Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 6, 2010

16

SPORTS

 
MountainViews-News Saturday, November 6, 2010 

La Salle’s Sophomore Sensation

 
Daniel De La Torre, shown with La Salle Cross Country 
Coach Fred Riley, has become known as ‘La Salle’s 
Sophomore sensation.

 De La Torre finished a close second in the recent Del Rey 
League Cross Country Finals held last Saturday, (October 
30). His time of 15:27 is the second best time in the league 
and the second best time by a La Salle runner in the last 
four years. 

 Daniel has qualified for the CIF Cross Country State 
Championship. 

 CIF begins November 13 @ Mt. SAC

Photo courtesy John Blackstock, LaSalle High School

My Call By Guy Miali, Sports Writer

Designated Hitter

 A few years ago the 
major league baseball 
commissioner made the 
decision to expand the teams 
in the big leagues, due to 
declining attendance in all 
of the ball parks at that time. 
With his decision came 
a juiced ball and the DH 
(designated hitter), in my 
opinion, has allowed more 
players to make a major 
league roster play who maybe 
should not have. We now 
have more ball players, and 
most are good ball players, 
but very few are exceptional 
ball players.

 I have been around baseball 
all of my life and I do not 
know anyone - past or 
present - who can hit a 
regular baseball 400’ out of 
the ballpark with his butt 
sticking straight out and one 
foot off of the ground which 
is the posture I have seen 
most of in today’s games. 

 The American league has 
nine full-on hitters, while 
the National league has eight 
hitters and a pitcher. There 
is not much strategy in the 
American league, where in 
the National league they 
sacrifice bunt and they hit 
and run. In the American 
league the pitcher throws 
as hard as he can and the 
hitter swings as hard as he 
can, there is no comparison 
between the two leagues. 

 The DH is like a pinch 
hitter. He sits on the bench 
until it his turn to hit, but 
he is neither physically nor 
mentally into the game. He 
may ride a bike to keep loose, 
but he barely works up a 
sweat. Have you ever noticed 
that on the PGA and the 
LPGA they do not allow golf 
carts? This is because you are 
physically and mentally into 
the game when you walk.

 As a young boy I 
remember going to the ball 
park to see Stan Musial play 
and it left such an impression 
on me that I can still 
remember his ability sixty 
years later. The exceptional 
players with records that 
have not been challenged 
over all of these years 
are, Joe Dimaggio, 
Johnny Vandermeer, Ted 
Williams and Pete Rose. 

 


With Bobby Eldridge 
How To Learn From Your Golf Scorecard 

There is one thing about 
the game of golf: score 
cards don’t lie. Ok I will 
agree with you on one 
point. I have played a 
number of rounds in my 
life where I hit the ball very 
well, putted great and got 
nothing out of the round. 

 On the other hand there have been many 
rounds where I couldn’t find the golf course. 
I was lucky no one got hurt. However at the 
end of the day when I added up the score card 
I was very pleased with the number. 

 You have to keep in mind that golf is NOT 
one round. It is a lifetime experience. The 
only way you are going to improve is to 
continue to punch holes in your score card 
and find out what part of your game needs 
work. That does not happen in one round of 
golf.

 I know you are wondering where you should 
start. There are a couple of stats that jump 
out at me. Start with the driver. You have to 
track every tee shot. Keep a blank score card 
in your pocket and after every tee shot record 
whether you hit the fairway or missed to the 
left or right. 

 The next statistic that will help you lower 
your score is did you short side your approach 
shot? It doesn’t matter if it is the first, second, 
third or even fourth shot of the hole. Did you 
short side yourself? The definition of short 
siding is when you leave your approach shot 
in a position where you don’t have any green 
to work with. 

 Everytime you prepare to approach a green 
you have to ask yourself the 10 million dollar 
question. What side is the short side? The 
safe side might leave you with a 30 yard pitch 
shot with nothing but a tiny fringe and then 
the putting green in front of you. The short 
side might leave you with a 7 yard LOB shot 
over a bunker with a 12 foot lip and a slope 
running straight down hill to the hole. You 
do the math. It doesn’t take many of those a 
day to ruin a good round of golf.

 Lastly, grade your attitude before you tee 
off, when you make the turn and when you 
walk off of the golf course. It is a great stat to 
keep track of. If you can maintain an upbeat 
and fun attitude your scores will reflect it. I 
have gone on record for years as saying that 
I haven’t found a more enjoyable place to 
spend four hours than a golf course-when 
I am playing well and having fun. On the 
other hand it is the most miserable place to 
be for four hours when you are struggling 
and not having fun.

 Remember, if you use them correctly, score 
cards don’t lie.


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