Hey Spartan Fans !!
Just a "quickie" this morning, with the hope that the Spartan Nation has gotten off to a great start in 2011 !! I have !!
As most of you know, I had some surgery in late September, and to make a long story short, have been feeling GREAT ever since!! VERY GOOD checkup yesterday, to the point that I asked my cardiologist if they were looking for a "poster child" for aortic replacement ? He said he would "get back to me" regarding my offer!! Should I hold my breathe waiting for that call ??????? Seriously, it is incredible what modern medicine can do in the 21st century !!!
On the Lakeview Basketball front, our Boys Varsity squad has participated in two tournaments thus far, and has done...........OK. Even though we currently stand at 0-4 record-wise, I feel that we are making strides to get better. These four games have given me a chance to evaluate my club, and the individuals on it. I feel we have 16 good athletes on our team, but not necessarily 16 good basketball players. It appears, and this has been substantiated, that quite a few of the players have only started playing basketball in very recent years. Our practices have been good, and the improvement levels are rising........AND THEY NEED TO KEEP RISING!!!!!!! As proof of the "good athlete" statement, one only needs to look at the final results of our recently completed Fall seasons. Many members of our Basketball team were also members of our undefeated Conference Champion Football squad or Conference Champion Cross-Country team. WE WILL KEEP GETTING BETTER, and that is one of my seasons goals!!!
On the Girls side of "hoops", I would like to congratulate Coach Jacob Little, and his squad for their great showing in the last two tourneys since new years! A strong showing in both the Downers Grove Mayors' Classic, as well as at the Westmont Rotary Tourney has once-again gotten the Girls off to a great start!! Twelve months ago, this same scenario took place, with their season ending in a GREAT VICTORY in the conference tourney. This included stunning wins over perennial powers Jefferson and the "Paul Bunyon" group from Old Quarry. I am going out on a limb here, and will mention something that not too many people know. Coach Little and his assistants (Brian Kukulski, Elizabeth Schwenkel, Beth Nyhlen, John Holakovsky, and Heather Wrzesinki) put in COUNTLESS hours with District 66 Girl Basketball players. These hours include extra intramural time, weekend basketball leagues and tournaments, and begin with Girls at not only Lakeview, but also Prairieview. GOOD LUCK LADIES as you start your regular season on Tuesday (January 18th at Westmont..4 PM tipoff).
Even though it's 23 degrees outside, with snow on the ground.......I am eagerly awaiting the start of the 2011 baseball season! Cardinal pitchers and catchers report to Florida in 29 days (Feb. 13), with the regular season starting March 31 vs. San Diego (at Busch)!!!!
Despite the fact that it appears that the Cubs will win the N.L. Central, National League, and the World Series, the "Cardinal Nation" will try to hang in there!! In acquiring Carlos Pena and Matt Garza, as well as having Sportsman-of-the-Year Carlos Zambrano all season, I ask how can the Redbirds match-up with mediocre talent the likes of Matt Holliday, Colby Rasmus, Adam Wainright, Albert Pujols, and Yadier Molina??????? A mediocre pitching staff of Carpenter, Wainright, Westbrook, Garcia, and Lohse will be no match for the power staff of the Cubs (Zambrano, Garza, Wells, Gorzelanny, and Stevens) ........Oh well, let's just look instead to 2012!
Back to basketball....I hope our fans in 66 have a chance to attend some of the 2011 HOME games at Lakeview. They all tipoff at 4 PM, and end at approximately 4:55 to 5:00 PM. Students are allowed to attend, as long as they are in abidance of school rules. IF ANY INDIVIDUAL WOULD LIKE A 2011 BOYS AND GIRLS SCHEDULE, ALONG WITH THE RULES OF ATTENDING, please e-mail me at tdodd@ccsd66.org and I will reply with the schedule, etc.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK........ROLL SPARTANS!!!!!!!.....PLAY HARD!!!!!!!!!
Coach Tom Dodd
