THE GREEN ARCH
MARCH 2020
Sports
PAGE 9
Archmere Academy Intramural Basketball Association of America Scott Lucarelli ‘22 STAFF REPORTER
The 2019-2020 Archmere Academy Intramural Basketball Association offered new and exciting developments this season. In this Archmere tradition, teams of students from the same grade gather to compete head-to-head with other teams for fun and for the end dream of the championship. But with the season developing, the dream of the championship for most teams dwindles as many of the scheduled intramural games have either been moved or cancelled. However, despite all of these obstacles, the faculty team continues to dominate for yet another year. The dominant faculty team, led by the League’s reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Archmere Admissions’ Mr. Logan Duffie, continues to improve its hot streak to be one of the League’s only undefeated teams with a record of 4-0. One of the most hyped-up teams entering the season, the sophomore Oilers, has faced a tragic series of losses in close heartbreaking games but has plans to turn its season around once the playoff stretch arrives. This team is carried by Nick Zhu’s rebounding ability and by their experienced coaching staff in the form of sophomore Coach Conor Udovich and Assistant Coaches Declan Pearson and Matt Dellose. According to Coach Pearson, the secret to their team’s success for the remainder of the season and winning the championship can be found in “Tommy Penrod’s sharp shooting ability and amazing handles that will lead us to glory.” But taking the trophy for this year’s most surprising team that has been the Cinderella story of the entire season, has to be the junior boys team “Vicious and Delicious.” Coach Shawn Enverso who has led this team to victory with his amazing and original schemed play calls such as their most utilized play named “Mallafancy Madness.” This play seems to allow the juniors to score at will if it is executed correctly and intimidates the other teams by using Micheal Mallamaci speed and extraordinary vertical. This team has continued to show amazing potential with
team has continued to show amazing potential with their record of 3-2 with a very difficult schedule. The girls teams have been a formidable force this season, thriving from outside the arc and using their speed to convert on many fast break opportunities. Throughout the course of the season these teams have shown their strength to be their relentless defense that is enforced all through the game with help from their large roster sizes. The best girls team at this point in the season is “Moose,” the senior girls team led by Abby Kates who carries her team by pushing the tempo of the game through fast break opportunities. “Nwao,” fired up by Mary Ikeocha’s drives to the basket,
Archmere’s basketball players often serve as coaches for the intramural teams. Photo courtesy of Barksdale Photos.
has given “Moose” a run for its money. Recently her team faced a heartbreaking loss to the senior boys despite having a sizable lead at the start of the game and entering the game on a winning streak With the season still developing and the playoffs getting closer with every passing moment, the season gets more and more exciting. With every game the student fan base continues to grow with the students cheering on their
dent body has become alarmingly clear, and that is to see the faculty team come crashing down from the top with an early exit from playoffs. This is due to tension This is due to tensions still high with the faculty running a frowned upon zone that led them to victory in the Flag Football Championship. With these developments continuing, it is making for the most memorable and exciting season in Archmere Academy Intramural Basketball Association of America history.
Astros Cheating Scandal Brendan McGuire ‘23 STAFF REPORTER
The recent scandal in the baseball world-one that may go down as one of the biggest scandals in sports history-- involves the Houston Astros, an MLB baseball team in the American League, being accused of stealing signs from other teams. All of this was said to take place in the past five years during many Astros runs in which they went deep into the playoffs. The Astros were accused of using electronic systems to steal signs from catchers on the opposing team. These signals would then be given to the players batting, giving the Astros players a completely unfair advantage. While sign stealing is not considered illegal in baseball, using electronic devices to do it undoubtedly is. To signal which pitch was coming, the Astros would bang on a trash can to signal off speed or breaking pitches. This is not the first time the sport of baseball has had to deal with cheaters. All time home run leader, Barry Bonds, among others, was caught using performance enhancing drugs to help him get stronger and, with that, hit the ball a lot farther than anyone else could.
Of course, the actions of some of the people in the Astros organization did not go unpunished. Some of the punishments included a 5 million dollar fine, a loss of both their first and second round draft picks in both the 2020 and 2021 season, and a year long suspension to both the Astros General Manager, Jeff Luhnow and their manager, A.J. Hinch. Both Luhnow and Hinch were fired on the same day that their punishments were released. No players ended up suffering any consequences although many wanted more punishment to be given out. Many fans of baseball felt that Houston should be stripped of their title that they won back in 2017 and they had good reason too. The Astros practically won the title through cheating and during their World Series run that year the Astros played a total of eighteen playoff games and went 11-7. Of the nine games they played at home, the Astros lost just once, but during away games the Astros had a terrible 3-6 record. Certainly not a record that many people would think is worthy of a World Series but thanks to their outstanding home record, the Astros were able to prevail and finish on top.
As for baseball in general, there is no doubt that the sport itself could be impacted by this whole situation. How it will be affected, no one really knows for sure. Baseball is the second most watched sport in America on the professional level and many kids grow up playing it. Baseball however, has been criticized for being unbearably slow and boring to watch so maybe this could give people a reason to tune in and watch baseball more often. After all, “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” Even though no one believes this scandal will have any effects on high school or little league baseball, there is no telling what the future may bring. As for the Astros, they don’t seem to be all that excited for what the future holds for them and their organization. There is no doubt that the Astros will suffer greatly from this punishment and probably will take around five years until they are able to get back into contention for the World Series. This scandal has certainly shaken the baseball world and leaves many wondering what is in store for the future of the MLB.
