Let's Vent

As I promised here are my thoughts for last week, sorry they're a little late.

5. PED PROBLEMS IN MLB… AGAIN

With Melky Cabrera testing positive first and then Bartolo Colon shortly after I think it is safe to say that we are nowhere near done with the PED problems. With two high profile players getting busted we can only assume that more will come shortly, I think it’s time for a more sever punishment to deter guys from taking these drugs or supliments.

4. 297 pound 6^th grader is denied the opportunity to play in the local youth league

            There are plenty of issues going on in this story. For 1 the fact that there is a 300 lb 6^th grader is an issue in our country. In reality he is 6 feet 1inch tall so he is not necessarily fat but he is still a very large person. 2) the fact that his parents know the clear cut rules of the league and are still arguing the verdict is annoying. The rules clearly say that you must not way more than 140 pounds to play in the league. Sorry but this isn’t even close your kid doesn’t fit the limit. And its not like this means he can’t play football this year. He can still play on his schools 6^th grade team, although if I were the high school I would think about giving him a call.

3. Uniforms are becoming more important than the game

            This is primarily a football issue now however it is expanding. At what point did someone say “hey lets make our uniforms just look crazy as possible that way when we get beat at least we will look good” What happened to one color scheme and go out there and pummel your opponent. For example University of Texas or Alabama, these schools have made one or two changes in the last 50 years and they have been part of an elite group in college football. Now uniforms are so important ESPN has done a story ranking the top 122 Professional uniforms. C’mon Man

2. College football starts this week

Finally! I have been waiting since January of last year for this season. As an Ohio State fan I haven’t been this excited in a long time. Urban Meyer is in Columbus now and he brought in a great offensive coordinator in Tom Heremon. Braxton Miller gives Meyer the perfect QB for system. OSU is not the only thing to be excited about though, I constantly hate on Notre Dame but, it is pretty awesome that they open the year with Navy in Dublin, Ireland

1. Lance Armstrong stripped

The greatest cyclist ever has been stripped of his 7 Tour De France medals. The USADA stripped the medals after Armstrong decided he was done with the “witch hunt” and chose to not enter arbitration to continue to clear his name of doping rumors. The fact that Armstrong is stripped of the wins is ludacris. He routinely passed drug tests. We as Americans will always see Armstrong as an American icon, taking the medals will not change who people view as the actual winner. He dominated Cancer and dominated cycling. No agency will take that way.

Welcome Back Football Season!

It has been a while since I have written anything, but trust me that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking all this time I have been away. I seem to have come back at the exact right time because in just 9 days college football returns and that could be some of the best news I have heard in a long time. Trust me, I will be doing more than fair amounts of writing about college football this year. Also I will be doing a post every Friday called “I need to vent” so that should be fun, be sure to check back in this Friday for that. But enough of that boring stuff let’s get to the real reason you all are on this page.

I have embarked on a new journey this year. Something I had always wanted to do but never did, I am coaching football.

That means that every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I get to witness bone crushing hits, great blocking schemes, and of course a high powered offense… Well sort of.

That’s at least how I see it in my mind; in all reality it’s more along the lines of mad chaos. But of course that is expected I guess when you are coaching 1^st and 2^nd graders. Bone crushing hits are more like telling kids to stop licking each other, great blocking schemes are more like tying a kids shoe every 15 minutes because they don’t know how yet, and high powered offense is more like hoping that we don’t fumble it before the quarterback even gets the ball. Some people may see this as tedious or annoying and others may even claim that its not even really football, but when you stop and look, it really is the purest form of football.

Watching kids want to learn everything they can about football is a breath of fresh air. Every kid wants to learn how to tackle and block (which is a rare thing to have in football players). Is it comical watching a 4 foot person run a round with a helmet bigger than him, absolutely but the best part is when that same kid smiles because he scored a touchdown or made a tackle. And it all makes it worth it to hear a kid say “Coach this is the greatest day of my life, because I finally get to play tackle football”. That’s what it’s all about, it’s the love of the game not the money or the cheers. Just the fact that they get to play is good enough for them.

Welcome back football season, you have been missed.

"Hotter Than a Pistol"

Six years ago this past Wednesday a New York teen took the nation by storm, as he scored 20 points in the last four minutes of the last game of his high school career.

He didn't go on to play college basketball or make it to the NBA, in fact it was the only game he ever played in. Most of you have probably forgotten about the story of Jason McElwain, but I most definitely have not. In fact it would be quite opposite. I think about this story almost everyday. Having a mentally handicapped younger brother (his name is Colten) I have an emotional bond to this story, you see Jason wasn't a "normal" kid in high school. Jason is autistic.

 He spent his high school years as a manager for the basketball team and finally on the last game of his senior year his coach decided to let him dress, and with the team having a large lead the coach decided to put him in. Missing his first two shots didn't discourage him in fact it did the opposite, because like many handicapped people failure is not an option, obstacles are only created so that they can be concurred and that is when it happened, 6-10 on 3's and a total of 20 points in 4 minutes. When asked of his performance Jason replied "I was really hotter than a pistol" He instantly became an inspiration to everyone.

I often wonder what my brother Colten could do athletically if he was physically and mentally able. I always assumed he would be a better athlete than my brother and I put together. Though he can't communicate it, you can see the determination to succeed in his eyes. I think that is why I love this story so much, because Jason did succeed and proved to the entire country that being handicapped isn't a reason to quit. It's just a reason to try harder. 

Take a second and watch the video... I get chills every time I see it. 

The Meaning of Sports.

I have spent that last 20 years of my life in sports. It has been one of the most important things in my life. It has been so important that my first word was "touchdown". It also has become my future. A lot of people don't understand why I would want to go to school to be a sports broadcaster. When they ask me why, I often respond simply... "because I love sports". But over the last few weeks I have strongly been wondering why I love sports so much. What is it that draws me to sports and grabs my attention, no matter what sporting event it is. Now, obviously there are some easy answers. They are fun, they are a complete blast to watch or play. I also love the competition. But ultimately I don't think there is one exact reason, I think it is a culmination of things.

So often people talk about how it is just a game. They talk about how people make sports seem more important than they really are, that people get too upset when they lose, or their favorite team loses.

I would agrue that sports are what made me who I am. At a very young age I started playing organized sports with my brother. My parents did a great job of raising us, but sports gave us a type of discipline that honestly can't be taught, it just kinda happens. My family slowly became a football family and weekends were spent either at mine and my brother's games or in front of the TV watching football. It gave my family something that we all had in common. I remember watching every SuperBowl with the family and the memories created by that, I remember losing important games and my mom and dad just hugging me because of how sad I was. I remember watching my brother dominate after I graduated and sharing the joy with my entire family. All of those things were because of sports.

Sports were the only thing that got me through the tough times. When I found out my Mom had cancer I was able to let that frustration out in sports and I had 50 "brothers" there to hug me when times were hard. I had other families that took care of me because we were all part of a bigger family, and they knew I would do the same if the tables were turned. I had coaches that were great men of faith that truely cared about me. I still view these men as important male figures in my life.

As I got older I began to play middle school football. This is where I met my best friends. I played with the same teammates for 6 years and as some would quit, those of us that didn't grew stronger and became more like brothers than teammates. I spent every moment with my "brothers" all the way up to my last game as a senior in high school and the great thing was that friendship never ended. Some of those teammates ended up being groomsmen in my wedding. That is something I will never lose. I like to think that I was always a good kid, but honestly without those guys to keep me accountable who knows what I would have done instead of turning out the way I have. Do you get hit a lot? Absolutely, there is even a pretty good chance that you will get hurt (tore my acl in both knees twice) but would I go back and not play to avoid those knee injuries? I might jump out of the way of a D-Lineman, but no way, those injuries are a reminder everyday of the memories and friends that I made. Parents are always so affraid to let their kids play sports because they could get hurt, but don't we get hurt everyday in life, sure it may not be physically, but definitely emotionally. And it's worth all the hurt for those moments in life that you wouldn't trade for anything, that's exactly how sports are. You play the game through the bumps and bruises to get to the reward. Very rarely do you hear people regret playing sports, but you always hear people regret not playing, not because of the games they didn't get to play, but instead because of the memories they missed out on.

Game On!

We are now just 4 days away from college football season. Man I love college football season. Now it will be slightly different for me this year because I won't be able to sit around and watch game after game because I have a duty to call games for Indiana State University, but you can guarantee that the times I am not in the press box I will be in front of a TV watching game after game. Many people don't believe me but last year before the season started I picked Auburn to win the SEC and play in the championship against the Oregon Ducks. I can completely understand why people would not believe me, but I also said that Cam Newton would be heavily considered for the Heisman trophy and he won. So this year I am going to make predictions in writing so that nobody can say I am a liar. I gave my predictions about a month ago but I am revamping them a bit and giving you my BCS bowl match ups as well this time.

ACC Champion- Florida State

Big 12- Oklahoma

Big East- West Virginia

Big Ten- Ohio State (This is a shocking pick I know, but I think people will be surprised)

Conference USA- Central Florida

MAC- Miami (OH)

Mountain West- Boise State

PAC 12- Oregon

SEC- Alabama

Sun Belt- Middle Tennessee

WAC- Hawaii

Heisman Trophy Winner- Andrew Luck

Fiesta Bowl- Boise State vs. Oklahoma- Winner Oklahoma

Sugar Bowl- Arkansas vs. Nebraska- Winner Nebraska

Orange Bowl- Florida State vs. West Virginia- Winner Florida State

Rose Bowl- Ohio State vs. Stanford- Winner Stanford

National Championship - Oregon vs. Alabama- Winner Oregon

There you have it. Those are my predictions. I could be very wrong by week 2 of the season but I was spot on last year so we'll see ;)

In the words of Bart Scott... CAN'T WAIT!!!

We are just about a month from college football season. You know, that magical time of year when you wake up on a Saturday and turn it to ESPN for College Gameday, and you hang out with your friends Kirk, Reese, Desmond, and good ole Lee Corso. Is there anything better than watching a game on Thursday night and then waiting all day Friday for the big match ups on Saturday. Man I love college football season. Now it will be slightly different for me this year because I won't be able to sit around and watch game after game because I have a duty to call games for Indiana State University, but you can guarantee that the times I am not in the press box I will be in front of a TV watching game after game. Many people don't believe me but last year before the season started I picked Auburn to win the SEC and play in the championship against the Oregon Ducks. I can completely understand why people would not believe me, but I also said that Cam Newton would be heavily considered for the Heisman trophy and he won. So this year I am going to make predictions in writing so that nobody can say I am a liar.

ACC Champion- Florida State

Big 12- Oklahoma

Big East- West Virginia

Big Ten- Ohio State (This is a shocking pick I know, but I think people will be surprised)

Conference USA- Central Florida

MAC- Miami (OH)

Mountain West- Boise State

PAC 12- Stanford

SEC- Alabama

Sun Belt- Middle Tennessee

WAC- Hawaii

Heisman Trophy Winner- Andrew Luck

National Championship - Stanford vs. Oklahoma- Winner Stanford

There you have it. Those are my predictions. I could be very wrong by week 2 of the season but I was spot on last year so we'll see ;)

Welcome Back!!!

Monday, men all over the country were screaming and yelling out of pure happiness for one reason, the NFL is back. For that past few months men (and some women) were slowly going crazy, the thought of a year without football would be like having to listen to Rebecca Black sing "Friday" for 4 months straight, it is enough to make you jump off of a bridge.

As owners and players fought over the tiny amount of 9 billion dollars, fans were slowly trying to come up with excuses as to why they can't do yard work or go grocery shopping on Sundays. But luckily everything was sorted out this passed Monday and all day Tuesday teams were cutting players and negotiating with free agents. In less than 2 months the NFL will be in full swing and be right back where it belongs in the world of sports, right on top.

Fans can now breath a sigh of relief, everything important in life has been restored. Sundays are once again an entire day of bliss, where nothing can bring you down (unless of course you are a Raiders fan, then it doesn't really matter because life can't get any worse). So I say to all of the NFL fans out there in the great words of Hank Williams Jr. "Are you ready for some football?"