It was nice out, the sun beaming down upon the freshly cut grass. It was mid day and the softball game had just begun. It started off smoothly, with Tabor getting on base with the second batter, then the third batter crushed it and sent both of them home. Although in the first inning it was 2-0 with Tabor winning, the game quickly turned around. By the 6th inning, it was 6-3 Exeter, with Tabor up to bat. Getting a little anxious and worried, Jackie Donahue comes up to the plate, first pitch and nails a home-run, tieing Exeter. Top of the seventh was similar to the bottom, as no one scored, sending the game into extra-innings. Exeter was up to bat in the top of the eighth inning, the first three batters getting on base. Tabor was getting a little anxious, but Collen Kirby, a sophomore, struck two batters out in a row. Bases loaded, two outs, the last batter grounded out to shortstop, Kelly Foley for the easy out. It was Tabors turn, to win the game meant to advance on into the championship game. Finally, Steph Ciampa gets on base, steals second, and Kara Moffa gets out but advances Ciampa to third. Next batter, Lexi White is up to bat and hits it to left field, as the coach sends Ciampa home, the left fielder throws the ball to the catcher and in the collision, the Umpire calls Ciampa out. Two outs, finally the bases are loaded. Tabor batter gets up to the plate, full count, two outs bases loaded. The next pitch, the ball is hit past the shortstop and the winning run comes in.

Aren’t you mad you missed the game? The game was exciting, eventful and fun to watch, although no one showed up except the parents of the players. Spring sports at Tabor are often forgotten, as fans seem to be more into tanning rather than spectating sports. Although, games like the one above happen more often than not in spring sports rather than any other season because the scoring is lower, so sports like baseball and softball have more close games, which are more exciting. Also, Spring sports altogether have better records than anyother season, which is another reason why people should watch them. Crew in 10-0, Softball is 7-1, Baseball is over 500 and Golf is 5-2. Most games are outside, which is more enjoyable than sitting inside a sweat gym or a freezing hockey rink. The Tabor community needs to come together and support these teams and just because it is the end of the year, does not mean they can come out and watch. Fan support can sometimes dictate a close game, especially in high energy games such as lacrosse.

A frantic call is made to the police at 3am in the morning.  A girl claiming she is sixteen has said that she is being forced to marry a 50 year old man in the morning.  She identifies the area on the phone, and never to be seen again.  The call resulted in a police raid to the area, and removal of 416 children, and lawsuits of abuse and deprivation.

            The place she identifies is the FLDS cult, a desolate ranch that spans between Colorado City in Arizona and Hildale, Utah.  It is a 10,000 strong sect, complete with housing for hundreds of people, three- story temple, and independent water and power grids.  The name of the place is YFZ ranch, and these men, women and children are basically selfsufficient.  Their daily life starts early- try 3:30am.  One mother, Rebecca, states “the kids couldn’t wait to hop out of bed at 4 a.m.- or 3:30 a.m. if I let them!”  Each person, no matter how old, has a role that they play from sun-up to sun-down.  The onlder girls are in charge of getting their younger brothers and sisters up and ready for the say.  There is no need for them to wake their sibilings up, for no one wants to wake up last in the sect.  Their clothing looks similar to the show, Little House on the Prairie.  Minimal skin was shown, if any, as their ‘high-neck dresses’ starched and wrinkle free that met their hightop sneakers made for working with white socks.  The women cannot cut their hair because in when in Heaven, they must use their hair to wash their husband’s feet.  Their food preparation is no different than their oldtime clothing style.  They do not just ‘open a can’ and serve the food, they grind wheat, churn butter and milk the cows for drinks.  Schooling comes secondary to their lifestyle, but they still have time to teach reading, singing, piano lessons and chores.  If one does not do their chores, they will be strictly punished. 

            Bizarre to a ‘normal’ and modern lifestyle, but nothing out of the ordinary- yet.  The leader of their sect, Warren Jeffs, who recently served 10 years, after being convicted of being an accomplice to rape after forcing a 14 year old girl to marry a 50 year old male, preaches “ perfect obediance produces perfect faith.”  In the law of the sect, it is illegal to contact past the confinements of the powergrid, laughing out loud, and no social dances or hangouts.  No movies, TV and no internet.  You must marry who you were told, usually one of your fathers friends, whom has many wives already, and birth whatever children he gives to you.  Jeffs preaches that it is a male dominated world, and when death occurs, the husband gets to decide whether the women can enter Heaven or not.  Strict punishments, such as abuse can occur if a child or wife does not follow these guidelines.

            The police were shocked by this displayed and immediately rescued 416 children from the compound.  The hard decision for the judges is whether these kids are aloud to go back to their mother and fathers, or go into government care because it is not safe for them.  In my opinion, the kids should be as far away from that place as possible.  The kids are strictly controlled, and does not know anything about the outside world and how to survive.  When asked by judges and officials to point out who their mother and father were, some kids pointed to three or four people, other did not know at all.  This is not a safe environment for these kids.  There would be people who would just disappear from the community, and the leaders would say, “they were called on a mission.  The went to Zion” and that would be the last anyone would ever hear from them again.  A childhood without laughter and worldly experience is no childhood at all.  I think these children should have a normal lifestyle and stop being deprived of a childhood, one where they don’t have to wake up at 330 a.m. to do chores and get scolded at if laughing out loud.  

            Baseball- America’s favorite pastime.  A game based on the rivalries, traditions, and of course, superstitions.  It is what makes the game fun, and the fans true to their teams.  There is no bigger rivalry than the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, dating back to when professional baseball became popular.  With every game, every practice comes explanations and superstitions of each outcome of the game, resulting in curses.  “Curses start off very easily. It’s all the power of suggestion and they take on a life of their own,” said Dan Gordon, an avid baseball writer.  The eighty- six year losing streak jynx, or ‘The Curse of the Bambino” of Red Sox  after they sold Babe Ruth is probably the most well-known.  Another superstition with the Red Sox accounts for their retired jersey numbers.  They have number 9 for Ted Williams, 4 to Joe Cronin, 1 for Bobby Doerr and 8 for Carl Yastrzemski.  If those numbers are put together, they form a date, 9-4-18, April fourth, 1918, the day before Red Sox won the last Championship until the one in 2004.  Some laugh at these ideas, but to serious baseball fans, this is no joke.

No wonder many Yankee fans were outraged at what they found out was under the newly built Yankee stadium.  A construction worker of Bronx, New York, but a long time lover of the Boston Red Sox, Gino Castignoli, steathly put a David Ortiz t-shirt in the foundation while building the Yankee stadium.  When the foundation dried, the shirt remained hidden and the rest of the million dollar stadium was built on top of it.  The worker finally confessed to the NY Post of his dirty deed, after the Yankees crushed his hopes of a curse when they beat the Red Sox in the stadium.  Two other workers, whose names were withheld, said that they remember Castignoli, who only worked for a day on the site and can predict where the shirt would be.  The shirt happened to be buried underneath the visitor’s dugout, under almost five feet of concrete.  Yankee fans were absolutely outraged at the possibility of a hex lingering over the new stadium, while the Red Sox fans secretly smiled at the possibility of a good luck charm buried underneath.  When the knowledge of the t-shirt was revealed, the workers immediately put on their hardhats and got to digging up the stadium, due to the superstition.  At 3:25 pm, the tattered jersey was found, and although it looked like a measely rag, the words ‘RED’ were clearly visible.  Sighs of reliefs came from the Yankee fans, and even some Yankee officials as they all gathered around to watch the jersey to be removed. 

Castignoli, as it turns out, happens to be a criminal pre- jersey incident.  He pleady guilty to a 40-million dollar illegal gambling streak and involvement with mobsters.  He may be in trouble again as the Yankee management may press charges and sue the Red Sox fanatic man.  To me, sueing this man would be an absolutely rediculous.  Castignoli did it in the spirit of the game, to show loyalty to his game.  Is that not what baseball is all about?  The fans bring character to the game, and if it was not for the craziness of the superstition, myths, and even burying a t-shirt to create a new one, baseball would not be the same.  Although I can see why the Yankee fans would be angry at the potential handicap of their team, but things like these make the rivalries stronger, and make the games more exciting to watch.  

The phenomenom was born in northern India, to the parents of factory worker Vinod Kumar and his wife Sushma three weeks ago. The baby, who is yet to be named, survived an extremely rare case, of two skulls being fused together to one. This means as the baby was shown, she had four eyes, two noses and two mouths. Most doctors have never seen a case like this, a child surviving this. “Since the heads are fused, separating them is not possible,” paediatrician D.K Gupta of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences told the Hindustan Times newspaper. To be thankful the baby is still living is an understatement, but the baby is breathing and eating normally with no complications. Although it is still early, doctors say that the baby girl should be o.k. to go on living life fully. India is no stranger to phenomenoms as this case comes just months after Indian doctors performed a rare to remove the extra limbs of a girl born with four arms and legs.  Indian doctors are famous for preforming unlikely surgeries, like the case above, removing unwanted limbs. Kumar and his wives’ baby has attracted much attention from doctors wanted to do plastic surgery to recover a ‘normal’ face. But, the girl has found easy acceptance in Kumar’s large, extended family, who say they have no plans to consult doctors to check if the girl can receive treatment or corrective surgery. “The doctor said everything is normal when she was born. So where’s the need to get medical help?” said the child’s father. Although I think it is great that the child has found acceptance with her immediate family, I do not think the real world is going to be as accepting. As cruel as that may sound, I feel little kids are more critical, curious and are more open about asking questions about children who don’t fit the normal standard. By not fixing her face, I feel the child will feel out of place and secluded by her own peers. In my opinion, the parents should at least look into getting the surgery because although physically she may be fine, emotionally growing up with the disorder may be detremental. capt.cps.mvg33.060408194832.photo00.photo.default-512×360.jpg