The Pitch

             The pressure of closing out a game, getting out number 27, winning the game for your team in the ninth. Having composure to do that isn't easy especially in the MLB. The closing pitcher has so much to take in pitching with three outs to go and the game difference is four or less, and if it's four run difference some of the best three hitters need to be coming up in the line-up. 2006, the Cardinals were struggling to make the playoffs, but Albert Pujols hit a eighth inning three run home run to give the Cardinals the lead 4 games before the playoffs. The win helped them clinch there division but with only 83 wins and 78 loses. So not a lot of respect coming into the National League Division Series(NLDS). With the Cardinals closing pitcher Isringhausen injured they called on Adam Wainwright to be their go to guy. Wainwright pitched two saves in their first to games of the NLDS. Then they lost game 3 but came back in game four and Wainwright got the last out to send them to the National League Championship Series (NLCS). They lost game one but came back to win the next two games. They won game 5 but lost in game six in NY against the Mets, The National Leagues best team with 97 wins. So the Cardinals had to play game 7 of the NLCS on the Mets home turf. It had been 31 years since any team lost game 6 and came back to win game 7 on the other guys field. 11 clubs have tried, all of them failed. Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan and Mets starter Oliver Perz pitched amazing, but Suppan did give up a run in the bottom of the first inning but the Cardinals got the run back in the top of the second inning. So the game was just getting better tied 1-1 in game 7 of the NLCS, just amazing. So in the top of the sixth inning with Jim Edmonds on first base and Scott Rolen at the plate with one out he hits the ball back to the wall and left fielder Endy Chavez leaps and makes an unbelievable snow cone catch to rob Rolens home run then doubles Edmons up at first. It was like Chavez had super powers the way he jumped and caught it. Then in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded two outs and the man of the moment Endy Chavez stands up at the plate. I seemed like the universe was like " the Cardinals are going to lose everything they worked for," and almost everyone thought that but Suppan. He had a great pitch that he popped up to get the Cardinals out of the inning. No runs from then on. until in the top of the ninth inning when Rolen got a base hit with the catcher Yadier Molina at the plate. In the regular season he only hit .216. Terrible but when the Mets pitcher Aaron Heilman pitched to Molina he smacked hard into left field to the wall and this time it goes over Chavezes head for a home run. Cardinals up 3-1.
             The Cardinals called on Rookie Adam Wainwright to get them to the world series. Allowing two singles then getting two outs he walked catcher Paul LoDuca to bring up the most feared hitter in the Mets line up, Carlos Beltran. Beltran almost single handed, beat the Cardinals in the 2004 NLCS with the Astros. In 2006 Beltran had hit 41 home runs, 116 RBI's, batted .275, and slugged .594. With the bases loaded and two outs Wainwright and Molina agreed on fastball down and away but then they thought if he misses location and leaves it over the plate Carlos Beltran will kill that ball. So Molin taps his chest to kindof say, "folow me" and Wanwright says alright and Molina puts down changeup and Wainwright pitched it and Beltran took it for strike one. Everyone was baffled by that pich because one of baseballs old rules is you don't throw a first pitch changeup after all, what are you changing from. One of the announcers even called it a fastball. So with the 0-1 count they set up for a curveball out side but it broke two far inside but it had so much movement on it that Beltran swung and missed. Oh-and two. Waingetwright knew the ball would not get passed Molina if it broke to far down. With one strike to go Wainwright was like I'm going to throw the nastiest curveballs I've ever thrown if he hits hit I'll tip my cap if not were going to the World Series. He piched it and he was beautiful. It started way up high like at his head and dropped way low at his knees. It was the very way a crurveball should look but who could pitch such a pitch. So despite the runners on, despite the 0-2 count, and the chance to drive in the pennant winning run Beltran froze, and took the pitch. STRIKE THREE THE SAINT LOUIS CARDINALS HAVE WON THE PENNANT!!!!
             It was one of the greatest pitches anyone has ever seen, you can't blame Beltran for looking at it. Eight days later the Cardinals won the World Series and Wainwright on the mound but didn't pitch any amazing curveball. So the dream came true, the Saint Louis Cardinals won the World Series at home in game 5 with starter Jeff Weaver pitching. Most people Wainwright says, " Most people don't say anything about the world series it's man that pitch to Beltran." Many people thought that winning the world series with only winning 83 games was impossible, but not for the Cardinal fans or the STL. Cardinals.

First African American Baseball Player

             The first african american to play porfessional baseball was in Moses Fleetwood Walker. His first game was May 1, 1884. Many people thought Jackie Robinson was the first to play in the Major Leagues but, he wasn't. Jackie had his first game in 1947, 63 years after Moses started. Moses was born October 7 1856 in Mount Pleaseant, Ohio. He was recrutied by the university of Michigan to play varsity baseball in 1882. In 1881 Michigan did terrible esspecially catching the ball. In 1882 when Moses joined Michigan went 10-3 and Moses batted .308. When he went to the MLB he played on the Toledo Blue Stockings who joined the American Association which was Major League at the time. So on May 1, 1884 he was hitless and made four errors. He played a total of 42 games with a batting average of .263. Then his brother Welday Walker joined his team but only played six games. Moses Fleetwood Walker's debute was May 1, 1884, his last MLB apperance was September 4, 1884. The people drove him out of the game. Moses Fleetwood Walker died May 11, 1924 at the age of 67.

Figurative Language

             The Corvette zoomed by so fast it was almost like lightning. The man got out of his car and left the keys in it and the door wide open. I looked at it, so hard to resist. It seemed like the car was talking, "come on, just one ride, it wouldn't hurt, just for a minute." I left still looking, then I watched another hope in driving around the huge lot so fast turned hard then powerslided but fliped over and over. The man came out furiouse. I resisted the urge but that car is so cool!!!! 

The Compound Door

             If there was a nuclear war with the U.S and some other country that would stink. Bombs kllin millions of people, countries destroyed. If you were rich you would either leave or build the most secure place the planet has ever known. A big door would have to protect the way in and out, not just some regular door. Probably a steel door or a bank vault type door. The bank vaults are very secure it takkes a lot to open a bank vault. Even if you break in it could take a very long time there very secure. If you had this door to protect you from people, bombs, other destruction, it's pretty smart but super expensive. The compound, Eli's dad is a huge billionare who build a safe compound for them during the nuclear strike. The were safe for their 7 years they were in there. So they set a code to open the door, but only his dad knew that. Until eventually Eli figured it out. Obviously if the door can withstand a nuclear bomb they picked a good spot and spent a heck of alot of money. The door is like the protecter, without it stuff can get throuh destroy the indide, but when you have something like a vault door underground, that leads to the outside, your good.

School Picture

             I learned to describe a picture when I look at it. My picture to me is a king, queen, and their son. There staring so maybe their looking at someone. The king is sitting down it looks like on some kind of throne. Their very close together in the picture and some seem scared and kind of awkward. The photo is in the Saint Louis Art Museum. The picture is hard to describe but the king is I believe Max Beckmann(1884-1950)

Video Games Evolving

           Technology has always been improving. In 1972 a video game system called Magnavox Odyssey. It was the first home video game console. Lots of others were made in the 70's to. A very succsessful console was the Intelivision. It came out in 1980 with 12 games. It had better graphics and sound than any other competing console. Then in 1982 the Intelivision 2 came out. Lots of new features were added to it. It had a power button, and if it was not in play then in 5 minutes the screen would go dark to prevent burn out.
           A long time competitor then came, in 1985. It was the Nitendo Entertainment System. Designed by Masayuki Uemura and released in Japan on July 15, 1983. Nitendo Entertainment System was revealed to America in 1985. In fact, Nitendo is so big they're still selling great today. Another big system was the Sega Genesis. The Genesis had better graphics than just about any other system. My dad has always said how much fun it was to play it. It made me kind of jelaous.
           Then in 1991 the Super Nitendo Entertainment System came out. It was a very popular console. It cost $200 dollars. I also came with a popular game, Super Mario World. Mario is still popular today. Super Nitendo was very successful in the United State, but in Europe and parts of Asia it wasn't doing so well. Sega Genesis still was popular. In 1994 the Sega Genesis 2 came out. It wasn't selling well at all. Systems like Playstation and the Nitendo 64 (N64) were doing way better. The reason is because the Sega Genesis 2 was pretty much like the Sega Genesis 1.
           My dad said he HATES  video games today. He said that because he said so many games are just so violent and bloody and I agree with him 100%. The only games now and days that aren't that violent and bloody are sports games. Most other games have fighting, kiling, and gore. The consoles I'm talking about are great. There wasn't as many fighting games then, and the fighting games people did play weren't super bloody or extremly violent.
           A system now that I haven't talked about is the Play Station 1. It almost wasn't created because Nitendo left them of something else (I don't know what it was). Play Station stayed with there resarch and made the Play Station there own console.
           Then this is where it all started to happen. In 2000 Sony made the Play Station 2. A game you could buy for it was Grand Theft Auto which is rated M. Grand Theft Auto included blood and gore, strong language, strong sexual content, and violence. People of course bought the game and played it. I bet they relized the blood, language, sexual content, and violence but kept on playing. Sometimes evengual became addicted to the game.
           In 2001 the Microsoft Xbox was released. It had Grand Theft Auto and bad war games that were pretty bloody. I've played one of those games. Medel of Honor Frontline which is raed T for teen. It had some blood and gore in it. Question: What is the first video game console that involves movement. The Wii. No!!! Released in 2004 before the Wii was the XaviXPORT. You probably have never heard of it. It had movement sensors to detect movement. It's different from the Wii because the sensor wasn't by itself it was on the game cartridge.
           In 2005 Microsoft came out with the Micosoft Xbox 360. That of course had bad games for it too. When the 360 came out it had the best graphics so the games were a lot more relistic. When you play your video games you don't know how much it can impact you. I remember watching a progrm on t.v. called To Young To Kill. It was about teenager or kids who killed people. One was a teenager about fifteen who killed his mom and almost killed his dad. It was over his dad not letting him play Halo 3. The kid has played all the other Halo games before them which Halo has lots of shooting in it.
          I wanted to tell you how chanege people and how games evolved from good and are now getting bad. Just think of the games you play and are they very violent. Take time to think and ask yourself is this good or bad?
              
          

My Baseball Dream

            I would want to become an amazing baseball player. Then I could make tons of money of money. I would also stay fit and make a good providing person to all my family. We could take vacations for fun.
Have a great time all the time. I would also be famous and people would know me and I could give them my autograph. I hope I can make it to the MLB when I'm older.