Austin Rivers

 Author's note- An introduction to high school basketball player, Austin Rivers


Austin Rivers was born on August 1, 1992, in Santa Monica, California.  He comes from a family famous for its basketball talents.  His father, Doc Rivers, is a former NBA player, and current coach of the Boston Celtics.  Austin is currently the number one ranked high school basketball player in the nation.  As a 6'4" shooting guard, he dominates games for both his Winter Park High School team and his AAU team, Each 1 Teach 1.  He has committed to play for Duke University, one of the top Division One basketball colleges in the nation.  Playing in the NBA is his dream.

Austin is considered one of the best offensive players in the nation.   He not only possesses a great three-point shot, but he can also make strong drives to the basket.  In pressure situations, Austin expects to have the ball.  His jab-step is highly successful in faking out his opponents. Perhaps the only weakness in his game is his inability to go to his left.  However, he is a highly motivated player who is committed to improving his game.

Austin Rivers dreams about playing in the NBA.  With his skills, work ethic, and the lessons learned from his famous father, this dream could very easily become a reality.  It will be interesting to follow this player through his college career and beyond.

Relate-to-an-event Prompt

Author's note:
This is a relation to the event in which Huck treats Jim differently while under Tom's influence.
  
There is a saying, “monkey see, monkey do”  This is were one person copies what another person does. In the case of Huck and Tom, Huck follows Tom’s lead in the mistreatment of Jim.

When Huck and Jim were traveling alone without Tom, Huck treated Jim as an equal.  He considered him a friend, and  it was this friendship that led Huck to attempt to rescue Jim.  While planning the escape, Tom had many elaborate and unnecessary  task for Jim to complete such as taming rats and snakes, and watering a flower with his tears.  While Huck initially questioned the purpose of these tasks, Huck does not stop Tom from making Jim do them.

I have seen instances of people copying others in how they treat others, dress, or how they act.  People copy what others do in order to fit in with the crowd.  Sometimes they may do something they would not do if they were alone.  This form of peer pressure can cause people to go against their beliefs.  This is what happened with Huck.  He treated his friend, Jim, badly because of Tom’s influence.

Huckleberry Finn Setting Response

Author's note-
This writing piece is describing the importance of the setting in chapters 32-35 


As the book progresses, the setting has changed from the Mississippi River to Aunt Sally and Silas Phelps’ plantation.  Two important events occur in this setting. It is at this plantation that Huck finds his African-American friend, Jim.  He is also reunited with his friend, Tom Sawyer.  (Aunt Sally and Silas are Tom Sawyer’s aunt and uncle.)  

Before coming to Aunt Sally and Silas’ house, Huck talked with the duke on the side of the road.  While talking with the duke, the duke tells Huck he knows where Jim is being held captive.  The duke starts by saying Jim is at Silas Phelps’ house.  He then changes his mind and says Jim is at somebody else’s house forty miles away.  Huck believes the duke changed his mind and heads for Silas’ and Aunt Sally’s house to free his friend Jim.

When Huck gets to the plantation, he is beckoned in by Aunt Sally who mistakes him for Tom Sawyer.  Huck decides to go along with being Tom, and by doing this, Huck earns a free place to stay.  Huck intercepts the real Tom on the way to the house and explains the situation.  Tom agrees to help Huck rescue Jim from being held captive on the Aunt Sally’s property.

The events that occurred at Aunt Sally’s and Silas Phelps’ house help advance the plot.  Tom Sawyer’s decision to help Huck save an African American person was risky back in those times.  Huck and Tom are in the south where slavery is wanted.  The setting of this book shows how assisting Jim can put all of them in possible danger.

Huckleberry Finn Quote Prompt

Author's note:  This is a response to a prompt.  The prompt was to choose any quote in the book that has importance or significance to the book.

Are quotes important to books?  Quotes can help show what time the story occurs and what some of their beliefs are.  I think the quote, "I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n," is important to the story.  This quote is Huck talking about how Jim seems to care for his family a lot.  This quote is very important to the story.

Back when this story took place, many African Americans' were slaves who were owned by white masters.  They were bought and sold like produce and were treated very poorly.  African American people  were considered their master's property and  had little or no rights.  They were considered  to be less smart than white people and their feeling were disregarded.

This quote shows some of Huck's beliefs.  It shows that Huck is surprised that Jim, an African American, has concern and love for his family.  At first, Huck thought African Americans were different compared to white people.  Now that Huck had formed a friendship with Jim, he learns that the races are more alike than different.  They both love and care for their families. 

Quotes are important to stories.  When Huck sees similarities between Jim and white people, he is surprised.  Huck then sees Jim as an equal.  This quote is  the turning point in where Huck treats Jim like he treats anybody.

 

World Series

Author's Note-  This is one of my journal entries from sometime in November.  I am aware of how Cliff Lee is not on the Ranger's anymore though.

The stadium's roar was deafening.  Banners and flags hung all around the stadium.  The stands were a sea of orange and black, occasionally a blue or a red shirt in the crowd.  The Giants were looking for a repeat title against the Rangers.  The hero of last season's World Series, Edgar Renteria,  was up to the plate with one out in the 9th down by 2 in the deciding 7th game in the series.  Cody Ross, one of the most surprising player in the last World Series, was on second, in scoring position  Cliff Lee, the Ranger's ace, was pitching.  He had 13 strikeouts in all of the previous innings and had only allowed one run in the 4th off an error by the third baseman, Michael Young.

Cliff Lee's started his signature windup, throwing a 96 mph pitch right past a looking Edgar Renteria for strike one.  With no change in emotion, Renteria casually stepped out of the batter's box, took the signs from the third base coach, and took a few half-hearted cuts before stepping back in it.  Lee again went into his windup and just barely missed the strike zone inside with  another 96 mph pitch, making Renteria step back to avoid getting hit by the pitch.  While Renteria was going through his before pitch routine, Cody Ross took two more steps on his leadoff from second than he did on the first two piches, causing Lee to pause before returning to the pitcher's mound.

As Lee went into his windup, Cody Ross took off for third.  While he was running for third, Renteria snuck a bunt right down the third base line, a perfect bunt for this situation.  For a second, Young froze unsure of what to do but then decided to stay at third.  The catcher, Teagarden, also hesitated to see if Young was charging.  The hesitations were all Renteria and Ross needed to reach first and third safely.  Now its first and third with one out and the Giants' catcher slugger, Buster Posey trotted to the plate.

With this, the Rangers' manager called time to straighten things out with the infield.  When the huddle broke up, Cliff Lee walked off the field with the Rangers' manager.  Feliz, the Rangers' closer, came in to provide some relief.  In the regular season, Feliz recorded 40 saves and had over a strikeout per inning.  Although his ERA isn't great for a closer, but it is still respectable.  Feliz only needed four warm-up pitches before signaling the umpire that he was ready.

Buster Posey stepped up to the plate with a determined look in his eyes, a look like he really wanted to win this game.  Feliz went from the stretch and fired his first pitch, a fastball, for an inside ball.  The next pitch, a changeup, again missed for a ball, this time outside and way too low, taking a bounce before reaching the plate.  Luckily, Teagarden was there to prevent the passed ball.  With that, Teagarden called time and jogged out to settle his struggling closer. 

"Relax man.  Take a deep breath and just throw.  Don't think about it.  Okay?" said Teagarden with a commanding tone.

"Okay I got it."

On the very next pitch, Feliz threw a heated fastball for strike one, catching the high, inside corner of the strike zone.  Buster Posey's emotions didn't change at all.  He still had the same determined look as before.  On the next pitch, Feliz threw another fastball, this time low but down the middle.  Posey was just able to make contact of the ball and hit it foul.

"Two and two the count.  From the stretch and this one is taken for a ride!  This one has the distance if it stays fair!  And oh!  Just foul.  He missed that one by only a couple inches!"  announced the radio announcer.

Having just escaped losing the World Series just then, Feliz's next pitch missed by a ton, and made the count full.  The next pitch was a really slow change-up that seemed to just reach the plate.  Apparently, the pitched looked like a strike to Posey, and Posey swung and just barely nicked the ball with the end of his bat.  Feliz's next fastball was just lined straight up the middle.  This one had no chance of being caught, dropping in for an easy single.  With this play, the Giants came within one.  Renteria had a great turn off second and slid safely into third base, and made the situation first and third again.

After Posey in the lineup today is Aubrey Huff, a power hitting first baseman.  When he stepped into the batter's box, Feliz intimidated.  Teagarden called time and again trotted out to the mound.  When they broke from the huddle, Feliz looked determined.  New strength was shown in the way he stood on the mound, like he commanded it.  The Ranger's closer decided to go from the stretch, and pitched a first pitch change-up that fell for a strike.  Seeing that he went from the stretch, Posey took off from first and decided to steal second.  With less than blinding speed, Teagarden easily picked him off and second for the second out of the inning.

"What was he thinking?!  He hasn't gotten a steal all year!  He should know that's not a situation to go on," announced the radio announcer.

With a man on third and two outs, Aubrey Huff needed to get on base or else the game would be over.  On the next pitch, Feliz threw a fastball right past the swinging Huff for strike two.  With a count 0-2, Feliz easily had the upper hand.  Huff has to protect now with two strikes.  Huff stepped into the batter's box and called time right before Feliz could start his pitching motion.  This time on the next pitch, Huff didn't even flinch as the ball sailed at about neck high for ball one.  The next pitch was at the same location as the one before it, sailing neck high once again for ball two.

"Feliz going from the stretch and pitches this one right down the middle!  Huff takes this one for a ride right down the right field line!  Homerun! Homerun! Homerun!  Right off the foul pole!  The Giants win! The Giants win!"

The Giants' entire dugout rushed onto the field, jumping, with joy.  Renteria jogged and jumped onto the plate, getting pats on the back and high fives from his teammates, but as soon as Huff hit the plate, his teammates dog piled on top of him.  Championship shirts and hats were given to the teammates as soon as they got up from the dog pile. 

The Rangers were feeling the exact opposite of how the Giants were feeling.  Some players through the hats to ground in disgust.  Feliz wasn't a happy camper either.  He through his hat and glove to the ground and crouched on the mound with his head down.  The Rangers' manager just looked down, spat some seeds, then walked into the clubhouse.

After the game, a reporter interviewed the World Series hero, Aubrey Huff.

"Mr. Huff, how did it feel to hit the game-winning homerun in the seventh game in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and two strikes on you?" asked the reporter.

"It felt great.  My teammates did a great job getting on base this game and the pitching staff did great this entire series," answered Huff.

"Do you think you'll be able to three-peat?"

"You know, I think we have a good chance.  Next season, we're going to have to work even harder to stay number one."

"Thank you Mr. Huff."

"This World Series was one of the most exciting ever.  Coming down to the last game, in the last inning with only one out left and two strikes, that was amazing.  I guess Huff surprised everyone with that hit.  Well all that matters now is can the Giants' do it again next year?"  asked the announcer.

Huckleberry Finn: Answer to Prompt (2)

he Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, takes place in the mid 1800s before the Civil War.  The story takes place around the Mississippi River in the Saint Louis and St. Petersburg areas.  The setting plays an important role in this book.

Huckleberry is from an abusive household away from the big city.  When he runs away, he is introduced to a whole new world.  He escapes to the Mississippi River and spends most of his time here.  The Mississippi River is almost always filled with boats, ships, and canoes.  When camping on Jackson Island, he comes across Jim, a run-away slave.  They become travel companions and get the freedom to explore the Mississippi River.  While passing St. Louis, he is amazed at the amount of lights that were in the city.

Back in the mid 1800s, it was common for children to not go to school.  It was also common for children to leave their families at a young age.  During this time, it was unusual for white people to be friends with African American slaves.  Huck and Jim are friends and traveling companions.  African American people were usually treated poorly, but Huck treats him as an equal.  African Americans were commonly called the "n" word back then, but that is definitely  unacceptable today. 

As you can see, the setting is important to this story.  The setting helps shows how Huck's life changes.  In the beginning,  Huck lives in  an abusive and controlling household.  Now he is free to explore the Mississippi River.  It helps contribute to the overall theme of the story that deals with racial segregation.

Huckleberry Finn: Answer to Prompt

Huckleberry Finn is a very adventurous boy.  His father does not place a lot of importance on schooling, and schoolwork is not easy for Huck.  This does not mean that Huck is dumb.  He has lots of knowledge in other areas, like living off the land, finding usefulness in things, and surviving in difficult conditions.  Huck may lack a formal school education, but he is wise in other areas.

Before he disappeared, Huck’s father never made him go to school.  When the widow starts to look after Huck, this all changes.  He goes to school and he enjoys it.  He learns to read and write.  When Huck’s dad suddenly shows up again, he forbids Huck from returning to school.

While Huck is not the smartest kid in school, he has shown that he is capable of surviving on his own.  While living with his dad, he escapes by sawing through the wall of the house.  Once he escapes, he gathers various items he needs in order to survive.  He kills a pig and uses its parts to make it look like he died.  After the escape process, he takes his canoe and makes his way toward Jackson Island.  He fishes and gathers berries for food.  He makes a campfire to cook and stay warm.  Huck survives using his knowledge of the land.

While Huck may have struggled in school, he is not dumb.  He is intelligent in a different way.  He can live off the land and survive on his own.  The theme of this story is that you can have other types of smarts besides school smarts.