San Antonio Spurs

My favorite basketball team is the San Antonio Spurs. They are located in San Antonio, Texas. They are the reigning National Basketball Association, NBA champions. They are five time champions of the NBA. The coach of the San Antonio Spurs is Gregg Popovich, a stern tactician who has coached the Spurs to over one thousand wins. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker lead the core of the Spurs team. The reason why I am focusing this blog entry on my favorite basketball team is because many people don't know why I root for them and fans of the game are criticizing their performance this season.

I root for the San Antonio Spurs because it is my mother's favorite basketball team. She has been a fan since the mid 1990's with players like David Robertson and Tim Duncan, who was drafted to the NBA in 1997. She always tells me about games that included great performances from the "Twin Towers" which consisted of Robertson and Duncan, two seven foot players who led the team to their first championship in 1999. They have qualified for the playoffs every year since 1998. The big three of Duncan, 38, Ginobili, 37, and Parker, 32, are considered old in basketball years, especially that they have been playing together since 2004.

Lately sports fans are talking negatively about the Spurs and it concerns me. They are currently on their second four game losing streak of the year. The Western Conference is the toughest conference in the NBA and currently are in seventh place. Plenty of sports analysts say that "they are not playing like a playoff team" or "they don't have enough talent to repeat as champions."

In my opinion, the Spurs play like the ultimate team. The way the Spurs pass the ball has influenced multiple teams to emulate their offensive schemes. Fans and media members talk about the decline of the team because father time is catching up to them. People who do not follow the Spurs are tired of seeing the team's success, since they have not missed the playoffs since 1998 or have participated in the past two NBA Finals. I say that as long as the Spurs make the playoffs, they will be a tough team to eliminate.

 

Vocabulary:

1) reigning (adjective)- currently holds particular title

2) champions (noun)- person who has defeated all rivals in competition

3) core (noun)- most important part of something

4) qualified (verb)- be entitled to or have privileged

5) concerns (verb)- to worry; be anxious of

6) analysts (noun)- person who conducts conversation on topics

7) emulate (verb)- reproduce action

8) schemes (noun)- plan or plot

Vocabulary Activity:

Directions: Fill in the blanks using the vocabulary words from above

1) The sports __________ discussed the last play of the game.

2) The criminals had a series of __________ against the bank branch.

3) The winning dodgeball team are the ___________ of the tournament.

4) Ms. Molloy is a __________ nurse.

5) The teacher candidate ___________ what the teacher had taught the period before.

6) San Francisco Giants are the ___________ champions of baseball.

7) Captains of sport teams are usually the __________ of the team.

8) I always have __________ before I take medicine.

Grammar Point:

A noun is a person, place or thing. However, proper nouns name a specific person (Tim Duncan), place (San Antonio, Texas) or thing (the NBA) and is almost always capitalized. Common nouns are everything else that is not capitalized (a basketball).

Grammar Activity:

Directions: Write out three proper nouns for famous people/athletes/celebrities. You could describe who they are, where they are from and what or who do they work for.

For example: Tim Duncan, a basketball player from the Virgin Islands, plays professional basketball for the San Antonio Spurs.

The Best Experience of My Life

The best experience of my life was attending college at Molloy. I graduated from Molloy with my BA in Adolescent Education with a concentration in Spanish. I am one of few people in my family to graduate college.

It was the best experience because I met some great people along the way including people who I consider to be my best friends. I also met my girlfriend of more than two years at Molloy during a semester abroad trip to León, Spain. These people have influenced me to become a better person. I now consider myself to be someone who is hardworking, respectful, and generous.

When I began my undergraduate program at Molloy, I was a spoiled high school student-athlete, who didn't care for meeting new people or having new experiences. I slowly realized that the world doesn't revolve around me, and my experience at Molloy led me to become a man and an excellent student.

I loved my experience at Molloy so much that now I work in the Athletics Department as a Graduate Assistant in Athletic Operations. I look forward to my short commute every morning and come to school with a smile, knowing that I will achieve my objectives in the Athletics Department and my new aim, to be the first in my family to obtain a master's degree.

Vocabulary:

1) concentration (noun)- mental effort

2) consider (verb)- think carefully about

3) abroad (adverb)- in or to a foreign country

4) hardworking (adjective)- a person who performs with energy

5) respectful (adjective)- showing humility

6) generous (adjective)- showing kindness toward others

7) excellent (adjective)- outstanding

8) commute (verb)- travel between home and work on a daily basis

9) objective (noun)- a goal

10) obtain (verb)- to get or secure something

Vocabulary Activity:

Directions: Fill in the blanks using the vocabulary words from above

1) Tatiane traveled __________ to Brazil this past summer.

2) The __________ of the class is to comprehend quadratic equations.

3) The little girl was very __________ to her grandmother by opening the door for her.

4) Each assignment in his accounting class requires plenty of __________.

5) The teacher candidate had to __________ the offer from both school districts.

6) Mr. Martinez had to _________ his doctorate degree in order to be referred to as Dr. Martinez.

7) Tom's __________ is from Hicksville to Rockville Centre.

8) The teenager is __________ because he volunteers at the soup kitchen.

9) The father works two jobs and his co-employees call him a __________ man.

10) The teacher wrote "__________" on his essay because he received an A.

Grammar Point:

An adjective describes a noun in a complete sentence. It describes a particular quality of a word they are modifying. For example: The purple flower. The adjective here would be purple because it describes the color of the flower, which is a noun.

Grammar Activity:

Directions: With emphasis on creating a complete sentence involving adjectives, describe the setting in which you are reading this blog from.

Super Bowl XLIX

Super Bowl XLIX was one of the best football games of the football season. It took place at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The Seahawks, the reigning Super Bowl Champions from the year prior and the New England Patriots, a team scrutinized for it's off the field behaviors regarding deflated footballs yet well respected for actions on the field, played an even game that was full of excitement, physicality and controversy. The most memorable moment of the game came at the very tail end of the fourth quarter with about twenty seconds left. The Seahawks had marched down the field and had the ball at the one-yard line. The difference between victory and defeat and winning back-to-back championships was three feet away.

I completely remember where I was at the moment, on the couch between my best friend and his brother. I was already feeling negative vibes from the Seahawks, based on how they had lined up on offense. I screamed "Why are they in shot-gun at the one yard line? They have a chance to score and they are going to pass! Oh my, why now?"

The ball had snapped and the quarterback for the Seahawks took two quick steps back and fired a throw to what it looked to be a wide-open receiver only for it to be intercepted by the Patriots. The Patriots defensive back, who was covering the Seahawks wide receiver, stepped in for the ball and took the Seahawks dreams of winning back-to-back championships with it.

My family screamed, "Wow! Unbelievable! Why did they call a pass?" I wanted it to be known that I had stated the play call correctly. "You see! The Seahawks passed the ball. Why did they do that with the best running back waiting for the ball to be given to him one more time to win the game?"

There are certain moments you don't forget. Like graduating from high school or college, driving for the first time or where you were for a certain event, like the Super Bowl last weekend. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way. I feel worse for Seattle Seahawks fans for having to witness the worst sports lost in history. I bet they feel worse, knowing they were so close, yet so far. I certainly will never forget where I was when that play occurred.

Vocabulary:

1) scrutinize (verb)- to examine closely

2) deflated (verb)- be emptied of air

3) excitement (noun)- a happy feeling

4) physicality (noun)- involves contact related to the body

5) controversy (noun)- a drawn out disagreement

6) victory (noun)- the act of winning verse an opponent

7) defeat (verb)- overcome or beat

8) intercepted (verb)- catch a forward pass

Vocabulary Activity:

Directions: Fill in the blanks using the vocabulary words from above

1) The ball was __________ by the defensive player.

2) The political case was becoming a __________ due to criticism by the media.

3) Because of the cold temperature, the car tires were __________.

4) There was plenty of __________ in the air before the concert.

5) The debate team celebrated the __________ by eating ice cream.

6) It is necessary to __________ the editor of the newspaper for writing a false article.

7) There was plenty of __________ in the wrestling tournament.

8) The football team suffered a terrible __________.

Grammar Point:

Although there are plenty of rules of when to use quotation marks, the use of quotation marks in this blog indicate direct speech. The writer wants to tell the reader what exactly someone is saying, in this case, what I was saying.

Grammar Activity:

Directions: Using quotation marks indicating direct speech, create your own sentence reacting to the last offensive play by the Seattle Seahawks which resulted in a Super Bowl victory for the New England Patriots.

If you have not seen the play, revisit the moment here: http://youtu.be/U7rPIg7ZNQ8