Finals Always Come at the Wrong Time

          Is it just me or do finals in college always come at the most inopportune times? First of all a lot of teachers (not all) will give you a ton of work that is due right before the finals which somewhat limits the time you have to study. Secondly there are so many big things going on in sports right now!

          Professors obviously don’t consider the sports fanatics when they are scheduling their syllabus. They have to know that the NHL and NBA playoffs are going on right now. Take last night for instance; while the Los Angeles Clippers are making possibly the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history against the Memphis Grizzlies I was studying for an Entrepreneurship final causing me to miss the entire game. Thank goodness for SportsCenter or I would have not got to see any of the highlights or anything.

          Another big thing I’ve been missing because of school is the Nashville Predators in the NHL playoffs. I picked up a bigger interest in the team after going to see them earlier this year. I now am completely rooting for them and have even bought a t-shirt to show my support. The team has become extremely more popular over the last two years because of their success. But because I have been so busy with school I have been subject to just seeing their highlights as well. 

          Finals are most likely not going to change because they are preset by the university, but the teachers could spread out when things are due a little more instead of waiting until the end of the semester and causing students to stress so much, or miss importing sporting events. But what is done is done so good luck fellow students and enjoy the exciting summer of sports.

LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan

          My favorite sports related entertainer has to be Lebron James. As far entertainment and basketball go he is as good as it gets. There is no other athlete in the NBA who is involved with endorsements and advertising as much as he is. He also is the most exciting player in the NBA.

      
       Lebron is, in my opinion, the new age Jordan. Now I’m not saying that he is the next Michael Jordan or as good as a player as he was, what I mean is that he basically is in the same role that Jordan was when he played. They both are regarded as the best player in the NBA at their time. They both are in tons of commercials. They both have multiple versions of their own shoes.

       
          The only difference is the change in times. For instance, Jordan didn’t have Twitter and Facebook to broadcast/promote himself as Lebron does. Another difference between the two is that Jordan was adored by everyone and Lebron has just as many people hate him as that loves him.

       
           He has accepted this though and has not sold out so everyone will like him. One thing is for certain though is everyone does respects his talent. Nobody can deny that he is a great player and I think that Lebron knows that. All athletes will tell you they want to be known as the best at what they do, not to be the most loved athlete. 

Something Personal: Coaching Changes aren't Good for Everyone

          Have you ever felt like you were the man one minute and then like a nobody the next. This happened to me my junior and senior year in high school football.

          My junior year we had a coach who I respected more than any previous coach in any sport. I was not starting on offense or defense when camp began, but because I worked hard on and off the field he gave me the starting job at cornerback. With the luck I have though I broke my collarbone in practice about a week later. On the way to the hospital my coach called my mom and told her that I was not going to lose the starting job I earned. He told her that it wouldn't be right to take it away from me after I had worked so hard. He kept to his word and I still had my starting job when I was healthy. He never for a second let me think that I could keep the job if I played poorly or didn't work hard. I took what he said and started on offense, defense and special teams. I ended up with five interceptions on defense and contributed as much as I was asked on offense for the season.

My Actual X-Ray 

          Going into my senior year the coach that I respected so much resigned because of issues with his boss (our principal). We got a new coach for my last year of football, which didn't make me too happy. I put my feelings aside and got ready for the next season. 

          During spring practice I came in thinking that there was no way that I could lose my starting job. This was my own fault I will admit and I should not have felt this way. I ended up losing my starting job on offense and defense because I guess I didn't play well enough in practice.

 When the first scrimmage came around I didn't play as much as I was used to or as much as I would have liked to. After that I worked my ass off at practice throughout the season. I never missed a practice even when I had a stomach virus and I learned multiple positions on both offense and defense. With all that being said I never was able to get a starting job and I didn't get the playing time that others or I thought I deserved. 

          This is something that still to this day makes me mad thinking about it. I basically have no good or fun memories from that season that I can talk about with friends and it's so frustrating. I know that the people reading this may not care about this story because it may or may not have happened to them, but this is something that I needed to get off my chest to the public for a long time. 

          This event has changed my life and made me realize that I should never take anything for granted. I now know if you lose something that no matter how hard you work to earn it back, there could be certain variables that can keep you from regaining what you once had.  

News Writing- Does Ozzie Guillen Watch the News?

Has anybody heard 

about the recent trouble Ozzie Guillen has 

gotten in? 

          In a recent interview with Time magazine he said he admired Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. Is this guy dumb or what? 

          First of all he didn't take into consideration the amount of Cuban refugees in the Miami community. Second of all he must not know much about the whole “dictatorship” thing. Lets think about some past dictators. Two that come to mind are Hitler and Saddam Hussein. I do not think either one of these guys were admired by anyone. 

          Guillen said he was unaware of the horrid things Castro has done to the Cuban community. That's kind of hard to believe unless Guillen happened to live underneath a rock. I know that he was not born in the United States where we have been hearing about Cuba’s trouble with Castro for years, but he has been living in the United States for at least 15 years. 

          I do however respect how Guillen is owning up to his mistake and taking the necessary actions to try to fix the situation. This is actually smart of him because a lot of the Miami community is either wanting him to be fired or for him to resign.

The MLB even stepped in to make somewhat of an example of him by giving him a five game suspension. 

          Let us all hope that from now on Ozzie Guillen will just stay away from interviews so his mouth does not get him in any more trouble. 

My Obituary???

Joseph Robert Pendergrass, 45, passed away July 21, 2036 on the Death Star. Pendergrass’ head was severed by a light saber. His death took place during a battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Republic.  

           
       He was born November 20, 1990 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Pendergrass was known for his many good deeds as a Jedi. He leaves behind his wife Andrea, son Joe and daughter Emily.

Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Monday, July 23, 2036 at Jennings & Ayers Chapel in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Funeral services will be the next morning at 9.