Baseball teams earn state honors, including a championship

SPORTS SHORTS
After winning the Pinto League championship this summer in San Juan county, the Monticello Dodgers brought home the most recent state baseball trophy this past week when they bested all comers to capture the crown.  
Coach Nate Langston’s cohorts went 5-0 on the week and did so in impressive style.  
“We hit the ball like crazy” said Walter Bird, an assistant to Langston.  Indeed, the Dodgers hit seven home runs and scored 46 runs in those five games.  They wrapped up the title with a 10-2 win over a good Spanish Fork team.
Early on, the boys from SF found themselves leading 2-1 in the championship game, but the Dodgers came roaring back to take the a commanding lead at 8-2.  
Then, Hector Cordova’s second homer of the tournament put the game out of reach, while Dodger ace McKayd LaRose shut down the team from SF to seal the victory.  
In addition to LaRose, the Dodgers received some superlative pitching from Cory Langston and pick-up pitcher Jordan Blake, along with super relief work from Thomas Anderson and Cordova.  
The Dodgers started the tournament with an 11-1 rout, and then played their tightest game of the tournament.  
Down 4-0 early, the boys from Monticello rallied to get within before tying the game in the last inning.  Then, a walk-off single brought home the winning run and the 6-5 win was theirs.  
After that, the victories rolled up quickly, an 8-3 win followed by another 11-1 game and the Dodgers were in the title game.  
Besides Cordova’s two home runs, Anderson and Shandon Bradford also cracked two home runs each.  For good measure, LaRose also homered.
Thayne Holt’s Blanding Diamond Backs made sure Blanding got a little hardware when they grabbed third place.
The DBs went 4-0 in pool play before losing in the semis and won the third/fourth place game to earn the medal.  
Kawika Sui’Sue hit a home run and Tanner Johnson ended one game with a bases-loaded, walk-off sacrifice fly.  
Another Pinto league team, the Monticello White Sox, also placed high in a tournament in Utah Valley.  Steve Draper’s boys captured fourth place to keep those medals coming our way.  
Pick-up pitcher Chaze Perkins contributed mightily with his bat, blasting two home runs in the tournament and the rest of the team helped out.  
After shellacking a good SF team 20-4, the White Sox squeaked out a double overtime win to advance to the bracket tournament.  Here, however, the boys lost in heartbreaking fashion after getting two strikes and two outs in overtime before the opposing team pushed across the winning run.  
Steven Robinson knocked in some runs with a blast to the fence and Kayden Draper, Colton Lewis, and Mark Beh, in addition to Perkins, pitched well.  
Brad Young’s team participated in another tournament and played well but didn’t place. After losing their first game by one measly run, Young’s young team beat a team from Provo 9-5.  Then sadly and agonizingly, they lost 1-0 to another Spanish Fork club to be eliminated from the tournament.  Young praised the pitching of Weston Nebeker, Bronson Young, Race Young and Kyle Patterson.
So while these kids are playing baseball just for the pure enjoyment of it, Tiger Woods is suffering mightily with all the lost revenue because of the endorsements he lost after his very public demise.  
“With only a few endorsement deals left, a recent divorce settlement, a hefty house mortgage, and even a pay cut from Nike, Tiger Woods’ lifestyle is looking a lot less glamorous” says an article at Yahoo.com.  
The article continues “It’s no secret that Woods, once king of the sports world, has suffered financially since his fall from grace. His endorsement list shrank and his marriage ended in a divorce settlement reportedly worth $100 million. But now he may actually be hurting for funds. At the very least, there are signs that he isn’t generating enough to comfortably cover his costs.”  
Sounds like a problem to which we can all relate, doesn’t it?  Poor guy, read some more of his financial woes: “As Tiger’s revenues have declined, his expenses have only climbed. To begin with, there’s the reported $100 million divorce settlement. And last August, Woods took out a $54.5 million mortgage on his home in Jupiter Island, Florida.
“According to the public document, Woods is required to pay off the mortgage in full by January of 2016, giving him a mere five and a half years to shed the debt. He’s therefore paying more than $10 million each year, including his $431,042 in annual property taxes.”  
Heart wrenching
That 2010 property tax information comes from the district offices of Martin County, FL, where the home Woods now occupies alone is located.
The property, which Woods purchased in 2006 for $44.5 million, is valued at around $47 million (the county values the house at $26.48 million, the land at $20.5 million).
Yahoo reports, “His 2010 improvements to the dwelling and the property cost him $6 million, including three separate residential pools, a tennis court, a golf green with a few holes, an elevator, and a 14,736-square foot improvement to the interior of the house -- evidence that Woods is not used to living cheaply.
“But the pace of his home improvements has slowed, according to online records of the county appraiser’s office. So far there have been none in 2011.”
Still feeling sorry for the penniless Tiger? Sorry, I don’t wax sarcastic very often but couldn’t resist.  Back to the usual happy Sportshorts next week, OK?