS walk to be incredibly meaningful and a great
moment to see many kids coming together to support one cause. The best
part of the AIDS Walk for Mrs. Jack was hanging out and walking with people
because it really gave her a chance to talk and catch up with so many. She
has been a part of the AIDS Walk for all of five years she has been in charge of
Key Club. Mrs. Jack feels that this activity provides a chance for teens to
bond and raise awareness to the community, “This walk allows many to start
thinking more about other people.”
With the large turnout and the noble cause, not surprisingly, Key Club
members were certainly proud of their accomplishment. Despite their obvious fatigue, many said that they will be back again next year to walk another eight miles in support of AIDS awareness.
November 2007
Big bucks for breast cancer
By James McDonald
Saturday, October 13th marked the first of what will
hopefully become an annual Breast Cancer Benefit Football
game. This awesome event was the brainchild of our very
own Coach Sorber, North Penn’s Coach Beck, and Mrs. Jack.
The event was originally supposed to be just a coin toss of
the two coaches’ mothers, Mrs. Sorber and Mrs. Yerk, both
of whom are breast cancer survivors. However, it eventually
escalated into an all-out Breast Cancer Benefit bonanza, garnering the attention of various Abington and North Penn
service organizations as well as CN8. The Ghosts gave a gallant effort, but unfortunately fell victim to the nationally
ranked North Penn team. In the end, however, both teams
came together and were able to do something great. As
Abington Key Club Advisor Mrs. Jack aptly put, “It was a
spectacular event because it focused on a really important
cause and brought all the school communities together… a
nice blending of service and athletics.” CN8 even came out
to televise this momentous event live, and the game can
currently be viewed On Demand under the Local-Sports-High
School Football section. The game truly served to unite the
school; many clubs helped out at the game. Key Club sold
pink “Score Big Against Breast Cancer” t-shirts as well as pink
rice crispy treats and carnations; Leo Club painted faces and
sold cookies and bracelets; the World Affairs Council sold
pink cotton candy; Student Council donated $1000, and
the cheerleaders collected change in the stands and performed a special “We Are the Cure” cheer. A grand total of
$3,400 was collected through this combined effort. The school
will be donating $1360 to the Abington Hospital Rosenfeld
Cancer Center, $680 to the Susan G. Komen Race for the
Cure in honor of Mrs. Sorber and Mrs. Yerk, and $1360 to the
Terry Hanifin Foundation. This latter organization was set up
in honor of Terry Hanifin, an Abington teacher and administrator who passed away from breast cancer almost two years
ago. Her foundation grants a large scholarship every year to
an Abington student who plans to major in education. This
event was so well-received that Coach Sorber is planning
on making this event an annual one. So get ready for next
year because it’s going to be bigger, better, and pinker.
Spoon: the best band you’ve never heard of
Hey, ever heard of Spoon? Didn’t think so. No, not the silver thing you
eat with. Spoon is an oddly-named band from Austin, Texas, but their sound
is straight from the British music scene, instead of their country-western neighbors. Spoon is an up-and-coming indie-rock outfit, with a minimalist, insanely
catchy sound influenced by everything from the Beatles to Motown soul.
Spoon has been around since 1994 and has released several LP’s, including
one of my favorite albums, 2005’s Gimme Fiction. The band has been gathering attention with the release of their new album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, their
recent performances at the Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits festivals and on
Saturday Night Live. Britt Daniel, Spoon’s clean-cut, remarkably un-rock-starlooking lead singer, has a slightly raspy voice with a sweet-sounding tone
and a wicked falsetto. Spoon’s music is characterized by its thoughtful lyrics,
steady drumming, and dark guitars – polished and very, very funky. So when
this Texas band with a British sound, named after an eating utensil with a
pseudo-rock star lead singer came to the Electric Factory on Friday, October
19, how could I stay home?
The Electric Factory, an old warehouse in Philadelphia converted to a
concert venue, has no seats but instead a standing-room-only floor, the true
essence of a “mosh pit.” The venue wasn’t crowded when I got there at
8:00, and the crowd was young, well-groomed, and surprisingly unenergetic.
The opening band for the night, The Ponys, never showed up, resulting in a
ridiculous amount of down-time before the concert started. The lethargy of
the crowd was contagious, the energy level falling and falling as minutes
passed. Then the guys of Spoon strolled on stage and eased into “The Beast
(Continued on Page 4)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
By Maeve McDermott
Ashley Tisdale - Page 2
Point/Counterpoint - Page 3
What am I? - Page 4
Recycling - Page 4
Abingtonian Advice - Page 5
Fashion Corner - Page 5
Word Link - Page 6
Review of Assassins Page 7
What they forget to tell
you... - Page 8
Under par and the
radar - Page 8
abington.k12.pa.us
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The Abingtonian
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My “date” with Ashley Tisdale
w
November 2007
s
By Adam Glickman
There isn’t usually too much
excitement in the little town of
Abington, so when something
big happens, it’s a pretty huge
deal for residents. The latest and
greatest of these extravaganzas
was Ashley Tisdale’s performance
at our very own Willow Grove
Mall. Ashley Tisdale is known predominantly for her roles as
Maddie on The Suite Life of Zack
and Cody and Sharpay in the
High School Musical movies on
Disney Channel. Ashley is currently traveling from mall-to-mall
all over the United States, promoting her debut album, Headstrong. The tour is sponsored by
the clothing line Red by Marc
Ecko, with a fashion show preceding each of Ashley’s performances. The
tour is also sponsored by local radio stations,
like Q102. Being a fan of Ashley myself, I called
in to Q102 (rather, my friend did…see below)
and won a meet and greet with Ashley the
morning of the big performance. I, of course,
went to the big show too, and this is the story
of one of the craziest experiences of my life.
I found out that Ashley was coming to
Abington online, and knew I had to be at
the mall to witness it live. My excitement escalated when I got in my car to drive home
after a long morning at the annual Philadelphia AIDS Walk (see page 1). Q102 was sponsoring a contest to meet Ashley before the
show! The rest of the day, I walked around
with a radio in one hand and my cell phone
in the other. I was constantly calling and got
though a couple of times, but each time I
was denied and told to call back. Eventually, I began begging with Booker of Q102 to
help me out, but he said I just had to keep
calling back. That night I went to a party; not
only was I tired of calling, but I was fearful of
the radiation coming from the radio and cell
phone waves around me. Actually, I’m totally kidding. Anyway, I enlisted the help of
my dear friend Alissa Schroder, who finally
managed to get though. After running
around the room and falling on the floor, I
finally calmed down, though I still could not
believe I was going to meet Ashley in person.
The morning of Tuesday, October 23 rd
rolled around, 5:00 to be exact, and I headed
over to the Q102 studio. Alissa met me there,
and we were ushered into a room with chairs
for us and the other fifteen contest winners.
Booker walked in and sat at a table facing
us. As our anticipation mounted, we were
informed that we were not allowed to take
any pictures of Ashley during the interview. As
the winners moaned and groaned and all the
cameras disappeared into pockets and
purses, we prepared ourselves for Ashley’s arrival. When she walked into the room, about
five inches shorter than I imagined, she carried her viente Starbucks vanilla latté in one
hand and her maltipoo, Maui, in the other.
She sat down next to Booker and the interview began. During commercials, we were
allowed to ask her some questions, which she
answered candidly. The one thing she
wouldn’t talk about, however, was her relationship with boyfriend Jared Murillo, a dancer
she met while working on High School Musical. She was really open about everything else,
though, talking about High School Musical,
her album, the Punk’d episode she was in,
and, of course, her fans.
After the interview and playing her latest single, “He Said, She Said,” Ashley left for a
little break and the promotions manager of
Q102 walked in, unfortunately bearing bad
news. Ashley would no longer be taking pic-
tures with the contest
winners. However, she
would still autograph
one item for all of us. I
cannot stress enough
the emphasis they put
on one item. The promotions manager said
if we caused any
trouble,
we’d
be
kicked out right away.
I really wanted a picture but didn’t want to
try anything funny and
get kicked out, so I just
played along. One-byone the winners lined
up and were handed a
twenty-four square inch
enlargement of her album cover. She addressed the autographs
and gave some winners hugs (of course I got
one). Overall, she seemed a little out of it,
but then again, it was 7:00 in the morning,
and she even commented on the fact that
she was perplexed as to how we were all so
awake and excited, because she was exhausted. Though I guess you can’t blame her
after being on tour for about a week already.
After the interview I came into school
and, of course, received a “B” Lunch for my
tardiness. Even meeting Ashley Tisdale isn’t an
excused lateness under the watch of the
Abington administration! As the bell rang
eighth period, I ran to my car with my two
friends, and we were off. I don’t know how
long it normally takes to get from school to
the mall, but I at least cut that time in half,
nearly causing some traffic disturbances
along the way. I pulled into the parking lot,
and we ran to the elevator court where the
stage was set-up. There were about sixty
people already waiting when we got there,
including two mothers and their kids in front
of us. We thought we were in for H-E double
hockey sticks.
The crowd began to accumulate, and
sixty soon turned into almost six thousand. As
it got closer to 7:00, the lights went on and
music began to play. Of course this caused
some excitement among the fans, but there
was still no sign of Ashley. Lisa Paige of Q102
came out on stage to get the crowd
pumped, though all she did was annoy everyone. Her high pitched-voice and repetitive
questions almost caused a riot. Not to mention people thought she was Ashley at first
and were quite confused. She talked about
how cute Ashley was and about how Ashley
had walked around the mall earlier to shop.
Finally, she shut up and began to introduce
the fashion show contestants. Local teens
were able to enter a contest to participate
in the fashion show, and our very own Jessica Spasari, a member of the Abington girls’
field hockey team, made it into the finals! She
and the other contestants met Ashley before
the show. The girls and guys strutted their stuff
to a remix of “He Said, She Said,” modeling
clothes and accessories from Red by Marc
Ecko.
Soon Lisa began a chant for Ashley, who
finally surfaced after being MIA. The crowd
erupted as she headed behind the stage to
prepare. A minute later Ashley came out to
perform “Headstrong,” “Not Like That,” and
“He Said, She Said.” Flashes were going off
everywhere, and fans sang along as she performed. Ashley thanked everyone for coming
and informed us it was the biggest stop on
her tour yet. In the interview, she had told
Booker she guessed about a hundred people
would show up to her concerts. After the per-
formance, she headed out to her big black
tour bus, which was apparently hidden in the
garage by TGI Friday’s. Some lucky fans got
pictures of her there with Maui, but most
cleared out and headed home. I don’t know
when Abington will play host to the next big
event, but I sincerely hope Ashley enjoyed
being here as much as we enjoyed having
her.
The full interview between Ashley and
Booker, along with pictures of the crowd and
the performance, can be found at Q102.com.
Pictures included in the article are personal
pictures and are not copyrighted.
Select Choir
Coffee House:
better than
Starbucks
By Erin Metzinger
Walking into the audion on Thursday,
October 25th, you would have seen plenty of
chairs, tables, and even bean bags and rugs
on which to sit. In the back there was a
plethora of delicious treats ranging from cookies to drinks such as hot chocolate, lemonade, and apple cider. Each ticket was good
for one free tasty treat. The room was completely filled; some people even had to stand
since all of the seats were taken. The dim
lighting and decorative lights hanging from
the room gave off a relaxing mood and made
for a classy yet casual setting. Of course, lighting and food were not the reasons why
people came to school that night.
The select choir held its first and hopefully not last Coffee House Thursday. The event
was held from 7pm-9pm in the Abington Senior High audion. Tickets were five dollars
each, and the money went to support the
select choir. The select choir is an activity in
our school that is chosen through tryouts in
June. At the coffee house, members of the
select choir had the chance to get up on
stage and show off their various talents. These
talents ranged from reading a poem to playing piano or singing. After every performance
the audience applauded and cheered. After
the first hour there was a quick intermission,
in which people could mingle and talk.
Shortly after the intermission, I was given
the chance to briefly interview Branford Jones,
an 11th grade member of the select choir.
When I asked Branford, who also sang on
stage, what he thought of the crowd, he said
he thought it was a great turnout and that
some people who could not even make it
still bought a ticket just to support the choir.
This had to have made the members feel
great, knowing their peers at Abington were
supporting them. Branford also told me that
hopefully this was not to be the last coffee
house. It is possible that there could be another next year, or maybe even later this year.
Events like this are a great way for the
school community to get together and have
a great time, while supporting friends and
classmates. In Branford’s opinion, what made
this event so great was, “Singing with friends
that enjoy the same things as you do.” Hopefully, we can see another coffee house sometime in the future.
abington.k12.pa.us
November 2007
The Abingtonian
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Point / Counterpoint
Fishing for change
By Shannon Fairorth
There is a Chinese proverb that states, “Give me a fish and I eat
for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” Although this
saying has since its original utterance become slightly hackneyed, its
message still holds relevance in our lives today. In a country where
millions of people view welfare as a permanent solution rather than
transitory aid, and our support for the less fortunate is not appreciated, but expected, it can bring one to question where the line lies
between humanity and handouts. Do we owe something to mankind simply because we share a species? Or, rather, do we each
have a responsibility to care for ourselves in lieu of the abundance of
opportunities that we have been given?
Take, for example, the crisis of homelessness. It is easy to analyze
the situation through child-like sentiments: homelessness is sad, and
helping the homeless is nice. The issue, however, goes deeper. How
much pity are we truly required to feel for these people? While their
plight is unfortunate, at the end of the day, whatever situation they
are in, they are in because of their own actions. Yes, people lose
jobs, get sick, and develop addictions, but the fact remains that if
you wake-up each morning and decide that today will be the day
you better your life, you will not be homeless. Our society is a virtual
padded-room for misfortune. We enforce a minimum wage, ensuring that anyone, regardless of skill level, can earn enough money for
food and shelter. Workers’ compensation and severance packages
provide needed assistance to those who are truly down on their luck.
Google “drug alcohol rehab,” and over two million results will surface. My point is that help is available. Must it be sought out at times?
Yes, but that’s life! Most of us will not have the world pre-cut and
handed our way on a silver platter.
There are two types of mistakes that people can make,
two causes that will lead to a
downward spiral circling towards
a general state of destituteness.
The first is making decisions that
are clearly stupid, inarguably reckless, and irresponsible. Few sympathize with those who seem to
deliberately destroy their lives
with drugs, alcohol, and crime.
The second, however, is far more
subjective. It is the error of apathy – an insufficient amount of
action and effort. This applies to
people who are already born at
a disadvantage, whether it is social, intellectual, or economic.
Yes, it is unfair that they should be
forced to undergo more of a
struggle to attain the same goals
as those who do not have said limits. When things become difficult,
however, it is simply unacceptable to give up. You must actively
pursue what you want; apathy is often just as damaging as more
obviously detrimental mistakes.
Life is comprised of a long series of choices. Every single day is
filled with countless opportunities to either improve our situations or
damage them to the point of irreversibility. Should today be the day
to apply to college, or have unprotected sex? Send in a resume in
pursuit of a more prestigious position, or experiment with heroin? We
all have the ability to discern the intelligent course of action. Whether
or not we choose to act upon said course is our own decision, and
therefore our own liability. It may sound cruel and perhaps a bit heartless, but the responsibility of your own individual life quality belongs
to nobody but you. If you know that you cannot afford college, apply yourself academically, earn scholarships, and work to pay for the
difference. If you have two children and are already on welfare, do
not have three more. If you ever find yourself pondering whether your
last five dollars should be spent on crack or bus fare to a rehabilitation center, choose the latter. Or, do not. Should, however, you choose
to steer your life towards a less desirable path, acknowledge your
role in this process. Own that your actions are your own, and that
therefore their consequences must be as well.
A sad state of affairs
By Marc Joseph
The homeless are everywhere. You can see them if you take a
walk down South Street. You can see them if you go to L.A., or Chicago, or New York. As a matter of fact, you can see them if you walk
up to Burger King after school. Yet despite their obvious plight, society as a whole seems to reject them, casting them out, forcing them
even deeper into abject misery and despair. But what are we doing
to help them?
Short answer? Not much. Just as you turn away from the beggar on the streets and pretend that you don’t have any spare change,
society as a whole cringes away from doing anything to help the
impoverished masses. Occasionally, a political figurehead mouths
empty promises to help men and women on the streets, but government funding for programs is scant and, frankly, disgraceful. SAMHSA
(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) predicts that over a five year time period, between five to eight million
citizens of the United States will spend some time living on the streets,
and at any given time there are six hundred thousand homeless in
this country.
But what do we do? Virtually nothing. Homeless shelters are
swamped, and the donations made by charities and church groups
nationwide are like taking a cup of water out of the ocean – a symbolic gesture, but not really accomplishing that much. We’ve all heard
the arguments, of course. These people brought it on themselves.
They are the dregs of society, the shadowy figures that haunt suburban children’s dreams. Men who sell drugs and get into desperate
shootouts with the police after robbing a 7-11. Men who dropped
out of high school because they got their girlfriends pregnant. They
put themselves in their situation, it is
entirely their fault, and they should get
out of it themselves.
And by thinking like that, society
destroys another generation of hopefuls. The aforementioned category is
a minute section of a large and sadly
growing percentage of our population. The vast majority tries to eek a
living and work three jobs to get a
chance, just one chance, to
escape…but more importantly, they
want just one chance to improve the
lives of their children.
The young boy who dreams of
being a professional basketball
player, but can’t practice because he
needs to help his parents pay the rent
ever since his older brother got shot
walking home from school.
The little girl who comes from a
family broken by money and has nowhere to go but back to the shelter for another night of barely edible
food and the pitying looks of the kitchen workers.
It’s a disgusting state of affairs, and it needs to be fixed as soon
as humanly possible. To hell with sending aid abroad, we need to
send the aid right here, and fix things here at home. It is either that, or
we condemn yet another generation of bright, eager, and hopeful
innocents to waste away in a gutter, shunned by society.
ABINGTONIAN 2007-2008
Published by: Abington Senior High School; Abington, Pennsylvania
Editors-in-Chief: Alex Kuczynski-Brown, Travis Pollen
News Editor: Steph Smith
Editorial Editor: Laura Pempkowski
Features Editor: Rachel O’Neill
Sports Editor: Jesse Golaszewski
Photographers/Cartoonists: Adam Glickman, Fränc Luu
Writers: Abbey Kruger, Allie Baurer, Anthony Perozze, Brigitte Britt,
James McDonald, Shannon Fairorth, Marc Joseph, Andrew Slade,
Sarah Roethke, Rob Verderame, Melanie Highbloom, Kristen Hopf, Lisa
Heller, Stefanie Felix, Jacob Feldman, Juliette Augustin, Laura
Pempkowski, Maeve McDermott, Sara Small, Erin Metzinger, Chelsea
Marion, Sam Gerhardt
Advisors: Mr. A. Saylor, Mr. R. Wrigley
Administration: Dr. R. Burt, Mr. R. McCuen, Ms. D. Heaven, Mr. E. Johnson
abington.k12.pa.us
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What am I?
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The Abingtonian
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Recycling,whocares?
By Sarah Roethke
By Andrew Slade
With Election Day 2007 quickly
approaching and presidential primaries not long after, many students will soon be registering to
vote. Although most of us know
how we feel about certain issues,
many do not know which party, if
any, to register with. There are also
those of us who may not know
what “the issues” are.
In general, there are two primary opinions regarding any political issue. Each one is assumed
either by the Democratic or Republican party, based on their respective fundamental values.
Democratic beliefs are usually considered to be more liberal, in contrast to the conservative views of
Republicans. Abortion for instance, is an extremely controversial political issue. Conservatives
tend to favor the “pro-life” stance,
as opposed to the “pro-choice” position of
liberals. Therefore, most candidates supported
by the Democratic Party will support a
woman’s right to choose, and vice-versa.
Major issues are divided into broad
groups including social, economic, and foreign policy issues. I will identify what I consider to be the most relevant issues in each
group, as well as each party’s outlook. You
must then decide which ones are most important to you, and to which party your beliefs correspond.
I will start with the one I already mentioned, that being abortion. Abortion is an
incredibly polarizing topic, mainly because of
the religious views surrounding it. For many
people, this issue carries the most weight.
While on the topic of social issues, I must
discuss civil unions for homosexual couples.
Most Democrats believe that homosexual
couples should have the same legal rights as
a man and a woman. On the other hand,
most Republicans say that allowing homosexuals to wed would destroy the sanctity of
marriage. Again, many people form their opinions on this issue based on those of their religion.
One of the largest and most powerful
lobbying groups in America is The National
Rifle Association (NRA); the organization fights
for what it believes to be the right of our citizens to carry firearms. Republicans are generally more supportive of these “rights,” whereas
Democrats believe that access to weapons
contributes to greater violence.
Although most high school students do
not worry much about taxes, they are often
of great concern to our parents. Taxes are collected at all levels of government. The money
is used to fund government programs, maintain a military, provide education to young
people, etc. In general, Republicans believe
that there are too many taxes, and that they
are being used to fund unnecessary projects.
Democrats, however, often support higher
taxes in order to provide greater funding to
schools, impoverished families, and other social causes. The recently vetoed SCHIP project,
for example, would have provided health
care to children from families who cannot afford it independently. Democrats strongly supported it, while President Bush argued that
the U.S. cannot afford the cost of such a program.
While Republicans will not usually put as
much money into domestic programs, they
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November 2007
are heavily supportive of a strong military. They
are also more likely to support the use of force
against threatening countries, regardless of
cost.
With Al Gore winning the Nobel Prize,
worries about the environment are higher
than ever. Of course, neither party wants to
damage the earth; Democrats, however, will
generally support tougher environmental protection laws, in spite of potentially negative
economic consequences.
There are then issues like immigration,
which can often divide parties. Inversely, there
are those that unite Democrats and Republicans. It is also of the utmost importance to
learn about the candidates. Not every Democrat is a tree-hugging supporter of government-sponsored health care, just as not all
Republicans carry guns and cut down forests.
Just to clarify: form opinions, decide
which issues are the most important to you,
choose the party or candidate who shares
your views on those issues, and of course,
vote.
Ever remember seeing those blue recycling bins? What about those green ones in
the cafeteria? Most of us pass by those bins
without thinking twice about what we could
be saving by using them. Pennsylvania passed a law in 1988
making recycling required.
How many people actually
follow that law? The shocking truth is that in America
the amount of waste is growing each year. In 2001, the U.S
generated 409 tons of waste according to the
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and
only 32% of recyclable material was recycled.
These numbers could be significantly changed
if Abington as a community would take the
time to simply put everything in the right bin.
On a routine day at Abington Senior
High, I decided to take notice of the recycling going on in each class. Lunch gets the
award for the period when the least recycling
goes on in our school. Most students pile food
on top of paper bags and throw bottles in
the trashcan, while the rest is left on tables
and floors. I would go through the rest of the
day, but it would only consist of the same students not taking the time to sort their trash.
Not to say there aren’t those students who
recycle regularly; unfortunately, they appear
to be few and far between. How hard is it
really to look at what goes into the
trashcans? It really is quite simple – blue bins
equal paper recycling, dark green bins in the
cafeteria are for bottles and cans only, and
the gray bins are for everything else. I’ve heard
the same thing everyday about the growing
concern for the environment. If you are a student concerned about the world you live in,
then take the advice of this article and recycle. I encourage the student body to get
out there and recycle; after all, it’s our future
we’re saving.
Don’t stop with just the school – go to
www.changingthepresent.org/environment
for facts on what you can do to save the environment.
Spoon (Continued from Page 1)
and Dragon, Adored,” a slower song with
pounding drums. Britt Daniel delivered a
screaming guitar solo dripping with funk, quite disconcerting considering that it
was played by a man who
looked like a second-grade
teacher! Then a few trombone players came on stage
for “The Underdog,” Spoon’s
newest single, a gleeful,
kicky gem with horns and
handclaps and maracas.
They played the strutting “I
Turn My Camera On,” with
Rob Pope playing a robotic bass line and
Daniel singing a killer Mick Jagger-esque falsetto. But the energy radiating from the band
did not register with the audience; there was
nothing more than fervent head-nodding
from the crowd, and not a mosh pit in sight.
By far the most animated member of the audience, dancing and laughing, was Daniel’s
mom, who I was standing right next to. Highlights of the main set included “Stay Don’t
Go,” with drums and pulsating guitars on the
up-beats; “I Summon You,” a straightforward
ballad with charming tambourines and
simple, sweet lyrics; and “Jonathon Fisk,” with
cymbals and wailing guitars bearing down
like a freight train onto the terse vocals.
By the encore, the crowd finally seemed to be getting into
Spoon’s extremely enjoyable set.
Spoon came back out with the
severely spooky “The Ghost of You
Lingers,” with jarring, dissonant
keyboards and echoing vocals.
They played “You Got Yr. Cherry
Bomb,” infectious with saccharine trumpets and jingle bells, and
“My Little Japanese Cigarette
Case,” a skulking song with
Daniels moaning the vocals over
quaint, quiet strings. Then Spoon ran off stage
to cheers from the crowd but came back after
a few minutes for a second encore. They finished the concert with a bang, playing a highenergy version of “Small Stakes,” drummer Jim
Eno masterfully delivering huge drums and
Daniel, in his element, exuding funk from his
every pore. It was pouring rain outside, and
rain drops were seeping through the roof,
misting the audience with water and dripping
onto the stage. What a fitting way to end an
extraordinary show from Spoon, a peculiar,
dynamic band!
abington.k12.pa.us
November 2007
F
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The Abingtonian
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The Cyber Café
Abingtonian Advice
By Sara Small
Q: My boyfriend of a year and a half
dumped me unexpectedly, and I don’t
know how to deal. I didn’t see this coming at all, and I am feeling really shocked.
I asked him why and he says he doesn’t
know and that it just seemed like it was
time to end things. What does that
mean? How can I cope when I don’t even
know
why
I
was
dumped?
A: Well, let me start off by saying that no
one on this Earth is a relationship expert.
But ouch! It hurts to end things with someone that you really cared about, especially when you don’t know exactly why things ended. There’s no
doubt about it; breakups are the worst. But there is hope!
First, accept that things have ended. I know, I know, unbearable thought, right? You don’t want it to be over; you want things to
work; and you want to be with him, and most importantly you want
to know why. Sadly, I don’t have that answer, and obviously neither
does your ex. Don’t you think after a year and a half that he would
respect you enough to give you that? But by holding on to this lack of
closure all you are really doing is holding onto the relationship. You
can’t heal until you let go.
Most people want to know why a relationship failed so that they
can try to “fix” themselves and take another shot at making the relationship work. Number one, by trying to “fix yourself” you may be
hurting yourself in the long run. You don’t want to change who you
are, especially for someone else. This boy who left you looked you in
the eye, took account of what makes you amazing and said, “No,
thanks.” Sorry to be straightforward, but if he wanted the relationship
and wanted to make it work then he would have said so. Obviously
he did not want this; he wanted out. So spend the rest of your time
celebrating life and the freedom this boy has now given you! Use all
of that energy into finding someone who loves your company and
wants to be with the real you. Everything happens for a reason, and
trust me, you’ll be much happier in the long run!
Hope that helps,
Sara
High School Fashionista:
Walking Billboards
By Juliette Augustin
Take a look through these crowded hallways and there is one
thing you are guaranteed to see: logos. They are everywhere, from
that Hollister shirt your friend is wearing to that Chanel
monogrammed bag slung over someone’s shoulder. When
you wear that Abercrombie logo tee or those Victoria Secret PINK sweat pants, you are paying to be nothing more
than a walking advertisement. Call me crazy, but I think
the company should pay me to wear its name across my
chest, not the other way around. We have all done it, but
why? The answer to this question is simple: wearing name
brands has become a status symbol in our culture.
In today’s world, these markings seem to get more attention than the actual person. People like the attention
associated with wearing these types of clothes. But wearing “HOLLISTER CO.” across your chest does not make you
fashionable or unique. In reality, you are just a clone when
you shop at mass retailers. It is almost guaranteed that at
least five other people in school will have the same exact
shirt as you. However, logo tees and hoodies are not the
only items that these stores sell. Instead of reaching for that
shirt with “Fitch” across the top, why not reach for one of
their gorgeous V-neck sweaters or a classic button up shirt.
Little decisions like these when you are shopping make you
all the more stylish, without completely changing your look. Always
remember to make the clothes; don’t let the clothes make you.
A new service will be available to students in the near future, and it doesn’t – well
– directly involve Axims. Abington Senior High
will be offering a cyber café to students in
the library during the day and after school.
The Cyber Café will consist of laptops, video cameras, digital cameras, and of course, wireless internet access. Students are encouraged to use the Cyber Café to film and edit video projects, create
“photo stories,” and record podcasts. AHS received the Cyber Café
equipment from a grant written by Laurence Goldberg, Director of
Technology and Telecommunications. The equipment will be used to
enhance students’ projects and make learning a more enjoyable experience through the use of this new technology. Although this service is not yet available to all students, select classes have successfully tested the equipment and have created fun and unique videos
that fellow classmates have enjoyed.
Science/Tech Headlines:
-Scientists have discovered a warm and rocky “second Earth” circling a star, a find they believe dramatically boosts the prospects
that we are not alone.
-MySpace will launch a casual games channel in a few months.
The company is teaming up with Oberon Media to create original
games that will encourage users of the social networking website
to spend more time on MySpace playing addictive multiplayer
games.
-My take: Will not be a total success, judging from the market share
being taken by Facebook.
-NBC has closed out its official YouTube account and removes all
videos from the site as it prepares to launch its own video sharing
outlet.
-My take: NBC will lose profit and viewers as a result of this move,
and viewers who purchase their shows on iTunes will be out of luck
(they are no longer offering shows on iTunes).
-The number of unlocked iPhones skyrocketed as a result of the
$200 price drop last month. If you paid $600 for an iPhone, did you
get your $100 rebate from Apple?
Fall Fashion
By Melanie Highbloom
Fall Fashion is here! It’s time to put away those flip flops, girls,
and bring out your Ugg boots! Fall fashion brings about many new
ideas for the season. We have a wide variety of trends from top to
bottom. In colors this season, the runways are showing midnight
blacks, stark whites and a huge grey story. Let’s hear the trends!
The trends:
1. Statement coats, also known as trench coats in a bright color
or hue, add just the right touch to any outfit. They make the perfect
topper when worn correctly.
2. Gray is a humongous color story this season. All shades of gray
ranging from heather gray to slate gray are the perfect choice of
colors to pair with black and/or white this fall.
3. Chunky knits are the perfect thing to wear on
one of those cold days in December. Just before it
snows, slip one of those knits on and you’re ready to
face any weather! Fur coats are also a giant in the fashion industry this season! Faux fur is the only way to go!
4. Metallics in the silver hue are making such a
comeback this season! Mix gold and silver jewelry for
the ultimate look!
5. Little capelets and shawls are a great look for
going out on the town. Throw it over an elongated
tank top and straight leg dark wash denim and you’re
ready to go!
6. Bows are a fantastic feminine detail that makes
the average button up cardigan look absolutely fabulous! Feminine details such as bows and lace are magnificent for this season’s outerwear.
7. Motorcycle style and tough leather jackets make
such a statement this fall. Throw one of those jackets
over a black dress and you will look out of this world!
8. Leggings are big, but black opaque stockings
are bigger! Under a cute little tunic or mini-dress these
darling tights take center stage paired with black or brown ankle
boots and some cool hardware detail.
9. Let’s do jeans! Everything goes this season from skinny to wide
leg and from straight cut to boot cut, everything’s in!
abington.k12.pa.us
6
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Good reads
The Abingtonian
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By Stefanie Felix
Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid - This novel is about a young woman
who moves to America and struggles with her inner feelings about
her homeland and her mother, whom she no longer talks to but from
whom she still receives letters. Lucy finds a job, being a housemaid/
child keeper. She seems rather close to her boss Mariah but doesn’t
understand her. When Lucy finds out about an unfortunate event in
her family, she leaves her job and moves away, still out of touch with
her mother. To find out what happened you will just have to read the
book! My rating – 2 stars!
The Time Machine by H.G Wells - As the title suggests, this novel
is about a time machine and the travelers’ adventures. After a week
of hard work, the machine is ready to roll. So the creator of the machine goes and tests it out. When the machine stops in the year 802,701
AD, the creator finds himself in a creative world of small creatures
called Eloi. Since he is amazed by this unique world, he explores the
area, but when he returns he cannot find his instrument anywhere. It
soon becomes night, and he is greeted by these white creatures,
who are cannibals. Fearful of theses creatures, he tries to scare them
off and discovers that they do not like light. So does he find his Time
Machine or is he stuck in this other world? My rating – 2.5 stars!
Cross by James Patterson - It’s a mystery – an action-filled book
about a killer and a detective. When the detective is on a mission to
find this bizarre murderer, he soon finds that there is another murder
and leaves the area. So he heads home to his children but first has to
pick up his wife. When she gets in the car, she beings to talk about
how her day went, when suddenly she is shot. After this the detective
is determined to find out who killed his wife, the mother of his children. After a long time, and a lot of hard work, he gets frustrated
and quits his job. Then a similar murder happens again, and he is
called up to help. He thinks that all of the past murders are linked to
each other somehow. So does he make the connection or will the
killer remain undiscovered? My rating – 5 stars!
Senior interviews
By Kristen Hopf and Lisa Heller
One afternoon, my friend Lisa came over after school. It was
mid-September and school had just started, but we were already
beginning to put off work, and we were easily distracted by my old
yearbooks from junior high that we found in my room. As we looked
through the pages and read the signatures, we noticed that there
were so many people that we had never met before, and some that
we didn’t recognize at all! We thought it would be nice if we interviewed a few seniors each month and put the interviews in the newspaper. This would just be a way for the school to
get to know some of the seniors before they all
leave for college, and to learn some things about
people that you may never have known before.
u
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e
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Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation
By Jacob Feldman and Sam Gerhardt
The first meeting of Abington’s new lumberjack club was a great
success. New members should attend their next meeting, next Friday, 4:00 AM, on Highland Ave. All are welcome.
In other school news, Mr. Martin has assured us that although
he has left Abington, his heart and his hair will remain here forever.
A woman in Scranton, PA was accused of loudly swearing at
her overflowing toilet and may be charged with disorderly conduct.
The woman faces, at most, 90 days in jail and a fine of $300, or will
get off scott free. We hope for number two.
According to Travel & Leisure magazine and CNN Headline
News, the least attractive people in the United States live in Philadelphia. The article states, “the results don’t mean...the city is a bad
place to visit.” Our opinion: the violence does that already.
Recently, three college students in Texas were found in a cave
after being declared missing for days. Shortly afterwards, Dick Cheney
shot them in the face.
Drew Carey has started hosting The Price Is Right on CBS. The
most expensive item on the show: his dinner bills.
Tickets for the Spice Girls’ reunion tour, beginning in December,
are already going for over $500 on Ebay. Why does everyone really,
really, really wanna go? We remember a simpler time, when everyone threw out their Zig-a-Zig-ahs.
It was announced that France’s president and first lady, Nicolas
and Cécillia Sarkozy, are in the process of getting a divorce. Even
more depressing news for the president? Realizing he’s French.
In international news, Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his
work on Global Warming. He won the popular vote, although
Florida’s demands for a recount were ignored.
Word Link
By Laura Pempkowski
Hey, word puzzle-lovers! Frustrated by Sudoku? I’ve made
a new labyrinth of letters to discover. You play by creating a link
of compound words from the first word all the way to the last.
The first and second words link to make a compound word, like
in the example: Guitar and string connect to be guitar string.
String links with band to make a string band; then band and
camp make band camp. Some of the words even have letters
filled in to help you out.
Answers to last month’s puzzle:
Smiley - Face - Book - Cover - Up - Beat - Street - Sign - Language
MAPLE
__ __ __ __
__ O __
__ __ __ F
__ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ S __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __
MATE
W
WO
O RR D
D LL II N
NK
K
W
WO
O RR D
D LL II N
NK
K
Kellye Call, Birthday: July 30th, Zodiac Sign: Leo
How has senior year turned out to be so far compared to junior and sophomore year?
-Honestly, right now it is so much harder because we’re all trying to get these college applications done and write our college essays,
so it’s a lot of added work.
Are there any colleges that you are planning to
apply to? What is so special about these colleges?
-I’m applying to the University of Arizona, University of Georgia,
and Florida State University. I really just want to live in a completely
different place for four years and experience new areas and meet
people from a lot of different places.
What are some goals you have set for yourself and the rest of your life?
-I really want to get into a good dance program in college, and
make a career out of it. If I could travel Europe in a dance company, that would be amazing. I want to do a lot of things, and
I’m going to try to keep that promise to do them.
Which subject did you enjoy the most during high school?
-I love American Studies. I thought it would be so boring, but we
learned more than just basic facts, and it just turned out to be
interesting.
What one thing would you really like to own? Why?
-A blue Ford 1967 Mustang; it’s the coolest car ever.
If you could choose one musician to come play a concert at Abington,
who would it be?
-Soulja boy!!!
November 2007
abington.k12.pa.us
November 2007
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The Abingtonian
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Review of Assassins
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By Abbey Kruger
Have you ever wondered what would happen if John Wilkes
Booth, Charles Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz, Lee Harvey Oswald and all
of the failed presidential assassins in U.S. history got together one night
and compared stories? What if I were to tell you that they sang songs
like “Gun Song” and “Ballad of Booth”; danced a little; and every
once in a while, each had a chance to shoot his or her respective
President in the head at a revolving target? Well, if you answer “no”
and that the only presidential killers (only four have succeeded) you
know are Booth and Oswald, then you are not alone. Assassins, a
musical about all of the attempted and successful assassins of United
States Presidents with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is in the
middle of a five-week run at the Arden Theater in Philadelphia.
The musical opens with a revolving wheel dartboard displaying
various Presidents at a carnival where a man is attempting to entice
customers to buy guns, proclaiming, “C’mere and kill a President!”
Soon an assembly of assassins and wannabes are holding guns and
singing “Everybody’s Got the Right.”
The musical examines the various lives and personalities of nine
different quirky men and women who have committed, or attempted
to commit, the ultimate crime of assassinating a president. There is
Samuel Byck, who hijacked a plane and tried to kill Nixon by crashing
into the White House; Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a Charles Manson
groupie; and John Hinkley, who succeeded in shooting, if not killing,
President Reagan. Hinkley and Fromme later manage to sing a heartfelt love song to the objects of their psychotic obsessions: Jodie Foster and Charles Manson.
Assassins takes an unvarnished look at the American propensity
for fame-seeking. Each presidential assassin is made to confront the
fact that his or her act of meaningless violence failed to bring about
the desired result. All of them, from John Wilkes Booth to John Hinckley,
engage in dramatic action as a means of getting either themselves,
or their causes, noticed. The play deals with everybody’s desire for
that quick fifteen minutes of fame and the stupidity of the actions
they take to succeed. Given their motives and histories, these few
are easily dismissed as loonies. For these lost souls, Sondheim composed “Another National Anthem,” that exposes the nightmarish underside of their American dreams.
Assassins is staged in a free-flowing format with constant movement of actors up and down the aisles, as well as on both of the
stage’s two levels. The acting, dancing, and singing are exceptional.
However, the audience is left arguing about whether the very topic
is appropriate. I would answer positively. Only by watching all nine
on the stage together do you realize how very much on the fringe of
American society they existed. Not to mention that it is a good history lesson.
Fast food…more like fat food
By Allie Baurer
Everyone is guilty of indulging in the
simple pleasures that go along with eating
fast food. The local hangout for Friday nights
after a home football game is Burger King, of
all places. Kids think nothing of gobbling
down a double Whopper with bacon, a large
order of fries, and a large Coke. They think
“it’s only once a week” or “it won’t affect
me now.” The truth of the matter is that this
junk food does impact everybody’s health.
Surprisingly enough, four out of every five
kids eat fast food, and the common places
to eat are McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King,
etc. The most shocking fact of all though, is
what the kids order when they eat at these
cheap chain restaurants. The most popular
pick on the menus is an order of French fries.
Shocked? Eighty percent of all the fast food
eaters out there buy those greasy products
that were, at one time, potatoes. The second place title is a tie between a cheeseburger
and a fried chicken sandwich. More favorites are
chicken
nuggets,
milkshakes, chicken fries,
and soda. Only one person
out of twelve typically selects a salad when they
dine out at McDonald’s or
Burger King. Something
must be done about this.
The problem is that
many teens are unaware of the poison that
they are putting in their bodies every time they
gorge on fast food. A Whopper with cheese
from Burger King has a total of 696 calories,
13 grams of saturated fat, and 41 grams of
total fat! Sounds pretty bad, right? It gets
worse. A regular order of fries from Burger King
contains 326 calories with 15 grams of fat. For
those who prefer to increase the amount of
fries they consume, they are taking in 399 calories and 19 grams of fat. If people really love
their fries and they have to super-size, they are
getting 489 calories and 23 grams of fat. What
about a drink with that meal? A regular-sized
Coke is 164 calories, a large-sized Coke is 246
calories, and a super-sized Coke is 369 calories. That brings the caloric intake to between
1,186 to 1,554 calories for just one meal!
Instead of getting a Whopper with
cheese, teens can order the Chicken Bites,
containing 176 calories and 11 grams of fat.
If they feel an absolute need to get a burger,
they should order a hamburger (skip the
cheese) with 296 calories and 11 grams of fat,
or get a kids’ hamburger with 293 calories and
11 grams of fat. To get their fries fix, it’s better
to get the small fries (208 calories), or if they
can give up the fries, order an LA Garden
Salad (35 calories) with Tomato and Basil
Dressing (19 calories), which can fill anyone.
Another healthy choice is the LA Flame-Grilled
Garden with a mere 125 calories and 2 grams
of fat. Try the Kids Grape and Apple Bag with
only 46 calories. This provides vitamins and nutrients and cuts the fat and sodium intake. As
for drinks, the best bet is to go with a bottle
of water. If soda is an absolute must, go with
a small Diet Coke.
Liking fast food isn’t
a crime. Teenagers don’t
have to completely deprive themselves of fast
food if they enjoy the convenience and taste of it.
Here are some things to
think about when ordering:
-Reduce the size (order kids-sized or smallsized food)
-Skip the cheese (extra fat and extra calories)
-Get water instead of soda
-Pick a salad
-Get a vinaigrette/vinegar-based dressing instead of anything “creamy”
-Avoid bacon
-Wraps or grilled sandwiches are better
choices
-Instead of fries, try a healthy alternative,
like apples, yogurt, or carrots
A healthy life starts with healthy decisions.
Everybody has control over him/herself, and
it’s up to him/her to make nutritious choices.
All of us should do what’s best for our bodies.
Changing a person’s unhealthy eating patterns into healthy ones is a step in the right
direction toward improving his/her overall
physical health.
Chinese Yo-Yo
Trick of the Month
By Fränc Luu
abington.k12.pa.us
8
S
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The Abingtonian
o
What they forget to tell you…
r
About offensive guards like Brian Corrigan
By Chelsea Marion
If you don’t know Brian Corrigan, you
ought to. Once you get past his slightly intimidating stature, you’ll find that he is in fact
a very funny guy. Seated at a table with two
of his teammates, Brian spilled details about
everything from his dream job to helpful advice for the players who wish to follow in his
footsteps.
Chelsea: Senior year means soon you’ll
be out in the real world, what is your dream
job?
Brian Corrigan: My dream job would be
to be a competitive eater. Or a cage fighter,
but instead of fighting people, I would fight
lions. It would just be me verse the lion, and
only one comes out alive.
C: That’s…different, okay back to
school, who would you say is your favorite
teacher?
BC: Well up until today when he stole
my cell phone, Mr. Banks was really cool. But
Mr. Penderghest, I like that guy, I don’t have
him, but he’s a good guy, funny guy. That Mr.
Penderghest, yeah he’s a good guy.
C: What would you say is your favorite
class?
BC: My favorite class is lunch. After that
it would have to be study hall. And after that
it would have to be tech school.
C: You go to tech school? What for?
BC: I go there for culinary arts.
C: So is that what you really want to do,
be a chef?
BC: Yeah.
C: If you were on a deserted island, what
three things would you bring?
BC: Number one would be a beach
chair. Number two would be a grill. And number three would have to be an old woman.
C: What? Why an old woman?
BC: Because she’s mature in her old age,
and she’d be able to instill great wisdom.
C: Makes sense I guess. Okay, fill in the
blank, right now I’d kill for a…
BC: Doughnut.
C: You love food. What is the craziest
thing you’ve ever eaten?
BC: Human.
C: I’m sorry WHAT! Human?
BC: What you never have bitten your fingernails?
C: Oh okay, you freaked me out for a
second. What is your favorite restaurant?
BC: My favorite store is Station Pizza. I
spend a lot of my money there eating pizza.
C: How much money a week?
BC: Geez, anywhere from 200 to 300
dollars. It’s four dollars for a large pizza (that
would mean he orders 50- 75 pizzas a week).
Oh and they have mega fries, mmm.
C: Let’s talk about something not food
related. Tell me what season is your favorite?
BC: Winter. I like winter the best. I like
the snow, and the cold weather. And the
snow, I like. Did I mention I like the snow?
Well, I love the snow.
C: What is the last thing you got yelled
at or grounded for?
BC: Probably hanging up on my mom
last night because I was tired of talking to
her. She just talks, (he turns around as if to
see if she was there).
C: What are you turning around for, is
she in here, what does she look like?
BC: She’s seven foot three, has an eye
patch, and no right arm. Yeah she has a unibrow too. But she’s not here; she just left like
November 2007
t
s
There’s always
next year
By Anthony Perozze
five minutes ago.
C: What NFL player or teammate do you
look up to the most?
BC: The NFL player I look up to the most
is Jon Runyan, he’s a hardworking offensive
lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles. And he’s
a dirty player. And the teammates I look up
to are Dan MacMillan and Mike Ruhl — those
are the hardest working players on the field.
C: Are you just saying that because
they’re sitting here with us?
BC: No, you should see them on the field.
Dan yells at me, Mike makes jokes, it’s great.
It’s good fun.
C: What advice would you give the players that wish to be in your position?
BC: (long silence) Um, work hard, don’t
expect to have any days off, don’t expect to
have fun, just work hard, (laughs), and uh try
to earn the coach’s respect.
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Under par and
the radar
By Jacob Feldman
In all the excitement that was last fall,
with very successful football, tennis, soccer,
and field hockey seasons, one team went unnoticed: the golf team. However, with a bogey 3-14-1 season, that could be expected.
This year’s squad, which featured Eric
Schaft, Dave Rooney, John Shelton, Adam
Cohen, Nick Acker, and Mark Mitsuuchi, was
hot, finishing with an 8-6-2 record, including
six wins on their home course, the ever challenging Huntingdon Valley Country Club.
While everyone agrees that this year was
a tremendous improvement over last year,
Eric Shaft shared an additional team feat: as
a team, they were able to break 200 at home,
once against Pennridge in a tie (196), and
again against C. B. West High School in a win
(197-213).
As with all other school sports, their
matches are open to the public, although
golf manners are a must. So next year, come
on out and support your Golfing Ghosts.
After an extremely short postseason run,
Philadelphia Phillies fans are left wondering
when they will get to taste another championship. The Phillies were swept 3-0 against the
Rockies in the National League Division Series.
It was a Cinderella story for the Phillies
this year. They started off the season 12-14 in
the month of April, causing many people to
count them out of the playoff race. Through
this stretch, though, the Phillies were without
lefty powerhouse Ryan Howard, who was
placed on the fifteen-day disabled list with a
shoulder injury. They struggled up until the AllStar Break, when they turned their season
around. The Phillies had one of the best postAll-Star break records in MLB.
Even though Philadelphia was without
starting “ace” Freddy Garcia, the two rookies brought up from the Minor Leagues, mainly
Kyle Kendrick, fared well against the major
league hitters. Kendrick, who started the season in Double A, showed that he was able to
pitch in the majors, going 10-4 in twenty starts.
No one however, was quite as amazing as Jimmy Rollins (AKA J-Roll). On a cold
January night, Rollins stated that the Phillies
“were the team to beat” this year. Many
people, a category which included every fan
of the New York Mets, scoffed at him and
thought he was crazy. Rollins came through
with his promise by being only the third player
in MLB history to hit thirty doubles, thirty
homeruns, and twenty triples in a season. He
had an MVP-worthy season, a designation
baseball fans will agree he deserves. Rollins
was one of the key players throughout the
season.
With thirteen games to play in the season, most people were hoping that the Phillies
would just win the Wild Card, but hopes
quickly changed to the division title as the
Mets began a monumental collapse at the
end of the season. The Phillies were down by
six and one-half games on the 13th of September and managed to come back and win
the division behind pitching ace Cole Hamels,
and local prodigy/old guy Jamie Moyer. The
bullpen finally pulled itself together, and with
J.C. Romero and Brett Myers pitching better
than ever, the Phillies were able to clinch the
division, capping a season filled with the loss
of Chase Utley for twenty-eight games and
Cole Hamels for almost a month.
Although the Phillies failed to go anywhere in the postseason, it was still an amazing season. They had the second highest scoring offense with 892 runs scored. If the Phillies
can hold onto their star players, they will make
the playoffs next year and advance past the
first round, and you can quote me on that.