It is what it is.

Why do I like sports so much? It's a question I get asked a lot. Probably because my love for pretty much any game came on so quickly. It's a small question with a big answer that I think a lot of people would have deep down if they really thought about it.

Rather than give my real answer whenever asked this question, I say "because they're just fun to watch" or "I really like such-and-such team/player". It appeases the person asking, but not the person answering. And for all those times I've wanted to go back and say, "No, I'm wrong. Here's the real reason why I like sports so much.." I give my reason now.

I like sports so much because it's like an escape. For however many hours of the day I can sit in front of my television and be completely lost in someone else's struggles, someone else's achievements, someone else's defeats, someone else's victories. There's no worrying about what project is due the next day, or if I have to work next weekend. All I have to worry about is if I'll be late to dinner with my friends because the game went into overtime.

I like sports so much because they're full of surprises. You never know beforehand when someone will score 42 points on senior night or when the underdog will beat the number 1 team in the nation back to back years. You also never know when a coach will get ejected from a game or when a team that should have won loses in embarrassing fashion. Good or bad, it mixes things up a bit and in the end makes it that much more memorable.

I like sports so much because they're comforting. Each December I get to look forward to climbing the (what seem like) thousands of stairs to the upper deck of Memorial Gymnasium with my mom and sitting in the same seat I've sat in for the past 6 years. It's seeing the family you barely know, but feel like you do because you've sat with them in those same seats for so long. It's knowing that that couple will always show up late and leave early. It's knowing that that guy over there will be wearing orange when UT comes to town. It's routine. It's my basketball family.

I like sports because they're uniting. For however many hours of the day, thousands of people are hoping for the same thing. They're reacting the same way be it happy, sad, disgusted or just plain maniacal. They all want their team to win, to be the best, to earn them bragging rights. For however many hours of the day - if you're for the same team - there's nothing to disagree about. No politics, no religion, no black, no white. It's all grey.. or orange and blue, or crimson and white, or black and gold, or purple and gold, or... you get the idea.

I like sports because it's an escape, it's surprising, it's comforting it's uniting, it's a game winning field goal as time expires, it's a walk-off home run in the 13th inning, it's a 5 hour 5 set tennis match lasting into the early hours of the next day, it's beating a country synonymous with swimming in the men's 200 meter medley relay in the 2004 Summer Olympics, it's crying at the end of Rudy, it's receiving your World Series ring at home in front of the Yankees, it's getting the ball the length of the court in .07 seconds to win the game, it's having your jersey retired, it's scoring 42 points on senior night, it's knowing that having that talent is bigger than you, it's losing your voice from screaming at the top of your lungs, it's hugging a stranger after your team made the first touchdown during the #3 versus #5 game, it's beating your biggest rival 6 years in a row, it's the deafening roar of thousands of fans after a good play, it's winning the World Series after 86 years, it's winning the World Series 3 years later, it's watching the eagle fly above the people at Jordan-Hare Stadium and getting chills in the middle of August, it's crying during Andre Agassi's retirement speech, it's winning 5 green jackets, it's Steve Bartman and wondering what could have been, its wondering if it ever will be, it's being thisclose to winning the triple crown, it's Teddy Dupay, it's the Music City Miracle, it's getting text messages of scores when you can't be at the game and are no where near a television, it's looking down at the seats behind the player's bench and seeing players from years ago still supporting their team, it's seeing the student section packed full two hours before the game even begins, it's 800 career wins, it's rushing home to watch sportscenter to see highlights of that game you just saw in person, it's tivoing the entire game you just saw in person, it's the Cameron Crazies, it's the Terrible Towel, it's having a court named after you, it's being the winningest NCAA coach of all time, it's the greatest comeback in sports history.

it's the thrill of victory, it's the agony of defeat.

it's a feeling that, after all these examples, is still hard to put into words.

It's just plain fun.

The Madness: Week One

Oy! My bracket is pretty much busted. I still have 3 of my final 4 teams in it (stupid Georgetown), but i'm still a little disappointed with how I'm doing. I chose some good upsets (thank you West Virginia and Davidson!). But I also chose some head-scratchers.. they will go unnamed.

My South region is the best so far. And by "best" I mean "the region with the fewest red marks on it"; only two! And they really could have gone either way. I chose St. Mary's over Miami; a 10-7 match-up and I chose Oregon over Mississippi St; a 9-8 match-up. So really.. I'm not stupid. Two bad picks isn't so bad I guess, but I can't help but think of the first time I ever filled out a bracket back in 2001. I got an entire region correct down to the championship game (Duke won that year). I've never been able to do that well since then and it frustrates me. I'm way competitive even though I don't show it very much (or do I?!) I've been thinking that I may try not filling out a bracket next year. Or at least I won't be in any pools. I'm not in a pool involving money this year (thank goodness), but I'm in a small one on facebook and that one.. as meaningless as it is.. has me stressing out whenever the team I chose goes down by a single point. It's too much stress to endure during the most wonderful time of the year.

So I think I'll give up pooling next year and just enjoy the games. I love pulling for the underdogs and when I haven't picked the underdogs to win, I feel like a rope in a game of tug-of-war who's constantly advertising bad CBS sitcoms.

Like I said earlier, I really feel this is one of the greatest times of the year. I'm serious. I know it's just a bunch of college kids - most of whom I'm older than now, which is scary enough - but it's a great thing. For those of you who actually read this, later in the week I'm going to tell the story of how I fell in love with the game of basketball and how that led to my love of pretty much every other sport. And I'll also tell the story of why sports are so great.. or at least why I think they're so great.

Until then, so long sports fans!

This week on American Idol

*GASP*

In a surprise elimination I think very few saw coming, Amanda Overmeyer was ousted last night. While I'm glad she's gone, I would have much rather seen Kristy Lee Eyebrows or Ramin Noodle Malubay sent packing. I think of it this way: If I were to pay money to see the American Idol concert, who would I most like to hear sing for 2 hours of my life? I'd much rather see Amanda than either one of those other girls. Her awkwardness during the group song and dance numbers is too funny not to want to see in person. But alas, we can't have more than one person eliminated from now on, so I knew there'd be someone I didn't care for on the tour.

American Idol: Redux - 3.18.07

Who should be in the bottom 3?

1. Amanda Overmeyer - she sounds like her mouth is full of mashed potatoes.
2. Kristy Lee Cook - she has no stage presence and her eyebrows are too dark.
3. Ramiele Malubay - she's boring tries to win votes by being "cute and pouty".

Who should go home?

All of them. Let's really shake things up and have a triple elimination show!


How much do I love Jason Castro?


















SO much.

My Meatless Ways

I've become a vegetarian! For the past 10 days I've been seeing how things go without eating meat. Surprisingly, it's gone really well. I still eat fish, which may seem like cheating to some, but I'm okay with that.

This is really exciting for me. For anyone who knows me well (or even a little) you know I don't eat just anything. I'm picky. I like 2, maybe 3 vegetables and usually everything I put on my plate is yellow. Purely coincidence! So the first thing people ask me when I tell them about my new experiment is "What do you eat?" Jokes on them, because I actually have an answer! I've become a fan of meatless soy products! It sounds horrible disgusting, but it's actually good. And for me to say that, well, it must be good or I'm a little crazy.

The second question I get asked is "Why are you doing this? Moral or Health reasons?" I guess I'd have to say both. I know I eat way too much red meat and if I decided to "cut down" on red meat we all know that would never happen. So I wanted to see how I would do if I cut out all meat. I must say I do feel better. I can't really pinpoint how, but it's true.
It's also a little moral issue as well. I had been thinking about it for a while, but then I stumbled upon this website thanks to a daily email I get from idealbite.com. I have to say it's not an easy video to watch. I was affected to say the least.

I'm still torn with the morality of it all. I do think that animals were put on the earth to eat. It's all part of the food chain. But like most people I can't agree with the treatment of the animals. i'm not going to get all weird and preachy, but they do have feelings and I doubt they enjoy half the things that get done to them. I wonder what they'd say to us if they could talk. That I'd like to hear.

I know I say this a lot, but..

Best. Game. Ever.


It may not have been against the "Number 1" team in the country or a downward spiraling basketball dynasty, but Mississippi State is ranked in the Top 25 (#25) and every season turn out to be a team where people say, "Where did they come from?!" They've always been a tricky team to get past and this year was no exception.

I won't go into detail about how it all ended, but I'll just say that a one point win in overtime with a 42 point performance from Shan Foster on senior night is not a bad way to end the season at home.