GIORDANA AT SHORT STEALS THE SHOW.Byline: Dave Desmond Daily News Staff Writer People were lining up to sing the praises of Nicole Giordano after she scored from second base on a routine groundout ground·out n. Baseball A play in which a batter is put out at first base after hitting a ground ball to an infielder. to win the Southern Section Division II softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' championship game last month. It was nothing new to her Saugus High School Saugus High School may refer to:
``The song, `Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Giordano has been selected the Daily News Player of the Year in softball. It was indeed a fun-filled season for the Centurions (27-4) who, led by their free-spirited leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. Strategy Leadoff hitters must possess certain traits to be successful: they must reach base at a proficient rate and be able to steal bases. , danced through the Foothill League and the playoffs to capture their first title. While others toil endlessly improving their games, many things have come naturally for Giordano, who quit her travel team last summer because it was ``too intense.'' Giordano showed no rustiness when the 1996 high school season began, batting .490 with an area-best 51 stolen bases in 53 attempts and garnering both league and division Most Valuable Player honors. ``Others would be working their butts off,'' she said. ``But certain things would just come naturally to me.'' That natural ability is not lost on her coach and teammates. ``It's almost annoying,'' Hilton said. ``She does so much by instinct. Nicole is the best athlete I've coached.'' Said teammate Amanda Melton mel·ton n. A heavy woolen cloth used chiefly for making overcoats and hunting jackets. [After Melton Mowbray, an urban district of central England.] : ``I'm envious en·vi·ous adj. 1. Feeling, expressing, or characterized by envy: "At times he regarded the wounded soldiers in an envious way.... . She's so talented.'' An outfielder her first two seasons, she was challenged to play a foreign position as a junior: shortstop. ``The first day I took ground balls, I looked pathetic,'' Giordano said. But just like her first attempt at water skiing water skiing, sport of riding on skis along the water's surface while being towed by a motorboat. It probably originated on the French Riviera in the early 1920s, and was known in the United States by 1927. , when she managed to get up on one ski her first try, she made short work of mastering shortstop. ``She tells you she's never done something, then the next thing you know, she's doing it better than anybody else,'' Hilton said. In the title game, she flawlessly handled six plays, including a diving stop and throw that might have been the difference in the 1-0 victory over defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Woodbridge. For Giordano, winning is fun. But fun with her is a large category. ``I just liked playing and diving for the ball and running everywhere,'' she said. ``Hitting was fun too. I guess when you do well, it's really fun.'' Most coaches believe that there are two types of players: the ones who excel after a pat on the back and those who succeed only after a kick in the sliding pants. Giordano is the former. ``She's just out there to have a good time,'' her coach said. ``She doesn't like to be pressured. She just wants to go out there with that smile on her face.'' After one inning of the Southern Section final, the only thing on the shortstop's face was egg. Successful on 51 of her first 52 stolen-base attempts, she was picked off first base in the first inning. The smile reappeared through a cloud of dust four innings later after she scored all the way from second on a crisp groundout to shortstop. ``She can do anything,'' Melton said. ``It's just a matter of how much she wants it.'' And how much fun it might be. RECENT HONOREES BASEBALL 1996-Derek Morse, Kennedy 1995-Wayne Nix, Monroe 1994-Randy Wolf, El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
1993-Jeff Suppan, Crespi 1992-Dave Landaker, Royal 1991-Brian Vasey, Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. 1990-Mike Lieberthal, Westlake SOFTBALL 1996-Nicole Giordano, Saugus 1995-Lindsay Parker, La Canada 1994-Crystal Bustos, Canyon 1993-Sara Griffin, Simi Valley 1992-Nancy Evans, Hoover 1991-Laura Richardson, Camarillo 1990-Kym Weil, Hart CAPTION(S): Box Box: RECENT HONOREES (see text) |
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