911 tape

Whose idea was it to ever release 911 tapes. That is one of the most fucked up things we have in our society as we listen to someone go through such a terrible tragedy and we find it entertaining. How far as a society have we fallen from grace if we think that listening to someone such as the mother of a recently deceased Kansas City Chiefs linebacker call as 911 dispatcher as news. I feel for the family and they are having a tough enough time dealing with things without their cry's for help being broadcasted all across the nation and on the ESPN website.

We suck...

Our basketball team is terrible. A year after winning the ACC Championship we are a joke. If we did not have Michael Snare we would be a D3 school becuase of the lack of depth and overall talent on our team. The only plus is that in a few years we should have a bunch of seniors which means we should be half decent but as of right now it is really hard to be an fsu basketball fan

Rafa Benitez

This move to make Rafa the manager of Chelsea could be one of the worst decisions in Premier League history. He has single handedly taken Chelsea out of the running for the title unless they start turning things around right now. I was a huge supporter of Roberto Di Matteo. He was a great man who stepped up when he was called on for Interim Manager and he was given a contract but not even given a chance. He won the champions league for them and then he got fired. What the hell was going on there?
In my opinion this is exactly what Chelsea needs to do. 1. Fire Rafa because I have never had faith this he is an elite manager and they then need to hire a top manager such as Pep or Moreino, or any other top man. 2. Get rid of Fernando Torres and bring in Falcao in the next transfer window which is fast approaching. 3. Support their more senior players such as Lampard and Terry but continue to emphasize the need to bring youth to the team and make Eden Hazard the staple of their attack. If they follow these easy steps they will finish in a champions league spot this year and possibly contend for a title in the next few years.

Dear Nick Saban

Dear Nick Saban,

Although I think what you did to the Miami Dolphins was pretty messed up and your kinda a tool I need you help. If I ever want to watch SportsCenter or any ESPN program again I need your Alabama team to curb stomp the Fighting Irish  I absolutely loath Lou Holtz and wish that you run the ball so much and pound them into submission  I want your defense to put so much pressure on their young quarterback that he just falls down at the end of the game and cry's on the sideline like that bitch Tebow.
Again you need to destroy them because when you do I want to be able to send Lou Holtz a letter (because I assume he doesn't know what a computer is) that says HAHAHAHAHA.
           Sincerely,
           Everyone not from Indiana

The NBA... and The Orange Bowl...

"David Stern's decisions usually are thought out and make logical sense," said no one ever. How can he fine the San Antonio spurs $250,000 for resting 3 of their aging stars when the NBA season appears to be scheduled by an eight year old. Lets make these teams play 4 out of 5 nights on the road and if they try to rest lets take their money. What the hell is going on in the world. If they would have won would David Stern still have fined the team? Hell NO!!! What an idiot because they lost to the best team in the NBA by only 5 points they get fined a quarter of a million dollars.
You know what really grinds my gears? Seeing that we have to play Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl. I just went onto stub hub and you can buy tickets to the Orange Bowl for $8. Let me make sure you know how crazy that is... If I wanted to go back to my high school and go to a regular season high school football game it would cost me $8. NICE JOB BCS!!!!The part that makes this story the best is that you can buy a parking pass as well on StubHub but that will cost you at least $65...Nuff Said

Student Sent Home For Haircut

A student in Texas was sent home from school today for having his haircut as a depiction of freshman phenom Johnny "Football" Manziel. Although I think Manziel is overrated and was become too much hype I still think the student has the right to have this haircut. If for no other reason then that it is sick. His haircut is stupid but his free speech is that he can have any stupid haircut he wants as long as it isn't offensive or using any derogatory terms.
I do feel for the teacher who has this kid in his class and I also feel bad for the principal who has to deal with this dumbass and send him home. However, I think this kid should keep his haircut because you know that it will be cool for about a week and then after that everyone who didn't already think this guy was a total douche will come around.

Why Jimbo?

Whenever I watch the Florida State offense I get this strange desire to put my head through a window. How can we have such a talented offense and yet look so terrible all the time. I have discovered that Jimbo Fisher has 3 total plays in his playbook. 1) slow run to the right 2) slow run to the left 3) Watch EJ Manual run around in circles and then hopefully not make a terrible pass to someone. It is time for Jimbo to either completely change his philosophy on offense or else hand the reigns over to someone else who actually knows what they are doing.
Having said all that I do have faith in Jimbo as a head coach. I think he is a good recruiter who also is very knowledgeable about the game of football. But he needs to hire people who are better at calling plays. He now also has a position open at defensive coordinator, he needs to look for someone who has experience and fire and will call some dag gum blitzes every once in a while. If we don't bring home an Orange Bowl victory the clock will start on Jimbo and he will have to earn another year in Doak Campbell.
Now to the Florida game which I had such big hopes for. The defense played pretty well until the last few minutes when the game was already out of reach. I cannot believe we lost that game. After EJ's 3 picks in the first half I thought for sure that the game was going to be out of reach but then by some miracle Werner just took over the game in the 3rd quarter. He had a few sacks and a fumble recovery. But as usual when we had all the momentum our offense stalled.......

Thanksgiving sports story

One thing that I was following closely on Thanksgiving was the absolute thrashing the Jets took at the hands of the Pats. I can honestly say that my favorite sports story this year has been the fundamental debacle that has been the J-E-T-S Jets. I think I almost got sick by laughing so hard after a large thanksgiving dinner when Mark Sanchez ran directly into one his line man just to fall and fumble for a Patriots touchdown. The way Sanchez ran straight into his lineman reminded me of Jackass because all I was thinking the whole time was wow that guy is an idiot while i was laughing historically.
Another football related story was the poor Detroit Lions. They had managed to not win a Thanksgiving game in eight years before this years game and they had so many chances to taste the turkey. Alas they were vanquished by the Texans on an overtime field goal which was just heartbreaking for Lions fans everywhere.    

Thanksgiving

Almost every thanksgiving since I can remember our family would pile into the car and drive on up to my grandparents farm about two hours away. I can still feel how the car would slowly rumble its way down their long gravel driveway as we would look at their new cows and see if we could spot my grandmother working in her garden. The car stops and we all get out while stretching and groaning from the drive and then a flurry of hugs ensues. At this point my grandma transforms into full on hostess mode trying to get everyone anything she can possible think of. 

The actual dinner is another story because my mothers side of the family is very proper and seems to only eat what they deem the socially acceptable amount. However I did not share this view and would continue to go back for more and more until I would collapse in a heap on the couch. Of course it would always be at this point that my little cousins would feel that this was the perfect opportunity to jump on top of my stomach. I missed all of the "fun" this year because this was my first thanksgiving with my dad's family in Florida but I am excited for winter break when I will have the chance to see my family again and eat until I collapse. 

Opposition to Kevin's A-Rod Adbuster

A-Rod is statistically one of the best hitters of all time. He did this going against pitchers who were using steroids such as Roger Clemens and most likely a majority of big name pitchers of that era. He was left with no choice but to use steroids just to keep up with all the other players who were using them. The MLB was fine with letting steroid use happen because it meant for more fans watching and going to the games because they were more exciting. You cannot blame a player who just wanted to stay on a level playing field because he wanted to be one of the great hitters in the game.

A-Rod deserves the multi-million dollar contracts he earns because of all the revenue he brings in to the club and the league. Through his great regular season play he has made himself an icon in the baseball world and deserves to be properly compensated. With the increase in home runs and RBIs that he experienced when he used steroids he was able to become a very polarizing figure in sports and when someone is so polarizing that they bring attention to the sport they deserve a significant amount of money. A-Rod has done charity work as well and all that wouldn't have been possible if he did not use steroids to better his game. 

Politics of the NCAA

The politics of college football and the NCAA is very apparent by the amount of money the athletes can make for the universities and the NCAA. While the athletes are in college they are unable to make any money or take any form of compensation which in turn frees up that money to be used by the NCAA at their discretion. Universities don't want the system to change because then they would have less money coming in and more money going to the athletes. The football programs for major schools are money making machines and neither the NCAA or the schools themselves want to make a change.

BCS

One thing that I have been following in the world of sports is the complex system that is the BCS rankings of college football. The dramatic differences between who the computers believe the best teams in the country are and who the human pollsters believe is very interesting  For instance Oregon is widely believed to be the best team in the nation by the human voters but are not very liked by the computers which is why they are currently sitting at #2 in the BCS. That is strongly contrasted by Notre Damne because they are adored by the computers but the human voters remained unconvinced because they are at #3 and would be left out of the national championship if it were decided today.
There has been much thought and discussion about how the BCS should be changed or left the same but if it were up to me I would keep it the same. I am personally excited about the change next year to the playoff format. I think that is a way to improve the system but it is similar to the way the NCAA tournament as it keeps expanding someone is always going to feel cheated and left out in the cold.

Marcus Lattimore- Salary $0

Mark Emmert- Salry $1.6 million 

"We are the NCAA"

Adbuster

For my adbuster I thought about doing something that has been very popular in the news recently. The Lance Armstrong doping scandal has rocked the cycling world. There was a Nike ad a few years ago in which Armstrong acknowledged that he had been called a doper and that it wasn't true and he doesn't ride for those people he rides for all the people struggling with cancer. On a personal level I have no issue with what Lance Armstrong did but I did have a problem with him constantly making a big deal about it and then creating a huge thing years later. So for my ad buster I would have on one side a picture of Lance Armstrong winning on his bike and on the other side I would have someone doping.
Now over the middle of the poster I would have a caption that would read "Does the end justify the means?" This would have a deeper meaning than just all the tour d france titles. Because Lance Armstrong's legacy is more than just a normal cyclist. He has done great things to help people with his charity and spreading awareness through his "Livestrong" campaign. From my perspective the ends do justify the means, but it is up to the reader of the ad to decide.

One advertisement pertaining to sports that I have seen recently that has caught my eye is the Derrick Rose ADIDAS commercial. The main idea of the ad is "The Return" because of the way that Derrick Rose ended his season last year because of a knee injury. There are several images and short clips of Rose becoming stronger and getting back to peak fitness and also how the fans of Chicago are awaiting his return with baited breath. With the background inspirational music it makes me although I am not a dire hard basketball fan want to watch him and see "The Return."
One ad that I absolutely hate is by none other than Tim Tebow. He has a Gatorade commercial where he is doing a voice over of himself working out saying things like "They said I couldn't be a high school quarterback." Yeah, that never happened. He only was Florida's Mr. Football, was a two time winner of the player of the year, won a state title, and was a high school all american. Next he says "They said I couldn't be a college quarterback." Idiot. He was only the highest ranked quarterback in his recruiting class and got playing time as a quarterback in his first season. Then he finishes with "They said I couldn't be an NFL quarterback." This time Tim they were right.

Step Brothers

Step Brothers is a cinematic masterpiece. With its complex themes and undertones Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly complement one another perfectly. Alright, maybe not. The main point of the movie was just to watch the progression of these two step brothers who are now 35 and still act as if they are 11. They can only function with the help of their parents but when they are kicked out of the house they have to fend for themselves and grow up. The plot of the movie is not the most important part because most of the meat of the movie is the conversations and physical altercations that Ferrell and Reilly get into. Step Brothers is a stereotypical story of how two underdogs rise to the occasion to marginally improve their lives. The progression of the characters and all the havoc they cause in that process is the main reason why I and so many others enjoyed this movie.

Memory Trigger

I can remember when I was little and my parents huddled our family around the television and we watched the U.S. womens national soccer team win the world cup against China on penalty kicks. Watching the national anthem play before the game and how the camera panned over the whole team as they stood their trying to control their emotions. After that I signed up for soccer the next fall and what first exposed me to the sport. I now have another memory and feeling that comes with hearing the national anthem play. This last spring during the state semi-final and subsequent final they played the national anthem and I felt like I imagined the U.S. womens national team felt. Having worked so hard for so long and to have all the at stake for one final game the pressure was intense. I will never forget trying to casually sing along with the anthem in an attempt to calm my nerves as an influx of adrenaline coursed through my entire body. Now whenever I hear the national anthem play before any soccer game and the camera pan across the teams my memory triggers that same feeling of adrenaline and I can hear my captain and best friend's pregame speech getting us fired up for the game.

I am curious how the other team who we played feels when the hear the national anthem. Having been the obvious favorite in the final and having lost for the first time all season I wonder if the national anthem now brings on a negative trigger for them. I have looked and thought about that game countless times and almost everything I can think of it is positive, it would be interesting to compare with a player from the losing team how they remember it and if they have equal amounts of negative feelings toward it. It was later reported by one of their players that they overlooked my team and thought they had won state by beating one of the other favored teams in the semi. My teams mentality was that we had nothing to lose and everything to gain, their mentality must have been the opposite. With being such a heavy favorite and an undefeated record they must have come in with a completely different mindset then that of my team. I hope that I get a chance to meet one of the other players again and pick their brain on the subject, although they might not be as happy to remember that game as I will.

Rodney Jones and Klosterman Post

The Klosterman essay "33" looks at the deeper meaning of the rivalry of the Celtics and Lakers during the 1980s. It looks at the racial ties, the political ties, and the cultural patterns that the rivalry exhibits. It wasn't just because the celtics started 3 prominent white players but there was a deeper meaning behind the stereotypical rooting of white fans for the celtics and that of black fans rooting for the lakers. His essay really gets at the root of the way the culture of the U.S. during this time was set up perfectly for this rivalry to exist.
"The End of Practice" by Rodney Jones is a very moving poem which brings back many memories of myself being a former player. It is at its core a description of the events following a football practice but it tells the truth behind those actions. How youth sports are an assembly line which takes young boys and changes them through structure into men, and when this process is done those men move aside for the next generation of young boys to go through the transformation.
Klosterman appears to believe that we are all inherently racist whether we wish to admit it or not. I would have to agree with this assumption because as human beings it is in our nature to make decisions and judgments about everything. That is just the way our brains work and that is just natural. The conscious effort to fight this judgement is what makes us who we are. I relate this to the poem because the players in the poem are almost unconsciously going through the practice. "Fat boys like buffalo, lurching blindly." This line clearly shows how the kids going through the practice are being herded like buffalo to do the bidding of the coaches and the circle of life as they will eventually be the coaches or herders.

Dear Every ESPN Employee

Just stop. Never in the history of the world has there been this much annoying pointless banter about a backup quarterback who was statistically the worst quarterback in the league last year. Enough. If I have to see Trent Dilfer (The worst quarterback to ever win a super bowl) talk about how Tim Tebow's intangibles are what the league is missing one more time I am going to destroy my television. Just show me the top ten plays and talk about starters and teams that aren't irrelevant and then maybe, just maybe I will start to watch again. "Its Tim Tebows birthday" No, your right sportscenter that should be the lead story of the day. Even god is sitting on a cloud watching sportscenter saying to himself "god who the hell cares." Your coverage of the Jets this offseason has made it actually painful to try to watch any of your programming, the Jets are not going to win the superbowl so can we please have a discussion about the possible teams that do have a shot (Seahawks). There may be some of you that also dislike all the Tebow Time, but Skip Bayless is one of the primary culprits. In closing only show Herme Edwards inspiring speechs instead of Skip Bayless and Trent Dilfer, they make me sad.

Participants versus Spectators

For as long as there has been sport there have been both participants and spectators. Something I find fascinating is the type of kinship that fans or spectators feel with the team they support. With the use of the word "we" they are saying that they are part of the team when they may have never stepped on the field. With this curious connection spectators are able to form a bond with the participants and the participants are able to feel that sense of support while they are participating.
 Something else that I found interesting about this section of the reading was the description of how different levels of participation are divided. When you are a young kid the sense of community and fun is all that mattes in sport and then as time goes on you find that you must become must more committed and in many cases specialized to be able to compete. There is also a sense of a circle of life in sports when it comes to senior intramurals and how when you retire it is very common to play sports but much like you were a child simply for the enjoyment of the game and not for a scholarship or any other monetary reason.

Blog Entry #2

The Greatest Game I Ever Saw (Klosterman) is as true an underdog story as I have ever heard. With the "Iron Five" being chopped down to three with 106 seconds left on the clock and finding a way to come out with a victory was amazing. The most interesting thing about this story however is the striking lack of media coverage it received. The events of that game should have been spread throughout the nation however, no reporters came knocking until over two decades later. The popularity and effect on the community of junior college basketball in North Dakota was marginal compared to high school football as described in Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio (Wright). Every autumn Friday the town of Martins Ferry was able to escape from their real lives filled with heartache, depression, sadness, and even if just for a few hours be proud of their towns team.
The stark contrast between these two stories is more an issue of the cultural of sports in the local communities then it is of the games themselves. In North Dakota junior college basketball is not an escape from reality the author simply described it as a way to pass the time on a boring Sunday night. If a high school football team won a game with only 11 players or less that would be a huge story in the town, state, and possibly even the nation, that just illustrates the difference in popularity and importance of the two sports in the american culture.
Memory is very important in both the poem and the story. In the poem the people of the town are selectively forgetting all their problems during Fridays in autumn. In this brief window they choose to only think about the game and the pride in their town and forget about all the racial tension, domestic disputes, and work hardships they have to face on a daily basis. The basketball game is completely different with the memory of the amazing game on available to the few who actually attended the game because of the lack of television, radio, and newspaper coverage. The attendees of the basketball game try to hold onto the memory of that historic day while the attendees of the high school football game experience temporary amnesia from their lives. I can use aspects from both of these stories in my essay. The descriptive story telling of Klosterman and also the deep multidimensional metaphors of Wright.

First Memory

Wide Right. My first memory of sport is watching FSU football games with my dad in the living room with a slew of cursing and tears as the Florida State kicker shanks a 38 yard field goal at the end of regulation. "Every year", he said "every year its wide right." I have many relatives who are alumni of FSU including both my parents and various aunts and uncles, and it seemed every year the Florida State kicker would shank a kick and everyone would be pissed off for about a week.
Those memories of missed kicks and no family eye contact still stick in my mind because even though it seemed as if it was inevitable that FSU would miss the kick and lose the game everyone still hung on to the hope that maybe this year would be different. Every Saturday there would always be hope, "This is our year," was a common phrase thrown around seemingly before every football season. I would hear stories of the glory days of the early 90's and how FSU was a powerhouse and how they were always so close to getting back to contending for national titles. Every year though something would go wrong, whether it was kicking, or more often then not a terrible quarterback would throw interception after interception (Chris Rix) . His name was cursed more than most in my household, but at least he deserved it. Those memories are very special to me and will always be my first and favorite memory of sports.