Spring Cleaning V.II

Once a week.

That is my promise to you and also to myself.

No matter how crazy things get this summer or even further down the road, there will be new content here at least once a week.

What’s in store?? I’m not sure. The proverbial chips will fall where they may. Again, make sure you check out www.copperheadbaseball.com. I will be writing on that website all summer long as well.

In April of last year I wrote about my favorite teams and their current happenings. I went on to give some predictions as to how their seasons would end up.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see how I faired.

- “Indians win 80+ games but lose out on the division and wild card. GM Mark Shapiro finally gets his act together and fires his buddy Wedge. Whoever they replace him with will do a better job. Indians make a run in 2008. As for 2007, I like what the New York Mets are doing, so I’ll go with them to win it all.”

Well the Tribe did win more than 80 games - I did get that much right. Everything else I was completely off on. Remember, this was in April so there was a lot of baseball still to played.

How was I supposed to know the Indians would get within one game of the World Series??

- “Bulls beat the Heat in six tough games, but then fall to Detroit by the same number in the conference semi-finals. Nuggets upset the Spurs, while the Mavericks barely get by the Warriors. When it is all said and done, the Phoenix Suns defeat the Detroit Pistons in five games. Steve Nash, who will more than likely get shunned in the MVP race to Dirk Nowitzki, will win the NBA Finals MVP instead. Sweet justice indeed.”

The Bulls ended up sweeping the Heat, but they did lose to Detroit in six games. Obviously the Spurs were not upset by the Nuggets as they ended up winning it all. I wanted to pick Golden State over Dallas and even hinted at it, but didn’t have the cohunes to say it.

Meanwhile, Nash would have won the Finals MVP if it wasn’t for Robert “Big Shot” Horry. I’m still bitter.

- “Penguins come back strong and experienced next year and win the Atlantic Division. They will win two playoff series before bowing out in the Eastern Conference Finals. In 2009 however, the Penguins will take home the Stanley Cup. It is a rule in the NHL where if you have the best player in the league, you will win the Stanley Cup. Good thing the Penguins have Crosby. Lucky me. As for this year’s Stanley Cup winner, well, Buffalo Bills Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas finally get to sleep easy as the Buffalo Sabres win it all.”

So I called the Pens winning the Atlantic Division this past year, but did not see them in the Stanley Cup Finals. I still like my 2009 pick of them winning it all.

Oh, and I don’t remember who won The Cup last year. I stopped watching/caring when the Pens were bounced.

- “Scenario #1 goes down, and the Browns struggle to a 4-12 record. Things get better at this point however. The Browns fire Romeo Crennel and then hire Bill Cowher. Cowher comes in and immediately turns things around. Playoffs in 2009. Go Browns.”

I laugh every time I read this one. I sound very angry. This is my second head coach/manager I wanted replaced (see Wedge earlier). I feel as if I should apologize to someone. Either way, I was way off.

The moral of this story is that I don’t have a clue. No one really does. Sports is too unpredictable in its’ nature, which is why most of us can not get enough of it.

Now, onto some random thoughts.

- Really looking forward to the Kimbo Slice fight this Saturday night on CBS. The simple fact of Gus Johnson having the call has me giddy in and of itself. Slice is going up against James Thompson. No way this fight gets out of the first round. Slice will knock him out in a hurry.

Staying with Kimbo, he has been the recipient of negative criticism via other professional mixed martial artists. They are not happy with all the publicity he has received, and say he has yet to have beaten a top notch fighter.

The great writer Horace once said, “The envious man grows lean at the success of his neighbour.”

The hate stems from jealousy. It comes from seeing how quickly a person can rise to the top. It comes from resentment.

Kimbo will fight the top notch MMA guys soon enough. For now, he is building his resume and gaining experience, all the while knocking guys out cold.

- Enough talk about how difficult NFL schedules are. Football doesn’t start until September, and we really don’t know who is good or not until November. An easy schedule in May could become quite daunting in December. The Browns were supposed to be awful last year and then ended up with 10 wins. You just never know.

I was about ready to punch a kid in the face during my sports management class for saying he expects the AFC North champ to be 8-8 based on their schedules. My guess is he was an Ohio State fan. Either that or a Cavs fan. Probably both.

- I sat in disbelief while the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Draft Lottery last Tuesday. I still don’t believe it. It appears the choice is down between Memphis PG Derrick Rose and Kansas St. PF Michael Beasley. Expect a column about this in the near future, but as of right now it appears the Bulls are leaning towards Rose. I want Beasley.

Nonetheless, this was exactly the shot in the arm the Bulls needed. A franchise that was in dire straits after last seasons’ debacle. Here’s to hoping they don’t botch this.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. They still need a head coach too.

- I had the following exchange with Hunt last night, and I just wanted to share it with everyone.

Me: I cannot wait to ask Peter King about Tim Couch. I’m really excited about it.

(Side note: I am fortunate enough to be picking up Peter King from the Columbus airport in a couple of weeks)

Hunt: I’m excited for you.

Me: Tim Couch is making a comeback. Just you watch.

- Commercial for the Arena Football League (AFL) -

Me: Wouldn’t you think the AFL would become more popular if they used ex-NFL quarterbacks?

Hunt: Chuckling unexcitedly.

Me: No, seriously. I mean, lets say Tim Couch and Tommy Maddox were facing each other in the Conference Championship? People would watch.

Hunt: Spitting out his drink all over the floor upon hearing the name Tommy Maddox.

- Penguins just won Game Three in the Stanley Cup Finals, which officially makes this a series. They were pounded in the first two games by the Red Wings, but rebounded to take the third. The question now becomes can they win a game in Detroit? They are going to have to if they want to take home the Cup.

Everyone has been talking about how all the great young teams/players lost in the Finals before they eventually won it. I don’t buy that at all. Playing for the Cup is a rare and special opportunity. Who knows how long it will take before the Penguins get back?

- The Miletti Golf Scramble is this weekend, and I’m ready to go. For weekend golfers like myself, this is the Tour Championship. Unfortunately I got booted from the Lucius squad I was on last year for some reason unbeknownst to me, but I have gathered a squad together that will hopefully be competitive.

It doesn’t look too good for us however. We only have three guys. We need a fourth. Maybe we can get Tiger? He doesn’t have anything going on this weekend.

- Sad day in tennis. Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten played his last professional match this past week at the French Open. Guga won three French Opens, but more importantly was my second favorite tennis player behind Andre. It sucks getting old.

- The LOST season four finale is tonight at 9. I think my head might explode. LOST’s season finales are the best episodes, and from what I hear, this one is no different. Giddy Up. Some predictions as to what I think will happen.

1) Locke is the one in the coffin we saw at the end of season three.

2) Jin will die in the season four finale.

3) Walt will make another appearance.

4) The island will “move” resulting in the Oceanic Six having no idea what happened to those still on it.

- Shout-out to some buddies.

1) Bursa took a job in Denver, Colorado. He will be teaching British Literature. According to my dad, Denver is the best place to live in the world, so Bursa has that going for him as well.

2) Hunt took a job in Madison, Wisconsin. Reportedly, his signing bonus was a wheel of cheese and an autographed picture of Brett Favre.

3) Kris, for probably taking a job somewhere in Florida. What’s in store for Kris? Palm trees, the beach, and lots of old people.

Not gonna lie, I am a bit scared. My friends are starting to move far away and taking real jobs. Anyways, congrats to those three guys. Keep an eye out for me. November is going to get here in a hurry.

- I love the fact I can put videos on my blog. It really takes it to the next level. I remember being excited when I learned I can put pictures on here, and now I have video. Who knows what is in store next?

Anyways, here are my videos for the week. (They might tie in with my thoughts, or just be great videos I enjoyed)

- Kimbo Slice Part One



And then Part Two



Amazing Jonathan - saw this guy in Las Vegas with Devin. Hilarious. Part One



That’s all I got for this week. Until next time, “read it, roll it, hole it.”

The "P" Word

I must admit that it has been way too long. It’s been a staggering three and half months since I have written for myself. The key pair of words in that last sentence were “for” and “myself.” Don’t be mistaken, I have been writing a lot over the past 14 weeks, but always at the command of a higher figure. Whether it be a report on the beginnings of intercollegiate football, a recap of an Ohio University baseball game, or a list of possible story headlines, I have been writing a lot.

However, I have found very little pleasure writing any of those aforementioned pieces. They all lacked one central idea, or element if you will.

Passion.

No matter what you do in life, be passionate. It makes the world go round. Without it, life becomes a series of motions, with no luster or feeling to it. With 22 plus years under my belt I still have a lot to learn, but one of the small lessons I have discovered thus far is that if anything is worth doing, it is worth doing with passion.

Some of the most influential people in my life are ones who have had all lived with an incredible amount of passion. Jimmy Valvano immediately comes to my mind. Now, while I have never met Jimmy V, I have taken a lot away from what he has taught. Jimmy V was a college basketball coach who won a national championship with North Carolina State in 1983. He was diagnosed with cancer nine years later.

In 1993 Jimmy V gave the greatest speech I have ever had the honor to hear. If you have never gotten the opportunity to listen, please do yourself the favor.

He died seven weeks later.

We all have a legacy. Jimmy V’s was to live life with passion and to never give up.

Giving up was a common and prevalent thought that came across my mind just one year ago.

I was finished with my first semester at Heidelberg College, far away from Ohio University. I was miserable, and worst of all, I felt as if there was no way out. Majoring in education was not working out. I did not know what, or even where, I wanted to go with my life. I started to shut out a lot of people in my life. Good people. People that would have helped me get out of the messy situation I had put myself in. I had lost a passion for life.

Charles Barkley is the only one who could summed up what was going on with me, “That is turrible.”

I thought maybe I would completely drop out of school, become a barber or something. Seriously, I looked into barber school. Or, maybe, I try the online college thing. Seriously, I almost applied to Phoenix University. They still try calling me to this very day. Lastly, in what was probably the dumbest thing I could have done, I stayed at Heidelberg and switched to Communications.

That lasted approximately two weeks. However, as dumb as that move was, it was a gigantic blessing in disguise. During those short 14 days, I rediscovered my passion.

Prior to the start of that semester, I had asked Devin if he wanted to co-host a radio show with me. He accepted and we went through the necessary loopholes to set everything up. After I dropped out of the Berg, Devin and I decided to still go on with the show, and I am very grateful we did.

“Old College Roommates,” or better known as “OCR” hit the airwaves Tuesday nights for two hours over a two month period starting last October. It was there that I discovered how much I really enjoyed radio. It was just a whole lot of fun. Now, radio is not my passion, but for the first time in what seemed like forever, I had found something (besides being on the Berg’s tennis team, obviously) that I looked forward to. It turned a rotten situation into something much more manageable. I was very lucky in that sense.

That same October, myself, along with my parents, decided that going back to Ohio University would be my next move. My third major of my collegiate career would be the one it should have been all along.

Writing.

It is my passion. It is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

While I was doing broadcast journalism, my writing took a back seat. It was not as much about writing as it was about all the other stuff that goes into television. Desired broadcast talents included presentation, ability to react, and composure. Writing was way down on the list.

Now that I am in news writing I can incorporate those talents I used in broadcast to make myself an even better writer.

It’s funny. Everything I have gone through has made me a better writer, and more importantly a better person.

Now what? Well, it is spring quarter, and there are 30 days left in the quarter. After those 30 days have passed me by, I will need to pass just six more classes to graduate from Ohio University. I am taking half of those over the summer, and the other three fall quarter next year. The end, which seemed an unreachable destination six months ago, is now right in front of me.

I will be interning this summer with the Southern Ohio Copperheads. Their website is http://www.copperheadbaseball.com/. Go ahead right now and bookmark that site as one of your favorites. I will be writing for them all summer, and I will be doing play-by-play as well. You can listen to the games through the website, so check it often.

I need to thank a couple people for putting me in this current position. First, and foremost, are my parents. They are the best parents anyone could ask for. I basically took a year off of school, and instead of yelling at me, they were encouraging. Instead of placing blame, they looked for a resolution. I love them very much. Secondly are my friends. Kevin, Bart, Barnes, Bursa, Devin, the Franks, and all the others. They have been there for me in my darkest days, and did not pass any judgment. Instead, they became the foundation for the person I am to this very day. Lastly, my brother Josh. I give him a hard time because he and I are very different individuals, but he, like my friends, was always there for me.

As with my “Life Is …” post, this one was not about sports at all. It didn’t discuss my love for Brady Quinn, or why the Penguins are going to win the Stanley Cup. Rather, it talked about passion, and why we all need to find something we are passionate about.

On this day one year ago I was very much hopeless, today I am hopeful, and who knows what is in store for me tomorrow, much less in one year.

I do know that it will involve passion.

At the very least, a passion for life.