Ok it’s been a while since I did one of these so I have to get myself back in the blog-zone. Again I’m going to rant about the sports world and why I disagree with generally everything that mainstream sports media broadcasts and represents.
BCS (Bull-Crap Series)
My most recent sports hatred has been the Bowl Championship Series, or the BCS for short. Every time I go onto ESPN.com I am forced to deal with the reality that college football has the WORST post-season awards and games out of all sports. You may find yourself asking, “Does he actually appreciate the organization of the WNBA postseason more than the NCAA Football postseason?” The simplest answer is yes I do. The WNBA has a non-flawed way of producing undisputed champions which is very similar to many other sports. They use a basic playoff bracket, where championships are won by teams who play consistent, and smart, skillful games. However, the NCAA administration has opted out of such a system. They have chosen the BCS instead. The BCS is the most effective way of generating a TON of money through everything from endorsements, to television networks, to merchandise. The BCS is able to get tons of money because of the amount of games played in comparison to the playoff system. The BCS allows for 33 matchups through the month of December and January. A playoff system would only allow for 7 games in an 8 team seeded bracket. This large a discrepancy in games played would decrease profits for the NCAA administration by millions of dollars. However, I am not an advocate of either the current BCS system of 33 games or the suggested playoff system of 8 teams and 7 games. I am a strong supporter of the plus 1 plus system. I believe that if a team goes undefeated they should have a shot at the title, but only by proving that they are worthy of a BCS bid. In the current BCS system there are 5 undefeated teams left after the season has ended; Cincinnati from the Big East, Texas from the Big 12, Alabama from the Southeastern Conference, and TCU and Boise State from non-automatic bowl qualifying conferences in the west. Cincinnati is not playing in the national championship even though they ran the table in an automatic qualifying conference. Texas and Alabama will play for the national championship for the season and Texas Christian and Boise State will battle for the Fiesta bowl a week before. Sadly, TCU, BSU, and Cincinnati are all not playing for the national championship because they were never given a chance. The current BCS system has this problem. In my proposed postseason system this dilemma would be avoided. Each undefeated team would play each other in reverse ranking order. Boise State, being the lowest ranked undefeated team would play against the second lowest ranked team Texas Christian. The winner of this game would then enter a small remaining 4 team playoff with the remaining teams: Texas, Cincinnati, and Alabama. Texas and Cincinnati would play because they are the 2 middle ranked teams, followed by the highest and lowest ranked teams playing, Alabama and Boise State/TCU. The winners of both of these games will then play for the national championship. The other bowl games will still be played and no money will be lost through endorsements, merchandising, or television contracts. Overall I see my system being perfect, flawless, and just what the NCAA administration needs to adopt to get rid of the recent scrutiny that the BCS has faced.
Michael Vick and His Return to the ATL
Michael Vick, member of the Philadelphia Eagles, recently returned to the city that he called home before his jail stint. He rolled into Atlanta for a game against his former team the Falcons. He described as, “a very emotional stage.” He even admitted the he had shed a tear on the bus ride over to the stadium, stating that the trip to the stadium was a bit of “déjà-vu”. Upon his entrance on the turf of the Georgia Dome, Vick was greeted almost unanimously by boos from angered fans. In my opinion Andy Reid, head coach of the Eagles, handled the situation with unbelievable class. He knew that the fact that this was Michael Vick’s first game against the franchise which he took by storm, both by flashing athleticism not known on the gridiron and by single-handedly dismantling what was considered a top tier football team through crime and violence. Reid made Vick a captain for the coin toss to start the game and he allowed him to lead the Eagles onto the field for the first offensive series of the game. Vick was also involved in the Philly offense more than normal on game day. He scored his first rushing touchdown of the year against the Falcons, on a 4 yard quarterback draw play. He also threw 2 passes. His first pass being a deep bomb to the Eagles’ Reggie Brown. His second pass was a fake bootleg, where he threw across his body to tight end Brent Celek. Overall the day was a huge gain for Michael Vick, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the fans of Atlanta. Upon the end of the game Falcon fans were chanting Michael Vick’s name; a site that defined how quickly the favor of a stadium can change over the course of a game.
Things for guys to try to avoid saying on first dates
So how’d you get pregnant?
How do you feel about animals participating in the bedroom?
I’m assuming that you’ve had a few kids by now judging by your shape.
If you play your cards right, you could end up shaving my back tonight.
I’ve got a silo in my pants and it’s ready to launch.
Do you sleep on your stomach? Can I?
You must work at Subway because you just gave me a foot long.
Nice legs what time do they open?
1000 WORDS! WOOHOO!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Dancing at Parties Dos and Don'ts
Bad Scenario
So you’re at this party. Your favorite song is on. You see a girl eyeing you. You figure you’ll give it a shot. You move towards her with a kissy face and she’s still staring directly at you. You get behind her and begin to “grind”. She doesn’t seem to be that into it but you figure that she’s just playing hard to get. In order to increase the intensity of the dance you begin to “grind” a bit harder. At this point she really doesn’t seem too interested. You scream in her ear if she wants to dance but she basically ignores you to talk to a hotter guy. To get her attention to tell her to dance you grab her ass… bad idea there, son. She slaps you and you are knocked out by the guy she was talking to; probably her boyfriend. You later find out that she was staring at you because of your purple tie-die button-down and your camouflage jumpsuit pants. If this has even remotely happened to you before you can consider yourself an EPICLY AWFUL dancer.
Analysis
Analysis of the previous situation reveals a TON of mistakes. The first correctable mistake being the attire you chose to attend the party in. Unless this party was a Halloween or Euro-Rave theme there is no place in society for tie-die and camo-jumpsuit pants. The second was the fact that you made a move on a girl who simply “eye-****ed” you. Make sure there is eye contact AND a smile during the eye lock. Another fault was the approach. No-one in their right mind wants to dance with a random that’s making a kissy face unless they’re really that desperate. If a girl isn’t interested in dancing before you both really get into it, move on there a plenty of other women at the party. Never dry-hump a girl’s leg in order to prove yourself as an “Alpha-male” and to make yourself seem like a good dancer. Never yell in a girl’s ear over the volume of the music because it’s just annoying and unwanted sound. Also you never want to “grab ass” to get attention a simple tap on the shoulder will suffice. Most importantly; MAKE SURE THE GIRL YOU WANT TO DANCE WITH IS SINGLE!!!
Correction of Mistakes and Faults
Clothes
OK, you’re attending a party. Sometimes shorts are acceptable on hotter days, but at Virginia Tech those hot days are rare, so I would most often recommend jeans. Wear nice clean sneakers. No one wants to have to clean up after you track muddy footprints all over their apartment. Shirts are the most broad and flexible clothing item that a guy can work with. Guy can go from wearing funny T-Shirts all the way to button-downs. Guy should just avoid clothes that would make them seem threatening. That category includes the following, shirts depicting death and violence, shirts depicting explicit sexual activities, trench coats, all-black, army boots and paraphernalia, and only underwear.
Telling if they’re interested
This is probably the toughest of all the steps in the “Getting a Girl to Dance” process because it is often the easiest step to find misleading signs in. The 2 most important signs are non-threatening eye contact and a welcoming smile. Usually these two signs are the most common and most reliable. However, a man should never feel bad if the girl he’s interested in points towards him to motion him over.
Approaching Your “Target”
When you are making a move towards the girl that you want to dance with always approach her with a warm welcoming smile. Don’t make any weird or inappropriate faces because she might see you as a douche looking to get some, instead of a person who’s simply looking to dance.
The Actual Dancing
Dancing is a very broad subject with many styles that define it. Most often dancing at parties and clubs is a style of grinding; where the man usual is behind his female dance partner usually creating friction “down there”. He can either hold her hands or hips while grinding away. Grinding mostly occurs during rap or hip-hop music scenes. Grinding can also be hard or soft pending on who’s dancing, but just make sure you’re on the same page or things might get awkward. There’s also rave dancing; where the men and women have the option of frolicking around to primarily euro-trance techno. Just make sure when you are raving not injure anyone in the process.
Dancing Etiquette
Make sure to be “bearable” while dancing. No one’s expecting you to be the perfect example of a morally stringent person while out on the dance floor, but they do expect you to be tolerable. Never yell in someone’s ear to get their attention or to tell them something that isn’t of dire importance. Also respect the person you’re dancing with. Groping and sexually harassing them is completely unacceptable. I would also recommend making sure the person you’re dancing with is single in order to prevent any dance floor drama from being stirred up.
Hopefully this simple how to will help you in your future endeavors and encounters with the opposite gender at parties where you are “looking to get your freak on out on the dance floor.”
So you’re at this party. Your favorite song is on. You see a girl eyeing you. You figure you’ll give it a shot. You move towards her with a kissy face and she’s still staring directly at you. You get behind her and begin to “grind”. She doesn’t seem to be that into it but you figure that she’s just playing hard to get. In order to increase the intensity of the dance you begin to “grind” a bit harder. At this point she really doesn’t seem too interested. You scream in her ear if she wants to dance but she basically ignores you to talk to a hotter guy. To get her attention to tell her to dance you grab her ass… bad idea there, son. She slaps you and you are knocked out by the guy she was talking to; probably her boyfriend. You later find out that she was staring at you because of your purple tie-die button-down and your camouflage jumpsuit pants. If this has even remotely happened to you before you can consider yourself an EPICLY AWFUL dancer.
Analysis
Analysis of the previous situation reveals a TON of mistakes. The first correctable mistake being the attire you chose to attend the party in. Unless this party was a Halloween or Euro-Rave theme there is no place in society for tie-die and camo-jumpsuit pants. The second was the fact that you made a move on a girl who simply “eye-****ed” you. Make sure there is eye contact AND a smile during the eye lock. Another fault was the approach. No-one in their right mind wants to dance with a random that’s making a kissy face unless they’re really that desperate. If a girl isn’t interested in dancing before you both really get into it, move on there a plenty of other women at the party. Never dry-hump a girl’s leg in order to prove yourself as an “Alpha-male” and to make yourself seem like a good dancer. Never yell in a girl’s ear over the volume of the music because it’s just annoying and unwanted sound. Also you never want to “grab ass” to get attention a simple tap on the shoulder will suffice. Most importantly; MAKE SURE THE GIRL YOU WANT TO DANCE WITH IS SINGLE!!!
Correction of Mistakes and Faults
Clothes
OK, you’re attending a party. Sometimes shorts are acceptable on hotter days, but at Virginia Tech those hot days are rare, so I would most often recommend jeans. Wear nice clean sneakers. No one wants to have to clean up after you track muddy footprints all over their apartment. Shirts are the most broad and flexible clothing item that a guy can work with. Guy can go from wearing funny T-Shirts all the way to button-downs. Guy should just avoid clothes that would make them seem threatening. That category includes the following, shirts depicting death and violence, shirts depicting explicit sexual activities, trench coats, all-black, army boots and paraphernalia, and only underwear.
Telling if they’re interested
This is probably the toughest of all the steps in the “Getting a Girl to Dance” process because it is often the easiest step to find misleading signs in. The 2 most important signs are non-threatening eye contact and a welcoming smile. Usually these two signs are the most common and most reliable. However, a man should never feel bad if the girl he’s interested in points towards him to motion him over.
Approaching Your “Target”
When you are making a move towards the girl that you want to dance with always approach her with a warm welcoming smile. Don’t make any weird or inappropriate faces because she might see you as a douche looking to get some, instead of a person who’s simply looking to dance.
The Actual Dancing
Dancing is a very broad subject with many styles that define it. Most often dancing at parties and clubs is a style of grinding; where the man usual is behind his female dance partner usually creating friction “down there”. He can either hold her hands or hips while grinding away. Grinding mostly occurs during rap or hip-hop music scenes. Grinding can also be hard or soft pending on who’s dancing, but just make sure you’re on the same page or things might get awkward. There’s also rave dancing; where the men and women have the option of frolicking around to primarily euro-trance techno. Just make sure when you are raving not injure anyone in the process.
Dancing Etiquette
Make sure to be “bearable” while dancing. No one’s expecting you to be the perfect example of a morally stringent person while out on the dance floor, but they do expect you to be tolerable. Never yell in someone’s ear to get their attention or to tell them something that isn’t of dire importance. Also respect the person you’re dancing with. Groping and sexually harassing them is completely unacceptable. I would also recommend making sure the person you’re dancing with is single in order to prevent any dance floor drama from being stirred up.
Hopefully this simple how to will help you in your future endeavors and encounters with the opposite gender at parties where you are “looking to get your freak on out on the dance floor.”
Monday, November 9, 2009
Garbage College Football Player Rankings
I’ll start off by saying I have a ton a free time. In this free time I dedicate a fair amount to my study of sports and other random athletics. During my study and research of college football athletes I happened to stumble upon a list of college football athletes. (http://www.americasbestonline.com/cfootball100.htm). This was singlehanded one of the worst lists I’ve read in some time. As I was reading I was simply overwhelmed by sheer stupidity in some of the rankings. The problems start at the top of the list. Jim Thorpe is a college football legend, but he isn’t even close to being number one. He was Mr. Football at Carlisle University and for years after. His problem with his resume is that he didn’t set any insane records or have any games where people said, “WHAT THE F!@#”. The man who had these games was the “Galloping Ghost”. Red Grange, also known as “The Galloping Ghost”, was a legend. I’ve seen some ridiculous numbers in my life, in regards to football statistics. His career numbers were rather low in comparison to others in contention for the top spot on the list, but his collegiate football career only lasted 20 games. 20 games on today’s length of schedule are about a season and a half. In these 20 games he ran for 3362 yards and 31 touchdowns, while leading his team to a national championship. This averages out to a career average of 168 yards per game and a touchdown and a half a game. These numbers are not only scary if compared to modern day stats, but he has highlight games that I haven’t even discussed yet. Michigan University has one of the most prestigious college football programs of all time. You might be asking yourself why I even brought up this fact. The Galloping Ghost ran wild on them in 1924. When I say ran wild I mean HE WENT OFF! I’ve yet to see anything even close to the stats he put up. In the first half he scored, not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 touchdowns. 4 touchdowns in a half are very, very impressive, but he did this in the FIRST QUARTER. If any player did this in modern day they’d not only win player of the year but immediately be in contention for player of the year. He was pulled out of the game after the first quarter, ensuing sitting the second quarter. He later returned in the second half to run for another touchdown and throw for a score as well. Averaging 6 total touchdowns a game is enough to break the career scoring record in less than a season. Simply put, The Galloping Ghost dominated when he played, more so than any other player, and therefore he’s the greatest college football player of all time. Another player who is too low at spot 39 is Charles Woodson. He is the only player to ever win the Heisman Trophy without playing significant time on the offensive side of the ball. He contributed all his work on either special teams or defense. He led the nation in non-offensive touchdowns. Finally the last problem with this list is its lack of Virginia Tech alums, particularly a certain dogfighter, along with considerably the best defensive end to ever play the game. Bruce Smith, Virginia Tech class of 1985, was a defensive end. In his tenure at Virginia Tech he had 46 sacks and 22 in his junior year alone. He was awarded consensus first-team All-American status by the Associated Press. In 1984, Smith won the Outland Trophy; cementing his status as the best lineman of the year (offensive or defensive) at the time. He was also the first overall pick of the NFL draft in the following year, where he led a distinguished Hall of Fame career in the pros. The dogfighter previously referred to earlier in the rant was obviously Michael Vick. Vick is often called the BEST running quarterback of all-time. His ability with his feet would not only change a defensive coordinator’s schemes but it would rewrite the personnel that the defense would send out onto the field. They had to put the fastest players out on the field to not defend, but contain the RUNNING ability of a throwing proficient player. This intense planning would often be futile when assaulted with the sheer incredible athleticism of Michael Vick. In Michael’s freshman year at Virginia Tech, he was redshirted. A redshirt grants a player a year of academic eligibility, but restricts athletic ability. Michael sat on the sideline for his first year at Tech. However, his collegiate inexperience would not hinder his ability to dice defenses at his will. Mike Vick stormed into the National Spotlight as the “unstoppable quarterback”. In his first game he scored 3 rushing touchdowns in about a quarter and a half. He led Virginia Tech to an 11-0 record and into the national championship game against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost the game Vick’s numbers were impressive. Vick went on to place third in the Heisman Voting behind Ron Dayne, who is also on the list of the 100 top players. Vick was featured as the cover athlete on a Sports Illustrated magazine, won the ESPY award for the nation’s top college football player, and won the first ever Archie Griffin award (National College Football MVP). Vick only stayed another year at Virginia Tech before deciding to go pro. He was drafted first overall by the Atlanta Falcons. By being drafted as the number one overall player, Vick became the first black quarterback to do so. His troubles with the law later ensued, but the list includes O.J. Simpson, and as we all know he had his own troubles as well. Vicks stats at Virginia Tech were not all that impressive, but Kirk Herbstreit, an ESPN college football analyst, stated he would elect to put Vick on his all-time team. His stats are not to be focused on, but rather his ability to change any game at any point in time. He reinvented the quarterback position, for players to come in the near future, for example Vince Young. He is a legend amongst college football quarterbacks in terms of leadership and athleticism and rightfully deserves to occupy a spot on the list of the Top 100 College Football Players of All-Time.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Time-Killers and The Benefits of Having Them
Ways to Kill Time in College
Caution: Students with ambition and goals beware; reading of the article could damage work ethic.
College is a time for students to grow in both character and intelligence, but what happens when a student is either too tired to learn or simply “learned out” for the day. This is where he/she uses the ability to kill time to his/her advantage. Despite the fact that classes may be hard, everyone needs time to unwind and relax and killing time is the best way to do so.
The most common way that I have killed time to this point in the semester is to find a group of friends and to hang out with them. Having friends that have similar interests as me has made life on Virginia Tech’s campus exponentially easier and more fun. Whether it’s playing NCAA Football 2010 on the Xbox, or hanging out watching Transformers, some of the best times that I’ve had on campus have been with my friends. In the category of finding friends I suggest you find a clique and expand from there. I knew very few people entering Virginia Tech, being that I was from New Jersey, but I met some people when I got down here and through social networking I was introduced to a fraternity. I rushed the fraternity and was given a bid, which I quickly accepted. I was now friends with both the people I met back on campus and people in the fraternity. By finding a clique, gaining a larger social network becomes possible, and therefore the possibility to kill more time is present.
However, chilling with friends is very broad and therefore should be used to kill time while doing other activities. One of such previously activities was video games. Video games can chew through entire days, maybe even weeks if you find a good game. Some recent games have taken bites out of my schedule. NCAA Football 2010 has taken a lot of my time of late, simply because I wish to create an alternate reality in the video game where Virginia Tech is an unbeatable, unstoppable, and formidable collegiate dynasty. I also play a lot of FIFA 2010 which is simply a good game to play with my bros because of its exciting party sports genre. My game that I play at the fraternity house with fraternity friends is Rock Band, which I highly recommend for anyone looking to pick up playing a fake instrument. It is the best party game and is extremely fun when playing with a group of people. There are also other games which I don’t play such as World of Warcraft and Halo that are huge reasons why people can’t get work done on time.
Aside from video games, movies and television shows are also effective time killers. Popular television shows for young adults have been shown to be SportsCenter, Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, Friday Night Lights, and Greek. Although it has been known to be difficult for college students to keep up with the live showings of their favorite shows, technology has helped this problem. HULU.com is an internet site, completely legal, that allows people to watch previous episodes of their favorite shows that they may have missed or want to watch again. I have used this resource often this semester, most commonly to catch up on Greek. Instead of spending a ton of money on seasons on DVD (money which is often unavailable to college students) student should visit HULU, to save a few bucks and kill some precious time as well.
Listening to and playing music is a great way to pass the time. Music is both an outlet for emotional expression and a way to do/listen to something when there is nothing else to do. Music choices for people often depend upon a person’s background. Though, for me, I listen to a music genre and artist which appeals to my current mood. If I’m down I might go more along the lines of Coheed and Cambria, and other emo bands. If I’m upbeat and feeling good I might go with rock bands that play music about living life to its fullest. A perfect example is Poison and their song “Nothin’ but a Good Time”. When I just feel like chilling I listen to some deep hip-hop and rap beats. I recommend music to anyone looking for a way to kill time while walking to class or riding the bus to the Math Emporium. Aside from just listening to music, playing an instrument is also a great way chew up time. A couple of the more popular instruments for college students are guitars and harmonicas. Harmonicas are growing in popularity amongst students for primarily two reasons. One reason being that the harmonica is so small and portable that people can basically bring it anywhere with being over-encumbered. The guitar is popular because of its easy ability to pick up and play but also because of the amount of time it takes to master. Word on the street is that the ability to play an instrument is seen as attractive in the opposite genders eyes… so if you’re single but looking for a partner maybe it’s time to get playing.
Moving on to boyfriends and girlfriends; they are the most time consuming nonacademic factors in a college student’s life. BF and GF take tons of time and commitment. Whether it is walking to class together, or taking a significant other out to lunch or dinner, couples spend a ridiculous amount of time together. If you often find yourself looking for something to do, look into finding a BF/GF because all that precious free time you once had will go out the window in a hurry.
Sports and physical activity is a great way to get both physically fit and spend some time in a positive manner. Unlike most of the time killing strategies discussed, this approach has the best overall outcome in the long run. Working out can put you in a positive state of mind and help you get fit. Sports do the same thing as working out except for that fact that it is not as schedule flexible. Sports also help social networking related back to the friends’ aspect of killing time. Both sports and working out can both help you get in shape and eat up time.
The final way to kill time is definitely the least advised way to do so. You have the option to kill time by doing recreational drugs… but it’s not a good idea. Reasons against it include, possible loss of friends, failing out of school, running into trouble with the cops, possible arrest, and possible addiction. I strongly disapprove of the use of recreational drugs as time killers.
Overall remember the following ways to kill time and you’ll never find yourself wondering what to do at any point in time.
• Video Games
• Friends
• Television
• Movies
• Listening to Music
• Playing an Instrument
• Having a Boy/Girlfriend
• Sports and Physical Activity
• Recreational Drugs***
***Probable negative effects
Caution: Students with ambition and goals beware; reading of the article could damage work ethic.
College is a time for students to grow in both character and intelligence, but what happens when a student is either too tired to learn or simply “learned out” for the day. This is where he/she uses the ability to kill time to his/her advantage. Despite the fact that classes may be hard, everyone needs time to unwind and relax and killing time is the best way to do so.
The most common way that I have killed time to this point in the semester is to find a group of friends and to hang out with them. Having friends that have similar interests as me has made life on Virginia Tech’s campus exponentially easier and more fun. Whether it’s playing NCAA Football 2010 on the Xbox, or hanging out watching Transformers, some of the best times that I’ve had on campus have been with my friends. In the category of finding friends I suggest you find a clique and expand from there. I knew very few people entering Virginia Tech, being that I was from New Jersey, but I met some people when I got down here and through social networking I was introduced to a fraternity. I rushed the fraternity and was given a bid, which I quickly accepted. I was now friends with both the people I met back on campus and people in the fraternity. By finding a clique, gaining a larger social network becomes possible, and therefore the possibility to kill more time is present.
However, chilling with friends is very broad and therefore should be used to kill time while doing other activities. One of such previously activities was video games. Video games can chew through entire days, maybe even weeks if you find a good game. Some recent games have taken bites out of my schedule. NCAA Football 2010 has taken a lot of my time of late, simply because I wish to create an alternate reality in the video game where Virginia Tech is an unbeatable, unstoppable, and formidable collegiate dynasty. I also play a lot of FIFA 2010 which is simply a good game to play with my bros because of its exciting party sports genre. My game that I play at the fraternity house with fraternity friends is Rock Band, which I highly recommend for anyone looking to pick up playing a fake instrument. It is the best party game and is extremely fun when playing with a group of people. There are also other games which I don’t play such as World of Warcraft and Halo that are huge reasons why people can’t get work done on time.
Aside from video games, movies and television shows are also effective time killers. Popular television shows for young adults have been shown to be SportsCenter, Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, Friday Night Lights, and Greek. Although it has been known to be difficult for college students to keep up with the live showings of their favorite shows, technology has helped this problem. HULU.com is an internet site, completely legal, that allows people to watch previous episodes of their favorite shows that they may have missed or want to watch again. I have used this resource often this semester, most commonly to catch up on Greek. Instead of spending a ton of money on seasons on DVD (money which is often unavailable to college students) student should visit HULU, to save a few bucks and kill some precious time as well.
Listening to and playing music is a great way to pass the time. Music is both an outlet for emotional expression and a way to do/listen to something when there is nothing else to do. Music choices for people often depend upon a person’s background. Though, for me, I listen to a music genre and artist which appeals to my current mood. If I’m down I might go more along the lines of Coheed and Cambria, and other emo bands. If I’m upbeat and feeling good I might go with rock bands that play music about living life to its fullest. A perfect example is Poison and their song “Nothin’ but a Good Time”. When I just feel like chilling I listen to some deep hip-hop and rap beats. I recommend music to anyone looking for a way to kill time while walking to class or riding the bus to the Math Emporium. Aside from just listening to music, playing an instrument is also a great way chew up time. A couple of the more popular instruments for college students are guitars and harmonicas. Harmonicas are growing in popularity amongst students for primarily two reasons. One reason being that the harmonica is so small and portable that people can basically bring it anywhere with being over-encumbered. The guitar is popular because of its easy ability to pick up and play but also because of the amount of time it takes to master. Word on the street is that the ability to play an instrument is seen as attractive in the opposite genders eyes… so if you’re single but looking for a partner maybe it’s time to get playing.
Moving on to boyfriends and girlfriends; they are the most time consuming nonacademic factors in a college student’s life. BF and GF take tons of time and commitment. Whether it is walking to class together, or taking a significant other out to lunch or dinner, couples spend a ridiculous amount of time together. If you often find yourself looking for something to do, look into finding a BF/GF because all that precious free time you once had will go out the window in a hurry.
Sports and physical activity is a great way to get both physically fit and spend some time in a positive manner. Unlike most of the time killing strategies discussed, this approach has the best overall outcome in the long run. Working out can put you in a positive state of mind and help you get fit. Sports do the same thing as working out except for that fact that it is not as schedule flexible. Sports also help social networking related back to the friends’ aspect of killing time. Both sports and working out can both help you get in shape and eat up time.
The final way to kill time is definitely the least advised way to do so. You have the option to kill time by doing recreational drugs… but it’s not a good idea. Reasons against it include, possible loss of friends, failing out of school, running into trouble with the cops, possible arrest, and possible addiction. I strongly disapprove of the use of recreational drugs as time killers.
Overall remember the following ways to kill time and you’ll never find yourself wondering what to do at any point in time.
• Video Games
• Friends
• Television
• Movies
• Listening to Music
• Playing an Instrument
• Having a Boy/Girlfriend
• Sports and Physical Activity
• Recreational Drugs***
***Probable negative effects
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Embarassment, Fear, and Intimidation: How to Handle 'Em
Embarrassing, scary, and intimidating moments run teenagers’ lives. It’s hard to believe that many of these moments define who we are as people today. When we look back on embarrassing events, they are now sometimes funny, scary or just plain stupid. As people grow and experience these moments they gain knowledge on how to handle events similar to those they’ve already been through. I’ll take you through a couple of these events.
First embarrassing events of young peoples’ lives are normally involving parents. As parents get to know a young person’s friends, they feel as if they can start to treat them like their friends too. The more friends that are present in front of a parent doing something stupid the worse the embarrassment is. Have you ever seen the parent address one of your friends as “bro”? Hopefully not because it singlehandedly can make any situation a WEIRD one. Another awful situation is when a parent asks you to if they can get involved in whatever you’re doing. I think sports are the 2nd worst scenario of all. An old man joining a bunch of teens in wiffle-ball is almost the worst situation involving parents and friends. Baby pictures… are singlehandedly the worst thing that a parent can expose to a friend, or worse a group of friends. The last thing you need is a picture of you at age 2 naked in a bath tub… yeah a little bit embarrassing.
Then there are the scary events. Those events that make your hair stand up and your limbs tense up. A fear of the opposite sex is pretty common for young teens. They don’t know what to do with the opposite sex in terms of interaction; whether to play hard-to-get, to be mushy and gushy, or to just be plain flirty many are clueless and therefore SCARED. More scary events involve parents. Picture this:
You stumble home after a party. You discovered Jell-O shots at this party. You also found out you really like Jell-O shots. (Set-up for disaster) You enter the door walk slowly up the stairs to avoid waking up your parents. You undress as your about to enter bed… and then it happens. BLEWH! You just threw up all over your bed… you go over to the trash and again BLEWH! Then you begin to process what the hell is going on. The first is, “Did my parents hear me vomiting.” After a few minutes of no response you conclude the answer to that question to be, “NO.” Then you ask yourself, “How do I get rid of a couple pints of beer and Jell-O shots.” You quickly react stripping your bed, but being sure not to be too loud that you wake your parents. You hustle to the nearest washing machine, throwing whatever has the mess on it into the washer. You make the decision that the washers noise is not enough to wake up your parents.
Notice how in this situation every decision you make is with regard to how you are avoiding your parents. This is because you fear the power that they have over you. You know they can take away your Xbox, your cell phone, your car, or worst your friends. You respect this power by avoiding them whenever you make big mistakes. By the way, the example used was a BIG MISTAKE. The scariest part of young-life in my opinion is death. Death is the end of all ends, of course if you are religious you might believe otherwise. Death is the unknown and because it is so foreign we fear it. Death of loved ones can rattle a person for life and therefore it is possibly the scariest single event that can affect a person in their teens.
The last moments I will discuss are those intimidating events. If your teacher is giving you crap about some report you turned in, you face an instance as native as any. Fight versus Flight is the only thing passing through your mind. You know if you stand up for your belief you could show the teacher that you aren’t messing around with your grade that you received, but you could be disciplined based upon your reaction. You also know if you just sit there and take whatever the teacher is giving you, you’ll look like a wimp in front of your friends and your grade has ZERO percent chance of being changed. Your reaction is based on whether you are successfully intimidated by the teacher. The most frequent intimidation that a young teen will face is involving members of the other sex. As a guy I know that when a pretty lady walks into a room I’m going to have to “man up and grow a pair” to talk to her. If I happen to start a conversation with this girl, I need to seem calm, funny, but most of all COOL. When I’m projecting this image of seeming calm and collected, I’m fretting like crazy on a multitude of things. I’m trying not to sweat too much, fidget, or be too touchy. Next I’m wondering how I look in my clothes, how my hair looks, and whether showing 4 hours ago was a good decision as compared to just throwing on some expensive cologne. My minds flying a thousand miles a minute, but I’m standing there cooler than the other side of the pillow. After I manage to pull together the courage to ask her for a number, I get what I coveted for the past 15 minutes, a 10 digit passage to a great looking woman. I call a day later to ask her to lunch and she accepts. I spend more time than a girl on prom day getting ready. Shower with shampoo and conditioner, body wash, and Q-Tips are only the beginning. I clip not only my fingernails but my toenails as well. I brush my teeth 10 times in the course of 2 hours and when the toothbrush isn’t in my mouth Listerine is. I pick only the finest clothes to wear in front of the woman making sure she knows I mean business. I use enough cologne to have a distinct smell without being overbearing or drowning myself in it. I clean up my car, Lysol the seats maybe even cologne the car if she’s really pretty. The car goes through the nearest carwash getting the most expensive package they offer. I pick her up at her place with loud enough music so that it’s at borderline noise violation level, thinking I’ll look like a badass if she can hear me coming a half a mile away. I again make conversation while under extreme anxiety of the possibilities of what can go wrong. “Will my car break down?” “What if my breath isn’t fresh? Will she be turned off?” “Is my shirt stained?” All these are examples of possible over thinking caused by intimidation. We pull up to a lunch spot not too classy, but not fast-food either. It’s just right. I pay for the meal because I’m a gentleman. She loves the date and thanks me. I walk her to her door. UH-OH! It’s the moment of truth. The atmosphere is quiet and near perfect for what about to go down. “Do I make a move?” I notice her smile but I’m unsure of what will happen as a result. I could either get a girlfriend as a result of a successful attempt, or she could think I’m too fast. I make a move…SCORE! Notice how intimidation can cause tons of over thinking, but a true master of his/her domain can handle the pressure and come out of a situation without.
All these events seriously effect who we are as people. If we are embarrassed often as kids it could cause us to be shy as adults. If we are scared all the time how can we honestly live a fun and exciting life. If we are too intimidated to make changes, how can we meet new people, or spouses for that matter? People must use the events in a constructive manner in order to gain positive experience as a result. Use embarrassing stories as conversation starters or jokes. Build upon your fears by trying to overcome them. Try to avoid intimidation by using past experiences as a guideline on how to handle a scenario.
First embarrassing events of young peoples’ lives are normally involving parents. As parents get to know a young person’s friends, they feel as if they can start to treat them like their friends too. The more friends that are present in front of a parent doing something stupid the worse the embarrassment is. Have you ever seen the parent address one of your friends as “bro”? Hopefully not because it singlehandedly can make any situation a WEIRD one. Another awful situation is when a parent asks you to if they can get involved in whatever you’re doing. I think sports are the 2nd worst scenario of all. An old man joining a bunch of teens in wiffle-ball is almost the worst situation involving parents and friends. Baby pictures… are singlehandedly the worst thing that a parent can expose to a friend, or worse a group of friends. The last thing you need is a picture of you at age 2 naked in a bath tub… yeah a little bit embarrassing.
Then there are the scary events. Those events that make your hair stand up and your limbs tense up. A fear of the opposite sex is pretty common for young teens. They don’t know what to do with the opposite sex in terms of interaction; whether to play hard-to-get, to be mushy and gushy, or to just be plain flirty many are clueless and therefore SCARED. More scary events involve parents. Picture this:
You stumble home after a party. You discovered Jell-O shots at this party. You also found out you really like Jell-O shots. (Set-up for disaster) You enter the door walk slowly up the stairs to avoid waking up your parents. You undress as your about to enter bed… and then it happens. BLEWH! You just threw up all over your bed… you go over to the trash and again BLEWH! Then you begin to process what the hell is going on. The first is, “Did my parents hear me vomiting.” After a few minutes of no response you conclude the answer to that question to be, “NO.” Then you ask yourself, “How do I get rid of a couple pints of beer and Jell-O shots.” You quickly react stripping your bed, but being sure not to be too loud that you wake your parents. You hustle to the nearest washing machine, throwing whatever has the mess on it into the washer. You make the decision that the washers noise is not enough to wake up your parents.
Notice how in this situation every decision you make is with regard to how you are avoiding your parents. This is because you fear the power that they have over you. You know they can take away your Xbox, your cell phone, your car, or worst your friends. You respect this power by avoiding them whenever you make big mistakes. By the way, the example used was a BIG MISTAKE. The scariest part of young-life in my opinion is death. Death is the end of all ends, of course if you are religious you might believe otherwise. Death is the unknown and because it is so foreign we fear it. Death of loved ones can rattle a person for life and therefore it is possibly the scariest single event that can affect a person in their teens.
The last moments I will discuss are those intimidating events. If your teacher is giving you crap about some report you turned in, you face an instance as native as any. Fight versus Flight is the only thing passing through your mind. You know if you stand up for your belief you could show the teacher that you aren’t messing around with your grade that you received, but you could be disciplined based upon your reaction. You also know if you just sit there and take whatever the teacher is giving you, you’ll look like a wimp in front of your friends and your grade has ZERO percent chance of being changed. Your reaction is based on whether you are successfully intimidated by the teacher. The most frequent intimidation that a young teen will face is involving members of the other sex. As a guy I know that when a pretty lady walks into a room I’m going to have to “man up and grow a pair” to talk to her. If I happen to start a conversation with this girl, I need to seem calm, funny, but most of all COOL. When I’m projecting this image of seeming calm and collected, I’m fretting like crazy on a multitude of things. I’m trying not to sweat too much, fidget, or be too touchy. Next I’m wondering how I look in my clothes, how my hair looks, and whether showing 4 hours ago was a good decision as compared to just throwing on some expensive cologne. My minds flying a thousand miles a minute, but I’m standing there cooler than the other side of the pillow. After I manage to pull together the courage to ask her for a number, I get what I coveted for the past 15 minutes, a 10 digit passage to a great looking woman. I call a day later to ask her to lunch and she accepts. I spend more time than a girl on prom day getting ready. Shower with shampoo and conditioner, body wash, and Q-Tips are only the beginning. I clip not only my fingernails but my toenails as well. I brush my teeth 10 times in the course of 2 hours and when the toothbrush isn’t in my mouth Listerine is. I pick only the finest clothes to wear in front of the woman making sure she knows I mean business. I use enough cologne to have a distinct smell without being overbearing or drowning myself in it. I clean up my car, Lysol the seats maybe even cologne the car if she’s really pretty. The car goes through the nearest carwash getting the most expensive package they offer. I pick her up at her place with loud enough music so that it’s at borderline noise violation level, thinking I’ll look like a badass if she can hear me coming a half a mile away. I again make conversation while under extreme anxiety of the possibilities of what can go wrong. “Will my car break down?” “What if my breath isn’t fresh? Will she be turned off?” “Is my shirt stained?” All these are examples of possible over thinking caused by intimidation. We pull up to a lunch spot not too classy, but not fast-food either. It’s just right. I pay for the meal because I’m a gentleman. She loves the date and thanks me. I walk her to her door. UH-OH! It’s the moment of truth. The atmosphere is quiet and near perfect for what about to go down. “Do I make a move?” I notice her smile but I’m unsure of what will happen as a result. I could either get a girlfriend as a result of a successful attempt, or she could think I’m too fast. I make a move…SCORE! Notice how intimidation can cause tons of over thinking, but a true master of his/her domain can handle the pressure and come out of a situation without.
All these events seriously effect who we are as people. If we are embarrassed often as kids it could cause us to be shy as adults. If we are scared all the time how can we honestly live a fun and exciting life. If we are too intimidated to make changes, how can we meet new people, or spouses for that matter? People must use the events in a constructive manner in order to gain positive experience as a result. Use embarrassing stories as conversation starters or jokes. Build upon your fears by trying to overcome them. Try to avoid intimidation by using past experiences as a guideline on how to handle a scenario.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
College Football Rankings
College football rankings are always raising some eyebrows. This week seemed to intrigue me more than usual though. As usual #1 Florida handled business in “The Swamp”, beating down an overmatched and less athletic Tennessee team. Texas, number two in the AP top 25, also maintained consistency by defeating rival school, Texas Tech, at home. Both of the top two teams have stability at the quarterback position. However, previously ranked third but currently ranked twelfth, Southern California, had an injury of star freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, and had to play inexperienced, yet highly recruited backup, Aaron Corp. Without the leadership of Barkley, USC fell to current #24 Washington. Washington was winless last year, at a very embarrassing 0-12 with an in-conference record of 0-9. The winless in-conference record is even more pathetic than the 0-12, considering that the Pac-10 is one of the weakest BCS conferences in the nation. Washington’s performance against USC was extremely impressive, but the fact that it came after a winless season makes it that much more amazing. However, the back-story of this game is the icing on the cake. Steve Sarkisian was USC’s ex-offensive coordinator. Unfortunately for USC he is now Washington’s new head coach. Previous #4 and current #3 Alabama defeated North Texas easily and also has an notable win vs. a fellow ranked team in Virginia Tech. Ole Miss is sitting at #4 currently after another solid performance by quarterback Jevan Snead. #5 Penn State defeated Temple, and is yet to be tested by a true powerhouse team. #6 California had some trouble with a tough opponent on the road in Minnesota but was carried by the amazing performance of their Heisman contending halfback, Jahvid Best. LSU and Boise State, at #7 and #8 respectively handled their week 3 opponents with easy. #9 Miami defeated Georgia Tech and jumped a ridiculous 11 poll spots. Miami beat Florida State in a close game and defeated Georgia Tech by multiple scores but a plus-11 week usually only occurs after top-5 win. If Miami wants to prove that they are worthy of a top 10 ranking then they need to beat a very skilled Virginia Tech on the road in an extremely hostile environment. Miami will need to establish a good passing game to beat Virginia Tech because of the absence of All-American corner Stephen Virgil. #10 Oklahoma re-established themselves as a team to beat by having freshman quarterback Landry Jones throw for 6 touchdowns against Tulsa. #11 Virginia Tech played in a thrilling game against Nebraska. Virginia Tech’s star quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw his the 2 most clutch passes of his career in the final 2 minutes of the game this week. The first was a broken play where Tyrod Taylor scrambled until he unleashed a miraculous strike to Danny Coale for an eighty one yard gain, putting Virginia Tech at Nebraska’s 3. The next play of Virginia Tech’s was a run by freshman running back Ryan Williams which was stopped short of the end zone. 2nd and goal was a play which many tech fans thought ended the game. Tyrod Taylor was sacked for a loss of 8 yards and the clock continued to run. 3rd and goal was the play that has defined Virginia Tech’s season to this point. Tyrod Taylor dropped back to pass and scrambled back and forth for ten seconds until he rolled right of the pocket and fired a laser-beam pass into the arms of wide receiver Dyrell Roberts, while being dragged to the ground by two Nebraska Cornhusker linemen. The play would later be reviewed and confirmed. The play turned out to be the game winner for the Hokies and led to the rushing of the field for the Virginia Tech faithful. #13 Ohio State beat Toledo convincingly, with the defense pitching a shutout. #14 Cincinnati and star quarterback Tony Pike rolled over an impressive Oregon State team. Texas Christian University, #15, and their high octane defense obliterated an outmatched Texas State team. #16 Oklahoma State rebounded after a gut wrenching loss to Houston, with a strong offensive performance against Rice. Houston continued dominance against subpar competition with another impressive showing by Case Keenum, a young Heisman dark horse. #18 Florida State pounded an overmatched #19 Brigham Young University and proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. The University of Kansas again showed that they are an outside chance to win the Big 12 title by destroying a rather pathetic Duke team. #21 Georgia beat Arkansas by exploiting a very fragile secondary with the speed and strength of A.J. Green a five star recruit out of high school. North Carolina remained undefeated by defeating East Carolina using the strength of running back Shawn Draughn. Michigan beat down Eastern Michigan by using a 91 yard run by Carlos Brown, their senior back-up running back. Why is he the back-up if he’s the man who’s running for 90 yards at a time? Brandon Minor may be a more typical every down back but the homerun threat presented by Brown is simply a weapon that deserves to be used. The run by Brown was the third longest in Michigan’s history. Georgia Tech fell from the rankings after losing to a very highly ranked opponent on the road in Miami and Utah lost to a undermanned Oregon team, who is currently missing their star junior college transfer running back LeGarrett Blount. Blount after a week one loss to Boise State on the road, punched a BSU player in the mouth knocking him clean out. He then proceeded to attack the crowd of Boise State and was restrained by players from his own team. The coach of Oregon decided that it was best for both the university and the team if LeGarrett Blount was suspended for the year. This week in college football was extremely crazy and it should be noted that every team in the top 25 was affected by both the pollsters (the people that vote on the college football rankings) and the players and coaches that participated in this week’s games. I was disappointed in many of the rankings but overall the week in college football was very fun to watch and it will for sure be a week that will be remembered for the rest of the college football season.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Recent NBA News
According to The New York Daily News, The Knicks are still extremely interested in acquiring All-NBA small forward Lebron James. To no one’s’ surprise the Knicks freed up a ton of salary cap space to house the superstar and his behemoth contract which will sure follow him. However the Knicks may have found a way around paying Lebron massive “salary cap-eating” contract. The Knicks look to offer Lebron his own television channel. Yeah I was thinking the same thing you probably are right now… how can a single player own his own station, let alone a show? Although Lebron James is the most dominant player in the game today can’t possibly deserve his own channel. He has won zero championships, and in his only NBA Finals appearance was a disaster to say the least, as his Cavaliers were destroyed by a faster more complete San Antonio Spurs team. Lebron does have very impressive career numbers and a couple of records under his belt as well, but he isn’t Michael Jordan. Let me provide some back-story to the phenom that is Lebron James. Lebron grew up in Ohio and was 3 time Mr. Basketball in high school. He went directly to the NBA bypassing college. He was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his rookie season he was awarded the rookie of the year. In the following 4 years he was 1st-team All-NBA and 2nd-team All-NBA, each twice. Since 2005, he was named to NBA All-star teams. In 2009 he won the Most Valuable Player award. Lebron over his career has averaged 27.5 points per game, 6.7 assists, and 7 rebounds. These numbers obviously indicate he, like his idol Jason Kidd, is a threat for a triple-double at any time. Although these credentials seem ridiculously amazing, I don’t see them being worthy of a television station. Lebron’s television network only seems like a stupid ploy to get him to come to New York. No single person has a TV channel about themselves and having the first as Lebron seems to insult the fact that political leaders don’t have their own networks. Shouldn’t the President get his own channel before a sport athlete does? It seems to make little sense having the priority of a nation’s focus on an athlete rather than a political leader. However, there are a series of benefits that the Knicks could get if Lebron accepts the contract and channel offer. The Knicks gain a huge fan base by having the best and most famous player in the world on their team. This will increase home game attendance and television ratings. The Knicks will also profit huge from jersey sales and the launch of Lebron’s television channel (hopefully named LBTV). The rumor of Lebron’s TV channel is one that will take a couple of months to confirm, but it will surely be something that will be addressed by the Knicks organization in the future.
Dwyane Wade has openly stated that he is not going to resign a deal with the Miami Heat, until the end of the 2009-10 season. This is particularly terrible news for the Heat as Wade is by far their best player and he accounts for most of their points, assists, and blocks. Last year Wade accounted for 30.2 points per game, a number which will be extremely hard for the Heat to replace. Wade is a gold-medalist for the United States Olympic Basketball Team. It will be for difficult for the Miami Heat to find another player with similar talent, youth, and size. Wade similar to Lebron James is a phenomenal talent at a young age. If the Heat fail to sign Dwyane Wade they will need to either trade up for a high draft pick and pray that they get a young super-talent in the draft or try and make a blockbuster move in free agency. Their decision should lie on the number in the win column at the end of the year. If the win column is high then the Heat should pay big bucks for Dwyane’s next contract. If the number of wins is low then the heat should try and add talent through the NBA draft. I would recommend the Heat look at Willie Warren, sharp shooting, combo guard, out of Oklahoma. His upside is big and he can provide some of the scoring that Wade provided. The Heat should also scout out Xavier Henry. He is a freshman entering Kansas university, who is very long and athletic for his position, and possibly has the best potential out of his freshman class. They also can look into free agency to find already established talent. At the top of their list should be Ray Allen, one of the greatest three point shooters in NBA history. They should also take a look at Paul Pierce, another player who can extend a defense beyond the arc and also attack the rim. Anyway you look at it, Dwyane Wade refusing to resign until after the 2009-10 season is terrible news for fans of the Miami Heat.
In other recent news, Brendan Haywood stated Michael Jordan could beat half or the league today. This wouldn’t surprise people who think of the Michael Jordan being talked about in his mid 20’s and early 30’s… not as a 46 year old. Michael Jordan can still shoot a basketball, no doubt, but does he still have the physical strength to compete as a professional athlete? I doubt, even after significant training, that Michael Jordan could make another comeback. Michael has been out of sports for too long and it just seems illogical and basically impossible for him to return to the game of basketball.
http://www.sohood.com/crib/2009/09/10/nba-news-lebron-james-knicks-dwyane-wade-michael-jordan/
Dwyane Wade has openly stated that he is not going to resign a deal with the Miami Heat, until the end of the 2009-10 season. This is particularly terrible news for the Heat as Wade is by far their best player and he accounts for most of their points, assists, and blocks. Last year Wade accounted for 30.2 points per game, a number which will be extremely hard for the Heat to replace. Wade is a gold-medalist for the United States Olympic Basketball Team. It will be for difficult for the Miami Heat to find another player with similar talent, youth, and size. Wade similar to Lebron James is a phenomenal talent at a young age. If the Heat fail to sign Dwyane Wade they will need to either trade up for a high draft pick and pray that they get a young super-talent in the draft or try and make a blockbuster move in free agency. Their decision should lie on the number in the win column at the end of the year. If the win column is high then the Heat should pay big bucks for Dwyane’s next contract. If the number of wins is low then the heat should try and add talent through the NBA draft. I would recommend the Heat look at Willie Warren, sharp shooting, combo guard, out of Oklahoma. His upside is big and he can provide some of the scoring that Wade provided. The Heat should also scout out Xavier Henry. He is a freshman entering Kansas university, who is very long and athletic for his position, and possibly has the best potential out of his freshman class. They also can look into free agency to find already established talent. At the top of their list should be Ray Allen, one of the greatest three point shooters in NBA history. They should also take a look at Paul Pierce, another player who can extend a defense beyond the arc and also attack the rim. Anyway you look at it, Dwyane Wade refusing to resign until after the 2009-10 season is terrible news for fans of the Miami Heat.
In other recent news, Brendan Haywood stated Michael Jordan could beat half or the league today. This wouldn’t surprise people who think of the Michael Jordan being talked about in his mid 20’s and early 30’s… not as a 46 year old. Michael Jordan can still shoot a basketball, no doubt, but does he still have the physical strength to compete as a professional athlete? I doubt, even after significant training, that Michael Jordan could make another comeback. Michael has been out of sports for too long and it just seems illogical and basically impossible for him to return to the game of basketball.
http://www.sohood.com/crib/2009/09/10/nba-news-lebron-james-knicks-dwyane-wade-michael-jordan/
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Heisman: Stop Position Discrimination NOW!
The Heisman; one of sport’s biggest blunders. This year could end up the same as many other recent years. The potential recipients of the prestigious award always possess a multitude of traits, skills, and other qualities that can put them in position to win. Nevertheless the reasons for which the award is being given to the recipients has been twisted and misconstrued over time.
The Heisman is often considered the award for the “MOP” or the Most Outstanding Collegiate Football Player of the Year. In recent years however it has been awarded to the most prolific offensive backfield player of the year. There position specific awards that can be given to players in the back field as well as every other position in football, including some special teams positions. Some of the position specific awards and cumulative awards are, the Chuck Bednarik Award, awarded to the best defensive player in the nation, the Butkus Award, given to the top linebacker in the nation, the Davie O’Brien, given to the top quarterback in the nation, the Doak Walker Award, given to the top running back in the nation, the Fred Biletnikoff award, given to the nation’s top receiver, the Jim Thorpe award, given to the top defensive back in the nation, the John Mackey award, given to the nation’s best tight end, the Johnny Unitas Award, which is given to the nation’s top senior quarterback, the Lou Groza award, given to the nation’s best and most consistent kicker, the Maxwell award, given to the nation’s best player, the Outland trophy, given to the top interior offensive or defensive lineman, the Ray Guy award, given to the nation’s best punter, the Remington award, given to the nation’s best college lineman, the Ted Hendricks award, given to the best defensive end in the country, the Vince Lombardy/Rotary trophy, given to the nation’s best offensive or defensive lineman who displays both talent and character, the Walter Camp award, given to the best player in the country as chosen by the coaches of D1 football, and of course the Heisman trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s most outstanding player. It is safe to say that many of the positions stand very little to no chance of having a Heisman winner. These positions are offensive linemen, defensive interior lineman, tight ends, punters, fullbacks, and kickers. Left on the available positions list are quarterbacks, halfbacks, wide receivers, defensive ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties.
This is only further confirmed by ESPN’s Heisman Watch. Currently the top Heisman vote-getters are quarterbacks, running backs, safeties, a wide receiver, a defensive end, and a linebacker. Quarterbacks currently occupy the top three spots of the Heisman voting. This however does not mean that Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy are the nation’s best players. In the last 9 years only quarterbacks and running backs have won the Heisman. This is simply because of the attention that the players get because they have the ability to put points on the scoreboard. However, defensive players can put up points, but sparingly. Defensive players are the unsung heroes of football. Although they don’t score as often as a running back, they stop scores, force turnovers, and get the ball back for the offense to score. The last and only player to win the Heisman and not start consistent downs on the offensive side of the ball was Charles Woodson. He was a contributor on the defensive side of the ball, as a cornerback, and as a punt returner. In order for Woodson to beat out Peyton Manning, a quarterback who held favoritism in the eyes of many offensive-minded voters, he would need to put up number which the college game had never seen before. Woodson had a very solid punt returning season in 1997, where he returned 36 punts for 301 yards and a score. The average yardage, 8.4 yards per punt return, is still extremely impressive as compared to today’s college athletes. He also had 9 pass breaks ups on the defensive side of the ball. His most exciting statistic was his ability to incept the ball though. He had an astonishing 8 interceptions his junior year. This was enough to earn himself 200+ more votes for the Heisman than runner-up Peyton Manning. There have only been two wide receivers to win the Heisman and both also had seasons that are rarely seen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Two tight ends have also won the award, but no positions have won the award more frequently than the running back and quarterback positions.
This year’s predicted leaders for the award are Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Jahvid Best, and Eric Berry. Eric Berry is the only defensive player on the list, and judging by his less than stellar performance against the cupcake-esque Western Kentucky, he won’t be a candidate for the Heisman much longer. Sam Bradford started off where he left last season, shredding and dicing an unlucky non-BCS conference’s defense as the former Heisman winner should. His luck quickly came to a halt though, as he was “jacked up” by a BYU linebacker and had his shoulder injured. The future is not looking bright for Bradford’s chances as most Heisman winners play in all or all but one of their teams games, and Bradford’s injury is one where he is expected to miss two to four weeks. With Bradford and Berry looking down on their Heisman Watch statuses, three contestants remain. Each of the three remaining players on ESPN’s Heisman Watch after week one offer their own story to convince voters to drop a “first placer” on them. Tim Tebow was the only player to ever win the Heisman while listed as an underclassman (sophomore or younger). He also is the only player in college football history to run for 20 TD’s and throw for 20 TD’s in a single season. He won the Heisman in 2007 with 32 touchdowns passing and 23 touchdowns rushing. The number of points he, singlehandedly, put up on the scoreboard that year was more than many teams did. Tim Tebow is a media-magnet and he has always been regarded as a top prospect and choice for the Heisman. Colt McCoy, a young Texas University gunslinger finished second last year in Heisman voting. He is known for his strong and accurate arm as well as his ability to scramble. He is yet to win the award but many experts are confident this is his year. The last prospect is Jahvid Best. Best is a burner for a running back. His sophomore year he broke out with explosive games against Michigan State and Washington State. He gets a majority of his team’s yards on the ground and his playmaker ability is one of the best in the country.
All three candidates have reasons for winning the Heisman but the favorite should most definitely be Tim Tebow. He is currently leading the #1 team in the land, the Florida Gators, and he is always in the news. Nevertheless none of the top 3 vote-getters were anything other than quarterbacks and running backs. The discrimination toward less offensively prolific positions must end. Heisman voters must take a look at wide outs like Dez Bryant and Jordan Shipley or defensive playmakers like George Selvie and Taylor Mays. The reign of offensive superior positions will hopefully end soon and when it does I’ll be the first person standing and applauding.
The Heisman is often considered the award for the “MOP” or the Most Outstanding Collegiate Football Player of the Year. In recent years however it has been awarded to the most prolific offensive backfield player of the year. There position specific awards that can be given to players in the back field as well as every other position in football, including some special teams positions. Some of the position specific awards and cumulative awards are, the Chuck Bednarik Award, awarded to the best defensive player in the nation, the Butkus Award, given to the top linebacker in the nation, the Davie O’Brien, given to the top quarterback in the nation, the Doak Walker Award, given to the top running back in the nation, the Fred Biletnikoff award, given to the nation’s top receiver, the Jim Thorpe award, given to the top defensive back in the nation, the John Mackey award, given to the nation’s best tight end, the Johnny Unitas Award, which is given to the nation’s top senior quarterback, the Lou Groza award, given to the nation’s best and most consistent kicker, the Maxwell award, given to the nation’s best player, the Outland trophy, given to the top interior offensive or defensive lineman, the Ray Guy award, given to the nation’s best punter, the Remington award, given to the nation’s best college lineman, the Ted Hendricks award, given to the best defensive end in the country, the Vince Lombardy/Rotary trophy, given to the nation’s best offensive or defensive lineman who displays both talent and character, the Walter Camp award, given to the best player in the country as chosen by the coaches of D1 football, and of course the Heisman trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s most outstanding player. It is safe to say that many of the positions stand very little to no chance of having a Heisman winner. These positions are offensive linemen, defensive interior lineman, tight ends, punters, fullbacks, and kickers. Left on the available positions list are quarterbacks, halfbacks, wide receivers, defensive ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties.
This is only further confirmed by ESPN’s Heisman Watch. Currently the top Heisman vote-getters are quarterbacks, running backs, safeties, a wide receiver, a defensive end, and a linebacker. Quarterbacks currently occupy the top three spots of the Heisman voting. This however does not mean that Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy are the nation’s best players. In the last 9 years only quarterbacks and running backs have won the Heisman. This is simply because of the attention that the players get because they have the ability to put points on the scoreboard. However, defensive players can put up points, but sparingly. Defensive players are the unsung heroes of football. Although they don’t score as often as a running back, they stop scores, force turnovers, and get the ball back for the offense to score. The last and only player to win the Heisman and not start consistent downs on the offensive side of the ball was Charles Woodson. He was a contributor on the defensive side of the ball, as a cornerback, and as a punt returner. In order for Woodson to beat out Peyton Manning, a quarterback who held favoritism in the eyes of many offensive-minded voters, he would need to put up number which the college game had never seen before. Woodson had a very solid punt returning season in 1997, where he returned 36 punts for 301 yards and a score. The average yardage, 8.4 yards per punt return, is still extremely impressive as compared to today’s college athletes. He also had 9 pass breaks ups on the defensive side of the ball. His most exciting statistic was his ability to incept the ball though. He had an astonishing 8 interceptions his junior year. This was enough to earn himself 200+ more votes for the Heisman than runner-up Peyton Manning. There have only been two wide receivers to win the Heisman and both also had seasons that are rarely seen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Two tight ends have also won the award, but no positions have won the award more frequently than the running back and quarterback positions.
This year’s predicted leaders for the award are Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Jahvid Best, and Eric Berry. Eric Berry is the only defensive player on the list, and judging by his less than stellar performance against the cupcake-esque Western Kentucky, he won’t be a candidate for the Heisman much longer. Sam Bradford started off where he left last season, shredding and dicing an unlucky non-BCS conference’s defense as the former Heisman winner should. His luck quickly came to a halt though, as he was “jacked up” by a BYU linebacker and had his shoulder injured. The future is not looking bright for Bradford’s chances as most Heisman winners play in all or all but one of their teams games, and Bradford’s injury is one where he is expected to miss two to four weeks. With Bradford and Berry looking down on their Heisman Watch statuses, three contestants remain. Each of the three remaining players on ESPN’s Heisman Watch after week one offer their own story to convince voters to drop a “first placer” on them. Tim Tebow was the only player to ever win the Heisman while listed as an underclassman (sophomore or younger). He also is the only player in college football history to run for 20 TD’s and throw for 20 TD’s in a single season. He won the Heisman in 2007 with 32 touchdowns passing and 23 touchdowns rushing. The number of points he, singlehandedly, put up on the scoreboard that year was more than many teams did. Tim Tebow is a media-magnet and he has always been regarded as a top prospect and choice for the Heisman. Colt McCoy, a young Texas University gunslinger finished second last year in Heisman voting. He is known for his strong and accurate arm as well as his ability to scramble. He is yet to win the award but many experts are confident this is his year. The last prospect is Jahvid Best. Best is a burner for a running back. His sophomore year he broke out with explosive games against Michigan State and Washington State. He gets a majority of his team’s yards on the ground and his playmaker ability is one of the best in the country.
All three candidates have reasons for winning the Heisman but the favorite should most definitely be Tim Tebow. He is currently leading the #1 team in the land, the Florida Gators, and he is always in the news. Nevertheless none of the top 3 vote-getters were anything other than quarterbacks and running backs. The discrimination toward less offensively prolific positions must end. Heisman voters must take a look at wide outs like Dez Bryant and Jordan Shipley or defensive playmakers like George Selvie and Taylor Mays. The reign of offensive superior positions will hopefully end soon and when it does I’ll be the first person standing and applauding.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Profile of Lauren White
“Fun, outgoing, organized, and green” are all self-proclaimed traits of Lauren White. Lauren is an athlete, a student, a sister to Anthony, a daughter to Anthony and Ann, and a fan. Virginia Tech is the current home of Lauren and she loves her time spent here.
Lauren Whites journey began on her date of birth, March 31, 1991 in Hampton, Virginia. She moved into Fisher Elementary in Hampton, Virginia and proudly branded herself a “Think Flamingo”. Lauren excelled in elementary school and proceeded onto Jones Magnet Middle School. Lauren continued her academic excellence as she moved into Bethel High School. She was very proud of the Bruin tradition and of the fact the Allen Iverson was a graduate at the same high school that she was attending. Lauren finished her high school career with a star-studded transcript and Lauren decided that Virginia Tech would be the college of her choice. It was not an easy decision though, as Lauren had to ponder the pros and cons of each university.
Lauren knew of the obvious benefits of attending Virginia Tech. Underlying the obvious academic prestige that the university possesses is a multitude of positives, which are what lured Lauren to VT. Lauren was awestruck with the atmosphere surrounding the Virginia Tech campus, especially the mountains. Lauren also loves the hokie school spirit. Maroon and orange, all around campus is the perfect campus environment for Lauren. This school spirit leads into attendance at sporting events. Lauren was looking for a college where the athletic program was extremely strong. Virginia Tech offers just that as the football team is consistently ranked in the top 25 in the nation.
Lauren is an adamant sports fan to say the least. She loves many sports including baseball, basketball, and football. Lauren is a Boston Red Sox fan when out of football season. Lauren was in the Hamptons during the Red Sox majestic, yet tainted, 2004 championship run. She was excited to see the Red Sox break one of the biggest curses in sports history. Lauren also was firsthand witness to the defacing of New York Yankees’ posters, a ritual which doesn’t bother the die-hard Boston fans. Lauren’s liking of Boston sports teams does not end there though. She is a very proud Boston Celtics fan and a fan of Kevin Garnett as well. After KG and the Celtics won the NBA championship 2 years ago, Lauren was overjoyed. Lauren’s enjoyment of the Celtic’s championship run was enhanced by her hatred of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. She also dislikes Phil Jackson, the Lakers’ head coach, and if the Lakers had won the series than he would hold the all-time record for NBA championships by a single coach. Lauren’s love for sports only begins with basketball and baseball. She is a football super fan. College football is one of the main hobbies of Lauren’s fall and winter. Tyrod Taylor, Quarterback #5 for Virginia Tech, is Lauren’s favorite college football athlete. Lauren love’s the games at Lane Stadium especially since it is commonly recognized as one of the hardest stadiums to play in for opposing teams. Lauren remembers seeing games in Lane stadium on T.V. when Michael Vick was a hokie. Although many people find Michael Vick to be a criminal who doesn’t deserve a second chance in the NFL for his actions in dog fighting, Lauren believes that he was simply used as an outcast and as an example. Lauren stated, “It’s ridiculous that Mike Vick got the sentence when he did, and is still under NFL suspension. Donte Stallworth (A wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns) hit and killed a man while driving drunk and got 24 days in prison. Mike Vick was clearly used as an example.” Although Lauren is considered a Michael Vick super fan, she doesn’t like the NFL team he’s currently playing on (Philadelphia Eagles). This is simply accredited to her love that is the Dallas Cowboys. Lauren has said that “The Cowboys are the center of my life whenever it’s football season. Lauren loves the Cowboys but she does have favorite players. Jason Witten and Tony Romo are at the top of her list of favorite players. Lauren liked Tony Romo even more after he broke up with Jessica Simpson stating that, “She was ruining him as a quarterback.” Lauren was also a Terrell Owens fan until his classic insubordinate actions led to his release from the team in 2009. T.O. was a constant subject of trade news as well as a big team distraction and to stay on top of all his news as well as every Cowboys story Lauren found ESPN to be the TV station of choice. On ESPN Lauren can find shows that are held under the impression of a debate such as Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption, as well as shows that appeal emotional and humorously to her, such as Outside the Lines and Jim Rome is Burning. Lauren looks to SportsCenter; the Emmy winning sports focused news show, for updates concerning any of her favorite teams. Lauren’s favorite T.V. show are not all sports related though; as many are reality shows which are shown on VH1. One of Lauren’s favorites is a Shot at Love, a reality show which allows people to try the win the heart of the main character/characters. Not only does Lauren like television shows, but she is also an adamant movie fan as well. Lauren is a horror film lover, even some of the “slasher” classics. Lauren thought the 2009 horror film Orphan was one of the best horror movies she had seen; even higher than other favorites such as the Friday the 13th series and the Nightmare on Elm Street series. Lauren also likes a multitude of other movies that she describes as, “a random collection of movies”. Included in this group re Slumdog Millionaire, Transformers, Remember the Titans, Pretty in Pink, Selena, Superbad, Step Brothers, and The Proposal. One of Lauren’s favorite actresses and producers Sandra Bullock was the main character in the Proposal. Jennifer Aniston is Lauren’s other favorite actress. Lauren is also a fan of Ryan Reynolds, the other protagonist in The Proposal, and George Clooney.
Lauren is a complete person, possessing important qualities and traits used to excel in academics, sociability, and life in general. She is described as a great friend by Jasmine, a friend of Lauren’s, from back in Hampton. Jasmine also went on to say, “[Lauren] is very nice, always very positive, and friendly.” Lauren actually pulled together a great surprise party for Jasmine that Jasmine described as, “The best party ever”. Lauren is simply an amazing person and she leaves a deep impression after a sit down and talk with her. She is a very rare talent and a one of a kind character.
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