MLB's Crazy Season at a Glance
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Page B4.THE LIBERTY CHAMPION NOVEMBER 9. 2004 Hitting the road to South Bend, IN Andrew Stevens share the experience By Andrew Stevens full of highly talented athletes who work very schools with a long history of win OUBST COLUMN hard to earn their spot on the team, as well as ning like Notre Dame go through show a dedication to morals and values off of periods where wins are hard to come Two weekends ago, God blessed me with the field. by. The Fighting Irish have had los the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream One of the most glaring differences ing records three of the past five sea and attend a football game at Notre Dame. between football at Notre Dame and here at sons and have not won a bowl game Thanks to my RA, who was gracious enough Liberty is the overwhelming attendance of since 1993- Every school goes to take my girlfriend and me home with him the student body. Football at Notre Dame is through hard times, not just Liberty. to Indiana, my dream was fulfilled. in no form or fashion a social event. You With the Flames in the thick of the Sitting in the shrine to college football that don't see students at Notre Dame leaving at race for the Big South Championship is Notre Dame Stadium, I could not help but half time or earlier. Also, the students in this season, now more than ever is think of our own football program at Liberty. South Bend are actually a part of the game. the time to truly get behind our foot The football program at Notre Dame did They stand the entire game, they cheer and ball program. Sure, you may not see not get to the point where it is now overnight. yell and are truly a 12th man. For a school our guys on ESPN playing Oklahoma That is something that people fail to remem that only has a little over 11,000 students, the anytime soon, but you will see them ber. There are plenty of universities around spirit displayed at Notre Dame was truly giving all they have week in and week the country that do not even have a football impressive and a true factor in the game. out to represent our student body, team. We as students should consider our At Notre Dame they are playing for an our university and most importantly selves privileged to have a football team to invitation to a Division l-A bowl game. Here Jesus Christ. cheer for each fall. at Liberty, our football team is playing for an I realize that our football program For a program that got started in 1894, invitation to the Division l-AA playoffs. The has a long way to go before we reach Notre Dame did not appear in a bowl game Big South Conference does not have enough the stature of schools such as Notre or win a national championship until 1925. schools that participate in football as mem Dame. However, to think that our Keep in mind that Liberty did not field a foot bers of the conference for the conference football program is incapable of mak ball team until 1973. To expect our program champion to earn an out-right bid to the ing major improvements over the that has only been around for 31 years to Division l-AA playoffs. So, the only way for. next several years is wrong. In order dominate year in and year out is unrealistic. the Flames to earn a playoff bid is to get an for those changes to happen, we as For a program that has been around for invitation from the NCAA. This makes it students need to get out and support no years, it is much easier to recruit athletes much more difficult for our football team to our team every chance we have. So, PHOTO PROVIDED to a school with a household name like Notre make the playoffs each season. the next time the Flames are in Dame. Granted, the Fighting Irish are able to We have all heard at one point in our lives, action, paint your chest, wear some NOTRE DAME TRADITION — The "Touchdown Jesus" has become recruit some of the top athletes in the coun the phrase "patience is a virtue." Anyone who red and come out to cheer LU on to part of Notre Dame Tradition over the years. try, but remember we do not put just anyone truly follows football knows the same thing is victory. out on Liberty's field. Our football team is true with any college football program. Even MLB's crazy season at a glance review, the surprise of the The reason was Suzuki's in the tying run in the ninth, route to a 10-3 win and back to haunt the Red Sox? Red Sox makes more sense chase of the single season hit and in the 12th inning David clinch their first World Many Red Sox fans were not when you see that 2004 was record. The previous owner Ortiz finished off the come Series birth since 1986. comfortable even with a 3-0 a year of great feats and even of this record was George back with a two run walk off Fans were partying in the lead because they knew that greater surprises around the Sisler who owned the record home run to send the series streets in Boston and the with their kick they would be league as a whole. for 84 years with a single to a fifth game. players were celebrating like not only the first team to Barry Bonds, arguably the season hit total of 257. The next night the flair they had won the champi come back from a 3-0 best player in baseball, Suzuki broke the mark by for the dramatic was once onship already, but there deficit to win a series, but added to his home run great getting 262 hits this season. again provided by David was still a World Series to be also they could be the sec ness and offensive clout The record may not seem Ortiz, who is called "Papi" by played and a team in the St. ond team to lose a 3-0 lead. when he reached the storied very impressive at first his teammates, when in the Louis Cardinals who had the All of the worries and bad 700 Club. Only three other glance, but consider the fact 14th inning he hit a bloop best record in baseball. thoughts would soon come By Paul Troth men in the history of base that it has stood for 84 years single to drive in the win If there was any doubt to an end in Game 4 when in SPORTS COLUMNIST ball have hit over 700 home and that Suzuki broke the ning run and send the series about the Red Sox ability to the very first inning leadoff runs: Babe Ruth, Hank mark by a whole five hits. back to New York for Game maintain their momentum hitter Johnny Damon hit a What a season! It's been Aaron and Willie Mays. All these records and 6. Shifting back to New York going in to the first game of home run to put the Red Sox almost two weeks since Bonds once again finished great plays fail in compari the already intense series the World Series it was up 1-0. The lead would Boston pitcher Keith Foulke atop the league in offensive son to the biggest story of would get a big dose of quickly put to rest in Game 1 grow to 3-0 and that was all fielded a comeback to the statistics with 45 home runs, the 2004 season, the Boston drama when the injured when they put 11 runs on the starting pitcher Derek Lowe mound and threw the final 101 RBIs and had a batting Red Sox. The Sox won the Curt Schilling would take board in route to an 11-9 needed. Lowe pitch seven out to first base clinching average of .362. What con World Series, but it was how the mound in Game 6 to victory in Game 1. Really scoreless innings and closer the first World Series title tinues to amaze fans and they won the World Series avenge his performance in that first game was the best Keith Foulke would finish for the Boston Red Sox in 86 experts alike about Bonds is that will forever etch their Game 1 of the series. With chance the Cardinals had to the deal when on the final years, and I am still in disbe that he is getting better with name in the history books. his ankle visibly bleeding win in the series because the out he would field the come lief. I'm not necessarily in age and putting up great The first three games were from the seuchers on his next three games would back pitch to the mound and shock at the Red Sox win numbers despite leading the dominated by the Yankees ankle, Schilling pitched prove to be all Boston and a toss over to first base to ning the World Series; it's league in walks the past four as they outscored the Red seven innings allowing just clean sweep for the title. close out the greatest playoff how they won that has con years. In fact, this year he Sox 32-16 in three games one run and winning Game The dangerous Cardinal bats run in the history of base tinued to leave me baffled.