The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch
Blake Bailey

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor

Blake Bailey is a senior and he is the Online Opinion Editor for the Pitch. He enjoys writing short stories and playing basketball for the WJ team.
All content by Blake Bailey
Appreciation of current grading system

Appreciation of current grading system

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Mar 28, 2023
Yeat has captured a global audience with his creative sound. He struggled to meet the rising expectations in his newest album, "AftërLyfe."

A look back at AftërLyfe

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Mar 28, 2023
Junior Jay Wandell up at bat as he swings and connects with the pitch. Wandell had a very successful season pitching last year and is excited to make it even farther this season. The Wildcats lost their first game to the Blake Bengals on Tuesday, March 21 12-6.

WJ athletics Spring into new season

Elizabeth Finn, Audrey Ring, Raquel Tolin, Sebastian Beltran, Joshua Singer, Josh Hananel, Blake Bailey and Jose Tovar
Mar 22, 2023
The Potomac Speedskating Club wins the national championship in 2019. They waited for another opportunity at the title for four years.

Ben Sullivan skates, practices patience

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Feb 27, 2023
The separation of Church and State has been a staple of America for centuries. The move had been necessary after several oversteps of power made by the Church, however, in this time of national mental health crisis, could religion be worth turning to?

Could religion be an answer in an era of progressive mental awareness?

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Feb 24, 2023

Embrace the journey, savor the moment: a poms documentary

Sanir Byanjankar, Jalen Scott and Blake Bailey
Feb 21, 2023
From bizarre, pagan history, Valentine's Day has become one of the most popular American holidays. With the exchange of Valentine's Day gifts, many were polarized on the exclusive, commercial nature of the celebration.

Point/Counterpoint: Is valentine’s day overhyped?

Blake Bailey and Mia Halper
Feb 16, 2023
M3GAN is the newest iteration of the "killer-doll" horror genre with a comedic twist. The brief, 105 minute-long movie surpassed all financial and critical expectations.

Movie review: M3GAN

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Feb 3, 2023
Print Feature Editor Julia Ratner remains hard at work on the upcoming Pitch magazine. During the annual transition of positions, she applied for the position last year and hoped for the best.

Inside the workplace of WJ’s student publications

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Jan 26, 2023
The fall JV baseball team discusses the previous inning in the dugout in their fall league game at Povich Field. Though not an official team sanctioned by MCPS, the Wildcats compete against other county and club teams.

WJ sport’s biggest secret: The story behind the Wildcat offseason teams

Andrew Plotnick, Joshua Singer and Blake Bailey
Jan 25, 2023
MCPS employee Daniel Yankie patiently sits on stand-by. The Health Room is prepared to act in the case of an emergency.

Should virtual lessons return for sick and absent students?

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Jan 11, 2023
The beautiful Killington Ski Resort, located in Vermont, brings in thousands of tourists annually. The compiled list below was made for those who enjoy winter thrills big and small.

Recognizing the best local and national slopes

Blake Bailey and Nick Opipari
Dec 22, 2022
Winter brings snowfall, cheer and, of course, winter break. The potential extension of winter break was a big topic among administrators this past year.

Point/Counterpoint: Should MCPS extend Winter break?

Jose Tovar and Blake Bailey
Dec 14, 2022
Violent Night sleds to box office brilliance with David Harbour playing the merry murderer. Despite the noted public interest, the movie has received questionable reviews.

“Violent Night” is a Christmas disaster

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Dec 14, 2022
Cheer looks on and supports as Poms performs during halftime. The crowd roared as the team performed their signature "snake" move.

Getting a quick look at Poms before counties

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Dec 13, 2022
Freshman RB Dylan Byrd powers forward against Wootton. The roaring crowd fueled the players in the win.

Raising MCPS GPA thresholds serves athletes off the field

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Dec 11, 2022
The plane hangs carefully within the power lines. Thousands of locals experienced outages.

Students react to closures, outages across the county after plane crash

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Dec 7, 2022
The WJ XC State championship athletes for both the boys and girls pose for a photo. The girls finished 2nd, while the boys finished 13th.

Young stars power XC girls to the podium, boys finish 13th

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Dec 1, 2022
Transitioning to a new school can take months. In my experience, I found several methods to make the transition smoother.

What I wish I knew before I came to Walter Johnson

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Nov 30, 2022
Junior runner Mackenzie Raue runs during regionals. The girls' cross country team celebrates their second-place finish at the 4A West Regional Championship. They will be running in the 4A State Championship at Hereford High School on Nov. 12 and hope to blaze past the Wootton Patriots who won regionals and are favored to win the state meet.

As Regionals comes and goes, XC races towards states

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Nov 11, 2022
Black Adam has been one of DC's most complex characters, being portrayed as both supervillain and hero depending on the comic. Led by Dwayne Johnson, the character made its live-action debut in the DC Extended Universe's "Black Adam" on Oct. 21.

Black Adam battles demons, critics amidst massive opening

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Oct 31, 2022
Junior Calix McCormick paces himself in the Invitational. He finished 9th overall and led the boys to a 3rd place overall finish.

XC County Preview/Recap of Tri-Meet, Gunpowder Falls

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Oct 21, 2022
"Smile" leaves audiences in sheer horror in Parker Finn's feature debut. The film opened on Sept. 30.

“Smile” is a Halloween must-watch

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Oct 17, 2022
The night is only beginning. All ranks of classes crowded the front-end of the bleachers in support.

Boys soccer kick off a historic home-opener

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Sep 19, 2022
Senior Matt Uhl competes in a meet. The Cats compete weekly and have seen a turbulent start to the season.

Cross Country blazes the way for friendship

Blake Bailey, Online Opinion Editor
Sep 16, 2022
A gender-neutral bathroom finds splatters of canned chili about its walls. This was one of many "pranks" that took place that night.

Senior prank stains class of ’22 legacy

Blake Bailey, Staff Writer
Jun 2, 2022
Doubles partners junior Utkarsh Srivastava and senior Nick Bloch prepare to field a serve during their April 8 game against Whitman HS. The Wildcats look to bounce back from a mixed season come Regionals.

Boys tennis sets their eyes on Regionals

Blake Bailey, Staff Writer
May 19, 2022
The Washington Monument sticks out from the sea of pink, across the tidal basin. This 2022 Cherry Festival marked 110 years since the original blossoms were gifted from Japan.

Local teams celebrate DC’s blossoming culture with the unveiling of new jerseys

Blake Bailey, Staff Writer
May 11, 2022
Matt Reeve's "The Batman" spawns the 14th iteration of the famed character. The film debuted March 4 to overwhelmingly positive reviews.

The Batman soars

Blake Bailey, Staff Writer
Mar 28, 2022
The Black Student Union commemorates black history. The assembly met mixed reactions.

A review of Black Student Union assembly

Blake Bailey, Staff Writer
Mar 11, 2022
Adventurefuls are experiencing nationwide shortages. The new cookie packed a unique punch, along with some familiar elements of flavor.

Taking a bite of the newest Girl Scout cookie, Adventurefuls

Blake Bailey, Staff Writer
Feb 25, 2022
Kristaps Porzingis attempts a floater versus the Washington Wizards. Porzingis was traded to the Wizards at the deadline with the Wizards hoping to give Bradley Beal a star counterpart.

Recapping an eventful NBA trade deadline

Blake Bailey, Staff Writer
Feb 23, 2022
Coach Emilia O'Connor and senior team manager Jomel Velasquez examine a well thrown ball during practice.

Bocce is getting the ball rolling with inclusivity

Blake Bailey, Staff Writer
Feb 18, 2022
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