My Presidential Wish List

 2012 is a momentous year for me for several reasons, I am graduating from college, the world could end on my birthday and for the first time ever I am able to vote for a Presidential election. In 2008 I was still too young to cast my vote, but this year I finally can. I have followed this campaign season since Michele Bachman was a....um.... candidate for President (I'm fairly certain that if she was indeed elected President the the world would end on December 21st). I watched Republican Debate after Republican Debate to inform myself on every possible candidate, oh and because they were the best examples of unintentional comedy in 2012. After watching the debates and the heated campaign season I found myself hoping that the Tea Party would become so frustrated with Mitt Romney that they would break off and have a Paul/Perry ticket for 2012 (Actually a Santorum/Perry, Bachman/Perry or really anyone with Rick Perry would have been comedic gold. I really miss good ole' Rick right about now, there is not a single funnier YouTube video). My dream election scenario is Obama running for the Democrats, Romney running for the Republicans, a Paul/Perry ticket for the Tea Party (or if the State of Texas decides to secede then this would be a hilarious pairing to run the government), Donald Trump running as an Independent, and Vermin Supreme just running. This would be perfect for a couple reasons,

     1) Hofstra University, which I attend, will be hosting the Presidential Debate once again. There is no way that they wouldn't invite at least Obama, Romney, Paul and Trump to the debate (actually knowing Hofstra they probably wouldn't invite them all just to spite me). Just think about how great that debate would actually be, I'm fairly certain that the Secret Service would have to drag me out from laughing too loud the entire time.

     2) I am still undecided on who I would vote for so the variety of opinions could help me make up my mind. It would also be awesome to see Ron Paul and Vermin Supreme just be in the same room together, add in Trump's hair and I cannot think of a greater representation of the state of American politics.

Unfortunately for Jon Stewart and myself this "dream" scenario will not play out. The only two real options are Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, neither of which screams confidence to me. This election is like deciding whether to drink a glass of water from a plastic cup or to drink a glass of water from a glass cup, they may be look different but they are more or less the same. So out of sheer, well boredom, I compiled a very short "wish list" for the Presidential Candidates. Over the next several months I will become more and more vocal about the election, but here are a couple key points that I want each candidate to address.

 My 2012 Wish List For the President of the United States-

     1) I want both candidates to officially come out against Super Pacs-
 Super Pacs do nothing but spew propaganda designed to confuse and scare voters. They are nothing more than cheap (morally speaking not money wise) tricks that are helping to further tear this country apart. If either candidate has any shred of decency then they would try to put a stop to this strange and unfortunate crime against democracy.

     2) I want both candidates to stop blaming the other side of the political spectrum for everything- A week ago I was driving and trying to find a radio station with decent music, which is an impossible task sometimes, but I happened to stumble upon Rush Limbaugh's radio show. Now I have never listened in to Rush, but I had a vague idea of what his show was like. Much to my horror Rush was preaching against uniting both sides and instead was demanding that the liberals must be stopped. What kind of message is this? I am pretty sure that if George Washington heard this he would arise from the grave as a zombie and destroy Rush Limbaugh once and for all. In Washington's fair well speech he even says that,

"There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast, patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume."

The only way that this country can survive is if we are united. I mean for god sakes the word united is the very first word in our country's name. If we continue down this path of finger pointing and demonizing the other side then we won't have to worry about the fate of the United States anymore, because it will perish from this Earth.

3) I want Mitt Romney to stop trying to act like a normal American- Mitt can we have some one on one time for a second. I know that you are trying to connect with the American public by acting like you know how hard their life is, but lets face it, you don't know. Mitt this isn't a bad thing, I don't want a President who is an Average Joe, I know many Average Joe's and while they are nice guys I don't want them to run this country. You made a lot of  money and were very successful in your professional life, stop hiding from this, embrace your success. I want you to come out and say that you're ambitious and that ambition propelled you into a life of Excellency, I want you to embrace the fact that you are smarter, wealthier and more ambitious than most of the people in this country.

4) I want Barack Obama to be a strong, passionate leader all the time, not just during election season- President Obama has great orator skills, which he shows often. During campaigns he is strong and fiery, but during his Presidency he was often timid. Even when Obama came out in support of gay marriage he only did it because Joe Biden forced his hand. Be strong Mr. President, but more than anything be brave enough to stand up for what you believe in all of the time.

5) My final wish is for whoever is elected, whether President Obama or Mr. Romney, to be able to stand up for their beliefs. I understand that the constant media assault has rendered most speeches and answers to questions timid and safe, but I am sick of it. I am sick and tired of listening to safe answers that will keep one safe from the media barrage. I want a President who is willing to stand up and go against the tide. I want a fearless leader who doesn't care if he pisses people off, in fact I encourage the President to make people angry. Make unpopular decisions, don't go with the flow. The most important issues in life are often times the ones that are the most controversial so go please take a stance on an issue. I want a President to march into Congress, lock the doors and tell the weasels that we elected that they aren't leaving until they get something done. I want a President who will push his issues through even if Congress has a fit. I want a President who will take charge, take the flashlight and lead us out of the cave of dissension and despair that we have fallen into. Whether this President is Democrat, Republican, Independent or Vermin Supreme I just want a leader of men not a spineless talking head.

The Miami Heat Free Throw Conundrum

Last nights Heat vs Celtics game was, quite simply put, a game for the ages. Last nights game, like many classic games, seemed to be played in different acts. In Act 1 the Celtics jumped out to an early lead, snatching the momentum away from the Heat. Act 2 featured the Heat storming back, eventually taking the lead heading into the 4th quarter, however, like most great dramas the ending was far from over. The Celtics clawed their way back in Act 3 to tie the game and force overtime. In Act 4 (overtime) the Heat proved to be too much for the Celtics and took a 2-0 series lead. In a game that should be remembered for Rajon Rondo's inspiring play or Lebron James' brilliance all people could talk about was the officiating, much like in Game 1 in which the Celtics were called for 5 technical fouls. A look at the great Bill Simmons's twitter page shows that most of the recent tweets consist of him attacking the officiating, particularly the free throw discrepancies. Last night Miami attempted a staggering 47 FT's to Boston's 29, Boston also had 15 more fouls called on them. The biggest call of the night was actually a no call as Rondo was hit in the face on a drive to the basket. The miss, coupled with Rondo laying on the floor, allowed Miami to go 5-4 on the other end which resulted in a dunk by Udonis Haslem to give the Heat a 2 point lead. In a night where the entire Twittersphere theorized on how the NBA is "rigged" this game only seemed to add fuel to the fire. This got me thinking whether or not Miami actually benefits more from officiated in the playoffs than the remaining teams?

So, because I had nothing at all to do today, I went through every boxscore for the remaining teams playoff games and calculated (well Excel calculated) their FT attempts, opponent FT attempts, foul against and opponents fouls. After gathering the data I then compared each of the remaining teams, Miami, Boston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and saw that Miami had the largest FT differential by far.

In Round 1 agains't the New York Knicks the Heat attempted 30.2 FT's a game compared to the Knicks 21.8 FT's per game, this differential of 8.4 FT would be substantially higher then the largest FT differential during the regular season (being the Nuggets with 6.2 per game). At first glance this seems to make sense, the Heat have players who attack the basket while the Knicks are often content with shooting jumpers. However, the Heat averaged 36.4 points in the paint during the series and the Knicks averaged 33.6 points in the paint. In Game 1 of the series where Miami had 33 FT attempts (with the Knicks having 11) New York actually scored more points in the paint than Miami (28 to 26). Now this is is no way why the Knicks lost the series, the Heat were by far the better team, but it is interesting to note the rather larger FT differential.

In Round 2 against the Pacers the FT differential shrunk dramatically to 2.17 (27 FT's per game for Miami and 24.8 FT per game for Indiana) which was more on par with Miami's regular season differential of 2.1. Overall in the postseason, including the first two games of the Conference Finals, Miami has a FT differential of 6.85 FT per game, which would have been the highest in the regular season. The next highest in the playoffs of the remaining teams is San Antonio with a differential of .333 FT attempts per game. In fact Boston and OKC have negative FT differential, with -2.76 and -.55 respectively. San Antonio and Oklahoma City have seen their FT differential decrease from the regular season while Boston has seen it increased by a paltry .14 attempts. Miami is the only team to see a substantial rise in FT differential with a 4.75 FT attempt increase.

A common argument is that Miami simply drives to the paint more than the remaining teams, shots within the paint are more likely to draw contact and thus lead to the increase in FT attempts. At first glance it would seem that this argument is true, of the remaining teams Miami had the third worst 3 point FG% (1 percentage point above the Thunder) and shot the third fewest 3's (.6 more than Boston). Miami is a team that relies on dribble penetration and attacking the basket in order to score. Yet, with this being said, Miami scored  fewer points in the paint than the Spurs and have scored just a little more than the Thunder. The Spurs average 47.5 points in the paint while Miami averages 40.7 points in the paint (OKC has averaged 37.4). Yet, despite this differential, the Spurs averaged 22.5 FT attempts in the first two rounds and through Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals they have averaged 30 FT attempts which is still below Miami's 35 FT in the Eastern Conference Finals. Oklahoma City has averaged 23.75 FT attempts in the first two rounds and 29.5 FT attempts in the Conference finals, this is considerably lower than Miami's FT attempts in the playoffs. Boston, while having much fewer points in the paint, has averaged 20.9 FT attempts per game.

Miami is the only team of the four remaining to never attempt fewer than 18 free throws a game, every other team has gone below this mark at some point. Miami is also the only team to not have a negative FT differential in any round of the playoffs, the Spurs had one in the first round, the Celtics had one in the second round and the Thunder have had a negative differential throughout the playoffs. Miami also draws more fouls than any of the remaining teams. Miami draws an average of 24.9 fouls a game compared to 22.5 for the Spurs, 19.4 for the Celtics and 21.3 for the Thunder.

Blaming the officials is one of the easiest cop outs in sports, however, there is some merit to the claims that Miami receives favorable calls. Miami has been attempting the most free throws per game and also have drawn the most fouls called. Now this isn't a sign of a conspiracy by the league to let Miami win, but it is a trend that deserves to be monitored. Free throws are called free for a reason, they are an easy and integral way that teams can build leads or comeback. If Miami continues to enjoy the large FT and foul differential then they will continue to be a near impossible matchup in the playoffs.

Doomsday Scenario for the Yankees

Let me start off this blog with an OH MY GOD MARIANO CANNOT BE HURT. DEAR GOD WHY WOULD THIS HAPPEN. TAKE ANYBODY, TAKE GARCIA HE ISN'T DOING ANYTHING. TAKE ME, JUST FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING THAT IS HOLY DON'T TAKE MARIANO.

I'm glad that's off my chest, let's proceed.

Losing Mariano Rivera is the absolute worst injury that the Yankees could endure. Losing any hitter in the Yankees lineup would hurt, but the Yankees have a deep enough bench and a deep enough wallet to be able to find a suitable replacement. Eduardo Nunez could replace Jeter, A-Rod and even Cano or Swisher if the Yankees were ever in that situation. Granderson would be the trickiest position to fill because the Yankees don't have anyone on their roster, who is healthy, that could play center, but they would manage.

Any starting pitcher, outside of Sabathia, would be relatively easy to fill, especially because no one has really stepped up. Ivan Nova has finally lost a start, Phil Hughes is proving that his 2010 18 win campaign was a fluke and Hiroki Kuroda is still trying to figure out a new league. CC would obviously be an awful situation, but not an impossible situation. While he has been one of the leagues most reliable pitchers the last three years (pitching 230 plus innings while never having a FIP above 3.54) he is not indispensable. The 2004 Yankees made it to the ALCS with a starting rotation without a 15 game winner or a pitcher with an ERA under 4.00. (Granted this cost the Yankees a World Series trip and probably another... you know what lets just leave that series alone... forever). If Sabathia went down the Yankees could call up a post retirement Andy Pettitte to see what he has or even Manuel Banuelos and have a patchwork rotation.

All of these scenarios would significantly impact the Yankees chances of first off making the playoffs and second off winning another world series, but they aren't nearly as bad as losing Mo. With no offense to Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera was the most important and best member of the core four. The Yankees would have never won five World Series titles with anyone else at closer. It has been written a million times, but Rivera's post seasons numbers are just off the charts.

In the five years that the Yankees won a World Series with the core four Mariano posted FIP's of 2.82 (1996), 1.94 (1998), 1.92 (1999), 3.07 (2000) and 2.28 (2009). In his playoff career Rivera has a 2.23 FIP (that includes a FIP of 8.61 in 1997), a .13 HR/9 ( he has only allowed 2 career playoff homeruns that's incredible), and a K/BB of 5.24. Check out this graph comparing him to Trevor Hoffman and Dennis Eckersley, Rivera destroys them, those graphs are only for the regular season they would even more astounding if they were for the post season. David Robertson will replace Rivera if the injury is serious and would probably do a very good job. In fact the Yankees should shut Rivera down until September, they can manage a regular season without him that is doable. However, if the Yankees want to add another World Series pennant then they need a healthy Rivera plain and simple.

Little Aziz Ansari?

Sorry that I haven't posting anything lately (I'm incredibly lazy), but I saw this photo and needed to share it with the world. This is apparently Aditya Dev, the worlds smallest bodybuilder, who is 2'9 and weighs 20 pounds.

Now this is Aziz Ansari of Parks & Recreation fame. Is this the same person, why don't you decide for yourself.

How the History Channel Lost Its Way

Turn on the TV right now. Close the computer, stop whatever you are doing and go to the History Channel (if you don't have the History Channel then just keep reading). Chances are if you did happen to turn on the History Channel than you are watching Swamp People or Monster Quest. Maybe if you are really lucky Ancient Aliens will be on. In fact here is a schedule of the History Channel's fine programming, one that is filled with intellectually stimulating shows such as Axe-Men or Full Metal Jousting. These days it seems that the History Channel isn't so much history as it is reality T.V and shows built upon pure speculation. Last time I checked Ancient Aliens wasn't history, mainly because none of it is real. As the clip explains ancient aliens actually came to Earth to mine gold and according to ancient Inca legend they saw the sky gods appear. Maybe I need to read a dictionary, but since when does legend mean a real occurrence? I was under the assumption that a legend, despite often being perceived as truth, actually wasn't true. The truth is no one can really know for sure whether or not aliens visited humankind in the past until we have some sort of contact with them. Until that day comes programs like Ancient Aliens have no business being on a channel that is supposedly dedicated to history, for the simple reason that it isn't history. This is also why Top Shot, Top Gear (This is coming from a gear head, someone who has seen every episode of the British version Top Gear and who actually enjoys the American version), Monster Quest, Axe Men and Swamp People don't belong on the History Channel.

It is hard to blame the History Channel for their new programming, after all they are a television channel and they need to generate some sort of revenue. To peak interest a show needs to have sort of drama, humans thrive off of drama. No matter what anyone tells you people love drama, as a species we are obsessed with it. This is the reason why reality TV is so popular, it shows drama happening in "real life". The problem with history is that there is no drama in it, mainly because it already happened. There is no suspense in a program detailing how the Constitution was formed because we, the viewer, already knows (hopefully) what happened. So the History Channel changed its programming and instead, cleverly I might add, focused on attracting a large amount of viewers. This means less specials and documentaries about historical events and more of this. This is not because the people at the History Channel have stopped caring about history, but it is a reaction to the changing culture that we live in. The cold, hard truth is that people just don't care that much about history.

There have been numerous studies about Americans apparent apathy for their own history. A New York Times piece last year pointed out some rather alarming statistics. Overall only 20% of fourth graders, 17% of eight graders and 12% were deemed proficient at history. In fact 38% of Americans last year wouldn't be able to pass the U.S. citizenship test. That means almost 4 out of 10 people wouldn't be able to become a citizen in their very own country. All one needs to pass the test is a 60%, that wouldn't even count for a passing grade anywhere else. When 38% of Americans cannot identify the basic workings of our government then this country is in serious trouble. As a nation it should be our duty to educate voters and especially children on how the government actually works (it may not work well, but it does work). Instead this country is producing more and more ignorant Americans each year, which leads to more ignorant voters, which in turn leads to this.

History is so important because it gives us a a detailed account of why our world is the way it is. One cannot fully understand relations between countries, classes or parties without knowing the story behind it all. This makes the History Channel so crucial to our society. Most kids are more apt to sit down and watch a TV show than they are to read a book, so when a channel which is supposed to be about history instead shows crappy reality TV then there is a problem. Kids today, hell every person in this country needs to become better informed about not only our country, but also the world. We need more documentaries, more specials that can help explain the world that we all share. Now in no way shape or form am I suggesting that the History Channel is responsible for our ignorance, its not, but I am saying that they should hold themselves to a higher standard. Now higher standards usually mean less profit, I understand this, but for once I would love to see anyone do the right thing. The world really needs someone to place the greater good over the greater rate of profit. So I beg the History Channel to leave the ratings chasing for the the other stations and instead give the people what they need, an idea of how and why we ended up here.

Why Managers Matter

Baseball, more than any other sport, can be won or lost by the manager. Sure football and basketball coaches make bad decisions, but baseball when boiled down is a game of individual match ups. Baseball is a chess match, managers use pitchers when they have a significant advantage over a particular hitter. This is why there are lefty specialists, their jobs are to get out a lefty hitter and that's it. Much like a goal line back in football or a 3 point specialist in basketball, left specialists should only be used in small durations when the flow of the game demands it. Tonight in the Yankees loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Yankees manager, Joe Girardi, made a surprising decision in the bottom of the 7th inning that cost his team two runs.

In a 6-2 game Girardi left in lefty specialist Clay Rapada in to face Evan Longoria after Rapada walked Carlos Pena. Longoria ended up hitting a ground rule double (a fan reached over the fence and snagged the ball thus reversing what was called a home run) to move Pena to third. Girardi left in Rapada to face Matt Joyce who promptly singled to left field driving in both runners and putting the game effectively out of reach. 

Now why would Girardi leave in Rapada, especially when Cory Wade was already warmed up? As noted earlier Rapada is a lefty specialist and rarely faces right handed pitching. Rapada has only faced a total of 95 right handed hitters all time and has just absolutely horrid numbers against right handed batters. For his career right handed hitters bat .359 against with 6 home runs, three times as many as left handed batters have against him. He issues 8.5 walks per 9 innings and has a 8.4 strike out percentage. In fact he didn't strike out a single right handed batter last year. With these less than impressive numbers one would think a number savvy manager like Girardi would know better, but instead he left him in against one of the best hitters in the game with very good numbers against lefty pitching. Last season Longoria had a wOBA of .392 against lefty pitching, compared to a .356 wOBA against right handed pitching. Even during an off year like Longoria had last year he still managed to hit 10 home runs against lefty's and had a .310 isolated power. He has a career .549 slugging percentage against left pitching and a .942 OPS. In a game all about match ups Girardi left in a pitcher who cant get out right handed batters in against a batter who kills lefty's, this decision may have very well cost the Yankees the game. 

Now World Series aren't won or lost in April, but it is troubling to see a manager not utilize his advantages when the time comes. Tonight's game was won at the managerial level, especially on the Rays side. Joe Maddon proved once again why he is the best manager in the game. Time and time again the Rays shift picked up huge outs on what would usually be hits. The shift saved a couple runs in the 8th and got the last out in the 9th. This game was an excellent example of how much of an impact a manager actually has on the game. 

Down Memory Lane on Opening Day

Its April and that can only mean one thing, baseball is back. After a long winter America's pastime has returned, with it bringing hopes and memories back to millions of fans across the country. Baseball is able to give us a nostalgia that beckons a fan back to the days of Little League or playing catch in the backyard. I have always felt a special bond with baseball, it was the first sport that I was able to understand and my first love. Like most children my love of baseball stemmed from my father and the games we played next to our house. With baseball's Opening Day I am immediately taken back to those memories and my single favorite baseball moment.

My favorite memory in baseball isn't any particular Yankee win (although there has been some amazing ones) or any game in high school, instead my favorite baseball moments happened in the front lawn. The first memory happened at my fathers house when I was 8 years old. At that time my parents had been divorced for almost 3 years and subsequently I didn't see my father all that much. Whenever I did see him our interactions almost centered entirely around sports, especially baseball. As a young boy, like most other boys, I idolized my father, everything he liked I liked. This was doubly true about sports. I like the New York Giants because of my father, I liked Syracuse basketball because of my father and most importantly I liked the Yankees because of my father. I remember memorizing the line up and pitching rotation and then demanding a quiz from my dad to show him how much I knew about the Yankees. Whenever we played a game I would always try to emulate the different batting stances of Yankee players. We played in a lot next to his house owned by our elderly neighbor, there we would play games with just the two of us. Any ball hit on the ground by the pitcher was a single, a ball hit in the air 100 feet was a double, 150 feet was a triple. About 200 plus feet away was a parking lot of a nursing home, any ball hit in the air into the parking lot was a home run. Now being an eight year old I never even got close to a home run, in fact I was lucky if I hit a single. All of the games where close, mainly because my dad didn't want to discourage me from playing. He wouldn't throw hard, he mostly threw change ups, but he did have a particularly nasty knuckle ball that was impossible to hit. I was lucky if i could manage to foul off that pitch most of the time I would swing widely at it, hoping to make contact. 

This brings us to that memorable day. The year was 1998, the Yankees were in the middle of a historic season and Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa slugging it out for the home run crown (with a little bit of help). It was the dog days of August, just weeks before school started up and baseball games would be replaced by soccer practices. My dad and I set up the diamond like usual, setting up the backstop and placing the bases, just in case anyone hit a home run. We played with ghost runners, but the rule was if you hit a home run then you had to take your victory lap. Up until that point I hadn't even sniffed a home run, but I was feeling confident that day. It was the third inning and I was down 5-3 with two ghost runners on. Looking back I realize that my dad was going easy on me that day, a couple weeks before I struck out four time in my first Little League start, and was throwing mainly meatballs. With a rare swagger I loudly proclaimed that I wanted heat. My dad laughed and obliged me throwing a fastball right down the center of the plate. At that time he could probably throw around 75, but to an 8 year old it seemed to be traveling the speed of light. I swung about two seconds to late and ended up falling over. With my dads laughter ringing in my ear I dusted myself off and stood up, defiantly looking at him. With anger and humiliation coursing through my veins I yelled "Is that all you got?" My dad reared back and threw again, this time harder. I watched it go by trying to get the timing down in my head. After I threw the ball back to him I dug in at the plate. I chocked up on the bat and tightened my grip, gearing up for another fastball. Whether it was fate or pure luck I managed to connect with the ball and I sent it flying in the air. It seemed to keep rising and rising, going farther and farther. After what seemed to be an eternity it landed in the parking lot of the nursing home, bouncing two times before nestling under a red car. The second the ball landed I took off, not to first but to where the ball had landed. The excitement was overwhelming, it was my first home run. After finding the ball I demanded a tape measure for my blast, the final distance was 235 feet. We decided that it would be best if it was a walk-off home run so we called it a day.

 I never hit a real home run in any game I played in high school and never turned out to be that good of a ball player. That doesn't matter to me at all though, because even though my greatest baseball moment came over a decade ago I still remember it like it was yesterday. This is the what makes baseball truly great. Baseball is so cemented into our culture, especially that of the father and the son. What really matters isn't who wins, but instead its the bonds that the game makes. I may have not seen my father as much as I would have liked growing up, but I will always have that memory and countless others that we shared watching the game that we both love. Someday I will buy a glove for my son or daughter and the tradition will be extended. As I enter the adult world many of the things I used to love have fallen by the wayside. This isn't a bad thing, its just growing up. but I always find solace in the fact that no matter where I end up baseball and those memories will always be there reminding me of what's important.

Game of Thrones Season Two Predictions

I am somewhat of a fantasy nerd, it is something that I readily admit. Ever since I was a little I would get my hands on any kind of fantasy book. Whether it was The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Redwall, Harry Potter, Watership Down, The Lost Years of Merlin or The Once and Future King I simply could not get enough of it. Fantasy, when done well, is the most fascinating genre. Fantasy expands the limits of human imagination to the very edge of what is possible. I remember countless sunny afternoons spent outside with my brother in our own little fantasy world where all of our worldly troubles disappeared and we were transported to a land that we could control. For a child with severe confidence issues, fantasy novels gave me an outlet for my own thoughts and desires. This brings me to my favorite show on television, Game of Thrones.

I have not read George RR Matin's series (I know, shocking) so all I know about the story comes from the television show, and man, what a show it is. From the very first episode I was hooked. The characters were new and fresh, each having their own motivations and interests. The best thing about the characters is that they draw you in, by the end of the season you have strong passionate feelings about every character in the show. I fell in love with Syrio, Daenerys, Varys, Arya, Jorah and Tyrion. I could feel myself rooting for those characters more than anyone else on the show. When they succeeded or had a moment of triumph I couldn't help but feel like I actually did something besides streaming the show on my laptop. Yet at the same time I felt myself loathing Littlefinger and especially that little shit Joffrey (but honestly is there any person out there who doesn't have severe mental issues that actually likes Joffrey. The moment that little bastard's head is on a pike will be the best day of my life). This Sunday season two begins and I am as giddy as a schoolgirl. To celebrate this wonderful show I am making 5 predictions about the upcoming season.

 I have not looked anything up or read any of the books so to be perfectly honest I have no idea what is going to happen (if these are like any of my other predictions then just stop reading here).

1) King Joffrey will not die this season- I hope more than anything that this does not turn out to be true. My favorite YouTube video is of Tyrion slapping the little prick across the face (this clip never gets old). However, every story needs a villain and Joffrey is the ultimate villain. He is cowardly, egotistical, delusional, sadistic and a moron. Very rarely do villains express all of those key attributes. He will meet his end eventually, but it won't be this season.

2) Theon Greyjoy will betray and kill Robb Stark- Theon is going to be put in an awkward place this season. All the promos show Theon returning to his original home on the Iron Islands to try to form an alliance between the Starks and the Greyjoys. Also the fighting in Westeros is know as the War of the Five Kings. Joffrey, Robb, Renley and Stannis make four which most likely leaves Balon Greyjoy (Theon's father) the last king. This video shows a quick glimpse of the Greyjoy house with Theon seemingly pledging allegiance to his father and family. Wouldn't it make sense to try to eliminate one leader of the rebellion, Robb Stark, whose family took away the son of the lord? With Robb gone that's one less army to worry about. Also a glimpse of the Stark House video has Arya saying that Robb is called the "Young Wolf" and cannot be killed. If we learned anything from season one its that anyone can be killed at any moment.

3) Renly Baratheon will be killed by someone from Stannis's camp- All of last season we kept hearing that Stannis has the best claim to the throne, that Stannis is the rightful heir. All we really learned about Stannis is that he is a skilled battle commander and apparently has the personality of a lobster. Stannis and Renly have a pretty tenuous relationship, neither of them are willing to back down. Stannis also has the mysterious Melisandre, who in this clip seems to be giving birth to some kind of devil spawn. I have no idea what will she will spawn, but it certainly can't be good for Renly.

4) Jamie Lannister will either escape or be exchanged and will immediately rekindle his "special" relationship with his sister- Actually lets just move on, I promised myself never to get into depth on incest twin relationships.

5) Hodor will say something besides Hodor- If only because he might string a couple of random syllables together at some point.

Well there you have, 5 somewhat bold predictions that will probably not end up being right. The best thing about Game of Thrones is that it brings you back to when you were a kid. When your imagination was the only limit for your life, a time where the world wasn't so daunting. While Game of Thrones is set in a world where backstabbing and manipulation are the name of the game, it still is an escape from the real world. That is why this Sunday I will be in front of the TV waiting for the new season to begin. For that one hour all the problems of the world won't seem so poignant, I and everyone else watching will be able to take a break from reality, if only for an hour.

Will The Real Rick Santorum Please Go Away

I haven't blogged much this week due to the beautiful weather, why be inside staring at a computer screen when I can be outside do anything else? I wasn't even planning on writing anything today, I was going to just enjoy another day outside. Well that all changed because of one man: Rick Santorum.

I was on buzzfeed.com and saw this video. Well, needless to say, I thought it was a joke video. It even had the really cheesy gravely voice guy who does all the crappy summer horror movies narrate it. Just to make sure I popped on over to Rick Santorum's website to check it out. Now if you clicked on the link then you also went to the first page on the site, a donations page. Not a little biography on the candidate or his stance on some issues, a donation page is the very first thing they throw at you. Come on Rick, I thought you were a family man, at least buy me dinner before you want me to go all the way with you. ( Just for fun I checked out Romney's, Paul's, Gingrich's and Obama's pages to see if they had the same front page. Well you can see for yourself.) I figured since family is Santorum's main platform, he would want to show off his lovely family, which he does on the site, but the site makes it clear that if one thing is more important than family and that's apparently your money.

Now I want to make this clear I am not a liberal, I am not a Democrat, I am a registered Independent and I would rather get mauled by a bear than associate with any of our main parties.

I have been following the GOP's primary pretty closely, I was underwhelmed by Obama's first term and was hoping that someone from the GOP would show some promise. When all hoped seemed to be destroyed by the likes of Michelle Bachman, Rick Perry and Herman Cain, one man stepped up and showed America that the GOP could produce even shittier candidates. To be perfectly honest I had no idea who Rick Santorum was until his run in the Iowa Caucus, but I was excited. I was hoping maybe that he could be a strong candidate that would be more in touch with the American people. I watched his entire victory speech after Iowa and was surprised. Here was a man whose grandfather was an immigrant coal miner and spent his whole life working hard to give his future generations a better life, that is the American dream after all. Then everyone got to know Rick just a little too much.

Here are just a couple of my favorite youtube clips on Rick Santorum (be warned you may want to watch this on an empty stomach). Here's Santorum on gays in the military and on a famous JFK speech ( oh here is the actual speech where JFK hopes that one day religious intolerance will no longer exist), oh and here is Santorum on the unemployment rate ( once again this is a man whose budget will increase our national debt. Probably a safer bet if you didn't lecture us on the economy Rick). Now you can't get the full story on a candidate by watching clips which is why I went to his website. On his website you can read how he will cut any regulations on CO2 emissions (because our planet is so healthy as it is) and how he will secure our border (forget the fact that our borders are safer than ever). Please go look at his videos, my favorite is the one where people are being herded like cattle off a cliff until Rick Santorum saves the day!!!

Our country is in a sad state, no one can deny that. This is why a candidate like Santorum can have success. He is a leech, feeding off peoples fears and emotions, stripping down any rational thought that voters have. Doom and gloom candidates come out of the woodwork during hard times, its easier to manipulate voters burdened by hardship. Santorum sticks to issues like abortion and gay marriage because they are hot button topics that rile up strong emotions amongst the masses. Rick Santorum is a fear monger standing upon his soapbox preaching his message of intolerance and ignorance. I don't know if there is a good candidate out there, all I know is that Rick Santorum must not, should not and will not be the next President of The United States of America.

Why Tebow and Manning Could Coexist

According to sources Peyton Manning is planning to sign with the Denver Broncos, thus ending effectively Tebowmania in the mile high city. I would like to go on record in saying that I can't stand Tewbowmania, I don't think he will be a good quarterback and I think that Manning should retire there is no need to risk his long term health playing football. (That's the thing that I just do not understand, I realize that he is competitive and wants to prove that he can still play, but someone close to him needs to tell him that its not worth it. You don't mess with neck injuries) With all that being said I think that the Broncos should not only keep Tebow, but they should start him right next to Manning.


I know, I have probably lost my mind. I blame Mercury Retrograde, but just hear me out. It is pretty obvious to just about everyone (except Skip Bayless.... look at Bayless's face at the :22 second mark and 1:46 mark, I have never seen truer love in any ones eyes) that Tebow probably won't become a good quarterback in the NFL, he just can't throw the ball with any accuracy. Just look at his stats compared to every other quarterback in the league. He has the lowest completion percentage, the 37th best Expected Points Added (EPA) and ranks 36th in success rate. Tebow is like a pitcher who can't throw strikes and every other pitch is a wild pitch. With all that being said Tebow is good at one thing (besides inspiring John Parr to write heart touching songs) and that is running the football.

Tebow is a physical freak of nature. He is 6'3, 236 pounds of pure extra virgin athletic talent, no one doubts that. He is big enough to break tackles from linemen and linebackers and is just quick enough to break off long runs. In fact Tebow actually has pretty good rushing stats. His overall yards per carry was 5.71 yards and his rusher rating clocked in at 104.55, sure the sample size is small but it does show that he can be effective at running the football. This is especially true when in the red zone, 5 of Tebow's 6 rushing touchdowns came when he was in the opponents red zone. While Tebow has proved is not a dependable passer, he can be a serviceable rusher.

This brings me to my crazy idea of starting Tebow and Peyton. The Broncos showed last year that they can win with a good defense, a solid running game and the option on offense. Well why not expand upon that. The Broncos could line up with 5 offensive linemen, a tight end, two wide receivers, a running back, Manning and then Tebow serving as a multipurpose back. This would be the full extent of the option/wildcat football formation. Peyton's biggest strength has always been reading the defense, this strength will still translate post surgery. If Tebow is placed beside of him they will have a hard time to adjust, will Manning throw the ball or hand off to McGahee or hand off to Tebow or Tebow could even throw the ball (if it was a blowout and he finished his Scripture reading for the day). The key to a good offense is having multiple options in place to confuse and change the defenses schemes. Manning is very adept at reading the defense pre-snap and will make the best decision possible. Tebow is strong enough to block and should be able to learn how to run a simple route. They don't have to play Tebow every snap, its Manning's team now, but it could work 25-35 snaps a game.

 Denver proved last year that they are willing to be creative when it come to their offense, well why not go a little bit further. Signing Manning is already a risk, no one knows how he will play post surgery, so why not try this. At the very worst they can continue to sell more Tebow jerseys.

On second thought forget everything I wrote, lets stop this Tebowmania crap once and for all.

Mercury Retrograde Madness!

I really didn't want to write another blog post about college basketball, but today's game gave me absolutely no choice. Yesterday was a pretty calm day in the tournament, with only two upsets it seemed that it might be a pretty mild tournament.

Yeah.... about that.....

Today there were a whopping total of five upsets, including losses by 2 seed Duke (defeated by Leigh) and 2 seed Missouri (beaten by Norfolk State). A 15 seed hasn't beaten a 2 seed in eleven years and it happened twice today! Combine that with NC State, Ohio, Purdue, St Louis, South Florida, and Xavier winning today has been just insanity. There is only one explanation for this, that is Mercury Retrograde.

What's Mercury Retrograde you ask? Well pull up a chair and sit back because Uncle Michael is about to lay some knowledge on you (that sounded a lot less creepy in my head). In astrology certain planets control certain aspects of life; Mercury happens to control communication, clear thinking, time and travel. When Mercury goes into retrograde, meaning it appears to be moving backwards across the night sky, crazy things tend to happen. In 2012 Mercury Retrograde is supposed to last from March 12th- April 3rd, guess when the NCAA tournament ends..... I'll give you a second to look it up..... it ends April 2nd! That is not a coincidence, its fate. That is the sports gods looking down on us mere mortals and saying, wouldn't this be a great time to just mess up everyone's bracket.

I mean look at what Mercury is supposed to control, communication, clear thinking, time and travel. Could there be a planet that could affect basketball anymore? There have been numerous leaks on full court presses ( I'm looking at you Duke), bonehead decisions in the waning moments of close games (that's you Saint Mary's), a lane violation that negated a free throw (that is by far the craziest call I have ever seen, Atkins was going to make that second free throw) and weird instances where teams that traveled long distances beat the teams that barely had to were essentially playing in there back yard(aka Gonzaga and Norfolk State). I don't necessarily believe in astrological signs, but I do believe that when it comes to March absolutely anything can happen. I may not have a perfect bracket (The only choice I regret is Virginia in the Elite 8, I should be thrown in jail for that pick or forced to watch A Thousand Words) but I don't even feel bad about it now. Strange happenings are afoot.  So just rip up your brackets, stop looking at the stats, and look up into the night sky. The only thing that is in charge of this tournament is Mercury.

Let the madness ensue!

Well There Goes My Bracket.....

AHHHHHHHHHH! My bold claim backfired by the first game, but man what a game it was. VCU had a reprise role as a bracket buster as they shocked (pun intended, and no I am not better than that) Wichita State in the first round. I thought VCU would be a challenge, but they took the Shockers completely by surprise( its just going to get worse from here) in the first half and remained in control for the entire game. Fueled by a relentless full court press and a hard nosed defense VCU was able to hold the Shockers to 24-64 from the field. Joe Ragland only made his presence known late in the second half and Garrett Stutz, Wichita's big 7 footer, was held for 2-11 shooting and was in foul trouble for most of the game (he also missed a gimme basket with under a minute left. I mean honestly you're 7 feet tall just put it into the damn hoop, what a putz!).

The real star of this game however, was VCU's head coach Shaka Smart. Wichita State, on paper, was the superior team. Every advanced stat seemed to point to a Wichita State victory, but stats don't win basketball games.Smart is an expert motivator and game planner, he sent double team after double team which continually frustrated Wichita States senior guards. The Rams rotation defense was phenomenal, they didn't give up an easy basket in the paint. The Shockers had to work for every basket in the paint. It was especially impressive on their ability to draw offensive fouls, this stems from good positioning and good coaching. Two charges drawn by VCU defenders negated 4 points and also helped send Stutz to the bench in the mid first half. VCU, while a much younger team than last years Final Four squad, showed tremendous poise through out the game. When Wichita State made their run in the second half the Rams didn't panic and just continued on with their game plan. This shows just how good of a coach Smart is. His players were motivated, prepared and disciplined, skills that a good coach instills on a team. Despite being outgunned and out sized the Rams managed to control most of the game. Good coaches are able to motivate their teams against superior opponents, a trait that Smart has showed time and time again. I don't know how much farther this VCU will go, but I am sure as hell not going to count them out of any game. Smart has reached the level of coaches that can never be counted out of any tournament or any game.

This game also showed just how great March Madness is. I don't know anyone from Wichita State, I probably won't root for them again, but I was as invested in this game as any other game this year. Every game of the NCAA Tournament is so crucial because you always have a vested interest in the outcome. A lose can ruin your bracket and embarrass you in the process. (on the Internet in front of the whole world for my case, which once again assumes that people besides myself actually reads this) I was glued to my computer screen, every single miss or sloppy play sent my heartbeat skyrocketing. Unfortunately I was wrong with my prediction, yet I would make the same choice every single time. I still believe that Wichita State could have beaten Kentucky, the stats supported me and it was a logical choice. I failed to remember that there is no place for logic in an illogical tournament. March Madness is so great because we don't know whats going to happen, which is a rarity in the culture that we live in. With a 24/7 news cycle information is thrown at your constantly. Everything in our life is broken down, analyzed, and then placed into a statistical category that makes "sense". But March Madness doesn't make sense sometimes, it can be wonderful, torturous, exhilarating, and heartbreaking all within the ebb and flow of a single game. In a world where everything needs to make sense and follow the data, it is refreshing to remember that not everything in life can explained by numbers. The human element will always be able to surprise us and remind us how exciting life can really be.

P.S-  Fuck you VCU

P.S.S- I stand by my comment

My One and Only Official Bracket (not that it matters)

Yesterday I went on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about how much I love Wichita State. I could probably write another twenty blog posts on the subject, but I will refrain myself. Anyway here is my feeble attempt at predicting an unpredictable tournament. In the end (with a couple exceptions) I picked mostly chalk. I have a 1 seed (Michigan St), two 2 seeds (Ohio St, Kansas) and of course my favorite team in the field, Wichita State. (Quick tangent I promise I had Syracuse losing before today's news, I mean I did write a post about my disgust of them)

There are a couple of surprising upsets among this bracket. Belmont beating Georgetown may come as a surprise, but they are a lot closer than they appear. Belmont has the the twelve ranked offense in basketball, and have played very competitively against other tournament teams, Duke and Memphis. While Georgetown does have a stingy defense, they are prone going into long shooting droughts which could spell trouble for a hot shooting Belmont team. The other big surprise comes with the Virginia over Missouri and Marquette predictions. Virginia has one of the best defenses in the country and a very talented forward in Mike Scott. They should be able to pester the smaller Missouri team and out rebound the Tigers significantly. Virginia is ranked fourth in defensive rebound percentage, which paired with its staunch defense should prevent Missouri from second chance opportunities. Virginia faces similar challenges with a potential Marquette match up. Since losing the  6'11 Chris Otule in early December Marquette has been forced to play a smaller lineup. Sometimes its not about who is the best team, its what your match up is. Virginia in the Elite 8 is a huge reach, but wheres the fun in not taking chances in March. Either this bracket is the end all be all of brackets (which would prove the Mayans right) or I will be completely off. (I'd bet on the latter)

Why Wichita State Will Shock The College Basketball World

There is really only one aspect to the NCAA Tournament that can be considered "Madness". That is the crazy notion that someone can actually predict what can happen. There are simply just too many weird moments that can arise during a do or die game situation. A bad shooting night might get a team eliminated, bad calls by the officials might get a team eliminated, food poisoning from bad General Tao's Chicken (okay, maybe this isn't as likely to happen, but I'm not ruling it out) will destroy your digestive system and might get a team eliminated. The fact of the matter is that too many quirky anomalies can happen, so claiming to "know" who is going to win is just stupid. The best team may not necessarily win, but the team that gets "hot" with favorable match ups generally does well. It is much better to be riding into March on a high note, not coming off a sub-par outing. The general consensus is that this is Kentucky's tournament to lose. They are the most talented and heralded team in the nation. They have a player, Anthony Davis, who could very well win freshman of the year and the Naismith College Player of the Year. (On an unrelated note Davis also bears a striking resemblance to Bert from Sesame Street). Kentucky's roster is full of future NBA lottery selections, if there is any favorite in this tournament then it is Kentucky. Yet, this exact reason that Kentucky will not win the championship AND lose to Wichita State in the Sweet 16.

Now if your still reading (Which is dubious on two accounts, the first is the assumption that anyone actually reads this and the second is the assumption that you didn't leave the site at my absurd prediction) then you probably want some kind of tangible statistic to back up my crazy claim. Now there isn't one single smoking gun statistic that can prove me right. Kentucky has a better record, plays in a better conference, has more Top 25 wins and has a staggering 16 blowouts (wins by over 19 points). These "glamour" statistics look impressive on paper, but then again all of Kentucky's statistics look impressive on paper. A couple of statistics really jump from the page, Kentucky is fourth in points per possession, first in blocked shots per game and sixteenth in field goal percentage. Their defense is even more impressive ranking seventh in the nation in opponent’s points per possession, and first in FG percentage, True Shooting percentage and Effective FG percentage. No matter how you slice it Kentucky is the most dominantteam in the nation, but notice who isn't too far behind them in the 2012 Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings. If you guessed (most likely just read) Wichita State then you are right.

So why is a team that's ranked tenth in the nation by some of the most sophisticated statistics only a 5th seed? Well the easiest answer is that its Wichita State, a name that doesn't exactly scream basketball pedigree. They play in a mid major conference (the Missouri Valley) and they don't have a single player who garners the attention that Kentucky's stars do. Don't let this lack of attention fool you, Wichita State is a big time team and despite the odds they have a legitimate chance to make it to the Final Four. If there is one thing Wichita State can do, it is score the basketball. In fact they rank tenth in points per possession, twelve in Effective FG percentage, tenth in True Shooting Percentage and they are a top 25 free throw shooting team. It doesn't matter that they play in the Missouri Valley (which is a very respectable conference) they can score on anyone. Senior guard Joe Ragland is number one in the nation in true shooting percentage at a staggering 69.9%( I will give you a moment to pick your jaw from the floor..... all set? Good). Not only can he shoot, he doesn't turn the ball over, committing 1.9 turnovers per game. Ragland's match up will be the much maligned freshmen point guard, Marquis Teague. Unlike like the most recent John Calipari point guards (Derek Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, and Bradon Knight) Teague has not had a stellar freshmen season. Teague shoots an abysmal 47.8 True Shooting percentage and an even worse Effective FG percentage at 43.9. To add salt to the wound Teague commits 2.765 turnovers a game and isn't exactly a defensive stopper. If Kentucky has one weakness, it is at point guard. Wichita State knows this weakness and will exploit it.

Wichita State also has a big man to compliment the best shooter in the nation. Garrett Stutz is a 7 footer who is the anchor of the Shockers (that's their actual nickname, its like they are destined to beat Kentucky) front court. Stutz shoots surprisingly well from the free throw line, coming in at 82.1%, but it is the defensive glass that Stutz makes his name. Stutz has the fourteenth best defensive rebound percentage in the nation, coming in at 26.6% which is actually better then Anthony Davis's defensive rebounded percentage (23%). This allows Wichita State to control the glass, if you add this with their offensive proficiently and their solid defensive stats, the Shockers are primed to knock off Kentucky.

However, the biggest knock on Kentucky is their youth. Like most John Calipari teams Kentucky is freshmen heavy, which comes at a price. Since the NCAA has awarded a freshmen player of the year only one time has that freshmen gone on to lead his team to the championship (Carmelo Anthony in 2003). The bad news keeps on coming for Kentucky because only four teams (Georgetown in 1984, Kansas in 1988, Duke in 1992 and Duke in 2001) have won with the Nasimith Player of the Year on their roster. This spells trouble for potential (but lets be honest he is going to win) POY Anthony Davis and his Wildcats. Wichita State is a senior laden team that has experience and a hunger to go far in this tournament. Most, if not all, of the players on their roster will not play in the NBA so for them this is their last chance at basketball glory. Kentucky is full of future NBA stars who may see further glory down the road. Kentucky's losses on the year have come to teams that they overlooked, a position Wichita State is usually in. Wichita State will be the underdog if they make it to play Kentucky ( which is not a lock, Wichita State needs to go through a good VCU team and potentially Indiana) which will give them an "us against the world" mentality, a mindset that is very dangerous in March. The NCAA Tournament is the place where Cinderella teams cement their names in basketball lore. There have been the dramatic out of no where runs by Butler, VCU, George Mason, NC State, Villanova and this year Wichita State will join those ranks. So make your picks, play it safe, go chalk and pick Kentucky to win the title, just don't tell me that I didn't warn you.

Saying Good Bye To Syracuse Men's Basketball

I am a avid sports fan, constantly reviewing every story on ESPN like my life depended on it. I grew up rooting for four different teams; the New York Yankees, the New York Giants, Syracuse Men's Basketball, and the New York Knicks. Those are the only teams I care about, my day can be made by a win and my week can be ruined by a loss. I probably care about sports too seriously, but they are just an integral part of my life. In fact my fondest childhood memories are because of sports. I remember watching the 1998 World Series with my dad, every pitch being the most important moment of my life. I remember setting aside my school project, the first of many instances, to watch the Giants crush the Minnesota Vikings in the 2000 NFC Championship game. I remember the Knicks crazy run to the 1999 NBA Finals as an 8 seed, the first time I learned of the excitement of watching an underdog. I remember Syracuse's magical title run in 2003 and how I was so excited I couldn't sleep so I watched the replays over and over again. Sports have given me some moments that I will be eternally grateful for, which makes what I'm about to type even harder.
   
Syracuse University Athletics will move from the Big East Conference, of which it was a founding member, to the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC). This may not seem like such a big deal, colleges move to different conferences all of the time. Conferences are formed and the are dissolved, that's the way college athletics have operated for decades. Yet, I can't help but have a bad taste in my mouth from this switch. Syracuse goes hand in hand with the Big East, to me they are one in the same. In the NCAA tournament when Syracuse in eliminated I root for the Big East. I have always took pride in having a school in the Big East conference. I love the tradition, the rich history of former college basketball dynasties meeting on the court. I love watching old school Big East games in the days when the refs would let the players play and big men dominated the paint with a ferocity that was unmatched. I love rooting for a conference that always seemed to work harder then the others. The Big East wasn't the flashiest conference, but goddammit it was the toughest. That's the style of basketball I love the most. I love low scoring slugfests where defense is the name of the game and every position counts. Unfortunately Syracuse is going to the flashiest and most hyped of all basketball conferences, the ACC. The decision wasn't made because its a better conference, its not, it was made for the oldest reason in the world, money.

      

The ACC is a bigger football conference than the Big East, that's why Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech left the Big East for the ACC. Football brings in more money to universities than basketball does, so the move wasn't decided on by anything else than profit. The Syracuse Men's football team currently brings in about $3,851,951 in profit to the University, the basketball team is much more profitable by bringing in about $10,223,094 in revenue. However, the top profit generating college programs are all football programs, while the ACC is not yet as profitable as the SEC, Big 12 or even Big 10, it is still more profitable than the Big East. The University doesn't care about tradition or history. They don't care about the great rivalries that will be lost, all they care about is their bottom line.

This is the cold hard truth about sports, as much as a team will tell you that they care about you (the fan) they really don't. They know that you will still watch games on TV, still pay to go to the games and still buy their merchandise. Sports is a business and like all business's they want to make money. But sports are more than just another mechanism to make money. Sports are embedded into the very fabric of our culture. They can build relationships between people who otherwise wouldn't speak to each other. There is a collective unity when you go to a sporting event, a connection with your fellow man that you rarely ever feel in this world. Sports belong to the fans more than anyone else, us fans are the ones who really generate the revenue that owners and universities collect. We care so passionately about the outcome of a game that we forget that the people who run the show only care about money. Which is way I will no longer follow the Syracuse Men's Basketball team. The University has made it loud and clear that tradition, loyalty, and history doesn't mean as much as their rate of profit. I will still watch college basketball, I will just be a man without a team. So much of life as an Economics major is all about making profit that I need some sort of escape. I need an outlet where I can just forget about the problems in the world. Except whenever I will watch a Syracuse game I will be reminded that all of life is under the control of money and profits. I refuse to believe this, I can' accept this if I want to remain sane. Sports is more than just money and Syracuse University Athletics has forgotten that so I will have to forget them.

I have finally succumbed to the pressure and I have formed... a blog. As this is my first ever blog post I feel it crucial and necessary to introduce myself. I work as a janitor at Cambridge, although I know I am smarter than most people there I hide that fact from the outside world. Instead I choose to solve highly advanced math formulas on blackboards. My best friend is Ben Affleck....wait that might be the plot to Good Will Hunting. I always get confused on the point. Anyway this blog will probably consist of a wide range of my interests, from economics, history, baseball (sports in general i suppose), and the state of society. If you are reading this then that probably means you are either really bored or extremely bored and wanting to waste time. If that is the case then you have come to the right place so sit back, put your tray tables in the upright standing position and enjoy whatever opinions my mind decides to spit out.