Hearing all the playoff discussion for the NFC North Division race really made my head hurt, mainly because I've had this discussion once already, with a strange pattern of details matching up.
Think back to Week 17 of last year's NFL season. The Cleveland Browns were 9-6, playing a "meaningless" game at home against the San Francisco 49ers. While the Browns didn't really need their win, the 20-7 victory (my first chance to see rookie QB Brady Quinn play football) meant Cleveland finished with a 10-6 overall record.
But it wasn't their game that really mattered. It came down to the final game of the NFL regular season when Tennessee played on the road against the defending Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts were 13-2, but couldn't lose their #2 seed for the playoffs (remember, undefeated Patriots), so they played Peyton Manning and the boys about as much as they needed to so they would stay sharp, then put Jim Sorgi under center.
Tennessee went on to win the game. Cleveland missed the playoffs, even with its first season with double-digit wins since 1994 (and only the second since 1988). And I was forced to hate Jim Sorgi for the remainder of his life. (A recent joke to a friend went something like, "He may be a Badger, but if Sorgi ever makes it to a Madison bar in the offseason, he's getting a haymaker from yours truly. And I can only hope to be wearing my Brady Quinn t-shirt.")
Re-enter Week 17 of this NFL season. The scenario plays out a little differently, but the song remains the same. If Chicago wins, it moves to 10-6. The big problem comes down to the Minnesota Vikings playing against the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants (though it is a home game for the Vikes).
The Giants can't lose their #1 overall seed for the playoffs (and are even more banged up than the Colts were a season ago), so be prepared to see Eli Manning and the boys about as much as necessary to stay sharp before David Carr gets under center. (His career full of being sacked is even worse than receiving a haymaker.)
Minnesota will do what it must -- against many Giants backups -- to win the game. Chicago would have an identical 10-6 record, but would lose out on the playoffs based on tiebreakers. There's still the possibility that the Vikings will lay an egg, at home, against the N.Y. Backups. But if recent history has anything to do with it, Bears fans shouldn't get their hopes up.
Plus they still need to win on the road against a Texans team looking to get to 8-8. That's besides the fact that Houston would finish with a 6-2 record at home in building that was badly damaged during hurricane season and caused the team to have a bye in Week Two. Can you say "inspiration?"
Chicago fans: prepare to make a New Year's resolution not to let next season come down to tiebreakers in the final week of the year. Or, at the very least, you should hope that the team doesn't mirror last year's Browns team in all aspects this offseason. Trust me, you don't want that.
Be thankful you'll know your postseason fate by the end of the early games.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Random Ridiculousness
It's that time again. Letting out what my mind keeps in.
+Gas prices are finally dropping back down again. It comes right in time for the holiday travel season -- I just hope they stay down at least until after the first of the year, since I'll be on the road again for the days right after Christmas.
+Thanksgiving takes on a new meaning this year as well. My brother, Brian, hits the trail for the Air Force in December, so Mom Hunt is making sure everyone can get together for the last time for probably at least a couple years.
Luckily, my boss allowed me to have the day before Thanksgiving off work so I can make it back to T-town and see my brother off. It will be the quickest trip I've taken in awhile, but definitely will be worth it. In addition, it looks like I should be able to make it back to Tiffin for the night before Thanksgiving bar celebration, which is always awesome, seeing high school friends you haven't seen in a long time.
+After nearly six months producing the 10 p.m. newscast, I've decided that the 2nd shift is probably the worst of the three you can work.
1st shift is obviously ideal, waking up at a fairly normal time, going to sleep at a fairly normal time, having time in the afternoon and evening to relax -- or, mostly importantly for someone who's new to an area, to meet people for a drink or dinner.
3rd shift might not be the best for sleeping, but if you can block out enough sun in your room it's fine. Some of my fellow producers who work that 3rd shift find it easier to sleep twice a day, which I would agree with doing. The thing about the 3rd shift is that you can tailor your schedule to allow yourself time to hang out or have dinner with people in the afternoons and evenings.
The 2nd shift, though, allows none of that. Waking up isn't the hard part - in fact, you wake up just about any time you really want to wake up. You spend the free time of your day making lunch, watching daytime television or running errands. If you try to get up early, you spend your workday just trying to make it to the end.
You finish working anywhere between 11 and midnight, giving you maybe two hours to meet friends out somewhere, but likely sending you home to finish off your day with a movie or late-night television show. 2nd shifts do not assist with meeting new people, getting together with the people you already know or dating anyone. OK, that's my rant.
+I'm thinking about trying to grow a playoff beard. It might have to be amended to be called a "postseason" beard, mainly because it looks like Notre Dame will have at least one extra game this year and the Browns will not. That means I MIGHT have some facial hair by the time ND plays in a bowl game. How I love being baby-faced.
+How crazy has it been to be a Cleveland Indians fan the last two years? In 2007, the team tied for the best record in baseball, led by pitcher CC Sabathia - their first Cy Young Award winner in years - and was a win away from the World Series.
This season, the Tribe finished at an even .500 (which, by the way, was just seven games out of first in the Central Division) and had two big winners on the field - Cliff Lee grabbed the AL Cy Young Award and Grady Sizemore won both a Golden Glove and the Silver Slugger Awards. And Cleveland traded away a guy who finished 5th in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
Despite what many believe, there was no way the Indians were going to re-sign CC Sabathia. If he didn't sign before the season, he was not staying in Cleveland after the season. For the Indians to get what they got out of Sabathia, it was a HUGE victory for the Tribe. It might have cost them a playoff run this year, but at least the Indians got something for Sabathia, unlike the same situations with guys like Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome, who left town with nothing coming in return.
+That's all I got. Go Browns. Need a Monday Night Football encore from the win over the Giants.
+Gas prices are finally dropping back down again. It comes right in time for the holiday travel season -- I just hope they stay down at least until after the first of the year, since I'll be on the road again for the days right after Christmas.
+Thanksgiving takes on a new meaning this year as well. My brother, Brian, hits the trail for the Air Force in December, so Mom Hunt is making sure everyone can get together for the last time for probably at least a couple years.
Luckily, my boss allowed me to have the day before Thanksgiving off work so I can make it back to T-town and see my brother off. It will be the quickest trip I've taken in awhile, but definitely will be worth it. In addition, it looks like I should be able to make it back to Tiffin for the night before Thanksgiving bar celebration, which is always awesome, seeing high school friends you haven't seen in a long time.
+After nearly six months producing the 10 p.m. newscast, I've decided that the 2nd shift is probably the worst of the three you can work.
1st shift is obviously ideal, waking up at a fairly normal time, going to sleep at a fairly normal time, having time in the afternoon and evening to relax -- or, mostly importantly for someone who's new to an area, to meet people for a drink or dinner.
3rd shift might not be the best for sleeping, but if you can block out enough sun in your room it's fine. Some of my fellow producers who work that 3rd shift find it easier to sleep twice a day, which I would agree with doing. The thing about the 3rd shift is that you can tailor your schedule to allow yourself time to hang out or have dinner with people in the afternoons and evenings.
The 2nd shift, though, allows none of that. Waking up isn't the hard part - in fact, you wake up just about any time you really want to wake up. You spend the free time of your day making lunch, watching daytime television or running errands. If you try to get up early, you spend your workday just trying to make it to the end.
You finish working anywhere between 11 and midnight, giving you maybe two hours to meet friends out somewhere, but likely sending you home to finish off your day with a movie or late-night television show. 2nd shifts do not assist with meeting new people, getting together with the people you already know or dating anyone. OK, that's my rant.
+I'm thinking about trying to grow a playoff beard. It might have to be amended to be called a "postseason" beard, mainly because it looks like Notre Dame will have at least one extra game this year and the Browns will not. That means I MIGHT have some facial hair by the time ND plays in a bowl game. How I love being baby-faced.
+How crazy has it been to be a Cleveland Indians fan the last two years? In 2007, the team tied for the best record in baseball, led by pitcher CC Sabathia - their first Cy Young Award winner in years - and was a win away from the World Series.
This season, the Tribe finished at an even .500 (which, by the way, was just seven games out of first in the Central Division) and had two big winners on the field - Cliff Lee grabbed the AL Cy Young Award and Grady Sizemore won both a Golden Glove and the Silver Slugger Awards. And Cleveland traded away a guy who finished 5th in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
Despite what many believe, there was no way the Indians were going to re-sign CC Sabathia. If he didn't sign before the season, he was not staying in Cleveland after the season. For the Indians to get what they got out of Sabathia, it was a HUGE victory for the Tribe. It might have cost them a playoff run this year, but at least the Indians got something for Sabathia, unlike the same situations with guys like Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome, who left town with nothing coming in return.
+That's all I got. Go Browns. Need a Monday Night Football encore from the win over the Giants.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Christmas Comes Early
I remember one of the best Christmas presents I got when I was a kid - Football Pro ‘95 for our family computer. It was basically the undersold, under-appreciated little brother to the “Madden” series put out by EA Sports. But it was mine and now I could play football games on the computer.
The trick was installing the game. Apparently Santa Claus hadn’t paid the very close attention needed to find out that the family computer didn’t have enough RAM to support the game. And since Santa Claus had already made his trip (and because, back then, RAM was expensive, Santa couldn’t really afford to make another trip to our house that year), I had to put Football Pro ‘95 on the shelf.
The next year I got a small present that said something to the effect of, “I know you’ve been waiting a long time for this. It’s for your computer and I think you know what it can do.” Santa delivered what I needed and the game was played for hours.
That was over half my life ago. Saturday, April 28, 2007, Santa Claus gave Browns fans a gift. But like my computer game from years past, the gift couldn’t be used until a year later.
Tonight, Brady Quinn starts for the Browns against the Denver Broncos in a “nationally-televised” game (it’s on the NFL Network, which isn’t national enough for me). Unlike his fellow first-rounder, former Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Thomas, who started from Day One, Quinn had to take a back seat, originally set as the team’s third-string quarterback.
Of course this will all come across as biased as any recent column written by a political analyst who already knew whether Barack Obama or John McCain was getting his or her vote. I’m from Ohio, grew up a huge Notre Dame and Cleveland Browns fan and played high school football for four years, very similar to Quinn. (But make no mistake, the comparisons stop there. What I’m trying to say is that he is a more handsome, more athletic, more talented, smarter, more accomplished person who is also 10 months older.)
But consider for a moment what Brady Quinn has already done in his life. Few people realize he is ninth in NCAA history in TD passes thrown. He took nearly 2,000 snaps in his college career (1,856) and finished in the top four in Heisman Trophy balloting his junior (4th) and senior (3rd) seasons. When he graduated, Quinn was 7th in career pass attempts and 10th in career passing yards in NCAA history. And those numbers don’t mention the 36 Notre Dame school records he broke.
In essence, Quinn’s no chump.
2007 was one of the most ridiculous for me as a Browns fan. It began with Charlie Frye as the starter… for one game. I watched that 34-7 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers via webcam at 2:30 a.m. while on my study abroad trip in Adelaide, Australia. I thought there was no hope for the Browns season. In other words, I thought it was just going to be another year.
But Cleveland traded Frye after that one game. Enter Derek Anderson. He finished the season with nearly 3,800 yards, 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. In the other games of his career, all of Anderson’s averages and ratios are lower than 2007.
It seemed like this incredible, out-of-nowhere, not-seen-in-a-million-years season was just an oddity. (For perspective, 2007 was just the second year since 1988 that the Browns made double-digits in the win column. 14 seasons at or below 9 wins.) On the Leap Day this year - a day set up to get everything back to normal in the calendar year - the Cleveland Browns re-signed Derek Anderson to a three-year deal.
And Browns fans waited. But there comes a time when you’re sick of waiting. You just want to play that computer game. You just want to see your team win. You just want to see if Brady Quinn is a waste of time or a good use of trading up on Draft Day 2007. Tonight is the first glimpse of that answer.
Brady Quinn just turned 24 years old ten days ago.
Happy Birthday, Brady. Merry Christmas, Browns fans.
The trick was installing the game. Apparently Santa Claus hadn’t paid the very close attention needed to find out that the family computer didn’t have enough RAM to support the game. And since Santa Claus had already made his trip (and because, back then, RAM was expensive, Santa couldn’t really afford to make another trip to our house that year), I had to put Football Pro ‘95 on the shelf.
The next year I got a small present that said something to the effect of, “I know you’ve been waiting a long time for this. It’s for your computer and I think you know what it can do.” Santa delivered what I needed and the game was played for hours.
That was over half my life ago. Saturday, April 28, 2007, Santa Claus gave Browns fans a gift. But like my computer game from years past, the gift couldn’t be used until a year later.
Tonight, Brady Quinn starts for the Browns against the Denver Broncos in a “nationally-televised” game (it’s on the NFL Network, which isn’t national enough for me). Unlike his fellow first-rounder, former Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Thomas, who started from Day One, Quinn had to take a back seat, originally set as the team’s third-string quarterback.
Of course this will all come across as biased as any recent column written by a political analyst who already knew whether Barack Obama or John McCain was getting his or her vote. I’m from Ohio, grew up a huge Notre Dame and Cleveland Browns fan and played high school football for four years, very similar to Quinn. (But make no mistake, the comparisons stop there. What I’m trying to say is that he is a more handsome, more athletic, more talented, smarter, more accomplished person who is also 10 months older.)
But consider for a moment what Brady Quinn has already done in his life. Few people realize he is ninth in NCAA history in TD passes thrown. He took nearly 2,000 snaps in his college career (1,856) and finished in the top four in Heisman Trophy balloting his junior (4th) and senior (3rd) seasons. When he graduated, Quinn was 7th in career pass attempts and 10th in career passing yards in NCAA history. And those numbers don’t mention the 36 Notre Dame school records he broke.
In essence, Quinn’s no chump.
2007 was one of the most ridiculous for me as a Browns fan. It began with Charlie Frye as the starter… for one game. I watched that 34-7 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers via webcam at 2:30 a.m. while on my study abroad trip in Adelaide, Australia. I thought there was no hope for the Browns season. In other words, I thought it was just going to be another year.
But Cleveland traded Frye after that one game. Enter Derek Anderson. He finished the season with nearly 3,800 yards, 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. In the other games of his career, all of Anderson’s averages and ratios are lower than 2007.
It seemed like this incredible, out-of-nowhere, not-seen-in-a-million-years season was just an oddity. (For perspective, 2007 was just the second year since 1988 that the Browns made double-digits in the win column. 14 seasons at or below 9 wins.) On the Leap Day this year - a day set up to get everything back to normal in the calendar year - the Cleveland Browns re-signed Derek Anderson to a three-year deal.
And Browns fans waited. But there comes a time when you’re sick of waiting. You just want to play that computer game. You just want to see your team win. You just want to see if Brady Quinn is a waste of time or a good use of trading up on Draft Day 2007. Tonight is the first glimpse of that answer.
Brady Quinn just turned 24 years old ten days ago.
Happy Birthday, Brady. Merry Christmas, Browns fans.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Random Ridiculousness
Straight from the files of venting/needing something to do while watching college football before going to work on a Saturday.
The Random Ridiculousness for today:
+During halftime of the NC State-ECU game, I got to hear Lou Holtz make comments about Ryder Cup golf. I absolutely love it. I don't even really remember what all he said, but his analysis included something about the Jim Furyk-Kenny Perry team achieving a win.
+Even the mere mention of Kenny Perry will forever make me laugh. Mainly because of the hatred of him by my friend, Jeff Schaffer, but also because he had so little faith in himself to perform well enough during major tournaments that he dropped out and played small tournaments to ensure his spot playing in his native Kentucky for the Ryder Cup (and for his country!).
+The only reason I was watching NC State-ECU was because I can't even listen to Pam Ward anymore. I'm sure she's a great person, but I just can't listen to the broadcasts anymore. The Ohio-Ohio State game did it for me. Pam Ward in the booth, Chris Spielman doing his best "give me a headset and use camera angles that make me look like a coach" impression on the sidelines. I was kinda sorta hoping the Big Ten Network would make a location mistake and put the Ohio-Northwestern game on. Instead we got Minnesota-Florida Atlantic. I guess the result will probably be the same, though.
+I hate guys who have admittedly awesome girlfriends. And it has nothing to do with "they have a girl and I don't." I say this because a reporter-not-to-be-named that I know has been telling me all week (and really, for about a month now) about how his girlfriend sat down to figure out what food she can make when his college friends are in town this Sunday to watch the Packers-Cowboys game. Mind you, about 99 percent of football-watching, Sunday-sitting men in this country would be perfectly fine getting pizza. But she insists on making appetizers, too.
She also has a fantasy football team and at least "gets" football. And Sunday is the only day of the week that they both have the entire day off together. In fact, he told me a conversation of theirs once that went something like this:
Her: So you're telling me that the only day of the week we both have the entire day off work at the same time, we're going to spend on the couch drinking beer and watching football the whole day?
Him: Yeah, that's right.
Her: That sounds great.
I didn't know these people existed. I mean, I've been hopeful all along, but it never seemed plausible. But it should happen more often. The football season is five months long, which means a majority of the year is spent without it. Every time I hear a new story, though, I can only applaud his efforts.
+If you haven't yet, you should make it a habit to read Bill Simmons's columns on ESPN.com's Page Two. In his latest post, Simmons talks about his first fantasy football league, which is eerily similar in some respects to the league that my best friend, Luke, and I started up this year. We have our own scoring rules and even made up spreadsheets in which we plug the statistics in and it calculates everything for us.
Speaking of Luke, he'll be the next Bill Simmons, mark my word. And that's exciting because I hope to one day be the crazy/stupid/ridiculous friend that gets a mention every now and then in the blog. Luke's well on his way -- and if you want to know a little more about how weird we are, read the weekly installments of our NFL picks on his blog. He also has a weekly debate with Matt Barnes, one of my best college friends and current sports anchor in Georgia. These are full of sports knowledge and are, well, entertaining, if nothing else.
+Lastly a note on a conversation I recently had with my coworker and friend Abby Riese about man crushes. I told her in general I don't have man crushes based on attractiveness, though I'm really not sure what would push me towards one.
After much deliberation, I've decided if I DO have one, it has to be my more or less unfounded man crush for Brady Quinn. The guy's from Ohio (albeit the Columbus area), went to my favorite college team to be the quarterback (Notre Dame), then was drafted by my favorite professional team (Cleveland Browns) as they gave up a lot to get him.
After the Browns drafted Brady (and while I was in Australia, unavailable to make a purchase like this) Luke bought me an orange Browns t-shirt that only says, "Brady Quinn" and just has a picture of his flowing locks of hair and big smile. When Cleveland decided to hang onto Derek Anderson in the offseason, I was a little angry. I want the team to do well and if they thought Anderson was the man who could do that, then I guess they did what they thought they needed to do.
But at the same time, I really wanted my man Brady Quinn to get his shot. In what was determined to be a meaningless game last year against San Francisco in Week 17, I got to watch Brady Quinn's first action in the NFL. I'm hoping he gets MANY more chances from here on out. It's not like Quinn is an Aaron Rodgers sitting behind Brett Favre for years. Quinn is sitting behind a guy who won the starting job in the second week in 2007 because the former starting quarterback, Charlie Frye, got traded after all of one game.
So after all of that, I love Brady Quinn.
____________________________
Whew, that was quite a bit. And that's why it's called, "Random Ridiculousness." In the meantime, you can check out my work blog and check back here for a post about the Browns. I'm pretty sure I'll have SOMETHING to say after this week's game against the Ravens, win or lose.
Go Browns and Go Irish
The Random Ridiculousness for today:
+During halftime of the NC State-ECU game, I got to hear Lou Holtz make comments about Ryder Cup golf. I absolutely love it. I don't even really remember what all he said, but his analysis included something about the Jim Furyk-Kenny Perry team achieving a win.
+Even the mere mention of Kenny Perry will forever make me laugh. Mainly because of the hatred of him by my friend, Jeff Schaffer, but also because he had so little faith in himself to perform well enough during major tournaments that he dropped out and played small tournaments to ensure his spot playing in his native Kentucky for the Ryder Cup (and for his country!).
+The only reason I was watching NC State-ECU was because I can't even listen to Pam Ward anymore. I'm sure she's a great person, but I just can't listen to the broadcasts anymore. The Ohio-Ohio State game did it for me. Pam Ward in the booth, Chris Spielman doing his best "give me a headset and use camera angles that make me look like a coach" impression on the sidelines. I was kinda sorta hoping the Big Ten Network would make a location mistake and put the Ohio-Northwestern game on. Instead we got Minnesota-Florida Atlantic. I guess the result will probably be the same, though.
+I hate guys who have admittedly awesome girlfriends. And it has nothing to do with "they have a girl and I don't." I say this because a reporter-not-to-be-named that I know has been telling me all week (and really, for about a month now) about how his girlfriend sat down to figure out what food she can make when his college friends are in town this Sunday to watch the Packers-Cowboys game. Mind you, about 99 percent of football-watching, Sunday-sitting men in this country would be perfectly fine getting pizza. But she insists on making appetizers, too.
She also has a fantasy football team and at least "gets" football. And Sunday is the only day of the week that they both have the entire day off together. In fact, he told me a conversation of theirs once that went something like this:
Her: So you're telling me that the only day of the week we both have the entire day off work at the same time, we're going to spend on the couch drinking beer and watching football the whole day?
Him: Yeah, that's right.
Her: That sounds great.
I didn't know these people existed. I mean, I've been hopeful all along, but it never seemed plausible. But it should happen more often. The football season is five months long, which means a majority of the year is spent without it. Every time I hear a new story, though, I can only applaud his efforts.
+If you haven't yet, you should make it a habit to read Bill Simmons's columns on ESPN.com's Page Two. In his latest post, Simmons talks about his first fantasy football league, which is eerily similar in some respects to the league that my best friend, Luke, and I started up this year. We have our own scoring rules and even made up spreadsheets in which we plug the statistics in and it calculates everything for us.
Speaking of Luke, he'll be the next Bill Simmons, mark my word. And that's exciting because I hope to one day be the crazy/stupid/ridiculous friend that gets a mention every now and then in the blog. Luke's well on his way -- and if you want to know a little more about how weird we are, read the weekly installments of our NFL picks on his blog. He also has a weekly debate with Matt Barnes, one of my best college friends and current sports anchor in Georgia. These are full of sports knowledge and are, well, entertaining, if nothing else.
+Lastly a note on a conversation I recently had with my coworker and friend Abby Riese about man crushes. I told her in general I don't have man crushes based on attractiveness, though I'm really not sure what would push me towards one.
After much deliberation, I've decided if I DO have one, it has to be my more or less unfounded man crush for Brady Quinn. The guy's from Ohio (albeit the Columbus area), went to my favorite college team to be the quarterback (Notre Dame), then was drafted by my favorite professional team (Cleveland Browns) as they gave up a lot to get him.
After the Browns drafted Brady (and while I was in Australia, unavailable to make a purchase like this) Luke bought me an orange Browns t-shirt that only says, "Brady Quinn" and just has a picture of his flowing locks of hair and big smile. When Cleveland decided to hang onto Derek Anderson in the offseason, I was a little angry. I want the team to do well and if they thought Anderson was the man who could do that, then I guess they did what they thought they needed to do.
But at the same time, I really wanted my man Brady Quinn to get his shot. In what was determined to be a meaningless game last year against San Francisco in Week 17, I got to watch Brady Quinn's first action in the NFL. I'm hoping he gets MANY more chances from here on out. It's not like Quinn is an Aaron Rodgers sitting behind Brett Favre for years. Quinn is sitting behind a guy who won the starting job in the second week in 2007 because the former starting quarterback, Charlie Frye, got traded after all of one game.
So after all of that, I love Brady Quinn.
____________________________
Whew, that was quite a bit. And that's why it's called, "Random Ridiculousness." In the meantime, you can check out my work blog and check back here for a post about the Browns. I'm pretty sure I'll have SOMETHING to say after this week's game against the Ravens, win or lose.
Go Browns and Go Irish
Saturday, August 23, 2008
What's My Score?? Schedule
Here is the schedule for "What's My Score??" fantasy football.
Yes, it's like looking at a Little League baseball schedule all over again... but oh well.
Thanks again to Luke for finding this system of scheduling instead of having us come up with on our own (extremely difficult). I still have the original copy on hand in case there was a typo, but I tried to recheck everything for accuracy. If you notice something's wrong, please let me know.
Good luck to all.
Yes, it's like looking at a Little League baseball schedule all over again... but oh well.
Thanks again to Luke for finding this system of scheduling instead of having us come up with on our own (extremely difficult). I still have the original copy on hand in case there was a typo, but I tried to recheck everything for accuracy. If you notice something's wrong, please let me know.
Good luck to all.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Favre Traded
Everyone and their brother now has the report of Brett Favre's trade to the New York Jets. Since my move to Madison, Wis., in June, it has been "Favre Mode" in the newsroom at NBC 15. For example, when one of my fellow producers, Wani, answered the phone on Tuesday, she put the person on hold for Sam (noted below) to take the call. When he asked who it was, Wani said, "Brett Fa..." before realizing that it was, in fact, not Brett Favre on the phone, but Jason Rice, one of our photojournalists. Basically, I've gotten to know this situation pretty well.
Now it's time to unwind this ball of trade yarn a little bit. Almost everyone in the sports world has an opinion on this. It was leading newscasts in Wisconsin -- and even SportsCenter -- nearly every night. That happened on days when the newest information was something to the effect of, "Talks still going on in the Brett Favre saga."
So now, who wins?? Opinions and comments welcome...
Winners:
+Brett Favre -- getting out of a bad situation and having the opportunity to get back on the field. Still no word on whether Favre will actually report, but if ANYTHING he has said holds weight, expect to see #4 in his new shade of green (though 99.9% impossible before Thursday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns).
+Green Bay Packers -- Ted Thompson gets his wish with Brett Favre out of his life, Aaron Rodgers in it and some kind of draft pick added to the mix.
+The University of California -- the Golden Bears have waited for their man, Rodgers, to get his chance on the field. But when Rodgers got drafted by the Pack in 2005, fans knew it wasn't likely that he would play until Favre 1) called it quits or 2) was injured badly enough that a back-up was needed on more than a mop-up duty basis.
+Sam Sorenson -- he's NBC 15's assistant news director and the biggest Favre fan I've ever known. His cubicle is right beside mine at work and recently we've all been a little worried that he wasn't going to make it to see the end of this drama. Hopefully he can make it to work on Thursday. If he doesn't have a Favre Jets jersey by the time of the office Christmas party, I think a little pass-the-hat is in order to get him one.
Losers:
+The AFC East -- all those in favor of playing a Brett Favre-led team twice this year raise your hands... OK, just checking. As a Cleveland Browns fan, I'm thankful there isn't a matchup this season. Last season, a Jets team with Favre as QB in the final minutes almost undoubtedly beats Cleveland in their tight game.
+The University of Oregon -- the waiting game for Kellen Clemens to grab ahold of the reigns continues in New York. He's going to be one of the best damn clipboard holders in the league, right behind Matt Cassel in New England and Wisconsin's own Jim Sorgi in Indianapolis.
+The state of Wisconsin & general Packers fans -- Brett Favre made the franchise a contender every year. Green Bay is the winningest team since Favre joined the team in a trade from Atlanta back in February of 1992. Just being in and around the Packers in this state so far, I've learned how crazy it is. But something tells me the team popularity will live on... like my conversation with one of our interns, Madeline, the other day...
Her: So are you a Packers fan??
Me: No, I'm a Cleveland Browns fan.
Her: Oh. Well, you'll be a Packers fan soon.
If I didn't switch to a new team anytime in the last eight years (wait, this is Cleveland's ninth year after getting a team back in the league?! Goodness gracious -- I mean, I remember the OLD Browns...), it's probably not going to happen just because I live here.
But even when I get to the sports bar on Sunday's to watch my beloved Orange and Brown, I'll have another eye on the Green and Gold of the Packers.
As for Favre, I'll be taking some time off, but will highly enjoy watching him back on the field. I mean, technically, he hasn't missed a game in forever (275 straight including playoffs). And it feels like he never left.
Now it's time to unwind this ball of trade yarn a little bit. Almost everyone in the sports world has an opinion on this. It was leading newscasts in Wisconsin -- and even SportsCenter -- nearly every night. That happened on days when the newest information was something to the effect of, "Talks still going on in the Brett Favre saga."
So now, who wins?? Opinions and comments welcome...
Winners:
+Brett Favre -- getting out of a bad situation and having the opportunity to get back on the field. Still no word on whether Favre will actually report, but if ANYTHING he has said holds weight, expect to see #4 in his new shade of green (though 99.9% impossible before Thursday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns).
+Green Bay Packers -- Ted Thompson gets his wish with Brett Favre out of his life, Aaron Rodgers in it and some kind of draft pick added to the mix.
+The University of California -- the Golden Bears have waited for their man, Rodgers, to get his chance on the field. But when Rodgers got drafted by the Pack in 2005, fans knew it wasn't likely that he would play until Favre 1) called it quits or 2) was injured badly enough that a back-up was needed on more than a mop-up duty basis.
+Sam Sorenson -- he's NBC 15's assistant news director and the biggest Favre fan I've ever known. His cubicle is right beside mine at work and recently we've all been a little worried that he wasn't going to make it to see the end of this drama. Hopefully he can make it to work on Thursday. If he doesn't have a Favre Jets jersey by the time of the office Christmas party, I think a little pass-the-hat is in order to get him one.
Losers:
+The AFC East -- all those in favor of playing a Brett Favre-led team twice this year raise your hands... OK, just checking. As a Cleveland Browns fan, I'm thankful there isn't a matchup this season. Last season, a Jets team with Favre as QB in the final minutes almost undoubtedly beats Cleveland in their tight game.
+The University of Oregon -- the waiting game for Kellen Clemens to grab ahold of the reigns continues in New York. He's going to be one of the best damn clipboard holders in the league, right behind Matt Cassel in New England and Wisconsin's own Jim Sorgi in Indianapolis.
+The state of Wisconsin & general Packers fans -- Brett Favre made the franchise a contender every year. Green Bay is the winningest team since Favre joined the team in a trade from Atlanta back in February of 1992. Just being in and around the Packers in this state so far, I've learned how crazy it is. But something tells me the team popularity will live on... like my conversation with one of our interns, Madeline, the other day...
Her: So are you a Packers fan??
Me: No, I'm a Cleveland Browns fan.
Her: Oh. Well, you'll be a Packers fan soon.
If I didn't switch to a new team anytime in the last eight years (wait, this is Cleveland's ninth year after getting a team back in the league?! Goodness gracious -- I mean, I remember the OLD Browns...), it's probably not going to happen just because I live here.
But even when I get to the sports bar on Sunday's to watch my beloved Orange and Brown, I'll have another eye on the Green and Gold of the Packers.
As for Favre, I'll be taking some time off, but will highly enjoy watching him back on the field. I mean, technically, he hasn't missed a game in forever (275 straight including playoffs). And it feels like he never left.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Who We Are
"You can be whoever you want to be."
When talking about what was ahead before my big move to Wisconsin last month, my best friend said these words to me. He added, "There isn't a single person there who ever knew you."
Hearing it put this way catches one off guard. It can even be said to alienate. I'm just one little drop in the great big lake that is the world. It used to be easy -- I was always with someone or some group that I knew well anytime I had traveled.
But when I left small-town Ohio six days after graduating from college, I came with what could fit in my car. If you're searching for a comparison, think first-year college student leaving home in the pre-cell phone era.
"You can be whoever you want to be."
Moving from one Midwest town to another also helps. Small-town Ohio to New York City would have been an extreme adjustment. But my move here helps in more ways than just "feeling at home."
This is because, in all actuality, no matter how hard we try to do otherwise, we remain the same person at the core. When I came here, I didn't suddenly stop laughing at jokes that were funny to me in Ohio. I didn't forget how to produce a newscast (though I've learned how to produce a BETTER newscast since coming here). My friends here don't have opposite interests from those who now can only reach me by phone or facebook messages. Deep down, I'm just Kevin Hunt.
Newscasts are the same. The idea of our news stories is to let viewers see and hear a conversation about what is happening. There's a lot more that goes into it, but the basic idea is that we give you news you want to know.
Our anchors and reporters are one part of the dialogue and you are the other side -- which is why our phone number is posted in public, we have a place on nbc15.com for posting comments and feedback and we try to talk with real people in surrounding communities.
So remember, we consider the viewing public in what is important for our daily "conversations" -- be it The Morning Show, 11 a.m., 4, 5, 6 or 10 p.m. newscasts. Our station motto is, "Coverage You Can Count On" -- and we're doing what we can to include everyone in our conversations.
It's the same reason why I'm loving it here in Southern Wisconsin. I came with nothing, yet I feel like I've been a part of the dialogue since I arrived. I look forward to continuing the conversation at ten o'clock every night on NBC 15.
When talking about what was ahead before my big move to Wisconsin last month, my best friend said these words to me. He added, "There isn't a single person there who ever knew you."
Hearing it put this way catches one off guard. It can even be said to alienate. I'm just one little drop in the great big lake that is the world. It used to be easy -- I was always with someone or some group that I knew well anytime I had traveled.
But when I left small-town Ohio six days after graduating from college, I came with what could fit in my car. If you're searching for a comparison, think first-year college student leaving home in the pre-cell phone era.
"You can be whoever you want to be."
Moving from one Midwest town to another also helps. Small-town Ohio to New York City would have been an extreme adjustment. But my move here helps in more ways than just "feeling at home."
This is because, in all actuality, no matter how hard we try to do otherwise, we remain the same person at the core. When I came here, I didn't suddenly stop laughing at jokes that were funny to me in Ohio. I didn't forget how to produce a newscast (though I've learned how to produce a BETTER newscast since coming here). My friends here don't have opposite interests from those who now can only reach me by phone or facebook messages. Deep down, I'm just Kevin Hunt.
Newscasts are the same. The idea of our news stories is to let viewers see and hear a conversation about what is happening. There's a lot more that goes into it, but the basic idea is that we give you news you want to know.
Our anchors and reporters are one part of the dialogue and you are the other side -- which is why our phone number is posted in public, we have a place on nbc15.com for posting comments and feedback and we try to talk with real people in surrounding communities.
So remember, we consider the viewing public in what is important for our daily "conversations" -- be it The Morning Show, 11 a.m., 4, 5, 6 or 10 p.m. newscasts. Our station motto is, "Coverage You Can Count On" -- and we're doing what we can to include everyone in our conversations.
It's the same reason why I'm loving it here in Southern Wisconsin. I came with nothing, yet I feel like I've been a part of the dialogue since I arrived. I look forward to continuing the conversation at ten o'clock every night on NBC 15.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Where are You
Pack your bags and head out.
It's one of the toughest things to do, especially when doing it on the fly. What's tougher is not knowing where you're going, what you'll find there or who you'll meet.
But it's what a lot of college graduates face every single year. Job seekers can't be picky because it seems that this economy rewards ANYONE who simply HAS a job. What job and where it is doesn't even play in the minds of a lot of those entering the job market.
This is extremely true for those going into journalism, a degrading form of person plugged into society for the sole reason of lying to everyone else for whom they write (often tagged as "the audience" or "key demographic"). They start out their freshman year with ambitions aimed high. If they're lucky, the hope lasts the entire first year.
Then professors give up trying to sell. There's the "you won't make money until you're 35, if you're lucky" line. Or recently there's the "you need to know how to do everything because you're going to have to produce 18 different types of media on the one story" phrase that's taking the schools by storm.
But the one most prevalent in the radio-television business is the "figure out where you want to live and go about 1,000 miles in another direction to find where you'll ACTUALLY end up" nugget. They're told not to worry too much, though, because they can work their way to their final destination by the end of a career by working extremely hard, meeting as many people in the business as possible and sucking up to those people with hope that some day they'll be in a position of power looking at a resume with a recognizable name.
Some take a different approach. They don't really figure out what's coming right away. They might even do something different from the end result they seek just to do something new. It puts them at odds with a definition of "achievement" while, at least for the time being, sending them in a "wrong" direction. But the worry doesn't come in the form of finding a job or even circulate around the occupation whatsoever.
The worry in these seekers comes with going somewhere completely new. They don't know anyone. They don't even know where the closest grocery store is. And, most importantly, they don't know where they fit in because the world is altogether new. Some pieces of a puzzle are easier to place than others and people are the same way.
Some people can jump right into their place in the puzzle of society. Others have a few sides that are too intricate to just slip right into a spot. And anyone who has put a puzzle together knows that shoving pieces into a spot in the puzzle where they don't belong only makes for hardship later when it's revealed that the piece really, truly didn't belong there.
The real point is that putting together the same puzzle over and over is OK with some people. But for most, the completion of a brand new challenge is what makes the activity interesting. Those in broadcasting are all but forced to do this or take a job in something that just involves writing. Not settling is one of the toughest things to do in this life. But trying to be the puzzle piece that fits is one of the hardest things to avoid. If you're not in the right spot, don't worry -- to finish the puzzle, you'll find your spot.
So pack your bags and head out. There's a puzzle in this big world waiting for you so it can be solved.
It's one of the toughest things to do, especially when doing it on the fly. What's tougher is not knowing where you're going, what you'll find there or who you'll meet.
But it's what a lot of college graduates face every single year. Job seekers can't be picky because it seems that this economy rewards ANYONE who simply HAS a job. What job and where it is doesn't even play in the minds of a lot of those entering the job market.
This is extremely true for those going into journalism, a degrading form of person plugged into society for the sole reason of lying to everyone else for whom they write (often tagged as "the audience" or "key demographic"). They start out their freshman year with ambitions aimed high. If they're lucky, the hope lasts the entire first year.
Then professors give up trying to sell. There's the "you won't make money until you're 35, if you're lucky" line. Or recently there's the "you need to know how to do everything because you're going to have to produce 18 different types of media on the one story" phrase that's taking the schools by storm.
But the one most prevalent in the radio-television business is the "figure out where you want to live and go about 1,000 miles in another direction to find where you'll ACTUALLY end up" nugget. They're told not to worry too much, though, because they can work their way to their final destination by the end of a career by working extremely hard, meeting as many people in the business as possible and sucking up to those people with hope that some day they'll be in a position of power looking at a resume with a recognizable name.
Some take a different approach. They don't really figure out what's coming right away. They might even do something different from the end result they seek just to do something new. It puts them at odds with a definition of "achievement" while, at least for the time being, sending them in a "wrong" direction. But the worry doesn't come in the form of finding a job or even circulate around the occupation whatsoever.
The worry in these seekers comes with going somewhere completely new. They don't know anyone. They don't even know where the closest grocery store is. And, most importantly, they don't know where they fit in because the world is altogether new. Some pieces of a puzzle are easier to place than others and people are the same way.
Some people can jump right into their place in the puzzle of society. Others have a few sides that are too intricate to just slip right into a spot. And anyone who has put a puzzle together knows that shoving pieces into a spot in the puzzle where they don't belong only makes for hardship later when it's revealed that the piece really, truly didn't belong there.
The real point is that putting together the same puzzle over and over is OK with some people. But for most, the completion of a brand new challenge is what makes the activity interesting. Those in broadcasting are all but forced to do this or take a job in something that just involves writing. Not settling is one of the toughest things to do in this life. But trying to be the puzzle piece that fits is one of the hardest things to avoid. If you're not in the right spot, don't worry -- to finish the puzzle, you'll find your spot.
So pack your bags and head out. There's a puzzle in this big world waiting for you so it can be solved.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Tribe-ulations
Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge says he doesn't want to give up on the season yet. Most Tribe fans have trouble understanding this theory. The Indians are going to need a 2007 Colorado Rockies-type run over the next four weeks to get back to being a legitimate contender.
I know Wedge has toyed with the lineup a BUNCH this season, but I haven't seen Grady Sizemore out of the lead-off spot enough. Why not give him some more RBI chances with the likes of Shin Soo Choo or Jamey Carroll leading off (both have marginally better on-base percentages)??
In addition, if Sizemore reaches the base paths in front of the #4 or #5 hitters (whomever they may be on a given night), wouldn't the threat of a stolen base make the opposing pitcher at least consider throwing more fastballs than off-speed pitches in case Sizemore is planning on taking second base??
It's easy to understand why Sizemore is still in the lead-off spot -- he doesn't seem to be the problem. And it's hard to argue with the numbers: .261 average, .366 OBP, team-leading 19 HR, team-leading 19 stolen bases. So Sizemore is having himself a decent year. But the team isn't.
In a June issue of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Wedge said, ''Grady likes it up there, and he's one of the best in the game...I don't see why you would want to take one of your greatest areas of strength away?" The reason why is because there's the possibility that Sizemore will be BETTER as a #3 hitter than as a lead-off man. Even more, there's the possibility that Cleveland will be a BETTER hitting team with Sizemore in the three hole.
In the American League, a .500 winning percentage probably won't get you close to winning a wild card spot. In other words, an exact reversal of the first half of the year won't be enough to keep the Indians in it. And if Eric Wedge truly believes there's hope left for this season, he might want to consider a MAJOR change because small lineup changes obviously aren't helping Cleveland score runs.
Swing and a Drive...
I know Wedge has toyed with the lineup a BUNCH this season, but I haven't seen Grady Sizemore out of the lead-off spot enough. Why not give him some more RBI chances with the likes of Shin Soo Choo or Jamey Carroll leading off (both have marginally better on-base percentages)??
In addition, if Sizemore reaches the base paths in front of the #4 or #5 hitters (whomever they may be on a given night), wouldn't the threat of a stolen base make the opposing pitcher at least consider throwing more fastballs than off-speed pitches in case Sizemore is planning on taking second base??
It's easy to understand why Sizemore is still in the lead-off spot -- he doesn't seem to be the problem. And it's hard to argue with the numbers: .261 average, .366 OBP, team-leading 19 HR, team-leading 19 stolen bases. So Sizemore is having himself a decent year. But the team isn't.
In a June issue of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Wedge said, ''Grady likes it up there, and he's one of the best in the game...I don't see why you would want to take one of your greatest areas of strength away?" The reason why is because there's the possibility that Sizemore will be BETTER as a #3 hitter than as a lead-off man. Even more, there's the possibility that Cleveland will be a BETTER hitting team with Sizemore in the three hole.
In the American League, a .500 winning percentage probably won't get you close to winning a wild card spot. In other words, an exact reversal of the first half of the year won't be enough to keep the Indians in it. And if Eric Wedge truly believes there's hope left for this season, he might want to consider a MAJOR change because small lineup changes obviously aren't helping Cleveland score runs.
Swing and a Drive...
Sunday, June 29, 2008
First Week as a Cheesehead
Now that I've been in the Badger State for an entire week, I figured I'd take a look back at how it all went.
We had breaking news on Thursday, the last day of training for me. NBC 15 has newscasts at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. Around 3:50, our Web Producer, Abby, was reading over a news release that said police in Minnesota made an arrest of a suspect in connection with a high-profile murder that happened in Madison a few months ago.
The newsroom went into crazy mode. Abby printed the news release and our news director ran it to the 4 p.m. anchor to read immediately off the top of the newscast (she had about a minute to gather what the heck was going on). We pulled a reporter from a live shot at another story to come back to Madison and work on an angle of the murder arrest story. A different reporter stuck around and reported ANOTHER story instead of leaving after the 6 p.m. newscast like he usually does (putting in a day of around 11 hours).
Meanwhile, I had no clue who Joel Marino (the murder victim) was or who we could call to get more information or interviews for stories. But I learned a ton within the short time that I was there that night. It was a good thing to see how breaking news works within the station BEFORE having to deal with it on my own.
My first solo-produced newscasts were Friday, when I tackled the 6 and the 10 (which I'll do on every Friday from here on out). Luckily for my "first day," there wasn't anything that tried my skills immediately.
Otherwise, my first week was pretty uneventful. I spent over an hour the first day doing paperwork and reading company policies. The IT guy was on vacation, so I still don't have a station e-mail or computer user name or user name for posting stories to the web. That difficulty should be gone on Monday, thankfully.
There's a possibility I might have a blog on nbc15.com in the coming weeks, but that's not for sure at this point. I want to have a few posts in the can before I have the opportunity to start one up. If you have any ideas, let me know!!
-------------------------------------------------------
Where has the Indians' lineup gone this season?? Unless I make a daily trip to a sports bar, I can no longer watch the Tribe games live. But that's OK with me at this point considering this was their batting order against the Cincinnati Reds in the third game of their series in Cleveland...
Grady Sizemore
Casey Blake
Ben Francisco
Jhonny Peralta
Shin Soo Choo
Kelly Shoppach
David Dellucci
Andy Marte
Jorge Velandia
Are you kidding me?? Marte needs to play everyday or get designated for assignment. Choo is hitting well, but should NEVER have to be a designated hitter in any Cleveland lineup. When Jorge Velandia started at shortstop on Wednesday night, it was the 65th DIFFERENT lineup used by Eric Wedge in 78 games.
It's a tough season for everyone on this team for various reasons, many of which are injuries. But even before the injuries there were underperformances. Cleveland couldn't score runs if its life depended on it for a stretch of about two months. But I'm done with this season. If C.C. Sabathia isn't traded soon (well before the trade deadline, when teams are willing to give a little more to have him sooner.
Bring on the Browns and, maybe even a little bit, the Irish.
Swing and a Drive...
We had breaking news on Thursday, the last day of training for me. NBC 15 has newscasts at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. Around 3:50, our Web Producer, Abby, was reading over a news release that said police in Minnesota made an arrest of a suspect in connection with a high-profile murder that happened in Madison a few months ago.
The newsroom went into crazy mode. Abby printed the news release and our news director ran it to the 4 p.m. anchor to read immediately off the top of the newscast (she had about a minute to gather what the heck was going on). We pulled a reporter from a live shot at another story to come back to Madison and work on an angle of the murder arrest story. A different reporter stuck around and reported ANOTHER story instead of leaving after the 6 p.m. newscast like he usually does (putting in a day of around 11 hours).
Meanwhile, I had no clue who Joel Marino (the murder victim) was or who we could call to get more information or interviews for stories. But I learned a ton within the short time that I was there that night. It was a good thing to see how breaking news works within the station BEFORE having to deal with it on my own.
My first solo-produced newscasts were Friday, when I tackled the 6 and the 10 (which I'll do on every Friday from here on out). Luckily for my "first day," there wasn't anything that tried my skills immediately.
Otherwise, my first week was pretty uneventful. I spent over an hour the first day doing paperwork and reading company policies. The IT guy was on vacation, so I still don't have a station e-mail or computer user name or user name for posting stories to the web. That difficulty should be gone on Monday, thankfully.
There's a possibility I might have a blog on nbc15.com in the coming weeks, but that's not for sure at this point. I want to have a few posts in the can before I have the opportunity to start one up. If you have any ideas, let me know!!
-------------------------------------------------------
Where has the Indians' lineup gone this season?? Unless I make a daily trip to a sports bar, I can no longer watch the Tribe games live. But that's OK with me at this point considering this was their batting order against the Cincinnati Reds in the third game of their series in Cleveland...
Grady Sizemore
Casey Blake
Ben Francisco
Jhonny Peralta
Shin Soo Choo
Kelly Shoppach
David Dellucci
Andy Marte
Jorge Velandia
Are you kidding me?? Marte needs to play everyday or get designated for assignment. Choo is hitting well, but should NEVER have to be a designated hitter in any Cleveland lineup. When Jorge Velandia started at shortstop on Wednesday night, it was the 65th DIFFERENT lineup used by Eric Wedge in 78 games.
It's a tough season for everyone on this team for various reasons, many of which are injuries. But even before the injuries there were underperformances. Cleveland couldn't score runs if its life depended on it for a stretch of about two months. But I'm done with this season. If C.C. Sabathia isn't traded soon (well before the trade deadline, when teams are willing to give a little more to have him sooner.
Bring on the Browns and, maybe even a little bit, the Irish.
Swing and a Drive...
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Ridiculous Ramblings
I guess I'll try to make this a regular (weekly) segment where I talk about whatever comes to mind. In other words, it will be the most un-read of my posts.
My career at Ohio University is winding down and I want to elaborate on some of my final week disturbances. First of all, it's been an adventure living without air conditioning when the high temperatures hit 90 degrees over the span of a week. Three showers a day doesn't even seem to cut it at this point. I guess it was my own bad decision in not finding a place with air conditioning built in, but I've really enjoyed my time at 6 1/2 Coss, so I guess I can tough it out for another week.
My last undergraduate class ever was on Wednesday. It was actually supposed to be Thursday morning at 9, but being the celebratory person that I am, I did not wake up in time for that class. In no way am I complaining about being able to go out any night of the week -- it's actually a very nice gig.
I have a six-page research paper for English (due Tuesday) and a Blue Book final exam in History (Thursday morning) as my final obstacles to a B.S. of Journalism with English and History minors. Well, technically I have all the necessary pieces of my overall degree, but if I don't get credit for those minors, there will be about 10 classes that were essentially worthless -- unless you count personal development as an award for having taken them.
The apartment hunting has been slow to say the least, but at least I have another thing to throw at the facebook naysayers. The facebook marketplace is an online classifieds section that allows anyone to look to different schools and see what's for sale or rent. It ranges from event tickets to books to electronics to... available houses and apartments.
I like it better than craigslist because pictures are easier to upload/view and the website itself looks better -- but that's just me. Don't get me wrong... there's a good chance I'll find my new abode on craigslist. But my preference goes to "the book." But my one-year contract as a news producer at WMTV NBC 15 is in the mail, so I should probably start finding somewhere to live soon...
I find it interesting to delve into statistics, especially in baseball, trying to find trends and patterns among the teams. A recent stat that I noted was a direct relationship between playoff teams in Major League Baseball and those teams' home records. The top five in each league (overall MLB rank in parentheses)...
AL
1. Boston -- .800 (1)
2. Tampa Bay -- .706 (4)
3. Chicago -- .654 (7)
4. Baltimore -- .607 (t-12)
5. Oakland -- .588 (14)
NL
1. Chicago -- .765 (2)
2. Atlanta -- .735 (3)
3. Houston -- .640 (8)
4. Arizona -- .636 (9)
5. St. Louis/Philadelphia -- .618 (t-10)
If the playoffs started today in Major League Baseball, here's how it would shake out...
AL
1. L.A. Angels -- .613
2. Boston -- .594
3. Chicago -- .567
4. Tampa Bay -- .590
NL
1. Chicago -- .629
2. Philadelphia -- .587
3. Arizona -- .541
4. St. Louis -- .571
The National League is especially telling in this stat, considering all four playoff teams made the list of the top five home records. (OK, there were six teams, but Atlanta basically doesn't count because its record on the road is an abysmal 7-21) In the American League, three of the four made it and L.A. missed the list to West Division rival Oakland by .007.
All of these teams are also (at least) above .500 in games played within their respective divisions. So if a team wants to make a playoff push, it needs to win home games, especially home games within the division. The same can be said for last year's playoff teams -- all eight were above .500 at home and all but the Arizona Diamondbacks had division winning percentages above .500 (Arizona was right on the mark).
It's too bad I won't be able to make it to Progressive Field in hopes that the Indians can turn this ship (or "shit" perhaps) around in time to salvage their season. Instead I'll be spending my only week off trying to figure out what I need and what I don't, packing my car until it's nearly bursting at the seams before heading to Wisconsin.
It's less than two weeks away from the (first) big move and it still hasn't really set in. I guess right after I get that diploma on the stage in the Convocation Center a week from today it might hit.
--------------
Not every person can be perfect in every
way, shape, form; we tend to be
experts by some manner.
My career at Ohio University is winding down and I want to elaborate on some of my final week disturbances. First of all, it's been an adventure living without air conditioning when the high temperatures hit 90 degrees over the span of a week. Three showers a day doesn't even seem to cut it at this point. I guess it was my own bad decision in not finding a place with air conditioning built in, but I've really enjoyed my time at 6 1/2 Coss, so I guess I can tough it out for another week.
My last undergraduate class ever was on Wednesday. It was actually supposed to be Thursday morning at 9, but being the celebratory person that I am, I did not wake up in time for that class. In no way am I complaining about being able to go out any night of the week -- it's actually a very nice gig.
I have a six-page research paper for English (due Tuesday) and a Blue Book final exam in History (Thursday morning) as my final obstacles to a B.S. of Journalism with English and History minors. Well, technically I have all the necessary pieces of my overall degree, but if I don't get credit for those minors, there will be about 10 classes that were essentially worthless -- unless you count personal development as an award for having taken them.
The apartment hunting has been slow to say the least, but at least I have another thing to throw at the facebook naysayers. The facebook marketplace is an online classifieds section that allows anyone to look to different schools and see what's for sale or rent. It ranges from event tickets to books to electronics to... available houses and apartments.
I like it better than craigslist because pictures are easier to upload/view and the website itself looks better -- but that's just me. Don't get me wrong... there's a good chance I'll find my new abode on craigslist. But my preference goes to "the book." But my one-year contract as a news producer at WMTV NBC 15 is in the mail, so I should probably start finding somewhere to live soon...
I find it interesting to delve into statistics, especially in baseball, trying to find trends and patterns among the teams. A recent stat that I noted was a direct relationship between playoff teams in Major League Baseball and those teams' home records. The top five in each league (overall MLB rank in parentheses)...
AL
1. Boston -- .800 (1)
2. Tampa Bay -- .706 (4)
3. Chicago -- .654 (7)
4. Baltimore -- .607 (t-12)
5. Oakland -- .588 (14)
NL
1. Chicago -- .765 (2)
2. Atlanta -- .735 (3)
3. Houston -- .640 (8)
4. Arizona -- .636 (9)
5. St. Louis/Philadelphia -- .618 (t-10)
If the playoffs started today in Major League Baseball, here's how it would shake out...
AL
1. L.A. Angels -- .613
2. Boston -- .594
3. Chicago -- .567
4. Tampa Bay -- .590
NL
1. Chicago -- .629
2. Philadelphia -- .587
3. Arizona -- .541
4. St. Louis -- .571
The National League is especially telling in this stat, considering all four playoff teams made the list of the top five home records. (OK, there were six teams, but Atlanta basically doesn't count because its record on the road is an abysmal 7-21) In the American League, three of the four made it and L.A. missed the list to West Division rival Oakland by .007.
All of these teams are also (at least) above .500 in games played within their respective divisions. So if a team wants to make a playoff push, it needs to win home games, especially home games within the division. The same can be said for last year's playoff teams -- all eight were above .500 at home and all but the Arizona Diamondbacks had division winning percentages above .500 (Arizona was right on the mark).
It's too bad I won't be able to make it to Progressive Field in hopes that the Indians can turn this ship (or "shit" perhaps) around in time to salvage their season. Instead I'll be spending my only week off trying to figure out what I need and what I don't, packing my car until it's nearly bursting at the seams before heading to Wisconsin.
It's less than two weeks away from the (first) big move and it still hasn't really set in. I guess right after I get that diploma on the stage in the Convocation Center a week from today it might hit.
--------------
Not every person can be perfect in every
way, shape, form; we tend to be
experts by some manner.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Getting My Fill
A recent news story I saw on my Yahoo! News feed really brings to light how much of an economic force is found in the rising costs for fuel.
A synopsis of the story is that people are putting less gas into their cars and are, therefore, running out more frequently. The main reason behind this decision is that they don't have enough money to fill up the tank all at once, so they just try to get by with what they can, hoping it gets them to their destination. But many times this venture is unsuccessful.
I find this very similar to the reason why some people don't have much invested into a retirement fund. They know it would be a huge benefit in the long run, but in the short run they need that extra money to get by. Filling the tank is easily the "safest" choice, but that $25 not spent on the extra half tank of fuel might be enough for three or four meals for that week.
It's a game of investment. Drivers know that the cost of gas isn't going to go down immediately -- and even if it would, the cost would likely be just pennies less than it was. Buying the gas at $4 a gallon, for example, would fill a 12-gallon tank for $48. Paying just 10 cents more would push that total cost up to $49.20. Investing in the gas right away allows for the driver to save $1.20.
This amount actually seems pretty paltry when compared to the time and effort spent on trying to get your empty vehicle off the side of the road. Then consider having it happen in rush hour traffic, when it could take even longer for a service vehicle to get to you. Then consider the fact that companies like AAA aren't going to bring 12 gallons of gas for your car -- they'll probably bring just a few.
If one's car runs out of gas, the next likely step after getting off the side of the road would probably be to put more gas into the tank. But the options could be slim, depending on where one breaks down. It's incredibly unfortunate that this society is one that has people trying to save even $1.50 when that money really should be invested into something of great use, like an extra portion of fuel that can save later problems on the road.
It's unlikely there will be a major slowdown in the rise of gasoline prices. If there is any relief in sight, don't expect it until around August or September when the Presidential campaigning really fires up. It will be a matter of who pushes first. If the Democratic Party puts extreme stress on decision-makers to fix the problem it will be seen as being the one most helpful to citizens, considering fuel costs are part of the biggest issues for Americans.
If the Republican Party wants to strut it's stuff, President Bush will find a way to incorporate Presidential hopeful John McCain into the group that makes the decision to lower fuel costs (in whatever way they can). This would likely spark more people to vote for a McCain seen as trying to fix problems in this country.
Either way, it puts travelers at odds for the majority of the summer. Good thing I have that excellent three-hour trip back home after graduation, followed a week later with an eight-hour journey to Madison, Wisc., where I'll be putting up shop for at least a year. Here's hoping those are the only two major trips I need to take this year because, let's face it, I have to start PAYING the college loan companies, instead of them paying me. But there's no telling how many tanks of gas I'm filling for other people by doing it...
A synopsis of the story is that people are putting less gas into their cars and are, therefore, running out more frequently. The main reason behind this decision is that they don't have enough money to fill up the tank all at once, so they just try to get by with what they can, hoping it gets them to their destination. But many times this venture is unsuccessful.
I find this very similar to the reason why some people don't have much invested into a retirement fund. They know it would be a huge benefit in the long run, but in the short run they need that extra money to get by. Filling the tank is easily the "safest" choice, but that $25 not spent on the extra half tank of fuel might be enough for three or four meals for that week.
It's a game of investment. Drivers know that the cost of gas isn't going to go down immediately -- and even if it would, the cost would likely be just pennies less than it was. Buying the gas at $4 a gallon, for example, would fill a 12-gallon tank for $48. Paying just 10 cents more would push that total cost up to $49.20. Investing in the gas right away allows for the driver to save $1.20.
This amount actually seems pretty paltry when compared to the time and effort spent on trying to get your empty vehicle off the side of the road. Then consider having it happen in rush hour traffic, when it could take even longer for a service vehicle to get to you. Then consider the fact that companies like AAA aren't going to bring 12 gallons of gas for your car -- they'll probably bring just a few.
If one's car runs out of gas, the next likely step after getting off the side of the road would probably be to put more gas into the tank. But the options could be slim, depending on where one breaks down. It's incredibly unfortunate that this society is one that has people trying to save even $1.50 when that money really should be invested into something of great use, like an extra portion of fuel that can save later problems on the road.
It's unlikely there will be a major slowdown in the rise of gasoline prices. If there is any relief in sight, don't expect it until around August or September when the Presidential campaigning really fires up. It will be a matter of who pushes first. If the Democratic Party puts extreme stress on decision-makers to fix the problem it will be seen as being the one most helpful to citizens, considering fuel costs are part of the biggest issues for Americans.
If the Republican Party wants to strut it's stuff, President Bush will find a way to incorporate Presidential hopeful John McCain into the group that makes the decision to lower fuel costs (in whatever way they can). This would likely spark more people to vote for a McCain seen as trying to fix problems in this country.
Either way, it puts travelers at odds for the majority of the summer. Good thing I have that excellent three-hour trip back home after graduation, followed a week later with an eight-hour journey to Madison, Wisc., where I'll be putting up shop for at least a year. Here's hoping those are the only two major trips I need to take this year because, let's face it, I have to start PAYING the college loan companies, instead of them paying me. But there's no telling how many tanks of gas I'm filling for other people by doing it...
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Recent Goings-on
The latest randomisms...
+I accepted a job at WMTV NBC 15 in Madison, Wisc. I'll be the producer for the 10 p.m. news Monday through Friday, as well as taking on the producer role for Friday's 6 p.m. newscast. It's a lot to take on right out of school, but I'm excited to get out and try my hand in the real world. I don't get a bio on the station web channel or anything, but I can't wait to try my hand at taking the 10 p.m. news from 2nd to 1st in the Madison market.
As far as made-up rankings go, I move from what used to be the #2 party school up to what used to be #1 in the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Maybe I'll see Bo Ryan or by chance even Barry Alvarez around somewhere. Jim Sorgi is probably an even better possibility, considering he does nothing during the season anyway.
I start there on June 23rd, a solid nine days after graduation. I'm probably going to try and room with some other college students -- easier to meet people as well as split bills. All I continue to hear about Madison is that it's a great town and I can't wait to get out of classes and get started there.
That also may be partially due to the people I met that I'll be working with at NBC 15. They seem like they really care about putting out the news for the day and are willing to work as a team to get the job done right. I'm sure I'll have something to say on here about the Wisconsin accent, but I haven't ventured into it for long enough yet to get a real sense of what it sounds like. Stay tuned.
+It's been awhile since I've had a funny "Kevin Hunt" moment, which is somewhat disappointing considering the fact that just the other day I talked with someone about bringing back the idea Luke and I developed -- a 365-day desk calendar full of funny "Kevin Hunt" moments. Order yours today...
+Setting milestones in life is just a way to keep track of how old you're getting. I can't tell you straight out how many years it's been since my family moved from Wentz Street in Tiffin, Ohio, to Township Road 54 outside of town. What I can tell you is that our first night there was Halloween when I was in third grade. I guess that means it'll be 14 years this October. And yup, now I feel old.
+I almost died on my drive up to Madison on Thursday. The event happened in the ridiculous city of Columbus, where everything that I despise usually turns up -- OSU, getting lost, traffic accidents, etc. I was in decent-but-not-packed morning traffic on I-70 Westbound south of the OSU campus when I thought to myself, "I'm really dependent on this semi in front of me. I pretty much have to react to whatever he does."
About a minute later, my wildest nightmares came true and the semi slammed on his brakes. I could see smoke coming off the tires -- something I had never seen before outside of a race track. I whipped my car onto the left shoulder (I was in the far left lane) where I saw the reason for the slow down. Two cars were stopped on the shoulder and apparently the semi-truck driver didn't see everyone checking up as they passed this accident. When I put my Acura onto the shoulder, I slammed on my brakes as well and stopped about 200 feet short of the two cars.
No one else behind me got rear-ended and I just hopped back into my place in the line of traffic. It wasn't until that night when I told someone else the story that it really hit me that I was almost a goner -- and had the incident happened just seconds later, I probably would have taken those other two drivers with me when I bailed from the fast lane of traffic.
The truck, ironically, had the picture of a McDonald's Big Mac plastered on the back. I always joke that someday I'll have to end my fast food habits or they'll end me. Little did I know McDonald's almost killed me in a completely different way that day.
+Memorial Day weekend was likely the last time I'll be traveling anywhere away from Athens until after my graduation on June 14th. It's going to be an interesting homestretch to what is my entire college career. I thought about doing a countdown or ranked list of different categories referring to my time at OU, but there's no point in figuring it out. I just like to know that I was lucky enough to get to have some great memories -- and there's still time left...
----------
"Give me some signs that even
I can see.
For a sign not seen is
As good as
No sign at all."
----------
+I accepted a job at WMTV NBC 15 in Madison, Wisc. I'll be the producer for the 10 p.m. news Monday through Friday, as well as taking on the producer role for Friday's 6 p.m. newscast. It's a lot to take on right out of school, but I'm excited to get out and try my hand in the real world. I don't get a bio on the station web channel or anything, but I can't wait to try my hand at taking the 10 p.m. news from 2nd to 1st in the Madison market.
As far as made-up rankings go, I move from what used to be the #2 party school up to what used to be #1 in the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Maybe I'll see Bo Ryan or by chance even Barry Alvarez around somewhere. Jim Sorgi is probably an even better possibility, considering he does nothing during the season anyway.
I start there on June 23rd, a solid nine days after graduation. I'm probably going to try and room with some other college students -- easier to meet people as well as split bills. All I continue to hear about Madison is that it's a great town and I can't wait to get out of classes and get started there.
That also may be partially due to the people I met that I'll be working with at NBC 15. They seem like they really care about putting out the news for the day and are willing to work as a team to get the job done right. I'm sure I'll have something to say on here about the Wisconsin accent, but I haven't ventured into it for long enough yet to get a real sense of what it sounds like. Stay tuned.
+It's been awhile since I've had a funny "Kevin Hunt" moment, which is somewhat disappointing considering the fact that just the other day I talked with someone about bringing back the idea Luke and I developed -- a 365-day desk calendar full of funny "Kevin Hunt" moments. Order yours today...
+Setting milestones in life is just a way to keep track of how old you're getting. I can't tell you straight out how many years it's been since my family moved from Wentz Street in Tiffin, Ohio, to Township Road 54 outside of town. What I can tell you is that our first night there was Halloween when I was in third grade. I guess that means it'll be 14 years this October. And yup, now I feel old.
+I almost died on my drive up to Madison on Thursday. The event happened in the ridiculous city of Columbus, where everything that I despise usually turns up -- OSU, getting lost, traffic accidents, etc. I was in decent-but-not-packed morning traffic on I-70 Westbound south of the OSU campus when I thought to myself, "I'm really dependent on this semi in front of me. I pretty much have to react to whatever he does."
About a minute later, my wildest nightmares came true and the semi slammed on his brakes. I could see smoke coming off the tires -- something I had never seen before outside of a race track. I whipped my car onto the left shoulder (I was in the far left lane) where I saw the reason for the slow down. Two cars were stopped on the shoulder and apparently the semi-truck driver didn't see everyone checking up as they passed this accident. When I put my Acura onto the shoulder, I slammed on my brakes as well and stopped about 200 feet short of the two cars.
No one else behind me got rear-ended and I just hopped back into my place in the line of traffic. It wasn't until that night when I told someone else the story that it really hit me that I was almost a goner -- and had the incident happened just seconds later, I probably would have taken those other two drivers with me when I bailed from the fast lane of traffic.
The truck, ironically, had the picture of a McDonald's Big Mac plastered on the back. I always joke that someday I'll have to end my fast food habits or they'll end me. Little did I know McDonald's almost killed me in a completely different way that day.
+Memorial Day weekend was likely the last time I'll be traveling anywhere away from Athens until after my graduation on June 14th. It's going to be an interesting homestretch to what is my entire college career. I thought about doing a countdown or ranked list of different categories referring to my time at OU, but there's no point in figuring it out. I just like to know that I was lucky enough to get to have some great memories -- and there's still time left...
----------
"Give me some signs that even
I can see.
For a sign not seen is
As good as
No sign at all."
----------
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Being a Human Being
All seriousness aside, there was "excitement" in the air when finding out Cleveland Cavaliers' forward Ben Wallace left Game Two of the Eastern Conference semi-finals after suffering an allergic reaction. You read correctly - the words "seriousness," "suffering" and "excitement" all coming in the same sentence.
Wallace started the game, but with just under four minutes to go in the first quarter, a rebound went to the Celtics and he committed a foul almost immediately. Wallace then stumbled off under the hoop before getting attention from the Cavs medical staff. He continued to sit out, lying down on the floor in front of the bench at times before retiring to the locker room.
What's so great about this?? All of a sudden a 6-foot-9-inch, 240-pound veteran professional athlete was taken out by something that might be bad enough to keep any one of us from going in to work. The guys who steal the show on television -- especially someone like Wallace, who occasionally lets his hair bust out of cornrow bondage -- are as vulnerable to what seem like the most minuscule injuries.
No matter how much we joke or say it in a joking (hopefully) way towards our most hated opponents or players, we don't ever want to see a player lose time to a serious injury. This feeling takes greater presence when we experience a serious injury first-hand.
This isn't a post against Ben Wallace as a person. In fact, it's praising Ben Wallace as a person. Sure he didn't want to get an allergy attack/ear infection during the game. But it goes to show the viewing audience that these huge, iconic athletes are people, too.
Maybe the next post will deal with the number of people citing allergy attacks as valid reasons to take a day off work.
Wallace started the game, but with just under four minutes to go in the first quarter, a rebound went to the Celtics and he committed a foul almost immediately. Wallace then stumbled off under the hoop before getting attention from the Cavs medical staff. He continued to sit out, lying down on the floor in front of the bench at times before retiring to the locker room.
What's so great about this?? All of a sudden a 6-foot-9-inch, 240-pound veteran professional athlete was taken out by something that might be bad enough to keep any one of us from going in to work. The guys who steal the show on television -- especially someone like Wallace, who occasionally lets his hair bust out of cornrow bondage -- are as vulnerable to what seem like the most minuscule injuries.
No matter how much we joke or say it in a joking (hopefully) way towards our most hated opponents or players, we don't ever want to see a player lose time to a serious injury. This feeling takes greater presence when we experience a serious injury first-hand.
This isn't a post against Ben Wallace as a person. In fact, it's praising Ben Wallace as a person. Sure he didn't want to get an allergy attack/ear infection during the game. But it goes to show the viewing audience that these huge, iconic athletes are people, too.
Maybe the next post will deal with the number of people citing allergy attacks as valid reasons to take a day off work.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
MLB April is a Riot
I just want to get this out of the way right now: Chicago Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot is known as "Ryan the Riot" because of the spelling of his name. Use it as you see fit, but as far as the published world is concerned, I coined it.
Now that I'm off my high horse, I wanted to make a few comments about the major league baseball season thus far. First of all, most of my knowledge comes from sifting through various fantasy news. If I miss your favorite player, well, get over it -- or better yet, leave your qualms in the form of a comment at the end of this blog.
How about the start to the season for Chase Utley and Hanley Ramirez?? Utley hit home run #11 on the year tonight, three more than next on the list. A list that includes Ramirez, who also has 9 stolen bases, four behind NL leader Michael Bourn. (Wait, Michael Bourn?? Where did he come from?? By the way, his on-base percentage is .280. If he's on base, he's going to try to steal. But try as you might, he hasn't been caught yet. The big question now: how quickly after this post will he get thrown out. My guess is that it will come on his second attempt to swipe a bag. Stay tuned.)
On the pitching side, Cliff Lee for the Indians has been crazy good. If not for his "low" strikeout total (32, 9 behind leaders Aaron Harang and Felix Hernandez) Lee would be incredibly close to claiming the pitching Triple Crown through one month. Pretty good for a guy whose head was called for by fans, including myself. Hard to argue against it when there are good arms like Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers.
And finally I want to express some love for a guy I hate -- another Philly, Pat Burrell. I hate him because year after year I draft him in fantasy, then he sucks for a month or so until I drop him, then he turns it on until I pick him up, at which point he drops to all-new levels of pathetic-ness. This year I drafted him once again, but only with the motivation that he is in a contract season and looks to make himself a nice paycheck after this season. Here's hoping it's not just another great start for Pat the Bat.
Swing and a Drive...
Now that I'm off my high horse, I wanted to make a few comments about the major league baseball season thus far. First of all, most of my knowledge comes from sifting through various fantasy news. If I miss your favorite player, well, get over it -- or better yet, leave your qualms in the form of a comment at the end of this blog.
How about the start to the season for Chase Utley and Hanley Ramirez?? Utley hit home run #11 on the year tonight, three more than next on the list. A list that includes Ramirez, who also has 9 stolen bases, four behind NL leader Michael Bourn. (Wait, Michael Bourn?? Where did he come from?? By the way, his on-base percentage is .280. If he's on base, he's going to try to steal. But try as you might, he hasn't been caught yet. The big question now: how quickly after this post will he get thrown out. My guess is that it will come on his second attempt to swipe a bag. Stay tuned.)
On the pitching side, Cliff Lee for the Indians has been crazy good. If not for his "low" strikeout total (32, 9 behind leaders Aaron Harang and Felix Hernandez) Lee would be incredibly close to claiming the pitching Triple Crown through one month. Pretty good for a guy whose head was called for by fans, including myself. Hard to argue against it when there are good arms like Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers.
And finally I want to express some love for a guy I hate -- another Philly, Pat Burrell. I hate him because year after year I draft him in fantasy, then he sucks for a month or so until I drop him, then he turns it on until I pick him up, at which point he drops to all-new levels of pathetic-ness. This year I drafted him once again, but only with the motivation that he is in a contract season and looks to make himself a nice paycheck after this season. Here's hoping it's not just another great start for Pat the Bat.
Swing and a Drive...
Monday, April 28, 2008
OU Baseball vs. Kent St. Gm. 3
What an incredible series for Greg Rohan.
He made his way through game one basically unknown. But his impact was most certainly felt from the middle of game two until the end of the series.
Rohan ended the second game 2-4 with two home runs, one of which was a two-run blast in the bottom of the 8th inning that gave the Golden Flashes a 6-5 lead with just one Ohio at-bat left to keep the game alive. Rohan started out game three with another two-run jack, followed by a solo home run.
The Bobcats, however, refused to give up on the idea of winning the game and the series. Ohio grabbed a 4-3 lead after 4 1/2 before Kent tied the game after 5. Each team would add a run before heading to extra innings, where an error fell into the worst possible situation for the Bobcats in the bottom of the 11th inning with the lead-off hitter Chris Tremblay at the plate. He slapped a single to right and scored Brett Weibley from third to win the ballgame.
The Mid-American Conference awards for this week spelled out the series well. The East Division Player of the Week went to Rohan, whose totals for the series were 5-9, 4 HR, 5 R, 6 RBI, one (essentially) game-winning hit. The East Division Pitcher of the Week was Ohio Junior Chris Rigo, who threw a complete game win on Friday night in the Bobcats' only victory of the series. He allowed two earned runs on nine hits and lowered his season ERA to 4.77. He's also 2nd in the league in strikeouts behind only Chris Carpenter of KSU (who had multiple scouts watching him throw as a starter in Saturday's game).
Bottom line: when Ohio gets good pitching, it wins games. When the bats have to pick up the pitchers, the Bobcats seem to struggle. Not something you would expect from a team that is 3rd in the MAC in batting average (and just one hit from being tied for 2nd).
This is an Ohio team that played really tough on the road with MAC Defending Champs Kent State -- in a series that was back and forth constantly. If the Bobcats can find a way to win the next two home series in the conference -- Bowling Green from May 2-4 and Miami from May 9-11 -- then watch for them to make a move through the Mid-American Conference Tournament in late May.
I'm hoping to have audio files of the weekend's highlights up as soon as tomorrow. Check back often and please leave comments and criticism or drop me an e-mail at kevin.t.hunt@gmail.com.
Swing and a Drive...
He made his way through game one basically unknown. But his impact was most certainly felt from the middle of game two until the end of the series.
Rohan ended the second game 2-4 with two home runs, one of which was a two-run blast in the bottom of the 8th inning that gave the Golden Flashes a 6-5 lead with just one Ohio at-bat left to keep the game alive. Rohan started out game three with another two-run jack, followed by a solo home run.
The Bobcats, however, refused to give up on the idea of winning the game and the series. Ohio grabbed a 4-3 lead after 4 1/2 before Kent tied the game after 5. Each team would add a run before heading to extra innings, where an error fell into the worst possible situation for the Bobcats in the bottom of the 11th inning with the lead-off hitter Chris Tremblay at the plate. He slapped a single to right and scored Brett Weibley from third to win the ballgame.
The Mid-American Conference awards for this week spelled out the series well. The East Division Player of the Week went to Rohan, whose totals for the series were 5-9, 4 HR, 5 R, 6 RBI, one (essentially) game-winning hit. The East Division Pitcher of the Week was Ohio Junior Chris Rigo, who threw a complete game win on Friday night in the Bobcats' only victory of the series. He allowed two earned runs on nine hits and lowered his season ERA to 4.77. He's also 2nd in the league in strikeouts behind only Chris Carpenter of KSU (who had multiple scouts watching him throw as a starter in Saturday's game).
Bottom line: when Ohio gets good pitching, it wins games. When the bats have to pick up the pitchers, the Bobcats seem to struggle. Not something you would expect from a team that is 3rd in the MAC in batting average (and just one hit from being tied for 2nd).
This is an Ohio team that played really tough on the road with MAC Defending Champs Kent State -- in a series that was back and forth constantly. If the Bobcats can find a way to win the next two home series in the conference -- Bowling Green from May 2-4 and Miami from May 9-11 -- then watch for them to make a move through the Mid-American Conference Tournament in late May.
I'm hoping to have audio files of the weekend's highlights up as soon as tomorrow. Check back often and please leave comments and criticism or drop me an e-mail at kevin.t.hunt@gmail.com.
Swing and a Drive...
Saturday, April 26, 2008
OU/Kent State Game Two
The second game of the Bobcats-Golden Flashes series in Kent, Ohio, went the way of KSU, but not until the game was nearly over.
Ohio pushed across 4 runs in the top of the 3rd inning to take a 4-0 lead. The scoring was highlighted by Jeramy Rehak's RBI double down the left-field line. Rehak has been having himself a great series -- he went 3-3 on Friday with a walk and had a similar day going on Saturday when he drilled the two-run double.
Kent State finally woke up the bats and started to figure out Ohio starter Zach Elmer. Bobcats Head Coach Joe Carbone said in the post-game interview that Ohio pitching was falling behind in counts all day long and Elmer was only part of the "problem."
With a 5-4 lead through 7 1/2 innings, Carbone sent pitcher Matt Schlarb into the game for Kevin Mementowski (we relieved Elmer). Schlarb gave up a lead-off walk to start the bottom of the 8th, then fell behind 3-1 in the count to Golden Flashes clean-up hitter Greg Rohan. Rohan proceeded to smack his second home run of the day -- a two-run bomb to left that was the game-winner in a final score 6-5 ball game.
All in all, Kent State had 4 homers on the day -- 2 by Rohan, 1 by lead-off hitter Chris Tremblay, then another by center-fielder Jared Humphreys. It had to be a bittersweet moment for Humphreys, a Jackson High School graduate who didn't get looks to play for Carbone in Athens, about a 45 minutes drive from Jackson, Ohio. Humphreys is in his third year with Kent, something I know only because I worked for WOUB-TV's Gridiron Glory show for 3 years, including the season in which Humphreys was named a GG Player of the Year finalist. In fact, Humphreys even has gone back to Athens in the past and played summer ball with the Southern Ohio Copperheads at Bob Wren Stadium.
It was an interesting day for Ohio, to say the least. Tomorrow's rubber match proves to be huge as the winner grabs the top record in the East Division and an all-important conference victory as the season gets near the end.
Sunday's action is at 1 p.m. and you can listen (in Athens) to WATH on 970 AM. I think there's a link online to listen to the game as well on ohiobobcats.com, though I haven't been able to get the link working in awhile. I'm hoping to post some of the highlights from the games up on this site next week sometime.
Until then, Go Bobcats!! and you can listen to me on 970 WATH and the Citizens Bank Ohio Bobcats Sports Network.
Ohio pushed across 4 runs in the top of the 3rd inning to take a 4-0 lead. The scoring was highlighted by Jeramy Rehak's RBI double down the left-field line. Rehak has been having himself a great series -- he went 3-3 on Friday with a walk and had a similar day going on Saturday when he drilled the two-run double.
Kent State finally woke up the bats and started to figure out Ohio starter Zach Elmer. Bobcats Head Coach Joe Carbone said in the post-game interview that Ohio pitching was falling behind in counts all day long and Elmer was only part of the "problem."
With a 5-4 lead through 7 1/2 innings, Carbone sent pitcher Matt Schlarb into the game for Kevin Mementowski (we relieved Elmer). Schlarb gave up a lead-off walk to start the bottom of the 8th, then fell behind 3-1 in the count to Golden Flashes clean-up hitter Greg Rohan. Rohan proceeded to smack his second home run of the day -- a two-run bomb to left that was the game-winner in a final score 6-5 ball game.
All in all, Kent State had 4 homers on the day -- 2 by Rohan, 1 by lead-off hitter Chris Tremblay, then another by center-fielder Jared Humphreys. It had to be a bittersweet moment for Humphreys, a Jackson High School graduate who didn't get looks to play for Carbone in Athens, about a 45 minutes drive from Jackson, Ohio. Humphreys is in his third year with Kent, something I know only because I worked for WOUB-TV's Gridiron Glory show for 3 years, including the season in which Humphreys was named a GG Player of the Year finalist. In fact, Humphreys even has gone back to Athens in the past and played summer ball with the Southern Ohio Copperheads at Bob Wren Stadium.
It was an interesting day for Ohio, to say the least. Tomorrow's rubber match proves to be huge as the winner grabs the top record in the East Division and an all-important conference victory as the season gets near the end.
Sunday's action is at 1 p.m. and you can listen (in Athens) to WATH on 970 AM. I think there's a link online to listen to the game as well on ohiobobcats.com, though I haven't been able to get the link working in awhile. I'm hoping to post some of the highlights from the games up on this site next week sometime.
Until then, Go Bobcats!! and you can listen to me on 970 WATH and the Citizens Bank Ohio Bobcats Sports Network.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Swing and a Drive
I'm sitting here on a late Friday night in Kent, Ohio, just wondering exactly how I got here. Then I remembered that whole "I need to have resume material to show future employers" thing, sucked it up and got on board.
The Bobcats took a 7-2 win today over Kent State in the first game of a three-game set. This is a crucial series for Ohio in my mind because 1) it decides who takes first place in the MAC East Division, 2) it gives the winner of the series some great momentum heading into the home stretch and 3) Kent is the defending MAC Champion team and, let's be honest, who doesn't want to knock off #1??
Kent started out the scoring with a run in the bottom of the 1st, but the bats went silent for much of the rest of the game. KSU had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 2nd, but Ohio pitcher Chris Rigo did a great job pitching out of the jam. Rigo went on to pitch a complete game win, throwing over 140 pitches. Seems like a lot by today's don't-throw-your-arm-out standards, but even 140 pales in comparison to numbers compiled by some staff aces of bygone days. (The MLB playoff record is 163, held by Boston's Luis Tiant from Game Four of the 1975 World Series.)
I'm hoping to get some audio of these games up here when I get back to Athens because, unfortunately, I can't record it on my own here in Kent. I'm also hoping to post to the blog a little more often -- short things like this instead of longer column-like posts. And let's face it, I'm just better at being shorter.
Swing and a Drive...
The Bobcats took a 7-2 win today over Kent State in the first game of a three-game set. This is a crucial series for Ohio in my mind because 1) it decides who takes first place in the MAC East Division, 2) it gives the winner of the series some great momentum heading into the home stretch and 3) Kent is the defending MAC Champion team and, let's be honest, who doesn't want to knock off #1??
Kent started out the scoring with a run in the bottom of the 1st, but the bats went silent for much of the rest of the game. KSU had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 2nd, but Ohio pitcher Chris Rigo did a great job pitching out of the jam. Rigo went on to pitch a complete game win, throwing over 140 pitches. Seems like a lot by today's don't-throw-your-arm-out standards, but even 140 pales in comparison to numbers compiled by some staff aces of bygone days. (The MLB playoff record is 163, held by Boston's Luis Tiant from Game Four of the 1975 World Series.)
I'm hoping to get some audio of these games up here when I get back to Athens because, unfortunately, I can't record it on my own here in Kent. I'm also hoping to post to the blog a little more often -- short things like this instead of longer column-like posts. And let's face it, I'm just better at being shorter.
Swing and a Drive...
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