I know a lot of people around the world cannot figure out why baseball means so much to Americans. I can’t say for sure what it is for everyone else, I can only speak for myself. Yes the games are long and the seasons even longer. The game drags for a lot of the time you are watching it. But then out of nowhere it gets exciting. A player walks, then another one singles up the middle. Now there are two guys on and your favorite player, who can change the game with one swing of the bat, coming to the plate. Now in the middle of a team driven game, there becomes a one on one battle of mind and skill. The pitcher is backed into a corner. He can’t put the guy on, he would load the bases. But he also can’t give in because as I said this guy can change the game with one swing of the bat. Then there is the batter, standing alone at the plate trying to guess where the pitches are going to be. Is the pitcher going to surprise him and lay them over the plate. Or is he going to try and paint the corners and get him to chase bad pitches.

Depending on which team you are rooting for, the glorious outcome can come in a different fashions. The pitcher could strike him out, he could cause him to hit into a double play, or he could hit a meaningless fly ball out. Now if your for the batter you hope for other outcomes. Your biggest hope is for the player to hit a massive homerun that towers out of the stadium, putting a devastating blow to the game and the pitchers mindset. Or at the very least hit a long fly ball that gets a run home.

Now to a lot of you this may sound very shallow and unimportant. But to those that grew up listening and watching the game it is very important for many different reasons. For me baseball is summer. I see it live, watch it on TV or listen to it on the radio. They are all appealing in different ways. But the root of all them to me is the bond they have given me with my family. One of my earliest memories in life is going to a Cardinals game with my brother. I was five and he took me along with other. I remember walking through the tunnel going from darkness to light. Then seeing this huge stadium with people of all walks of life filling the seats. I don’t remember a whole lot about the game or the day other than those moments, what I do remember is I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

Baseball is part of America and it’s society. Probably more so than any other sport. It may have lost some of it’s thunder over the last decade or so with all the allegations of drug use and the increasing popularity of football. As I said though it is the sport that brought an everlasting bond between me and my family. Not that we don’t have others but this is the one that held through during anything. Because of the longevity that players in this game experience, many of my teams favorite players were still playing as I got interested in the game. Because they were may peoples favorites they became mine. So let me close by saying this, baseball wasn’t and still isn’t some meaningless game that tied up the airwaves. It was and always will be a way to connect to my family. It’s a way to bring back memories of times long forgotten. But most importantly it’s a strong common bond that bridges the gaps of different generations.

If there’s any such thing as a garden-variety high school basketball state championship, the Richwood High School girls know nothing about it.

Undefeated in 1983. Unbeaten in Class AA again in 2005 – the only program to twice be perfect.

And now this.

The Pretzels (31-4) were held to six field goals, a record low in the title game, and the 37-point margin of victory was the largest in a state championship game in the history of the tournament. The 19 points also were the fewest scored in a title game.

Glasford (Illini Bluffs) Regional

Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1 at 7:30 p.m.: (4) Tremont vs. (5) Hartsburg (H.-Emden)
Tue., Feb. 24
Game 2 at 6:00 p.m.: (2) Mason City (Illini Central) vs. (7) Glasford (Illini Bluffs)
Game 3 at 8:00 p.m.: (3) Mackinaw (Deer Creek-M.) vs. (6) Peoria Heights
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 4 at 6:00 p.m.: (1) Delavan vs. Winner Game 1
Game 5 at 8:00 p.m.: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 6 at 7:30 p.m.: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

Granville (Putnam County) Regional

Mon., Feb. 23
Game 1 at 7:30 p.m.: (4) Washburn (Lowpoint-W.) vs. (5) Streator (Woodland)
Tue., Feb. 24
Game 2 at 6:00 p.m.: (2) Roanoke (R.-Benson) vs. (7) Henry (H.-Senachwine)
Game 3 at 8:00 p.m.: (3) Varna (Midland) vs. (6) DePue
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 4 at 6:00 p.m.: (1) Granville (Putnam County) vs. Winner Game 1
Game 5 at 8:00 p.m.: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 6 at 7:30 p.m.: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

Clinton Regional

Tue., Feb. 24
Game 1 at 7:30 p.m.: (4) Manito (Midwest Central) vs. (5) Clinton
Wed., Feb. 25
Game 2 at 6:00 p.m.: (1) Stanford (Olympia) vs. Winner Game 1
Game 3 at 8:00 p.m.: (2) Bloomington (Central Catholic) vs. (3) Maroa (M.-Forsyth)
Fri., Feb. 27
Game 4 at 7:30 p.m.: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3

BRADLEY: With the loss to Northern Iowa, Bradley’s record in games decided by six points or less dropped to 6-4.

–Bradley suffered the 1,000th loss in program history when it fell at Illinois State, 69-65, on Jan. 31. Bradley is tied with North Carolina State for 25th place in NCAA Division I history with 1,529 victories.

–The Bradley bench had outscored its counterparts in five straight games before Illinois State’s reserves held a 13-11 scoring advantage in the Redbirds’ 69-65 victory on Jan. 31.

ISU-Illinois State held on for an emotional 69-65 victory over archrival Bradley on Jan. 31 in Normal, improving to 12-0 at Redbird Arena. Bradley rallied from an eight-point deficit to take a one-point lead with 5:33 left before the Redbirds made eight of 10 free throws down the stretch to pull out the victory.

Champ Oguchi (15.0 ppg) and Osiris Eldridge (14.1 ppg) were carrying the Redbirds’ scoring load in the early part of the season. But Eldridge fell into an offensive funk, averaging 9.7 points in a six-game span before scoring 13 against Bradley.

Oguchi had games with three and five points during January. He produced his third double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Bradley.

–Four Illinois State players scored in double figures against Bradley on Jan. 31, the 13th time that has happened this season. Illinois State is 12-1 in those games.

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Sophomore guard Sam Maniscalco (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) has been named the Bradley Country Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week announced Wednesday, after helping the Bradley men’s basketball team to a 1-1 record last week.

Maniscalco averaged 13.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in a pair of games, while hitting 6-of-15 three-pointers. He scored 16 points and dished out three assists in the Braves five-point loss at league-leading Northern Iowa. Maniscalco followed that with an 11-point effort in Bradley’s 68-56 home win against Indiana State. He made 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and added two rebounds, two assists and two steals against the Sycamores. Enrolled in Bradley’s award-winning academic exploration program, Maniscalco owns a 3.34 cumulative grade point average.

Georges “Rush” St. Pierre scouting report
Height and weight: 5-foot-10, 170 pounds
Age: 27
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada
Fighting out of: Montreal
Record: 17-2

Though much has been made of St. Pierre’s struggles with Penn in their first bout, he does enter this fight with the tactical advantage of knowing he can control Penn on the ground. If that sounds unimportant, keep in mind that Sean Sherk — a downright beastly wrestler in his own right — was so intimidated by Penn’s grappling ability that he chose to absorb a beating on his feet rather than risk having his extremities extracted on the ground.

Where St. Pierre must prove himself is standing. Although Penn certainly gave St. Pierre pause in the striking department in their first go-round, most of his success came off a pair of glancing blows that exacted a surprising toll on St. Pierre’s fragile mug. St. Pierre needs to use his jab and kicks to keep Penn at bay long enough to wear him down.

B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn scouting report
Height and weight: 5-9, 170 pounds
Age: 30
Hometown: Kailua, Hawaii, U.S.
Fighting out of: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 13-4-1

Prediction: St. Pierre wins

They went out and snagged Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band — only the greatest live performers in the history of history — for this year’s extravaganza.