Home is where the heart is...

It's been awhile since I have posted anything and its been quite difficult to conjure anything up until now. USA lost to Brazil, but I'm not a big soccer fan although I would have been a little bit more interested if they had won. They forgot they had to play 90 minutes instead of 45. Just another damper on soccer here in the states. The Yanks produced a nice sweep of the Metropolitans. Jackass Ponzi Madoff received 150 years for his truly profound scheme. Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Billy Mays died. The Black Boxes from the plane off the coast of Brazil are still missing. Wimbledon is under way and Pete Sampras' grand slam record is still in jeopardy. I already forgot who won the US Open because it wasn't Phil or Tiger. And finally Steven Jobs is back to work at Apple Inc. after liver transplant. Yet, none of these were worthy enough of a posting.

Today I went on my hometown newspaper's website for the first time in probably a month and read some interesting articles. The first was titled "Man jumps from bridge in Corning" and the next was "Biker dies in chase on Route 415". Both interesting articles and almost comical to some extent.

So a little rundown: A 20 year old male jumped off Bridge Street Bridge early Saturday evening attempting to kill himself. He failed, failed so bad he failed to manage even a chipped nail. We can all say my goodness help this boy or he must of had a bad family life or his girlfriend broke up with him. Ya know all that excuse stuff. Well what I don't understand is that this is the same idiot who tried doing the same thing a little over a month ago. In fact, I was at a bar down the street when they closed down the bridge for this kid's theatrics. I'm sorry but this kid just wants attention. Simple as that, he's in dire need of attention. Now he has made it to the newspaper twice and on the news. He has had people console him, evaluate him, and ask him if he's ok. This is what happens in Corning, NY. Please Mr. 20 year old don't make it so obvious your in dire need of attention. In your first attempt you didn't even get off the bridge and in your second attempt you did it with the sun still out. If you want attention my friend, run down Market St. naked when the races are going on at the Glen. Or wait until the East/West football game so you have a bunch of adolescent eyeballs on you yearning for some laughter and gossip.

The next story made me laugh but someone died so it was short-lived. A man was caught peeling out on his crotch rocket and led a few cars on chase with speeds over 100mph. The guy ended up losing control and was pronounced dead at the scene. Something I've never understood: why do people from the Southern Tier insist upon thinking their actually cool? Not that I am one to brag and label myself as "cool", but this is just another example of an area depleted by individuals that think the world evolves around them and the Southern Tier. It is certainly unfortunate that someone had to pass away, but a little intelligence would have told this guy to save his tire spinning escapade for his driveway or a back round where the opportunity to get caught is minimal or just not done anything. Just some brains and this guy is still alive.

One last thing: Although the culprit will most likely never be found, whomever decided to spill a half gallon jug of olive oil all over my kitchen floor at our party on Friday night, I hope you have the worst paper cut of your life, slip on a banana peel and fall face first into a pile of shit.

Until next time...

Stallworth vs Vick

Ok, so I couldn't keep this out of my head after I finished my last post. Stallworth killed a man, and Vick ran a dog fighting ring. Stallworth was drunk while Vick probably smoked an occasional joint. Stallworth will play football again soon; Vick still has a long road ahead of him. Stallworth will serve 30 days in jail. Vick spent nearly 2 years in jail (home confinement at the moment). 

I could go on forever, but my point is made. How can we honestly say that Vick committed more wrong doing than that of Stallworth. Its a human vs dozens of dogs but still. Vick has exhausted every last bit of his contact with the Falcons and Stallworth spent alot but got his life in return. He will still sit in financial security while Vick works a 9-5 making less than I do right now. 

This is what our judicial system has come to. Such horrible discrepancies and unfair rulings that have put, not just superstars, but the average joe either back in the real world or behind bars. Now the NFL will implement a suspension and fine against Stallworth but it will be nothing compared to scrutiny that followed, and will continue to, Michael Vick. By no means do I condone any of Vick's actions, but this is an obvious problem.

Killing humans vs. torturing dogs... Where do you stand?

Until next time...

Kobe & Stallworth

This is something that has been bothering me since Kobe and the Lakers won their 15th title on Sunday. I don't know if I am the only one that feels this way but didn't that celebration seem as fake as Pamela Anderson's boobs? There were smiles, hugs, hand shakes, and three ridiculous jumps of joy by Kobe. But there was no passion. There was no passion that you saw when Phil, Mike, and Scottie won in each of their 6 titles. 

Honestly, Kobe's celebration was as fake as fake could be. It seemed as if he was trying to create a moment that could be eternalized into the minds of everyone who saw it. Well I guess he did a good job because I'll always remember it, but I'll remember the moment when he looked like a desperate fool, not the moment when he won his 4th championship and first without Shaq. I may just be a hard critic, and maybe we have all just been spoiled with greatness, but I truly believe Kobe will go down as an NBA great, but certainly not the best. Mike still has the nod, and Lebron is on his way, if not surpassing Kobe as we speak. There are many other greats who I would put in front of Kobe. They deserved to win though and it was certainly hard to watch the Magic not take advantage of the multiple opportunities to extend the series.

 I hope Stan Van Gundy has the chance to make it back to the Finals because he is an amazing coach. A coach that is a student and teacher of the game, always looking for an edge, an edge that will always give his teams a chance to win. If every coach throughout the ranks was more like Stan (and his brother Jeff) we wouldn't see the abundance of embarrassing coaching performances and the content which follows it. It's more than chucking up 3's or a fast break dunk; It's about the fundamentals. The fundamentals that used to be there when the Celtics had Bird, when the Bulls had Jordan, and when the Jazz had Pistol. When State had Magic and Knight was at Indiana or Ewing at Georgetown. Thats what good basketball is all about. Basketball as a whole has become soft, we need those hard nosed, making you run till you puke, coaches and the player who can accept it.

Donte Stallworth must be God's right hand man because it took an act of God to escape his early morning drive-over within our merciless drinking and driving laws. It makes no sense to me what so ever. He killed a man, driving a car, while probably dreaming of his bed with a .12 BAC. He is now serving 30 days in jail, 1,000 hours community service, and an undisclosed amount with the out-of-court settlement. 

I feel horrible for the victim. His family was content with receiving, and I'm going out on a limb, a very, very, very, very hefty amount of money. So in reality this guy's family could put quantitative value to his existence and in turn be "gifted" with loads of money at the expense of their deceased family member. Stallworth lucked out and will most likely play again. Good for him, hopefully it's a lesson learned.

Until next time...

Free Throws & SPAC

This will certainly be my shortest post since blogspot broke my bloggin' cherry, but as I said in my last blog, and I'll quote: "You MUST make free throws to win games, end of story." The Lakers miss 5 free throws to the Magic's 15. Howard showed his true colors tonight going 6/14 from the line which is right around his season average. DFish stepped up, but that's what good teams do, make shots when it matters most. 

Lakers in 5.

Tomorrow I head to SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center for all your brainiacs) to see DMB for a show Friday night and Saturday night. Certainly will make one with the wilderness this weekend. Good thing I've been keepin' up on my Bear Grylls. 

No shirt. 

No shoes.

No showers.

Certainly no problem.

Until next time...

Nick Adenhart & Lakers/Magic

Yesterday, in front of the lone survivor within the car that was struck by drunken driver Andrew Thomas Gallo, the parents, family, and friends of the deceased and the lone survivor watched teary eyed Gallo as he pleaded "not guilty" to three counts of murder along with 3 other lesser charges. Gallo sat behind some sort of protection box as he looked on to his lawyer and family. This is Gallo's last cry to somehow protect himself from prosecution. Is it sad that he pleaded "not guilty"? It certainly is, but in reality at this point he has nothing to lose because either way he is going away for the rest of his life. 

His lawyer made another desperate attempt to have the trial moved out of Orange County, Cali. because he felt there would be too much bias. Well, no shit McFly. Anywhere he goes there will be bias because this idiot killed 3 young kids and left the survivor with an injury called "internal decapitation" and he somehow is on his way to recovery, luckily. I feel no remorse for this imbecile. I mean his BAC was over 3 times the legal limit, and then he tried to run from the scene! I wonder if he remembers any of this, most likely not. He probably still has a horrible hang over. A hang over that has left 3 dead and one with his spine detached from his skull and 5 families, including Gallo's, that have to live without their precious sons and daughters for the rest of time. Sickening. 

On a softer note, the Magic pulled of what I considered a must win last night over the Lakers. The Magic torched the Lakers in the first half shooting 75% from the floor (NBA Record) and 62.5% for the game (NBA Record). Alot of people are saying that this is now a series, which is true, but for Stan Van Gundy and his Magic, I would not feel anymore comfortable as I did before being down 2-0. They shot their way into the record books by consistently making shots all over the floor and only taking a unfathomable 14 3-point attempts.

There are two things on the box score that jump out at me and none of them include the performance of the Lakers bigs Gasol, Bynum, and Odom. Reporters were dwelling on the fact that between them they only had 9 rebounds. Well when a team shoots over 60% from the floor, there are not that many rebounds to be had. The thing that jumps out at me is the fact that the Lakers were 16-26 from the charity stripe to 23-30 from the Magic. You MUST make free throws to win games, end of story. I have been a part of games on both sides where teams have made or missed free throws, not just down the stretch, but the entire game and the outcome was conducive to this fact. The other thing has been a consistent problem for the Magic: Dwight Howard. Throughout the playoffs, it was Gasol not getting enough touches, now its Howard. I don't care if he went 11-16 from the free throw line. Lets say out of those 16 free throws he got fouled on 8 shot attempts. That is still only 14 attempts from the floor - Simply not enough. What baffles me even more is that they only attempted 14 threes! If that continues to be the case Dwight needs more touches or this game will simply be a small bug bite on the Lakers way to their 15th NBA title.

This game was a fluke, I'll state that. Kobe will come back with a more consistent performance and he certainly will not miss 5 free throws again (I bet he doesn't miss a total of 5 for the rest of the series). The Magic will not shoot 62.5% from the floor again because Phil Jackson will refocus his squad and get them playing D again and teams in the NBA Finals simply do not shoot that well consistently. If the Magic feel they have a chance, they better hope to shoot 70% in the next game because the Lakers are ready. 

Lakers in 5.

Until next time...

Sunday of Champions

Sunday was a day of champions. From the golf course to the tennis court, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer dominated the field once again. With nearly $2.5 million in purse winnings between the two, I believe we are witnessing two of the most dominating athletes ever, and almost the most dominant in our time (MJ is obviously the best until these guys throw in the towel then its up to another round table of discussions).

Entering the final round 4 strokes back, Tiger came out on a tear shooting a 7-under 65. Not that any of us expect anything less, but he came through in the clutch on 17 and 18 with back to back birdies. First was a 9-foot putt on 17 then a pin seeker on 18 to a foot to seal the win. He had his best driving week since The Masters in 1998 missing only 5 fairways all week and zero in the final round. He was hitting greens, hitting fairways, making putts, and getting up-and-down. I can guarantee that every PGA member is thinking, "Here we go again", just as Tiger disappeared for 8 months with surgery on his knee, he's back. Back and ready to tear through every tournament and reach that coveted mark of 19 majors. Even Jack, the host of The Memorial, claimed that he would be shocked if Tiger didn't win in two weeks at Bethpage Black. It has to be so hard going into the final round not concerned about the person behind you, but concerned about Tiger, no matter how far back he is.

I am not a big tennis fan, but Roger is proving himself to be one of, if not the best tennis players ever. He won in straight sets yesterday against Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6, 6-4. After the first set, it was pretty obvious that Roger had a game plan in mind which certainly didn't involve a second place trophy. He now has reached the Grand Slam summit and has tied Pete Sampras with 14 major titles. I think he has clearly separated himself from any debate of who is the best. I loved Agassi with his sweet hair and killer kicks, and for Sampras watching him litteraly gut it out over and over, but Federer has simply performed at the highest level consistently for so long.

Now for both of these guys: We are witnessing history, history that I'm not really sure will ever be challenged, atleast not in our life-time. Both of these guys have one competitor, and that competitor is themselves. They go into every tournament with nothing less than a W on their mind. That is what separates these guys from other athletes. There is no one else that can beat them. They play individual sports where success depends on their own performance. Not Mo Williams missing a last second shot, or Terrell Owens missing a 1st down by a foot. And for all those skeptics out there that said Tiger was ailing or Roger was on his last leg heres one for ya: Stop the talking because these guys are not gonna stop winning.

I think we've all been spoiled with this greatness. We all should sit back and truly realize how lucky we are to witness greatness. I think these two should steal Lebron's tagline: We Are All Witnesses. Lebron is good, but these guys are spectacular.

Until next time...

Branding, Globalization & Higher Education

In today's ever-evolving world of higher education, many fail to realize the enormous impact of globalization within our colleges and universities. Most people think that globalization only applies to the business world and the economy, when in fact it has a direct impact upon our education. When administrators fail to realize this, they are jeopardizing the value and perception of their institution. Institutions must adjust just like a business would as society changes as a whole.

In my case, the college (some wouldn't even call it a college) I attend (College of Mount Saint Vincent) has failed and continues to fail to put this idea at the forefront of their policies. They have created a brand without even knowing it. This brand is everything an institution wants to prevent; a brand which encompasses a lack of commitment, lack of direction, lack of engagement, egotistical know-it-alls, a student body which is diverse yet divided, administrators living in their own fallacies, and some faculty that lack the knowledge to make the students flourish.

This list is just the beginning of an institution going in the wrong direction. I failed to realize this as a senior in high school, and to be honest, I regret the decision I made. Not because of the people I have met, but because this school has failed miserably at making my experience better every year. Although in the eyes of many at this school I am a nobody, I offer something that this school must consider, and consider with the intent of utilizing it in the most effective way possible. My offerings is my perception; I may only be one out of 1500 or so student, but my perception is probably the same to that of 75% of the student body. 

My perception is that the College of Mount Saint Vincent is more of a small, private high school than a college. It has minimal course offerings that have done nothing for me. It has facilities that are lackluster at best (and gave one friend a staph infection) and administrators and staff that have failed to realize how valuable my and 1500 other students' opinions are. Once this place realizes this, they can move forward and attempt to change these perceptions and point the college in the right direction. Throw into the mix globalization and we have the best advice this college will ever get: You better learn how to adjust, or your school may be on a  land slide right into the Hudson.