My New Year's Resolution is the same each year. My resolution is to talk less, and when I do talk, to be more interesting.
This is not to say I'm boring.
Ok maybe I am.
My point is that I am always most impressed with people who can talk about anything, which clearly I can't do, to anyone.
I also find that my smartness can also be a downside in conversations. I realize that just because I can talk about the nuances of sports, doesn't mean I should get into it when someone asks an innocent question like "so how is UCONN doing?"
I was proud of myself when someone asked that to me at the mall this week. She was actually an old boss of mine at RBS that I liked. She asked about UCONN sports. My reply was "Their doing great." I resisted the temptation to elaborate, because I realize she could care less. She's wasn't interested in an hour long conversation about the history of women's soccer. She just wanted a basic understanding.
I thought I did a better job towards working to my resolution from last year, this year. My only slip up may have occurred at the end of the year. Someone complained that I didn't respond to their text messages, so I made sure I did. Unless someone asked me a question or said something really great, I tried not to respond to the text message because I know that if left unchecked I'd never stop talking.
The gift of gab is a blessing and a curse. Seriously.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
This just makes me laugh
A NASCAR driver got in trouble for talking about breastfeeding being disgusting on twitter.
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7398609/kasey-kahne-apologizes-tweet-breastfeeding
I can't believe I am linking this to here. I can't believe this was a big deal either. I don't know that this is front page side bar news on ESPN...
I also don't know what would make a person want to tweet about such a subject, especially when you are famous. When you are a famous person your tweets should be really really generic. So generic that anyone but you is writing them. Generic tweets will avoid controversy.
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7398609/kasey-kahne-apologizes-tweet-breastfeeding
I can't believe I am linking this to here. I can't believe this was a big deal either. I don't know that this is front page side bar news on ESPN...
I also don't know what would make a person want to tweet about such a subject, especially when you are famous. When you are a famous person your tweets should be really really generic. So generic that anyone but you is writing them. Generic tweets will avoid controversy.
One of those moments
I distinctly remember a player seeing an L.A. Fitness gym in New Jersey and then said, oh look it's "LAH Fitness"
That made everyone's day.
That made everyone's day.
You are not a pool shark unless
You are not a pool shark unless you can do this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfd0GqjWD-E
Imagine the bar bets you could win....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfd0GqjWD-E
Imagine the bar bets you could win....
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
What they look like to me...
In my opinion...
The Men look like an Elite Eight Team. I think they are as hyped as the 2005-06 team. I think they have some work to do. I expected to see a Final Four team, but I don't see that yet. They are good, but not Elite yet. I think their ranking is well deserved, and will rightfully be put to the test vs BIG EAST teams soon. I would like to see the team dominate teams more. They are winning, but I don't feel like they are dominating the way they could yet.
The Women look like a Final Four Team and I'll say should get to the National Championship game. They are exceeding my expectations. I was very impressed with how the women played so far. They are better than what I expected them to be this year so far. They were clearly better than Texas A&M and Stanford. They have some work to do vs Baylor, but I was impressed they held the lead in the second half. Notre Dame will be an interesting match-up and another good measuring stick.
Both have some work to do though.
The Men look like an Elite Eight Team. I think they are as hyped as the 2005-06 team. I think they have some work to do. I expected to see a Final Four team, but I don't see that yet. They are good, but not Elite yet. I think their ranking is well deserved, and will rightfully be put to the test vs BIG EAST teams soon. I would like to see the team dominate teams more. They are winning, but I don't feel like they are dominating the way they could yet.
The Women look like a Final Four Team and I'll say should get to the National Championship game. They are exceeding my expectations. I was very impressed with how the women played so far. They are better than what I expected them to be this year so far. They were clearly better than Texas A&M and Stanford. They have some work to do vs Baylor, but I was impressed they held the lead in the second half. Notre Dame will be an interesting match-up and another good measuring stick.
Both have some work to do though.
What do you say?
Someone in my hometown of Stamford made the news on Christmas for a very unfortunate reason. In a section of town that I am probably the most unfamiliar with, (as it is the furthest from the woodsy North Stamford I am from) the part on the water called Shippan, a house fire claimed the lives of five people.
Two people survived, the mother and her male acquaintance.
The mother, Madonna Badger, is apparently an advertising executive in New York.
In the fire she lost pretty much her entire life, her parents and three kids died and her house was destroyed.
She didn't have a Merry Christmas, and may never have one because Christmas may have too painful of a meaning to her now.
What I wonder is what a friend or family member could say to her. There is nothing that could possibly make her feel better.
Can you think of something to make someone who lost their house, children and parents feel better?
Can you think of anything to do to make them feel better?
When you stop and think about it there is nothing.
She's probably going to need counseling and monitoring, for a long time.
I just really wouldn't know what to say. Saying, brighter days are ahead, or it's unfortunate don't do justice. You can't even say, I feel you pain, or I can't imagine what you are going through. Most people will NEVER be able to imagine what that person is going through.
And then put yourself in her position. How do you get over something like that happening? If that was you, and you lost that much, you could be on suicide watch. I would hope you would be smart enough to know you need counseling. You would hopefully go to church, although I can see how some might take the opposite approach if they have been faithful, because an event like that could only challenge one's faith in religion.
It will take a while to get over it too. You have to deal with all of the anniversary's of birthdays, all of the things that trigger memories of those you loved the most, the ones who surrounded them for their life.
On the flip side, if you are a special person, who can recover from things like this and be stronger and better for it, you will come off as insensitive. Maybe there are some people who are tough enough to get over this. However, if you move on so easily, people will see you as someone who doesn't care about the little things in life.
I have to say the story about someone losing their entire family and house on Christmas to a fire is the worst news story I can remember hearing in my hometown ever, and one of the worst stories I have heard in a long time.
Two people survived, the mother and her male acquaintance.
The mother, Madonna Badger, is apparently an advertising executive in New York.
In the fire she lost pretty much her entire life, her parents and three kids died and her house was destroyed.
She didn't have a Merry Christmas, and may never have one because Christmas may have too painful of a meaning to her now.
What I wonder is what a friend or family member could say to her. There is nothing that could possibly make her feel better.
Can you think of something to make someone who lost their house, children and parents feel better?
Can you think of anything to do to make them feel better?
When you stop and think about it there is nothing.
She's probably going to need counseling and monitoring, for a long time.
I just really wouldn't know what to say. Saying, brighter days are ahead, or it's unfortunate don't do justice. You can't even say, I feel you pain, or I can't imagine what you are going through. Most people will NEVER be able to imagine what that person is going through.
And then put yourself in her position. How do you get over something like that happening? If that was you, and you lost that much, you could be on suicide watch. I would hope you would be smart enough to know you need counseling. You would hopefully go to church, although I can see how some might take the opposite approach if they have been faithful, because an event like that could only challenge one's faith in religion.
It will take a while to get over it too. You have to deal with all of the anniversary's of birthdays, all of the things that trigger memories of those you loved the most, the ones who surrounded them for their life.
On the flip side, if you are a special person, who can recover from things like this and be stronger and better for it, you will come off as insensitive. Maybe there are some people who are tough enough to get over this. However, if you move on so easily, people will see you as someone who doesn't care about the little things in life.
I have to say the story about someone losing their entire family and house on Christmas to a fire is the worst news story I can remember hearing in my hometown ever, and one of the worst stories I have heard in a long time.
Jerry Jones
As a Dallas Cowboys fan, I love Jerry Jones and think he is a wonderful owner.
However, Jones committed a sin as far as I am concerned at his last game on Christmas Eve.
Jones is known as someone who puts his hand in too many different places. He loves his team and is very involved, almost too involved.
Owners own, and can set culture, help run the business operations of a team, and set what kind of team they want to have on the field based on who they hire, and promote etc.
Owners need to let go of player decisions after they hire others to take care of player decisions.
During the middle of the game Jones went down to the sideline to talk to head coach Jason Garrett about not playing injured players since the Cowboys needed players to be healthy for their next game.
Talk about showing up your head coach. On National TV you leave your suite and run down on to the field to talk to your head coach and tell him what to do. How on earth is that not conveying the idea that you don't have full confidence in your head coach, or not conveying that you the owner is the person who is in charge of all decisions, including ones involving the game itself?
What head coach, or what employee would want their boss (who is unfamiliar with the job you do) to come to them during the middle of a project to tell them what to do?
The mayor shouldn't be coming to a fire to tell the fireman how to put out the fire.
However, Jones committed a sin as far as I am concerned at his last game on Christmas Eve.
Jones is known as someone who puts his hand in too many different places. He loves his team and is very involved, almost too involved.
Owners own, and can set culture, help run the business operations of a team, and set what kind of team they want to have on the field based on who they hire, and promote etc.
Owners need to let go of player decisions after they hire others to take care of player decisions.
During the middle of the game Jones went down to the sideline to talk to head coach Jason Garrett about not playing injured players since the Cowboys needed players to be healthy for their next game.
Talk about showing up your head coach. On National TV you leave your suite and run down on to the field to talk to your head coach and tell him what to do. How on earth is that not conveying the idea that you don't have full confidence in your head coach, or not conveying that you the owner is the person who is in charge of all decisions, including ones involving the game itself?
What head coach, or what employee would want their boss (who is unfamiliar with the job you do) to come to them during the middle of a project to tell them what to do?
The mayor shouldn't be coming to a fire to tell the fireman how to put out the fire.
Monday, December 26, 2011
The worst filming location
Congratulations to Founder's Field and the University of Pittsburgh for offering the worst film platform in the conference. Thankfully Pitt has a new field, and I assume a much better place to film from.
Pitt's field in 2010 was so bad in terms of filming that I almost thought about asking the coaches if I could not film the game, and instead use the other teams copy.
I carried up just a tripod and camera and said the hell with the laptop and DVD copier because the ladder was too steep, tall and uh well crooked.
I looked at the ladder in complete, total, disbelief. Not only was it ridiculously tall, the tallest ladder I ever went up, but it was also crooked. A CROOKED ladder.
I can't believe I went up that crooked ladder. I must say though, I sure has hell only went up and down that ladder a few times. I stayed up during halftime, which I don't normally do, because the ladder was so steep. I had zero interest in going down for a drink, and was going to hold in any need for the bathroom. If I had to go, I would have peed off the back of the platform and into the woods.
What annoyed me even more about the platform was the fact that the back of the platform was so close to ground behind the field. It would make more sense, and be safer, if you were just to build a walkway behind the platform that would get rid of the need for a ladder.
As if the crooked tall ladder wasn't enough, the platform also had a nice family of bees and wasps that kept me company while filming.
Pitt's old field was awful.
The best view was a view I probably didn't get to see, and that was the view from the top of Harvard Stadium for our game against Harvard. I didn't film, our other manager did, but when I helped him set up I couldn't get over the wonderful view.
Wake Forest and South Florida had steep ladders to their filming platforms, but I liked South Florida's better because they had a system for getting all our gear up. You would tie a cord to the top rung of the ladder and then tie the other end of the cord to the gear and pull all the gear up. It looked daunting at first to get camera up, but it was actually pretty easy with help from the people at South Florida.
Wake Forest also had really nice and helpful people, but since no one told me about their pulley system at first I used one arm to carry something and than two legs and one arm to climb. It was probably more dangerous than it needed to be, but I got the job done. The next game their I got help, and their facilities person told me how much he also hated going up to the top of the press box.
I think West Virginia was steep as well, but it didn't seem as bad as the others to me.
Personally I liked Penn State's filming location the best. It was inside. Need I say more?
This year wasn't bad for weather, but in 2009 vs West Virginia in October it was FREEZING. I was so cold for that game. 2010 at West Virginia was also really cold, as were all of our November games that year.
Pitt's field in 2010 was so bad in terms of filming that I almost thought about asking the coaches if I could not film the game, and instead use the other teams copy.
I carried up just a tripod and camera and said the hell with the laptop and DVD copier because the ladder was too steep, tall and uh well crooked.
I looked at the ladder in complete, total, disbelief. Not only was it ridiculously tall, the tallest ladder I ever went up, but it was also crooked. A CROOKED ladder.
I can't believe I went up that crooked ladder. I must say though, I sure has hell only went up and down that ladder a few times. I stayed up during halftime, which I don't normally do, because the ladder was so steep. I had zero interest in going down for a drink, and was going to hold in any need for the bathroom. If I had to go, I would have peed off the back of the platform and into the woods.
What annoyed me even more about the platform was the fact that the back of the platform was so close to ground behind the field. It would make more sense, and be safer, if you were just to build a walkway behind the platform that would get rid of the need for a ladder.
As if the crooked tall ladder wasn't enough, the platform also had a nice family of bees and wasps that kept me company while filming.
Pitt's old field was awful.
The best view was a view I probably didn't get to see, and that was the view from the top of Harvard Stadium for our game against Harvard. I didn't film, our other manager did, but when I helped him set up I couldn't get over the wonderful view.
Wake Forest and South Florida had steep ladders to their filming platforms, but I liked South Florida's better because they had a system for getting all our gear up. You would tie a cord to the top rung of the ladder and then tie the other end of the cord to the gear and pull all the gear up. It looked daunting at first to get camera up, but it was actually pretty easy with help from the people at South Florida.
Wake Forest also had really nice and helpful people, but since no one told me about their pulley system at first I used one arm to carry something and than two legs and one arm to climb. It was probably more dangerous than it needed to be, but I got the job done. The next game their I got help, and their facilities person told me how much he also hated going up to the top of the press box.
I think West Virginia was steep as well, but it didn't seem as bad as the others to me.
Personally I liked Penn State's filming location the best. It was inside. Need I say more?
This year wasn't bad for weather, but in 2009 vs West Virginia in October it was FREEZING. I was so cold for that game. 2010 at West Virginia was also really cold, as were all of our November games that year.
The Best Hotel
I did talk about which trip of mine was my favorite, but I didn't talk about my favorite Hotel.
As an FYI, I never dealt with the hotel staff's at these places. This is all based on me as a guest.
My favorite Hotel is actually also the one that we stayed in for my favorite trip.
Quite simply the Embassy Suites was my favorite, despite the fact that their exercise room lacked a fully functional bike. It's amazing I said that because I usually deduct a lot for that.
Embassy Suites gave me a free Chocolate Chip Cookie, just like DoubleTree, except these cookies didn't have any nuts in them. (The Courtyard Marriott Laguardia will get great rankings for the exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies too)
The Embassy Suites wins because I liked the set-up of the hotel. I liked that the center was open and overlooking the lobby. This allowed for a paper airplane to be sent down to a player who was meeting her friend. I liked the plants and waterfall/running water in the lobby.
I loved my room. It allowed me to comfortably host my Uncle for the day.
I had two televisions for one person. AWESOME. They were also flat screen..EVEN BETTER. The icing on the cake was that they had all the best stations first, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic and ESPNNEWS, plus the Golf Channel, MLB Network too I think. More sports channels than I could possibly dream of.
I love the two extra pillows that were left at my door without asking...wait a minute...some mischievous player called for those...It was either one of two freshman...
Speaking of laundry, I LOVED that I could do laundry after our win vs South Florida at the hotel. Not all hotels have laundry available. Immediately after the game I got laundry from the team, and then I put it in the washer and dryer. By the time it was all done (washer and dryer) and I was back in my room it was about 1 am. Atleast I was productive and worked on the pump up video for the Marquette game while waiting for laundry.
I had enough room to spread out laundry throughout the entire room to let it dry completely. Not everything was completely dry, but I wasn't about to wait another 40 minutes at 12:30 am, when we were going to be leaving by 8am the next day for our flight. All 22 players had jerseys and uniforms etc. hanging up on hangers, on door knobs, on chairs, on the couch, on the lights, etc. to help them dry out more.
I also loved my breakfast. Belgian Waffles, french toast sticks, SYRUP and orange juice. I was happy. Easily the best Breakfast of all Hotels I went too.
Embassy Suites USF was my favorite hotel. It also helped that the hotel was on campus and close to where we were playing. If the bus got lost, we could walk. That makes things really less stressful.
I'll actually rank the hotels later, once I remember all of their names.
I remember all their names...now...this isn't the ranking of them...but I did determine last place.
Atherton - Penn State
Crowne Plaza NJ BIG EAST
Needham Sheraton - 2009 NCAA's
Embassy Suites - USF - FL
Courtyard Marriott LaGuardia - St. John's
2010 NCAA's - I believe was a Crowne Plaza in Natick
Doubletree Skokie - DePaul
Doubletree New Jersey - Rutgers
Courtyard Mariott - Seton Hall
Doubletree South Bend/Notre Dame
Sundance Plaza - Wake Forest
DoubleTree - Syracuse
Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh
Waterfront Place - West Virginia
Last Place: Milwaukee Ramada - Marquette - video of players counting hair in their bed really cements this as my least favorite. The lack of quality exercise room also hurts. The bar reminded me of the movie Fargo and the lights for the elevator buttons didn't work.
As an FYI, I never dealt with the hotel staff's at these places. This is all based on me as a guest.
My favorite Hotel is actually also the one that we stayed in for my favorite trip.
Quite simply the Embassy Suites was my favorite, despite the fact that their exercise room lacked a fully functional bike. It's amazing I said that because I usually deduct a lot for that.
Embassy Suites gave me a free Chocolate Chip Cookie, just like DoubleTree, except these cookies didn't have any nuts in them. (The Courtyard Marriott Laguardia will get great rankings for the exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies too)
The Embassy Suites wins because I liked the set-up of the hotel. I liked that the center was open and overlooking the lobby. This allowed for a paper airplane to be sent down to a player who was meeting her friend. I liked the plants and waterfall/running water in the lobby.
I loved my room. It allowed me to comfortably host my Uncle for the day.
I had two televisions for one person. AWESOME. They were also flat screen..EVEN BETTER. The icing on the cake was that they had all the best stations first, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic and ESPNNEWS, plus the Golf Channel, MLB Network too I think. More sports channels than I could possibly dream of.
I love the two extra pillows that were left at my door without asking...wait a minute...some mischievous player called for those...It was either one of two freshman...
Speaking of laundry, I LOVED that I could do laundry after our win vs South Florida at the hotel. Not all hotels have laundry available. Immediately after the game I got laundry from the team, and then I put it in the washer and dryer. By the time it was all done (washer and dryer) and I was back in my room it was about 1 am. Atleast I was productive and worked on the pump up video for the Marquette game while waiting for laundry.
I had enough room to spread out laundry throughout the entire room to let it dry completely. Not everything was completely dry, but I wasn't about to wait another 40 minutes at 12:30 am, when we were going to be leaving by 8am the next day for our flight. All 22 players had jerseys and uniforms etc. hanging up on hangers, on door knobs, on chairs, on the couch, on the lights, etc. to help them dry out more.
I also loved my breakfast. Belgian Waffles, french toast sticks, SYRUP and orange juice. I was happy. Easily the best Breakfast of all Hotels I went too.
Embassy Suites USF was my favorite hotel. It also helped that the hotel was on campus and close to where we were playing. If the bus got lost, we could walk. That makes things really less stressful.
I'll actually rank the hotels later, once I remember all of their names.
I remember all their names...now...this isn't the ranking of them...but I did determine last place.
Atherton - Penn State
Crowne Plaza NJ BIG EAST
Needham Sheraton - 2009 NCAA's
Embassy Suites - USF - FL
Courtyard Marriott LaGuardia - St. John's
2010 NCAA's - I believe was a Crowne Plaza in Natick
Doubletree Skokie - DePaul
Doubletree New Jersey - Rutgers
Courtyard Mariott - Seton Hall
Doubletree South Bend/Notre Dame
Sundance Plaza - Wake Forest
DoubleTree - Syracuse
Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh
Waterfront Place - West Virginia
Last Place: Milwaukee Ramada - Marquette - video of players counting hair in their bed really cements this as my least favorite. The lack of quality exercise room also hurts. The bar reminded me of the movie Fargo and the lights for the elevator buttons didn't work.
Georgetown 2009
One of my favorite games while being involved with our team was the 2009 game at home against Georgetown. I don't remember too much about the game, other than that Linda scored a goal to give us the lead in a critical conference game for us.
We were winning and then, well then something really really really bad happened.
I'm not going to go through the details on this one because it could come close to home, but I must say I never felt worse for one of our players than after they let something shall we say, slip away.
We can talk about this since it's old news right?
All of a sudden it was a tie game, late in the game. We seemed to be dominating, or atleast doing better than Georgetown, if I remember correctly, but a mistake tied everything up.
Not long after though, Brittany Taylor just completely took over in a way that only she did. No other player that I watched took over like she did against Georgetown and BU in the NCAA's.
Taylor got a pass from Court just on the other side of the circle and she ran through the Hoyas. Taylor just kept going and going and you just knew she wasn't about to pass to anyone until she got near the penalty box. Taylor was unstoppable for 50 yards with the ball. She looked like a knife going through soft butter.
As Taylor neared the penalty box she passed it to Mel who was to the right of her who then chipped it over the keeper and into the far post for a beautiful goal, that would end up being the match winner.
Taylor's run and the way the team responded to the game getting tied up late makes the 2009 Georgetown game really stick out to me.
We were winning and then, well then something really really really bad happened.
I'm not going to go through the details on this one because it could come close to home, but I must say I never felt worse for one of our players than after they let something shall we say, slip away.
We can talk about this since it's old news right?
All of a sudden it was a tie game, late in the game. We seemed to be dominating, or atleast doing better than Georgetown, if I remember correctly, but a mistake tied everything up.
Not long after though, Brittany Taylor just completely took over in a way that only she did. No other player that I watched took over like she did against Georgetown and BU in the NCAA's.
Taylor got a pass from Court just on the other side of the circle and she ran through the Hoyas. Taylor just kept going and going and you just knew she wasn't about to pass to anyone until she got near the penalty box. Taylor was unstoppable for 50 yards with the ball. She looked like a knife going through soft butter.
As Taylor neared the penalty box she passed it to Mel who was to the right of her who then chipped it over the keeper and into the far post for a beautiful goal, that would end up being the match winner.
Taylor's run and the way the team responded to the game getting tied up late makes the 2009 Georgetown game really stick out to me.
Read a telegram
For the first time in my life I read a telegram.
It wasn't sent to me, obviously. The telegrams I saw were actually sent to my grandparents in the 1930's..I think 1933..for their wedding.
One was from Irish relatives who mentioned Irish luck to my grandparents for their wedding.
I also read a newspaper clipping about my grandparents wedding.
I am fascinated by history. I love history, and I view writing this, or making the soccer banquet video as a way of shaping history.
Since I never met my grandpa I try to connect to him as best as I can. Somehow he shaped who I am, and I am curious to know how.
I had never even seen a picture of my great grandpa until today. (not counting the picture of him as a firefighter in Stamford, where he is sitting on a horse drawn firetruck..he is very hard to see) Seeing that photo was probably the best part of Christmas to me.
It wasn't sent to me, obviously. The telegrams I saw were actually sent to my grandparents in the 1930's..I think 1933..for their wedding.
One was from Irish relatives who mentioned Irish luck to my grandparents for their wedding.
I also read a newspaper clipping about my grandparents wedding.
I am fascinated by history. I love history, and I view writing this, or making the soccer banquet video as a way of shaping history.
Since I never met my grandpa I try to connect to him as best as I can. Somehow he shaped who I am, and I am curious to know how.
I had never even seen a picture of my great grandpa until today. (not counting the picture of him as a firefighter in Stamford, where he is sitting on a horse drawn firetruck..he is very hard to see) Seeing that photo was probably the best part of Christmas to me.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
My neighbors
One thing I realized yesterday when I got back from a Christmas Eve event, was how lucky I am to live in the neighborhood I do.
I have so many great connections from the people that live next door, and not everyone else can benefit from that.
I am so lucky to live where I do. Gene Wilder is often seen at the Grocery Store. Bobby Valentine lives in my zip code. A reporter on a local news station lives across the street from me. My eye doctor also lives across the street. (Thankfully I have no vision problems) The person who got me my first GOOD summer job at RBS was a neighbor.
The area we live in was once owned by the famous sculptor Gutzon Borglum. If you aren't familiar with his work, now you are...
http://www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm
Mount Rushmore.
A person who lives in one of his properties now is Mort Walker, a famous cartoonist who created Beetle Bailey
I'm not trying to gloat. It's sad to me. I know that the chances are that I will never be able to be in a place with more connections than the one I live in now.
As I am thinking about my future, where I want to live and what I want to do, I realize that I have it really lucky and that it will be hard for me to give my kids (if I have any) a better life than I did.
I have always liked the idea of living out in the country on a good piece of land, far away from traffic. The downside of not living in the city is that you are exposed to less in the way of people, ideas and technology. As an example I spent so much time away from civilization that I didn't know what a Red Box (movie rentals) was until a couple of months ago.
Living where I do with the connections I have also helps me realize how hard it is for people to get out of poverty. People in poverty live by those in poverty. They don't have a doctor that's a neighbor that will check them up for free, or have someone who can get their foot in the door at a company.
I have so many great connections from the people that live next door, and not everyone else can benefit from that.
I am so lucky to live where I do. Gene Wilder is often seen at the Grocery Store. Bobby Valentine lives in my zip code. A reporter on a local news station lives across the street from me. My eye doctor also lives across the street. (Thankfully I have no vision problems) The person who got me my first GOOD summer job at RBS was a neighbor.
The area we live in was once owned by the famous sculptor Gutzon Borglum. If you aren't familiar with his work, now you are...
http://www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm
Mount Rushmore.
A person who lives in one of his properties now is Mort Walker, a famous cartoonist who created Beetle Bailey
I'm not trying to gloat. It's sad to me. I know that the chances are that I will never be able to be in a place with more connections than the one I live in now.
As I am thinking about my future, where I want to live and what I want to do, I realize that I have it really lucky and that it will be hard for me to give my kids (if I have any) a better life than I did.
I have always liked the idea of living out in the country on a good piece of land, far away from traffic. The downside of not living in the city is that you are exposed to less in the way of people, ideas and technology. As an example I spent so much time away from civilization that I didn't know what a Red Box (movie rentals) was until a couple of months ago.
Living where I do with the connections I have also helps me realize how hard it is for people to get out of poverty. People in poverty live by those in poverty. They don't have a doctor that's a neighbor that will check them up for free, or have someone who can get their foot in the door at a company.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to everyone.
That's what I celebrate. Happy Holidays to those who don't celebrate Christmas.
First of all, here is me mouthing off...or in this case typing off.
I heard that at some public elementary schools that people aren't allowed to celebrate Christmas, or have gifts on their desks, or decorations up because it offends someone.
THIS REALLY PISSES ME OFF. You shouldn't force someone to celebrate if they don't want too. However, you CANNOT allow a few people who are offended by Christmas to ruin it for 70% of those who celebrate it. How selfish of people to think that the majority of people should stop doing something because it offends them. YOU don't have to celebrate it, but just because you don't celebrate it doesn't mean that the rest of the world can't either.
Lots of things bother me, or annoy me, but as an adult I can deal with it, and ignore it, or work to make it better. I don't go around complaining about every little thing that people do that offends me. Unfortunately there are people who are selfish enough out there to complain about every little thing that could possibly offend them.
Anyway, this really doesn't fit the mood of Christmas.
So to lighten things up a little again. Hopefully Santa left everyone good gifts. My mom had a great idea for gift giving, but as a rule I won't talk about it. I'm not the type of person that would tell someone how much money they have in their pocket, even if it's not much at all. She was creative, as usual though.
I think she became a lot more creative after I found Christmas gifts in my closet when I was two or three. At some point well before Christmas I saw all of these wrapped gifts in my room, in my closet. I found a box and chair and was able to reach up to the shelf to take a peak at the gifts, until my mom stopped me. She told me they were just gifts for other people and boxes of Christmas Ornaments and I totally believed her.
That's what I celebrate. Happy Holidays to those who don't celebrate Christmas.
First of all, here is me mouthing off...or in this case typing off.
I heard that at some public elementary schools that people aren't allowed to celebrate Christmas, or have gifts on their desks, or decorations up because it offends someone.
THIS REALLY PISSES ME OFF. You shouldn't force someone to celebrate if they don't want too. However, you CANNOT allow a few people who are offended by Christmas to ruin it for 70% of those who celebrate it. How selfish of people to think that the majority of people should stop doing something because it offends them. YOU don't have to celebrate it, but just because you don't celebrate it doesn't mean that the rest of the world can't either.
Lots of things bother me, or annoy me, but as an adult I can deal with it, and ignore it, or work to make it better. I don't go around complaining about every little thing that people do that offends me. Unfortunately there are people who are selfish enough out there to complain about every little thing that could possibly offend them.
Anyway, this really doesn't fit the mood of Christmas.
So to lighten things up a little again. Hopefully Santa left everyone good gifts. My mom had a great idea for gift giving, but as a rule I won't talk about it. I'm not the type of person that would tell someone how much money they have in their pocket, even if it's not much at all. She was creative, as usual though.
I think she became a lot more creative after I found Christmas gifts in my closet when I was two or three. At some point well before Christmas I saw all of these wrapped gifts in my room, in my closet. I found a box and chair and was able to reach up to the shelf to take a peak at the gifts, until my mom stopped me. She told me they were just gifts for other people and boxes of Christmas Ornaments and I totally believed her.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Ally Mancino
Ally Mancino was such a big part of my time with UCONN. I forgot that I could actually write about her now since she transferred.
Ally's passion for soccer and intensity for the game were what made her one of my favorite athletes. I even interviewed her for a class project in sports psychology for being in the zone, because to me she was always in the zone. I really really missed Ally after she left.
One of the reasons I liked working with James and the goalkeepers at practice was because of Ally. Ally made everything in practice game like. Everything was do or die for her. I loved it and liked being with the goalkeepers to watch and listen to her scream and be intense. She was intense in all sports too. I saw her play pick up basketball and she got so mad after she missed a jumper. She took shots after the game so she could improve.
Ally was loud and always rooting for the team. I picked up on this right away as a manager. She was the second player I ever interviewed for our facebook page because of this. She was so serious during our interview and actually ran back with a ball bag after practice so that she wouldn't be late.
Ally would always say "Come on, Let's Go!!!" It was so infectious that I had it stuck in my head during swim class. I am a horrible swimmer, but the only time I beat someone in my class is when I visualized Ally screaming "Come On, Let's Go!!" to me while I did the backstroke.
I heard a story about Ally screaming at the players during warm-ups to ask if anyone else wanted a piece of her when they were taking shots on goal.
Ally had some moves that would be easy for a character on SNL to impersonate. I remember her little dancing that she would do before games during warm ups. I MEAN LITTLE. You had to be on the field to notice it. She might kill me for writing that. She would also bend down and hold her pose after catching a rolling ball in warm ups. After holding it for a second and a half she would slowly roll it back. Ally had swag.
Ally almost did kill me during the St. John's game. Ally HATED being on camera and I knew this. From time to time I felt like the Crocodile hunter when I had the video camera with me around her, or pointed anywhere near. I knew I had to be careful around her.
One time during the St. John's game I filmed her and she snapped big time. She yelled at me to stop filming and I sure as heck listened. I got concerned the coaches would hear this and put an end to all sideline filming. Thankfully they didn't. I'm not sure if I intentionally filmed her that time she snapped or not, but the lord knows I got as much footage of Ally as I could when she wasn't looking. I never did so because I was trying to be mean, I did so because I thought she was an important part of the team and I wanted clips of her intensity.
I thought she was important so I also decided to put her on a marketing flier. A small marketing flier. I asked Dulski about doing this via text message because I wanted her opinion. I also asked Leigh-Ann. Leigh-Ann gave the answer that made the most sense. "No way, that's crazy, she will kill you." Dulski than said that she was with Ally at study hall and would ask her. Dulski said "She turned red, but was ok with it. DO IT!"
I showed Ally at practice the next day and let's just say that I should have listened to Leigh-Ann. She was half mad about it and probably said she wanted to kill me. In the end Ally survived.
I have to say that by the end of the year I actually asked permission from her to film. She was actually really good about it when I asked. I also asked Mel to not film Ally when she had the camera on the road because I didn't want to upset Ally.
Ally would always get into the zone before games and would go off by herself to mentally prepare for games. She would get into her happy place I guess. I always respected Ally during this part of the day and never ever bothered her. I was impressed that games meant so much to her that she would prepare so much for them. I also remember being scared s^&less before our Notre Dame game in 2010 when I had to re-do our food order right before a game. I had to ask Ally during this time what kind of sandwich she wanted and I was so nervous and uncomfortable to ask. She was good about it and thanked me for asking.
On the field Ally was loud, energetic and vocal and as an outsider (someone not on the team) I always felt that she was a big part of warm-ups. It didn't feel right to me if she wasn't yelling "come on UCONN," "Let's GO Girls!"
The biggest play I remember Ally making came in the NCAA TOURNAMENT against Boston University. Ally played one phenomenal game and made an amazing save in the second half that allowed us to win the game. She came out off her line against a BU player and jumped up and knocked the ball away. It was a great scoring opportunity for BU, but Ally denied them. The two things I remember most about the NCAA Tournament in 2009 was Taylor's goal and Ally's save.
I asked Ally about this save for our highlight video because I thought it was such an important moment. When I told Ally it was in the video before we ate at our banquet she threatened to stab me with a fork. THANK GOD THEY WERE PLASTIC. After the video was over Ally came over and said I did a good job on the video and that meant a lot to me.
Ally is also one of the reasons the video came out so good. She came into the office one day and said that "You better make a good highlight video!" I was inspired. I had so much respect for her and her intensity that I made sure I would not let her down. Ally deserves some credit for the videos I make coming out good.
One thing I missed most about Ally was the hard time we would give one another at practice. I brought up the time I scored on her a few times to piss her off. She'd tell me I suck, or that I was lucky. I loved these conversations. We could give each other a hard time yet never take it personally. It's just something we did to pass time and mess with each other. We would also give each other a hard time about the NFL. She was a Giants fan and I am a Cowboys fan. We gave each other crap when one team wasn't doing well against the other.
I wish Ally well, and typing this makes me realize how much I miss her. The last I heard she said she was doing well and enjoying her new school and I am happy to hear that.
Ally's passion for soccer and intensity for the game were what made her one of my favorite athletes. I even interviewed her for a class project in sports psychology for being in the zone, because to me she was always in the zone. I really really missed Ally after she left.
One of the reasons I liked working with James and the goalkeepers at practice was because of Ally. Ally made everything in practice game like. Everything was do or die for her. I loved it and liked being with the goalkeepers to watch and listen to her scream and be intense. She was intense in all sports too. I saw her play pick up basketball and she got so mad after she missed a jumper. She took shots after the game so she could improve.
Ally was loud and always rooting for the team. I picked up on this right away as a manager. She was the second player I ever interviewed for our facebook page because of this. She was so serious during our interview and actually ran back with a ball bag after practice so that she wouldn't be late.
Ally would always say "Come on, Let's Go!!!" It was so infectious that I had it stuck in my head during swim class. I am a horrible swimmer, but the only time I beat someone in my class is when I visualized Ally screaming "Come On, Let's Go!!" to me while I did the backstroke.
I heard a story about Ally screaming at the players during warm-ups to ask if anyone else wanted a piece of her when they were taking shots on goal.
Ally had some moves that would be easy for a character on SNL to impersonate. I remember her little dancing that she would do before games during warm ups. I MEAN LITTLE. You had to be on the field to notice it. She might kill me for writing that. She would also bend down and hold her pose after catching a rolling ball in warm ups. After holding it for a second and a half she would slowly roll it back. Ally had swag.
Ally almost did kill me during the St. John's game. Ally HATED being on camera and I knew this. From time to time I felt like the Crocodile hunter when I had the video camera with me around her, or pointed anywhere near. I knew I had to be careful around her.
One time during the St. John's game I filmed her and she snapped big time. She yelled at me to stop filming and I sure as heck listened. I got concerned the coaches would hear this and put an end to all sideline filming. Thankfully they didn't. I'm not sure if I intentionally filmed her that time she snapped or not, but the lord knows I got as much footage of Ally as I could when she wasn't looking. I never did so because I was trying to be mean, I did so because I thought she was an important part of the team and I wanted clips of her intensity.
I thought she was important so I also decided to put her on a marketing flier. A small marketing flier. I asked Dulski about doing this via text message because I wanted her opinion. I also asked Leigh-Ann. Leigh-Ann gave the answer that made the most sense. "No way, that's crazy, she will kill you." Dulski than said that she was with Ally at study hall and would ask her. Dulski said "She turned red, but was ok with it. DO IT!"
I showed Ally at practice the next day and let's just say that I should have listened to Leigh-Ann. She was half mad about it and probably said she wanted to kill me. In the end Ally survived.
I have to say that by the end of the year I actually asked permission from her to film. She was actually really good about it when I asked. I also asked Mel to not film Ally when she had the camera on the road because I didn't want to upset Ally.
Ally would always get into the zone before games and would go off by herself to mentally prepare for games. She would get into her happy place I guess. I always respected Ally during this part of the day and never ever bothered her. I was impressed that games meant so much to her that she would prepare so much for them. I also remember being scared s^&less before our Notre Dame game in 2010 when I had to re-do our food order right before a game. I had to ask Ally during this time what kind of sandwich she wanted and I was so nervous and uncomfortable to ask. She was good about it and thanked me for asking.
On the field Ally was loud, energetic and vocal and as an outsider (someone not on the team) I always felt that she was a big part of warm-ups. It didn't feel right to me if she wasn't yelling "come on UCONN," "Let's GO Girls!"
The biggest play I remember Ally making came in the NCAA TOURNAMENT against Boston University. Ally played one phenomenal game and made an amazing save in the second half that allowed us to win the game. She came out off her line against a BU player and jumped up and knocked the ball away. It was a great scoring opportunity for BU, but Ally denied them. The two things I remember most about the NCAA Tournament in 2009 was Taylor's goal and Ally's save.
I asked Ally about this save for our highlight video because I thought it was such an important moment. When I told Ally it was in the video before we ate at our banquet she threatened to stab me with a fork. THANK GOD THEY WERE PLASTIC. After the video was over Ally came over and said I did a good job on the video and that meant a lot to me.
Ally is also one of the reasons the video came out so good. She came into the office one day and said that "You better make a good highlight video!" I was inspired. I had so much respect for her and her intensity that I made sure I would not let her down. Ally deserves some credit for the videos I make coming out good.
One thing I missed most about Ally was the hard time we would give one another at practice. I brought up the time I scored on her a few times to piss her off. She'd tell me I suck, or that I was lucky. I loved these conversations. We could give each other a hard time yet never take it personally. It's just something we did to pass time and mess with each other. We would also give each other a hard time about the NFL. She was a Giants fan and I am a Cowboys fan. We gave each other crap when one team wasn't doing well against the other.
I wish Ally well, and typing this makes me realize how much I miss her. The last I heard she said she was doing well and enjoying her new school and I am happy to hear that.
Shannon Algoe
I have one really cool memory of Shannon Algoe. I ran the beep test with her in the Blue Gym. Why on earth did I do that?
I still have no idea. Actually I am lying, I probably wanted to get a good workout in. I don't know for sure how we started to run the beep test together though. My guess is that she came into the office to fill out something for our facebook page and ended up talking about doing the beep test. She may have jokingly asked if I wanted to join her. I am sure I would have said "absolutely." That might have been how it happened
The beep test is when you run back and forth a certain distance and have to beat the beeps. As the test goes on the beeps get closer and closer to each other, making them harder to get.
I remember running them with Shannon after I found out that she had transferred to Buffalo. I was happy for her and I remember the goal of her running was to get ready for Buffalo's spring season. Either way I wanted Shannon to succeed.
I check in with Buffalo's statistics and I am very happy to see that Shannon has been playing a lot, has scored some goals as a defender and is making an impact for her team.
Another memory I have of Shannon is when she came into the office to fill out "what gift we would give a teammate for the Holidays." I didn't put my name on the list, but she said I had to be included. I think she gave me a pedometer.
I also recently found out she was named to the Academic All District first team by COSIDA this year. It's an award given for top Scholar-Athletes.
I still have no idea. Actually I am lying, I probably wanted to get a good workout in. I don't know for sure how we started to run the beep test together though. My guess is that she came into the office to fill out something for our facebook page and ended up talking about doing the beep test. She may have jokingly asked if I wanted to join her. I am sure I would have said "absolutely." That might have been how it happened
The beep test is when you run back and forth a certain distance and have to beat the beeps. As the test goes on the beeps get closer and closer to each other, making them harder to get.
I remember running them with Shannon after I found out that she had transferred to Buffalo. I was happy for her and I remember the goal of her running was to get ready for Buffalo's spring season. Either way I wanted Shannon to succeed.
I check in with Buffalo's statistics and I am very happy to see that Shannon has been playing a lot, has scored some goals as a defender and is making an impact for her team.
Another memory I have of Shannon is when she came into the office to fill out "what gift we would give a teammate for the Holidays." I didn't put my name on the list, but she said I had to be included. I think she gave me a pedometer.
I also recently found out she was named to the Academic All District first team by COSIDA this year. It's an award given for top Scholar-Athletes.
Two players at once
I'm going to write about two players in this one post. I hope they don't take offense to the fact that I can't write as much about them as I can about others, but I said I would write about every player, and I will not leave either of them out.
Both of these players were ones I knew from when I was a team manager in 2009.
The first would be Kelsey Komrij. I remember she was injured and on the bike a lot and since I love biking I was really really jealous that she got to ride the stationary bike at practice. I remember her being a 49ers fan since she was from California. I think she liked the Giants too. I think I knew Kelsey best for coming to our games as a fan after she left the team to focus on her studies as a nurse. I was glad she took the time to come and root for us even after she stopped playing.
Kate Wargo has a special place in my heart because she is the only fellow Dallas Cowboys fan to have been with our program while I was there. Kate was very quiet but was definitely someone I was rooting for. I remember trying to capture film of her during our spring season because I wanted to reward her for being a Cowboys fan.
I see both of these players around campus and always say hello when I see them. I wish them well and would always help them because they were a part of the program.
Both of these players were ones I knew from when I was a team manager in 2009.
The first would be Kelsey Komrij. I remember she was injured and on the bike a lot and since I love biking I was really really jealous that she got to ride the stationary bike at practice. I remember her being a 49ers fan since she was from California. I think she liked the Giants too. I think I knew Kelsey best for coming to our games as a fan after she left the team to focus on her studies as a nurse. I was glad she took the time to come and root for us even after she stopped playing.
Kate Wargo has a special place in my heart because she is the only fellow Dallas Cowboys fan to have been with our program while I was there. Kate was very quiet but was definitely someone I was rooting for. I remember trying to capture film of her during our spring season because I wanted to reward her for being a Cowboys fan.
I see both of these players around campus and always say hello when I see them. I wish them well and would always help them because they were a part of the program.
J.D.
Memories of Jessica Diakun...not another J.D...I am continuing to write about all the players I remember and interacted with while part of UCONN Soccer.
I didn't know J.D. for all that long. I know that's her nickname, and I'm not even sure if I ever called her that when I was there since I really was a very insignificant and small part of her time at UCONN.
I think the funniest thing I remember about her is the interview I did with her for our facebook page. She was really good during her interview, but she also spoke SO QUICKLY. As I was transcribing what she said I had to replay it about five or six times on my recorder to get one sentence right.
Two other moments I remember that were unrelated to me being with the team was the time she hobbled around Gampel Pavilion on crutches to get free marketing gear and the time she was on a UCTV show.
As far as on the field memories of her I just remember her as a solid and reliable player. I knew so little about soccer then, as compared to the little I know now, that I couldn't say much more than that. I remember editing her goal against Providence on film. I was happy she scored and mad she got railroaded in the process. I also remember her flicking the ball over a defender and getting it back to herself in a game.
My favorite memory of her was at our team banquet and its for a selfish reason. I really didn't think I meant all that much to the senior class that year because I never traveled with the team and only helped out for the last half of their practices. However, I knew I was doing something right when Jess came up to me after the banquet to thank me. I really didn't expect to hear that coming from someone who had been with the program for so long and known me for such a short time.
I didn't know J.D. for all that long. I know that's her nickname, and I'm not even sure if I ever called her that when I was there since I really was a very insignificant and small part of her time at UCONN.
I think the funniest thing I remember about her is the interview I did with her for our facebook page. She was really good during her interview, but she also spoke SO QUICKLY. As I was transcribing what she said I had to replay it about five or six times on my recorder to get one sentence right.
Two other moments I remember that were unrelated to me being with the team was the time she hobbled around Gampel Pavilion on crutches to get free marketing gear and the time she was on a UCTV show.
As far as on the field memories of her I just remember her as a solid and reliable player. I knew so little about soccer then, as compared to the little I know now, that I couldn't say much more than that. I remember editing her goal against Providence on film. I was happy she scored and mad she got railroaded in the process. I also remember her flicking the ball over a defender and getting it back to herself in a game.
My favorite memory of her was at our team banquet and its for a selfish reason. I really didn't think I meant all that much to the senior class that year because I never traveled with the team and only helped out for the last half of their practices. However, I knew I was doing something right when Jess came up to me after the banquet to thank me. I really didn't expect to hear that coming from someone who had been with the program for so long and known me for such a short time.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Nela
The first player I will write about is Nela. Angelika Johansson aka Nela brought her talents from Sweden to the United States and Franklin Pierce University, the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues and finally UCONN.
Nela is one of the players I was closest too while at UCONN and I think there are two big reasons for that. We had actually met before she had gotten to UCONN. I met her as an intern with Franklin Pierce. I had no idea how close I would be with her when I first met her.
The first time I saw Nela was when she came back to Franklin Pierce. I had written several press releases on her and her success with Hudson Valley. She was the 2009 W-League MVP and I updated Franklin Pierce and their media contacts with press releases on her progress.
The first press release I ever wrote was on Nela. I also wrote a piece that was put on New Hampshire's WMUR website. (WMUR is famous for the primary debates they host) Since I had stuff put in those papers I had copies of my work on Nela framed and they are up in my house. I am glad I can say I actually met the player and even got lessons from her.
For most of that summer in the W-League Nela actually outscored all of UCONN's W-League and WPSL players. Nela walked in to the office I took over when my boss moved on to another job. She was with Cindy the trainer. I introduced myself to Nela and told her how I was following her. I could tell right away that she was really nice.
I also ran into Nela at her compliance meeting with her team at Franklin Pierce. I wished her good luck for the 2009 season and told her that I would say hello to her old Hudson Valley teammate Brittany Taylor. I figured this would be the last interaction I had with Nela, the person I wrote my first press release on.
I was wrong. Nela ended up transferring and of all places ended up at UCONN. This is when we got close. Nela and I were both graduate students, and like her I was familiar with Franklin Pierce. These unique common ties really fostered the friendship I developed with Nela. We both knew what it was like to be graduate students and what it was like at Franklin Pierce.
Nela and I were usually the first people to eat breakfast during preseason so the two of us would often sit and eat together at South. Usually I give the players distance and don't sit with them, but I think it was just natural for us to sit together and eat.
Nela's first goal against Central Connecticut was very special to me. I was so happy to see her validate her career at the Division I level. Division II athletes don't garner as much respect as they should. I remember going to a WPSL game and telling the parents there that Nela was joining the team because Franklin Pierce had told me she was. I told them that Nela was an All-American who lead Division II, the entire country, in goals scored in 2008. I believe she had 29 goals. Anyway one of the parents said something to the effect of "well it's only Division II that she did that in, who knows what she can do at Division I." I'm glad Nela got the respect she deserved for her work at Division II, because of the success she found at Division I.
Nela was never the most technical player, and she freely admits that. She also works to improve her technical skill daily. However, despite this shortcoming, I think she may have been one of the most effective players to ever play since I have watched the team. Before Nela became a starter I was hoping she would become one. I remember telling someone that I thought Nela should start. They said I was crazy, and then Nela proved me right by leading the team in goals scored. Nela was always in the right place at the right time and had a knack for scoring goals off of every body part.
I remember her scoring one off of her thigh against DePaul only to have had it called back due to an offsides. (I don't believe it was an offsides..I think it was a bad call). Her second goal at Syracuse last year on a header was amazing. Shoey placed a perfect cross that Nela headed out of the goalkeepers grasp and into the goal. It was a beautiful goal and was one of the few times I saw coach raise his hands in exuberance over a goal. Nela's goal vs Syracuse was one of my favorites from my time at UCONN. I also liked Nela's goal against Seton Hall with a pass from Shoey too. Nela made a great run and Shoey delivered a great rolling pass that Nela put into the back of the net. Nela was a post away from having a hat trick against Seton Hall that day.
Nela was also just another half a foot away from beating Virginia in overtime at Penn State. Nela and the UVA keeper collided around the 18 yard box I guess. Nela got enough of the ball to send it towards goal. It slowly rolled towards the net until a UVA player cleared it away at the last second. Nela was very close to beating Virginia.
The most phenomenal save I saw all season in 2010 was by West Virginia's Kerri Butler against Nela at West Virginia in the regular season. Nela headed the ball towards the goal line and the Mountaineer keeper made one amazing diving save to rob Nela. It is the best save I have seen an opposing keeper make against a UCONN player. I also felt that Kerri Butler was robbed of goalkeeper of the year for 2010.
Nela scored the most goals in conference play by any UCONN player since Kristen Graczyk in 2003. When Nela was in the game I always felt that we were going to score. I really always felt that. Always. Nela is a goal scorer.
I am extremely annoyed at the BIG EAST Conference and the coaches who voted that they did not select Nela to a BIG EAST team, or even name her to the BIG EAST honor roll or BIG EAST Player of the Week. As the third leading goal scorer in conference play she deserved recognition. Nela doesn't care about those awards, but I do. I don't know that people will ever appreciate just how good Nela was at scoring goals, which is quite frankly the name of the game.
Nela had 75% of her shots on frame. Extremely impressed by that.
What I liked best about Nela is her willingness to play soccer with me and teach me a few things. Today, for the final time, the two of us played soccer inside in the Blue Gym. She has helped my pathetic skills grow to less pathetic. Today we worked on heading the ball. She has certainly helped improve my first touch drastically. She also improved my ability to take a ball off of my thigh and then one touch it. Nela taught me so much about soccer and only her and I may ever know how much we progressed.
I also made sure Nela experienced some of the great things about college in the US. She went to watch the Men's Basketball National Championship game in Gampel. I also made sure she got the chance to experience a men's and women's basketball game at UCONN. She was a big Women's fan at Franklin Pierce.
Nela is a phenomenal person and an extremely hard worker. I believe she said her parents own a family business in Sweden so that they are constantly working. Nela is extremely nice and was open to playing soccer and spending time with anyone and everyone. She didn't care if someone was an athlete or not. Nela was also even more remarkably a 4.0 Graduate Student Athlete in Mathematics. She even was a teaching assistant with a class this past semester.
All in all I will deeply miss Nela. She is a wonderful person who I plan to stay in touch with. I know that if I travel to Sweden that I will see her and she told me I will be taken care of should I go. I really hope to be able to watch her play as a professional there. She will become one, but it would mean a lot to me to see her play.
So my first player profile of a former player is done. It's fitting that it's about Nela.
Nela is one of the players I was closest too while at UCONN and I think there are two big reasons for that. We had actually met before she had gotten to UCONN. I met her as an intern with Franklin Pierce. I had no idea how close I would be with her when I first met her.
The first time I saw Nela was when she came back to Franklin Pierce. I had written several press releases on her and her success with Hudson Valley. She was the 2009 W-League MVP and I updated Franklin Pierce and their media contacts with press releases on her progress.
The first press release I ever wrote was on Nela. I also wrote a piece that was put on New Hampshire's WMUR website. (WMUR is famous for the primary debates they host) Since I had stuff put in those papers I had copies of my work on Nela framed and they are up in my house. I am glad I can say I actually met the player and even got lessons from her.
For most of that summer in the W-League Nela actually outscored all of UCONN's W-League and WPSL players. Nela walked in to the office I took over when my boss moved on to another job. She was with Cindy the trainer. I introduced myself to Nela and told her how I was following her. I could tell right away that she was really nice.
I also ran into Nela at her compliance meeting with her team at Franklin Pierce. I wished her good luck for the 2009 season and told her that I would say hello to her old Hudson Valley teammate Brittany Taylor. I figured this would be the last interaction I had with Nela, the person I wrote my first press release on.
I was wrong. Nela ended up transferring and of all places ended up at UCONN. This is when we got close. Nela and I were both graduate students, and like her I was familiar with Franklin Pierce. These unique common ties really fostered the friendship I developed with Nela. We both knew what it was like to be graduate students and what it was like at Franklin Pierce.
Nela and I were usually the first people to eat breakfast during preseason so the two of us would often sit and eat together at South. Usually I give the players distance and don't sit with them, but I think it was just natural for us to sit together and eat.
Nela's first goal against Central Connecticut was very special to me. I was so happy to see her validate her career at the Division I level. Division II athletes don't garner as much respect as they should. I remember going to a WPSL game and telling the parents there that Nela was joining the team because Franklin Pierce had told me she was. I told them that Nela was an All-American who lead Division II, the entire country, in goals scored in 2008. I believe she had 29 goals. Anyway one of the parents said something to the effect of "well it's only Division II that she did that in, who knows what she can do at Division I." I'm glad Nela got the respect she deserved for her work at Division II, because of the success she found at Division I.
Nela was never the most technical player, and she freely admits that. She also works to improve her technical skill daily. However, despite this shortcoming, I think she may have been one of the most effective players to ever play since I have watched the team. Before Nela became a starter I was hoping she would become one. I remember telling someone that I thought Nela should start. They said I was crazy, and then Nela proved me right by leading the team in goals scored. Nela was always in the right place at the right time and had a knack for scoring goals off of every body part.
I remember her scoring one off of her thigh against DePaul only to have had it called back due to an offsides. (I don't believe it was an offsides..I think it was a bad call). Her second goal at Syracuse last year on a header was amazing. Shoey placed a perfect cross that Nela headed out of the goalkeepers grasp and into the goal. It was a beautiful goal and was one of the few times I saw coach raise his hands in exuberance over a goal. Nela's goal vs Syracuse was one of my favorites from my time at UCONN. I also liked Nela's goal against Seton Hall with a pass from Shoey too. Nela made a great run and Shoey delivered a great rolling pass that Nela put into the back of the net. Nela was a post away from having a hat trick against Seton Hall that day.
Nela was also just another half a foot away from beating Virginia in overtime at Penn State. Nela and the UVA keeper collided around the 18 yard box I guess. Nela got enough of the ball to send it towards goal. It slowly rolled towards the net until a UVA player cleared it away at the last second. Nela was very close to beating Virginia.
The most phenomenal save I saw all season in 2010 was by West Virginia's Kerri Butler against Nela at West Virginia in the regular season. Nela headed the ball towards the goal line and the Mountaineer keeper made one amazing diving save to rob Nela. It is the best save I have seen an opposing keeper make against a UCONN player. I also felt that Kerri Butler was robbed of goalkeeper of the year for 2010.
Nela scored the most goals in conference play by any UCONN player since Kristen Graczyk in 2003. When Nela was in the game I always felt that we were going to score. I really always felt that. Always. Nela is a goal scorer.
I am extremely annoyed at the BIG EAST Conference and the coaches who voted that they did not select Nela to a BIG EAST team, or even name her to the BIG EAST honor roll or BIG EAST Player of the Week. As the third leading goal scorer in conference play she deserved recognition. Nela doesn't care about those awards, but I do. I don't know that people will ever appreciate just how good Nela was at scoring goals, which is quite frankly the name of the game.
Nela had 75% of her shots on frame. Extremely impressed by that.
What I liked best about Nela is her willingness to play soccer with me and teach me a few things. Today, for the final time, the two of us played soccer inside in the Blue Gym. She has helped my pathetic skills grow to less pathetic. Today we worked on heading the ball. She has certainly helped improve my first touch drastically. She also improved my ability to take a ball off of my thigh and then one touch it. Nela taught me so much about soccer and only her and I may ever know how much we progressed.
I also made sure Nela experienced some of the great things about college in the US. She went to watch the Men's Basketball National Championship game in Gampel. I also made sure she got the chance to experience a men's and women's basketball game at UCONN. She was a big Women's fan at Franklin Pierce.
Nela is a phenomenal person and an extremely hard worker. I believe she said her parents own a family business in Sweden so that they are constantly working. Nela is extremely nice and was open to playing soccer and spending time with anyone and everyone. She didn't care if someone was an athlete or not. Nela was also even more remarkably a 4.0 Graduate Student Athlete in Mathematics. She even was a teaching assistant with a class this past semester.
All in all I will deeply miss Nela. She is a wonderful person who I plan to stay in touch with. I know that if I travel to Sweden that I will see her and she told me I will be taken care of should I go. I really hope to be able to watch her play as a professional there. She will become one, but it would mean a lot to me to see her play.
So my first player profile of a former player is done. It's fitting that it's about Nela.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thinking back to 9/11
I never spoke about my memories of September 11th. I think it's important that I do, so I don't forget. Since this is my site, I'll write about what I want.
I had a bad feeling on 9/11 in the morning. I remember before the attacks that day being outside for gym class. What I remember most is seeing all of these planes overhead. It was before the attack had happened, but something seemed odd to me about the amount of planes in the sky. For some strange reason I noticed all of the planes that morning.
Stamford, where I grew up, and still consider to be and always be my hometown since it's where I was born and raised, is only about forty-five minutes from New York City. Trains go in to the city often too, although I don't normally take the trains.
Anyway, I was sitting in Math class and we were talking about probability when our Principal at Turn of River Middle School Rodney Bass came on to the loud speakers and said. "Two small planes have just hit the World Trade Center." At the time I don't think that we were told it was a terrorist attack because I vividly remember Eric Demaio saying "Well what are the chances of two planes hitting the World Trade Center."
I also remember our Social Studies teacher at the time saying something infamous. He stated that this attack wouldn't really change anything for our country. He was wrong, although a great teacher. I remember sitting in his class and hearing military jets roaring over our head. That was scary, because unless it's a rare event for a National Holiday we never see or hear military jets overhead.
As the day went on things got more surreal. While we were exchanging classes we heard about the Pentagon being hit. During lunch which ever students were still left (because many classmates went home early that day) began thinking about what place might be attacked next. Then we heard about the plane that went down in Pennsylvania.
After school I had an orthodontist appointment. I didn't want to go. I ran half a mile home from the bus and wanted to see the news. My dad was home early and had it on. I tried to argue with my mom about getting out of the orthodontist appointment, but I lost that battle.
In the end my Uncle lost six of his parishioners in Wilton. He said several funerals. One of our former neighbors whose son I had been friends with passed away, as did another one of his relatives. My sister's friends father also passed away. It was impossible to be from Stamford and not know someone who knew someone who was effected by that day.
I remember going with my father to my first Mets game after the attack and looked to the right off of the Whitestone Bridge and saw for the first time in my life that those two towers were gone. I remember getting to Shea Stadium and saw the place covered with fliers of missing people. It was extremely sad, because I knew that everyone who was missing was dead.
I had a bad feeling on 9/11 in the morning. I remember before the attacks that day being outside for gym class. What I remember most is seeing all of these planes overhead. It was before the attack had happened, but something seemed odd to me about the amount of planes in the sky. For some strange reason I noticed all of the planes that morning.
Stamford, where I grew up, and still consider to be and always be my hometown since it's where I was born and raised, is only about forty-five minutes from New York City. Trains go in to the city often too, although I don't normally take the trains.
Anyway, I was sitting in Math class and we were talking about probability when our Principal at Turn of River Middle School Rodney Bass came on to the loud speakers and said. "Two small planes have just hit the World Trade Center." At the time I don't think that we were told it was a terrorist attack because I vividly remember Eric Demaio saying "Well what are the chances of two planes hitting the World Trade Center."
I also remember our Social Studies teacher at the time saying something infamous. He stated that this attack wouldn't really change anything for our country. He was wrong, although a great teacher. I remember sitting in his class and hearing military jets roaring over our head. That was scary, because unless it's a rare event for a National Holiday we never see or hear military jets overhead.
As the day went on things got more surreal. While we were exchanging classes we heard about the Pentagon being hit. During lunch which ever students were still left (because many classmates went home early that day) began thinking about what place might be attacked next. Then we heard about the plane that went down in Pennsylvania.
After school I had an orthodontist appointment. I didn't want to go. I ran half a mile home from the bus and wanted to see the news. My dad was home early and had it on. I tried to argue with my mom about getting out of the orthodontist appointment, but I lost that battle.
In the end my Uncle lost six of his parishioners in Wilton. He said several funerals. One of our former neighbors whose son I had been friends with passed away, as did another one of his relatives. My sister's friends father also passed away. It was impossible to be from Stamford and not know someone who knew someone who was effected by that day.
I remember going with my father to my first Mets game after the attack and looked to the right off of the Whitestone Bridge and saw for the first time in my life that those two towers were gone. I remember getting to Shea Stadium and saw the place covered with fliers of missing people. It was extremely sad, because I knew that everyone who was missing was dead.
Those Three Little Letters
Those three little letters that affect most women's sports teams and many women's athletes are ACL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament.
Injuries to this ligament happen to teams pretty much every year. It's affected our program ever since I can remember following the team. Every year a good player is out.
I usually know the injury when I see it, or should I say, hear the player, or see their face, or see the reactions of their teammates.
Last year a player tore her ACL at Boston University. She had torn it the year before. From the press box during the game I saw the player go down on the turf and not get up right away. I saw her require assistance to get off the field and then saw a lot of teammates go over and hug her a little while later. I picked up on it pretty quickly and realized that there was a great chance she tore her ACL.
The second I saw happened right in front of me. Thankfully I was filming and didn't exactly see what happened or how it happened. Unfortunately I heard the players reaction. I knew right away from her scream that she had more than likely torn her ACL. I saw teammates go up to her while she was on the bench. Although nothing had been confirmed I was fairly sure she was done for a long time.
The last one that happened was the most frustrating to me. I was far away from what had happened, and since we already had an ACL injury this year, I couldn't believe we would have another one. Especially not to the player it happened too. I thought this player would be fine. Sort of like she was unsinkable, like the Titanic. When she first went down, I thought she would pop right up. I wasn't too concerned at first, but as every second went by my nervousness went up. Then I saw our trainer go out. They spent a long time, or atleast seemingly a really long time tending to her. As I saw the player walk off the field with assistance I noticed her face and body language. Her face looked white. She seemed numb, had no energy and looked beat up. She looked like she had been pulled out of the wreckage of a building that had collapsed but without the blood. On the tenth anniversary of September 11th, she looked exactly like the people on TV that I had seen evacuated out of the World Trade Center ten years earlier. Dazed, confused, battered. I will never forget her face because her face said it all. I knew she tore her ACL. I had no doubts about it. I prayed I was wrong, but was pretty sure I wasn't.
I heard that player ran today and that's music to my years. I was so tempted to say something to this player to try to cheer her up. However, I knew there was nothing I could say. I said nothing, even as we sat not that far from each other on the bench. I have to give credit to our trainer for keeping a conversation with her going, because I would have been unable too. I remember pretty vividly sitting on the bench staring up at the sky and wondering why god had done this to this player.
I have to reiterate that nothing makes me happier than to hear that she ran again. It makes me so happy. It just sucks I won't be able to see her dominate next year.
I remember thinking the same thing when Mel Thomas tore her ACL for women's basketball, and when Caroline Doty did for the second time.
I also was reporting on the game when Kalana Greene tore her ACL vs South Carolina. She was my first introduction to ACL injuries. I remember Greene yelping in pain and cursing and than seeing Geno and the trainer come out to see her. When she got up I could tell she was in serious pain.
Injuries to this ligament happen to teams pretty much every year. It's affected our program ever since I can remember following the team. Every year a good player is out.
I usually know the injury when I see it, or should I say, hear the player, or see their face, or see the reactions of their teammates.
Last year a player tore her ACL at Boston University. She had torn it the year before. From the press box during the game I saw the player go down on the turf and not get up right away. I saw her require assistance to get off the field and then saw a lot of teammates go over and hug her a little while later. I picked up on it pretty quickly and realized that there was a great chance she tore her ACL.
The second I saw happened right in front of me. Thankfully I was filming and didn't exactly see what happened or how it happened. Unfortunately I heard the players reaction. I knew right away from her scream that she had more than likely torn her ACL. I saw teammates go up to her while she was on the bench. Although nothing had been confirmed I was fairly sure she was done for a long time.
The last one that happened was the most frustrating to me. I was far away from what had happened, and since we already had an ACL injury this year, I couldn't believe we would have another one. Especially not to the player it happened too. I thought this player would be fine. Sort of like she was unsinkable, like the Titanic. When she first went down, I thought she would pop right up. I wasn't too concerned at first, but as every second went by my nervousness went up. Then I saw our trainer go out. They spent a long time, or atleast seemingly a really long time tending to her. As I saw the player walk off the field with assistance I noticed her face and body language. Her face looked white. She seemed numb, had no energy and looked beat up. She looked like she had been pulled out of the wreckage of a building that had collapsed but without the blood. On the tenth anniversary of September 11th, she looked exactly like the people on TV that I had seen evacuated out of the World Trade Center ten years earlier. Dazed, confused, battered. I will never forget her face because her face said it all. I knew she tore her ACL. I had no doubts about it. I prayed I was wrong, but was pretty sure I wasn't.
I heard that player ran today and that's music to my years. I was so tempted to say something to this player to try to cheer her up. However, I knew there was nothing I could say. I said nothing, even as we sat not that far from each other on the bench. I have to give credit to our trainer for keeping a conversation with her going, because I would have been unable too. I remember pretty vividly sitting on the bench staring up at the sky and wondering why god had done this to this player.
I have to reiterate that nothing makes me happier than to hear that she ran again. It makes me so happy. It just sucks I won't be able to see her dominate next year.
I remember thinking the same thing when Mel Thomas tore her ACL for women's basketball, and when Caroline Doty did for the second time.
I also was reporting on the game when Kalana Greene tore her ACL vs South Carolina. She was my first introduction to ACL injuries. I remember Greene yelping in pain and cursing and than seeing Geno and the trainer come out to see her. When she got up I could tell she was in serious pain.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
I'm alive
I'm still alive...
Nela is planning to play professionally back home. Don't know more than that yet. She graduates in the fall.
I think she was under appreciated based on not getting much love in conference and region awards last year. She had the most goals in conference by a Husky since 2003. I believe she was also tied for third in the conference in goals scored. Usually players with that many goals in conference play win conference awards, or weekly awards. The fact that she didn't is pathetic.
Conference awards are often earned, but a lot of it is also B.S. Best example would be when a conference selected two goal keepers and five defenders among their three all-conference teams.
Nela is planning to play professionally back home. Don't know more than that yet. She graduates in the fall.
I think she was under appreciated based on not getting much love in conference and region awards last year. She had the most goals in conference by a Husky since 2003. I believe she was also tied for third in the conference in goals scored. Usually players with that many goals in conference play win conference awards, or weekly awards. The fact that she didn't is pathetic.
Conference awards are often earned, but a lot of it is also B.S. Best example would be when a conference selected two goal keepers and five defenders among their three all-conference teams.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Conflicted
I think I've written before that I really don't see how the WPS can survive as a professional league, and this has nothing to do with the current problem which revolves around US Soccer sanctioning.
I don't see how it can happen because I just can't do that math to figure out how teams break-even. I've tried to market WPS at soccer tournaments as an intern and it often fell on deaf ears. One time we went to an event and we basically had no one come up interested in our tent.
I don't think the WPS can financially survive. I can't emphasize enough how I don't see it.
The conflicting part is that I really want it to survive for the college players with pro aspirations. I hate it for them. The pro league gives these players something to aim for.
I don't see how it can happen because I just can't do that math to figure out how teams break-even. I've tried to market WPS at soccer tournaments as an intern and it often fell on deaf ears. One time we went to an event and we basically had no one come up interested in our tent.
I don't think the WPS can financially survive. I can't emphasize enough how I don't see it.
The conflicting part is that I really want it to survive for the college players with pro aspirations. I hate it for them. The pro league gives these players something to aim for.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Salary Caps in NCAA?
I just read an article that Maryland is cutting 8 varsity sports to save money. 8?
8 Olympic Sports?
I can agree that some of those sports might not really be worth having. There are some obscure sports in the NCAA.
The problem though is that it's not in the spirit of college athletics to be dumping those eight sports, while spending millions of dollars to support football and basketball. No school will cut money to those programs because they won't for fear that it will hurt the competitiveness of their teams. They would only do it if everyone else cut costs.
I am beginning to think that a salary cap, or spending cap needs to be put on college athletics. It's beginning to get ridiculous when you read about schools cutting 8 sports, while spending huge sums of money (and more) on two or three programs. The amount of money being spent is also seemingly unsustainable. Schools can't afford a new facility every time a rival school builds something better.
8 Olympic Sports?
I can agree that some of those sports might not really be worth having. There are some obscure sports in the NCAA.
The problem though is that it's not in the spirit of college athletics to be dumping those eight sports, while spending millions of dollars to support football and basketball. No school will cut money to those programs because they won't for fear that it will hurt the competitiveness of their teams. They would only do it if everyone else cut costs.
I am beginning to think that a salary cap, or spending cap needs to be put on college athletics. It's beginning to get ridiculous when you read about schools cutting 8 sports, while spending huge sums of money (and more) on two or three programs. The amount of money being spent is also seemingly unsustainable. Schools can't afford a new facility every time a rival school builds something better.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Names of Stadium Songs
Here are the names of a few famous stadium songs without any lyrics or many lyrics...In case you or anyone else were wondering...
Sandstorm by Darude
300 Violin Orchestra by Jorge Quintero
Lux Aeterna Remix
Mind Heist by Zach Hemsey
Rock and Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter
From Basketball
Get Ready for This by 2 Unlimited
Twilight Zone Remix by 2 Unlimited
Sandstorm by Darude
300 Violin Orchestra by Jorge Quintero
Lux Aeterna Remix
Mind Heist by Zach Hemsey
Rock and Roll Part 2 by Gary Glitter
From Basketball
Get Ready for This by 2 Unlimited
Twilight Zone Remix by 2 Unlimited
Warm Up Songs
It's sad that I know the warm-up songs of our team so well.
I even remember hearing Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" in 2008 along with the overtime song of "Hells Bells"
In 2009 I remember "Down" and "Shooting Star." Shooting Star was my first introduction to LMFAO. I also remember hearing Lil Wayne's "Hot Relolver" playing right before kickoff for one game. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" made a lot of appearances right before the second half kickoff too.
I know the 2010 playlist really well. Hall and Oates would always come on at the most random time. I think that this playlist was ordered very well. I felt like it matched up well with what the team was doing in warm-ups. I think my favorite song of all was the strangest one for me to like and it was something called "Good Times" by Roll Deep. It was some strange European Dance/Techno song and I have to admit that it was really catchy and probably my favorite warm up song of all my years of listening to the songs before games. Good Times would always come on as the team was shooting on goal and hearing that play made me realize how close we were to game-time. "I like it" seemed to always come up early in warm-ups when the goalies started to get going. I remember the back-up keeper from Jersey would always do a bit of a dance during that song. When I say bit, she would barely move, but you could tell she was moving to the beat. 1901 was a cool song and I really liked "Ali in the Jungle."
The 2011 playlist was not exactly my favorite. It grew on me, but nothing stood out. It's also possible that it's because I was busier this year before games. As a matter of fact I didn't have everything working for the Cincinnati game until six minutes before kickoff. I wasn't on the sideline, or even listening to music prior to the game at all. I had to tend to a video crisis. We also didn't have many home games this year either. So for some reason, possibly unrelated to song choice, I really don't remember that much about it.
Speaking of all of this, I think hearing the National Anthem is special. The moment I heard that song I got really excited because I knew it was truly game time.
I even remember hearing Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" in 2008 along with the overtime song of "Hells Bells"
In 2009 I remember "Down" and "Shooting Star." Shooting Star was my first introduction to LMFAO. I also remember hearing Lil Wayne's "Hot Relolver" playing right before kickoff for one game. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" made a lot of appearances right before the second half kickoff too.
I know the 2010 playlist really well. Hall and Oates would always come on at the most random time. I think that this playlist was ordered very well. I felt like it matched up well with what the team was doing in warm-ups. I think my favorite song of all was the strangest one for me to like and it was something called "Good Times" by Roll Deep. It was some strange European Dance/Techno song and I have to admit that it was really catchy and probably my favorite warm up song of all my years of listening to the songs before games. Good Times would always come on as the team was shooting on goal and hearing that play made me realize how close we were to game-time. "I like it" seemed to always come up early in warm-ups when the goalies started to get going. I remember the back-up keeper from Jersey would always do a bit of a dance during that song. When I say bit, she would barely move, but you could tell she was moving to the beat. 1901 was a cool song and I really liked "Ali in the Jungle."
The 2011 playlist was not exactly my favorite. It grew on me, but nothing stood out. It's also possible that it's because I was busier this year before games. As a matter of fact I didn't have everything working for the Cincinnati game until six minutes before kickoff. I wasn't on the sideline, or even listening to music prior to the game at all. I had to tend to a video crisis. We also didn't have many home games this year either. So for some reason, possibly unrelated to song choice, I really don't remember that much about it.
Speaking of all of this, I think hearing the National Anthem is special. The moment I heard that song I got really excited because I knew it was truly game time.
Some UCONN Basketball Observations
I don't know how you limit a team to five points in the half, so I am very impressed with the Women's Team. The Women's team is actually exceeding my expectations up to this point, especially Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis. I was so impressed with her performance in the Stanford game. She can shoot and score. People need to lower expectations for her though. She is still a freshman and will have natural ups and downs and things to learn. However, she's really really good and can carry the team at times.
I'd like to see a certain UCONN player cut to the rim and stop settling for three's.
The thing that I like best about the women is more depth in the front court. Last year they didn't have that. This year I think they do, or atleast they have more. Heather Buck, although I still haven't seen her play, scored 7 points in the box score vs Fairleigh Dickinson. Kiah Stokes almost had a double-double and you still have Dolson. Although it's early for UCONN it looks like UCONN has a good front court. It's important to have depth for when UCONN faces Baylor and Brittney Griner. I can't wait to watch that.
As for the men, I am concerned about them. In general I think it's really hard to repeat because to some degree I think complacency sets in naturally. By this time last year I knew UCONN had the best team that I had seen since 2006-07 and thought it had a better chance of winning a National Championship than the team that went to the final four in 2008-2009. There was something special about that team last year that I could just sense from watching them. This year I don't have that sense. I can't explain it, but something is just missing right now and I have thought this despite the loss yesterday. As a matter of fact I've been expecting the men to lose at anytime.
I'm thinking that the missing something is Kemba Walker, and I do believe that he can make that big of a difference. I still think UCONN has a very good team and that talent wise they will be one of the top four teams in conference and make the NCAA's. I just don't know how special this team is yet.
I'd like to see a certain UCONN player cut to the rim and stop settling for three's.
The thing that I like best about the women is more depth in the front court. Last year they didn't have that. This year I think they do, or atleast they have more. Heather Buck, although I still haven't seen her play, scored 7 points in the box score vs Fairleigh Dickinson. Kiah Stokes almost had a double-double and you still have Dolson. Although it's early for UCONN it looks like UCONN has a good front court. It's important to have depth for when UCONN faces Baylor and Brittney Griner. I can't wait to watch that.
As for the men, I am concerned about them. In general I think it's really hard to repeat because to some degree I think complacency sets in naturally. By this time last year I knew UCONN had the best team that I had seen since 2006-07 and thought it had a better chance of winning a National Championship than the team that went to the final four in 2008-2009. There was something special about that team last year that I could just sense from watching them. This year I don't have that sense. I can't explain it, but something is just missing right now and I have thought this despite the loss yesterday. As a matter of fact I've been expecting the men to lose at anytime.
I'm thinking that the missing something is Kemba Walker, and I do believe that he can make that big of a difference. I still think UCONN has a very good team and that talent wise they will be one of the top four teams in conference and make the NCAA's. I just don't know how special this team is yet.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
New York vs Boston and where I fit in
I am trying to figure out where I fall on the New York and Boston continuum. Being from Fairfield County in Connecticut, a suburb of New York City and recently spending more time at my parents summer house in a suburb of Boston (extreme suburb, but very Bostonian) can confuse a person's identity.
I identify myself as someone from Connecticut. That's very much true, and I am proud to be from Connecticut. Within that however are some differences. Are you a Boston fan or a New York fan? People in Connecticut generally associate with either Boston or New York.
As for favorite teams, the Connecticut in me makes me a UConn Huskies fan. I'd argue that UCONN Women's Basketball is the one team that unites the entire state of Connecticut behind one team. My favorite baseball team is the New York Mets. My favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys. I hate the New York Giants, but the New York Jets are my AFC team, and a team I generally root for and have followed in the past. My NBA team are the Boston Celtics. Overall the advantage goes to New York.
My accent is not either a full blown New York or Boston accent. However, I do have atleast a slight New York accent. Some people say I have a New York accent. Advantage New York.
Family. My father's side of the family originally came from Massachusetts, but that was a long long long time ago. My dad's family (going way back) is from Fairfield County and relatives going way way back have been from places such as Greenwich/New Canaan/Stamford and Ridgefield. My mom's family is more from New York. My mom grew up in White Plains and Greenwich. Her family would often boat and water-ski on the Hudson (when they didn't know what was in the river). Her mother was from mostly Stamford and Danielson CT, although I believe she also spent sometime in New York. My mom's father is a full blown New Yorker. He refers to my mom as "ur muddah" and he was born and raised in New York to my knowledge. I believe his parents were buried in the city. My grandpa also owned a clothes cleaning business in the Bronx that dry cleaned clothes from Broadway. Advantage here is New York.
I'm giving New York the edge right now...I'm thinking I have a little bit more New York in me than Boston.
I identify myself as someone from Connecticut. That's very much true, and I am proud to be from Connecticut. Within that however are some differences. Are you a Boston fan or a New York fan? People in Connecticut generally associate with either Boston or New York.
As for favorite teams, the Connecticut in me makes me a UConn Huskies fan. I'd argue that UCONN Women's Basketball is the one team that unites the entire state of Connecticut behind one team. My favorite baseball team is the New York Mets. My favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys. I hate the New York Giants, but the New York Jets are my AFC team, and a team I generally root for and have followed in the past. My NBA team are the Boston Celtics. Overall the advantage goes to New York.
My accent is not either a full blown New York or Boston accent. However, I do have atleast a slight New York accent. Some people say I have a New York accent. Advantage New York.
Family. My father's side of the family originally came from Massachusetts, but that was a long long long time ago. My dad's family (going way back) is from Fairfield County and relatives going way way back have been from places such as Greenwich/New Canaan/Stamford and Ridgefield. My mom's family is more from New York. My mom grew up in White Plains and Greenwich. Her family would often boat and water-ski on the Hudson (when they didn't know what was in the river). Her mother was from mostly Stamford and Danielson CT, although I believe she also spent sometime in New York. My mom's father is a full blown New Yorker. He refers to my mom as "ur muddah" and he was born and raised in New York to my knowledge. I believe his parents were buried in the city. My grandpa also owned a clothes cleaning business in the Bronx that dry cleaned clothes from Broadway. Advantage here is New York.
I'm giving New York the edge right now...I'm thinking I have a little bit more New York in me than Boston.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Getting Heckled
Part of wearing Connecticut Gear on the road means that you will get heckled, even when you are a staff member as unimportant as me.
I never dreamt I would ever be heckled but luckily I was. I really enjoyed every moment of being heckled.
The first time it happened was at St. John's this season. I walked by their student section at half-time and they were yelling at me.
Some kid went "Hey it's a guy in UConn gear, let's boo him!!" I was booed. Thought it was cool. I didn't look at them, I just moved forward. I listened, but didn't want to provoke anyone or get myself in trouble. I put my head down and pretended to ignore them. They also called me a coward. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe they wanted me to stare them down.
The second time it happened was at Marquette. There students saw me and asked "hey are you a coach or a manager?" I totally ignored them. "Hey we know you can hear us!" I continued walking and I think they asked if I was a manager or coach again. Then they said "Either way you suck at what you do!" I thought it was awesome.
The comments were so paper thin that they neither bothered me nor motivated me.
I don't think the Notre Dame students really heckled me. They were too busy heckling our goalie. I listened to what they said and left it there. My observation of those kids, were that unlike the Marquette and St. John's students I got the feeling that the Notre Dame kids were really some of the biggest losers on campus. I don't know why I thought that. I just did. I felt as if I had turned around and told them to go "bleep.... themselves" that they would have shut up and listened. I thought if I told that to the Marquette or St. John's fans that they would have really gotten after me.
I never dreamt I would ever be heckled but luckily I was. I really enjoyed every moment of being heckled.
The first time it happened was at St. John's this season. I walked by their student section at half-time and they were yelling at me.
Some kid went "Hey it's a guy in UConn gear, let's boo him!!" I was booed. Thought it was cool. I didn't look at them, I just moved forward. I listened, but didn't want to provoke anyone or get myself in trouble. I put my head down and pretended to ignore them. They also called me a coward. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe they wanted me to stare them down.
The second time it happened was at Marquette. There students saw me and asked "hey are you a coach or a manager?" I totally ignored them. "Hey we know you can hear us!" I continued walking and I think they asked if I was a manager or coach again. Then they said "Either way you suck at what you do!" I thought it was awesome.
The comments were so paper thin that they neither bothered me nor motivated me.
I don't think the Notre Dame students really heckled me. They were too busy heckling our goalie. I listened to what they said and left it there. My observation of those kids, were that unlike the Marquette and St. John's students I got the feeling that the Notre Dame kids were really some of the biggest losers on campus. I don't know why I thought that. I just did. I felt as if I had turned around and told them to go "bleep.... themselves" that they would have shut up and listened. I thought if I told that to the Marquette or St. John's fans that they would have really gotten after me.
NFL picks
So I picked every NFL game on some ESPN playoff predictor.
My picks gave me these results.
AFC
1 Baltimore
2.New England
3. Oakland
4. Houston
5. Pittsburgh (13-3 and a 5 seed)
6. New York Jets
NFC
1. Green Bay (I have them losing to Detroit on Thanksgiving)
2. San Francisco
3. New Orleans
4. Dallas
5. Chicago
6. Detroit
Biggest Game for playoff implications will be the Jets and Giants. I think the loser of that game will be out. I picked the Jets to win that one.
The Giants are the team that I think are the hardest to predict and can mess up my picks more than any other team. I have the Giants losing to the Jets, Saints and Packers. I have them splitting with the Cowboys and beating the Redskins. I can see the Giants beating the Packers, or the Saints, because they always seem to play well against good teams. They also always seem to fall off the face of earth as the year goes on. I am biased against the Giants and it probably shows...
My picks gave me these results.
AFC
1 Baltimore
2.New England
3. Oakland
4. Houston
5. Pittsburgh (13-3 and a 5 seed)
6. New York Jets
NFC
1. Green Bay (I have them losing to Detroit on Thanksgiving)
2. San Francisco
3. New Orleans
4. Dallas
5. Chicago
6. Detroit
Biggest Game for playoff implications will be the Jets and Giants. I think the loser of that game will be out. I picked the Jets to win that one.
The Giants are the team that I think are the hardest to predict and can mess up my picks more than any other team. I have the Giants losing to the Jets, Saints and Packers. I have them splitting with the Cowboys and beating the Redskins. I can see the Giants beating the Packers, or the Saints, because they always seem to play well against good teams. They also always seem to fall off the face of earth as the year goes on. I am biased against the Giants and it probably shows...
A little soccer talk
I was reading something about statistics and which stats certain people find important.
Stats lie. They prove locomotives fly.
Anyway, there are a couple of things that I have observed in soccer as important stats that I would want to win every game.
Two that really matter to me (besides goals...duh the most important stat) are corner kicks and shots on goal.
Teams can take 30 shots in a game but it doesn't mean much if those shots come from 25 yards out and end up hitting buildings beyond the field. Shots on goal are legitimate scoring chances. If I was a coach I would want to win that battle. Shots on goal also challenge keepers. You have to atleast force them to make a save, or deflect the ball. To me rebounds are the easiest goals in the world to score. However, in order to score off a rebound you need to have a shot on goal first.
The other stat is corner kicks. Corner Kicks are an indication of several things. One is maintaining possession in your offensive third. It also indicates an ability to get endline, which is a dangerous area for a team to score from. It's also an indication that you are challenging the keeper and defense. If you force a keeper to deflect the ball over the bar than you are getting good shots on goal. If a defense is just kicking the ball out of the endline than you are making them really uncomfortable.
Stats lie. They prove locomotives fly.
Anyway, there are a couple of things that I have observed in soccer as important stats that I would want to win every game.
Two that really matter to me (besides goals...duh the most important stat) are corner kicks and shots on goal.
Teams can take 30 shots in a game but it doesn't mean much if those shots come from 25 yards out and end up hitting buildings beyond the field. Shots on goal are legitimate scoring chances. If I was a coach I would want to win that battle. Shots on goal also challenge keepers. You have to atleast force them to make a save, or deflect the ball. To me rebounds are the easiest goals in the world to score. However, in order to score off a rebound you need to have a shot on goal first.
The other stat is corner kicks. Corner Kicks are an indication of several things. One is maintaining possession in your offensive third. It also indicates an ability to get endline, which is a dangerous area for a team to score from. It's also an indication that you are challenging the keeper and defense. If you force a keeper to deflect the ball over the bar than you are getting good shots on goal. If a defense is just kicking the ball out of the endline than you are making them really uncomfortable.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Random Road Trip Moment
One random moment from this year was our players getting their laundry before the DePaul game. I worked out in the morning, than ran to breakfast and inhaled breakfast, as our sports information director Sagan, and Assistant Coach Zac pointed out. Then I ran back to my room to shower. I told coach that the players could get their jerseys in 15 minutes...exactly fifteen minutes.
I knew that I would have showered and changed within 15 minutes.
About ten minutes after leaving breakfast I hopped out of the shower and heard my phone ring. Shoey called me and asked if I was in room 605 (I don't know if that was the number or not, but close enough) and I said yes. Than I heard "oh great, were here" to which I said "uhhhh...hold on." I wasn't exactly ready for them yet.
I got dressed quickly and then opened my door to find half our team waiting for their jerseys. There was a reason I said fifteen minutes and not ten.
It's not the only time I've been contacted at strange times or awkward times. I remember getting a 1:30 am and 7 am text message about something.
I also called a player at around 9am expecting them to be awake, and man oh man I could tell she wasn't. I felt so bad.
I have another early morning phone call story to talk about later.
I knew that I would have showered and changed within 15 minutes.
About ten minutes after leaving breakfast I hopped out of the shower and heard my phone ring. Shoey called me and asked if I was in room 605 (I don't know if that was the number or not, but close enough) and I said yes. Than I heard "oh great, were here" to which I said "uhhhh...hold on." I wasn't exactly ready for them yet.
I got dressed quickly and then opened my door to find half our team waiting for their jerseys. There was a reason I said fifteen minutes and not ten.
It's not the only time I've been contacted at strange times or awkward times. I remember getting a 1:30 am and 7 am text message about something.
I also called a player at around 9am expecting them to be awake, and man oh man I could tell she wasn't. I felt so bad.
I have another early morning phone call story to talk about later.
What other things will I write about...
My least favorite road trip will also be written about.
Most Awkward moments deserve a place. A goalkeeper owns that one.
Favorite prank...happened this preseason all because someone left something at the field...we should write about that soon, especially since the player who I got doesn't quite remember the story the way she should.
Favorite lines I had or things I told players...
One was just recently when a player told me she had $650 on her in cash. She was afraid she was going to get jumped while walking around campus. I told her "well unless you write that you have $650 on your forehead no one will know." It was much better in person.
Another one was when I made fun of our volunteer assistant coach James and the goalkeepers heard me. Somehow we were talking about planets and I said something about James miss-hit (which he rarely does) by saying "well that one went to a different universe."
The last one was via text message. I believe Dulski asked me what our teams plans were for dinner on our road trip in Pittsburgh. Since we had lost the day before, and didn't want to tell them where we were really going I texted back "McDonalds, because we need some Happy Meals.) At the time I didn't think it was all that funny, but when I saw Dulski and her roommate Nela they told me how funny they thought it was.
Speaking of dinner and Pittsburgh, I vividly remember our team being fascinated by birds in the hotel lobby which made us leave later than we should have for dinner. I was relieved that our reservations were not given away. I was so antsy while the team stared at birds. I think I joined the circle and walked towards the bus three times with the hope that someone would catch on and realize it was time to go to dinner. No one did.
Favorite players...just kidding, they are all favorites, just some more than others? It's my belief that you click with some people better than others, but I can't honestly say I've had a favorite player, or top five favorite players or even a top 10. I can't really come up with a list. I like everyone for different reasons.
SOMEONE on the team actually asked me on camera who my favorite player was. I really wonder who they expected me to say.
Other topics I will write about include
Favorite goals
Favorite moments
Favorite games
Least favorite moments
Favorite Bus Driver - Brian Boken. I'll treat this one like an award. He did such a great job at Pittsburgh/West Virginia last season. I actually called the bus company to tell them he did such a good job. He did whatever he could to help us out. Jesse and Tom Rotella have also done excellent jobs for our team as bus drivers. I do know some of their names, and I have to say that having good bus drivers makes me so much more relaxed.
Favorite post-game food
There are so many things to write about. I look forward to writing about them. Any ideas, or things you want me to write about, then just let me know.
When I am gone, so probably over the summer, I may go over each player and my memories specific to them.
I love history, and like typing up my memories, or making videos to help capture others memories. Reminiscing is fun.
Favorite Pre-Game video...
Favorite Warm-Up song...
Most Awkward moments deserve a place. A goalkeeper owns that one.
Favorite prank...happened this preseason all because someone left something at the field...we should write about that soon, especially since the player who I got doesn't quite remember the story the way she should.
Favorite lines I had or things I told players...
One was just recently when a player told me she had $650 on her in cash. She was afraid she was going to get jumped while walking around campus. I told her "well unless you write that you have $650 on your forehead no one will know." It was much better in person.
Another one was when I made fun of our volunteer assistant coach James and the goalkeepers heard me. Somehow we were talking about planets and I said something about James miss-hit (which he rarely does) by saying "well that one went to a different universe."
The last one was via text message. I believe Dulski asked me what our teams plans were for dinner on our road trip in Pittsburgh. Since we had lost the day before, and didn't want to tell them where we were really going I texted back "McDonalds, because we need some Happy Meals.) At the time I didn't think it was all that funny, but when I saw Dulski and her roommate Nela they told me how funny they thought it was.
Speaking of dinner and Pittsburgh, I vividly remember our team being fascinated by birds in the hotel lobby which made us leave later than we should have for dinner. I was relieved that our reservations were not given away. I was so antsy while the team stared at birds. I think I joined the circle and walked towards the bus three times with the hope that someone would catch on and realize it was time to go to dinner. No one did.
Favorite players...just kidding, they are all favorites, just some more than others? It's my belief that you click with some people better than others, but I can't honestly say I've had a favorite player, or top five favorite players or even a top 10. I can't really come up with a list. I like everyone for different reasons.
SOMEONE on the team actually asked me on camera who my favorite player was. I really wonder who they expected me to say.
Other topics I will write about include
Favorite goals
Favorite moments
Favorite games
Least favorite moments
Favorite Bus Driver - Brian Boken. I'll treat this one like an award. He did such a great job at Pittsburgh/West Virginia last season. I actually called the bus company to tell them he did such a good job. He did whatever he could to help us out. Jesse and Tom Rotella have also done excellent jobs for our team as bus drivers. I do know some of their names, and I have to say that having good bus drivers makes me so much more relaxed.
Favorite post-game food
There are so many things to write about. I look forward to writing about them. Any ideas, or things you want me to write about, then just let me know.
When I am gone, so probably over the summer, I may go over each player and my memories specific to them.
I love history, and like typing up my memories, or making videos to help capture others memories. Reminiscing is fun.
Favorite Pre-Game video...
Favorite Warm-Up song...
So Lets Start Re-living
So I guess now would be as good as time as any to start writing about my experiences with women's soccer.
I thought about writing a book about everything I've done in athletics but honestly, no one would buy it...it's not like anyone reads this anyway.
I sort of don't want to write about players yet, or using their names. Maybe I will, maybe I won't.
The first thing I will write about is my favorite road trip.
I've really had to think hard about this one. My first trip was to the NCAA's in 2009. I drove myself, so it wasn't a full fledged trip, but I did spend the night in the hotel. I remember breakfast being a learning experience. As a morning person I was extremely hungry when I woke up at 7:00am, but breakfast with the team wasn't supposed to be until around 10. I ended up eating a snack size bag or two of potato chips to hold me over. Then I felt so weird being at breakfast in the first place. I was so hesitant to actually go and sit with the team for breakfast. I finally did, but I waited until the last possible second before I went in to eat.
I've always felt really lucky and blessed to be able to travel with the team. I feel like I owe so much since the team, school and state is paying a plane ticket for me, a hotel room for me and food for me. I don't ever take a trip for granted, and really feel lucky the entire time. I also felt like I was representing my state and school at all times on the road. I tried to conduct myself in the best way possible, so that people in places like West Virginia, would have a good impression of people from Connecticut.
I also love flying. I LOVE FLYING and love taking off and landing. I don't remember our first plane trip to Pittsburgh all that much to be honest. The only thing I remember is arranging the baggage at the baggage claim in numerical order.
Usually I correlate winning with favorite road trips. There are three trips that stick out to me. One was to Notre Dame for the Big East Tournament. That one only sticks out for the winning. Another was our trip to Wake Forest this year. I loved seeing my Aunt, seeing us beat a ranked team at their place and getting to eat my first Krispy Kreme donuts. I also liked that we stayed in the same place for an entire weekend. However, I think this trip finishes a close second to our trip to South Florida.
South Florida was a really special trip to me. First of all it's Florida, and I love warm weather and the state. When I was a sophomore I paid my own way to take a trip to report on the Women's Final Four in Tampa, in which UConn lost to Stanford. I spent a lot of time with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins, and 2nd cousins when I was there. It meant a lot to me to see them, since it's rare that I get too. It was also special because my Aunt was diagnosed with cancer so I really was glad to spend time with her. I vowed to work hard so that I could hopefully get the chance to return to South Florida while representing UCONN.
I had really hoped to see my Aunt again this year, but unfortunately she passed away about four months before our trip. Even though I missed her, I was able to see the rest of my family. My Uncle visited before the South Florida game, and saw my cousins and their families before the game. I was really glad to give away nine tickets for that game.
I made sure to bring gifts for the boys (my cousins each have two sons...Keaton, Caden, Will and Morgen) who went to the game. All of them play soccer, and Caden knows everything about the game for someone his age. He is also really good. He scored nine of his teams ten goals in a game, while playing a quarter in goal. I packed prize packs from athletic marketing full of promotional items for each of the boys and had our team sign posters for them. I even had a player personalize a team autographed photo for them. I got my uncle a t-shirt too. I've gotten so many gifts and it meant a lot that I could give something back.
When the boys got to the game I got some hugs and hellos and then I took them behind our goal during warm-ups to help collect the ball. The boys had so much fun chasing the balls kicked over in warm ups. (I have a list of players who are best known for making people chase after a ball that I will release later. Long Islander's are on it). The boys ran around like maniacs expending energy and making operations job easier. One of them even told Coach what they were doing, and they made coach smile. I was actually a little concerned about safety and their loudness during warm ups. They were screaming behind the goal and I wasn't sure if that would bother our team. Morgen, who is referred to as a dare devil, is the youngest one and I had to keep my eye on him and what was going on. Morgen seemed to want to climb on to the field and I was not about to let that happen.
Even though seeing my family was brief, it meant a lot to me. I said goodbye to the boys at halftime, as it was late and getting near their bed time. I spent longer than ever before in the bleachers before half. I was climbing up the ladder to film just seconds before the second half kickoff. It's the only time I haven't been ready to film three minutes before the half starts.
The fact that we won cemented the South Florida trip as my favorite trip. Devin Prendergast netted the game winner and it made my day. That goal meant a lot to me because it allowed me to make the trip to South Florida an all around success.
There were other things I liked about our South Florida trip. It was my favorite hotel that I stayed in. I had a bedroom and living room with two TV's just for me. The television also had all of the sports channels imaginable, and had them at the top of their channel line-up. The free Chocolate Chip cookies was an added bonus. My only complaint is that the bike in the fitness center did not work. However, the awesome breakfast entirely made up for that. I got to eat yummy (yes using that word) waffles and french toast sticks, with syrup of course, for breakfast twice. SO GOOD. I really enjoyed sitting with the assistant volleyball coach at the bar the night before our game too. I don't shoot the breeze and hang out as often as I should, but I really enjoyed doing that. I also really loved the South Florida campus. It was beautiful and I enjoyed the run I went on around campus on the morning of our game day. It really made me wonder why I didn't go to Florida for college. I love getting up in the morning and going outside to find it's 70 degrees.
Oh and I really loved that our players cared enough about me to have the hotel send me two extra pillows without asking for them....The things you can do when you know people's room number.
I thought about writing a book about everything I've done in athletics but honestly, no one would buy it...it's not like anyone reads this anyway.
I sort of don't want to write about players yet, or using their names. Maybe I will, maybe I won't.
The first thing I will write about is my favorite road trip.
I've really had to think hard about this one. My first trip was to the NCAA's in 2009. I drove myself, so it wasn't a full fledged trip, but I did spend the night in the hotel. I remember breakfast being a learning experience. As a morning person I was extremely hungry when I woke up at 7:00am, but breakfast with the team wasn't supposed to be until around 10. I ended up eating a snack size bag or two of potato chips to hold me over. Then I felt so weird being at breakfast in the first place. I was so hesitant to actually go and sit with the team for breakfast. I finally did, but I waited until the last possible second before I went in to eat.
I've always felt really lucky and blessed to be able to travel with the team. I feel like I owe so much since the team, school and state is paying a plane ticket for me, a hotel room for me and food for me. I don't ever take a trip for granted, and really feel lucky the entire time. I also felt like I was representing my state and school at all times on the road. I tried to conduct myself in the best way possible, so that people in places like West Virginia, would have a good impression of people from Connecticut.
I also love flying. I LOVE FLYING and love taking off and landing. I don't remember our first plane trip to Pittsburgh all that much to be honest. The only thing I remember is arranging the baggage at the baggage claim in numerical order.
Usually I correlate winning with favorite road trips. There are three trips that stick out to me. One was to Notre Dame for the Big East Tournament. That one only sticks out for the winning. Another was our trip to Wake Forest this year. I loved seeing my Aunt, seeing us beat a ranked team at their place and getting to eat my first Krispy Kreme donuts. I also liked that we stayed in the same place for an entire weekend. However, I think this trip finishes a close second to our trip to South Florida.
South Florida was a really special trip to me. First of all it's Florida, and I love warm weather and the state. When I was a sophomore I paid my own way to take a trip to report on the Women's Final Four in Tampa, in which UConn lost to Stanford. I spent a lot of time with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins, and 2nd cousins when I was there. It meant a lot to me to see them, since it's rare that I get too. It was also special because my Aunt was diagnosed with cancer so I really was glad to spend time with her. I vowed to work hard so that I could hopefully get the chance to return to South Florida while representing UCONN.
I had really hoped to see my Aunt again this year, but unfortunately she passed away about four months before our trip. Even though I missed her, I was able to see the rest of my family. My Uncle visited before the South Florida game, and saw my cousins and their families before the game. I was really glad to give away nine tickets for that game.
I made sure to bring gifts for the boys (my cousins each have two sons...Keaton, Caden, Will and Morgen) who went to the game. All of them play soccer, and Caden knows everything about the game for someone his age. He is also really good. He scored nine of his teams ten goals in a game, while playing a quarter in goal. I packed prize packs from athletic marketing full of promotional items for each of the boys and had our team sign posters for them. I even had a player personalize a team autographed photo for them. I got my uncle a t-shirt too. I've gotten so many gifts and it meant a lot that I could give something back.
When the boys got to the game I got some hugs and hellos and then I took them behind our goal during warm-ups to help collect the ball. The boys had so much fun chasing the balls kicked over in warm ups. (I have a list of players who are best known for making people chase after a ball that I will release later. Long Islander's are on it). The boys ran around like maniacs expending energy and making operations job easier. One of them even told Coach what they were doing, and they made coach smile. I was actually a little concerned about safety and their loudness during warm ups. They were screaming behind the goal and I wasn't sure if that would bother our team. Morgen, who is referred to as a dare devil, is the youngest one and I had to keep my eye on him and what was going on. Morgen seemed to want to climb on to the field and I was not about to let that happen.
Even though seeing my family was brief, it meant a lot to me. I said goodbye to the boys at halftime, as it was late and getting near their bed time. I spent longer than ever before in the bleachers before half. I was climbing up the ladder to film just seconds before the second half kickoff. It's the only time I haven't been ready to film three minutes before the half starts.
The fact that we won cemented the South Florida trip as my favorite trip. Devin Prendergast netted the game winner and it made my day. That goal meant a lot to me because it allowed me to make the trip to South Florida an all around success.
There were other things I liked about our South Florida trip. It was my favorite hotel that I stayed in. I had a bedroom and living room with two TV's just for me. The television also had all of the sports channels imaginable, and had them at the top of their channel line-up. The free Chocolate Chip cookies was an added bonus. My only complaint is that the bike in the fitness center did not work. However, the awesome breakfast entirely made up for that. I got to eat yummy (yes using that word) waffles and french toast sticks, with syrup of course, for breakfast twice. SO GOOD. I really enjoyed sitting with the assistant volleyball coach at the bar the night before our game too. I don't shoot the breeze and hang out as often as I should, but I really enjoyed doing that. I also really loved the South Florida campus. It was beautiful and I enjoyed the run I went on around campus on the morning of our game day. It really made me wonder why I didn't go to Florida for college. I love getting up in the morning and going outside to find it's 70 degrees.
Oh and I really loved that our players cared enough about me to have the hotel send me two extra pillows without asking for them....The things you can do when you know people's room number.
One of the Dumber NCAA Ideas
The NCAA has proposed cutting the non-championship segments of seasons for several college sports including lacrosse (the spring sports fall "exhibition" season) and soccer (the fall sports spring"exhibition" season). Reasons for this would seemingly include student-athlete welfare, more focus on academics and cost cutting.
This is one of the dumbest ideas to achieve this.
First of all 80% of all of the NCAA problems come from Division I Football and Basketball. Lots not focus on the 20% and pretend that's going to solve the problem.
One easy way to make academics more important would be to be much stricter on GPA's required to be eligible to compete. Raise it from a 2.0 to a 2.5 or a 2.7. Freshman are eligible right away, after their first semester they need to have that GPA or they are ineligible. That's a simple way to make academics important.
I also like the idea of banning teams from postseason competition for poor academic progress. That's fine. This incentive to study should help create good academic cultures on teams. Some teams do actually have a culture that finds academic excellence to be important. Coaches usually set that up.
If the NCAA claims that their student-athletes don't have enough time to study than maybe they should look at their countable hours system. Rehab doesn't count for hours, and a game day counts for three hours no matter how long the student athlete is busy. Why don't you count those "uncountable" hours and raise the limit for a countable week to 25 hours.
The idea that cutting spring competition will save lots of money is not accurate. Post-Game meals for five days and transportation for three events isn't back breaking for a BCS school's budget. If you want to cut costs you could start to look at ways for football and basketball to do so. The money that those sports have give them all the power, and idea that they need to skirt around the rules to keep that status quo. Cutting costs from the big programs would take some of the egos and problems out of college sports.
Cutting spring sports only hurts student-athletes. If student-athletes can't handle the demands of both athletics and academics than they probably don't care about one or the other. That's the honest truth. Spring seasons are vitally important for most student-athletes because it gives them a chance to work on their skills and to play in exhibition games that allow younger players, and hard working players a chance to show coaches what they can do. Spring season is so important for coaches and athletes alike.
Why the NCAA is focusing on something as stupid as this is mind boggling. Everyone knows where the problems lie. Basketball and Football.
If the NCAA doesn't focus on changing those sports, and doing drastic things such as providing spending limits on recruiting or salary caps on coaching salaries, than it might be a sign that the NCAA knows it has no power over Division I BCS programs. Maybe it knows that if it does real reform, than those schools will simply leave the NCAA and play under their own governing umbrella.
This is one of the dumbest ideas to achieve this.
First of all 80% of all of the NCAA problems come from Division I Football and Basketball. Lots not focus on the 20% and pretend that's going to solve the problem.
One easy way to make academics more important would be to be much stricter on GPA's required to be eligible to compete. Raise it from a 2.0 to a 2.5 or a 2.7. Freshman are eligible right away, after their first semester they need to have that GPA or they are ineligible. That's a simple way to make academics important.
I also like the idea of banning teams from postseason competition for poor academic progress. That's fine. This incentive to study should help create good academic cultures on teams. Some teams do actually have a culture that finds academic excellence to be important. Coaches usually set that up.
If the NCAA claims that their student-athletes don't have enough time to study than maybe they should look at their countable hours system. Rehab doesn't count for hours, and a game day counts for three hours no matter how long the student athlete is busy. Why don't you count those "uncountable" hours and raise the limit for a countable week to 25 hours.
The idea that cutting spring competition will save lots of money is not accurate. Post-Game meals for five days and transportation for three events isn't back breaking for a BCS school's budget. If you want to cut costs you could start to look at ways for football and basketball to do so. The money that those sports have give them all the power, and idea that they need to skirt around the rules to keep that status quo. Cutting costs from the big programs would take some of the egos and problems out of college sports.
Cutting spring sports only hurts student-athletes. If student-athletes can't handle the demands of both athletics and academics than they probably don't care about one or the other. That's the honest truth. Spring seasons are vitally important for most student-athletes because it gives them a chance to work on their skills and to play in exhibition games that allow younger players, and hard working players a chance to show coaches what they can do. Spring season is so important for coaches and athletes alike.
Why the NCAA is focusing on something as stupid as this is mind boggling. Everyone knows where the problems lie. Basketball and Football.
If the NCAA doesn't focus on changing those sports, and doing drastic things such as providing spending limits on recruiting or salary caps on coaching salaries, than it might be a sign that the NCAA knows it has no power over Division I BCS programs. Maybe it knows that if it does real reform, than those schools will simply leave the NCAA and play under their own governing umbrella.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The Things You Learn
Today I learned that my dad's draft lottery day was one of the first numbers called for Vietnam. As it turns out he was the first in his dorm to have his birthday called. Had he been born a day later he would have had the last number.
My dad had to get a physical and he ended up joining the National Guard instead of potentially going to training and then being shipped off to Vietnam.
My dad was in the artillery unit of the National Guard. He would translate the field soldiers coordinates for where to shoot something to the angle and trajectory of the artillery gun used.
My dad had to get a physical and he ended up joining the National Guard instead of potentially going to training and then being shipped off to Vietnam.
My dad was in the artillery unit of the National Guard. He would translate the field soldiers coordinates for where to shoot something to the angle and trajectory of the artillery gun used.
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Jets and NFL
I almost never write about Tim Tebow. I didn't want the game yesterday, but I am going to make this comment. Maybe, honestly, Tim Tebow just knows how to win. Maybe he isn't the best quarterback in terms of his technical abilities, but maybe he can do the most important thing, win.
The Jets, well they are in such a bad position. They have a head to head loss to a team with the same record (Broncos), and two other teams competing for the playoffs, and would currently be in now (AFC West leader Raiders and Wild Card Baltimore Ravens). The Jets also have a losing conference record which is a tie breaker. The Jets still have the Dolphins, Bills and Kansas City left. The Jets MUST WIN those games.
The Jets basically have to win out for a chance to make the playoffs. I have my doubts that the Jets can get in with a 10-6 record. I think their tie breakers will hurt them. They need to be a game better than those other teams.
The Jets, well they are in such a bad position. They have a head to head loss to a team with the same record (Broncos), and two other teams competing for the playoffs, and would currently be in now (AFC West leader Raiders and Wild Card Baltimore Ravens). The Jets also have a losing conference record which is a tie breaker. The Jets still have the Dolphins, Bills and Kansas City left. The Jets MUST WIN those games.
The Jets basically have to win out for a chance to make the playoffs. I have my doubts that the Jets can get in with a 10-6 record. I think their tie breakers will hurt them. They need to be a game better than those other teams.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
UConn Baseball Former Player Notes
George Springer hit a homerun and knocked in three runs in eight games in low A ball last year. His batting average will improve...
Nick Ahmed hit .262 in rookie ball with four homeruns and 24 RBI's in 59 games.
Mike Nemeth had a homerun and 16 RBI's in 47 games in Rookie Ball in the Brewers organization...batting average will improve.....
Dusty Odenbach is in the Royals organization and had a 3.50 era in 2011 in High A Ball.
Greg Nappo had a 4.61 ERA in A ball.
Kevin Vance had a 4.54 ERA and save in Rookie Ball
Elliott Glynn had a 4.86 ERA in Rookie Ball
Nick Ahmed hit .262 in rookie ball with four homeruns and 24 RBI's in 59 games.
Mike Nemeth had a homerun and 16 RBI's in 47 games in Rookie Ball in the Brewers organization...batting average will improve.....
Dusty Odenbach is in the Royals organization and had a 3.50 era in 2011 in High A Ball.
Greg Nappo had a 4.61 ERA in A ball.
Kevin Vance had a 4.54 ERA and save in Rookie Ball
Elliott Glynn had a 4.86 ERA in Rookie Ball
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
UConn Football Former Player Notes
Jordan Todman has yet to play for the Chargers this season. No stats are available on him.
Lawrence Wilson was just cut by the Panthers...
Donald Brown has two touchdowns for the Colts this season, and just surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards.
Darius Butler now plays for the Panthers and has 21 tackles this season and has started four of the eight games he has played in.
Robert McClain played for the Panthers in 2010 and recorded 14 tackles by himself and assisted on two.
Will Beatty has started nine games for the Giants this season.
Anthony Sherman has five catches for 51 yards for the Cardinals this season.
Larry Taylor is playing with the Calgary Stampeders this season in the CFL. He has over 1,000 yards in kick returns this year. He has not returned a kick or a punt for a touchdown this year though. Taylor was also a 2011 West Division All-Star as a special teams player.
Lawrence Wilson was just cut by the Panthers...
Donald Brown has two touchdowns for the Colts this season, and just surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards.
Darius Butler now plays for the Panthers and has 21 tackles this season and has started four of the eight games he has played in.
Robert McClain played for the Panthers in 2010 and recorded 14 tackles by himself and assisted on two.
Will Beatty has started nine games for the Giants this season.
Anthony Sherman has five catches for 51 yards for the Cardinals this season.
Larry Taylor is playing with the Calgary Stampeders this season in the CFL. He has over 1,000 yards in kick returns this year. He has not returned a kick or a punt for a touchdown this year though. Taylor was also a 2011 West Division All-Star as a special teams player.
Music To My Ears
The greatest thing ever said by a player on our team was said today.
Most impressive thing ever.
So profound.
With Nick Mangold at center the Jets average 123 yards rushing per game and without him average 80 yards a game.
Best thing ever said, and you know that I really believe that based on all of the wacky statistics that I have put on this before.
My jaw dropped with that statement. I learned something, some sports trivia, from one of our players.
Most impressive thing ever.
So profound.
With Nick Mangold at center the Jets average 123 yards rushing per game and without him average 80 yards a game.
Best thing ever said, and you know that I really believe that based on all of the wacky statistics that I have put on this before.
My jaw dropped with that statement. I learned something, some sports trivia, from one of our players.
A Thought on Coaching
I'm not a coach, but I can imagine what it is like to be one.
I think being a coach can really wear a person out. I takes so much energy to be a coach. One job of a coach is to get everyone on the same page and working together. Coaches need to get everyone to stay on the same track and make sure they are doing everything necessary at all times to reach their goals.
It's extremely draining when you think about it.
Think about all the players who constantly show up late to meetings. Every single time you have a problem you try to go over with them why it's important to be on time. You try being nice about it and explaining the consequences of being late. When that doesn't work you punish them and take away things. No luck there? You keep trying. You try to have all the players on the team work together to make sure everyone is on time.
You have to deal with players who have confidence issues. You know exactly how talented they are, yet you can't seem to get everything to click for them. You tell them how great they are. You show them examples of them doing things well and you give them opportunities, yet it just doesn't work out.
Then you have to deal with injuries and bad calls and just dumb luck. You have the perfect game plan but then the player who is supposed to execute that game plan is injured and can't play. When that call costs you a season you just have to deal with it and get ready for next year.
Coaches are constantly working on achieving success and the formula to do that is so complex and ever changing that it takes an enormous amount of energy to do the job. This is especially the case when you reiterate important points to players constantly and they still don't listen.
Coaching seems like it is a lot of fun, and it is. However, it's not for people who want an easy job. It's complex and requires repackaging some of the same information over and over until the person getting the package thinks it's attractive enough to open up.
The other reason coaching takes up a lot of energy is that it's hard not to think about all of the what ifs. If they weren't injured that game we would have won that. If that call had gone our way that would have been a win. If that player had cut to the left instead of the right they could have gotten open and scored. If we could have just converted that one play. If we were only stronger. If we only did more video sessions. What if this happened questions can consume you. Maybe that more than anything makes coaching mentally hard.
I think being a coach can really wear a person out. I takes so much energy to be a coach. One job of a coach is to get everyone on the same page and working together. Coaches need to get everyone to stay on the same track and make sure they are doing everything necessary at all times to reach their goals.
It's extremely draining when you think about it.
Think about all the players who constantly show up late to meetings. Every single time you have a problem you try to go over with them why it's important to be on time. You try being nice about it and explaining the consequences of being late. When that doesn't work you punish them and take away things. No luck there? You keep trying. You try to have all the players on the team work together to make sure everyone is on time.
You have to deal with players who have confidence issues. You know exactly how talented they are, yet you can't seem to get everything to click for them. You tell them how great they are. You show them examples of them doing things well and you give them opportunities, yet it just doesn't work out.
Then you have to deal with injuries and bad calls and just dumb luck. You have the perfect game plan but then the player who is supposed to execute that game plan is injured and can't play. When that call costs you a season you just have to deal with it and get ready for next year.
Coaches are constantly working on achieving success and the formula to do that is so complex and ever changing that it takes an enormous amount of energy to do the job. This is especially the case when you reiterate important points to players constantly and they still don't listen.
Coaching seems like it is a lot of fun, and it is. However, it's not for people who want an easy job. It's complex and requires repackaging some of the same information over and over until the person getting the package thinks it's attractive enough to open up.
The other reason coaching takes up a lot of energy is that it's hard not to think about all of the what ifs. If they weren't injured that game we would have won that. If that call had gone our way that would have been a win. If that player had cut to the left instead of the right they could have gotten open and scored. If we could have just converted that one play. If we were only stronger. If we only did more video sessions. What if this happened questions can consume you. Maybe that more than anything makes coaching mentally hard.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Writers Block
I have a story I want to tell about one of our players who has a Kevin Mawae jersey. I just don't know how to say it. I'm stuck.
What I want to say for now is that I find it to be ridiculously awesome that one of our players owns a Kevin Mawae jersey.
Seriously this is so amazing on so many different levels.
Seriously
I found this out in September and I still can't get over it. (Finally admitting to not being able to get over it) It's that awesome.
It's just like the ESPN commercials.
It's Not Crazy
It's Sports
Really, its all it is. It's Sports. It's so amazing how having a Kevin Mawae Jersey can totally blow my mind away, and make me think great of the person who has it. Sports are just so unique in that way.
Passion for sports and knowledge of it makes me truly appreciate what a person who has a Kevin Mawae jersey is like. To want to identify with an offensive lineman is unique. I can appreciate people for things like their favorite team or player, but I can't about their favorite toothpaste, investment firm or brand of tissues. This is one way sports are unique.
I seriously find this person fascinating because they own a Kevin Mawae jersey. It's really quite sad.
What I want to say for now is that I find it to be ridiculously awesome that one of our players owns a Kevin Mawae jersey.
Seriously this is so amazing on so many different levels.
Seriously
I found this out in September and I still can't get over it. (Finally admitting to not being able to get over it) It's that awesome.
It's just like the ESPN commercials.
It's Not Crazy
It's Sports
Really, its all it is. It's Sports. It's so amazing how having a Kevin Mawae Jersey can totally blow my mind away, and make me think great of the person who has it. Sports are just so unique in that way.
Passion for sports and knowledge of it makes me truly appreciate what a person who has a Kevin Mawae jersey is like. To want to identify with an offensive lineman is unique. I can appreciate people for things like their favorite team or player, but I can't about their favorite toothpaste, investment firm or brand of tissues. This is one way sports are unique.
I seriously find this person fascinating because they own a Kevin Mawae jersey. It's really quite sad.
Some Motivation
I think I finally got some motivation to write more often again. As a graduate student it's really begun to hit me how important it is that I start looking for jobs and a way up the career ladder. I decided that it would be a wise investment of my time to go to an ESPN meeting on campus today.
One thing that I took out of it was that blogging can be a good thing. It can be something you put on your resume. It improves my communication and shows the passion I have for sports. It keeps me active and keeps me learning new things.
Who knows what I will write about. I'm afraid it's not going to take the team to long to find this...if they don't already know.
Certainly, now I can begin to start to talk about some of the stories from the past few years with UConn Women's Soccer. There are lots of them, and they need to be told.
One thing that I took out of it was that blogging can be a good thing. It can be something you put on your resume. It improves my communication and shows the passion I have for sports. It keeps me active and keeps me learning new things.
Who knows what I will write about. I'm afraid it's not going to take the team to long to find this...if they don't already know.
Certainly, now I can begin to start to talk about some of the stories from the past few years with UConn Women's Soccer. There are lots of them, and they need to be told.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
M&M's had too
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch intentionally wrecked another driver during caution laps in a truck race at Texas Motor Speedway last week.
Not surprisingly M&M's doesn't want to sponsor Busch right now and you can't blame them for not wanting too. A candy company can't really deal as well with someone as controversial as Busch to be a pitch person for their product right now. It's bad marketing to be associated with Busch as a candy company.
Other products would work. A candy that is marketed to families, moms and kids doesn't want much to do with a driver who wrecked someone.
Not surprisingly M&M's doesn't want to sponsor Busch right now and you can't blame them for not wanting too. A candy company can't really deal as well with someone as controversial as Busch to be a pitch person for their product right now. It's bad marketing to be associated with Busch as a candy company.
Other products would work. A candy that is marketed to families, moms and kids doesn't want much to do with a driver who wrecked someone.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Do different teams like each other?
Teams have to compete for resources in athletic departments and because of this there is inevitably some competition between teams.
Athletic Departments and their cultures vary from school to school but I think many programs within an athletic department, especially within the same sport, have their fair share of below the surface jealousy, envy and sometimes dislike.
Sometimes I wonder if they root against each other. No program would admit to rooting against another program at their school, but below the surface I think it happens.
When you compete to use the same fields, meeting rooms and budget money, clashes will happen. When one team starts to do really well then the whole department will divert attention and resources to the team that's doing well. All of a sudden decisions might not cut your way.
"With their recent success we think they should get the first choice for practice time."
Another reason for issues could stem in a way from the fact that programs get similar resources for the same sport played by different sexes. When teams get the same resources, it's only natural to hope that their isn't a large gap in output (winning). A large difference in output with the same resources means there is something wrong with the process, or the people or both that take the resources and make them into outputs.
I doubt coaches realize it, but to some degree, while they root for their school and their athletes, I think they also are a little relieved when other teams aren't doing significantly better then they are.
Athletic Departments and their cultures vary from school to school but I think many programs within an athletic department, especially within the same sport, have their fair share of below the surface jealousy, envy and sometimes dislike.
Sometimes I wonder if they root against each other. No program would admit to rooting against another program at their school, but below the surface I think it happens.
When you compete to use the same fields, meeting rooms and budget money, clashes will happen. When one team starts to do really well then the whole department will divert attention and resources to the team that's doing well. All of a sudden decisions might not cut your way.
"With their recent success we think they should get the first choice for practice time."
Another reason for issues could stem in a way from the fact that programs get similar resources for the same sport played by different sexes. When teams get the same resources, it's only natural to hope that their isn't a large gap in output (winning). A large difference in output with the same resources means there is something wrong with the process, or the people or both that take the resources and make them into outputs.
I doubt coaches realize it, but to some degree, while they root for their school and their athletes, I think they also are a little relieved when other teams aren't doing significantly better then they are.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Do you need to be a jerk?
Interesting thought that someone had about having to be a jerk in order to be really successful as a coach.
I think there is a lot of truth to that.
In order to be a good coach or a good leader you have to keep everyone's eye on the goal. Everything you do is about reaching that goal. Every decision from really important ones to the pictures on the wall all have to do with the goal you have in mind.
Part of this is demanding of others. You have to be able to demand from others in order to be a great leader. You have to be able to make a hard decision and cut an employee. You have to set demands on them for them to complete or face consequences.
It's the tough part of leadership for nice people. But I think it's necessary. You can't let your emotions get the best of you when it comes to achieving your goals.
I think there is a lot of truth to that.
In order to be a good coach or a good leader you have to keep everyone's eye on the goal. Everything you do is about reaching that goal. Every decision from really important ones to the pictures on the wall all have to do with the goal you have in mind.
Part of this is demanding of others. You have to be able to demand from others in order to be a great leader. You have to be able to make a hard decision and cut an employee. You have to set demands on them for them to complete or face consequences.
It's the tough part of leadership for nice people. But I think it's necessary. You can't let your emotions get the best of you when it comes to achieving your goals.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
July meet November
Guess it's been a while. I've been busy, what can I say?
I've been so far removed from the world lately with power outages that I am not sure what the heck to say or talk about.
No power has given me a lot of time to freeze and reflect on my life and what I want to do next with it. To be truthful, I still don't know.
But here are things I know about myself.
I want to be a leader. I want to be a transformational leader. I want the chance to do that somewhere sometime in my life because I think I would be good at it.
I want to help people reach goals that they don't think they can reach.
Sports will obviously be a part of my job.
I'm thinking about sports information, television/video, compliance, event management among other things.
While I am not all that interested in pro sports, I think the sport I would like to work in the most, most people would find this strange in the Northeast, but probably NASCAR. There is something about those loud race engines that just gets me going.
Anyway I have a lot of job searches and resume editing ahead of me...and hopefully interviews.
Where would I like to go?
Well I'd prefer New England, more specifically Connecticut or New Hampshire. Beyond that I'd prefer not to be in a city (unless it's Stamford because I know my hometown really well) and I'd prefer to be on the east coast. Other states that appeal to me are North Carolina and Florida. I'd feel comfortable in the Midwest as well. The West is not as appealing, although I have a feeling I would like Colorado and Wyoming.
The place I absolutely have no interest in is the Pacific Coast...All of the Pacific Coast. The exception of course is Hawaii and Alaska. Those places are fine...although Hawaii is much preferred over Alaska.
I'm taking the next BIG STEP in my life. I know I have to take it, just not sure in which direction to go yet.
I've been so far removed from the world lately with power outages that I am not sure what the heck to say or talk about.
No power has given me a lot of time to freeze and reflect on my life and what I want to do next with it. To be truthful, I still don't know.
But here are things I know about myself.
I want to be a leader. I want to be a transformational leader. I want the chance to do that somewhere sometime in my life because I think I would be good at it.
I want to help people reach goals that they don't think they can reach.
Sports will obviously be a part of my job.
I'm thinking about sports information, television/video, compliance, event management among other things.
While I am not all that interested in pro sports, I think the sport I would like to work in the most, most people would find this strange in the Northeast, but probably NASCAR. There is something about those loud race engines that just gets me going.
Anyway I have a lot of job searches and resume editing ahead of me...and hopefully interviews.
Where would I like to go?
Well I'd prefer New England, more specifically Connecticut or New Hampshire. Beyond that I'd prefer not to be in a city (unless it's Stamford because I know my hometown really well) and I'd prefer to be on the east coast. Other states that appeal to me are North Carolina and Florida. I'd feel comfortable in the Midwest as well. The West is not as appealing, although I have a feeling I would like Colorado and Wyoming.
The place I absolutely have no interest in is the Pacific Coast...All of the Pacific Coast. The exception of course is Hawaii and Alaska. Those places are fine...although Hawaii is much preferred over Alaska.
I'm taking the next BIG STEP in my life. I know I have to take it, just not sure in which direction to go yet.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Good article
Depression is more common in athletes than people might think. A roommate of mine left school because of it.
http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/hc-jacobs-irabu-column-0730-20110730,0,3288217.column
http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/hc-jacobs-irabu-column-0730-20110730,0,3288217.column
Friday, July 29, 2011
It's been a week huh?
So if you can't figure it out, I'm on vacation...and with a big family reunion coming up tomorrow I will still be busy.
Pretty annoyed that I snapped a gear cable on my bike. Can't cycle tomorrow!!! NOOOOO
On the flip side while playing golf I hit a shot 2 feet from the hole and got a birdie. Not bad for a beginner.
Pretty annoyed that I snapped a gear cable on my bike. Can't cycle tomorrow!!! NOOOOO
On the flip side while playing golf I hit a shot 2 feet from the hole and got a birdie. Not bad for a beginner.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Yesterday's bike ride
So I decided to bike during the heat of the day, during a heat wave and go 34 miles.
It was like volunteering to send yourself to hell.
Ok it wasn't that bad, but it was grueling.
First of all I needed to be careful of the heat, so I did hose myself off before going. I also had water and gatorade before I went, plus brought plenty of cold water with me too.
For the first six miles or so, which had some shade, I thought to myself "man this is easy" "What's everyone complaining about"
Once I got onto Route 119 the sun got on me, and I had hills to go up. Hills slow me down and the heat and the heat coming off of the road bakes me. I started to feel the heat. I realized I had a long way to go, but that I should just push through.
I decided to go on a side street with some shade and pretty views of a stream to cool off for a second.
Then I got back on 119 and I thought to myself, man this really is sort of brutal, maybe I should turn around and not go quite so many miles. I could feel the heat starting to get to me But I decided to keep going even though by this time I could lick my lips and around my mouth and taste all of the salt in my sweat.
I turned off onto a road that leads to the Cathedral of the Pines and a large hill. Just past this was the half-way point and at this point I started thinking to msyelf "your freaking nuts. Why on earth are you doing this."
Getting up each hill after half-way felt like a mini accomplishment.
As I got off the side road and back on to 119 I started to realize that maybe I was running a little short on water. I actually wasn't but was getting concerned I was. I started to be conscious of not using too much water, which is difficult when cycling in extreme heat.
As I was on my final 10 miles I just remember focusing on pedaling. I usually can think when I cycle. I could write books with the thoughts on my bike. I've thought about comments and stuff I've written about while biking. Yesterday for those final miles I could do no thinking. All I did was taste my sweat, grit my teeth, feel the heat and thought about pedaling and pedaling and sitting in a tub of cold water.
As I got finished with my final climb I realized I was pretty much home and had this feeling of surviving and accomplishing something worth writing and talking about.
The funny thing though is that cycling in the heat probably doesn't come close to running or playing other sports in it because at least in cycling you have the wind from riding, even though on several occasions the head winds yesterday made me work even harder.
Anyway yesterday's cycling was a lot of fun in retrospect because of the sense of accomplishment that accompanied getting home. I don't get that feeling on normal rides.
It was like volunteering to send yourself to hell.
Ok it wasn't that bad, but it was grueling.
First of all I needed to be careful of the heat, so I did hose myself off before going. I also had water and gatorade before I went, plus brought plenty of cold water with me too.
For the first six miles or so, which had some shade, I thought to myself "man this is easy" "What's everyone complaining about"
Once I got onto Route 119 the sun got on me, and I had hills to go up. Hills slow me down and the heat and the heat coming off of the road bakes me. I started to feel the heat. I realized I had a long way to go, but that I should just push through.
I decided to go on a side street with some shade and pretty views of a stream to cool off for a second.
Then I got back on 119 and I thought to myself, man this really is sort of brutal, maybe I should turn around and not go quite so many miles. I could feel the heat starting to get to me But I decided to keep going even though by this time I could lick my lips and around my mouth and taste all of the salt in my sweat.
I turned off onto a road that leads to the Cathedral of the Pines and a large hill. Just past this was the half-way point and at this point I started thinking to msyelf "your freaking nuts. Why on earth are you doing this."
Getting up each hill after half-way felt like a mini accomplishment.
As I got off the side road and back on to 119 I started to realize that maybe I was running a little short on water. I actually wasn't but was getting concerned I was. I started to be conscious of not using too much water, which is difficult when cycling in extreme heat.
As I was on my final 10 miles I just remember focusing on pedaling. I usually can think when I cycle. I could write books with the thoughts on my bike. I've thought about comments and stuff I've written about while biking. Yesterday for those final miles I could do no thinking. All I did was taste my sweat, grit my teeth, feel the heat and thought about pedaling and pedaling and sitting in a tub of cold water.
As I got finished with my final climb I realized I was pretty much home and had this feeling of surviving and accomplishing something worth writing and talking about.
The funny thing though is that cycling in the heat probably doesn't come close to running or playing other sports in it because at least in cycling you have the wind from riding, even though on several occasions the head winds yesterday made me work even harder.
Anyway yesterday's cycling was a lot of fun in retrospect because of the sense of accomplishment that accompanied getting home. I don't get that feeling on normal rides.
I LOVE THIS WEATHER
I actually really enjoy heat waves. I like the heat, but I also really enjoy listening to other people complain about the weather and then doing more things outside in that weather than they do when it's cooler out.
I don't know when I started to enjoy doing this because I remember my grandma telling me to get up off the couch when it was brutally hot at her house in Essex, Conn. I remember just praying I could be inside and watch ESPN because at the time I didn't have cable and she did. As a matter of fact my parents didn't get cable until the 7th grade so I never watched cartoons or kids shows growing up. I remember being absolutely shocked to see the Home Shopping network and Channel 14 one day before school.
Anyway, I give my grandma credit for making me like the heat because she does not believe in air conditioning. She made sure her car did not come with it. Maybe that's why she hasn't gotten a new car since 1991. Her house also does not have it. All she has are fans. In the heat she enjoyed gardening and yard work and being outside, so as a consequence when I was at grandma's I ended up being outside, and while I hated being outside then, I have come to love it now.
I remember one day five years ago or so, the heat index was 110. I was practically yelling at the sky and sun to make it hotter. I decided to go on a 30 mile bike ride that day, in that extreme heat just to say I did. I was smart and had a lot to drink and also hosed myself with water beforehand, but I did it.
I don't know what the temperature was yesterday, but it was hot and humid. I decided to bike 34.55 miles (during the heat of the day), jog four miles, kayak, attempt to wakeboard, mow the lawn and move mulch for my mom yesterday in the heat.
I was proud of myself, because I did so much and did an amount of activity that most people would consider insane for a cooler day, let alone during a heat wave. I know grandma was proud that I got off the couch yesterday.
I don't know when I started to enjoy doing this because I remember my grandma telling me to get up off the couch when it was brutally hot at her house in Essex, Conn. I remember just praying I could be inside and watch ESPN because at the time I didn't have cable and she did. As a matter of fact my parents didn't get cable until the 7th grade so I never watched cartoons or kids shows growing up. I remember being absolutely shocked to see the Home Shopping network and Channel 14 one day before school.
Anyway, I give my grandma credit for making me like the heat because she does not believe in air conditioning. She made sure her car did not come with it. Maybe that's why she hasn't gotten a new car since 1991. Her house also does not have it. All she has are fans. In the heat she enjoyed gardening and yard work and being outside, so as a consequence when I was at grandma's I ended up being outside, and while I hated being outside then, I have come to love it now.
I remember one day five years ago or so, the heat index was 110. I was practically yelling at the sky and sun to make it hotter. I decided to go on a 30 mile bike ride that day, in that extreme heat just to say I did. I was smart and had a lot to drink and also hosed myself with water beforehand, but I did it.
I don't know what the temperature was yesterday, but it was hot and humid. I decided to bike 34.55 miles (during the heat of the day), jog four miles, kayak, attempt to wakeboard, mow the lawn and move mulch for my mom yesterday in the heat.
I was proud of myself, because I did so much and did an amount of activity that most people would consider insane for a cooler day, let alone during a heat wave. I know grandma was proud that I got off the couch yesterday.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Record Crowd
WPS had record attendance of 15,404 in Rochester for the WNY game vs MagicJack. Must have been really cool for team, area and most especially players.
Is it sustainable? I hope so, but not sure. That game more than likely actually made money for their team and that's a great thing.
Is it sustainable? I hope so, but not sure. That game more than likely actually made money for their team and that's a great thing.
Monday, July 18, 2011
My favorite reactions to a sporting event
I got thinking about my favorite reactions to a win or great play by a favorite sports team of mine.
I don't know if I can accurately say what the top ones are for my whole life, but probably could for the last year.
In ranking ones in recent memory...so this past year
1. Kemba Walker's step back against Pittsburgh in the Big East Tournament got me going crazy. I jumped up and down and ran around the room. As a matter of fact I jumped on top of my hard drive with all the highlight videos I was working on. Thankfully I quickly realized it and didn't stomp on it and break it. I was really excited because UConn won and because I said they would and few believed me. When I am proved right I celebrate just a little bit more...and then usually text the person or person's who disagreed with me.
2. Abby Wambach's goal against Brazil got me really excited. I was so into the game, and did a fist pump and screamed at the TV. That was a close second to Kemba's.
3. Dave Teggart's field goal was unbelievable against South Florida. That was another jump up and down moment. The field goal was hit from so far away and UConn was going to a BCS Bowl. Growing up in Connecticut you have no idea how far-fetched saying that was for such a long time. I was so excited I drove from my apartment to school expecting to find others celebrating...turns out it was just me. Disappointed by the lack of energy others seemed to have I decided to use my excess energy by running stadiums a couple of times at Memorial Stadium.
Those were the top three in energetic celebrations.
Other moments I clearly remember being extremely excited for was Women's Soccer in 2008 in the BIG EAST Tournament against West Virginia. I was watching that on TV, screaming at the TV at the top of my lungs...at like 4pm on a Friday. I was so excited to see Meghan Cunningham convert her PK to win it and see Steph Labbe make big time saves.
I remember jumping up and down and running around our playroom twice for the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. One was a comeback win against the Seattle Seahawks. Everyone in my house was asleep and I had school the next day but I jumped up and down, touched the ceiling and did the quietest (because I was warned once already during the game to be quiet) and weirdest celebration after Vinny Testaverde threw a TD pass and Julius Jones scored a TD in the final two minutes of the game to erase a 10 point deficit and win. I did the same similar muted, but extremely excited celebration after the Cowboys beat the Eagles on Monday Night Football in 2005 when Roy Williams intercepted a pass really late in the 4th quarter to also have the Cowboys comeback and win.
Rey Ordonez was a light hitting New York Met shortstop. He had an amazing glove but could not hit, except for the one moment in September when he would always hit a homerun. Ordonez came up with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam. I couldn't believe it. I think I rolled around on the floor, screamed and than called my mom in the age before cell phones to let her know what had happened. Also celebrated big time when Robin Ventura hit a walk-off grand slam single (he hit a grand slam but was mobbed by teammates before he could get to home plate) in the NLCS in 1999 vs the Braves.
I don't know if I can accurately say what the top ones are for my whole life, but probably could for the last year.
In ranking ones in recent memory...so this past year
1. Kemba Walker's step back against Pittsburgh in the Big East Tournament got me going crazy. I jumped up and down and ran around the room. As a matter of fact I jumped on top of my hard drive with all the highlight videos I was working on. Thankfully I quickly realized it and didn't stomp on it and break it. I was really excited because UConn won and because I said they would and few believed me. When I am proved right I celebrate just a little bit more...and then usually text the person or person's who disagreed with me.
2. Abby Wambach's goal against Brazil got me really excited. I was so into the game, and did a fist pump and screamed at the TV. That was a close second to Kemba's.
3. Dave Teggart's field goal was unbelievable against South Florida. That was another jump up and down moment. The field goal was hit from so far away and UConn was going to a BCS Bowl. Growing up in Connecticut you have no idea how far-fetched saying that was for such a long time. I was so excited I drove from my apartment to school expecting to find others celebrating...turns out it was just me. Disappointed by the lack of energy others seemed to have I decided to use my excess energy by running stadiums a couple of times at Memorial Stadium.
Those were the top three in energetic celebrations.
Other moments I clearly remember being extremely excited for was Women's Soccer in 2008 in the BIG EAST Tournament against West Virginia. I was watching that on TV, screaming at the TV at the top of my lungs...at like 4pm on a Friday. I was so excited to see Meghan Cunningham convert her PK to win it and see Steph Labbe make big time saves.
I remember jumping up and down and running around our playroom twice for the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. One was a comeback win against the Seattle Seahawks. Everyone in my house was asleep and I had school the next day but I jumped up and down, touched the ceiling and did the quietest (because I was warned once already during the game to be quiet) and weirdest celebration after Vinny Testaverde threw a TD pass and Julius Jones scored a TD in the final two minutes of the game to erase a 10 point deficit and win. I did the same similar muted, but extremely excited celebration after the Cowboys beat the Eagles on Monday Night Football in 2005 when Roy Williams intercepted a pass really late in the 4th quarter to also have the Cowboys comeback and win.
Rey Ordonez was a light hitting New York Met shortstop. He had an amazing glove but could not hit, except for the one moment in September when he would always hit a homerun. Ordonez came up with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam. I couldn't believe it. I think I rolled around on the floor, screamed and than called my mom in the age before cell phones to let her know what had happened. Also celebrated big time when Robin Ventura hit a walk-off grand slam single (he hit a grand slam but was mobbed by teammates before he could get to home plate) in the NLCS in 1999 vs the Braves.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
A few things
Well obviously I am really sad the US lost but there are some silver lining things out of this World Cup.
The first is that this Women's World Cup was a dream for Women's Soccer. It elevated the sport to a new level. I'm not saying it put it on the stage of men's soccer, the NFL etc. but it garnered a lot of attention and brought the sport to a new level. Women's Soccer is better off because of this World Cup. WPS ticket sales for the Boston Breakers were up 400% I believe after the Brazil vs US game.
We saw amazing goals by Christine Sinclair, the Swedish player who won the game yesterday at the end, by Marta too. We saw amazing finishes by the US and Abby Wambach.
(Can you believe Sinclair, Marta and Morgan all play for the Western New York Flash?)
Now losing the World Cup was bad for the US and the WPS. Winning would boost attendance and interest a lot. Certainly more people will pay attention now, but it's not going to be as if the Women won it. I also must say that Women's Soccer is probably more interesting and dramatic and fun too watch than the WNBA. I think if games are as interesting as the World Cup games than the WPS should have a goal of overtaking the WNBA as the premier Women's Sports league in the US.
I'm following Alex Morgan and Hope Solo on twitter now.
For the Women's Team itself and the players I have to say that overall they should be proud of themselves. Losing sucks, but there is a right way and wrong way to lose. The wrong way to lose is to lose by having a bad attitude, not preparing etc. If you give it your all, truly your all, work together, etc. and you lose than you can be proud. The Women's team lost the right way.
The sad thing is that by losing we forget about them and because of that WPS attendance will probably not get the bump it could have had they won. I'm hoping Penalty Kicks won't be the difference between a pro league surviving or dying, so I urge everyone to get to a WPS game if they can.
I don't really feel like talking about the game that much. I mean I have opinions but they don't matter too much. I'm no soccer professor...I'd like to see Whitney Engen and Brittany Taylor in London.
I think the future is bright for the team. I expect them to bounce back and win gold in London. The question is whether or not they can do it in 2015? They are most likely early favorites.
I'm writing this in bunches and talking to others about the game so I apolgize if it's not flowing.
So overall, good tournament, great job by Germany and filling stadiums, tournament helped Women's Soccer, brought lots of good attention, but I am afraid the US losing takes away what would have been a lot of momentum for the game in helping it succeed in the US professionally...
As for that last part, the players can't worry about that. All they can do is play their game.
Anyway, the tournament far exceeded my expectations and I am looking forward to London in 2012. Hopefully everyone else is too.
The first is that this Women's World Cup was a dream for Women's Soccer. It elevated the sport to a new level. I'm not saying it put it on the stage of men's soccer, the NFL etc. but it garnered a lot of attention and brought the sport to a new level. Women's Soccer is better off because of this World Cup. WPS ticket sales for the Boston Breakers were up 400% I believe after the Brazil vs US game.
We saw amazing goals by Christine Sinclair, the Swedish player who won the game yesterday at the end, by Marta too. We saw amazing finishes by the US and Abby Wambach.
(Can you believe Sinclair, Marta and Morgan all play for the Western New York Flash?)
Now losing the World Cup was bad for the US and the WPS. Winning would boost attendance and interest a lot. Certainly more people will pay attention now, but it's not going to be as if the Women won it. I also must say that Women's Soccer is probably more interesting and dramatic and fun too watch than the WNBA. I think if games are as interesting as the World Cup games than the WPS should have a goal of overtaking the WNBA as the premier Women's Sports league in the US.
I'm following Alex Morgan and Hope Solo on twitter now.
For the Women's Team itself and the players I have to say that overall they should be proud of themselves. Losing sucks, but there is a right way and wrong way to lose. The wrong way to lose is to lose by having a bad attitude, not preparing etc. If you give it your all, truly your all, work together, etc. and you lose than you can be proud. The Women's team lost the right way.
The sad thing is that by losing we forget about them and because of that WPS attendance will probably not get the bump it could have had they won. I'm hoping Penalty Kicks won't be the difference between a pro league surviving or dying, so I urge everyone to get to a WPS game if they can.
I don't really feel like talking about the game that much. I mean I have opinions but they don't matter too much. I'm no soccer professor...I'd like to see Whitney Engen and Brittany Taylor in London.
I think the future is bright for the team. I expect them to bounce back and win gold in London. The question is whether or not they can do it in 2015? They are most likely early favorites.
I'm writing this in bunches and talking to others about the game so I apolgize if it's not flowing.
So overall, good tournament, great job by Germany and filling stadiums, tournament helped Women's Soccer, brought lots of good attention, but I am afraid the US losing takes away what would have been a lot of momentum for the game in helping it succeed in the US professionally...
As for that last part, the players can't worry about that. All they can do is play their game.
Anyway, the tournament far exceeded my expectations and I am looking forward to London in 2012. Hopefully everyone else is too.
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