Sporting Views – Inside Gerken’s Cranium: Reflections and Opinions About Local Sports
It has been a very busy week in local sports. The Yankees season ended in one of the worst clutch team hitting performances in recent series history against the Detroit Tigers. The Giants had their formal introduction to Robert Griffin III and barely escaped with a win. Griffin in just a few games into his NFL career has become one of the most exciting players in the entire league.
In high school sports the regular season in most sports has ended or is close to finish. Playoff games are starting this week in Section 1 and excitement is building.
In this column I decided to have a little fun by mixing things up and giving some of my personal thoughts about some of the local professional and high school sports.
Soccer is a beautiful game when played at a high level. Watching the White Plains Boys Soccer Team and Good Counsel Girls Soccer Team this fall have made me appreciate the sport a little more.
The White Plains Boys Soccer Team is having the best season out of any team in the White Plains area winning their league and winning 13 games so far. It will be interesting to watch how far this team progresses in the playoffs. They have so many talented players like Shiloh Alexander, Edgar Martinez, Daniel Murillo, Christian Vergara and Derlis Zayas to name a few. Also their team defense is getting stronger with each game and their goalie Alejandro Romero is having a stellar season
Friday’s Good Counsel Cougars/Maria Regina Tigers soccer match Friday night at Manhattanville College was the most thrilling sporting events I have watched in some time and it ended in a 1-1 tie.
The sight of the Cougars lifting up their teammate Jasmine Joseph after the game because she scored the tying goal versus the Tigers isn’t one I will soon forget. The Cougars hadn’t scored a goal on the Tigers in four years. It will be a moment the Cougars players remember for a long time. In this case a tie was as good as a win.
I hope the Mets can do one thing smart this season and offer David Wright a blank check for him to fill in so he remains in Queens.
If R.A. Dickey doesn’t win the National League Cy Young award, I hope Oliver Stone makes a movie about why he didn’t. It would be a true conspiracy.
Field Hockey is one of the most challenging sports to play. Scoring a goal in this sport is tougher than trying to get a Bruce Springsteen ticket when he plays in New Jersey.
Congrats to Sue Adams of White Plains for leading the tennis team to a league title. Not a bad start to her tennis-coaching career.
I witnessed a very touching moment this weekend at The Hackley School. Field Hockey had their final home game of the regular season on Saturday. After the game the 13 seniors on the team were honored one at a time by having an underclassman present them with a bouquet of flowers and tell them why that senior was a special to them.
This small ceremony was done in front of the players and their parents. This special event was the brainchild of Hackley’s field hockey coach Jenny Leffler. Here’s to hoping that more coaches follow the first class lead of Leffler and incorporate similar ceremonies for their teams.
I wish more people could see how hard the White Plains football players and coaching staff work. Their 1-6 record this season doesn’t do them justice.
By monitoring the results of the Good Counsel freshmen country team the future is very bright for the school’s running program.
Woodlands’ running back Marion Barber is the best football I have covered this season. He and his fellow Falcons are 7-0 heading into the off-season.
I wonder how opposing defenses try to prepare for facing Woodlands. They have an arsenal of offensive weapons. Their offense is a defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare.
White Plains Cross Country runner Chris Cardon is one of the physically and mentally strongest athletes I have ever covered. Here’s hoping he finishes the cross-country season on a high note.
To all high school athletes don’t forgot to thank your athletic trainers as often as possible. Athletic trainers are the unsung heroes of high school athletics.
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