Ochocinco [written 8/20/10]
I just read the rules on broadcasting NFL games on TV.
Why? What are the cool kids doing on a Friday night?
As I sit here, cursed with the knowledge I have just obtained, one thing stands out in my mind. NFL really does stand for No Fun League. Yes, business is business, and I'll probably understand when I join the rat race myself, but it was still a sobering experience to see just how much business there is to the game I love so much. Wouldn't football be so much better if we didn't have to worry about contracts, blackouts, union deals, player lockouts, and uncapped seasons? Of course, all of these things are necessary evils for the NFL we know and love to function normally. But they just make me appreciate the lighthearted fun in the league even more.
Enter Chad Ochocinco.
I know a lot of people dislike him for his flashy style, endzone celebrations, and trash talk, but why do you think he does it? Because it's fun. Many people try to paint the artist formerly known as Chad Johnson as an arrogant, selfish crybaby who only cares that everyone is watching him. However, this is simply not the case. Chad Ochocinco does the things he does for the love of the game, but at the same time he cares about winning.
Think about it. When were the Cincinnati Bengals at their best? The answer is arguably 2005, when “eighty-five” was setting records and incurring fines left and right. When Chad stopped being Chad, everything seemed to fall apart
. For his, and the team's sake, I hope Ochocinco is back up to his old tricks, and we get to enjoy a successful, entertaining season.
Seven months later...
Today, Chad Ochocinco (Johnson? No? Ok, Ochocinco) will set foot on the field for practice. But it wont be at Paul Brown Stadium. The field will not be 120 yards long and 50 yards wide. The goals wont be marked by the Bengals logo. It wont even be a football field.
At least not an American football field.
Chad will be tweeting about this all day, telling of his practices with the Kansas City Red Devils, using the term "pitch" like there's no tomorrow. But he won't be doing it because he knows people are watching (although I'm sure that doesn't hurt). He'll be doing it because he loves the game; he loves sports and competition in general. And he doesn't even know if he'll get that from the NFL this fall.
Fans shouldn't complain about what some call a "sideshow," this is just Chad being Chad. And besides, wont this keep him in shape and more ready than anyone to play *cough* real *cough* football whenever the next season kicks off? I think so. Who knows? Ochocinco may even turn out to be the next Deion "Primetime" Sanders.
He certainly has the personality for it.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Every-one Went Home
3. 4. 8. 11.
These are the seeds of the teams in the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four. Notice anything peculiar about them? You got it. There are no one-seeds in the picture.
I was called crazy (I even called myself crazy) for constructing my bracket without any top teams in the semi finals of the dance. But the way I saw it, the gap between the one seeds and four seeds wasn't that big, so it only made sense that each of them would fall before the finals. Especially with teams like Connecticut going into the tournament red hot instead of lukewarm like some of the top seeds.
Last year's final four consisting of Michigan State (5), Duke (1), Butler (5), and West Virgina (2) wasn't too unpredictable. While only one top seed made it to the Final Four, no one was surprised that the Mountaineers and Spartans made it. Add up those seed numbers. They total 13.
This year, it's a different story. The 2011 edition of the Final Four have a collective seed total of 26.
To me, Connecticut dancing through the West Region and Kentucky upsetting Ohio State in the East seemed obvious. Although I admitted taking the Huskies to go all the way was either going to make me or break me. Granted, I had VCU losing in the first round and Butler getting bounced two days later, but for my first time, I don't think I did too terribly.
Next year, I'll definitely do some more research on the matchups I'm less sure of, but overall, I think the best way to go is to just stick with my gut and avoid overthinking the games. Because hey, right now I rank in the top 1% of brackets on Facebook... and that's good enough for me.
These are the seeds of the teams in the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four. Notice anything peculiar about them? You got it. There are no one-seeds in the picture.
I was called crazy (I even called myself crazy) for constructing my bracket without any top teams in the semi finals of the dance. But the way I saw it, the gap between the one seeds and four seeds wasn't that big, so it only made sense that each of them would fall before the finals. Especially with teams like Connecticut going into the tournament red hot instead of lukewarm like some of the top seeds.
Last year's final four consisting of Michigan State (5), Duke (1), Butler (5), and West Virgina (2) wasn't too unpredictable. While only one top seed made it to the Final Four, no one was surprised that the Mountaineers and Spartans made it. Add up those seed numbers. They total 13.
This year, it's a different story. The 2011 edition of the Final Four have a collective seed total of 26.
To me, Connecticut dancing through the West Region and Kentucky upsetting Ohio State in the East seemed obvious. Although I admitted taking the Huskies to go all the way was either going to make me or break me. Granted, I had VCU losing in the first round and Butler getting bounced two days later, but for my first time, I don't think I did too terribly.
Next year, I'll definitely do some more research on the matchups I'm less sure of, but overall, I think the best way to go is to just stick with my gut and avoid overthinking the games. Because hey, right now I rank in the top 1% of brackets on Facebook... and that's good enough for me.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Yep, We Live in Indiana
This week, two small Indiana colleges will be buzzing. The schools are Butler and Indiana Wesleyan University, and both have great reasons to be excited. For the Butler Bulldogs, their excitement comes from a trip to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. For the IWU Wildcats, students have a much bigger reason to be excited.
We're getting a Chick-Fil-A.
According to IWU's school newspaper, The Sojourn, and its Twitter, the school will open the restaurant as soon as the fall semester of 2011. It will be located inside of the existing student center, in an existing food venue. Students will be able to use a meal swipe for the famous chicken dinner. This announcement will come as the university is set to induct Chick-Fil-A owner S. Truett Cathy into its society of "World Changers" on Wednesday.
I may only be a freshman, but from what I hear, rumors have been going around for a few years now that we would be shouting "Eat Mor Chikin" from rooftops all over campus. I also heard that IWU and the chain had been in talks before, but there were a couple sticking points that prevented a deal form getting done. I don't know, that's just speculation, I'll be reading The Sojourn for the real facts about the issue.
But for now, I'm just going to celebrate the coming attraction that is one of the best fast food restaurants I've ever eaten at. And now I'll have the chance to eat there daily. You can bet that there will be dancing in the streets here at IWU (we can do that now), because after years of just talking and dreaming about it, this is arguably one of the coolest things to hit this campus in a while.
Take that, Butler ;)
We're getting a Chick-Fil-A.
According to IWU's school newspaper, The Sojourn, and its Twitter, the school will open the restaurant as soon as the fall semester of 2011. It will be located inside of the existing student center, in an existing food venue. Students will be able to use a meal swipe for the famous chicken dinner. This announcement will come as the university is set to induct Chick-Fil-A owner S. Truett Cathy into its society of "World Changers" on Wednesday.
I may only be a freshman, but from what I hear, rumors have been going around for a few years now that we would be shouting "Eat Mor Chikin" from rooftops all over campus. I also heard that IWU and the chain had been in talks before, but there were a couple sticking points that prevented a deal form getting done. I don't know, that's just speculation, I'll be reading The Sojourn for the real facts about the issue.
But for now, I'm just going to celebrate the coming attraction that is one of the best fast food restaurants I've ever eaten at. And now I'll have the chance to eat there daily. You can bet that there will be dancing in the streets here at IWU (we can do that now), because after years of just talking and dreaming about it, this is arguably one of the coolest things to hit this campus in a while.
Take that, Butler ;)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Useless
I couldn't even begin to tell you how many times I've heard students complaining about classes. I'm sure you've heard it too: "Why do I have to take math? I'm not going to be an engineer." Or something like, "I shouldn't have to take biology, I'm not going to be a doctor." And of course, my personal favorite: "Why do I have to take French? I'm never going to be... French."
I was tempted to think this way for a couple of my classes so far in my young college career (and by young I mean almost a quarter finished). A couple of these classes were things like speech, mass communication, and World Changers.
So yes, for a while I wasn't sure why I was taking this classes, and what I could get out of them. Then came semester number two, which I think is going to end up being the semester where I learn the most.
This semester, I took a class called Media Scriptwriting. In my mind, I had it confused with Scriptwriting, so naturally I was afraid I was going to be stuck with a bunch of weird theatre people who want to write the next Macbeth. After a few classes, I realized a few things. First, that it was a class about how to write commercials for TV and radio. Second, that I did not want to write commercials for TV and radio. And third, that it was going to be the greatest academic challenge I have faced thus far.
I found myself at the point of just taking the class to earn a good grade (or at least as good as I could get) so I could keep my GPA high enough to keep taking the journalism and writing classes that I actually wanted to take. But that was proving to be a challenge early on.
I really don't want to write commercials. Nothing against the career field (I have nothing but respect for what those people do after trying to do it myself), that's just not my personal goal. So I went to class, took notes, and did the least I could to get by.
But then I started noticing all the things that I could get out of the class, and actually trying to see how it could help me in my preferred career. Guess what happened. I started doing better and understanding assignments more clearly. I noticed some things about the way I write and work in other aspects of my career and applied principles from Media Scriptwriting to them, and I think I'm better for it. My grades went up, and I'm just generally enjoying the class more.
If absolutely nothing else, this class has taught me how to study for exams.
I was tempted to think this way for a couple of my classes so far in my young college career (and by young I mean almost a quarter finished). A couple of these classes were things like speech, mass communication, and World Changers.
So yes, for a while I wasn't sure why I was taking this classes, and what I could get out of them. Then came semester number two, which I think is going to end up being the semester where I learn the most.
This semester, I took a class called Media Scriptwriting. In my mind, I had it confused with Scriptwriting, so naturally I was afraid I was going to be stuck with a bunch of weird theatre people who want to write the next Macbeth. After a few classes, I realized a few things. First, that it was a class about how to write commercials for TV and radio. Second, that I did not want to write commercials for TV and radio. And third, that it was going to be the greatest academic challenge I have faced thus far.
I found myself at the point of just taking the class to earn a good grade (or at least as good as I could get) so I could keep my GPA high enough to keep taking the journalism and writing classes that I actually wanted to take. But that was proving to be a challenge early on.
I really don't want to write commercials. Nothing against the career field (I have nothing but respect for what those people do after trying to do it myself), that's just not my personal goal. So I went to class, took notes, and did the least I could to get by.
But then I started noticing all the things that I could get out of the class, and actually trying to see how it could help me in my preferred career. Guess what happened. I started doing better and understanding assignments more clearly. I noticed some things about the way I write and work in other aspects of my career and applied principles from Media Scriptwriting to them, and I think I'm better for it. My grades went up, and I'm just generally enjoying the class more.
If absolutely nothing else, this class has taught me how to study for exams.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Keep on Keepin' on
Sometimes, I sit down and open up my blog and just start typing. I don't necessarily know where I'm going with it, I just go and see where the words take me. It's not always the most effective means of blogging, but it's what works for me.
But today, I sat down and started at an empty page for a while, not knowing what words would come to mind... none did. It was so bad that I turned to the person beside me and asked, "what should I blog about today?"
That's honestly never happened to me before. Ever since my 9th grade homeschool curriculum made me write a full page every day about whatever topic I wanted, I've learned to come up with something to say. I always have words.
I know why it's different today, I have a lot on my mind (but not the kind of stuff one can blog about) and I'm getting into the part of the semester where things are really heating up. So I'm busy. But still, I should be able to magically come up with words out of thin air like I always do, right?
Well, 194 words in... I guess things could be going worse.
Writing is like anything else, there are just some days where you're not as good at it as usual. Even Derek Jeter goes 0-for-3 on the occasional Tuesday afternoon game. Peyton Manning throws three interceptions once in a blue moon. And LeBron James misses a buzzer beater every now and then (although for a while there, it seemed as nightly as David Letterman).
But guess what? They all show up to practice the next day; they start the game the next week; they push through and keep on working. Why is writing any different? It's not. So I think for a while. I try to come up with a topic. And sometimes, in the end, the very thing that kept me from typing that first word of the post is what I write the entire thing about.
But today, I sat down and started at an empty page for a while, not knowing what words would come to mind... none did. It was so bad that I turned to the person beside me and asked, "what should I blog about today?"
That's honestly never happened to me before. Ever since my 9th grade homeschool curriculum made me write a full page every day about whatever topic I wanted, I've learned to come up with something to say. I always have words.
I know why it's different today, I have a lot on my mind (but not the kind of stuff one can blog about) and I'm getting into the part of the semester where things are really heating up. So I'm busy. But still, I should be able to magically come up with words out of thin air like I always do, right?
Well, 194 words in... I guess things could be going worse.
Writing is like anything else, there are just some days where you're not as good at it as usual. Even Derek Jeter goes 0-for-3 on the occasional Tuesday afternoon game. Peyton Manning throws three interceptions once in a blue moon. And LeBron James misses a buzzer beater every now and then (although for a while there, it seemed as nightly as David Letterman).
But guess what? They all show up to practice the next day; they start the game the next week; they push through and keep on working. Why is writing any different? It's not. So I think for a while. I try to come up with a topic. And sometimes, in the end, the very thing that kept me from typing that first word of the post is what I write the entire thing about.
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