– The Green Phone was created so the fans could voice their
opinions. Give us a call and let us know what’s on your mind.
– The Green Phone was created so the fans could voice their opinions. Give us a call and let us know what’s on your mind.
CALLER 1: I wanted to let you know how much I did enjoy your “Generation Next” articles (Dec. 27-30). Just wondering why there were no girls featured? We have lots of great Lady Mustang athletes in soccer and basketball right now and not one of your people that you featured were female. That’s pretty sad.
GREEN PHONE: Caller 1, we’ve been waiting for your complaint. Dispatch sports writer Ana Patejdl, the author of three of the “Generation Next” stories, was actually expecting some heat on this subject. Ideally, we would have loved to include some female athletes. But with the time and the space available, we made an editorial decision to do stories on the athletes that fit the theme best, regardless of gender. This in no way means we don’t think there are female athletes worthy of the same recognition. We’d like to also point out that just a few days before the “Generation Next” series ran, the Dispatch did a story on Gilroy High field hockey players Karlie Sandoval and Stephanie Glenn, both of whom were named to the All-CCS first team. So, Caller 1, we’re sorry you were disappointed. We are planning a “Generation Next, Pt. II” with female athletes in the coming weeks. Any suggestions?
CALLER 2: Hello?… Hello?
GREEN PHONE: Dear Caller 2, the Green Phone doesn’t talk back. It just listens.
CALLER 3: Here’s my beef. Gilroy/Live Oak boys basketball game tonight. Live Oak 50, Gilroy 48. At the buzzer, the last call’s a loose ball foul with no time on the clock to send the Gilroy guy to the line for two points, giving the game to Gilroy. Really bad call. Your reporter was there. Turning it into overtime, it was a ridiculous call. Basically, this game was lost to the refs.
GREEN PHONE: The phone can’t believe you’re the only person to call about this, Caller 3. First of all, to those of you who weren’t there, you should be kicking yourself. This will probably go down as one of the most exciting Gilroy/Live Oak games ever – in any sport. Now, Caller, on to your beef. First, let’s clear up an inaccuracy. It wasn’t a loose ball foul. Gilroy guard Dominik Wilkins went up for the putback. It was a shooting foul. There are many theories about referees making a potentially game-changing foul call. Some people believe the ref shouldn’t blow the whistle unless the foul is utterly egregious. Others believe consistency is important – a foul in the first quarter should be a foul in the fourth quarter at the buzzer. (Right now, Live Oak fans are probably supporting the former while Gilroy fans are supporting the latter.) Our reporter who was there said it looked like a call that had to be made. There were about three Live Oak guys surrounding Wilkins when he went up for the shot and the guard hit the floor pretty hard when he came down. But, she admits, she was closer to the other side of the gym. Bottom line (and this is gonna hurt, Live Oak fans), the foul didn’t “lose” the game. It may have tied it, but both teams had to play an extra four minutes of overtime. Both teams had an equal chance to win. In the end, it was Gilroy. But hey, it’ll make the rematch in Gilroy Feb. 1 more exciting, won’t it?
