What year of high school was David Freese in when you taught him?
David was my student his junior year in algebra two. Then, his senior year, he was a cadet teacher. This means that when I was teaching a class he would run errands for me, or grade papers, or help students. I saw him once a day for two full years.

Did you consider yourself to have a close relationship with him when he was in high school?
Yes. Sometimes it’s hard to really connect with kids, but when they chose to be your cadet, it gives a teacher a special relationship where they are taking on some responsibility, and you can see them grow as a person. The teacher becomes a person the student feels they can touch base with if there’s something wrong. If they forget something, I’d be the one to supply extra pens, paper, and whatever else they may need.

Was David Freese a good student?
He was. He was in algebra two, which was not the honors course, but he probably could have made it in honors if he had decided to. As a high school student he wasn’t really interested in being a book worm, but he did very well.

What were his best qualities as a student?
He didn’t really let anything get him down, which is a trait he carried to his baseball career.

Freese, who is looking to become the every day third baseman (above)  for the Cardinals in 2012, was taught by Jane Glenn his Junior Year of High School. (Photo by Peter Baugh)

Did he struggle with anything in your classes?
Not really in math. I think in high school we didn’t challenge him enough. He could have been in the honors track. Sometimes high school is just a growing up period. He wasn’t striving to be the star student, but later on he decided that baseball was his goal, reached for it and got it.

Is he a good role model for students here at Clayton?
Yes, because I know he is a good person at heart. You can talk about the DUIs (Freese has had two DUIs, the latest in December of 2009) and that is a part of growing up that a lot of people have gone through. He made mistakes. We all have, but he can show you where hard work can get you and what choosing a goal and sticking with it can get.

What were your emotions watching him throughout the postseason?
I was pinching myself saying, “Is this really the kid that I knew?” Its just hard to believe he got that far and was so excited.

What should students take from him in his journey with sports?
Stay with it and conquer. He was in the minor leagues, and how many years has it taken him? He is 29. He has had lots of injuries; many would have given up. He could have said, “I’ve worked too hard; I want to do something else.” He could have chosen a different career, but he stuck with his dream.

Photo by Peter Baugh

(Patrick Tehan/Sen Jose Mercury News/MCT)

Super Bowl XLVI Prediction

The New England Patriots and the New York Giants faced each other in Super Bowl XLII in 2008 and the Giants won 17-14, boosted by an amazing catch by David Tyree in the final minute. Earlier this season the Giants and Patriots faced off and once again Eli Manning and the Giants won 24-20, a tight game. The Giants’ victories over the Patriots in their past two meetings leads most to believe they have the edge. Lawrence Tynes for the New York Giants has also proven that he can kick in the clutch by hitting two game winning field goals to send the Giants to the Super Bowl. In the official Globe prediction: The dual threat of Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks combined with a good power run game in Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs will be too much for New England’s weak secondary to handle. The Giants ferocious defensive line will be too much for Tom Brady. He had a weak passer rating of 57.5 in the AFC Championship and had two picks and zero touchdowns passes. All of these factors point towards the Giants prevailing, in what will likely be a close game.

New York Giants 23, New England Patriots 17

Timeline for the New England Patriots

July 29, 2011-New England trades a 2013 fifth-round draft pick to the Washington Redskins for Albert Haynesworth. New England trades a fifth-round pick in the 2012 draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2013 draft to the Cincinnati Bengals for Chad Ochocinco.

September 5, 2011-New England is upset by the Buffalo Bills due to Tom Brady’s four interceptions and a stellar game by CHS graduate Jarius Byrd.

November 6, 2011-New England hits a two-game losing streak including a tight game in which the Giants prevailed on a last minute drive.

November 8, 2011-New England releases Albert Haynesworth after his slow start.

January 1, 2012-New England dominates the Buffalo Bills despite a loss earlier in the season, and they secure the number one seed in the AFC by finishing the season on an eight game win streak.

Jan 14, 2012-Tom Brady and the Patriots shut down the miracle man Tim Tebow in a complete blow out.

Jan 22, 2012-The Patriots squeeze by the Ravens due to a missed 32-yard field goal with 15 seconds left by Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff.

Timeline for the New York Giants

December 4, 2011-The Green Bay Packers defeat the New York Giants on a last-minute drive, which puts the Giants on a four game losing streak and their playoff hopes begin to fade.

January 4, 2012-Eli Manning and surprise star Victor Cruz lead the New York Giants past the Cowboys to complete the regular season sweep on Sunday Night Football in a must win game.

January 8, 2012-The Giants defense allows no offensive points to the Falcons in one of the few playoff blowouts.

January 15, 2012-The Giants stun the Super Bowl favorite Packers at Lambeau Field, after an amazing Hail-Mary catch at the end of the first half by Hakeem Nicks.

January 22, 2012-New York prevails in the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, after two costly special teams fumbles by Kyle Williams of the 49ers. One of which led to the game winning field goal in overtime.

The average working American makes about $31,111 in a calender year. As a Los Angeles Angel, Albert Pujols will make five times that amount in a game.

A few months ago, if you went down to Busch Stadium around 7:00 p.m. there would be a sea of red Cardinals jerseys. Many would read “PUJOLS” on the back, showing our city’s support for their baseball legend. Now, $254 million later, those jerseys will be put in a basement cellar, where they will stay, collecting dust, until Pujols somehow makes amends to hurt and disapointed Cardinal fans.

Pujols played 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. He ripped 445 home runs, won three MVP awards, and brought his team two World Championships. This, Pujols said, was his ultimate goal. Well, if it truly was his goal, then wouldn’t he want good players around him? Wouldn’t he want the Cardinals to sign free agents like Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, to make the dream of winning a championship possible? Apparently not.

Buster Olney, a well noted ESPN baseball analyst, has said that he thinks Pujols’s pride was hurt because the Cardinals didn’t make more of an effort to sign him and instead pursued free agent Matt Holliday two winters ago.

Pujols obviously wasn’t making his choice to win championships, he was doing it to make the most money as possible. Or maybe not. Maybe Albert’s ego just wanted the world to know, “I am the best. Look at my contract.”

Once someone gets $200 million, how much extra money really matters? It’s enough money to last him, his children, and his grandchildren for a lifetime. That is not even taking into account all the money he made as a Cardinal or through ad contracts.

As a lifelong Cardinal fan I am hurt by the situation. Baseball is one of the biggest parts of my life and always has been. Some of my first memories are of Pujols rounding the bases after a homer.

Now, those memories are tainted. All I can think about is Pujols leaving the city of St. Louis, leaving the Cardinals, and leaving me, over pride and a higher contract.

That said, I do not know how I would have reacted in the situation. It is a lot of money and its hard to blame a guy for taking it.

The truth is, we will never really know what was going through our once beloved first baseman’s head on that fateful Thursday morning he decided to leave. What we do know is that it hurts, it’s sad, and we lost one of our city’s legends.

(Photo by:  Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Grady is a three sport athlete who leads by example. Not only does he exude commitment and focus, but his attendance at practices and matches is unparalleled during his many soccer, wrestling, and track seasons, as well as one cross country season this past fall.

Cross country coach Kurtis Werner highlighted the positive influences Grady had on the cross country team this past fall season.

“During every workout Caleb never let negative thoughts derail his running, which made him a better runner and solid contributor at every meet,” Werner said. “Caleb was a standard — which means you knew what you were going to get out of him every time he set out to run; his leadership and work ethic will be missed next year.”

Werner was not Grady’s only coach to laud the young athlete; wrestling coach Doug Verby provided praise and powerful numbers to boot.

“Since his freshman year Caleb has been one of our best wrestlers, one of out hardest workers, and one of our best leaders,” Verby said. “During practice he is a fast learner and hard worker. Outside of the wrestling room he’s an excellent student and a three sport athlete.”

Grady’s numbers are telling. He now sports a 67-51 winning record — two seasons with a record above .600 — and multiple medals for championing four distinct wrestling tournaments. And that’s before his senior season has even begun.

Despite the numbers and praise Grady has accumulated through years of hard work and success, don’t be fooled. One might suspect such a stellar athlete to boast, let alone share, his tenured success with others, but Grady is humble and soft spoken. He attributes his high school accomplishments to his coaches’ excellent teachings and his personal hard work, and he seeks only to encourage his team mates.

“Freshman year I didn’t complain, I worked hard on my own, and then would go in and win matches,” Grady said.

He chuckled when asked if he was a vocal leader on the team during freshman year.

“That year I was quiet and the coaches would try to get me to be angry to pump me up,” Grady said. “I wasn’t as much of a leader that year as I was junior year.”

Grady also explained how he has consciously worked to better the team as a whole.

“[Freshman year] I led by example and hoped people would notice,” Grady said. “Now I’ll make sure people are working in the wrestling room. I’m being more assertive on the mat and I take more of a leadership role.”

As a final word to those of all sport disciplines, and especially wrestling, Grady offered advice.

“You have to know that it’s going to be hard and that it’s going to be painful,” Grady said. “You have to be willing to work that much harder to get where you want to be.”

Look for Grady on the mats in the coming months. The statistics and word on the street add up to one conclusion: he’ll likely be the man on top.

The St. Louis Blues changed coaches on Nov. 6 after playing only 13 games. Replacing Davis Payne is Ken Hitchcock, a veteran coach who has won the Stanley Cup and had more than 1,000 games of coaching experience. Hitchcock believes that the Blues have the potential to become a play-off team and declared that he knows how to get the most out of the players.

Hitchcock has such a keen acumen for hockey that he feels as if he sees games develop in slow motion. Hitchcock began his career coaching in the NHL as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers in 1990, and he spent three seasons with the Flyers.

In January of 1996, Hitchcock became the head coach of the Dallas Stars. During his first two full seasons with the Stars, he took them to the playoffs. In 1998-1999, Hitchcock won a Stanley Cup Championship with the Stars, and in 2000, he took them to the Stanley Cup Finals.

After the Dallas Stars dismissed him in 2002, Hitchcock had three successful seasons as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, taking them to the playoffs three years. In 2008-2009, as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, he took the team to its only playoff appearance in team history.

Hitchcock has mentored offensive players like Brett Hull and Mike Modano, teaching them that there are defensive opportunities for forwards as well. Brett Hull stated that although his point production decreased, he was happy when he saw the wins starting to pile up. Hull considers Hitchcock to be an excellent strategist, who is good “with the X’s and O’s”.

Hitchcock’s coaching philosophy is to work his players hard, to have them play a tight defensive system, and to wear the opposing team down until you “break them”. The Blues are off to a 14-9-3 start under Hitchcock, and they look forward to benefitting from his expertise.

(Photo: Zia Nizami/Belleville News-Democrat/MCT)

Tony La Russa has managed three World Series champion teams. He has 2,728 wins and a .536 winning percentage. He has won six pennants and is one of only two managers to have a World Series title in both the American and National Leagues. And today, at a 9 a.m. news conference, La Russa announced his retirement from the sport of baseball.

Whether you loved him or hated him, it is hard to dispute La Russa’s knowledge of baseball. His constant pitching changes drove people crazy, but others loved his intensity.

“I felt that this just feels like it’s time to end it,” La Russa said during the conference. This year marked the Cardinals’ 11th World Series championship and La Russa’s third.

Without La Russa, the next obvious question is “Who is next?” The Cardinals could go with a well known manager such as Terry Francona, formerly of the Red Sox, or they could stay inside their staff and hire Jose Oquendo, the current third base coach. There are many choices and it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals organization decides to replace one of the greatest managers in the history of baseball.

(Photo: Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

Albert Pujols wields not only a mighty bat at the plate, but a mighty pen as well. On Saturday, October 22, 2011, Pujols made three marks in the books of baseball history that will forever last with the great names of antiquity.

It was the pivotal Game 3 of the 2011 MLB World Series against the Texas Rangers. The St. Louis Cardinals were traveling to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas with hopes of pulling ahead in what was then a 1-1, tied series. Cardinal nation received so much more than they had asked for.

Albert Pujols smashed his way into the annals of famed — nay, revered — World Series heroics. The numbers don’t lie.

After starting his night with a groundout to put him at 0 for 7 against the Rangers in the World Series, Pujols’ record-breaking night began. Three home runs and two singles — a whopping five hits — and six RBIs coupled with 14 total bases later, Pujols had himself quite an awe-evoking night.

To keep the numbers straight, here are the records set on this glorious night:

Albert Pujols becomes the third player to ever hit three home runs in a World Series game. Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson, deservingly famed players, are the only two to have ever accomplished this feat prior to Pujols’ Game 3. Ruth did so in 1926 and 1928 while Jackson did in 1977.

Albert Pujols ties Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees for fourth place in career postseason home runs with 18 blasts.

Albert Pujols ties Paul Molitor of Milwaukee for the most hits in a World Series game, with five hits. Molitor also had a five-hit game in 1982.

Albert Pujols becomes the third player to ever drive in six runners in a World Series game with his six RBI night, tying Yankees’ Bobby Richardson (1960) and Hideki Matsui. Seven has never been accomplished in a World Series game.

Finally, for the personal records, Pujols became the first player to ever reach 14 total bases in a MLB World Series game.

Even with years of baseball ahead, Albert Pujols is securing his place in the list of all-time greats.

It would be a shame to not add to the already-ridiculously long list of records, so here’s a few more from the night:

The Cardinals set a new franchise record by scoring 16 runs in a postseason game.

And lastly, the Cardinals tied for second most runs scored by a single team in a World Series game with 16 runs, behind only the New York Yankees of 1936 who knocked in 18.

For the Cardinals, the trick now is to keep Albert’s bat healthy and to keep it alive. Millions of fans who pledge allegiance to the Cardinal nation will be looking for the Cards to ride out a victorious World Series on the hot bat of their franchise player, Albert Pujols.

After such an inspiring night, one can only gawk at the power and professionalism Pujols exudes.

When asked about the night, Pujols told the media, “Just pretty special.”

Spoken like a true champion.

(Photo: Rodger Mallison/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT)

“The Cardinals looked very mediocre for three-fourths of the season, their offense was
out of sync and their pitching was horrendous,” said Junior Varun Chakravarthy. “I had no
reason to believe the Cardinals would eventually make the playoffs and I was deeply saddened.”

Ten and a half games behind the Braves and 10 games behind the Brewers in August,
the Cardinals manager, Tony La Russa, was in jeopardy of finishing the season with a losing
record. From this point on, the Cardinals looked unstoppable (weird transition into this – make
a bigger deal about the fact that they turned things around). In contrast, the Braves stumbled
time and time again as they continued to lose to teams with losing records. The Cards won
three out of four in Pittsburgh and then swept their division rival the Brewers. After losing two
of three against the Reds, the Birds rebounded with moral boosting series against the Brewers.
In the next series, the Cardinals swept sweep Braves at home that pulled them within four and
a half games of the wild card.

From this moment on, the Cardinals did not look back. Grasping every opportunity they
could to inch closer, they capitalized on every appearance. Meanwhile, the Braves continued to
slide downward as their pitching failed to provide any help for their offense.

On the last day of the regular-season, the Cardinals and the Braves were tied for first
place in the wild card. Both played on the last day and this game would determine who would
make the playoffs and who would fall short.

Overflowing with confidence, the Cardinals surged into the playoffs with a victory on the
last day of the regular season.

“Once the Cardinals made it I knew we had a shot at the playoffs. The baseball gods
were presenting the pennant to our Cardinals,” Sophomore Joshua Lee said.

They completed one of the greatest comebacks in Major League Baseball history.
However, the Cardinals would have to cut their celebration short as their next opponent would
be the most talented team in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Roy Oswalt were all brought to the Phillies because they
wanted to comfortably win the championship. However, the Cardinals were not losing ground
even as the series progressed.

In fact, the Cardinals pitchers outpitched the 45 million dollar worth trio and came out
victorious from a stellar performance by Chris Carpenter.

The Cardinals have provided fans with great performances and have now moved on to
the Nation League Championship Series with the Milwaukee Brewers, their division foes.

The Cardinals have given St. Louis reason to celebrate as the town becomes eccentric
with excitement and anticipation for what the next game may bring.

“The vehicle in which we are trying to use to bring the student body together is athletics,” said CHS Assistant Athletic Director Lee Laskowski.

The council was established to try to get one sports team to support another.  For example, a few weeks ago the football team went to cheer on the softball team.  The hope is that these interactions will create awareness for other sports teams.

“Ultimately, the number one purpose of this organization is the have a better line of communication between athletics and the student body,” said CHS Athletic Director Bob Bone.

Bone and the other leaders of the council, Assistant Athletic Director Lee Laskowski and Activities Director Mike Nelke, brought up the idea of a Captains Council about a year and a half ago.

“We didn’t want to start in the middle of last year, so that’s why they had a fall meeting with the coaches, and talked about it.  The coaches seemed to be pretty positive with the idea, and we basically went from there,” said Bone.

There are currently 30 students involved in the organization and approximately 25 students showed up to the first meeting.

“We asked each coach to nominate one or two people with good character, leadership, quality, and someone who can express themselves in a group setting,” said Bone.

Additionally, Bone doesn’t want the council to be just an athletic group; he wants it to represent the school as well. “We eventually had nominations from all teams, band and STUGO.”

The Captains Council is still a work in progress, but so far it looks like it is a success.  The CHS Athletic Department hopes that it can thrive for the athletic program, STUGO, the band and most importantly the student body in the future.