365 Days Ago Today...

...The Sports Nut Blogs was launched.

ISN'T THAT EXCITING?

Dude, like....I didn't think I was actually going to keep up with this sucker. To be honest, I almost didn't for a time, but that was for personal reasons. Anyway, thanks for sticking around as long as you have. You guys are the best. I know I'm not a huge and popular blog, but I've got my own little society and I love you guys bunches and bunches.

Okay, so here's the announcement I hinted at last week:
Remember my post from August about concussions in sports? Yeah, that little infant of a post is now going to become a speech I am making at an honors conference next month in Radnor, PA. I'm going to try my darndest to get a video of it, but I doubt that'll be done. Maybe photos will accompany this day, I'm not sure yet. But yeah...it's cool, right?

Here's to another year of blogging excellence!

--AZ

Mastering the Art of Offseason Boredom Prevention

(Note: This post probably has nothing to do with sports. It’s a nice little editorial you can all enjoy.)

“And so this is offseason, and what have you done? Another year over, and the downtime has begun.”

(Disclaimer: John Lennon never said this. Yoko might have though. Ah, never mind, it’s not really that funny now.)

It’s one thing to think that we all know what athletes do in the offseason. We all think that they bum out for about a week, and then they just return to their workout regimen, start dating other celebrities, play Call of Duty or Madden online with teammates, or go to other sports-related events. However, that might not necessarily be true. Just think—all of these guys might have lost their chances of having a decent social and family life when they were student athletes back in college (or high school depending on what the situation was). Locker room/clubhouse pranks are not enough—now there’s plenty of time to actually plan the destruction and frustration of roommates, wives, misbehaving children, and teammates located miles away.

Do I really know what they do? Not really, but here are good guesses...

(Cue Sanford and Son theme music here. Elevator or prize-winning music is nice here too.)

In the offseason, a lot of eligible bachelor athletes often room together in the main square of the city in which they play in. Sure, the dishes might not always get done, but they have someone to share rent with, right? Anyway, here’s the scoop. One roommate just landed a date with a waitress at a local steakhouse and now they’re planning on coming back to the pad to watch Jersey Shore (don’t ask why I placed this show here—just go along with it) and eat some pretzels and low-fat queso (since the waitress already thinks she’s fat—moving on). What’s the other guy supposed to do? What if he had no plans that night? Does he take the shameful offense that he’s “the other guy” in the place or does he try to make things fun for the sake of his own sanity and the hope that things won’t get any worse for him? You can finish that thought off on your own.

Prank calling has its perks: you can mask your voice, kill massive amounts of boredom on a Friday night, and you can mess with peoples’ minds in return. No, we’re not going to go down the beaten path and say that players (or coaches, better yet) call pizza places, order 12 large sausage pies with four large bottles of birch beer and just one order of onion rings (as a consolation prize for being the sucker getting all of this stuff) and give them the address to the teammate’s house. That’s so 1980’s—before all of the caller ID business. Prank calling is now more of an ancient art nowadays; since people have automatic caller ID and phone number identification, you really have to be sneaky. Pay phones are an endangered species, and it’s not exactly certain whether pressing #4 [pound key, four] before the phone number always works. Thank God for functions and mechanisms like Google chat. If players/coaches are tech savvy, heaven help the person thinking that their credit card company is confirming their account cancelation or thinking that their agent just sold his deal on Craigslist. Possibilities: endless.

Just as Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan broke barriers by playing other pro sports during their respective offseason, you would that that one would try to be different and go a different path by signing a different contract for something completely different. Unfortunately, I don’t think professional wrestling (err, sports entertainment) is the best choice of earning more money and “living the dream.” Sorry Steve “Mongo” McMichael and Dennis Rodman…you both made total fools of you. I guess in the category of pranks and killing boredom, you laid the pranks on you and the company (in both cases it was WCW) and instead of killing boredom, you probably helped in killing the company and the people that watched you due to laughing so hard. It’s been 20 years since someone’s crossed over between professional sports, and I guess with the competitiveness and the roughness of it all, it’s probably not the best idea to try and poke your head into other things you won’t be ready for. Also, it’s another thing to take up a hobby, but …”sports entertainment?” Good gravy.

When one finally comes home after a long season, sometimes adjusting may be difficult yet fun when it comes to pestering other people or starting the idea of being a “class clown” in the home. For example, when an athlete comes home to his wife, he’s going to have a lot of stories to tell her and let her know how he’s reached out and gained new interests while practicing his trade. She’ll start the conversation by saying: “So honey, did your new teammates introduce you to their friendships and ways of living?” He could reply by saying: “Sweetie, the guys are great. Their tastes in music changed me! My iPod looks so much better now!” The conversation—and possibly the relationship—ends when the man walks into the bedroom and the wife hears Michael Bolton on full blast while the man is getting his pajamas on.

One thing’s for sure if you’re married—you’ll probably have the time in your career when the babies start coming out of the woodwork. Of course, you miss them to bits and pieces and you love them so much that their school pictures are taped on the inside of your locker. That was when you were away. Now, you realize why your wife misses you so much. You’re the much needed addition to the body count that must battle the baby apocalypse. How do you attend to this problem? The kids like sitting on your knee, right? Tell ‘em a story. Start digging up the deep ones that happened all the way back in the first week of the season. You remember how the bus broke down and the bus bathroom toilet was clogged? They’ll love that—so much that they’ll pass out on you faster than a government official being struck by an assassin. Problem solved. But remember, an idle mind is the devil’s handiwork: only use this skill when the kids aren’t occupied with a fun pastime like having a catch with you or doing a puzzle or swimming in a pool. The pool one would be scary—don’t do the story trick at all there.

And this, my friends, is what can happen when your mind begins to wander during the gym or during lunch. No kidding, I really start thinking about this stuff when ESPN is on. Don't you sometimes wonder what the athletes do when they themselves are watching news about them on television? I guess I delve into things a bit too much...

Hope you enjoyed my satire.

--AZ

AZ's Slant on Sunday - Star Power!

(Written for the fact that the Cavs broke their 26-game losing streak this past Friday against the Clippers. Way to go, failboat captains!)

What makes a team? Is it the star power or is it the overall skill and talent of the team? Can one name lead a team and franchise to glory?
Don't try to answer it. It's rhetorical, and there's no way you're going to get a definite 'yes' or 'no' from it.
Many arguments may go into consideration when it comes to thinking that it may be one man or a few men that make a team.

Have you ever seen the movie Kicking and Screaming? It's one of those Will Ferrell sports/slapstick movies. Anyway, in the middle of the movie, all the little guys had to do was pass the ball to "the Italian kids" and they'd score and win the game.

In another childish example, the characters from the cartoon Arthur had Francine Frensky...

and the characters from Doug had Patti Mayonnaise.

[...How ironic that in the last two characters that I've mentioned, both females were depicted as athletes.... could that be another post? I don't know yet.]
These following characters epitomize the stigma that one person unifies the team and makes the team better as a whole, and this particular leader "shines" and is set apart as the best player of the group.

To bring up my point of writing this post, let's take a look at the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.

Looking at their roster as a whole, the team has zero big-name players. And being perfectly honest, none of the players on the team average over 20 points a game. The team has zero momentum, has only won nine of 54 games, and...LeBron James dropped them like a bad habit and flew to South Beach to play with the Miami Heat.

Speaking of this dude, let's now look at the Miami Heat.

 

Miami is 39-14. They also have LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. They're tops in the conference too. Whenever one thing tweaks this holy trinity of b-ball players, it makes top news on ESPN. They're the talk of the league, and people are expecting the NBA Championship to come to this town in the near future. But is it because of these three guys, or is it the team as a whole?

Everyone at some point will call a team with this kind of star power and recognition "America's team." Teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees have been given this recognition over the years for having the most legendary players to ever step foot in the sport. Many of the men who have experienced the big show itself have won several titles and have played with other up-and-coming players that would soon join them in the greatness of the Hall of Fame. However, some people who have won these titles and weren't considered the "star" have been overshadowed.

Here's an example of that. Let's go back in time to the 2001 World Series. The country just experienced 9/11 and we were getting our first taste of November baseball. It was the New York Yankees dueling against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona came away with the emotional Game 7 victory, and the leadership of Luis Gonzales, Randy Johnson, and Curt Schilling led them through it. Wait, who were those other guys? Point made. You have the stars and the memorable names, but without them, who are those other guys? I guess you can say this now since they've lived in the cellar on and off since then. I think they've only made two or three playoff appearances since then (and I'm not looking at these stats right now, they're guesses, so sue me).

However, there are several cases where there is a lack of definite star power, but they all work together as a unit and unify the city while winning the sports title. Dare I say we look at the Green Bay Packers?

Sure, people were paying attention to who Aaron Rodgers was because he's the quarterback. Other than that, who did he really have? The bigger linemen on the offense and defense were being lost to injury, and that meant that the other guys had to step up and bring the Lombardi trophy back home to Titletown. Lo and behold, they did just that. Now we all know who James Starks, Jordy Nelson, and Clay Matthews is.

Speaking of Clay Matthews, he did something goofy this past week. Fast forward the video to about 2 minutes and you'll see what went down in Green Bay.

I guess big things like the Super Bowl can make you do other big things in other lands, right?

A topic like this can bring out many opinions and many answers as to what makes a team. I guess you can say that it works in a cycle. Those who win become legends and stars, and the rest have to beat the best to be the best. Everyone will start off small at one point, regardless of how well their college career treated them. To become the star, one must be set apart.
If you want what I think, no man is an island. It takes more than one guy to achieve greatness.

In the case of the Cleveland Cavaliers...they need new management. That's all.

--AZ

The Hangover - What Super Bowl Sunday Means to Me

(Written in accordance to today's media day celebrations.)
Super Bowl Sunday.
If it were given a steady date every year, it would have a bigger red ring around it than Tax Return Day. Let's be honest, football is a religion in the United States. Anybody who has a television set will watch the Super Bowl at some point, whether it's in passing, in the case that nothing else is on TV, you are a humongous fan, or it's with two teams you don't even root for.

I also find it a good excuse to pig out on food in front of the telly.

Which brings my point.

I understand that in certain areas of the United States, there are "drinking holidays" such as Tipsy Tuesday, Wasted Wednesday, etc. Super Bowl Sunday is like, the biggest one of them all. People who have no idea at this point who is playing in the Super Bowl will still use this day as an excuse to just go to a bar and let worries dissolve in what some consider a fun kind of way. People also find it a good day to, you know...get the "kiddie train" started. Just look what it did for the population of Louisiana last year.

When it comes to this fateful day, this one word comes to mind:

APOCALYPSE

So anyway, what does this day mean to me?
As I have mentioned in times past, I was never really one to watch football unless if it were a college game or if it were the Super Bowl. Now since I know what's going on in the league, things make a lot more sense. However, we're not talking about what I necessarily think about this topic, nor will I talk about who I think will win (personally, I think the Steelers will somehow win this because they always seem to pull a win out of their hoohahs, but that's besides the point). I'm talking about what I think goes on throughout America--and in some places in Canada--during this time of competition and frenzy.

The closest thing I can compare this topic to is New Year's Eve. It's this big blowout filled with streamers, Dick Clark, champagne, parades, and FOOD. When the ball drops, people go nuts at all different times around the world and party until it's 5 A.M. in their time zone. It's almost the same with football. It's filled with alcohol, parades, legendary announcers not named Joe Buck, and FOOD. When the right events occur during the game, fans go nuts and celebrate until it's about 5 A.M. in their time zone.

Then we have the next day. Offices are ghost towns. You see tumbleweeds even on the snowiest of college campuses. People call out of work. Everyone's hung over and go, "What the f(beep) happened last night? I did what?! No!" Not one person involved in the festivities can function correctly the next morning. It's a known fact; no matter how hard one tries, he or she will be unable to think straight. Also, in the case of the New Year, the season ends here and a new set of stuff begins the day after.  See? The snake bites it's tail in the end. Ha ha. However, I don't think anyone really thinks of eating pork the next day. They do remember to buy their laxatives and pregnancy test strips the next day though.

The funny part coming from all of this would just be the whole feeling of it actually being a holiday. Everyone goes out to shop for wings, chips and dips, pizza, beer, soda, and all of the other party foods. Could we call Super Bowl Sunday the violent little brother of Thanksgiving? I only say violent because it involves a lot of tackles, that's all. God forbid a major snowstorm already hit your town and you're unable to get this stuff before the game. You have nothing but a football jersey, and despite that, you're unable to celebrate "the right way" by pigging out on your reclining chair like you're Al Bundy or something. Ah, the four F's of America: freedom, food, football, and facepaint.

I guess the whole "one and done" part of it is what makes this day so definitive and exciting. Plus, who doesn't like getting entertained by a mix of brutality, halftime shows, and returning legends? One thing's for sure, nobody is going to be able to get away from coverage of this big game until the end of next week. (Unless if there is another wardrobe malfunction or something like that.) I guess this next week will be a hangover that many football fans will all experience and get over in no time flat. No, scratch that--the losing team's fans will experience a hangover that won't end until the first day of training camp. Those fans then proceed to hibernate in their respective man-caves until that day comes.

Some people make exceptions for the end of the NBA, NHL, and upcoming MLB season.

So what does Super Bowl Sunday mean to me? Utter. Chaos.

Stay thirsty, my football friends.

--AZ

AFC MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAAT

Being in college is fun. For example, you have a lot of human resources around you and you get some great entertainment when their views clash on a particular subject. Today, I will be taking advantage of that.

Earlier this week, I asked my friend Amy and my boyfriend Andrew to write up a few things for me. Amy, a Jets fan, and Andrew, a Steelers fan, have been at each others' throats this whole week, so I decided to ask them (separately) to give me their thoughts on Sunday's AFC Championship game. I'm actually quite surprised there wasn't any swearing involved with the messages I received on Facebook. [Good job, you two!] They gave some really great analyses, and I'm going to strategically section them off verbatim in a smack-talking format.

Round 1 -- FIGHT!

Amy: Where do I begin before the epic battle arrives? Well, to all Jets fans, if we defeated the Steelers once, then we can do it again.

Okay my dears, what are your views about the QB situation?

Andrew: In one corner we have a quarterback who in all fairness has played well in every playoff game he has played in (Mark Sanchez) except the one game which it mattered most (AFC Championship Game last year). And then you have Ben Roethlisberger, a proven winner in this league, a two time superbowl winner. Taking all of his off the field issues that Ben has had throughout his career off the table and simply looking at him as a football player he is without a doubt one of the top 3 qb’s in the NFL. I see Ben as being better here…

Amy: At times, Sanchez can make bad moves on offense; however, his strength on offense is hand off the ball to an offensive player and run it. Short and usually precise to gain some yards. Big Ben can throw like crazy: BUT it's a 50/50 shot that the player open may get it. Big Ben, huge arm... well, overall. I can't even believe he can run and make some yards. With his personal record, well, make sure you protect your family/friends especially the female ones.

Oh, my dear, Amy, you're quite brutal with the Ben Rape-lisberger jokes--oh wait. Sorry. I forgot where I was for a second there. While I do think that Ben's troubles are going to be paramount from this point forward, his reliability and his bulk are going to make a world of difference here. Mark Sanchez is a very good quarterback and has a lot of options with him. I do agree with Andrew on saying he's done a great job in every postseason game he has played.


Round 2 -- FIGHT!


Next question...what are your thoughts on the rest of the offense?

Amy: Short and sweet. Sanchez, you can still run the ball and pick up some yards if you want. You did it before, you can do it again. Key Players (beside Sanchez): LaDanian Tomlinson, Shonne Greene ... Jets may be underdogs, but we are filled with surprises.

Andrew:  This is a little tricky. Because I am not a big fan of Rashard Mendenhall, I like him--I just don’t love him. I am however a bigger fan of the tandem of LT and Shonne Green. You got the older vet and young guy. Granted I don’t think they will be running on the Steelers defense (that’s for later on). But anyway I am a fan of the Jets running backs in this situation. Now this one is not business for me--its personal. Santonio Holmes used to be a Steeler now he is a Jet. I think he is a good receiver but I'm not rooting for him. I do believe that the Steelers' receivers are overall better than the Jets. You have “old faithful” in Hines Ward who seems to get better with age, and a great corps of young receivers with Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Emmanuel Sanders. I have never been a fan of Braylon Edwards but I believe IF The Jets will do damage they will do it not because of their talent but because of the weakness in the Steelers defense. 

There really is an assortment of guys on both ends of the offense. Sure, Mendenhall isn't Jerome Bettis, but is doing his job. LaDanian Tomlinson is being LT and running at his best like always. Shonne Green is a big force too on the Jets O. I will admit that the passing game is slightly stronger on the Steelers side of the ball, but key receivers like Santonio Holmes will be perking up the passing game on the Jets end. The strength of each sides' defensive lines will definitely be a factor in how well each offensive line plays out on Sunday.


Final Round -- FIGHT!


Speaking of defensive lines, how about those guys? Any thoughts on special teams too?

Amy: Jets' defense are very epic in the league. I think some football fantasy players put at least 1 Jet defense player on their fantasy team. REVIS! I know he pulled a stunt earlier, but hey, he came back. He's on his A game whenever defending a player. #24!! [Key players:] Defensive end Sean Ellis, David Harris, and of course, Darrelle Revis. From last game that Jets defeated Steelers, the key goal was SAFETY!!! Great sources for success with patience and endurance. Nick Folk is not bad of a kicker for Jets. The previous years for field goals against Steelers... not good.

Andrew: The Steelers win this one hands down. Our defense leads the NFL in just about every statistical category. [On Cornerbacks:] I gotta give this to the Jets. They got two of the best in the league there is really nothing I can say. [But with safeties...] TROY POLAMALU (case closed).

I'll admit, the defensive stuff is about even on each side, with big names guarding and blocking with pro-bowler force. The Steelers did have some woes on special teams going on throughout the year, but that hasn't really taken a toll yet. This should be a fun game.

Additional comments:

Amy: Overall, Jets do have something unique about themselves from the other teams: luck. Well, every team has luck. Somehow, Jets show their green of luck.

Winner....
Double K.O.? I don't know...I don't really want to get in the middle of this. Between hearing "the Not Yets" and Roethlisberger jokes, I enjoy my life. I actually had part of my wardrobe on Monday thrown into the mix. I wore a green shirt and Amy goes, "she's wearing green," to Andrew wearing a Steelers jacket. What did I do wrong? My hands are clean of this! Seriously!


Anyway, I'd like to thank these two fine people for setting aside their differences for this brief time and actually writing their views on Sunday's war. I wish you two the best of luck. I swear, if one of you decide to call me after the game in tears because one of you lost, I'm not going to know what to say. Just...don't go to class the next day.

--AZ
(with many thanks to Amy and Andrew!)

Not-So-Se-cret---AaaaGENT MAaaN!

Let's have a small background to this story... Back when my winter break first started about a month ago, I was brainstorming yet again with my boyfriend. I brought up my Yao Ming idea, which eventually became a post, and he brought up student-athletes and agency/contracts. At first I thought, how on EARTH could I pull this one off? Well, many developments have come forth since, including a very intense phone debate that lasted well over an hour and I went and took no notes on this. Let's just say I wasn't the only person disappointed that I didn't capitalize on this. But who cares? I have a good memory, and I can present both sides of the argument. If I forget the other side, someone will just have to get a phone call. But anyway, let's go into the realm of student-athletes and their drafting scenarios, contracts, and the idea of giving these student-athletes agents in their college years.

Welcome to the Land of Opportunity, when in order to succeed prematurely, it's absolutely necessary to drop everything else you've worked for in the process order to get your dream job a la immediate gratification.

For those who don't normally follow college sports, they might find the idea of giving student-athletes an agent or a contract during their college seasons to be completely preposterous.  In today's age, where money just happens to have a slight correlation to "happiness," people have ideas that they might find NFL-caliber deals to be an effective tool in preparing student-athletes for what's to come after they complete their education. But who ever said that it was completely necessary to complete--or even have--a college education?

Let's play a game of scenarios here: say for instance that you're a very talented basketball player with average smarts and currently a junior in college. You're drafted in the first round and offered a huge contract in the process. You haven't finished college, but you have a chance to live your dream in the NBA. What do you do? Do you take the contract and sign with the team, or do you stay in school, go back into the draft for the next year, and graduate?
There are a lot of choices that come from this. You can finally live the dream even without an education to boot, and something like that is hard to come by these days. However, you might catch the "overhype syndrome" or the case of Chris Washburn and waste the privilege of the high life. On the other hand, you can stay in school, have an even better college year, go back into the draft at a higher pick, and get an even bigger deal. Here's a problem with this choice--you could sustain a serious injury and kill this whole idea all together.

So what do you do?

In order to prepare for these cases, many have suggested the early usage of agency and help the men (and women) in the cause to make a good decision while heading into the real world. Does the NCAA agree with this? Well...no. No they don't. Why? Let's look at some rules: [via NCAA Rule Booklet]

...
12.3.1 General Rule. An individual shall be ineligible for participation in an intercollegiate sport if he or she ever has agreed (orally or in writing) to be represented by an agent for the purpose of marketing his or her athletics ability or reputation in that sport. Further, an agency contract not specifically limited in writing to a sport or particular sports shall be deemed applicable to all sports, and the individual shall be ineligible to participate in any sport.
...

12.3.2.1 Presence of a Lawyer at Negotiations. A lawyer may not be present during discussions of a contract offer with a professional organization or have any direct contact (i.e., in person, by telephone or by mail) with a professional sports organization on behalf of the individual. A lawyer's presence during such discussions is considered representation by an agent.
12.3.3 Athletics Scholarship Agent. Any individual, agency or organization that represents a prospective student-athlete for compensation in placing the prospect in a collegiate institution as a recipient of institutional financial aid shall be considered an agent or organization marketing the individual's athletics ability or reputation.
...

So basically, no incentives, no offers, and no extra treatment until college is done or if you happen to head out prematurely. We all know what happens when you disobey these rules. For example, Reggie Bush recently gave up his Heisman Trophy that he achieved in 2005. This was due to allegations that he and his family received "gifts" which violates NCAA policy. In turn, every award he had achieved in 2005 was revoked as well. Brutal, yes.
This past year, there was also a great deal of controversy in the case of Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton. Supposedly, his father was soliciting money from "bigger-named colleges" because it supposedly had to take more than a scholarship to keep his son's talents. However, there appeared to be insufficient evidence of this act, and Newton was later reinstated in the running for awards and recognition and was later named the Heisman winner for this past season. Still, the problem was there, and someone (in this case, Cam's dad Cecil) got hurt in the process.

In my view, the idea of agency in NCAA would take way too much money to operate. Of course, you have the really big and powerful Division I teams and players, but doesn't that mean you would be showing special treatment to the higher divisions around the whole country?
The original idea conjured up by my argument partner was that agents should be designated to work at certain colleges. Hello? Wouldn't it take money out of the athletic program, let alone the school itself, to hire them and pay them royalties and dues to the University or College? Not only that, there's a huge issue that comes with hiring agents. It would look as if you're only giving the special treatment to Division I teams and leave Division II and III teams in the dusk when they might actually have very decent athletes on their respective squads. Who knows? They could actually get drafted.
In this day and age, people in every profession want money, cash, more money, and moolah. Wait...all of that is money. Yeah. Like I said, they want big bucks. It just wouldn't be possible in any school's budget. Life just happens to be rough like that.

I was asked the question of what would I do if I played a college sport and was drafted in the first round out of my junior year and was given the opportunity to drop everything for a huge salary. Well, me being a female, that's nearly impossible because many women in professional sports in the United States have second jobs and would only get a real professional salary in the WNBA as scary as that sounds. Anyway, I answered that I would wait the extra year. In many cases, there are people out there that might not exactly want to play a sport for the rest of their life; their heart might not be into it completely even though they do enjoy it as a general pasttime. Sure, if the big opportunity is there, you should take it. But what if you wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer [or a broadcaster like me] or any other thing? Unless if your mind can be changed right away, "just follow your heart--that's what I always do." Thanks, Napoleon Dynamite.
Just look at Stanford University's Andrew Luck. He was second in Heisman voting behind Cam Newton, is a junior, and is doing something super brainy along the lines of engineering. He's choosing to stay in school and skip out on the draft coming up in a few months. Why? He wants to finish in spring 2012 (like me!! haaa). I guess you get rare cases like this where people may love to play but have another love that they're willing to wait for. Now think--if he had an agent, would that have happened? You can't be so sure.

This is a really controversial topic that is still under review, and to be honest, I don't ever think it's going to float. It's a very big deal in the case of salary and collegiate values, and making it all about money and less of the wait and the talent nearly spoils the magic of college sports. These men and women have something to fight for, something to play toward. If they get a contract shoved in their face and they really don't want it because they're interested in another field, why should you as a school bother to hire agents for your student athletes? I'll admit, I do enjoy watching college sports over the professional sports sometimes because of the magic of natural talent and no thoughts of losing a contract or getting optioned or traded elsewhere. In college, all you have to do is get decent enough grades to keep playing. The scholarships, grants, and financial aid should do the rest. Then, when you get your career, that's when your cash flow comes in and you can handle the loans and the desire to get a Ferrari and get your parents a nice home on a remote island far away from you.

College sports: the best thing since a chastity belt. 

Don't you think the players should wear this on their uniforms?

I'm just kidding.


I think I've made my point here.

Oh, and because I poked at the song Secret Agent Man, here's a picture of Johnny Rivers and the song. It's the least I could do for you people.

--AZ

The Horse

(This entry is written for a very special person currently in my life)

For a long time, I had always wondered about injury in the sports world. The media always shows the extreme upsides and extreme downsides of something. They'll talk about how long the athlete will be out, who performs the surgery (Dr. James Andrews always comes to mind...how much money does he make, anyway?), what kind of rehab they will be undergoing, and the athlete's "views and thoughts" on their return to their sport. But did you ever wonder what goes on when the cameras turn off? Have you ever thought of the psychological stress one goes under when his or her feet are cut off from underneath? Unfortunate circumstances come to people every day, and unhappiness begins to settle in, but do you think athletes want people to know that? People often use the expression of "getting back on the horse" to describe their quest of regaining the pleasure of their routines and passions.

I think it's about time for a scenario. Let's do the Scooby Doo ending for this.

You are a professional athlete. You not only hold the talent for your sport, but you're also talented in mind, music, and in charity work. With your ability to budget time, you always seem to find a time to do everything in moderation and gain happiness from what you do, regardless of the many hardships and obstacles that come your way.
Suddenly, your life takes a sudden turn for the worst. During a playoff game, you take a massive hit and sustain a freak injury to your ankle. This puts your chances of coming back in 100% shape in serious jeopardy. After numerous surgeries and bouts of rehabilitation, you try to regain your happiness through your other activities, but for some reason your endorsements and your other hobbies will no longer do the trick. You want to go back, but you have the fear that you've lost the passion to play again.


Did you fall off the horse?

Numerous athletes appear to be fearless upon the road to recovery, but there always appears to be doubt even when the future seems to be very bright. Some may go, "Will I ever be the same," or, "Will I get the same enjoyment from this again?" There's always that thought of compensation and then getting the scare of losing the passion and the will to continue. It may be a tough thing to get back "into the 'ole grind" of things, especially when an injury makes you sit on the couch way too long while watching The Golden Girls and eating a pint of Cinnabon ice cream [yes, that stuff really exists]. There is the time in one's life where they may think they no longer have the time to return to their love at full strength.

What does it take to get back on the horse?

Athletes may think that there are other priorities higher on the list after a lost passion in the offseason. He or she may take up a hobby or avoid working at something in thinking that they will not be given a warm welcome back to what they once had. There's the horror that the injury may come back and will make matters worse. What if things were different? What if he or she took a different path or had done something differently--could these things have been avoided? When it finally comes down to it, why do you fight to get better? Is there a decent point to?

Yes.

Injury is an obstacle. It is just like every other obstacle and hardship that you have experienced in your life. At this point in time you can't just sit around and wallow. People say you should do it for the ones you love.
Let's think for a second--in order to know how to love someone else, shouldn't you love yourself first? There we have it. We're going to have to do it for us. Can it be done? Yes. Audrey Hepburn once said something along the lines of "Nothing is impossible. The word has 'I'm possible' in it." When the going gets tough, do it for you. Set time out to do this for you. Don't let anyone push you around. Get through your problem, get through your injury.

People on Twitter say they live every day with PMA: positive mental attitude. Even the things that a person has once enjoyed will be impossible without a positive mental attitude. This is what athletes choose--will they continue on losing the passion to heal and play, or will they re-budget their time and perform some self-pampering? Of course, your name may be Joe Theismann and have to make lemon pie out of a couple of lemons, but can something still be done with the love of your life?

Absolutely.

I am AnimaniacZero, I was mentally injured, and I had fallen off the horse.
After much rehabilitation, I have found what has truly made me happy, and now I have gotten back on the horse. HEIGH-HO SILVER! Okay, that was horrible. At any rate, I'm glad to be riding again. I'm doing this for me.

[Are you? Thanks for the inspiration.]

--AZ