Personal Pride

Sit down and think about life. It seems that we are nothing but a statistic in this brave new world of ours. Back in the day, people were classified by their profession; hunter, gatherer, blacksmith, and so on. Today, we are defined by our hobbies. Instead of being known as the hunter who brings home dinner every night, we are now defined by what we do for pleasure. It seems that our lives are so boring that we must be defined by only the things that bring us pleasure. For example, a close friend of mine is known for being a reader and a writer. Both hobbies that don't help others; they simply bring him pleasure. Another friend is known for being good at and taking pride in his golf game. Another loves to go fishing. Another sells drugs, and another is an avid sports fan. What I am getting at is that society today is drastically different than it was in the time of the Native American Indians.

On another, less depressing level, we are not just bricks in the wall, but rather we affect the entire environment around us in big ways. If not for our personal existence, this world would not be the same. Although it may be hard to see at times, we affect every single person we see. Simply saying hello to people as we pass by them on the street can make such a large impact on their life. When somebody hears an insipiring story, that person may go on to do something positive not only for himself, but also for others. I recently went on a roadtrip with a good friend for two weeks and I can say that some of the stories I heard from people we met in bars or in national parks were quite inspiring. It is obvious that the deicisions that those around us make create an impact on our lives. Which brings me to the point of this whole post: Although at times our lives may seem small and worthless, we will always have a place in this world among those whose lives we directly, or indirectly affect, whether we know it or not.

2010 NBA Midseason Awards

With the All Star Break quickly approaching, it is just about that time when we examine who is worthy of midseason awards.

MVP: Lebron James SF Cleveland Cavaliers. James is posting career high numbers thus far in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and assists en route to leading the Cavs to the Eastern Conference's best record.

Most Improved Player: Roy Hibbert C Indiana Pacers. Hibbert has been a godsend for the ever disappointing Pacers franchise helping nail down the center spot this season with several outstanding performances.

Rookie of The Year: Tyreke Evans SG Sacramento Kings. The Kings are a much better team at least offensively thanks to Evans who has been on a tear since being drafted by the Kings out of Memphis.

Comeback Player of The Year: Steve Nash PG Phoenix Suns. This may seem like an odd pick since Nash's season wasn't that bad last year, but he was often banged up and failed to make the All-Star team for the first time in six years as his team floundered. This season he's back and as amazing as always.

Defensive Player of The Year: Dwight Howard C Orlando Magic. Can you name one player who has gone inside on Howard and not been stuffed multiple times?

*photo used from writingthepine.com

John Wall Hype Maybe Too Much

Over the last couple of months John Wall has received the most publicity of any player in the country. The comparisons to Derrick Rose are constant with some analyst's even saying that John Wall is better than Derrick Rose was in college. This frustrates me beyond belief, to say already that John Wall is better than Derrick Rose having not even gone threw the tournament is absurd. I am not try to hate on John Wall, actually I am very big fan, I believe Wall could be a better version of Devin Harris in the NBA. Still to say he is the better player already is just stupid. There are a few areas that John Wall has advantages in that Derrick did not have at
Memphis. These have lead to John Wall receiving better publicity and more hype.

1) Supporting Cast: John Wall's supporting cast is far better than Derrick Rose's teammates at Memphis. Derrick Rose had a very good but not top tier player, Chris-Douglas Roberts as his two slash three in the offense. With a solid contributer on the block in Robert Dozier. Compare that to Demarcus Cousins who is going to likely be a top twenty pick in the draft, and one of the top five centers in the country. Also add in Patrick Patterson who could be a top ten pick in the draft, and is the third best power forward in the country. So just to sum up Derrick Rose played with two second round draft picks and John Wall is playing with Two lottery picks.

2) Location, Location, Location: The large amount of publicity John Wall has been receiving is not just because of his play but because he and his teammates are helping revive the great Kentucky Basketball program. Derrick Rose played at Memphis which is part of Conference USA, let me repeat Conference USA. Be honest before Derrick Rose started putting Memphis on the map no one knew about Conference USA. John Wall not only gets to play in a big conference, but plays at one of the marquee schools of college basketball. This gives him more publicity and more people see him play.

3) Weak Year: College Basketball this year in terms of talent is quite low, maybe even lower than last year, and that is really saying something. Think of all the talent that was in Derrick Rose's draft class Beasily, Gordan, Mayo, Lopez. All four are producing big time numbers with many others also contributing. How many players do you think are going to make a huge impact in the pros from this upcoming class. I can think of two who I can say will 100% percent guarntee be good in the pros. John Wall and Xavier Henry. If you really think that Ed Davis is gonna make an immediate impact in the pros your kidding yourself, he still needs to gain a lot of weight and Derrick Favors is still a little to raw. All of this contributes to the hype of John Wall being blown out of proportion.

Again I am not trying to hate on John Wall I really like his game. It is just moronic to say that Wall with a company of fantastic players is already better than a guy who carried a bunch of stiffs to the national title game and then losing on a lucky shot. So lets start making comparisons when John Wall wins a national championship then we can start talking.

NFL Playoffs

With the wild card round over and the aging Patriots sent to their rightful doom by Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and whoever else is on that team, we must look ahead to the big matchups forthcoming:

Saturday

Arizona vs. New Orleans

If there is one game you plan on watching this playoff season make it this one. Brees vs. Warner. Touchdowns by the dozens. If there was a possibility of throwing two touchdowns with one pass , Kurt Warner would find it. If the Cardinals leave a single second on the clock and give the ball to the Saints, Drew Brees will win. If the Saints get any pressure on Warner, this could get interesting. Prediction: Cardinals 42, Saints 38

Indianapolis vs Baltimore

MVPeyton Manning returns from a three week vacation of sorts to square off with the brawling Baltimore Ravens. As always, the Ravens forte has been its aggressive nightmare of a defense that, like fine wine, ages quite gracefully. But Joe Flacco has been playing well lately also. The Colts have been well rested and cant afford to get caught looking ahead to the Chargers. By the way who's going to cover Dallas Clark?

Prediction: Colts 24, Ravens 16

Sunday

Dallas vs. Minnesota

Once again the Worlds Most Inconsistent Defense showed up for the lucky Cowboys against a rather unimpressive Eagles team. Big deal. Tony Romo is no playoff quarterback and Jared Allen will prove it. As for their suddenly wonderful defensive efforts (the media is so pro-Dallas it disgusts me) Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre will expose them for the farce they are.

Prediction: Minnesota 27, Dallas 13

San Diego vs. New York Jets

No one I say NO ONE wants to play the Chargers right now. Why? Because Philip Rivers will bury you. Because LaDainian Tomlinson is actually healthy in the playoffs for once. Because not a single person on that Jets defense can cover Antonio Gates. Oh yeah and their defense isnt half bad either. Steroids or no steroids Shawne Merriman will plant Mark Sanchez in the ground at least half a dozen times. The Jets are a feisty team but they won't be ready to handle a team this hot.

Prediction: Chargers 24, Jets 10

Healthcare Hoopla

Universal healthcare. Universal. Healthcare. The two words alone do not scare me but when melded together bring about a fear deep within that shakes the very foundation of economic standards this great country was founded upon. Ladies and gentlemen, healthcare has always and should always be a privilege, not a right, to the American people. This nation was founded with the economic principles of a free market system. Where resources are allocated efficiently and the supply reaches a point of equilibrium that is harmonious with demand. But, we are gradually moving toward everything our founding fathers fought against, Socialism. If the government intervenes in this substantial issue, it will indeed create a slippery slope effect of Socialist movements. And believe me, if universal healthcare is enacted, this precedent will affect future legislation that leans toward the Socialist ideals. Well, why do I care about people not being able to afford healthcare being granted the privilege that is healthcare you ask? What possible harm can it do to me even if I keep my old healthcare? Don't be ignorant. It will affect every single person living in this "Free" nation.

The funding for this legislation will have to come from somewhere, right? Well, the obvious answer is taxes. And who in their right mind wants to pay MORE taxes after half of their income already is taken to supply the government with their projects? Not I. Well, it will just take a little bit, you may say. No. Think about it. With the increase in people demanding healthcare, more doctors will be needed. Now, I'm not sure if you know this but hospital employees such as doctors (even more so with specialized doctors) and nurse practitioners make a pretty penny. This universal healthcare legislation will need to supply a large sum of money to pay those doing the surgeries, performing anaesthesia, and even diagnosing patients. Trust me, the tax will be there, and it will be heavy.

Well, just cut the salaries of the employees, you say. Oh, that has more implications than you may think. Be honest with yourself. Although it is ideal to find a doctor that practices medicine for the sheer love of helping people, it is more often than not that one goes into medicine for the financial reward. So if the salary of a doctor is, say, cut in half, you will most definitely witness people entering into engineering school, law school, or just a job out of college rather than waste an extra 4 years of tuition money AND not to mention the years of residency one must go through before actually being able to practice. But let's just say someone really wants to be a doctor. As you may assume, specialized doctors such as brain surgeons and cardiologists are paid substantially more for their profession than general doctors. Why is that? Because they must be precise. They have the life of someone in their hands and therefore must go through a much longer residency to prove they are capable of performing their job. If a specialized doctor and a general doctor have the same salary, what is the incentive to specialize? There is none (except for the bragging rights). Medical students will want to be general doctors and therefore there will be a severe shortage of the specialized doctors in the healthcare world.

Enough talking about the salaries and funding for this legislation, let's just talk about the resources. Doctors do NOT grow on trees. It takes a special person to practice medicine. There are so few in this world and to ask for an increase out of nowhere in order to cater to the needs of those that recently obtained this "Free" healthcare is absurd. Sure, maybe some nurses will take on doctor-esque duties but this number will be limited. Forget finding a way to pay for this healthcare, it will be near impossible to even be able to acquire the care. In countries such as Canada, England, and France where healthcare is "universal" many people wait in line for time periods up to 6 months just for a simple check-up. There was an instance in Canada where someone complained of a pain in their stomach that would not go away. Since it was not considered life-threatening, doctors put him on a waiting list of 6 months. The pain was so great that the man went to New York to acquire advice. He had the stomach x-rayed and found that he had a tumor on his lung. If he had waited 6 months, the cancer would have spread and probably killed him. I don't know about you but I would rather not wait for something just because one man deemed it to be not serious.

So ask yourself one question before you vote or write to your congressman. Is this legislation really worth it?

Bowl Season Summary

Well another series of 30 some pointless bowls and the one game that really matters has come to a close with yet another disappointing national title game and a string of dramatic events worthy of a sweeps season television show. You know what I'm talking about since chances were if you ever were unfortunate enough to turn to Sportscenter this holiday season you heard about all of these at least seven times (per minute). Urban Meyer leaving Florida with health problems! Mike Leach and Jim Leavitt, after taking Texas Tech and South Florida's programs to relevancy, being kicked to the curb for mistreating players! Bobby Bowden (finally) done coaching! Ndamukong Suh proving his ultimate dominance by throwing lineman aside like third graders! COlt McCoy's untimely injury in the title game leading to Texas' doom! Pete Carroll abandoning his USC/Hollywood University program to finally return from exile to the NFL! And of course Tim Tebow cried some more.

Along with the usual dictator like speeches from BCS officials about how the system isn't going anywhere (unless you want a panzer with an NCAA logo on it to run over you) we learned once again why college football is so special. The magic is unlike anything you find at the professional level. Kids really play their hearts out even if they aren't playing for a title because for most of them it is all their is left of the game they love. You can't say that about the NFL, where half the teams give up at midseason when out of contention to focus on asking for raises and buying more firearms. But I digress.

College football bid farewell to several excellent players (and coaches) this bowl season. Suh, McCoy, Tearbow, Clausen, Tate, Spikes, and Gerhart are just some of those who depart after outstanding careers. One has to wonder how their teams will fare without them next season. I know I do. Which is why I present (yes, already) my predictions for the Top 25 next season. After this I'll focus more on the NFL and NCAA basketball areas.

1. Alabama
2. Boise State
3. Texas
4. Ohio State
5. USC
6. Florida
7. Oregon
8. Georgia Tech
9. Iowa
10. Virginia Tech
11. TCU
12. Oklahoma
13. Wisconsin
14. Utah
15. Washington
16. North Carolina
17. Auburn
18. Nebraska
19. Penn State
20. Clemson
21. Florida State
22. Miami
23. Georgia
24. Ole Miss
25. Michigan State

Thats right. There is not a single team from the Big East in this poll. The conference is too big and sucks balls at football. Sorry West Virginia. By the way, Notre Dame receives NO VOTES in next year's opening poll in a shocking moment when members of the media come to their senses.

Carroll To Seahawks Thank God

ESPN has just reported that the head football coach of USC, Pete Carroll will take over Jim Mora's as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, as well as there president of operatons and personnel. This comes as quite the shock to me considering the empire that Pete Carroll has built in Southern California. Especially considering the fact that with Matt Barkley is now going into his sophomore season and many of his players coming back, it is interesting that Carroll would choose to leave now. As a Notre Dame fan I am more than happy with his departure, this means that his reign of terror over college football has ended and thank god for that. What Carroll accomplished in his time at USC is quite remarkable, including two national championships and would have three if it wasn't for a certain Mr. Vince Young. He also has provided the NFL with pro-bowl talent for the last decade including the likes of Carson Palmer and Troy Polamalu to name a few.

The situation in Seattle is fairly ideal for Carroll to come into with a all pro quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck and an emerging defensive stud in Aaron Curry. Only time will tell if Carroll's long awaited trip back to the NFL will be meet with success or failure.