It was Homecoming Friday night for the East Ridge Raptors as they played without their top running back Dominik London and came away with a 21-7 win over the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders.
Neither team scored in the first quarter but the Raiders came close to taking the early lead on an 85 yard touchdown pass but it was called back due to a penalty. The Raptors suffered a big loss late in the quarter when London left the game due to an injury. According to the senior running back in a post game interview, it was a sprained ankle.
East Ridge reached the end zone twice in the second quarter. The first touchdown came on a two yard run up the middle by Jaron Pittman. The second came on defense when TJ Kelly intercepted Jackson Crawford's pass and went 25 yards for a touchdown. It was 14-0 Raptors. Cretin-Derham Hall got on the scoreboard after Marquell Thompson led the Raiders close to the goal line by gaining 58 yards on the drive. Then Crawford on fourth and goal scored on a one yard keeper. The Raiders go the ball back after a fumbled kickoff but they couldn't capitalize on the recovery following a 16 yard sack from Will Walker. East Ridge led at the half 14-7.
The Raptors would wrap up the scoring in the third quarter when AJ Tittle got a hand off and ran like he was headed to Radio Dr.as he scored an 80 yard touchdown.
East Ridge improved their record to 4-1 and Cretin-Derham Hall fell to an identical 4-1 record. Both teas return to action on Friday, October 7 at 7 PM. The Raptors will play at Forest Lake and the Raiders will host Roseville at O'Shaughnessy Stadium on the University of St. Thomas campus.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Thursday, September 29, 2016
SLP Oriole Girls Rout Richfield Spartans, Boys Lose OT Heartbreaker
The red hot St. Louis Park Orioles celebrated Senior Night Thursday with an eight goal outburst against the Richfield Spartans and the Oriole boys lost with :12.7 left in the second overtime to the Spartans 3-2.
First up was the girls game and Samantha Baer, one of seven seniors who saw action got the hat trick to lead St. Louis Park to an 8-0 win over Richfield.
It was the eighth straight win for the Orioles who have turned the corner since they started the season 0-3.
Baer would open the scoring for St. Louis Park when she found an opening on the right side of the net and put the ball in. The identity was never revealed on who scored the second Oriole goal because it bounced off a Spartan player and into their own net. As for who would put St. Louis Park ahead by three, it would be Rafferty Kugler. The Orioles would conclude the first half scoring as Alex Balfour found Ava Bishop on the right side of Richfield goalkeeper Jackie Sanchez Vidal and it would be a 4-0 Oriole lead at halftime.
The second half started like the first when Baer got a cross pass from Kugler and she picked up her second goal. She would score the hat trick on a pass from Ellie Kent. The Orioles would add two more goals with the first from Rachel Young and the second :50 later from Annika Vignes.
In addition to Baer, six other St. Louis Park seniors were recognized at halftime. They were Mei Li Liss, Anna Roethler, Abby Bremner, Jayne Stevenson, Anya Lindell Paulson and Sofia Jacobsson.
The Orioles improved their record to 8-4 and will play a noon game on Saturday, October 1 at Hopkins. The Spartans ended their four game winning streak and fell to 6-6-1. They return to action on Tuesday, October 4 against the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights at 7 PM in St. Louis Park.
As long-time Phoenix Suns broadcaster Al McCoy would say after a close loss, it was "Heartbreak Hotel" for the St. Louis Park Orioles as Yinka Famodu scored the game winning goal with :12.7 remaining in the second overtime to lead Richfield to a 3-2 win.
St. Louis Park would get the early lead in the first half as Benjamin Klepfer scored on a rebound. The Orioles led 1-0 at the half.
The Spartans would take the lead in the second half on two consecutive goals from Luis Javier Magana Cisneros. The Orioles would even the scored as Miguel Campo would score on a penalty kick with 15:13 left in regulation time.
The game would go into overtime. It looked like both teams would head home with a tie. But hold everything. Famodu positioned himself on the right side of St. Louis Park goalkeeper Luis Sanchez and he headed the ball into the net with :12.7 left in the second overtime for the game winner.
Richfield improved their record to 7-4-2 and will host the New Life Academy Eagles on Saturday, October 1 at 10 AM. St. Louis Park fell to 3-7-1 and will also be in action on the first as they head to Hopkins for a 2 PM game with the Royals.
First up was the girls game and Samantha Baer, one of seven seniors who saw action got the hat trick to lead St. Louis Park to an 8-0 win over Richfield.
It was the eighth straight win for the Orioles who have turned the corner since they started the season 0-3.
Baer would open the scoring for St. Louis Park when she found an opening on the right side of the net and put the ball in. The identity was never revealed on who scored the second Oriole goal because it bounced off a Spartan player and into their own net. As for who would put St. Louis Park ahead by three, it would be Rafferty Kugler. The Orioles would conclude the first half scoring as Alex Balfour found Ava Bishop on the right side of Richfield goalkeeper Jackie Sanchez Vidal and it would be a 4-0 Oriole lead at halftime.
The second half started like the first when Baer got a cross pass from Kugler and she picked up her second goal. She would score the hat trick on a pass from Ellie Kent. The Orioles would add two more goals with the first from Rachel Young and the second :50 later from Annika Vignes.
In addition to Baer, six other St. Louis Park seniors were recognized at halftime. They were Mei Li Liss, Anna Roethler, Abby Bremner, Jayne Stevenson, Anya Lindell Paulson and Sofia Jacobsson.
The Orioles improved their record to 8-4 and will play a noon game on Saturday, October 1 at Hopkins. The Spartans ended their four game winning streak and fell to 6-6-1. They return to action on Tuesday, October 4 against the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights at 7 PM in St. Louis Park.
As long-time Phoenix Suns broadcaster Al McCoy would say after a close loss, it was "Heartbreak Hotel" for the St. Louis Park Orioles as Yinka Famodu scored the game winning goal with :12.7 remaining in the second overtime to lead Richfield to a 3-2 win.
St. Louis Park would get the early lead in the first half as Benjamin Klepfer scored on a rebound. The Orioles led 1-0 at the half.
The Spartans would take the lead in the second half on two consecutive goals from Luis Javier Magana Cisneros. The Orioles would even the scored as Miguel Campo would score on a penalty kick with 15:13 left in regulation time.
The game would go into overtime. It looked like both teams would head home with a tie. But hold everything. Famodu positioned himself on the right side of St. Louis Park goalkeeper Luis Sanchez and he headed the ball into the net with :12.7 left in the second overtime for the game winner.
Richfield improved their record to 7-4-2 and will host the New Life Academy Eagles on Saturday, October 1 at 10 AM. St. Louis Park fell to 3-7-1 and will also be in action on the first as they head to Hopkins for a 2 PM game with the Royals.
SLP Orioles-BSM Red Knights Football Preview
The "Battle of St. Louis Park" takes place Friday night as the St. Louis Park Orioles head over toward Highway 100 to take on their city rival the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights. It's also the Homecoming game for BSM.
Last week, the Orioles were in New Hope against the unbeaten Cooper Hawks. They were down 7-6 at halftime and took an early lead on Logan Romero's touchdown pass to Mykal Howard. However, the Hawks scored 21 third quarter points and went onto win 35-6.
The Red Knights had a Saturday matinee last week against their former Don Bosco Conference rival the DeLaSalle Islanders. It would be an afternoon delight for the Red Knights when William Hodder hauled in a nine yard touchdown pass in overtime to give BSM the win 29-22. Ricky Floyd ran for 223 yards and scored three touchdowns.
When the two St. Louis Park schools met last season on the Orioles turf field, Floyd ran like he was headed for the nearby McDonalds as he rushed for 459 yards and seven touchdowns. The key to the game for St. Louis Park against BSM is to play tight defense against Floyd and get into an offensive rhythm.
The key for the game for the Red Knights is for Floyd, who missed the first two games this season to have an outstanding game. They also have to get more production out of Tommy Anderson at quarterback.
The Orioles are 0-4 and hoping to spoil BSM's homecoming with their first win of the season. The Red Knights, who lost to eventual state champion Becker in the state Class AAAA tournament last season are 3-1 and continue their quest toward returning to state. They also have a pair of late season games coming up with Spring Lake Park and Armstrong.
If you're headed to the game, get there early. You might have to park at Beth El Synagogue across the street if the main parking lot is full due to the potential large Homecoming crowd.
Last week, the Orioles were in New Hope against the unbeaten Cooper Hawks. They were down 7-6 at halftime and took an early lead on Logan Romero's touchdown pass to Mykal Howard. However, the Hawks scored 21 third quarter points and went onto win 35-6.
The Red Knights had a Saturday matinee last week against their former Don Bosco Conference rival the DeLaSalle Islanders. It would be an afternoon delight for the Red Knights when William Hodder hauled in a nine yard touchdown pass in overtime to give BSM the win 29-22. Ricky Floyd ran for 223 yards and scored three touchdowns.
When the two St. Louis Park schools met last season on the Orioles turf field, Floyd ran like he was headed for the nearby McDonalds as he rushed for 459 yards and seven touchdowns. The key to the game for St. Louis Park against BSM is to play tight defense against Floyd and get into an offensive rhythm.
The key for the game for the Red Knights is for Floyd, who missed the first two games this season to have an outstanding game. They also have to get more production out of Tommy Anderson at quarterback.
The Orioles are 0-4 and hoping to spoil BSM's homecoming with their first win of the season. The Red Knights, who lost to eventual state champion Becker in the state Class AAAA tournament last season are 3-1 and continue their quest toward returning to state. They also have a pair of late season games coming up with Spring Lake Park and Armstrong.
If you're headed to the game, get there early. You might have to park at Beth El Synagogue across the street if the main parking lot is full due to the potential large Homecoming crowd.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Vin Scully's Lone Stint as a Game Show Host
As Vin Scully wraps up his 67 year career broadcasting the Los Angeles Dodgers, over the years he has done other sports such as football and golf and even hosted a game show. Here's a look back at Scully's only foray into the world of game shows.
In 1969, NBC decided to cancel the Goodson-Todman game show Snap Judgement after a two year run. Replacing the Ed McMahon hosted game (he would go on to host Concentration for six months until he was replaced by Bob Clayton) would be a new game show from Ralph Andrews titled It Takes Two. Andrews also had a hit show on the network that was popular with kids coming home from school along with the original Match Game with Gene Rayburn, You Don't Say!
Instead of casting a veteran host such as Tom Kennedy or Bill Cullen, Andrews hired Scully to host It Takes Two. Scully would be the first sportscaster to host a game show on NBC since Bill Mazer hosted the short-lived Reach for the Stars in 1967.
The show would feature three celebrity couples who game numerical answers to questions based on stunts and demonstrations. After the couple's answers were averaged, announcer John Harlan would be in the audience with a contestant who had to pick which couple was the closest to the correct answer. If the contestant chose the correct couple, they got $100. Later in the show's run, an audience member won a prize for a correct prediction and if four straight prizes were won, the audience member would win a car.
It Takes Two debuted on NBC on March 31, 1969, going up against reruns of The Lucy Show on CBS and local or syndicated programming on ABC. In New York, the ABC owned station aired "Prize Movie" that was hosted by actress Gloria DeHaven. It Takes Two had good ratings despite a number of affiliates that delayed or didn't carry the show because of other programming commitments.
It Takes Two was cancelled after a year and three months on July 31, 1970. It would be replaced by a talk/variety show hosted by Dinah Shore titled Dinah's Place. In 1997, It Takes Two was revived on The Family Channel (now Freeform) with Dick Clark taking over the hosting reins from Scully. This incarnation lasted only three months. But the original version was Scully's only venture as a game show host and he handled it well.
In 1969, NBC decided to cancel the Goodson-Todman game show Snap Judgement after a two year run. Replacing the Ed McMahon hosted game (he would go on to host Concentration for six months until he was replaced by Bob Clayton) would be a new game show from Ralph Andrews titled It Takes Two. Andrews also had a hit show on the network that was popular with kids coming home from school along with the original Match Game with Gene Rayburn, You Don't Say!
Instead of casting a veteran host such as Tom Kennedy or Bill Cullen, Andrews hired Scully to host It Takes Two. Scully would be the first sportscaster to host a game show on NBC since Bill Mazer hosted the short-lived Reach for the Stars in 1967.
The show would feature three celebrity couples who game numerical answers to questions based on stunts and demonstrations. After the couple's answers were averaged, announcer John Harlan would be in the audience with a contestant who had to pick which couple was the closest to the correct answer. If the contestant chose the correct couple, they got $100. Later in the show's run, an audience member won a prize for a correct prediction and if four straight prizes were won, the audience member would win a car.
It Takes Two debuted on NBC on March 31, 1969, going up against reruns of The Lucy Show on CBS and local or syndicated programming on ABC. In New York, the ABC owned station aired "Prize Movie" that was hosted by actress Gloria DeHaven. It Takes Two had good ratings despite a number of affiliates that delayed or didn't carry the show because of other programming commitments.
It Takes Two was cancelled after a year and three months on July 31, 1970. It would be replaced by a talk/variety show hosted by Dinah Shore titled Dinah's Place. In 1997, It Takes Two was revived on The Family Channel (now Freeform) with Dick Clark taking over the hosting reins from Scully. This incarnation lasted only three months. But the original version was Scully's only venture as a game show host and he handled it well.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Tragedy and Triumph Highlight Sunday Sports Scene
Sunday was a day that started with a terrible tragedy and was highlighted by a big Viking win in Charlotte. Here's a capsule of what happened on the final Sunday in September.
The day started with tragic news from the Sunshine State when Miami Marlins pitcher Jose' Fernandez was killed in a boating accident at the age of 24. Fernandez, who defected from Cuba, was one of the bright spots along with Giancarlo Stanton in the Marlins quest for a wild card berth. He had a record of 16-8 and played in the 2016 All-Star Game. A shocker in south Florida.
Now to some good news. Playing without Teddy Bridgewater, Adrian Peterson and Matt Kalil, the Vikings got a solid second half from quarterback Sam Bradford and beat the defending NFC Champion Carolina Panthers in Charlotte 22-10. The Viking defense also contributed, sacking Cam Newton eight times.
Also on the Minnesota sports scene, the Twins lost to the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on two home runs from Nelson Cruz that gave him 41 this season. It was also the Twins 100th defeat of the season, the first time they reach that milestone since losing 102 in 1982. It's also the seventh time in the combined Senators/Twins history that they lost 100 games. The other seasons were 1904, 1907, 1909, 1949, and 1955.
Another notable passing was one of the greatest golfers of all-time, Arnold Palmer. He was 87. He won seven major tournaments in a span from 1960 to 1984.
And finally, Vin Scully called his last game at Dodger Stadium and it turned out to be a dandy as the Dodgers clinched the National League West title on a walk off home run by Charlie Culberson. Scully will end his 67 year career with the team that started in Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 season on October 2 against the Giants in San Francisco.
The day started with tragic news from the Sunshine State when Miami Marlins pitcher Jose' Fernandez was killed in a boating accident at the age of 24. Fernandez, who defected from Cuba, was one of the bright spots along with Giancarlo Stanton in the Marlins quest for a wild card berth. He had a record of 16-8 and played in the 2016 All-Star Game. A shocker in south Florida.
Now to some good news. Playing without Teddy Bridgewater, Adrian Peterson and Matt Kalil, the Vikings got a solid second half from quarterback Sam Bradford and beat the defending NFC Champion Carolina Panthers in Charlotte 22-10. The Viking defense also contributed, sacking Cam Newton eight times.
Also on the Minnesota sports scene, the Twins lost to the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on two home runs from Nelson Cruz that gave him 41 this season. It was also the Twins 100th defeat of the season, the first time they reach that milestone since losing 102 in 1982. It's also the seventh time in the combined Senators/Twins history that they lost 100 games. The other seasons were 1904, 1907, 1909, 1949, and 1955.
Another notable passing was one of the greatest golfers of all-time, Arnold Palmer. He was 87. He won seven major tournaments in a span from 1960 to 1984.
And finally, Vin Scully called his last game at Dodger Stadium and it turned out to be a dandy as the Dodgers clinched the National League West title on a walk off home run by Charlie Culberson. Scully will end his 67 year career with the team that started in Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 season on October 2 against the Giants in San Francisco.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Minneapolis South Tigers, SLP Orioles Split Soccer Doubleheader
In a rare Friday soccer doubleheader in St. Louis Park, the Minneapolis South Tigers got a pair of first half goals to beat the host Orioles 3-1 and the St. Louis Park girls shut out the Tigers 4-0.
The boys game started out in a torrential rain with two first half goals from Joseph Branca and Brian Medel that led the Tigers to a 3-1 win over the Orioles.
Mpls.South opened up the scoring with a right side goal from Branca. Medel would tally to put the Tigers ahead by two. St. Louis Park would cut the lead to one as Miguel Ocampo's corner kick was headed into the net by Abdikafi Warsame and South led at halftime 2-1.
The start of the second half was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning in the St. Louis Park area. By then, the rain had stopped. The Orioles had opportunities to tie the game but Jacob Stillman's free kick was blocked and Ocampo's went wide right. The Tigers would clinch the win on a center slot goal from Sam Kendrick with 4:24 left in the game.
Mpls. South improved their record to 4-2-1 and returns to action on Tuesday, September 27 when the travel to St. Paul Como Park to face the Cougars at 5 PM. St. Louis Park fell to 3-6-1 and will also play on the 27th as they head to Bloomington Stadium to take on the Jefferson Jaguars at 5 PM.
Now to the girls game. Rafferty Kugler scored two first half goals to lead the Orioles to a 4-0 win over the Tigers.
St. Louis Park got a break early in the first half when Ellie Kent was fouled and she was awarded a penalty kick. She put it past Mpls. South goalkeeper Emma Dinger and the Orioles led 1-0. Kugler would score St. Louis Park's next two goals. The first would come a little over 2:00 later and the second would come while Dinger was playing outside the net and the junior found an opening on the right side of the net and put the ball in. The Orioles would extend their lead to four as Ava Bishop would wrap up the scoring as she scored off a pass from Alex Balfour.
Neither team would score in the second half as St. Louis Park assistant coach Brad Brubaker, who filled in for absent head coach Benji Kent sent in reserve players late in the game including reserve goalkeeper Anya Lindell Paulson. Seven junior varsity player got some second half playing time. They were, Arianna Balfour, Alliviah McClinton, Emma Leff, Emma Roloff, Hannah Odland, Lola Ruff and Olivia Mosby.
The Orioles improved their record to 6-4 and head to Bloomington Jefferson to take on the Jaguars on Tuesday, September 27 at 5 PM on the turf field on the Jefferson campus. The Tigers fell to 2-2-1 will host the Minneapolis Washburn Millers on Thursday, September 29 at 3:30 PM.
The boys game started out in a torrential rain with two first half goals from Joseph Branca and Brian Medel that led the Tigers to a 3-1 win over the Orioles.
Mpls.South opened up the scoring with a right side goal from Branca. Medel would tally to put the Tigers ahead by two. St. Louis Park would cut the lead to one as Miguel Ocampo's corner kick was headed into the net by Abdikafi Warsame and South led at halftime 2-1.
The start of the second half was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning in the St. Louis Park area. By then, the rain had stopped. The Orioles had opportunities to tie the game but Jacob Stillman's free kick was blocked and Ocampo's went wide right. The Tigers would clinch the win on a center slot goal from Sam Kendrick with 4:24 left in the game.
Mpls. South improved their record to 4-2-1 and returns to action on Tuesday, September 27 when the travel to St. Paul Como Park to face the Cougars at 5 PM. St. Louis Park fell to 3-6-1 and will also play on the 27th as they head to Bloomington Stadium to take on the Jefferson Jaguars at 5 PM.
Now to the girls game. Rafferty Kugler scored two first half goals to lead the Orioles to a 4-0 win over the Tigers.
St. Louis Park got a break early in the first half when Ellie Kent was fouled and she was awarded a penalty kick. She put it past Mpls. South goalkeeper Emma Dinger and the Orioles led 1-0. Kugler would score St. Louis Park's next two goals. The first would come a little over 2:00 later and the second would come while Dinger was playing outside the net and the junior found an opening on the right side of the net and put the ball in. The Orioles would extend their lead to four as Ava Bishop would wrap up the scoring as she scored off a pass from Alex Balfour.
Neither team would score in the second half as St. Louis Park assistant coach Brad Brubaker, who filled in for absent head coach Benji Kent sent in reserve players late in the game including reserve goalkeeper Anya Lindell Paulson. Seven junior varsity player got some second half playing time. They were, Arianna Balfour, Alliviah McClinton, Emma Leff, Emma Roloff, Hannah Odland, Lola Ruff and Olivia Mosby.
The Orioles improved their record to 6-4 and head to Bloomington Jefferson to take on the Jaguars on Tuesday, September 27 at 5 PM on the turf field on the Jefferson campus. The Tigers fell to 2-2-1 will host the Minneapolis Washburn Millers on Thursday, September 29 at 3:30 PM.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Two Shutouts for SLP Orioles Over Cooper Hawks
It was the first of back to back home doubleheaders for the St. Louis Park soccer teams Thursday night as the Orioles hosted the Cooper Hawks with the girls shutting out the Hawks 1-0 and the boys with a 2-0 victory over Cooper.
The girls opened up the festivities and got a second half goal from Samantha Baer 5:17 into the second half to lead St. Louis Park to a 1-0 win over Cooper.
Neither team erased the zeros from the scoreboard in the first half. The Hawks suffered a loss early in the game when goalkeeper Dayja Schwichtenberg left the game due to an injury. She was replaced Aryanna Jiron.
In the second half, the Orioles got a break as Jiron was playing far out of the net. Baer found an opening on the right side of the net and put the ball in the goal. It would turn out to be the game's only goal.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 5-4 and will host the Minneapolis South Tigers on Friday, September 23 at 7 PM. Cooper fell to 5-3-2 and hosts the Chanhassen Storm on Tuesday, September 27 at 7 PM.
Now to the boys game as the Orioles got a goal in each half to beat the Hawks 1-0.
The Orioles, playing without six players due to injuries, including goalkeeper Felix Hengel and senior co-captain Daniel Decker had to bring up six players from the junior varsity team. No problem for St. Louis Park in the first half as Zinedine Kroeten would score from the left corner and they would lead 1-0 at halftime.
One of the junior varsity players got a shot to score as Sam diamond was award a free kick. But his shot went off a four player Cooper wall. St. Louis Park came up big on defense as goalkeeper William Phelan saved Eddie Ogamba's shot. The Orioles would clinch the win on a center slot goal from Miguel Ocampo with 27:36 left in regulation time.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 3-5-1 and hosts the Minneapolis South Tigers on Friday, September 23 at 5 PM. Cooper lost their eighth straight game and fell to 2-8. The will host the Chanhassen Storm on Tuesday, September 27, also at 5 PM.
The girls opened up the festivities and got a second half goal from Samantha Baer 5:17 into the second half to lead St. Louis Park to a 1-0 win over Cooper.
Neither team erased the zeros from the scoreboard in the first half. The Hawks suffered a loss early in the game when goalkeeper Dayja Schwichtenberg left the game due to an injury. She was replaced Aryanna Jiron.
In the second half, the Orioles got a break as Jiron was playing far out of the net. Baer found an opening on the right side of the net and put the ball in the goal. It would turn out to be the game's only goal.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 5-4 and will host the Minneapolis South Tigers on Friday, September 23 at 7 PM. Cooper fell to 5-3-2 and hosts the Chanhassen Storm on Tuesday, September 27 at 7 PM.
Now to the boys game as the Orioles got a goal in each half to beat the Hawks 1-0.
The Orioles, playing without six players due to injuries, including goalkeeper Felix Hengel and senior co-captain Daniel Decker had to bring up six players from the junior varsity team. No problem for St. Louis Park in the first half as Zinedine Kroeten would score from the left corner and they would lead 1-0 at halftime.
One of the junior varsity players got a shot to score as Sam diamond was award a free kick. But his shot went off a four player Cooper wall. St. Louis Park came up big on defense as goalkeeper William Phelan saved Eddie Ogamba's shot. The Orioles would clinch the win on a center slot goal from Miguel Ocampo with 27:36 left in regulation time.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 3-5-1 and hosts the Minneapolis South Tigers on Friday, September 23 at 5 PM. Cooper lost their eighth straight game and fell to 2-8. The will host the Chanhassen Storm on Tuesday, September 27, also at 5 PM.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
SLP Orioles-Cooper Hawks Football Preview
The St. Louis Park Orioles will have another tough task Friday night when they head up to New Hope to take on the unbeaten Cooper Hawks.
It will be the second consecutive week that the Orioles will play a team with an unblemished record. Last Friday, St. Louis Park took on the third ranked team in Class AAAAA the Spring Lake Park Panthers and got clobbered 48-12. The start of the second half was delayed an hour due to lightning in the St. Louis Park area. There wasn't even a drop of rain that night.
The Hawks took on their Robbinsdale district rival last Friday the Armstrong Falcons and came back from a 14 point deficit to win 16-14. It was a monumental comeback for Cooper when Cameron King threw a 41 yard touchdown pass to Phoenix Sproles with :20 left in the game to clinch their third straight victory.
Keys to the game for the Orioles are to cut down on turnovers, which was their achilles heel last week against the Panthers and to get a solid game from their quarterback Logan Romero. Last week after play resumed following the lightning delay,, head coach Ben Wolfe pulled Romero and replaced him with Johnny Sorenson. Sorenson, a left hander who also is a receiver made the most of the opportunity by throwing a 62 yard touchdown pass to Semaj Mitchell in the fourth quarter. If the game is decided early, Sorenson could get another shot calling signals.
Cooper's keys to the game including getting production from their running backs Noah Hill and Nsacier Borden who ran for a combined 198 yards against Armstrong. King needs to have another solid passing game and the Hawks defense has to stop the Oriole attack.
Can St. Louis Park knock Cooper from the unbeaten ranks or will the Hawks stay unbeaten and set up a possible season ending showdown (as well a preview of the Section 5AAAAA final) on October 19 against Spring Lake Park?
It will be the second consecutive week that the Orioles will play a team with an unblemished record. Last Friday, St. Louis Park took on the third ranked team in Class AAAAA the Spring Lake Park Panthers and got clobbered 48-12. The start of the second half was delayed an hour due to lightning in the St. Louis Park area. There wasn't even a drop of rain that night.
The Hawks took on their Robbinsdale district rival last Friday the Armstrong Falcons and came back from a 14 point deficit to win 16-14. It was a monumental comeback for Cooper when Cameron King threw a 41 yard touchdown pass to Phoenix Sproles with :20 left in the game to clinch their third straight victory.
Keys to the game for the Orioles are to cut down on turnovers, which was their achilles heel last week against the Panthers and to get a solid game from their quarterback Logan Romero. Last week after play resumed following the lightning delay,, head coach Ben Wolfe pulled Romero and replaced him with Johnny Sorenson. Sorenson, a left hander who also is a receiver made the most of the opportunity by throwing a 62 yard touchdown pass to Semaj Mitchell in the fourth quarter. If the game is decided early, Sorenson could get another shot calling signals.
Cooper's keys to the game including getting production from their running backs Noah Hill and Nsacier Borden who ran for a combined 198 yards against Armstrong. King needs to have another solid passing game and the Hawks defense has to stop the Oriole attack.
Can St. Louis Park knock Cooper from the unbeaten ranks or will the Hawks stay unbeaten and set up a possible season ending showdown (as well a preview of the Section 5AAAAA final) on October 19 against Spring Lake Park?
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
One Goal is All SLP Orioles Need to Beat Mpls. Southwest Lakers
A late first half goal by Ellie Kent with 2:07 to go would hold up as the only goal of the game as the host St. Louis Park Orioles beat the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 1-0 Tuesday night.
The Orioles almost struck early but Rafferty Kugler's shot hit the crossbar. Both teams would play outstanding defense throughout the first half until Kent scored from the right side with 2:07 left in the the first half and St. Louis Park would lead 1-0.
In the second half, the Lakers had a couple of opportunities to send the game into overtime. Erica Lieske took a shot from the right side but Oriole goalkeeper Anna Roethler came up with a save. Roethler would also prevent Southwest from tying the game when she played out of the net and made a key save.
St. Louis Park won their third straight game and improved their record to 4-4. Southwest dropped their third straight game and fell to 3-6. Both teams return to action on Thursday, September 22 at 5 PM. The Lakers will head to Minneapolis Washburn, ranked eight in Class AA and the Orioles host the Cooper Hawks.
The Orioles almost struck early but Rafferty Kugler's shot hit the crossbar. Both teams would play outstanding defense throughout the first half until Kent scored from the right side with 2:07 left in the the first half and St. Louis Park would lead 1-0.
In the second half, the Lakers had a couple of opportunities to send the game into overtime. Erica Lieske took a shot from the right side but Oriole goalkeeper Anna Roethler came up with a save. Roethler would also prevent Southwest from tying the game when she played out of the net and made a key save.
St. Louis Park won their third straight game and improved their record to 4-4. Southwest dropped their third straight game and fell to 3-6. Both teams return to action on Thursday, September 22 at 5 PM. The Lakers will head to Minneapolis Washburn, ranked eight in Class AA and the Orioles host the Cooper Hawks.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
New Scoreboard at Target Center
A center court view of the new Target Center scoreboard
When high school basketball fans descend on Target Center in March for the state boys and girls basketball tournaments, they will be treated to a new scoreboard that was installed while the Minnesota Lynx was on a break due to the Summer Olympics in August.
The board's centerpiece is the giant screen that's on all four sides of the arena. Above the giant video screen is game information such as time and score. Also, there are four other video boards that are on the arena's sides.
It's all part of a massive renovation of Target Center that will take place following the conclusion of the Timberwolves season in April,. It will also mean the Lynx will be relocated to the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul for the 2017 season.
As for the state girls and boys basketball tournaments, the girls will take place March 14-18 and the boys March 22-25 with Target Center the site for the semifinals and finals. No schedule has been released for the girls.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Spring Lake Park Panthers Plow Over SLP Orioles
Anthony Fleischfresser flash froze the St. Louis Park defense with three touchdowns to lead the Spring Lake Park Panthers to a 48-12 victory over the host Orioles Friday night.
The Panthers, ranked third in Class AAAAA, took only three plays on their first drive that was capped by Fleischfresser's 10 yard touchdown run. Spring Lake Park got the ball back after Raghde Flores recovered a St. Louis Park fumble and Fleischfresser scored on a nine yard run. The Panthers would wrap up the first quarter scoring on Drew Swenson's 34 yard touchdown run and they would lead by 21.
Cade McMahon would open the second quarter scoring for Spring Lake Park as he ran up the middle five yards for a touchdown. The Orioles would get on the scoreboard on a five yard keeper touchdown from quarterback Logan Romero. The Panthers would suffer a blow with 1:26 left in the first have when Fleischfresser left the game due to an injury. He would return later in the game. They would get a two yard touchdown run from Mark Buley with :30 to go and Spring Lake Park led at halftime 35-6.
The start of the second half would be delayed an hour due to lightning in the area. When both teams returned to the field, the Panthers didn't miss a beat as quarterback Zachary Ojile, the key to the team's run option offense, used his speed and broke through a couple of Oriole tackles to score from 44 yards. Spring Lake Park led 41-6 at the end of the third quarter.
With the game pretty much decided, both teams would use their reserve players in the fourth quarter. The Panthers would use Kelvin Kuria and Eric Carlson at quarterback while the Orioles would use Johnny Sorenson and Aaron Ellingson under center. Sorenson made the most of his playing time with a high and deep pass down the right side to Semaj Mitchell for a 64 yard touchdown. Fleischfresser would wrap up the scoring with a seven yard touchdown run as the game went into running time.
Spring Lake Park improved their record to 3-0 and St. Louis Park fell to 0-3. Both teams return to action on Friday, September 23 as the Panthers head to New Brighton to take on the Irondale Knights at 7 PM and the Orioles go up Highway 169 to New Hope to face the Cooper Hawks, also a 7 PM start.
The Panthers, ranked third in Class AAAAA, took only three plays on their first drive that was capped by Fleischfresser's 10 yard touchdown run. Spring Lake Park got the ball back after Raghde Flores recovered a St. Louis Park fumble and Fleischfresser scored on a nine yard run. The Panthers would wrap up the first quarter scoring on Drew Swenson's 34 yard touchdown run and they would lead by 21.
Cade McMahon would open the second quarter scoring for Spring Lake Park as he ran up the middle five yards for a touchdown. The Orioles would get on the scoreboard on a five yard keeper touchdown from quarterback Logan Romero. The Panthers would suffer a blow with 1:26 left in the first have when Fleischfresser left the game due to an injury. He would return later in the game. They would get a two yard touchdown run from Mark Buley with :30 to go and Spring Lake Park led at halftime 35-6.
The start of the second half would be delayed an hour due to lightning in the area. When both teams returned to the field, the Panthers didn't miss a beat as quarterback Zachary Ojile, the key to the team's run option offense, used his speed and broke through a couple of Oriole tackles to score from 44 yards. Spring Lake Park led 41-6 at the end of the third quarter.
With the game pretty much decided, both teams would use their reserve players in the fourth quarter. The Panthers would use Kelvin Kuria and Eric Carlson at quarterback while the Orioles would use Johnny Sorenson and Aaron Ellingson under center. Sorenson made the most of his playing time with a high and deep pass down the right side to Semaj Mitchell for a 64 yard touchdown. Fleischfresser would wrap up the scoring with a seven yard touchdown run as the game went into running time.
Spring Lake Park improved their record to 3-0 and St. Louis Park fell to 0-3. Both teams return to action on Friday, September 23 as the Panthers head to New Brighton to take on the Irondale Knights at 7 PM and the Orioles go up Highway 169 to New Hope to face the Cooper Hawks, also a 7 PM start.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Spring Lake Park Panthers-SLP Orioles Football Preview
Week three of the 2016 high school football season brings the "Battle of the SLPs" as the St. Louis Park Orioles host their former North Suburban Conference rival the Spring Lake Park Panthers.
The Orioles played pretty well in the first half last week against the Armstrong Falcons, leading in the first half 13-0 as Logan Romero passed for a touchdown and ran for another. But St. Louis Park fell apart in the second half, committing four turnovers and the Falcons pulled away, including a 65 yard touchdown run by Cartier Reid that turned out to be the crown jewel in their 41-19 victory.
St. Louis Park's keys to the game are to get a good early start and hang on to the football to avoid numerous turnovers.
As for the Panthers, two words best describes their offense, Zachary Ojile The Spring Lake Park quarterback is behind the run option offense that has netted him 432 rushing yards in two games this season. He is the key to the third ranked team in Class AAAAA behind St. Michael-Albertville and Mankato West. The Panthers have also excelled on defense with Jeremiah Pollesch polishing his defensive statistics with 21 tackles.
Spring Lake Park's keys to the game are three words. Run run run. Ojile has to continue his outstanding run option offense and wear down the Oriole defense.
Can St. Louis Park pull off the upset or will their be running time in the fourth quarter that proves that Spring Lake Park could be on the road to US Bank Stadium in November? The good news about the weather picture is that the thunderstorms throughout the day should end around 3 PM so the weather will be better when the kickoff takes place four hours later.
The Orioles played pretty well in the first half last week against the Armstrong Falcons, leading in the first half 13-0 as Logan Romero passed for a touchdown and ran for another. But St. Louis Park fell apart in the second half, committing four turnovers and the Falcons pulled away, including a 65 yard touchdown run by Cartier Reid that turned out to be the crown jewel in their 41-19 victory.
St. Louis Park's keys to the game are to get a good early start and hang on to the football to avoid numerous turnovers.
As for the Panthers, two words best describes their offense, Zachary Ojile The Spring Lake Park quarterback is behind the run option offense that has netted him 432 rushing yards in two games this season. He is the key to the third ranked team in Class AAAAA behind St. Michael-Albertville and Mankato West. The Panthers have also excelled on defense with Jeremiah Pollesch polishing his defensive statistics with 21 tackles.
Spring Lake Park's keys to the game are three words. Run run run. Ojile has to continue his outstanding run option offense and wear down the Oriole defense.
Can St. Louis Park pull off the upset or will their be running time in the fourth quarter that proves that Spring Lake Park could be on the road to US Bank Stadium in November? The good news about the weather picture is that the thunderstorms throughout the day should end around 3 PM so the weather will be better when the kickoff takes place four hours later.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Truth or Consequences Paved Way for Syndicated Game Shows
This September marks the 50th anniversary of the first game show to run five days a week in syndication, Truth or Consequences. Here's a look back at how the classic stunt show ended up in syndication.
Truth or Consequences was a part of NBC 's daytime lineup from December 31, 1956 until September 24, 1965. On that day, the network not only cancelled Truth or Consequences but three other game shows. They were Say When! the first game show hosted by Art James, What's This Song, Wink (aka Win) Martindale's debut game and I'll Bet that was hosted by Jack Narz and be revived four years later in syndication under the title It's Your Bet.
Created, produced and originally hosted by Ralph Edwards and based on the parlor game Forfeits, the show featured contestants who were asked a joke question that was impossible to answer correctly and if they didn't answer they had to pay the consequences. Contestants had to perform wacky and wild stunts in order to win a prize but there were touching moments when long lost relatives were reunited with loved ones.
The show was also known as the first to star a young host who would also go on to greater fame in the early 70s as host of The Price is Right, Bob Barker. Edwards heard him on his car radio one day and called Barker to audition for the hosting job and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
After the daytime version was cancelled, Edwards struck a deal with Metromedia to air the show in syndication. Other than reruns of You Bet Your Life under the title The Best of Groucho, no other game show would air in first run syndication until Truth or Consequences debuted in September. In New York, the show aired at 7:30 on then Metromedia owned WNEW-TV (now Fox 5). In the Twin Cities, KMSP-TV aired the show as counter programming to the local news at 6 PM.
The syndicated Truth or Consequences became a hit and ran until 1975. The show's success also paved the way for other game shows to run in daily syndication. Among the shows were revivals of What's My Line? To Tell the Truth and Beat the Clock and original shows such as The Movie Game, He Said, She Said and another Edwards produced show that would air after Truth or Consequences ended titled The Cross Wits.
But 50 years ago, Truth or Consequences set the trend for game shows to run in daily syndication. Barker closed each program with a line that will close this post . "May all your consequences be happy ones."
Truth or Consequences was a part of NBC 's daytime lineup from December 31, 1956 until September 24, 1965. On that day, the network not only cancelled Truth or Consequences but three other game shows. They were Say When! the first game show hosted by Art James, What's This Song, Wink (aka Win) Martindale's debut game and I'll Bet that was hosted by Jack Narz and be revived four years later in syndication under the title It's Your Bet.
Created, produced and originally hosted by Ralph Edwards and based on the parlor game Forfeits, the show featured contestants who were asked a joke question that was impossible to answer correctly and if they didn't answer they had to pay the consequences. Contestants had to perform wacky and wild stunts in order to win a prize but there were touching moments when long lost relatives were reunited with loved ones.
The show was also known as the first to star a young host who would also go on to greater fame in the early 70s as host of The Price is Right, Bob Barker. Edwards heard him on his car radio one day and called Barker to audition for the hosting job and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
After the daytime version was cancelled, Edwards struck a deal with Metromedia to air the show in syndication. Other than reruns of You Bet Your Life under the title The Best of Groucho, no other game show would air in first run syndication until Truth or Consequences debuted in September. In New York, the show aired at 7:30 on then Metromedia owned WNEW-TV (now Fox 5). In the Twin Cities, KMSP-TV aired the show as counter programming to the local news at 6 PM.
The syndicated Truth or Consequences became a hit and ran until 1975. The show's success also paved the way for other game shows to run in daily syndication. Among the shows were revivals of What's My Line? To Tell the Truth and Beat the Clock and original shows such as The Movie Game, He Said, She Said and another Edwards produced show that would air after Truth or Consequences ended titled The Cross Wits.
But 50 years ago, Truth or Consequences set the trend for game shows to run in daily syndication. Barker closed each program with a line that will close this post . "May all your consequences be happy ones."
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
SLP Orioles Win and Tie Bloomington Kennedy Eagles
The St. Louis Park Orioles soccer teams finally got a cure for the one goal blues on their home turf Tuesday night as the girls pounded the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles 5-0 and the boys ended up in a scoreless deadlock with the Eagles.
In the girls game, Samantha Baer and Ellie Kent scored two goals apiece to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 5-0 win over the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.
The Eagles almost got the early lead when Danielle Anderson's corner kick was headed toward the goal but Baer's header kept the ball out of the net. Baer would then drive down the right side of the field and sent it past the left goal post to put the Orioles ahead. Malaika Bigirindavyi helped set up the next two St. Louis Park goals. The junior made a centering pass to Kent and the Orioles went ahead by two. Bigirindavyi would also find Baer and she connected to give the Orioles a 3-0 halftime lead.
St. Louis Park would up by four in the second half when the ball deflected off of Kent and landed in the goal. They would wrap up the scoring as Abby Bremner's shot hit the crossbar and Sophia Davenport positioned herself on the right side of the net and lined it in.
The Orioles improved their record to 2-4 and travel to Chanhassen on Thursday, September 15 to take on the Storm at 7 PM. The Eagles fell to 1-4 and host the Cooper Hawks, also on the 15th at 7 PM.
Kennedy goalkeeper Julia Monson, who also plays lacrosse mentioned about her sister Ellie, who scored eight goals last spring at St. Louis Park about not playing sports at St. Catherine.
"It's kind of a surprise that she didn't want to play sports in college," Julia said.
As for Julia Monson, she is considering playing Division I lacrosse and looking into Butler and Marquette.
Now to the boys game. There were scoring opportunities and outstanding defense but both the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles and St. Louis Park Orioles played to a 0-0 tie.
The Orioles had a chance to take the lead but Jacob Stillman's shot bounced off the crossbar. Edgar Benitez had a shot for the Eagles but the ball went wide to the left. Both teams played stellar defense that denied scoring chances for both teams.
Kennedy improved their record to 3-2-2 and hosts the Cooper Hawks on Thursday, September 15 at 5 PM. St. Louis Park improved their record to 2-4-1 and is also in action on the 15th with a 5 PM game in Chanhassen against the Storm.
In the girls game, Samantha Baer and Ellie Kent scored two goals apiece to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 5-0 win over the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.
The Eagles almost got the early lead when Danielle Anderson's corner kick was headed toward the goal but Baer's header kept the ball out of the net. Baer would then drive down the right side of the field and sent it past the left goal post to put the Orioles ahead. Malaika Bigirindavyi helped set up the next two St. Louis Park goals. The junior made a centering pass to Kent and the Orioles went ahead by two. Bigirindavyi would also find Baer and she connected to give the Orioles a 3-0 halftime lead.
St. Louis Park would up by four in the second half when the ball deflected off of Kent and landed in the goal. They would wrap up the scoring as Abby Bremner's shot hit the crossbar and Sophia Davenport positioned herself on the right side of the net and lined it in.
The Orioles improved their record to 2-4 and travel to Chanhassen on Thursday, September 15 to take on the Storm at 7 PM. The Eagles fell to 1-4 and host the Cooper Hawks, also on the 15th at 7 PM.
Kennedy goalkeeper Julia Monson, who also plays lacrosse mentioned about her sister Ellie, who scored eight goals last spring at St. Louis Park about not playing sports at St. Catherine.
"It's kind of a surprise that she didn't want to play sports in college," Julia said.
As for Julia Monson, she is considering playing Division I lacrosse and looking into Butler and Marquette.
Now to the boys game. There were scoring opportunities and outstanding defense but both the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles and St. Louis Park Orioles played to a 0-0 tie.
The Orioles had a chance to take the lead but Jacob Stillman's shot bounced off the crossbar. Edgar Benitez had a shot for the Eagles but the ball went wide to the left. Both teams played stellar defense that denied scoring chances for both teams.
Kennedy improved their record to 3-2-2 and hosts the Cooper Hawks on Thursday, September 15 at 5 PM. St. Louis Park improved their record to 2-4-1 and is also in action on the 15th with a 5 PM game in Chanhassen against the Storm.
Monday, September 12, 2016
Former Wolves Broadcaster Harlan Network Radio's Best NFL Play by Play Man
He was the first broadcaster for the Minnesota Timberwolves for nine seasons before going to CBS and TNT to broadcast the NBA, the NFL and college basketball but he's also the play-by-play voice for Westwood One's Monday Night football coverage.
Since replacing Marv Albert in 2009, Kevin Harlan has become the best NFL broadcaster on network radio, giving fans who are in their cars and push the mute button on their TV remotes a vivid word picture of the game.
What makes Harlan outstanding is his ability to use descriptive phrases in his commentary. The radio broadcaster is the eyes of the listener and what he describes is what's happening on the field. He sets the scene by mentioning the type of offense and how many receivers are in the formation as well as the defense and when the play starts he mentions a running back going over right or left tackle or end also states where the runner is such as "between the hash marks." He also punctuates a good play with energy and enthusiasm.
Harlan is way better than Vikings radio voice Paul Allen. Whereas Allen lacks in visual description, relying too much on shtick, Harlan really gives the listener a very detailed word picture. He's a viable option for fans who don't get ESPN or not near a TV when Monday Night Football or the Super Bowl is on.
If you haven't heard Harlan do football, turn on 100.3 FM in the Twin Cities on a Monday night. You'll be impressed by the way a great radio football broadcaster brings listeners close to the action.
Since replacing Marv Albert in 2009, Kevin Harlan has become the best NFL broadcaster on network radio, giving fans who are in their cars and push the mute button on their TV remotes a vivid word picture of the game.
What makes Harlan outstanding is his ability to use descriptive phrases in his commentary. The radio broadcaster is the eyes of the listener and what he describes is what's happening on the field. He sets the scene by mentioning the type of offense and how many receivers are in the formation as well as the defense and when the play starts he mentions a running back going over right or left tackle or end also states where the runner is such as "between the hash marks." He also punctuates a good play with energy and enthusiasm.
Harlan is way better than Vikings radio voice Paul Allen. Whereas Allen lacks in visual description, relying too much on shtick, Harlan really gives the listener a very detailed word picture. He's a viable option for fans who don't get ESPN or not near a TV when Monday Night Football or the Super Bowl is on.
If you haven't heard Harlan do football, turn on 100.3 FM in the Twin Cities on a Monday night. You'll be impressed by the way a great radio football broadcaster brings listeners close to the action.
Saturday, September 10, 2016
One Goal is Enough for Wayzata Trojans
Saturday Night Soccer in St. Louis Park came down to only one goal that was scored by Addison Clark in the first half that turned out to be the game winner as the Wayzata Trojans beat the host St. Louis Park Orioles 1-0.
The Orioles had a couple of chances to get on the board on indirect free kicks by Samantha Baer. She faced a three Trojan player wall and her shots went wide. Wayzata would take the lead following a corner kick and Clark found an opening on the right side of St. Louis Park goalkeeper Anna Roethler and put it in the net with 14:48 left in the first half.
The Trojans had opportunities to extend the lead in the second half. Megan turner went through a couple of Oriole defenders and her shot was saved by Roethler. Eva Bruer, one of six Wayzata sophomores drilled a shot that went wide to the right.
The Trojans, ranked sixth in Class AA won their fifth straight game and improved their record to 5-0. They will host the Hopkins Royals on Tuesday, September 13 at 7 PM. The Orioles fell to 1-4 and will also be in action on the 13th as the host the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at 5 PM.
Wayzata assistant coach Stewart Jump was a teammate of Tony Pesznecker when the played for the Minnesota Kicks from 1980 to 1981.
The Orioles had a couple of chances to get on the board on indirect free kicks by Samantha Baer. She faced a three Trojan player wall and her shots went wide. Wayzata would take the lead following a corner kick and Clark found an opening on the right side of St. Louis Park goalkeeper Anna Roethler and put it in the net with 14:48 left in the first half.
The Trojans had opportunities to extend the lead in the second half. Megan turner went through a couple of Oriole defenders and her shot was saved by Roethler. Eva Bruer, one of six Wayzata sophomores drilled a shot that went wide to the right.
The Trojans, ranked sixth in Class AA won their fifth straight game and improved their record to 5-0. They will host the Hopkins Royals on Tuesday, September 13 at 7 PM. The Orioles fell to 1-4 and will also be in action on the 13th as the host the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at 5 PM.
Wayzata assistant coach Stewart Jump was a teammate of Tony Pesznecker when the played for the Minnesota Kicks from 1980 to 1981.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Armstrong Falcons Fly Over SLP Orioles
Friday night's home opener for the St. Louis Park Orioles was "The Battle of the Birds" as Cartier Reid scored two touchdowns and the Armstrong Falcons took advantage of four second half turnovers to en route to a 41-19 win.
St. Louis Park took the early lead in the first quarter when quarterback Logan Romero threw an 11 yard touchdown pass that went through three Armstrong defenders and into the mitts of Zollie Kaplan. The Orioles would get the ball back after a fumbled kickoff return that was recovered by Jariel Lopez-Barrera and Romero would score on a 16 yard keeper that put them ahead by 13. The Falcons would get on the scoreboard on a six yard run by Jesse Sherwood and St. Louis Park led at the end of the first quarter 13-7.
Armstrong would tie the game in the second quarter on a pair of short field goals from Matthew Jaeger. St. Louis Park would regain the lead on Romero's second touchdown, a one yard keeper after they got a first down on a fourth and two encroachment penalty to the Falcons. Armstrong would vault into the lead one a one yard touchdown run from Reid. There was a short delay as the officiating crew was in a brief summit to find out about the penalty flag was thrown after the touchdown. It turned out to be that the Orioles had too many men on the field. So the touchdown counted and the Falcons led at halftime 20-19.
In the third quarter, Armstrong capitalized on a Romero pass that was intercepted by Brogan Hayden and quarterback Nicholas Svensson threw a 14 yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Poster to boost their lead to 27-19.
The Falcons would have a happy flight home down Highway 169 as they scored twice in the fourth quarter. Reid was a jewel in the Armstrong offense as he went down the left side and scored a 64 yard touchdown. Dueling turnovers played a role in the Falcons final touchdown. The Falcons fumbled the ball and the Orioles recovered at their own one yard line. But Romero's pass was intercepted by Elliott Olson and he ended the scoring. St. Louis Park had a chance to score a late game touchdown but Romero's pass to Mykel Howard on fourth and three was incomplete.
Armstrong improved their record to 1-1 and hosts their Robbinsdale district rival the Cooper Hawks on Friday, September 16 at 7 PM. St. Louis Park fell to 0-2 and will also be in action on the 16th, hosting the third ranked team in Class AAAAA the Spring Lake Park Panthers, also at 7 PM.
St. Louis Park took the early lead in the first quarter when quarterback Logan Romero threw an 11 yard touchdown pass that went through three Armstrong defenders and into the mitts of Zollie Kaplan. The Orioles would get the ball back after a fumbled kickoff return that was recovered by Jariel Lopez-Barrera and Romero would score on a 16 yard keeper that put them ahead by 13. The Falcons would get on the scoreboard on a six yard run by Jesse Sherwood and St. Louis Park led at the end of the first quarter 13-7.
Armstrong would tie the game in the second quarter on a pair of short field goals from Matthew Jaeger. St. Louis Park would regain the lead on Romero's second touchdown, a one yard keeper after they got a first down on a fourth and two encroachment penalty to the Falcons. Armstrong would vault into the lead one a one yard touchdown run from Reid. There was a short delay as the officiating crew was in a brief summit to find out about the penalty flag was thrown after the touchdown. It turned out to be that the Orioles had too many men on the field. So the touchdown counted and the Falcons led at halftime 20-19.
In the third quarter, Armstrong capitalized on a Romero pass that was intercepted by Brogan Hayden and quarterback Nicholas Svensson threw a 14 yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Poster to boost their lead to 27-19.
The Falcons would have a happy flight home down Highway 169 as they scored twice in the fourth quarter. Reid was a jewel in the Armstrong offense as he went down the left side and scored a 64 yard touchdown. Dueling turnovers played a role in the Falcons final touchdown. The Falcons fumbled the ball and the Orioles recovered at their own one yard line. But Romero's pass was intercepted by Elliott Olson and he ended the scoring. St. Louis Park had a chance to score a late game touchdown but Romero's pass to Mykel Howard on fourth and three was incomplete.
Armstrong improved their record to 1-1 and hosts their Robbinsdale district rival the Cooper Hawks on Friday, September 16 at 7 PM. St. Louis Park fell to 0-2 and will also be in action on the 16th, hosting the third ranked team in Class AAAAA the Spring Lake Park Panthers, also at 7 PM.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Armstrong Falcons-SLP Orioles Football Preview
St. Louis Park Orioles football fans will have an opportunity to see the newly renovated stadium Friday night as the Orioles open their home season against the Armstrong Falcons.
Last Friday, the Orioles got off to a solid start in their season opener against the Richfield Spartans. Quarterback Logan Romero threw three touchdown passes in the first half, two to Mykel Howard and they led at the half 18-13. But after a scoreless third quarter, St. Louis Park couldn't hold on to their lead as Richfield scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter including a 62 yard touchdown run by Cole Christian that led the Spartans to a 26-13 come from behind win.
As for Armstrong, the Falcons were also on the short end in their maiden voyage in the 2016 season as they headed down Highway 212 to take on the Chanhassen Storm and lost 49-28. The Storm led 42-7 at the half. Tom Loeffler rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns that included a 74 yard run. Armstrong had two touchdowns apiece from Jesse Sherwood and Cartier Reid.
The key to the game for the Orioles is for Romero to get into a groove on offense and spread the ball around as he did last week. They also have to play tighter defense, especially in the second half since that's what cost them the game against Richfield.
Armstrong's key is to get another strong running game from Reid and also get good offensive line blocking so that he can have another big offensive game. They also have to play strong defense and not give up so many points in the early going that would put them in a hole the couldn't climb out of.
The weather should be nice for the Orioles home opener so if you haven't seen the renovated stadium yet, get outside and do so. Can St. Louis Park ambush Armstrong?
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Dozier Bulldozes Home Runs into Target Field Seats
He has been a bright spot in the Twins dismal season, hitting home runs with the frequency of light rail trains that fans take to and from the nearby Target Field Station.
Since last Friday, Brian Dozier has been on a roll. To say he has been on a roll is definitely an understatement. He has been on a tear, hitting seven home runs, including three in a Labor Day matinee against the Royals. Dozier is the second Twin this season to hit three home runs in a game and the first since Max Kepler accomplished the feat on August 1 against the Indians.
Dozier was not done launching the ball into Target Field's dark green seats. Tuesday night, in the bottom of the first inning, he hit his 39th home run tying Alfonso Soriano's record for home runs by an American League second baseman that he set in 2002 with the Yankees. He's also three home runs away from tying the major league record for most single season home runs by a second baseman of 42 that's held by Rogers Hornsby of the Cardinals in 1922 and Davey Johnson of the Braves in 1973. Johnson was one of three Braves to hit 40 or more home runs that season. The other two were Darrell Evans with 41 and Hank Aaron with 40.
In Dozier's five seasons, his home run totals have increased each season. He hit six in his rookie season 2012 and in 2013, he tripled his output to 18. In 2014, he hit 23 home runs and last season 28. Not bad for a player who only hit 19 in four minor league seasons.
There's 24 games to go for the Twins in 2016 so the chances are pretty good that he could break the single season record for home runs iby a second baseman. Can he do it?
Since last Friday, Brian Dozier has been on a roll. To say he has been on a roll is definitely an understatement. He has been on a tear, hitting seven home runs, including three in a Labor Day matinee against the Royals. Dozier is the second Twin this season to hit three home runs in a game and the first since Max Kepler accomplished the feat on August 1 against the Indians.
Dozier was not done launching the ball into Target Field's dark green seats. Tuesday night, in the bottom of the first inning, he hit his 39th home run tying Alfonso Soriano's record for home runs by an American League second baseman that he set in 2002 with the Yankees. He's also three home runs away from tying the major league record for most single season home runs by a second baseman of 42 that's held by Rogers Hornsby of the Cardinals in 1922 and Davey Johnson of the Braves in 1973. Johnson was one of three Braves to hit 40 or more home runs that season. The other two were Darrell Evans with 41 and Hank Aaron with 40.
In Dozier's five seasons, his home run totals have increased each season. He hit six in his rookie season 2012 and in 2013, he tripled his output to 18. In 2014, he hit 23 home runs and last season 28. Not bad for a player who only hit 19 in four minor league seasons.
There's 24 games to go for the Twins in 2016 so the chances are pretty good that he could break the single season record for home runs iby a second baseman. Can he do it?
Monday, September 5, 2016
A Monumental Day in Game Show History
September 4, 1972. A date that will be remembered for many game show fans since it was the day CBS debuted three new morning game shows that would bolster the network's daytime success.
Prior to that date, CBS aired reruns of its prime time sitcoms opposite NBC's daytime lineup that feature a talk show hosted by Dinah Shore, the long running game show Concentration and the original version of Sale of the Century. The network had not aired a morning game show since it cancelled the first Heatter-Quigley game show Video Village in 1962. Ten years later, reruns of The Lucy Show, The Beverly Hillbillies and Family Affair were part of the daytime lineup.
But in the summer of 1972, CBS hired away B. Donald (Bud) Grant from NBC as vice president of daytime programming. He decided to return the network to game shows in order to compete with his old network, NBC.
At 9 AM, central time, after Captain Kangaroo shut down The Treasure House for the day, the first of the three new game shows would debut. It was the game "where knowledge is king and lady luck is queen", The Joker's Wild. Created, produced and hosted by Jack Barry, it was his first daytime game show since he was in exile due to the quiz show scandals. It would take Barry three years to get The Joker's Wild on the air. A pilot in 1969, hosted by Allen Ludden didn't sell. Two years later, the show got a three month test on KTLA in Los Angeles.
However, CBS felt that Barry was still damaged goods due to the scandal and felt that Tom Kennedy or Wink Martindale should be considered to host the show. But Kennedy was hosting Split Second on ABC and Martindale was already hired to host Gambit so it was Barry who would be host. The slot machine themed game was the first to use a synthesizer theme song, "The Savers" by Perrey and Kingsley and would turn out to be Barry's comeback on TV. It would run for three years and following a season of reruns, The Joker's Wild would be revived in syndication in 1977. Paired with Tic Tac Dough in many markets, The Joker's Wild would survived Barry's passing in May 1984 and run for nine years. The last two seasons were hosted by Bill Cullen.
Following The Joker's Wild would be the most successful and sole survivor of the three. The Price is Right would return after a seven year hiatus. It was a show Grant wanted to return to TV, but producer Mark Goodson felt the old show was outdated and no longer worked. So Grant gave Goodson the green light to revamp The Price is Right. Replacing original host Cullen would be Bob Barker and contestants would be chosen from the audience. Announcer Johnny Olson told the chosen hopefuls to "Stand up!" It was later replaced by on of the most famous game show catch phrases in TV history "Come on down!" After bidding on a prize, the highest bidder without going over the actual retail price without going over would play a pricing game. for all you game show trivia buffs, the first game played was "Any Number", which is still being played to this day.
The Price is Right would become the first show to put a dent in Concentration's dominance. On March 23, 1973, after 15 seasons, the show was cancelled. The Price is Right would then move to an afternoon time period where the show would evolve with the addition of more pricing games. By 1975, the show would return to a morning time slot and after a test of one hour shows in September, it would become permanent two months later. The show was even more successful in an hour long format that it would become television's longest running game show that's still drawing high ratings today under the leadership of Drew Carey, who replaced the retired Barker in 2007.
Now the last of three shows to premiere, Merilll Heatter and Bob Quigley's new game based on the card game blackjack titled Gambit. With Martindale as host and Heatter's wife, actress Elaine Stewart serving as dealer, the simple game featured two married couples who answered questions to earn cards that would get them closer to 21 without going bust. If they got exactly 21, they would win the jackpot that started at $500 and would increase by the same amount each match until it was won. The first couple to win two games won the match and would earn a trip to the Gambit Board. The board consisted of 21 numbers and featured prices and special cards that earned them cash bonuses. If they hit 21, they not only won the jackpot, they won a new car.
The original Gambit would run until December 1976 and would return under the title Las Vegas Gambit in October 1980, also with Martindale hosting. In 2008, Heatter would revive Gambit under the title Catch 21 with Alfonso Ribiero as host and Mikki Padilla as the dealer. The show would run for four seasons and Ribiero proved to be an outstanding host who was always on the contestant's side. He would later go on to replace Tom Bergeron on ABC's America's Funniest Videos.
The Joker's Wild, The Price is Right and Gambit. Three shows that debuted on the same day and were all hits. It also led to the debut of Bob Stewart's most successful creation The $10,000 Pyramid and a show that would become even a bigger success than the original version from the 60s, Match Game with Gene Rayburn. It would become the number one show in daytime until the debut of Family Feud in 1976. CBS would become a big player in daytime, thanks to the three aforementioned shows that debuted in 1972.
Prior to that date, CBS aired reruns of its prime time sitcoms opposite NBC's daytime lineup that feature a talk show hosted by Dinah Shore, the long running game show Concentration and the original version of Sale of the Century. The network had not aired a morning game show since it cancelled the first Heatter-Quigley game show Video Village in 1962. Ten years later, reruns of The Lucy Show, The Beverly Hillbillies and Family Affair were part of the daytime lineup.
But in the summer of 1972, CBS hired away B. Donald (Bud) Grant from NBC as vice president of daytime programming. He decided to return the network to game shows in order to compete with his old network, NBC.
At 9 AM, central time, after Captain Kangaroo shut down The Treasure House for the day, the first of the three new game shows would debut. It was the game "where knowledge is king and lady luck is queen", The Joker's Wild. Created, produced and hosted by Jack Barry, it was his first daytime game show since he was in exile due to the quiz show scandals. It would take Barry three years to get The Joker's Wild on the air. A pilot in 1969, hosted by Allen Ludden didn't sell. Two years later, the show got a three month test on KTLA in Los Angeles.
However, CBS felt that Barry was still damaged goods due to the scandal and felt that Tom Kennedy or Wink Martindale should be considered to host the show. But Kennedy was hosting Split Second on ABC and Martindale was already hired to host Gambit so it was Barry who would be host. The slot machine themed game was the first to use a synthesizer theme song, "The Savers" by Perrey and Kingsley and would turn out to be Barry's comeback on TV. It would run for three years and following a season of reruns, The Joker's Wild would be revived in syndication in 1977. Paired with Tic Tac Dough in many markets, The Joker's Wild would survived Barry's passing in May 1984 and run for nine years. The last two seasons were hosted by Bill Cullen.
Following The Joker's Wild would be the most successful and sole survivor of the three. The Price is Right would return after a seven year hiatus. It was a show Grant wanted to return to TV, but producer Mark Goodson felt the old show was outdated and no longer worked. So Grant gave Goodson the green light to revamp The Price is Right. Replacing original host Cullen would be Bob Barker and contestants would be chosen from the audience. Announcer Johnny Olson told the chosen hopefuls to "Stand up!" It was later replaced by on of the most famous game show catch phrases in TV history "Come on down!" After bidding on a prize, the highest bidder without going over the actual retail price without going over would play a pricing game. for all you game show trivia buffs, the first game played was "Any Number", which is still being played to this day.
The Price is Right would become the first show to put a dent in Concentration's dominance. On March 23, 1973, after 15 seasons, the show was cancelled. The Price is Right would then move to an afternoon time period where the show would evolve with the addition of more pricing games. By 1975, the show would return to a morning time slot and after a test of one hour shows in September, it would become permanent two months later. The show was even more successful in an hour long format that it would become television's longest running game show that's still drawing high ratings today under the leadership of Drew Carey, who replaced the retired Barker in 2007.
Now the last of three shows to premiere, Merilll Heatter and Bob Quigley's new game based on the card game blackjack titled Gambit. With Martindale as host and Heatter's wife, actress Elaine Stewart serving as dealer, the simple game featured two married couples who answered questions to earn cards that would get them closer to 21 without going bust. If they got exactly 21, they would win the jackpot that started at $500 and would increase by the same amount each match until it was won. The first couple to win two games won the match and would earn a trip to the Gambit Board. The board consisted of 21 numbers and featured prices and special cards that earned them cash bonuses. If they hit 21, they not only won the jackpot, they won a new car.
The original Gambit would run until December 1976 and would return under the title Las Vegas Gambit in October 1980, also with Martindale hosting. In 2008, Heatter would revive Gambit under the title Catch 21 with Alfonso Ribiero as host and Mikki Padilla as the dealer. The show would run for four seasons and Ribiero proved to be an outstanding host who was always on the contestant's side. He would later go on to replace Tom Bergeron on ABC's America's Funniest Videos.
The Joker's Wild, The Price is Right and Gambit. Three shows that debuted on the same day and were all hits. It also led to the debut of Bob Stewart's most successful creation The $10,000 Pyramid and a show that would become even a bigger success than the original version from the 60s, Match Game with Gene Rayburn. It would become the number one show in daytime until the debut of Family Feud in 1976. CBS would become a big player in daytime, thanks to the three aforementioned shows that debuted in 1972.
Friday, September 2, 2016
More Than 100,000 Fans Attended Thursday's Baseball and Football Games
The numbers are in. Here are the attendance returns for Thursday night's games that featured the Twins, Saints, Vikings and Gopher football team.
There was good news at Target Field when the Twins finally snapped a 13 game winning streak against the Chicago White Sox. The attendance was 20,329.
Over at CHS Field in St. Paul, the St. Paul Saints held on to beat the Winnipeg Goldeyes 1-0. Another sellout in Lowertown that drew 7.961.
Just off the Green Line at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus, the Gophers opened their 2016 season against the Oregon State Beavers and shook off the early game cobwebs to beat the Beavers 30-23. The game was not a sellout, witnessed by 44,582.
And the big attendance winner that night was the Vikings. Though it was a preseason game and the first since quarterback Teddy Bridgewater tore his ACL, many fans packed US Bank Stadium. It was a sellout crowd of 66,262.
OK. Get out your calculators or find your calculator app on your smartphone and add up the attendance for those four games and you'll come up with the total of 139,134 fans who attended the four games. Add in the total for high school football, soccer and volleyball where attendance figures aren't published and the number would be in the range of 150,000-200,000 total attendance for what was a busy night in Minnesota sports.
There was good news at Target Field when the Twins finally snapped a 13 game winning streak against the Chicago White Sox. The attendance was 20,329.
Over at CHS Field in St. Paul, the St. Paul Saints held on to beat the Winnipeg Goldeyes 1-0. Another sellout in Lowertown that drew 7.961.
Just off the Green Line at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus, the Gophers opened their 2016 season against the Oregon State Beavers and shook off the early game cobwebs to beat the Beavers 30-23. The game was not a sellout, witnessed by 44,582.
And the big attendance winner that night was the Vikings. Though it was a preseason game and the first since quarterback Teddy Bridgewater tore his ACL, many fans packed US Bank Stadium. It was a sellout crowd of 66,262.
OK. Get out your calculators or find your calculator app on your smartphone and add up the attendance for those four games and you'll come up with the total of 139,134 fans who attended the four games. Add in the total for high school football, soccer and volleyball where attendance figures aren't published and the number would be in the range of 150,000-200,000 total attendance for what was a busy night in Minnesota sports.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
One Goal Losses Continue for SLP Orioles
"They can't seem to finish, they've got the one goal blues" would make appropriate blues song lyrics about the St. Louis Park girls and boys soccer teams who hosted the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders Thursday night and lost by identical 1-0 scores.
In the girls game, Paige Goaley did not have the namesake as the goalkeeper position. Instead, she scored the eventual game winning goal 5:56 into the first half to lead the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.
Goaley, one of two Raider sophomores, the other Frannie Hottinger got the ball in the center slot off a corner kick and put it past Oriole goalkeeper Anna Roethler and it turned out to be the game's only goal. St. Louis Park had an opportunity to tie the game in the second half but a shot was broken up by the CDH defense.
The Raiders improved their record to 2-1 and will travel to White Bear Lake on Thursday, September 8 for a 7 PM game with the Bears. The Orioles lost their third straight game and fell to 0-3. They will head to Apple Valley to take on the Eastview Lightning on Tuesday, September 6 at 7 PM.
Now to the boys game. There was no score throughout most of the game and it was on the verge of possibly overtime. But Jack Koch would score the game winning goal with 2:54 left in regulation time to lead the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.
The scoreboard remained at zero in the first half. The Raiders almost took the lead when Shiferaw Williamson made a centering pass to Koch and his shot was saved by Oriole goalkeeper Felix Hengel.
In the second half. Each team had an opportunity to score. Matthew Gleason came close to putting CDH ahead but his shot went wide to the right. St. Louis Park also had a chance to take the lead when Miguel Ocampo had a free kick against a four player CDH wall. But his shot ricocheted off the football upright. The Raiders would clinch the win as Koch headed in a pass from Jack McGrath with 2:54 left to play.
CDH improved their record to 2-2 and returns to action on Tuesday, September 6 as they host the Eagan Wildcats at 7 PM. St. Louis Park dropped their third straight game and fell to 1-3. They have a week off and head to Chaska on Thursday, September 8 to take on the Hawks at 5 PM.
In the girls game, Paige Goaley did not have the namesake as the goalkeeper position. Instead, she scored the eventual game winning goal 5:56 into the first half to lead the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.
Goaley, one of two Raider sophomores, the other Frannie Hottinger got the ball in the center slot off a corner kick and put it past Oriole goalkeeper Anna Roethler and it turned out to be the game's only goal. St. Louis Park had an opportunity to tie the game in the second half but a shot was broken up by the CDH defense.
The Raiders improved their record to 2-1 and will travel to White Bear Lake on Thursday, September 8 for a 7 PM game with the Bears. The Orioles lost their third straight game and fell to 0-3. They will head to Apple Valley to take on the Eastview Lightning on Tuesday, September 6 at 7 PM.
Now to the boys game. There was no score throughout most of the game and it was on the verge of possibly overtime. But Jack Koch would score the game winning goal with 2:54 left in regulation time to lead the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.
The scoreboard remained at zero in the first half. The Raiders almost took the lead when Shiferaw Williamson made a centering pass to Koch and his shot was saved by Oriole goalkeeper Felix Hengel.
In the second half. Each team had an opportunity to score. Matthew Gleason came close to putting CDH ahead but his shot went wide to the right. St. Louis Park also had a chance to take the lead when Miguel Ocampo had a free kick against a four player CDH wall. But his shot ricocheted off the football upright. The Raiders would clinch the win as Koch headed in a pass from Jack McGrath with 2:54 left to play.
CDH improved their record to 2-2 and returns to action on Tuesday, September 6 as they host the Eagan Wildcats at 7 PM. St. Louis Park dropped their third straight game and fell to 1-3. They have a week off and head to Chaska on Thursday, September 8 to take on the Hawks at 5 PM.
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