Alabama Does It Again

While the SEC has shown dominance in the past 10 years through its performance in bowl games, a team has taken over the conference. That team is coached by one of the greatest college football coaches of all time.. Nick Saban. Alabama seems to consistently be the favorite heading into the season each and every year now to appear in the BCS championship game simply based on it's systematic approach to use their players to the best of their abilities. Unlike Gene Chizik at Auburn who can't seem to win  a game without Scam Newton, Alabama develops their players into their system similarly to the way Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots does. It is just simply amazing to see a team be consistently elite year in and year out in the toughest conference in arguably any sport.

Nick Saban has won over 65 games at Alabama and lost a little over 10 games with 6 of his losses coming in his first season at Alabama. Although most people cannot stand Nick Saban, especially people from Miami, I have tremendous respect for the way he can coach a team. His teams all seem to have an old school approach as well because they tend to all have great size and play sound hard nosed defense. If he continues coaching at Alabama, I personally think he may be just as successful as Bear Bryant was back in the day which is saying alot. I look forward to seeing Alabama win another BCS championship against Notre Dame.. maybe this time Nick Saban will show a little bit of emotion after the win.

Sean Taylor

Today we remember one of the greatest safeties to play the game of football, Sean Taylor. He passed away 5 years ago from today after getting shot in the femoral artery in his pine crest home during a home invasion while he was with his wife. It was truly a tragic moment in sports as the NFL truly suffered a loss. Some compare him to the Tupac of football as there are still many questions left unanswered such has could he have been the greatest NFL safety of all time. His career was marked only by incredible highlights since his playing days at Gulliver Preparatory School in pine crest, Florida through his days at the University of Miami all the way to his final days in the NFL. One highlight that stands out more than any other is when he leveled the AFC punter on a fake field goal in the pro bowl. Most people use the pro bowl as a break; however, he still went 100 percent just like he did in any other game.

Right before Sean Taylor passed away, he was tied in the NFC for most interceptions despite having missed two games which says alot about how great he was at his position. Most players feared the possibility of getting hit by Sean Taylor due to his fearlessness and tenacity. He seemed to show up in a really bad mood every time he was near a ball carrier. Sean Taylor's style of play has to be some of the reason why there are so many helmet to helmet hitting and defenseless receiver rules in place in the NFL today because he struck fear in nearly every NFL player.

A Thanksgiving to Remember

This had to have been my most epic Thanksgiving moment when the unranked Miami Hurricanes took down 18th ranked Boston College in 2008. Even though I was not able to attend the game in the ancient Orange Bowl because my parents wanted me home for thanksgiving, Miami's win in comeback fashion was enough to make it my most memorable moment. The prolific Boston College QB, Matt Ryan lost against the mediocre Kirby Freeman. Not expecting much from Miami, I still had faith that they would pull through... Or maybe that was just because I was a Miami fan at the time and gave them the ultimate bias. As a middle schooler I had felt like Miami should have been in contention for something much bigger than just a win over Boston College. The excitement was through the roof that Thanksgiving compared to any other because of the way Miami came back.

Black Friday Anticipation.. or Thanksgiving

Usually my Thanksgiving's consist of a relaxing day of watching football, sleeping and eating. However, last thanksgiving was more of an anticipation for what was to come a few hours later which was black friday with my closest of friends. As the holidays approached, we had many gifts to buy for our loved ones and figured there wasn't a better way than to do it together with your best friends. As a family there never really is ever a crazy amount of excitement on Thanksgiving just because we use it more as a function to relax and appreciate one another. Black Friday made last Thanksgiving more exciting because of the anxiety that built up throughout the whole day. The day was mainly a planning session for what stores to hit up and how to strategically attack black friday. As a hispanic family, we finish Thanksgiving dinner extremely early with all of our relatives so the night began extremely early.

Obssessed? Justified?

If you listen closely to ESPN, the name Tebow is said probably just as much as anybody else's. It is just a matter of time until ESPN stops talking about Tebow due to his lackluster seasons. During his college years, the media spoke about Tebow almost as if he was a godly figure because he is so religious. Tim Tebow has an incredibly strong following due to the fact he is heavily religious and christian which made him likable by large groups of people. The media capitalized and and tried making it seem like his success would continue in the NFL. The Denver Broncos also contributed to the media speaking highly of Tebow by drafting Tim Tebow in the first round. ESPN therefore had every right to speak so highly of Tim Tebow. Had Tebow not been drafted so highly, his media coverage probably would not have been as strong. I believe the Denver Broncos became a victim to all of the publicity of Tim Tebow.

Sure Tebow's religion helped with his popularity in the media;however, nobody can argue that he was not a highly successful college athlete. As much as people want to scrutinize ESPN for talking so much about Tim Tebow, his popularity is high enough to do so. I firmly believe in one or two more seasons he will become irrelevant on ESPN as long as he is not at the helm of an NFL team's offense. The fact is he is on the New York Jets right now in the midst of a team having trouble having quarterback trouble which makes for good air time when speaking about Tim Tebow or the future of the New York Jets.

Tim Tebow led a playoff team in the Denver Broncos which increased his media coverage rightfully so. Factor that in with him being traded to a popular team in the New York Jets, Tim Tebow's popularity or "Tebowmania" was as strong as ever.  As long as Tim Tebow has a chance at being the starting quarterback of an NFL team, he will be relevant in the media.

Vince Young: Blowing Money Fast

Through the failure of Vince Young and his team of advisors, Vince Young is officially broke, bankrupt, fully in debt. Clearly, his financial advisor did not do his job correctly as he would live his lavish lifestyle with his not so lavish play on the field. Many athletes rely on their agents or a close friend to help manage everything in their lives; however, most of those people are not qualified for what they say they are resulting in a complete disaster. Now Vince Young is the victim of poor regulation. Professional leagues should be required to give players information regarding financial advising just like they give players information about their respective substance abuse policies. The players play sports for a living and suffer injuries constantly and deal with fatigue. The league should help the players out with the basic issues of their lives such as finances.

Who Should Be Punished?

Throughout the years, many teams have been heavily sanctioned and punished in the NCAA in relation to some sort of scandal. What got my attention was the way Penn State was punished because for the next four years players that were in no way involved or associated with Jerry Sandusky are being heavily punished as a result of his actions. Teams still get in trouble all of the time because obviously the punishments currently given do not affect the actual programs themselves or people involved wearing the suits and ties. The NCAA should go after the pockets of the universities rather than the innocent athletes. If the universities are being fined heavily, I guarantee that they will be more careful because then the university officials will be much more inclined to make sure they are running a clean program.

A team under probation should be allowed to still compete just like any other team except they should just not be able to reap the financial benefits of being in a bowl game. Most schools are thrilled for the post season for mainly one reason, the money it brings to the school. From personal experience, I know that players are thrilled to be playing in a bowl game because they receive gift cards and shopping sprees which are much needed in their case. They should not be taken away that opportunity because of a scandal they are not involved in. The NCAA should go after targeting the individuals committing the violation and the officials that are responsible for running a clean program because they clearly do not do their job well enough.

My Cousin Vince

Vince Young is your classic example of what goes up must come down. He blew roughly 27 million dollars in the span of a few years and now he is broke. He might as well not show his face in public any more. He should be embarrassed to make any public appearance, even though most of his appearances are on the bench of his NFL team.

Adbuster: EAS Myoplex.

Whenever I see an advertisement for EAS Myoplex, I just say to myself who in their right mind would actually spend money on this crap?? The company can't even put an elite athlete in their advertisement. They chose Brady Quinn who rides the bench right now in the NFL for a mediocre team at best. Simply ridiculous... At least Gatorade can put athletes in their advertisements that people actually look up to. I do not know of anyone right now that would aspire to be Brady Quinn, most people would probably say Peyton Manning or Lebron James. The sad part is that EAS probably spent a lot of money on Brady Quinn to make an appearance on their commercials. EAS might as well be called the supplement for mediocrity.

Derrick Rose... Inspiring both on and off the court.

This weekend I saw an Adidas commercial featuring Derrick Rose who suffered a major injury last season. The commercial recapped the past few months of Derrick Rose's career and showed the moments leading up to his return. The commercial does an excellent job of capturing the fan's emotions step by step regarding Derrick Rose's injury while showing Derrick Rose working out in order to make a comeback into the NBA. Even as a dedicated Heat fan this commercial caught my eye because it showed the importance of one player to an entire city almost the same way how important Batman was to the city of Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises. The commercial also has an epic vibe to it with the suspenseful music directly coordinated with the steps Derrick Rose takes and his reps in the weight room which can be associated with the concept of carrying the city on his back. As a whole, the commercial is a success because of it's depth in story and theatrics because it keeps the viewer interested. From a marketing standpoint, it is more of a personal commercial for Derrick Rose than a shoe commercial.

FIRED

It felt like any other day at work but I knew something was wrong... I could just sense with every second that went by that something was going to happen. Was it maybe because I spilled acetone on my boss' car last week or maybe was it because I egged my boss' house and got caught on camera last night?? Something bad was going to happen.

"GEORGE!!!!!  GEORGE!" yelled the manager who never yells. 

"Yes sir?", I responded.

"Mr. Steinbrenner wants to see you in his office immediately"said the manager with an ominous tone of voice. At this point I knew my day was definitely not like any other day. Shit was about to go down. There was no explanation that I could possibly give Mr.Steinbrenner because he most definitely saw everything, with his unforgiving eyes, through his advanced surveillance system.

As I walked to Steinbrenner's office, my palms were drenched in sweat and my hand was shaking as I was about to open the door.

The impact of the sound almost sent me flying as Steinbrenner yelled forcefully.. "YOU'RE FIRED!"
I was done, my life was just in shambles. Everything I have done in my life has left to this one moment of failure almost as bad as Bush's presidency. Nothing was going well for me as Mr. Steinbrenner laid the hammer. Then again, I've been fired from five other jobs so it's on to the next one.

Favorite Sports Film

Rudy is my favorite sports film because it appeals to every American and it brings true happiness to the audience especially the moment Rudy gets carried off the field at the very end of the movie with the crowd roaring and yelling Rudy. Although Rudy did not become a star player or anything, his dream of walking on to the Notre Dame football team became true which is what appealed to me the most because I can relate to Rudy as I am trying to walk on at FSU in January. This movie is a tremendous underdog story because it is Rudy vs poverty and the entire Notre Dame coaching staff as he is only looking for an opportunity. Rudy's financial status was not favorable at all which did not help his chances at Notre Dame. Not to mention, the coaches were extremely reluctant in giving him a chance because he did not fit the mold of a typical college football player, any football player for that mattter. Once Rudy got his chance there was no turning back for him. Despite being beaten up in practice every day, he demonstrated his will to succeed and make his dreams come true. Friendship and family was a strong theme in the movie because they were really the only ones who believed in him. They wanted to see him succeed as opposed to mostly everyone else who did not want to even give him a chance.

The Departed

The Departed happens to be my favorite movie because it embodies many aspects of American culture and society, mainly the ones that are frowned upon such as drug dealing, corruption, violence, and a few more. This movie also is an underdog story because William Costigan (representing good) was working in the undercover unit of the Massachusetts State Police trying to take down the drug lord Costello (representing evil), who pretty much got his way no matter what considering the fact he was a paid FBI informant. The ending of the movie shows that nobody wins in a corrupt society as pretty much everyone dies at the end due to secrecy and trust issues.

This movie featured what most of America looks for in a film which is violence, action, sex and drugs. The mob lifestyle is also portrayed well through the drug lord Costello and Colin Sullivan who was Costello's puppet and apprentice in the Special Investigations Unit. This kind of corruption happens all of the time in America which gives the movie a certain impact on the lives of the people watching it.

What does it take for you to perform?

It's gameday. Go to school, eat, hang out with my team and finally go to the pregame meal in the cafeteria sponsored by the team moms. Those were the usual events everyone participated leading up to the big stage. Afterwards, I would take about an hour nap with my headphones playing suspenseful music such as In The Air by Phil Collins in order to get my body mentally and physically ready. Most people wondered how I would sleep right before the game and play with such high energy during the game. The secret was... having a rested body. Then, my alarm goes off. 

The marching band roars in, during pregame warmups, from outside of the stadium firing up everyone around including fans of the opposing team. Chills start circulating through my body as the band plays louder and louder as kickoff approaches. My teammates and I are jumping around as the bass thumps and echoes throughout the stadium. Both bands are boasting their school pride loud and proud as both schools are about to compete. The national anthem is played and finally after a few minutes you hear Oooohhhhh ooooo! as the ball is kicked. It's game time. 

Most people have different pre-game rituals, routines and triggers because everyone is unique in nature. Some of my teammates would have rap battles before every game and that would do the trick for them. Between listening to the marching band and taking a nap, I was always good to go. If something interrupted my pregame ritual I definitely would feel uneasy about it... enough to the point it could alter my performance on the field which is why having a habitual routine is so important. 

A Winning Culture

In the Rodney Jones' poems victory and triumph or described in a multitude of ways. A sense of triumph is felt when you are first in running sprints at the end of practice or even when winning a sack race. Although both sports are at different ends of the sports spectrum, the sense of accomplishment and victory is universal in both sports.

In Klosterman’s essay “33” sports and culture are both directly related as Klosterman relates the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers to just about every aspect of our daily lives. Klosterman uses the L.A. Lakers and Celtics as a force that divides yet unifies many people. Numerous stereotypes are also described and related to the L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics such as racism.

Whenever I associate myself with a team, I am willing to accept the stereotypes that go along with that team; however, they are not always an accurate representation of me or anybody else that is associated with the team. As described by Klosterman in his questions, there is a Laker way of doing things and there is a Celtic way of doing things. Both ways of doing things usually are entirely different. Most people that associate themselves with the Lakers or Celtics are subconsciously emerging themselves in the culture of either team based on political standing, racism, or even because of legacy, which clearly has helped construct a stronger community and culture based on those factors. Similarly, as described in Klosterman’s The End Of Practice, no matter what team you are on, the end of practice is very much similar to most other team’s end of practice because it is just the way it has developed as football culture. Everyone who has been on a football team can relate to that.  Finally, Klosterman’s Winning helps describe what kind of society we live in through an irrelevant sport such as sack racing because winning is everything in our society. We live in a Machiavelli, ends justifies the means winning culture and unfortunately it gets many people in trouble such as the late Joe Paterno

Coach Coughlin and the New York Football Giants Organization

Coach Coughlin and the Giants Organization,

As a Miami Dolphins and New York Giants fan I appreciate what you have done in the past few seasons by utterly disappointing the New England Patriots in not one, but two Super Bowls. If you beat the Patriots again in the Superbowl that would be unbelievable because you guys seem to be the only team that can beat them in the big game. It is simply awesome to watch you guys underperform during the regular season and then come in as a heavy underdog and win the Superbowl. I enjoy watching your team because you guys are the typical grind it out blue collar team which seems to be rare in the NFL now a days with all of the spread offenses and at the end of the day your defense is what wins the championships.

As long as you guys keep on beating up on the New England Patriots and the New York Jets, I will always fully support you guys. The way Eli Manning remains as the 3rd most talked about quarterback in New York City is impressive considering the fact he has two Superbowl rings while Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez do not have shit... well Tebow has God but no rings.


Sincerely,
Joseph Hernandez

Participation vs Spectating

Participation and spectating in sports has a unique relationship because they go hand in hand with each other and are necessary for each other. Without spectators, there would not be high salaries which would result in less competitive sports. However, people in the sports world have realized that the fans are probably just as important as the athletes because they help the professional leagues expand through the funding they provide through ticket sales, donations, merchandise sales and television ratings which is why you always hear athletes saying they would like to thank all of their fans. They aren’t thanking the fans really for their moral support.. They are thanking them for their financial support.

While many athletes start at a young age, most of them do not become professional athletes or even high school athletes at the varsity level for that matter. It is a dilemma many people have to face because as a kid almost everyone has aspirations of becoming a professional athlete; however, they face the harsh reality that they are not gifted enough at their sport to compete at a high level. Sports always provide people with fun and excitement even though it can be done in multiple ways. Some fans feel like they play just as big of a role in the game as their favorite superstars such as LeBron James, which is why you see some fans decked out in their favorite player or team’s gear.

There is something that is universally given off by sports whether it’s participating in a sport or spectating a sport and that is an escape. Sports serve as an escape from the daily rut or routine that most people deal with as they get to enjoy watching the team that they have followed since they were little kids watching the big game with the family. Sports are also a uniting force as race and everyone’s differences are irrelevant when everyone is competing or cheering for the same goals.

What it takes to make a memory

In Chuck Klosterman's "Three Man Weave", a small irrelevant junior college team called the United Tribes Thunderbirds in North Dakota with only 5 players competes against other irrelevant teams and makes for an epic memory. This memory is the greatest sports memory of all time for Barry Webster, one of the players on the United Tribes Thunderbirds. When ESPN gave him a phone call, he happily spoke on and on about his memory of beating a team with only 3 players at the end of a basketball game.

In Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio by James Wright the start of something new is described in a small town. No matter how small the town is though, the start of football season is always something major. Football and basketball both give people a tremendous level of excitement at every competitive level whether it is at the peewee level or professional level. Both stories share that the teams are irrelevant on the social scale; however, both teams are extremely important to the few people that care about them. The people telling the stories and recalling the memories in both stories seem to have an extremely vivid memory pertaining to those events because those were obviously meaningful moments in their lives.

The love of sports usually does not stem and develop from the professional level, but at a lower level of competition. However, my love for football developed when I was given Madden 2002 from my friend Erik. My memories that I’ll write about are similar in the sense that they describe my love for the game, but I grew up in a more urban environment so the events in my memories are more relevant in the mainstream sports world. The retellings help define a culture because it shows how significant sports are to their culture. In small towns sports are usually valued more because there is not as much to do or talk about which was clearly the case in both writings.   

My Team Shits On Yours! Oh... wait

All it takes is some preseason hype or a big win for a fan or an analyst to jump the gun and say that a certain team is the best team. People feel empowered to make those statements without any evidence which is completely ridiculous. Every year before the season starts, there is a huge amount of hype that is built up over time due to anxiety and the fact that everyone wants to have the best team. After seeing one Miami Hurricanes Football practice this season, Howard Schnellenberger stated  "That's the best-looking squad I've ever seen in my life physically including the Miami Dolphins, the University of Alabama, anybody. In 56 years of coaching, they looked better physically than anyone I've ever seen"... Slow down there coach, the Miami Hurricanes are average at best and they are not even the best team in their own conference. 

It bothers me when people say their team is the best when there is no profound evidence that leads to that statement being correct. Analysts also argue that a certain player or team is the best and it only takes one performance for them to do so. When Jeremy Lin played a few great games everyone all of a sudden thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. When the Knicks faced off against the Miami Heat, Jeremy Lin looked helpless and all of the analysts and fans were handed a reality check. So whenever you're saying "my team is the best", just think again and ask yourself when was the last time your team won a championship or even their conference. Chances are your team does not fit the criteria of being the best team and your team is not the best so shut up. 

When Life Started

In 2002, I was given Madden 2002 as a gift from my friend Erik Stone when we were both in 2nd grade. At first I was reluctant to even put the game in my nintendo because I really had no understanding of any sports other than baseball at the time. It was insulting at the time to receive a football video game because my friends knew I had no interest in any sport except for baseball at the time. Without having any knowledge of football, my brother and I played the game and pretty much just mashed buttons without having any common knowledge about football.. yet it was still fun. 

Slowly I started watching some random NFL games on TV without knowing much about anything going on; however, they always kept my interest and attention. By the time I started 6th grade, I had already owned 4 more editions of Madden and I developed a big interest in NCAA football as well. Some of my friends told me to try out for the 6th grade team which I did during spring which soon led to me having a starting spot in 7th grade along side a current Duke Blue Devil, Jeremy Cash. The game felt more and more natural as time went on and I remember studying my playbook more than my school assignments. 

 I ended up being a 4 year football varsity letterman and a 2 year captain for Miami Beach Senior High school and I plan to walk-on to the football team at Florida State University during the spring. What I had thought to be an insult turned out to be the one of the greatest blessings in my life because football turned out to be my passion.