PREP BASEBALL: HE'S ONE BIG DOG : THOMPSON'S CONTRIBUTIONS CALLED FOR TOUGHER NICKNAME.Byline: Heather Gripp Daily News Staff Writer His nickname was changed once this season to reflect the enormity of his contributions. The way Tim Thompson Charles Lemoine Thompson (born March 1, 1924 in Coalport, Pennsylvania) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played from 1954-1958 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Kansas City Athletics and Detroit Tigers. He was a coach for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1981. - also known as ``The Rot'' - continues to elevate his play, he might soon outgrow outgrow verb To change the relationship with a condition or structure by dint of ↑ age or size; while children outgrow clothing, and certain behaviors, they rarely outgrow diseases–eg, asthma that nickname, too. The Grace Brethren baseball team used to call their ace right-hander ``The Bulldog.'' Thompson was upgraded to rottweiler Rottweiler (rŏt`wīlər), breed of sturdy working dog developed from a Roman cattle dog introduced into S Germany more than 1,900 years ago. It stands from 21 3-4 to 27 in. (55.3–68. when it was decided a bigger, tougher dog was necessary for the comparison. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. where you go from there,'' Thompson said. ``You can't get much bigger than that for dogs. Maybe I'll have to switch animals.'' The Lancers lanc·er n. 1. A cavalryman armed with a lance. 2. A member of a regiment originally armed with lances. 3. lancers (used with a sing. verb) a. A kind of quadrille. b. can worry about that later. For now, they're focused on repeating as Southern Section Division VI champions with Thompson leading the way. Grace Brethren hosts Cornerstone Christian in a quarterfinal on Friday. Thompson pitched three no-hit innings in Tuesday's second-round playoff victory against Heritage Christian to improve to 11-3. The junior has a 1.25 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 69 innings. He also has a team-high six home runs and is batting .497 with 34 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in and is 26 for 28 in stolen-base attempts. ``It's his tenacity,'' Grace Brethren coach Aaron Marcarelli said of what makes Thompson so good. ``He earned the nickname because of his fierce competitive drive, his toughness, his willingness to never say die. He never wants to stop competing.'' It's been even harder to stop Thompson, 17, since he had heart surgery last summer to correct a rapid heart beat that used to drain his energy. He said he is completely healed. That means he can play beyond the high school season, which he hasn't done the past couple years. He also started going to a gym regularly in an effort to strengthen his 5-foot-11, 180-pound body. Thompson is a self-taught pitcher who doesn't receive added instruction outside of that provided by the Lancers' staff. He hopes to add velocity to his fastball, but the curveball is Thompson's out pitch. He also has a circle-change and throws from different arm angles. Control is a major strength. He has walked just 11 batters all season and has one wild pitch. The perfectionist per·fec·tion·ism n. 1. A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards. 2. , who is aiming to play professional baseball, is far from satisfied with his ability. ``I've gotta start hitting better,'' Thompson said. ``I'm trying to set a name for myself in hitting.'' Thompson established a name for himself in pitching early in his high school career. He was a combined 25-1 during his first two seasons with the Lancers. His three losses this year shouldn't be viewed as a decline. ``He's vastly improved,'' Marcarelli said. ``He's a much tougher competitor. ``The way the rotation worked last year, he didn't face the toughest teams.'' Thompson allowed a total of two earned runs in this season's losses, which came against teams from high divisions. He pitched a five-inning no-hitter against First Lutheran. He faced the minimum number of batters in the game when the only baserunner was caught stealing For meanings outside baseball, see . In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder . Thompson came close to perfection Adv. 1. to perfection - in every detail; "the new house suited them to a T" just right, to a T, to the letter last season, too, before hitting a batter with two outs in the final inning. ``I always find myself pulling harder if I fall behind,'' Thompson said. ``My aggression to win is so strong. I always want to win. I hate losing. No one likes to lose; I really hate it.'' THOMPSON FILE Player: Tim Thompson Team: Grace Brethren baseball Position: Pitcher Year: Junior Notable: Thompson improved to 11-3 by beating Heritage Christian on Tuesday in the second round of the Division VI playoffs. He has a 1.25 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 69 innings. He also anchors the Lancers' offense with a .497 batting average batting average n. Baseball A measure of a batter's performance obtained by dividing the total of base hits by the number of times at bat, not including walks. Noun 1. , 34 RBI, six home runs and 26 stolen bases. PLAYOFFS BASEBALL SOUTHERN SECTION Division II Hart (25-4) at Royal (20-5-1) Summary: Scoring should be plentiful when two hard-hitting programs meet. Royal beat Sunny Hills 9-8 in the second round Tuesday in its second consecutive nine-run game. Foothill League champion Hart has scored at least 10 runs in both of its playoff games, including a 10-3 win Tuesday against Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. . Why Royal will win: Brian Lipman leads an offense loaded with hitters capable of sending the ball out of the park. Left-hander Scott Rice has found his groove and is available to start for Royal after earning the save against Sunny Hills. The Highlanders shouldn't have to face Indians ace Jamie Shields since he pitched Tuesday. Why Hart will win: Jamie Shields, Ryan Haag and Tim Hutting are among the Indians' hottest hitters. Hart is on a mission to send retiring coach Bud Murray out with a title. Division VI Cornerstone Christian at Grace Brethren (18-3) Summary: Grace Brethren takes the next step in defending its division title. Cornerstone Christian is the third-place representative from the Condor League. Why Grace Brethren will win: The Lancers are far more balanced and have much more depth than Cornerstone Christian. Tim Thompson is providing anything Grace Brethren needs, from quality pitching to hitting and base stealing. Why Cornerstone Christian will win: Pitcher Josh Miller Josh Miller (born July 14, 1970 in Queens, New York) is an American football punter. He formerly played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. has carried the Eagles all season. SOFTBALL SOUTHERN SECTION Division I Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. (22-8) at A.B. Miller (18-9) Summary: Something about a potential matchup with the Lancers is causing teams to play marathon games. Second-round opponent Quartz Hill went 19 innings in the first round before advancing. The Rebels had to go 22 innings in the second round to get to today's game. Why Thousand Oaks will win: The Lancers' relentless offensive attack wears down another weary opponent. Why A.B. Miller will win: The Rebels shrug off the triple-header, in essence, they played Tuesday and come back refreshed. Directions: 101 south, to the 10 east, exit Sierra Ave., go north to Walnut, west to Oleander oleander: see dogbane. oleander Any of the ornamental evergreen shrubs of the genus Nerium (dogbane family), which have poisonous milky juice. Numerous varieties of flower colour in the common oleander, or rosebay (N. , school is on the right. Mater Dei Mater Dei is Latin for "Mother of God", referring to the Virgin Mary. The term has been used to name various institutions, often Catholic, including:
Summary: The Monarchs, a perennial contender for section championships, are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. their fourth title this decade. Camarillo has a section title of its own in the '90s and this could be the team to get them another one. The Scorpions received a break winning the toss and getting a home game. The drive to Orange County is always cumbersome. Why Camarillo will win: Mater Dei has lofty goals. Section title or bust or collapse from the effort; - used in phrases expressing determination to do something; as, Oregon or bust, meaning "We will get to Oregon or die trying." s> See also: bust is its motto, and the Scorpions could catch them looking ahead. Why Mater Dei will win: The Monarchs don't look ahead and concentrate on what needs to be done. Division III
Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. Valencia (P) (20-11) at Newbury Park (23-7) Summary: With an excellent mix of experience and newcomers, there's no reason to believe that Newbury Park can't win a section title. Today's game would be the first of three tough tests on the route there. Why Newbury Park will win: Katie Stokx continues her string of impressive performances and the offense continues its six runs-per-game playoff average. Why Placentia Valencia will win: The Tigers proved they are a solid team, beating Calabasas in the second round after Calabasas had defeated Westlake in the first. Westlake split with Newbury Park in the Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. . Michelle Whiteman is the Tigers' ace, and catcher Annie Dedic is the offensive catalyst. Division V S.A. Calv Chp (14-6) at La Reina La Reina (Spanish: "The queen") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It consistently ranks in the top five communes with the best quality of life in the Metropolitan Region. (21-7) Summary: This will be a clash of offensive titans. The Eagles scored 30 runs in their first-round game against Hamilton of Anza and the Regents had 15 in a second-round victory over Mojave. Why La Reina will win: La Reina has the pitching to slow down the Eagles' arsenal. Danielle Field pitched Tuesday, so Kristen Ward will likely get the start today. Either way, the Regents are tough to beat. Why Santa Ana Santa Ana, city, El Salvador Santa Ana (sän'tä ä`nä), city (1993 pop. 129,873), W El Salvador. It is the second largest city in the country and the commercial and processing center for a sugarcane, coffee, and cattle region. Calvary Chapel Calvary Chapel is a non-denominational, Protestant fellowship of churches which began in 1965 in Southern California. The term "fellowship of churches" is used in contrast to a denomination. will win: The Eagles get to Ward and post plenty of runs. Division VI Lib. Chrst (22-2) at Cornerstone Christian (19-6) Summary: The Eagles are led by sophomore Tiffanie Monzo at the plate and pitcher Julie Hartnell. Why Cornerstone Christian will win: The Eagles are back into the swing of things; once their hitting gets in gear Liberty Christian will be in trouble. Why Liberty Christian will win: Liberty Christian plays in one of the toughest small-school leagues in softball-rich Orange County. Cornerstone Christian will be nothing out of the ordinary for them. If they don't allow the long ride from Huntington Beach Huntington Beach, city (1990 pop. 181,519), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast, across from Santa Catalina Island, in an oil-producing area; inc. 1909. It manufactures aerospace vehicles, aircraft parts, optical instruments, and heat transfer equipment. to disturb them, a victory would not be surprise. TENNIS SOUTHERN SECTION Division II Semifinals University (18-3) at Thousand Oaks (19-3) Summary: The Lancers were ranked seventh strongest of the 31 teams in Division II when the playoffs were seeded. As we head into the semifinals, Thousand Oaks is the lowest seed remaining - in any division. Why Thousand Oaks will win: The team uses its ultra-close victory over Loyola in the quarterfinals as a motivator to come out and play inspired tennis at the beginning of the match. Why University will win: The second-seeded Trojans prove as good as advertised. Division III Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. (19-1) at Agoura (15-4) Summary: Dustin Erb and Ben Hsiang never played as a pair before the playoffs, but are 9-0 in the Chargers' three playoff matches. Why Agoura will win: The Chargers get a large turnout that will help sway momentum and turn some close matches into Agoura victories. Why Agoura will lose: Because Beverly Hills is a true No. 1 seed. Westlake (21-1) at San Marcos Summary: Some of the players' names change and they have a new coach this year, but Westlake finds itself in a familiar position - the division semifinals. Why Westlake will win: The Warriors are playing their best tennis of the season and barring a complete collapse should make the finals for a third consecutive year. Why Westlake will lose: Because stranger things have happened and upsets are possible. Directions: 101 north to Turnpike, left at stoplight across from the freeway, school is on the left at 4750 Hollister Ave. Division IV Calabasas (14-6) at San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. (19-3) Summary: After an easy first-round victory the Coyotes had to grind out two 10-8 victories. Those late pressure packed matches could help the Coyotes escape the Tigers, who have breezed through the playoffs. Why Calabasas will win: If Alex Menachini and Nicholas Weiss continue to dominate, Calabasas can make plans to play for section title. Why San Luis Obispo will win: The drive saps Calabasas, and the Tigers dominate in doubles. Directions: 101 north, exit California Blvd., go east to San Luis Drive, right at the stop sign and left into the school. CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 Boxes PHOTO (Color in Simi Edition only) Tim Thompson gets the start Friday when Brethren hosts Cornerstone Christian in a quarterfinal playoff game. Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News BOX: (1) THOMPSON FILE (See text) (2) PLAYOFFS (See text) |
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