New Year, New Cliches

Alright, so after a brief period of silence for the late, great Chris Henry, I hope to be back to my old ways. I can't say that I'll be updating this site all too often, because I've been quite busy lately, and let's face it... nobody is probably reading this other than me. But still, it's decent experience, and I enjoy it so much.

Okay, so I have many thoughts on sports right now, I'll let them out in short bursts.

Colts vs. Saints Super Bowl: Go Saints, that would be an amazing story.

Pre-Super Bowl ProBowl: What is this? The MLB? Next thing you know we'll be a taking a ProBowl break after week 8... it's ridiculous. I know it's a meaningless event anyway, but when guys like Peyton, Drew Brees, and others aren't in it because they still have to play for the real thing... that's a BIG step in the wrong direction.

Guns in basketball locker rooms: Great... that's all the NBA needed.

Tiger Woods: Really?!?! You people are surprised that these athletes have secret sex lives?

The Bengals: I'm half-expecting another 8-8 season next year.

College basketball: Is it just me, or is there really no clear cut #1 team yet? Will there ever be this year? I don't think so.

Okay, that's enough for now... I have to get back to the daily grind of a high school SEN10R... oh yeah, baby!

Chris Henry 1983-2009

Rest in peace Slim... you will be sorely missed.

Long Time, No See

I haven't written anything on here in a long while.

One could say I've been busy.

But one could also say that I might be realizing that nobody actually reads this. However, I guess I should take the advice of my mentor, Gregg, and realize that this blog is more for just me writing and finding my style than anything else.

The NFL regular season kicked off last night, with the Pittsburgh Steelers defending their Super Bowl title with a 13-10 overtime victory over the capable Titans of Tennessee. I don't think we learned anything about how the rest of the season will play out. Big Ben Rothelisburger is still a good quarterback who finds ways to win...nothing more. He still takes way too many sacks, throws the ball carelessly too much, and apparently thinks he's better than he really is...just like everybody else. And maybe the Titans won't be quite as good as they were last year. But one big story is the injury of Troy Polomalu, a safety who the Steelers are only a slightly better than an average team without. He could be out 3-6 weeks, good news for the Bengals, and every other team Pittsburgh plays in the next month. Blitzburgh needs him, and there is no way they will repeat without him. Heck, I don't think they'll repeat even if they have him all year. But that's just me.

Oh, by the way, I know it's early, but Big Ben is on pace for 32 interceptions this season...I'm just saying...

I realize how late this is

They say that a win is a win is a win. I couldn’t agree more with this notion. In the days of victories that are deemed ‘ugly’ or ‘easy,’ I believe that sports fans as a whole have devalued many contests for one reason or another.
Likewise, I believe that a championship is a championship is a championship. As far too many overlooked what the Pittsburgh Penguins did in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals to win the NHL crown.
I’ll be the first to admit it; hockey is losing interest in the United States. Even I was a bit surprised when I found myself tuned into the deciding championship game of a sport that had locked out its players just a few years ago. But then I realized why I was so enthralled in the match-up that I honestly knew nothing about, because it was the big game of what is still a major sport. No, it wasn’t game seven of the NBA Finals or the World Series, and it certainly wasn’t the Super Bowl, but it was still a sport, one that should be appreciated and respected.
Not only should true sports fans have tuned into the last hockey game of the season if only just for the sake of watching a new champion crowned, but the game itself was amazing. The Penguins led 2-0 in the third period, even without star player Sydney Crosby for a short time in the second. But the Red Wings were determined to come back, scoring a goal of their own with just enough time to make it interesting.
And make it interesting they did.
In the final three minutes of play, there were more than several shots that could have tied the game. I thought for sure that Detroit’s surge at the end would be enough to force a thrilling overtime. However Pittsburgh’s goalie held strong, and finished out a wonderful 23 out of 24 save performance, although with some help from the bar on the back of the net. The drama continued until the final seconds, as a face off right in front of the Penguin’s goal and two ensuing shots on goal kept my breath held until the final buzzer sounded.
Then came the celebration; that’s what unifies all major sports. No matter if it’s football, baseball, basketball, or hockey, the pure joy displayed when it’s all said and done says it all. The Pittsburgh Penguins worked hard for the honor of being the recipients of the Stanley Cup, the franchise changed coaches midway through the regular season. For a team to do that and still go on to win the championship is rare in any sport.
As Crosby and the entire Penguin team hoisted their coveted prize, I could only think of one thing. The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania seems to be dominating sports championships as of late with the Steelers in the NFL, and the Penguins in the NHL. Now, if only they could get the Pirates on board.
-Jeremy Sharp
6/15/09

Indiana Wesleyan University Summer Scholars Program

Okay, so even though it's only been two days since I arrived on campus, this group of 17 and our two wonderful RA's have already gotten so tight and we are all having so much fun. This is our group pic.