Finally....I Have Come Back...

So it has definitely been a while...

School has been killer, work has been even more so, and it won't get any better soon, but I thought I would drop in this little bit of stuff.

1. College Football Tournament

I saw this on Deadspin today and I thought I would share. If we had a playoff in college football featuring 8 teams that started after this week, it would look like this...

1. Alabama 11-0

8. Penn State 11-1

2. Texas 10-1

7. Texas Tech 10-1

3. Oklahoma 10-1

6. Utah 12-0

4. Florida 10-1

5. USC 9-1

I see nothing wrong with that at all, in fact, I think all of those games are at least interesting. Bama and former number 3 Penn State, a rematch of the Texas and Texas Tech game that was very fun to watch, Oklahoma taking on a non-BCS team given their past with those, and Florida and USC which would be fun to watch at any time. Plus, you can still play the championship games next week and start this on December 20, play all 4 first round games and play the next round on the 27th, then the championship on Jan 5 like it would be anyway. You can take all of the lesser bowls and offer those up to everyone outside of the top 8 tournie so they can share in extra bowl money and let those serve like the NIT does in basketball. It's amazing, and it took me 5 minutes. Now do your job, Mr. Obama.

2. Alabama is Number 1

I'm a huge Alabama fan. While not as much as I am a fan of the NFL, I do love me some Tide. I am also loving this season as it was a complete shock to me. I didn't see this coming at all, but hot damn I hope they keep it up, and yes, I do honestly think they can beat Florida.

3. Denver Broncos are on Top of the AFC West

Don't get me wrong, it has been hideous, but I'm still loving it because they're right about where I expected them to be. They should finish 10-6 and make the playoffs on top of the division, from there I don't expect much more than maybe 1 and done, but they might surprise a lot of people. And, and, and...Jay Cutler is a beast and a half. Also, picks back next season.

4. Graduation In 3 Weeks

Yes, I graduate college in 3 weeks. I have no clue what I'm going to do, no clue where I am going to go, and no clue on what I think I want to do, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's going to be a glorious glorious day/night/weekend full of a lot of fun.

5. Christmas and all that it Entails

It's back, just like me. Christmas is coming and very exciting to have here since it will probably be the last year that I get anything good at all. After this I'm going to be done being spoiled and I'll have to buy stuff for myself...damn. On second thought, I'm not excited for that at all.

Keep Rollin Rollin Rollin Rollin...

Something To Think About...

In my life, I complain a lot. I act like every little thing that happens to me is the end of the world, that I can't find a job and stay in Emporia this summer, that my dinner in the cafeteria wasn't food that I wanted to eat tonight, that I'm burned out on my current job and don't want to do it anymore. I think the world is this horrible place that is meant to just screw me over continually, I get more and more cynical and I get more and more irritable. I piss and moan like it is all going to come crashing down on me, not realizing that what I have going on is nothing compared to that of millions of other people in the world. Then I go to Deadspin and I read a story about an 18 year old with cancer named John Challis getting to have what could be one last at bat.

Say what you want about the importance of sports in our society, that it is just a game, a waste of time, and that in the grand scheme of things it is inconsequential, but tell that to this kid. An avid sports fan, John played football and baseball, even seeing action in both at the high school level for limited time. Then came April 14, Challis was put in to pinch-hit and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was there covering it. To summarize would do this no justice, so here is what Mike White had to say about it...

"He hasn't played in a few years, but he's called on to pinch-hit. His eyes light up at the first pitch and he puts all of his 5-foot-5, 93-pound frame into one mighty swing, making contact and sending a line drive into right field for a single -- if he can reach first base. The cancer he's been battling for almost two years has spread to his pelvis, making running nearly impossible. The kid worries about falling as he hustles down the first-base line. When he gets to the base, he lets out with a yell. 'I did it! I did it!' Safe at first with a hit and an RBI, the kid is hugged by a crying first-base coach. The opposing pitcher takes off his glove, starts applauding and his teammates follow suit. The kid's teammates run onto the field to celebrate."

Only a short couple of week before this, he was told by doctors that he had possibly 2 months to live. It sounds like something you would see in a Disney movie, but it isn't, this is real life. The kicker in all of this is that, when it could go down as a sad story of a boy going too soon, it is so much more. The testimonial from the coach, Mr. Wetzel, put it best...

"He spoke from his heart," Mr. Wetzel, the coach, said. "He said, 'I've got two options. I know I'm going to die, so I can either sit at home and feel sorry, or I could spread my message to everybody to live life to the fullest and help those in need.' After hearing that, I don't know if there were many people not crying."

The attitude that John Challis has maintained throughout this adversity in his life might not have the same effect on you that it has me, in fact, it may not have any effect on you at all. But the next time that you think you have it all so bad because you have a big homework assignment due that you waited until the last minute on, you get a flat tire on your car, or are just having a bad day, take some time to ask yourself just how bad you really have it. Take some time out to ask yourself if everything is really as horrible as you're making it out to be, if maybe you should lay off the cynicism. I think Challis has it right...

"I guess I can see why people see me as an inspiration," he said. "But why do people think it's so hard to see things the way I do? All I'm doing is making the best of a situation." John then raises his voice. "Why can't people just see the best in things? It gets you so much further in life. It's always negative this and negative that. That's all you see and hear."

Maybe we can all learn a lesson...

*To Read This Article, Click Me*
*All credit due to Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.*
*Thanks to Deadspin for introducing the article.*

(Insert Name Here) Blowout!

I'm not about to use the logo or name the game and get sued.

It's that time of year again, that big game that I refuse to name for fear of getting sued is coming up on Sunday and I figured it was about time to write something new. So, without further ado, this is my bonanza on the game, or as I like to call it, me writing about one or two topics about the game that I care about.

Tom Brady And His Boot:
About a week ago, the story broke through footage from TMZ that Tom was wearing a boot on his plant foot, immediately it was all that you heard about on the WWL and multiple other news outlets. Now, I could be wrong about this, but I really don't care about whether Tom is wearing a boot or not. Yeah, it could be considered news, but at the same time I don't think it is threatening to their performance in the game unless something comes out about him having a serious injury, which has yet to happen. The only bright spot of this was the joking about who was going to play quarterback that went on between the receivers, it only would have been better if later in the week a story broke about Randy Moss wearing a boot, then Wes Welker, then Adalius Thomas and so on throughout the roster. The thing for me is that I would see wearing the boot as a preventative measure at this point, very similar to a pitcher icing his arm and wrapping it after a game or a running icing their knees after a race, if I was a professional football player I would be wearing one after a game if i even stepped the wrong way during or after the game.

Randy Moss Being A Quitter:
A year ago Randy Moss essentially "quit" the Raiders. Now, he is in the big game playing for the undefeated Patriots, and apparently some people in the media have taken issue with that. Screw that, anyone of his calibre that happened to be playing for the Raiders under Art Shell should have done the same thing. The Raiders were, are, and always will be a sinking ship until Al Davis calls it quits, whether with the time or life. Congratulations to Randy Moss, you did what you had to do to get out of Oakland and into a winning team where you have shown that you can mature and become a team player as opposed to classic Randy.

Those are two of the stories I wanted to preach on before the game, there will be more in the coming days...be excited.